In a first for the region, County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service (CDDFRS) has opened applications for firefighter apprentices. The 24-month apprenticeships will begin on May 1, 2017, and are open to anyone who will be 17 or over on that date. Apprentices will receive full fire service training, initially in business fire...

Organisers behind the region’s biggest engineering and manufacturing expo are already making plans for next year – the event’s tenth birthday. Hundreds of people from across the region descend on the Xcel Centre in Newton Aycliffe for Durham Oktoberfest. Businesses from a diverse range of sectors took the opportunity to showcase their...

The weekend brought some fantastic footballing action from the Juniors teams as the season progressed for all our teams. The Under 7's were agin superb as they won 11-1 at Sunnydale against Billingham Synthonia. Every player was fantastic throughout the game and the scorers were Alex (4), Dylan (4), Thomas (2) and Lewis. In the second game both...

More than 1,000 young people have already signed up to a £17m project designed to develop their skills, increase opportunities and help them into work. In the past few months hundreds of 16 to 24-year-olds living in County Durham, who are not in education, employment or training, have joined the DurhamWorks programme. According to the...

Efforts to improve the health and wellbeing of people in County Durham have seen a number of achievements during the past 12 months, according to a report. An annual update on public health, presented to Durham County Council’s Cabinet today (Wednesday,19 October), describes a wide range of successful initiatives that have been introduced...

Newton Aycliffe 0, Ashington 4 Aycliffe slumped to a fourth successive league defeat when they were well beaten at home to Ashington. The defeat saw Peter Dixon’s side slip to sixth in the Northern League first division table after a promising start to the season. The first 20 minutes were fairly even with Ashington having slightly the...

A taskforce which was set up to maximise opportunities for County Durham’s manufacturing and engineering industries has developed a high growth programme drawing on best practice from across the UK. The Manufacturing and Engineering Taskforce (MET) was formed by Durham County Council and Business Durham to maximise opportunities for the...

Police are warning people to be vigilant after reports of fraudsters pretending to be from HMRC. Victims are being contacted in a variety of methods – which can include voicemails and text messages – and being told they owe an outstanding debt. They are then informed the payment can be made quickly and easily by using an iTunes gift card...

Every night of the year, whatever the weather, a group of dedicated and experienced motor-cyclists stands ready to deliver life-saving supplies of blood, medical supplies and equipment to NHS hospitals, healthcare sites and laboratories throughout North East England. In the past 30 months, volunteer members of Northumbria Blood Bikes have...

Crafter’s Companion founder Sara Davies has topped off a memorable year after attending her investiture at Buckingham Palace after being appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the Her Majesty’s Birthday 2016 Honours List. Following the announcement in the summer that she would receive an MBE as a result of her...