A flower festival is planned at a North-East museum to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the founders' wedding.

Bowes Museum, in Barnard Castle, County Durham, will mark the anniversary of John and Josephine Bowes with the festival from August 23 to 26.

The bank holiday event will feature exhibits by Rita Braithwaite and Carol Dixon, of the Teesdale Flower Club.

Lesley Taylor, chairman of the Friends of the Bowes Museum, who has helped to organise the event, said: "The theme of the festival is A Marriage of Hearts and Minds.

"It commemorates the wonderful gift which John and Josephine made, when they created the Bowes Museum and filled it with a precious collection of fine and decorative art from their travels in Europe."

A warm-up event organised by the friends - a family fun day - takes place on August 10, with pony rides, Velcro Olympics, an assault course and space hoppers.

The Countess of Strathmore will open a festival preview on August 22, at 7pm.

Entry is £5 for members of the Friends of the Bowes Museum and £6 for non-members. Entry to the festival will be the normal museum admission price, but staff are asking visitors to make a donation of £1 to the friends.

The family fun day will run between 11am and 4pm. A family ticket costs £15, adults £5 and £4 for concessions.

For further details, contact the museum on (01833) 690606.