Daley in Durham

READER POLL

What Durham residents want

An interesting discussion among Durham residents took place on Reddit this week, revealing a collective desire for more diverse retail options, unique leisure activities, and significant cultural attractions in Durham and Chester-le-Street.

Highlights included calls for new stores like Lush and Primark, an ice rink, and unique regional attractions such as a ski slope or public dance venues.

Residents also expressed the need for more convenient local amenities to reduce the necessity of travelling to Newcastle or the MetroCentre.

One standout suggestion was the creation of a museum exhibiting the Lindisfarne Gospels, to enhance tourism and regional pride.

The overarching sentiment is clear – locals envision a vibrant, self-sufficient community enriched with varied shopping, engaging leisure activities, and significant cultural landmarks.

What would you like to see more of in the region? Vote below and we’ll reveal the results and comments next week.

THE DIGEST

🍾 Beamish Museum prepares to open new 1950s and Georgian exhibits: Beamish Museum opened its new Georgian tavern and pottery exhibits on Friday, with celebrations including music, dancing, traditional skills, and a Drover’s Challenge activity. These new additions are part of the museum's largest capital development project, which also includes a 1950s cinema and shops opening on 6th July. [link]

☀️ Bishop Auckland's Summer Fest kicks off: Bishop Auckland's Summer Fest, organised by The Auckland Project, kicked off on Saturday and will run until 20th July at Auckland Castle, featuring diverse entertainment including music genres such as country, pop, folk, rock 'n' roll, and Motown, alongside film screenings and family-friendly performances. Highlights include performances by The Unthanks, Royal Northern Sinfonia, and various tribute acts, with tickets available online. [link]

🎖️ County Durham woman awarded OBE for contribution to education: Tracy Swinburne from Aycliffe Village has been awarded an OBE for her contributions to education, recognising her 20-year career dedicated to improving children's education and reading skills. As CEO of Accomplish MAT and executive headteacher of Jerry Clay Academy, she supports struggling schools in the North East, North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, and the Middle East, significantly improving their Ofsted ratings and educational outcomes. [link]

🚶‍♂️Take a walk around Chester-le-Street: YouTuber, Simon Marcus, who is currently filming wandering around various Durham towns in villages finds himself in Chester-le-Street this week. Watch his video as he wanders around the various landmarks in the town. [link]

• A look inside 'breathtaking' £1 million County Durham mansion [link]

• Voting is now open for the County Durham Tourism Superstar of 2024 [link]

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

📸 Bridget Yuill | 📍 Crook Hall

Tag us on Instagram or Facebook with your brilliant photos of Durham to get in the Scoop!

WEATHER

This week, the sun has decided to make a more frequent appearance. Expect some splendid sunshine mixed with occasional clouds. Sunglasses and suncream at the ready.

• Monday, 24th: 25°C 🌡️ 16°C. Sunny changing to cloudy 🌤️ ➡️ ☁️

• Tuesday, 25th: 25°C 🌡️ 15°C. Sunny intervals changing to cloudy 🌤️ ➡️ ☁️

• Wednesday, 26th: 21°C 🌡️ 14°C. Sunny 🌞 

• Thursday, 27th: 23°C 🌡️ 13°C. Sunny intervals 🌤️

• Friday, 28th: 21°C 🌡️ 12°C. Sunny 🌞

DURHAM CITY RUN FESTIVAL

Daley In Durham

The UK's greatest all-round athlete, Daley Thompson, will be in Durham next month, 40 years after his second Olympic gold. He’ll be the guest of honour at a special screening of a new documentary about his career, launching this year’s Durham City Run Festival at the Gala Durham on 17th July.

Thompson, a two-time Olympic gold medallist and world record-breaking decathlete, will join fellow athletics legend Steve Cram for the event. Cram, founder of the Durham City Run Festival, will host a ‘fireside chat’ with Thompson after the screening of ‘Daley Thompson – Olympic Superstar’.

The Durham City Run Festival, based in the heart of the city, will run from 18-20 July. It features the popular Durham City Run 5K and 10K races, the Run Like A Legend Mile challenge, XO urban orienteering, and Paula Radcliffe’s Families on Track initiative.

Steve Cram says: “I’m really looking forward to welcoming Daley. He’s one of my oldest friends and one of the greatest athletes ever. Everyone who attends is in for a real treat.”

Tickets for ‘An Evening with Daley Thompson’ cost £7 and are available at the Gala Durham website.

PROPERTY OF THE WEEK

Demesne Hall, Wolsingham

Country house | Bed: 11 | Bath: 8

Demesne Hall is a Grade II Listed period property built in 1848, featuring original character elements such as high ceilings, decorative coving, and striking fireplaces. The property includes a main house with seven bedrooms, expansive reception rooms, a kitchen, study, and office, as well as a substantial single-storey annexe with four bedrooms. Situated in 1.62 acres of landscaped gardens and grounds, the property also boasts extensive garaging, outdoor seating areas, and is located in the peaceful yet accessible countryside near the market town of Wolsingham.

Check the listing to see the price.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Musical

😎 Grease The Musical. Wednesday 26th - Saturday 29th, 7:30 pm. Funny, frank and featuring the hit songs “Greased Lightnin’,” “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” “You’re The One That I Want,” and “Summer Nights,” Grease follows the journey of Danny and Sandy, alongside the Burger Palace Boys and the Pink Ladies, as they navigate high school to the unforgettable rock n’ roll soundtrack that defined generations. At Gala Durham. Tickets.

🚫 We’re Not Going Back. Thursday 11th July, 8 pm. 2024 is the fortieth anniversary of the 1984/85 miners’ strike, a dispute that still resonates today. But the strike wasn’t just about pickets vs police – in this hard-hitting musical comedy there are no miners and no cops. Instead, we follow the fortunes of three sisters in a pit village, hit hard by the Government’s war against the miners and determined to set up a branch of ‘Women Against Pit Closures’. At Assembly Rooms. Tickets.

👑 Six. Tuesday 2nd - Saturday 6th July, 5 pm and 8 pm. Six the musical tells the history of Henry VIII's wives in a way audiences haven't seen before. From Tudor Queens to Pop Princesses, the six wives of Henry VIII take to the mic to tell their tales, remixing five hundred years of historical heartbreak into an 80-minute celebration of 21st-century girl power. At the Sunderland Empire. Tickets.

Music

🕺The Magic of Motown. Thursday 27th, 7:30 pm. Get ready for the biggest Motown party of the year. You will be going loco down in Acapulco as MOM takes you down memory lane with all the Motown classics from artists such as: Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, The Supremes, The Four Tops, Martha Reeves, The Jackson 5, Smokey Robinson, and many, many more. At The Fire Station. Tickets.

⛺️ Glastonbury Watch Party. Friday 28th - Sunday 30th, from 4 pm. Join The Fire Station for all the best Glasto action screened LIVE outside, with street food, outdoor bars and plenty of surprises to get you into the Glastonbury spirit. Bring out your best festival clobber and your pals. At The Fire Station. Tickets.

🎺 Durham Brass Festival. Friday 5th - Saturday 13th July. A soul and funk band championed by Craig Charles; a modernist folk act which opened for both Sam Fender at St James’ Park and Pete Doherty; and a Brazilian-born alt-pop artist whose music has appeared on Love Island. These are some of the latest additions to the line-up for Durham Brass Festival, as excitement builds for its return to the North East cultural scene this summer. Across Durham. More info.

Sport

🏏 Durham Cricket - England Women v New Zealand ODI. Wednesday 26th June. Durham Cricket will play host to England women as they take on New Zealand in the first of a three-match one-day series on Wednesday 26 June.  At Durham Cricket Club. Tickets.

BUSINESS NEWS

🛰️ Filtronic boosts earnings expectations in the wake of SpaceX deal: County Durham-based Filtronic has boosted its earnings expectations following a supply deal with Elon Musk’s SpaceX, reporting revenues of £25.4 million. The deal involves supplying equipment for SpaceX's Starlink satellites, leading to increased product development and manufacturing capabilities, and the firm also secured contracts with aerospace and defence firms like BAE and QinetiQ. [link]

⚛️ Atom Bank swings to profit in “best year yet”. Operating profit has soared at Durham-based Atom Bank in what was its best-ever year. During the period, the company grew its loan book "significantly". The app-based bank recorded operating profit of £27m in its 2023 financial year - a 600 per cent increase on last year - despite costs rising by 4 per cent. [link]

🏢 Local property developers invest in derelict spaces to redevelop Seaham: Bradley Hall has assisted Clearwater Developments in acquiring 1b Lighthouse View at Spectrum Business Park in Seaham as part of a strategy to redevelop disused buildings in the area. Clearwater Developments plans to transform the property into high-quality office space, contributing to the local economy and attracting a mix of leisure and retail tenants to the previously office-only business park. [link]

💰 Turnover and profits rise at Durham employee-owned business: Profits have risen and turnover has passed £120m at metal roofing and cladding firm, CA Group. Established in 1983, CA Group is based at Evenwood Industrial Estate and is an employee benefit trust which means its employees own the business and share the profits. [link]

🧑‍🎓 Durham SME internship programme: The SME Internship Programme at Durham University is offering County Durham-based SMEs the opportunity to receive high-level skills and knowledge from a Durham University intern with 50:50 match funding for up to 3 months. This initiative aims to benefit SMEs by providing valuable additional resources, reduced-risk employment trials, and access to high-quality candidates to support business growth. [link]

HOW DID WE DO