SUNDERLAND manager Peter Reid, determined to rebuild his first-team squad during the summer, has found his war-chest boosted by a new multi-million pound sponsorship deal with giant motor dealers Reg Vardy. The exact value of the two-year agreement was
ONE of the region's foremost experts on the NHS has urged the Government to abandon much of its policy on the Health Service. David Hunter, professor of health policy and management at Durham University, believes that in many areas of health policy, New
I RECENTLY had a friend come to me in mild desperation. They had just moved house and were suffering from well meaning but over-helpful neighbours. Although they were getting on extremely well with everyone in their new surroundings, they just felt as
Norton, bottom of the table with just 12 points from three games, have a chance to redress their indifferent start to the season when they host Tynemouth. The Seasiders lost a number of leading players during the close season, and although they have drawn
AN exhibition centring on the North-East's historic railway heritage was opened by MP Alan Milburn yesterday. The temporary exhibition is expected to boost visitor numbers at Darlington's Railway Museum this year. Dozens of former employees at the North
THE oldest lifeboat man in the country has celebrated his 101st birthday. Sid Arrowsmith, from Darlington, was made an honorary crew member of the RNLI lifeboat station at Redcar, last year. He celebrated his milestone birthday with friends and family
THIRTY eight supporters from North-East football clubs are officially banned from travelling to the World Cup, police figures show. The fans will be required to surrender their passports and will not get them back until the end of the tournament, which
A BURGLAR who had stayed out of trouble for ten years before breaking into a house was jailed for nine months yesterday. Anthony Wright-King, broke into a home in Hemlington, near Middlesbrough, in the middle of the night in January, following the breakdown
JOURNALISTS on the Newcastle Chronicle, Journal and Sunday Sun are balloting for industrial action because the company refuses to go to the conciliation service Acas over pay. About 20 journalists have been made redundant at the Newcastle papers, part
SCREEN and stage star Timothy West has agreed to take the title role in Shakespeare's King Lear at Durham's Gala Theatre in November. The English Touring Theatre company production will run from November 19 to 23. Tickets costing £17.50 to £24.50 are
Entrepreneur Roy Stanley is the first winner of the County Durham Lifetime of Achievement Award. The presentation was one of the highlights of the inaugural County Durham Business Show, at the Hardwick Hall Hotel in Sedgefield, last night. More than 150
A PROGRAMME helping long-term unemployed people into work was launched on Wearside by Minister for Work Nick Brown yesterday. The minister launched the StepUp programme with the help of Margaret Moore, Sunderland district JobCentre Plus manager, at the
DARLINGTON defender Craig Liddle has been named The Northern Echo's Player of the Year for 2001-02. The inspirational captain finished ahead of all other North-East players and he has become the first winner of the title. And the delighted Quakers defender
Former Cabinet minister Peter Mandelson has condemned as "too timid" Labour's first five years in power, in which "real delivery proved patchy". The Hartlepool MP, who was one of the chief architects of New Labour, also attacks the Government over the
A NORTH-East woman is celebrating her tenth anniversary of teaching blind children in an African country where civil war has raged for a decade. Barbara Davidson, 45, from Newcastle, travelled to Sierra Leone with the Voluntary Service Overseas in 1992
Shamed Tory peer Jeffrey Archer is earning a fortune behind bars from a North-East nest egg. The disgraced former MP, jailed for four years for perjury, owns property across the North East. It means the multi-millionaire best-selling author is still getting
A SECOND village in County Durham has become the target of thieves who risk injury by stealing airbags from vehicles. Raiders who broke into a Lexus car, in Snackgate Lane, Heighington, near Darlington, took two of the explosive devices, as well as a
NOT every driving test includes getting a Land Rover or a four-tonne truck around a cross country obstacle course. But then, if the Army is going to live up to its Be The Best boast, it needs to demand more from its drivers. Soldiers from across the North
A SAWMILL worker whose arm was broken when it became trapped in machinery was recovering at home last night. Fire crews were called to Duncombe Sawmills, in Helmsley, North Yorkshire, and needed powerful cutting equipment to free 28-year-old Raymond Smith
A WOMAN died in a house fire that started because she fell asleep while smoking in bed, an inquest heard. Widow Jean Nicholson, 61, died of hypoglemic shock due to severe burns the night after fire ripped through the bungalow where she lived alone. The
Thousands of air passengers were facing travel misery last night after an air traffic computer problem triggered mass flight delays and cancellations. Travellers throughout the country were left waiting for up to six hours for flights after a software
A LITTLE girl saw her friend knocked down by her mother's boyfriend before he drove off and left the youngster, a court heard yesterday. Leonie Shaw, six, died after colliding with a car, which had just five per cent of one brake working, near her home
A GANG leader cleared of murdering a North-East policem officer was last night facing a lengthy jail sentence after being convicted of the kidnap and horrific torture of two men. Self-styled "Prince Of Darkness" Mark Lambie, 30, was convicted at the Old
RAY Mallon is to have talks with the bosses of a fire brigade where a strike threat was averted at the 11th hour. Mr Mallon will be meeting Chief Fire Officer John Doyle, executive director Ian Hayton and members of his senior management team on Monday
THIRTY-TWO examples of New York City's finest masculinity are heading for the region in December - thanks to the US Chippendales latest tour. Eleven numbers choreographed and staged to music are promised at Newcastle's City Hall on Sunday, December 15
AN Army major, who overcame wartime restrictions to transport a pack of beagles from the South to Catterick Garrison by taxi and train, has died aged 81. Major John Parry was born in Ireland but returned to England withhis family after the death of his
CHRIS Turner is determined to ensure Hartlepool United are not playing catch-up next season. The Victoria Park boss is desperate for his team to get off to a good start in August after suffering miserable openings to the last three campaigns. Turner has
A FORMER archdeacon who won plaudits for his inner-city work is celebrating 50 years of ministry. Retired archdeacon of Richmond Norman McDermid put youth work to the fore while he was vicar of Bramley in 1957 with successful youth clubs and thriving
SIX young people with North-East connections are chasing the dream of a year's contract as a presenter on Children's BBC. Out of the hundreds who attended last Tuesday's Making It audition, at Newcastle's Odeon Cinema, the six were invited to go forward
VETERAN news broadcasters Kate Aidie and Nicholas Owen will learn about the region's capital of culture bid at the Chelsea Flower Show. The pair, who have North-East links, will be among the celebrities attending this year's show, featuring more than
MIDFIELDER Robbie Mustoe is listening to offers as his contract stalemate drags on at Middlesbrough. Mustoe, whose current deal runs out this summer, has been offered another year with Steve McClaren's side. But Northern Echo Sport can reveal that the
Rarely seen but never forgotten, it is reckoned to be one of the natural wonders of the moors. Nick Morrison goes in search of the elusive lekking of the black grouse. ANYONE who knows anything about moorland birds will tell you it is one of the most
A WATER company was fined £50,000 yesterday when it accepted that its shortcomings had contributed to an accident in which one of its employees died. Northumbrian Water was also ordered to pay £10,000 costs at Teesside Crown Court. The company pleaded
TEN-TO-FOLLOW pick Cardinal Venture (4.20) has the speed to claim today's feature event at Thirsk, the six-furlong £10,000 Tote Exacta Handicap. Ensuring that readers of our ever-popular supplement, Racing North, make a profit is never easy. However,
THE new mayor of Middlesbrough was in conciliatory mood yesterday as he faced past enemies at his first full council meeting. Ray Mallon was all smiles as he thanked councillors for welcoming him to the chamber - despite an imposing front row of Labour
JOURNALISTS working for The Northern Echo have won a string of honours at the prestigious North-East Press Awards. The paper scooped the highest number of individual accolades at the Tom Cordner Awards at Newcastle Civic centre on Saturday night, earning
Champions Guisborough go into today's home game with Northallerton defending an unbeaten record which stretches back to August 2000. And after last Sunday's magnificent ECB National Knockout Cup victory over an all-star Nunnington team, Northallerton
NEWCASTLE Falcons go back into the lions' den today when they face Gloucester in the Zurich Premiership play-offs. Rob Andrew has issued an apology, although by no means a grovelling one, after being threatened with legal action for his accusations of
Richard Blakey and Richard Dawson were transformed into Richard the Lionhearts at Canterbury yesterday when their seventh- wicket crusade stopped Kent from completing what had appeared to be a straightforward victory march inside three days. The pair
THE parents of a tragic teenager say they must learn to live with their loss now the inquest into his death has closed. Levi George Price, 16, was found hanged in the garden shed at his home in Louvaine Terrace, Ferryhill, an inquest at Bishop Auckland
ICE sports' enthusiasts have pinpointed a glass company warehouse as a potential venue for a new rink facility. Proposals to convert premises in Pallion, Sunderland, were revealed yesterday by members of the city's ice hockey club. The redevelopment plans
THE first of two proms celebrations took place last night. The Promenade for Youth, held at Darlington's Dolphin Centre, provided a fitting forerunner to tonight's showcase Last Night of the Proms event, which also takes place at the leisure centre. Both
A SCHOOLGIRL was found dead at her home yesterday. The 12-year-old is thought to have died of natural causes and there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the discovery, said a police spokesman. Her body was discovered at her home in the Jarrow
SIX proud communities are to battle for the title of Yorkshire village of the year, it was announced yesterday. The contest, sponsored by gas company Calor, is being run for villages in the north-east of the county this year, following a switch to a new
THE lack of collective confidence among Durham's batsmen saw them sink to another depressing defeat on Sunday. Chasing Glamorgan's modest total of 161 for eight at Sophia Gardens, Durham lost the National League division one match by 20 runs. A contest
TWO businesses hit by the fall out from the September 11 terrorist attacks on the US have reported contrasting fortunes in the first three months of the year. While Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic made its first quarterly profit since the attacks
TWO MEN will be questioned this weekend by police investigating raids which targeted valuable computer equipment at Durham University. The men were arrested by detectives from Durham in London yesterday, before being brought north to be interviewed about
A TALKING newspaper for the blind has been awarded more than £4,000 by The Northern Echo's parent company. Darlington's Talking Newspaper moved into The Northern Echo's head office earlier this year when it found itself without a home. And yesterday,
A WOMAN had her head shaved yesterday to raise money for a hospice. Jane Greener decided to get rid of her shoulder-length hair to say thank you to the Butterwick Hospice at Stockton, which cared for her father's partner, Jean Porritt, during her battle
WHEN salesman Barrie Watson was selected as a finalist on BBC television's Master Chef, it encouraged him to rethink his career options, and became the entree to a new career. But Barrie still had reservations and sought help from the business start-up
THE harvest mice released into the North-East countryside yesterday were not to know it, but they were the pioneers in a project to reverse decades of destruction by humans. Weighing less than a two pence piece, the creatures were the first in a regional
Sacriston, on the fringe of the last season's championship race, go into today's home game against Tynedale in pole position with three wins and a tie from four outings. Stephen Ball's signing from Norton has already proved to be an astute move and with
Silksworth, the only side with a 100 per cent record after three matches, host unbeaten Murton buoyed by their magnificent victory over Hylton last weekend when 18-year old captain Chris Pringle stole the show. More of the same from Pringle and his opening
Glass artists aiming for business success now have no need to take their talents away from the North-East thanks to nearly £150,000 of funding. The cash will allow fledgling companies entering the market to use facilities at the National Glass Centre
A PIG farmer has gone on trial charged with failing to keep records of animal movements just before the foot-and-mouth crisis. Alan Clement, 58, has pleaded not guilty to 14 charges of failing to keep and failing to produce records of pig movements from
Three British tenors James Fitzgerald, Geoffrey Coles and Morgan Lee-James will appear in Tenorissimo at the Sunderland Empire Theatre, on Thursday, May 30, at 7.30pm. Tickets, priced £10 to £15, are available from the box office on 0191-514 2517.
TODAY'S health warning concerns cookery. It is bad for you. Quite possibly fatal. Any food which is fried or baked may cause cancer, British experts say in findings which have apparently "sent shockwaves around the world". But before you rush to cut fried
LABOUR has been dealt yet another blow on Teesside after losing a by-election. After losing out to H'Angus the Monkey and Ray Mallon in the mayoral elections for Hartlepool and Middlesbrough earlier this month, it has now lost a seat on Stockton Borough
THE Diane Pretty saga poses many questions on whether allowing an individual to suffer against her wishes is morally correct, or a violation of human rights. The views of Rachel Hurst, director of Disability Awareness, (Echo, May 13) are not based on
AN award-winning brewery is to celebrate the Queen's golden jubilee in liquid form. The Malton Brewery, which operates from behind Suddaby's Crown Hotel in Wheelgate, Malton, North Yorkshire, is to launch two beers to commemorate the event. In a break
TELEVISION weatherman Bob Johnson put his best foot forward to launch a charity walk. Mr Johnson, from Tyne Tees Television launched The Children's Foundation's Yellow Brick Road sponsored walk, planned for Sunday, June 23, at Beamish Museum's 1825 railway
A MAN appeared in court yesterday and denied a charge of attempted murder. Keith Brannan, 58, of Doxford Walk, Hemlington, Middlesbrough, spoke only to confirm his name and plea at the short hearing held at Teesside Crown Court. He pleaded not guilty
Frowning on women who wear trousers to church and being declared "morally illicit" by the heads of the Catholic Church have done little to stem the enthusiasm of members of a deeply conservative Catholic society. FOR the first tine in 30 years, the Latin
Teesside deputy coroner Gordon Hetherington recorded a verdict of misadventure after a man died of pneumonia following heart surgery. George William Hayton, 80, of Garthorne Avenue, Darlington, developed pneumonia after a heart valve replacement operation
AN inquest was opened and adjourned yesterday into the death of a teenager. The brief hearing was told that the body of 13-year-old Duncan Johnson was found at his family's house in Gayle, North Yorkshire, on Wednesday. A post mortem examination was carried
A TEENAGER accused of the seaside promenade murder of a homeless man has formally denied the charge. David Pallister, 18, pleaded not guilty yesterday to murdering Richard Jones, 47, whose badly beaten body was found at South Shields sea front on New
A SCHOOL has become the first in the region to be granted a prestigious sporting award. Carmel RC Technology College, in Darlington, has been presented a Sportmark Gold award, which is the highest accolade given by Sport England. Only 50 schools across
STREAKER Brynn Reed has been sacked from his civil service job after he stripped in front of the Queen. Reed shocked onlookers after he took his clothes off in front of the Queen and ran past the royal car during her visit to the North-East. Hundreds
POLICE are appealing for witnesses to a serious road accident in east Durham on Thursday. The incident took place just before 8.30pm, in Church Street, Murton and involved a Honda 1000cc motorcycle and a Fiat Punto car which collided head on. The motorcycle
NORTH-East council workers will vote on possible strike action which could involve more than 4,500 staff. Unison members working for Sunderland City Council will be balloted at a meeting on May 27, where the union's local government service group chairwoman
HARTLEPOOL provides three members of the Durham County (EBA) team to open their programme in the Muras Trophy game against Northumberland at Spennymoor next Saturday. Former international Dave Kilner (Owton Lodge) is joined by his son-in-law and clubmate
HOW galling it must be for Durham to see how Martin Saggers, the man they plucked from Norfolk obscurity, keeps on taking wickets for Kent. While he bagged another five-wicket haul on Saturday in the win against Yorkshire, Durham's seamers - Mark Davies
A SECOND woman has claimed she quit Nissan's award-winning North-East plant because of a problem with a male colleague. Claire Archbold, 25, of Bishop Auckland, County Durham, claims she clashed with a male member of staff from the moment she started
Annabelle Apsion hardly had time to celebrate her first, and unexpected, role in a soap when she was bumped off. But she says she still enjoyed the experience. ANNABELLE Apsion never much fancied being in a soap until she joined the cast of Coronation
NEWCASTLE United's Peruvian winger Nolberto Solano has put his international ambitions on hold to keep himself in manager Bobby Robson's good books - and boost the Magpies' assault on the Champions' League. Solano incurred the wrath of Robson when he
A TEENAGER was crushed when a quarrying machine he was maintaining was switched on while he was inside, a court heard yesterday. Anthony Hodgson, from Weardale, County Durham, suffered a fractured vertebrae when he became trapped in a crusher used to
