In&Around March 2017

MARC H 2017

I S S U E 142

FREE

DA R KER OR DUMBER? We review the latest Fifty Shades film

OUR LATE ST PUB R EV IEW This month, we visit Durham City

W H AT ’S ON IN M A RCH Must-not-miss events across the region

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WELCOME....

Hello again to the latest issue of IN&AROUND!

THE TEAM DIRECTOR Benjamin Kerry MEDIA SALES Val Atkinson DESIGN TEAM Joe Crooks Ann-Marie Tulip Daniel Haley COPYWRITERS Gavin Lenaghan Jack Crute Craig Lenaghan Helen Duncan Ellen Rossiter SOCIAL MEDIA EXECUTIVE Alex Porritt CONTRIBUTORS Alex Nelson

So, the fact that you’re reading this confirms we managed to make it through the winter – the days are getting longer, the drizzle less frequent (well, maybe just a little bit less frequent – it’s still the UK, after all) and 2017 is really hitting its stride for many of our readers.

Wherever you live in Chester-le-Street, Durham or Derwentside to which we deliver our free monthly magazine, there’s plenty of exciting stuff in the March issue for you to read. As a matter of fact, it might be a great time to start advertising with us.

Call our lovely Val on 0191 388 2698 or email her via sales@ inandaroundmag.co.uk, and you’ll be able to learn more about our competitively priced advertiser packages, including our discounted three and six-month plans.

We’d like to say a massive “thank you” once again to all of our readers, advertisers and contributors – we really couldn’t do it without you! With your support and feedback, let’s make the April issue of IN&AROUND the best yet.

Bye for now!

DISTRIBUTOR Malcolm Cranston

Congratulations to last month’s competition winners, all winners have been notified.

The IN&AROUND magazine is delivered to thousands of homes and businesses every month in Chester-leStreet, Durham & Derwentside with an estimated readership of over 100,000.

We are the largest FREE monthly publication in North Durham and we are also pound for pound the cheapest form of printed advertising in North Durham, If you would like to advertise with us please call 0191 3882698, with prices starting from only £40+vat per month, every business large or small can afford to promote themselves across North Durham.

DISCLAIMER - Whilst we take every care to ensure accuracy in this magazine, we regret that we cannot accept responsibility for any incorrect information. All advertisements are accepted in good faith as to their veracity and we are not responsible for views expressed by contributors or other sources. The copying of any material within this publication is strictly forbidden without the publishers or Studio Managers consent.

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Film review: Fifty Shades Darker

P

Grey’s insistence that he’ll leave behind his BDSM proclivities if she’ll only agree to a reunion.

One of central female character Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson)’s most memorable lines to Jamie Dornan’s robotic Christian Grey in this curiously formless sequel may be “I was being romantic and then you go and distract me with your kinky f**kery”, but if anything, director James Foley seems intent on making as much of an impression of the former as of the latter.

Creepiness and unpredictability that barely registers interest Tracked down by Grey at an exhibition where she is creepily never told in advance by her photographer friend that all of the works depict her, with her estranged billionaire lover duly informing her that he has purchased each and every one, our ‘Ana’ agrees to reignite their romance regardless. She only agrees to meet him over dinner because she is “hungry”, apparently, but the two quickly agree to reconcile on the grounds of “no rules, no punishment and no more secrets.”

erhaps one of the most important points to make about the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise - whether we refer to the licence-toprint-money series of EL James novels that kickstarted the ‘legend’, or the first critical bomb, but commercial smash film - is that it was never as near-the-knuckle as its purported image.

Not quite the height of erotica Fifty Shades Darker is as thoroughly erotic a film as the equivalent EL James tome is as thoroughly erotic a book – that is, not very. In an age many decades after the primes of Helmut Newton and Sex-era Madonna, sexual dominance and submission have gained an acceptable, sanitised face in the Fifty Shades phenomenon – thereby becoming so mainstreamed as to lose much of its former sense of transgression.

By all means, if your idea of the very height of throbbing kink is consensually spreading your lady’s legs apart with something resembling a giant spanner before proceeding to have vanilla sex, Darker – only appropriately named in the most lukewarm sense – is certainly the sub-porn film for you.

Otherwise, Darker borrows liberally from the copybooks of the most conventional romantic dramas, not least the notion that the man who really loves his woman can change. Such is this patchwork, incoherent feel of Darker from start to finish, there’s not even a question of us buying 6 | IN&AROUND

It’s a storyline arc more transparent than any lingerie Steele might see fit to don.

On and on it all goes, along lines by turns predictable and inexplicable – but the latter not interesting enough to get many pulses racing.

At one point, “$25,000 every 15 minutes” Grey suffers a helicopter crash, for no apparent reason.

As doubts and fears reign over his fate, he reappears back in Seattle with only a little bit of blood on his temple to so much as indicate that his life was ever in the balance.

One of his former subs turns up with a gun, is supposedly sent to the psychiatric ward and is never mentioned again. Ana’s boss attempts to rape her and is fired – helped by the fact that Grey has now taken over her employer. You get the idea.

Fifty Shades Darker isn't a complete waste of time, and provides decent enough thrills for a trip to the cinema with your own special 'dominant' or 'submissive' - but expect as much mawkishness as masochism.

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Places to go... Aachen Chester-le-Track, as well as being a leading retailer of domestic rail tickets, is also a member of AERA which is the Association of European Rail Agents. Every year, AERA members have an excursion by train into Europe, and for 2016 we went to Aachen by Eurostar to Brussels and onwards on the Deutsche Bahn ICE train to Aachen, which is an important stop on the route to Cologne (KÖln).

Aachen, also known as Aix-la-Chapelle, is a spa and border city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Aachen was the preferred residence of Charlemagne c.742 – 814, and, from 936 to 1531, the place where 31 Holy Roman Emperors were crowned Kings of the Germans. Charlemagne was the first of the Holy Roman Emperors, and is buried in the Cathedral which was (like Durham) declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Aachen is the westernmost city in Germany, located near the borders with Belgium and the Netherlands: the tripoint is just west of the city. Aachen’s industries include science, engineering and information technology.

In ww2, Aachen was the first German city to be captured by the Allies, and its residents welcomed the soldiers as liberators. The city was destroyed partially – and in some parts completely – during the fighting, mostly by American artillery fire and demolitions carried out by the Waffen-SS defenders. Damaged buildings included many medieval churches, although Aachen Cathedral was largely unscathed.

Only 4,000 inhabitants remained in the city; the 8 | IN&AROUND

rest had followed evacuation orders. Its first Alliedappointed mayor, Franz Oppenhoff, was assassinated by an SS commando unit, for daring to start the postwar reconstruction of his city whilst other parts of Germany were still fighting the Allies. But let’s not mention the war.

We had a walk around the old town, visiting the Rathaus (City Hall) and the ancient Cathedral which is a Roman Catholic church. The Christmas markets were well under way with an intoxicating mix of goodies which as a practising diabetic were strictly off limits.

When the Eurostar service to Paris and Brussels started in 1994 out of Waterloo, it had to use crowded suburban lines south of London. Since 2007, the Eurostar has run from St. Pancras via HS1, right next door to King’s Cross where the trains from the north-east come in. At one time is was envisaged there would be through trains into Europe from cities like Newcastle, and indeed there was for many years a train path at 09.57 from Newcastle into Waterloo.

But it makes more sense to use any train via London, giving multiple journey opportunities instead of just one direct train a day.

Eurostar is now carrying more passengers to Paris and Brussels than all the competing airlines added together. 68 UK stations (not including Chester-leStreet) have through fares, and Eurostar has extended its tentacles to Lyons, Marseilles and beyond, plus the leisure services to ski resorts and Disneyland.

PLEASE MENTION IN&AROUND WHEN CONTACTING ADVERTISERS Eaglescliffe Station: Station Road, Eaglescliffe, Stockton-on-Tees, TS16 0BT

Our partner in European and other foreign rail travel is Rail Tour Guide, a small business based in Pink Lane, Newcastle, just opposite Central Station. David Glover and his team are also AERA members and we refer business in both directions. Aachen in a day is perfectly doable (but expensive) if you stay overnight in London beforehand, but it’s better to stay in Aachen

for two nights (or more) and see the City properly. Why not go now before Brexit makes a visit more complex? If going by Eurostar, always ask for a CIV ticket to London International rather than the normal London Terminals ticket. It’s cheaper, and under international rules you can travel on the next train out if you have been delayed.

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WHAT’S ON TV

LETHAL WEAPON Adapting such a beloved franchise as Lethal Weapon for TV was surely always going to be a risk. However, it seems that this iteration of the buddy cop classic may have just about pulled off the almost impossible feat of standing out in its own right, with reviewers drawing particular attention to the good chemistry between Damon Wayans and Clayne Crawford. This month, after a successful run on Fox in the States, it finally airs on ITV here in good old Blighty.

For the benefit of newcomers to all things Lethal Weapon (are there such people?), the show focuses on the relationship between the slightly unhinged Navy SEAL-turned-police officer Martin Riggs (Crawford) and the veteran detective trying to minimise the stress in his life, Roger Murtaugh (Wayans).

Other cast members include Jordana Brewster as police department psychologist Dr. Maureen Cahill, Keesha Sharp as Det. Murtaugh’s loving wife Trish Murtaugh, and Kevin Rahm as Captain Brooks Avery, the Commanding Officer of Robbery-Homicide Division.

As ITV Director of Television Kevin Lygo commented when it was first announced that the show was coming to the channel: “It’s rare that we find an acquisition with that sweet spot potential – the best production values and hugely entertaining drama, that we think can appeal to the biggest and broadest audiences and take up a place in ITV primetime.”

Wild Things

Designated Survivor

Whether you see it as a modern-day It’s a Knockout with a nature theme or just – in the words of one reviewer in The Independent – “dressing up silliness and outright bonkers behaviour”, it’s fair to say that Wild Things has brought out the animal in many of us. It’s back on Sky 1 this month for another series, which we expect to be once again hosted by Kate Humble and Jason Byrne.

Canadian star Kiefer Sutherland returns to TV as Tom Kirkman, a US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development who suddenly becomes President after an unprecedented attack on the night of the State of the Union address that claims the lives of the commanderin-chief and all other members of his Cabinet. Kirkman – the designated survivor – is immediately sworn in as President, but is unaware that the attack is merely the beginning of what is to come.

The idea behind the show is that four teams of two people – relatives or couples – complete challenges on a woodland obstacle course to win gold coins. However, the twist is that one member of each team must be the Wild Thing, meaning that they have to be dressed as a large woodland animal such as – to give examples from previous series – an owl, stag, chicken or wolf.

With the Wild Thing unable to see through their costume, the second team member is forced to act as their guide.

As you can probably imagine, hilarity ensues.

10 | IN&AROUND

Sutherland is joined in the cast by Natascha McElhone as First Lady Alex Kirkman, while Adan Canto plays White House Chief of Staff Aaron Shore. The next part of the first series of the show – described as “a fastpaced, quickly engrossing escapist political action fantasy” by review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes – hits Netflix this month.

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EASY-TO-OVERLOOK GEMS IN COUNTY DURHAM

The Parish Church of St Mary & St Cuthbert

Lumley Castle If you have ever visited Durham County Cricket Club’s Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street, we struggle to imagine that you would have failed to be struck by the sight of Lumley Castle. This picturesque structure provides a sumptuous backdrop for the ground and now houses Lumley Castle Hotel. Furthermore, it has a lengthy, fascinating and eventful history.

This 14th-century quadrangular castle, which is today Grade I listed and still owned by the Earl of Scarborough, is named after Sir Ralph Lumley. A popular and brave soldier who in 1388 had helped to defend Berwickupon-Tweed, he decided to convert a Manor House into a castle. Not that he got to enjoy that new residence for long; after being involved in a failed conspiracy to overthrow the then King of England, Henry IV, he was imprisoned before being executed in 1400.

This resulted in the Lumley family’s wealth and land being handed over to the Earl of Somerset. However, the Earl died in 1421 without a son to inherit the castle, which therefore reverted to Lumley ownership. Thomas Lumley, Sir Ralph’s grandson and a key figure in the Wars of the Roses, owned the castle until 1485 – when upon his death, his son George took over.

While Lumley Castle was, for a time in the 19th century, a residence of the Bishop of Durham, it was also a hall of residence for students until the 1960s, when Durham University sold it. In 1976, accommodation group No Ordinary Hotels gained the tenancy of Lumley Castle before turning it into a globally renowned hotel.

Its imposing appearance and intriguing history has doubtless added to its appeal for many people choosing to stay in Chester-le-Street.

12 | IN&AROUND

If you were among the thousands of people who went to see the ancient book of the Lindisfarne Gospels when it was on temporary display in Durham a few years ago, there’s still an opportunity to see it right here in the county. Well, sort of. A facsimile copy of the Gospels is kept at the Parish Church of St Mary & St Cuthbert in Chester-le-Street – and you can view that copy when the church is open and stewards are available. But why is that facsimile there in the first place?

It’s the result of an appeal that was launched in October 2003 and called upon local businesses and organisations to put money towards a fundraising target of £7,000.

This money would be used to purchase the facsimile – but the money actually raised far exceeded the original target, reaching in excess of £10,000!

That’s a heartening sign of the enthusiasm that people in Chester-le-Street have for local history – and that shouldn’t be such a surprise…

The Lindisfarne Gospels manuscript was, befitting its name, originally produced on the Northumberland island of Lindisfarne, at the end of the seventh century.

However, when Viking raids led the monks of the Lindisfarne monastery to flee in 875, they took the Gospels with them. They took the manuscript to Chesterle-Street, then named Conceastre or Cunecaster, and built a wooden church that they dedicated to St Mary and St Cuthbert.

The Lindisfarne Gospels was still in the church when, sometime between 947 and 968, bishop Aldred provided a Latin-to-English translation of the text. He wrote the new words, translated into Old English, above the original text. That English translation of the Gospels is the oldest that has survived to this day. The wooden church, meanwhile, was replaced with a stone church in the eleventh century – and the current building is itself an amazing relic.

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The Allure of Napoleon at The Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle If you’ve ever visited The Bowes Museum in the town of Barnard Castle, you might have noticed that “the little corporal” – yes, we mean Napoleon Bonaparte – casts a long shadow over many of the exhibits. Perhaps, within the museum’s walls, you have seen Anne-Louis Girodet’s magnificent portrait of Napoleon in the robes that he wore for his coronation as Emperor of the French.

Alternatively, perhaps, you have caught sight of Louise Marie Jeanne Mauduit’s portrait of Napoleon’s sister Pauline, looking rather more butter-wouldn’t-melt than she was in real life…

Both of these portraits – and many of the museum’s other Napoleonic exhibits, which include busts of many members of the Bonaparte family – were indeed made when Napoleon was leading France. However, the fact that all of these exhibits are in this museum at all hint that John and Joséphine.

Bowes, the couple who founded the museum during the Victorian era, were at least somewhat fascinated by the Emperor. Even decades following his death, he continued to hold a strong allure – as attested by a temporary exhibition at The Bowes Museum, ‘The Allure of Napoleon’.

How much were the Bowes fascinated by Napoleon?

This exhibition, which brings together a broad range of the museum’s Napoleon-related objects, runs until 19th March and while it remains on display, is intended to shine light on the rise and nature of the Napoleonic cult.

Paintings, prints, sculptures and books are all here, ready to be admired in a single room tucked away in a corner of the building. Once you have bought your ticket for The Bowes Museum, you might need to turn to the provided map of the building to prevent the entrance to this little room escaping your notice.

14 | IN&AROUND

However, once you are actually in the room, you could find yourself utterly entranced by the exhibits. The bulk of the museum’s Napoleonic collection was acquired when John and Josephine were Paris residents during Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte’s rule of France, several decades after the first Napoleon’s imperial rule. LouisNapoleon himself became Emperor of the French in 1852, so during his rule, which lasted until 1870, the first Napoleon clearly would have had a renewed relevance that might have helped to stoke the Bowes’ interest.

A powerful allure that has persisted to this day However, so strong was the impact of Napoleon’s legend at the time that we can easily imagine John and Joséphine to have foreseen how much public interest Napoleon would continue to attract even in 2017. In ‘The Allure of Napoleon’, the exhibits are divided into five themes: ‘The Political Chameleon’, which identifies various phases of Napoleon’s period of prominence; ‘The Fall of a Titan’, where Napoleon’s fall is chronicled through rare prints; ‘Luxury Reborn’, which looks at the First Empire’s influence on the decorative arts; ‘A New Dynasty’, which includes portrayals of Napoleon’s wider family; and ‘The Napoleonic Legend’, a look at Napoleon’s posthumous image.

If, unlike me, you have only rudimentary knowledge of Napoleon and his times, you could be excused for feeling rather bewildered by this exhibition. While the exhibition does include a constant loop of an animated film telling the general story of Napoleon’s rise and fall, you remain likely to get more out of the exhibition should you already have in-depth Napoleonic knowledge to which you are now seeking to add.

Still, if you really are a complete novice about all things Napoleon, we can’t think of a much more fun way to enlighten yourself than by looking at the well-known portraits. The museum’s shop is also offering a tie-in ‘The Allure of Napoleon’ book that is well worth picking up.

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MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, OR JUST DEPLORABLE? A REVIEW OF DONALD TRUMP’S FIRST MONTH IN OFFICE So, how was it for you? At the time of this article being written, Donald Trump is approaching the milestone for his first 30 days as US President.

Depending on your political affiliations, you may have watched the former Apprentice star’s early weeks in the Oval Office with excitement as he duly got to work on making good his promise to “make America great again”, or trepidation as he lived up to all of the worst fears you have had about his presidency since his shock election win in November.

First of all... erm, #MAGA While, from the mainstream media’s point of view, Mr Trump may seem to be almost permanently mired in controversy, for his passionate and loyal supporters, this is simply another selling point of a President not bound to the usual political rules.

Even his sternest critics can’t deny that his early days as President have been intensely busy ones, marked most controversially by what has become known – whether accurately or inaccurately – as the “Muslim ban”, a ban on entry to the US from seven Muslimmajority countries. A late January poll showed that 49% of American adults either “strongly” or “somewhat” agreed with Mr Trump’s executive order, compared to 41% that “strongly” or “somewhat” disagreed.

However, whatever the state of public opinion, the President has had trouble getting the ban to stick – at the time of this article being written, the ban had been suspended in court, with another federal appeals court having refused to reinstate it.

Waging war against “fake news” Whether or not you agree that Mr Trump has been making America great again, he’s certainly been making Twitter great again with his unashamedly provocative 16 | IN&AROUND

tweets that have spoken directly to his loyal fans and critics alike. His characteristically colourful response to his latest legal setback was a booming “SEE YOU IN COURT, THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE!” that quickly attracted more than 50 million ‘retweets’ from users of the site.

The new President has taken a similarly combative approach to the mainstream media – including declaring a CNN reporter “fake news” in a press conference before even taking office. Another media outlet to receive repeated admonishments from Mr Trump is The New York Times, although his claim that the newspaper is “failing” is contradicted by the net increase of about 132,000 paid subscribers that it received between the election and the end of November alone.

However, The Federalist writer Daniel Payne is among the many to have come to the new President’s defence on the subject of his relationship with reporters. He commented – in an article entitled 16 Fake News Stories Reporters Have Run Since Trump Won – that “since at least Donald Trump’s election, our media have been in the grip of an astonishing, self-afflicted crisis. Despite Trump’s constant railing against the American press, there is no greater enemy of the American media than the American media. They did this to themselves.”

It’s been quite a ride so far, and with a President as unashamedly ‘box office’ as Mr Trump, we’re sure it’s only the very start of the thrill and drama. Keep holding on tight, everybody...

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PUB REVIEW

Market Tavern, Durham City Even the most cursory visitor to historic Durham simply has to be familiar on some level with the Market Tavern, which is one of the city’s oldest landmarks at 27 Market Place.

Certainly, on my visits here, it has been hard not to glance in the direction of this three-storey squared sandstone building. Unsurprisingly, the pub - apparently the second oldest in Durham - has many rich historical associations, including as the place where the Durham Miner’s Mutual Association was formed in the late 19th century.

Still, what has the Market Tavern got to offer to the early 21st-century visitor? The range of drinks is certainly as formidable as you might expect from an establishment that has had such an extended period of time to ‘get it right’, a generous selection of real ales being accompanied by a similarly extensive wine list. The pub is evidently especially proud of its range of cask ales, including its special pale ale, the 1730. However, on my visit, I admit to doing such a marvellous drinks offering a disservice by ordering my usual pint of Guinness, together with a £9.99 bacon and cheese burger from the food menu.

It’s not a food menu that’s exactly as unique as you might imagine it to have been in times past, as the pub is now part of the Taylor Walker chain, albeit one of the few establishments under its banner outside central London.

In all case, any fears that the Market Tavern may turn out to be “just another” cosy traditional British pub are probably missing the point somewhat. In an age of even the most ‘old-school’ boozers becoming Champagne wine bars, the Market Tavern offers all of the warm welcome - and unpretentious food and drinks - that surely makes a great British pub a great British pub.

The decor certainly seems to be reassuringly un-appeasing to what may be termed 21st-century “mores”, with even the layout of the pub pleasingly higgledy-piggledy. After passing through the narrow entrance section and ordering 20 | IN&AROUND

at the bar, I turned left into another slender area housing tables. As I was warned, there was a 25-30 minute for food, but with at least one happy concession to modern Durham life - free Wi-Fi - to distract me in the meantime, I hardly had much reason to complain. That was especially so in such a comfy and safe environment, with a clientele - certainly on the Sunday lunchtime I visited - clearly of an older variety enjoying a quiet chat and drink.

My burger arrived, and while it did admittedly fall apart and drizzle everywhere on my initial attempt to eat it with my hands - leading me to finish the rest with a knife and fork it was hard to argue with the tastiness, or the friendly and responsive service.

I even helped myself to an Oreo cookie cheesecake before heading back out into the Durham early afternoon sun. Having spent so many years walking past the Market Tavern with a glance, I suspect I’ll continue giving this welcoming establishment much more than just an admiring look on my future visits to Durham City.

Food Drink Variety Atmosphere Price

Gavin Lenaghan Content Manager

Overall

4.5

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Get ready to play Beat the Street and join thousands of people in Ferryhill, Chilton and Chester-le-Street as all 3 towns are transformed into a giant walking and cycling game.

Running from 29 March to 17 May, Beat the Street is a free, fun challenge delivered by Intelligent Health on behalf of Durham County Council which will turn Ferryhill, Chilton and Chester-le-Street into a massive game where people are rewarded with points and prizes for exploring the town on foot or bicycle.

Play with your school, business or community group and see how far you can travel together - compete against other teams for the chance to top the leaderboards and win hundreds of pounds worth of prizes.

For more information about Beat the Street in Ferryhill and Chester-le-Street and to find out how to get involved - visit beatthestreet.me/clsferryhill

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GREENTHUMB SOWS SEEDS OF SUCCESS GreenThumb lawn treatment service continues to grow across the region.

Fusarium, as well as pests such as leatherjackets and chafer grubs.

Since GreenThumb Durham started in May 2000, the family-run business has proved to be a great success.

Water conserver and growth regulator treatments are also available. These services by GreenThumb professionals costs less than some D.I.Y products on the market.

Owners Adrian Russell, wife Janet and daughter Lisa expanded the business in 2013 by launching a neighbouring franchise in Tyne Tees, and now the company has thousands of customers throughout the area.

A team of five lawn operatives work hard to keep the region’s lawns looking lush, covering the following areas: Durham, Consett, Chester-leStreet, Birtley, Washington, Sunderland, Peterlee, Seaham, Gateshead, South Northumberland, Hexham and Derwentside.

Services include: fertilizing, weed spraying, moss control, hollow-tine aeration and scarification.

The team also tackle other common problems such as Red Thread and 22 | IN&AROUND

Adrian said: “Our aim is to continue to expand with an order book full of satisfied customers.”

GreenThumb Durham and Tyne Tees also run a recommend a friend scheme.

If you are satisfied with their service, why not recommend a friend or family member and receive £10 off your next appointment.

Direct Debit payment is accepted and there’s discount available on various gardening packages. Gift vouchers are also available

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Call in to our showroom: Renny’s Lane, Dragonville Ind. Est. Gilesgate, Durham. DH1 2RS Mon –Fri: 7am to 5pm Tel: 0191 3742070 Sat: 8am to 12 noon Ample Car Parking

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CHESTER-LE-STREET Postcard view of South Burns showing the fountain in Mr Murray’s Garden on the right.

To the left The Joiners Arms and the old brewery. The Brewery site dates back to 1767, it was rebuilt in 1877.

Brewing ceased in 1923 and the building was converted in 1930 to the Queens Cinema.

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WHAT’S ON IN COUNTY DURHAM

Exhibition on Screen: I, Claude Monet at The Witham, Barnard Castle When most of us today hear the name ‘Monet’, we may think mainly of his sun-dazzled canvases, but the story of the man who became one of the most influential and successful painters of the 19th and early 20th centuries is also one of depression, loneliness and even contemplations of suicide.

It’s all told in gripping and insightful fashion in this documentary by award-winning director Phil Grabsky,

drawing upon letters and other private writings and shot on location in Paris, London, Normandy and Venice.

To grab your tickets for this cinematic immersion into one of Western art’s most loved and iconic scenes, simply call 01833 631 107 or visit www.thewitham.org.uk. The screening takes place at 7:30pm on Tuesday 7th March, and you’ll pay £14 adult or £12 concession.

Old King Coal at Beamish Museum This celebration of the North East’s rich mining history marks its fifth year in 2017, and it’s fair to say that there’s plenty planned.

Perhaps your own interest will be most captured by the parade of the local schools at 11:30am on the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of the event, or even - at 1:30pm on the Saturday and Sunday - the parade of miners’ banners and brass bands from the Town to Pit Village, and in which you can take part yourself?

All of that is without mentioning the mining banner exhibition that you will be able to observe in the Collections Study

Room near the museum’s Open Stores, or the opportunity to learn how the North East’s Pit Villages supported the war effort while continuing to supply essential coal.

There will be plenty more than that to revel in for those of you of a musical inclination, including the chance to listen to local folk music and performances in Hetton Band Hall and the performance marquee in the Pit Village.

Alternatively, of course, you could simply tap your foot along to the brass bands that will also be participating in the weekend parades.

It all happens from Wednesday 29th March to Sunday 2nd April, and you can find out more about it by calling 0191 370 4000, from 9am to 4pm Monday-Friday, or navigating to www.beamish.org.uk.

Danny Baker at Gala Theatre, Durham Whether you most strongly associate the Deptford native with his early print journalism career with NME, his TV reporting for London Weekend Television (LWT) in the ‘80s or his more recent appearances on such shows as Shooting Stars, Have I Got News For You and QI, there’s no question that Danny Baker has graduated from ‘acquired taste’ status to a true national treasure.

However, that doesn’t mean he’s quite ready for our mantelpieces just yet. The accompanying blurb says his 30 | IN&AROUND

outing at the Gala Theatre from 7:30pm on Wednesday 8th March will see him “make Springsteen and Dodd look like short changing slackers” - and we’re not sure that we’d want him any other way.

As IN&AROUND went to press, tickets were still available - £20 standard, £18 concession - from www.galadurham. co.uk, or by calling the box office on 03000 266 600.

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BEYOND CHESTER LE STREET/ DURHAM

Gateshead International Jazz Festival 2017

Huddersfield Literature Festival

There’s something for all tastes at this year’s Gateshead International Jazz Festival, which runs from Friday 31st March to Sunday 2nd April at Sage Gateshead.

Since its first running in 2006, the annual Huddersfield Literature Festival (HLF) has played a key role in the literary scene of West Yorkshire, running author talks, creative writing classes and competitions, multi-arts events, LGBT events, performance poetry and open mic events.

Among the headliners are award-winning singer Claire Teal and her 17-piece Hollywood Orchestra, as well as Mercury Award-nominated GoGo Penguin in a double bill with Shobaleader One, the brand new project from Squarepusher.

Also not to be missed is an Afro-Cuban triple bill comprising electric bassist Richard Bona, Cuban pianist Alfredo Rodriguez and Shabaka and the Ancestors.

The full line-up can be viewed at www.sagegateshead. com, where you will also be able to learn about the Jazz Multibuy that enables you to buy tickets for two or more concerts and save money - those booking four concerts or more, for example, can save £4 per ticket.

For more details and to book, call the Sage Gateshead ticket office on 0191 443 4661.

Quentin Blake: Inside Stories at Laing Art Gallery

This year’s festival will run from 4th to 19th March and be based on the theme of ‘Courage’, with events to be held at a number of Huddersfield venues, often for free and at low cost. These venues will be largely accessible ones, with some events having live subtitling by Stagetext for the benefit of deaf, deafened and hard of hearing audiences.

Among the many well-known figures set to appear at this year’s festival are Alan Johnson, Jenni Murray, Ian Rankin, Julie Summers and Henry Normal.

Find out more about the festival and book tickets at www.litfest.org.uk, or call 01484 943 093.

Sir Quentin Saxby Blake will always be a beloved figure in the world of illustration for his work in relation to the books of Roald Dahl. But he has enjoyed an extremely wide-ranging career since the 1960s, with one of the most recent books that he has illustrated being The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams.

These various stages of a remarkable creative career are charted in this Laing Art Gallery exhibition from 11th March to 8th July, also demonstrating Blake’s use of a wide range of different techniques and media, including inks, watercolours and pastels. The results - as those of us who grew up with Blake’s work know - are highly distinctive and truly unforgettable illustrations.

Through the viewing of first roughs, storyboards and finished artworks, visitors will be able to gain great insight into how Blake’s ideas evolve, often in close collaboration with the authors. Also featured in the exhibition are his illustrations for books by John Yeoman, Russell Hoban and Michael Rosen, as part of a comprehensive display of more than 100 pieces of original art.

Full booking and admission details were yet to be announced as IN&AROUND went to press; visit www. laingartgallery.org.uk or call 0191 278 1611 for the latest information.

32 | IN&AROUND

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DECORATOR FOR 15 YEARS

HANDYMAN SERVICE FULL ROOMS FROM £60 TOUCH OF CLASS DECORATING

OAP 10% DISCOUNT NO JOB TOO SMALL

01207 234588 07821 218480

Mitchell House, Ravensworth Road, Birtley, Co. Durham DH3 1EW

Tel. 0191 410 7930 Email: birtleyhire@live.co.uk

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A Class Pass gives you unlimited access for one month to group exercise classes at Consett Leisure Centre, The Louisa Centre and Leisureworks’ Community Exercise Programme for only £35.

With no contract it’s the perfect way to take part in lots of different classes including…

Special Offer: Get a MyZone physical activity belt for only £55 when you buy a Class Pass at Consett Leisure Centre.

The Louisa Centre

01207 218 877

Front Street, Stanley DH9 0TE

Consett Leisure Centre

01207 218 151

Medomsley Rd, Consett DH8 5HU

The facilities are provided by Durham County Council and operated by Leisureworks.

Download your Group Exercise and Pool timetables at

www.leisureworks.net

Click on the Health & Wellbeing tab to download the Community Exercise timetable.

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PLAY & LEARN

FREE for 2, 3 4 year olds and

Childcare at it’s best from 0-5 Call: 0191 4111488 St. Benet’s Way, Ouston, Chester-le-Street DH2 1QX

www.edengardennursery.com

FEET FIRST PODIATRY - CHIROPODY HOME VISITING PRACTICE also available Pamper Parties - Gift Vouchers

Kim Pratt

NORTH DURHAM BR

ANCH

The group exists to help the 1 in 500 people who have Parkinson’s and their carers. We provide help and information through our monthly meetings, exercise classes, outings programme and creative writing class. All are welcome.

Our Forthcoming Programme of Speakers Friday 31st March Bill Saunders Expert local historian, and former Beamish Guide, on `The History of the Co-Op.’ Friday 28th April Musical Entertainment `Fools Gold’.

Folk songs and their historical background, by this excellent singing duo.

Friday 26th May The Art of the Metal Detectorist. A fascinating insight into this fun activity that has important archaeological impacts.

B.Sc (Hons) M.Ch.S. HPC REG

Tel: 01207 281015 07939189267

Contacts T 07594 207 131 E northdurham@outlook.com L North Durham Branch PO Box 644

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HOME OF FANTASTIC FRESH LOCAL FOOD AND CRAFT ALE FROM SONNET 43 BREW HOUSE

WINE & DINE

FOR £29.99 ENJOY A 3 COURSE MEAL FOR TWO AND A BOTTLE OF WINE From a set menu. Available throughout March .

Not in conjunction with any other offer. Excludes Sundays.

to BOOk call us on 0191 387 1162 North Road, Chester Le Street, County Durham, DH3 4AJ Restaurant Opening Times: Mon-Fri 12noon-9pm, Sat 12noon-9.30pm, Sun 12noon-7pm Bar Opening Times: Mon-Thu 11.30am–11pm, Fri & Sat 11.30am – 12 midnight, Sun 12noon–10.30pm

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TheLambtonWorm

@TheLambton

@TheLambton