A TASTE of the Far East came to the North-East yesterday as members of the region's Chinese community came together for a traditional cultural festival.

Elvet Methodist Church, in Durham, adopted an oriental feel for the afternoon, as the setting for a Chinese Moon Festival.

The Moon or Mid-Festival is the Chinese equivalent of the Harvest Festival, staged yesterday as there was a full moon.

It was a suitable occasion for the Durham Chinese School to stage an open day, to promote its weekly meetings.

Set up in January 2002, it meets every Sunday in Durham, with about 30 young members, aged four to 18, and ten adult students.

They are a mix of English and mostly Chinese people from across the North-East, coming together to learn Mandarin Chinese, as well as discover more about the respective cultures.

The first hour features a Chinese dance class and the last two hours are spent learning the language.

School head Dr Yan Liu said the class draws people from different backgrounds from across the region.

"We have people who are from the north-west of China who are Muslims and others who are from Taiwan.

"But we all consider ourselves as Chinese. Everyone gets on well and we have no differences."

The Chinese school has moved recently to Durham Johnston School, at Crossgate Moor, Durham, which has specialist language status.

It takes place on Sundays, from 1pm to 4pm.

Information is available from Dr Liu, on (07715) 973164.