The Rotary Club is sending £1,000 to "Help the Heroes" from the collection the members made at Christmas in Tescos, The Concert at Xcel Centre and the Santa Tour.

President Jean Thompson once again thanks all who supported the appeal. "As usual our wonderful townspeople showed their generosity and we are so grateful" said Jean.

The greatest need in Haiti is shelter and the Town’s Rotary Club are appealing for funds to buy Shelterboxes which contain, among many other items, a 10 man tent, sleeping bags, cooking utensils etc.

Rotary International has already delivered over 7000 Shelterboxes, but thousands more are needed to accommodate the homeless millions. Please help the cause and donate by filling in the coupon below

Did you leave Woodham Comprehensive School in 1987?

Did you go on that Legendary trio to Boulogne in 1983?

On February 20th we are having a bit of a get together to chat about the good old days of Mrs Carr and Mr Londsborough.

So before we all get past 40 get yourself along to the Oakwood Bar in the Leisure Centre after 6.30ish for a bit of chat, a bit of 80’s music, a couple of drinks and we’ll see what happens. Hopefully it will be an enjoyable evening?

If you are 38/39 and left the 5th year of Woodham Comp in ‘87 then get yourself there. If you know anyone who fits this description then ask them to drop me an email at paulbewley@02.co.uk just to let me know about numbers - or join our Facebook Group - Woodham Comprehensive Reunion 1987 graduates.

Paul Bewley

P.S If you are a teacher who was there at the time then please feel free to come along. The Rec Bar is much nicer these days....Honest’

Dear Sir,

I sympathise with the couple who lost their personal effects when the landlords cleared out their garage by mistake.

Personal goods should not have been in there, as the terms and conditions of the landlord clearly state that nothing, other than a motor vehicle must be stored.

This widespread practice, of using a garage for storage, causes problems in itself. In my block there are ten garages, only one of which garages a motor vehicle. The rest are filled with builders supplies, woodworking supplies and of course household furniture and effects.

This encourages burglary but also keeps 100’s of cars parked on the roadside and verges because of the well documented shortage of garages in Newton Aycliffe.

I wrote to the former Segefield Borough Council on this problem in 2009, urging them to make inspections but never received a reply. Perhaps if they had, this unfortunate couple would not be in this position.

Name & address supplied

Dear Sir,

Reference the article in last week’s issue on care in the home, which is a very emotive subject. The sad record that some care homes have created means that most people do not want to use them.

Care in one’s own home places a heavy reponsibility on those partners caring for loved ones. Whilst they can be provided with a few hours of support there are 168 hours in a week where the biggest burden falls on the home carer.

This may save the taxpayer £35,000 a year but the person doing the caring may not even get the £40 allowance because they receive other pensions.

There is also talk of removing the Attendance Allowance which is another disincentive for home caring. However the biggest incentive in home caring is the poor standard in Care Homes with a few exceptions.

Name & address supplied

Dear Sir,

I found the recent heavy snow and ice very frightening especially round old folks bungalows where I was unable to walk safely.

I could walk on the grass, but it was covered with dog muck which for some reason dog owners failed to pick up off snow.

We used to have a grit container near our house, but that disappeared, so our paths were untreated.

Pensioners like to visit each other for a chat, but we were trapped in our homes because of the condition of paths. I would suggest the Council provide grit for areas around bungalows to make our lives happier and safer.

Mrs. Moore

Tree Planting

Monday 15th February - 2pm- 4pm

Heres your chance to get your hands dirty and help plant a hedge in one of Aycliffe’s best kept secrets; Cobblers Hall plantation. Everyone is welcome, full guidance will be given and all tools will be provided.

Meet at: Cobblers Hall Plantation entrance, off the Greenfield/ Rushyford Road.

Wild West of Aycliffe

Wednesday 17th February - 10am- 12 noon

Join Environment Officer Steve Cooper in exploring the Byerley Park area of Aycliffe. Learn how to look for signs of mammals and other creatures that live there.

Meet at: Blue Bell Garage, off the Greenfield/ Rushyford Road.

Birdy Bonanza- Part 1

Friday 19th February - 10am – 12 noon

To celebrate National Bird Box Week help make a home for the many small birds that live in West Park. You can then help the local expert to find a suitable tree to put your box with a little guidance. Booking Essential.

Meet at: the Boat house in West Park

Birdy Bonanza- Part 2

Friday 19th February - 2pm – 3.30pm

Birds need extra help to find food over this severe winter, spend some time making your own bird pudding recipe that you can take away and put in your garden to help the birds.

Meet at: the Eco Centre, Moore Lane

All events are free of charge. Booking is only essential if stated above. All children should be accompanied by a responsible adult. To book or to find out more information please contact Great Aycliffe Town Council on 01325 300 700.

Elaine Vizor who completed a photographic study of the production of Aycliffe’s scupture "The Head" is exhibiting her work in Durham. 11 of her prints of "In Our Image" is in the Media Centre of Clayport Library in Durham, which is quite an honour.

"I am showing my works as a member of the Durham Photographic Society. The exhibits are on a theme and I was asked to exhibit on the project I did of the Aycliffe sculpture, so it is an Aycliffe exhibition in that sense" said Elaine. There’s an explanation of Elaine’s project on the pillar in the library which is a good plug for Aycliffe and the artist J. Hillier. The prints went up on Monday and should be there for about six weeks.

Councillors have agreed the appointment of the firm to build the 38-bed centre which replaces the existing Aycliffe Young People’s Centre across the A167 – which looks after some of the most vulnerable young people. Members of Durham County Council’s Cabinet agreed to appoint Heron Brothers as the contractor to build the new £13.9m centre.

Coun Claire Vasey, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People’s Services at Durham County Council, said: "This is an extremely important project – not just for the council and the young people the centre cares for but also for the local economy as it will bring a much-needed boost to the construction industry.

"Heron Brothers was identified as the preferred bidder following a robust procurement process and I am confident they will provide the high quality facilities that we require."

The firm demonstrated a clear understanding of the requirements of the centre, and showed a strong commitment to the project, focussing on the needs of staff and young people. It had a wide range of experience and expertise having been involved in similar projects elsewhere.

A substantial part of the funding for the project has come from the Government and the National Treatment Agency. The remainder of the funding will be provided by the County Council and through income generated by the centre.

This includes a renewed contract with the Youth Justice Board through which Durham County Council will provide secure services for young people at the centre until 2014.

Work to rebuild the centre, within the existing site, will begin in February and the new facilities are expected to be in use by summer 2011. The current centre will continue to operate as normal throughout the building programme.

The secure centre will be housed within five smaller units, one of which will be a high-dependency unit which will support young people with substance misuse issues. It will include educational and vocational facilities, visitor and meeting rooms, indoor and outdoor communal space, offices and training rooms. It will also be installed with high-tech security systems.

The secure children’s home, looks after young people aged between 11 and 17, many of whom have committed criminal offences and have been sent there as a result of court proceedings.

On average a young person will stay at the home for around eight weeks but the length of a person’s stay can vary from a few days to up to two years. While they are there, young people are challenged to change their offending or anti-social behaviour and are given help and support to address issues such as substance misuse, mental health problems and self harm.

Dear Sir,

In response to the letter from the lady who was inadvertently locked in St Oswald’s Park, the Council would like to apologise for any distress caused.

It is the Town Council’s intention to provide quality parks and play areas for residents to use and enjoy. The park is locked at the times indicated on the signs located adjacent to the two entrance gates, however it is always the intention to check the park is clear of visitors before locking the gates.

Staff have been advised to be extra vigilant to ensure that the park is empty before locking the gates and leaving the site.

Andrew Bailey, Town Clerk

Nearly 150 primary school children will compete to be crowned the county’s top young swimmers next week.

Durham County Council’s second Primary Schools Gala Final will see 144 pupils from 12 schools take part including Newton Aycliffe in the competition at Freeman’s Quay Leisure Centre, Durham.

Aged seven to 11, the youngsters will take part in 12 individual races and one team event. Two winning schools from each of the School Sport Partnership swimming galas – held in Chester-le-Street, Derwentside, Durham, Easington, Sedgefield and Wear Valley/Teesdale – qualified for the final. All children will receive a certificate and the first three in each race will receive a medal. The overall winning school will be presented with a trophy by the Mayor of Durham, Cllr. Dennis Southwell.