ACTIVITIES

BONMARCHE in Kendal will be among one of the many branches of the national retail outlet that will be hosting the World's Biggest Coffee Morning in aid of MacMillan Cancer Relief today (Friday).

Donations of cakes, biscuits or drinks to give to customers on the day will be gratefully received.

For details call 0845-601-6161.

VALUERS will gather at the Belsfield Hotel in Windermere on Tuesday (11am-3.30pm) for a valuation day.

Bring along pictures, jewellery, porcelain, works of art or photographs of larger items.

All proceeds will go to the British Red Cross.

JOIN Forestry Commission ranger Katie Jarvis on a search for red squirrels on Sunday.

Meet at Grizedale Forest visitor car park at 9am.

MEET the National Trust wardens tomorrow (Saturday) on a Michaelmas meander above Windermere, exploring recently opened footpaths.

Meet outside Windermere Tourist Information Centre at 10am.

For details call 015394-35599.

IDENTIFY the various waders that are to be found on the Allen and Eric Morecambe pools on Wednesday with the RSPB.

Meet at Leighton Moss Nature Reserve at 10.30am.

For details call 01524-701601.

YOU are invited to a celebration of the Parish of Crosscrake this weekend.

Local historian Roger Bingham will open the celebrations tonight (Friday) at 7.30pm followed by a showing of the Crosscrake Remembered video.

From 10.30am-4.30pm tomorrow (Saturday) and 12noon-4pm on Sunday there will displays of old photographs, maps and parish history on show.

A performance of Mary Wakefield: her life in words and music will be staged tomorrow (Saturday) at 7.30pm and a family harvest festival service will take place on Sunday at 11am followed by Harvest Evensong at 6.30pm.

A VINTAGE Ploughing Match will take place in Beetham on Sunday.

Spectators are invited to arrive around 10am.

The event will be signposted in Beetham.

CONCERTS

KENDAL Midday Concert Club will meet on Wednesday for a lunchtime recital by the Bridge String Quartet.

Meet at Kendal Town Hall at 1pm.

For details call 01539-725768.

THE Lakeland Singers present music by Bach, Finzi, Tippett and Self at Rydal Church tomorrow (Saturday).

The concert begins at 7.30pm.

NOTTINGHAM'S Carlton Male Voice Choir will perform at The Dome in Morecambe tomorrow (Saturday, 7.30pm).

Tickets are available on the door.

ST JOHN'S Church in Cowgill, near Dent will host a Georgian harmony singing concert tonight (Friday) at 7.30pm.

For details call 015396-21166.

DANCE

THE Sarabande Baroque Ensemble marks the 250th anniversary of the death of Bach on Wednesday with a production blending drama, music, dance and period costume.

The Dance of God will be staged at the Brewery Arts Centre in Kendal at 8pm.

For tickets call 01539-725133.

EXHIBITIONS

A COLLECTION of new, contemporary work by seven local artists will be on display at Witherslack School Hall (next to the church) until Sunday.

Featuring ceramics, rag rugs, baskets and furniture, the exhibition will be open from 10am-6pm daily.

FAIRS

VISIT the Complementary Health Fair at the Brewery Arts Centre in Kendal on Sunday.

Organised by Rainbow Cottage Natural Health Centre, there will be a number of stalls and taster treatments including aromatherapy, shiatsu, reiki, Indian head massage and lots more.

The fair will be open from 12noon-5pm.

NATLAND Village Hall will be hosting a craft fair and exhibition tomorrow (Saturday).

There will be various craft stalls and demonstrations.

The fair will be open from 10am-4pm.

BROWSE through the antiques and collectibles at the Antique and Collectors Fair at the Coronation Hall in Ulverston on Sunday.

The fair will be open from 9.30am-4.30pm.

TEDDY Bears will be out in force on Sunday at Leighton Hall, Carnforth.

The first teddy bear fair by Brentwood Fairs will be open from 10am-4pm.

For details call 01625-590602.

FESTIVALS

HAWKSHEAD Parish Church will be celebrating Michaelmas 2000 this weekend.

There will be a flower festival open from 10am-7pm today (Friday), 10am-5pm tomorrow (Saturday) and 11am-6pm on Sunday.

The Helm Wind Ensemble will perform in the church tomorrow evening at 8pm and on Sunday there will be a dedication service at 9.45am followed by a Harvest Songs of Praise at 6pm.

STAVELEY and Ings will be host to a weekend of storytelling and entertainment this weekend.

Held in various venues in the two villages, the festival will feature performances from special guests including Lancashire's Bernard Wrigley and the award-winning Taffy Thomas.

Events will include storytelling for children, workshops, walks, music and dance.

For full details of times and venues call 015394-35641 or pop in to Staveley Village Hall.

THE Cartmel Priory Festival Weekend takes place this weekend.

Pianist John Clegg will perform a programme of classical pieces tomorrow evening (Saturday) and will be joined by Adrian Self.

On Sunday at 3.30pm there will be a performance of This Is Our Time, devised by Denny Gaudin, with newly commissioned music by Adrian Self.

LECTURES

JAPANESE textile artist Kei Ito presents a slide lecture on Monday (8pm) at the Brewery Arts Centre in Kendal.

For tickets call 01539-725133.

LIVE MUSIC

PAUL Kappa and his band Angel Dust will play at Monroe's Bar in Workington tomorrow (Saturday, 9pm).

Kappa's Hendrix-esque guitar playing (behind his head and with his teeth!) is awesome and well worth going to see.

For details call 01900-602122.

LONG John Baldry has inspired the likes of Paul McCartney and John Lennon, played with Mick Jagger and Charlie Watts and will be taking to the stage in Morecambe tonight (Friday) to show why he has become a living musical legend.

His Blues, R & B and Rock and Roll based set will begin at 8pm.

For tickets call 01524-582803.

BOLTON-le-Sands Live Music Club presents the internationally acclaimed celtic funk band Mad Pudding tonight (Friday) at the Bolton-le-Sands Community Centre.

Guaranteed to get you dancing, their performance will start at 8pm.

For tickets call 01524-823806 or pop in to the Bolton-le-Sands post office.

MUSICALS

SONGS from Evita, Fiddler on the Roof, Calamity Jane and South Pacific are on the musical menu this weekend.

Burneside Amateur Theatrical Society will stage the musical extravaganza Showstoppers tonight (Friday), tomorrow (Saturday) and on Sunday at 7.30pm, at the Bryce Institute.

For tickets call 01539-720498.

THE all singing, all dancing version of the Lord's Prayer Hopes & Dreams, will be staged on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Forum 28 in Barrow.

Both performances will begin at 7.30pm.

For tickets call 01229-820000.

OPERA

OPERA Della Luna presents Franz Lehar's The Merry Widow at the Brewery Arts Centre in Kendal on Monday (8pm).

First staged in 1905, this romantic operetta has been one of the most successful works of musical theatre ever since.

For tickets call 01539-725133.

SHOWS

THE King's Arms in Burton in Kendal hosts a Grand Onion Show and Auction on Sunday.

All entries for show are to be in by 12.15pm for the judging at 12.30.

An auction of the exhibits will begin at 2pm.

SPORTS

AFTER two away matches, Kendal Town FC are back in UniBond League action at their own Parkside ground tomorrow (Saturday) with the visit of third-from-bottom Winsford United (3pm kick-off).

KENDAL RUFC travel to Rosslyn Park near London tomorrow (Saturday), while Windermere host a Cumbria League match against local rivals Furness (3pm).

THEATRE

ENJOY an hilarious evening with top stand up comedian Jeremy Harding on Sunday (8pm) at The Old Laundry Theatre in Bowness.

For tickets call 015394-88444.

HULL Truck Theatre presents the musical comedy Thick As A Brick at the Brewery Arts Centre in Kendal tonight (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday).

Performances will be staged at 8pm on both nights with an extra matinee showing at 2pm tomorrow (Saturday).

For tickets call 01539-725133.

QUONDAM Theatre Society presents Head of Steel by Julia Darling on Wednesday at Brigsteer Village Hall and on Thursday at the Heron Theatre in Beetham.

This compelling story about the men and women who built the Settle to Carlisle Railway will be staged at 7.30pm on both nights.

For tickets call 015395-68252.

SPEND a comical evening with Pam Ayres on Thursday (8pm) at the Old Laundry Theatre in Bowness.

For tickets call 015394-88444.

WORKSHOPS

JAPANESE textile artist Kei Ito will be holding a two-day workshop at the Brewery Arts Centre in Kendal this weekend.

Learn how to hand pleat using heat, manmade fibres and the traditional Japanese folding technique of Shibori.

The workshop will take place tomorrow (Saturday) and on Sunday from 10am-4pm.

For details call 01539-725133.