A FORMER Nigerian police commissioner, who was awarded the OBE for services overseas, was remembered at a funeral service at Darlington Crematorium yesterday. Kenneth Fletcher, 79, from Richmond, North Yorkshire, died on Good Friday. He was born in Whitby
THE North-East could become home to a Hollywood-style movie theme park to rival EuroDisney, The Northern Echo can reveal. Officials from regional development agency One NorthEast and the Northern Screen Commission are examining proposals that would attract
A MAN who robbed a post office after grabbing a customer and brandishing a knife was jailed for three-and-a-half years yesterday. Daniel Charlton, 22, of Burdon Crescent, Seaham, east Durham, admitted a charge of robbery at Teesside Crown Court yesterday
A NEW North-South high speed rail link could prove a massive boon for North-East business, it was claimed last night. The proposed line cutting through the heart of England, linking major cities, could be built by 2015 to carry 190mph trains. Such a project
RAY Mallon today enters the Middlesbrough mayoral elections with a lot of baggage. He comes with a fearsome reputation as a man who gets things done and delivers on his promises. He has formidable organisational abilities and a no-nonsense charisma that
STEEL company Corus has been criticised for awarding its chairman a huge pay rise while it is embroiled in a row over a pay freeze for workers. Sir Brian Moffat was paid £558,846 in basic pay and fees last year, which the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation
TWO dogs belonging to a North-East stabbing victim have been returned to the kennels they were stolen from after a heartfelt plea from the dead man's father this week. Lance Stoker died after being stabbed near his home in Beech Street, Felling, near
FIREFIGHTERS on Teesside have agreed not to take unofficial strike action which could have put lives at risk. Some firefighters were threatening to strike before a union ballot takes place next week in a dispute over heart attack victims. The official
TWO teenage sisters who rescued three of their family from a fire are to be honoured for their bravery. Without the cool-headed actions of 14-year-old Zoe Baker and her sister, Kimberley, 13, their two younger sisters and brother would certainly have
FURIOUS farmers have condemned the Government's handling of the foot-and-mouth epidemic as they came face to face with the man heading the Lessons Learned inquiry. More than 100 farmers and rural traders packed a church hall for the final public meeting
A REPLACEMENT for a missing statue of the Virgin Mary is about to be installed at Durham Cathedral. The glass sculpture, by Durham artist Goshka Bialek, will be placed at the centre of Neville's Screen, behind the cathedral's High Altar, on Monday, where
AN l8-YEAR-OLD youth appeared in court yesterday charged with the murder of a Welsh guardsman on New Year's Day. David Wayne Pallister, of Ashley Road, South Shields, south Tyneside, spoke only to confirm his name at the brief hearing, at Newcastle Crown
Pensioner Betty Hetherington spent much of her life feeling digusted with herself because she had never learned to read or write. STEVE PRATT meets the woman brave enough to go back to school at the age of 62. Betty Hetherington points proudly to the
JOHN Young's letter (HAS, Apr 1) regarding the cost to the taxpayer of police and firefighters' pensions is quite correct that, at 55 and with 30 years' service, they are entitled to a half of pay pension with a huge lump sum or a two-thirds pension,
AN interactive exhibition and workshop series highlighting refugee issues begins in Newcastle today. The exhibition, called Far From Home, has been organised by Newcastle's Student Action for Refugees, Newcastle YMCA student project and Newcastle College
DANISH international goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen last night killed off transfer speculation by pledging his future to Sunderland. "I can see great things coming and I want to be part of that," he said after a penultimate training session before tomorrow's
SYLVIA Connolly is the woman trying to shake off the shadow of Ray Mallon. It falls, dark and long, across the Labour Party in Middlesbrough and it is breaking up the old tribal allegiances which once ensured Labour would win almost anything it wanted
Last month millions of viewers were enthralled by Harewood House in the new series of House Detectives on BBC2. The Northern Echo has now teamed up with Yorkshire's most visited house - near Leeds - so that five lucky readers can win family tickets to
LIFEBOAT crews have observed a minute's silence in memory of their patron. The crews from across the RNLI's North division had travelled to Teesside for the opening of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) base in Thornaby, Teesside. Adrian Carey
The CBI has appointed a top lobbyist to represent business in the North-East. Stephen Rankin starts work on Monday as Regional Director of CBI's North-East region. Cumbrian-born Mr Rankin is leaving the Brussels office of Glaxosmithkline to take up the
FOOD company Nestle could shed up to 90 jobs in the region after selling a major part of its business, it was claimed yesterday. The firm is in talks with workers at its factory in York, the city's biggest employer, about the effects of a decision to
A PENSIONER is recovering after being mugged in Newcastle on Thursday night. The 78-year-old woman was walking along Spencer Street between 7.30 and 8pm when she was approached from behind, pushed to the ground and had her bag stolen. She suffered bruises
THE Three Rivers Housing Group has notched up 25 years of providing affordable rented homes in the North-East. The group celebrated with Durham Mayor George Cowper and some of the tenants of the first homes it built at Dunelm Court, Brandon, a few miles
TWO teenagers have been invited to join the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and US president George Bush at an environmental event. Nicci Gardener, from Shiney Row, and Dannielle Naisbitt, from South Hylton, in Sunderland, will join several world leaders
Just 12 months ago, Warren Speed was a stand-up virgin, now he is running two comedy clubs. NICK MORRISON meets a performer getting used to life in the limelight. EVERYONE has their own way of dealing with the nerves of performing on stage. For some,
Leeds United 2 - 0 Sunderland - SUNDERLAND slumped to a third consecutive away defeat at Elland Road after giving Leeds a few late scares in front of the Sky television cameras and England coach Sven Goran-Eriksson. Leeds had dominated the proceedings
Middlesbrough 2 - 1 Aston Villa - STEVE McCLAREN maintains he has restored Middlesbrough's respect in the eyes of a football world which looked on with incredulity at the events of last season. Terry Venables was recruited halfway through the campaign
Halifax 0 - 2 Hartlepool - HARTLEPOOL United supporters are seeking a favour from the most unlikely of sources on Saturday. Saturday's stroll at The Shay brought Pool a 2-0 win over Halifax and leaves Pool three points off a top-seven spot with six points
ENVIRONMENTALIST David Bellamy has attacked a North-East council's decision to approve plans to build an animal incinerator close to a beauty spot. Professor Bellamy said he was "appalled" that planners at Durham County Council had passed proposals to
UGO EHIOGU has warned Middlesbrough they can't afford to lose Paul Ince and Benito Carbone. Boro will get a taste of what life is like without inspirational skipper Ince and midfield fulcrum Carbone when they face Arsenal in their FA Cup semi-final at
HARTLEPOOL United boss Chris Turner last night warned his players not to underestimate relegated Halifax Town. Pool travel to The Shay knowing only three points will do if they are to keep their hopes of a Third Division play-off place alive. Halifax,
A DOCTOR and a surgeon may be sitting on a potential goldmine after predictions that their invention could be prescribed on the NHS. Thousands of the Virulite light therapy units have been sold since the North-East doctors launched their cold sore treatment
A NEW extension at a town's private hospital has led to the creation of more than 60 jobs. Middleton St George Hospital and Care Homes on the outskirts of Darlington, formerly known as Trees Park, was bought by Affinity Healthcare in May 2000. The company
BANK on Beau (3.45) to bring home the booty in this afternoon's star-studded £500,000 Martell Grand National at Aintree. Worth a cool £290,000 to the winner, Beau's jockey Carl Llewellyn will be hoping for better luck than last year, when the partnership
A MAN was told yesterday to expect a jail sentence after being found guilty of sexually abusing a boy. A jury at Teesside Crown Court cleared Russel Hall, 44, of East Terrace, Hesleden, east Durham, on six charges of indecent assault against a male, relating
FORMER detective Ray Mallon has a commanding lead in the race to become Middlesbrough's first directly-elected mayor, an exclusive poll by The Northern Echo revealed last night. He has just over 40 per cent of the vote with his nearest rival, Labour's
A TEENAGE boy and a drug dealer were yesterday locked up for the killing of a 19-year-old heroin addict. Teesside Crown Court heard that Wayne Bircham was chased through the rundown streets of Grangetown, near Middlesbrough, before he was stabbed in the
A NEW exhibit based on the home of a European settler and his native American wife is now open. Hunter's Creek, based at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), in Washington, Wearside, was opened by John Leaver, of Sita Environmental Trust. Funded by
THE parents of a child who died when he was crushed underneath a headstone have begun legal action against a local authority. Richard and Jeanette Powell are suing Harrogate Borough Council over the death of their six-year-old son, Reuben, in July 2000
A businessman was cleared yesterday of sex offences against two teenage girls. A jury took four hours to find Fadil Suleyman not guilty of six charges of sexually abusing two women now in their 20s. He was cleared of two more indecent assaults, between
LAST year's winning Grand National owner Norman Mason heads from his County Durham stables to Aintree today hoping lightning strikes twice. Although the 2001 hero Red Marauder, a 33-1 winner in last April's Aintree epic, is unfit to run due to a lingering
BIG Brother favourite Narinder Kaur has opened her heart to tell of her secret sadness at the sudden death of her father. The bubbly TV star fought back tears as she talked about her father, Mohan, who died last month. Since his death Narinder, who lives
STAFF at a North-East chemical complex have helped their firms win a health and safety award. ABB Process Industries Construction Team and Huntsman Polyurethane Engineering team was chosen by the Health and Safety Commission in recognition of their outstanding
They may now be associated with peace, but when they first appeared they were considered dangerous radicals. Quaker Glen Reynolds looks at the origin of his movement. THREE hundred and fifty years ago, if you looked out of your window you may well have
REPTILE enthusiasts can go to a Teesside pet store next weekend to learn more about keeping lizards and snakes as pets. The Pets at Home superstore, at Teesside Retail Park, is holding a Reptile Weekend on Saturday and Sunday, April 13 and 14. Specialists
THREE top-of-the-range caravans have been stolen from a compound. Thieves broke into Turners caravan compound, in Sedgefield, on Wednesday evening. One, valued at £8,000, was a Bailey Ranger 510/4 single-axle caravan. The others were a Swift 490 Alouettel
Christen Pears meets Brigid Press, The Northern Echo's new gardening columnist. SHE may not be as famous as Charlie Dimmock but Brigid Press is a celebrity gardener in the North-East. For the last two years, the 34 year old has appeared on a live weekly
Nominations closed yesterday for the region's first directly-elected mayorsPolitical Editor Chris Lloyd sets the scene, analyses The Northern Echo's exclusive poll and looks at the most controversial contest of Middlesbrough. THE old adage that even a
WHEN Thomas Hall was a boy, footballers grew handlebar moustaches and travelled to the match on the same train as the fans. These days millionaire players have salon-styled haircuts and sweep past fans in their sports cars. But the changes do not matter
THE dream of restoring one of the region's finest parks to its former Victorian glory is to finally come true thanks to a longed-for £2.9m Heritage Lottery Fund grant. The Heritage Lottery Fund has announced it will award Darlington Borough Council 75
FARMERS preparing for the show season face further misery caused by on-going restrictions on the movement of livestock in the wake of foot-and-mouth. Officials from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), fearful of a flare-up of
AN international search for information about a young North-East flight engineer killed in 1944 has proved unsuccessful. Sergeant Clive Gilroy was killed when his bomber was shot down on the way to Magdeburg, in Germany, overnight on January 21/22, 1944
FANS who could not get a ticket to two sell-out Pop Idol shows at Newcastle's Telewest Arena will be delighted to learn that The Northern Echo has teamed up with Andy's Records to offer five copies of Pop Idol - The Big Band Album. Darlington's Zoe Birkett
HOPES that a new £67m privately-funded hospital will open two months ahead of schedule were dashed yesterday as moving plans were delayed. Earlier this year, hospital bosses announced that the new hospital at Bishop Auckland, County Dur-ham, would open
THE elected mayor will replace the traditional council leader and take charge of schools, care for the elderly, housing, roads and the environment. He or she will appoint a Cabinet of about ten councillors, along with a deputy, who will probably each
I HAVE just indulged in one of my ultimate fantasies. The apple trees at the bottom of the garden (five of them - is that big enough to call it an orchard?) have grown large enough to take the weight of a hammock (plus dozing gardener and dog). I have
A CALL centre experiment in India has sparked fears that North-East jobs in the sector could end up at risk. Zurich Financial Services, the parent company of Eagle Star insurance, has opened a call centre in India as part of a move towards operating 24
POLICE are hunting a knifeman who stabbed a man in the back as he made his way home. The incident happened as the 41-year-old victim was walking along Shepherd Way, in the Fatfield area of Washington, at 11.50pm. He was approached by a man who stabbed
Darlington keeper Chris Porter hit the headlines in all the national newspapers when fans offered to pay his wages. Now he wants to repay those generous supporters. The best way to do that will be to help Darlington remain unbeaten for the rest of the
Rochdale 3 - 1 Darlington - Darlington may have lost, yet again, on Saturday, but with the season all but already over, the result was far less important than rumoured off-the-field activities. According to a report in a newspaper at the weekend, Craig
A man died after falling from a bridge, police said on Sunday. The man, who has not yet been named, is thought to have plunged from the Gateshead side of Tyne Bridge in Tyne and Wear shortly before 9pm. ''Police can confirm that there was a fatality on
The psychologist Carl Jung first alerted me to the theory of the extra-special love that can arise from the long distance non-parental relationship one can have with a grandparent. In hearing the private and public anecdotes spoken of such a long-lived
Bindaree has won the 155th Grand National at Aintree. In an exciting finale Bindaree (20-1), ridden by Jim Culloty, produced a fantastic fightback to deny What's Up Boys (10-1), who had led at the final fence. In third place was 8-1 favourite Blowing
DARLINGTON yesterday hit out at the RFU's administration as their fixtures were thrown into further chaos. Following Aspatria's withdrawal at short notice from last week's North One match at Blackwell Meadows, Darlington have now been told the game might
A WOMAN doused herself in paint thinner and set fire to her clothes following a domestic dispute. The incident happened in the early hours of Sunday, at Revelstoke Road, on the Redhouse Estate, in Sunderland. After an argument, the unnamed woman poured
SUNDERLAND manager Peter Reid is set to hand the skipper's arm-band to striker Kevin Phillips as the England international tries to end a barren run of seven games without a goal at Leeds tomorrow. Regular captain Michael Gray misses his first League
NORTHERN Echo was taking part in the first race under her new title at 9am this morning. The blue hen, registered as 2001CF1180, will be released from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, in a competition which could include up to 1,500 birds. Owner Peter Matthews
