From Durham OnAir

Producers ROYO and Curve are delighted to announce a brand-new Made at Curve production of the West End and Broadway smash-hit musical comedy LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL. The musical will tour the UK and Ireland in 2026, visiting Sunderland Empire from Tuesday 1 to Saturday 5 December 2026.

Get ready, Newcastle! The city's most vibrant summer celebration of performing arts and homegrown talent is back, and it's set to be a scorcher! The Newcastle Fringe Festival returns with a bang, bringing a sizzling showcase of top-notch theatre, music, comedy, cabaret, family shows, dance, and more to the city from Tuesday 22nd July to Saturday 2nd August 2025

Foster carers from the North East have been celebrated for their long service commitment to providing safe homes for children and young people at Durham Cathedral.

Sunderland Empire and Martin Dodd for UK Productions are delighted to announce that star of Call The Midwife and Shrek the Musical UK Tour, Laura Main, is set to bring a sprinkling of fairy dust and festive charm to Sunderland Empire’s enchanting pantomime, Sleeping Beauty, as she stars as Fairy Snowfall from Friday 12 December 2025 until Sunday 4 January 2026.

No Mow May has arrived and with it an excuse to put the mower away and put your feet up instead. The annual campaign from conservation charity Plantlife encourages people to let their lawns grow long to benefit wildlife, and this year, Butterfly Conservation is encouraging people to keep the mower in the shed for even longer to help the UK’s struggling butterflies and moths.

Durham Cricket has signed up County Durham-based property and mining firm the Banks Group as its new principal partner in an agreement which also includes the naming rights to the Riverside ground.

Tanfield Railway, the world’s oldest railway, is delighted to welcome Furness 20, Britain’s oldest working standard gauge steam locomotive, as part of its Tanfield300 Great North Festival of Railways this May.

Briana Corrigan of The Beautiful South has returned to the stage after a 10-year hiatus with 3 hugely successful and largely sold-out tours throughout the UK and IRELAND already completed, a new album in the pipeline and a series of brand-new gigs lined up for Spring 2025.

Full casting has today been announced for the highly-anticipated return of The Sunderland Story, coming exclusively to Sunderland Empire for a second season from Thursday 15 May – Saturday 31 May 2025 due to popular demand.

Residents at The DurhamGate Care Home in Spennymoor marked Burns Night with a true taste of Scottish tradition.

Following the Christmas period, New Year is traditionally known as one of the busiest weekends and as we head into the extended bank holiday, emergency services are once again asking for the public’s support to ensure resources are available for those who need them most. Head of Emergency, Preparedness, Resilience and Response (EPRR) at North East Ambulance Service, Stu Holliday said: “The winter period is extremely busy and demand for emergency services increases. Across New Years Eve and New Years Day last year, the service received over 1,500 calls across 999 and 111. Delays can bring harm

Tickets are now available to see the three rare Magna Cartas, at Durham Cathedral for the first time in eight years. The Heritage Fund has helped fund many projects at Durham Cathedral, including a £3.9m grant to the opening of Durham Cathedral Museum in 2016. With three clauses from the 1225 Magna Carta still in force today, the document remains a cornerstone of British democracy. Alison Cullingford, Head of Libraries and Collections at Durham Cathedral says,“We care for an extensive medieval archive here at Durham Cathedral and the Magna Cartas and Forest Charters are some of the most remark

Northern is warning sly vapers they may be told to leave the train if they are caught. The train operator has received dozens of complaints over the last year from customers who are fed up of inconsiderate individuals vaping in busy carriages and on station platforms. Seventy-seven passengers have raised concerns about vaping in post-journey surveys since April 2024 and 29 have submitted written complaints. Another 59 have made complaints to Northern on social media. Vaping has not been permitted on board Northern services or at any of its stations since a ban was introduced in 2014.

A North East CBBC star has won Celebrity Mastermind in the latest episode last night for Teesside Charity. First up was Guy Mowbray, Football Commentator, who was playing for the charity Sporting Memories with his specialist subject of Viking York. The third star to sit in the chair was actor Tyger Drew-Honey whose chosen charity was Shelter and Turning Point, knuckling down the subject of The IT Crowd. Former MP Justine Greening was last to play for the charity Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust and chose the subject of Judge John Bradshaw. “I will be putting this in front of everybody's

With support from her landlord believe housing and from Durham County Council’s Employability Durham service she launched her own business, JJL Chimney Sweeping. The housing association’s Employability Team and Employability Durham guided Lydia to access support with her business plans, helped pay for training, and provided general support. Two years on, Lydia’s business is going well, she loves the work, and feels it is boosting her social and mental wellbeing. “We work closely with Employability Durham, and they referred Lydia to us so we could provide the support she needed together. “Our E

Durham University’s Oriental Museum has announced the return of its much-anticipated Year of the Snake Lantern Festival, taking place on Wednesday, 12 February 2025, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. The celebrations culminate in the Lantern Festival, a visually stunning occasion where streets and homes are adorned with glowing lanterns. This year, in celebration of the Year of the Snake, the Oriental Museum will host an array of exciting activities, including dragon dancing, a special Lion Dance performance by the renowned Moi Fa Lion Dance Team, and a variety of snake-themed crafts. Visitors will als

Sunderland Empire is delighted to announce that £21,075.40 has been raised over the past 12 months for their 2024 nominated charity, Macmillan Cancer Support, thanks to the dedication and hard work of generous staff and patrons. The cancer support charity was nominated by the theatre’s staff, a cause that has been close to many of their hearts and has been paramount in supporting staff members and their families through cancer. At least 109,200 people are living with cancer in the North East, a number which is set to rise. Sarah Goldie, Local Relationship Fundraising Manager for Macmillan Canc

In a significant step forward for the UK's renewable energy sector, North East Mayor Kim McGuinness, officially opened a state-of-the-art Battery Training & Skills Academy at New College Durham, dedicated to supporting the next generation of battery technology workers. The Faraday Battery Challenge, led by Innovate UK and UK Research and Innovation, is a project aimed at building a top-tier battery industry in the UK. Funded by the Faraday Battery Challenge (Faraday Battery Challenge is delivered by Innovate UK), the academy will support the North East’s rapidly expanding EV battery industry.

The latest National Achievement Rate Tables published by the Department for Education (DfE) highlights New College Durham (NCD) as the top performing college in the North East of England. NCD is the only North East college in the top 10% nationally for both Further Education (FE) and Apprenticeships. In addition, NCD is also the top performing college in the North East for adult provision and nationally is in the top 5% with only two colleges gaining higher achievement rates. Andy Broadbent, Principal and Chief Executive of New College Durham, said:“These outstanding results are a testament to

Dr Fiona HillDurham University Chancellor and acclaimed foreign affairs specialist, Dr Fiona Hill, is launching a new scholarship scheme to support students from North East England who come from lower income households. The scholarships will support two cohorts of three eligible students, recruited in 2025 and 2026 from North East England. The scholarship is open to applicants from the North East of England with a household income below £42,875. Charlie Cooper, a fourth year Physics student from Hartlepool, has received funding from the Durham Inspired North East scholarship scheme throughout

Our perceptions of body image are shaped by what we see from as early as seven years old, according to new research by Durham University (UK). These body ideals continue to be influenced by visual exposure to different body weights into adulthood, the research also found. The analysis uncovered a significant shift in weight perceptions after exposure to images depicting various body weights. Professor Boothroyd added: “Researchers often assume that children’s body perceptions and their ideas about body image work the same way as adults. We’ve shown that that’s true, down to seven years, for ba

Last week, young people aged 16-25 benefited from free workshops and visits exploring behind-camera roles in the UK’s film and TV industry at Sunderland Empire, Theatre Space North East, Pride Media Centre and Live Theatre. The workshops are part of Netflix and NYT’s IGNITE Your Creativity programme, helping break down barriers for young people from the North and North East. Culminating in a week-long course, the final workshop took place at Sunderland Empire led by Anna Robinson, a Newcastle-based designer and theatre maker who has worked with Northern Stage, Live Theatre and Theatre Royal Ne

Independent charity Crimestoppers is launching a campaign across the North East of England to raise awareness of its youth brand Fearless and to empower young people to report crime 100% anonymously through Fearless.org. The campaign also includes a free one-hour training session for North East professionals who work with young people. Through Fearless, young people can safely share information on crime without fear of being identified. This is where Fearless can help, providing young people with a safe space to give information about crime 100% anonymously. It will cover the Fearless anonymou

Regeneration charity, The Auckland Project (TAP), is inviting the local community to feedback on a proposed redevelopment of the north side site of Bishop Auckland’s Market Place. The work will involve the removal of the existing derelict Queens Head, Postchaise and Monaco buildings, to be replaced with a new 60-bedroom hotel. 42, Market Place, Bishop Auckland, where more detail will be shared about the development. Made possible with £3.1m funding from the Stronger Towns Fund, administered by Durham County Council, and the remainder from The Auckland Project, the development will be part of o

For the first time in over a decade Durham University’s copy of William Shakespeare’s First Folio will be on display as the centrepiece of a new Shakespeare Recovered exhibition. The book was stolen while on display in the University’s Cosin’s Library, on Palace Green in Durham City, in 1998. Stuart Hunt, Director of University Library and Collections and University Librarian, Durham University, said: “Shakespeare’s First Folio is a literary wonder of the world, but only Durham’s First Folio can tell such a unique and powerful story. They can also step into the shoes of Durham University’s con