Lighting being rigged around Harperley prisoner of war camp and the sound of clapperboards ringing out around the grounds of Auckland Castle... Organisers of an event to showcase the Durham Dales and Wear Valley as potential locations for film and TV companies hope those might be among the scenarios in the future. Location-seekers from around the UK have been invited to the event in March when they will be given a tour of the area in the hope they will return with film crews. The showcase has been commissioned by Wear Valley District Council, supported by Northern Film and Media and coordinated by Corbridge-based Steve Reed Tourism Ltd.
 | | Rural scenes will be one of the selling points |
Steve said: "The thing about Wear Valley is it's got such fantastic diversity - there's a lovely balance between urban and rural. It's a fantastically varied picture from the rural, to the industrial to the urban. "I think it's the diversity of scenery and the fact that people are prepared to work with them." Film studio plans Most recently, the Weardale Railway was used as a location for the Virgin Trains advertisement which features Apaches on horseback chasing a train. During their whistle-stop tour, the guests will be shown locations including Killhope, North of England Leadmining Museum; Weardale Railway, Auckland Castle; The Durham Dales Centre, in Stanhope, and Harperley POW camp. There are also plans to visit the former Lafarge site in Weardale, the communities of Stanhope, Wolsingham, Rookhope and Frosterley and industrial areas. Organisers are hoping the event will help bring in more investment and jobs and create additional awareness of the area. News of the showcase comes at the same time plans for a multi-million pound film studio south of Seaham were revealed. A consortium of investors and developers are behind the bid and Easington District Council said it expected to receive a planning application in the spring. | 
