COXWOLD Sunday, and Solomon in all his glory may not have been arrayed like the colourful crowd - Lycra for like - assembled in St Michael's. It is the 75th annual Cyclists Touring Club service, the one at which the Kingdom of God was once likened unto
WILLIAM HAGUE IT becomes increasingly obvious on a day-to-day basis, that William Hague is not fit to lead the divided remnants of his own party, let alone take on the mantle of Prime Minister. How can that man seek from Tony Blair, an assurance that
NIGEL TINKLER'S long search for Group One glory with his stable star Sugarfoot (2.35) may finally come to fruition in this afternoon's £150,000 Lockinge Stakes at Newbury. Based at the tiny village of Langton just outside Malton, Sugarfoot has won ten
A MOTORCYCLIST was killed when his motorbike was involved in a collision with a car, an inquest heard. John Haley, 44, of Ashbrooke Road in Sunderland, was driving his Suzuki 1200cc on the A688 in Spennymoor, County Durham, on January 6, when it smashed
A SCHOOL has swept the board at Darlington's annual swimming gala for the 20th year in succession. Students of Hummersknott Comprehensive School continued their tradition of success at the Darlington Summer Swimming Gala by winning all three awards. For
AMATEUR singers are adding their voices to a bid to raise funds for a hard-up hospice. Redcar Operatic Society will be singing with the stars. One of the best known operatic societies in the North-East, the amateurs are to join stars of West End musicals
A REVAMP of a home which helps homeless young people in Redcar and Cleveland was given the civic seal of approval yesterday Coatham House is celebrating its tenth anniversary with a £106,000 refurbishment of its semi-detached halfway house, in central
The Emmerdale actor John Middleton, who plays the Reverend Ashley Thomas in the soap, will support Labour in Tynemouth today. He will be joined on stage by Norman Dunn, who used to star in Tyne Tees TV's What Fettle? comedy programme, at the launch of
FEMALE finance staff are getting their figures in shape for a money-raising workout next month. Last year eight women from the financial services team at Hambleton District Council ran a combined total of 24 miles and raised £800 for charity. And this
WARRIOR the thinking police horse is being put out to pasture. The 20-year-old Cleveland bay, which taps out Middlesbrough FC's match scores with its hoof, goes on duty for the last time today. Warrior, who is a familiar sight on patrol outside the Boro's
HUNDREDS of young musicians gathered at Darlington's Dolphin Centre last night to take part in a Promenade for Youth Concert. The concert featured the Durham First Orchestra combined with the Durham District Orchestra. They were joined by the Darlington
POLICE fear plans for a controversial nightspot could spark a city centre drinks price war. Durham City Council looks likely to refuse Luminar Leisure planning permission to convert the disused Palladium cinema, in Claypath, into a late-night Chicago
PATIENTS are enjoying the benefits of the ancient martial art of Tai Chi through an unusual collaboration involving a GP surgery and a college. The sessions have been introduced to try to help patients with chronic illnesses, such as arthritis, asthma
TWO soldiers walked free from court yesterday after being sensationally cleared of the savage murder of a black railway worker. Private Marc Hunter, 18, and Lance Corporal David White, 23, both Green Howards from the North-East, were found not guilty
OFFICIAL tours are being introduced at a town hall by a council criticised for its no expense spared spending. Middlesbrough Borough Council is to spend a total of £16m on redecorating its Victorian town hall, having already lavished £264,434 on the mayor's
IT is a case of waste not, want not in a North-East town. Residents of Hartlepool are being encouraged to recycle their waste and at the same time enrich their gardens. The borough council is selling expensive compost bins at nominal prices. A pilot scheme
GNER is to resume a number of new services with the launch of its summer timetable tomorrow. The East Coast Main Line operator says the timetable will feature new early morning and evening services on Saturdays between London and Newcastle. During the
RADIO presenter and Hartlepool fan Paul "Goffy" Gough will appeal live on air for millionaire Darlington football boss George Reynolds to stop taunting him. The Century FM star has been inundated with phone calls from the Quakers' chairman since Hartlepool
Q I am now 85 and my son, aged 54, gets benefits as he is unable to work due to disability. I would like to leave him most of my assets, but his friends have told him that if I do he will have to pay it all over to repay past benefits. Is this so? A Definitely
FRESHLY hatched chicks have been helping youngsters at a Darlington nursery to learn all about birth and the development of young animals. Pupils at Albert Hill Nursery School were fascinated to see 11 chicks hatch in a new incubator at the nursery. Teacher
DURHAM County's new season gets underway next Saturday when Northumberland provide the opposition in all three Northern Counties competitions. In the A team event for the Muras Trophy as familiar face will be missing from the Durham - last season's team
MIDDLESBROUGH'S fight to keep Terry Venables at the Riverside Stadium still hangs in the balance and could drag on to next week. Talks between Venables, Boro chairman Steve Gibson, manager Bryan Robson and chief executive Keith Lamb, broke up last night
THE Countryside Warden Service at Billingham Beck Valley Country Park is on the lookout for volunteers. The service has teamed up with the National Centre for Volunteering in an attempt to recruit volunteers during National Volunteers Week, from June
BOSSES at one of the region's leading further education colleges have said they "very much regret" plans by lecturers to hold a one-day strike next Tuesday. Darlington College of Technology is one of a number in the region to be hit by the strike called
The former chief-of-staff of the Provisional IRA, Sean MacStiofain, has died in hospital aged 73 after a long illness. He headed the republican paramilitary group after its split from the Official IRA at the start of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
MIDDLESBROUGH last night insisted FIFA had "no jurisdiction'' to ban them from domestic competitions over former striker Marco Branca's claim for £500,000 in unpaid wages, writes CLIVE HETHERINGTON. The FA have stepped in to sort out a dispute which escalated
A DOCTOR who once treated Prime Minister Tony Blair and his family will ask medical chiefs to lift restrictions on his practice next week, two years after being found guilty of neglecting his patients. Dr Sivaguranathan Srirangalingam, 60, known as "Dr
THERE was something fishy going on when a group of youngsters took part in a national chemistry competition. Lower sixth students from Wearside and Durham used all their powers of investigating and knowledge of chemistry during the local heats of the
Darlington are hoping the lure of playing for his home-town club might persuade Neil Maddison to turn down the chance of First Division football. Quakers head the queue of clubs who want him but they face competition from several higher division outfits
A SCHOOL rowing club pushed the boat out to celebrate the launch of its racing fleet. St Leonard's RC Comprehensive School Boat Club, in Durham City, has completed its fleet, thanks to an £8,000 grant from the Foundation for Sport and the Arts. The award
NEWCASTLE United boss Bobby Robson has told England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson he has a future star in Carl Cort. Robson has already put his money where his mouth is by splashing out £7m to lure under-21 striker Cort from Wimbledon last summer. Eriksson
SCHOOLchildren were left holding the baby yesterday in a bid to give them a taste of parental responsibilities. Pupils at Wellfield School, in Wingate, County Durham, were presented with simulated baby Tio (Think It Over) as part of a novel project. The
ALL roads in a city centre will have 20mph speed limits imposed next week. It comes into force on Wednesday, two months after Sunderland City Council announced it was introducing the blanket restriction. All 100 speed limit signs are in place, although
TWO years ago Blaydon were not considered the most fashionable club in the region. They failed to win the Tyneside Senior League and there were question marks in some quarters when they were admitted into the Foster's North-East Premier League, launched
PLANS to build a telephone mast in Heighington look almost certain to go-ahead, despite protests. The mast is being constructed for mobile phone company One2One, at Highside Bank, near Highside Farm. Residents have complained that because of the elevated
A NORTH-EAST councillor has been elected chairman of the northern region executive for the Association of Public Service Excellence. Councillor Dave McLuckie, lead member for community safety with Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, was installed at
A WIDOWER has been left devastated after thieves broke into his home and stole his wife's treasured wedding ring and charity cash. Paul Derbyshire, of Ida Street, Norton, Teesside is demanding jewellery belonging to his late wife, Janet, be returned to
AN on-the-run burglar worked in the homes of some of Britain's biggest stars, a court was told yesterday. While he was working in the homes of his VIP clients, Darren Bullock resisted the temptation to abuse their trust. Bullock, 27, jumped bail in Middlesbrough
DARLINGTON hope to secure their fifth promotion today when they entertain Manchester-based Aldwinians in the play-off for a place in North Division One. Blaydon also have home advantage as they attempt to get out of North One into National Three North
A COLLECTION of antique furniture, paintings, and ceramics from one of Richmond's oldest houses has fetched £1.3m at a London auction, nearly three times more than expected. The 363 lots from St Nicholas, situated on the outskirts of the town, beside
A ROAD RAGE knife attacker left a terrified motorist cut and bruised after a savage confrontation on a quiet, foggy road. Last night, the victim told how he got out of his car to confront the crazed driver only to have a four-inch knife pulled on him
THIRTEEN months after he first hit the headlines, Nicky Peng reminded us yesterday what all the fuss was about. Still only 18, Peng became Durham's youngest century-maker in first-class cricket with a wonderful innings of 101 against Middlesex. On a more
A sick toddler who is among 60 people in the UK with a rare blood disease saved his father from jail yesterday. Bank worker Christopher Atkinson, 22, from Middlesbrough, was unable to cope with the stresses of his three-year-old child's anaemia. He parted
Scientists yesterday explained how they had bred Britain's first test-tube horses in the hope of boosting the nation's chances of winning Olympic equestrian medals - and preserving endangered species. Two male foals - produced using artificial fertilisation
JOHN Prescott, the punching politician, went to ground somewhere in the North-East yesterday with the nation's media kept well out of harm's way. Two days after he infamously threw a left jab at an egg-hurling protestor, the Deputy Prime Minister was
SUNDERLAND manager Peter Reid yesterday clinched the signing of 19-year-old Argentinia Nicolas Medina for £3.5m - and hailed him as "a complete midfield player". The 19-year-old will join his close friend and former Argentinos Juniors clubmate Julio Arca
A POLICE constable could soon be giving police forces sobering lessons on dealing with drunks. Nick Edgar, 27, is also likely to pick up a masters degree with a research programme into drink-related violence and crime. The South Bank PC has been awarded
SCOTTISH international Don Hutchison found himself in strict isolation from his team-mates last night as he tried to ditch a stomach bug in a bid to play in this afternoon's crucial game at Everton. In more normal circumstances the Tynesider would have
THERE is something strangely disconcerting about seeing a usually popular tourist attraction almost deserted on a scorching Sunday in May. To begin with, you start to worry that you've missed a news bulletin warning of an imminent nuclear attack, or that
A DISTINCTLY fishy tale which appeared in satirical magazine Private Eye has annoyed bosses at a North-East hospital. According to the latest edition of the magazine, a consignment of carp fish was put into North Tees Hospital's new ornamental pond an
A TASTE of the Orient inspired student Kelly-Marie Wilson to create a prize-winning snack to celebrate National Sandwich Week. The 18-year-old, from Sunnybrow, near Willington, impressed judges at Bishop Auckland College who were seeking the most inventive
WITH the gardening season in full swing we are now generating quite large quantities of organic waste. Weeds, lawn mowings and discarded spring bedding plants can all be put to good use if a compost heap is organised now. Make sure it is a compost heap
YOU may think perfecting the art of the butterfly or backstroke is the sole preserve of adults, but water-loving tots as young as four months are working on their technique nowadays. Teaching children to swim is a smart move for any parent. After all,
A FRIGHTENED iguana had to be rescued by firefighters after its first jaunt around its new home. Before the crew from Bishop Auckland fire station, County Durham, arrived to rescue Jacqueline Nixon's 6ft pet, staff from a hairdressers had tried to free
COUNCIL staff took time out from work this week to find out how they could develop new skills. Staff from New College Durham visited County Hall, in Durham City, on Thursday as part of Learning at Work Day and were offered a variety of taster sessions
A THIRD spate of vandal attacks on cars has taken the total number of vehicles daubed with paint in part of Darlington to 40 in ten days. Eleven cars were damaged in the Hummersknott area in one overnight spree, followed by 19 more days later. In the
EVERTON 2, SUNDERLAND 2 SUNDERLAND'S slim hopes of qualifying for Europe were finally extinguished at Goodison Park after a tremendous fight-back inspired by two-goal Kevin Phillips. Peter Reid's men were not to know that Chelsea were winning at Maine
A GROUP set up to help pensioners in Teesside is spreading its wings. The Cleveland Pensioners Convention Forum was originally set up to primarily help the pensioners of east Cleveland. But following a successful rally in Redcar, in March, when the Prime
MUSEUM visitors can now take a look behind the scenes to see how Catherine Cookson's best-selling novels have been adapted for television. Catherine Cookson: Page to Screen will run at South Shields Musem and Art Gallery until November 10. It is a hands-on
A MOTHER says her young son was almost knocked down by one of a number of drivers who park illegally at a Darlington park. The woman, who asked not to be named, says that bowlers who use North Lodge Park for evening matches regularly park on the grass
A DRUNKEN man grabbed a teenage girl at a bus stop, kissed her, then touched her breast, a court heard yesterday. Robert Passmore, 54, of Cotswold Place, Peterlee, admitted a charge of indecent assault in the town's Burnhope Way, on August 15 last year
Pupils at a school in Redcar are putting their best foot forward for Walk to School Week, which starts on Monday. It is part of a national campaign to encourage children to walk to school. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council and BP Chemicals at Wilton
HEXHAM last Saturday and Redcar on Monday were at the centre of complaints by jockeys and trainers about the rough state of the ground. Hexham raced but with 16 withdrawals due to the ground, and a number of horses finished lame. Redcar had to be abandoned
A FORMER wholesale grocer's depot in Sunderland is being transformed into a training centre that will recreate a manufacturing factory floor. Productivity training specialists, The Automotive Sector Strategic Alliance (Assa) has invested £35,000 in a
AN INVESTIGATION is under way after a North-East man fell 40ft to his death. Workmates watched in horror as the man plunged to the ground after appearing to slip on scaffolding. Thomas Hounslow, 46, of Seaburn Dene, Sunderland, suffered head and chest
COXWOLD Sunday, and Solomon in all his glory may not have been arrayed like the colourful crowd - Lycra for like - assembled in St Michael's. It is the 75th annual Cyclists Touring Club service, the one at which the Kingdom of God was once likened unto
RAILS across the North-East will soon pound and vibrate to the song of a half-forgotten time; an era when train travel was reliable, each journey an adventure and locomotives oozed character. Two treats hit the tracks over the next three weeks. The saddest
A MAN has been charged with attempted murder after a brutal attack which left two County Durham men badly hurt, one of them fighting for his life. Colin Aston Bell, 35, of Alder Grove, Leadgate, is expected to appear before a special hearing at Chester-le-Street
A DAY hospice built with £850,000 of community money is only taking in people on three days a week because too few doctors are telling their patients about the service, say health watchdogs. The Butterwick Hospice at Bishop Auckland, is operating below
HOUSE builders insist there is still a need for new homes - despite a report highlighting the number of empty properties. Figures compiled by the Empty Homes Agency showed there were about 45,000 homes standing empty in County Durham, Tyne and Wear and
Worms World Party. Published by Virgin. Format: Dreamcast (£29.99) ANYONE who loves video games probably dreams of sending an idea to a publishing company, who plucks it from the thousands of suggestions they get every year and turns it into a best-seller
AT first glance, Michael Stewart looks an unlikely man to lead Scotland to independence. For a start, he speaks with a distinctive, clipped French accent. A diminutive, bespectacled figure, dressed in a smart yellow shirt and trousers, he is polite and
A "FORGOTTEN" community is to be put on the map after residents complained that motorists were ignoring their village. The residents of Bolam, near Darlington, say they have been missing out on possible passing trade because the village is not clearly
A MAN was jailed for three and a half years yesterday after admitting to house burglaries. Peter James Edwards, 20, of North Park, Billingham, appeared at Teesside Crown Court charged with three burglaries and one attempted burglary in the Eston area.
AN acne-ridden man armed with a scythe is being hunted by police following an off licence robbery. The man entered the Victoria Wine shop, in Kingston Park, Newcastle, with a dog, produced a scythe and demanded cash just after 6pm on Thursday. He escaped
A POPULAR shopping centre is showing unwelcome signs of being a victim of its own success. Millions of shoppers pour into Stockton by car each year taking advantage of the free-for-three-hours policy in operation at the Castlegate Centre's multi-storey
CAN anyone provide a home for Sandy, it is a five-year-old small to medium sized cross terrier, whose owners can no longer look after her. It is being cared for at Blue Acres Rescue Centre, in Coxhoe, but is in need of a permanent home. Pauline Wilson
IT was game, set and match yesterday as Sue Barker talked rubbish with a group of students from a Stockton school. Ms Barker, who shares her name with the famous TV presenter and tennis player, is Stockton Borough Council's new litter education officer
VOLUNTEERS are wanted to have a say in how their local council operates. Two vacancies exist on the new eight-strong standards committee for Hambleton District Council. The committee oversees the conduct and behaviour of all district and parish councillors
A SERVICE which supports parents of children with special educational needs is looking for help itself. Parent Partnership, in Peterlee, is on the look-out for volunteers to become independent parental supporters who listen to parents and help them express
FIVE men were sentenced yesterday for their part in a brawl after a traditional Shrove Tuesday ball game. Justin Fox, 30, of Stobart Avenue, Fishburn; David Jordan, 34, of Skerne Avenue, Trimdon Village; Graham Webb, 32, of Chaytor Terrace, Fishburn;
A CHEQUE for £400 is on its way into the coffers of St John Ambulance in North Yorkshire, thanks to the players at Leeds United. Most of the Yorkshire club's first team signed a shirt for Ripon physiotherapist Dave Jelley. Rather than keeping it himself
The Liberal Democrats launched a ten-point plan yesterday to rescue the rural economy. Leader Charles Kennedy said: "The problems of the countryside can't be cured overnight. There must be long-term renewal." The plan includes compensation for foot-and-mouth
TWO women and a man appeared in court at Harrogate, North Yorkshire, yesterday, to face heroin dealing charges after a police raid on a flat in the town on Thursday. Lisa Marie Marsland, 21, who rented the flat in Bower Court from the Northern Counties
HEALTH experts are predicting that next year's winter beds crisis could be the worst ever, after a huge surge in demand. Despite months of planning, the numbers of sick patients being admitted by County Durham hospitals over last winter placed tremendous
A MAN'S attempt to get back with his ex-wife after being invited to her birthday party ended in trouble, a court heard yesterday. Colin Dunne's solicitor, Simon Berger, told Harrogate magistrates how the 30-year-old unemployed painter and the woman, from
LITTLE Bethan Howitt is only three years old - but she already knows her way around a computer keyboard. Despite her tender years, Bethan, above, is already a keen Internet surfer and her favourite website features the TV favourite, Bob the Builder. Bethan
THE Conservatives went on the offensive over asylum yesterday in an attempt to recapture the initiative in the election campaign. Despite Labour's apparent difficulties over Deputy PM John Prescott's punch-up with an egg-throwing demonstrator, and the
A DRIVER who abandoned his two seriously injured passengers after a car accident has been jailed. Graham Leigh, 24, left two friends, Donna Walker and Scott Leather, with "horrific" injuries after the crash on February 27, 1999. During his trial at Durham
DIGBY Jones, director general of the CBI, has called on businesses to get their message across to all political parties in the run-up to the General Election. Mr Jones was speaking as he opened a new steel lintel plant at Birtley Building Products in
THE league's appeals committee has thrown out a bid by champions Leadgate to have their 100 point punishment overturned. The unanimous decision comes a week after the league's disciplinary committee decided they had broken league rules by not resigning
CHILDREN at a Darlington primary school are hoping to help a community in a developing country create a better sanitation system. The youngsters at Harrowgate Hill Junior School already sponsor two children in Malawi, Happy Munthali and Tiwonge Nzima.
IT used to be a typical Northern city with a rich heritage gleaned from its textile, engineering and manufacturing industries. Leeds always had decent shops, museums and a good selection of pubs, but somehow it never quite achieved the stylish stature
OUR front page story today about a knife attack on a driver on a North-East road, underlines again the dangers of road rage. Annoyed at being overtaken on a bend, the victim made the mistake of flashing his lights and sounding his horn. That led to him
A MAN who took a cocktail of drink and drugs had scratched the words Death Soon on his arm, an inquest heard. Andrew Heron, 36, injected himself with heroin, took the anti-depressant tablets diazapam and mixed them with at least five pints of bear. But
A Selby rail crash survivor who feared he would be wheelchair-bound for life walked down the aisle with his bride yesterday. Train steward Thomas Kaplanis feared he would never walk again after the devastating crash which left him with a broken back.
RUTHLESS Chris Turner yesterday freed nine players as he plotted Hartlepool United's mission to avoid the play-offs next season. After losing in the play-offs for the second season in succession this week, and being outplayed by Blackpool, Turner wasted
SHAREHOLDERS in diamond firm De Beers have given approval to a £13bn bid to take the company private. De Beers, which is listed on the Johannesburg stock exchange, said at its shareholders' meeting in South Africa, the requisite number of votes to approve
A COUNCILLOR has restated his fears that a child could be injured or killed if parents continue to park irresponsibly outside a village school. Councillor Gerald Lee says he continues to be frustrated by the behaviour of motorists transporting youngsters
