Darlington STEM Centre

Pride in Place funding is helping bring a flagship STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) centre to Darlington, creating new opportunities for local people to develop the skills needed for high-value careers.

The new centre will be located at Darlington’s Science Park, alongside Teesside University and CPI, creating a hub for education, innovation and industry.

Making Darlington more accessible

Pride in Place funding is helping Darlington become a more accessible place to walk, wheel and move around, with £750,000 being invested in a programme of dropped kerbs over the next 10 years.

The project will focus on well-used routes and key links across the borough, making it easier and safer for people to get around independently.

It will particularly benefit wheelchair and mobility scooter users, people using walking aids, parents and carers with pushchairs and prams, and people with visual impairments.

Darlington Association on Disability (DAD) has worked closely with Darlington Borough Council on accessibility improvements for more than 20 years. Pride in Place funding will accelerate that work, with £75,000 a year allocated for the first four years and the intention to maintain this level of investment throughout the 10-year programme.

The approach is simple: look at Darlington from the perspective of a pedestrian and identify the routes people actually use. Rather than installing dropped kerbs in isolation, the programme will prioritise main walking routes and the links between them, helping to create more continuous and accessible journeys.

Dropped kerbs also incorporate tactile paving, helping people with visual impairments to identify safe crossing points.

The project is about more than accessibility – by making walking routes easier to navigate for people with different needs, the improvements can make Darlington safer and more convenient for everyone.