The children of foster families, who welcome foster children into their homes alongside their parents, are being celebrated as part of Sons and Daughters Month. The month is organised by The Fostering Network, the UK’s leading fostering charity, and is used to acknowledge the fantastic role foster carer’s children play in fostering, and the...

Newton Aycliffe 0, Consett 1 By Dave Strickland Newton Aycliffe crashed out of the Durham Challenge Cup in the first round with a narrow defeat at home to Consett on Tuesday night. The visitors were on top for most of the match, apart from the last ten minutes, when Aycliffe pushed forward for an equaliser. Consett had a chance as...

Woodham Academy has added rugby union to the extensive range of sports played at the school. The newly developed Rugby Academy team have taken part in their first tournament following two months of training. The Rugby Academy – initially consisting of Year 10 and 11 students - competed in the Durham Union County Cup, taking on district and...

An experienced recruitment specialist has joined an ambitious Newton Aycliffe agency which is now expanding its services. Former motor trade apprentice Scott Martin has joined Aycliffe-based Fleet Recruitment, which provides recruitment and training services spanning a wide range of sectors including sales and marketing, commercial and...

Aycliffe Sports Club 5, Staindrop 2 By Paul Eales After last week’s comfortable win Aycliffe Sports Club looked continued their good run of recent form with a hard-fought win at home to Straindrop in the Wear Valley Sunday League Division Two. But the game started very badly for the hosts as a lazy back pass from skipper Gareth Boyes to...

Universal Credit claimants are being advised that they can access their online application by visiting their local library. Durham County Council’s libraries and Customer Access Points offer free internet access, which residents can use to submit and update their claim form. Staff are also on hand to help if needed. Universal Credit is...

Newton Aycliffe manufacturer Husqvarna saw sales climb by £43m last year – but the Brexit-hit pound has hit profits. Despite turnover at the Aycliffe site rising to £196.4m at the end of 2016, profits dropped 22% from £8.4m to £6.5. Husqvarna said the lower profit figures were a result of increased costs, particularly as a result of...

Teenage parents who completed a course to help develop their life skills were recognised at an event earlier this week. More than 50 young parents were invited to the celebration at Hardwick Park near Sedgefield after taking part in the Teen Parent programme, run by Durham County Council’s One Point Service. The 20-week course aimed to...

Penrith 2, Newton Aycliffe 3 By Dave Strickland Newton Aycliffe travelled to Penrith and came away with an important 3-2 win that lifted them to 15th place in the table. Penrith put up a fight, particularly in the first half, but an improved second half performance and superior finishing gave Aycliffe the win. Penrith's direct approach...

Residents and retailers in County Durham are being advised to stay safe in the run up to this year’s Bonfire Night festivities. Any premises storing explosives and fireworks must be either licenced by Durham County Council for year round sales or licensed for storage for sales over the restricted periods covering Bonfire Night, Christmas and...