By Martin Walker Former Sunderland defender Dickie Ord will miss out on a dream Wembley trip again this weekend. The 43-year-old – who played 285 games for Sunderland between 1987 and ’98 – had his FA Cup dreams shattered in 1992 when injury ruled him out of his boyhood club's final v Liverpool. And Ord, who's set to appear at a...

By Martin Walker This weekend marks the 10th anniversary of Middlesbrough winning the League Cup – as Sunderland prepare to win the same trophy. The Black Cats will take on mighty Manchester City in the Capital One Cup Final at Wembley this Sunday – exactly a decade after Boro won their first-ever piece of silverware. Gus Poyet...

By Martin Walker Sunderland legend Gary Bennett admits the "flutters" are already starting as the countdown to Wembley cranks up. The Black Cats take on Manchester City in the Capital One Cup Final at Wembley on Sunday. And Manchester-born Bennett - who lost three times at Wembley during his 11 years on Wearside - is hoping Sunderland...

By Martin Walker Sunderland legend Dickie Ord reckons the Black Cats will repeat their 1973 giant-killing victory with a memorable cup win at Wembley this weekend. The Wearsiders take on Manchester City in the final of the Capital One Cup on Sunday. And Ord, who's set to appear at a Three Legends event in Newton Aycliffe on Friday...

Garden waste collections in County Durham are due to resume from Tuesday 18th March. Residents who are part of the scheme will receive a leaflet detailing their specific collection dates, which can also be checked using the My Durham facility on the council’s website at www.durham.gov.uk Residents are advised to put their garden waste...

Smokers are being encouraged to declare V for Victory in the battle against cigarettes. The County Durham NHS Stop Smoking Service is offering people a helping hand to win the war on cigarettes as No Smoking Day approaches. Team members will be out and about around the county offering help and advice in the lead up to the annual event on...

Companies on Aycliffe Business Park will be able to find out more about funding at a free event on Friday. The Aycliffe Business Park Community’s latest best practice event will be held at South West Durham Training from 8am on Friday. Representatives of some of the local and regional funding bodies will be in attendance. The ABPC...

The unheralded heroes of sport in the region were honoured at this year’s North East Disability Sports Awards. The awards, which were held at The Durham Centre yesterday (Tuesday 25 February), aimed to recognise and celebrate the achievements of participants, coaches and clubs in 2013. Over 140 guests from the world of sport were in...

Businesses from across the North-East will have the chance to speak to industry experts about the importance of apprenticeships at a forum held in Newton Aycliffe next week. South West Durham Training’s (SWDT) CORE facility will host the North East Apprenticeship Forum on Wednesday 5th March. It will give local businesses the...

Newtonians can enrol on a first aid course being held in the town next month. The Emergency First Aid at Work is a one-day course, FAA Level 2 Award, and is being held on Thursday 20th March, 9am -5pm, at the Agnew Community Centre, Morrison Close, Newton Aycliffe, Co. Durham, DL5 4QZ. Anyone interested in booking can call Ron Mitchie on...