FIVE-time Tour de France winner Bernard Hinault and British cycling legend Brian Robinson and celebrities have attended a dinner at Ripon Cathedral to mark the 100-day countdown to the Tour de France Yorkshire Grand Départ. The event saw Welcome to Yorkshire, British Cycling and Tour organisers the Amaury Sports Organisation agree to deliver an international cycling race around Yorkshire from 2015.

SONG LAUNCH: The Alternative England World Cup song Hopes Of A Thousand Men, featuring comedian Chubby Brown, will be launched with a performance by Teesside duo Journey South outside a supermarket on St George’s Day. The launch event on Wednesday, April 23, outside Tesco in Thirsk, will also feature a preview of the video of the song.

CHARITY FUNDRAISER: The Golden Lion, in Romanby, Northallerton, will stage a fundraising event for the British Heart Foundation on Saturday, April 12. A coffee morning, featuring a range of stalls, will open from 10am and the evening will feauture a show by singer Steve Evets, a cocktail maker, backwards bingo and a raffle.