People across County Durham and Darlington are being urged to take steps to prevent themselves from becoming a victim of crime as the dark nights draw in. Unlike in previous years when often people found themselves still at work when the light faded for the day, many are now working from home. However, officers are reminding people not to...

Crafter’s Companion is launching a brand-new Christmas decoration in support of the Bradley Lowery Foundation. The charity decoration, which is a first for Crafter’s Companion, is a purple stocking filled with crafty tools and essentials. For every decoration sold, £1.75 of the £5.99 retail price will be donated to the children’s...

A major development in the region – built with steel fabricated by Newton Aycliffe firm Finley Structures – has reached a major milestone. Finley’s steel work for the new Premier Inn hotel, which is part of the huge Milburngate development in Durham city, has now been completed. The hotel forms a key element of phase one of the...

Officers are encouraging residents to report any damage following an incident involving quad bikes in Newton Aycliffe on Wednesday night. Officers were made aware of homes in Silverdale Place being covered with mud, allegedly by quad bikes riders. Inspector Sarah Honeyman said: “This type of behaviour is totally unacceptable and will not...

Thanks to funding secured through Great Aycliffe and Middridge Partnership, Groundwork North East successfully delivered their Holiday Enrichment Project across Newton Aycliffe, supporting families during the October half-term holiday. Groundwork were successful in applying for and securing funding through the GAMP Holiday Activities with...

Micro and small businesses from across County Durham are being offered professional support to help get back on track following the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Durham Business Opportunities Programme (DBOP) is a programme offering business support to SMEs in County Durham. Managed by Business Durham, the economic development...

A local authority which is among a select few nationally to continue to offer working age residents up to 100 per cent exemption from paying council tax looks set to extend the support. Durham County Council has been providing up to £300 of additional support to working age claimants who are not in receipt of 100 per cent council tax...

The publishers of Newton Aycliffe’s business magazine are now working on the last issue of 2020. But local companies have just a few hours to secure their space. Aycliffe Business is the magazine for Aycliffe Business Park – home to around 500 firms and 8-10,000 employees – and has now been established eight years, with more than...

Aldi says it’s anticipating such demand for its upcoming Christmas advert plush toys featuring Kevin the Carrot, that it has employed the same online queuing technology as Glastonbury to manage the clamour on its website when the toys are released. The nation’s most beloved vegetable Kevin returned to screens last week in Aldi’s 2020...

Jo Davies and her team at human resource specialists HR Alchemy have proved invaluable to many businesses since Covid lockdown changed our daily lives. When the crisis hit, the Middlesbrough-based firm – which works with several companies on Aycliffe Business Park – faced a deluge of calls from clients needing guidance on how best to look...