D-Day 80 Commemorative Service

It was a pleasure for Year 5 and 6 staff and pupils of Sedgefield Primary to attend the special D-Day Commemoration Service held on Sedgefield Village Green on 6 June. Staff and pupils felt it was important to show our respect to those who sacrificed for our greater good and remember all veterans past and present.

The service commemorating 80 years was led by Michael King of St Edmund’s Church and attended by local MP, Paul Howell, Sedgefield Mayor, Peter Hinde and community members. It is pleasing that the community remembers the resilience and sacrifices endured during World War II.

Paul Heasman, an RAF pilot and parent at Sedgefield Primary commented, “I am delighted to say that your representatives conducted themselves flawlessly. The children were smart, attentive and respectful - a true credit to the school. As I stood at the back of the congregation, remembering my friend, colleague and fellow fighter pilot, Mark, who was tragically killed in a Spitfire crash at RAF Coningsby just weeks ago, the presence of your team reminded me that Sedgefield is in good hands.”

It was commented by members of the community attending that all pupils were particularly smart, attentive and respectful. The whole school have approached this topic learning as a community in keeping with our family school ethos. Children from all year groups have learnt about this significant day in history and the huge loses, suffered by both Allied and German troops during the days that surrounded the landings on the Normandy beaches.

Mrs Smith, Deputy Headteacher who attended the service remembered her grandad, who played a significant role in the D-Day Landings and received a letter of commendation for his role. Respect, Resilience, Reciprocity and Resourcefulness are our school family values, which children learn about through a wide range of ways, including supporting significant community events such as this.

Photographs by Paul Heasman

Knit a poppy

We are looking for people to volunteer to knit poppies for Remembrance Day for us to sell in the Sedgefield branch of Co-op Funeralcare.

All money will go to the Royal British Legion. We will provide knitting patterns and the wool needed. Sedgefield Co-op Funeralcare

A round up from the Schools

Sedgefield Community College events

This half-term is a wonderful (and very busy) one in school! Lots of different educational visits are taking place involving a residential visit to France, experiences of Durham University, a range of college taster days and well over 500 children taking part in our annual rewards visit to Planet Leisure to name just a few.

As we enter the final weeks of the school year, there are two particular events happening at SCC that we would like to make members of our local community aware of. Celebrating the fantastic work produced by students in Fine Art and Photography, our annual art exhibition is taking place in our auditorium on Wednesday 3 July from 4:30pm to 6;30pm. There are some amazing pieces on display and it would be wonderful to see lots of visitors joining us.

As well as this, after many months of intensive rehearsal, it will not be long until our summer production of ‘Sister Act Junior’ takes place. For children from some of our local primary schools, there will be a matinee performance to enjoy. Tickets are now available for the three evening performances that take place from Tuesday 16 July through to Thursday 18 July. Having reintroduced an annual school show in summer 2023, ‘Matilda Junior’ was an enormous success.

This year, we’re delighted that ‘Sister Act Junior’ involves a larger cast and we know that the children will be delighted if they are performing to a ‘sellout’ at each performance!


Experiencing Van Gogh

Our Year 5 pupils were lucky to experience an unforgettable educational visit to the Van Gogh Experience in York in June. The immersive exhibition, renowned for its innovative approach to showcasing the life and works of the legendary artist Vincent van Gogh, provided the young learners with a captivating blend of art, history, and technology. Located in the heart of York, the exhibition utilizes state-ofthe- art digital projection, sound effects, and interactive installations to bring Van Gogh’s masterpieces to life in a manner that is both educational and enthralling.

The highlight of the visit was undoubtedly the immersive gallery, where the pupils walked through floorto- ceiling projections of Van Gogh’s most famous works. The room was filled with the vibrant colours and bold brushstrokes that characterize the artist’s style, allowing the children to feel as if they had stepped into the paintings themselves and link the techniques they had been taught in school when learning about Van Gogh.

Miss Campbell, the Art subject lead, expressed her delight at the educational value of the trip. “The Van Gogh Experience provided an incredible opportunity for our pupils to engage with art in a dynamic and memorable way. It was wonderful to see them so inspired and eager to learn more about Van Gogh and his work,” she said.

The visit concluded with an opportunity for the pupils to apply the skills they had seen in Van Gogh’s work by participating in some live sketching on the banks of the river in central York.


Your School needs you!

u3a update

Last month, Chris Lloyd, the Chief Features Writer for the Northern Echo visited us to present his talk ‘Secret Darlington’ about some of the famous people who were born or lived there. We learnt about the Pease family who, despite their Quaker sensibilities, made a fortune making woollen cloth for WWI soldiers’ uniforms, and about the profligate member of the Backhouse family who was exiled to China after running up a debt of over £1,000,000 (in today’s money) as a student at Cambridge and who professed to have a long running affair with the Chinese Empress.

This later turned out to be more fiction than fact! He spoke about the local music hall star, who after becoming a darling of the London stage, was hi-jacked to Hollywood where she soon became engaged to Fred Perry (although they never did marry).

The most improbable was the Darlington man who became World Champion in Phloofing. This, apparently, is blowing a dart placed directly in the mouth at a designated target some metres away. The bronze medallist was a female also from Darlington! The Lunch Club visited the Three Horseshoes at Running Waters for another delicious meal. From our tables in the conservatory we had beautiful views across the open countryside.

Mid-month, we hosted a village visit from the local Alzheimer's Society who talked about their Dementia Friends initiative and also gave insight into how dementia progresses. A wide range of leaflets, booklets, and other publications was provided.

The Wine Appreciation Group spent an evening in a member’s garden enjoying, discussing and comparing a range of wines; a rosé, a French Sauvignon Blanc (which was totally different to the Australian/New Zealand brands we are so used to), and two reds. As ever, opinions differed, but we all had the best time sharing our thoughts.

A minibus of members made a trip to Reeth for an event in the Swaledale Music Festival where they listened to a talk by Whispering Bob Harris (The Old Grey Whistle Test) on ‘The Beatles and the Songs They Gave Away.’

Afterwards a visit to the pub and a sit outside to take in the magnificent scenery finished the day nicely. The meeting on 5 July will be our AGM and marks the end of this year. After the formal business of reports and elections etc. we will appreciate our strawberry cream tea, the annual quiz, and the opportunity to catch up with chat and laughter.

See you all again in September. Christine Balfour

A visit to Buckingham Palace

Sedgefield Rangers was started in February 2018 by Jackie Postgate MBE. There were about a dozen 14 year olds too old for Guides and she wanted to provide an opportunity for them to complete their Duke of Edinburgh (DoE) Awards.

I joined as a volunteer to help Jackie and, so far, we have had two Rangers complete their Bronze award, one completing their Silver (with another two well underway) and one has almost completed their Gold award. Three Rangers have completed their Gold and, this summer, they were invited to the Gold Award Celebration in the gardens of Buckingham Palace.

The weather was perfect and the Rangers were offered the chance to look round, listen to a selection of inspirational guest speakers and had tea and cupcakes.

The highlight was Prince Edward (the Duke of Edinburgh) who addressed the crowd from the West Terrace before mingling with the guests.

Unfortunately Jackie never got to see what the Rangers have achieved as she sadly passed away in January 2020. She would have been very proud. If you want to know more about Sedgefield Rangers, or want to come along and find out what we do, you can contact me at marie.walker1992@gmail.com or via the Girlguiding website girlguiding.org.uk.

Marie Walker

RTPI Annual Cycle Ride

On Friday 17 May, Sedgefield played host to the annual Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) North East Cycle Ride. Around 40 riders joined the ride, which started and finished at Sedgefield Cricket Club.

Sedgefield resident, and member of the RTPI, Jonathan Wallace, helped to organise the ride which attracted riders from all across the North East and Yorkshire. The event was a big success, with Sedgefield providing an ideal base and, while the ride is likely to be in Northumberland next year, it is hoped that it will return to Sedgefield in 2026.

RTPI North East Co-ordinator, Kim Walker commented, “This year’s Cycle Ride proved very popular and we attracted a record number of riders and great feedback. We would like to place on record our thanks to Sedgefield Cricket Club for allowing us to use the Club as a base for the event, and we look forward to returning to Sedgefield again soon”.

Orienteering Challenge

The 1st Sedgefield Cubs recently took part in the Pete Swinney Competition. This one-day event is a team orienteering challenge and teams of four take part in as many different activities as possible in two hours.

Points are awarded for successful completion of the challenges and teams choose what they want try – additional points are awarded for map -reading skills. Challenges might be mental, physical, skill or teamwork related. The team with the most points at the end of two hours wins! The cubs were delighted to take both first and second place.

Cub scout leader, Kev Scollay said, ‘The cubs had a great day with all the other County Durham cub packs. Getting 1st and 2nd prize was not something that we expected but we are delighted to be taking the Pete Swinney Competition shield back to the scout hut.’

Memorial tree

Earlier this month a memorial tree was planted in Sedgefield in memory of Rita Curry by her son and his family. The tree was purchased by her long time friend Amanda Barrie. What a lovely tribute!

Marie Etherington

Christian Aid Week Appeal

We are delighted to report the total raised at the two events in support of the Christian Aid Week appeal this year which totalled £1,196.

Thank you to everyone for your support and also to those who donated online.

Margaret & David Glass

Sedgefield Charities: Education grants for students

The Sedgefield Charities' Trustees make awards each year to help students from lower income families who are taking up full time education beyond Alevel or its equivalent. Students of any age may apply.

Applicants must live in Bishop Middleham, Bradbury, Cornforth, Fishburn, Mordon, Sedgefield or Trimdon.

For further information and an application form please contact the Clerk, Anne Gladwin:

Post: 46 Whitehouse Drive, Sedgefield TS21 3BU
Telephone: 01740 620811 e-mail: sedgefieldcharities@gmail.com
Closing date for applications: 30 September 2024