We’ve rounded up 10 of the top things to do.
1. Summer Fun, Washington Old Hall
Head to Washington Old Hall every day from 11am to 3pm during the summer holidays for wild family fun. Alongside playing games on the top lawn, relaxing in the gardens or exploring the nuttery, there are lots of activities to get stuck in to. Until August 11 Help a wild animal sessions will be held. Learn all about the materials that are perfect for building bugs a comfy, five star hotel and what insects it will attract. Use the best branches to build a den and even a wildlife stack. Other highlights include Make friends with a bug sessions from August 12-18. Photo: kw
2. John Peter Askew, NGCA
John Peter Askew exhibition We is at Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, within National Glass Centre, Sunderland, until Sunday, August 18. For 30 years the photographer has travelled to the easternmost city in Europe, Perm, in Russia. ‘We’ is a kind of epic Russian novel told across multiple generations, based on the lives of a single family, the Chulakovs. The exhibition reveals this landmark body of work for the first time. It is accompanied by a major 380 page book published by Kerber, with new writing from leading photographic historians and curators including Ian Jeffrey and Fatos Ustek. Photo: KW
3. Gin tasting, Sunderland Empire, Saturday
Sunderland Empire has teamed up with Poetic License Distillery in Roker, Sunderland, for a gin tasting event on Saturday, August 10. Ticket holders can enjoy four full-strength gins and four liqueurs, alongside Fever Tree tonics. The evening takes place in the Dress Circle Bar and will kick off with a one-hour tasting session taking gin enthusiasts on the ultimate Gin Journey with a team of expert brand ambassadors. Price also includes a miniature food platter from the theatre’s in-house Garden Place Bistro. Doors are at 6.30pm for the event starting at 7pm. The event is for over 18s only. Photo: kw
4. Brass music, South Shields, August 11
Music fans are invited to make the most of some bold as brass entertainment this summer. Brass bands from across the region will perform at a series of free outdoor concerts at the Sandhaven Amphitheatre, as part of the South Tyneside Festival. The popular shows are sponsored by Minchella & Co and take place as part of the three-month entertainment programme which is organised by South Tyneside Council. Bands will play every Sunday until September 1. Performances in August include Bright Street Big Band, Craghead Colliery Band, Dunston Silver Band and NASUWT Concert Band, before Cockerton Band closes the series on September 1. Photo: Tim Richardson