TALENTED young actors and a group of teachers who help educate child refugees, have benefited from the proceeds of a bonfire celebration.
Last year's bonfire and fireworks display staged by police and the fire brigade in Durham generated £4,500 for local charities.
The event, held at police headquarters, Aykley Heads, has been running for 28 years and last year attracted a crowd of 10,000.
The money raised from the event was yesterday shared out between nine charities, who received £500 each.
One of those to receive a grant was Spennymoor Youth Theatre Group, whose patron is Prime Minister Tony Blair. The group will use the money to provide free music lessons and arts training for members.
Other registered charities to benefit include the Karen Educational Partnership, which sends teachers from the North of England every Easter to the Karen refugee camps on the Thai/Burma border to teach young people and help local teachers.
The remaining charities to receive funds were: Durham Association of Clubs for Young People; Durham Agency Against Crime; Durham Trinity School, which caters for pupils with special educational needs; Marie Curie Cancer Care; Moving On, a support group for homeless young people; Victim Support and Willow Burn Hospice, in Lanchester.
County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue's deputy chief fire officer, Paul Henderson and Durham police's head of training, Superintendent Jamie McAloon, handed over the cheques at the fire brigade HQ at Framwellgate Moor in Durham.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article