By Martin Walker South West Durham Training (SWDT) has revealed it has been rated 'outstanding' by Ofsted after a series of year-long improvements. The Newton Aycliffe training provider, based in the heart of Aycliffe Business Park, has been given the stamp of approval under the Further Education and Skills inspection report, which...

Amidst the celebrations at Woodham Academy on GCSE results day, there were tears of joy for one student and her mother. Kimberley Hall nervously opened her envelope to find that she’d passed every subject, with grade As in English, English Literature and History. Two years ago, Kimberley was diagnosed with cancer. She spent a full year...

Woodham Academy students were celebrating today after achieving the highest GCSE grades. Over a quarter of students gained 3 or more A* to A grades and 26% achieved English Baccalaureate recognition. This is a combination of GCSE subjects across the curriculum and shows a breadth of curriculum knowledge. Amongst this years high fliers...

By Martin Walker Newton Aycliffe’s Samantha McGarrigle has made it into the top five of this week's The Singer Takes It All competition and is set to appear on Friday night's show. The Singer Takes It All is a new singing game show, hosted by Alan Carr, where the audience has the power to choose who goes and who stays by using their...

Newton Aycliffe 1, Bedlington Terriers 2 Newton Aycliffe slipped to their third straight home defeat of the season, with an underwhelming performance against Bedlington Terriers on Wednesday night. The visitors came into the game with just one point from their three Northern League games to date and sitting just above the relegation zone...

Art lovers still have a chance to see the Norman Cornish exhibition “Bishops Close Street” at The Greenfield Gallery. But you’ll have to be quick – after more than 1,000 visitors, the exhibition is due to close on Wednesday 3rd September. The works includes some recently discovered work, as well as a great selection of...

Rubbish and recycling collections in County Durham will take place as normal during the August bank holiday weekend. Residents should put their bins out by 7am on their usual collection day. People can check their collection day by entering their house number and post code into the My Durham section on www.durham.gov.uk Residents are...

Final preparations are complete, the dancers are ready, the circus team are preparing their silks, and families across Newton Aycliffe have helped create some fantastic props – all ready for “Quercus Live!” The Greenfield Arts team will take over a marquee and the Arena at this year’s Great Aycliffe Show, to celebrate the last year...

The final Great Aycliffe Show is set to be held this weekend, on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th August during the Bank Holiday weekend. There is a wide variety of professional and amateur entertainment in the main arena, including the spectacular motorcycle stunts of Jason Smyth’s Adrenaline Tour, plus  Big and Little and a marching pipe...

The Police and Crime Commissioner for Durham, Ron Hogg, and Durham Constabulary Chief Constable, Mike Barton, have taken ownership of the keys to the new police headquarters, handed over to them by the construction firm who completed the project, Kier Construction. The new building, which has been developed on land adjacent to the existing...