Shell garage and SPAR near Wolsingham Picture: SARAH CALDECOTT A NEW petrol station has opened in a rural dale which saves residents a long drive to get fuel. The new Shell garage, in Wolsingham, Weardale, is the dales second petrol station and opened on Monday February 1. The petrol station is built on the site of the previous one and will also be home to the new Spar store, which moved there from the village centre. Durham County Councillor for Weardale, John Shuttleworth said: “It is good to see a new business open, as Wolsingham has been without a petrol filling station for about five years.
TOURISM has arguably been the hardest hit industry due to the lockdowns and pandemic, however the industry is hopeful of finding ways to recover. County Durham has a thriving tourist economy, with sites like Durham Cathedral, Bishop Auckland’s Auckland Project and Knyren, and the Durham Dales of Weardale and Teesdale. The pandemic has decimated the county’s tourism sector and has emphasised just how important the visitor economy is. In 2019, more than 20 million visitors came to the county, contributing £955m to the local economy. By September 2020, the forecast was for a fall of 43.6 per cent in annual visits in 2020, equating to a loss of £434.63m, and an estimated reduction of 5,587 jobs.
TOURISM has arguably been the hardest hit industry due to the lockdowns and pandemic, however the industry is hopeful of finding ways to recover. County Durham has a thriving tourist economy, with sites like Durham Cathedral, Bishop Auckland’s Auckland Project and Kynren, and the Durham Dales of Weardale and Teesdale. The pandemic has decimated the county’s tourism sector and has emphasised just how important the visitor economy is. In 2019, more than 20 million visitors came to the county, contributing £955m to the local economy. By September 2020, the forecast was for a fall of 43.6 per cent in annual visits in 2020, equating to a loss of £434.63m, and an estimated reduction of 5,587 jobs.