Newton Aycliffe 0, Dunston 1 By Dave Strickland Newton Aycliffe slipped two places in the Northern League first division after a narrow defeat ast home to Dunston on Saturday. Aycliffe fielded a defensive formation and failed to trouble Dunston keeper Grant for the whole of the 90 minutes. It was a rearguard action throughout and the...

Young entrepreneurs have been set the challenge of thinking ‘smart’ when developing their business ideas for a competition designed to inspire enterprise skills among schoolchildren. Future Business Magnates (FBM) – an annual competition run by Business Durham, the economic development organisation for County Durham – will this year...

County Durham residents are being urged to celebrate this year’s Bonfire Night in the safest way possible by attending official public firework displays. Cllr Lucy Hovvels MBE, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for adult and health services, said: “Around 1,000 people are injured by fireworks in the UK every year, with 5% of those...

Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre is launching its new programme this weekend with a day of free activities suitable for all the family. The centre is now running sessions including aqua cycle and aqua jump – putting the traditional gym classes into the water. Aqua cycle includes state-of-the-art bikes submerged while users pedal against the...

Newton Aycliffe train builders Hitachi Rail have been shortlisted to the final five bidders for the £2.75 billion HS2 contract. The government revealed on Thursday morning that four manufacturers have been whittled down to deliver Britain’s next generation of state-of-the-art high speed trains, which will carry tens of thousands of people...

Newton Aycliffe 0, Marske United 3 By Dave Strickland Newton Aycliffe were no match for second-placed Marske United as they were well beaten at Moore Lane Park on Tuesday night. They got off to the worst possible start when ex-player Earl scored in the first minute. A long ball over the top caught the defence napping and Earl chipped the...

Food producers from across County Durham are being given a direct route to take their products to market. Durham Food Hub, which is operating under the Food Durham Trading Limited (FDTL) company name, has been created as part of plans to champion small, independent retailers in County Durham. The aim is to support as many local small...

Keen gardeners may still be tending their lawns but with summer now seeming a thing of the past, this year’s garden waste collections are drawing to a close. Residents who have taken up the service from Durham County Council will receive their final collection in the next couple of weeks, on their usual collection day from Tuesday, November 7...

Newton Aycliffe 10, Acklam 67 By Ben Carpenter Merritt Following last week’s heavy defeat away to Whitley Bay Rockliffe, Newton Aycliffe First XV hosted the recently descended and undefeated Acklam, a team most expect to return to top level regional rugby next season. Despite having a much smaller pool of players to choose from as a...

More than 100 private landlords and industry partners came together to share best practice in an event which took place during national empty homes week. The private landlord seminar, the first of its kind organised by Durham County Council, included sessions on Universal Credit, tenancy deposit schemes and updates in legislation and was...