Archive

  • Watkin withdraws interest in stricken firm

    INTERNET millionaire Karl Watkin has withdrawn his interest in a stricken North-East computer software firm. QSP, which produces financial management software, recently went into receivership, putting about 300 jobs in jeopardy. The move followed the

  • Let's talk about skills

    EMPLOYERS in the Tees Valley are being invited to take part in a major consultation process to find out how best their business needs can be met. The consultation by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) offers employers in the Darlington, Hartlepool,

  • Operator may lose Pennine rail deal

    TROUBLED Arriva Trains Northern has been dealt another blow in its bid to cling on to the second biggest rail franchise in the region. The company was warned yesterday that it could be stripped of its Trans-Pennine franchise by rail chiefs, who fined

  • Pensioners gearing up for day of action

    PENSIONERS from the North-East are joining a nationwide action day and protest in London on November 6. The event has been organised by the National Pensioners Convention(NPC) and aims to highlight the wide range of issues, which affect the care of older

  • Robert and Solano have chance to show worth

    NEWCASTLE United manager Bobby Robson is hoping wingers Nolberto Solano and Laurent Robert make a quick return to form against Everton this afternoon. The Magpies boss, who was criticised by Tottenham manager Glenn Hoddle after last week's 2-0 defeat

  • Are you due a rebate too?

    Q Between us, all we have are our state pensions of £171 a week and savings of £3,000. Can we get a rebate on our council tax of £745 a year? A The Government has just announced that between 1.28 million and 1.86 million people do not claim the council

  • Advice on maths for dyslexics

    PEOPLE with dyslexia and their families are invited to find out how they can get help with mathematics skills as well as literacy. As part of Dyslexia Awareness Week, the Darlington Dyslexia Institute is hoping to help as many adults and children as it

  • Castle offers visitors a very spooky supper

    GHOSTS and ghouls and things that go bump in the night will be roaming the corridors of a castle at Halloween. Management at the Walworth Castle Hotel, near Darlington, are also hoping two long-term spectral residents will make an appearance this year

  • Traders making a big push for charity

    TRADERS are preparing to push a hospital bed through Bishop Auckland to raise money for charity. The sponsored bed push along the town's Newgate Street is just one of the events being planned by Shildon Chamber of Trade this weekend to raise money for

  • Bus service launched to serve villages

    A NEW bus service for people living in villages around Darlington starts on Monday. Leven Valley Coaches, supported by Darlington Borough Council, is using a rural bus subsidy grant to develop the service. The new 97 route will mean that the Highfields

  • Former butcher celebrates his Centenary

    A FORMER butcher, who worked in the trade for 90 years, celebrated his centenary with his family and friends yesterday. Joseph Pratt has spent most of his life in West Cornforth, In 1916 he went to work at the Coxhoe Co-op as a butcher and stayed there

  • Scanner installed at new hospital

    A GIANT magnet has become the first piece of equipment to be installed in the new hospital at Bishop Auckland. The £750,000 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, weighing 19 tonnes, will be mainly used for diagnosing neurological and orthopaedic problems

  • Slaven is running for mayor

    FORMER Boro striker and football pundit Bernie Slaven has announced he is going to stand for Mayor of Middlesbrough. Last week, residents voted overwhelmingly to have a directly-elected mayor in the town. Mr Slaven is the first to openly announce he will

  • PC hanged himself after complaint

    A POLICE officer hanged himself after a resident from his village beat wrote to the chief constable complaining about a lack of policing, an inquest heard. PC Andrew Miller took the letter personally and became angry and despondent over the comments.

  • Woman free after stabbing boyfriend

    A WOMAN who plunged a kitchen knife into her boy-friend's chest has walked free from court. John Cope, 38, suffered a cut to his liver during the drunken attack by Anne Mould, 49, in December, 1999, and spent three days in hospital. Newcastle Crown Court

  • Showing old-style bouncers the door

    IN the past, if you wanted a little muscle on your door, then you simply gave Thugs-U-Like a call and they would send round a couple of heavies. Their pedigree may have been questionable; in fact, you may have wondered if they had records longer than

  • Car park redevelopment is delayed to ease congestion

    THE planned redevelopment of a car park has been delayed in an effort to help ease the current severe congestion in York. The city council is hoping that by delaying the work at the Union Terrace car park it will ease the problems in the run-up to Christmas

  • Wilkinson and Lam out of Falcons' Toulouse trip

    NEWCASTLE Falcons begin a very demanding month by travelling to France for tomorrow's Heineken European Cup match against Toulouse without Jonny Wilkinson and skipper Pat Lam. While part of the positive attitude at the club involves stressing that they

  • Threat to jobs as company faces collapse

    HUNDREDS of North-East jobs were in the balance last night with engineering firm Kvaerner facing collapse. The Anglo-Norwegian firm, which employs more than 500 workers on Teesside, said it could face bankruptcy by Monday. Bosses said job losses could

  • Knowledge forms the building blocks of -city'

    AN unusual art project which will result in a mini-city being built from thousands of books has almost been completed. Artist Ronald Max Vollner is more than half way through creating an extravagant series of sculptures at the old courthouse in Thirsk

  • Gas smuggling trial collapses

    The trial of an army sergeant who was caught smuggling CS gas from Germany into the UK has collapsed. Michael Grundy, 36, was stopped at North Shields International Ferry Terminal, North Tyneside, with 957 canisters of the gas, on November 27 last year

  • Father walks free after Gurkha knife threat

    A father who threatened a man with a Gurkha knife has walked free from court. Michael Milne, 31, went to the house in Jarrow, Tyneside, after his seven-year-old daughter said she that had been threatened by the man. Milne told the householder that he

  • Traders making a big push for charity

    TRADERS are preparing to push a hospital bed through Bishop Auckland to raise money for charity. The sponsored bed push along the town's Newgate Street is just one of the events being planned by Shildon Chamber of Trade this weekend to raise money for

  • A giant leap into the unknown

    REVIEWS: Title: Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2. Publisher; Acclaim. Format: PS2 CD ROM. Price: £39.99. THE curse of the sequel, it seems, doesn't just afflict Hollywood. A successful video game franchise is just as likely to suffer the same fate. Don't believe

  • Time to end Sunderland slide, warns Sorensen

    DANISH goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen warned last night that Sunderland could be sucked into a relegation battle if they do not snap out of their poor run of form, starting against championship contenders Arsenal at the Stadium of Light this afternoon. Peter

  • Magpies bounce back at Goodison

    Newcastle bounced back from last weekend's disappointment at home to Spurs to record their third away win of the season - albeit rather fortunately. Everton controlled large parts of the match but it was Newcastle's pace on the break that was the Toffees

  • Man assaulted daughter and killed woman

    A 32-year-old father was yesterday jailed for life after sexually assaulting his daughter and injecting an alcoholic woman with a fatal dose of heroin. Teesside Crown Court heard how the man admitted the indecent assault on his ten-year-old daughter after

  • Trial is boost in breast cancer fight

    DRUG combining is offering better treatment for North-East breast cancer patients, as part of a nationwide trial. The Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle, is one of about 20 UK centres offering patients a promising alternative to chemotherapy. By combining

  • Battle to save riverside footpath is stepped up

    CAMPAIGNERS have stepped up their bid to bring an end to a long-running battle to save a popular riverside footpath. Members of the Easby riverside restoration project have applied to the Environment Agency for permission to create a more sloping bank

  • Residents hope to foil building bid

    VILLAGERS are hoping to finally stave off the threat of pensioners' bungalows being built on their "village green". The Durham Aged Mineworkers' Homes Association (Damha) wants to build an eight-bungalow complex on open space at Coalford Lane, Pittington

  • Shackle Sheringham, warns Boro manager

    DETERMINED Steve McClaren is under no illusions about the task that lies ahead at Tottenham today. The Middlesbrough boss has not tasted a League defeat on his travels since August, but he believes Glenn Hoddle's side could be Boro's toughest opponents

  • Playing field to be improved due to group

    A VILLAGE playing field is to undergo a number of improvements thanks to a community group. The Brotton Community Forum, in east Cleveland, has almost £2,000 to spend thanks to a series of donations from steel company Corus, Skelton and Brotton Parish

  • Stroll to mark anniversary of women's group

    A SUCCESSFUL women's walking scheme is celebrating its birthday with an anniversary amble. The Women's Walking Network was set up by Middlesbrough Borough Council almost three years ago, and became so successful that Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council

  • Pool fall to home defeat

    HARTLEPOOL United fell to their third home defeat of the season, as they went down 1-0 to Oxford. Pool failed to build on Tuesday's win at Macclesfield as they produced their worst display of the season, losing to one of the sides below them at the foot

  • 'Streaming' the answer to hospital emergency delays

    HEALTH Secretary Alan Milburn's plan to speed up treatment in casualty units is already paying dividends in the North-East, it was revealed last night. The Darlington MP responded to worsening accident and emergency waiting times by announcing new measures

  • Bookie's ordeal as gunman strikes

    A BOOKMAKER yesterday told of the moment an armed robber held a gun to his chest during a daylight raid. Tony Taylor was working at South Bank Bookmakers, in Albemarle Road, York, when the gunman walked into the shop on Thursday afternoon and demanded

  • Baby killer awaits fate

    A mother who threw her baby daughter to her death from a third-floor window must wait at least another month to hear her fate. Helen Patterson, 20, threw ten-month-old Shedrina to her death from their London home after the child's father, Oswaine Bramble

  • Teenager needs op after chain attack

    A TEENAGER had to undergo major surgery after he was the victim of what police have described as an unprovoked attack. Officers are appealing for witnesses to the assault, which happened when the 16-year-old was walking home with a friend, in Middlesbrough

  • Man jailed for a year over hammer attack

    A STEPFATHER who attacked his daughter's partner with a hammer after a row erupted on the phone has been jailed. Barry Seed, 40, snapped after a dispute with Peter Greenhaugh in July and travelled to his home in Sulgrave, Washington, Wearside, by bus,

  • Bank backs natter group

    A COMMUNITY group has received a grant of £90 for materials for a knit-and-natter group. Crookhall Community Centre, at Crookhall, near Consett, County Durham, received the cash from Barclays Bank, through the Concern England group. Community centre chairman

  • City bids for Lord Mayor status

    THE people of a North-East city may be about to have a ceremonial Lord Mayor after rejecting the option of a directly-elected mayor just weeks ago. Sunderland, whose electors decided against an elected mayor, is one of 15 cities applying for a Lord Mayoralty

  • Drop in bookings brings axe for thousands of travel workers

    Thomas Cook is to axe thousands of jobs across Europe and close a number of travel agencies after reporting a 12 per cent fall in winter bookings. There was no breakdown of how many jobs will go in the UK, where voluntary redundancy schemes and cuts in

  • Bank tops up its pubs total

    BREWER and pub operator Scottish & Newcastle has agreed a £260m deal to sell 456 of its leased pubs to Royal Bank of Scotland. The deal follows two sales of its leased pubs to RBS over the last two years, and brings the number of its pubs sold to

  • Flower festival helps to crown church's centenary celebration

    A FLOWER festival has started a weekend of activities in an east Cleveland village to celebrate the centenary of the local church. St Aidan's Church has been at the centre of village life in Boosbeck for the past 100 years. Residents decided to celebrate

  • Teacher plays 52 organs to help children

    A NORTH-EAST primary schoolteacher will today complete a week-long tour of the country playing as many cathedral organs as possible. By the end of the day, Christopher Nixon, 25, will have played 52 organs in England and covered 2,000 miles. Mr Nixon,

  • Hear All Sides

    Letters from The Northern Echo WAR AGAINST TERRORISM HUGH Pender's rhetoric (HAS, Oct 25) makes an irrelevant appeal to history and shows a dislike of America. The seeds of hate that he talks of are those created by theocratic despotic regimes in the

  • Project aims to restore inspiring view at Abbey

    A pond which featured in many of a coastal town's most famous photographs and paintings is about to be restored by English Heritage. Archaeologists are to oversee an operation to remove weeds and silt which have ruined the water of the pond, at Whitby

  • Great incentive to go karting

    GO-KARTING fans are being asked to take part in a local heat of a national competition in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care. The charity's Go Karting Endurance Challenge takes place at Teesside Karting, in Middlesbrough, on Sunday, November 18. The winning

  • What a difference a year makes as George keeps his promise

    TWELVE months ago contractors began work on the construction of Darlington Football Club's multi-million pound stadium. After winning the argument with protestors, the Quaker's chairman George Reynolds kept his promise to the fans and ordered the start

  • Saddam's victim is jailed for murder

    AN IRAQI Kurd refugee, who fled Saddam Hussein's army to start a new life in England, was last night starting a life sentence for stabbing a countryman to death in a busy North-East shopping centre. The 28-year-old knifed fellow refugee Mohammed Ali six

  • Support for mentally ill offenders

    A DEDICATED team is being created in Country Durham to help mentally ill offenders change their anti-social behaviour. The aim of the multi-agency team will be to assist offenders with mental illnesses to get the help they need to stop them re-offending

  • Fundraising drive to replace festive lights

    THE Christmas lights in Ferryhill have one more year's use in them, say council officials. The town's Christmas decorations, rated among the best in County Durham, are now more than ten years old. An appeal to raise money for new lights was launched last

  • Computer learning courses available

    NEW computing opportunities will soon be available at a Newton Aycliffe care centre. The Pioneering Care Centre, at Cobblers Hall, near Burn Lane, is now a UK Online Centre, as well as a venue for delivering Learn Direct courses. There is to be a launch

  • Honoured in her own country

    Though they were of the 19th Century, the family at Hauxwell rectory might today be termed dysfunctional. The Rector himself wasn't so much dysfunctional as stone bonkers. The Rev Mark Pattison fathered two sons and ten daughters, disliked most and hated

  • Quakers prepare for trial by Taylor

    Darlington's players will undergo a 90-minute audition today as they take on Hull City in an attempt to put themselves in the good books of new manager Tommy Taylor. The latest incumbent of the Quakers hot-seat will watch the game from the stands, leaving

  • Sandra seeks support for wall walk challenge

    A TEACHER is taking part in the challenge of a lifetime to raise money for The Cancer Research Campaign and is looking for sponsorship. Sandra Gray, deputy headteacher at Red House School, Norton, Teesside, is to take part in a walk along the Great Wall

  • Ex-social club official cleared

    A FORMER sports secretary of a social club was cleared yesterday of stealing hundreds of pounds of bingo money over two years. A Teesside Crown Court jury cleared Terence Sturman, 68, of 12 counts of theft, between March, 1997, and May, 1999. Mr Sturman

  • Wardens scheme to make life safer

    WARDENS aimed at stamping out neighbourhood nuisances will soon be taking to North-East streets. The region has secured a large slice of cash earmarked for the Government's new Street Wardens programme. The Department for Transport, Local Government and

  • Man who shot club doorman fails in sentence appeal

    A MAN who shot at the feet of a club doorman who had bullied him for months failed to have his life sentence cut yesterday. Brian Mark, counsel for Stephen Brown, of Elm Terrace, Stanley, County Durham, described as "Draconian" the sentence imposed after

  • Ex-social club official cleared of stealing

    A FORMER sports secretary of a social club was cleared yesterday of stealing hundreds of pounds of bingo money over two years. A Teesside Crown Court jury cleared Terence Sturman, 68, of 12 counts of theft, between March, 1997, and May, 1999. Mr Sturman

  • Nancy receives ancestor's bank note

    A BANK note issued by the man who built a famous tourist attraction in the 18th Century has found its way into the possession of one of his descendants following a chance meeting. Nancy Buckle is the great, great, great, great granddaughter of Thomas

  • Blue chip returns will test confidence

    CONFIDENCE on the London market faces a major test next week as a host of blue-chip companies prepare to deliver figures. Airports operator BAA will provide a further update on passenger demand since the US atrocities when it issues interim results on

  • A giant leap into the unknown

    REVIEWS: Title: Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2. Publisher; Acclaim. Format: PS2 CD ROM. Price: £39.99. THE curse of the sequel, it seems, doesn't just afflict Hollywood. A successful video game franchise is just as likely to suffer the same fate. Don't believe

  • Cross collie's final plea for home

    TIME is running out for this cuddly character who is on death row at a North-East kennels. The tan and white collie cross mongrel was found wandering in Kilburn Street, Shildon, County Durham, on Saturday, wearing a collar, but no identification. A notice

  • Comment from The Northern Echo - Sticky wicket for cricketers

    THE English cricketing authorities, in consultation with the Foreign Office and commissioners, have decided that it is safe for the forthcoming tour to India to go ahead. The games will be played hundreds of miles away from any danger zones. If that assessment

  • Housing scheme for Forces marks landmark in style

    A PIONEERING project to help single soldiers make the transition back to Civvy Street is celebrating its first anniversary by beating its own targets. The Single Persons Accommodation Centre for Ex-Services - Spaces - was set up a year ago at Catterick

  • Geography not a BHB strength

    Surely it's time that the Race Planning Department at the British Horseracing Board realised where the North of England is situated. Since September 1, until today, there have been only 16 National Hunt fixtures north of Market Rasen. In the same period

  • Inquiry as woman falls in train path

    POLICE have launched an inquiry after a young woman fell from a platform in front of an incoming Metro train. The 18-year-old suffered a broken ankle in the fall at Newcastle's Monument Metro station on Thursday night. Shoppers and commuters looked on

  • Former vice girl tells of attack

    A MOTHER-OF-THREE told yesterday how she worked as a prostitute for two-and-a-half years to pay off her family's debts. The 40-year-old, from Darlington, said she was forced to sell her body to pay off more than £10,000 worth of debt. She spoke after

  • Ten-man Tigers too strong for Quakers

    Darlington slipped to their second consecutive home defeat with a 1-0 defeat against Brian Little's in-form Hull City. Despite the visitors having a man sent off in first half injury time, Quakers couldn't force an opening as the Tigers defended in numbers

  • US contract spin-off hopes

    THE North-East was last night hoping for an economic spin-off from the awarding of the world's biggest defence contract. American companies Boeing and Lockheed Martin were awaiting the verdict on who will be chosen to build the Joint Strike Fighter, worth

  • Wearmen denied at death

    LEEDS referee Mike Riley had to have a police escort from the field after disallowing a stoppage-time goal which would have given Sunderland a last-gasp victory over championship contenders Arsenal. Peter Reid's men appeared to have grabbed the points

  • Health centre for children

    A £750,000 centre has opened for children with mental health problems in north Durham. The Child and Family Centre, previously at Chester-le-Street Health Centre, moved into the newly refurbished School of Nursing at North End, Durham City earlier this

  • Rising pupil Boyd to learn from 'master' Watson

    CONFIDENT manager Chris Turner believes combining youth with experience is the way to fire his side to victory against Oxford United this afternoon. And the Pool boss believes that by playing Adam Boyd, 19, alongside Gordon Watson, 30, as his front two

  • Ferdinand goal sinks Boro

    A second half strike from Les Ferdinand was enough to end Middlesbrough's two-game unbeaten run at Tottenham on Saturday. After taking a one-goal lead after just nine minutes when Alen Boksic volleyed in with his right foot, the home side hit back with

  • Honoured in her own country

    Though they were of the 19th Century, the family at Hauxwell rectory might today be termed dysfunctional. The Rector himself wasn't so much dysfunctional as stone bonkers. The Rev Mark Pattison fathered two sons and ten daughters, disliked most and hated

  • Shop owners ready for the festive rush

    SHOP owners in Darlington are preparing for some of their busiest weekends of the year, in the run-up to Christmas. The festive events start on November 9, when a Christmas spectacular will take place in the Market Square featuring an ice skating rink

  • TV 'helps children'

    CHILDREN'S films can enhance development, rather than just pass the time, according to research carried out at a North-East university. The study at Northumbria University, Newcastle, commissioned by Amazon.co.uk, found that many films helped children

  • Gandolfo looks banker

    NOT content with plundering the big bucks on offer at the Breeders' Cup meeting over in the USA, Irish ace Aidan O'Brien seems almost certain to capture Doncaster's £175,000 Racing Post Trophy with Castle Gandolfo (3.05). O'Brien has three of the six

  • Geography not a BHB strength

    SURELY it's time that the Race Planning Department at the British Horseracing Board realised where the North of England is situated. Since September 1, until today, there have been only 16 National Hunt fixtures north of Market Rasen. In the same period

  • How far will they travel this time?

    WHEN 17th Century Spanish painter Francisco de Zurburan placed his life-sized paintings of Jacob and his Twelve Sons on a ship bound for the New World, he envisaged they would hang on the walls of churches in South America, helping to educate the native

  • Praise for young dragonboaters

    YOUNG sportsmen and women received a mayor's praise on a town hall visit. The Mayor of Middlesborough, Councillor Pat Walker, welcomed six dragonboaters to the mayoral suite to congratulate them on their world championships' success. The youngsters, some

  • Bid to deliver 10,000 gifts for Christmas

    LAST Christmas Sandra Reynolds had one of the most moving experiences of her life when she delivered 9,000 shoeboxes filled with gifts to the children of Croatia. It was an experience that has given her a new determination in her bid to persuade the people

  • People helped into jobs online

    MORE people are gaining jobs in east Cleveland thanks to help from an Internet service. Performance figures for the Redcar and Cleveland Online Project show that 18 people gained employment through using resources set up by the project, and more than

  • Gathering up the moss

    RECENT wet and mild weather has exacerbated the moss problem on many lawns. Not only have gardeners been experiencing the rapid spread of this creeping menace, but also, because of very heavy rainfall, have been afflicted increasingly with a green slimy

  • Incinerator plant 'will not deal with diseased animals'

    THE owner of a knacker's yard, who plans to build the first two animal incinerators in the region, has said that he will not burn any slaughtered foot-and-mouth livestock. John Warren, who slaughters worn-out animals at his business at Eden Hall, in Hamsterley

  • Millions of illegal cigarettes seized

    MORE than 11 million smuggled cigarettes have been seized by customs officers in one of the biggest operations mounted against crime in the region. Customs officials last night hailed the record seizures as a major breakthrough in the battle against criminal

  • Aid for domestic violence victims

    VICTIMS of domestic violence in Darlington are being encouraged to seek legal help in a bid to reduce the number of incidents. A leaflet was launched yesterday by the Legal Services Commission, in partnership with Darlington Domestic Violence Forum, to