Regional Roundup

United Kingdom

A charity Dalek squad will be displaying its dubious singing abilities in a contest labelled "The X-terminate Factor" at Royston Arts Festival later this year. The monsters will also be seeking and locating donations in aid of Home-Start Royston and South Cambs at the Hertfordshire town event, which takes place on Saturday 29th September. Festival chairman Graham Palmer said: "This is really something different and we hope it captures people's imagination, as the adventures of the Daleks and Doctor Who cover several generations." [Royston Weekly News, 2 Feb 2012]

More Daleks will be in attendance at the Aspire 2 Achieve Olympic Activities Showcase in Alnwick, Northumberland, on Sunday 10th June. The organisation aims to raise awareness, confidence and productivity of youths through sport and other activities. Co-founder Alan Hoyle said: "The whole day will be fun for the whole family. With all the different events we have going on there will be something new for everybody to try, along with the cheerleading group and, of course, the Daleks and the All-Star game. We are hoping to put on an entertaining show for people of all ages." [Blyth Journal, 2 Feb 2012]

Keeping with the theme, the snowfall over the last week brought out the snow sculpturers, with Lyn and Neil Cooper creating a Dalek in Coombelands, Royston. Lyn said: "We're not really fans of the show we had to go and google a picture of what it looked like. It was just something to do rather than make a bog standard snowman." [Royston Crow, 6 Feb 2012]

Trallwn councillor Mike Powell recently visited Ynysangharad Park in Pontypridd, and commented on the conditions of some parts of the site, including the old lido in which he discovered a Dalek sculpture made from drinks cans, a relic from the recent Love Where You Live Day, had been abandoned and left to fall apart. He warned that the rundown site posed possible dangers to curious children. "It is an open invitation to any child to explore what is behind, especially when a look through the gap reveals an abandoned Dalek," said the Lib Dem councillor. (The lido also featured in Torchwood's From Out Of The Rain) [Pontypridd Observer, 2 Feb 2012]

The team behind Karen Gillan's next film, Not Another Happy Ending, are offering northern businesses an opportunity to back the production. [Press and Journal, 9 Feb 2012]

United States

The Los Angeles based GallifreyOne convention will soon be upon us, with Alysia Gray Painter of NBC looking forward to it: "What you'll find: celebrities, plus all sorts of panels and cosplay and people selling sci-fi-y frippery. Last year a bunch of people showed up in fezes and bow ties. Fingers double crossed that there will be a whole slew of curly-headed River Songs in the house this year, ready to fete one of television's longest running shows and a jewel in the genre series crown. "In the house" is the Los Angeles Airport Marriott, not some distant spaceport, note. That's so thoughtful, we think, bringing the party to this planet." [NBC Bay Area, 8 Feb 2012]

Australia

Twelve-year-old Keelan Mast from Warrnambool has amassed a sizeable Doctor Who merchandise collection, part of which will feature as an exhibit at the WRAD Collecta-Bool event, which raises funds for non-profit organisation The Western Region Alcohol and Drug Centre (WRAD). He said: "My dad got me into Dr Who. I just like collecting and my focus is on Dr Who. I go to bookshops and all the antique shops. There's a place called Gifts For The Geek in Melbourne where I found a Dalek helmet and remote-control Dalek. That’s my favourite collectable, but I've only used it once." [Warrnambool Standard, 3 Feb 2012]

Pharmacist Irwin Lowe from South West TAFE decided to build a police box for his cabinet-making class: "We were assigned a free project to demonstrate some of the skills we had learnt during our first year. I thought 'oh well, I might just make a TARDIS'. It ended up requiring more than what we’d learnt. I think the teachers were thinking more along the lines of a coffee table or small stool." [Warrnambool Standard, 10 Feb 2012]