Durham Durham County Council’s employee magazine

New yearchallenge

Exceptionalemployeesrecognised atawards ceremony.see page 4

Tourism campaignexceeds jobs target.see page 9

Sign up to ditchthe booze inJanuary.see page 6

Decem

ber 2014

DynamicDurham

Time to shine

Could relocating the council’s headquarters help to attract thousandsof new jobs to Durham City?

That’s the question which is the main focus of the next phase of thecouncil’s office accommodation programme, which has so far reduced theauthority’s office space by over 31,000 square meters and saved £800,000per annum in running costs.

As well as looking at the council’s requirements for a headquarters, theproject will look at how the current County Hall site could be used to attractmore investment and jobs to Aykley Heads - a key element of the CountyDurham Plan and the Durham City Masterplan.

It is hoped that potential options for a new headquarters will be identifiednext year, but it could take several years to plan and complete the project.

The initial stages will include informing and engaging managers andemployees, in addition to reviewing options available and learning fromother large organisations that have relocated.

The project also aims to use the review to improve how the council works bycreating environments that support employees to work more effectively.

County Hall in the spotlight

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Drink driving– don’t risk it!

George Garlick,Chief Executive

Cover: Employee of the Year: Maintenanceofficer Scott Creighton. See page 4

Your magazine…your news Do you have a story you would like to see included in the next edition of Buzz?

Just let us know by contacting: buzz@durham.gov.uk, call 03000 268 067 or write toBuzz, Internal Communications, Durham County Council, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UF.

welcome

As we near the end of anotheryear, what better way to markit than to celebrate theexceptional work of individualsand teams here at the council.

Great Staff, Great Stuff aims torecognise the outstanding workof employees, and during thepast year hundreds ofindividuals and teams havereceived instant recognitioncertificates for going above andbeyond what is expected ofthem.

This month, our annual awardslooked to find the best of thebest, and what a difficult task itwas with the standard ofentries being so high.

But our deserving winners havetruly gone that extra mile,making significant contributionsto our vision of being an‘altogether better council’. Socongratulations to them and allour finalists for their greatachievements.

And thanks to everyone acrossthe council for continuing todeliver your best and ensuringthat we are one of the leadingauthorities in the country, a factreflected in the honour of beingnamed LGC Council of the Year2014.

Enjoy a well-earned break andhave a happy Christmas andNew Year.

Drivers are being warned to stayoff alcohol completely as thepolice launch their campaign tocrackdown on drink driving overthe festive period.

Last Christmas more than 2,200drivers in County Durham werebreathalysed as part of the annualdrink drive initiative.

Traffic officers will be out on theroads again this festive period withcampaign activity taking place duringevenings, nights and also earlymornings.

During the campaign not only willmotorists be stopped and tested atrandom, anyone involved in a trafficoffence or traffic collision will alsohave to take a breath test.

On average 3,000 people each yearare killed or seriously injured in drinkdrive incidents and one in sevenroad deaths result from crasheswhere the driver was over the drinkdrive limit.

If you are found to be over the limit,penalties can range from losing yourlicence through to a prison sentence.

3

The council’s main buildings will shut over the festiveperiod following the success of last year’s trial closure.

The Corporate Management Team has agreed to close anumber of offices from 12.45pm on Christmas Eve toMonday, 5 January 2015.

These include all nine customer access points, in addition to:

Spectrum 8, Spennymoor Green Lane and Crook CivicCentre will also close, although parts of these buildings willbe accessible to Children and Adult Services teams thatprovide 24/7 services and essential cover.

Some employees may need to be on standby, or provideessential support during the festive closure period, butmanagers or supervisors will advise on this.

Members of staff on holiday can agree with their linemanager to take a combination of annual and flexible leave

during the closure.

For those who do not operatewithin flexi-time arrangements,time off should be agreed withmanagers, who can considerallowing staff to make up amaximum of seven and a halfhours at a later date.

On Christmas Eve, flexi-time will only beaccrued for hours worked. Within flexi-time arrangementsthe minimum working day is four hours. Therefore providedthat these hours are worked, time off in the afternoon neednot be recorded as a flexi half-day and will not count aspart of the flexi-leave entitlement for the recording period.

In addition, employees can, with their manager’s approval,buy up to ten days additional annual leave.

If you require further information contact your HumanResources link officer or email:hradviceandguidance@durham.gov.uk

To find out about opening hours of leisure centres,libraries, children centres, adult day centres and registeroffices over the festive period, visit:www.durham.gov.uk/festive

l Annand House,Meadowfield

l Comeleon House,Tanfield Lea

l County Hall l Durham Town Hall l Northumbria House,

Aykley Heads

l Old Bank Chambers,Bishop Auckland

l Royal Corner Offices,Crook

l Seaham Contact Centre l Stanley Council Offices l Stanhope Town Hall l Teesdale House.

Counting the cost of ChristmasThe cost of Christmas can stack up but help and supportis available to people struggling with their finances.

The Money Advice Service has been set up by government tooffer free, unbiased financial advice.

The website - www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk - contains arange of topics and functions, including information on recentbenefit changes, who to speak to locally, budget planner, anda mortgage calculator. Alternatively call 0300 500 5000.

The council is also partners with credit unions NEFirst andPrince Bishops Bank and both organisations offer loans toemployees who join them.

Credit unions use the money being saved with them to helplocal communities make ends meet with fair loans that willhave lower rates than payday lenders.

Any member of staff can join and have the amount they wishto save deducted directly from their salary. For moreinformation contact:l Prince Bishops Bank - 01207 232 351

www.princebishopscommunitybank.org.ukl NEFirst Credit Union - 0191 375 7677

www.nefirstcu.co.uk/home

Office Christmas closures

Give more than athought...

festive news

Christmaspay dateThe pay date for allemployees this yearwill be on Friday, 19 December.

Caring employees are being asked to donate foodto help people in need.

Two Durham Foodbank collection bins for tinned andnon-perishable packaged food can be found at the staffentrance and at the stairs next to main reception atCounty Hall.

The charity, which currently helps hundreds of peopleeach month, will collect and distribute the items to foodbanks around the county. These organisations will thengive the food to people identified by care professionalsas being in a crisis situation.

For more information on other drop-off points visitwww.durham.foodbank.org.uk

Excellence in the spotlight at staff awards Work to transfer ownership ot the council’s housing stock to; delivering a world-class lightfestival; and the outstanding dedication to keeping leisure centres running smoothly, were justsome of the winning entries at the annual Great Staff, Great Stuff Awards.

In their third year, the awards represent the council’s appreciation of employees who haveshown exceptional commitment and contribution to providing residents with high qualityservices.

Finalists gathered on Monday, 1 December at County Hall where the winners of the fivecategories were announced.

Maintenance officer Scott Creighton was named Employee of the Year. Nominated by managerMark Lee for his unfailing dedication to ensuring the council’s leisure centres’ facilities workas they should, including attending sites during weekends and evenings to resolve problemsand perform temporary repairs.

Mark said: “Scott has a ‘can do’ attitude and never walks away from an issue, even providingsupport when he is on holidays.”

Scott said: “It’s a great honour to receive the award and is totally unexpected. I enjoy the job Ido and know how important leisure centre facilities are to the community, so I’m always happyto be there when needed.”

Speaking at the event, chief executive George Garlick said: “This event celebrates theoutstanding achievements of staff right across the council. Those nominated have beenrecognised by their colleagues as not only having contributed to the success of our authority,but as having done so to an exceptional degree.

“Congratulations to all the winners and finalists. They should be very proud of theirachievements and we are grateful for all that they have contributed to the council.”

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awards

StaffAwards

2014

Excellent ServiceWinner:Housing Stock Transfer

Highly commended: Sarah Caden and SusanStewart, Speech, Languageand Communication Needs.

Working togetherWinner: Lumiere Project Team

Highly commended:Welfare Response

InnovationWinner: Children Services SingleAssessment

Highly commended:Durham at War

Apprentice of the YearWinner: Emily Stewart

Highly commended: Liam Goodfellow

Team of the YearWinner: Durham in Bloom ProjectTeam

Highly commended: Digital Durham

Employee of the YearWinner: Scott Creighton

Highly commended: John Chapman

awards

5

StaffAwards

2014Kevin Lough receiving award on behalf of John Chapman.

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health

Can you stay dry in January?

Equipment Advice ServiceHaving family come to stay at Christmas should be anenjoyable experience but for some households it may meanextra preparation to ensure their home is accessible fortheir guests.

The Equipment Advice Service offers free, impartial adviceabout a wide range of products and services available tobuy or hire to help people live at home independently.

The team can give details of suppliers who will hireequipment such as wheelchairs and furniture risers for ashort time. They can even suggest other aids andadaptations which may make a home more accessible.

Contact the Equipment Advice Service between Mondayand Thursday, 10am to 3pm, on 0191 384 6726 or by emailon equipmentadvice@durham.gov.uk

Alcohol Concern’s Dry January campaign is an opportunity for drinkers to take a break and give up alcohol in January.

Now in its third year, Dry January aims to get people thinking and talking about their relationship with alcohol by abstainingfor a month. It’s hoped the benefits of the experience will encourage people to adopt healthier lifestyles during the rest ofthe year.

People who have gone dry in previous Dry January campaigns have experienced a range of benefits including weight loss,sleeping better, saving money, and learning that they don’t need alcohol to enjoy themselves.

Here are a few ideas to help you stay alcohol free during January.

Start a health kick If you’ve piled on a few pounds over Christmas then whynot make the most of Dry January by taking up a newexercise or sport during the month.

Chill out at the cinema Spend the money you’ve saved on cinema tickets andpopcorn and catch a blockbuster.

Make a mocktail Going out and not having a drink doesn’t have to be boring.You can always ask for the ‘virgin’ variety of your favouritecocktail - they taste just as good as the real thing – minusthe hangover.

Meet for a brew Instead of catching up over a beer or a glass or wine, meetfriends for a tea or coffee.

To find out more or to sign up, visit www.dryjanuary.org.uk. Alternatively come along to one of our Dry January staff roadshows and receive a free gift (while stocks last) at the following venues:

l Wednesday, 10 December: County Hall canteen, 11.30am - 1.30pml Thursday, 11 December: Meadowfield Depot canteen, 11.30am – 1.30pml Wednesday, 17 December: Spennymoor Green Lane offices canteen, 11.30am – 1.30pm

Start the New Year with a clear head by ditching the booze for a month.

For a chance to win dinner, bed andbreakfast at Best Western DerwentManor Hotel, just let us know thatyou’ve signed up to Dry January, eitheron the Dry January website or at one ofthe above roadshows.

Simply email buzz@durham.gov.uk by Monday, 5 January,stating ‘I’ve signed up’ in the subject box and tell us whatyou plan on doing instead of drinking.

Alternatively post to Internal Communications at theaddress on page 2.

Win!

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news

Early morning starts and working in freezing conditionsare just part and parcel of the job for the teams thatkeep the county’s roads clear in winter weather.

And for nearly 30 years, Gary Lawson has been playing avital role in trying to keep the highways free of frost, ice

and snow.

Gary combines working in the HighwaysMaintenance team with being a gritter driver.

He covers some of the highest groundand roads in the county, including TowLaw and Stanley, in addition to usingsnow blowers in Teesdale andWeardale.

“Gritting routes are set in order ofpriority, for instance the A roads firstthen Bs and a couple of C routes ifneeded,” explained Gary.

“My route covers 90km; 55km ofwhich has to be salted.

“We’re normally told by 5pm on a night or 4.30am the nextmorning if we’re on call. But if there’s heavy snowfall or achange in the weather, like rain that could freeze, we wouldget about an hour’s notice. This can happen at any time butcall-outs only happen about two or three times a year.”

After doing the job for three decades Gary obviously takesthe ups and downs of the job in his stride.

“I’m used to the early starts and late nights after doing thejob for so long,” said Gary.

“The gritter isusually easy todrive but when theweather is very badyou really do needyour wits about youas the vehicle canbe a handful on theice – and the roadswon’t have beensalted before weget there!”

It’s all part of the job…

Winter readySnow and iceAround 1,700km of roads in County Durham are pre-saltedto prevent ice and frost forming. If heavy snow falls, we willclear main routes first to keep public transport running foras long as possible. To find out about priority routes, visitwww.durham.gov.uk/winterroads

Salt bin refillsSalt bins are for gritting roads and footpaths. If a salt binnear you needs refilling, call 03000 26 1000 or report itonline at www.durham.gov.uk/saltbins quoting the number onthe top or side of the bin.

SandbagsWe can provide sandbags when there are flood or severeweather warnings. To request sandbags for flooding on thehighways, or to report flooding in your home, go towww.durham.gov.uk/sandbags or call 03000 26 1000. Thereis an out-of-hour’s service.

PotholesPotholes are more of a problem during the winter. Highwaysare inspected and maintained, but you can report a defecton the highway at www.durham.gov.uk or call 03000 26 1000.

The council is all set for when the winter weather arrives:

Stay safe on the road this winter with a seasonal vehiclecheck at one of the council’s service centres.

The checks cover everything from tyres, lights, battery andwindscreen wipers to anti-freeze, starter systems andheating.

The checks, along with MOTs, are carried out by qualifiedtechnicians and are available while you wait. They arecompetitively priced at £26, with full MOTs from £42.

For further details visit www.durham.gov.uk/MOT.

Only£26including VAT

Wintervehiclehealthcheck

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green living

National awardfor reuse scheme A scheme which has seen more than 2,200 tonnes offurniture and household items saved from disposaland provided for families on low income has won anational award.

The County Durham Reuse forum received the BestPartnership Award from the LARAC (Local AuthorityRecycling Advisory Committee), the national localauthority watchdog on recycling standards.

The forum, a partnership with the council, has six reuseschemes across the county which supplied around 24,000households in 2012/13 with a variety of items rangingfrom sofas and beds to tables and chairs.

They also provided 189 full or part-time jobs with helpfrom 210 volunteers and 84 work training placements.

Terry Collins, the council’s corporate director ofNeighbourhood Services, said: “This award is testamentto the hard work and dedication of everyone involved. Itrecognises the very positive feedback we have receivedfrom the public and the fact we have been able to help somany people.”

The forum was highlighted as working successfully withpartners in providing help and support to the county’smost deprived communities.

The County Durham Reuse forum includes: Kings ChurchFurniture Reuse, County Durham Furniture Help Scheme,East Durham Partnership, Woodhouse Close ChurchFurniture Project, Consett YMCA and Haswell MencapFurniture Enterprise.

For further information on the forum and how you candonate or buy items, visit www.durham.gov.uk/reuse

A restored country house, an iconic communitybuilding and a group of floral fanatics were the bigwinners in this year's record-breaking County DurhamEnvironment Awards.

Lartington Hall, a listedcountry house was judgedoutstanding in the BuiltEnvironment category,after being restored inkeeping with its 17thcentury origins.

Also recognised in theBuilt Environment category was The Witham, a key part ofBarnard Castle’s heritage. After its future was secured foruse by the local community, the building was designed toprovide cultural and commercial facilities for a wide range ofusers and includes the council’s customer access point andlibrary.

Completing the trio of outstanding entries was Durham inBloom, a community-based partnership including thecouncil and 14 other organisations, which was praised inthe Places and Spaces category.

The annual awards, which is now in its 25th year, isorganised by the County Durham Environment Partnershipand recognise great design, environmental achievementand community spirit.

This year saw a record 119 entries from all over the county,with 53 projects and individuals being shortlisted.

For a full list of the 53 winning entries, visitwww.countydurhampartnership.co.uk/envawards

L-R: Awards ceremony host Philip Ward; the council’s waste strategy andpolicy officer Rachel Gatland and waste strategy team manager VictoriaBurrell; award sponsor representative Victor Perez-Mares and DurhamCounty Council’s head of projects and business services Alan Patrickson.

Hat-trick foroutstanding winners

County leads the way for green businesses

Durham County Council is the first authority in thecountry to host the Department for Energy and ClimateChange's energy efficiency roadshow for largebusinesses.

More than 60 of the region's biggest businesses attendedthe event to learn about the government's Energy SavingsOpportunities Scheme (ESOS), which will support largeorganisations to identify energy efficiency measures andmake valuable financial savings.

The council is recognised as a national leader for energyefficiency, having made savings of more than £100,000within three years through promoting energy awarenessamong employees.

A tourism campaign has created 245 jobs and boosted the economyby £13m.

Eighteen months into Visit CountyDurham’s three-year nationalmarketing campaign, it has alreadyexceeded its targets.

The first stage of the campaign, from October 2012 to March 2013, focused onthe outdoors. The second stage, during spring and summer of 2013, looked atheritage.

The third theme, which was launched in September 2014, focuses on food anddrink.

The initiative featured posters on the London Underground and at majorstations such as London’s Kings Cross and Edinburgh Waverley, as well assupplements in national newspapers and magazines, including The Times andObserver Food Monthly.

Melanie Sensicle, Visit County Durham chief executive, said: “These jobsfigures, which exceeded targets set for Durham, demonstrate the extremelyvaluable contribution tourism is making to the local visitor economy.

“By working together with the county’s tourism industry we have delivered aseries of high profile marketing campaigns to encourage people to visit the areaand on the back of that created jobs and increased visitor spend.”

Durham’s campaign was part of VisitEngland’s three-year Growing TourismLocally project and was funded in part by the Government’s Regional GrowthFund (RGF).

Tourism

campaign

exceeds jobs

target Money supportwebsite launched

news

9

A Big Lottery Fund project aiming tosupport thousands of tenants tomanage their money better haslaunched a new website for CountyDurham.

The website helps people get the mostout of their money by showing themwhere to get affordable furniture,support with fuel costs and advice onbenefits, savings and low cost loans.

The Monkey project is a partnership ofhousing and voluntary sectororganisations across County Durham,including the council, working toimprove financial confidence amongtenants. The project has recently beenopened up to all social housing tenantsand to people who are applying forhousing through the Durham KeyOptions scheme.

Partners can help people to open bankand credit union accounts, find low costnew or pre-owned furniture, get moneyskills training or fuel advice and giveone to one support for people who needhelp with money worries.

For more information and to registeronline with the Monkey project, visitwww.monkey.uk.net

If you’re planning to buy newdevices that connect to theinternet this Christmas, you mayfind your broadband can’t cope.

With the help of the Digital Durhamprogramme, the availability of fibre-based broadband is expandingfurther across the county.

Fibre broadband brings a range of

benefits, from faster download andupload speeds, to saving money andhelping all the family get online at thesame time.

Once available in your area, you’llneed to upgrade to fibre broadbandas your current broadband servicewill not automatically speed up.

To find the best deals available use a

comparison site, then contact yourchosen provider to place your orderand be sure to mention that it’s fibrebroadband you want.

To check if you can get fibre-basedbroadband, use the Openreachpostcode checker at: www.superfast-openreach.co.uk/where-and-when/

Will your broadband cope this Christmas?

The biggest ever crackdown onflytipping in County Durham is now underway.

‘Operation: Stop It’ is running inpartnership with Durham Police,Crimestoppers and the EnvironmentAgency to target fly-tippers, in additionto making sure householders andbusinesses understand theirresponsibilities in making sure theirwaste is disposed of properly.

People are being urged to check anywaste removal companies or a ‘manwith a van’ they use are registeredwaste carriers. This can be doneeither online at www.gov.uk/find-registered-waste-carrier or by calling:03708 506 506.

To report fly-tipping incidents go towww.durham.gov.uk/flytipping or call03000 261 000.

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Go green during the festive season by reducing, reusing and recycling.

You can do this by following tips and advice:l Choose an artificial Christmas tree rather than a real one, so that you can

use it year after year.l If you do opt for a real tree, try sourcing it from a sustainable grower who has

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) accreditation.l When Christmas is over, take your real tree to one of the household waste

recycling centres. If you live in the county call 03000 26 1000 before Friday, 9January to arrange a free collection.

l Send e-cards to save paper. And remember to recycleyour cards by taking them to your local supermarket,putting them in your recycling bin or even by turningthem into tags for your gifts next year.

l Consider buying presents that don’t come with alot of packaging, such as theatre and cinematickets or gift experiences.

l During the festive period, we use about 30 percent more glass bottles and drinks cansthan the rest of the year, so remember toput your glass in your recycling box andyour cans in your recycling bin, along withpaper, cardboard and plastic bottles.

l Avoid using disposable table cloths, plates,cups and cutlery if you’re having a party.

For further information on what you canrecycle, visit:www.durham.gov.uk/whatgoeswhere

Changes to bin collectionsTo check changes to bin collections in County Durham over Christmas and the New Year visit www.durham.gov.uk/bins

Enjoy an eco-friendly Christmas

Sharing a lift to work adds up. Not only does it make the journeymore enjoyable, less stressful andparking easier, it can savecommuters thousands of pounds a year.

If a journey to and from work is 25miles, then sharing a car for just oneday a week across the year couldsave £322. Sharing the same journeyfor five days a week could save£1,610 over twelve months.

The authority has its own car sharescheme which matches up councilemployees who are looking to sharethe same commute.

Managed by Liftshare, the system issecure and personal details will notbe passed on to anyone unless thisoption is chosen when registering.

For more information, visit the liftshare page on the intranet or visitwww.durhamcountycouncil.liftshare.com

To find out how much you could savecar sharing, visit www.liftshare.com

Anyone signing up to the scheme before theend of January willbe entered into aprize draw to wina £50 shoppingvoucher.

green living

Share the car, the cost and the smile

Win!

11

close-up

In each edition of Buzzwe profile a team ormember of staff,highlighting theimportant work they dofor the council. Thismonth it’s the turn ofthe CorporateComplaints team.

The Corporate Complaints teamdon’t want other services to havea heart-sinking feeling when theyapproach them with feedbackfrom residents; they want them tosee it as a chance to improvewhat they do.

“It’s only by people telling us whenthings have gone wrong, or they’renot satisfied with our services, thatwe can learn from our mistakes andimprove how we work,” explainedservice improvement team leaderJoanne Wilkinson. “So although we

all welcome hearing about the good,we also need to know about thebad.”

And as the 13-strong team dealt withover 3,000 complaints during2013/14, the team are certainly keptbusy.

“The good news is that 96 per centof these complaints were resolvedwithin the council, without beingreferred to the external watchdog,the Local GovernmentOmbudsman,” added Joanne. “This

is a final option for complainants ifthey feel their concerns have notbeen dealt with appropriately.”

Resolving complaints can involvethree key stages. Firstly, wherepossible the team try to deal with theissue immediately, however, if that’snot possible the next step involvesthe service concerned working witha complaints officer to resolve theissue within 10 working days.

If the issue has not been settledafter this, the third stage would

involve an independent review by acomplaints officer.

“The complaints that come into theteam cover a wide variety of issuesfrom rats to planning applications,”said Joanne. “One of the current hottopics is charging for garden waste.”

“But whatever the issue, we alwaysdeal with customer feedback in aprofessional manner and ensure thatanyone calling the council knowsthat we take what they have to sayseriously.

“So it’s important that not only do we effectively capture customerfeedback, we also work withservices to take this information onboard and review their workingpractices and identify areas forimprovement.”

Working in the CorporateComplaints team by its very naturehas its ups and downs.

“We work in a busy environment andit’s not always an easy job,”concluded Joanne.

“Sometimes we have to deal withangry people but we have to treatthem with the same respect that wewould anyone else, remaining calmand getting to the root of theircomplaint. It can also be frustratingchasing up responses from services.

“But it can have its funny side too.We once contacted a customerregarding their complaint…only tobe informed that they were too busywatching TV to speak to us andasked us to call back! So one thing’sfor sure – it’s never dull.”

downtime

Santa’sChristmas Special13, 14, 20, 21 December 10am to 4pm

Join Santa for a special train ride and enjoy a magicshow, craft activity and music. Each child receives a gift.

Cost: child £8.50, adult £5.50, family £27 - £35.

Booking required.

Last admission 3pm. Tickets are non-refundable.Children must be accompanied by an adult. Themuseum reserves the right to vary the programme.

Year End Toy Fair Sunday, 28 and Monday, 29 December 10am to 4pm

Many stalls with many toys – a perfect way to spendyour Christmas money!

Stalls include new and vintage model railways, new andvintage diecast, bespoke display cabinets, vintagevehicle books and modelling accessories, includingtools, paints and scenery. Specialist walkaboutcharacters will include figures from Star Wars and othersci-fi characters.

The event is organised in association with modelretailers Pennine Models and Tri-angman.

Free admission and parking.

For more information emai locomotion@nrm.org.uk orvisit www.nrm.org.uk/locomotion

Birds ofparadisePlumes and feathers infashionUntil 19 April 2015

The dramatic and striking newexhibition is a tribute to theelegance of feathers used in thefashion industry past andpresent. It features extravagantcatwalk creations from British,Belgian, French and Italiandesigners including AlexanderMcQueen, Jean Paul Gaultier,Thierry Mugler, Prada andGucci.

Open daily from 10am. A fullprogramme of events andexhibitions is available by calling01833 690 606 or atwww.thebowesmuseum.org.uk

Santa'sGrotto13, 14, 20, 21, 22, 23December 11am-3pm

Santa is visitingHardwick Park.

Come along to meethim in his magicalgrotto and receive apresent to take home. £5 per child - nobooking required.

For more informationvisit:www.durham.gov.ukor call 01740 621 505.