ECTO1, a rare replica of the car from the Ghostbusters film, is visiting a North-East comic convention next month.

Scooby Doo’s Mystery Machine will also be at DiddyCon in Park View Community Centre, Chester-le-Street, County Durham.

Organised by Dark Matter Café and Events, it is on Saturday, May 7, from 10am-4pm, and ties in with International Free Comic Book Day.

Company director Dan Pye said: “DiddyCon is just the beginning of this year’s event calendar, and leading up to what will be a truly incredible unique experience at KingCon. I can’t wait to welcome you all along.

“Our goal is to inspire our audience and give them clear routes for further education in IT, science and technology, and help introduce them to the more practical side of these careers in an environment they can identify with and feel comfortable in.

“Helping them discover amazing things, meet people and create something amazing to inspire further generations is our aim, and that’s something we are very proud of, and with new partnerships with major museums and educational bodies we have an opportunity to do this within our events.”

The convention, supported by Chester-le-Street Area Action Partnership and Park View Community Centre, features and traders, professional cosplayers -fancy dress in character, Green Screen Photography, Richard the Dinosaur - a large realistic dinosaur, 3D printing and game design from Darlington College, retro gaming, big screen gaming, how to play sessions and competitive trading card gaming sessions as well as film and TV props.

Tickets are £3 each, under sevens are free and family tickets are £10, available online at www.diddycon.co.uk, in-store at Dark Matter Café and from the Park View Community Centre.