A IS for ADOLESCENCE... and also for ATTITUDE which tends to go with it. If your boys are still young then you probably think Harry Enfield's Kevin is a joke. Ha! Enjoy the laugh while you can, because, boy, are you in for a shock. The really big shock
It's supposed to be only the British who talk about the weather, but most of Europe has been full of stormy tales over the last few days. I spent last weekend in Amsterdam, and on Sunday it experienced some of the strongest winds in living memory. I know
OUR eldest has got his first job. My chest swelled with pride when Christopher asked if he could get a paper round in our village to earn extra pocket money. "Good for you, son," I said. "It's never too early to become a wage-earner." Christopher is only
B is for BATHROOMS and BEDROOMS. This is an age when - almost overnight - your filthy little duckling metamorphosises into a well groomed swan. The mucky urchin who could spend an entire week in cub camp in the same socks and underpants, and never wash
Echo Memories takes a look at the 100-year battle to create a pedestrian haven in Darlington town centre - a project started in the 1890s which might finally be realised in the 21st Century The pedestrian-isation of Darlington town centre is back on the
Things were beginning to look a bit brighter for Darlington before Saturday, having taken five points out of a possible nine. For long periods of the game it was hard to see which team were second in the table and which one was near the bottom. The first
A MOTHER who overturned an 800-year-old law to get justice for her murdered daughter, has been honoured for her outstanding bravery. Ann Ming, of Teesside, has been voted one of Britain's Bravest Women by Best magazine for her campaign to get justice
AN alphabetical guide on how to cope with teenage sons - C is for Cars and Conversation, Cigarettes, Coursework and Cheap Cider Suddenly - along with that first curled lip and slouch of the shoulders - your little boy loses the power of speech. Instead
D is for DRINK and DRUGS Now it can be told... the time when Senior Son, aged 14, told me he was going camping up the dales for the bank holiday weekend and instead went to Richmond Meet and drank ten pints of lager before eleven o'clock in the morning
Echo Memories takes a gentle stroll around the shops and hostelries that have flourished and faded in Bakehouse Hill, off Darlington's Market Square, over the past 200 years. DARLINGTON'S Bakehouse Hill was started hundreds of years ago by squatters,
The FA Cup draw was a bit of a let-down for us at Darlington. I was sat at home watching the draw hoping we would be paired with a Premiership side but it wasn't to be. One of the Big Three in the North-East would have been great for our supporters and
This Christmas is going to see the biggest ever battle between console manufacturers desperate to convince you their system is the best. Nigel Burton looks at the contenders and gives it to you straight. PLAYSTATION 2 Things looked much trickier for Sony
The latest in a long line of reality/talent shows, Fame Academy, quickly dubbed Lame Academy, has failed to impress the viewers. So have the shows started by Hughie Green's Opportunity Knocks reached the end of the line? THE mix of Big Brother reality
BACK to basics, perhaps, left wing former Sunderland North MP Bob Clay now runs a business called Roots Music - selling CDs and things - from Stanhope, in Weardale. Peter Sixsmith from Shildon sent an order in August, waited a couple of weeks and then
SO it's back to the bad old days - when a top education was a luxury just for those who could afford it. Welcome to the brave new world of equality and opportunity. When the Labour government - yes, the Labour government - brought in university tuition
Q What connection does Hillary Clinton, wife of the previous President of the USA have with Stanley, Co. Durham - Eric Suddes, Darlington A HILLARY Clinton's full name is Hillary Roddam Clinton. Roddam is her maiden name and it is through this family
BAYDALE Beck runs ruminatively around the west end of Darlington. It must not be confused with Bedale beck, which is in the North Yorkshire town of that name and best known for the leech house, a listed and carefully preserved building, which stands alongside
Well, aren't we lucky not to have servants? Yes, I know it's a struggle having to run our own baths, open our own doors, make our own tea and - gosh - expecting our teenage sons to buy their own porn mags, but sometimes it might just be worth the effort
Q Can you tell me the origins of the following place-names please - Temple Sowerby and Coatham Mundeville? - W.Sewell, Woodhouse Lane, Bishop Auckland A THE place-name Temple Sowerby in Cumbria takes its name from a Christian military order founded in
Everyone needs a wife. But can we afford one? In a landmark ruling last week Shan Lambert - who was a stay-at-home home-maker while her husband made a £20m fortune - was awarded half his money. The judge reasoned that her contribution to the marriage
IT'S nearly two weeks since Chris Turner left Hartlepool to join Sheffield Wednesday and I would just like to take this opportunity to wish him all the best. Chris, or the gaffer as we always called him, was a breath of fresh air for Hartlepool and he
CERTIFIED villain, we missed the paper's Local Heroes awards on Thursday evening because of a long standing speaking engagement in Swaledale. It offered a unique chance to tell the all-time favourite story of the cow in the ditch at Grinton. The Melbecks
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,
Q CAN you give me any information on Princess Mary, the only daughter of King George V? - LD Wilson, Guisborough. A THE Princess Mary you mention is not to be confused with the Princess Mary, later known as Queen Mary who was the current Queen's grandmother
AFTER the peak, the pique. It could apply almost as much to Clive Woodward as to Craig Bellamy, except that Woodward's anger was both justified and controlled. Like the naughty schoolboy, we will deal with Bellamy later. First, in contrast to the usual
A FEW months ago Amanda Barrie would never have spoken to me. The few interviews she granted were conducted along strictly-controlled guidelines barring any intrusion into her personal life. Barrie was one of the country's most familiar faces as Alma
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
Q TWO or three years ago there was a TV drama about the RAF. In it a pilot boasted that he could fly under a bridge and, in the film, this was done at Winston, near Staindrop. I have visited the bridge and it must have taken great flying skill to do this
HERE'S an interesting research topic for the surfeit of students taking Sports Science degrees: why is it that the more professional and scientific sport becomes the more people are crocked? In the days before isotonic drinks were invented and physiotherapists
MIKE Newell has been here a week or so now, but the new manager is still getting to know all the players and staff at the club. No doubt it will take time for him to assess us all as both players and people. He doesn't want to change things a great deal
IN the Teesdale Mercury, it is readily conceded, there are few stories to shift the dear old Earth upon its axis. Every Wednesday the paper celebrates items like the best dressed banana competition (Bowes WI), the favourite piece of wallpaper competition
THERE was a competition, apparently, to rename the restaurant at the Eden Arms Hotel in Rushyford. "Bet you £5m," we offered as the car squelched up the A167, "that the new name has one word and ends in an 's'." She wouldn't be on. Hitherto, the restaurant
DIALECT has clearly become a talking point. The John North column was discussing Evenwood area patter a few weeks ago, discoursed subsequently into Yorkshire and Co Durham and might still have been chewing on tomorrow had not its services been required
Q WHAT is the difference between MI5 and MI6, and were spies such as Guy Burgess and Anthony Blunt members of these organisations? - J Anderson, Houghton-le-Spring. A MI5 and MI6 are British security intelligence services and agencies of the British government
Jo Stockdale always wanted to be an artist but never has the confidence to pursue her dream - until now. Women's Editor Christen Pears meets her. JO Stockdale waves enthusiastically through the kitchen window as she spots me walking up the path and welcomes
THE region's newest private hospital plans to increase bed numbers because of a rising demand from NHS patients. The independent Woodlands Hospital, in Darlington, opened in July last year and has already proved its worth to the health service by treating
With just days to go before the big day Nigel Burton offers some top tips for the games you should be hoping to buy or receive this Christmas... PlayStation Two BMX XXX (Acclaim) Definitely not a game to ask your granny to buy. BMX XXX (geddit?) combines
Consett striker Colin McLeod scored on his 500th appearance for the club on Saturday - but it wasn't enough to give his side victory over Tow Law. McLeod, who signed for the club over a decade ago, looked as if he had given Consett a much-needed victory
A YOUNG charity champ has raised more than £100 for a children's hospice. Charlotte Purdham raised £105 with a sponsored bike ride from her home in Bolton Grove, Bishop Auckland, to Hamsterley Forest and back. The ten-year-old St Anne's Primary School
A GROUNDBREAKING new arts programme is being delivered in a partnership between Wear Valley and Teesdale District Councils. Good for the Soul is a three-year programme which aims to provide arts activities for people who are either at risk of or suffering
SHOPPERS got into the Christmas spirit this weekend and helped raise money and gifts for The Giving Tree appeal. A family fun day was held at the new Matalan store in Darlington in aid of the appeal, which is being backed by The Northern Echo. As well
ONE hundred years of history linking a multinational company and a village school have been brought together in a time capsule buried for posterity. Pupils at Heighington CE Primary School researched and wrote a book for the capsule, being buried to mark
PEOPLE in County Durham are being given the chance to influence the management of the countryside. They can become members of Local Access Forums, bodies being set up to advise local authorities and the Countryside Agency how people can explore and enjoy
PLANS for a housing estate on a prime business site in Spennymoor have been thrown out in a bid to keep jobs in the town. Councillors refused planning permission for the development because they felt it would be another knock to the town's economy, which
I READ with interest your recent article on Bennet House and its history (Echo, Dec 4). I wish to take issue with you, however, on your opening paragraph referring to a building with "no significance, no real use ...". Through the generosity of Darlington
Creditors of a crisis-torn North-East steelworks will tomorrow listen to administrators spell out proposals to try to save the 140-year-old plant. One of the main survival packages has been prepared by redundant workers at Weardale Steel, in Wolsingham
TV chef Clarissa Dickson-Wright decided to keep her feet firmly on the ground during a visit to a North Yorkshire hunt. The former Fat Lady said she enjoyed her ride with the Saltersgate hounds last February. It was shown on the BBC Countryside programme
PEACE campaigners are bracing themselves for news that the Government is to sanction the use of two bases in the region in America's so-called Son of Star Wars programme. There has been speculation surrounding the roles to be played by the early warning
SCHOOL caretakers across Stockton are the first in the Tees Valley to undergo training to help them prevent arson. At Stockton Borough Council's education centre in Norton, a series of three-hour training sessions took caretakers through the do's and
A CITY has been taking some of the stress out of Christmas shopping for parents with young children. The City of York's children's information centre has a list of creches willing to take youngsters for up to three hours. It has also been co-ordinating
A STAGE company paraded its latest recruit yesterday - a donkey. The animal, from Clarence Community Farm, near Billingham, is starring along with youngsters from across the region in Cleveland Theatre School's pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk. Clearly
A COUNCIL funding committee has defied advice from Westminster in a last-ditch effort to save a Dales youth hostel from closure. Aysgarth, in Wensleydale, has been included by the Youth Hostel Association (YHA) on a list of ten premises which the charity
MUCH of our pensions framework dates back to Lloyd George's spell as Chancellor of the Exchequer almost a century ago. Successive governments are to blame for failing to respond to the changing trends of retirement with significant reforms. As a result
A NORTH-EAST leisure operator has acquired four outlets in deals worth about £2m as part of ambitious expansion plans. Ladhar Leisure now owns city centre bar Dobson's, in New Bridge Street, Newcastle, as well as three outlets on Front Street, Consett
A TRADITIONAL village pub has been bought by the Cumbrian firm Jennings Brewery. The Pack Horse Inn, in Tanfield Village, near Stanley, dates back to the 1600s and is reputed to have been visited by Oliver Cromwell. According to local folklore, one of
A TOWN is hoping to trace the relatives of a brave doctor who worked himself to death during a typhoid epidemic 70 years ago. Dr George Parkin, 32, was the hero of the epidemic which claimed the lives of 23 people in Malton, North Yorkshire, during the
A TEENAGER was given an insight into the daily life of a mayor when he requested an unusual work placement. Philip Sinclair, 15, of Fulwell, Sunderland, already has a keen interest in politics. He is a member of Sunderland Youth Parliament, the Regional
CO-OP shops in the North-East have won acclaim at the Store of the Year awards. Twenty-one shops from around the region were in the final, competing for various titles. The Hexham branch came top in the superstores and larger market town stores category
A 22-year-old woman was taken to North Tyneside General Hospital with leg injuries after the car she was in crashed into a lamp post on the A19 near the A1058 slip road at Wallsend on Friday night. She was cut free by firefighters. The driver was taken
A man plunged 30ft to his death when he appeared to fall off a raised roadway on to a disused nightclub car park. Witnesses told police the man fell from the road above the carpark for the now derelict K2 club in Queensway, Billingham, on Saturday night
YOUNG wildlife enthusiasts got into the spirit of Christmas at the weekend. About 90 youngsters aged between eight and 13, from County Durham, Wearside and Tyneside, gathered for the event at the Durham Wildlife Trust's nature reserve at Rainton Meadows
A SKATE park threatened with closure because of insurance costs is to stay open after parents agreed to pay £100 a year for their children to use it. The Ape Skate Park, in Thornaby, was facing an uncertain future after insurance premiums more than tripled
Trading Standards officers in Hartlepool are urging people to remember that Christmas decorations are not toys. They say that while toys must comply with strict safety regulations, decorations are exempt. Officers have recently found Christmas decoration
THE trappings of Christmases past were recreated at the weekend. Beamish, the County Durham outdoor museum dedicated to the region's industrial heritage, invited visitors to make Victorian-style festive cards and decorations. Examples of the real thing
A CHRISTMAS extravaganza at a County Durham museum turned into a fun day out for all the family. The festive activities at Bowes Museum, in Barnard Castle, were such a success that organisers are hoping to make it an annual event. The museum used the
AN antique family heirloom belonging to writer and vet Alf Wight has returned to its home after a gap of half a century. The piece of furniture that has been lovingly polished over the years now stands in a museum, which pays tribute to the All Creatures
A RECENT visit to the Riverside Stadium with my son and daughter for the game against Manchester City gave me the opportunity to try out facilities for fans with disabilities. Fortunately, I was able to meet Paddy Cronesbury, chairman of Middlesbrough
CHERIE BLAIR: COULD The Northern Echo not find itself a sensible and useful job to do? Why not investigate why newspapers are able to buy copies of our emails, transcripts of our faxes, transcripts and recordings of our telephone calls? I would like to
ALBERT PARK, MIDDLESBROUGH ONE hundred and forty years ago, Albert Park was gifted to the people of Middlesbrough by Henry Bolckow - a "People's Park" for their recreation. Around £4.5m has been awarded to revamp the ageing park and this is being tackled
THE PROCTOR gamble paid a spectacular dividend for Howard Wilkinson as Sunderland's famine ended at the Stadium of Light with an historic victory over Liverpool. After more than eight-and-a-half hours without a goal - 514 minutes to be precise - midfielder
FOUR rubbish blackspots were targeted by Darlington's anti-litter squad on Friday. The anti-litter patrols are part of a Darlington Borough Council campaign, backed by The Northern Echo, to clean up the streets of the town. Uniformed wardens patrolling
A North Yorkshire charity that provides holidays for needy children and their families has appealed for help. The Mustard Seed Cottage Trust was set up 12 years ago by Doug and Christine Baker, who live at Plompton, near Harrogate. It has provided Yorkshire
A 43-YEAR-OLD man was killed when three cars were involved in an accident on Saturday. Police are appealing for information about the accident, which happened on the A67 at Gainford, between Darlington and Barnard Castle, County Durham, at about 12.40pm
A HOUSEHOLDER uncovered more than he bargained for while renovating an ancient farmhouse. Allan Honeybell found human remains dating back 1,500 years while building a pond in the garden of Spittal Farm, Staxton, near Scarborough. "We initially discovered
WORRIED householders are protesting at plans to build homes on a site which they claim is a flood plain. Residents in the area of Lowdale Lane, Whin Green and Bank Close, at Sleights near Whitby, say the planned development will aggravate the problems
YOUNG wildlife enthusiasts got into the spirit of Christmas at the weekend. About 90 youngsters aged between eight and 13, from County Durham, Wearside and Tyneside, gathered for the event at the Durham Wildlife Trust's nature reserve at Rainton Meadows
A FATHER-OF-FOUR savaged by a powerful Japanese Akita dog has been told the animal does not have to be destroyed under the law. Dave Taylor was attacked in his home by the dog, which he was minding for a friend, leaving him with a large scar, no feeling
SATURDAY was a dream come true for Paul Simpson. The Rochdale boss, who hadn't tasted a League win since September 28, reckons he knew Hartlepool United were going to be on the receiving end of a pasting because he dreamt it on Friday night! Simpson,
PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2. Publisher: Konami. Format: PS2. Price: £44.99/ FIFA 2003. Publisher: EA Sports. Formats: PS2, PC CD-ROM. Prices from: £34.99 FOR the first time in a very long time, Electronic Art's sporting colossus FIFA was not the best selling
PLANS for a multi-million pound technology park have been boosted by a university's decision to base some of its scientists on the site. Durham University will re-locate its Centre for Advanced Instrumentation, and Digital Enterprise Technology (DET)
IN reply to my telephone question about wheelchair access in Bedale, I was told: "I don't think you'll have any problem, Bedale's just a small place you know." There was news of car-parking for people with disabilities on the main street; the fact that
I need some help from you this week, dear reader, because, after years of trying, I still don't understand what prevents Government from taking the obvious, and popular, step needed regarding firework control. I could have written this article six months
I kicked off this week with a very funny Sunday evening at the Cackling Clown Comedy Club at The Studio in Hartlepool. Live entertainment is always the best kind, and this venue works brilliantly. As you might know, it's a great conversion of a former
SUNDERLAND manager Howard Wilkinson believes Gavin McCann can regain his place in the England squad. The midfielder brought the Wearsiders' goal drought to an end yesterday when he opened the scoring in the precious 2-1 home win over Liverpool. McCann
CHRISTMAS revellers are being warned about bogus taxi drivers operating in Darlington over the festive season. Darlington Borough Council is encouraging people to take taxis if they are drinking, but has spoken out about the potential dangers of unlicensed
A soccer coach who used his links with Newcastle United to sexually abuse young players was jailed for six years today. George Ormond, 46, disguised his perverted intentions with "boistrous, playful behaviour," using his "jocularity" to grope or peek
Burnout 2: Point of Impact Publisher: Acclaim. Format: PS2 Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 Publisher: Electronic Arts. Format: PC/PS2. IT'S remarkable how two games - both sequels to high successful originals - from entirely different publishers can turn
IT is said that the director Ridley Scott used the image of Teesside's chemical plants as inspiration for the futuristic setting of his seminal film Blade Runner. The tropical climate and communities built high in the sky may have seemed far fetched but
Bishop Auckland manager Brian Honour was a frustrated man after his side's victory hopes were plunged into darkness on Saturday. Bishops were leading 2-1 against promotion-chasing Leek Town and on course for three badly-needed points when the referee
As you probably saw in Monday's Northern Echo (front page no less!), it's been quite a week with the call from Number Ten. I was telling you in my previous column that I was due at a bit of a do last Friday to celebrate the opening of the new Sleep Inn
PERSONAL items belonging to suffragette Emily Davison have been uncovered thanks to an appeal in The Northern Echo. Genealogist Maureen Howes asked the newspaper to help find Miss Davison's cousins, a family called Bilton, from Darlington, who were mentioned
As smooth as a baby's bottom THERE was a moment in Vain Men when it occurred to me that stuffing a Christmas turkey and cosmetic surgery are much the same thing. Antonio was on the operating table having implants inserted in his arms, legs and chest.
Stokesley SC did their championship aspirations the power of good when they defeated third-placed New Marske 5-2. There was no indication of the second-half goals avalanche which was to follow when just one goal divided the teams at the halfway stage.
The Sum Of All Fears Publisher: Ubisoft. Formats: PS2, PC CD-ROM. From £39.99 DON'T you just hate it when your carefully-laid plans go wrong? Ubisoft must have felt the same way when its video game The Sums of All Fears failed to make the same release
MISFIRING Massimo Maccarone is to be taken out of the firing line in a bid to help him find his form. The Middlesbrough striker failed to find the back of the net for the tenth successive League game against Chelsea on Saturday, and he looked nothing
STRUGGLING Newcastle produced their best performance of the season yesterday to book a third round meeting with Saracens in the Parker Pen Challenge Cup. The victory halted a run of six defeats, and with five new signings arriving Director of Rugby, Rob
After a bad result against Rushden, it is important that we picked ourselves up and played well in our next game. And I'm pleased to say we did exactly that at Shrewsbury on Saturday. It's at times like this when team spirit comes into play and ours is
You probably saw the news the other day that Mike Collier, the Chief Executive of One North East, will be retiring next May. As his Chairman Dr John Bridge said, he will be a hard act to follow in the regional development agency. Mike will always be associated
IN the week that psychologists announced the discovery of a new female affliction called shopping bulimia, my wife came home with a couple of great new buys. In case you missed it in the papers, shopping bulimia is a "disorder, characterised by an addiction
PLANS to demolish Alderman Leach Primary School, in Cockerton, Darlington, and replace it with a new £2.9m building within the forthcoming West Park, at Faverdale, are proving controversial. When the school opened in September 1925 there was much controversy
I along with all other Darlington fans have had better weekends. Everywhere I've gone people have wanted to know what went wrong on Saturday. All I can say is that we were beaten by a very good side who I'm sure will go on and win promotion this year.
Things aren't getting much better down at Feethams. We have now gone seven games without a win and the pressure is on us big style to get a result on Saturday against Bristol Rovers. Hopefully we will have a couple of new faces in the squad to give everyone
IT was another disappointing performance in front of the Sky cameras at Bournemouth - and how many times have we said that now? It seems we have yet to perform well in front of he cameras, which is a real disappointment. In difficult conditions I was
BROTHERS are seldom cut out to be friends while they're growing up. My elder brother and I couldn't stand the sight of each other when we were kids. We scrapped, traded insults, and generally viewed each other with contempt. (He was the one, you may recall
The coach journeys back from places like Exeter and Torquay are usually a nightmare to say the least. The weekend's trip back from Exeter was one of the better ones. Over the last few years we haven't done particularly well at those places, so to win
'THEN the hangman cut off his head and held it up, saying: 'Behold the head of a traitor!' His quarters, after they were boiled in a cauldron, were buried in the baker's dunghill." And there they lie, for all we know, to this day - somewhere beneath Darlington's
THE feeling of camaraderie is one of the nicest things about writing this column. No sooner had I described how I'd nearly frozen to death helping my 12-year-old son on his paper round, than messages of support and advice started to pour in from other
POOR George Swalwell's innards were sliced from his body, boiled in a large cauldron which he could see bubbling away from his vantage point on the gibbet, and then thrown on to the baker's dungheap. All this happened in Darlington Market Square in 1594
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
Echo Memories explores the history of Bennet House, a modest though pleasant Georgian structure, which had a significant role in preserving the appearance and spaciousness of Darlington's Market Square THERE it still stands, a building with no history
A four-year-old girl has died from severe burns after a tragic accident at her home, police said today. It is understood the young girl could have brushed against a fire at the house in Middlesbrough, setting her clothes alight. Police were called to
WHAT bucketloads of tears we shed for Fergie this week when his horse, Rock of Gibraltar, failed to add £20m to its estimated £30m value by finishing second in the Breeders' Cup. Sir Alex, well-versed in the art of defending the indefensible, muttered
IT'S as if someone has pushed a large button in the unknown cosmos somewhere, and the result is an invisible transmission straight into our subconscious. Something in our brains will fizzle and crackle, and we will be drawn up out of our kitchens and
A three-hour breakfast is just one of the delicious meals on offer at a Thirsk home which has thrown open its doors to the public. WE are not given, the older and more energetic members of this household, to taking life lying down. Usually the day starts
For the second week running, we played Friday night football and again we could look at the results coming in on Saturday with a convincing lead at the top of the table. It's certainly a great feeling to be top and great credit must go to everyone at
He's not interested in parties or premiers any more. Actor Robson Green would rather concentrate on making his North-East -based production company a huge success. These are tough times for TV top names. No longer do their names automatically mean huge
I spent much of last Sunday excitedly wandering around like a child in a sweet shop. I was at a local farmer's market set up in the grounds of Pinchinthorpe Hall. There must have been well over a dozen stalls, and every single one was selling good, wholesome
NASSER Hussain was roundly pilloried for so generously inviting the Australians to bat first at Brisbane, and it appeared such a crass decision I couldn't wait to hear his attempts to justify it. Surely we all had the right to know at the close of the
WRITER Andrew Davies is being mischievious again. "Shall I tell you?," he wonders, then supplies the answer himself: "Yes, I will". The juicy titbit of information concerns a planned film version of George Eliot's novel Daniel Deronda for which he was
IT was one of those dreary, damp and cold Friday afternoons. The type of day when the weather prevents you from getting on with any of the gardening jobs that need doing. We (myself and trainees) had been out in the rain all morning and were suffering
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
NO wonder David Seaman - and his partner - were on the guest list of 26 (plus wives or girl friends) for the England squad's pampering at a ludicrously expensive Hertfordshire health farm this week. By the obvious yardstick that one blunder is careless
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
I have a confession to make. I am a coward when it comes to the dark. I like to know where I am and I feel safer if I can see the horrors that lurk behind every tree, dustbin and shadow-filled corner. As children, my brother and I were the only ones who
SO, once again, the question is not 'can women have it all?' but rather 'do we want it all?' Lisa Gordon, corporate affairs director of Chrysalis and the youngest woman appointed to the board of a Stock Exchange listed company, is stepping down to spend
ON October 23 we wrote of a company called Sweet and Tasty, and specifically about its improbable offer of 500g - about 1lb - of beef dripping in a German beer mug. It was also the outfit, it may be recalled, which for £50 offered four bottles of wine
DID no one even speak to him? A five-year-old boy wanders away from his mum in the centre of Glasgow, gets on a train and turns up in Macclesfield nearly four hours later - and nobody has said a word to him or expressed an iota of concern. Are we that
SEVEN years ago, a new project began at Nature's World. It was one of the most inexpensive and easiest gardens to create. Today, this project remains one of the main attractions on site. It is still one of the first things that the children ask for as
Q PEOPLE often forget that Lady Jane Grey was Queen of England, but aren't there other forgotten monarchs? - Bill Hutchinson Chester-le-Street. A HENRY VIII died in 1547 and was succeeded by his then nine-year-old son, Edward VI. Edward, who was frail
WHY do footballers take the field on a bitterly cold evening wearing gloves but with their heads shaven? Perhaps it's for the same reason that a Newcastle player is caught napping when supposedly guarding the back post on a low-key occasion in a somnolent
SO what are you doing for Christmas? Probably not what you want. It's not just the work or the expense of Christmas that drives so many people scatty - it's the effort that goes in to keeping everyone happy. That's the really difficult bit. So that instead
Documentary film-maker Colleen Cairns was shocked by the amount of alcohol women in the North-East consume on a night out, she tells Steve Pratt. COLLEEN Cairns admits that viewers may be shocked by a new Tyne Tees Television series in which cameras follow
THERE are times in the gardening year when you know that everyone, with perhaps only a few exceptions, will be struggling with the very same horticultural puzzle. Just such a time is looming on the horizon. I can guarantee that in a few weeks, I will
A wonderful meal at a restaurant with a very appropriate name was only marred by a lack of vegetables and ice-cream (not together) and a distinctly frosty table atmosphere. You know how this column incorrigibly eavesdrops, how readers may be regaled not
Q What connection does Hillary Clinton, wife of the previous President of the USA have with Stanley, Co. Durham - Eric Suddes, Darlington A HILLARY Clinton's full name is Hillary Roddam Clinton. Roddam is her maiden name and it is through this family
HARTLEPOOL United are top of Division Three and have been for a long time. But on this performance it was hard to tell. As both a team and as individuals, Pool were second best at Rochdale on Saturday - and by a long way at that as their early effort
TACKLING the problem of drugs in society will take more than a single column. It seems there are some police officers who have thrown in the towel when it comes to cutting crime. They use the excuse that drugs are now so prevalent there is nothing they
POLICE are hunting a gang of masked thugs who launched a "cowardly" race attack on pizza shop staff. Three men - the shop's Algerian owner and his two employees, a Libyan and a Kurd - suffered head and facial injuries and needed hospital treatment. The
Let's start with something of a riddle for you. How can you be on holiday less than an hour after leaving home, and yet soon drive for days without seeing another British car? The answer begins with boarding the DFDS ship Princess of Scandinavia on the
An event promoting disability awareness in the upper Wear Valley was a great success says Phil Donegan. ONE of the key aspects of promoting access issues is to see what good practice is already going on in the communities around us. The job, then, is
You've probably seen the over-repeated commercial on BBC TV which tells you that television is evolving. Some of it may be, but I am convinced that much of Auntie's output is decaying at some speed. The other morning I saw a typical chunk of the morning
Last week was quite something, covering several hundred miles and meeting a few thousand people. My tour included compering an excellent Business Link event at Gosforth Park where winners were rewarded by the Learning and Skills Council of Tyne and Wear
Pendle Hill, who made The Bajan Bandit pull out all the stops at Carlisle last time, can go one better in the nitex.co.uk Novices Chase over two and a half miles at Newcastle this afternoon. Peter Beaumont's seven-year-old had obviously come on a fair
The Northern Echo's campaign which is "working for a future" has had a good start, and it's vital that a difference is made after a string of body blows on the jobs front. Of course, there's a real need to protect and revive manufacturing, but the progress
This wasn't meant to happen. The script was written for Darlington, the last visitors to the shoddy surroundings of Boothferry Park, to come and go without even a murmur so Hull could bow out in style. Not on your Nelly! A couple of months ago maybe,
PUPILS pulled on their dancing shoes for an annual competition. Hurworth Comprehensive School's inter-house dance competition is always fiercely contested and this year was no exception. Each of the five houses had to choose music and a routine to perform
YOUNGSTERS are celebrating after being awarded a grant of almost £30,000 to transform the backyard of their caf. The Ferryhill e.caf has proved a tremendous success, but members have been unable to use the yard for safety reasons. Ferryhill Town Council
I READ with interest your recent article on Bennet House and its history (Echo, Dec 4). I wish to take issue with you, however, on your opening paragraph referring to a building with "no significance, no real use ...". Through the generosity of Darlington
CARMEL Technology College, in Darlington, is planning to build two blocks and modify the car park. An application for a two-storey technology block to its west side and a single-storey assembly hall and sports changing block to its east, have been received
CHICAGO star Catherine Zeta Jones is the next celebrity in the firing line for an author with a lethal touch. Stars dread the news that Cliff Goodwin is working on their life stories because it often means an epitaph is just around the corner. He has
Intimate letters handwritten by Diana, Princess of Wales could be auctioned off and sold by her former lover, James Hewitt, his lawyer revealed yesterday. "The letters belong to James Hewitt, he is free to sell them either to a private collector or by
A BUSINESSMAN'S dream of selling cars from his shop forecourt has been thrown out by councillors after angry neighbours protested at Stockton Town Hall. David Ozelton, who runs a car radio repair shop in Norton Road, Stockton, had asked Stockton Borough
DARLINGTON midfielder Ashley Nicholls believes Craig Liddle was unlucky to see red on Saturday - and is backing the skipper to successfully appeal against his dismissal. Liddle was given his marching orders just two minutes into the second half of Saturday's
THERE are times in the gardening year when you know that everyone, with perhaps only a few exceptions, will be struggling with the very same horticultural puzzle. Just such a time is looming on the horizon. I can guarantee that in a few weeks, I will
KIND-hearted Elizabeth Frost has never outgrown her love of Christmas with its lights and decorations. That is why she has been adding to her display of lights around the house every year. She has a Father Christmas on a train, reindeer, bears, elves
DON'T get caught out by pickpockets in the run-up to Christmas - that is the message from Stockton police. The theft of cash and credit cards increase dramatically at this time of year as shoppers laden with bags become easy pickings for both the opportunist
A NORTH-EAST group has recorded a CD of its latest songs to raise money for a mental health charity. The Fruity Buckfoot Band, based in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, recorded Rock 'n' Roll Christmas in aid of the a branch of Mind. The CD features three
A MOTHER-OF-TWO has denied leaving her husband to drown after the stolen car they were in careered into the River Tyne. Sharon Dixon escaped from the vehicle, but her husband, George, who she said was driving, drowned after being knocked unconscious.
NEWCASTLE'S street warden scheme is being extended because it has proved so popular. Wardens operate in Byker and on the Cowgate Estate but in the New Year, they will also cover Lemington, Scotswood, Walkergate and Newbiggin Hall. The wardens will patrol
PEOPLE in County Durham are being given the chance to influence the management of the countryside. They are being invited to become members of local access forums, bodies being set up under The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 to advise local authorities
A 22-year-old woman was taken to North Tyneside General Hospital with leg injuries after the car she was in crashed into a lamp post on the A19 near the A1058 slip road at Wallsend on Friday night. She was cut free by firefighters. The driver was taken
A 22-year-old woman was taken to North Tyneside General Hospital with leg injuries after the car she was in crashed into a lamp post on the A19 near the A1058 slip road at Wallsend on Friday night. She was cut free by firefighters. The driver was taken
AN opposition leader has launched a scathing attack on a Labour council after an Audit Commission report. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council Conservative Party leader, Vera Moody, has claimed credit for improvements in the authority due to her party's
A 22-year-old woman was taken to North Tyneside General Hospital with leg injuries after the car she was in crashed into a lamp post on the A19 near the A1058 slip road at Wallsend on Friday night. She was cut free by firefighters. The driver was taken
YOUNG wildlife enthusiasts got into the spirit of Christmas at the weekend. About 90 youngsters aged between eight and 13, from County Durham, Wearside and Tyneside, gathered for the event at the Durham Wildlife Trust's nature reserve at Rainton Meadows
SOCCER-MAD screen star Robson Green has told how he boots the filming of his new drama into touch when there is football on the television. The Geordie star of Wire In The Blood, Reckless and Soldier Soldier, has a demand for Sky TV written into his BBC
CAMPAIGNERS for a regional assembly have played down fears that it could widen the North-South divide. A report published by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) at the weekend suggested that regional assemblies could make the current situation
THE son of a Second World War pilot has visited a memorial in Surrey which honours his hero father. Wing Commander Richard Bunker's final action was to steer his out-of-control Stirling bomber away from a village, so saving the community. Villager Bill
LABOUR held on to one of its safest seats on Durham City Council - but Liberal Democrats were celebrating the narrow margin of the victory. Voters in the Pelaw ward, which includes Sherburn Road, went to the polls in a by-election caused by the death
AT least 100 jobs are being created as part of a firm's expansion plans. Amaro Professional Distribution, which distributes leaflets, will create the jobs over the next year as it attempts to quadruple its turnover in two years. The company is in the
ARTISTS are being urged to enter a television contest. The Hanging Jury, which closes on January 10, was launched by style guru Wayne Hemingway. Described as a cross between Pop Idol and the Turner Prize, it asks artists to submit work to be judged by
THE man behind two British blockbuster films has launched his search for a new North-East star. Newcastle film company Ipso Facto is inviting young women to open auditions for a lead role in its major production, School for Seduction, to be shot in the
A MAN was in a stable condition in hospital last night after being hit by a car. The man, who has not been named, was involved in the collision at 7am on Saturday, in Willow Road, Darlington. He was released from under the car by firefighters and taken
TEACHERS at a Darlington school have been given free mobile phones to help them deal with emergencies outside the classroom. Heathfield Primary School prides itself on integrating special needs children with mainstream pupils. But one of the most challenging
TWO A-level students at Darlington's Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College have won places in the finals of the National Schools Biathlon Championships. Mark Richardson, 17, from Newton Aycliffe, and Michael Harcourt, 17, from Darlington, came second and
A THERAPY dog that helps adults and children overcome phobias is looking to win a national title. Joan Corner, from Kelloe, near Durham, has nominated Pug for The Golden Bonio Awards 2003, which honours Britain's top dogs. She entered her pet for the
A WOMAN who fiddled almost £35,000 in benefits has been given a suspended prison sentence after admitting a string of thefts dating back six years. Pauline Morgan, 41, of Tedder Road, York, pleaded guilty at York Crown Court to charges which arose from
A GROUNDBREAKING support service has been launched in Stockton to help the elderly living at home. The floating support scheme, believed to be the first of its kind in the North-East, is being launched by Enterprise Housing Association. Joining them is
EXECUTIVES have swapped shirts and ties for their birthday suits to pose for a raunchy calendar. The unlikely pin-ups were challenged to strip off for a good cause by female colleagues. The calendars are being sold for £5 to raise money for children's
THEY may not have been doing much singing, but Herald Angels were certainly in evidence at the weekend. More than 6,000 people are thought to have visited the third Festival of Angels, in York, on Saturday and Sunday. The festival was devised to bring
In the second of a three-part series on relatives of prison inmates, Nick Morrison talks to a mother who is hiding the truth of her partner's whereabouts from her son. EVERY month or so, Robert goes to visit his dad. It's a bit of a trek, and the only
THE harbours at Scarborough and Whitby will be hard hit by a drop in income if threats to slash fish landing quotas go ahead. Councillor Michael Pitts, Scarborough council's cabinet member for the harbour and the economy, gave the warning to the authority's
A TEENAGE girl escaped from the clutches of a sex attacker who dragged her into college grounds. The 14-year-old victim bravely fought off the pervert after being grabbed from behind. She was returning from the shops in Wolviston Road, Billingham, Teesside
MORE than 100 primary school children showed off their acting skills in a delightful Christmas production. The colourful performance about a little angel proved a tremendous success, as youngsters put on their production for 320 parents, staff and carers
OIL has been washed up on the beach at Filey. Teams of workmen from Scarborough Borough Council have begun an operation to clear bags of contaminated sand. Warning notices have also been erected for the public. The worst affected area on the seven-mile
AN operation carried out by police and trading standards officers has been followed by a warning that they will take a tough line on off-licences and shops which sell alcohol to children. Two 15-year-old girls were sent into premises in York and managed
ONE of England's oldest continuously inhabited medieval manors has proved so successful with visitors that its owner plans to open for longer periods. Lady Deidre Curteis said she was surprised by the number of people who toured Markenfield Hall, near
THE third edition of a video diary telling the story of life in a North Yorkshire market town, has been released. Mike Porter has been chronicling affairs in Richmond on video since 1998, catching events such as the Millennium celebrations, the collapse
THERE'S an old joke about a couple from one of the North's most depressing estates who moved to London and were offered a house next door to Buckingham Palace. They refused, explaining to Westminster Council that they were not prepared to live next door
A NEW control centre for closed circuit cameras in Hambleton has gone live with the official launch of £120,000 worth of equipment. Forty-one cameras have moved to a new site at the Civic Centre in Northallerton, where images from Northallerton and Thirsk
I really should start a collection of the unusual names of organisations Ive spoken to over the years. Favourites have included the British Concrete Manufacturers Association who turned out to be very set in their ways. Dont worry, the gags on the night
Trading Standards officers in Hartlepool are urging people to remember that Christmas decorations are not toys. They say that while toys must comply with strict safety regulations, decorations are exempt. Officers have recently found Christmas decoration
One weekend not too long ago was instructive in the highs and lows of British tourism and showed why we can be the best in the world, and the worst too. After a speaking engagement near Glasgow, we took the chance to enjoy a weekend on the West Coast
Percival Push Project, Sutton Bank MANY of us who wish to accompany family and friends on rambles but who also have some kind of mobility problem to accommodate, will be glad to hear of Percival. I first heard of Percival in connection with the Percival
I WOULDN'T imagine many people have likened heavyweight Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott to the sleek, clinical professionalism of an Italian footballer, but both are living proof that, in life, there is no substitute for experience. In its handling
DARLINGTON served notice that their promotion bid is moving into exhilarating overdrive when they won 50-16 at home to promotion rivals Macclesfield on Saturday. The expected tight game looked like materialising with Darlington leading 9-6 just before
Someone up there was smiling on me last week, because the speaking diary worked out in just the right order. Usually, and it's probably happened to you too, there's a zig-zag effect, but my route of Leicester, London and then Bristol was ideal. My hosts
CAPCOM Vs SNK 2: EO Publisher: Capcom. Format: Gamecube. IS there anything more that can be done with the two-dimensional beat 'em up? Capcom clearly believes there is. Capcom Vs SNK 2: EO is the culmination of a 15-year journey that started in the arcades
WITH an exquisite first half free-kick, Middlesbrough's loan star Geremi continued to light up the Premiership on Saturday. In his short time on Teesside, the Cameroon midfielder has quickly adapted to the pace of the English game and he was again impressive
NEWLY-CROWNED North-East Cross Country Champion Michael Openshaw could set himself an Olympic target just over a year after stepping down from international athletics. The 30-year-old Durham City finance officer was so disappointed with his performance
IT'S not everyday you discover you are on the same wavelength as an intergalactic Star Fleet commander, but that's what happened to me yesterday. William Shatner - know universally as Captain James T Kirk - is in Britain as part of a Star Trek convention
There's still a perception in some quarters that universities can be out of touch, but our own University of Teesside has always been a leader in keeping firm contacts with all strands of life. It's probably partly down to its roots as Constantine College
A renowned scientist has been approached to investigate whether there is any link between a nuclear power station and increased levels of cancer. Nuclear Free Future, which is lobbying against plans for a second nuclear station in Hartlepool, has commissioned
PROPOSALS for how an extra £35.9m can be spent on improving health in a deprived area have been revealed. Under a new funding formula, the Department of Health has awarded the sum to Easington Primary Care Trust (PCT), which covers Easington and east
Every music hall comedian worth his salt used to have a bundle of gags about the old British Rail catering, and the scorn in the old days was often richly deserved. It's amazing that the efforts put in by our main line operator GNER have changed the image
COUNCIL tax payers in the North-East face an increase of more than eight per cent in their bills next year. Leading local government figures say they may have to levy inflation-busting increases because the Government has not provided enough money in
THERE is a famous Fawlty Towers sketch in which an irritable guest complains about the view from her hotel window. I forget the precise words but Basil Fawlty asks through gritted teeth: "What did you expect from a Torquay guesthouse - the Eiffel Tower
A recent article in The Cricketer claimed that Durham Cricket Club was presiding over 'giant strides... made' and 'first-rate facilities' for supporters with disabilities at the Riverside. With such an effort being made by a major north-eastern sporting
I know it's a while back now, but while everyone at the club enjoyed the win over Darlington it was tainted with Gordon Watson suffering a broken leg. It is so sad for Flash, especially with what he has been through before, but I know he will be back
AFTER successive heartbreaks over a long list of goldfish and rabbits, I vowed never to have another pet in the house. But then came Bella, the irresistible border collie. We'd gone to London to visit my mate Ted, father of my godson Christopher and his
THERE is something deeply moving about seeing your little boy running out for football training wearing a new Arsenal shirt with his name and a number nine emblazoned on the back. BARRON looks good on the back of an Arsenal shirt, I thought to myself
