Local residents group ACORN will be holding their seventh annual Petting Zoo at Newton Aycliffe leisure centre on Saturday (April 7). Running from 10am till 2pm children and adults will be enthralled with the small creatures. The event features three petting zoos and numerous stalls together with a bouncy castle and other attractions such as...

More than 90,000 illicit cigarettes have been taken off the streets of County Durham, councillors will hear. A total of 94,040 illegal cigarettes were seized in raids carried out by Durham County Council in the financial year 2017/18, the authority’s cabinet is to be told in a meeting next week. The figure is from a report outlining the...

A former South West Durham Training apprentice gave 16 engineering students who hope to follow in his footsteps a tour of 3M’s Newton Aycliffe plant. John Bayne, plant engineering group leader at 3M, showed the group of full-time electrical mechanical students, who all hope to secure engineering apprenticeships at the end of their course,...

Landlords are being urged to make sure their properties are more energy efficient ahead of new regulations coming in to force from 1 April 2018. Members of Durham County Council’s trading standards team are advising landlords with less efficient properties that may fall foul of the new regulations if improvements aren’t made. From April...

Newton Aycliffe construction firm Finley Structures is helping a Cramlington-based oil and gas manufacturer to expand with a new facility. PII Pipeline Solutions, part of the GE Oil & Gas group, currently works from a series of buildings on the North Nelson Industrial Estate in Cramlington, where it specialises in generating pipeline...

A national counter-terrorism campaign is being backed by the Safe Durham Partnership. The ‘Action Counter Terrorism’ campaign is urging residents across the UK to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity that could be terrorism-related. Although there is no specific threat in County Durham, the Safe Durham Partnership, of which...

Woodham Academy’s basketball players have been crowned as the county champions. The school’s Year 7 team won the Durham Youth Sports Games held at Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre. The team progressed through the qualification rounds unbeaten and represented Sedgefield District at the finals, where they competed against the best players in...

There are lots of fun activities taking place in libraries across County Durham this Easter to keep children entertained throughout the schools holidays, whatever the weather. For a small charge of £1 per child, families can get involved in a variety of spring themed crafts. At Newton Aycliffe library, a spring crafts session will be held...

One of Aycliffe Business Park’s oldest car repair centres is keeping thousands of Aycliffe workers motoring every year. And thanks to a new deal with Falken tyres, the sixth-largest tyre manufacturer in the world, Gregg Little Testing Centre is able to offer improved tyre services with free tyre warranties, as well as monthly repayment plans...

By Donna Reece The weekend of March 24/25 was yet again another busy weekend for the runners of ARC. First up was Trish Kay who ran the 14 mile road race at Coniston Water. This is the area largest community event and money raised from this is donated to local clubs and charities. It attracts approx. 1600 runners each year. The route starts...