Entries have opened for a beach volleyball festival in the region.

The July 12 festival, to take place in Redcar, between Leo's Pub and the Regent Cinema, has been organised by Redcar and Cleveland Council. The age group categories are for four-a-side boys and girls teams at under 12, under 13, under 14, under 15 and under 16 with a mixed under 11 section plus an open age group for two-a-side men or women. Entry is £10 a team and those interested are asked to call (01642) 444 338 for more details.

ICE AGE: A talk entitled After the Ice Age - Human History and Global Warming will be given in Durham next Saturday, by Professor Steven Mithen from the University of Reading. The talk, organised jointly by the Architectural and Archaeological Society of Durham and Northumberland and the Pre-historic Society, will take place in Room 141, New Elvet, near the Three Tuns Hotel. There is no admission charge.

HOSPICE HISTORY: Anyone interested in seeing how a leading Cleveland charity has developed over the past 21 years can take a walk down memory lane by visiting Teesside Hospice's History of the Hospice display. It is part of their 21st anniversary celebrations and is on show in Cleveland Shopping Centre until 4pm tomorrow.

FOUR ARRESTED: Four men were arrested by police in Gateshead yesterday morning in connection with the shooting of a man in Wrekenton High Street, Gateshead, on Monday. The men were last night being questioned by detectives.

MAN TRAPPED: The driver of a Toyota Corolla had to be cut free from his vehicle by firefighters after it was in collision with a lorry in John Dobson Street, Newcastle, at about 7am yesterday. The car's passenger was uninjured.

MINISTER'S SPEECH: Lord Falconer, the Criminal Justice Minister, will speak at the North of England Victims Conference, at the Little Haven Hotel, South Shields, at 11.15am today. He will outline a range of measures set up to help victims and ensure they are informed of developments relating to their crime.

POLICE PURSUIT: Police officers chased a car from Cleveland to County Durham yesterday after a suspected disqualified driver refused to stop. The motorist was eventually brought to a halt in Yarm Road, Darlington, and taken to Darlington police station for questioning.

DOG STUCK: Firefighters had to be called out when a small dog got itself wedged in metal railings in Millbank Terrace, Station Town, near Peterlee, east Durham, at about 1.30pm yesterday. Firefighters used specialist cutting equipment to free the animal in an operation lasting 1 hours.

PUB FIRE: Firefighters were called to the Bensham Jockey pub, in Bensham Road, Gateshead, shortly after 3am yesterday after a fire broke out in the bar area. A section to the rear of the bar was severely damaged, and the rest of the two-storey building was badly smoke logged.

MAN RESCUED: A 65-year-old man was rescued by firefighters from the hallway of his home, in Oxford Avenue, Chichester, South Tyneside, after a blaze broke out in the kitchen. He was taken to South Tyneside District Hospital suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation.