Willington is a former-pit town in County Durham

County Durham

County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...

, England. It is in the foothills of the Pennines

Pennines

The Pennines are a low-rising mountain range, separating the North West of England from Yorkshire and the North East.Often described as the "backbone of England", they form a more-or-less continuous range stretching from the Peak District in Derbyshire, around the northern and eastern edges of...

 and near the River Wear

River Wear

The River Wear is located in North East England, rising in the Pennines and flowing eastwards, mostly through County Durham, to the North Sea at Sunderland.-Geology and history:...

 close to Crook

Crook, County Durham

Crook is a market town in County Durham, England. It is situated about 10 miles south-west of Durham.Crook lies a couple of miles north of the River Wear, on the A690 from Durham...

 and Bishop Auckland

Bishop Auckland

Bishop Auckland is a market town and civil parish in County Durham in north east England. It is located about northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham at the confluence of the River Wear with its tributary the River Gaunless...

. Like many communities in the area, Willington's economy was largely based on coal mining. The closure of the colliery in 1967 therefore hit the town hard. Similarly to many former mining communities this is a blow that Willington has struggled to recover from.

Football team

Willington has its own football club Willington F.C.

Willington F.C.

Willington A.F.C. is an English football club based in Willington, County Durham. The club are currently members of the Wearside League and play at Hall Lane.-History:...

who currently play in the 11th tier of English football