Ten years on from the introduction of England’s ‘smoke-free’ law, which banned smoking in enclosed areas and workplaces, local businesses and clubs are celebrating the successes of the smoking ban. Andy Nicholson, general manager of The Library bar in Saddler Street, Durham, has worked in the pub trade for 29 years, but quit smoking in...

Three of County Durham’s most popular festivals will benefit from £1.66 million of core funding from Arts Council England between 2018 and 2022. Festivals and events have an important role to play in Durham, delivering culture-led regeneration for the county, and promoting Durham as a vibrant place to live, work and visit. For this reason,...

The Year 7 and Year 8 athletics teams from Woodham Academy enjoyed a successful afternoon at the South West Durham Schools Athletics competition. The event was held at Shildon Athletics Stadium and eight schools from across the area competed in the event, so that students could experience competing at a specialist venue with excellent Athletics...

Work has begun on infrastructure works which will form a key part of major expansion plans at a County Durham science park. Dignitaries from Durham County Council and the North East LEP are among those who are due to gather today (June 28) to mark the construction of a 1km road which will access a further 26 acres of development land at the...

Residents in Great Aycliffe have voted overwhelmingly in favour of introducing new planning policies specifically for their area. More than 91% of people who took part in a referendum said they would like Durham County Council to use a neighbourhood plan created by Great Aycliffe Town Council when making planning decisions. A total of 2,789...

The first Intercity Express Train bound for GWR’s Devon and Cornwall route has now arrived in the UK. From 2018 a new fleet of Class 802 Intercity Express Trains will connect London Paddington to Exeter, Plymouth, Penzance and many more communities. A five car test train (802 001) built at Hitachi’s factory in Japan arrived in...

Public opinion is being sought in a local survey, to gather residents’ views on alcohol consumption. The online survey is part of a month-long campaign, led by Ron Hogg, Police, Crime and Victims’ Commissioner for County Durham and Darlington, who is raising awareness of a variety of issues around alcohol consumption. Hogg aims to...

Tributes have been paid to former Aycliffe Mayor Michael Dalton, who passed away following illness. Mr Dalton, who had represented the town for almost two decades, served one term as Mayor of Great Aycliffe, while supporting his 92-year-old mother Mary Dalton during her four stints in the role. The 52-year-old was born with spina bifida and...

Young women are being encouraged to consider a career in engineering by four female apprentices from a Newton Aycliffe engineering training centre. International Women in Engineering Day is an annual celebration of the achievements of outstanding women engineers which aims to raise awareness of the huge range of opportunities for young women in...

A round-up of the weekend’s cricket action... Saturday 24th June  – NYSD Division 2 Newton Aycliffe 1st XI v Barnard Castle 2nd XI – weather was warm and sunny. Barnard Castle won the toss and chose to bat first. Barnard Castle 2nd X 258 for 8 after 50 overs Michael Howe 2 for 54 and Luke Telford 2 for 58 Newton Aycliffe 1st XI...