Staindrop Academy is the first school in County Durham to achieve the gold award for its work with young carers.

There has been widespread sadness in Teesdale following the death of “Barney legend” Denis ‘Denny’ Raine.

St Mary’s RC School, in Barnard Castle, beat 60 other schools to win Newcastle Life Science Centre’s Space Explorers’ Moon Base Challenge.

Scores of former pupils, some travelling from around the world, returned to their old school to hear about its plans for the future.