Tag: featured

Blue Peter’s Valerie Singleton Hosts ‘An Evening With…’ In Durham

By on 14th January 2016in Entertainment

A Blue Peter legend is sailing into Durham for an evening looking back at her life and career…

 

Fans of papier mâché and sticky backed plastic will come face to face with presenter, actress and voice-over star Valerie Singleton as she hosts “An Audience With…” on Thursday 26th January.

Originally an RADA trained actress, Valerie was a successful voice-over artist when, in 1962, the BBC came looking for the perfect presenter to join existing frontman Christopher Trace on their children’s show Blue Peter.

Glamourous, yet never afraid to muck-in, Valerie took viewers ‘behind the rope’, to places and events they wouldn’t ordinarily see.

During a decade on the iconic show, she also took a lion for a walk, accompanied Princess Anne to Kenya for the Save the Children Fund, and met the misbehaving elephant Lulu, who caused chaos on the set of the show.

After leaving the show as a full-time member of the team, Valerie went on to present Nationwide from 1972 to 1976, and became Blue Peter’s roving reporter, popping up in the studio and on film reports, and fronting Blue Peter Special Assignments.

Her last report for the show was in 1981 – nearly two decades after she made her debut.

Stints on the Money Programme for BBC2 and PM on Radio 4 followed, as well as presenting duties on programmes covering such diverse topics as travel, history, alcohol abuse, violence in present day society, and a game show.

Tickets for An Audience With Valerie Singleton – on Tuesday 26th January at 7.30pm – cost £18 full price, £16 for concessions and £15 for Gala Friends.

And as part of the evening, a question and answer session will be held with audience members having a chance to put their own questions to the star.

To buy tickets, visit www.galadurham.co.uk, or call the box office on 03000 266 600.

North East Youngsters Represent UK In Euro Photography Exhibit

By on 13th January 2016in Have Your Say

A free photography exhibition featuring young people from across Europe revealing their hopes and wishes for the future is now on display at Gala Durham…

The Portrait of a Continent exhibition features pictures of youngsters from 23 countries across Europe along with their inspirational messages. The UK is represented by two pupils from St Mary’s Primary School in South Moor, Jack and Katie, both 10. They call on the other youngsters to inspire and shape the world around them, and many of the children are hoping for a more peaceful future for the next generation.

Funded by the European Union, Durham County Council hosts the Europe Direct Information Centre and the council’s International Relations Team invited the youngsters to take part. As well as the pictures and messages, a selection of free publications are also available to browse as part of the exhibition for people who would like to learn more about the work of the European Union.

The photographs are also available online here to allow the participating countries to see the exhibit. There’s also a quiz aimed at young people that can be downloaded from the site.

 

Durham County Council’s Brian Stobie, Europe Direct Information Centre Manager, said: “The exhibition provides a fascinating insight into the hopes and dreams of the next generation across the continent. The European Union was initially created as a means to prevent further war, so it’s both fitting and inspiring that peace, understanding and working together are recurring themes in the wishes of young people across Europe.”

Northern Writers’ Awards Open For Applications

By on 13th January 2016in Entertainment

Northumbria’s final year students and alumni have the chance to show their literary promise this month…

Applications are now open for a brand new award exclusively created for Northumbria students and alumni as part of this year’s Northern Writers Awards. The Northumbria Student and Alumni Award is open to final-year undergraduates, current postgraduates or alumni who have graduated from the University since 2013.

Worth £2,000, the award is open to writers of fiction and poetry who are based in the North of England. To enter, you must submit between 3,000 and 6,000 words of prose, up to three short stories (of no more than 6,000 words in total) or up to 30 poems, by the deadline of 3rd February 2016. The award will be judged by Professor Michael Green and colleagues from the Creative Writing team at Northumbria.

Supported by Northumbria University and Arts Council England, the Northern Writers Awards are the country’s leading talent development programme for writers, and attracted more than 850 entries from across the region last year. Organised by New Writing North, this year’s awards are worth more than £40,000 to emerging writers and poets.

Northumbria University Pro Vice-Chancellor (Business and Engagement) Lucy Winskell OBE said: “The Northern Writers’ Awards are a fantastic opportunity for new and emerging writers in the North of England, and I’m delighted to see the awards open for submissions once again in their 16th year.

“I’ll be very excited to see which talented writers win this year’s awards, and I’m especially pleased to see a number of new categories, including the new Northumbria University Student and Alumni Award, which is open to final year students and alumni of the University.”

She added: “The awards are at the heart of Northumbria’s partnership with New Writing North, and we were delighted to confirm a further three years of support earlier this year. Our continued investment demonstrates our commitment to celebrating and nurturing creative talent in the region. Northumbria’s partnership with New Writing North goes from strength to strength each year as we develop exciting collaborations for our students, staff and the wider writing and cultural community. This enables us to share expertise, develop innovative research and provide a wealth of unique creative opportunities.”

For aspiring writers, winning a Northern Writers’ Award can offer introductions to publishers and agents, support from New Writing North, and the possibility of mentoring and other professional development advice. The awards available for 2016 include the flagship Northern Writers’ Awards, which offer cash prizes of up to £5,000 for writers of prose and poetry, New Fiction Bursaries, which provide new writers an in-depth editorial report from The Literary Consultancy, and the new Northumbria University Student and Alumni Award.

The Channel 4/Northumbria University Writing for Television Award and The Clare Swift Short Story Award, sponsored by the North East Chamber of Commerce, are also among the categories. To find out more about these awards and to read the full terms and conditions for all categories, go to: www.northernwritersawards.com. To enter the Northumbria Student and Alumni Award click here.

The Northern Writers’ Awards are open for entry until Wednesday 3rd February 2016. Winners will be notified in June 2016, with the awards ceremony taking place on Thursday 30th June 2016. Northumbria University offers a wide range of courses in English Literature and Creative Writing. To find out more go to www.northumbria.ac.uk/humanities.

Virgin Trains Unveil Newly Refurbished East Coast Trains

By on 12th January 2016in Local Biz

Virgin Trains has unveiled the first of its newly refurbished trains as part of a £40m project to improve its customers’ experience…

All of Virgin’s trains on its east coast route are being given a makeover with stylish new interiors, bringing added customer comfort and a touch of the glamour for which the Virgin brand is famous.

A total of £21m has been earmarked to complete the refurbishment of the trains’ interiors, including adding luxurious leather seats to First Class, new carpets and fittings throughout, as well as bringing the distinctive Virgin red on-board.

Since taking over the East Coast Mainline in March 2015, Virgin Trains has invested millions of pounds to improve the customer experience. The refurbishment programme, which also includes a £16m investment in new diesel engines and the re-branding of the exterior of the trains, has been brought in ahead of the arrival of Virgin’s new fleet in 2018. These trains are being built in the UK by Hitachi.

David Horne, Managing Director of Virgin Trains on its east coast route, said: “Our new fleet of trains arrive in 2018, but we want to ensure the trains people are catching right now deliver the same comfort and glamour for which Virgin Trains is known.

“The East Coast Mainline features some of the world’s iconic rail journeys and has played host to some of the most famous locomotives ever made, including the Flying Scotsman. Our own uniquely Virgin Flying Scotsman was unveiled last year, and is a symbol of this major investment that will bring the Virgin style and a dash of glamour back to the east coast route in the build up to the launch of our new trains.”

Durham Police Request Residents’ Views Over Funding

By on 11th January 2016in Have Your Say

Residents have the opportunity to give their views on the police budget for 2016-17, thanks to a public consultation launched this week…

Between 11th and 27th January, members of the public can have their say in the annual consultation, either online or at a number of public events across County Durham and Darlington.

The Police and Crime Commissioner for County Durham and Darlington, Ron Hogg, proposes an increase of 1.98% to the amount of Council Tax which goes to the police service. This increase equates to just £3.22 over the year, or 6p a week for the average house in Band D.

Ron said: “As PCC I am responsible for setting the police budget. In the recent Comprehensive Spending Review, the Government indicated that it expects PCCs to increase the precept by up to 2 per cent when setting their budget for 2016-17.

“They also stated, as a result, the overall national policing budget will be protected in line with inflation. However, the amount of funding coming to local policing from Government is still reducing year on year.

“The total provisional grant received by Durham in 2016-17 will be £457,127 less than in 2015-16. The small increase I am proposing will raise approximately £520,000 and help to keep the equivalent of eleven Police Officers on the street.

“I am committed to ensuring that the police have the resources they need to continue to provide an excellent service to the public. The survey is short and will only take a minute or two to complete. I encourage residents to get involved and let me know their views.”

The survey and details of the public events are available on Ron’s website, www.durham-pcc.gov.uk, and are available on Facebook or Twitter. You can also give your views by telephone at 03000 264 631.

Discovery Museum To Exhibit Human Rights Portraits

By on 10th January 2016in Entertainment

An exhibition of oil paintings by Newcastle-based artist Paul Piercy is to cast light on some of the world’s most dedicated human rights campaigners…

The Black Portraits opens at Discovery Museum on Saturday 16th January, telling the stories of 17 people from around the world who were imprisoned – or died – in pursuit of justice and liberty. Six paintings are to be shown for the first time.

Piercy’s subjects are the extraordinary people who not only dreamed of the freedoms and equalities we take for granted in the UK, but strove towards them peacefully.

Their faces are painted in thick, black impasto, an aesthetic that took on a profound symbolic meaning for the artist. He explains: “In 2010, I saw that Liu Xiaobo had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. His story moved me, and I wanted to tell everyone I could about it through my painting. I quickly put a colourful backdrop together, but with my ‘sitter’ absent, I decided to use thick black paint for his face, so that it would catch the light and show his features.

“I discovered many, many other brave human rights activists in different parts of the world, and became moved to tell their stories too. It became apparent that seeing them all with faces in black impasto made a powerful statement about their death or imprisonment, so that’s how I continued.”

The most prominent global figure in the exhibition is Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. She spent 15 years under house arrest by order of the country’s military junta before her release in 2010. Aung San Suu Kyi is now President of the National League for Democracy.

Some of those depicted, like Oleg Bebenin, paid the ultimate price for their activism. A campaigner for Belarusian presidential hopeful Andrei Sannikov, Bebenin was found hanged in suspicious circumstances in 2010. Sannikov – himself a political prisoner – also features in Bebenin’s portrait, and will host a free talk and film screening at Discovery Museum on Saturday 9th April.

Another, Ali Abdulemam, became known as the ‘Bahraini Blogger’ after founding a pro-democracy website in the late 90s. Accused of trying to subvert the country’s regime, he went into hiding for two years before emerging in 2013. He has now been granted political asylum in the United Kingdom and visits Discovery Museum to give a free talk about his story on Saturday 26th March.

Alongside The Black Portraits are five paintings which show full-colour likenesses of their subjects. The additional depictions of Binayak Sen, Lapiro de Mbanga, Ali Abdulemam, Andrei Sannikov and Guillermo Farinas were created after their respective releases from prison.

The exhibition runs from Saturday 16th January until Sunday 17th April, and is supported by a programme of public events, including talks and film screenings.

Discovery Museum is free to enter, and open seven days a week. Please see www.discoverymuseum.org.uk for further details and opening hours.

For more information on The Black Portraits project, visit: www.theblackportraits.org.

Middlesbrough Film Company Expands Team

By on 9th January 2016in Local Biz

A North East film production company has turned to local talent as it expands its team, looking to build on a successful 2015…

Ithica Films has appointed Connor Chambers and Jack Holmes as filmmakers, due to a growing client base and ever increasing workload.

The Middlesbrough based company – which takes a modern approach to business filmmaking – employed its latest members after they both impressed while on internships.

Connor, from Bedford, graduated from Teesside University last year, having gained a 2:1 in Performance for Live & Recorded Media.

He said: “Working at a company like Ithica Films is a fantastic opportunity and a dream come true.

“It’s very rare for graduates to leave university and within two months have started working in their chosen industry. I learn something new every day, and although a lot of pressure comes with the role, it only makes me strive to achieve more and impress myself and the people around me.

“I strongly believe that to be a success, you need to surround yourself with people who are just as passionate and able to test you every day. I have turned from an acting student to a professional film maker in 10 months due to the help of Matt and the team.”

Jack, from Middlesbrough, who has been taken on as an apprentice filmmaker, added: “I haven’t had much experience within this industry, but I’ve always known it’s what I’ve wanted to do, so it feels great working with Ithica films.

“It’s a fantastic team and I get along with everyone, plus I get treated with a large amount of trust and respect, just like a normal employee would, so I really don’t feel like an apprentice filmmaker.”

Ithica Films enjoyed a successful 12 months last year, which included a move into a new office in June, choosing the chic Boho One area of the town as its base.

This was the first step towards the company’s expansion plans, as director, Matt McGough, knew having more space provided him with the potential to grow his team.

With this in mind, Matt was keen to offer any future opportunities within Ithica Films to local students, and build on the company’s close links with Teesside University – something he regards as extremely important for the future of both his business and the North East.

Matt said: “It’s important to be able to offer these kinds of opportunities to young people on Teesside, whether they come from here or have spent time here at the university.

“As the company’s director, it’s brilliant seeing the team expand, as it’s what we set out to do, and we also want to use the graduates and apprentices around us.

“It’s very satisfying to be able to do this, and as we are hoping to create an industry around the region, it’s important we also create the opportunities for the people around us to get involved.”

Since its conception, Ithica Films has worked on projects covering a range of sectors including the NHS, Dental, Education, Kickstarter films, Engineering, Construction, Manufacturing and Training.

To find out more about Ithica Films, visit www.ithicafilms.com or follow them on Twitter.

#ThrowbackThursday: Criminal Faces Of 1930s Newcastle

By on 7th January 2016in Lifestyle

Ever wondered what the bad guys looked like back in the day?

 

This week’s #ThrowbackThursday comes from the pages of a very old book.

It’s a Police Identification Book believed to be from the 1930s, and was found hidden away in a junk shop by a member of the public, who then went on to donate it to Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums. The images are now available on their Flickr archives.

Although there is no definitive information regarding which police force compiled the book, there is strong evidence to suggest that it’s from the Newcastle Upon Tyne area. As such, it provides a unique glimpse at some of the not-so-law-abiding citizens of the time.

See the gallery here:

 

 

Each mugshot is accompanied by the criminal’s details, and we can only imagine what some of those stories must be.

Some of the M.O.’s may also bring a wry grin to the face. For example: DODGSON, John. M.O., etc. Larceny and False Pretences. A general thief and bad character.

To see more of Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums photographs, click here.

To see more local #ThrowbackThursdays, click here.

Do you have your own North East memories or photographs to share? Leave a comment below, or email online@inandaroundmag.co.uk!

Bannatyne Health Club Invests In New Facilities

By on 7th January 2016in Local Biz

Bannatyne Health Club in Durham has received a boost to its equipment levels and facilities thanks to extra investment…

The club has installed state of the art equipment on the gym floor following refurbishment. This includes upgraded CV and resistance equipment at the club, based on Eden Terrace in Belmont near Durham City. The club also has an expanded free weights section, which contains new plate loaded equipment.

The Bannatyne Group has also invested in a brand new function area at the health club, which includes Technogym Omnia 3. This is a new functional training system that is designed to maximise interaction. The system covers all aspects of training, including strength, endurance, stability, flexibility, coordination and speed. Improvements have also been made to the CV equipment, which now include interactive televisions.

A new Spa recently opened at the Durham health club, further enhancing the facilities, with five treatment rooms, three of which are individual treatment rooms and two dual treatment rooms, which enables users to share their relaxation with friends or family.

Matthew Emery, General Manager at the Durham health club, said: “The new gym floor at Bannatyne Health Club Durham is a great addition to the club. The new equipment is state-of-the-art and will help members achieve their fitness and health goals even more effectively.

“The company has developed and improved the gym floor, and installed fantastic new equipment to further enhance the range of functional training equipment available to members.

“Functional training is the way the industry is progressing, and focuses on training movement patterns rather than isolation individual muscle groups. The new equipment provides fantastic fat burning workouts, and will improve strength, endurance, and boost metabolism.”

He added “Bannatyne Health Club Durham’s new gym floor is just one of the amazing facilities available at the club. Alongside the gym, the club offers a swimming pool, sauna, steam room and a spa pool. With such fantastic new facilities and a brand new Spa, it’s a great time to join our improved club.”

Hardwick Hall Charity Lobster Ball Reveals Star-Studded Lineup

By on 7th January 2016in Entertainment, Events

One of the most anticipated charity balls on the North East calendar will be returning this spring – with a 90s diva heading up the entertainment…

The annual Lobster Charity Ball will be taking place at Hardwick Hall Hotel, Sedgefield, on Friday April 22nd, which will include a performance by Heather Small, the voice of M People.

The singer, whose many hits include One Night In Heaven, Moving On Up and Search For the Hero, will be taking to the stage at the glitzy event in aid of autism charity Daisy Chain.

Also featured on the line-up is party band Shakedown, and North East 20 piece big band Musicians Unlimited, with the evening hosted by comedian Brendan Healy.

The black tie event will give guests the chance to sample a four course gourmet lobster surf and turf meal prepared by the award-winning chefs from The Rib Room Steakhouse and Grill.

This year’s event also includes a cocktails and canapés reception, along with a Taittinger Champagne bar and complimentary wine, lager and beer for guests all evening.

“We are delighted to have been able to book a singer of the calibre of Heather Small for this year’s ball,” said John Adamson, owner of Hardwick Hall Hotel.

“The Lobster Charity Ball has a reputation of putting on brilliant performers, and this year will be no exception.

“It’s such a fantastic evening where everyone likes to dress up and come along and have a great time, while supporting an amazing charity.

“We are also grateful to our sponsors, including LA Taxis, Heineken and Bidvest, along with jobhunter.co.uk who are coming on board as our main sponsor for the first time.”

The evening will also feature a fashion show, with clothes from award-winning menswear store Woven, recently voted the Durham Retailer of the Decade.

Tickets for the evening, which will run from 7pm until 1am, are priced at £140 plus VAT, and can be purchased by contacting the venue’s events team on 01740 620253, or by emailing events@hardwickhallhotel.co.uk.

Over the past 13 years, Hardwick Hall has raised more than £520,000 for local charities by hosting both the Lobster Ball and the North East Oyster Festival.

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