Bishop Auckland regeneration

THE developments in Bishop Auckland are coming thick and fast due through The Auckland Project, with Kynren now a staple of town’s summer calendar, and the Mining Art Gallery in the Market Place drawing crowds since it opened in October.

The reopening of Auckland Castle following a multi-million pound conservation programme had been scheduled for this summer, but has been delayed by the discovery of previously unknown historical features, and unexpected challenges, such as the castle’s Scotland Wing being found not to have substantial foundations.

David Maddan, chief executive of the Auckland Project, said: “An £11.4m investment has been made in the conservation of Auckland Castle, for which we thank our funders, the Heritage Lottery Fund. This work demands careful attention to high quality, to do justice to both the building and the history of the Prince Bishops of Durham.

"Work is progressing well and the site will be handed back to us in the summer. We then have the exciting job of bringing to life this beautiful historic castle with the vision, skill and commitment of our curatorial team and the plans that they have been developing for over two years.”

The historic interiors will be painstakingly re-presented, metres of heavy damask curtains will be hung, specially woven carpets laid and period furniture upholstered.

There are more than 50 paintings to be displayed, including the return of the Zurbarán paintings. Hundreds of artefacts and objects are to be placed within the rooms, including important pieces of furniture designed by James Wyatt (1746–1813) for Bishop Barrington in the 1790s, and visitor information prepared and installed.

Auckland Tower, the 29-metre high visitor centre, will open on Saturday, July 21. It is The Auckland Project’s purpose built welcome centre, designed by award winning architects Niall McLaughlin.

The ground floor contains a reception and ticketing desk and the first floor will hold information on the project, castle and Prince Bishops.

David Cox, project director, said: “The architects have created a beautiful but complex building. At the outset we had earmarked a spring opening, but progress to the build was delayed earlier this year. The construction of the lift shaft and erection of the timber frame has taken longer than expected.”

The Great Exhibition of the North

THE cultural eyes of the country will be on Newcastle and Gateshead from June for the Great Exhibition of the North, a government-sponsored 80-day festival of the arts and technology designed to showcase the best the region has to offer.

The Sage, the Baltic and the Great North Museum will be venues for the festival, with the Tyne itself set to play an integral part. A giant river sculpture will be one of the main attractions.

The Great Exhibition of the North idea was announced by then chancellor George Osborne in his budget of November 2015 in connection with his Northern Powerhouse initiative.

In July 2016, four towns and cities were shortlisted – Blackpool, Bradford, Sheffield and Newcastle-Gateshead, which was announced as the winning bidder in October last year.

At the time, Carol Bell, NewcastleGateshead Initiative’s culture and major events director, said: “Together we will develop and stage an event that the whole of the North can be proud of and which we hope will have far-reaching benefits for culture, communities, tourism and businesses in 2018 and beyond.”

The full programme for the festival will be announced early this year, and it will run from June 22 to September 9.

The Tall Ships Race

SUNDERLAND will host the opening leg of the 2018 Tall Ships Race, from July 11 with the flotilla setting off for Esbjerg in Denmark on July 14.

The spectacular maritime festival will see 80 tall ships from all over the world visit the port to share in the celebrations. A programme of entertainment and cultural activity will take place across the city over four days, including the Port of Sunderland, the city's university and the National Glass Centre, as well as the beaches at Roker and Seaburn.

The ships themselves are built for ocean sailing with novice crew members finding their sea legs, supported by experienced hands.

In November, organisers announced they had secured £149,000 from Arts Council England to go towards the cultural programme surrounding the races.

Councillor John Kelly, public health, wellness and culture spokesman at Sunderland City Council, said: "With up to 1.5m visitors and up to 80 vessels with crews from over 15 countries expected over the four days, the live entertainment and cultural programme is a really important part of the event, giving it an added vibrancy and helping to create a real buzz. It's also a fantastic opportunity to showcase the region's artistic and performing talents to an international audience."

Tour de Yorkshire

THE cycle race has become a firm favourite in the region’s sporting calendar and this year the historic market town of Richmond will play a key role as the starting destination for stage three of the four-day event, on Saturday, May 5.

Spectators are expected to line the market place as the riders head to Catterick Garrison, before travelling to Leyburn, Morton-on-Swale (where the first intermediate sprint will be fought out), Northallerton and Thirsk before crossing into the North York Moors and the notorious Sutton Bank climb.

The action will then pass through Helmsley and on to Pickering for a second intermediate sprint, before hitting the coast.

Riders will return to Richmondshire the following day as they enter the final stages of the race.

Geoff Lloyd, Richmond Cycling Club treasurer, said: “The race will showcase Richmond brilliantly, the countryside here is second to none.

“It will present the town as an incredible place to live for cyclists, and we can’t wait to see if hosting the event will have an effect on numbers joining the club.”

The event will run from Thursday, May 3, to Sunday, May 6.

A1 upgrade

THE roadworks to upgrade the section of the A1 to motorway standard between Leeming and Barton in North Yorkshire started in 2015 and were due to be completed by spring 2017.

It was revealed in April that the £380.3m project was running six months behind schedule.

The 50mph average speed cameras have caught thousands of speeding motorists – at one stage 25 drivers a day were left facing prosecution.

Highways England’s website now gives the finishing date of the project as March 2018. If that holds true, it will be a huge relief for motorists and people in the area to have the speed restrictions lifted, a brand new piece of motorway to travel on.

And finally…

If none of these prove attractive enough to shine a light amid the winter gloom, there’s always the prospect of a royal wedding (Harry and Meghan at Windsor Castle’s St George’s Chapel on May 19) and England’s glorious romp to victory at the World Cup in Russia in June and July to look forward to. With Belgium, Panama and Tunisia to play in the group stages, and the potential of facing Poland, Senegal, Colombia or Japan in the last 16, England's progress to the final stages is practically assured. Watch this space.