THE festive season will be getting under way for the people of Richmond later this week. Father Christmas and BBC Look North presenter Chris Jackson will be in the town on Friday to switch on the light display. The illuminations have been updated this
A FORMER miner whose years down the pits left him with crippling lung disease has called a £7,000 compensation offer an "insult". Nicholas Robson, 86, of Trimdon Station, County Durham, spent 35 years working at Deaf Hill and Ryhope colleries before a
Other content from the Darlington & Stockton Times includes : Farming news. Equestrian news. Weekend Times. Opinion. Auctions.
ALCOHOL consumption is set to be banned from three public spaces in a concerted effort to crack down on disorder and anti-social behaviour. Councillors in the Hambleton district are being urged to back hard-hitting proposals slapping booze-bans on two
BERNT Haas last night begged Howard Wilkinson to let him revive his Sunderland career after accusing Peter Reid of shunning him during his final few weeks on Wearside. Haas, set to face Manchester United for Basle in the Champions' League tonight, was
THE march of pylons across the heart of North Yorkshire is taking another major step forward - with the power lines being strung up. Experts have begun the long process of pulling through and connecting up the cables, one section at a time. But it will
NEWCASTLE United target Brett Emerton has admitted he would love a move to England. The Australia international has been wanted by Magpies boss Sir Bobby Robson for over a year, and the midfielder's comments will alert Robson. Emerton, who played against
Columns over the next few days may betray a slight French accent: we're just back from a short break in Paris. Alone in that agreeably autumn city, the sumptuous decoration of Galleries Lafeyette - like Binns, only 100 times grander - suggests that Christmas
A COMMUNITY-run play area that has won a national award could close by Christmas because the same Government department that handed out the accolade won't give it any funding. The park and all-weather sports pitch, at Delves Lane, near Consett, County
Something strange comes over Wendy Pilmer when she hears the familiar theme tune from radio's Sports Report programme - she has to stand up and salute. This is not a Masonic-like requirement of her new post as head of regional and local programmes for
Michael Gough, the fast- maturing Durham opening batsman, has been telling the column how he almost ended up playing football for the Arsenal instead. As a 14-year-old, the versatile youngster played three Gunners trial matches in central defence - each
MY dear old dad was a Cameron Highlander, an improbable regiment for a biscuit maker from Muswell Hill, though it probably explained his proselytizing passion for porridge. Until the 8.15am from Darlington to Kings Cross - calling at York, Doncaster,
Her letter overflowing with kind words about these columns, a North Yorkshire reader writes eagerly to recommend the Queen's Head at Finghall - between Bedale and Leyburn - and the keen young couple making a go of it. It's a pub of which the column has
Drugs worth almost £10,000 and more than £5,000 in proceeds from sales were recovered in a police raid on the home of a wholesale heroin supplier. When police armed with a search warrant called at Paul Griffiths' former home, in Pallister Park, Middlesbrough
WEST Auckland will get more control over local issues when it gets its own parish council next year. Almost 300 residents of the community near Bishop Auckland backed a campaign calling for the formation of a parish council. A petition persuaded Wear
Caretaker boss Mick Tait will be excused from doing his homework on the opposition as Quakers return to action at Feethams this weekend. After spending the last three weeks on their travels Darlington entertain Southend on Saturday. And Tait joked: "Where
Purchase ledger clerk, Northallerton. £12,000pa, 9am to 5pm, Mon-Fri. Must be numerate and computer literate. Training can be given to right applicant. Ref: NOE 17862. Administration assistant, Northallerton. 9am to 5.30pm, Mon-Fri, and alt Sats am. Experience
A CORONER stole more than £185,000 from the estates of dead clients at his solicitor's practice, a court was told. Jeremy David Cave, who was a North Yorkshire coroner, grossly overcharged clients, asking up to four times more than a reasonable fee, said
A FORMER mayor of Darlington has pledged to lose his long locks for charity. Councillor Bill Dixon has not had his hair cut since he was in office as mayor three years ago. Even then he only had a few inches cut off, but he has promised to lose his ponytail
A STARTLED man told last night how he found himself the subject of an indecent proposal when he awoke to find a sex-starved, leather-clad transvestite in his living room. The first that John Halliday, 20, knew of the cross-dressing intruder was when he
SOME of the great railways of Europe past and present will be brought to life at an exhibition next month. Darlington Model Railway Club is holding its annual exhibition at the college of technology, in Cleveland Avenue, on Saturday and Sunday, November
A PUBLIC meeting to discuss plans to move Alderman Leach Primary School in Darlington to the new West Park development is being held by the Cockerton Area Action Group on Friday, at the Bowen Road Hall, from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. CAROL SINGING: Crook and
A MAN who attacked his neighbour with an axe walked free from court yesterday after a judge heard that he was the sole carer for his disabled wife and two children. Judge Peer Bowers told Norman Appleby that a man with his problems must occasionally reach
The Community Fund has awarded a grant of more than £120,000 to the York and District Citizens' Advice Bureau. The grant aims to help the CAB recruit volunteers from areas that are under-populated. Manager Chris Hailey-Norris said it was an opportunity
FOUR males aged 15, 16, 18 and 21 have been bailed to return to Hartlepool police station next week after police found a large quantity of full milk bottles in their Nissan Bluebird car, in Seaton Carew, on Saturday. Police believe the milk was stolen
HISTORY will repeat itself later this week when a river crossing opens to the public. Reeth's first suspension bridge was built with money raised through public subscription in the 1920s, becoming a well-known landmark in Swaledale, North Yorkshire, until
A MAN who led a vicious attack on a friend - described as "little short of a planned lynching" - yesterday failed to win a cut in his sentence. Leslie Hope, 37, of Newfoundland Street, Darlington, was jailed for a seven-and-a-half years at Teesside Crown
NORTH-EAST miners showed their support for striking firefighters with a £1,000 donation to their hardship fund. David Hopper, general secretary of the North-East region of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), visited the Durham and Darlington Fire
DOG owners are being given the chance to protect their pets by having them microchipped. Sunderland City Council and the National Canine Defence League are offering the microchipping service at several locations across the city. The service aims to make
ALCOHOL consumption is to be banned from three public spaces in a concerted effort to crack down on disorder and anti-social behaviour. Councillors in the Hambleton district are being urged to back hard-hitting proposals placing alcohol-bans on two areas
A CRICKET bat and a stepladder were used as weapons when a business feud between two brothers flared into violence, a court heard. Harrogate magistrates heard how 53-year-old Malcolm Holder's attack on his younger brother left him with a suspected fractured
A WOMAN has been found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to a gerbil. The hungry and thirsty rodent was found in a cage in the kitchen of a council house in Trimdon Village, County Durham, after the RSPCA was tipped off earlier this year. RSPCA
POLICE are appealing for witnesses to a late-night attack which left a teenager badly cut and bruised at the weekend. The 18-year-old man was walking to his home in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, between midnight on Friday and 12.30am on Saturday when
A community group in Sunderland is celebrating after becoming a registered charity. Pennywell Community Association is now a charitable limited trust, run by a management committee of local residents, ward councillors, agencies and those that hold sessions
The Lloyds TSB Foundation has awarded Ushaw Moor Pre-School and Family Facility, at Ushaw Moor Infants School, £3,000 towards the cost of computer equipment. The facility offers pre-school education and care for 28 children aged three to five. It also
THE Civil Service Club at Catterick Garrison has organised a line dancing and country music night for Saturday, December 14. The event will feature the duo Brushwood together with a country and western disco, raffle and prize draw. The event starts at
After the death of the first person to contract rabies in this country for more than 100 years Nick Morrison looks at one of the most terrifying diseases known to man. BATS were one of his great passions. When he was not painting them, he was working
A STUDENT underwent emergency surgery yesterday to stop him bleeding to death after he was glassed in the neck. The 23-year-old was attacked at about 1am on Monday, outside the Dickens Inn, Southfield Lane, Middlesbrough. Police said the attack on the
GERMAN and Austrian retailers have turned to a British manufacturer of dehumidifiers for help after recent storms. Ebac, in Bishop Auckland, has received orders for more than 10,000 units, including one order of 5,000 for retail chain Carrier, following
UNSCRUPULOUS salesmen could be targeting people in Derwentside. Police are investigating after someone claiming to work for "Crime Prevention" called a woman in east Stanley and offered her vouchers for home security equipment. Sergeant David Scott, of
THERE is no doubt Myra Hindley was an evil woman and, on balance, probably deserved a 'true' life sentence. What puzzles me is why she was so demonised that various Home Secretaries dared not release her. There have been other killers who should have
THE first new Micra will roll off a North-East production line this week, spearheading the growth of the UK's largest car maker, Nissan. The Sunderland plant, already the most productive in Europe, has undergone a £235m refit to accommodate the new supermini
WHEN children went down to the woods this week, they did get a big surprise. As part of celebrations to mark National Tree Week, a tree planting and woodland crafts festival was held at the Burn Valley Family Wood, Hartlepool. There was a wide range of
A NEW technical advisor has been appointed to deal with land management issues across the region. Laurie Norris, who has been a National Farmers' Union (NFU) regional policy advisor since 1999, will take on her new role next month. She will be responsible
A NORTH-EAST school will be presented with an award at the annual conference of the Technology Colleges Trust today. Egglescliffe School, in Eaglescliffe, Teesside, has won The Anne Rumney Award for demonstrating the highest achievement and involvement
MARKS and Spencer launches a recruitment campaign for North-East graduates today The company will be holding an information session at the Gateshead MetroCentre, at 4.30pm. The recruitment drive is aimed at people due to graduate next summer or those
MARKS and Spencer launches a recruitment campaign for North-East graduates today The company will be holding an information session at the Gateshead MetroCentre, at 4.30pm. The recruitment drive is aimed at people due to graduate next summer or those
A CITY'S car parking charges will rise for the first time in almost four years from Sunday. Fees will increase by 10p an hour at four of Sunderland City Council's 24 on and off-street car parks. Prices at the Prince Street and South Street car parks will
A WRITER has recorded a host of stories about life in Weardale. Half a Jellybean is the first published work by Jean Wade, from Heighington, near Darlington. It is a collection of short stories she was told by her grandparents when she was growing up
FIREFIGHTERS crossed the picket lines once again after an accident on the A1 in North Yorkshire. A collision between two lorries on the southbound carriageway caused traffic to come to a standstill for hours, creating a ten-mile tailback. The accident
MORE than 30 military firefighters were called into action in the region to bring a nightclub blaze under control. The fire, at Oscar's nightclub in Stockton High Street, was fought using four Green Goddesses, two RAF breathing apparatus rescue teams
SOME of the great railways of Europe past and present will be brought to life at an exhibition next month. Darlington Model Railway Club is holding its annual exhibition at the college of technology, in Cleveland Avenue, on Saturday and Sunday, November
A MOTORCYCLIST whose pillion passenger was killed when he was one-and-half times over the drink-drive limit was jailed for four years yesterday. Graeme Eden, 23, lost control of his Yamaha R6 as it negotiated a bend and hit a stone wall on the A689 at
A book about a group of unlikely professional footballers is being launched tomorrow. One Dead Ref and a Box of Kippers traces the careers of the 72 men born in the Sedgefield area of County Durham, who played in the football or premier leagues between
A consultation exercise has begun to seek people's views on how to tackle the problem of dog fouling in cemeteries and playing fields. Officials from Hartlepool Borough Council are considering what action, if any, should be taken to restrict dog access
DISABLED campaigners have moved closer to securing a Shopmobility scheme for every town in the Teesside and east Cleveland area. Members of Redcar and Cleveland Disability Access Group heard Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council agree in principle to a
A MOVE into the semiconductor market is paying off for x-ray instruments specialist Bede. The business, based on the Belmont Business Park on the outskirts of Durham, has seen its revenues grow by nine per cent to £5m in the nine months to September 30
I really should start a collection of the unusual names of organisations I've spoken to over the years. Favourites have included the British Concrete Manufacturers' Association who turned out to be very set in their ways. Don't worry, the gags on the
A PIONEERING course to teach Braille to sighted people in Stockton should start paying dividends for visually impaired people soon. Under the Disability Discrimination Act, employers and service providers are required to communicate with blind people
WORK has started on a development to provide a focal point to a community. The Plains Farm and Humbledon Community Initiative was launched at the end of last month to transform a former nursery building, next to Plains Farm Primary School, in Sunderland
TWO men armed with metal bars robbed the Co-op store in Percy Terrace, Penshaw, Houghton-le-Spring, on Sunday at about 9.35pm. One of the men threatened staff while the other kept watch at the door. The pair, both in their early 20s, made off with cash
UNIVERSITY FEES: THE higher education minister, Margaret Hodge, attempts to justify the introduction of student top-up fees by asking why the dustman should subsidise the medical student. I would ask the following in return. In years to come, who will
A coroner accused of stealing thousands of pounds from the beneficiaries of wills was a "good and decent man who was fair minded and wouldn't take advantage of anyone," a court heard today. Jeremy David Cave, 53, of The Grange, Balk, near Thirsk, North
A DERELICT tower block plagued by drug users and squatters could be given a new lease of life. Owners Waterbridge say interest in Teesside House, in the centre of Middlesbrough, includes multi-million pound plans to open a bar and restaurant on the lower
Liz Curry has always loved cooking for other people. New she's passing on her experise too. THE trouble with buying a house that used to be a hotel is that you tend to get people on the doorstep expecting a bed for the night. That's what happened to Liz
TWO men armed with metal bars robbed the Co-op store in Percy Terrace, Penshaw, Houghton-le-Spring, on Sunday at about 9.35pm. One of the men threatened staff while the other kept watch at the door. The pair, both in their early 20s, made off with cash
TWO men armed with metal bars robbed the Co-op store in Percy Terrace, Penshaw, Houghton-le-Spring, on Sunday at about 9.35pm. One of the men threatened staff while the other kept watch at the door. The pair, both in their early 20s, made off with cash
MICKY Barron has his sights set on the big boys. The Hartlepool United captain leads his team out tonight for the FA Cup first round replay with Southend desperate to maintain Pool's fine form. After a 1-1 draw at Roots Hall on November 17, Mike Newell
Staff facing the axe at a mobile phone company's North-East call centres were buoyed by the news that less than half the job losses would be carried through. Orange employees had been bracing themselves after 200 nationwide redundancies were forecast
WATER company managers are objecting to plans for a £1.7m extension to an industrial estate. The last plot on the Leeming Bar industrial estate was sold in the summer and Hambleton District Council is now seeking to enlarge it by almost 20 acres to boost
A COLLEGE has taken a step into the future with the completion of an ambitious £1m expansion programme. For the last 15 months an intensive programme of building work has been under way at Northallerton College. The project has now given the college twenty-first
RAILTRACK was fined yesterday after an investigation by The Northern Echo highlighted its continued failure to clear potentially lethal junk from the region's railways. The company ignored repeated warnings and took five months to remove hazardous trackside
MYRA HINDLEY: THERE is no doubt Myra Hindley was an evil woman and, on balance, probably deserved a 'true' life sentence. What puzzles me is why she was so demonised that various Home Secretaries dared not release her. There have been other killers who
After almost 90 years between them of being the men in the middle, Terry Farley and Peter Willis were again the centre of attention on Saturday night. The dinner which honoured their whistle-blowing service to football refereeing was at Bishop Auckland
SUNDERLAND defender Ben Clark believes he is reaping the rewards of taking the courageous decision to quit Manchester United. Clark, who spent two years at United before leaving when he was 16, is expected to make his England Under-20s debut against their
A nostalgic whiff of ammonia in the air, former Billingham Synthonia players reunited on Sunday to mark the 50th anniversary of the North's first floodlit football match. Old Synners, maybe, but lovely lads for all that. Synthonia, of course, was a corruption
A mother given a life sentence for murdering her husband, takes her case to appeal next week. Donna Tinker told a judge and jury she "flipped'' when she killed her partner Richard at their home in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, in 1999. At first, she told
THE organisation behind the national Census has been accused of making a monumental blunder - by mislaying more than 4,000 people. Richmondshire District Council believes the Office of National Statistics has somehow misjudged its population by around
Before the war Ian Robinson and Bernard Clayton were the best of pals, schoolmates who studied and played together. On the outbreak of hostilities they both volunteered to fight for their country with the Royal Air Force and from then on their lives diverged
Sunday night shift, the column arrives at Willington Cricket Club's annual meeting just as Neil Moore is forecasting the most exciting 12 months in their 100-year existence. Almost 100 people have forsaken the fireside - men, women and bairns. Inevitably
MIDDLESBROUGH have been given the green light to chase their High Court damages claim against Premiership rivals Liverpool over the sale of Christian Ziege. The Anfield club paid £5.5m for the German international, who Boro valued at £7.5m, in August
We are putting a decent run together at Darlington with just one defeat in our last six games. We are still at the wrong end of the table, but we are confident we can start to climb in the next few weeks. It shows just how far the lads have come when
As the days grow shorter and the moon appears brighter in the crisp winter night sky, children and adults curl up and escape in the adventures of a young wizard in his world of magic and mischief. And with the second Harry Potter blockbuster movie showing
SOME top-notch young horses are on parade at Sedgefield this afternoon, bidding to capture the near £10,00 first prize for the two-miles-and-five-furlongs Arthur Stephenson Memorial Novices Chase. The dominant force in National Hunt racing for so many
PEOPLE are being asked to shop those who drop litter and fly-tippers who dump rubbish around Darlington. A special telephone-line has been set up by Darlington Borough Council for people to report the names of fly-tippers and areas of the town that are
Joiner foreperson, Thornaby. From £10ph, 39hrs pw basic, Mon-Fri. Must be time-served, experienced shop fitting joiner foreperson. Ref: THN 7225. Chef, Stockton. £4.80ph plus dep on exp, 43-45hrs pw, 5 days over 7. Experience preferred but not essential
The truth and the myths about Oliver Reed Oliver Reed liked a drink. Even anyone who's never seen one of his films knows that much about him. There was much more to the man than hellraising. and Living Famously was a timely reminder that he was a pretty
Carer. £5.34 to £5.78ph, 18hrs pw, 5 days out of 7, on rota with regular sleepover. Must have some experience of caring. NVQ 2 and driving licence an advantage. Ref: DUR 34463. MOT tester. £200 to £250pw, 8.30am to 5pm, Mon-Fri; 9am to 1pm, Sat. Required
A hospital cook who shed almost half her weight after being inspired by her brother's courageous fight against cancer has been named slimmer of the year. Christine Tonge, 41, had yo-yo dieted since being a teenager and was a size 32 weighing over 21 stone
WEST Auckland will get more control over local issues when it gets its own parish council next year. Almost 300 residents of the community near Bishop Auckland backed a campaign calling for the formation of a parish council. Public meetings were held
STUDENTS from a Wear Valley school are transforming an overgrown allotment into an outdoor classroom with the help of a £13,000 grant. Fifteen pupils of Parkside Comprehensive School, Willington, are developing a plot at the nearby Rosedale and Victoria
DEVELOPERS have until the end of the month to express an interest in the Darlington College of Technology site. College officials hope to move from the Cleveland Avenue site as part of a £27m development. The preferred site for the new college is the
A WRITER has recorded a host of stories about life in Weardale. Half a Jellybean is the first published work by Jean Wade, from Heighington, near Darlington. It is a collection of short stories she was told by her grandparents when she was growing up
THREE men who took the law into their own hands after spotting youths vandalising a car found themselves charged with child kidnapping. Robin Alderson, Vincent Pavey and Jeffrey Maxwell, from Darlington, had been driven to take desperate measures after
DOZENS of intrepid fund-raisers raised more than £2,000 for St Teresa's Hospice in a sponsored abseil. Sixty-five people abseiled down the Darlington Memorial Hospital and raised £2002 for both the hospice in Darlington and the Friends of the Hospital
IT is very disappointing that Railtrack took five months to remove potentially lethal debris lying next to the East Coast Main Line. It is impossible to create an accident-proof railway, but it is possible to reduce the potential for accidents. Instead
Firefighters were last night determined to battle on despite an uncompromising warning from the Prime Minister that they could not win their pay dispute. Tony Blair gave a hastily-arranged news conference in Downing Street aimed at dispelling claims of
THE Army's plans for a £28m museum in the region hinge on the backing of the local planning authority. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has chosen Marne Barracks on the edge of the A1 at Catterick, North Yorkshire, as a base for a National Army Museum. It
ISSUES on education in North Yorkshire are to be discussed by the county's education watchdog at Scalby School, Scarborough next week. County Councillor John Blackie, chairman of the education scrutiny committee, says the meeting, on Wednesday, December
There is a Christmas theme to a family fun day planned at Colburn Library this weekend. People are welcome between noon and 3pm on Sunday, to take part in a host of workshops, including lessons on how to make a musical Christmas card, discovering computers
A PUBLIC meeting to discuss plans to move Alderman Leach Primary School in Darlington to the new West Park development is being held by the Cockerton Area Action Group on Friday, at the Bowen Road Hall, from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. CAROL SINGING: Crook and
A GROUP of youngsters are beaming out details of their village to the rest of the world, after creating a website. Members of Craghead Youth Club decided they wanted to create an Internet site depicting the people and landscape of the village near Chester-le-Street
VILLAGERS have signed a petition objecting to a change in the system for paying electricity bills. At present, people living in Thornley can pay their bills using cards at the local post office. But following the takeover of Northern Electric and Gas
A SEX attacker was foiled when his victim escaped as he attempted to drag her down a deserted footpath. The 31-year-old woman was walking from Front Street to Clifford Road, in Stanley, at about 9pm, on Sunday. She had passed Stanley Medical Centre when
Prudence may no longer be the flavour of the month in the Treasury, judging by early indications of the content of Gordon Brown's pre-budget report tomorrow. The Chancellor gave a clear signal yesterday that he will abandon his penny-pinching ways which
A MAN who set fire to a sleeping party-goer's hair in a prank that ended in horror has failed to win a cut in sentence at London's Appeal Court. Stephen Pearson, 21, was one of two men who set about shaving David Skelton's eyebrows and dyeing his hair
KEEN to don her tights and slap her thigh, a teenager postponed important surgery in order to perform on stage. The brave nursery worker from Wigginton, near York, will take a leading role this pantomime season, despite the effects of an illness which
MIDDLESBROUGH and former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan lost his driving licence yesterday after police clocked his blue Porsche travelling at 100mph on a motorway. Whelan, 27, who left his native Leeds for a spell with Coventry City before signing
Former British nuclear test veterans from the North-East joined a mass lobby of Parliament yesterday to press for better treatment by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). They are angry that Defence ministers have refused to meet them. The MoD is denying responsibility
A MAN who attacked his neighbour with an axe walked free from court yesterday after a judge heard that he was the sole carer for his disabled wife and two children. Judge Peer Bowers told Norman Appleby that a man with his problems must occasionally reach
FOUR males aged 15, 16, 18 and 21 have been bailed to return to Hartlepool police station next week after police found a large quantity of full milk bottles in their Nissan Bluebird car, in Seaton Carew, on Saturday. Police believe the milk was stolen
It was a Sunday, maybe two in the afternoon, in November, when Michael Moore witnessed his first murder. His mother was vacuuming and he was sitting on the floor, watching TV. During a report about President Kennedy's assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, he saw
As the baby son of a Dales shepherd prepares to play Jesus in a chapel nativity play, John Hobbs reports on how this has come to pass through the remarkable revival of a Sunday school. TWELVE years ago, village postmistress Judith Raine said a prayer
NORTH-EAST Euro MP Stephen Hughes has welcomed a new European law which aims to improve employment rights for temporary agency workers. The European Union directive, which was discussed in Strasbourg, will allow a temporary worker the same rights as company
SCHOOL lunchtime supervisors are an underestimated breed, says a teacher who has completed an award-winning study into the subject. Janet Madden, of Marton, Middlesbrough, has received an award from the National College for School Leadership for her research
A WOMAN was mugged yesterday as she made her first outing on crutches following a double hip replacement operation. The 49-year-old woman, who has not been named, was on her way to the HSBC bank in Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough, when she was attacked
FOUR Young Ambassadors of Sport in east Cleveland were presented with awards by Olympic athlete Allison Curbishley last week. Young Ambassador for Sport rewards talented youngsters with a year's free access to training facilities, including the range
FOUR Young Ambassadors of Sport in east Cleveland were presented with awards by Olympic athlete Allison Curbishley last week. Young Ambassador for Sport rewards talented youngsters with a year's free access to training facilities, including the range
WASTE carriers are being warned that failing to register with the Environment Agency could land them in court. Companies transporting or dealing in controlled waste as part of their business, or for profit, are required by law to register with the agency
TWO former lifeboatmen will be reunited with an old "friend" this week. Ron Dixon, 91, spent the last of his 42 years as a lifeboatman serving as coxswain on the Redcar lifeboat, the Sir James Knott. The boat, the town's last regular offshore lifeboat
A FORMER mayor of Darlington has pledged to lose his long locks for charity. Councillor Bill Dixon has not had his hair cut since he was in office as mayor three years ago. Even then he only had a few inches cut off, but he has promised to lose his ponytail
A CITY'S car parking charges will rise for the first time in almost four years from Sunday. Fees will increase by 10p an hour at four of Sunderland City Council's 24 on and off-street car parks. Prices at the Prince Street and South Street car parks will
A hungry contestant munched his way into the record books yesterday by eating 27 meatballs in one minute. Nick Marshall, 41, of Gateshead, beat nine other contestants in a national competition by devouring 27 meatballs using only a toothpick. After finishing
A NORTH-EAST company has won contracts to process housing benefit claims from all over the country. HBS, in Middlesbrough, is in talks with more than 30 councils in the South because its employees can do the work far faster than their southern counterparts
A CORONER accused of stealing thousands of pounds from the beneficiaries of ten wills, took £86,000 in fees for handling one estate, a court was told yesterday. Jeremy David Cave, 53, of The Grange, Balk, near Thirsk, North Yorkshire, was appointed solicitor
Medieval music filled the air around a school in North Yorkshire as children learned about music from the past. Youngsters from York's Minster School tried their hands at a number of strange-sounding instruments, including, crum horns, racketts and harps
A COLLEGE is to receive a national award for using technology to help teachers keep track of homework. Walker Technology College in Newcastle will today be presented with the Microsoft Award by BBC radio journalist John Humphrys, in recognition of its
THOUSANDS of revellers planning to celebrate New Year's Eve in the region's party capital will be able to travel free. The offer is part of a sponsorship deal struck by bosses of the Tyne and Wear Metro service with energy supplier npower. An estimated
POP Idol Aaron Bayley was stunned yesterday when he discovered superstar Rod Stewart wants to cover one of HIS songs. Aaron was one of the final ten in the hit television series which catapulted Gareth Gates and Will Young to fame. The former Newcastle
THE talents of young artists in Hartlepool are to be celebrated with a new event. A week-long Hartlepool Youth Arts Festival aimed at people aged 12 to 24 is being planned for next June. Hartlepool Borough Council aims to work with a number of organisations
DISABLED campaigners have moved closer to securing a Shopmobility scheme for every town in the Teesside and east Cleveland area. Members of Redcar and Cleveland Disability Access Group heard Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council agree in principle to a
A CHRISTMAS tree installed in a shopping centre will evoke particularly poignant memories this year. Many of the baubles festooning the boughs of the tree in Middlesbrough's Cleveland Centre, will be in memory of someone who will be missed this Yuletide
YOUNG Matthew Roscoe had a day to remember on Saturday when he led Middlesbrough Football Club's players on to the pitch before the start of their game against Manchester City. The eight-year-old, a pupil at St Therese of Lisieux Primary School, in Ingleby
THE £3m redevelopment of the former Cannon Cinema in Newcastle is set to create an "arts village" in the centre of the city. The project, which combines residential and commercial properties with community space, is situated around a public square near
A GROUP of youngsters calling themselves the Force have proved they are indeed a force to be reckoned with in the dance world. The 16 youngsters, aged from 11 to 15, travelled from their Northallerton homes to the Tower Ballroom in Blackpool to take part
Her letter overflowing with kind words about these columns, a North Yorkshire reader writes eagerly to recommend the Queen's Head at Finghall - between Bedale and Leyburn - and the keen young couple making a go of it. It's a pub of which the column has
Former Northern Echo journalist John Ardagh is back in the North-East to give talks on two different topics. The freelance writer on European affairs will speak at events organised by the Alliance Franaise de Newcastle. Tonight, at 7pm, he will speak
Professional relief worker, Darlington, £8.31ph, 10hrs pw Mon-Fri between 9am and 5pm, experience of homelessness and associated problems essential. Ref: DAE 32673. Architectural technician, Bishop Auckland, £16,000 pa, 9am to 5pm Mon-Fri, must have relevant
TWO men armed with metal bars robbed the Co-op store in Percy Terrace, Penshaw, Houghton-le-Spring, on Sunday at about 9.35pm. One of the men threatened staff while the other kept watch at the door. The pair, both in their early 20s, made off with cash
A senior local politician was today cleared of blackmailing a former lover by allegedly threatening to send sexually explicit photographs of them to her parents. The ex-leader of York City Council Rod Hills, 55, was found not guilty after the prosecution
PARROT breeder Harry Sissen, who was convicted two years ago of smuggling rare breeds into the country, has been told he can have some of his birds back. After the ruling at Richmond last week Mr Sissen vowed to continue his fight to have all his birds
A COUPLE who claim they were honking their horn in support of striking firefighters have been told off for breaking the law. Helen Ward said that after she and her husband, Christopher, sounded their car's horn as they passed the picket line at Stranton
ANDY Gilchrist, leader of the firefighters' union, certainly has an agile mind. He is brilliant enough to hold two contradictory opinions with equal fervour. Last week he went to speak at a meeting organised by "Labour Against A War on Iraq" and declared
A MULTI-million pound project looks set to reshape and modernise social and community services in a North Yorkshire town. Plans to house an extra care facility, a modern library and information centre and offices under one roof are being discussed by
RESIDENTS who say their lives are being made a misery by gangs of youths believe a planned amusement arcade would make things even worse. For at least the past 12 months, Blackhills Road, in Horden, has been a focus of anti-social behaviour by youths.
