www.durham.gov.uk DURHAM Spring 2017 County News The magazine for people in County Durham A taste of Bishop Auckland Food Festival Win a spa break, Durham VIP passes & Beamish tickets Easter what’s on guide Plans to steer the county’s growth Spring is the perfect time to get out and WELCOME about – and there’s plenty to do around to the spring edition of County Durham over the next few weeks Durham County News and months. Our park life feature on pages 24 and 25 includes lots of suggestions for enjoying the great outdoors and there’s more listed in our what’s on guide on pages 26 to 31. Councillor Simon Henig, Spring marks the start of another fantastic Leader of the Council year of high profile events and festivals 12 across the county. Bishop Auckland Food Festival kicks it all off with a weekend of food, drink, music and comedy in April. Read more about what’s in store on pages 12 and 13. And there are details of the new DLI Collection Gallery now open at Palace Green on page 16. We are shining a light on Durham on page 15 to highlight 16 our wonderful county. And if you would like to know more about how we’re investing in and shaping towns across 24 6 the county, highlights of what we have achieved so far from our County Durham masterplans are on pages 6 to 9. I hope you enjoy reading Durham County News and take a moment to explore our new online content by visiting www.durham.gov.uk/dcn Simon Henig 8 Competition entries Inside... Competition entries should be received by Page 4-5 Page 16 Friday 7 April 2017 (unless the competition News Discover the new states otherwise). Pop your entries in one DLI Collection Gallery envelope (don’t forget to use a stamp!) and post to Durham County News, Durham County Council, County Hall, Durham Page 6-9 Page 18-19 DH1 1RH or drop them in to reception at any Planning the county’s Setting our budget for of our access points. NEW - you can now economic growth 2017/18 enter online at www.durham.gov.uk/dcn Durham County News is written and designed by Page Page Durham County Council, printed by Acorn Web 10-11 20-23 Offset Ltd and distributed by The National Leaflet Green living Local news pages Company and Royal Mail. It costs 16p a copy. To contact the editorial team, call 03000 268 059 or email [email protected] Page 12-13 Page 24-25 A taste of Bishop Auckland Discovering park life in Please ask us if you would like this document Food Festival County Durham summarised in another language or format. Braille Audio Large print Page 14-15 Page 26 -31 [email protected] Shining a light on Durham What’s on this spring 03000 268 059 When you have finished with this magazine, please recycle it. Front cover: Colin Burn tests the water at Seaham in preparation for the opening of a new water sports activity centre (see page 7). Get set for awesome entertainment in 2017 Prepare to make memories this year as County Durham hosts yet another year of world-class entertainment. Thousands of people helped make events a success last year, and with 2017 promising to be even bigger and better, there’s plenty to look forward to. Bishop Auckland Kynren – An Epic Tale Durham Christmas Food Festival of England Festival Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 Saturday 1 July to Saturday Friday 1 to Sunday 3 April 16 September December Shout out to the foodies! More than 100,000 people Jingle your way Flavoursome dishes made were captivated by Kynren through Durham’s with local food promise to last year. Showcasing 2,000 Christmas festivities tantalise your tastebuds at years of British history, myth with craft, gift and food one of the country’s premier and legend, the epic open-air stalls at the city’s ever- food festivals. See pages 8 & 9. show is set to return bigger, popular festive market. www.bishopaucklandfood better and brighter in 2017. Lumiere www.durhamchristmas festival.co.uk www.kynren.co.uk Thursday 16 to Sunday 19 festival.com November Heritage Open Days Lumiere is back for the fifth Thursday 7 to Sunday 10 time. Artists from around the September world will illuminate the city Discover hidden architectural in delightful and unexpected treasures and enjoy a wide ways, with a series of range of tours, events and stunning light installations activities bringing to life local to explore and admire. Pearl Izumi history and culture. New www.lumiere-festival.com May (dates to be confirmed) venues interested in taking Cheer on professional cyclists part contact 03000 267 133, Brass as they take on Durham City’s heritageopendays@ cobbles in a thrilling test of durham.gov.uk Friday 7 to Sunday 16 July their skill and speed. Durham Brass Festival returns under the guidance of new www.tourseries.co.uk artistic director Paul Gudgin. A brass player himself, Paul has Durham Book Festival taken the reins of a number of prestigious events, including Saturday 7 to Sunday 15 the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and is looking forward to his Durham Miners’ Gala October Saturday 8 July latest challenge. Brass opens the day before the Miners’ Gala With readings, performances and ends with Streets of Brass. Highlights include the BBC Celebrate County Durham’s and discussions covering a Big Band celebrating the legendary Dizzy Gillespie, Brass on mining heritage as marching wide range of genres, there’s Broadway, some brassed-up Northern Soul and a Venetian bands parade through plenty to lose yourself in at concert in Durham Cathedral. So grab your dancing shoes, Durham City with traditional Durham Book Festival. find your rhythm and dance like no-one’s watching! colliery banners. www.durhambookfestival.com www.durhamminers.org/ www.brassfestival.co.uk Watch highlights of last year’s events at www.durham.gov.uk/dcn Entertainment in 2017 3 Contact us: NEWS You can get lots of information, and apply online for council services via www.durham.gov.uk Save time do it online Report Apply Book Pay Comment ReporIf yout Aneedpply to Book phone Pa us,y callComment Customer Services 03000 26 0000 8.30am-5pm (Monday-Thursday) Garden Waste Missed Bin Generic Bin Street Litter 8.30am-4.30pm (Friday) Out of hours emergency service available. Lighting the way Fly Tipping Pest Control Recycle Concessionary Travel A talented inventor has developed the first upgrade to the school crossing If you have a specific query, use patrol sign in five decades and believes lives could be saved as a result. oneWaste Permi tof ourCouncil dedicated Tax Large Wa stnumbers:e Registrars Andrew Turner, who has an office at the North East Technology Park (NETPark) Streetscene, Highways and in Sedgefield, County Durham, is to meet with distributors about his Street Lighting Enquiries illuminated lollipop design after winning the backing of the Road Safety GB Sandbags / Flood Planning School Admission Graffiti 03000 26 1000 charity. Includes rubbish and recycling, street The prototype, which uses edge lit plastic and has an eight-hour battery life, lighting faults, potholes, commercial waste,Street Lighting neighbourhoodRoad Problems Dogwardens, Fouling strayGritting was produced thanks to support from Thorn Lighting, in Spennymoor, who he dogs, abandoned vehicles, pest control, was introduced to by Business Durham. street cleaning, litter and dog fouling, We conducted a survey, which showed that drivers were braking up to 40 per grafSalt Binsfiti, fly-tippBlue Badgesing, fly posting,ASB parks,Calendar open spaces and cemeteries maintenance. cent faster with the new stick than with a normal one. Benefit Enquiries 03000 26 2000 Save time do it online Holocaust Memorial Day Report Apply Book Pay Comment Council Tax Enquiries A three-day public exhibition held at County 03000 26 4000 Hall told the widely unknown story of the Porrajmos, or Gypsy Holocaust, when Social Care Direct/Children’s hundreds of thousands of Gypsies were First Contact Service persecuted during the Second World War. 03000 26 79 79 Marking the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust’s theme of How can life go on?, members of the Families Information Service public lit LED candles, viewed authentic Roma 03000 26 99 95 recipes and provided pictures, poetry and their thoughts on how to learn from the past to prevent discrimination and hate crime. @DurhamCouncil For more information visit www.hmd.org.uk /durhamcouncil linkedin.com/company/ Register online for care jobs durham-county-council Personal assistants looking for a job helping those in /DurhamCouncil need of care and support can now register their details on our Locate website. Call 03000 268 200 for an application form. /durham_county_council 4 News Double success at Keep Britain Tidy Awards We’re thrilled to have ‘cleaned up’ at the Keep Britain Tidy Awards, taking home prizes for best local authority and best campaign. We won the coveted Local Authority of the Year honour and also scooped Environmental Campaign of the Year for our anti-fly-tipping programme Operation Stop It, which has led to a 22 per cent reduction in flytipping. Memorial trail honours war The awards celebrate the achievements of local authorities, businesses and land managers in improving heroes the quality of public spaces through campaigns, A new heritage trail explaining the history of innovations and partnerships. The local authority of the South Moor has opened to the public. year prize was in recognition of our commitment to Those following the trail at Twizell Burn can learn improving and protecting the environment – often about the village’s creation shortly before the First involving the local community.