A COMEDY night will be staged at Cowling's High Adventure outdoor education centre on Sunday, February 21.

It has been organised by Tim and Sara Ferguson as part of their mission to raise £10,000 for Manorlands Hospice.

Master of ceremonies will be Dan Nightingale and topping the bill will be Steve Shanyaski, who has appeared on Jason Manford's Comedy Rocks programme.

Also taking to the stage will be Rob Mulholland, hotly tipped as one of the best up and coming acts in the country, and Geordie storyteller Barry Dodds.

The event starts at 7pm and tickets costing £15 can be reserved by emailing tim@highadventureoec.co.uk. There will be a licensed bar.

Steve Shanyaski was described by one reviewer as the epitome of the modern club comic, slick, confident and getting results.

He has rapidly established himself throughout the UK as a top choice for major comedy venues and promoters including the Comedy Store, CSE, Glee Club, and Jongleurs

His whirlwind performances and thrilling routines have constantly proven a hit with even the quietest crowds, the key to his act being energy and silliness.

A reviewer said much of Steve’s set was about his girlfriend, who is takes all the wardrobe space, fills the house with candles and soft furnishing and won’t concede defeat in any argument until he buys her expensive flowers.

Lancashire man Dan Nightingale started his comedy career in 2002, and after working at the Hyena Comedy Café as a sound man for six months, he finally got on stage.

Moving to Manchester, he went from barman at the Frog & Bucket, to booking agent, to hosting the new act night and finally compering the weekends.

In June 2004 he turned professional, performing at that year’s Edinburgh Festival as part of the Big Value Comedy Show.

He charms audiences with his unique brand of disarming wit and wry, and down-to-earth observational humour.

Rob Mulholland is described as one of the fastest-rising comics in the North, a “very odd man who is much less creepy than he looks”.

The tall stand-up comic specialises in rapid-fire jokes and subjects including olives, adult babies and Internet drug deals, and wears jackets, once owned by dead men.

Self-confessed comedy geek Barry Dodds took to the stand-up stage at 21, presenting irrepressibly cheeky and surprisingly dark material.

Finalist in various high profile competitions such as Jimmy Carr’s Comedy Idol and Jongleurs Last Laugh Comedy Search, his twinkly eyed, playful demeanour disarms judging panels, industry experts and audiences alike.

This allows Barry to flirt coquettishly with topics that are traditionally a little more controversial.

Barry is described as a talented storyteller who uses whimsical imagery and evocative observations,

He regularly tops the bill at leading UK comedy clubs including The Stand, XS Malarkey and The Frog and Bucket, and he became the first-ever comedian to perform on Luxembourg TV.