THE funeral of North-East football legend "Gentleman George" Hardwick will take place at St Mary's Cathedral, Coulby Newham, Middlesbrough, on Friday, at 1pm. Hardwick, 84, who died in his sleep on Monday morning following a long illness, was a football icon on Teesside and captained both England and a Great Britain side that played against the Rest of Europe in the VE celebration match. Friends are requested to meet at the church, and all floral tributes should be sent to Thomas Rea and Sons Funeral Service, in Yarm, near Stockton.

LEGION MEETING: A special Royal British Legion (RBL) night will be staged at Brough Park Greyhound Stadium, in Newcastle, to honour service veterans involved in the D-Day landings of 1944. RBL branches from across the North-East will gather for the night's racing on Thursday, May 6, a month before the 60th anniversary. All are welcome, with admission and programmes free of charge. Further details are available on 0191-210 5300.

MO'S DATE: Mo Mowlam, the former Labour MP for Redcar and minister for Northern Ireland, will talk about her life in politics at The Arc theatre in Stockton on Saturday, May 8. Tickets cost £12 or £10 for the over-60s and under-16s. Students and people on benefits can buy a ticket for £8. To book, call (01642) 525199.

ABOUT ALICE: Former EastEnders star Michael Greco is among the cast of About Alice, a comedy by Charles Laurence to be staged at Darlington's Civic Theatre from May 11. The play also features Gwen Taylor, Francis Matthews and Rosalind Cressy. For tickets, call (01325) 348888.