FOOTBALLER Niall Quinn launched a poolside chair lift for people with disabilities yesterday. The Sunderland player was at the Pioneering Care Centre, in Newton Aycliffe, for the launch, which involved disabled people who use the centre demonstrating
Terry Venables has warned Middlesbrough's in-form players that the relegation fight is still there to be won, writes NEIL ANDREWS. Boro are unbeaten in eight matches since Venables took over coaching and team selection, a run that has carried them three
PERSIMMON is attempting to create the UK's largest housebuilding company with a £537m takeover offer for rival firm Beazer. The cash-and-share offer is the latest in a round of moves within the sector after Taylor Woodrow agreed a £535m deal for Bryant
PLANS to build nine homes on the site of a former convalescent home could go ahead despite protests. Clarion Homes has applied to Darlington Borough Council for permission to build the houses at Ropner Convalescent Home and Middleton Lane, Middleton St
GARAGES and sheds have been raided by thieves in Newton Aycliffe and Ferryhill. In High Green, Newton Aycliffe, thieves moved the security light at the back of a house before breaking into a shed and stealing two bicycles at the weekend. One was a woman's
IT was sleaze that brought John Major's Tory government to its knees. It was sleaze that Tony Blair vowed would not stain his New Labour administration. It must be purer than pure. The Prime Minister gambled once by bringing his friend Peter Mandelson
A HUSBAND'S campaign to free his wife after she was jailed for biting off a man's testicle gathers pace this week. Nathan Carr will hear from the High Court in London whether his wife, Denise, can appeal against the six-month sentence handed to her three
PUPILS in Darlington are being taught to respect their surroundings and treat them well. Darlington Borough Council's Neighbourhood Wardens are visiting schools in the town and neighbouring villages in the coming weeks to press home the message. They
A MAN reprimanded by a charity has been given a hero's welcome by Prime Minister Tony Blair. Russ Watson pitched in to help rescue victims of the floods which hit Skinningrove last autumn and was hailed a hero by trapped residents. But the St John Ambulance
CONCERN is growing for the safety of a missing 82-year-old man. Widower George Winter, from Redcar, is known to be in a confused state and has wandered off before. On an earlier occasion when he went missing he was eventually discovered lost in a supermarket
ORGANISERS of one of the region's biggest arts festivals have advertised for a new artistic director. This year will be the 14th Stockton Riverside International Festival, and last year's event was the largest millennium festival held anywhere in the
MANUFACTURERS are more optimistic about export markets for the first time in a year but this should not be seen as a signal to keep interest rates on hold, an industry body claimed. The quarterly industrial trends survey by the Confederation of British
FIREFIGHTERS were left with faces as red as their engines yesterday when a blaze broke out at their headquarters and they were forced to call colleagues from a neighbouring station to put it out. Shortly before 8am, a passer-by spotted smoke billowing
STUART Wearmouth could well have sacrificed his North-East cyclo-cross title in his quest for national and international recognition. The 23-year-old Bishop Auckland rider, who has confirmed himself as one of the rising stars of cycling's winter sport
Darlington Director of Football Luke Raine last night revealed that the club is to reconsider its controversial ban on unaccompanied under 18s in the Tin Shed. Chairman George Reynolds had ruled that following the protest on Saturday by a group of supporters
A TRIP to a tourist attraction can be a hurried affair for those who arrive by coach. The average tour of the World of James Herriot centre, in Kirkgate, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, takes between 90 minutes and two hours. But coaches that stop in the town's
DO-IT-YOURSELF kits for HIV testing are dangerous and could be misleading, according to health experts. The kits are being offered for sale over the Internet, promising to provide an accurate result in two minutes. World Health Diagnostics, which supplies
THE papers have been full of stories about the political feuding involving Peter Mandelson. They claimed he was more interested in knocking spots off Gordon Brown than anything else. But the sources were always unattributed. These sources, whether they
E3Net Limited has become the latest information technology (IT) support firm to set up a North-East satellite office with help from regional development agency One NorthEast. E3Net specialises in Internet service provision and web solutions, offering
FRUSTRATED passengers - who saw their last bus disappearing into the distance just as a train was arriving - have won a change in timetables. Parish council chairman Shirley Fawcett took her fight to the bus company boss in Harrogate and has hailed their
THE North-East woman who ended up dating one of cricket's greatest stars has vehemently denied reports that the couple had split up. Lingerie model Lynnsey Ward, 19, from Pelton, near Chester-le-Street, County Durham, laughed off a report in a national
ARTISTS from the North-East and Finland have come together to look at the cultures of two cities through art. An exhibition called The Labyrinth will give different views about life in Sunderland and Kuopio, a city 200 miles north-east of the Finnish
THE Territorial Army (TA) has called up the County Durham office of the North East Chamber of Commerce. The TA has joined forces with the chamber to host an event to promote the benefits to business of employees serving in the TA. It takes place on Tuesday
THE Newcastle Sports Council re-launched itself yesterday to reflect its drive to develop talent in the wide range of sports that are putting the city firmly on the sporting map. The event, at the Pitcher and Piano, on the city's Quayside, was attended
A DRUG addict grandfather was warned yesterday that he risks killing himself by a judge at Newcastle Crown Court. Anthony Brown appeared in court after he stole £62 worth of razor blades from an Asda store in South Shields, Tyneside. His barrister, Kossar
A MONEY lender accused of kidnapping a man at knifepoint, then threatening to stab him and chop him up, walked free from court yesterday. Kevin McCully, 31, was accused of demanding money from Christopher Murray, 23, after dragging him out of a shop and
DUNCAN Goodhew will be joining youngsters from a Darlington primary school at the launch of a major swimming event. The former Olympic star will be launching the regional heat of this year's BT Swimathon, at the Dolphin Centre, Darlington. Children from
PLANS to demolish a former nursing home and build four houses on the site look likely to be approved today. Darlington Borough Council has been asked for permission for the plans, which affect 215 Carmel Road North, in the town. The site has previously
A wood is to be given protection. Errington Woods at New Marske in east Cleveland is to get protected status in a structure plan mapping out areas for development on Teesside. John Lowther, director of the Joint Strategy Unit, authors of the plan, said
THE conservation efforts of a mother-and-son farming partnership have won official recognition. Belinda Terry and her son, Will - above - farm 270-acres at Ravenscar, near Scarborough, and have just been presented with the North-East Biodiversity Award
FORMER derivatives boss Clara Furse has been appointed chief executive of the London Stock Exchange. The appointment of Mrs Furse will mean the LSE will have its first woman chief executive in its 200-year-old history. She will be filling a seat which
animal circus protestors are using their most fearsome weapon to get their massage across - Tilly the Tiger. The cuddly big cat teamed up with two elephants to petition shoppers in Chester-le-Street to persuade the council to ban animal circuses on its
A NORTH-EAST woman has set up an Internet business for pets on the move. Pets Will Travel was started by Sara Robinson, of Norton, Stockton, following the introduction last year of the Government's Pet Travel Scheme. Under the scheme, owners are able
POPULAR North-East children's author Terry Deary hopes to leave kids speechless with his latest project. The Horrible Histories writer has persuaded children that history can be fun - now he wants them to keep to keep a sock in it to help raise money
THE arts were certainly on the timetable for year nine pupils at a Newton Aycliffe school. Pupils took part in an innovative careers event at Greenfield School Community and Arts College, which held the year nine Opportunity Awareness in the Arts event
NISSAN is expected to announce today that the new generation Micra is to be built in the North-East - guaranteeing the future of about 1,300 jobs. Carlos Ghosn, chief executive of Nissan, is poised to reveal that the much-awaited decision is to go in
Martina Hingis showed yesterday before, moving from one Williams sister to another, that she is not totally sugar and spice and all things nice. Having beaten Serena in an enthralling Australian Open quarter-final - 4-1 down in the final set, Hingis won
It was almost a decade ago that Gerald Ratner infamously described one of his jewellery firm's products with a four-letter expletive and soon felt the consequences as customers duly stopped buying them. But Football Association chief executive Adam Crozier
Darlington's new Director of Football Luke Raine last night warned fans: "I'm no Terry Venables." Raine was given his new title after last Saturday's 3-0 home hammering by Chesterfield and some fans are thinking he will be picking and coaching the team
HARTLEPOOL United have been hit with a £2,000 Football Association fine following an enquiry into last season's play-off encounter with Darlington. The fiery first-leg at Victoria Park last May saw then Quakers' boss David Hodgson struck by a coin and
ALMOST one in three haemophiliacs treated at the North-East's blood centre have been exposed to blood from a donor who developed Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD). Patients affected will now be offered counselling, with many facing the possibility that
AN application to put up an advertising poster panel in a Darlington street has been rejected at appeal by the Planning Inspectorate. The inspectorate had been called in after Primelight Advertising appealed against a decision by Darlington Borough Council
INVESTIGATIONS are continuing into a string of sexual assaults in the North-East. Despite a continued appeal for information about the sex attacks in Thornaby, the balaclava-clad man is still at large. His victims were an 18 year-old, who he indecently
A young artist who touched the hearts of thousands of wellwishers after he was left paralysed by a freak illness, has lost his six-year battle for life. Wayne Neilson died in his mother's arms in the special suite at the back of the family home in St
PLANS to end pensioners' discount admissions at a visitor attraction have been criticised. Durham County Council's executive committee, meeting behind closed doors, has voted to scrap the concessionary price charged at Killhope, the North of England Lead
NATIONAL Park bosses are celebrating a Government cash boost which will fund transport improvements. A cycle plan, traffic calming measures and pedestrian schemes are among the improvements to be made in the Yorkshire Dales after the Government's approval
A WOMAN was subjected to a late-night sex attack after leaving a Newcastle comedy club. The 28-year-old was assaulted in Leazes Park, shortly after midnight on Thursday, January 11, after leaving the Hyena Caf. Her attacker was in his late 20s and of
HOLLYWOOD star Denzel Washington is helping a North-East soccer club to kick racism out of football. The actor is starring in the new Disney movie Remember the Titans, which will be shown tonight at Boldon's UGC cinema. Sunderland AFC is hosting the screening
FRIENDS, colleagues and students are mourning the death of leading Durham academic Professor Ian Taylor, at the age of 56. Prof Taylor was a distinguished figure in British criminology who had an international reputation as a sociologist. A former Durham
NEWS that student nurses caught in the middle of a dispute can now graduate has been greeted with delight. Last minute negotiations between Teesside University officials and representatives of the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher
AMONG the insults flung at nations, none is more misplaced than the familiar jibe that Australia was colonised by convicts, Britain's rejects. Of course it's true. But there's a deeper truth behind the deportations. It is that the supposed undesirables
IT MAY be dark and cold outside, but carnival organisers are already gearing up for this year's colourful event. The Shildon Carnival Working Party is asking local groups to help raise funds for this year's gala or to assist in organising the event, which
CUSTARD pies and pantomime cows proved the winning formula for an amateur drama group's new year show. Centre Stage, from Shildon, performed their last production of Jack and the Beanstalk on Sunday. The show was a runaway success, playing to a full house
BIRTHRIGHT RAY Mallon appears to me to be like myself, proud of his birthplace (Echo, Jan 18). I am proud to have been born 83 years ago in the County of Durham. Ray tells us that he was born 45 years ago in the North Yorkshire town of Stockton. Hold
THE last time Peter resigned, his old friend Tony took him home for tea, sympathy and strategy. The evening, two days before Christmas 1998, turned into a long weekend as Tony and Cherie were generous hosts. Peter fought back tears when Cherie told him
FOR no other reason than patriotism - duty, some might say - the column found itself on Monday drinking to the Old Queen's memory at the Victoria in Durham. That it is the North-East's best pub - the Grey Horse at Consett runs a close second - must be
FAMILY problems described as harrowing brought a lighter sentence for runaway North-East soldier Paul Gibson, at a court martial yesterday. He was told that his sentence was also less than it might have been because the delay in bringing the case to court
AS Big Breakfast new boy Paul Tonkinson finds his feet on Channel Four's hit early morning show, he can be sure of a big audience in one part of the world. Paul, 31, hails from North Yorkshire, and he has got his family and friends rising with the dawn
THE birthplace of one of the country's best-loved poets is to get a new lease of life. Elizabeth Barrett Browning, author of one of the most highly regarded love poems, How Shall I Love Thee, was born in 1806, in County Durham. Coxhoe Hall, a Gothic-style
HARTLEPOOL United boss Chris Turner last night admitted the chance to sign Neil Aspin was too good an opportunity to pass. The experienced defender was surprisingly released by Darlington last week with six months of his contract remaining - and Turner
Alex Rae is hoping he will finally get his big break for Scotland in their World Cup qualifier against Belgium in March. Rae, 31, has waited a decade for the opportunity to represent his country at top level. The attacking midfielder knows he will never
POLICE are again urging householders to be extra vigilant after an unusual caller sparked fears of a bizarre new bogus official tactic. Sarah Jackson became suspicious when a woman claiming to be a clairvoyant said her house in Stockton was about to be
A DREAM to build a family home in the middle of an equestrian centre looks likely to be dashed. Anita and Derek Emerson, of the Seagold Centurian Equestrian Centre, at Hunwick, near Bishop Auckland, are hoping to build a four-bedroom house in the grounds
A TEACHER has criticised proposals to close one of the region's special schools, which was singled out for praise by Government inspectors. Education chiefs, in Stockton on Teesside, have proposed that Bishopsmills School, Saltergill School and Westlands
A SEX-SWAP teenager murdered his lover when the older man would not fund sex change treatment and an operation, a jury heard yesterday. Karen Lawson, 19, who had changed his name from Mark Lawson by deed poll, told police how he suffocated and strangled
SO what are wives for? And any man who answered "doing the washing, cooking and cleaning" can leave this page right now and lurch back to his cave. But if men are baffled, there are some feminists who are in an even bigger muddle. Woman's Hour presenter
A youth accused of badly beating another teenager in a street attack has been denied bail by a Crown Court judge. The 17-year-old, from Hartlepool, who can not be named for legal reasons, appeared at Teesside Crown Court yesterday. He was refused a bail
GRATEFUL Yvonne Baxter owes her life to her eight-year-old son Jamie and his pet dog. The 44-year-old collapsed at home suffering from viral meningitis with only the youngster and his Tibetan terrier, Barney, at home. Jamie kept a cool head when he found
PETER Mandelson was last night under mounting pressure to follow his departure from the Government by quitting his North-East constituency. The Hartlepool MP is facing a growing tide of local opinion to stand down at the impending General Election from
THE possiblity of another pub being created in Darlington's Skinnergate, dubbed "bar alley", is expected to be blocked by council planning officials. Previous approval to convert the Dani Martini clothes shop, in Skinnergate, into a pub or restaurant,
