News

Community Conservation

A conservation event event will be held at Broompark picnic site on Sunday 26th May 2013 between 10am and 12noon. Further details see below:

BroomparkCommunityConservation.pdf

Friends of Langley Moor

The next meeting of the group will be held on Thursday 13th June 2013 at 7pm in the Parish Council Offices, 6 Goatbeck Terrace, Langley Moor. Please come along if you are interested in making a difference in Langley Moor. Further details about the group can be found under the community information link on the left hand side of the page.

New Funded Lower Back Programme

Enquiries are invited for the first Brandon & Byshottles parish based programme of Cardi-Back which has been running across County Durham since 2010. The programme is aimed at adults with a history of lower back pain and consists of 8 weekly sessions delivered by Platinum Physiotherapy and Personal Training. In order to ensure the programme will take place, please register your interest and an information pack will be sent to you. See notice below for more information and contact details:

CardBackposter.pdf

Concessionary Bus Passes

Older people and those with disabilities are about to be sent a new concessionary bus pass to replace their existing one before it expires.
The passes entitle pass holders to free travel or concessions on local bus services and half price travel on certain local train services.
Durham County Council has checked records before re-issuing the passes, but there is a chance that some new passes may be issued in error if people’s circumstances have changed.
If people receive a pass which is incorrect or no longer required, please call 03000 268 667.
If you are entitled to a pass and haven’t received a new one by 18 March 2013 please call this number also.
For further information see www.durham.gov.uk/buspassrenewal

'Well if you had bothered to ask me...........'

The above consultation exercise which took place between July and October 2012  attracted 591 respondents(307 adults and 284 children and young people) from  a selection of villages within the Mid Durham AAP area. The top three concerns identified were Young People, Support for the Voluntary & Community Sector and Road Safety and Highways. In the coming months  individual village discussions will take place to examine and develop solutions to each village’s priority concerns. For the full results see below:

Well if you had bothered to as me results of survey.pdf

New Boxing Club in Brandon

A new Boxing Club has recently opened in Brandon and has proved so popular that an extra session will be starting from next week. From Tuesday 29th January sessions will be held on Tuesdays for over 11's  6-7pm and Thursdays Under 11's 5.30p.m.- 6.15pm and Over 11's 6.30-7.30p.m.
Julie O’Connor from Brandon Carrside Youth Club kindly agreed to the Club using their premises at Carr Avenue Brandon .The Boxing Club is run by Alex Oliver who approached the Parish Council for assistance in purchasing equipment for the club. The Parish Council saw this as potentially an excellent facility for Brandon and were pleased to help out with a donation of £750. Alex has plenty of experience as he boxed for Spennymoor for 15 years travelling all over the world such as New Zealand Australia and America . He had approximately 75 fights(winning more than he lost!) and fought current professional North East Champion Gary Fox, beating him twice. Alex’s brother Adam and cousin Simon will be assisting Alex with the coaching, they also have experience of boxing in the Army to a high level (Simon boxed future world title challenger Darren Barker). Alex’s son Callum hopes to follow in their footsteps once the club is fully affiliated with the ABA .
The Chairman of the Parish Council, Cllr Anne Bonner met Alex, Adam and Callum  at the Parish Council meeting on 18th January 2013.

Quality Status for Brandon and Byshottles

The Parish Council has just been awarded re-accreditation of Quality Status for another four years. The Parish and Town Council scheme was launched in 2003 with the aim of providing a benchmark minimum standard for parish and town councils throughout the country. Councils are required to pass a number of tests such as qualifications of the Clerk, accounting procedures and community engagement, to name a few, in order to achieve Quality Status.

The Council will be applying for re-accreditation in September 2016.  

New Job Club in Ushaw Moor

A job club for 16-19 year olds has just been set up at The Hive in Ushaw Moor and held its first session on 27th November. The club will help young people loking for work to improve their employability skills. See the link below for more information:

Job Club, The Hive.pdf

Volunteers help to spruce up park

The newly-established Friends of Langley Moor group, local residents, parish and county councillors, and Durham County Council’s civic pride and clean and green teams came together to paint the external fencing and gates of Holliday Park, in Langley Moor in September 2012.

The project is part of plans to develop a master plan for the long term future of the park, in partnership with Brandon and Byshottles Parish Council, Durham County Council, Mid Durham Area Action Partnership and the Friends group.

The work is being carried out to improve the appearance of the park and it is also hoped that it will help to recruit more members to the Friends group.

Ushaw Moor Playsite

Installation of the new playsite at Ushaw Moor is now complete.The final design for the site which is adjacent to Deerness Gymnastics Academy was chosen by the primary school children following an approach to the parish council and the AAP from local youngsters living in Ushaw Moor.

Beautiful Durham Competition

The Parish Council has organised the Beautiful Durham Schools Painting Competition since 1989. The Competition is open to all primary schools within the parish and the theme for the paintings can be anything relating to 'Beautiful Durham. The Competition is divided into the following categories:

• Nursery
• Primary
• Years 1 and 2
• Years 3 and 4
• Years 5 and 6

with 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes of £15, £10 and £5 book tokens being awarded in each category. Twelve schools entered the competition this year and the local ward members judged the paintings within the schools.

The Chairman of Durham County Council, Councillor Linda Marshall and her husband, David judged the overall 1st prize winners in the council offices on 10th July 2012. The Chairman of the Parish Council, Cllr. Anne Bonner, presented trophies to the following overall winners(listed below) at the Parish Council meeting on 20th July:

• Kate Hughes - Langley Moor Nursery
• Harvey Wright - Browney Primary
• Mason Ainsworth - Esh Winning Primary
• Elisha Dawson - Brandon Primary
• Leah Porter - Browney Primary

The competition will be held again in 2013 and we are hoping for more outstanding efforts from our local children.

At the Parish Council meeting on 18th May 2012 Councillor Anne Bonner was elected as Chairman for the coming year. Councillor Bonner has served on the council since the elections in May 2007 and is an active member of the community. Councillor Bonner was presented with the Chain of Office by out-going Chairman Councillor Nelson. Councillor Bonner will be supported by her husband, Frank throughout her term of office.

One Point

Need help?
Need advice?
Then you need One Point.
 
Working together, staff from the NHS and Durham County Council created a unique service to provide a “one stop shop” for support, advice and a range of activities for children, young people and their families. This includes support from early pregnancy to the age of 19 years and for some children and young people who have a disability, up to the age of 25 years.
 
This service is called One Point and makes it easier for you and your family to access:
 
• Health Visiting
• School Nursing
• Educational Welfare
• Behaviour Support
• Educational Psychology
• Personal Advice (formerly Connexions)
• Youth Work
• Family Support
• Anti-bullying
• Personal Support
 
Services are offered through 10 new One Point Service offices located throughout the County as well as our existing Sure Start Children’s Centres, Youth Centres and a number of Health Centres to extend the reach of the Service into the heart of our communities.  
 
If you wish to find out more about our service please contact us on: 03000 26 11 11 or visit: www.durham.gov.uk/onepoint. 
 
Past Chairman's Charity Evening

The Past Chairman's Charity evening was held on Friday 30th March and raised £2003 for Brandon Community Hall. Councillor Brian Nelson, the Past Chairman of the Council would like to express his sincere thanks to everyone who contibuted to the night and helped to make it such a great success.

Dog Pooh Bags

Dog Pooh Bags are now available free of charge from the following locations:
Council Offices, 6 Goatbeck Terrace, Langley Moor
Lloyds Chemist, Brandon
M & M Chemist, Meadowfield
Brandon Library
Langley Moor Post Office
Wendy's Shop, New Brancepeth
Ushaw Moor Post Office
G & S News, Ushaw Moor
Esh Winning Library
Woodland Road Communal Hall, Esh Winning

Please be a responsible dog owner and make use of this free service.

Brandon Village Community Garden

A Community Garden project which opened in September 2010 is looking to attract more visitors. The garden was created by Brandon Village Residents’ Association, who have transformed a former derelict allotment into an amenity that can be enjoyed by the whole community – young and old alike.  The area boasts a wildlife pond, wild flower meadow, raised vegetable beds, fruit trees, greenhouse and seating areas. The Garden Committee, along with other volunteers, spent hundreds of hours clearing and preparing the land, planting, and building paths, fences and walls.  The team is keen for the wider community to enjoy this wonderful and unique space which will be open on Easter Sunday and then the first Sunday in each month, 2pm to 4.30pm until 28 October.  Private viewings can be made for individuals or groups by contacting Tom Sharples on 07710359584. The garden can be seen below and on the Brandon Village website: www.brandonvillage.org.uk