Hundreds of people gathered together at Locomotion, National Railway Museum, Shildon on Sunday 31st August to celebrate the inaugural service of the Bishop Auckland and Shildon Methodist Circuit which includes Newton Aycliffe.
The Revd. Ruth Gee, Chair of the Darlington Methodist District and ex  President of the Methodist Conference was the preacher and the music was led by Shildon Salvation Army Band.
The Bishop Auckland and Shildon circuits have been working towards this merger for some time bringing together a total of 15 Methodist congregations.
Locomotion was the ideal venue particularly with its links to Timothy Hackworth who brought Methodism to Shildon and who was himself a Methodist local preacher

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(Left to right) Revd.’s  Graham Morgan, Ruth Gee,
Emma Morgan & Keith Phipps.