Some of the most famous names in British comedy – including Pete Firman, Stewart Francis and Patrick Monahan – are warming up for the biggest stand up festival ever held in Darlington. The Darlington Comedy Festival, hosted by entertainment business Hilarity Bites, will run throughout July across several venues including Darlington...

By Ryan Gillham Durham Wildcats secured their third win of the season with a 96-85 triumph over play-off hopefuls Guildford Heat. Before the game Mario Flaherty and Michael Davies were both ruled out possibly for the remainder of the season and it looked like the Wildcats would have an even tougher game on their hands but the team...

Brodie Millichap previews this week's TV highlights... Five Picks of the Week The 70s: Monday 9pm, BBC2. In the first of a four-part series, Dominic Sandbrook looks back at the years 1970 to 1972 as he begins his journey through the decade. Expect to see: the housing boom, the arrival of thousands of Ugandan refugees and the 1972...

A Newton Aycliffe-based engineering company supplying the offshore windpower industry expects to see its revenues rise by 50% this year as it wins more work worldwide. As reported in this morning’s Journal, Tekmar Energy is expecting to drive its turnover up to £18.5m in its current financial year, from £12.5m in 2011 as the offshore...

Colin McNeillie's gallery of action pictures from Newton Aycliffe's 2-1 win at Tow Law on Saturday. Click here to read our Match Report ...

By Martin Walker Aycliffe Sports Club was bouncing again on Saturday night as another sell-out audience enjoyed a live music gig. Newcastle-based band the Sure Shots had revellers on their feet with a brilliant string of rockabilly numbers. Made up of lead Gary Allen, Joe Guillan on guitar, Mark Coppin on drums and Pete Hardy on bass,...

By Martin Walker Former England Under-21 midfielder Brian Atkinson is hoping for another international success this week when pupils from Greenfield School travel to Italy for a friendly sports festival. The group of Under-16s, made up of footballers from Greenfield Community College, and dancers from The Academy at Shotton Hall,...

A fun new group to keep dads healthy in Newton Aycliffe has proven popular. The ‘My dad is well fit’ project has been running in Aycliffe as part of the Dads into Nursery scheme and has seen dads, granddads and male carers spend time with their little ones joining in fun activities also aimed at keeping them healthy. Sessions have...

By Paul McGeary Ten-man Newton Aycliffe won their second successive game with a 2-1 victory at second-bottom Tow Law. Striker Warren Byrne spent an hour in goal after Scott Pocklington’s dubious sending off 30 minutes into the game. But Stephen Arnott’s early own goal and Paul Broom’s 16th-minute strike put Aycliffe into a...

A state-of-the-art recycling facility in Darlington is nearing completion. The two-year wait for Total Recycling Services’ £1.3m waste transfer station is due to be finished and open for business in the summer. Newton Aycliffe family-firm Finley Structures were employed as Main Contractor for the new facility.  Their work included...