Hitachi Rail’s investment at its Newton Aycliffe factory – which now totals £110m – sees new facilities completed, allowing welding and painting to start on brand new UK passenger trains. New welding and painting facilities will be used to build the next generation of intercity trains for East Midlands Railway and Avanti West...

A charity that works with blind and partially sighted residents in County Durham will be able to offer extra support through an Area Action Partnership (AAP) funding grant. Durham County Council’s 3 Towns Partnership has awarded £5,159 of its area budget to Blind Life in Durham. The organisation is a pro-active group of blind and...

Teesport is a gateway to the world for many Aycliffe manufacturers. The port is run by PD Ports – and its CEO, Frans Calje, reflects on the lessons of the past as he plots a prosperous long-term future for the business, in an exclusive interview with Peter Barron… Before he begins discussing the future, Frans Calje is keen to look back to...

Science-based technology firm 3M is funding a Reading at Home scheme for pupils at a local school to help the children to continue to enjoy reading, supporting their learning and wellbeing. Each pupil from Red Hall Primary School in Darlington will receive two books appropriate for their age as part of the initiative. 3M is working with the...

The Tees region was one of just eight locations to be selected as a freeport zone during Rishi Sunak’s 2021 budget. The chancellor said freeports – “special economic zones with different rules to make it easier and cheaper to do business” – will be located at East Midlands Airport, Felixstowe and Harwich, the Humber region, the...

Newton Aycliffe’s MP says the Treasury’s decision to move 750 jobs to a new regional campus in Darlington is “just fantastic for our young people”. Chancellor Rishi Sunak revealed in his Budget on Wednesday plans to create the new Northern Economic Campus in Darlington. It will see 750 senior civil servants move to Darlington and...

It has been announced that the Treasury’s new Northern Economic Campus will be moving to Darlington. This is part of Downing Street’s plan to relocate more than 22,000 civil servants out of London by 2030 as part of the Government’s continued levelling up agenda. The move will see 750 senior civil servants move to Darlington and...

Your brand’s purpose should illustrate why your organisation exists, what problems it aims to solve, and who it wants to be to each person it professionally interacts with. Successful businesses harness their purpose to create deeper connections with consumers and give back to the communities they work within. As an executive leadership...

Prospective candidates wishing to stand in County Durham elections as a county councillor, a parish or town councillor or for the role of Police and Crime Commissioner on Thursday, May 6, have until Thursday, April 8, to submit their nomination. Anyone considering standing for election can request a nomination pack from Durham County...

It continues to be a strange and challenging time for businesses, so it gives us great pleasure to bring you the first Aycliffe Business of 2021, which is packed full of positive news and features from around Aycliffe Business Park and beyond. There has never been a more uncertain time for business, with Brexit and now Covid stifling progress...