A COMMUNITY in north Durham has taken part in a weekend of family fun.

The Village Big Weekend in Shadforth, near Durham, featured a sports day as well activities for people of all ages.

There was also a scarecrow competition with a history theme, which had 42 entrants.

People had to find characters from the past and answer questions about them.

Entries included Queen Victoria, Jimi Hendrix and Joan of Arc.

The village hall had children's crafts, temporary tattoos, a tombola and refreshments on Saturday with family games in the park.

Today (Sunday, September 14) a sports day with sideshows was held on the village green.

The event is organised by the committee at Shadforth Village Hall and raises money for its upkeep and future events.

Victoria Barker, owner of The Shadforth Plough, said: “It brings the community together and brings a lot of people from outside the village in, which is obviously good for local businesses.

“It has gone well judging by the number of people we have been serving, it is definitely up on last year.

“There has been lots of family fun activities and the atmosphere has been excellent.”