THE sound of bells has inspired an audio-visual art installation at Durham Cathedral. Bellring was created by composer Ron Geesin and video artist Ian Breakwell and is being performed in a marquee in the cathedral's cloisters. The piece was inspired by
FOOTBALLER Vinnie Jones was at home "having a bit of a dispute with QPR" - contractual not physical - when Hollywood came calling. At the other end of the trans-Atlantic call at ten o'clock one night last year was the assistant of top producer Jerry Bruckhimer
HUNDREDS of mourners attended the funeral service of a lifeboat veteran. Ronnie Latcham, 61, died of cancer at the weekend. He was a member of the crew of the Hartlepool lifeboat for more than 17 years, and continued as a helper after his retirement at
VILLAGERS fighting plans to build homes on a playing field are to have talks with council officials behind the scheme. People at Ushaw Moor are campaigning against proposals for 200 houses on the field near High View which, they say, was bequeathed to
A CHINESE company has become the first client in residence at the International Business Centre in Gateshead. The China Business Company has pitched its headquarters in Gateshead to take advantage of the centre's high-quality business support infrastructure
IN its short life, the Millennium Dome has already come to symbolise a great deal. It was built at great expense amid much hype and huge expectation, and billed as the greatest show on earth. But it turned into a damp squib which lacked in substance and
A Stamp featuring the coastline of East Durham has acted as the inspiration for a specially commissioned film. The mini-movie stars 15 pupils from Shotton Primary School and was shot on location at Blackhall Rocks. The film is part of the Turning the
BIRD watchers were almost caught on the hop when a rare visitor from Mediterranean regions chose the North-East for a summer holiday with a difference. The gaudily-plumaged roller, about the size of a jackdaw, settled in a stretch of South Tyneside farmland
A RAIL town's dream of winning back its place in the history of steam was yesterday given formal backing by the National Lottery. The great news comes in the week The Northern Echo has launched a campaign to properly celebrate the North-East's railway
AMBITIOUS plans for the long awaited £25m makeover of a town centre have taken a step forward. Durham County Council has exchanged contracts with the developers for the land on which the new Newton Aycliffe centre will be built. Manchester developers
England striker Kevin Phillips was at the centre of an injury scare before the second match of Sunderland's continental tour last night. Phillips, expected to play after missing Sunday's match at Le Havre, was sent back to Sunderland for treatment on
A BIG top extravaganza is to set alight Stockton as part of the International Riverside Festival. The Parada site at Stockton is "a festival within a festival". This tented village at Trinity Gardens will be decorated by visual art, including the eight-metre
FARMERS in North Yorkshire are being urged to bid for a slice of nearly £1m earmarked for rural business development in the county. The funding is available through development agency Yorkshire Forward to convert redundant buildings for modern business
World Cup winning legend Sir Geoff Hurst is to sell his collection of footballing memorabilia for an estimated £180,000 and will donate some of the proceeds to a charity cancer fund named after 1966 England captain Bobby Moore, writes PAUL SIMS. The 129
REDCAR and Cleveland Borough Council is being asked for up to £50,000 for vital work to Saltburn Pier which has come to light during a £1m repair of the Victorian attraction. In a report to the policy and resources committee, Dr Joan Rees, the council's
Vital Government aid to boost jobs will be available in key parts of the North-East, it was confirmed last night. The European Commission finally approved the Government's proposals to add Darlington to the new "assisted areas" map. The move means that
ORGANISERS of a new celebration of the North-East's railway heritage have pledged that all profits will be ploughed back into future events. And they have promised not to make the same mistakes made by Rail 2000, the company behind the failed Cavalcade
TWO POLICE officers who battled in vain to save the life of a heart attack victim are to have their actions recognised by a national organisation. PC Ross Brewster and PC Darren Cresswell tried to revive a 46-year-old man after he collapsed in Jubilee
SIX weeks ago, when it was impossible to walk 15 yards without a stick and a stop for breath, a holy grail arose amid the small print on page 17. Amongst the Co Durham environmental awards for landmarks like the Cathedral, the Market Cross in Barnard
IN WITTON Park, known not unaffectionately as Jam Jar City, you were posh if you had a back garden, rich if you had a flush toilet. If you had both a back garden and a flush toilet you'd shifted, and ultimately almost everyone did. The county council's
THE curtain opens on the Great North Millennium Transplant Games today, with all of the 660 athletes gearing up for the biggest-ever event of its kind. Tonight's opening ceremony, at Newcastle Civic Hall, sees the Olympic-style torch passed on from athletes
A PLAN to drive forward education and training in County Durham was launched at a conference yesterday. The County Durham Lifelong Partnership unveiled its Local Learning Plan to an audience of educationalists at Ramside Hall Hotel, near Durham City.
A COURT heard yesterday how six Sunderland FC fans took part in an organised pitched battle with rival supporters following an end-of-season match. Six Sunderland fans and one Birmingham City supporter appeared at Durham Crown Court on the first day of
THOUSANDS of people belonging to County Durham's minority groups are being asked their views about policing. The force has commissioned independent consultants to carry out surveys and hold a series of public meetings before reporting back on which areas
PLANS to turn a village's empty pub into five homes look set to win approval today despite objections. Derwentside District Council's development control committee will be recommended to give conditional planning permission to convert the Deerness Valley
CONSTRUCTION workers have had to stop working on the new Newcastle to Sunderland Metro link because of vandals pelting them with bricks. Work has been halted on at least one of the construction sites after attacks. Elsewhere, vandals are slowing down
Stanislav Varga was night tipped to take the Premiership by storm following his move to Sunderland. Manager Peter Reid paid only £650,000 for the 27-year-old defender, but said:"Stan has impressed me. "He could be a player who surprises one or two people
DOGGIE chocs are at the centre of a doping scandal which has soured the sport of whippet racing. The small, round sweet morsels could scarcely be more innocuous - but they have sparked a drugs furore on a whippet-world scale of Linford Christie's positive
POLICE in Chester-le-Street say they want the owners of £1,500 worth of stolen garden furniture to come forward and claim their property. Officers have recovered garden equipment including patio furniture, terracotta plant pots and bedding plants that
FLORAL TRIBUTE I WOULD like to say how nice Darlington town centre and roundabouts on the ring road look with all the flowers, particularly the GNER roundabout in Victoria Road. It is just such a pity that the niceness does not spread to the outskirts
THERE was not one absentee when a class of primary school pupils revelled in their prize for top attenders. Year six at Shotton Primary School was rewarded with a free trip to Seaham Leisure Centre after notching up the best attendance record in the school
Newcastle United skipper Alan Shearer has run into another injury problem. Shearer was in action for only 22 minutes during United's two-match trip to the USA because of knee trouble. Manager Bobby Robson yesterday insisted it was a "minor" recurrence
A trainee jockey was remanded in custody for the second time yesterday charged with murdering former Newcastle United reserve striker Gary Walton. Christopher McGrath, 23, known as Christy, of Brancepeth Manor Farm, Brancepeth Village, near Durham, will
Bryan Robson will today make a desperate effort to persuade Christian Ziege to honour the four-year contract he signed with Middlesbrough last year. Robson will plead with the German to turn his back on the chance to play in Europe with big-spending Liverpool
YOUNGSTERS from Denmark have been visiting east Cleveland to perform a series of concerts. Members of the 50-strong band swapped their home town of Thisted for Marske and New Marske, staying with people connected to St Thomas Church and Marske Methodist
A CALL is being made for a £50,000 lifeline to save a child welfare project which is threatened with homelessness. The Barnardo's charity needs the money quickly if a project dealing with sexually abused children is not to fold. A storm-damaged building
AN investigation is under way after customs officials seized a mixed consignment of drugs and contraband cigarettes. About ten kilos of herbal cannabis and 40,000 cigarettes were found at Teesport, concealed in a container from West Africa. It is thought
The Government unveiled its revolution for the health service yesterday - the most far-reaching reforms since the NHS was founded more than 50 years ago. Central to the ten-year blueprint is a massive increase in staff numbers, with an extra 20,000 nurses
THE launch of a business club in Stockton has proved a great success. Business advisors from Stockton's food and environmental advice unit went out in fancy dress to promote the Food for Thought business club, earlier this month. Thanks to the promotion
PLANS for a new police station in Spennymoor are likely to be approved tomorrow. Consideration of the scheme was delayed after an objection was received over access to the proposed site in Wesleyan Road. Managers at John Willetts Stonecraft, on the nearby
A TEENAGER has become a working class hero on a tough Tyneside estate after defying the odds to take honours in a top show jumping contest. Paul Anderson, 17, beat off dozens of other hopefuls from the sport's elite to take the runner-up spot in a national
DEMONSTRATORS are to highlight a series of fears over health issues outside a hospital this morning. Campaigners who fought to prevent the transfer of services from the Duchess of Kent Military Hospital, Catterick Garrison, to Northallerton's Friarage
THE grainy black and white film of Sir Garfield Sobers striking a record six sixes in one over in 1968 shows one of sport's greatest moments. But a young North-East batsman has now emulated the legendary West Indian's feat at the age of 17. Chris Pringle
Darlington keeper Andy Collett makes a return to action when Quakers take on Burnley in the Isle of Man tournament this afternoon. Collett picked up a thigh injury earlier this year which forced him out for several weeks, but recovered enough to play
A PROPOSAL to keep vandals away from a County Durham church is likely to be rejected by councillors. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, in Newton Aycliffe, has submitted a planning application to install railings and fencing around the church
MICK EASTERBY attempts to win Ascot's Brown Jack Handicap for the second time in three years today with his game and genuine stayer Sanbaggedagain. Yorkshireman Mick loves nothing more than to travel down the M1 and beat the southern boys. And that's
ANGRY elderly residents in an East Cleveland village have sent a petition to Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council asking it to replace their unmanageable windows. The pensioners live in council properties in Shepherd Court and Fenton Street, Boosbeck,
A REDCAR deputy headteacher is helping to build a £7.7m school. Mike Erskine, deputy head at Rye Hills School in Redcar, has an office on the site of the new school, and will be monitoring developments throughout the holidays. Yesterday, he tightened
A PIONEERING initiative to develop model homes is aiming to introduce a new era of saving energy and money. Four new homes will be built under proposals put forward by Hambleton District Council and housing associations, each using different methods of
A CLEVELAND solicitor suspended by a disciplinary tribunal is to apply for a new hearing. Timothy Husbands, 36, of Petch's Cottages, Liverton, Saltburn, did not attend the hearing on July 11 when he was suspended following complaints about conveyancing
A city's links with author Lewis Carroll and his children's story, Alice in Wonderland, will be celebrated at a conference next week. The 400-strong Lewis Carroll Society, whose members come from 37 countries, is holding its conference for the first time
News from the Darlington and Stockton Times can be found on this site each Friday.
A MAN arrested by police following a siege at a house was still being questioned last night. Cleveland Police dashed to a house in Roworth Road, Middlesbrough, in response to calls from a terrified woman that she and her six-year-old daughter were being
TWO electricity workers who cheated death when they were blasted by 20,000 volts say they are suing Northern Electric. Michael Johnson and Neil Gregory claim they were burned and flung 20ft through the air when a faulty tube diverted electricity from
THE man leading the hunt for the killer of Newcastle student Sara Cameron says he has still to hear from a number of key witnesses. Detective Superintendent Steve Bolam said a number of people yet to come forward could hold clues vital to the inquiry
HIGHWAYS chiefs have promised a major resurfacing project on the A1 will cause minimum disruption to motorists. The work on the six-mile stretch of road, north-bound from Leeming Bar to Catterick South, gets under way tomorrow and will last for 24 nights
DURHAM expect to have Melvyn Betts back for the match against Somerset starting at the Riverside tomorrow, but Steve Harmison is still not fit. For the moment, Durham are still hoping rest will cure Harmison's shin problem and there are no thoughts that
A CIVILIAN computer expert charged with downloading child pornography while working at a police headquarters revealed yesterday that he is a former MI6 agent. Alan Coates claims his work for Cleveland Police - which now includes the bugging of police
PLENTY of sun and sand made a day at school all the more enjoyable for a group of nursery children. Donning sunhats and summer clothes, dozens of children and staff from the Kids and Co Nursery, in Darlington, enjoyed blue skies and plenty of fun as they
DOCTORS specialising in treating people with chest pains will hear in the next week whether the Government is to provide £100,000 to slash patient waiting times in South Durham. South Durham Health Care NHS Trust has applied for the cash to create a specialised
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
A FOOTBALL fan was left with a broken jaw after an afternoon spent in pubs watching an England international match, a court was told. Jason Dodd was struck on the face outside The Railway pub, Spennymoor. He was slammed against a wall and, when he fell
A RANGE of suggestions has been put forward to breathe fresh life into one of Hartlepool's oldest areas. Promoting opportunities for young people, creating jobs, improving community safety, boosting education and skills and protecting the environment
NEW local authority offices and storage space for archives are to be created in a £167,000 project. The scheme has been drawn up after the cost of repairing temporary buildings at an existing depot was assessed as not being cost-effective. Now, Hambleton
Stunning images of Stockton are to go on display at the town's Green Dragon Museum. Headlining the exhibition will be a collection of photographs of the area by Lord Lichfield. The views were taken as part of a Stockton City Challenge project in 1995,
POLICE have named a man believed to have been killed by contaminated heroin. Vincent Stewart, 34, of Dinsdale Road, Slatyford, Newcastle, died in hospital after being found unconscious at a flat in Kings Meadow, Elswick, in the city, on Tuesday. Yesterday
TWO sisters-in-law were cleared yesterday of an attack on a woman in a pub. Lisa Rudd and Jacqueline Rudd had denied assaulting Sandra Grant, 44, in Bianco's in Stockton. Mrs Grant had claimed she had been dragged to the floor and assaulted. Yesterday
JUST when you thought you'd heard the last of the millennium celebrations, plans are afoot to mark it all over again. Europe's premier party city, Newcastle, has been given a £140,000 grant to make sure the end of the year 2000, as well as the beginning
THE region's blitz on drugs has been stepped up with the arrest of 14 drug suspects in South Tyneside. Local police, backed up by operational support officers and crime team detectives, raided a number of homes and recovered a large quantity of drugs
A ROBBER who took cash from a man he knocked to the ground was jailed for three years and 11 months yesterday. Kane Bainbridge had been a heroin addict when he attacked the man, who had just been to withdraw money from a cash machine, Teesside Crown Court
A YOUNG bride accused of tampering with two gas fires in the house where her mother-in-law and husband were sleeping was cleared yesterday. On two separate occasions Asma Abid was alleged to have deliberately removed a sealant cap from the two fires in
DRIVERS using a village bypass face disruption when roadworks start this weekend. On Sunday, Durham County Council engineers will begin strengthening the carriageway of the West Rainton bypass on the A690, near Durham City. A council spokesman said: "
COUNTY Durham firefighters are urging householders to ensure they have smoke alarms fitted upstairs. The warning came after they tackled a fire in the bathroom of a house in Sheelin Avenue, Chester-le-Street, that started when a defective immersion heater
HOLIDAYS are bad for you, (mothers might have already noticed that). According to Relate, which used to be called Marriage Guidance, most of the planning, organisation, stopping the papers, checking the tickets and getting the packing done falls to the
A CLOSE-typed list of Britain's welfare benefits would probably fill this page. Which is the most precious, the one most valued? No contest. The old age pension. The brainchild of David Lloyd George, who, as Liberal chancellor, introduced it in 1909,
IN THE spring, it may be recalled, the column's fancy turned to Spam. Remember? I'm pink, therefore I'm Spam. Now we've been sent the newly published Spam Cook Book (Hamlyn £6 99), written by the perfectly pinnied Marguerite Patten who was introduced
ONE of the most famous names in North-East brewing, who led a buy-out which helped save the Castle Eden name, has parted company with the firm. Jim Kerr left the County Durham site for the final time earlier this month, ending a quarter of a century association
THE VICTIMS of disgraced surgeon Richard Neale have called on the hospital which employed him to compensate his former patients. Neale, 52, from Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire, was struck off the medical register on Tuesday for serious professional misconduct
