THE reputation of comprehensive education has always been dragged down by the "bog standard" schools of which the Prime Minister spoke yesterday. Too often, the excellent achievements of the vast majority of schools have been overlooked because of concentration
FUNDRAISING prisoners were rewarded for their efforts by a children's concert. Inmates at Kirklevington Prison, near Yarm, raised £272 for the deaf children's charity Bodytalk by making and selling Christmas wreaths. To thank them for their hard work,
DARLINGTON Building Society's commitment to looking after local interests has helped it to record results. The region's second largest mutual institution saw a rise in mortgage balances, total assets and reserves for the year ended December 31, 2000.
PERHAPS you think things are not so bad? If you still harbour a few cherished thoughts about Britain as a respectable country with standards of public decency and good taste, just look at the sort of barbarism which has been going on this week. Eminem
A UNIVERSITY has won £1,000 to build and test a design for hospital bedside lockers. The University of Teesside has been awarded a grant for the sum by the Audi Foundation, a non-profit organisation aimed at encouraging young designers. Students came
SOLDIERS are celebrating after winning a royal honour. Members of the 1st Battalion, The Green Howards' B Company, most of whom are from Teesside and North Yorkshire, have been named as King Harald's Company in an inter-company competition. The award,
Bishop Auckland Youth and Community Centre has received an Investors in Children award, but youth worker Joan Denes says credit should go to the youngsters, who take responsibility for most activities. She said: "Everything we're doing at the centre comes
THE Chernobyl Children's Project is looking for anyone who can help it to raise £3,000 to bring five children and their mothers to the Teesdale area for a respite holiday. Having already organised three successful trips from Chernobyl to the region, the
BUS STATION WHAT joker says we don't need a bus station in Darlington? Do they use the buses? We live in Barnard Castle and travel on the long distance buses to my daughter's. We leave Barnard Castle, travel to the High Row, Darlington, then carry our
The latest sports news from the Darlington & Stockton Times will be updated here every Friday. You can also read the latest farming news from the paper online in the farming section of this website. Opinion and Features can be found in our Features
A NORTH-EAST man who spent six years learning karate from masters in Japan has established a martial arts academy in the region. Adam Walker, 31, had been jumping between a variety of jobs and studies when he went on holiday to the Land of the Rising
The latest news from the Darlington & Stockton Times will be updated here every Friday. You can also read the latest farming news from the paper online in the farming section of this website. Opinion and Features can be found in our Features section
TORY leader William Hague was claiming "universal" support for the Conservatives' Keep the Pound campaign after a nationwide anti-Euro onslaught over the weekend. The Richmond MP braved the rain to address a crowd in Stokesley, North Yorkshire, on Saturday
A DALES community could have a new £1m hospital before the end of this year. Planning officials are expected to give approval this week to a 20-bed development at Horn Hall, Stanhope, which currently offers long-term and respite care for elderly and convalescing
RESIDENTS in Sedgefield could be facing a six per cent increase in council tax, but the borough council has vowed to invest £1.7m in council housing improvements. The increase in tax is needed after the spending target for 2001/02 was put up by £500,000
A DOG had to be rescued by firefighters after falling between the soil and brickwork of a house extension. Cleveland fire officers were called to Grassington Road, Beechwood, Middlesbrough, at 6.30pm on Saturday by the animal's owner. They found the dog's
Radio Sheep Dip, a play by Jack Drum Arts looking at rural politics, is touring venues in County Durham. Folk singer-songwriter Jim Woodland has written music for the play, which is performed against a backdrop of slides by photographer Rick Grassick.
FIVE pupils have become the first to collect Duke of Edinburgh awards since their school reintroduced the scheme two years ago. The year 11 pupils from Branksome School, in Darlington, completed projects in service to the community and physical activity
THE funeral of a man killed in a road accident will take place on Wednesday. Ian Close, 39, from Willington, in County Durham, died after a car driven by his brother collided with a snow plough on the A68, near Heighington, Darlington, on the night of
A BOGUS water company official kept a pensioner talking while an accomplice stole cash from her house. The 80-year-old woman answered her door to the thief at 7pm on Friday. His accomplice stole about £50 in cash. Detectives in Crook say the incident,
The mother of a murdered 12-year-old boy was dragged from the Old Bailey yesterday after she hurled objects and abuse at a North-East devil worshipper who stalked and killed him. Angeles Villar-Fernandez - with other relatives - threw water, plastic containers
MIDDLESBROUGH are in the midst of a new injury crisis as Terry Venables bids to avoid an unlucky 13 defeat in tonight's FA Cup fourth-round replay against Wimbledon at Selhurst Park. Manager of the month Venables, unbeaten in 12 games with Boro in League
LETTER bombers struck yesterday for the tenth time since December. The nail bomb was posted to an agricultural business in North Yorkshire - strengthening police conviction that the attacks are the work of animal rights extremists. Following an incident
Former Newcastle and England hero Peter Beardsley helped save an old friend's life after he suffered a heart attack during a soccer match. Bill Lisgo, 46, a former England schoolboy international, thought he was going to die after collapsing on the touchline
Children at Dryburn Hospital's children's ward, Durham, received an extra gift this week, thanks to the efforts of refuse collectors. Staff from Cleanaway Ltd, the waste management company at Bishop Middleham, near Ferryhill, organised a pre-Christmas
TWO North-East youngsters were among Britain's bravest children who gathered last night for a ceremony to reward them for their courage in fighting illness, tragedy and disability. In total, 150 children met at a London hotel to be given Child of Achievement
WESTLIFE hunk Bryan McFadden was swamped by screaming teenage girls as he shopped in the region for baby clothes with his pregnant fiance. The Irish pop heart-throb was surrounded by hundreds of admirers within minutes of entering Mothercare in Newcastle
VILLAGERS chalking up a quiet drink at their local pub will find themselves going back to school. In times gone by, The Bridgewater Arms, at Winston, between Darlington and Barnard Castle, County Durham, was the village school. Now landlords Wendy Fenwick
PARENTS and children in Ferryhill are being asked what type of equipment should be installed in upgraded play areas. Ferryhill Town Council and Sedgefield Borough Council have called a public meeting where the options for the three playing fields being
THE first in a series of programmes aimed at helping young people to improve their sporting skills starts soon. Darlington Borough Council has been working with the Durham Sport partnership to provide the sessions at the town's Dolphin Centre. As well
POLICE are hunting thieves responsible for smashing a shop window before helping themselves to drinks. The Three Cooks shop in Newton Aycliffe town centre had its front window smashed between 5.15pm on Friday and 3.30am on Saturday. The raiders hurled
A DOG had to be rescued by firefighters after falling between the soil and brickwork of a house extension. Cleveland firefighters were called to Grassington Road, Beechwood, Middlesbrough, at 6.30pm on Saturday by the animal's owner. They found the dog's
THIEVES who broke into a former vicarage in Shildon stole a number of home entertainment items. The burglary took place at the former vicarage of the disused All Saints Church, on Friday afternoon. Once inside, the thieves, who had forced their way through
A £440,000 scheme to put closed-circuit television cameras on a Wearside housing estate has been given the go-ahead. Plans to introduce 30ft-high security cameras at eight sites across Ford, Pennywell and South Hylton, in Sunderland, have been unveiled
Q: What is the significance of the archaeological finds of Sutton Hoo? - Graham Dobson, Houghton-le-Spring. A: Sutton Hoo, near Woodbridge in Suffolk, was the site of an Anglo-Saxon burial ship excavated in 1939. The ship contained a coffin and a large
AMATEUR football league officials have hit out at the suggestion that small clubs could be forced to buy their own pitches and changing facilities from Chester-le-Street District Council. The council's first report into how pitches are used in the district
A North-East leisure centre is celebrating after becoming one of the first in the country to become a nationally approved training centre for lifeguards. The Forum Leisure Centre, at Billingham, Teesside, has been accredited by Quality Leisure Management
A meeting today is expected to seal the fate of a school's deaf unit. But on the eve of the decision, parents said they remained in the dark over what would replace it. Middlesbrough Borough Council first announced plans to close the deaf wing of Beverley
THOSE with an O Level in Religious Education (or Religious Knowledge, or Scripture or whatever these doubtful days it has become) may be familiar with the parable of the centurion's daughter. So great was the Roman's belief that he urged Jesus not even
A SOLDIER from Stockton is helping the United Nations keep the peace in Cyprus. Trooper Anthony Bradshaw arrived in Cyprus for a six- month tour in December. He is a member of the Queen's Royal Lancers. Until June, the regiment will be policing the buffer
YOUNG unemployed people will get stuck into important conservation work in stately grounds this week - and be paid to get their hands dirty. The first trainees on Access the Environment project will descend on the National Trust's Gibside on the outskirts
WORKERS at a North-East factory are hoping their plant will escape the latest axe swung by the world's biggest household appliance producer. Swedish firm Electrolux has announced plans to slim down its massive global workforce by 2,000 as it prepares
Flocks of golden plovers and lapwings roosting in fields in winter are a traditional British countryside scene - but possibly not for much longer. Some of these farmland birds have developed a new habit guaranteeing sleep, free from rude awakening and
THE Government will today unveil plans to ban negligent company directors for up to 15 years. Stephen Byers, Secretary of State at the Department of Trade & Industry, (DTI) is expected to outline the proposals when he publishes a business White Paper
COMMUNITY leaders have chosen an artist to create a focal point to the heart of a town at the centre of regeneration plans. Chester-le-Street District Council chiefs overseeing a £12m facelift, including a new Tesco store under the town centre's railway
A ROYAL Navy ship has been welcomed on Teesside. HMS Marlborough, which has the freedom of the borough of Middlesbrough, has docked at the Cammell Lairds shipyard on the Tees - a year to the month since it received the civic honour. The crew is making
HOUSING chiefs in Richmondshire have narrowed down their options as debate begins on the future of the district's council housing. The administration is in the process of deciding if it should remain landlord to almost 2,000 households across the region
PEOPLE who can teach Teeline shorthand are being sought by a North-East college. Darlington College of Technology is looking for a lecturer to teach journalists, who have to learn shorthand to the speed of 100 words per minute to cover court cases and
A FITNESS suite allowing disabled people to train alongside the able bodied is planned for a sports complex in the region. In what is thought to be a first in the North-East, the Ormesby Sports Complex, in Middlesbrough, Teesside, is hoping to introduce
TRUSTEES of ancient alms-houses hope to trace the families of those who built them. Those responsible for Sir William Turner's Hospital, in Kirkleatham, near Redcar, east Cleveland, are seeking descendants of families who constructed the chapel and almshouses
NEIL Hamilton, the disgraced former Tory minister brought down by the "cash for questions" scandal, has said he may stand against Peter Mandelson in the battle for Hartlepool. Mr Hamilton joins an army of would-be candidates for the seat in the next General
Regional development agency One NorthEast has appointed Sunderland Football Club as the preferred developer for Stadium Park after a two-stage design competition. The nine-acre site is next to the football club's 48,000-seater Stadium of Light. Sunderland
NONE of the grisly goings-on in Hannibal, the sequel to The Silence Of The Lambs, come as much of a shock as the behaviour of one of our most acclaimed actor knights at this precise moment. Sir Anthony Hopkins, the man who made a meal out of playing Hannibal
PROTESTORS against a telephone mast in Weardale say they will continue their campaign if they lose a planning battle next week. Villagers in Cowshill, in Upper Weardale, are objecting to a 15-metre mast which mobile phone company One2One wants to build
The latest news from the Darlington & Stockton Times will be updated here every Friday. You can also read the latest farming news from the paper online in the farming section of this website. Opinion and Features can be found in our Features section
A VALENTINE'S Day act of love for the brave father she never knew is bringing a Canadian woman on a pilgrimage to the North-East today. For nearly 60 years, faded photographs and scrapbook clippings have been all that Lynn Scott had to remember pilot
ENGLAND striker Kevin Phillips has launched a scathing attack on Premiership referees after receiving a two-match suspension for picking up his tenth booking of the season. Speaking on the club's official website, the 14-goal hitman accused match officials
NEWCASTLE are set to tie up the £1m signing of Sheffield United wing-back Wayne Quinn. The Magpies last night confirmed they have agreed a deal with the Blades for the 24-year-old Cornishman. Quinn completed a month's loan when he made his fourth appearance
Darlington manager Gary Bennett is expecting to snap up at least one player from crisis club Hull in the next 48 hours. Bennett yesterday held talks with two players, midfielder Gary Brabin and defender David Brightwell, and is optimistic he can bring
The Northern Echo issues a challenge to schools across the region today - harness the power of the Internet and get your electricity bill paid for a year. The paper has joined forces with Northern Electric to offer youngsters the chance to win enough
THREE Leeds United footballers launched a violent street attack on a young Asian student that left onlookers "shocked and sickened", a court heard yesterday. England internationals Lee Bowyer and Jonathan Wood-gate, who comes from Middlesbrough, and Leeds
MAN of the moment Chris Turner last night brushed aside reports linking him with an emotional return to Sheffield Wednesday. Hartlepool United chief Turner, who two weeks ago signed an extended contract to keep him at Victoria Park and was also crowned
The controversial Operation Lancet inquiry into alleged corruption among Britain's most successful crime-fighting squad in believed to have ended with all 393 criminal allegations being thrown out. There are renewed calls for a public inquiry into the
MR Universe joined the Euro debate by symbolically squashing it as part of Save the Pound Day. Eddie Elwood, three times holder of the title, was among the guests at Hartlepool's Grand Hotel for the Teesside campaign. Organised by Gus Robinson, the Conservatives
Two North-East potholers were found dead yesterday - suspended by ropes halfway up an underground waterfall. The bodies of Ray Lea, 58, and Julian Carroll, 29, were discovered in a cavern on the North Yorkshire-Lancashire border, after they were reported
A YOUNG offenders' agency is asking for an extra £36,000 to help it cope with an overwhelming volume of cases. The South Tees youth offending team was set up last April to tackle youth justice issues in Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland. The team
BARNBURGH BOY can celebrate his return to hurdles by winning the Tote Credit Club Showcase Handicap at Sedgefield today. Although Tim Easterby's runner has yet to finish out of the first four over fences this term, he has not been jumping his obstacles
Darren Gough will attempt to rise above the frustrations involved in bowling on the sub-continent and avoid any flashpoints with umpires in the series against Sri Lanka. Gough and the rest of the England attack had to use all their self-control during
Seventy people from day centres, schools and playschemes in west Middlesbrough have worked with artists to produce designs for flags as part of the Linkages project. Their handiwork went on view at various sites in the area. The participants, from Macmillan
STAFF and pupils from a Stockton primary school have paid tribute to a former pupil killed in a car accident last year. At a ceremony in memory of Philip Newbold, his mother unveiled a floor-to-ceiling three panel memorial triptych in the school foyer
YORKSHIRE Radio Enterprises Ltd (YRE) is bidding for the new West and South Yorkshire FM licence, which will cover 2.5 million adults in the region including parts of North Yorkshire. One of the two biggest licences being made available in England,YRE
OPPOSITION councillors claim there was "managerial incompetence" over a controversial council land deal that prompted a police inquiry. Liberal Democrat members on Labour-run Durham City Council are calling for a full debate in the council's scrutiny
THE talk was all about hay as farmers from all over the North descended on a pub car park yesterday to compete in the battle of the bales. There was much sniffing and handling by the judges of the 119 entries in the ninth annual hay show, staged by farmers
A PETITION signed by more than 70 residents of on a Darlington estate will be presented to the council today, objecting to plans for more homes. Miller Homes North-East wants to build on land at Snipe House Farm, Snipe Lane, on the Skerne Park estate.
TELEVISION personality Bill Steel has launched a scheme to encourage more people to shop in a rural part of the North-East. Traders in Weardale, County Durham, have signed up to a loyalty card scheme, which rewards customers with special offers. The cards
A JACK-KNIFED lorry prompted hold-ups on the A1 southbound carriageway around Catterick, in North Yorkshire, early on Saturday morning. The truck's diesel tank was ruptured in the incident, spilling fuel on to the road, while police dealing with the incident
A GIANT birthday cake wrapped in barbed wire was the centre piece at a party outside a prison on Saturday. Friends and supporters of Tayyip Oruc, a Kurdish refugee from Turkey, gathered outside Stockton's Holme House prison to mark his 28th birthday.
INSTEAD of a new hat for a family wedding, super slimmer Marie Sweeney decided to get a new body. The 49-year-old grandmother shrank from a size 26 to a svelte size 14 to squeeze into a new dress for two family weddings. Marie, of Layburn Place, Birtley
A CAMPAIGNER for a village "green" who died just four weeks short of the victory he worked for is likely to be remembered with a memorial on the site. Stewart Gent, 48, suffered a heart attack last month, having been part of a community which battled
