ACOUSTICS at a new country park amphitheatre will be tested by a woman who helped to design the facility.

Herrington Country Park, in the shadow of Penshaw Monument, near Sunderland, will be officially opened when it becomes the new venue for Durham County Show next month.

The 370-acre green haven is the culmination of a lengthy reclamation and restoration scheme on the former Herrington Colliery site.

It features a tiered amphitheatre which will be capable of holding audiences of up to 3,000 when it is given its first airing at the county show, on July 13 and 14.

Among the first performers will be Nicola Douglas, guest vocalist with Premium, one of several bands popular on the North-East pub and club scene, which will take centre stage over the weekend.

It will be a labour of love for the 22-year-old student landscape artist, who helped to design the amphitheatre while working with Sunderland City Council.

During her year in industry from her diploma studies course at Sheffield University, Nicola has spent recent months working with the city council's landscape and reclamation team.

The amphitheatre, hollowed out of a hillside, immediately becomes one of the North-East's biggest open air music venues.

Nicola, an aspiring musician during her school days, said: "I've never sung in an open air setting before and to make my debut in an amphitheatre I've been involved in designing, is like a dream come true."

Keith Hamilton, the city council's landscape and reclamation manager, said: "All we need now is a week's rain to bed in the turf and then bright sunshine on July 13 and 14."