Ken Frankish: "Since CDDC was started in 1988, there have been 287 inward investment projects into the county from 21 different countries, creating 14,500 jobs. "The county council has invested £12.5m in that time, working out at about £500 a job, so
Darlington assistant manager Mick Tait is promising the squad a tough pre-season when the players return again in July. Quakers finished the season badly with six straight defeats, and Tait feels that the players need to be physically and mentally tougher
HEALTH watchdogs fear that cost-cutting in social services could have a serious impact on elderly people. Harrogate and District Community Health Council (CHC) is to meet North Yorkshire County Council chiefs to discuss the effects on home care, of cuts
DETECTIVES are appealing for witnesses to an attack which left a 16-year-old boy with a broken jaw. The teenager was attacked at about 12.30am on Saturday, April 28, as he walked along Haughton Road, Darlington One of the attackers is described as being
COMPUTER systems business owners Hilary Kinnair and Philip Tompkinson have been named as the North's Shell LiveWIRE young entrepreneurs of the year. Ms Kinnair, 24, from Sunderland, and Mr Tompkinson, 29, from Middlesbrough, run I2B, at Sunderland Enterprise
THE Swaledale Cheese Company is doubling the size of its operation following unprecedented demand for its range of hand-crafted cheeses. The North Yorkshire company's plans include the construction of a product-viewing gallery, additional storage facilities
THE Earl of Sandwich has a lot to answer for... and now he has a week named after him, too. Next week is National Sandwich Week when even, more than ever, we'll be encouraged to eat on the move. But at least when the Earl famously refused to interrupt
MORE than 800 pupils and staff were forced to evacuate a school after arsonists struck. Two classrooms were destroyed at King George Comprehensive, at South Shields, South Tyneside. The fire was started in an art room at about 2pm on Tuesday. Police started
The Tees Valley is in a transitional period as far as small business services in the area are concerned. Next week, Tees Valley Business Link will take over the role from its predecessor, which was also known as Business Link. Qualified accountant Malcolm
A FORMER east Durham colliery site has been transformed into a memorial garden to mark the 50th anniversary of a pit disaster which claimed the lives of 83 miners. Moving tributes will be paid to the men who died in the Easington Colliery tragedy when
AN 80-year-old woman was picked up and shaken by a hooded robber who took her handbag. The pensioner, recovering from a stroke, was badly shocked after the attack outside Chester-le-Street railway station, County Durham. Police suspect that it could be
A man arrested for theft at the gates of a prison where he had just served a sentence for stealing escaped a return behind bars yesterday. When he left jail on April 18, David Noble found police waiting to arrest him for shoplifting in Ripon and Knaresborough
A REWARD of £20,000 has been offered for information leading to the arrest of armed hijackers who kidnapped two security guards. The gun-wielding robbers took the two male Securicor guards hostage as they collected cash from a Wearside bank and loaded
HOMEOWNERS were due to hold a public meeting last night to protest against plans for an £8m college campus. Derwentside College has secured funding for the move from its Consett site to a location in Project Genesis, where the town's steelworks once stood
AN AREA of wasteland in a North-East town is being transformed into a wildlife haven as part of a community campaign. The Shildon Millennium Green Trust is working with a variety of organisations to breathe new life into a 2.5 hectare former allotment
FORMER workmates of a man who died after a night out, took to the pitch at Darlington FC's Feethams ground last night to raise money for his family. Paul Simpson's ex-colleagues at Morrison's, in North Road, Darlington, played the football match for his
A MAN who was injured in the latest crash at an accident blackspot has called for urgent safety measures to be implemented. Frederick Farr spoke out after his Ford Sierra was written off in an accident at Bilbrough Top, on the A64 near York, on Sunday
SCHOOL sport in Hartlepool is to receive a boost from National Lottery funding. The Local Education Authority has been awarded £470,080 by Sport England to implement a school sports co-ordinator programme. Each secondary school will be able to appoint
A SPORTS club that saw its future threatened after being hit by thieves, has been saved by the local council. Last month, a shed in the grounds of Ryedale Sports Club, in Pickering, was broken into and an expensive newgrass cutter was stolen. Without
Former Hampshire Chief Constable Sir John Hoddinott has been appointed to review the controversial Operation Lancet corruption inquiry, officials confirmed last night. Operation Lancet, set up three years ago, examined allegations against members of Middlesbrough
THE latest school bidding to win a year's free electricity supply has dug deep to create a haven for wildlife. Spennymoor School is creating a website featuring its new pond, in answer to The Northern Echo's challenge to show how the Internet can be used
If cricket's your game there's plenty of online action to keep you entertained this summer. For followers of Durham, our own dedicated website www.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/sport/cricket/durham/ will keep you up with the news. As well as match reports
PLANS to carry out road junction improvements for a £15m supermarket have run into opposition from residents. Work is under way on the new Tesco at Dragonville, Durham, that will create more than 400 jobs. The development will breathe new life into the
BUSINESSES across the North-East will soon have access to more support than ever when the Government's new Small Business Service expands the Business Link service in the region. From Monday, Business Link will be strengthening its role by becoming the
POLICE carried out a dawn raid at a house in Hartlepool today to arrest a man suspected of carrying out a series of sex attacks on women. The operation, code-named Crimea, was the culmination of a year long investigation by a team of detectives based
THE Confederation of British Industry's (CBI) president and former BT chief, Sir Ian Vallance, has unveiled the organisation's election wishlist. At the CBI's Tees Valley dinner, Sir Ian said the message to the major parties was simple. He said: "We know
A NORTH Yorkshire community, plagued by gangs of vandals, has a chance to take its grievances to the top tonight. The county's chief constable has agreed to attend Colburn Town Council's annual meeting to brief local people on force policies. However,
A £100M building services business, Syncro, which has a regional centre in Newcastle, has been created by the Co-operative Group to harness its expertise in engineering services, retail equipment supply and energy management. It brings together three
"I was very impressed by your region. Although we have visited a lot of other regions on this visit to the UK, I would put the North-East as first place on my list of regions to locate." Those words from Zhang Xiao Tian, vice-president of Chinese electronics
A health at work scheme funded by the Tyne and Wear Health Action Zone is proving to be a success - particularly for small and medium-sized businesses. The Tyne and Wear health management and organisational structures; the working environment; health
THE Learning and Skills Councils (LSC) will for the first time ever bring together all post-16 funding into a single body. While the Government recognises that a lot of good work has been done, it also recognises that in order to get the best value for
MORE than 60 children have been given a lesson in how to build a supermarket. The children, from Bowburn Junior School, near Durham City, were shown around the building site of the new Tesco, in Dragonville Lane. They learned about aspects of construction
PLANS to build a new stadium for Newcastle Falcons rugby team will go to a public inquiry. Newcastle Rugby Club, Northumbria University and Northumberland Rugby Club want to build a 10,000-seater stadium at Kingston Park, on the outskirts of Newcastle
EARLIER this month, County Durham Development Company (CDDC), played host to Interprise 2001, the last one to be funded by the European Community. The event was themed Technologies for the Future and was one of the biggest business-to-business partnering
ARTWORK by schoolchildren from across North Yorkshire is brightening up the corridors of power. Youngsters were invited to submit their work for a series of exhibitions at the county council headquarters, County Hall, in Northallerton - and a huge response
SINGLE homeless people are to receive help to start a new life. The Three Rivers Housing Group has refurbished a block of flats on the outskirts of Durham City to enable the homeless to start living independently. The group obtained £136,000 funding from
WHEN Tammy's owners finally took the kitten to the vet, he was horrified to discover her injured jaw had been patched with freezer ties. Wire from the jaw had cut off the blood supply to the 12-week-old kitten's jaw, causing considerable suffering and
THE campaign to save one of the country's rarest tree has taken a musical turn with the launch of a charity CD. One of the UK's best known folk musicians, Vin Garbutt, is lending his support to a scheme to save the Black Poplar. The tree was once a familiar
WORK has started on a secure lorry compound to cut diesel thefts in Hartlepool. Parksafe is being built off the A689, to provide a safe haven for up to 45 articulated lorries on the Longhill Industrial Estate. At present, drivers have to park on open
A CHARITY has been forced to cancel a fundraising walk because of foot-and-mouth restrictions. Breakthrough Breast Cancer's Walk the Jumps event was due to take place at Newcastle Racecourse on Monday, May 28, but has been called off following the resumption
RAILWAY bridges across the East Coast Main Line through the North-East and North Yorkshire remain in a scandalous state ten weeks after the Selby disaster, The Northern Echo reveals today. We visited 50 bridges between Newcastle and York and found the
SUNDERLAND supremo Bob Murray put the boot into the FA cup yesterday - and claimed that English football had outgrown the world's greatest knockout competition. The battered old trophy used to be the biggest prize in sport. But Murray blasted: "I'd rather
Chartered surveyors from the North-East were under starter's orders when former world champion athlete and world record holder Steve Cram came to talk to them about winning. Steve, who won gold medals in the World, European and Commonwealth athletics
THE headline-grabbing antics of Paul Collingwood yesterday reunited two former RAF colleagues who hadn't seen each other for almost 50 years. Prior to turning his overnight 105 into his highest first-class score of 153, Collingwood was contacted by a
shareholders in the UK's biggest telecom business are being asked to help it wipe billions from its debt. British Telecom (BT) is hoping to raise £5.9bn under the biggest rights issue seen on the London Stock Exchange. More than 1.7 million private investors
A BRACE of winners for Great Habton trainer Tim Easterby at Ripon yesterday confirmed his powerful stable is now beginning to roll after an unusually sluggish start to the season. Easterby did not have to wait long for his first success of the afternoon
HEAD coach Terry Venables last night confirmed that Middlesbrough are mounting an audacious multi-million pound transfer raid on Barcelona. Boro are hoping it will be third-time-lucky in their pursuit of Spanish striker Dani. But they have also enquired
MEN and women went football crazy together at one of the North-East's premier sporting venues yesterday. About 70 adults from day care centres across the county took part in the five-a-side tournament and penalty shoot-out at Chester-le-Street's Riverside
A GROUP of protestors was demonstrating the other day, wearing William Hague face-masks. One of them even tried to shake hands with the real William Hague, a moment captured on television, but largely ignored by the newspapers. One Labour tabloid did
A veteran doctor, convicted of stealing anaesthetic drugs, as well as drink-driving, pleaded yesterday: "Strike me off." Illtyd Reynolds Thomas, 66, of Milner Street, South Shields, told the General Medical Council's (GMC) professional conduct committee
Countryside staff from Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council are inviting people on a Saltburn Valley walk to listen to the dawn chorus. The Valley Gardens has a wide range of bird species, and organisers say it should be an impressive chorus. There is
Alan Savage had to abandon a talk on garden safety when he fell off a stepladder while pruning his hedge. Mr Savage, 43, suffered a deep cut above his eye and a gash to his ankle. It meant he had to postpone his trip to a local school to advise the pupils
RESIDENTS are being asked to look into the background of former neighbours - in the interests of history. Amateur historians want to record a town's famous sons and daughters, and trace their roots. The Middlesbrough Heritage Group has so far placed plaques
THE MP for Stockton South has joined in a row over a proposal to build a housing estate near a wildlife site. Dari Taylor has written to Stockton Borough Council's director of planning, Mike Leeson, to express her concern over plans for 150 houses, offices
FEDERATION Brewery has begun preparations for the installation of a £3m multi-purpose bottling line, as part of a major investment programme. The bottling line is the second major capital investment at the brewery in the past 12 months. In September,
NEWS that a North-East champion has won his third world kick-boxing title has been reported around the world. Craig Richardson, 16, of Lanchester in County Durham took the International Kick-boxing Federation title at Stanley Civic Centre. His points
COURT officials have confirmed plans to build a multi-million pound court in the region. County Durham Magistrates Court Committee (MCC) has issued a discussion document and is considering approaching private companies to build the complex. The news comes
AN Army veterans' association has apologised to the family of a member who was sent a newsletter featuring his own obituary, two years after he died. Corporal Basil Smith, a 22-year veteran of the Royal Army Medical Corps, died in May 1999, aged 67, following
JACKIE and Cora Coe, two of the nicest people on earth, celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary - the platinum - last weekend. He is 92, she a mere 89. "We divvent sleep together nee more, she gets the lodger in," said Jackie. "It is a very special
POLICE fear that a man who exposed himself to a teenage girl in Bishop Auckland yesterday morning may have targeted other women. The 17-year-old girl was walking along a path near Carisbrooke Crescent, in the Etherley Lane area, at 10.20am when she was
POLICE are investigating the death of a 15-year-old star student. They suspect it is drugs-related. Catherine Longstaff, from Chatsworth Avenue, Bishop Auckland, County Durham, died in hospital on Saturday. Catherine was renowned for being a conscientious
YOUNGSTERS enjoyed a taste of France when they took part in Europe Day celebrations. About 180 pupils from primary and special schools across County Durham visited County Hall yesterday to tuck into a French breakfast, play boules and learn French songs
SUNDERLAND manager Peter Reid will open the club's new store in Gateshead's MetroCentre today. The store, which will be declared open at 2.30pm, will carry all the club's latest lines and merchandise. Fans can also meet star players Kevin Philips, Michael
THE person who will head a £1m scheme to help disadvantaged young families in Darlington will be paid £32,000 a year. Sure Start, a government initiative aimed at improving the well-being and opportunities of children, is based in the North Road area
RELATIVES of a 76-year-old cancer victim have told of their outrage after he was attacked by a fellow patient on a ward at Durham's new multi-million pound hospital. Former pitman Cuthbert Nixon was beaten and dragged to the floor by a fellow patient
BILL Cook follows a long line of charity workers and campaigners to receive the title. Pat Gibson became the first Darlington Citizen of the Year in 1995, after battling to change the murder law following the death of her son, Michael. The following year
A GOVERNMENT-led partnership aimed at tackling property crime has praised examples of good practice in parts of the region. And the report, by the Property Crime Reduction Action Team (PCRAT), also pleads for more businesses to get involved in the fight
NEWCASTLE'S biggest department store has joined forces with Northumberland Wildlife Trust. Fenwick Limited has become the trust's 50th corporate member, joining companies such as Northumbrian Water, Cameron Hall Developments and Northern Electric and
It was sunny and warm but there wasn't a starlet or a Hollywood mogul in sight when I got to Cannes. In February, there is little evidence of the glitz and glamour of the film festival which brings the town alive in the spring. Instead, companies with
FAMILIES are backing plans to bulldoze scores of empty homes on a rundown housing estate. Up to 177 houses on Middlesbrough's Whinney Banks estate could be demolished under a £20m plan to transform the area. An estimated 86 per cent of residents responded
PICKING up dozens of the deadliest snakes in the world won't be many people's idea of a dream assignment. But for the men of one specialist North-East animal sanctuary, handling dozens of rare snakes with enough venom between them to kill as many as 400
ABOUT 200 young musicians head for a North-East concert hall next week for a big performance. The Promenade for Youth concert will be held at the Dolphin Centre, Darlington, at 7pm on Friday, May 18. It has been sponsored by Cummins and organised by the
A TEENAGE bride was stabbed to death in her bed just four days after she married. The body of Claire Amy Cummings, 19, from Redcar, east Cleveland, was found when officers went to a house in High Row, Loftus, after receiving a desperate 999 call from
My immediate task is to guide the new LSC through the initial period of transition. That transition has been ongoing since July 1999 when the Government announced the new body. Nationally, the LSC employs just 57 people at the moment, but that will all
INTERPRISE 2001 was used as a launch pad for a project with regional, national and international significance. NetPark, the North-East Technology Park project, was launched by Peter Carr, co-chairman of the NetPark Steering Group. The park will be the
There has been unprecedented activity within the market, especially from pub companies. They are as eager as ever to buy public houses that are either under-performing with the potential to increase trade, or closed pubs with a view to re-branding them
