Work has begun on a new secure children’s home in County Durham.

Residents were on hand with Durham County Council Vice Chairman Mac Williams to cut the first sod at the site in Newton Aycliffe.

The £13.9million 38-bed centre will replace the existing Aycliffe Young Person’s Centre- which looks after some of the most vulnerable young people- with modern, fit for purpose facilities.

Councillor Claire Vasey, Portfolio Holder for Children and Young People, said: "This centre offers a vital service in helping those young people to address their problems and turn their lives around.

"It’s essential that we have the right facilities to support these young people and the reinvestment also helps in the regeneration of the Newton Aycliffe area and ensures we secure the skills in the workforce that are so very valuable."

Part of the funding for the project has come from National Government and the National Treatment Agency. The remainder of the funding will be provided by the County Council and 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.

The new centre is expected to be in use by 2011 with the current centre operating as normal throughout the building programme.

Councillor Mac Williams, Vice Chairman of Durham County Council, said: "This new facility will be vital for the, often very vulnerable, young people it will serve and I am delighted to be here at the very beginning of this very exciting project."

Photograph: Councillors Claire Vasey and Mac Williams with National Treatment Agency Sponsor Beverley Oliver. (red coat)

Shildon Methodist Circuit is delighted to be sponsoring ‘An Evening with Dana’ at Shildon Civic Hall on Thursday May 10th @ 7.30pm.

The evening features Dana in a programme of great music from her chart-toppers and Eurovision to rock `n roll and back again, with an opportunity to hear about the life, work and faith of this international singing star.

The former Eurovision song contest winner has enjoyed enormous commercial success in a career now spanning more than 40 years. Her eight chart-toppers include three top-ten singles All Kinds of Everything (1970); Please Tell Him That I Said Hello (1975); and It’s Gonna Be A Cold, Cold Christmas (1975).

Tickets for this event, £10 each, are available from ‘The Box Office’ Tel. 01325 319098 or 01388 772604

A special 2 day sexual health roadshow specifically for young male students was held at Bishop Auckland College main site and at the College’s Skills and Employment Centre in Spennymoor.

NHS staff and Teesside Positive Action group were on hand to answer questions and delivered activities which included an interactive session looking at various STIs on a large screen showing the male and female anatomy, the different infections and their affect on the body.

Using beer goggles which simulated the affects of three levels of alcohol consumption, there was a practical session to demonstrate the difficulty of using condoms while under the influence of alcohol

An opportunity was given to undertake a simulation of checking for signs of testicular cancer also a session on considering delaying sexual activity. Students were also encouraged to take a Chlamydia test.

The roadshow featured a live musical street dance act to promote an alternative fitness workout for students.

Organiser Patrick Townsend (College Youth Development Worker) said "It’s vital for young men to be more aware of their sexual health. According to research by National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles the total number of new episodes of selected STIs in men and women aged 16–19 years seen at genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics in the UK rose from 46,856 in 2003 to 58,133 in 2007, an increase of 24%.

Research also showed one in five young men said they wished they had waited longer to start having sex. The event was a great success and one of the first of its kind to target an all male audience. Feedback on the event showed students appreciated and more importantly understood the message of safe sex and personal health and wellbeing".

On Saturday 20th February John Short had a charity party to celebrate his 70th birthday and he raised over £1300 for Help the Heroes Fund.

The party was held at the Scout Hall home to the local South West Durham REME (Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers) Association. John would like to thank the Scout Association for the free use of the premises.

The hall was at capacity as all his relations and friends paid tribute to John at this momentous occasion. John did not really want a fuss for his birthday, and said rather than have any presents he would like a party with a difference raising money for the Help for Heroes fund.

A raffle for a football signed by the Sunderland team, raised £120. - nearly enough to buy a new player! There was also a big raffle with prizes ranging from a hamper of beer, champagne, and lots of wine and spirits as well as the usual prizes.

There was a video presentation for the Help the Heroes fund and presentation showing a slide with pictures of John over the years, and there were even some in black and white where John had dark hair!

Johns links with the Army began when he joined the DLI, in 1958 and then the REME at Newton Aycliffe 1964, He went on to serve his time as a recovery mechanic, rising to a well respected Staff Sergeant who taught new recruits to be competent recovery mechanics. John retired from the Territorial Army after completing 26 years and has been a member of the South West Durham REME Association since it was formed in the 1980’s and is now chairman.

The Association wish John well for the coming years.

Aycliffe FC have paid tribute to the small number of dedicated fans who turned out to help the club install the first half of their new stand last week.

The 113-seater construction, costing £20,000, was delivered to Moore Lane Park, on Wednesday February 24th.

The club had to make do with dropping one half of the two-part stand on the opposite side to its eventual location, but club bosses have praised the volunteers who worked hard to create a temporary road for the truck so it didn’t damage the neighbouring Cricket and Rugby pitches.

Chairman Gary Farley said: "With the help of some committed volunteers and men from DK Steel, who our sponsor Kenny Green kindly afforded us for the day, we managed to get one half of the stand over in a task which proved a lot harder than we’d envisaged. "We knew it wasn’t going to be straight-forward, but torrential overnight rain made the ground even softer.

"The volunteers all put a tremendous effort into creating a temporary road for the lorry, using sheets of plywood and corrugated iron mesh, so the least damage possible was caused.

"We plan to take it over to the concrete base on the other side of the ground, as well as take the second half over, when the ground firms up, but it’s difficult to say now when that might be. It may seem like a negative result right now, but try telling that to the guys who bust their guts getting the first half over there!

"Some of the lads booked days off work to help out and we’re indebted to them for their commitment. Our manager Allan Oliver was joined by committee men Dave Brassell, John Gaskarth and Martin Walker as well as fans such as Peter Allison, Frankie Swinburn and Ian Hughes – a big thank you to all of them for a cracking job and a huge thanks to Kenny Green again for his support.

Aycliffe’s last two home games, against Crook Town and Sunderland RCA, were postponed last week and are yet to be re-arranged.

They’re due to go to Stokesley this Saturday and are scheduled to welcome Jarrow Roofing to MLP next Saturday (March 13).

FIXTURES

Sat March 6th: Stokesley (A), 3pm

Sat March 13th: Jarrow Roofing (H), 3pm

Tues March 23rd: Thornaby (A), 7.30pm

Sat March 27th: Washington (H), 3pm

Sat April 3rd: Northallerton (A), 3pm

Sat April 17th: Team Northumbria (H), 3pm

www.newtonaycliffefc.co.uk