DURHAM's new Mayor hopes to give two worthy causes a helping hand during his year in office. Ushaw Moor Labour councillor George Cowper aims to raise money for the Durham Centre for People With Learning Disabilities and the Durham and Chester-le-Street
TWO people with more than 70 years experience in the coal industry between them have taken charge of a pitmen's housing association. Bob Olaman, of Dalton-le-Dale, has been elected president of the Durham Aged Mineworkers' Homes Association, and Gordon
A NEW research centre is being set up to explore the history of the North-East. The Centre for North-East England History, in Durham City, will look at what makes the North-East a region, how history has shaped its landscapes, towns and occupants, and
HEALTH bosses in the region said yesterday's national Doctors' Day protests had virtually no effect on services for patients. Organisers of the unofficial day of protest claimed that hundreds of GPs took part across the UK, highlighting chronic staff
MORE than £1.5m is to be spent on schemes to improve health and tackle inequalities across Teesside, over the next 12 months. A further £804,000 will be spent on new developments, with £135,000 for drug prevention and £620,000 for smoking cessation services
LOCAL authority workers who have clocked up 25 years of service have been rewarded by council chiefs. Presentations were made to staff from Wear Valley District Council by deputy chairman Wilf Dobinson in a ceremony at Crook Civic Centre. They went to
TEENAGE tearaways in Chester-le-Street are being given their own "youth shelters" to stop them terrorising fed-up residents. Despite the town enjoying a 14 per cent reduction in recorded crime during the last year, police say adolescent crimes are on
A NEW organisation is being set up to distribute £52m of regeneration cash. The West Middlesbrough Neighbourhood Trust will be the main decision-making body in charge of the area's New Deal for Communities (NDC) programme. Headed by the Government, the
RECENT columns have verged on the nonsensical. This one dives in off the ten metre board. It had all begun with mondegreens - misheard lyrics - then moved merrily into that familiar children's rhyme which apparently tells of "Maizy dotes and dozey dotes
A COMMUNITY facility designed to give youngsters the best possible start in life will be opened on Friday. The government-backed Sure Start initiative provided £7,000 to refurbish the Rossmere annexe, in Hartlepool. The building is on the Rossmere Primary
A PAIR of brothers who invented a soap which they say can treat certain skin conditions claim that they have been hit with an unfair demand by the taxman. Eric and Alby Rutter, from Trimdon Village, County Durham, launched Pharos Health Products in January
AN under-fire council leader has launched a scathing attack on local Tories who, he says, are undermining his council's attempt to get a controversial bail hostel blocked. Chester-le-Street District Council leader, Malcolm Pratt, has accused Tories, and
COUNCIL officers have joined forces with developers to make sure a multi-million pound shopping and leisure complex goes ahead as soon as possible. The future of the Dalton Flatts scheme, in Murton, East Durham, was thrown into doubt when London Amsterdam
A three-year police operation to crack the supply of heroin into a North-East town ended yesterday with the jailing of one of the key traders. Trainee scaffolder Andrew David Donohue was jailed for three years after Durham Crown Court heard he had sold
A MAN had to be rescued from under a dumper truck yesterday morning. The incident happened just before 9am, in the Valley Gardens, Saltburn, east Cleveland, when the man was driving a dumper for Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council. The man, who has not
A COUNCILLOR is calling for plans for more opencasting on a site near a village to be rejected. Durham County Council's planning committee will visit West Rainton to look at proposals by Clay Services to work fields at Wheatley Head before reaching a
ANIMAL lovers are invited to have their pets blessed in a special service just for them this weekend. Paul Wilson veterinary surgery in Bishop Auckland has issued an open invitation for people to bring their beloved animals to the service on Sunday to
CHILDREN should be drilled with a tough message to stay away from drugs to stop them turning into teenage addicts, a leading sociologist has said. Norman Dennis, visiting fellow at Newcastle University, spoke as a report revealed children as young as
A GROUP of young martial arts fighters took on the best from two of the country's biggest cities and won. The youngsters, aged from six to 13, represented Darlington Boxing and Martial Arts Academy, and won 13 of the 15 fights against the best fighters
A MAJOR programme of work to improve an accident blackspot on one of North Yorkshire's busiest routes will finally start this summer. The Highways Agency is spending £3.6m on a scheme to scrap a set of traffic lights on the A64 dual carriageway, near
AREN'T you glad you're not the Totts? Martyn and Kay are the lucky couple who won £3m on the Lottery, only to discover that no, they hadn't actually, because they'd lost the ticket and hadn't claimed within the 30-day limit. Nightmare. What's worse, it
FARMERS who have lost everything to the crisis have pooled together to help neighbours in the mass clear-up. Farmers and farm hands are working with Northumberland and Durham Machinery Ring, of Crook, County Durham, to clean farms. The business, which
A pensioner was forced to miss her sister's funeral when a burglar stole almost £200 after tricking his way into her home. Peter Thirlaway, 32, was jailed for six years yesterday after posing as a council workman at Sarah Waddell's bungalow in Boldon
A FAMILY is lucky to be alive after their caravan home's gas fire leaked deadly carbon monoxide fumes. Vivian McMillan, her daughters Chloe, three, Bethany, seven months, and partner James Shingleston, have been given temporary accommodation after the
A security system has been installed at a community centre which has been targeted by youths causing a nuisance and damaging property. A security camera and door system at King William Street Community Centre, Darlington, will produce up to six high quality
A TEENAGE prostitute was blindfolded and raped at knife-point by a man who then robbed her, a court heard yesterday. Paul Kennedy, 38, of Manor Drive, Featherstone, is alleged to have raped the youngster, who cannot be named for legal reasons, in December
RESIDENTS living in the shadow of a soil embankment which they say threatens their homes are to hold a meeting tonight. Homeowners on The Fieldings estate, at Consett, County Durham, say the mound has blanked out light from their homes and poses a serious
A gatecrasher turned a wedding party into a wild west brawl, a court heard yesterday. David and Patricia Andrews' big day was ruined when uninvited guest Stephen Scaife was asked to leave and violence erupted at the function, said Simon Hickey, prosecuting
MOVES to reopen paths in unaffected areas have been welcomed by environmentalists. Paths in Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's area have been closed since the crisis began, although the nearest the disease has struck has been in Stockton and Ruswarp
CHRISTMAS came early for children at a family centre when they received hundreds of toys. Staff at the Orange Communications Centre, in Peterlee, heard Seaham's NCH Family Centre needed toys to replace old and damaged equipment. They raised almost £3,000
ORGANISERS of an annual trades unions rally are predicting a good turnout at the weekend due to recent job losses. The event, being run by the Middlesbrough Trade Union Council, is aimed at raising the profile of trade unions, with each year's having
STUDENTS from a Darlington college will have their sporting achievements recognised at a ceremony later this week. More than 80 students from Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College will have their efforts celebrated with presentations by stars from the Newcastle
STUDENTS became teachers to brief business people on getting the most out of computers. The youngsters came from Malton School, which boasts three information technology (IT) suites. The two-hour computer class they provided for representatives of local
TWO students from Darlington's Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College have won places at the Italia Conti Academy for performers in London. Beverly Rudd, 17, from Richmond, and 18-year-old Amy Hayes, from Darlington, have been offered places on the BA acting
GATESHEAD residents are being offered the chance to learn a language or skill as part of a national campaign to get more people involved in education. Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council is organising a series of events, during next month's Adult Learners
HUNDREDS of people are to be asked to pass judgment on a controversial pedestrianisation scheme. About 500 people will be randomly selected for a survey, representing a cross-section of Middlesbrough town centre users. A six-month traffic ban on part
CRIMINALS are being warned there is nowhere for them to hide following the installation of security cameras. This week sees the completion of the latest phase of the CCTV system for Newcastle East Area Command. Nine cameras have been installed in South
A NEWLY-FORMED village drama group has taken the stage by storm after a second giant-killing performance in a national contest. Formed only months ago, Kirkby Players has only ten members drawn from the Kirkby Malzeard area, near Ripon. Their first venture
A MULTI-MILLION pound partnership scheme to bring new council offices to Teesside has been announced. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council has joined forces with the Norwich Union Public Private Partnership Fund to sign a £9.5m deal that includes new
ONE of the society weddings of the year will take place next month in the humble setting of a North Yorkshire council office. Simon Howard will tie the knot with Marks and Spencer heiress Rebekah Sieff at the council offices in Malton, on June 8. The
ONCE a glorious Victorian park, residents believe Darlington's South Park has suffered "20 years of considered neglect". While Darlington Borough Council awaits millions of pounds of National Lottery funding, the state of the scenic pleasure gardens is
RURAL transport was given a shot in the arm yesterday as a scheme to help youngsters find work was officially launched. The Wheels 2 Work initiative, pioneered by Hambleton and Richmondshire Rural Transport Partnership, got under way at Bedale Hall. The
A GROUP of fathers gritted their teeth as they had their legs waxed to raise money for children in their community. The four men gathered at Selby Close Community Centre, St Helen Auckland, where Amanda Merritt from AJ's hairdressers, in West Auckland
A relief pub manager stole more than £5,000 to fund his addiction to gambling on fruit machines. Stuart Maddison, 28, admitted taking more than £2,000 from two different pubs after he took over as relief manager while the owners were on holiday. He was
THE first victims of Richard Neale to be assessed for possible corrective surgery will be seen by a top consultant today. Last month, the NHS made an historic offer to the victims of the disgraced former Friarage Hospital surgeon. The deal - struck with
