A priest in Durham Diocese has been appointed to chair a neighbourhood board that will decide how £20 million of vital funding will be spent to help regenerate one of Gateshead’s most disadvantaged communities.
Paul Rickeard, CEO at the Durham and Newcastle Diocesan Learning Trust, has been recognised in the 2026 New Years Honours list with an OBE.
Students from Whitburn Church of England Academy have been spreading Christmas joy through a chaplaincy-led campaign to support disadvantaged teenagers in South Tyneside.
Staindrop Church of England Primary School has been appointed as a Growing Faith Foundation (GFF) Learning Hub, becoming one of only 14 new hubs nationally to be launched by the Church of England in January 2026.
Bishop Sarah joined in the celebrations as St Andrew’s Church in Haughton-le-Skerne marked a significant milestone in its history.
This Christmas, Bishop Sarah offers a message full of hope - that in celebrating the baby in the manger, we come face to face with the God who knows us and loves us. May this love meet you wherever you are this Christmas.
Interviews for the next Bishop of Durham will be taking place on 9 and 10 December. Durham Cathedral will be hosting a special time of 24/7 prayer to coincide with these, from Morning Prayer (8.30am) on 9th December to Morning Prayer (8.30am) on 10th December. Please do join us in prayer during these days, whether in person at the Cathedral, at your own church or from home.
A Sunderland church is continuing a 35-year-old tradition of supporting disadvantaged children in the run-up to Christmas.
Sedgefield’s much-loved Christmas Tree Festival is set to return for its fifth time, with organisers reporting an enthusiastic response from community groups. “We are delighted that 35 groups have responded so positively to the theme of ‘Christmas Stories / Christmas Books’,” said committee member Michael King.
On the 26th October St Simon’s South Shields, which is now part of the Parish of Jarrow and Simonside, celebrated 150 years since the original parish of St Simon’s was created.
