Local centre which was, thankfully, recently saved from a pending closure. It is a real community…read morecentre which holds all manner of local clubs and plays host to vital groups in the community. Its loss would have been a real shame in the area, so it is lucky the council saw sense.

All the artists featured in this centre live within a 50 mile radius. They use many different…read moremediums from watercolour, oils. acrylics to prints and collages. They usually have a change of artist every couple of months so worth calling and seeing a new artist.

At first I hated this place because it involved the demolition of my two favourite places, the…read moreDovecot arts centre and the Cannon Cinema. But it grew on me. It is big and yellow and was shut down for a year or so because of mis-management. A bit of the wall revolves because of 'art.' The outside is spoilt by metal walkways to save on cleaning costs. There is one big theatre, a smaller auditorium used for stand up gigs, a gym, a cinema and rehearsal rooms, as well as bars and restaurants. It is a little too big for the area but I think the guys have got their act together in terms of publicity so that people in the area who want to go know when stuff's on. It really comes alive during Stockton festival, when all the weird european street performers use it as a base. If you're in the area this is the best place to go for a night out.

I Love this show - its the last friday of every month and they do a couple of special gong shows…read moreeach year - watch out for those in the arc brochure. The setting up stairs is excellent you can either reserve seats for larger groups or just turn up on the night. You have a choice of sitting at a table or sitting in stadium seating up the side. Only complaint I have is that the breaks between acts where you have time to go to the bar are too long - they are supposed to be 15 mins but are always at least 30 mins as the staff try and get people in from the bar area - you can bring your drinks into the show with you. By the end of the night people are getting a little rowdy as a lot of alcohol is consumed. But very good fun.

A long drive will get you to this fascinating place. It is so much fun here for adults as well as…read morechildren It cost £6.50 for an adult which includes a tour of the mine and £3.50 for a child. They often have special events on during the year. It has a wonderful walk through the woods and there are often hidden suprises here on event days. You can then look through the old houses which are set up as if a mining family lived there. Outside you can see the water wheel and pan for minerals. The tour itself is very interesting and shows you how the miners used to work underground. There is a shop which has lots of things for children and a nice little cafe A fun day out for all

THis where the mining heritage of Durham began you can walk right into the mine and see how the…read morevery first miners worked. Disabled access is limited but I found plenty to do in the Heritage centre while the kids were dong their own thing.

I really love the Darlington Civic Theatre! It has a very luxurious sort of feel, the decor is so…read moreplush and well luxurious! I've seen some brilliant shows there over the years, and always look forward to going - it makes a really nice evening out. The staff are lovely, too - really friendly. It has a bar for the interval, in fact if I remember rightly it also has a sort of cafe/coffee bar area, so you have plenty of choice. On the downside, I do feel the ice creams and sweets are over-priced, but if you've got children you can't not get them an ice cream in the interval. There is no dedicated parking for the Civic. There are, however, some pay and display car parks just down the road directly opposite the main entrance to the theatre. If you are at an evening show, that's even better, as I think the pay and display car parks are free after 6pm.

Like most people I adore the Civic Theatre, I've heard that it's known as one of the best outside…read morethe West End of London. The performances it attracts are always top line which of course helps. The yearly pantomime is a treat and tends to follow a traditional format suitable for all the family. Easy access the only downside is the parking being a bit of a walk away but people can be dropped off at the side entrance. A good addition was the conservatory which means there is more than one place to arrange to meet people before/during and after a performance. Nice to see that it still has most of the original features including the ghost of an early Manager!

FUCK THE TEACHERS!!!!! They're always horrible and teach you the same shit that's not in the exam!…read moreFucking glad it's closing so kids can actually get a better education! That head teacher should be fucking ashamed of herself getting staff like that in! Do 1 thing wrong in class you're in isolation all day and not even get a chance, mrs robson (science teacher) took pics of the kids and threw their bags out the class room the stupid cow (she was a supply for a while then became an actual teacher then back to being a supply and now Idk if she's still there because I left ages ago)

Having seen & heard about the Hub, I never been inside, what a fantastic place it is for the…read morecommunity. The building is well designed with a grass roof & loads of activities for everyone to enjoy, how the kids in Barnard Castle can moan that there isn't anything to do is beyond me. We went to see a Shakespeare play put on by the turrets teenage theatre group outside which was great. Whilst there we had a mooch around and saw all sorts of activities going on. They have a flootlite BMX track which was full to bursting. Music studios where people of all ages where doing their thing with instruments. A garage where mechanics where learning new skills, a lake to do canoeing. Down at the lower end was a fishing lake & high wire/climbing area. Inside the main complex rooms for the arts, dance & martial arts. Check out the web site for activities or if you are local then get yourself along, I'm sure you will find something to do. It's not a sports complex but more of an arts centre.