Keeping busy this winter

With the advent of winter and the loss of the Winter Fuel Payment, older residents may be looking for ways in which to keep warm and active. Fortunately, we live in Sedgefield and there is a wide range of activities aimed at the older person to fill your days. At your first visit to any of these groups, you may not know anyone but, I’d like to guarantee that you will have made at least one new friend by the time you leave!

The WI is possibly the longest running women’s group in the village and offers a fun-filled mix of education and entertainment at their monthly meetings on the first Wednesday of every month in the Parish Hall at 7:15pm. For information contact Christine on 07813 831082.

The Pop-in meets on Tuesday mornings (10-noon), Wednesday mornings (10-noon), and Thursday afternoons (1:30-3:30pm) in the lounge at Ceddesfeld Hall.

A time to catch up on all the latest news and gossip. Book a place at the regular lunches, afternoon teas or seasonal trips out and enjoy a warming drink, delicious biscuits and the occasional home bakes. Information from Wendy on 07843 896333.

If you like painting or would like to learn a little about it, an Art Group meets in Ceddesfeld Hall on Thursday mornings from 10-noon. The SCA Craft Group meet on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month in Ceddesfeld Hall at 7:30- 9:30pm and learn new skills as well as supporting each other with works in progress.

The u3a is another organisation focused on sharing skills and increasing knowledge and their various groups work in a supportive, encouraging and fun way to fulfil their motto of Laugh, Live and Learn.

Monthly meetings with an interesting and informative speaker are held on the first Friday of each month 2-4pm in the Parish Hall, while groups meet regularly each month. See their new website for up-to-date details or call Maxine on 07774 690433.

A Bridge group meets in Ceddesfeld Hall on Monday afternoons (1:30pm- 4pm) where members meet for instruction and to learn new conventions and practice play of predealt hands. More experienced players meet on Tuesday evenings to play deal-and-play hands. Both of these groups play in a noncompetitive and social way. Information from Pat 01740 620607.

We are so lucky to have the wonderfully supportive Memory Cafe in Sedgefield, too. This group, which meets in the Methodist Church Hall on the third Tuesday of each month at 10:30-noon, aims to offer support and motivation to those suffering with dementia and their carers. They organise activities, host speakers, and enjoy meals out. Information from Dorothy on 07773 286743 or Carol on 07843 983071. For the more active there is the weekly Balance Class on Wednesdays from 10-11am in the Parish Hall.

A fun, relaxed and friendly group who use chair exercises and simple equipment to keep functional movement going as long as they can to maintain a good quality of life. This is followed by a Pilates class for those of you who are looking to maintain your flexibility or to increase your core strength.

Carpet Bowlers, new or more experienced, are very welcome to attend the sessions on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 1:30-4pm in the main hall at Ceddesfeld. DIDO (Days in, Days out) hold regular dance sessions during their meetings in the Parish Hall on the second Monday of each month from 1-3.30pm. They organise an action packed programme of events which include game days, competitions, quizzes, karaoke, bingo, live entertainers and regular trips out.

It’s always a happy and relaxed afternoon when 50-60 women get together to enjoy a cuppa and a chat. More information from Brenda on 07597 116847.

The S-milers is a local walking group which meets each Tuesday to enjoy walks of varying lengths organised by the members themselves. Often they follow local pathways and routes but they occasionally travel further afield to tackle longer or more complex tracks. For more information, contact Gene Dobson on 07493 425142.

The Bloom Group meet on Wednesday mornings and work extremely hard to plant and maintain the superb flower displays for which Sedgefield is so well known.

Although the season is now drawing to a close they still require members to tidy and clear summer planting, collect fallen leaves and generally oversee their areas throughout the year. Contact Marie on 07764 194607.

I do apologise if I have missed any other interesting groups. If you, too, have a group are aimed at the older resident then please submit an item for the next Sedgefield News to publicise your group.

We are so lucky to have all these wonderful, supportive organisations on our doorstep. Just turn up at any of the meetings or groups and I know you will get a very warm welcome.

SACT Bring and Share Community Barbecue

It was never guaranteed to be the sunniest time and unfortunately the wettest of British weather landed on the day, in line with the forecast! It didn't stop many friends and members of the congregations from the Sedgefield Area Churches Together area from turning out, suitably dressed for the inclement weather and equipped with large umbrellas, thankful also for the gazebos erected in the garden.

Although some others enjoyed running in the rain and splashing in the puddles! Lively music from Janet and Philip got some dancing. It was a very friendly time.

Thank you to everyone involved in organising the event and especially to Revd. David Lucas, Hanna and family for hosting the barbecue - we hope that the carpets recover after all the wet feet made their way to the delights available in the kitchen. It was a great success and a fabulous feast for everyone to share. Hopefully, others will follow.

A round up from the Schools

Back to school


Here at Sedgefield Community College, we’ve been delighted with the positive start to the new school year and the brilliant attitude that our students have displayed in the first weeks of term. Before we even arrived back, we were also delighted at the successes of our former Y11 students in their summer exams and we wish them all every success in the future!

We’ve been particularly impressed with the way our new Y7 students have settled into life at secondary school. During the summer term, they enjoyed taking part in lots of activities during two transition days. Since September, there has been lots happening as the Y7 children settle into their new school.

In their English lessons, students were all gifted with a book and this is part of our aim to encourage a passion for reading in all. As well as this, there has been much excitement as plans are made for the two residential visits to the Kingswood outward bounds centre. This year, we have more than 180 of our Y7 students who will be taking part! Finally, our Y7 students also have some changes to the Y7 courtyard to look forward to.

Later in September, a range of new activity markings will be applied to the yard and there will be lots of new ways for the children to have fun with their friends at break and lunchtime.


New additions

We are delighted to welcome two fantastic new additions to our team at Sedgefield Hardwick Primary Academy. First, we are thrilled to introduce Miss Dixon, who has joined us as an Apprentice Teaching Assistant in Nursery. This is a particularly special moment for Miss Dixon, as she was once a pupil at Sedgefield Hardwick herself.

Having joined us straight after leaving school, we are incredibly proud to see her begin her professional journey with us. Miss Dixon has already shown remarkable dedication in her role, providing excellent support to our youngest learners. Her enthusiasm and willingness to get involved have been evident from the start, and she is quickly becoming a valued member of the Nursery team.

We also warmly welcome Miss Snowden, who has joined us as a Year 5 teacher to cover Mrs Anderson’s maternity leave. Miss Snowden has embraced her role with a positive attitude and has quickly established herself as an effective teacher for Year 5.

Her determination to make a meaningful impact on her pupils is clear, and she has already started building strong relationships with both her class and her colleagues. Miss Snowden’s commitment to delivering engaging lessons and supporting the school’s ethos has made her a big hit with her class already!

We are excited to see both Miss Dixon and Miss Snowden continue to flourish in their roles and contribute to the success of our school community!


Get ready for Armistice Day

The Sedgefield District Uniformed Services Group has formally replaced the Sedgefield Village Veterans Association and has widened its constitution. The group is dedicated to supporting and championing the needs of all current, retired and family members of all uniformed services.

The group is primarily involved in raising funds for charitable causes and has recently donated over £3,600 to good causes ranging from grants for individuals in need to supporting local organisations such as Durham Christian Foodbank, St Edmund’s Church, Sedgefield Youth Club and Sedgefield Bloomers.

On the final Friday of each month the group organise a well-attended coffee morning in the Parish Hall.

On Monday 11 November, the Sedgefield District Uniformed Services Group will host a commemoration of Armistice Day at the memorial located at St Luke’s Church near NETPark. The service will be led by Reverend David Lucas and will complement the service at the St Edmunds Cenotaph on 10 November.

All members of our community are invited to this short service that will commence at 10:45am on 11 November.

Durham County News

Durham County Council’s magazine, Durham County News, is no longer delivered to people’s homes. Instead, it is available as an online magazine and the Autumn Edition can be found at https://t.co/Tf7tdyYhCT.

Fundraising thank you

We did it! Huge thanks to my amazing team of family and friends, who worked together to create a wonderful afternoon tea in Sedgefield Parish Hall.

I am delighted to say that there was an incredible turnout, we raised £1,200 on the day for the charity Breast Cancer Now and we raised lots of awareness into checking for signs of breast cancer. This is very close to my heart as my daughter has bravely fought an aggressive breast cancer and is benefiting from a new Targeted Treatment drug, whilst her sister has undergone 'Risk Prevention' surgery.

It was great to see a packed hall with friends meeting up over a cuppa and enjoying the delicious home baked cakes together. Massive thanks to friends who baked and to the local businesses who kindly donated raffle and tombola prizes.

Our 'Just Giving page has reached its target of £500 - so we're over the moon with that too. I’m just overwhelmed by people’s generosity. Thank you.

Angela Davidson

Christmas Trees!

We know! It's too early to be thinking about what to do with your real Christmas tree once the festivities are over. Sedgefield in Bloom group are again organising a collection of trees on Wednesday 8 January.

It couldn’t be easier, for a donation of £5, we will collect it from you and recycle. All monies will go directly in funds for planting and projects in and around Sedgefield. Details to follow in the next edition.