A YOUNGSTER whose cerebral palsy affects his writing has achieved level four in his Sats examinations. Tom Cartwright, 12, of Moorsholm, North Yorkshire, also has speech difficulties and a tremor which affects his hands. Over the past two years, he has
TWENTY youngsters from a North-East table tennis club have been invited to represent England at an international tournament. The Darlington Table Tennis Club youngsters, aged 11 to 16, will travel to Hungary in June to compete against 41 other nations
A 23-year-old driver is fighting for his life after a road accident. The man, who has not been named, was in a Peugot 306 which collided with a Ford Transit pick-up in Long Lane at Todhills, between Willington and Binchester, on Thursday evening. He was
A GROUP of young men stole thousands of pounds worth of furniture from a warehouse, a court heard yesterday. Michael Harrison, Michael Kitson and John Mallia all admitted a charge of conspiracy to steal, at Teesside Crown Court. A 17-year-old, who cannot
A COLLECTION of arts and crafts from around the world has gone on display at a Newcastle museum. Items from the Hancock Museum's 4,500-piece ethnography collection, which until now has been stored away, have been put on permanent show. Exhibits include
A 20-YEAR-OLD was chased by police for 20 miles at speeds of up to 115mph, a court heard yesterday. It emerged at Teesside Crown Court yesterday that the man had spent £7,500 on the car from criminal injuries compensation paid out in a bullying case.
TWO men who brought a housing estate to a standstill when police raided their home and discovered a huge haul of weapons have a history of stashing armoury, The Northern Echo can reveal. Raymond Fothergill, 66, and John Lambert, 54, yesterday admitted
STEVE McCLAREN is hoping loan signing Benito Carbone can provide Middlesbrough with the inspirational touch that Paolo di Canio brought to West Ham. Boro boss McClaren insists he is not taking a gamble with controversial Italian itinerant Carbone. The
HARTLEPOOL United's promotion hopes took a hammer blow last night with the news that leading scorer Gordon Watson will be out of action for up to four weeks. The 13-goal striker, a revelation since moving to Pool in September, will undergo knee surgery
A WINNING smile and wicked sense of humour have helped Helen Carter become a Child of Achievement winner. She manages to be positive, despite suffering from a degenerative genetic disease. Helen's ataxia telangiectasia, immunoglobulin defficiency and
Poor defending by Darlington cost them a much needed victory as they drew 3-3 at home to Shrewsbury. All three of Shrewsbury's goals came via slack marking as the visitors utilised the pace of Luke Rodgers who scored one and was a constant thorn in Darlington's
TEXTILES group Dewhirst is to shut its Sunderland factory with the loss of nearly 400 jobs. The end of the Leechmere factory will also affect another 45 support jobs in the Ashington factory as Dewhirst switches production to Morocco. A company spokesman
A TEENAGE boy was left terrified after two youths dragged him into a side street and threatened him with a makeshift weapon before making off with his mobile phone. One of the youths grabbed his victim and pushed him away from the main road to an alleyway
Republic of Ireland international Niall Quinn ended Sunderland's six-game Premiership run without a win when he snatched a priceless winner ten minutes from time against Derby County at Pride Park. Derby, responding to the touchline encouragement from
A YOUNGSTER who weighed just 1lb 10ozs at birth has beaten the odds to lead an active life. Felicity Kitchen - or Flissie as she is sometimes known - smiles through all that has been thrown at her. She was born at 31 weeks, had to have dialysis at two
DURHAM Chief Constable George Hedges has launched a stinging attack on the pay deal for officers proposed under the new Police Reform Bill. The deal, put forward by Home Secretary David Blunkett, was "divisive" and would set officer against officer, said
MALCOLM JEFFERSON suffered a tragic loss when his Champion Hurdle hope Dato Star died on the gallops late last year, but at least Moss Harvey has come along just at the right time to soften the blow. Moss Harvey won four staying hurdle races on the bounce
PEOPLE in Durham are being invited to name a footbridge being built across the River Wear. The £500,000 structure will carry pedestrians and cyclists from Framwellgate Waterside, near the entrance to a planned £30m four-star hotel, to the Sands car park
LINDY Electronics has reported strong orders for its new international division, just a month after its launch. The Middlesbrough business has won orders from a dozen countries. As well as customers from Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands and Belgium taking
THREE quick first-half goals put Hartlepool on the way to a comfortable 4-1 win over Torquay at Victoria Park on Saturday. Adam Boyd bagged goals in the 13th and 14th minutes to put Pool on their way and Graeme Lee headed in number three on 20 minutes
THE family of grieving footballer Colin Cooper are thanking the world for the overwhelming number of condolences received following his toddler son's tragic death. Messages of sympathy received by the Middlesbrough defender and his wife, Julie - after
A BEREAVED step-father knocked a woman's teeth out after she asked him to turn music down, a court heard. Graham Stewart, 41, of Langley Avenue, Thornaby, admitted a charge of assault causing actual bodily harm to Jillian Bryden and common assault against
A NORTH-EAST university's Gaelic football team will fly the flag for the region this weekend after reaching the sport's national finals. Sunderland University's team, which won through to the finals after an impressive unbeaten run in the regional stages
A RESCUE plan designed to secure the future of crisis-hit Equitable Life has been given the legal all-clear, opening the way for a £250m injection from Halifax. The High Court sanctioned a compromise "scheme of arrangement" which won the approval of 98
Another brace from skipper Alan Shearer kept the Magpies assault on the Premiership title alive and kicking as they overcame tricky opposition in the shape of Gordon Strachan's Southampton. A 3-1 scoreline flattered Newcastle who found the Saints midfield
ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD Lewis Brown had to endure eight operations before the age of nine to deal with problems associated with spina bifida and hydrocephalus. But his strength of character has helped him overcome his conditions and rank as an equal among his
JOURNALISM students at Darlington College of Technology scooped four out of five top awards in their industry exams. The outstanding results were gained in the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) examinations taken last October. Sam
A DECADE after hanging up his running shoes and ending his athletics career, Steve Cram is "competing" in the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City - not on the field but in the TV studio. As part of the BBC presenting team, he'll be helping front over 90
THE Rev Dr Robert Innes is 41, portrays the very picture of rude good health - a bit like the young Bamber Gascoigne, truth to tell - and suggests a man of many talents in the High Summer of his days. It is, perhaps, just as well. Vicars of the parish
NEWCASTLE Falcons' new hooker Steve Brotherstone will again be looking over his shoulder at a Thompson when he makes his debut at Leeds tomorrow. Brotherstone, who has played seven times for Scotland, found himself playing second fiddle at Northampton
A WIDE range of song styles will be performed at jubilee celebrations later this year by a teenage choir. Nearly 40 youngsters rehearse at Skelton Youth Centre, receiving tuition from Bex Mather, a professional singer from Tyneside. The project is co-ordinated
A CALENDAR promoting the benefits of breastfeeding is to be distributed to expectant mothers in Ferryhill and Chilton. The calendar was shot in Ferryhill Station Family Centre yesterday, using young mothers from the two villages as models. Midwife Sally
THE latest large pub development in a thriving national chain is on cue to open in a former snooker hall in the North-East next week. Wetherspoon's has made a name with its popular format of large open-plan pubs in town centres, serving food during the
PUPILS at Ferryhill Station Primary School are hoping to be in the running for a £500 prize after collecting more than 1,000 copies of the Yellow Pages. Sedgefield Borough Council launched the competition last month as part of a recycling campaign. The
IT is the turn of the industry big names to report next week, with a raft of companies - from global drugs group GlaxoSmithKline to oil heavyweight BP - all expected to post profits well into the billions. BP issues fourth quarter figures on Tuesday,
SUNDERLAND manager Peter Reid admitted last night that his struggling side might be meeting revitalised relegation battlers Derby County "at the wrong time" at Pride Park this afternoon. While the Wearsiders extended their run without a win to seven games
A NORTH-East woman who has the world's largest collection of Royal memorabilia has been asked to run with the Queen's baton before the Commonwealth Games this year. Anita Atkinson, of Crook, County Durham, will run in the Queen's Jubilee Baton Relay,
A PHOTOGRAPHY student was dancing with joy after winning a national photographic competition. Newcastle College student James Postlethwaite, 23, was successful in a contest run by DJ - a dance music magazine. He won with his image of DJ Patife, a guest
Love it or loathe it, you can't ignore it. Pop Idol reaches the final tonight and, with ten million viewers expected, the show itself is the overall winner. Steve Pratt explains its appeal. Only one question is on the lips of the viewing public tonight
A SCHOOLBOY suffered horrific head injuries when he was repeatedly kicked in the face by two thugs because he spurned the advances of a young admirer. Doctors are still unable to tell whether 14-year-old Karl Leighton will be left permanently brain damaged
A mother has turned her hobby into a full-time occupation. Dawn Fearon, 35, from Marske, is at the helm of Daybreak Therapies and practises aromatherapy, reflexology and Indian head massage in a tranquil therapy room. The mother-of-two said: "People are
Letters from The Northern Echo COUNCIL TAX WE have a senior executive in Darlington Borough Council who likes to compare its responsibilities with that of running a business. If it wants to be judged by this yardstick, then it should consider the following
IT is the age of the manufactured pop star - when the ability to mime to technically-enhanced recordings is the key to success. Pop Idol, the television programme which has gripped the country, has been a refreshing antidote. Whoever wins tonight's final
COLLEGE students raised £444 for cancer patients by packing bags for shoppers. Students from the intermediate GNVQ health and social care course at Bishop Auckland College packed bags at the town's Asda store and held raffles in the college to support
A HIGH-POWERED delegation met administrators of Sunderland's Federal Mogul factory to explore ways of saving the firm and about 400 jobs under threat. Sunderland City Council leader Councillor Colin Anderson, was joined by Labour MPs Bill Etherington
TELEVISION viewers will be able to see a first for themselves on the BBC this weekend. Identical twins Matthew and Simon Dawson hit the headlines last year when they were the first brothers to be appointed head and deputy-head chorister at York Minster
POLICE have issued a warning to rural people to be on their guard after a reported sighting of a big cat. An RSPCA inspector and police were called to Scotton, near Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, yesterday, after a woman claimed to have seen the
A MAN who went on the rampage with a gun at his own barbecue had his jail sentence cut on appeal by top judges yesterday. James Coyle, 36, began the afternoon peacefully cooking in his garden, but ended up being tackled and felled by police with CS spray
A MAN accused by three others of being a burglar was taken prisoner and beaten, a court heard yesterday. John Beddow, 18, of Talbot Street, and Jason Glanville. 29, of Albert Terrace, both Middlesbrough, admitted false imprisonment and wounding of Andrew
A COUPLE who sold their home to set up a fantasy forest tourist attraction have seen their dream dashed by a planning inspector. Former marine engineer Harry Davison and his wife, Val, spent more than £30,000 developing Elfinwood, on the outskirts of
AN appeal has been made to put a bit of colour back into an east Cleveland town. Loftus Town Council has written to Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council about the state of the High Street area around the war memorial and to ask that the council re-introduces
Substitute Dean Windass came off the bench to earn Middlesbrough a point against Leeds United at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday. WIndass, a 78th minute replacement for Jonathan Greening, headed home from debutant Benito Carbone's corner with just two
RESCUERS spoke of their amazement yesterday after two men escaped with only minor injuries when their car plunged over a 400ft cliff. The driver of the BMW, which left the A165 coast road and went over the cliff top near Cayton Bay, south of Scarborough
A BOGUS water company worker escaped with more than £1,000 after conning his way into a pensioner's home. The politely-spoken teenager told an 80-year-old woman, who lives alone at Coronation Road, Wingate, County Durham, that he was investigating water
A MAN was given an absolute discharge yesterday after admitting taking a sword outside to protect himself against a golf-club wielding vandal. David Parkin, 39, of Arun Place, Peterlee, County Dur-ham, admitted a charge of using threatening words or behaviour
London Electricity has bought Northern Electric's wind power portfolio for £3.5m. The deal is part of a £6.5m investment by London Electricity in renewable energy technology. The acquisition by the power firm's generation subsidiary, London Power Company
A SERIES of one-day exhibitions to help budding entrepreneurs get started in business will be launched next week. The Getting Started exhibitions will begin at Macmillan College in Middlesbrough on Saturday then run on consecutive Saturdays. They are
A SENIOR police officer has appeared in court on charges relating to the theft and use of a stolen vehicle tax disc. Detective Inspector Trevor Martin, head of Northumbria Police's scientific aids unit, is accused of theft, fraudulent use of an excise
A FORMER employee, claiming she was sacked unfairly by international artist Mackenzie Thorpe, has opened her own art gallery just yards from his studio. Angela Davis has not yet given evidence to a tribunal, which is due to rule on her allegations of
DARLINGTON manager Tommy Taylor believes the club's next five games could make or break their season. The Quakers, who entertain seventh-placed Shrewsbury Town this afternoon, sit seven points adrift of a play-off place. But with their next four matches
COUNCIL taxpayers in Sunderland are facing a seven per cent increase in the amount they pay for local services. Sunderland City Council's cabinet will meet on Wednesday to agree budget proposals for the coming financial year. The council's Labour leader
AN ambitious scheme to build a 500ft-long rope bridge high above the River Tees could become a reality. Marketing bosses in Teesdale, County Durham, have already approached engineers to see if building a rope bridge across the river, near Barnard Castle
FOUR young swimmers are out to make a splash in the finals of the national schools competition today. The all-girl quartet will be representing Bishop Auckland's St John's RC Comprehensive School in a medley relay at London's Crystal Palace pool. They
A dog owner was driven from his home after one of his three rottweilers savaged a child, a court was told yesterday Paul Dunford,20, claimed that he was threatened by the ten-year-old boy's father and received abuse from neighbours in Middlesbrough, Teesside
CRAIG BELLAMY is on a final warning at Newcastle United after being cautioned by police for an attack on a girl student. United confirmed yesterday that they had launched an internal investigation into the incident, which took place on Newcastle's Quayside
THE latest large pub development in a thriving national chain is on cue to open in a former snooker hall in the North-East next week. Wetherspoon's has made a name with its popular format of large open-plan pubs in town centres, serving food during the
THE winner of a young soprano competition in the region will share the stage at a Last Night of the Proms concert with the Kings Division Waterloo Band. It is one of the Army's 29 regular bands in the Corps or Army Music, and was formed in 1994 as a successor
MYSTERIES of the deep are laid bare as a revamped marine life attraction gets in the swim under a more tropical guise. The former Sea Life Centre, on Grand Parade, Tyne-mouth, North Tyneside, which closed in the autumn, reopened after a £300,000 refurbishment
rail passengers in the North-East have come perilously close to being involved in a major disaster on numerous occasions in the past year, it emerged last night. Since ten people were killed in the Selby train crash, in North Yorkshire, last February,
J K Rowling, creator of Harry Potter, will tomorrow pay tribute to a brave little boy from the North-East who touched her heart. The author will be in London to mark this year's Child of Achievement Awards. As well as the youngsters who can attend, she
A campaign to stop a Macedonian family from being deported from the North-East goes to Manchester today. Marjun and Lile Dimitrievski fled to Redcar, east Cleveland, 18 months ago, but have been told they must return to their home near the Kosovo border
A NEIGHBOURHOOD Watch group has been established - to keep a an eye on a 12th Century hermit's cave that has become a national treasure. A dozen residents have formed a rota to keep a check on St Robert's Cave, in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, protecting
Four heroin addicts became involved in dealing the drug to support their habits, a court heard yesterday. Helen Embleton, 25, her husband, David Embleton, 34, Philip Gascoigne, 25, and David Butler, 20, were all arrested after a police surveillance operation
Victims of disgraced gynaecologist Richard Neale face an anxious wait to hear if their campaign for a public inquiry has succeeded - a move opposed by Health Secretary Alan Milburn. Former patients have been at the High Court in London all week arguing
A SENIOR officer accused of urinating against a presidential palace claimed last night he had been framed by Lithuanian police - and felt forced to resign. Chief Superintendent Kevin Pitt, 49, agreed that grainy CCTV footage showed him leaning against
A COMMITTEE has been formed to investigate ways of securing the future of a threatened village hall. Sedgefield Parish Hall could close within a year, unless money is raised to carry out extensive repairs. About £750,000 is needed to bring the hall into
Durham City are hoping for a big turn-out as they aim for their first FA Vase quarter-final appearance for over a decade against St Neots today. Manager Brian Honour wants his players to make home advantage count and clinch a last eight place for the
STUDENT Daniel McColl is taking steps to securing a holiday of a lifetime - 240 of them. The 19-year-old, studying sports science at the University of Teesside, at Middlesbrough, has to raise £3,000 to pay for an expedition with Raleigh International,
THE fortitude shown by Peter Jones as he awaited a second heart transplant epitomised the spirit of the Child of Achievement awards. And it will be with a particular poignancy that he will be remembered at the ceremony, in London, tomorrow - for the nine-year-old
THE Rev Dr Robert Innes is 41, portrays the very picture of rude good health - a bit like the young Bamber Gascoigne, truth to tell - and suggests a man of many talents in the High Summer of his days. It is, perhaps, just as well. Vicars of the parish
POLICE last night scaled down their investigations into the death of a man whose body was found at the foot of a tower block of flats early yesterday. The 43-year-old man, who had still not been officially identified last night, was found lying below
TEN-year-old James Ferguson has tried to live a normal life despite being stricken with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia when he was three. His determination to do well in class led to teachers nominating him for a Child of Achievement Award. Having been
RESIDENTS in a former pit village have been given permission to start improving their green. New Herrington Square in New Herrington, near Sunderland, has been neglected for years and the Square Route Group has decided to do something about it. They have
A campaign to stop a Macedonian family from being deported from the North-East goes to Manchester today. Marjun and Lile Dimitrievski fled to Redcar, east Cleveland, 18 months ago, but have been told they must return to their home near the Kosovo border
A LEADING expert on Gulf War Syndrome last night poured scorn on a new report which says the affliction is not unique to the 1991 conflict. North-East Professor Malcolm Hooper said the study published in the British Medical Journal was "mischievous" and
A DECADE after hanging up his running shoes and ending his athletics career, Steve Cram is "competing" in the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City - not on the field but in the TV studio. As part of the BBC presenting team, he'll be helping front over 90
