Local archive
Education
Durham University is partnering on a new £25 million Energy Central Institute in Blyth, Northumberland, which is due to open in 2027 and will focus on skills, research and innovation linked to offshore wind.
Business & Openings
Four innovation projects involving or connected to Durham University are set to receive £23.7 million through the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund, with the investment expected to unlock a further £55 million in private funding across the North East.
Culture City Centre
Durham’s refurbished Redhills Hall and Offices has officially reopened to the public, celebrating the city’s mining heritage while looking ahead to the future of County Durham’s former coalfield communities.
Community
Employees at Amazon’s Durham fulfilment centre donated food and drinks to Heel and Toe Children’s Charity and Solan Connor Fawcett Family Cancer Trust during a weekend of fundraising and racing.
Sport
Miss Durham Nicole Hanson brought pageantry and motorsport together at a Team Valley Charity Show & Shine, attracting more than 65 cars and raising £1,270 for Cancer Research UK.
Community
County Durham residents can access free stop-smoking advice, nicotine replacement, medicines, digital support and vape starter kits during Stoptober 2026.
Community
Patients living with and beyond colorectal cancer are being supported through a new peer group at University Hospital of North Durham, with the next session planned for just before Christmas.
Education
Durham University will welcome thousands of new students during traditional Matriculation ceremonies at Durham Cathedral on Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 September 2026.
Education
Durham University has joined a five-university Medical Research Council doctoral training partnership expected to support around 60 PhD researchers, including about 15 Durham-based students from the first three-year award.
Traffic & Construction North Road
Families affected by pregnancy loss or the death of a baby are invited to a memorial service at St Cuthbert’s Church on North Road, Durham, as part of special services being offered by County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust chaplains.
Traffic & Construction
Anthony Church, the site manager at Bellway’s Hedworths Green development at Lambton Park near Chester-le-Street, has received a second consecutive Seal of Excellence in the NHBC’s 2026 Pride in the Job Awards.
Education
Research from Durham University Business School suggests menopause can leave women leaders feeling psychologically depleted while also increasing empathy towards colleagues and employees, highlighting the need for stronger workplace support.
Culture
Durham County Council is seeking an experienced cultural organisation, festival producer, creative practitioner or consortium to develop and deliver a major new County Durham festival in 2027, with proposals expected to involve local communities and create lasting cultural, social and economic benefits.
Education
A major study involving Durham University has found that victim-survivors of financial abuse face lower savings, higher debt and more missed payments, using banking data to track how economic harm develops over time.
Business & Openings Meadowfield
New traffic signals and crossing facilities have been installed at St John’s Road Junction in Meadowfield as part of a £2.94 million programme along the A690 corridor.
Community
County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust board members are due to decide whether a review of breast cancer treatment should examine cases dating back to 2015, after more than 30 women were found to have undergone unnecessary surgery.
Community
Durham County Council has been selected by the government to establish a second Young Futures Hub after a successful funding bid. The new centre will build on the pilot in Newton Aycliffe, with its location to be decided through a co-production process involving young people and partner organisations.
Education
Lucian J Hudson, Durham University’s Executive Director of Communications & External Relations, has been awarded the Freedom of the City of London in recognition of his public-service career and work across environmental affairs, civic engagement and cross-sector collaboration.
Education
Durham University researchers are taking part in a five-year, £7m project investigating structural power composites that could store energy while also providing mechanical strength.
Sport Framwellgate Moor
Professional goalkeepers from Sweden, Portugal and Poland have trained at New College Durham’s all-weather MUGA in Framwellgate Moor, highlighting the facility’s growing role in elite sport, student development and community football.
Education
Researchers at Durham University are helping develop LIVINGSTON, a laser power-beaming system designed to provide continuous energy to aircraft operating in the stratosphere.
Education
New College Durham has hosted an employer-led event focused on the skills, training and workforce needed for the North East’s advanced manufacturing sector, with discussions covering automation, robotics, artificial intelligence, space and sustainability.
Community
County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust is holding four free drop-in events during Falls Awareness Week, offering people aged 65 and over, families and carers practical advice on preventing falls and staying independent.
Education
Dr Daniel P. Jones of Durham University has received a Wellcome Early-Career Award for a five-year project examining Tourette Syndrome through lived experience, identity, culture and community.
Education
Two Durham University Business School academics, Professor Stefanie Reissner and Professor Rudolf Sinkovics, have been named Fellows of the British Academy of Management in the same year.
Community
A review of 539 cases at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust has identified 78 patients who suffered moderate or severe harm, including women who underwent mastectomies they were later told were not needed. The trust board is due to consider on 24 September whether the review should be extended to thousands of cases dating back to 2015.
Education
New College Durham has appointed Chris Small as director of its Advanced Manufacturing Technical Excellence College and Tori Screen as head of school for advanced manufacturing, strengthening the college’s links with employers across the North East.
Community
Paediatric nursing staff at Treetops Ward at University Hospital of North Durham have been named the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust’s Team of the Month for August after improving asthma support for children and young people.
Community
County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust has announced continued support for patients affected by failings in its breast services, with a public Board meeting in Durham due to consider the next stage of its review.
Education
Researchers at Durham University have developed CORTO-Planner, a navigation system designed to help autonomous drones fly faster and more safely through narrow, cluttered environments.
