Following Churches Together
‘Carols on the Green’ on
Friday 20 December, the bar
and lounge will be open from 7pm.
Mulled wine will also be served, at £4
a glass.
A donation from mulled wine
sales will be made to Butterwick
Hospice. A Christmas Kanika Pila with
Sedgefield Smile Time Ukulele Band
begins at 7pm, in the main hall. This is
a free event. There will be a range of
well known, popular tunes and
Christmas songs to enjoy, performed
by this very popular group.
Christmas Eve Quiz, 24 December,
7.30pm for 8pm
Come along to enjoy a great, social
evening with quiz master Peter Hinde.
This is also a free event and, of
course, the bar will be open. Feel free
to bring Christmas nibbles and treats.
Burns Supper, Saturday 25 January
starting at 7.15 pm
Tickets are £30, to include a drinks
reception, followed by a 5-course
meal (choice of haggis or roast beef +
vegetarian option) with a cheese
board and coffee. There will be ‘pipes,
toasts, talks and quotes’ too! Tickets
can be purchased by contacting Pat,
on the number below.
SCA Membership 2025
In January, SCA will begin to collect
the annual subscription fees, which
have been raised to £8 for over 60s,
£9 for adults and £4.50 for young
people and students.
SCA is a wholly
volunteer-led organisation and
member subscription is crucial to the
legal governance and running of the
association - without it, SCA could not
run as it does. Membership fees also
provide part of the essential income,
with all proceeds going towards the
running and maintenance of the hall.
Members can benefit from reduced
cost for room hire as well as
insurance liability protection for any
group activities and events.
Because
the SCA is a registered charity, any
SCA sections may also use this
charitable status, when applying for
grant funding. Anyone can become a
member, as an individual or as part of
a group. Contact Jean Easson
(membership secretary) on 01740
620656 or contact any of the numbers
below.
The Bicycle and Active Travel group
have had a lot of interest in
improving pavement parking in the
area, with many people concerned
about pavements being blocked by
inconsiderately parked cars. There
have also been many incidents of
illegal parking on double yellow lines
and the zebra crossing zig-zags.
Pavement Parking is Dangerous
Obstruction to Pedestrians: Vehicles
parked on pavements obstruct the
path for pedestrians, forcing them to
walk on the road.
Damage to Pavements: Pavements
are not designed to bear the weight
of vehicles. Parking on them can
cause cracks and other damage,
leading to costly repairs.
Restricted Access: Pavement
parking can block access for
wheelchair users, people with
pushchairs, and those using mobility
scooters, making it difficult for them
to navigate safely.
Safety Hazards: Damaged
pavements can become trip hazards,
increasing the risk of accidents for
all pedestrians.
Legal Aspects of Pavement Parking
In the UK, pavement parking is
generally illegal. Local councils have
the authority to enforce
restrictions. In County Durham,
parking on pavements where there
are waiting restrictions, such as
yellow lines, can result in a parking
fine.
How to Report Pavement Parking
If you encounter a vehicle parked on
a pavement in County Durham, you
can report it to the local council or
the police.
Council Reporting: If the vehicle is
parked on a pavement with waiting
restrictions, you can report it to
Durham County Council. They have
the authority to issue fines and take
action against the offending vehicle.
Police Reporting: If there are no
waiting restrictions but the vehicle is
causing a significant obstruction or
danger, you should report it to the
police. They can address the issue
under obstruction laws.
To report a vehicle, you can contact
Durham County Council’s Parking
Services via email at
parkingservices@durham.gov.uk or
by phone at 03000 263 9854. For
urgent issues, you can call the police
on 101 or 999 if it’s an emergency.