Tag: must read

Durham Biz Aids Environment And Boosts Profits With 500 Solar Panels

By on 19th January 2016in Local Biz

Precision plastic injection moulding firm Icon Plastics has extended its commitment to the environment with the installation of 500 solar photovoltaic panels…

The company, based at Durham Lane Industrial Estate, Eaglescliffe, already has a keen focus on making its operations as green as possible.

Its moulded scrap plastic is granulated and remoulded into steel girder foundations used in the construction industry and waste cardboard packaging, paper and polythene bags are all bailed and sold on to a specialist recycling company.

During the last 12 months, Icon has halved the amount of waste going to landfill saving thousands of pounds, and the sale of recyclable material is generating additional income for the business.

The panels, which have been installed on Icon’s main factory roof by Advantage Energy Ltd, of Darlington, will enable the company to generate its own electricity during the week and benefit from the Feed in Tariff at weekends, when the factory is not operational.

Icon’s latest investment, totalling £120,000, will reduce its impact on the environment as well as cuttings its annual running cost by about £30,000.

Under the Government’s Feed-in-Tariff scheme, businesses are paid a tariff for the electricity they generate, and a tariff for the electricity they export back to the national grid. Due to Icon receiving this tariff for the next 20 years, the project is expected to pay for itself in four years.

The company has a robust environmental policy, which was scrutinised as part of the independent validation carried out in advance of it being awarded the prestigious TS16949 industry accreditation.

Icon, which has customers in a range of sectors including electronics, agricultural, healthcare and medical, construction, defence and automotive, has now invested more than £1m since it moved to Durham Lane Industrial Park in 2014.

It operates around the clock five days a week and has 24 moulding machines. While Icon’s marketplace is predominantly the UK, it does some business overseas, and exports to Malaysia, Austria, and Eastern Europe. Its clients include Veolia group, and Sepura.

Durham Exhibition To Tell Untold Story Of Gypsy Holocaust

By on 18th January 2016in In & Around

The harrowing – and often unheard – story of the gypsy holocaust during the Second World War will be told at an upcoming exhibition…

Durham County Council is hosting the Gypsy, Roma Traveller Service’s display entitled Porrajmos: Through the Eyes of Children.

It tells the widely unknown story of the deaths of hundreds of thousands of gypsies at the hands of the Nazis during the Second World War.

The Porrajmos, translated as ‘the devouring’, is the term used to describe the genocide of Europe’s Roma and Sinti (gypsy) population between 1934 and 1945.

Up to 500,000 Roma and Sinti were killed or died as a result of starvation or disease, and many more were imprisoned in forced labour camps and subjected to forced sterilisation and medical experimentation.

Despite the atrocities, however, the story remains largely unknown.

The free exhibition, which will be held weekdays between 19th and 29th January from 9am until 4pm in the Durham Room at County Hall in Durham City, and will coincide with Holocaust Memorial Day on 27th January, aims to change that.

It will include a short educational documentary produced by the Plymouth and Devon Racial Equality Council/Devon Learning and Development Partnership, as well as additional information about the genocide.

 

The aim is to play a part in helping to ensure that lessons are learned from the past in terms of exclusion, discrimination, racism and hatred of other religions, beliefs or ways of life.

The Porrajmos exhibition is part of the Safer Communities Awareness event, and staff from the Safer Communities team will be on hand to provide information about wider community safety issues and support to those who need advice or assistance.

Cllr Joy Allen, Cabinet member for safer communities, Durham County Council, said: “This important exhibition will tell the story of the Romany victims of Nazi persecution.

“We hope the event goes some way towards promoting community cohesion and encouraging visitors to reflect on the impact of unchecked discrimination and racial hatred.

“There will also be an opportunity to find out more about wider community safety initiatives and access advice and support from partners.”

A separate exhibition organised by the Gypsy, Roma, Traveller Education Service is being held at Durham Cathedral from 25-29th January during opening times, and will be staffed on 27th January.

It is being hosted by pupils from The Hermitage School in the Chapel of Nine Altars, and will explain the genocide to other secondary school students from the area. There will also be a speech by holocaust survivor Zdenka Fantlova.

Tyne & Wear Museums Announce Groundbreaking Creative Technology Workshops

By on 18th January 2016in Lifestyle

Do you know a Future Maker?

Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums has teamed up with Manchester-based digital art organisation FutureEverything to deliver an exciting new programme of creative technology workshops at museums and galleries across Tyneside.

The Future Makers programme is a series of events that will enable children – and adults – to use new technologies for design and making.

From Minecraft sessions at Arbeia Roman Fort to a coders’ ‘hackathon’ at Stephenson Railway Museum, Future Makers seeks to inspire a new breed of creatives whilst challenging preconceptions of what museums and their collections mean in the digital age.

John Coburn, Digital Programmes Manager for Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums, explains: “We’re thrilled to be working with the internationally acclaimed creators and thinkers FutureEverything on this programme.

“Our nine museums and galleries showcase collections that were the work of pioneering inventors, artists and designers. With Future Makers, we want to invoke the spirit of these creators by using our museums as spaces for playful experimentation and creative thinking.

“It’s about ingenuity from the past inspiring people to imagine and create new futures.”

Drew Hemment, Artistic Director and Founder of FutureEverything, adds: “It is an absolute pleasure to be working with Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums on this brand new programme, inspiring the next generation of makers, creatives, collectors and visitors within some of the North East’s best galleries and museums.

“FutureEverything are always looking to bring innovative creative technology to a wider audience, helping to imagine bolder, smarter, futures.”

The programme gets underway at Gateshead’s Shipley Art Gallery on Wednesday 17th February with the Gadgets: Adventures in Design day for 7–11 year olds. Using the gallery’s outstanding collection for inspiration, children will design wearable objects for the people of the future before getting hands on with materials and the starter electronics kit Little Bits to realise the creations.

The main event for adults follows on Sunday 21st February at North Tyneside’s Stephenson Railway Museum. Railway Codes is a 10-hour hackathon for developers, makers, engineers, data scientists, artists and train enthusiasts.

Participants will follow in the footsteps of Robert and George Stephenson and join a team of 30 to experiment with historic data from both the museum collection and the UK rail network before creating new digital prototypes and artworks.

New Inventors on Saturday 27th February takes place at Newcastle’s Discovery Museum, home to some of the region’s most celebrated inventions, including the world’s first lightbulb. This event brings together two fun introductory electronics workshops for 7–11 and 12–14 year olds. The younger children will experiment with conductive dough, bringing it to life with light and sound, whilst older kids create electronic sounds by building their very own synthesiser.

Young fans of the phenomenally popular computer game Minecraft won’t want to miss the TimeCraft event at Arbeia Roman Fort, South Shields on Saturday 23rd April. In this workshop for 7–14 year olds, they will recreate Roman ruins in Minecraft, and imagine what it was like to live in a fort like Arbeia. They will also get to play digital architect and archaeologist and transport themselves 2000 years into the past with the technology of today.

Places for Future Makers events are limited and should be booked in advance via www.twmuseums.org.uk/future-makers.

A further private event exclusively for Newcastle University students – The Museum as Medium – will see the creation of novel sound and visual digital artworks using data from the Great North Museum: Hancock’s vast natural sciences collection. This takes place on Thursday 3rd and Friday 4th March.

Council To Close 12 Adult Day Care Centres Across County Durham

By on 14th January 2016in In & Around

Changes to council-run adult day services in County Durham have now been agreed…

 

Members of Durham County Council’s Cabinet agreed a reorganisation of services that will result in the closure of 12 centres by September 2016.

People using the 12 centres which will close will be supported in finding alternative provision to meet their needs in the independent and/or voluntary sector.

All people who are assessed as needing a service will continue to receive one, and any changes will be carefully planned.

The decision was made in response to significant changes to the way in which people choose day services, which has led to drop in demand for traditional council-run centres, as well as the need to make £1.59m savings during 2016/17.

The council will continue to run five centres from across the county in order to continue to offer specialist services to people with complex needs. Around 101 people currently fall into this category.

Cllr Lucy Hovvels, cabinet member for adult and health services at Durham County Council, said: “This was not an easy decision to make, and we recognise that it will be disappointing for many of those affected.

“However, we must respond to the changing demand for these services, as well as the financial pressures we face, and therefore we must make these changes.

“Many people are already choosing alternative care services in the community and voluntary sector – particularly as a result of national changes such as the introduction of Direct Payments, which enables people to make their own choices about where and how to get support.

“Our staff are very experienced in helping people to make the right choices for their needs and in supporting people through the move to a new service.

“We will continue to work with people to understand their needs, and any concerns they have so that we can support them through any changes.”

The five centres which will provide specialist day services are Durham Pathways, Pity Me; Spennymoor Pathways, Spennymoor Leisure Centre; Newton Aycliffe Pathways, Aycliffe Leisure Centre; Peterlee Pathways; and Stanley Pathways, Louisa Leisure Centre.

The 12 day services which will close are Ebony Woodwork Unit, Consett; Chester-le-Street Pathways; Crook Pathways; Proudfoot Centre, Bishop Auckland; Annfield Plain Pathways; Silver Street, Spennymoor; Consett Pathways; Harmire Unit, Barnard Castle; Bishop Auckland Pathways, Tindale Crescent; Bracken Hill Centre, Peterlee; Bede Day Centre, Barnard Castle; and Stanhope Pathways.

All people who use the existing 17 centres, their carers and staff at the centres have been consulted on the proposals, and their feedback was included in the report to Cabinet.

Mr And Mrs Winter Exchange Wedding Vows As Snow Falls

By on 14th January 2016in Lifestyle

Meet Mr and Mrs Winter – a North East couple who exchanged their wedding vows just as snow began to fall…

As bride Rebecca Thompson walked down the aisle at 600-year-old Lumley Castle, Chester-le-Street, to marry 31-year-old civil servant, Michael Winter, morning rain had turned to sleet.

And by the time the happy couple, from North Shields, had exchanged their wedding rings, the ancient castle was crowned with snow, giving their Winter’s tale a truly story book ending.

“It was magical, really,” said Rebecca, a 28-year-old recruitment consultant. “Michael’s surname was the inspiration for us having a winter wedding in the first place, but we never dreamed it would actually snow.”

Around 100 friends and family members attended the wedding in the four-star hotel’s Garter Suite, followed by a reception in the Baron’s Hall for 140.

“We’d chosen William Shakespeare’s play, The Winter’s Tale, as our theme,” said Rebecca, “and our table centrepieces were copies of the play.

“Lumley Castle is a story book setting at the best of times, but the snow turned it into a fairy tale.”

“A very great deal of thought and care went in to planning the wedding,” said Lumley Castle’s wedding coordinator Claire Sanderson.

“But, of course, no one can plan the weather – and it couldn’t have been more perfect.”

To book your own fairytale wedding at Lumley Castle, call 0191 389 1111, email reservations@lumleycastle.com or visit www.lumleycastle.com.

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.”

Entrepreneurial Couple Invest £100,000 Into North East Food Scene

By on 13th January 2016in Local Biz

A North Tyneside entrepreneurial couple have served up significant expansion plans for 2016 after investing in excess of £100,000 in the North East’s food scene over the past 12 months…

Chris and Katie Stuart, from Holyfield, have launched their second business venture within a year, after initially taking over the West Monkseaton fish and chip shop, Monk Fisheries. Following the success of their new venture and backed by a £25,000 investment, Chris and Katie have added a second business to their foodie empire as they re-launched Deli 13 recently.

The re-opening of the deli, which is located next door to Monk Fisheries, secured three jobs, and with expansion on the cards has the potential to create more job opportunities for the region.

Already known for its fresh food made with locally sourced ingredients, over the next 12 months the couple aims to add a larger dine-in area at the deli, creating a hub for the local community, and will launch an outside catering arm and food delivery service.

Chris Stuart, co-owner of Monk Fisheries and Deli 13, said: “Both businesses have a really great reputation with the local community, and we want to continue to build on this. Our main values are based heavily on esteemed customer service and attention to detail – something so often sacrificed in a quick-service environment.

“With Monk Fisheries’ success booming, when Deli 13 came up for sale next door we grabbed the chance to purchase it as well. We have a really exciting 12 months ahead of us as we move forward with plans to continue developing our businesses.”

After taking over Monk Fisheries in autumn 2014 for £75,000, Chris and Katie invested a further £6,000 in refurbishing the shop and securing the franchise licence to become the region’s first Stone Willy’s pizzeria.

In addition to offering the unrivalled traditional fish and chips, which Monk Fisheries is renowned for, the popular takeaway has added Stone Willy’s gourmet hot wraps and stone-baked pizzas to its extensive menu, a move which has seen the business go from strength-to-strength.

Further to the couple’s passion for supplying high quality, fresh food-on-the-go, Chris and Katie are very family orientated and have instilled their strong family values across both ventures, with three generations heavily involved in the everyday running of the businesses.

Chris said: “We are extremely proud to be a family-run business. Katie’s father, Keith has a wealth of 35 years business experience, which helped massively in the initial start-up phases, and our two sons, Cameron and Tom, can often be found working alongside us when they aren’t at university.”

Monk Fisheries is located on 9 Seatonville Road in West Monkseaton. For further information call 0191 251 7268. Deli 13 is situated next door, at 13 Seatonville Road and can be contacted on 07725 910610.

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.

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.

Responsible Dog Ownership Campaign Launches In Bowburn

By on 11th January 2016in In & Around

A campaign encouraging people to pick up their dog mess is to be launched in Bowburn…

 

Durham County Council, working in partnership with Durham Constabulary, Durham City Homes and local county councillor Cllr Jan Blakey, is behind the campaign which will see people encouraged to clean up after their pet and fined if they do not, and take advantage of free microchipping.

The campaign, which runs next week, will see patrols of dog fouling hotspot areas and a microchipping event.

The microchipping event takes place on Friday 15th January between 10am and 12pm at Bowburn Community Centre, Durham Road, Bowburn, DH6 5AT.

It offers people the chance to have their pet chipped before a change of law on April 6th, after which all dogs aged eight weeks old and over must be microchipped.

All dogs must be aged 12 weeks and over and have their up-to-date vaccinations to be microchipped at the event.

Proof of address showing residency in County Durham will be required.

Dog owners attending the microchipping event can join the Green Dog Walkers scheme.

Once signed up, dog owners take a pledge to carry extra dog poop bags to share to others who do not have one.

Throughout the week, the council’s neighbourhood wardens will be carrying out patrols in dog fouling hotspot areas.

Those observed failing to pick up after their pet will be handed an £80 fixed penalty notice.

If the fixed penalty notice is not paid, the offender will be taken to court and could face a maximum fine of £1,000.

Council officers, Durham City Homes and police will be talking to residents about responsible dog ownership, carrying out an estate walkabout and encouraging people to join the Green Dog Walkers scheme.

The campaign comes after local councillors raised concerns over the level of dog fouling in the area, having been approached about it by residents.

Cllrs Blakey, Mac Williams and Maria Plews have funded and helped organise the campaign.

Cllr Blakey said: “Dog fouling is a blight on communities, and we have listened to the concerns of the local people who have told us they have had enough.

“Through this campaign we are striving to reduce the amount of dog fouling in the community and in doing so enhance the local environment.”

Dog owners who cannot attend the microchipping event can sign up to the Green Dog Walkers scheme by downloading a form at www.durham.gov.uk/greendogwalkers, calling 03000 261 000 or emailing civicpride@durham.gov.uk.

Dog fouling can be reported online, in confidence, at www.durham.gov.uk/dogfouling or by calling 03000 261 000.

ADVERTISERS