It was Vera Kirby's skill at crosswords that landed her a job at Britain's top secret intelligence headquarters. She had just completed her WRNS induction course when she was asked to stay behind for a mysterious interview. Now 78 and living in North
A MEDIEVAL castle is preparing to be besieged by an army of plants today. Raby Castle, near Staindrop, County Durham, will open its gates to hundreds of orchids as part of a popular plant show held at the castle every year. The show had to be cancelled
TWELVE young "Billy Elliots" come to the Arc in Stockton, Teesside, tonight for the premiere performance of the newly-formed Northern Youth Dance Company. The company is about to embark on its first regional tour, after members completed a vigorous rehearsal
A MOTHER told yesterday of her continuing heartache at the lack of justice for her son who died after an unprovoked attack. Pat Gibson was one of the speakers at a forum on court sentencing arranged by Darlington MP Alan Milburn in response to a Government
IT is no surprise that the North-East has missed out on hosting the Ryder Cup in 2010 and the chance for our great region to be promoted to a worldwide audience of 700 million. Even those who put together such an impressive bid for golf's biggest event
TELEPHONE applications and software business Teleware has moved into a £4m headquarters in Thirsk. The company has moved its 80 head office staff from a base in the town to the new 30,000sq ft premises on Thirsk Industrial Park. Teleware was founded in
AMID the thunder of gunfire and the acrid smell of burning, Mohamed Fofana ran for his life. Earlier that fateful day in 1998, the rebels had descended on his village in the north of Sierra Leone. Twenty-eight of his friends and neighbours had been captured
A VILLAGE has boycotted a Muslim shopkeeper's store in protest at the September 11 terrorist attacks on the US. Residents in Shotton Colliery, County Durham, have shunned Pakistani shopkeeper Kaiser Choudry's two local businesses. He claims his family
A JUDGE has agreed to a new approach to prevent a persistent drunk causing more nuisance for emergency services. John Newman, 36, became one of the first people in the North-East to be made the subject of an anti-social behaviour order in June last year
WAR ON TERRORISM I WAS disgusted by John Pilger's article (Echo, Sept 21) calling America a terrorist and warmonger. Does he want Israelis swept into the sea and obliterated and the same fate for the Kurds and Marsh Arabs of Iraq, which would certainly
WHERE can your read how a Minster, the largest Gothic church in England, survived three major fires seemingly unscathed; discover how vast tracts of Yorkshire and Northumberland, laid waste for more than 100 years after the Norman Conquest, mounted a
BIGGEST sport story this weekend? Newcastle taking on Liverpool? Nope. Sunderland at the Reebok Stadium to face the might of Bolton? You must be joking. No the biggest sporting event this weekend is the Indianapolis Grand Prix. It's not just any old Grand
There's never been a better advert for Saturday afternoon shopping than Darlington's dire draw at home to Rushden. Albeit for a frantic spell during the closing stages, the game was devoid of any entertainment and one can assume those who didn't depart
ANGRY Sunderland manager Peter Reid gave his players a tongue-lashing after a first away win of the season could not disguise another dreadful display at the Reebok Stadium. But the scenes of delight among the travelling masses at the end of an awful
Now that autumn has well and truly arrived it is time to make winter preparations in the vegetable garden. Digging or cultivation can start now, although it is wise to plan the crop rotation for next year, before you start work. It is important to know
THE sale of a portrait hailed as one of the greatest ever painted by a British artist has been described as yet another blow to the region's artistic heritage. Omai, painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds, is being put up for sale by Simon Howard, who runs Castle
REVIEWS: Title: Paris-Dakar Rally. Publisher: Acclaim. Format: PS2 CD-ROM. Price: £39.99 ACCORDING to Hubert Auriol, the brains behind the world's toughest motor sport event, the Paris-Dakar Rally is founded on two values: courage and endurance. Anyone
TWO MEN were killed when a car smashed into a bus shelter they were stood under, sending the concrete roof crashing down onto them. Ernie Wilkinson, 54, and 28-year-old Michael Logan were both crushed when a 26-year-old woman lost control of her Seat
UNDER-FIRE transport group Arriva has denied that it has banned its drivers from talking to the media. The Sunderland rail and bus operator has faced a barrage of criticism from passenger groups recently. Arriva has been forced to cut train services in
The eight-year-old daughter of former Northern Echo journalist Yvonne Ridley, who is being held by the Taliban in Afghanistan, has returned to boarding school. Joyce and Allan Ridley, of Beamish, near Stanley, have been looking after their granddaughter
NEW signing Malcolm Macdonald had yet to make his mark in a black and white shirt when he lined up for his home debut in front of 39,720 fans at St James' Park. Macdonald was a prolific scorer for Second Division Luton when Joe Harvey swooped to sign
IF the first day of Durham University's very own Big Brother house is anything to go by, they've got it all wrong. Where are the tantrums, the banal dialogue and the desperate need to show off as much wobbly flesh as possible? No one has stunned housemates
TAXI driver Dorothy McVey found herself with an extra passenger halfway through a journey - when an expectant mother gave birth. Michelle Dawson, 27, decided to take a taxi to hospital when she realised she was going into labour. But baby Bobbi could
A COUNTY Durham high jumper is looking for sponsorship to put a spring in his step. Ian Holliday, the North-East indoor and outdoor high jump champion, hopes to achieve his dream of competing in the Commonwealth Games, in Manchester next year. The Bishop
A TALK about deer in Britain will be given by Richard Ramsey at Darlington and Teesdale Naturalist's Field Club at the Arts Centre in the town, on Tuesday, October 9 at 7.30pm.
SOME semblance of peace has returned to a town council which was headline news when a row blew up over who sat where. Conservative David Johnson was adamant that he should be allowed to sit next to fellow Tory, Oliver Blease, in the Richmond council chamber
IMAGES of children in indecent poses were found among 2,000 pornographic pictures downloaded from the Internet on a domestic computer. Durham Crown Court heard that police officers visiting the home of 61-year-old Michael David Williams noticed a computer
A MAN charged with the murder of his teenage wife appeared before Teesside Crown Court yesterday. Stephen Butters, 41, of High Row, Loftus, east Cleveland, is accused of killing 19-year-old Claire Amy Butters, nee Cummings, in May, shortly after the couple
THE Conservative Party's former leader said he was hoping to become a more regular visitor to a historic theatre when he handed its management a cheque for £32,340 yesterday. Talking to supporters of Richmond's Georgian Theatre Royal, William Hague admitted
Q I had never heard of the £2,000 Bereavement Payment you recently mentioned. Am I eligible, as I am 66 and my husband recently died aged 73? A I am afraid not. Bereavement Payments can be made if you are under pension age when your spouse dies. If older
THE MYSTERY surrounding an Australian possum found dead on a North-East country road has been solved. It has emerged that the marsupial had escaped 18 months ago from Durham Police wildlife liaison officer Eddie Bell's animal collection. Sergeant Bell
THE WORLD'S leading golf tournament will not be coming to the North-East for at least a third of a century. News that Slaley Hall, the region's premier golf course, has missed out on both the 2010 and 2014 Ryder Cup tournaments was greeted with disappointment
Rather like that bit in the Bible, the lady of this house reckons that whenever two or three are gathered together, at least one will have played football for Shildon. So it unexpectedly proved on Sunday, when the father of one of those to be baptised
IN the face of an increasing threat from extremists, fuelled by escalating conflict in the Middle East, western countries come together to form an anti-terrorist alliance. Not just events unfolding in and around Afghanistan, but also the plot of thrillers
THE outlook for the world economy was bleak before the recent terrorist attacks on the US. That was the message from economic advisor Roger Bootle at the inaugural Deloitte & Touche North-East businessmen's dinner in Newcastle. But he told the assembled
A FIREFIGHTER'S plans to raise £20,000 for charity are sure to leave him in a spin. Dave Ibbertson and three friends are to push a washing machine around Scotland and the North of England, visiting various landmarks. The Washer-Roamer Challenge will see
A FORMER Northern Echo journalist was last night being held by the ruling Taliban after she was arrested in Afghanistan. Yvonne Ridley, 43, originally from Stanley, County Durham, was detained yesterday near the eastern city of Jalalabad. Reports by the
IF Middlesbrough fans had thought their club were turning the corner then the brakes have just been put on. Saturday's 3-1 defeat at home to struggling Southampton has resurfaced fears around the Riverside of a season battling against relegation. The
ECONOMIC data should have the most bearing on the London market next week as corporate reporting takes a back seat. Of those companies issuing results, retailers will provide a useful glimpse of conditions on the high street. The Bank of England's monetary
AMID all our grave concerns this morning for Yvonne Ridley, those of us who know her will still find time for a little smile. A smile which says that if any journalist was going to be caught up in the world's biggest crisis for half a century, then it
JOHH ARNE RIISE and Danny Murphy condemned Newcastle to their first home defeat of the season in a fixture from which they rarely profit. United have now won only two of their 15 Premiership encounters with Liverpool, and midfielder Murphy sealed the
The £500,000 healthcare bill owed to a UK hospital by the Libyan father of sextuplets is to be paid by his bosses. Following a meeting with the NHS trust, the Libyan Oil Sector confirmed that, under the terms of its sponsorship, it would meet the costs
HERE'S a hot tip, visit the Eden Project in Cornwall on a scorching day because most people head for the Doctor Who-style Biomes on wet days, reasoning that it's an attraction with instant shelter. Be patient, the long and winding road from the busy A30
A MULTI-MILLION pound deal to rescue Filtronic's North-East microchip plant could be tied up in the next few weeks. The electronics company confirmed in the summer heads of agreement with American based M/A-Com and BAe Systems Avionics to boost capacity
HARTLEPOOL United might have found a simple strategy to winning games this season - play against nine men every week! Saturday's 3-1 win over Carlisle mirrors their only other triumph this season, an identical result at Shrewsbury and on both occasions
