LOCAL NEWS
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What’s happening in and around East Durham
Paddington Bear and boxes of chocolates are among the gifts donated by a Peterlee care home to children in need this Christmas. Staff and residents at Bannatyne Lodge Care Home, on Manor Way, have put together two hampers of goodies for community project Santa’s Wish....
Auxillis has again stepped up to support insurer Admiral with its NHS and emergency service worker mobility scheme - providing a free courtesy vehicle if theirs is stolen, undriveable after an accident, or declared a total loss - keeping essential workers on the road...
Bears, jumper, shawls, and knitted dolls are among the items donated to a Peterlee care home by a knitting initiative. Knit for Peace UK donated the gifts to Bannatyne Lodge Care Home, on Manor Way, bringing smiles to the elderly residents. Derek Bestford, 57,...
Funding from believe housing has helped to get a vital project in Easington Colliery underway again after the coronavirus pandemic. The Café Together initiative was brought to an abrupt halt by Covid-19 restrictions earlier this year. Unable to carry on with its...
There are six new members joining the team at Dalton Park this winter as the centre announces surprising news of a reindeer adoption. Following the news that the Christmas launch event won't be going ahead this year due to Covid-19, and with reindeers being a...
County Durham-based believe housing is playing its part in tackling the threat of hunger during the coronavirus pandemic with food parcels to customers in need. The award-winning housing association is arranging for food parcels to be delivered to customers who are...
A new project aiming to make local neighbourhoods cleaner and greener is underway across County Durham. Launched by Durham County Council, Find and Fix involves the council and community working together to tackle a range of unsightly issues in the community such as...
East Durham's Wellbeing for Life team is offering free support to anyone aged over 16 who lives or works in County Durham. The team, based at Heathworks in Easington, offers help in areas including weight management, healthy eating, physical activity and mental health...
A new coastal community hub is set to be built at a County Durham tourist spot for residents and visitors to enjoy when taking a trip to the seaside. Working with the Heritage Coast Partnership, Durham County Council is investing £250,000 to attract £1.35 million...
Six landmarks across County Durham will be lit up in red next month to commemorate Remembrance Sunday. Due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, many traditional services, parades and wreath laying ceremonies due to take place on 8 November have been cancelled....
With families across the UK facing stricter lockdown measures, online toy retailer Bargain Max recently launched a Halloween inspired competition for kids. In what has been a spooky and creative competition for youngsters across the UK, Bargain Max has now announced...
Businesses across County Durham are being reminded that they must comply with the latest coronavirus rules, or face action. It comes as another five venues across the county were issued with direction orders and told they must immediately close for failing to abide by...
A club and a caravan park in County Durham which failed to comply with the latest coronavirus restrictions have both been issued with direction orders. Action was taken against Crimdon Dene Caravan Park and Thornley Officials Club on Friday (9 October) following a...
A new 10-week wellbeing challenge aimed at people aged over 65 in the Easington GP area launches next week. Helix Arts’ regional Falling on your Feet programme is a dance and health initiative for older people to help increase their strength and balance to prevent...
A County Durham club has been issued with a direction order and told it must close immediately for failing to abide by the latest coronavirus restrictions. Durham County Council’s community protection team has taken swift action against Shotton Comrades Club, which...
A range of up to 20 classic British real ales will be available at The Five Quarter in Peterlee during its 17-day real ale festival. The pub in Hailsham Place will host the festival from Friday, October 9, to Sunday, October 25. The beers will cost £1.69 a pint. The...
McDonald's has officially re-opened at Dalton Park Shopping Outlet in Murton. And there's more good news for customers because as well as being able to benefit from drive thru and take away, at the Murton restaurant locals can now benefit from the introduction of the...
Three more household names are set to open at Dalton Park this autumn. Molton Brown, Lazy Jacks and Costa Coffee will join the outlet shopping centre, complementing the existing brands and enhancing guests’ shopping experience. The welcome news comes after Morrisons...
An initiative which aims to improve communities in County Durham by raising housing standards and management in the private renting sector has received backing by senior council members and two MPs. Durham County Council’s proposals to introduce a selective licensing...
A Peterlee pub is to cut the price of all food and drink by 7.5 per cent on Thursday, September 24. The Five Quarter in Hailsham Place is supporting Tax Equality Day, aimed at highlighting the benefit of a permanent VAT reduction in the hospitality industry. The...
Historian and author Jane Gulliford Lowes brings the wartime experiences of a young Seaham Harbour airman and his family to life in her new book. Above Us The Stars tells the story of Jane’s great -uncle, “Bomber Boy” Jack Clyde, a 20-year-old wireless operator. Jack...
A local running club is calling on people to continue to keep fit and active after seeing a rise in numbers post-lockdown. Peterlee Running Club, which was formed in 2013 by trained coach David Ferguson, is open to people of all ages and running abilities and meets...
Beautiful gardens and floral displays across County Durham are vying for the public’s vote this month. Entries for the Garden Treasures contest are now closed and now members of the public are being called on to help choose the winners. Organised by Durham County...
Three exceptional North East tourism businesses represented the region at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2020 last night, where they took home a host of awards and secured their position as some of the finest examples of tourism businesses in the country. The...
Three outstanding North East tourism businesses have been shortlisted in the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2020, an event that champions the very best of the country’s tourism industry and celebrates quality, innovation and best practice. Seahouses bed and...
1Life has announced that it will be re-opening Peterlee Leisure Centre today, Monday, July 27, with Seaham anticipated to follow on August 10. Following advice and guidance from the Government as well as the fitness trade body ukactive and there independent scientific...
Play parks across County Durham have reopened as part of the nationwide easing of lockdown restrictions. Durham County Council is undertaking individual risk assessments on all 175 of its children’s play parks and is working hard to reopen these valued facilities as...
Keen gardeners across East Durham are being invited to take part in a photography competition to share how outside spaces have helped them through the coronavirus pandemic. Durham County Council’s civic pride team is calling on residents to show off the green spaces...
Food lovers can stock up on their favourite treats while supporting some of the region’s best producers when a popular festival moves online. Seaham Food Festival was due to take place on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 June but was cancelled to help slow the spread of...
Durham’s five-star boutique hotel, Seaham Hall, has scooped Gold in the Small Hotel of the Year category at the prestigious North East England Tourism Awards. The awards, organised by the Newcastle Gateshead Initiative, in partnership with a number of organisations,...
New virtual storytelling sessions are to continue throughout May following their initial success. Durham County Council’s library service recently began teaming up with artists to create video recitals of popular stories and poems which children and their families can...
As the 75th anniversary of VE Day approaches, arrangements are being made to help people in County Durham commemorate the occasion safely at home. In recent months, the nation’s focus has been on the coronavirus pandemic, but Durham County Council recognises that...
Cast members from the Gala Theatre’s panto paid a special visit to children spending the run up to Christmas in hospital. The Durham City venue’s Christmas pantomime, Aladdin, is on a roll bringing festive thrills and lots of laughter to audiences. This week, Aladdin...
Father Christmas will be welcoming visitors to his festive yurt for two weekends in the lead up to Christmas. Hardwick Park is once again inviting children to meet Santa Claus as he makes his pre-Christmas visit to County Durham. As well as receiving a gift from...
Little adventurers and their grown-ups can journey to a winter wonderland at a County Durham theatre this Christmas. The Gala Theatre’s production of One More Sleep will transport youngsters to an enchanting world, where dreams comes true on the most magical night of...
East Durham businesses are being warned to have fun this Christmas - but to be prepared for the problems which can come from an overly indulgent office party or night. HR expert Alison Schreiber of the HR Dept Durham works with a number of companies in the area to...
Business Review, LG Therapy Review by East Durham News editor Leanne Fawcett (it can also be found in issue two of East Durham Business magazine). The past few weeks have been particularly stressful and physically draining, so to say my body was ready for a bit of...
Getting rugby tackled by schoolchildren, squirting audiences with water pistols and plotting world domination – it is all in a day’s work for a pantomime star. For more than a decade, Neil Armstrong and Paul Hartley have starred in the Gala Theatre’s annual pantomime,...
A seaside town will serve up a second helping of culinary fun when a successful food festival returns next year. Organiser Durham County Council has announced the second annual Seaham Food Festival will take place on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 June 2020. County...
Peterlee pub The Five Quarter will get into the festive spirit this December by hosting a carol concert to raise money for St Cuthbert’s Church. Duty manager Sara Malcolm has teamed up with vicar Elaine Jones to encourage people to support the church, which is located...
Inspirational examples of innovative design, environmental guardianship and community spirit have been recognised at an annual awards ceremony. The winners of the 30th anniversary County Durham Environment Awards were announced at Hardwick Hall Hotel near Sedgefield....
A former East Durham College student is about to square up to the biggest opportunity of his boxing career as he prepares to compete in the prestigious MTK Global’s Golden Contract Tournament. Darren Surtees is a former bricklaying student at East Durham College who...
Producers of Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway are looking for a family in East Durham who could receive the hit ITV series' biggest surprise ever. People across the area are asked to put forward nominations for families they think are deserving of the surprise. A...
A three-month long pop-up programme to give food and drink producers from across County Durham the chance to showcase their products and explore potential routes to market is underway and already attracting crowds of shoppers. The event is a collaboration between All...
CBBC and Panto stars Danny Adams, brother Mick Potts and dad Clive Webb will be pitching up the big-top at Seaham next week to prepare for the start of their Midsummer Madness tour of the North East. Star of ‘Danny and Mick!’, Danny Adams, will also show his daring...
As a new cinema opens its doors in Durham City, councillors have spoken of the important role private sector investment plays in boosting the economy. Cllr Simon Henig, Leader of Durham County Council, and Cllr Carl Marshall, Cabinet member for economic regeneration,...
A new netball club for east Durham youngsters has been set up thanks to support from a leading housing association. Families have the opportunity to get involved with netball thanks to a new club, founded thanks to a small grant from believe housing. Peterlee Netball...
Almost 15,000 people headed to the first Seaham Food Festival yesterday (Sunday). County Durham’s spectacular heritage coast provided a beautiful backdrop to the event, with people of all ages enjoying fresh sea air while tucking into delicious local produce and...
As Seaham gets set to host its first food festival this weekend, visitors are being encouraged to plan their journeys in advance. Seaham Food Festival will serve up more than 100 traders, cookery demonstrations by celebrity chefs John Torode and Phil Vickery,...
Children’s cookery workshops, live music and bingo with a refreshing twist – a food festival will serve up more than delicious dishes next month. Excitement is building ahead of the first Seaham Food Festival which is set to bring tasty local produce and enticing eats...
A hilarious and fastmoving comedy will transport theatre goers back to their school days this week. Tickets are still available for the Gala Theatre’s latest production, Teechers, which runs at the Durham City venue from now until Saturday, May 11. Written by...
Green fingered groups, volunteers and residents are hoping for horticultural success after a visit from competition judges. Representatives from the Royal Horticultural Society headed to Durham City and Chester-le-Street to consider the areas’ entries for the...
Adventurers of all ages were out in force in Durham this weekend when the city hosted the region’s most adrenaline-fuelled festival. Durham Adventure Festival attracted thousands of people to the city centre for three action-packed days of talks, film screenings and...
Top television chefs John Torode and Phil Vickery are set to wow food lovers at a new food festival on the County Durham coast this summer. Following the success of Bishop Auckland Food Festival, Seaham Food Festival will bring fresh fare, fine flavours and exciting...
Beamish Museum’s Emily Hope is celebrating after being named national VisitEngland Tourism Superstar. Emily, who works at the museum’s Entrance, is thrilled to have won the public vote to claim the prestigious title. She was among 10 finalists and made the shortlist...
As excitement builds for one of the region’s favourite food festivals, visitors are being encouraged to plan their journeys in advance. Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend Bishop Auckland Food Festival when it returns this weekend with a tempting...
A pro-cyclist will be back racing on home turf when Durham hosts the eagerly awaited OVO Energy Tour Series for a record-breaking tenth time. The North East’s own Scott Auld will be among the elite cyclists taking on the gruelling 1.4km circuit in the shadow of the...
An event that will showcase work by some of the North East's most exciting new theatre-makers will take place later this month. This event, entitled 'Next Up...', is the first of its kind at Durham's Gala Theatre and offers a first look at work-in-progress shows as...
A live music festival returns to Durham tomorrow as The Durham Blues, Rhythm & Rock Festival is set to take place at the Gala Theatre. Now in its sixth year in Durham, the festival showcases the quality of live music in the UK and presents a line-up that aims to...
The UKs largest light festival looks set to return to Durham for a fifth time next year. This morning Durham County Council’s Cabinet agreed to recommission Artichoke to deliver another spectacular Lumiere in November 2017, with members endorsing a commissioning fee...
Derwent Valley AAP and Durham Cathedral Join Forces for Education Events. Durham Cathedral has received a grant of £5,300 from Derwent Valley Area Action Partnership to provide school sessions for all primary schools in the Derwent Valley area. Twenty schools will...
Durham Cathedral is preparing to welcome visitors and pilgrims from far and wide as they come to the Cathedral to remember those killed during the Battle of the Somme, on the centenary of this tragic event. A series of services will be held at the Cathedral from...
A cinema broadcast of the original West End production of The Audience, featuring Helen Mirren’s multi-award-winning performance as Queen Elizabeth II, returns this week in celebration of the monarch’s 90th birthday. The play is written by Peter Morgan, who wrote the...
Durham Cathedral is hosting a special opportunity for photographers to snap the inside of the Cathedral this week. Photos of this world-famous building can then be used to enter the World Heritage Site’s postcard competition, with winning entries being displayed as a...
An event described by visitors as ‘majestic and mesmerising has delivered hugely increased financial benefits to County Durham and the North East. Lumiere, the UK’s largest light festival, was staged in Durham for the fourth time last November. It instilled a sense of...
A hilarious parody of Game of Thrones is set to have the audience in stitches when it comes to Gala next month. The show, which will be performed at Durham's Gala Theatre on Monday 13th June, 7.30pm, is created by some of the UK's top comedy writers and will promise...
Durham Cathedral has launched a LEGO lottery where the lucky winner will be selected to place the final brick on the now world-famous scale-model replica. The LEGO model, which was set up as a fundraising tool for the state of the art Open Treasure exhibition...
A club night organised by a Durham book shop is set to host a Punky Reggae Party event in aid of a 'justice' campaign for Durham miners. The 2016 Durham Miners' Gala will take place on Saturday 9th July and will this year go beyond its usual early evening wind-down...
A crucifix found on the site of the Battle of Neville’s Cross has been donated to Durham Cathedral to feature in a metal-work display as part of the Open Treasure exhibition experience, when it opens on Saturday 23 July. The crucifix was found between 1829 and 1868 in...
Schoolchildren from Dipton have visited Durham Cathedral’s £10.9 million Open Treasure exhibition experience ahead of the official opening, to give its education programme a test run. Twenty-five children from Collierley Primary School came to Durham Cathedral to take...
Hundreds of young people from across the region will gather at Beamish Museum to celebrate the contribution made by youth groups to the First World War effort. A magnificent flag parade, featuring Scouts, Guides, Brownies, Cadets and other young people’s groups will...
A new book will be launched at Durham Cathedral this weekend, featuring the writings of Canon Rosalind Brown. Fresh from the Word gathers together the reflections on the lectionary readings that appeared in the Church Times newspaper every week for three years,...
Durham Cathedral welcomed two of the Newcastle Falcons rugby stars as the players swapped their rugby balls for bricks and placed a section on the LEGO model of the Cathedral. The LEGO model is a fundraising project for Open Treasure, Durham Cathedral’s world-class...
South Shields lass Sarah Millican comes home to the region for the first of ten Newcastle gigs on her Outsider UK tour. Sarah is renowned for her sell-out tours and record-breaking homecoming show runs. The BAFTA-winning comedian embarked on her first national tour,...
Two of the country’s most renowned jazz and folk acts are set for gigs in Durham this week. The Ronnie Scott's All Stars will bring music from jazz greats and tales of old Soho in a celebration of one of the capitals most famous venues, Ronnie Scott’s jazz club....
A US property expert looks set to help househunters find homes in Durham thanks to a new reality TV show. Max Blake is coming to the UK to help couples who are trying to find their perfect home and to provide them with vital funding towards their deposit. With over a...
Durham Cathedral is preparing to welcome a team of eight monks from the Tashi Lhunpo monastery in Tibet. The monks will be taking part in a series of educational workshops and public performances from Monday 23rd to Wednesday 25th May, including the creation of a sand...
Funnyman Russell Kane brings his Right Man, Wrong Age tour to the region this month. In his brand new show, the multi-award winning comedian and host of BBC3's Live At The Electric, unleashes a stand-up performance about growing up, growing down, and why farts will...
Children who love music are being invited to try their hand at being a Durham Cathedral chorister for the day. Children aged 6-10 years old can come along and enjoy making music in one of the world’s most majestic cathedrals, with some of the country’s most talented...
I'd Do Anything star Jodie Prenger stars in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black’s classic musical, Tell Me On A Sunday, which comes to Durham's Gala Theatre this weekend. Following her acclaimed performance in the Watermill’s production of Calamity Jane, the stage star...
One of the world's leading festival directors, who ran the Edinburgh Fringe for eight years, is taking the top job at Durham's BRASS Festival ahead of its 10th birthday. Paul Gudgin, who is sought worldwide for his festivals expertise, has been recruited as the...
The Wannasee Live Music Festival comes to County Durham later this month and features tributes to some of the world’s most popular acts past and present. With tributes to Prince, Elvis, Guns ‘n’ Roses, Bon Jovi, Oasis, Blues Brothers, U2, Stereophonics and many more,...
During May half-term families are invited to explore the beautiful coastal surroundings of Crimdon Dene at a free pirate-themed arts activity trail. Pirates of Crimdon Dene - The Treasure of Many Happy Returns is imaginatively based around a fictional tale about...
After a sell-out autumn tour last year, the star of BBC's Live At The Apollo, Mock The Week and Channel 4's 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown, is back on the road. Rob Beckett's Mouth Of The South tour has so far seen the comic take in over 30 venues including five...
A decade after her TV series ended, Catherine Tate will bring some of her best-known characters back to life this Autumn as she takes her sketch show on the road. The Catherine Tate Show, which last aired on BBC Two in November 2006, has been turned into a live show...
East Durham Creates will host its Mayhem In The Garden event in Easington next month. The event will take place on Saturday 14th May and will feature live music, a licensed bar and food. There will also be a musical parade for the kids along with arts and crafts...
American rock group Green Day's award-winning Broadway musical American Idiot comes to Sunderland Empire next month with a cast that includes Nunthorpe-born X Factor star Amelia Lily and British singer-songwriter Newton Faulkner. Winner of two Tony Awards® and the...
Visitors will discover how North East mining towns and villages supported the First World War effort during a five-day event at Beamish Museum. A magnificent fund-raising parade held by a colliery community in 1915 will be recreated during Old King Coal, which runs...
Accompany a new recruit as he volunteers to fight for his country, immerse yourself in the sights, sounds and smells of the trenches and experience one of the bloodiest battles in human history. 1916: No Turning Back promises to be an exhilarating experience for...
The announcement of Reeves and Mortimer’s first tour since 1995 has proved so popular that the legendary Northern comedy duo have added extra dates. 25 Years of Reeves and Mortimer: The Poignant Moments will be a celebration of the first 25 years of their professional...
Award winning actor Kenneth Cranham will play dementia sufferer Andre in The Father, which comes to the North East next month. Plunging the audience into the experience of senility, the play "throws the switches in your brain and lets you step into dementia through...
From a refreshing California-style lager to a smoked porter infused with lapsang souchong tea leaves – no two beers taste the same! That’s the promise from a former science teacher – turned master brewer - about his specialist beers which are bound for Bishop Auckland...
An amazing 60 horses, from the cavalry to pack ponies, will be at Beamish Museum this weekend to tell the story of First World War horses. Horses at War, on Saturday 16th & Sunday 17th April, will include the 16th Lancers Cavalry Unit, magnificent horse-drawn...
The arrival of Disney Cruise Lines into the Port of Tyne this summer is set to benefit Durham Cathedral, as it announces that passengers from the ship have signed up for tours to the world-famous building. The Disney Magic ship will visit the North East twice in June...
BBC Newcastle has announced that former Kenickie star Lauren Laverne will be the new voice of the station. The Sunderland-born DJ, who had a string of hits in the 1990s with her band, Kenickie, has recorded a number of radio jingles that will be played out on BBC...
One of the country's top comics has announced additional dates for his UK tour, which comes to the North East in a few weeks’ time. The Irrational Tour sees Romesh Ranganathan examine the issues close to his heart, and explain why everybody else is wrong about them....
A musical based on one of the North East's best-loved films opened its three-week run at Sunderland Empire last night. Billy Elliot the Musical has now stopped off at Sunderland Empire, where it will run until the end of the month. The show is scheduled to tour until...
The concept of the ‘English Rose’ will be celebrated in a major new exhibition opening at The Bowes Museum next month. The catalyst for The English Rose – Feminine Beauty from Van Dyck to Sargent – is a portrait recently acquired by the Museum via Arts Council...
Four international comedy stars come to Durham's Gala Theatre later this month with their All-Star Stand-Up Tour. The tour stars double Sony Award winner and star of Mock The Week Gary Delaney, top comedy trickster and star of BBC One’s The Magicians Pete Firman, Kiwi...
The Bowes Museum is delighted to announce a major fashion coup for summer 2016. The Museum is the only UK venue outside London that will stage Shoes: Pleasure & Pain, which opens on Saturday 11 June in its award winning Fashion & Textile Gallery. The...
Three 'Grumpy Old Women' will continue to knock further sense in to the nation with a fourth leg of their hit UK tour, Fifty Shades of Beige. Perrier Award winning comedian, writer and original star of Grumpy Old Women, Jenny Eclair, will be joined by fellow recruits...
Steve Knightley and Phil Beer, collectively known as Show Of Hands, are widely acknowledged as the finest acoustic roots duo in England. Making a return to the songs and sounds that inspired them, their current tour features material from the duo's latest studio album...