Riccall village is holding its annual open gardens event this weekend to help in the final countdown to £2 million.

The villagers of Riccall have raised thousands of pounds for St Leonard's Hospice over the ten years they have been opening their gardens to the public.

This weekend there is a bumper programme of attractions to mark the tenth anniversary.

On Friday there is a midsummer dance in the Village Institute when the sixties rock 'n' roll band, the Copy Cats, will get everyone dancing from 8pm to midnight.

Then on Saturday and Sunday people's gardens, of all shapes and sizes, will be open to visitors from 1pm to 6pm. There will be craft stalls, cream teas and games.

This year for the first time there will be an antiques roadshow on Sunday, in the Village Institute. You can take up to three items to be valued by experts for a £1 donation.

Riccall Junior Voices will also play their part with a special celebration concert on the village green at 2pm on Sunday.

Admission to the open gardens is by a £2 programme, and is valid for both days.

Janet Morley, fundraising manager of St Leonard's Hospice said: "The village of Riccall has really pulled out the stops this weekend and we hope a record number of people will support them.

"The hospice support group in the village have put in sterling work over the years and we are so grateful to them for all their hard work. The summer open gardens is a lovely event".

Donations to St Leonard's Hospice can be sent to 14 York Road, Acomb, York, YO24 4LU, or drop off in an envelope marked for the attention of Emma Harrison, St Leonard's Hospice 2000 Appeal, to the front desk of the Evening Press in Walmgate.

Or you can call into one of the shops, which are in Fourth Avenue in Tang Hall, The Village in Haxby, Waterloo Lane in Pocklington and the York Road shop in Acomb.