A FAMILY fun day takes place this weekend to raise funds to install a defibrillator in Darlington town centre.

The Darlington Flyer will host a fun packed day of events including seeing the pub being turned into a Petting Zoo for the day, alongside other entertainment, like face painting and a raffle, for customers to enjoy.

The 12-hour fundraising event will run through until the evening, when two local DJs will pick up the mantle, playing their picks of the latest tunes, through to everyone’s favourite golden oldies.

David Bell, the holding manager of the pub on Skinnergate, said: “Defibrillators are life saving pieces of equipment and having one in Darlington is going to do wonders for the peace of mind of the community. I’m very proud to be a part of an initiative which will have the potential to save someone’s life one day.

“We’ve got some great stuff planned for Saturday and the team and I are very excited to be having an event like this at the pub – if a little bit nervous about turning the place into a zoo for the day. We’ll be collecting donations throughout the afternoon and we hope our wonderful customers will support our cause and help out in whatever way they can.”

The fun and fundraising will begin at noon on Saturday, January 26, with DJs kicking off from 7pm.

The event comes as part of Mr Bell's participation in Stonegate Pub Company’s ‘Accelerator Programme’, which designed to give its people the skills and knowledge they need to succeed and proceed within the company.

The fundraising effort is being supported by the local Pubwatch scheme.