By Martin Walker Jason Steele has praised his hometown club for the huge progress they’ve made over the years. The Middlesbrough goalkeeper and proud Newtonian has been delighted to see Allan Oliver’s side rise through the leagues – from the parks of the Durham Alliance to the heights of the Northern League top-flight and FA Cup...

One of the leading training firms in the region is now recruiting potential new Apprentices. Newton Aycliffe-based S W Durham Training has reported a significant increase in employers looking to recruit an Engineering Apprentice. Despite continued economic uncertainty, almost 90% of learners enrolled in September last year have now...

By Ryan Gillham Durham Wildcats travel to Newcastle to face the Eagles tonight, who currently lie top of the BBL table with a 15-1 record this season. The Wildcats are at the opposite end of the table, lying at the bottom after only two wins this season bringing their record to 2-15. Dave Elderkin is looking for a positive reaction...

By Martin Walker A bunch of girls dubbed the Banana Army have announced their fundraising plans for the year – with a Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball being the headline event in September. The Banana Army, all from Newton Aycliffe, raised thousands of pounds last year, running a string of wacky stunts including a three-hour Zumbathon and an...

Aycliffe’s community cinema will be showing Disney’s animation hit movie Tangled this week. The half-term movie, which is completely free, is showing from 1pm on Friday (February 17) at Greenfield Community College, and from 2pm on Saturday at Neville’s Parade Community Centre. Everyone is welcome to come along and you may also...

Darlington manager Craig Liddle says he’s planning a heart-to-heart with his players – to see who’s up for seeing out the rest of the season. The Quakers interim manager must battle on until the end of April – effectively the rest of the current campaign – without the ability to bring in any players due to Conference rules, as...

Newton Aycliffe FC chairman Gary Farley talks to Aycliffe Today ahead of Saturday’s trip to Consett. Aycliffe's last two games - at South Shields and at home to Shildon last weekend - have fallen foul of the freezing temperatures. But they look to get the season back on the road with the defence of an eight-match unbeaten run at...

Proposals designed to implement a new pay and grading structure for some 9,000 Durham County Council employees will go before Full Council next week. Since its launch as a Unitary authority in April 2009, in which eight councils became one, a wide scale project of information gathering and job assessment has been undertaken. The aim of...

Chelsea star and Newtonian ROSS TURNBULL writes an exclusive blog for Aycliffe Today... Hi and welcome to my second blog for Aycliffe Today. A lot has happened since my last blog a few weeks ago. After our win at QPR we went to Mallorca for some warm-weather training and the atmosphere there was good. Results have been a bit...

Police are appealing for witnesses after a man tried to steal an 84-year-old woman's handbag in Newton Aycliffe. The incident happened on Greenwell Road on Sunday February 5, at approximately 1.30pm. The elderly woman suffered injuries to her ribs when the robber pulled her to the ground as he attempted to make off with her bag. The...