By Martin Walker Newton Aycliffe boss Allan Oliver insists Moore Lane Park is “the place to be” for players who want to enjoy their football, after he secured the signature of popular defender Darren Craddock this week. Craddock, a former Hartlepool United star who signed for his hometown club last summer, has agreed to stay with the...

By Martin Walker A local group of ladies will hold a Queen’s Garden Party in the area this weekend – a week before the official Jubilee! The women, who are set to run the Darlington Race for Life in June, are giving their fundraising a kick-start by organising a Queen’s Garden Party at Heighington Village Hall this Saturday (26th...

By Martin Walker Two students from Newton Aycliffe have been using their design skills to recycle old items into new. Catriona Kitching, 18, (pictured left, above) and 17-year-old Daniel Bolan, both from Aycliffe, have been working hard to make something new from something old ahead of the eco fair in Darlington on Sunday. The BTEC L2...

Former Sunderland star Martin Gray will treat young footballers to a VIP tour of the Stadium of Light as part of an exciting summer coaching course next month. The Martin Gray Football Academy (MGFA) is holding three-day courses in Newton Aycliffe and Sedgefield, culminating with a behind-the-scenes tour of Sunderland’s magnificent...

By Martin Walker A busy crossing in Newton Aycliffe is to receive a £40,000 revamp in an effort to improve safety for school pupils. The zebra crossing on Central Avenue, which links a number of footpaths in the area, is being transformed into a pelican crossing thanks to funding from the Great Aycliffe and Middridge Partnership...

Schoolchildren from Byerley Park Primary School in Newton Aycliffe, a Get Set network school, will form a Guard of Honour to line the route as athletes make their way through the Olympic Park into the Olympic Stadium, for the London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony. At the start of the Athletes’ Parade, during the athletes’...

By Martin Walker Darren Craddock says it was a “gut feeling” which prompted him to stay at Newton Aycliffe. The defender had several “good offers” on the table from other clubs this summer – it’s been reported Northern League money-bags Spennymoor and derby rivals Shildon tried to tempt the former Hartlepool United man away...

Year 10 pupils at an Aycliffe school are hoping their ‘medalling’ in design and technology will bring them a touch of real Olympic glory. With support from Durham County Council and nearby Aycliffe Fabrications, a group of pupils at Woodham Community Technology College have turned D and T classes into an innovative medal manufacturing...

The next West Ward of the Police and Communities Together (PACT) meeting will be held early next month. Durham Constabulary is dedicated to making your neighbourhood safer. If you have any issues affecting your quality of life and want to discuss it with your Neighbourhood Policing Team then get involved in your local PACT meeting. This...

Convicted criminals have completed more than £500,000 worth of unpaid work in the communities where they carried out their crimes, including Newton Aycliffe. As reported in today’s Northern Echo, Durham Tees Valley Probation Trust passed the milestone for its work in the County Durham area for the 12 months to March. Darlington...