SPORT...

BACK at home after their Powergen Cup triumph in London, Kendal's rugby side host Bradford and Bingley in National League Division 3 North at Mint Bridge tomorrow, Saturday, Oct 23 (3pm kick-off).

KENDAL Town Football Club have two home games this coming week, starting tomorrow, Saturday, Oct 23, when Telford visit for a UniBond League match (3pm). On Tuesday, Town turn to cup action when they entertain Rossendale United in the first round of the UniBond League Cup at Parkside (7.45pm).

THEATRE...

ENJOY a weekend packed with laughs at the Platform, Morecambe, until Sunday, October 24. Morecambe Comedy Weekend features performances from award-winning comedians including Richard Herring, Jeremy Hardy, Jeff Green and the Horse and Bamboo Theatre Company. For programme details, call 01524-582803.

WHITEHAVEN and District Operatic Society will be performing their version of the popular TV comedy series, Allo Allo at the Rosehill Theatre, Whitehaven, tonight, Friday, Oct 22, and tomorrow, Saturday, Oct 23. Performances begin at 7.30pm. For details, call 01946-692422.

DUKES Theatre, Lancaster, is hosting a production of Patricia Highsmith's novel, The Talented Mr Ripley. Set in 1950s Italy, the story follows Ripley, a mysterious loner with an obsession with millionaire playboy Dickie Greenleaf. The production opens on Oct 29 and runs until November 20. For details, call 01524-598500.

GRAHAM Greene's The Third Man comes to the Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal, tonight, Oct 22. This new production by Red Shift brings new vision to a classic thriller. The performance begins at 8pm. For details, call 01539-725133.

ENJOY a night at the theatre with a Grange Drama production of The Uninvited, by Tim Kelly. The play will be directed by Benita Finch and will appear at the Victoria Hall until tomorrow, Saturday, Oct 23. Tickets are available from Grange Tourist Information Centre or on the door.

ICE and Fire in association with UK Arts International present I Have Before Me at the Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal, on Monday, Oct 25. The story charts the bittersweet relationship between a young Rwandan woman and a British poet as he tries to help her write out her personal story. The performance begins at 8pm. For details, call 01539-725133.

LANCASTER Grand Theatre is hosting an all-singing, all-dancing trip around the world tomorrow, Saturday, Oct 23, and Sunday, Oct 24. Escapade is a production by Dance Incorporated and includes a theatrical trip to the four corners of the globe. Performances start at 2pm and 7pm. For tickets, call 01524-64695.

SOWETO'S brightest children's theatre company comes to the Brewery Arts Centre at Kendal tomorrow, Saturday, Oct 23. Vulavulani Theatre Company from South Africa will be teaming up with the Action Transport Theatre Company from the UK to present Tselane's Song - a joyful, upbeat story of traditional and contemporary African culture featuring dance, storytelling and live music. The performance begins at 2pm. For details, call 01539-725133.

THE Old Laundry Theatre, Bowness, is hosting an NTC Touring Theatre Company production entitled Bedazzled by Sylvia Cullen. The story of love and greed set against the backdrop of the Irish gold rush of 1795 runs tonight, Friday, and tomorrow, Saturday, Oct 22-23. Performances begin at 8pm. For details, call 015394-88444.

THE Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, is showing Volpone or the Fox, Ben Johnson's famous comedy about two fraudsters. With the help of Mosca, Volpone tricks many crooks and charlatans as they gather around his bed waiting for him to die. For tickets, call 0161-833-9833.

MANCHESTER'S Palace Theatre is hosting Jekyll and Hyde the Musical, a major new production based on the Robert Louis Stevenson tale about the scientist with two opposing personalites. For tickets, call 0870-401-3000.

NORTH Star Opera Company is appearing at Blackburn's Thwaites Empire Theatre on Wednesday, Oct 27, with a production entitled Love, Passion, Death. The show features scenes from Puccini's Tosca, La Boheme, Madame Butterfly and Turandot and is sung in English and is sign language interpreted. The performance begins at 6.30pm. For details, call 01254-680137.

WALKS ...

EXPLORE the history of the Campbells on Coniston on a special guided walk around the places associated with the legendary Bluebirds. The walk takes place on Oct 28 and starts from The Ruskin Museum at 10.30am. For details, call 015394-41164.

MISCELLANEOUS ...

OUTDOOR enthusiasts young and old will be able to experience some exciting wilderness sports and raise money for mountain rescue at this year's October Outdoor Fest. The annual festival takes place in and around Gaynor Sports, Ambleside, from October 23-30 and this year's event should have something for everyone including guided walks with some of the biggest names in the outdoors, children's activities, and opportunities to test some of the latest equipment. For details, call 015394-34204.

THE Wordsworth Trust's series of Summer Poetry Readings comes to a close on Tuesday, Oct 26, with an evening with poet and publishing magnate Felix Dennis. Felix was co-editor of the infamous OZ magazine in the 1960s. The evening will take place at The Thistle Hotel, Grasmere, at 6.30pm. For details, call 015394-35544.

DISCOVER the secrets of the heavens at a Halloween Special Supper and Stargazing evening at Whinlatter Forest Park, near Keswick, tomorrow, Saturday, Oct 23. Join experts from the Border Astronomy Society on a starlit walk through the forest. Bring warm clothes and a rug to lie on. To book, call 015394-46601.

HISTORY enthusiasts can find out about all the different historical and archaeological groups in the area at Kendal Museum's Societies Week, which takes place from tomorrow, Saturday, Oct 23, to Saturday, Oct 30. For details, call 01539-721374.

HALLOWEEN spells a week of spooky half-term happenings in the Lake District National Park. Between October 25 and October 29 young spooks can enjoy lantern-making, scary story-telling and even the company of owls at Brockhole's Halloween Hoot on Oct 29. Events include: the bug box, Brockhole, near Windermere, Oct 27; Lantern-making, Brockhole, Oct 28; Whispers in the Woodland, Brockhole, and Witches, lanterns and spooky stories, Fell Foot Country Park, Newby Bridge, both Oct 29. For further information, call 015394-46601.

ENJOY a guided woodland walk at Holker Hall on Thursday afternoon, Oct 28.. The weekly 2pm parkland perambulation sets off from the Holker gift shop and costs £2 for adults and £1 for children. Under fives are free and the walk lasts 1hr 15mins.

CONCERTS ...

AWARD-winning Scottish folk musician, Emily Smith, will be appearing at Barrow's Forum 28 on Tuesday, Oct 26. Together with her band she has been enthralling audiences in the US, and Australia. The concert begins at 7.30pm. For details, call 01229-820000.

FOLK artist Brian Willoughby, the famed former lead guitarist of The Strawbs, is joining singer/songwriter Cathryn Craig for a gig at Ulverston's Lighthouse Restaurant tomorrow, Saturday, Oct 23, at 7pm. The music follows a two-course meal. For tickets, call 01229-581121.

EXHIBITIONS BLACKWELL, The Arts and Craft House, is hosting an exhibition of works from five of Europe's leading contemporary glassmakers. The exhibition promises a great diversity of exhibits combining fine craftsmanship, sensitive use of materials and great design flair. Contemporary Glass runs until Dec 31. For details, call 015394-46139.

VIRIDIAN Gallery, Keswick, is hosting an exhibition of Lakeland paintings by Marion Bradley. Aspects of Lakeland runs until Nov 7.

BRANTWOOD, Coniston, is hosting an exhibition of floral photography by Dave Marshall Ward. The exhibition runs until Oct 24. For details, call 015394-41396 LEGENDARY northern artist L.S. Lowry is the subject of an exhibition entitled Lowry's Mean Streets of the 1930s and 40s inspired by a strange beauty' he described seeing on the streets. The exhibition is on show at The Lowry, Salford Quays, until January 2. For details, call 0870-787-5780.

FARFIELD Mill, Sedbergh, is hosting an exhibition by Jane Brown, Sue Dee and Jo Holmes. Entitled Eclectic Touch, the exhibition features textiles, sculptures and bespoke installations. For details, call 015396-21958.

THE Edge Gallery, Lancaster, is hosting an exhibition by Edward Chadwick entitled Harbour. Chadwick's photo-art is inspired by the rugged moorland landscape of northern England and the spectacular shoreline of the West of Ireland. Harbour runs until November 4.

MANCHESTER'S Whitworth Art Gallery is hosting an exhibition by David Mabb entitled William Morris: Ministering to the Swinish Luxury of the Rich, an installation based on the work of the famous designer. For details, call 0161-275-7452 KENDAL Museum is hosting an exhibition on the Blue Streak Project, which looks at the development of the rocket at RAF Spadeadam in Cumbria. For details, call 01539-721374 ABBOT Hall Art Gallery, Kendal, continues to draw the crowds with Walter Richard Sickert: The Human Canvas, an exhibition of 43 paintings by a man regarded by many as the father of modern British art. The exhibition is open from Monday-Saturday (10.30am-5pm).

MANCHESTER Art Gallery is hosting an exhibition entitled Pioneers on Paper: British Watercolours and Drawings from Gainsborough to Turner. The exhibition showcases a group of 27 works from 1770-1850, the golden age of British watercolours and drawings. It includes pieces by such masters as Thomas Gainsborough, David Cox and J.M.W. Turner. For details, call 0161-235-8888.

ILL Communication II is an international exhibition of contemporary street art featuring ten artists from cities around the world and is showing at the Urbis Centre, Cathedral Gardens, Manchester. For details, call 0161-605-8200.