Nothing jazzes up a plain ol’ social media post like a branded image, but what if you don’t have the budget for design work? A recent Buzzsumo study found that Facebook posts with images see 2.3 times more engagement than those without images, and with organic reach declining, it’s never been more important to focus on boosting audience...

The Aycliffe Juniors football action this week included half term tournaments, friendlies and the usual league games. The Under 6 development team continue to enjoy friendly games and this week they shared fourteen goals with Sunderland Rokerites. The Aycliffe scorers were Will (3), Sam, Noah, Oscar and Reagan. The Under 7’s White competed...

Members of the public are being invited to apply to serve on County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Authority. The authority is seeking two people to serve as independent members to help it maintain standards of conduct. The successful candidates will be involved in dealing with any complaints against other members and will need to...

Councillors in County Durham have this week committed to additional capital investment of £74m bringing the total investment between 2018 and 2022 to £391m. The cash, which is ring-fenced for capital projects and has a clear focus on regeneration and growth across County Durham, was agreed by elected members as part of Durham County...

A new plan that sets out to make cycling and walking in County Durham a part of everyday life has been put into action. Durham County Council’s Strategic Cycling and Walking Delivery Plan 2019-2029, which looks at active travel rather than recreational cycling and walking, focuses on making all cycling and walking networks in the county safe,...

The North-East economy is facing a multi-million pound blow in the event of a ‘no deal’ Brexit due to the collapse of international trade deals, the CBI is warning. With the prospect of a ‘no deal’ exit from the European Union on March 29 appearing ever more likely, the CBI is highlighting the damaging implications for UK businesses of...

A series of public consultations were being held this week to help to shape the future of the region’s railway heritage in the run-up to the 200th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. September 2025 sees the bicentennary of the initial journey on the world’s first passenger railway with an exciting programme of schemes,...

By Donna Campbell It was another great weekend of racing and running achievements and, as always, I will begin with the parkruns. We had three people celebrating achieving PB’s this Saturday. First up was Tracey Pickering who attended Hackworth Parkrun in Shildon and obtained her course PB of 32.22. Over at South Park, Darlington, Sam...

Residents at Defoe Court care home in Newton Aycliffe were delighted to receive a handmade bench as a kind gift from local woodwork company, Endeavour Woodcrafts. The Ferryhill-based woodcraft firm, which helps train adults with learning and mental health issues in woodwork, arts and life skills, has established a fantastic relationship with...

Families that are fed up of throwing away food waste are being invited to take part in a challenge. Durham County Council is looking for volunteers to take part in the Food Waste Challenge, which is a fun way to help households reduce their food waste and help make the most of their food by rethinking their planning, shopping, storing and...