STARTING ON Monday, 90 young people from across the North-East will work with professional performers and teachers at Durham's Gala Theatre to put together a performance in a week.

The show, featuring songs from West End musicals such as Copacabana, The Wiz, Annie and Blood Brothers, will be staged at 7.30pm on Saturday, August 31. Although the performance course is now full, places are still available on a technical workshop, which will run alongside it. For more details, ring Lisa Thorner on 0191-332 4054.

SPORTS FESTIVAL: Three days of traditional coalfield sports will be staged in a festival at Haswell and Haswell Plough, from today until Monday. As part of the event, there will be a short ceremony at the recently renovated memorial to the 1844 Haswell pit disaster, at 4.30pm tomorrow. It will include music from the GT Group Peterlee band and words from actor and comedian Mike Elliott.

SCHOOL REUNION: A reunion for former pupils who left the Upper Standards School or Annfield Plain Secondary Modern School for Girls in 1957 or 1958 will be held in Stanley Central Club's upper lounge on Wednesday, September 4 at 7pm. For details call Shirley Brown on (01207) 233143, Maureen Taylor on (01207) 502417 or Maureen Flynn on (01207) 238493.

LOTTERY CASH: Almost 200 new childcare places will be created in Sunderland with £296,666 given by the New Opportunities Fund to three local organisations, Fencehouses YMCA, Pennywell Neighbourhood Centre and Redby Out of School Club.

MARKET YOURSELF: Marketing Yourself, a ten-week course which aims to improve job search skills, will be held at Chester-le-Street Community Association's centre on Newcastle Bank on Mondays, between 12.30pm and 2.30pm, starting on September 16, and on Fridays between 7.15pm and 9.15pm, starting on September 20. The course costs £30. For details and enrolment call 0191-388 4752.

SKETCHING SESSION: Visitors to Seaton Holme, Easington Village, today, tomorrow, and on Monday will be able to have their favourite people or animals sketched by artist Keith Musgrove. They are asked to take a photograph along and the sketch will be done while they wait.

WOMAN HURT: A woman suffered leg injuries and was taken to the University Hospital of North Durham after she was involved in a road accident in which a heavy goods vehicle collided with two cars, on the A181 at Sherburn, near Byers Garth Cottages, at 10.20am yesterday.

VICTIMS FREED: Firefighters released the occupants of a car and a tractor and made both vehicles safe following a collision at Findon Hill, Sacriston, just before 9am yesterday.