A CELEBRATION of International Workers’ Day is returning to Darlington.

The town has not celebrated the May Day bank holiday event for several years and now different groups have come together to organise the event at Darlington Cricket Club.

International Workers’ Day, on May 1 this year, also known as Labour Day in some countries, is a celebration of working class peoples’ fight for better working conditions and rights.

The event, at the cricket club, will involve a public meeting followed by an open mic session with live music from local artists.

Speakers will include Simon Elliott, the chairman of the Northern Regional TUC, and Darlington’s Labour MP Jenny Chapman.

The meeting will also hear from Ben Sellers, one of the organisers of Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership campaign, local junior doctor Pete Campbell, nurse and NHS campaigner Barbara Campbell, and Trish Fay from the Durham teaching Assistants Value Us campaign.

The free event is supported by Darlington TUC, Momentum Darlington, Durham Labour Left, Teesside People’s Assembly, Durham Trades Council and Darlington Young Labour.

Darlington TUC’s Alan Docherty, who is chairing the event, said: “This year’s May Day meeting coincides with the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution that for a time established the world’s first workers’ state. This meeting will be the start of a new tradition of annual socialist May Day events in Darlington.”

The event is at 7.30pm on Monday, May 1.