STAFF and customers at the Poundland store in The Gates shopping centre, Durham, have raised £6,579 for Macmillan Cancer Support - the sixth highest total of all Poundland stores nationwide. The national fundraising total was £1.035m. Store manager Sheena Brown said she was proud of the achievement and thanked customers who supported the effort.

COLLECTING EGGS: Shoppers at Tesco Extra, Dragonville, Durham, are invited to donate Easter eggs for disadvantaged local children. Donations can be left at an in-store collection point until Monday, April 14.

JAZZ NIGHT: A monthly jazz night has begun at Empty Shop, 35c Framwelgate Bridge, Durham City. The evenings are held on the first Thursday of every month. Doors open at 7.30pm and the music starts at 7pm. Tickets are £4 each. On May 1, the act will be Safe Sextet.

AUTHOR VISIT: Durham author Liz Hankin, who writes under the name Elizabeth Gill, attended a recent meeting of Soroptimist International of Durham to read from her latest book The Fall and Rise of Lucy Charlton. The meeting was held at Homer Hill Farm, near Pittington, and also included afternoon tea.

OPEN DAY: New College Durham's Rugby Development Centre, which opened last September, will hold an open day on Wednesday (April 9) from 10am to 2pm. The event is taking place at the college's campus in Framwellgate Moor, Durham. For more information, call Karl Stephenson on 0191-375-4040.

STILL TIME: There are still places available on the Easter children's activities at the Active Life Centre in Coxhoe, which run from April 7 to 17. The cost is £10 per child per day. For further details, call 0191-377-1789.