Latest news with #TeesValley
BBC News
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Cycling: Tour of Britain Women 2025 – How to watch and follow on BBC Sport
This summer, BBC Sport is bringing even more women's sport to audiences, having secured the rights to show the Tour of Britain Women. The event runs from 5-8 June and will see a record number of 18 teams compete across four stages; starting in the Tees Valley and concluding in Glasgow. BBC Sport will stream every stage live across all four days on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app, bringing the race to fans wherever they are. Highlights, clips and key moments will also be shared across BBC Sport's social channels throughout the event. CF Read more: Women's Sport takes centre stage across the BBC in summer 2025 How to watch the Cycling: Tour of Britain Women 2025 Stage One Thursday 5 June 12pm-2.20pm iPlayer; BBC Sport Website/app, Red Button Follow live coverage from the first day of the Tour of Britain Women Cycling race, taking place from Dalby Forest to Redcar. Stage Two Friday 6 June 12pm-2.40pm iPlayer; BBC Sport Website/app, Red Button Follow live coverage from the second day of the Tour of Britain Women 2025 cycling race, taking place from Hartlepool to Saltburn-by-the-Sea. Stage Three Saturday 7 June 12pm-3.20pm iPlayer; BBC Sport Website/app, Red Button Follow live coverage from the third day of the Tour of Britain Women 2025 cycling race, taking place in Kelso. Stage Four Sunday 8 June 9.50am-12.30pm iPlayer; BBC Sport Website/app, Red Button Follow live coverage from the fourth and final day of the Tour of Britain Women 2025 cycling race, taking place in Glasgow City Centre. Follow for more
Telegraph
a day ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Starmer's new bus scheme puts him on the path of failed prime ministers
Northern transport schemes have become something of a panic button for prime ministers worried about falling popularity in the polls. With Sir Keir Starmer less popular than Sir Ed Davey, his Liberal Democrat counterpart, the Labour leader sent his Chancellor out to bat for him with Wednesday's announcement. Yet close watchers of politics might feel that some of the sums unveiled by Rachel Reeves, as part of what she described as 'the biggest ever investment by a British government in transport links in our city regions and the surrounding towns', are suspiciously similar to previous pledges. Those include £978 million for transport projects in the Tees Valley region, a sum previously announced in 2023 by the Tories and then placed under review by Labour after last year's general election. A similar situation holds true for the Liverpool city region, which was awarded £1.581 billion in 2023 under the city region sustainable transport settlement, after Wednesday's £1.581 billion award under Labour's newly unveiled transport for city regions funding settlements. Gareth Davies, the shadow treasury minister, said: 'Rachel Reeves is scrambling to salvage her failing economic plan after the Prime Minister has made U-turn after U-turn, punching holes in her credibility. 'She needed to do better than copying and pasting announcements made by the previous Conservative government. The country is not falling for their lies any more. Britain deserves better.' Here are some of the times in the recent past when prime ministers have reached for northern transport funding announcements to shore up their sagging popularity. Gordon Brown's 2009 light-rail systems Mr Brown, who succeeded Sir Tony Blair as prime minister, said he would improve public transport in Sunderland if his party won the 2010 general election. His manifesto that year also promised 'upgrades to Tyne and Wear light-rail systems' and electronic ticketing to promote 'cheap and easy' public transport across the country. It wasn't the first time Mr Brown had fallen back on promises of boosting transport spending outside London and the South East. The previous December, he opened the HS1 railway line in Kent while promising that it would become 'a blueprint for the future of high-speed rail travel in the United Kingdom'. He added, referring to the then not-yet-started project, that HS2 was going to 'make the case for a national high-speed rail network across this country'. Not long after Sir Tony handed over the premiership to Mr Brown, an act followed by a slump in the opinion polls and strong rumours of a 2008 snap election, the new prime minister was forced to deny that transport spending was skewed towards London and the South East. 'The Government has doubled expenditure on transport. It continues to move forward with its road programme, but also its rail and infrastructure programme,' Mr Brown said that year. 'And I don't think it's true to say that transport spending has been skewed to one particular area. In every part of the country, we are expanding transport according to the needs of these different areas. 'The important thing to recognise about transport is that we are investing in every part of the country.' Cameron on northern roads and railways In October 2010, the Tory-Lib Dem government announced deep public spending cuts as part of George Osborne's austerity programme, with the transport budget set for cuts of around 15 per cent. Mr Osborne spearheaded the Northern Powerhouse Rail project, a slogan that promised a lateral high-speed railway line across northern England, alongside plans for HS2 to move off the drawing board and into reality. As the 2015 general election loomed, however, David Cameron – now Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton – started adopting the familiar refrain of North-centric transport announcements in an attempt to woo voters. 'I think it is important that to reassure people in the next parliament we're going to spend three times more on other transport schemes, road and rail schemes, as we'll spend on HS2,' he told ITV News in 2014, ahead of the following year's general election. A year later, the prime minister was back out on the stump, promising in a YouTube video addressed to voters in Accrington, Lancashire: 'Today I'm here in the North West talking about how we're going to invest in our universities, in our science base, how we're going to build the roads and railways and infrastructure that we need for our future so we get a balanced recovery right across our country.' The promise may have worked: in 2015 the Conservatives secured a clear majority, meaning they could govern without their erstwhile Lib Dem coalition partners. A year after that, Mr Cameron dramatically stepped down after losing the 2016 EU membership referendum. Theresa May's 'transforming cities' Mr Cameron's 2016 successor was Theresa May, who felt the heat of unpopularity as early as two years into her premiership. As part of a policy intended to ' help spread growth beyond London ', a total of ten city regions around the country – including Greater Manchester, Cambridge, Peterborough, Plymouth, Southampton and Sheffield, among others – were handed a total of £1.7 billion between them for transport projects. 'Our great cities and their suburbs are home to millions of people and world-beating businesses,' Mrs May said at the time. Faced with growing calls for a general election in 2019, she went on to reassure Midlands political and business leaders that the Tories were backing the full length of HS2's northern leg. She said in a letter to the Midlands Connect trade association: 'I would like to take this opportunity to assure you that the Government remains committed to delivering the whole of HS2 Phase 2, and will continue to work closely with you to ensure that the project meets your aspirations for growth and regeneration.' Boris Johnson promises lots to Leeds… After Mrs May stepped down in 2019, Boris Johnson won the 2019 Conservative Party leadership election – and called a general election in the same year. Having been mayor of London, the one-time Telegraph correspondent was already firmly linked in the public imagination with transport projects – but that did not stop him from reaching for the familiar northern transport announcements when the polls were down. Mr Johnson said in an early 2020 speech: 'I want to be the prime minister who does with Northern Powerhouse Rail what we did for Crossrail in London, and today I am going to deliver on my commitment to that vision with a pledge to fund the Leeds to Manchester route.' That route has, so far, not materialised. … and Liz Truss repeats his pledges During her 45 days in office, Liz Truss had little time to say much. Yet in the run-up to her abortive prime ministerial term, she renewed the Conservatives' pledge to build Northern Powerhouse Rail. 'Leeds is still the largest city in Europe without its own metro network and I would work to fix that. And I will get Northern Powerhouse Rail built,' she told a Tory leadership hustings in July 2022. She did not, in fact, get the train project onto the tracks during her two months in No 10. Rishi Sunak and HS2 Rishi Sunak took a much bolder stance than his predecessors, being best remembered in transport circles for cancelling the northern leg of HS2 and freezing National Highways' smart motorways rollout. Yet by 2024, paving the ground for that year's general election, the Tory leader was keen to position himself as a generous benefactor for northern transport projects. ' Through reallocating HS2 funding, we're not only investing billions of pounds directly back into our smaller cities, towns and rural areas across the North and Midlands, but we are also empowering their local leaders to invest in the transport projects that matter most to their communities – this is levelling up in action,' he said in a statement that February. His government's 2023 announcement that HS2 Phase 2 funding was being redirected into various northern transport projects formed the basis of Wednesday's announcement by Rachel Reeves. Keen observers of politics watching Ms Reeves's speech could be forgiven for believing they had become trapped in the film Groundhog Day. But the refrain is so familiar from prime ministers in political hot water that it has become a predictable staple of these types of set-piece speech.
BBC News
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Tour of Britain Women joins BBC Sport's line up of women's sport this summer
This summer, BBC Sport will bring even more women's sport to audiences, having secured the rights to show the Tour of Britain Women. The event, which will run from the 5-8 June, will see a record number of 18 teams compete across four stages; starting in the Tees Valley and concluding in Glasgow. BBC Sport will stream every stage live across all four days on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app, bringing the race to fans wherever they are. Highlights, clips and key moments will also be shared across BBC Sport's social channels throughout the event. Alex Kay-Jelski, Director of BBC Sport, says: 'The Tour of Britain Women will be another great moment for women's sport this summer and we're delighted to bring this event to fans across the UK through our popular digital platforms. The BBC has a strong track record of backing women's sport. Not just the victories, but the stories, the grit and the passion behind them. And as the UK's most-used sports broadcaster, we're proud to shine a spotlight on this race and its great cyclists.' Managing Director of British Cycling Events, Jonathan Day, says: 'We are really pleased that the BBC will broadcast the Lloyds Tour of Britain women during a huge summer of sport for women. The event is breaking records this year with the number of teams riding across the four stages, so it is brilliant news that the races will be available across BBC Sport's platforms, allowing the British public to follow the action from this sporting spectacle.' BBC Sport's roster of women's sport this summer includes Queen's, Wimbledon, Nottingham & Eastbourne, UEFA Women's Euro 2025, Women's Rugby World Cup, The Hundred and women's cricket international highlights, as well as the World Athletics Championships. Read more: Women's Sport takes centre stage across the BBC in summer 2025 RM4
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Free 'insulation MOT' offered to charities across Tees Valley
A free 'insulation MOT' is being offered to charities and non-profit organisations across the Tees Valley. The Thermal Insulation Contractors Association (TICA) is providing free energy audits to help identify ways to save energy and reduce carbon emissions. The audits will be conducted by level 3 apprentices from TICA's National Training Centre in Darlington, under the supervision of instructors. They will use TIPCHECK (Technical Insulation Performance Check), a specialist thermal energy assessment tool. This technology evaluates pipework, typically found in plant and boiler rooms, by measuring surface temperatures and calculating potential energy and cost savings through improved insulation. After the 'insulation MOT', a comprehensive report will detail areas of significant heat loss and outline the benefits of installing or upgrading thermal insulation. If the TIPCHECK identifies insulation work that can be easily installed to reduce energy loss, the TICA apprentices will complete the work, charging only for the cost of the insulation materials used. The initiative provides apprentices with valuable hands-on experience, allowing them to apply their skills in a real-world environment. TICA is an active member of the Darlington Employers Environmental Partnership (DEEP), a collaboration of businesses committed to promoting sustainable practices and supporting the transition to net zero. Helen Anderson, TICA's deputy CEO and head of training, said: "This initiative is a win-win. "Our apprentices gain essential direct experience, applying their training to projects that deliver real community benefits. "At the same time, organisations facing rising energy costs receive expert advice on how to cut waste, lower emissions, and potentially save thousands of pounds." "Whether it's a community centre, village hall, charity, or council building, we want to demonstrate how better insulation can deliver real savings whilst improving the environment." For further information about TICA's 'Insulation MOT' email: comms@
The Sun
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
The new ‘nine month festival' launching in the UK with historic walking trail, world's first railway and AR games
A NEW 'nine month festival' is taking place across County Durham and Tees Valley this year, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the first journey on the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR). As part of the S&DR200 festival, there will be an interactive walking trail between Shildon and Stockton via Darlington - along the rail route which opened on September 27, 1825. 4 4 Along the route will be one of the world's most important groups of surviving early railway buildings including the Grade II* Heighington Station - the world's oldest railway station. The trail will also include an AR game, which will allow players to "learn more about the pioneering innovations of the S&DR via augmented reality and explore key locations in immersive and dynamic way", according to the festival's website. The S&DR Trail of Discovery is a public walk and cycling path which follows sections of the original S&DR route in County Durham, Darlington and Stockton. It stretches approximately nine miles in total. Along the path, visitors will be able to see highlights from the original route include the world's first train platform, the oldest railway bridge and sites that formerly houses cutting-edge technology of the time. There will also be three museums along the route - Locomotion in Shildon, Hopwtown in Darlington nad Preston Park Museum in Stockton. The first of the three museums is home to Europe 's largest collection of early locomotion's. The second is a reimagined site with interactive experiences telling he story of the early rail. The final museums is set in 120 acres of parkland and is home to many curiosities of local life, as well as a new gallery. The first phase of the Trail will be completed during 2025 which will see a continuous route in County Durham from the very start of the line in Witton Park to Heighington Station. New European Sleeper Train Route Goes Through 15 Destinations This part of the trail will be particularly picturesque. In Darlington, the route will run from Hopetown Museum and pick up the original 1825 route all the way to Middleton St George. Then in Stockton, the route will pick up at Eaglescliffe Station and take you on a journey to Stockton Riverside, via Preston Park, where you can still see remnants of the 1825 line. Also in the summer, 17 illustrated panels will be placed be along the route that tell the story of this pioneering historic event that changed the way the world travels, trades and communicates. The full trail will eventually be fully completed by 2027. Then on September 27, 2025 the official 200th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) in the north east of England, which gave birth to the modern railway, will be marked with a re-enactment of the first journey. As part of the celebration, the nine-month festival - which began in March - there will be a number of other events, exhibitions and activities open to the public. To date, £57 million has been spent developing the region's cultural infrastructure ahead of the festival. You can also explore three historic train stations as part of new UK tour – but only until the end of the year. Plus, the first ever direct trains from London to Switzerland move even closer to launching. 4
