Reduce, reuse and recycle for an eco-friendly Christmas 2012. Durham County Council is offering residents the following tips and advice on how to go green this festive season. • Choose an artificial Christmas tree rather than a real one so that you can use it year after year. • If you do opt for a real tree, try sourcing it from a...

Aycliffe NPT Sergeant Mark Edwards continues his regular blog on Aycliffe Today… Hello again, Hope everyone is managing to get by with the extreme cold conditions we are currently experiencing. These last few days have seen some really bad icy fog conditions making driving conditions treacherous. I’m normally not one for...

Our panel of three football writers give their predictions on Newton Aycliffe’s game this weekend… Three points are awarded if our ‘experts’ pick the exact score, 1 point awarded if they get the result correct. Paul levelled with Glen by picking last week's victory, but missed the winning scoreline. Glen Robertson - 10 Paul...

Local planning authorities should decide whether big wind farms are allowed to go ahead, Sedgefield MP Phil Wilson has told the Commons. Mr Wilson said his constituency was already at capacity for the number of wind farms the landscape could sustain. Moving a 10 minute rule motion, Mr Wilson proposed the Planning Act 2008 (Amendment)...

Back in 2008, Miss Wass of Woodham Academy piloted a cross-curricular visit to Berlin which was a huge success and has since gone on to become an established  visit for students. This visit is always oversubscribed because of its educational value as well as being extremely enjoyable. Woodham Academy is delighted to be able to offer...

Schools from across County Durham will come together next week to bury a time capsule to mark the county’s contribution to this very special year for sport. In the run up to London 2012 and the introduction of the National School Games, schools were inspired to compete at many levels in competition throughout the year. The time capsule...

A scheme in County Durham is helping keep young drivers and their passengers safe on the road. The EXCELerate programme has been developed by Durham County Council's road safety team to address the main causes of accidents among 15 to 25 year-olds who live in the county. There are five different levels to the programme, each designed for...

By Martin Walker Allan Oliver says Newton Aycliffe’s win over Darlington last Saturday was probably the best in the club’s history. Two first-half goals by Danny Earl was enough to give the Newtonians victory, with Scott Pocklington saving an 88th-minute penalty in late drama at Moore Lane Park. MATCH REPORT HERE ACTION...

Britain’s best-known polar explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes has been given a good luck mascot from a Newton Aycliffe school as he sets out  to be the first man to cross the Antartic during a polar winter. Packed in the 140 tons of supplies for the 2,000 mile trek across one of the harshest environments on the planet, where temperatures can...

Members of Durham County Council’s Cabinet are being asked to support proposals for a Local Council Tax Support Scheme, following the abolition of the national council tax benefits system next year. Following a consultation exercise this autumn, a paper to members recommends the council preserves entitlement in line with what people would...