As we leave another successful year and look forward to new challenges in 2019, I reflect on the myriad of events and outings ACORN has achieved in 2018.

The annual ACORN Petting Zoo held at Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre continued in its 7th year to entertain, educate and raise funding for local groups. We thank County Councillors Adam and Hopper for their sponsorship of this event.

The Big Lottery Fund continues to support our friendly community group allowing ACORN to provide low cost outings to places such as Whitby, Bamburgh, Scarborough, South Shields, Skipton, Leeds, Whitley Bay, South Lakes Zoo and Forbidden Corner.

ACORN have provided our junior group Little Acorns with an Easter Egg hunt, Halloween Party at the Leisure Centre which encouraged families to have fun together, a funday held on our local green and a Christmas outing to see Santa at Hall Hill Farm where they were entertained and enthralled by a selection of animals from rabbits to llamas. As we go forward into 2019, we look forward to taking 70 people to the Gala Theatre to see Snow White and the 7 Dwarves.

It would be remiss of me not to thank all of those organisations and individuals who have supported us over the last year from Honest John, The PHOENIX Club, who allow us to use their premises as our home base, Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre who host many of our annual events. Wilkinsons, Boyes, Tesco and Gregg Little for donating raffle prizes. Special thanks also to those individuals who gave their time to knit prizes and who volunteered to help run our events.

ACORN has given support where we can to other groups and welcome to the community scene Neville Residents Association and Aycliffe Village Residents Association to whom we offer help and support.

Merry Christmas to all our supporters and friends and best wishes for the year to come.

Ken Robson

on Behalf of Acorn RA