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All tickets for the opening of the Sage Gateshead are being made available free of charge, courtesy of The Sage Group plc. The celebrations at the £70m music centre on Gateshead Quays will run over a whole weekend starting at 5pm on December 17.

A new online box office system, TicketSource, has been launched with the aim of enabling smaller event organisers, such as amateur theatre societies, choirs, orchestras, music promoters, clubs etc, to sell their tickets on the internet, at no cost to the seller. w: http://www.ticketsource.co.uk

Green-Works, a not for profit social enterprise which bridges the gap between big corporations that have redundant office furniture and the community that needs it, is keen to donate more recyclable material, such as damaged office furniture, to art and drama projects for creative use. http://www.green-works.co.uk

A new professional development award, the Certificate in Music Tuition, has been produced by the Traditional Music Tutor Training Network. The course focuses on developing skills in planning and implementing learning and teaching and in encouraging quality of experience for the learners. Contact Iona MacDonald of Fèisean nan Gàidheal e: [email protected]

A youth training scheme at Oldham Coliseum Theatre, which recruited five trainees ? four of them previously unemployed ? to various departments within the theatre, has led to two trainees being employed directly into the industry, one going to university to study a related field and another working with local drama groups. Five new trainees have been appointed to start work on October 4. The scheme is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

Craft Forum Wales has launched Wales? first e-commerce website for the crafts industry. Supported by EU Objective 1 funding, the website aims to enable artists living in rural Wales to bring their work to the public more easily. w: http://www.eccowales.com

A new online database will provide disabled people with a single reference point for access information on the whole of the UK arts and cultural sector. Arts Access UK, an initiative by the National Disability Arts Forum, will allow an arts organisation to join a central listing where disabled people can check whether a venue?s access facilities will meet their needs.http://www.artsaccessuk.org/venues.html

A new booklet published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport provides practical advice to local authorities and others on how to use culture and sport in their areas to build community cohesion. Contact Amy Ward t: 020 7211 6200.

A new fellowship programme is being launched by Arts Council England, in a move to enhance the professional development of experienced dance managers and address the future needs of middle-scale dance companies. The fellowships will be work-based programmes for people with a reasonable level of management experience, hosted by Rambert Dance Company, The Place, Dance Umbrella and Sadler?s Wells. Contact Charlotte Ettling t: 020 7608 6134; e: [email protected]