This week's front page
This week's front page

In this week's Mercury:

In the only parish council election called in Teesdale, 16 candidates will battle it out for the 12 seats available on Barnard Castle Town Council

Gainford's Father Ian Grieves has called time on an eventful 40 years as both Anglican vicar and Catholic priest

A family has spoken of their anguish after a memorial bench to a loved one was vandalised

A dale history buff has returned First World War memorabilia he came across in Barney to the descendents of an Australian serviceman

Meet the chefs who are cooking up hundreds of meals for the dale's elderly and isolated

Up to 50 frontline NHS workers can look forward to a free holiday in the upper dale thanks to the area's hotels and B&Bs

Holiday activities at The Hub, in Barnard Castle, proved popular with families – we've a picture spread

As non-essential shops reopen we report on the launch of a new hair salon, the return of a popular deli and a craftsman's plans for an artisan hub

Author Anne Fine takes part in this week's Q&A feature

We also report on how venues big and small will benefit from the latest round of the Government's Covid Recovery Fund

In sport, we preview the new cricket season and meet the new captains at Barnard Castle Golf Club

Plus... community news, farming update, readers' letters, family announcements, property and much more... all in this week's paper.