A local fundraiser has edged closer to raising a total of £40,000 following the efforts of friends and family which saw over £1,600 raised at a coffee morning. Paul McGeary, 37, was twice struck with Leukaemia in recent years, and though his condition is currently in remission, he remains under ongoing after-care of James Cook hospital in...

Newton Aycliffe’s cricket fixtures were washed out by rain at the weekend, as the above picture of Aycliffe Sports Club’s waterlogged pitch shows. Aycliffe’s first team are due to travel to Barnard Castle in the NYSD Division Two on Saturday, while our second team entertain Sedgefield’s second XI on Saturday (1.30pm).  

Schoolchildren in County Durham are learning the dangers of jumping into rivers this summer, through the return of a water safety campaign. Assemblies are being delivered on cold water shock for a fourth year, as part of the Safe Durham Partnership’s Dying to be Cool campaign. The campaign, led by Durham County Council, seeks to raise...

More than 300 new jobs could be created with the launch of a £4.9m fund to help County Durham’s small and medium sized businesses to expand and grow. The three-year County Durham Growth Fund has been launched by Business Durham, the economic development arm of Durham County Council, to help stimulate and enable businesses to grow by...

The appointment of Jo Farrell as Durham Constabulary’s new Chief Constable has been confirmed. The announcement follows a Confirmation Hearing – a statutory process where members of the independent Police and Crime Panel have the opportunity to question the preferred candidate, and to endorse the appointment. Jo first became a police...

What exactly is cyber security, and do we need it? Cornerstone MD Chris Petty explains… The chances are that you’ve probably heard lots on the news, in the press and on social media about the importance of cyber security. Some have even suggested to me that “It’s just another GDPR”, something many of us have already forgotten...

Woodham Academy’s outgoing head teacher Christine Forsyth has told Aycliffe Today she’s “delighted” with the appointment of her successor. The school revealed in March that Andrew Bell would take over from Mrs Forsyth this summer. Andrew joined Woodham in 2013 and, as deputy head teacher, has been responsible for student...

The final stage of a troubled plan that sets out how much development and where it is needed in County Durham will go before councillors next week. Durham County Council’s cabinet will be asked to recommend that full council approve the submission of the County Durham Plan when it meets on Wednesday, June 12. If agreed for approval the...

By Donna Campbell This week again saw our runners racing during the week with two races taking place last Wednesday. Bev Phillippo attended the Wynyard 10k trail race around the grounds of Wynyard Hall. She completed this in 59.12. Over in Darlington it was time for the next race in the Darlington Trail Series which is popular with the...

Two UK-based rail giants are submitting a ‘Great British’ train proposal to High Speed Two (HS2) that would be the most advanced, customer-oriented train ever to run in the UK. The contract, worth £2.75billion, is to design, build and maintain at least 54 trains for Phase One of HS2. Hitachi has pioneered Japan’s world-renowned...