THE inaugural Durham Flower Festival has been held over the weekend.

East Durham College’s Houghall Campus hosted the horticultural event with further displays at Durham Cathedral and Crook Hall and Gardens on Saturday and Sunday.

The show included a wide range of amateur exhibits and horticultural trade and society displays along with a number of stalls selling a variety of craft and gardening products.

There were also a number of children’s activities such as rides, free face painting and animals from the Houghall Campus.

Alistair Cummins-MacLeod, from East Durham College, said: “Since the decision was taken by Gateshead Council to stop running the Gateshead Flower Show we felt it was really important to hold a prestigious flower show in the region.

“We felt our facilities and expertise put us in a really good position to set one up.

“This has been the first one and the hope is that every year it will grow and become part of the calendar of horticultural and floristry events around the country that people that look forward to.”

At Durham Cathedral there was a local producers’ market giving visitors the chance to buy artisan goods in the unique setting of the cloister.

Several local businesses set up market stalls and artists painted in the garden at Crook Hall where a special Durham Flower Festival menu was also arranged.