LIVE music and colourful costumes will bring added life to a market place when a carnival comes to town.

Crowds are expected to gather at Crook Community Samba Festival, in County Durham, on Tuesday next week.

Live bands will play in the market place all morning and a samba procession will weave its way through the town.

The event is the culmination of six weeks of music and art workshops that have taken place in 20 venues, involving schools and community care homes or groups.

All the music has been created by children and the residents of care homes in the area and each of them will perform on the day.

Four new samba bands have been formed especially for the day.

They will feature residents from Bradbury House, Chesh-ire Home, Parklands, Southfield Lodge House and the Wear Valley Centre.

A representative for the event said: "The procession will be colourful, loud, lively, bright and fun to watch.

"St Catherine's Community Centre will be open all morning for refreshments, and we are hoping as many people as possible come along."

Published: 14/06/2004