Have the Tyne of your life at Great Exhibition

A 260ft-long water fountain on the Tyne will launch the Great Exhibition of the North, billed as the biggest event to take place in England in 2018.

It will be between the Tyne and Millennium bridges, which span Newcastle and Gateshead quaysides, and will be soundtracked by three commissioned pieces of music.

Organisers hope three million people will visit the £5million exhibition, created to promote northern art, design and innovation, which will be staged in Newcastle and Gateshead from June to September.

An “anthem for the North” poem by Lemn Sissay, the playwright, will also be unveiled. Carol Bell, the exhibition’s executive director, said: “We think it is a real showcase for innovation.”