HE is the man charged with bringing art to the masses in a former coal-mining and steel-working area of County Durham. But new theatre manager for Derwentside Nick Wiggins has found that the job is already half-done.

For, in a major coup for the arts in the district, one of the world's most famous ballet troupes has agreed to come to Consett and tickets at £17.50-a-head, sold out in days.

So delighted is the Moscow Ballet that it has already agreed to come back.

Arts managers have noticed a knock-on effect with tickets for opera and other ballets selling at twice the rate of previous years.

Not that 27-year-old Mr Wiggins, who hails from Oxford, has stopped forming a few plans of his own for the Consett Empire, Stanley Civic Hall and Consett Civic Centre - for all types of shows, on a budget of £250,000 a year.

The married man, who had never set foot in the North-East before landing this newly-created job with Derwentside District Council, plans to develop niche entertainment markets for minorities who enjoy ballet and opera, but also other groups who enjoy arts including stand-up comedy, children's theatre and numerous different types of music.

He is keen to develop the long-standing relationship the area has with rock and blues music at major events such as the Allensford Show and Stanley Blues Festival.

But for the moment Mr Wiggins, who has moved to Consett, is content to get to grips with the culture of the Derwentside corner of County Durham.

He said: "I was an assistant theatre and arts manager in Torquay before coming here and you can't imagine a more different area. It was very tourism-based and a very leafy type of area.

"It is a very spread-out, rural type of place.

"But for me bringing together the three venues is a real exciting challenge.

"I've really come to love this place even though we've only been here a few weeks."