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NEW FIRE STATION GETS COOL RECEPTION
Proposals for the new
Spennymoor Community
Fire Station were met with
opposition at a recent
meeting of the Tudhoe
Residents’ Association.
Allan Wood from Darlington
and Durham Fire and Rescue
Service presented plans for
the new Station, which will
be located off York Hill Road
near The Coppice estate.
The facility will house two
appliances and be manned 24
hours a day with three fulltime
fire crews.
At a lively meeting, local
residents expressed various
concerns including increased
traffic along York Hill Road,
noise from fire appliances and
damage to the surrounding
landscape.
Mr Wood estimated that
there would only be 3 ‘blue
light’ call-outs per day and
that the appliances and staff
would be using Green Lane
Industrial Estate access roads
wherever possible.
A condition of the planning
approval is that
improvements are made to a
stretch of York Hill Road
from the entrance to The
Coppice to the A167.
Councillors Agnes Armstrong
and Barbara Graham stated
that they had put their “necks
on the line” to oppose the
location of the Station during
a planning meeting, but the
application still went through.
The current Station on St.
Andrew’s Road was built in
1970 and is unable to house a
full-time crew or provide any
community safety facilities.
At present, there are 18
retained officers which will
reduce to 11 through natural
wastage.
28 full time staff will be
transferred from Durham.
Mr Wood told the meeting
that once the preferred
developer was chosen,
further public consultation
would be undertaken early in
2008.
It is expected that the
planning would be finalised
by July 2008, with
completion of the Fire Station
by November 2009.
The next meeting of Tudhoe
Residents’ Association will
take place on Monday 4th
June at 6.30pm in Tudhoe
Community Centre.
The Housing Director and
Housing Portfolio Manager
from Sedgefield Borough
Council are to attend to
address issues that have been
raised concerning York Hill
Estate.
View this article on its own (ID:1720)
BOROUGH LEADER, DEPUTY LEADER, CABINET MEMBERS AND TOWN MAYOR LOSE THEIR SEATS
Last Thursday’s Local
Government elections proved
a disaster for local
Government leaders, but the
Borough and Town Councils
remain firmly in Labour
hands after the count.
Cllr Bob Fleming, the Leader
of the Borough Council,
Kester Noble, his Deputy, two
Cabinet Members and
Spennymoor’s Town Mayor
all lost their seats.
View this article on its own (ID:1721)
SPENNYKNIT
The next meeting of
SpennyKnit will take place in
The Clay Cafe, 56 High St.,
Spennymoor, on Monday
14th May from 10-12 noon.
Knitters and crocheters of all
abilities are most welcome to
come along and join in. For
more information contact
Andrea on 07792036933 or
visit http://spennyknit.
blogspot.com.
View this article on its own (ID:1722)
OPEN INVITATION
A local training organisation
is holding an Open Afternoon
shortly.
Sedgefield Borough Training
invites residents to celebrate
Adult Learners’ Week at
Merrington Lane, opposite
Thorns, on Friday 25th May
from 2.00pm to 4.00pm and
to see the recently upgraded
facilities and have a chat to
some of the staff.
The Council has recently
invested £20,000 to provide
a high quality training
environment dedicated to the
needs of unemployed adults.
Activities include supported
job search, Skills for Life,
work experience placements
and confidence building. The
Centre also provides off-thejob
training facilities for
modern apprentices in
Business Administration,
Bricklaying and Joinery.
“The Open Afternoon is
completely informal, so
there’s no need to book, but if
you would like further
information about the day or
about the free Essential Skills
training course offered at the
Centre, please contact me on
01388 816166, Extension
7788”, says Heather Carter
from Sedgefield Borough
Training.
View this article on its own (ID:1723)
ROTARY CLUB CELEBRATE IN STYLE
Spennymoor Rotary Club
recently held a formal dinner
in the Town Hall to celebrate
it's 41st President’s year in the
chair. In attendance were the
Mayor of Sedgefield Borough,
Lucy Hovvels and her husband
Michael. President Ian
McLaren would like to take
this opportunity to thank
everyone who has supported
and benefited from the
Rotary Club in his year in the
chair.
View this article on its own (ID:1724)
THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC
Nicola's Hall of Dance
presents 'Thank You
for the Music' at
Spennymoor Town Hall on
Thursday 17th and Friday
18th May, 2007.
The show starts at 7pm each
night and tickets are available
from Nicola on 0777 913
8606.
View this article on its own (ID:1725)
DISTRIBUTOR WANTED
Spennynews is looking for a
diligent and reliable distributor
to deliver the paper in the
Byers Green area
Tel (01388) 775896 for
further details.
View this article on its own (ID:1726)
BANNED DRIVER DROVE TO PROBATION APPOINTMENT
A man with a history of
driving vehicles whilst
disqualified, was found
behind the wheel of a car in
early April, having decided
to drive when he missed the
bus to Newton Aycliffe.
The Court heard that, by
missing the bus, the
defendant would have been
late for an appointment with
the Probation Service.
28 year-old David Bolton, of
Craddock Street in
Spennymoor, was stopped
by Police Officers on the
A167 road at Rushyford, and
readily admitted that he was
a banned driver and that he
had no Insurance.
Mr. Peter Smith, for the
Crown Prosecution Service,
told the South Durham
Magistrates' Court that
Bolton had three previous
convictions for 'driving
whilst disqualified', once in
2004 and twice in 2003, as
well as previous convictions
for other matters.
Mitigating, Mr. Michael
Clarke told the Court that
Bolton was currently the
subject of a 12 month
Community Order imposed in
September of last year for
offences of Drugs possession
and that the Order included a
Drug Rehabilitation
requirement.
At this point, the sitting
Magistrates informed Mr.
Clarke that they had it in
mind to imprison Bolton
without delay, however Mr.
Clarke requested that he
address them further prior to
them reaching a decision.
Mr. Clarke went on to say that
the Probation Service were
currently addressing Bolton's
drugs problem and that he was
on a Methadone Programme
at the present time.
He told the Court that the
offences were committed on
the spur of the moment, for
the Defendant had driven
from Spennymoor and was
heading for Newton Aycliffe
to fulfil an appointment with
the Probation Service.
Had he not decided to drive
his girlfriend's car on the spur
of the moment, he would
have missed the appointment
and thereby been in breach of
the Community Order.
A representative from the
Probation Service told the
Court that Bolton was a
'model offender' who had
completed everything and
done everything asked of him.
She said that the defendant
was 'engaging extremely well'
with the Probation Service in
connection with the
Community Order.
After some deliberation, the
sitting Magistrates ordered
the Probation Service to
prepare a full Pre-Sentence
Report on Bolton.
The Defendant will return
to Court for sentence on the
29th of this month.
View this article on its own (ID:1727)
EDUCATION ALLOWANCE BOOSTS SPENNYMOOR BOXER'S OLYMPIC DREAM
young boxer who dreams
of representing Great Britain
in the 2012 London
Olympics is making sure that
he has a career to fall back
on if his sporting ambitions
are delivered a knockout blow.
David Birchall, 18, of Tudhoe
Moor, Spennymoor, is
studying Sports Science at
Bishop Auckland College,
thanks to the support of an
Education Maintenance
Allowance (EMA) funded by
the Learning and Skills
Council (LSC) North-East.
The EMA gives David £30 a
week to help him to continue
his full-time education and,
hopefully, gain the
qualifications he needs to
pursue both his chosen career
and his sporting ambitions. In
addition to helping him
devote his College hours to
gaining a Level 3 BTEC in
Sport Science, the EMA also
allows David to focus his
spare time on boxing training.
A former pupil of Tudhoe
Grange Comprehensive
School, David left school with
GCSEs below the Level 2
minimum of five grades A to
C favoured by most
employers.
He said: “I realised that I
would be lucky to get a decent
job with the GCSE grades I
achieved and wanted to go
back to college to gain better
results. Without the
assistance of the EMA I
probably would have had to
take a low-paid job and try to
study part-time. Now, thanks
to the EMA, I have a better
chance of getting a job in the
sports industry and I have
been able to concentrate on
my training too. I have been
fighting since I was 15. I
really enjoy it and it keeps
me fit. It would be fantastic
to box in the Olympics but I
realise I have to have
something else behind me in
case it doesn’t happen.”
The young boxer fights and
trains under the guidance of
boxer Francis Jones at the
Neil Fannon Gym in
Hartlepool.
Joanna Tait, Principal of
Bishop Auckland College
said: “David is a valuable
member of the College’s
voluntary Peer Support
Group that gives support to
fellow students in difficulties.
We are all very proud of the
way he has applied himself.
He has a very clear vision of
what he wants to achieve and
is to be admired for coming
back into full-time education
to improve his qualifications.
We wish him every success in
his ambition.”
Chris Roberts, regional
director, LSC North-East,
said: “The Education
Maintenance Allowance is
specifically aimed at students
such as David who might
struggle to continue their
education when their school
days come to an end. There
is a lot of financial pressure
on young people to get a job
and the EMA can really make
the difference between being
able to invest in one’s future
by gaining better
qualifications and being
constantly held back as a
result of poor results.”
View this article on its own (ID:1728)
SPECIAL BRANCH NOW INVOLVED IN 'PEOPLESMUGGLING' CASE
Magistrates heard recently
that both the immigration
authorities and the Special
Branch were now involved in
a case where a Polish man
stands accused of 'peoplesmuggling'
in Spennymoor .
Pawet Wojtysiak, a 35 yearold
Pole, appeared before the
South Durham Magistrates
sitting at Newton Aycliffe by
way of a videolink, having
been previously remanded in
custody on a charge of
'bringing three illegal
immigrants into the country'.
The sitting Magistrates were
told that the Crown
Prosecution Service had not
yet served certain necessary
papers on the Defence and,
as a result, the case was
adjourned until the 18th of
May when Wojtysiak will
make another appearance by
way of videolink.
View this article on its own (ID:1729)
MAN CHARGED OVER SERIOUS ATTACK
A 24-year-old man has been
charged with grievous bodily
harm after an attack in
Spennymoor
Police said that a 47-year-old
man was found lying
unconscious in a street in
Low Spennymoor on the
evening of Saturday 5th May.
The victim underwent
emergency surgery for severe
head injuries at Newcastle
General Hospital, where he
remains in a serious but stable
condition.
A police spokesman said
thattwo other suspects had
been arrested and were being
questioned by officers.
They are appealing for
information about the attack,
which happened in the Upper
Church Street area, and
witnesses or those with
information on the attack
are asked to ring 0845 60 60
365.
View this article on its own (ID:1730)
ITS GETTING LIGHTER AT NIGHT
As Spring sets in, the days are
getting longer and Sunset
approaches the magical
9.00pm barrier this weekend.
The cockerels are getting up
earlier too with sunrise this
weekend timed at 5.08am!
Readers planning a weekend
out will have to ‘pack a mac’
for light showers are
predicated with temperatures
averaging 14-15o C.
South West and Westerly
Winds could reach 9 m.p.h
View this article on its own (ID:1731)
SPRING FAYRE WITH WHITWORTH CHURCH
Whitworth Church is holding
a Spring Fayre in the
Spennymoor Town Hall on
Saturday, 19th May, at
10.00am. There will be many
attractive stalls including
cakes, plants and a grand prize
draw.
View this article on its own (ID:1732)
NOMINATIONS WANTED FOR 'VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR'
The Volunteer Centre at
CAVOS, are looking for
nominations for ‘Volunteer
of the Year’ which will be
presented at their Volunteer
Thank You and Awards
Evening, on Thursday, 7th
June 2007, at Spennymoor
Town Hall. The purpose of
the awards is to give special
recognition to all deserving
volunteers. Tickets for the
evening, which includes live
music and a pie & pea supper,
are free for anyone who
volunteers or works with
volunteers in Sedgefield
Borough. For more
information, tickets or
nomination forms, contact
Sharon Vasey or Vicky
Walker at the Volunteer
Centre on 01388 811115.
View this article on its own (ID:1733)
JOHN'S A PROUD MAN AS HE COLLECTS HIS M.B.E FROM THE PRINCE OF WALES
A former Mayor of
Spennymoor travelled down
to London this week for a
date with the Prince of Wales
at Buckingham Palace.
John Culine, who proudly
boasts that he was born in
Jubilee Park, Spennymoor,
looked totally immaculate as
he stepped up to receive his
M.B.E. from the Prince of
Wales at an investiture at
Buckingham Palace on
Tuesday morning.
John, who has just been
returned to the Town Council
unopposed, still lives in the
caravan where he and his wife
Davina have brought up five
daughters.
John is a Spennymoor man
through and through but
more than anything is a
showman deep at heart.
Until he retired he ran
Culine’s Fun Fairs and now is
regional Secretary for the
Showmen’s Guild.
In 2004/5 he was
Spennymoor’s Mayor and
during his year of office raised
more than £20,00 for the
North of England Children’s
Cancer Unit at the R.V.I. at
Newcastle.
John and Davina live in their
caravan on the edge of
Tudhoe Industrial Estate in
Spennymoor, and neither
would change their abode for
the fanciest of brick palaces.
John is proud of the fact that
he is descended from a long
line of travelling entertainers
dating back to Henry XIII’s
time.
John revels in his family
history and will recount a
family tale at the drop of a
hoop-la-ring.
In the 19th Century his family
consisted of circus owners and
showman and one is reputed
to have thrown knives at
Buffalo Bill!
John’s family are still involved
in the fairground Industry and
with the Bank Holiday in full
swing, it solved quite a
dilemma for the Culine
Family.
“You are only allowed three
guests” explained John.
With four of his daughters
heavily involved in the family
businesses, it all sorted itself
out nicely with Daughter
Victoria and her husband
Benny Sedgewick
accompanying John and
Davina to London for John’s
big day.
Come the big moment, John
was surprised at the Prince of
Wales was so well informed.
“He asked me to tell him
about my family and their
audiences,” says John.
“When I told him that some
of his family had been
amongst the audiences
watching my family he threw
back his head and laughed.”
After the investiture, John
was given a tour of the Palace
of Westminster by local
M.P. Helen Goodman.
At night however, the lure of
the entertainment industry
attracted the Culine party to
the Jack the Ripper Tour in
Whitchapel in London’s
East End.
John’s M.B.E. is now back in
Spennymoor in its satin lined
box proudly displayed on the
sideboard of the family
caravan.
The Showmen’s Guild,
however, as proud of their
member as the people of
Spennymoor, have brought
John a miniature version
which he can wear on his lapel.
“I’ll wear it at every
opportunity I get,” he said.
“Love my Showman’s Guild
and I love the Community of
Spennymoor and I hope this
is an honour for them both”
he said.
View this article on its own (ID:1734)
JOAN WAS RELIEVED TO BE VOTED IN
Joan Woods,
Spennymoor’s Mayor
Elect, narrowly retained
her Spennymoor Town
Council seat but had to
endure a re-count, with, of
all people, her husband
Brian!
Brian, a gentleman to the
last, offered to stand down
in favour of his wife, but was
told that it wasn’t allowed.
In the event, the recounted
vote placed Joan 4 votes
ahead, 471 to 467 and Brian
was happy to conceed.
Councillor Woods is now
expected to be appointed
Town Mayor at the Council’s
Annual Meeting on Monday,
21st May, 2007 at 6.45pm.
View this article on its own (ID:1735)
ADJOURNMENT IN CANNABIS CASE
Magistrates sitting at
Newton Aycliffe recently
adjourned the case against a
Kirk Merrington man who is
alleged to have produced
Cannabis, a drug in the Class
'C' category.
Appearing before the South
Durham Magistrates was 31
year-old Karl David Patrick
Shepherd, of Shamrock
House in Kirk Merrington.
He is also charged with an
offence of 'dishonestly using
a quantity of electricity',
allegedly four days before
Christmas, 2006.
The offence relating to the
production of Cannabis is
alleged to have taken place in
Spennymoor between the
15th of July, 2003 and the
22nd of December last year.
Shepherd was set to return
to the Newton Aycliffe Court
this week.
View this article on its own (ID:1736)
COMPETITION ENTRANTS DREW PRAISE
Spennymoor Town Mayor,
Councillor Sylvia Plews, and
local artist Eric Thompson
had the difficult task of
judging an art competition
which had drawn many high
quality entries from local
schools.
The competition was
organised as part of the 125th
Anniversary of the Tudhoe
Colliery Mining Disaster by
Spennymoor Town Council
and The Heritage Banner
Association.
After a great deal of thought,
the judges finally managed to
choose the winners from the
large entry, and they were as
follows.
Group 1: 1st. Abbey; 2nd.
Megan (both from Tudhoe
Colliery Primary School).
Group 2: 1st. Paige Hobson;
2nd. Michael Robinson (both
from King Street Primary
School).
In the group for entries from
pupils of special schools the
individual winner was Emma
Mooney (The Oaks
Secondary School) and there
was also a prize in the group
entry section for Year 11
from The Oaks.
Their entry caught the
attention of the judges, and
artist Eric Thompson said,
“This entry has so many
links to the mining theme,
and that's what makes it so
beautiful.”
“The work is presented in the
form of a lodge banner and a
lot of hard work has gone into
producing it”.
Town Mayor, Sylvia Plews,
added, “The idea of adding the
names of all who died in the
tragedy is a very good one,
and, apart from the thought
that has gone into producing
the work, there is also a lot
of skill”.
The work was produced by
Gemma Griffiths, Dale Potts,
David Angel, Laura Dixon,
John Carter, Terry Lee
Gustard, Arron Gasgarth,
Stephan Hutchinson, Claire
Dixon, Daniel Scott, Daniel
Lockhurst, Zoe Ball,
Stephanie Milburn and
Thomas Robinson, with the
assistance of Teachers Mrs.
Thompson and Mrs. Dodd.
In the final section, three
prizes went to students of
Spennymoor School's Sixth
Form: 1st. Zoe Oliver; 2nd.
Lee Fitzgerald and 3rd.
Richard Peareth.
Eric Thompson liked the bold
use of colour, as well as the
fact that, although the entries
were on canvas, they were in
relief.
Town Mayor, Sylvia Plews,
thanked all those who entered
the competition and said,
“All of the entries have been
of a very high standard.”
“The town has always been
home to some of the region’s
most talented artists, and
some of these young people
could well carry that tradition
on”.
View this article on its own (ID:1737)
CASE ADJOURNED DUE TO DEFENDANT'S ILL-HEALTH
Magistrates recently
agreed to an
adjournment in the
case of a Middlestone Moor
woman after they were
informed of her ill-health.
28 year-old Sarah Rowley, of
Durham Road in Middlestone
Moor, faces a charge of
'assault by beating' upon
another female, alleged to
have been committed in Kirk
Merrington in the latter part
of March this year.
The sitting Magistrates
granted the requested
adjournment in the matter
and the case was scheduled
to return to the South
Durham Magistrates' Court at
Newton Aycliffe on the 9th
of May.
View this article on its own (ID:1738)
MAN HAS CONDITIONS ATTACHED TO BAIL
When a 45 year-old man
made a Court appearance at
Newton Aycliffe recently, the
sitting Magistrates placed a
number of conditions on his
bail when they adjourned the
case.
Raymond Inwood, of
Ullswater Close in
Spennymoor, who was
represented in Court by Ms.
Lyanne Steinberg, faces a
charge of 'assault by beating'.
The charge relates to an
alleged incident in
Spennymoor 'on or about' the
1st of April this year.
Ms. Steinberg requested an
adjournment in the case in
order to allow her to make
an application for Legal Aid
on behalf of Inwood and to
study the evidence and take
his full instructions.
In agreeing to adjourn the
matter until the 10th of May,
the South Durham
Magistrates imposed two
conditions on Inwood's bail,
those being not to interfere
in any way with prosecution
witness and to leave the
address in Ullswater Close in
Spennymoor when requested
to do so by the injured party
in the case.
View this article on its own (ID:1739)
SPRING FAYRE
Tudhoe Methodist
Church will be holding
its Spring Fayre on
Saturday May 19th in Tudhoe
Community Centre between
10.00am and 12 noon.
Admission is £1.00 and
includes refreshments.
Proceeds will go towards the
building and refurbishment
fund.
View this article on its own (ID:1740)
WILLIAM IS A WINNER
The winner of
Spennynews’ St
Georges Day
Competition is Mr William
Conlon of Wood Vue,
Spennymoor.
The lucky winner’s all
correct entry was first to be
chosen, and he wins a
selection of Beers, courtesy
of your local ASDA
Superstore.
View this article on its own (ID:1741)
SPENNYNEWS OFFICE OPENS
Spennynews has been
able to open a new
Town Centre office,
thanks to the generosity of a
local businessman.
When the popular community
newspaper appealed some
time ago for suitable premises,
Tony Langdale, the proprietor
of BLP Property Services in
High Street, was quick to offer
us a room.
Tony is also the popular
landlord of The Ship Inn in
Middlestone Village.
The office officially opened
on Tuesday, 8th May, and will
be staffed by Spennynews
volunteers from Monday to
Friday on a 10.00am –
3.00pm basis, for the time
being at least.
Readers who would like to
place a classified ad. or leave
articles for inclusion in
future issues, can now call in
at 43 High Street,
Spennymoor.
Readers can also call in to
arrange for one of our
volunteers to cover an event
in the town.
Entry to the Spennynews
office is through the front
door, and BLP is situated
right across the road from the
Town Hall.
View this article on its own (ID:1742)
THREATENING BEHAVIOUR PROVED COSTLY
A Spennymoor man pleaded
‘Guilty’ to a charge of
threatening behaviour when
he appeared in front of
Magistrates recently and it
proved to be a somewhat
costly admission of guilt.
Warren George Moore, aged
26, of Craddock Street,
Spennymoor, entered his
'Guilty' plea to the charge of
'using threatening, abusive or
insulting words or behaviour'
on the first occasion it had
been put to him at the South
Durham Magistrates' Court in
Newton Aycliffe.
The offence, the Magistrates
heard, was committed in
Spennymoor in mid-March
this year.
After hearing the evidence,
the sitting Magistrates fined
Moore £100 and also ordered
him to pay Court costs of
£43.
View this article on its own (ID:1743)
PETS CHARITY
The pets Chairity PDSA has
taken to the small screen with
an advert aimed at fundraising.
The ad, set to the song “True
Colours” by Eva Cassidy can
be viewed on the Charities
web-site www. pdsaappeal.org
.uk
View this article on its own (ID:1744)
LOCAL G.P. RETIRES
A local G.P. has retired after
serving the Spennymoor
community for over 35
years.
Dr. Andrew Sanderson has
been a G.P. at Aden House,
St Andrew’s Road,
Spennymoor. and, over the
years, has been instrumental
in training a lot of young
doctors who have come to
work at the practice, a few
of whom chose to stay on.
On Friday 27th of April
2007, Dr, Sanderson and his
wife Joan, were Guests of
Honour at Whitworth Hall,
with 100 guests, being staff
from both the present and
the past.
The Partners presented the
popular G.P. with a portrait
of Newcastle United’s St.
James Park, to mark his keen
support for the Club, and
the staff presented him with
a garden bench.
View this article on its own (ID:1745)
GOOD TIMES, BAD TIMES, HAPPY TIMES, SAD TIMES.....
“We all have our ideas of
what life was like in our
grandparent’s time. Some of
us, of course, may even
remember something of it,”
says Don Rippon from the
Tudhoe and Spennymoor
Local History Society.
“But few will have any insight
into the life of our great
grandparents,” he points out.
Margaret Hedley's talk to
Tudhoe and Spennymoor
Local History Society on
May 21st, entitled "Great
Grandma - a woman in the
pit village" will promise to
give members that insight.
“Nearly everyone in this
district has direct or family
links with the coal mining
industry so this talk will
prove fascinating for both
young and old,” says Don.
The meeting will take place
in St David's Church Hall at
7.30 and everyone is welcome
to attend.
View this article on its own (ID:1746)
FIRE ON INDUSTRIAL ESTATE
Firemen rushed to a disused
Industrial Unit backing onto
Tudhoe Moor Estate but had
to cut through chains to gain
access to the building which
was well alight.
View this article on its own (ID:1747)
ELEVEN YEAR OLD IN WEST END SHOW
An eleven-year old
Westerton girl has fulfilled
the dream of a lifetime,
appearing in the West End of
London, in a top musical.
11 year-old Olivia Griffiths,
lives in Westerton Village
with her parents, brother
Max, 12, and dog Toto.
The talented youngster
attends Kirk Merrington
Primary School and has been
a pupil at the Joanne Banks
Dance School since she was
5.
Olivia has performed locally
in Pantomimes at Darlington
Civic Theatre and in several
of Joanne’s productions.
Olivia’s dream trip to London
started back in July, 2005,
when she and her family
queued amongst some 1500
other hopeful youngsters at
Sunderland Empire Theatre
for open auditions in their
forthcoming show of Chitty
Chitty Bang Bang
Olivia was finally cast in the
show which ran for 4 months.
It was during that show that
she was seen by the casting
team from London who run
all the West End shows and
they invited the youngster to
audition in London for the
role of Jane Banks in Mary
Poppins.
“This was especially fantastic
for Olivia as it has always
been one of her favourite
stories and we had just been
to London to see the show!”
said proud dad Paul, himself a
talented musician with the
award-winning group
“Vertigo”.
“There were over a thousand
hopefuls auditioning for 2
parts over a 2 month period,
but Olivia kept getting
recalled every time,” he said.
“We made six long, nervous
trips to London for her
auditions at the Palladium and
Prince Edward Theatres and
finally, there were only six
children left”
“After a six-hour audition, we
were sent home to be informed
by e mail of how she had done.”
“When we got home at
midnight, the email was
waiting for us to say she had
the role and, amazingly,the
boy who was to play her little
brother in the show was Tom
Hunter from School Aycliffe
with whom she had become
great friends during Chitty
Chitty Bang Bang,” said the
delighted father.
Olivia began the role last
August and lives a lot of the
time in London in a beautiful
big house with her own
chaperone and some of the
other children with whom she
shares the role.
Olivia`s School has been very
supportive and work closely
with her private tutor in
London to ensure her
schoolwork doesn’t suffer and
all her friends from
Spennymoor and the
surrounding area have been
very supportive.
Lots of them have been down
to see the show - some of them
several times!
And if starring in the West End
wasn’t enough, Olivia recently
heard that she has won a
performing arts scholarship to
Durham High School For Girls
and is looking forward to
starting in September.
In addition, the Mary Poppins
Company have just offered the
unpretentious youngster
another six -month contract
which she has accepted. Mary
Poppins is currently showing
at the Prince Edward Theatre
in London and Olivia will be
performing on selected dates
until November.
If anyone is interested in going
to the show, her father,
Paul Griffiths, can help
arrange tickets for travel,
accommodation and the
show. He can be contacted
by email on griff10@tiscali
.co.uk
View this article on its own (ID:1748)
WOW! WHAT MEMORIES YOU ALL HAVE!
What a memory our readers
have!
When we asked what they
called the “Honest Lawyer”
near Sunderland Bridge, before
it was renamed, our readers
wrote in, emailed and rang us
in their hundreds.
The Lawyer was previously,
of course, the Bridge. Before
that it was the Crest Motel
and before that it was the
Bridge Hotel - its original
name.
One reader rang in to say that
he had his wedding reception
in the Bridge.
Another remembered the day
the hotel got flooded when the
nearby river burst its banks.
For another, both the Bridge
and the Crest Motel were
familiar sights, as every
morning he passed it on the
bus taking him to work in
Durham.
Another rang in recalling the
time when they added on the
rooms at the side and back,
transforming the old Bridge
Inn into a motel.
Readers will recall, of course,
that we asked the question to
settle a readers argument.
All the information has now
been passed on.
Try to baffle our readers with a
question by sending it to
S p e n n y n e w s@ talk21.com or
enter via our web site.
View this article on its own (ID:1749)
TOWN MAYOR LOSES SEAT IN LOCAL ELECTIONS
Spennymoor’s retiring Town
Mayor, Cllr Sylvia Plews,
lost her Town Council seat
in last week’s local election
and the Deputy Mayor and
Mayor-Elect, Cllr Joan Wood
held on to her seat only after
a recount, ironically, with her
husband Brian.
At the Borough Council level,
there were surprises as Kester
Noble, the Deputy Leader of
the Council, lost his seat
along with past Mayor,
Marie Predki.
Up at Green Lane there will
to be major changes to the
Borough Cabinet with the
Leaders of the Council,
Newton Aycliffe’s Bob
Fleming losing his seat along
with Cabinet members
Malcolm Iveson and Ron
Patchett.
View this article on its own (ID:1750)
TUDHOE TEAMS ALL MADE IT TWO OUT OF TWO
Tudhoe's captain Simon
Davies produced one of his
finest innings recently, when
Tudhoe met Langley Park
away.
Tudhoe made it two wins out
of two, but only just.
Langley Park knocked up a
respectable score of 203 for
7, giving something for the
home 1st Xl to chase.
Tudhoe’s openers hit 65 off
the first 10 overs, scoring
runs at a steady pace.
The team then started to lose
wickets and by the time
Steven Maddison was harshly
given out lbw, Tudhoe were
164 for 7.
Tudhoe veteran Kevin, then
came to the crease and with
the Captain eased Tudhoe
to a 3 wicket victory with 8
overs remaining.
It was Kevin who hit the
winning runs with a straight
six off Huscroft, to finish 23
no off 22 balls.
The team Captain finished
unbeaten on 124 hitting 7
sixes & 12 fours off just 110
balls.
Tudhoe’s 2nd team also made
it 2 out of 2.playing Langley
Parks 2nd XI at home.
Batting first, the home side
made 168 all out, against a side
that conceded 360 to Crook
the previous week
Michael Briton made 69
before a strange dismissal, and
James Fawcett continued his
early form with 38.
Tudhoe then wrapped the
Langley innings up in just 18
overs, bowling them out for
just 76. to give Tudhoe an
easy win.
The Under 13s also made it
2 out of 2 with an amazing
win over Crook Town.
Crook batted first and got
264 for 10
Tudhoe then came into bat
getting 236 for 2 (220) with
Matty Wilson getting 7 not
out and Daniel Thexton
taking both wickets.
This weekend the 1st team and
2nd’s meet Evenwood away
and at home respectively.
View this article on its own (ID:1751)
VILLAGE SITS IN A HAT
By Anne Robinson. Spennynews recently
extended it’s coverage to the
small village of Hett on the
northern-most edge of our
circulation area.
The small village, situated
about one mile from
Croxdale, dates back to
around the 11th century and
its name is derived from the
old-English word for hat, and
comes from the fact that the
village is situated in a small,
oval hat-shaped valley.
Hett and the nearby villages
all once belonged to the
Monastery founded at Kirk
Merrington, now St. John's
Church.
The Monastery was under the
ownership of the Prince
Bishops of Durham, who
owned the rights to all the
lands in an area stretching
from Whitworth to
Sunderland Bridge, at a time
when, what would later
become Spennymoor, was
simply scrub and gorse.
Today, Hett is pretty village,
perhaps best known for its
public house, The Hett Arms,
the only pub in the North-
East that sells game.
The village has a large green,
with the traditional duck
pond often found in villages
of its era, and most of the
houses are built around it.
In the past, villagers would
keep ducks as a source of
food, and often a special bird
would be fattened up for
Christmas.
Christmas in the local
Church was a special time,
with Midnight Mass attended
by all the villagers and the
Lords of the Manor.
They sat in their own pew,
away from the 'common'
villagers and would
traditionally hand out small
gifts to the poor of the parish.
Alas the local Church no longer
exists having been converted
into a private house many
years ago.
View this article on its own (ID:1752)
THREE ARRESTED AFTER GANG FIGHT
A sixteen year old boy was
rushed to hospital on Monday
evening following a fight
between two rival gangs of
teenagers which involved
makeshift weapons, including
a table leg and fencing.
The disturbance, which
involved two small groups of
males aged between 16 and 19,
resulted in three arrests.
It started in Victoria Street and
then continued up to Ivy Close.
The youngster, who was
suffering from head injuries,
has since been released from
hospital.
The three arrested youths
have now been released on
police bail pending further
inquiries.
“A number of improvised
weapons including a table leg
have been recovered from in
and around the scene of the
incident, said a police
spokesman.
Police are asking for witnesses
to the incident or readers with
more information to contact
them on 0845 60 60 365
View this article on its own (ID:1753)
PRESENTATION NIGHT FOR TOWN
Spennymoor Town’s playing
staff and supporters
celebrated in style when the
club held it’s presentation
night at the Leisure Centre
Tony Johnson and Lorraine
Crosby provided the
entertainment along with the
top Northern comedian
Micky Gunn.
A Pie, Peas and Chips supper
went down well with those
who attended.
Presentations were made by
former player Albert
Hickman.
The Players Player of the
Year went to Ben Escritt, the
Chairman's Player of the Year
to Jason Ainsley, the
Secretary's Player of the Year
was Adam Johnston , the
Committee's Player of the
Year was Mark Foster and
the Golden Boot Winner was
Adam Johnston.
View this article on its own (ID:1754)
CELEBRATING CHURCH LOOKS FORWARD TO TO THE FUTURE
By Alan Marron. Trinity Methodist Church
celebrated the 25th
Anniversary of its
refurbishment with a Flower
Festival from Friday 4th –
Sunday 6th May.
In its original form, the
Church was a Victorian place
of worship, with a big gallery
to hold all the faithful who
came to worship and, some
would say, with an even bigger
heating bill when winter
struck.
It was totally remodelled
between 1975 and 1982.
Members of the congregation
now hold their Services in
what was the former gallery
and the refurbishment
created ample rooms for
meetings below.
The Anniversary evening
began with a short Service led
by Rev. John H. Bower, who,
incidentally, will be leaving
Spennymoor on his
retirement in August this year.
Christine Jones, wife of
Church Organist, Martyn,
presented Margaret Bower,
the Minister's wife, with a
beautiful floral arrangement.
The eldest member of the
congregation, Dennis Jones,
92, a resident of Lothian
House, was happy to attend.
After the Service guests were
free to wander through the
church, where they marvelled
at the 23 beautiful floral
displays on show, and
afterwards enjoyed a buffet in
the schoolroom, where even
the tables were decorated with
colourful arrangements.
Rev Bower said in his
programme note: “Trinity
Methodist Church gives
thanks to God for all that has
happened in its past life, as
well as for the present, and
looks forward to the future
with renewed hope and
optimism”.
View this article on its own (ID:1755)
PUPILS TAKE CHECKOUT CHALLENGE
Youngsters from North Park
School, in Spennymoor
visited ASDA’s store in the
town last week to take part
in three challenges to increase
their awareness in a healthy
diet.
The year six pupils also got
the opportunity to taste
many of the stores healthy
products designed for the
school lunchbox.
A spokesman for the store
said that the fruit went down
well with the youngsters.
“The broccoli quiche,
however, didn’t!
The visit was the first of
many focusing on the
environment, packaging and
a healthy body.
The next school to meets
ASDA’s challenge will be
Tudhoe Colliery later in the
year.
View this article on its own (ID:1756)
SPENNYMOOR FANS CELEBRATE WITH A FOOTIE MATCH
Spennymoor Town’s band of
loyal supporters celebrated
their sides promotion to
Division One of the Arngrove
Northern League by taking to
the pitch themselves at the
Brwery Field.
An open invitation to fans via
the club’s fans forum resulted
in twoi side taking top the
pitch on Wednesday evening.
It was a case of the youngsters
versus the “Over 35’s” and in
the end, the youngsters didn’t
have it all their own way.
By the final whistle, the
youngsters had the game sewn
up 5-3 but it was throughly
enjoyed by all those who took
part - and the Brewery Field
bar was open after the game
to lubricate a few stiff joints.
View this article on its own (ID:1757)
SERVICE HONOURED TUDHOE COLLIERY DEAD
In a poignant and moving
Service on Friday
evening, 27th April,
Spennymoor’s Town Mayor,
Councillor Sylvia Plews, led
a large contingent of civic
dignitaries and members of
the public in a short Service
of Remembrance in honour
of the 37 men and boys who
died tragically in the Tudhoe
Colliery Mining Disaster of
18th April, 1882.
There was a large presence
of mining banners in the
Town Hall , 20 in all, as
Lodges from all over the area
joined to pay their respects
and honour the memory of
those who lost their lives.
Rev. John Bower of Trinity
Methodist Church and Rev.
Lynda Gough of St Paul's
Church officiated at the
Service, which Marion
Jackson opened with a
welcome to all who had
attended, on behalf of the
Heritage Banner Association.
The Service commemorated,
not only the distaster, but
served as a reminder of how
dangerous an occupation coal
mining was, to today’s
generation.
Jim Smith, Head Teacher of
Tudhoe Colliery Primary
School, read a poem in honour
of the miners, and pupils from
the School afterwards read out
the names of all those who
lost their lives.
Spennymoor Town Band
provided accompaniment for
the hymns, and the Service
ended with the unveiling of
three commemorative
plaques by the Mayor.
The plaques will be displayed
in places of honour in
Tudhoe Colliery Primary
School, Tudhoe Community
Centre and in the Town Hall.
Earlier in the week,
Spennymoor’s Mayor Sylvia
Plews had placed a wreath on
the Memorial to the miners,
which stands in the central
walkway of Tudhoe Cemetery
in a civic ceremony.
View this article on its own (ID:1758)
BAND'S CD GOES ON SALE
Tudhoe Grange School
Bands’ new CD, a double
album featuring music by
the current bands as well as
some previously-released
tracks, has gone on sale.
The appropriately titled 'It
Don't Mean A Thing If You
Ain't Had That Swing' is
available now from the
School, priced £8.
Readers can contact the
sShool on (01388) 816050.
View this article on its own (ID:1759)
SPENNYMOOR ROUND OFF SEASON WITH A WIN TO CEMENT CHAMPIONSHIP
Spennymoor cemented their
grip on the Division Two
Championship in the
Arngrove Northern League
with a decisive and emphatic
victory in their last game of
the season against Thornaby
at the Brewery Field on
Saturday.
By the final whistle,
Spennymoor were the easy
winners by two goals to one
with Jason Ainsley and David
Manson the scorers for the
‘Moors.
When the new season starts
in the autumn, Spennymoor
will be playing in the First
Division of the Northern
League and are looking
forward to local derby’s against
local sides Shildon and Bishop
Auckland
View this article on its own (ID:1760)
APPEAL TO RESIDENTS TO HELP PREVENT ARSON ATTACKS PAYS OFF
A direct appeal to readers to
help curb the number of
deliberate fires started in the
Easter holidays has been a
huge success with a 50 per
cent drop in reported arson
attacks.
During last year’s Easter
holidays, there were 47
arson-related incidents in
the Borough Council area,
so to help combat the
problem, Sedgefield
Community Safety
Partnership asked readers to
take precautions and let it
know about any potential
fire hazards and rubbish so
that workers could remove
the temptation.
Partnership Chair, Glyn Hall,
said: “We asked households
to only put their wheelie bin
out on the day it is due to be
collected and to bring it back
onto their premises by
nightfall.”
“We also urged people to
report any illegal dumping of
rubbish in back lanes or yards
of empty houses and any
vehicles that may have
looked abandoned to
Sedgefield Borough Council.”
Other measures to combat
deliberate fires carried out by
the partnership with
Durham Police, the fire
service and the council’s
neighbourhood wardens
included youth groups
visiting the fire station, fire
crews out talking to youths
when not on calls and a
leaflet drop in known
hotspots.
Mr Hall added: “We’re
delighted the campaign was
such a success with 23 fires
reported and we hope that
people will remember the
messages and continue to
help the authorities prevent
deliberate fires being started”
View this article on its own (ID:1761)
SCHOOL BAND SWINGS INTO NEXT 25 YEARS
By Alan Marron. Tudhoe Grange School Band
celebrated its 25th
Anniversary in swinging style
when they shared the stage
recently with The Reg Vardy
Band.
Spennymoor Leisure Centre
was the venue for the Concert
on Saturday 28th April,
which was attended by
Spennymoor's Deputy
Mayor, Councillor Joan
Wood.
The Band was formed by
Adrian Biddulph, following
his appointment as Head of
Music at the School in 1981.
He arrived to find that the
supply of musical instruments
amounted to a handful of
descant recorders, which, he
says, he quickly got rid of!
At that time, the School had
just four students playing
musical instruments, but he
persuaded more to join and
formed the first band in 1982
with nine instrumentalists,
playing on borrowed
instruments.
Today’s Concert Band boasts
over 100 members taken
from a total School role of
850 and the pupils play a wide
range of professional
instruments purchased in
1996 thanks to a grant of
£49,000 through the
Northern Arts Council from
the National Lottery.
Prior to the award the Band
had been as it still remains,
self-financing, with parents
raising funds on an annual
basis to enable the Band to
progress and all those
associated are grateful for
their continued support.
After such a humble
beginning, the Band says it is
rightly proud of its
achievements over the last
twenty-five years.
Four former members are
now Music Teachers
themselves, whilst others
have become professional
musicians, and one rose to
become a member of the
prestigious Band of the Royal
Marines.
Friendship has always been
one of the Band’s keynotes,
and one of its greatest
strengths, and former
members return occasionally
to either attend or play at
concerts.
Former Trumpet player,
Cheryl Sowerby is now a
graphic designer, and designed
the logo that the band
displays wherever they travel
– and that means its travelled
a long way!.
Clarinet player Paul Marshall,
another former Band member,
designed, and maintains their
website: www.tgsb.net
Ten years ago, the Band split
to become two bands, with
the formation of The Tudhoe
Grange School Big Band,
which plays music in the style
of the classic bands of 50 or
more years ago.
Thanks to the support of
Sedgefield Borough Council,
the Band has been able to stage
a number of concerts with top
bands at local venues.
Their Concert with The Reg
Vardy Band – formerly the
Ever Ready Band and regarded
as one of the finest in the
country – has become an
annual event.
The Bands have also played
with the National Youth Jazz
Orchestra, as part of the
Borough's 'Festival of Life'
and were specially
commissioned to compose
and perform 'Swing In The
Millenium' as part of the
Council's Millenium
celebrations.
As a result, the Bands were
featured on national TV.when
they were approached by the
BBC to take part in their
'Children In Need' telethons,
raising £2,000 for the appeal
from sales of their CD's.
They hope to be
participating again this year,
and have their sights set on
beating their last total.
View this article on its own (ID:1762)
WATER POLO STAR HONOURED
Scott Carpenter from
Tudhoe and Sedgefield
Water Polo Club and
Great Britain's leading player
was rewarded for his
dedication and talent by being
named Sedgefield Borough's
Sports Personality of the
Year.
Scott, 18, who has been
playing since he was 7 years
old, continues to astound
people in the sport at home
WATER POLO STAR
HONOURED
and abroad with his wonderful
skills, speed and tenacity.
Water Polo players in general
don't really fully mature till
their mid to late twenties.
Scott, who trains at the
Olympic high performance
centre in Manchester, hopes
to be the first player ever
from GB to play in the top
professional leagues of Italy
and Spain and lead GB's
Olympic challenge.
View this article on its own (ID:1763)
KYOKUSHIN KARATE GRADING SUCCESS
The news of yet another
100% pass rate by members
of the Kyokushin Karate
Club in Spennymoor, has left
Chief Instructor Adam
Walker elated.
Nine students from his Club
all passed their latest grading
with flying colours.
The grading, which takes
place four times per year,
involved a very strict
programme where everyone
was put through their paces
for several hours by means
of full contact fighting, self
defence moves, stamina tests
and showing an ability to
perform katas (patterns).
Kyokushin karate expert
Martin Marlborough (5th
dan), travelled from Perth in
Scotland to grade the students
and commented that there
was a high standard
demonstrated.
The level of skill shown and
the amount of effort
displayed in the fighting
techniques particularly
impressed him.
Classes in the Club start from
5 years and incorporate
many different kinds of
training which include the use
of weapons, and self-defence
to name but a few.
The Club is located in Low
Grange Road, Spennymoor
and operates a pay-as-youtrain
method.
It also benefits through
sponsorship from Mayfair
Cars, Workwear Express,
The Green Tree Pub, Taylors
Newsagents and M.W
Anderson haulage and livery.
The Club is unique as the style
of karate taught there is
considered to be a true
Martial Art and not simply a
combat sport.
It is the only one of its kind
in this region and boasts
several British and English
Champions within various
categories.
For information on classes or
for anyone interested in
sponsoring one of the best
Martial Arts Clubs in the
North of England, details can
be obtained by calling Adam
Walker on 07713 411198 or
01388 810337.
View this article on its own (ID:1764)
