Two new services are aiming to help people aged 25 and over across County Durham into employment, thanks to European funding. The Community Led Local Development (CLLD) North Durham Assist and South Employability Mentoring projects will support people to take practical steps to get into work or start their own business. The projects,...

Commercial Expert managing director Mike Coates with some useful business finance advice… In the commercial funding sector we hear lots of business stories (something we particularly enjoy) and increasingly varied reasons behind business loans – from start-up investment to working capital. What we’ve also been hearing recently is...

Bishop Auckland FC kindly provided their facilities at Heritage Park for the Year 8 Bishop Auckland District Schools team to play their Darlington counter parts on Friday night, which featured many players from Newton Aycliffe. It was a great experience for the players to show off their skills in the stadium under the lights. Bishop settled...

Greenfield Community College head teacher David Priestley was one of only two headteachers invited to speak at a prestigious national conference. He spoke to more than 1,000 educationalists at the SSAT Conference (Schools, Students and Teachers Network), which was titled ‘Pure Imagination’, at the International Conference Centre in...

Two northern engineering powerhouses have formed a partnership to bid for a £500m contract to build new trains and a depot for the Tyne and Wear Metro. From 2022, the existing metro fleet will be replaced with brand new high technology trains and maintained at a newly-constructed site at Gosforth, Newcastle. Hitachi and Spencer Group will...

Police are looking for willing volunteers to help ensure elderly and vulnerable people are kept safe during the winter. ‘Snow Angel’ volunteers will support the police with clearing paths of heavy snow and ice and deliver essential provisions to those who are less mobile. Durham Constabulary have joined forces with housing association,...

The Aycliffe Juniors footballing exploits continued with the penultimate round of games before the Christmas break. There were some great performances but not all got the result they deserved. The Under 6’s played a friendly against Swalwell Juniors on Saturday. It was a great game that Aycliffe won 5-3. William (2), Finley (2) and Reagan...

Former Woodham Academy student Abbie Finn is embarking on an amazing career path performing as part of the Jamie Lloyd Company’s ‘Pinter at the Pinter’ at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London. The versatile drummer, composer and arranger is performing alongside some amazing cast including Martin Freeman, Lee Evans and Michael...

South West Durham Training works with many of the biggest engineering and manufacturing companies in the region. They include GSK, Hitachi Rail, Husqvarna, 3M Cummins in Darlington, Ebac, MTE and Nifco UK in Stockton. Apprenticeship packages and commercial programmes are tailored to the demands of these and other local employers, with...

Whickham 1, Newton Aycliffe 2 By Dave Strickland Newton Aycliffe travelled to Whickham and came away with a 2-1 win – and this time it was their turn to score a vital goal in second-half injury-time. Whickham dominated the first half, but a tactical change in the second half for Aycliffe led to them pushing further forward and taking...