🎉 The August 2026 Print Edition of Consett Magazine Is Out Now
The August 2026 edition of Consett Magazine has arrived, bringing together another inspiring collection of positive local stories, community voices, history and important reporting from Consett, Lanchester, Shotley Bridge and the wider DH8 area.
This month’s front cover takes us inside Seiken Ryu Karate Association, where instructor Simon Rayner is helping students of all ages develop confidence, discipline, fitness and self-belief.
The cover story and photography are by George Ledger as part of the continuing Communities in Focus project.
🌿 What’s Inside the August Edition
🥋 Community, Sport & Local People
Building Confidence Through Karate
George Ledger visits Simon Rayner’s Seiken Ryu Karate classes in Lanchester, where students learn that karate is about much more than kicks and punches. It is a martial art built around respect, self-control, fitness, practical skills and continuous improvement.
🌺 Gardens, Nature & Local Life
Inside Roz and Chris’s Hidden Garden
Chris Bruce explores a remarkable garden on the outskirts of Lanchester, created over 30 years from a concrete parking yard and an overgrown field.
Roz is also the proud holder of the UK’s National Collection of Physocarpus, or ninebark, with plants from the collection supplied to RHS Garden Bridgewater and displayed at Ushaw.
🐕 Animals & Entrepreneurship
A Clean Bill of Hound
Juan Fitzgerald meets Millie at The Hound Hygienist in Lanchester, where professional dog grooming is combined with specialist canine dental hygiene.
Millie’s dedication has already earned her the title of Best Pet Care Business in County Durham, and she is now preparing for the grand final of a national Gold Award in Birmingham.
🎓 Education & Young People
The Importance of Transitions: Building Security for Life
Shotley Bridge Nursery School explains how carefully supported transitions can help young children develop emotional security, resilience, independence and confidence.
The article looks at everything from daily routines and small changes to the major step of leaving nursery and beginning primary school.
💒 Faith, Heritage & Community
A Century of Faith and Community at All Saints Church
The story of All Saints Church in Lanchester continues with a closer look at the people supporting parish and community life today.
George Ledger introduces Parish Priest Fr Vernatius Edih and Deacon Peter Smith, whose work extends beyond the church to local schools, care homes, hospice patients and families across the area.
🏭 Skills, Careers & Local Industry
Meet the People Behind the Pour: Shaun Kennedy and Kyle Watson
Greencroft Bottling celebrates two members of its engineering team who achieved distinctions in their Higher National Certificates while continuing to work full-time.
Shaun Kennedy and Kyle Watson completed the demanding qualifications through Derwentside College, demonstrating the value of apprenticeships, workplace learning and continued investment in local engineering talent.
🏛️ History & Industrial Heritage
The Paper Mill That Put Shotley Bridge on the Map
Local historian Paul Heatherington looks back at Shotley Grove Paper Mill, once one of northern England’s most important papermaking centres.
The mills employed hundreds of local people, produced thousands of tonnes of paper and helped place Shotley Bridge on the industrial map of Britain.
📸 Communities in Focus
Summer Exhibition at Willow Burn Hospice Gardens
The Communities in Focus exhibition is now open at Willow Burn Hospice Gardens, bringing together many of the portraits and stories previously featured in Consett Magazine.
Following a successful launch, the exhibition will remain open until 30 August, giving residents another opportunity to celebrate the people and community spirit behind the project.
📰 Quick Reads
Consett Man’s Six-Stone Weight-Loss Journey
Chris Hope shares how a routine health check became the turning point that helped him lose more than six stone, rebuild his confidence and transform his life.
Consett Lions Town Raffle
Consett Lions Club prepares for its annual raffle on 17 September, with proceeds supporting local community projects.
MR MIX HQ Coming to Consett
Plans are under way for a new cocktail bar and events venue in the former Believe & Be building on Medomsley Road.
SPARKWORKS Launches in Consett
A new four-week pilot programme will help young people explore how their creative hobbies could become potential sources of income.
Northern Doc Fund Opens for Applications
Working-class documentary makers from across the North can apply for bursary funding, mentoring and an opportunity to pitch at Bolton Film Festival.
Support for Consett Academy Maths Scholars
Consett Academy has received almost £1,300 from UKSE to purchase laptops for students studying advanced mathematics alongside their GCSEs.
Postcode Lottery Funding Session
Local organisations are being invited to a free funding information session at Chopwell Community Centre.
⚠️ Important Local Reporting
Watchdog Renews Call to Reconsider Derwentside Site
The Independent Monitoring Board has again questioned whether Derwentside Immigration Removal Centre’s remote location makes it a suitable site, despite recognising improvements in conditions and staff culture.
North East Records England’s Lowest Council Complaint Rate
New regional figures show that the North East recorded England’s lowest overall rate of council complaints, although adult social care remained an area of concern.
Cold Water Shock Can Be Fatal
Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen shares an important summer safety message about the dangers of entering rivers, lakes and reservoirs, even during exceptionally warm weather.
🎭 Poetry & Creative Voices
Consett Holidays, 1960s Style
Lorraine Weightman, with an illustration by Fr John Bagnall, remembers childhood summer holidays spent walking, swimming in the Derwent and enjoying the freedom of long days outdoors.
The Bells
Local poet Anthony Page reflects on church bells, their sound across the community and their place in local life.
🧠 Why This Issue Matters
The August edition celebrates the confidence, creativity, skills and community spirit found throughout DH8.
From karate classes, hidden gardens and animal care to nursery education, engineering achievements, industrial history, poetry and public-interest reporting, Issue 165 shows just how many important stories can be found close to home.
🖊️ Have a Story to Share?
Consett Magazine is made by and for the people of DH8.
Have you got a local story, photograph, event, club, achievement, poem, business update or piece of community news that deserves to be seen?
We would love to hear from you.
Next print deadline: 3:00 PM on 15 August 2026
Distribution: First week of every month
📧 editor@consettmagazine.com
📞 01207 438 292
🖊️ Submit your story through magazine.ad
Add news, not noise.
The August 2026 edition of Consett Magazine is out now and available across Consett and the surrounding area from local shops, cafés, community venues and trusted distribution points that have supported the magazine since 2012.
