Please see the poster below for details of events taking place during July 2026.

WHWMC July 2026

Three new bus services are launching across County Durham to help visitors and residents explore its key attractions.

The Durham Explorer services will run on weekends and bank holidays between 23 May and 31 August 2026.

Each service will connect Durham City to a range of visitor destinations including Locomotion; Ushaw Historic House, Chapels and Gardens; Beamish, The Living Museum of the North; The Auckland Project; Raby Castle, Park and Gardens; The Bowes Museum; and High Force Waterfall; with many venues also offering discounts to those who arrive by bus.

The new Durham Explorer buses, operated by Northstar, are:

1. The Durham Dales Explorer (873) which runs from Durham City to The Auckland Project; Raby Castle, Park and Gardens; Barnard Castle; The Bowes Museum and High Force Waterfall. View timetable here.
2. The Time Traveller line (874) from Durham City to Ushaw Historic House, Chapels and Gardens; and Beamish, the Living Museum of the North. View timetable here.
3. The Tracks Through Time line (875) from Durham City to Shildon and Locomotion. View timetable here.

All buses have accessible access, with dogs also allowed on board.

An adult day ticket is also available in County Durham for £6, allowing unlimited bus travel, while passengers can also purchase a regionwide adult day ticket for bus and Metro travel for £7.50. A regionwide day ticket for young people costs £3. Children under 11 can also travel without charge during the school holidays as part of the Kids Go Free initiative, offering travel at no cost for up to three children when accompanied by an adult with a valid ticket or a concessionary pass holder. All children will be issued with a ‘goody bag’ and if they wish to complete the A-Z eye spy game they will be entered into a prize draw.

For more information, visit www.durham.gov.uk/CountyDurhamByBus.

For more information on discounts to regional attractions through the North East Combined Authority’s Days Out by Bus scheme, visit www.northeast-ca.gov.uk/daysoutbybus.

Durham Explorer bus services – Durham County Council

North East Bus Travel

Wheatley Hill Mothers’ Club have been going strong for 77 years and they are looking for new members.

If you are female and over 18 why not join the Mothers Club. They meet every Wednesday from 6pm to 9pm. They have a variety of entertainment through the year; quizzes, competitions, crafts, guest speakers and much more. It costs £2 per week.

Why not pop along and give it a try. The first week is free as a guest.

Please see the poster below for more information.

Residents are invited to come along and have a chat with your local neighbourhood police team. A cuppa with a copper will be held on the following dates at 1.30pm in Wheatley House.

Thursday 23 July 2026

Please come along and have an informal chat with your local Neighbourhood police team. Everyone is welcome.

CrimeStoppers are a charity that gives people the power to speak up to stop crime. By phone and online, 24/7, 365 days a year. Every year they help stop thousands of crimes. Speak up. Stay safe.

Everyone who gives information stays 100% anonymous.

CrimeStoppers will not ask your name. They won’t judge. Just listen to what you know. When you hang up the phone or click ‘send’ on their anonymous online form, you’re done.

No police contact. No witness statements. No courts.

There may be times when information received by CrimeStoppers is passed on to our trusted partner organisations. CrimeStoppers will only share this information to help keep communities and workplaces safe.

Telephone CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit their website at Crimestoppers

Please see below a schedule of PACT meeting dates for 2026.

Thursday 9 July 2026

All meetings are held at 6pm in Wheatley Hill Community Centre.

Everyone is welcome so please come along to address any concerns or issues you may have with your local beat team.

 

The James Etherington Award was set up in 1980 to support young people who wish to further their training in singing or the playing of musical instruments. The Award is presented annually following a competition between selected entrants. Young musicians who reside, or attend, an educational establishment within the DH postcode area, are invited to apply for the Award which is set at £500. The Runner-up receives £250, and all other selected entrants receive £75.

The competition for the award will be held on Saturday 7 February 2026 at the Methodist Church (Cornerstones), Chester-le-Street DH3 3TF.

Please see the attached poster for further details.

TheJamesEtheringtonAward.2026

Wheels2Work County Durham is a registered charity that provides scooter (125cc) and bicycle transport for people who struggle to get to work, education and volunteering opportunities by any other means.

Their services are not the solution to everybody’s transport problems and cannot replace a fully operational public transport system or transport owned personally by all that need it, but until that time they can help County Durham residents that need it most and without which find themselves disadvantaged in terms of both employability, income and social mobility.

Since their inception in 2017, they have supported more than 500 people living in County Durham to find a pathway into improved physical, mental and economic wellbeing and out of poverty and isolation.

Please see the attached flyer and brochure for more information.

Wheels2Work Leaflet