The 14th annual North East Oyster Festival is taking place at Hardwick Hall Hotel, near Sedgefield, and 1,300 people are attending in a party atmosphere to the sound of Irish music.

The 2016 event raised a record £63,000 for the Butterwick Hospice and organisers hope that the figure raised this year will go even higher.

Hardwick Hall’s owner, John Adamson, who is one of the Butterwick’s most loyal supporters, welcomed guests and urged them to “dig deep”.

Top of the bill was former Spandau Ballet singer Tony Hadley. Guests were also greeted by Austin Powers, or at least someone who looked and sounded very much like him.

A Butterwick Hospice spokesman said: “The North East Oyster Festival is one of our biggest fundraisers of the year and we are so grateful to everyone who turned up.”

The fundraising partnership between the Butterwick Hospice and Hardwick Hall continues tomorrow night (Saturday) with an Oktoberfest extravaganza and Ladies’ Day on Sunday.