A COMMUNITY opera group is heading for one of the world's top music venues after five years of writing and rehearsing in County Durham.

The Durham People's Opera group is preparing to take its home-grown production Sell-By to the Linbury Studio at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

Before the excitement of appearing in London on Sunday July 8, there are two shows at Stanley Civic Theatre, on July 5 and 6.

It took two-and-a-half years for the group to write the piece, which stars Gill Murdy, from Stanley, and Andrew Sheldon, from Bowburn, as two deep-frozen victims of a genetic engineering factory who are brought back to life.

Gill is one of the many cast members recruited from the Singing from Scratch group, which meets in schools and church halls in Durham and Chester-le-Street.

At the weekend the cast joined the Cobweb Orchestra for a day of rehearsals at Bishop Auckland Town Hall.

Andy Jackson, from Bishop Auckland, led the composing team for Sell-By, while the libretto was written under the guidance of Durham novelist Michael Standen. Music Director is Alan Fearon, of Northern Sinfonia.

Tickets for the Stanley performance are available on (01207) 218899. For tickets for the London show call 020-7304 4000.