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Ushaw Moor Community on Streetlife
A new social networking site that’s geared towards your local area, use this to chat about stuff happening in Ushaw Moor.
It can be community issues,crime, selling your stuff, events in fact anything you want to chat about.
Streetlife makes it easy to connect and share with your neighbours.
From Streetlife.com vid on youtube.
Social networking has changed the world, but to be honest, it can be a little…frivolous. Which is fun now and again, but trying to find someone local to talk about something meaningful can be frustrating. Say you want to meet like-minded people nearby, or share skills and possessions? What if you’ve got important news to tell your neighbors, or you want to volunteer in your local community? Knocking on doors is awkward, you never have time to talk over the garden fence, and your social network’s no use, because it only connects you with people you already know. And they could live…ANYWHERE.
Epipheo Studios shows you how Streetlife gives you an easy way to find people nearby in the UK who care about the place you call home.
Sign up below.
via Ushaw Moor Community.
Video on Youtube telling you what it’s all about.
Driving safety forward
Companies in County Durham are being reminded of their responsibilities for their employees who drive for business purposes.
Durham County Council is working with small and medium-sized businesses to help them ensure they comply with legal requirements and have appropriate health and safety policies in place.
All employers have a duty to ensure, as far as reasonably practicable, the health and safety of their staff, including in relation to work-related driving.
The council’s road safety team is offering advice and guidance to companies to help them to ensure they comply with the law.
And thanks to funding from the Mid Durham Area Action Partnership, the team is also offering free driver taster sessions to companies within the AAP areas of Castleside, Lanchester, Esh Winning, Ushaw Moor and Brandon.
The sessions are aimed at demonstrating driving techniques that reduce fuel consumption, reduce maintenance required on vehicles and result in safer driving.
In addition, companies in the Bishop Auckland and Newton Aycliffe areas with staff who drive vans, company and private cars while at work are also being offered training courses focusing on safe and fuel efficient driving. This training has been made possible through funding from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund.
Alan Kennedy, road safety section manager at Durham County Council, said: “The legislation is clear that companies must have policies and procedures in place to manage and reduce the risks to staff who drive while on company business.
“It applies to all companies, even small start-ups, and therefore it’s essential that they know their responsibilities and comply with them.
“The road safety team is here to give advice and guidance to businesses to help them effectively manage their work-related road safety.
“With funded courses being available for company drivers in some areas of the county, businesses cannot afford to neglect this area of their responsibility.”
Companies can find out more about their legal responsibilities and whether they can take advantage of the free training by contacting the council’s road safety team on 0191 383 3767 or 0191 383 3769.
Ends.
Gymnastics: GB team call-ups for Deerness Valley starlets – Grassroots – Sport – ChronicleLive
FOUR Newcastle gymnasts are among those flying the North East flag at this week’s European Senior and Junior Acrobatics Championships.
A 15-strong party from Durham’s Deerness Valley Gymnastics Club will be representing Great Britain at the event, in Varna, Bulgaria, which started yesterday and runs until Saturday.
It includes Dorian Walker, who studies at Newcastle University, Joe Charman and Conrad Dempsey from Northumbria University and Michael Gill of the city’s Royal Grammar School.
The acro-gymnasts are all aged between 12 and 21.
Deerness Valley gymnasts make up nearly half of the Great Britain team and were selected following national trials held earlier this year.
Four of the senior squad of 15 and 11 of the junior squad of 22 are from the Ushaw Moor-based club.
The senior gymnasts in the men’s group are Jesse Heskett (17) from Sunderland, Matthew Evison (19) from Esh Winning, Walker (21) from Durham City and Richard Hurst (21) from Esh Winning.
via Gymnastics: GB team call-ups for Deerness Valley starlets – Grassroots – Sport – ChronicleLive.
Weekend Walks: Autumn ablaze in Deerness Valley – David Miliband – Shields Gazette
At first I thought the valley was on fire. And then realisation dawned, it wasn’t flame but autumn colours.
A large part of the Deerness Valley in County Durham is covered with trees, and the red and yellow foliage of larch, beech, sycamore and ash made for quite a sight.
Particularly spectacular were the falling leaves. Like some great tendril of flame, they were swept down the valley by a howling gale.
My walk began in Esh Winning and took me west along the banks of the River Deerness.
The remains of the area’s industrial past can be glimpsed in amongst the trees. This included a small archway of age-blackened brickwork I came across, on the river shore.
Wonder what its original purpose was? I mused.
The most noticeable relic of that past is the Deerness Valley Railway. Opened in 1858,
READ MORE
via Weekend Walks: Autumn ablaze in Deerness Valley – David Miliband – Shields Gazette.
Gleeson Homes plans to develop former Infant School site
Gleeson Homes & Regeneration, part of MJ Gleeson Group Plc, have recently agreed purchase of the fomer Infant School Site at Cockhouse Lane, Ushaw Moor, from Durham County Council. The firm plans to redevelop the site with a range of 2,3 and 4 bedroom traditional two storey homes for low cost private sale to local people. All properties will have off street parking, front and rear gardens and built to latest energy efficient standards.
A planning application is expected to be made in Novemeber 2011 with work starting on site in the new year.
Gleeson would welcome views from the community regarding the proposals and more information can be obtained by visiting www.mjgleeson.com. email info@mjgleeson.com
Deerness Gymnastics Academy
New Website www.deernessgymnastics.org.uk
Home to World, European and British Champions
The aim of the academy is to offer children of all ages and abilities the opportunity to participate in gymnastics at a recreational or a competitive level in a supportive and friendly environment.
The Academy currently embraces a range of gymnastic disciplines and has consistently produced World, European and British Champions with more than 60 “Team GB” members.
The facility comprises a 15,000 sq ft purpose-built gymnasium, a dance studio, a preparation gymnasium, activities room, various fitness rooms, a sauna and changing rooms with showers.
Home to World, European and British Champions
Deerness Leisure Centre bounces back from closure threat as gymnastics academy (From The Northern Echo)
OVER 25 years, Deerness Gymnastics Club has produced more than 80 international gymnasts and brought home more than 60 world and European medals – winning four world and five European titles.
And all this came out of the small village of Ushaw Moor, in County Durham.
Coaches, parents and gymnasts alike were devastated, therefore, when, earlier this year, Durham County Council announced plans to close its base, Deerness Leisure Centre, in a move to cut costs.
However, volunteers put together a successful rescue package and yesterday the centre reopened as a gymnastics academy.
Karl Wharton, the academy’s director of gymnastics, said: “It’s our aim to run it as a gymnastics community facility, where we cater for everyone from mothers, toddlers and babies through to high-level international performers, right through to old age pensioners who want to come along and do something gymnastics-related just to keep fit.
“This facility is immensely important. It was identified as an Olympic training venue two or three years ago and it is immensely important for British gymnastics.
“We’ve currently got more than 15 of the acrobatic gymnastics GB squad and ten of the tumbling squad.
“We were all devastated at the leisure centre’s closure because we never expected that decision could be made “Initially, there was shock. But we decided there was no way we would let it go. Parents and helpers have come on board and now we have 150 volunteers who want to keep it open as a true community facility.”
Lesley Charman, whose 19-year-old son, Joe, is a member of the club, said: “It’s made a massive difference. It’s really helped with his confidence.
“He’s much more outgoing since he’s been coming to gymnastics. It has helped at school as well.”
Jessie Heskett, 17, who is part of the British champions senior men’s four, trains at the centre five times a week, for four hours at a time.
“It was quite disappointing to hear about the closure – there was panic to be honest.
“But the plans we have now are very exciting. It gives us a lot more freedom and flexibility.
“Without this club, we couldn’t have been as successful as we have been.”
Durham County Council-run leisure centres in Crook and Ferryhill closed on Saturday, although community groups are still fighting to prevent them being demolished.
Centres in Sherburn and Coxhoe will reopen as community-run facilities in coming months, while the council is retaining Pity Me’s facility on reduced hours.
For more details about Deerness Gymnastics Academy, visit deernessgymnastics.org.uk
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