PREPARATIONS are well under way for a celebration of older people in a County Durham market town.
Fifteen pensioner groups and professional artists are putting the finishing touches to costumes, float decoration and dance steps for a parade through the streets of Chester-le-Street this weekend.
It is thought to be the first such celebration of elderly people in the country.
Each float is inspired by the old people's lives and experiences and includes themes such as The Big Band, The Sweet Factory and Back to School.
About 300 pensioners and friends will take to the streets on Saturday for a procession from Chester-le-Street Market Place to the Riverside.
Managed by Equal Arts, the North's arts and older people's development agency, the event is also organised by Age Concern and Chester-le-Street District Council.
Earlier this week, pensioners at Kimblesworth Day Room, at Kimbeleworth, near Chester-le-Street, were finishing their float on the theme of the farmyard.
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