MISCELLANEOUS...

THE sixth Keswick Film Festival gets under way at the Theatre by the Lake tonight, Friday (February 11), and this year's event promises a wide range of interesting films from around the globe including Some Kind of Monster, a documentary about US rock band Metallica. For details, call 017687-74411.

KICK up your heels at a Valentine's celebration of Latin and old time dancing with John Mario, at the Coronation Hall, Ulverston, tonight, Friday (Feb 11). The evening begins at 8pm. For details, call 01229-587140.

ENJOY an evening of Italian culture at Grange Parish Hall, tomorrow, Saturday (Feb 12), at 7pm. Italian Evening features a four-course meal, quiz, raffle and music by Michael Simpson. For details, call 015395-32352.

THE Fool of the World, storyteller Chris Bostock, will be weaving some magical tales from around the world from Northumberland to Russia, at Tebay Sports and Social Club on Sunday (Feb 13). For details, call 017683-53954.

LEARN more about the birds of Morecambe Bay, particularly waders, on an RSPB North West Sea Watch weekend. Meet at Teal Bay, by the VVV Leisure Complex, Morecambe, tomorrow, Saturday (Feb 12) at 12pm, and on Sunday (Feb 13), at 1pm. For details, call 01524-701601.

AMBLESIDE and District U3A is hosting an illustrated talk by Malcolm Tyson entitled The Arctic Circle and Beyond by Car and Boat, at the Marchesi Centre, Windermere, on Monday (Feb 14), at 2.30pm.

SIMPLY Social, a group for non smokers in their 40s and 50s, is organising a walk along Arnside Knott, on Sunday (Feb 13). Meet at the end of the promenade, near the Albion pub, at 10.45am. For details, call 07751-485131.

GRANGE and District U3A is holding an evening of songs and recitations with Canon Sandy Lofthouse on the piano at the United Reformed Church, Kents Bank Road, Grange, on Tuesday (Feb 15), at 9.45am. For details, call 015395-36430.

CONCERTS...

EXPERIENCE an eclectic fusion of Eastern European gIpsy songs and Middle Eastern melodies with a touch of jazz reggae and ska at a concert by The Baghdaddies, at Shap Memorial Hall tonight, Friday (Feb 11), ay 8pm. For details, call 01931-716273.

THE Saturday Evening Concert Series continues at Brantwood with a performance by violinist Danny McCann-William and pianist Ben Dawson on Saturday (Feb 12). The programme includes pieces by Beethoven, Franck and Elgar. For details, call 015394-41396.

THE legendary Ted Heath Tribute Orchestra will be performing some classic big band music at The Platform at Morecambe tomorrow, Saturday (Feb 12), at 8pm. For details, call 01524-582803.

ABBA tribute band Voulez Vous will be appearing at the Morecambe Dome for an evening of top 70s pop hits tomorrow, Saturday (Feb 12), at 8pm. For tickets, call 01524-582803.

SHOW your loved one you care with a romantic evening of classical music at St Thomas's Church, Milnthorpe, on Monday (Feb 14). Valentines by Candlelight features soprano Tracie Penwarden and pianist Glyn Hopkins and the programme includes a variety of popular romantic songs. For details, call 01539-563030.

KENDAL Midday Concert Club is hosting the Northern Sinfonia with Howard Shelley on piano at Kendal Town Hall, on Wednesday (Feb 16), at 1pm. The programme features pieces from Mozart. For details, call 01539-725768.

EXHIBITIONS...

BLACKWELL, The Arts and Crafts House is hosting an exhibition of the work of eleven talented jewellers. On display are pieces ranging from rings, necklaces and brooches, in a variety of contrasting styles and materials. For details, call 015394-46139.

BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead, is hosting the first UK solo exhibition by Italian artist Carol Rama. The exhibition features more than 100 works in a range of media including drawing, watercolour, sculpture and print. For details, call 0191-478-1810.

ABBOT Hall Art Gallery, Kendal, is hosting an exhibition entitled Sculpture, Drawing and Light by Nicola Hicks. Hailed as one of the foremost sculptors of her generation, the exhibition features pieces in a variety of media including charcoal drawings, which explore the physicality and psychology of people and animals. For details, call 01539-722464.

A PHOTOGRAPHIC exhibition of images from the industrial North of England entitled Perspectives on the Industrial North, by Christian Shaw, is on show at the Brewery Arts Centre's Sugar Store Gallery at Kendal until March 6.

THE Imperial War Museum North, Salford Quays, is marking the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps with an exhibition of photographs of Auschwitz by Richard Kolker. The exhibition runs until February 13. For details, call 0161-836-4000.

THE Lowry is hosting an exhibition entitled Salford Snapshot featuring the work of three photographers exploring different aspects of the lives of people, past and present, in Salford. The exhibition runs until February 20. For details, call 0870-787-5780.

BRANTWOOD'S Severn Studio 2005 programme of guest exhibitions opens with The Wide Blue Yonder by Mark Haywood. The exhibition is a tribute to famous but contrasting Coniston figures, John Ruskin and Donald Campbell, and features artefacts and digital artworks. The exhibition at Coniston runs until February 13. For details, call 015394-41396.

ENJOY a diverse new exhibition looking at Morecambe Bay at the Williamson Gallery, Ashton Memorial, Lancaster. AIM artists, formerly Artists in Morecambe, have spent the past ten months working on the theme of Morecambe and the surrounding coastal environment. The exhibition features sculpture, glasswork and painting and runs until February 20.

THE Folly in Lancaster is hosting an exhibition by Paul Floyd Blake exploring the diverse communities in the North of England. The Changing Faces exhibition also looks at the mixed race relationships that are increasingly creating a fusion of cultures. For details, call 01524-388550.

URBIS in Manchester is hosting a new exhibition looking at the future of the north of England in which commuters can travel to four major cities in one day. SuperCity, by architect Will Alsop, runs until May 15. For details, call 0161-907-9099.

THE Museum of Lakeland Life, Kendal, is hosting a new exhibition entitled Gifts from the Orient featuring an extensive collection of costumes dating from the mid 18th Century to the present day. Also on display will be daggers, fans, bronzes and exquisitely carved screens. Gifts from the Orient runs until April 23.

A LEADING Manchester-based photographer's first major exhibition has opened at Manchester Art Gallery, Mosley Street. The View From Manchester is an exhibition of 60 pictures taken by Don McPhee during his 33-year career working from The Guardian's northern office and features images covering a diverse range of subjects, including the miners' strike. The exhibition runs until April 3. For details, call 0161-235-8888.

HOLME WI is holding a jumble sale at Holme Parish Hall tomorrow, Saturday (Feb 12) from 9am-12pm.

SPORT...

KENDAL Town FC are back in the hunt for a play-off place in the Unibond League's first division and are hosts to third-from-bottom Belper Town at Parkside tomorrow, Saturday (3pm kick-off).

Because of the RBS Six Nations Tournament, this weekend was designated as a blank one for Rugby Union clubs, but many clubs have rearranged matches. Kendal RUFC have fitted in their Story Construction Cumbria Cup second-round tie at Workington tomorrow, Saturday (2.15pm kick-off). Meanwhile, Kirkby Lonsdale also have a rearranged fixture in the North Lancs/Cumbria League at home to Egremont (2.15pm), while Windermere entertain Cockermouth in the Cumbria League (2.15pm).

KENDAL Men's Hockey Club are in action at home tomorrow, Saturday, when Timperley 3rds visit in the North-West Men's League.

THE Mid-Lancs Cross Country Series continues at the Wilson Playing Fields at Hyndburn tomorrow, Saturday (from noon), while Sunday's Winter League fell race is the Barbondale Fell Run on the Barbon to Dent road (noon).

THEATRE...

DENNIS Potter's Blue Remembered Hills is showing at The Dukes Theatre, Lancaster. The play centres around the activities of a group of children as they fight, play and fantasise in the woods on a summer's afternoon during World War Two. The play runs until February 26. For details, call 01524-598500.

TAKE an imaginative journey through the landscapes of Lakeland which inspired the Romantic poets with a production entitled Vales, Vaults and Visions at the Heron Theatre on Friday, February 11. For details call 015395-64283.

PAULO Coelho's best-selling novel, The Alchemist, the story of a poor shepherd boy who sets out on a quest to pursue his dreams, is brought to life in an adaptation by the Cornish Theatre Collective and James Seabright, at the Rosehill Theatre, Workington, tonight, Friday (Feb 11) at 8pm. For details, call 01946-692422.

FORUM 28 in Barrow is hosting the Big 12-Hour Dance weekend. The weekend features a collection of some of the most exciting dance artists in the country, who will be giving a series of workshops culminating in an informal show by the company and participants. For details, call 01229-820000.

ENJOY a classic night at the opera as the Ukrainian National Opera of Odessa perform Madam Butterfly at Manchester Opera House on February 14-19, and La Traviata on February 16-17. For tickets, call 0870-060-1768 SNAP Theatre Company presents Mary Norton's classic story of the little people who live under the floorboards. The Borrowers is showing at the Charter Theatre, Preston, until tomorrow, Saturday (Feb 12). For details, call 01772-258858.

CLASSIC children's tale The Wind in the Willows, telling the story of Ratty, Mole and Toad's battle against the wicked weasels is showing at Manchester's Palace Theatre from February 15 to 19. For details, call 0870-401-3000.

LANCASTER Footlights Club will be performing J.B. Keane's powerful Irish drama The Field at the Lancaster Grand from February 15 to 19. The play follows the story of one man claiming his right for his land, leading to a fierce and life-changing battle with his community. For details, call 01524-64695.

TOM Stoppard's much-loved play The Real Thing, which examines the good and bad aspects of being in love, is showing at the Library Theatre, Manchester, from today, Friday (Feb 11) until tomorrow, Saturday (Feb 12). For details, call 0161-236-7110.

THE Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, is hosting a play from award-winning playwright Naomi Wallace. The Trestle At Pope Lick Creek is set in America during the Depression and is a tale of small-town struggles and hope in the face of adversity and runs until February 19. For details, call 0161-833-9833.