A free music event and exhibition is set to take place at a shopping centre this weekend as part of celebrations marking a County Durham town's 75th anniversary.

Peterlee’s Castle Dene Shopping Centre is set to be filled with music on Saturday (March 9) from noon as part of the town's birthday bash.

The concert, which will feature performances from singer-songwriters Elaine Palmer and Steve Pledger is the final part of Peterlee 75, the council’s programme of commissions, exhibitions, music concerts, and workshops marking the town’s landmark birthday.

They will also be joined by children from Acre Rigg Academy, Dene House Primary, and Dene Academy as the pair have worked with them to create songs about the town's past and future inspired by Peterlee: Living Memory - an exhibition which will go on display at the centre that same day.

Cllr Elizabeth Scott, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for economy and partnerships, said: “I was delighted to open the exhibition that launched Peterlee 75 last year. It’s very fitting that the finale to Peterlee 75 should be a showcase of the work produced with and by people from the local community during the town’s anniversary year.

“It’s particularly nice to see how all generations have been involved in making personal contributions to this celebration of people and place. Sharing an understanding of the past can often inspire us to embrace the future with a greater sense of self-confidence, both as individuals and as members of a community.”

The new exhibition, Peterlee: Living Memory, will open alongside another new exhibition, named Garden City Futures.

It will be available to view until April and builds on the 2023 exhibition Peterlee: The Place To Be; but rather than focusing on the early development of the town, a light will be shone on the people who live in it.

The exhibition will feature personal photos, memorabilia, and related stories that have been submitted by people who live or have lived in the town.

The materials donated are also being copied and recorded and will form part of the archive collection held in The Story, a brand-new culture and heritage venue set to open at Mount Oswald in June.

Garden City Futures will showcase work produced by East Durham College students, who have been considering the future of open spaces in the urban environment and the unique landscape of Peterlee.

Facilitated by artist Sara Cooper, alongside architects and design practitioners from the School of Architecture at Newcastle University, the students have worked to hopefully encourage community participation in the care of shared green spaces.

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Laura Dugdale, art lecturer at East Durham College, said: "The project was a challenge and totally different to anything the students had done before.

"It’s hugely positive that they can see how their designs could influence spaces in Peterlee and, potentially, on the college campus.

"The student’s responses reflect that they care about where they’re from and the future of Peterlee."