Geoff Hill's award of the British Empire Medal in the King's Birthday Honours will come as no surprise to the many people who have witnessed his remarkable dedication to preserving local aviation history.

As chairman of the Middleton St George Memorial Association, Geoff has worked tirelessly to preserve the history of RAF Middleton St George, now Teesside Airport. He maintains memorials, organises annual commemorations and helps families learn more about relatives who served during wartime. His passion for history was sparked in childhood, inspired by stories from an uncle who served in the Royal Flying Corps.

Over the years, Geoff has assembled an extraordinary collection of aviation artefacts, including Merlin engines, cockpit panels and wartime escape aids. His most prized possession is a Lancaster propeller that he spent half a century tracking down before finally acquiring it in 2020. Items from his collection have been displayed in museums across the region and feature in a permanent exhibition at Teesside Airport.

Meeting Geoff is an experience in itself. His enthusiasm is contagious and his stories are endlessly fascinating. During one conversation, he proudly shared a film of himself flying in a Spitfire, complete with stomachchurning aerial acrobatics performed by the pilot. It was impossible not to be swept along by his excitement.

A former carpenter and co-owner of the Marshall & Hill DIY store in Chilton for 36 years, Geoff remains as energetic as ever. Warm, knowledgeable and endlessly engaging, he is the sort of person with whom you could happily spend an entire afternoon chatting. His British Empire Medal is richly deserved.

Congratulations, Geoff.

A brand-new attraction has opened in Bishop Auckland — and it's unlike any theme park you've seen before. Kynren – The Storied Lands has no rides or rollercoasters. Instead, your day unfolds through a series of spectacular live shows bringing history and legend to life.

Highlights include:
-The Lost Feather
-Over 250 birds soaring across the skies
-Legend of the Wear
-Daring water stunts on a giant lake
-Land of the Vikings
-A fiery, action-packed Viking battle
-The Trusty Steed
Mediaeval knights and a fearless female warrior on horseback

Created by the team behind the acclaimed Kynren night show, The Storied Lands blends live action, storytelling, and spectacle into a truly unique day out for all the family. See kynren.com/the-storied-lands for tickets.

For many years, 1st Sedgefield Brownies and Guides have provided local girls with opportunities to make friends, learn new skills, build confidence and enjoy new adventures.

Brownies (ages 7 to 10) take part in games, crafts, outdoor activities and challenges in a fun, supportive environment. Guides (ages 10 to 14) enjoy bigger challenges, develop leadership skills, take part in community projects, and enjoy activities ranging from camping and trips to international opportunities.

Many current volunteers first became involved as parents and have helped hundreds of local girls benefit from everything Guiding has to offer.

After many years of service, the current leadership team will be stepping down at Easter 2027. To ensure both units continue to thrive, new volunteers are now being sought.

Full training and support are provided, and there are opportunities to help as a leader, assist with activities, or support behind the scenes.

Volunteering with Girlguiding is a rewarding way to support the local community, learn new skills, make friends and help girls reach their potential.

If you would like to find out more about volunteering with 1st Sedgefield Brownies or Guides, please contact julietowler67@gmail.com.

Together, we can help ensure local girls continue to benefit from Guiding for years to come.

Our popular and successful Monthly Farmers market relies very much on the support of our volunteers in setting up and taking down the gazebos and tables.

If you are able to help with one or both sessions on the first Sunday every month it would be much appreciated. Each activity takes approximately 30 minutes or less.

Set up is at 8am and take down is from 12pm. If you would like to help, just turn up on the day and you will be warmly welcomed!

Advertising revenue keeps Sedgefield News free to read for over 3,250 homes and businesses in Sedgefield and the surrounding area. Our current advertising coordinator is stepping down after nearly four years. So, we are looking for a replacement!

It takes a few hours each month to correspond with new and existing advertisers, lay out the adverts and occasionally help with designing them, and set up the electronic invoicing.

It is quite straightforward, if you are used to office-type software. For more information or if you are interested in stepping in, please e-mail adverts@sedgefielddevelopmenttrust.co.uk. Help during handover will be available. Thanks!

The Woodland & Wildlife Project were delighted to be joined by Ecologist, Roni Howard, who once again led an insightful walk around Skerne Wood.

The group enjoyed learning about the variety of plants and wildflowers growing on the project site, what their presence indicated and how the volunteers can continue to manage the land to improve biodiversity.

It was a beautiful sunny morning, so we also had the pleasure of spotting a kestrel, bees, day flying moths, butterflies and insects. A big thank you to Roni and to everyone who came along for the walk.

If you would like to know more or volunteer with us please contact Melissa – woodland@sedgefielddevelopmenttrust.co.uk or join our Facebook page - ‘Woodland & Wildlife - Sedgefield’.

The July Friendly Fixers session reflected the heatwave we were having. Items brought in for repair included a tower fan which had itself succumbed to the heat, but was revived by the electricals team, and a beach cover-up garment which needed some TLC before being returned for possible strolls along the prom!

Our next session will be on Saturday 1 August at Fishburn Youth and Community Centre from 10.30 to 12.30.

Feel free to bring your items along, and we look forward to seeing you there.

Sedgefield Local History Society has received an intriguing request from Dr Gabriele Noe of Vespolate, Italy, a collector of royal and historical memorabilia.

He recently acquired a programme from a Sedgefield Welcome Home celebration held in 1946 and has been moved by its contents, which include details of the evening and the signatures of many attendees.

Several names, including Rev Wykes, Captain Ramsden, Needham, Paling, Wright and Shaw, remain familiar in Sedgefield today. The programme also bears the name F.J. Wyatt, suggesting it was a treasured personal keepsake.

Dr Noe hopes to learn more about the people behind these signatures and the stories they represent. If you can help identify any of the names or provide further information, please contact Norma at norma@neal.myzen.co.uk or 01740 620091.

With a love of gardening and some extra free time, I joined Sedgefield in Bloom as a volunteer in April.

Since then, I’ve seen first-hand the dedication of the Bloomers, who work throughout the year to keep our village looking its best. From pruning trees and shrubs to removing weeds and planting borders and containers, the team works hard with the support of local residents and businesses.

In June, we completed improvements near the Salters Lane roundabout and Winterton estate. Thanks to a £250 donation from the Sedgefield District Uniform Services Group, two planters were installed beside a bench that had been added in 2025.

The tubs were supplied by Amperol and planted by volunteers, with donation tags added in recognition of the support.

We are continuing to refresh and develop village spaces, including a current project at Ceddesfeld grounds. To follow our progress, visit the Sedgefield in Bloom Facebook page.
Melissa Hill

On Friday 15 May, Sedgefield once again played host to the annual Cycle Ride organised by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).

Around 20 riders took part in the ride, which started and finished at Sedgefield Cricket Club.

RTPI North East Co-ordinator Kim Walker commented: “This year’s Cycle Ride was another great success, and we would like to thank Sedgefield Cricket Club for allowing us to use the club as a base for the event. We look forward to returning to Sedgefield again soon.”

Sedgefield resident Jonathan Wallace helped to organise the ride, which attracted participants from across the North East and Yorkshire.

As we approached the end of term, our students were able to take part in a wide range of exciting STEM activities that helped them to develop skills such as teamwork, problem solving and creativity. First of all, everyone in Y7 had the opportunity to visit Washington Wetlands Centre to learn more about the different species to be found there and deepen their understanding of the importance of the wetlands environment.

Students participated in a range of activities including pond dipping and were able to watch feeding time for the otters and flamingos!

Later in the term, a group of students in Y9 and Y10 were able to take part in a STEM research project working alongside Professor Neil Downie.

Over a series of workshops, students were required to develop their own innovation, including building a prototype to demonstrate their idea.

Our students showed high levels of ingenuity with ideas such as the development of a new unit to measure enthusiasm and a machine that could be used to measure water content in soil.

The project ended with an opportunity for our students to present their findings at Newcastle University to groups of other students and a number of university researchers!