ONE of the great personal joys of the past couple of years has come from getting involved with Darlington Operatic Society.

It started when I was asked to play the role of my illustrious predecessor, William Stead, in a musical production of Titanic at Darlington Civic Theatre to mark the centenary of the ship sinking in 1912. Stead, who occupied the editor’s chair at the Echo from 1871, was among those who perished in the disaster.

Having come to fully appreciate the value to the local area of an organisation such as Darlington OS, I now have the privilege of being its president.

At 7.30pm on Saturday, Darlington OS will be back in action at Darlington Civic Theatre with a reprise of its recent spectacular show Strictly Musicals, in aid of the charities supported by the borough’s mayor Charles Johnson.

Charles, who has done a fine job as mayor, came to me a year ago with an idea for staging a one-off night of entertainment at the Civic Theatre and I was delighted to be the go-between in bringing him and Darlington OS together.

The result will be an outstanding show, featuring songs from classic musicals including Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, Matilda, West Side Story, Chicago, Evita and many more.

Tickets are £15 and £17 and are available from the Civic Theatre box office on 01325- 486555.

There is a rumour that I may even be permitted to make a guest appearance myself – but don’t let that put you off. Come along, see a great show, and help raise money for some great causes.

FROM the moment Boris Johnson branded Nick Clegg as “David Cameron’s prophylactic device” last week, I had fears for the already battered image of the Deputy Prime Minister.

The Mayor of London’s description led to one of the most unlikely headlines I’ve ever seen put out by the BBC: “Clegg is Cameron’s condom,” it said on the Beeb’s website.

Predictably, it also represented an irresistable opportunity for The Sun (see below).

To be absolutely fair to Mr Clegg, he was a jolly good sport to pose for such a picture.

It can’t have been easy, holding his breath while the photographer got the light right.

I guess he must have just developed a thick skin.