Christine and Eric Knowles rang Newton News from Langdale Place outraged by the bad name given the whole estate in recent press and TV coverage.
“We have lived here almost 30 years after buying our house, making it our home and enjoying life in Newton Aycliffe. We could not believe what is being said about this area where we have only ever witnessed one incident”. said Christine.
“Granted there are kids that make a noise now and again during school holidays, but that happens everywhere and you have to learn tolerance” added Eric.
Christine originally came from Tow Law and she met Eric at a Country & Western Evening in Bishop Auckland. Eric spent a lot of his early life in Cyprus where his father was in the military, he attended Woodham Comprehensive, leaving first to work for Concordia Wire and then BIP, (now Ineos), for 35 years until made redundant.
The couple are both classed as disabled, and fill their time keeping a nice garden, craft work and genealogy. It was through interest in their ancestry that Eric discovered he had a relative who was at Rorke’s Drift made famous by the film “Zulu”. His massive file on Private Caleb Wood destroys a lot of the myth behind the film. Caleb was a soldier in the Sherwood Foresters and it was not only the Welsh Regiment who fought, nor did they sing “Men of Harlech” during the Zulu attack which in fact was a slaughter where dead natives were piled knee high.
Christine a keen crafter was one of the first in the queue when Crafters Companion opened last Friday and she was delighted to see them move to Aycliffe.
Christine and Eric were keen to show there is another side to every story and the area is not as bad as painted. They hope in their area if you exercise a little understanding and recognise there is always a minority in every town which display bad behaviour.