OF all the things to forget before setting off on a voyage - my toothbrush. It meant a hurried departure from our ship into Malaga. After taking in a few worthy attractions on the way, later I found myself in a chemist's gesticulating madly in a toothbrushing
A youngster who faced a fight for life after she suffered heart failure is to take part in this year's Great North Millennium Transplant Games. Seven-year-old Rebecca Long was saved by a heart transplant carried out at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle
A COUNCIL is pressing ahead with plans to close five residential homes for the elderly in Darlington. Darlington Borough Council has decided the closure of the homes is necessary because it cannot afford the £4.5m needed to bring them up to standard.
THIRD World campaigners are holding a three-hour vigil at the Angel of the North on July 22 to urge world leaders to scrap the unpayable debts of the poorest countries. Members of the Catholic Fund for Overseas Development (CAFOD) are making the protest
THE seeds of Marcus Trescothick's emergence as England's surprise package of the summer were sowed by an outstanding performance for Somerset in Taunton at the end of last season. The 24-year-old left-hander has quickly become a great success during England's
PORT Vila, who has progressed with every outing to date, can notch the biggest win of his career by lifting the Sodexho Prestige Scottish Classic over a mile and a quarter at Ayr this afternoon. Unbeaten in his first two outings as a juvenile, John Gosden's
THREE men from the North-East have been arrested by police in a crackdown on gang warfare in the Canary Islands. Richard Cashman, 33, from Stockton, Michael Cotcher, 29, from Newcastle, and John Parkin, 48, also from Newcastle, were held with a Liverpool
BUSINESS owners affected by the closure of a flood-damaged bridge are appealing for financial support from local authorities and the Government. The appeal is the latest stage in Richmond Business and Tourism Association's campaign to raise awareness
CAPTAIN Roger Taylor last night insisted Great Britain can bounce straight back after their ''devastating'' relegation from the Davis Cup world group. Britain lost 3-2 to unfancied Ecuador on Wimbledon's No1 court, a team that former skipper David Lloyd
A LITTER of five kittens was seconds from death after their mother gave birth in a wood shredder. Council workmen were about to throw the switch, which would have had disastrous consequences for the unsuspecting family nestling inside. Thankfully, one
FOOTBALL legend George Best flew to France last night as his doctor begged every barman in Britain to refuse to serve him alcohol in a bid to help him beat his addiction. Professor Roger Williams, who treated Best for a serious liver condition earlier
RESIDENTS are calling for action after a safety scheme introduced to cut the number of accidents on a busy road has proved to be a headache. Traffic lights and a new layout were introduced in Marsh House Avenue, Billingham, earlier this year, in a bid
ALL eyes will be on the banking sector next week as former building societies Northern Rock and Alliance & Leicester kick off the sector's reporting season. Alliance & Leicester will unveil half-year results on Friday with the City expecting pre-tax
A LACK of goals might have been the bane of Hartlepool United's season last time around, but on this showing it may not be such a problem in the months to come. It might only have been Pool's first pre-season friendly, and in Aberdeen against one of Britain's
WHEN Tom Graveney fronted a promotional video on an area where Chester-le-Street residents walked their dogs he could not seriously have believed that England would play cricket there ten years later. The video was designed to attract sponsorship for
AN experimental Darlington side slumped to a 2-0 defeat at Billingham Town. Quakers fielded five triallists, including Carshalton Athletic winger Eddie Duah, ex-Middlesbrough midfielder Steve Walklate, Nottingham Forest midfielder Richard Hodgson and
Net rage switched Andrew Flintoff into the overdrive gear which shook the critics off his broad back at Old Trafford. Since Sunday's wash-out against West Indies at Lord's - which Flintoff missed - the spotlight has suddenly beamed in on his waistline
AS a nation we are often criticised for being predictable, but if there is one thing which is unpredictable about this country it has got to be our great British weather. It can prove useful, though, when we want something to blame for our ills. The weather
HERE comes the sun - well maybe, but what ever is happening with the weather it's time to pack your bags, head for the beach and wonder which tunes are going to be this year's big summer hits. They say that music knows no boundaries and already Italian
THE dream to bring international cricket to the North-East evolved after 1990 when Durham's application to join the county championship, to be the 18th first-class county was accepted. Two years later Durham, with Ian Botham in its team, embarked on first-class
Andy Flower: A wicket-keeper batsman of high class, a solid keeper, and fluent stroke maker who can dominate the best bowling. Heath StreaK: A top class opening bowler, at one time ranked in some systems in the top 5 in the world, and an effective wicket
SUSPENDED police chief Ray Mallon has warned Cleveland Police that he will ensure the truth about Operation Lancet is made public. He told a fundraising dinner: "I haven't even started yet - I've got lots to say and they know it." Detective Superintendent
RESIDENTS of a former mining village are hoping to rejuvenate their community with two ambitious projects. Grange Villa, near Chester-le-Street, has suffered in recent years due to a lack of amenities, but residents are hoping to get funding to help build
CHESTER-LE-STREET riverside park was the venue for one of County Durham's biggest festivals at the weekend. Playfest 2000 saw professional performers from all over the country converge on a tented village to entertain the thousands of children and adults
A PLEA to bring forward a referendum on Britain's entry into the euro was made last night in the wake of 526 steel job losses on Teesside. An industry lobby group says tens of thousands more jobs in manufacturing industry are at risk and the Government
SPORTS-MAD youngsters have notched up their most successful season in a decade. Pupils at Ouston Junior School were crowned overall champions at a district athletics meeting that attracted youngsters from 23 schools and were awarded the Neil Dickinson
OWNERS managers of hundreds of North-East companies are being asked which issues really matter to their businesses in the run-up to the next general election. Leading business advisers Grant Thornton, which works with more than 1,000 owner managed business
STAFF at a library have been honoured for their excellent work with children of all ages. Staff at Pelton Library, near Chester-le-Street, have been presented with an Investing in Children certificate in recognition of their efforts. Investing in Children
A busy weekend is in store for Chester-le-Street residents as the English cricket team plays its first international at the Riverside. England will play the West Indies this Saturday, and on Sunday Zimbabwe will play the West Indies as part of a three-way
A PLEA to bring forward a referendum on Britain's entry into the Euro was made last night in the wake 526 steel job losses on Teesside. An industry lobby group says tens of thousands more jobs in the steel and manufacturing industries are at risk and
MANAGEMENT at an award-winning North-East factory last night reacted quickly to quash fears among staff concerned at proposed changes in production. Rumours engulfed the workforce at Black & Decker that part of its production was being switched to
A 13-YEAR-old girl with a crippling spinal condition has been commended by her school for suffering 'with a smile on her face' - despite enduring excruciating pain and corrective surgery. Tracy Timms, of Pelton, near Chester-le-Street, has had permanent
A schoolgirl has proved that if you want to get ahead in life you have to bang your own drum. Sarah Jane Burn, 12, of Annfield Plain, has been chosen to take part in a record-breaking drumming event in London after she impressed at a national celebration
PROFESSIONAL performers from across the country converged on a tented village at the weekend to raise the curtain on one of County Durham's biggest festivals of the year. Playfest 2000 at Chester-le-Street's Riverside Park saw a range of productions for
THE Riverside will be packed to the rafters when the venue hosts its first England clash - the NatWest Series one-dayer against the West Indies. All 15,000 tickets have been snapped up and tickets are also selling well for tomorrow's contest when the
DARLINGTON FC AS a Quakers supporter of many years, I think we should realise that had it not been for George Reynolds, the club would have been finished as regards League football. We should also realise that it is a business now and has to pay its way
GIVEN the raw deal the North-East gets from UK governments, could credence be given to a Northumbrian Peoples' Independence Party for the people of Tees to Tweed? After all we were once a kingdom and the Prince Bishops had a great deal of autonomy from
YOUNGSTERS at a Chester-le-Street school have been using pen power to beat criminals. Ninety pupils at Lumley Junior School were given property marking pens for a police competition in which they had to write their postcode and house number on as many
