MIDDLESBROUGH have long been accused by the English game's chattering classes of having ideas above their football station. Certainly, the establishment have indulged in an unhealthy dose of schadenfreude whenever Boro's policy of trying to buy success
NOT for the first time, and not for the last, the Manager of the Month curse struck again at Stamford Bridge yesterday and in emphatic fashion. Newcastle United boss Sir Bobby Robson picked up the accolade on Friday for guiding his side to four straight
JUNINHO last night revealed he was "very upset" to be axed from the Middlesbrough team as Steve McClaren searched for a winning formula. The Brazil midfielder made his first Premiership start for almost two months at Villa Park on Saturday and he played
THE Earl of Wessex flew half way round the world last night to be reunited with his wife after the birth of their first child. Sophie, 38, is recovering in hospital after undergoing an emergency caesarean section to deliver her premature daughter. The
It took Shildon ten weeks and five tough matches to reach the FA Cup first round for the first time since 1961, but with just 18 minutes on the clock at Meadow Lane yesterday it looked to be all over. A spirited second half fight-back gave Shildon a glimpse
A SOPHISTICATED indoor cannabis farm with a possible yield of almost £40,000 was discovered in a rented industrial unit, a court heard. Police came across the farm in January after a tip-off from a member of the public who reported suspicious activity
PETER REID is refusing to admit defeat in his quest to transform cash-strapped Leeds United back into becoming a Premiership force. "I've never been one for quitting and I don't plan to do so now." Words he uttered after watching his side drop to a new
VIRTUAL reality will play a major role in regeneration projects in the future, senior planners will hear at a conference being held in the University of Teesside. The event is aimed at central and local government planners and staff from housing and regeneration
NO FA CUP heroics for Whitby this year but boss Harry Dunn had the perfect pick-me-up for his players: "Ten or 12 pints tonight and they will be as fit as a butcher's dog!" Following the afternoon his team had at Victoria Park, it was the right response
The official name for the shade of Shildon's eye-catching shirts is psychic purple, but at the start of the season nobody could have predicted the Railwaymen's FA Cup run would end in November at the home of the world's oldest professional club and one-time
The Prince of Wales arrived back in Britain last night to face the escalating crisis enveloping him. Charles has been shielded from the growing media circus as he carried out a tour thousands of miles away in Oman - a country whose own newspapers have
OUR region faces enormous challenges as it strives to overcome the impact of the continuing decline of traditional industries. The Northern Echo reports job losses all too often, while job gains make the headlines all too infrequently. That damaging imbalance
ON a recent (very extravagant) shopping spree I was amazed at how the culture of the Neanderthal salesmen is still alive with women expected to have no opinion on products that aren't pink or flowery. Having listened to my favourite cheesy CDs on the
DETAILS have been unveiled for a £1.45m bus station which it is hoped will help regenerate a town. Stanley's 30-year-old bus station, on the A693 town centre bypass, will be replaced by one sited on the nearby Mary Street car park. The development will
CHILDREN from a Durham school are to visit a recording studio today to compete in a television quiz. The four pupils, from Finchale Primary School, Newton Hall, qualified to take part in ITV's Eliminator quiz show, after programme-makers visited the school
SIR BOBBY ROBSON last night criticised referee Paul Durkin for the dismissal of Newcastle United centre-back Andy O'Brien and refused to rule out appealing against the decision. O'Brien was shown the red card four minutes before half-time at Chelsea yesterday
PROTESTORS made a wall of cardboard outside Tony Blair's North-East home yesterday to demonstrate the effects of Israel's "security fence" on Palestinian lives. More than 20 supporters of Durham Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) descended on the Prime
THE Prime Minister has welcomed an extension of The Northern Echo's Working For A Future campaign, aimed at helping the region recover from the manufacturing crisis. It is more than a year since the paper launched the campaign following the loss of 950
MORE than 100,000 pensioners in the North are missing out on about £30 a month by not claiming council tax benefit, it was claimed today. The Liberal Democrats released new figures which showed 28 per cent of elderly people in the region were failing
The closure of manufacturing industries has revealed an alarming skills shortage in the region's workforce. Now, a £1bn campaign backed by The Northern Echo is set to boost post-16 education in the North-East. Julia Breen reports. THE 15-year-old looked
SMART in his Royal Navy uniform, 18-year-old Joseph Fred Dickinson and his comrades aboard HMS Warrior were gathered together and told some solemn, welcoming words. "They said, 'the war is over,' and, oh,we rejoiced, just rejoiced." For Mr Dickinson,
Britain's oldest war veterans led the Remembrance Sunday march past at London's Cenotaph yesterday. The Queen, stoical in black, laid the first wreath in tribute to the fallen. A wreath was also laid on behalf of the embattled Prince of Wales, who was
COLLEGE principal Sarah Farley has been appointed Deputy Lieutenant of County Durham. She will help Lord-Lieutenant Sir Paul Nicholson in his work as Her Majesty's personal representative in the county. Ms Farley, 40, will support charitable and voluntary
MENTAL health care in Darlington has received a positive report just ahead of a proposed £500,000 investment in services. But mental health bosses admit that while progress has been made there is still a lot of work to be done. The annual review of mental
ARCHAEOLOGY lovers descended on one of the country's most important prehistoric sites to hear about controversial plans for its future. Thornborough Henges, near Ripon, has the greatest concentration of late Neolithic and early Bronze Age henges, or circular
A NORTH Yorkshire ice cream man has been named as the UK's favourite. Alf Douglass, who has sold ice cream to children in the Acomb, Dringhouses and Chapelfields areas of York for 43 years, won a competition designed to find the nation's best ice cream
AUTHOR Keith Proud visited a bookshop on Saturday to sign copies of his new book, which charts the history of Durham City. The book, which is tipped as the local best-seller of the season, is packed with information about the city's culture and heritage
AN amateur singing group is inviting people to capture the spirit of Broadway. The group, Sing Live North- East, is looking for people to boost its numbers to 150 for its next production. Rehearsals begin next month for Sing Broadway, a show that will
Generations of women could be facing poverty in old age because they cannot afford to save for retirement. Women's Editor Christen Pears reports. RETIREMENT should be a time for enjoyment and relaxation but for many women it brings only the prospect of
YOUNG competition winners have seen their designs transformed into full-size Christmas decorations. Jasmine Charlton, seven, and Rachel Slattery, ten, of Finchale Primary School, and Katie Hughes, eight, of Ushaw Moor Infants School, both in the Durham
A BISHOP has hit back at reports which suggested that he had given his backing to gay and lesbian marriage services. Newspaper reports claimed that the Right Reverend John Packer, Bishop of Ripon and Leeds, had given his permission for same sex services
A PET owner whose dog suffered serious injuries after it was attacked, has warned fellow dog walkers to be wary. George Inman had been walking his lurcher near the Durham Light Infantry Museum and Art Gallery, at Akley Heads, Durham, when two other dogs
HUNDREDS of young people from across County Durham will gather for a presentation evening tomorrow. The event is being organised by Durham County Council's Education in the Community Service and marks the conclusion of National Youth Work Week. It is
TWO loveable lurchers face spending Christmas in kennels unless new homes can be found for them. Tip and Jake were taken in more than a month ago - both underweight and in poor health. But staff at Amirene Kennels, Royal Oak, West Auckland, have nursed
A SEA of purple scarves, shirts and even wigs swept over the stand as Shildon supporters celebrated an historic day yesterday. An army of loyal fans had travelled to support The Railwaymen in their match against one of the country's oldest clubs, Notts
HUNDREDS of young people from across County Durham will gather for a presentation evening tomorrow. The event is being organised by Durham County Council's Education in the Community Service and marks the conclusion of National Youth Work Week. It is
AN MP has given her seal of approval to a new training centre. Redcar MP Vera Baird officially opened a centre of vocational excellence, geared to bridging a skills gap in the engineering industry. Funded by the Learning and Skills Council, Edison House
A COLLEGE balloon race in North Yorkshire has helped raise hundreds of pounds for an Army charity. Scores of balloons were released in July as part of the festivities at Darlington College's Catterick campus open day. Visitors were encouraged to sponsor
MORE than 200 secondary school pupils have received awards from old boy and Sheffield United footballer Michael Brown. Parents, teachers and governors packed High Tunstall School, Hartlepool, for the ninth annual awards evening. The awards for exceptional
A POLICE chief has warned there is no room for complacency - despite figures which show an overall fall in most categories of crime. Heartened by the latest Home Office statistics, Cleveland Chief Constable Sean Price said: "Working with our partner agencies
PLUS points were thin on the ground for David Hodgson yesterday - but the new Darlington boss admits the FA Cup humbling to non-league Hornchurch has answered some questions. The Ryman League outfit ensured Hodgson's first game back in charge would be
AN amateur singing group is inviting people to capture the spirit of Broadway. The group, Sing Live North- East, is looking for people to boost its numbers to 150 for its next production. Rehearsals begin next month for Sing Broadway, a show that will
THE Prime Minister has welcomed an extension of The Northern Echo's Working For A Future campaign, aimed at helping the region recover from the manufacturing crisis. It is more than a year since the paper launched the campaign following the loss of 950
BREAST FEEDING: HAVING read your article on breast feeding (Echo, Nov 4) I am driven to write to you with my opinion. I have never heard of such a ridiculous idea as to allow breast feeding mothers time out to feed their offspring. How could this be done
Norway's Petter Solberg was crowned King of the Road for the first time after a convincing victory in the Wales Rally GB yesterday. The former disco-dancing champion donned a Viking helmet as he did a jig of joy along a throng of fans after triumphing
VISITORS to a Hartlepool museum will be able to see one of the world's greatest cultural and religious treasures on display. A top quality facsimilie copy of the Lindisfarne Gospels, created in the early 700s, has gone on view at the Museum of Hartlepool
A LEADING Teesside politician has vowed to contact the commissioners of a new £4m footbridge and demand they use Teesside steel. Conservative councillor Stephen Smailes also criticised Tees Valley Regeneration for failing to opt for the bridge design
AN ANIMAL sanctuary for exotic animals is seeking a court injunction to regain control of its rented property, following its eviction. Peter Heathcote, chief executive of the Exotic Animal and Welfare Trust, said his curator had returned to the site at
In a class of her own Prime Suspect (ITV1) Throughout this story, people kept asking Det Supt Jane Tennison if she'd been under any particular stress recently. The answer, of course, was yes. After 30 years in the job, it had been suggested after her
A NORTH-EAST university is to strengthen its ties with its Chinese counterparts following an agreement last week. Durham University has collaborated with Renmin University for 20 years in politics, European and Asian studies but is looking to expand.
A VICAR who became a best-selling author is giving up his parish after suffering heart problems. The Reverend Graham Taylor, vicar at St Mary's Church, in Cloughton, near Scarborough, has denied that he is retiring to boost his bank balance as an author
FOLLOWING a frustrating period of predominantly fast ground Len Lungo has finally decided the time is right to get his horse box out on the road and take a raiding party to one of his favourite hunting grounds, Carlisle. "As soon the rain comes we are
THREE people died in separate road accidents across the region. A green Citroen car hit a railway bridge parapet on the A67 at Eaglescliffe, near Stockton, on Friday night, killing two men and injuring a third. Minutes later, in a separate incident, a
I have begun to lose my faith in girl power, especially after seeing Madonna and Britney kiss in Spears' new music video. First it was the three-way clinch with Christina Aguilera at the MTV awards and now Spears is talking about what a great lady Madonna
SHILDON'S dreams of FA Cup glory ended yesterday despite a spirited performance from the lowest ranked team left in the competition. The club - cheered on by 1,000 fans from County Durham - lost 7-2 in a memorable encounter at Notts County. Albany Northern
BUS operator Go North East is asking passengers to share their views on bus travel. The company has initiated a number of user surgeries across the region, with the latest taking place for residents of Bishop Auckland, County Durham. Sessions will allow
EMERGENCY care provision in County Durham is due for a shake up as a result of a new scheme - the first of its kind in the country. The five primary care trusts which serve the county are working together to provide a comprehensive system for dealing
FEARS that Darlington's impressive rise to National Three North will prove shortlived have evidently not afflicted the 15 players on duty on Saturday. They showed guts and determination to turn round a game which seemed to have slipped away from them
IT'S not too often that a man called Shearer threatens to be the hero at the Stadium of Light. The normal course of events among the Wearside faithful on a Saturday afternoon involve a few renditions of a song about the Newcastle skipper that is far from
BREAST FEEDING HAVING read your article on breast feeding (Echo, Nov 4) I am driven to write to you with my opinion. I have never heard of such a ridiculous idea as to allow breast feeding mothers time out to feed their offspring. How could this be done
France stand between England and a place in the 2003 World Cup final after Jonny Wilkinson and super-sub Mike Catt inspired a frantic second-half fightback against Wales at Suncorp Stadium. Quarter-final opponents Wales looked on the verge of achieving
If new Darlington manager David Hodgson wasn't in full knowledge of the scale of the task he has facing him then yesterday's FA Cup catastrophe will have made it quite clear. The full extent of Quakers' problems were fully exposed yesterday as Hodgson's
TWO injury-time goals gave North Shields a dramatic win over Wolviston at Metcalfe Park. Despite leading by two goals at the interval, the home side lost 3-2 when the Robins scored twice at the death. Carl Brunskill saw his effort deflected into the path
THE frustrations continued to grow for Darlington Mowden Park when Kelekolio Paino lasted only five minutes on his comeback from a knee injury at Halifax on Saturday. There are now fears that the influential Tongan lock will be out for some time, spoiling
HUNDREDS of young people from across County Durham will gather for a presentation evening tomorrow. The event has been organised by Durham County Council's Education in the Community Service and marks the conclusion of National Youth Work Week. It is
DETAILS have been unveiled for a £1.45m bus station which it is hoped will help regenerate a town. Stanley's 30-year-old bus station, on the A693 town centre bypass, will be replaced by one sited on the nearby Mary Street car park. The development will
THE widow of a magistrate has raised more than £3,000 for charity by running the New York Marathon. Mother-of-two Melanie Albrighton, whose husband, Ken, died last November, aged 49, finished the race in less than four-and-a-half hours. Mrs Albrighton
A PHOTOGRAPHER has won an international award in her first competition. Janet Warren, of Seaton Carew, near Hartlepool, won a merit award in the international Master Photographers Association competition. The mother-of-two, a keen photographer since she
HUNDREDS of children and parents lined the streets of Darlington on Saturday morning and cheered loudly as Santa made one of his first appearances of the year. In a sleigh pulled by six reindeer, Santa and his little helper waved out at the crowds as
RESIDENTS are threatening to boycott a £1.3m community centre in Darlington because of a smoking ban. Maidendale House, is due to open in Firthmoor in January but residents are furious that they were not consulted over plans to make it a no-smoking building
AN investigation is under way to find out why 170 fish were found washed up on the banks of the River Wear last week. One possibility is that chlorine escaped from a new water treatment plant in upper Weardale and contaminated the river, poisoning the
MPS will decide to today whether health officials should have the power to add fluoride to drinking water. Fluoride is naturally occurring in water in Hartlepool and is already added in areas of north Durham. However there is growing opposition among
A BUILDING company has been singled out for praise by a government minister after one of its key employees was called up to fight in Iraq. Lance Corporal Andy Kettlestring, from the Queen's Own Yeomanry, works for WM Birch and Sons, a fourth generation
Durham's first town crier had some tough opposition from unexpected quarters... Northern Echo reporter Gavin Englebrecht. Here's how he fared. HAVING once worked as a megaphone man on the streets of Dublin, I felt I may have had a measure of experience
ZOE Lucker is in great shape. With her blonde hair flicked up at the ends and tight jeans clinging to all the right places, the Footballers' Wives star looks as stunning in real life as she does on screen. Some traits of her superbitch character, Tanya
A LEADING Teesside politician has vowed to contact the commissioners of a new £4m footbridge and demand they use Teesside steel. Conservative councillor Stephen Smailes also criticised Tees Valley Regeneration for failing to opt for the bridge design
AN amateur singing group is inviting people to capture the spirit of Broadway. The group, Sing Live North- East, is looking for people to boost its numbers to 150 for its next production. Rehearsals begin next month for Sing Broadway, a show that will
CHILDREN at a primary school are being left with no excuse to feel lonely or left out at playtimes. The 500-pupil Normanby Primary School, near Middlesbrough, has introduced a pioneering pals scheme. Children in the school's top class have been trained
CHILDREN were at the heart of an emotional remembrance service. More than 80 Hartlepool youngsters from St Aidan's Primary School and the town's Brownies, Rainbows, Scouts and Boys' Brigade took part in a ceremony at the town's Stranton Cemetery on Saturday
EMERGENCY care provision in County Durham is due for a shake up as a result of a new scheme - the first of its kind in the country. The five primary care trusts which serve the county are working together to provide a comprehensive system for dealing
THE fallen heroes of war were remembered in poignant services across the region yesterday. At churches, war memorials and parades, thousands turned out to ensure that those who gave their lives would never be forgotten. Among the tributes, were those
AN amateur singing group is inviting people to capture the spirit of Broadway. The group, Sing Live North- East, is looking for people to boost its numbers to 150 for its next production. Rehearsals begin next month for Sing Broadway, a show that will
FOLLOWING a frustrating period of predominantly fast ground Len Lungo has finally decided the time is right to get his horse box out on the road and take a raiding party to one of his favourite hunting grounds, Carlisle. "As soon the rain comes we are
REGULARS at a village pub are being urged to raise a glass in tribute to a popular teacher who died in a car accident earlier this year. A beer has been produced in memory of mother-of-two Jennifer Askew and a share of the profits will go to her favourite
Prime Suspect (ITV1): Throughout this story, people kept asking Det Supt Jane Tennison if she'd been under any particular stress recently. The answer, of course, was yes. After 30 years in the job, it had been suggested after her review - or MoT, as she
THE first two of the toxic ships heading for Teesside sailed into British waters last night - and a political storm. As the contaminated American vessels, dubbed the ghost ships, drew ever closer to Hartlepool to be dismantled, the row surrounding the
FANS' favourite Julio Arca believes the Sunderland players must get the Wearside roar reverberating around the Stadium of Light again if they are to relieve the home pressure which is threatening to blight the Black Cats season. However, while the Argentinian
Pat Eddery brought down the curtain on his glittering career on a losing note at Doncaster, but he still received the biggest cheer ever to greet a beaten odds-on chance as he returned on third-placed Gamut after the CIU Serlby Stakes. The 11-times champion
