This week's P1
This week's P1

This week's Mercury is now available and comes with a comprehensive round-up of how the dale is responding to the coronvirus emergency, including:

Calls for the Lowson Ward, at Barnard Castle's Richardson Hospital, to be reopened to help fight the virus

A warning from a town GP that the worst is yet to come - and a plea from another doctor for the vulnerable to stay at home.

Concern that holiday makers and visitors to the dale are ignoring advice to stay at home in their main place of residence

A surge in demand for traditional milk delivery services

How a charity is ensuring its elderly members are not forgotten during the crisis

The launch of a crowd-funding appeal to help the most vulnerable

A spike in demand for compost from Rotters

Volunteers turn to foraging in an effort to keep animals at a dale sanctuary fed

In other news:

A raft of alterations are planned at the Jersey Farm Hotel by the new owners

An appeal to raise cash to buy a new walker for a severely disabled dale boy has been launched

Tributes have been paid to Cotherstone farmer Keith Lamb, who established the caravan site at Doe Park, and the former secretary of Teesdale Country Fair David Craig

In what's on, we launch a new series of profiles featuring some of the dale's musicians, artists and artisans, while in sport, Barnard Castle Table Tennis Club's ambitions of a top-two place in the league have been thwarted after play was called to a halt.

There's also a selection of readers' letters and all this week's family notices.

This week's paper comes with the bi-monthly TM Magazine. 

The paper is available in those newsagents and retail outlets which remain open during the current situation. For those at home or the vulnerable, delivery can be arranged by contacting Galgate News on 01833 690355.  Alternatively, a digital edition of the paper is available online at www.teesdalemercury.co.uk/subscribe