Several Newtonians attended the Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball, sponsored by K&B Creation, in support of Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research at Hardwick Hall. The black tie, masked affair was the latest fundraising event arranged by local group the banana army, made up mainly of people from Aycliffe. With the help and support of many local...

A unitary council has made strong progress in the three years since it was established, according to a challenging review. Durham County Council, which was formed in 2009, volunteered to take part in a peer challenge review, an initiative set up by the Local Government Association (LGA) aimed at complementing improvement work that councils...

More than 100 teachers from across the North-East came to Woodham Academy to take part in the ‘Woodham TeachMeet’ event last week. The event was designed for teachers to come and share their good practice and learn from highly skilled classroom practitioners. Teachers sign up to present to the audience or just sit and take notes. Out...

There are just days to go before the recipients of the 2012 County Durham Environment Awards are announced. Organised by the County Durham Environment Partnership to reward great design, environmental guardianship and community spirit, the awards event takes place next Tuesday (9th October) at Radisson Blu, in Durham City. This year 68...

Newton Aycliffe bounced back from Saturday’s defeat to earn a point in a thrilling 3-3 draw at South Shields – but will feel disappointed not to have won the game. The Royal Blues battled back from conceding a second minute goal to put in one of their best attacking performances of the season and led 3-1 with under 20 minutes to...

Arrangements for key bus services in County Durham have been confirmed with the awarding of £3.3m of new contracts. Durham County Council has now successfully completed the process of re-tendering for subsidised services in the South, centre and East of the county. The contracts cover services that would otherwise not operate because...

A stunning 19th Century building on the outskirts of Newton Aycliffe has been sold for a cut-price £240,000. Windlestone Hall, just off the A689 near Rushyford, has been sold by owners Durham County Council to private investors, who claim they will restore the stately home to its “original splendour”. The sale of the Grade II*-listed...

Students Ryan Peart and Blake Airey from Woodham Academy have experienced a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, working with coaches from Spanish giants Valencia. The two Woodham students took part in a full days worth of football, working alongside the best coaches in Valencia’s Academy structure. The highlight of the day was the coaching...

By Martin Walker The former Holiways car showhome has gone up for sale for just under £2m. The collapsed family-owned Ford dealership went bust in August, with a loss of more than 80 staff. Administrators have said they will only be able to raise less than a third of what it owes when it sells it assets. The showhome and land –...

Tony Mowbray, David Wheater, Bernie Slaven, Craig Hignett and Stan Anderson will be joined by former Boro boss Bruce Rioch when Middlesbrough Former Players Association hosts Six Decades of Boro Stars on the night of Friday October 26. Rioch will be one of two former Boro and Bolton managers attending an event taking place the night before...