THE organisation that supports arts and culture in Darlington will mark its fifth anniversary at its members-only annual meeting.

Darlington for Culture's celebration will be held in the Stephenson suite of the Dolphin Centre at 6.30pm on Friday (June 26).

The group was formed in 2010 in a bid to stop Darlington Arts Centre from being closed down due to government budget cuts affecting the arts sector.

The arts centre closed in 2012, but Darlington for Culture kept rallying for the survival of art, culture and craft in the region.

In replacement of the previous arts centre, a number of venues are supported and by the organisation, including Cafe Create, Scrap Studioarts, Darlington Friends’ Meeting House and The Forum.

The co-operative has a team of 60 volunteers, who give up their spare time to support cultural groups, businesses and venues in the area.

Members take part in volunteering and help out with promotions in order to fulfil their mission of making the arts flourish in Darlington.

Volunteer coordinator Heather Carter said: “I’d like to mark our fifth anniversary by saying a very special thank you to all our volunteers who regularly turn out to support such a diverse range of arts events throughout the year.

“They are magnificent and Darlington for Culture is very fortunate to have such a great team.”

The group are best known for organising the annual Darlington Arts Festival, which hosts over a month’s worth of live music, fine art exhibitions, literature discussions and much more.

This year, the festival included events such as Darlington Jazz Festival, a themed screening of a Queen concert and Folk Music and Dance Day.

John Dean, chairman of the organisation for the past three years, said: Darlington for Culture has undergone a tumultuous five years which has seen it establish itself as a powerful voice for the borough’s arts and cultural organisations.

“DfC has made great progress in its short history and it is vital that it continues to support the arts and culture community in any way it can, both in practical terms and in terms of giving it a strong and independent voice.

“The closure of the Arts Centre, a decision with which we have always disagreed, was a heavy blow but we have always been determined that it should not be seen as the end of the story but the beginning.”

For more information about the group – including details of how to volunteer – visit darlingonforculture.org