Durham County Council’s household waste recycling centres winter opening hours come into effect from 1st October and residents are asked to check site opening times before they visit on Durham County Council’s Household Waste Recycling Centres (tips) website.

Durham County Council has a household waste recycling centre leaflet explaining the site opening hours and what household waste items can and cannot be taken to sites.

Household waste recycling centres are for household waste only and businesses and landlords are not permitted to take rubbish to these sites. Residents who own a van, minibus, trailer or pick up will also need to apply for a waste permit to access the site or if they need to dispose of hazardous household waste.

Brandon Boxing which opened last year with the help of the Parish Council is going from strength to strength and sessions are now 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.

The Club, held in Brandon Carrside Youth 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 assists 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.

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 Durham County Council’s One Point website.

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. 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: