Member Article

What’s on this weekend: 9th-11th December

This week’s top pick

Grainger Market Christmas Fair. Saturday December 10. All day, including Sunday.

Christmas shopping in the Markets means a vast array of specialist coffees, cheeses, fresh fruit, vegetables, meats, turkeys, puddings and cakes. Take the children to meet Father Christmas, and have their picture taken before he heads back to the North Pole. Traders will have gifts, jewellery and clothing on offer. Carol singers will be on hand to accompany your shopping, and provide that Christmas excitement.

Exhibition

Josephine Nichol Paintings at Little Monk, Tynemouth Front Street. Ongoing until January 15.

Little Monk are displaying a collection of paintings by local artist Josephine Nichol, representing a departure from her usual work on Northumberland castles and cottages. The collection of oils on canvas and framed water colours is her “Jules” collection and depicts women of the era dressed in costumes embellished with gold and silver leaf. Josephine is a self taught artist, who has been painting for over 20 years.

Cinema

The General (plus live organ) - The Star and Shadow Cinema, Newcastle. Friday December 9, 7.30pm. Tickets: £5; £3.50 conc.

Buster Keaton’s great comedy, set against the background of American civil war. He risks everything in pursuit of his beloved locomotive, that has been hijacked. Fast paced and consistently witty, this is one to revisit.

Food and Drink

‘Sharing Beers’. San Lorenzo restaurant, Gosforth Hight Street and Popolo, Pilgrim Street, Newcastle. Ongoing.

The trend for sharing beers is spreading throughout Europe, and now two Tyneside venues are offering the chance to sample different varieties of beer. Popolo and San Lorenzo both stock three varieties of Italian sharing beer from the Baladin brewery in Piozzo, and one Spanish variety, Estrella Damm Inedit. The beers are served in wine-sized bottles, and drank from small tumblers.

Music

The Rezillos - Stockton Georgian Theatre. Friday December 9, 8.15pm. Tickets: £15.

The classic 70s punk act are stopping off in Stockon for those who fancy a nostalgic trip back in time, with roaring pop-punk singles such as ‘Top of the Pops’ and ‘Destination Venus.’ Original members Eugene Reynolds and Fay Fife promise a storming live show, with great outfits.

Theatre

The Glass Slipper - Northern Stage, Newcastle. Saturday December 10, 2pm and 7pm. Tickets: £20-£12.50.

Charming, thrilling, and occasionally silly; this updated version of the classic Cinderella story. Ella wants to go to the Northumberland Ball, to meet the prince, but her wicked sisters and stepmother won’t allow her to go. Might there be a magical ghost out there to help her? Suitable for children aged 7 and up, with their families.

Comedy

Catch 22: Justin Moorhouse and Martin ‘Bigpig’ Mor - ARC, Stockton. Friday December 9, 8.15pm. Tickets: £13-£16.

Justin hosts his own show, ‘Tea Time with Justin Moorhouse’, daily on Manchester’s Sony Award winning radio station Key 103. He’s known for playing the part of ‘young Kenny’ in Peter Kay’s Phoenix Nights, and is reported to be Jimmy Carr’s favourite comedian. Martin Mor, from Northern Ireland, does his offbeat and outrageous routine.

Digital TV Switchover help comes to the region

Former Tomorrow’s World Presenter Maggie Philbin who is the face of the BBC-run Switchover visited the region on Wednesday 7th December to reassure older and disabled people in the North East that help with the digital TV switchover is at hand.

Maggie sang alongside the Newcastle Cathedral Choir, singing their own rendition of the 12 Days of Christmas, the “12 days of Help Scheme,” where, “On the first day of Help Scheme, I had sent to me, a full year of after-care support”.

Maggie said “Although the switchover is a long way off, some people may already be worried about what they need to do. The good news is they don’t have to be. I’m here today to reassure people that help is at hand from the Switchover Help Scheme”.

More information can be obtained from the Switchover Help Scheme website.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .