THE MAYOR of a North-East town is teaming up with the world’s oldest Burns club to stage a fundraising event in honour of Scotland’s famous national poet. Darlington’s Mayor, Councillor Chris McEwan, was born in Greenock, on the Scottish coast, on Christmas Day, in 1965, and although he left the town when he was only six-weeks-old, he has always retained an affinity with the town. Now Councillor McEwan has forged an innovative link with Greenock Burns Club – known as The Mother Club – to raise money for charities close to his heart. He will be staging a virtual Burns Supper event on Saturday, January 23, with speeches, poems, singing, and the piping in of the haggis, all being relayed by Zoom from Greenock 200 miles away.