By Martin Walker Durham County Council have defended a report that they’re one of the highest spenders in employees’ pensions. New figures have revealed local councils in the North-East paid out more than £280m in contributions to employees’ pensions last year, with Durham County one of the highest in the country at £54m. But...

By Glen Robertson Newton Aycliffe Spartans get their pre-season training underway this weekend ahead of their first ever campaign. The baseball club, set-up by Aycliffe-resident John Johnston last year after he took an interest in the sport but found there wasn’t a local team to play for, will begin their preparations for the Leicester...

Hi everyone and welcome to my first blog for this exciting new website for the people of Newton Aycliffe. For those who don't know, I'm originally from Aycliffe and I'm now a professional footballer with Premier League club Chelsea, based in London. I signed a four-year deal with them two-and-a-half years ago, joining from Middlesbrough...

No midweek game for Aycliffe this week, but there was one other game in the Northern League first division tonight. Ex-Darlington striker John Campbell, signed from Bedlington Terriers last week, scored for West Auckland as they went back to the top of the table with a 3-1 win at 11th-placed Newcastle Benfield. In Division Two tonight,...

The second part of MP Phil Wilson's interview is now live on Aycliffe Today! Mr Wilson, MP for Sedgefield, gave us an exclusive one-to-one interview to celebrate the website’s launch this week. The second part, which is just under five minutes long, covers the proposed wind farm near Newton Aycliffe and the crisis facing Durham Tees...

Durham County Council’s Fostering and Adoption Service is appealing for a family to provide a loving home to an 11-year-old sporty, football loving boy called Thomas. He says: “Hi my name is Thomas and I’m 11-years-old. “I love football, I’m a star player in my local team and Newcastle United is my favourite team in the whole...

The story of a real-life War Horse is told in a new exhibition. The display at County Hall, Durham, is based on the diary of a First World War soldier serving in the Durham Light Infantry. It has been put together by Durham County Record Office to coincide with the release of the film War Horse, based on Michael Morpurgo’s...

Glen Robertson starts a new feature on Aycliffe Today, looking back at some of the North-East’s favourite ex-footballers. Appropriately, Quakers legend Craig Liddle kicks off in today's debut... Craig Liddle is simply a legend to fans of Darlington Football Club. The 40-year-old made over 300 appearances for Quakers, before going on to...

Aycliffe Today’s resident chef Debbie Elizabeth serves up a weekly mouthwatering suggestion specially for our readers. This week… Slow roasted lamb shoulders with lemon and potatoes! Ingredients.. 1 1/2 kg shoulders of lamb (cut into 4 with the bone left in) 10 cloves garlic (skin on) 11/2 kg potatoes (waxy, such as desiree)...

Byerley Park Primary School Swimming Team has raced their way again to finish in first place in the Sedgefield Schools’ Gala and this amazing result means that they have qualified for the County Final. The Gala was held in the Newton Aycliffe Pool last Friday (January 20), when the youngsters won a total of 15 out of a possible 17...