Abellio UK, recently awarded the new eight-year East Midlands Railway (EMR) franchise by the Department for Transport, has confirmed that it has now awarded a £400m contract to Hitachi Rail to build a pioneering new fleet of intercity trains. The new state of the art intercity trains will start operating in 2022 and will serve the main cities...

Work to build a smaller, more affordable headquarters for the region’s largest council is set to begin next month, paving the way for a new multi-million-pound business district at Aykley Heads, creating up to 6,000 new jobs and delivering a £400m boost to the county. Aykley Heads in Durham is already home to more than 30 businesses...

Students from Greenfield Community College, as part of their Time for Success (T4S) student led enquiry time, have instigated an important dialogue with local councillors and the town mayor of Shildon in a bid to improve the environment. Students from Forest Elder Tutor Group expressed strong opinions during their T4S lesson and showed...

Tributes are pouring in following the sudden death of popular local football figure Kevin Stonehouse. The former Darlington player, who lived in Newton Aycliffe, passed away suddenly on Sunday, aged just 59. Stonehouse was well-known and respected not only to Quakers fans as a player in the 1980s, but also in his Football in the Community...

Lee Weldon with his weekly round-up from the wicket… Both of Saturdays senior league games were washed out without a ball being bowled due to heavy rain. Sunday 28th July – NYSD Division 2 Newton Aycliffe 1st XI v Bedale 1st XI – weather was warm and overcast. Aycliffe won the toss and chose to bowl first. Bedale 1st XI 105 all...

A popular wildflower planting scheme is once again bringing a burst of colour to roadsides across County Durham. Various species of wildflowers and herbaceous plants have been sown on roundabouts and verges around the area as part of the Durham County Council initiative. As well as offering an eye-catching display, the flowers also provide a...

Greenfield Arts are delighted to offer free family focused holiday sessions during the summer holidays. The summer activities will run in July and August and will be held in Newton Aycliffe and Shildon. The sessions include their popular craft sessions with Dawn Belshaw, be inspired by our exhibition and create something wonderful to take...

There are just a couple of days left for people to have their say on designs for a new history centre for County Durham. A public consultation on plans for Durham History Centre, which will bring together archive, heritage and registration services for the county, is due to end on Sunday (July 28). As well as having their say on how the...

By Donna Campbell So after a busy few weeks it was a lot quieter this week for our runners. There was still a midweek race however, with two full members and two second claim members taking part in the Summer Coast Road 5k. This is a two-lap course along the sea front in Marske. First home for Aycliffe was John Surtees in 16.39, followed...

Teesside International Airport is flying once again after Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen fulfilled his 2017 campaign pledge and returned the former Durham Tees Valley Airport to its original name. The name was originally changed from Teesside International Airport to Durham Tees Valley Airport in 2004, to the disappointment of many local...