World Book Day was another wonderful way for everyone at Greenfield Community College to celebrate reading. Students at Greenfield are provided with a dedicated space to read for 20 minutes each and every day during the Time For Success programme. This programme, which is part of the school’s curriculum, promotes the skills and attributes...

By Donna Campbell It was a weekend full of racing which as always starts with Parkruns on a Saturday morning. The majority attended Hackworth Parkrun in Shildon which was celebrating its 6th birthday. I’m sure the promise of cake at the end had nothing to do with our members attending. Two members also achieved PB’s at this...

There’s a lot to be argued about in this world, but one thing’s for sure – we are all outraged by cold calls. On a daily basis Brits will experience incessant calls from withheld numbers, ones we simply do not recognise, and the persistent caller on the other end of the phone who simply will not take no for an answer. According to...

The UK has a unique opportunity to be a world leader in a new commercial space age, predicts one of the industry’s leading figures ahead of a major conference. “Old space” was dominated by giant government institutes such as NASA, while “new space” is more commercially driven, said Claire Barcham, commercial space director, UK Space...

Durham Constabulary is to start using a unique DNA tagging spray to stamp out the illegal use of off-road motorbikes. The SelectaDNA spray can be sprayed on offenders who refuse to stop for police, marking the bikes, clothing and skin of the riders with an invisible, uniquely-coded DNA solution that can provide forensic evidence to link them to...

Woodham Academy year 11 student Lucas Pilling was recently included in a competitive first team fixture for Hartlepool United against Shildon AFC in the semi-final of the Durham Challenge Cup. Not only was he selected to take part in the 1st team game, he is also a weekly member of the U18 squad who play on a Saturday against sides from around...

Sixth formers visited 3M’s Aycliffe site ahead of British Science Week (BSW) to learn about manufacturing and devise projects that will inspire their scientific creativity. Promoted by the British Science Association (BSA), BSW is an annual 10-day festival, this year running from 8 to 17 March, celebrating the STEM subjects of science,...

The wet weather led to a number of postponements this week as pitches were left waterlogged. A few of the Aycliffe Juniors football teams did manage to get their games on. The Under 7’s Whites played in an exciting four all draw with Crook Town Hornets. Man of the match Jack R scored a hatrick and Tyler also scored. The Under 8’s played...

Durham Chief Constable Mike Barton has announced his decision to retire from policing in the summer. After 39 years in uniform and seven years running Britain’s best performing police force, Durham’s top cop has revealed plans to step down on June 7. Mr Barton, who led Durham to three successive Outstanding ratings in the annual Peel...

Newton Aycliffe-based Crafter’s Companion has invested more than £120,000 in a new digital platform and recruited 13 employees to support its ongoing growth. Following a sales growth of 38%, with an export sales growth of 59% in 2018, Crafter’s Companion has made significant investments in its ecommerce, social media and creative...