FOUR bridges crossing the A1(M) and part of the motorway itself are to undergo a £1.5m refurbishment, starting today. Resurfacing work, expected to last three weeks, begins tonight at the A1(M) interchanges with the A68 at Burtree, and the A167 at Coatham
THE Samaritans are training youngsters to counsel suicidal teenagers in a pioneering bid to cut the rising death toll, The Northern Echo can reveal. The organisation has recruited seven youths from County Durham to man the country's first phone line manned
ONLY £1,000 stands between a North Yorkshire toddler and an opportunity to break free from autism. The condition means four-year-old Jake Burgess, of Catterick Village, can see, hear and feel, but is unable to communicate. Jake's father, Tim, and mother
BIKES from all over the North roared into the region this weekend for the 19th Teesside Classic Bike Show. More than 100 bikes were on show at Redcar Leisure Centre yesterday, for experts and amateurs to admire. Most of the bikes were made between the
STUDENTS are reviving a dying art by designing creative coffins. The unlikely project came about after Ian Lightfoot, head of art and design at Middlesbrough's MacMillan College, was approached by the Undertaken With Love undertakers. After being asked
CAMPAIGNING pensioners in the region will today urge the Government to restore the link between pensions and average earnings. At Newcastle this morning, the North East Pensioners Association (NEPA) and the Northern TUC's pensioners advisory group will
WORK is underway on the final building at AMEC's £170m Quayside development in Newcastle. The mayor of the city took the controls of a JCB digger for the official ground-breaking ceremony of Keel Row House. The celebration marked the start of construction
POLICE are appealing for information about a missing Teesside prostitute, two weeks after she vanished. Vice girl Vicky Glass, from Middlesbrough's Cannon Park area, was last seen on Sunday, September 24. Cleveland Police are concerned for her safety,
ONE of the region's top football clubs has arranged an unusual signing to help it up the league. Middlesbrough FC sport scientist Chris Barnes has arranged a sponsorship deal with Domino's Pizza and, from now on, the players will be munching on cheese
A LEISURE centre is helping a pensioner with a lung complaint to train for a bike ride from Cairo to Jerusalem. Thomas Williamson, 69, of Ormesby, Teesside, is being trained by staff at the Southlands Leisure Centre, Middlesbrough to complete the gruelling
ACCORDING to Chris Kinsell, sales and marketing director of family run firm Catterick Caravan and Camping Centre, the secret to long-term business success is to constantly improve the quality of services you provide to your customers. And for Chris, the
A COUNCILLOR has called for a halt on housebuilding in one of County Durham's biggest housing areas. Councillor Tony Moore says Newton Aycliffe has enough houses and it is time to stop building on greenfields. Chesterfield-based Broseley Homes has applied
ANN WIDDECOMBE sought a few tough headlines with her ill-judged announcement of a cannabis crackdown, but never can she have imagined that her words would lead to the prospect of the law being softened. Yesterday William Hague was doing his best to row
A senior judge has called for new laws to protect the public from trendy motorised scooters, called Go-peds, after a landmark case brought by a North-East man. Lord Justice Pill, sitting at the High Court in London with Mr Justice Bell, said there appeared
CAR buff Tony Moore could not believe his eyes when he saw his beloved Land Rover being driven around town and offered for sale. Months earlier, police had seized the distinctive yellow vehicle and magistrates had ordered its destruction. Determined to
TRADERS at a Teesside flea market have been hit by vandals who scaled a wall and smashed up their stalls. The twice-weekly market has been held in the 300-year-old Green Dragon Yard, Stockton, for 25 years. Earlier this year, a gate had been repeatedly
AN Army museum was delighted when retired mountaineer Major Michael Lane agreed to provide a souvenir for a new exhibition. It expected to get a glove or a woolly hat from Major Lane, 55, who is now expedition leader for North-East explorer Robert Swan's
New England captain Martin Keown has stressed the need for the squad to pull together after the shock of Kevin Keegan's resignation. The Arsenal central defender wants England to kick-start their World Cup qualifying campaign into life against Finland
Chilean midfielder Clarence Acuna was on Tyneside yesterday to complete his controversial £1m move to Newcastle. The Geordies left Israeli agent Ronen Katzav fuming by dealing directly with the 25-year-old international's club University of Chile. Katzav
LOCAL authorities have been urged to ensure all school buses are fitted with seatbelts by an expert in treating accident victims. Ken Chew, accident and emergency consultant at Middlesbrough General Hospital, is backing The Northern Echo's campaign to
A SHOPPING event held annually to raise money for charity hopes to top the £100,000 mark later this month. The Durham Shopping Extravaganza, run by a team of volunteers, is a registered charity which has raised £86,000 over the past 11 years for good
A SCHEME to promote young people's safety is being launched on Teesside today. Crucial Crew aims to bring together local agencies in highlighting the dangers youngsters face and how they should respond to them. Organised by Cleveland Police, it involves
A SCHOOLGIRL was recovering in hospital last night after a collison with a car as she crossed the road. A police spokesman said an unnamed 22-year-old man was driving a blue Peugeot south, in Church Road, Trimdon Village, at 10.15pm on Friday, when two
A JUDGE'S adopted daughter is facing jail after admitting cruelty to her baby just a few days before her boyfriend killed the little girl. Shirley Miller, 19, whose adoptive father is Tyneside Recorder Paddy Cosgrove QC, admitted cruelty to two-month-old
The condition of a schoolgirl who suffered serious head injuries after a car hit a bus stand, has improved slightly. Laura Salmon, 11, is said to be poorly but stable in Middlesbrough General Hospital. She was one of six 11 to 13-year-olds injured, in
RESIDENTS living near a "dangerous" bend in Spennymoor have renewed their call for road safety measures. The bend on Carr Lane has been the scene of 16 accidents over the years and people living at the Kirkdale section of the lane fear it is only a matter
PEOPLE are being given the chance to find out how youngsters are being stopped from committing crime. The North Durham Youth Offending Team is holding an open day on Friday, October 20, between 2pm and 5pm, in the Louisa Centre, Stanley. A Durham County
POLICE believe England's final game at Wembley helped to keep trouble off the streets of Hartlepool for the weekend derby clash. Hartlepool beat Darlington 2-1 in Saturday's match at Victoria Park, Hartlepool, and, despite concerns that rival fans would
YACHT fanatics from around the country competed in a sailing event in the region at the weekend. The Laser sailing event attracted almost 100 competitors to the Tees and Hartlepool Yacht Club, at Hartlepool marina. Racing, in the penultimate event of
A DARLINGTON couple are celebrating 50 years of married bliss. In 1948, widower Harry Henderson was living in Darlington with his nine-year-old son John. He decided he needed a housekeeper and Edith Brown, who lived in Shildon at the time, applied for
FOR Pamela Lowery it couldn't be more straightforward. Her son David, who had a history of mental illness which started when he was in his twenties, needed someone to look after him. "He couldn't manage on his own, people just took advantage of him all
A DAY of music, storytelling and activities placing the spotlight on family learning was staged at an open air museum yesterday. The event, at Beamish Museum, County Durham, formed part of a national event organised by the Campaign for Learning. Visitors
A REMAND centre, which earlier this year found an assistant governor guilty of brutality against a prisoner, is investigating a series of fresh allegations against staff. Another alleged incident involving several officers is being investigated at Northallerton
BUFFER zones could soon be created between pubs and the edge of Hartlepool town centre. Hartlepool's policy scrutiny forum has sent a list of recommendations to the council to be considered for the new local plan, which is expected to be adopted at the
A CASH-STRAPPED ice hockey team proved their palates were top of the pile when it came to wine tasting - winning their club £6,000 in a popular television show at the weekend. Five members of Durham Dragons were given three weeks to master the art of
THE hospital at the centre of the Richard Neale scandal was last night waiting for confirmation that a former senior member of staff faces a disciplinary hearing. Reports in a national newspaper yesterday indicated that Dr Michael Saunders has been charged
PROPOSALS for a regeneration package which could change the face of a Wear Valley town have been launched. More than £1m of Government Single Regeneration Budget money has been secured to revitalise Bishop Auckland town centre. Proposals were revealed
Q WHAT exactly is a county? Is it simply a local government administrative area or is it something more? Here in Redcar and Cleveland there is a dispute between those I would designate 'Eboracophiles' who wish to promote Redcar as part of Yorkshire and
DESPITE high-profile security lapses and fears about privacy, more and more people are signing up for online banking. All the big name banks are investing heavily in the new technology and a recent survey of financial groups worldwide forecast that 25
A YOUNG film star, tipped for Oscar success, has thanked the theatre teacher who remembered his work and gave him his big break. Jamie Bell, the 14-year-old star of Billy Elliot, was sent to the audition by former teacher Trudy Hindmarsh, of the Stagecoach
A BRAVE teenager who is deaf and facing blindness jumped out of a plane at 13,000ft for a daring skydive yesterday. Nicola Henderson, 17, who free-fell in tandem at more than 120 miles per hour, barely touched the ground before running to her mother with
A BRAVE soldier, paralysed by a neurological disorder, has turned to a North-East charity for a new lease of life. John Stirland, 33, of Eaglescliffe, was paralysed below the waist after contracting an unknown virus while on Army training in 1991. He
THE isolated farmhouse amid the beauty and tranquillity of the Yorkshire Dales was used as an idyllic summer retreat for its elderly owner. But it was wrecked after becoming a winter party venue for drunken youths who smashed valuable antiques - including
Michael Schumacher wants to be hailed as the greatest driver of all time by ripping up the Formula One record book. The German was assured of his place in history in Japan on Sunday when he became the first man to win the World Championship for Ferrari
The French connection is set to end at Darlington as Lehit Zeghdeane is to return to France. Zeghdeane - or Zezu as he was nicknamed - started one game for Quakers and was substitute in four, but was unable to establish himself in the first team, after
A NEW facility enabling countryside lovers to see a spectacular array of birds and wildlife will be opened by television personality Bill Oddie on Thursday. Far Pasture Pond Hide, part of the Derwent Walk Country Park, aims to offer the perfect location
POLICE were last night hunting a man who raped a young clubber in a North-East park in an "horrific" sex attack. The 21-year-old woman, from Darlington, was attacked in the early hours of Saturday morning. She had met her attacker outside the town's Plastered
YE olde chivalry, duels at dawn and foolhardy court jesters are the latest tools in an effort to brighten up boring business conferences at a North-East castle. Medieval-themed conferences will soon be on offer at the 12th Century Walworth Castle Hotel
YOUNGSTERS at two North Yorkshire schools are happily playing together after a joint fundraising venture provided them with a new play area. The children attending the Dales School, Morton-on-Swale, and Ainderby Steeple CE Primary School next door already
NEWCASTLE United striker Alan Shearer is football's richest man, with an £18m fortune. The former England captain leads the soccer millionaires in a new list of Britain's 50 richest sports stars. But his wealth pales into comparison with the country's
A POPULAR venue for young people in Darlington and the surrounding area is to reopen later this month. The event at Wesley's will feature top Leeds DJ Lee Jackson and the Newcastle band Dependance. Television cameras will cover the event for a documentary
YOUNGSTERS have been given the chance to make music thanks to a project backed by a car firm. About 75 children, aged nine to 13, took part in a three-week scheme at Usworth School, Washington, with Cosmos (City of Sunderland Millennium Orchestra Society
staff at a travel shop have contacted police after receiving crank calls every day for eight years. As well as thousands of calls, the unidentified woman is believed to have made scores of bogus purchases in the firm's name. Workers at Wallace Arnold
A SEX shop owner's cheeky ploy to advertise his business could end up in court. The Pleasure Zone has already been at loggerheads with the Government this year, after the Employment Service refused to advertise vacancies for a masseur and a shop assistant
THE Newton Aycliffe branch of the Royal British Legion held its 38th annual leek show last month and the winners were: Pot leek: Mr D Percival. Best pair of leeks: Mr D Percival. Trench leeks: Mr W Hamilton. Intermediate leeks: Mr L Burniston. Most points
ARMY divers will try to solve a 50-year mystery at a County Durham country park this week. Members of 38 Engineer Regiment, at Ripon, are to help Durham County Council trace a statue of Neptune in the Serpentine Lake at Hardwick Hall Country Park, Sedgefield
A NORTHALLERTON trader has claimed he could be forced out of business by the giants of retail, just days after the supermarket boom was blamed for the closure of a family firm. Robert Brown, who owns Link Stores at The Link, in Romanby, says he has suffered
HUNDREDS of people flocked to a community festival at the weekend to enjoy a feast of music, flowers and entertainment. The Houghton Feast 2000 was launched on Friday night with a tattoo, peal of bells and lighting of a millennium beacon on the St Michael
WAR widows and veterans in part of County Durham could finally receive a tax break which is the norm for their counterparts across the country. Councillors at Chester-le-Street District Council will tonight consider whether or not to stop including war
TOP model Adriana Sklenarikova has criticised the weather and food in the North-East. Adriana moved to Teesside from France when her football star husband Christian Karembeu joined Middlesbrough FC this summer. But the glamorous 6ft Wonderbra model has
STOCKTON & DARLINGTON RAILWAY I HAVE read with great interest and some concern your Stockton & Darlington Railway souvenir supplement,Treasuring our Railway Heritage, (Echo, Sept 26). I am aware that much of this material has been published previously
PUPILS from a Teesside school gave up their weekend to help an environmental project. The youngsters, from Grangefield School in Stockton, helped to make a pond at a wildlife garden at the Oxbridge Allotments site. Despite rain, the pupils worked between
THERE'S something fishy going on in the toilets of one of the region's newest Internet cafes - and it has even attracted the attention of the RSPCA. An inspector from the animal welfare charity visited Cafe Gulp in Darlington after receiving a report
PLANS to revamp a children's play area have been given a cash boost. The budget for the Clavering play area, in Hartlepool, has been increased to £87,500 by the addition of an extra £25,000 from Hartlepool Borough Council's capital budget. Improvements
GEORGE Reynolds opted to stay away from Victoria Parkon Saturday - it's a shame so many of his players appeared to follow suit. Because Hartlepool took the first derby honours of the season with a 2-1 victory over Darlington that was more comfortable
FILMMAKERS are preparing to capture a piece of the Harry Potter magic within the majestic surrounds of Durham Cathedral. During the last week, a class of Hogwarts School room has sprung up within the cloisters of the cathedral. The set was caught on camera
A LONG-AWAITED multi-million pound leisure complex in Darlington town centre is finally set to become a reality. Developers Terrace Hill has submitted an outline planning application to build a multiplex cinema, bingo club, restaurants and multi-storey
THE finishing touches have been made to a new pond that is a haven for a wildlife such as frogs and toads. A pond was originally created by residents of Fulwell, Sunderland, 12 years ago on a site that is now next to the new Metro line being built. But
CAMPAIGNERS hoping to stop a further education college being built on recreational land have secured a date for a High Court hearing. Washington Forum First (WFF) is opposed to plans to build the £7.5m City of Sunderland College on the sports arena at
