Snowdrops and Aconites Flowering, Kiplin Hall, Richmond, opens on Sunday

THE gardens, grounds and tea room at Kiplin Hall are re-opening to the public on Sunday at 10am, and will be open on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday until October 28. Explore the gardens and enjoy walks around the lake and through the Peninsula Wood, where early snowdrops and aconites bloom and early spring flowers are starting to show.

Admission to the gardens and grounds is £5.30 for an adult, £4.30, £2.30 for a child and £14.50 for a family of two adults and three children. Last admission in February is at 3.15pm.

Great Expectations, Georgian Theatre Royal, Richmond, on Saturday, 7.30pm

ENTER the world of Charles Dickens in the company of his great-great-grandson, Gerald Dickens, as this acclaimed actor performs Dickens' masterpiece Great Expectations, playing every character himself. Just as young Pip begins visiting the grim and mysterious Miss Haversham, it is announced that he is to be taken away to London where a secret benefactor has left him a fortune. The young man's life is transformed when he becomes a gentleman – but the identity of his benefactor turns out to be strange and alarming. Meet an array of Dickens' most colourful characters in this stunning one-man performance. Tickets from 01748 825252.

The Russian State Ballet & Orchestra of Siberia present The Nutcracker, Darlington Civic Theatre, on Saturday, 2.30pm and 7.30pm

RAYMOND Gubbay presents this most famous of fantasy ballets for all the family which begins as night falls on Christmas Eve. We travel through the Land of Snow to an enchanted place where the magic really begins. Tickets from 01325 486555.

Kitty Bridges' Pocket Book of Tunes, The Witham, Barnard Castle on Saturday, 7.30pm

A COLLABORATION between Common Ground and musicians Paul Baldwin and Moira Clark, from upbeat folk band Over the Yard Arm. Performed by Hannah Davies. Inspired by the poem and folk music found in a small pocket book from 1745, this is a lively and lyrical piece of storytelling, with a playful and irreverent nod to the era that bore it. Kitty's adventure begins in her beloved Yorkshire, and as she travels further afield, she encounters scoundrels, rogues and vagabonds in ballrooms, gin-sodden back streets and on the open road. A play about music, freedom, greed and ownership. It is a lively mix of contemporary storytelling, poetry and song, with handpicked melodies for dancing and cavorting. Tickets £12 from 01833 631107.

Steve Tilson in concert, Aiskew Watermill, Bedale, 2-6pm

THIS is one of the UK's top acoustic singer-songwriters performing in an intimate venue. Steve has performed all over the world and is responsible for songs such as Slips, Jigs and Reels. Support from superb singer Niamh Boadle. Part of the BAMlive series of concerts in Bedale in the build-up to BAMfest 2015. Tickets from 07925 817 116.