FOOTBALL stars went back to school yesterday to help raise the profile of a scheme to boost foreign language learning. Newcastle United's French players, Laurent Robert and Olivier Bernard, visited Ryton Comprehensive School and the junior school next
The Four Countries Fellowship is contested yearly by the indoor clubs of Belfast, Dundee, Cardiff and Hartlepool, extending the hand of friendship in the British Isles. This year's event was played at Cardiff and was won in the last game by Hartlepool
Middleton St George are still favourites to clinch the Division A title despite losing to rivals Rockliffe Park in the penultimate game of the season at the weekend. Middleton go into tomorrow's final match at home to Barton with a 13-point lead over
From this newspaper 100 years ago. - It is hardly creditable to a budding health resort to have to listen to a reproof from the Chief Magistrate of the Bench as to the bad language used in its streets, and yet this is what occurred at Ripon on Wednesday
VILLAGERS have taken to the streets to campaign for a 20mph speed limit. People living in Close House, near Bishop Auckland, are also calling for weight restrictions to stop heavy lorries and other large vehicles travelling through the narrow streets.
Cathryn Craig, a singer-songwriter from Virginia, US, will be appearing at Boldron Village Hall, near Barnard Castle, on Tuesday, October 7, at 8pm. With her will be guitarist Brian Willoughby, of The Strawbs. Tickets are available on (01833) 631463.
A COUNCIL planning chairman survived a vote of no confidence by an overwhelming majority. Bishop Auckland Labour member Barbara Laurie was given all party support against a claim by Independent councillor Ron Grogan that she had misled colleagues on Wear
Marks and is investing in the future of Bishop Auckland by giving its Newgate Street store a £120,000 facelift. The work starting on Monday will enable the store to offer a wider food range and wines, better fitting rooms and collect-by-car parking. Work
VILLAGERS have taken to the streets to campaign for a 20mph speed limit. People living in Close House, near Bishop Auckland, are also calling for weight restrictions to stop heavy lorries and other large vehicles travelling through the narrow streets.
COUNCILLORS will decide next week whether to approve plans for four new shops on the site of a former supermarket. WM Morrisons wants to build the units on land in Neasham Road, Darlington, close to where it had a supermarket. Darlington Borough Council
PUPILS at a Darlington school can now bang their own drums, thanks to the efforts of their parents. Abbey Junior School has invested in new percussion instruments after a donation from the Parents' and Friends' Association (PFA). The PFA handed over a
HUNDREDS of former soldiers who raised funds to repair a fire-ravaged church have seen the result of their donations. About 300 members of the Durham Light Infantry visited their old regimental headquarters at Brancepeth Castle, near Durham. The nearby
HUNDREDS of former soldiers who raised funds to repair a fire-ravaged church have seen the result of their donations. About 300 members of the Durham Light Infantry visited their old regimental headquarters at Brancepeth Castle, near Durham. The nearby
AN antiques valuation day raised more than £600 for charity. A team of specialists from Bonhams Auctioneers valued items at the event, at Walworth Castle Hotel, near Darlington, on Wednesday, in exchange for a donation to the Butterwick Hospice. A Bonhams
ELDERLY and disabled people in Darlington are to benefit from £1.6m of funding to improve their homes. About 400 home owners in the town will get help adapting and repairing their properties this year from a new home improvement agency, Care and Repair
A WOMAN who has given hours of tireless service to her home town has been rewarded with a citizen of the year award. Helen Stockwell, 57, was presented with the award by Guisborough Town Mayor Anne Franklin at a ceremony last night. Mrs Stockwell is secretary
RESIDENTS being terrorised by gangs are appealing for action to help reclaim their estate. Youngsters aged from ten upwards, have been caught in large groups drinking alcohol, taking drugs and riding off-road motorbikes in residents' gardens on the Wilton
Crown, Joiners Arms, Earl Derby and Surtees are the newcomers to the league that comprises two divisions of 12 clubs. Eric Johnson and Kevin Potts had a 21 dart 701 game for RAFA against Belle Vue WMC. Results: Division One: Golden Fleece A 10 (3) Mill
STUDENTS from the North-East were honoured last night at a ceremony to reward their determination to take up higher education. Fifteen young people were awarded £100 for taking part in the University of Teesside's Passport scheme. Passport allows students
DARLINGTON millionaire businessman Duncan Bannatyne has applied to further extend the Grange Hotel in Southend Avenue. The grade II listed hotel was acquired by Mr Bannatyne, chairman of Bannatyne Fitness, in 1998 through his company, Crme de la Crme.
RAILWAY passenger services in Wensleydale were back on track yesterday after the strain proved too much for the train. The 42-year-old diesel multiple train set which Wensleydale Railway is using for scheduled services between Leeming Bar and Leyburn
A MILLION-pound multi-purpose health centre is being built in the region which could be the shape of things to come. Unusually, the £1.5m health centre planned for Coundon, near Bishop Auckland, County Durham, will include two GP surgeries, a dental surgery
JOHN Cauldwell, the multi-millionaire owner of high street retailer Phones 4u, has banned staff from using internal e-mail. The tycoon - who does not use e-mail - told more than 2,500 employees they would have to swap cyberspace for face-to-face. He estimates
AS I peer dejectedly from the press box by the Wear for the final time this season, one option is to console myself with the thought that it beats the hell out of being suspended in a box over the Thames. Alternatively I could weep for the future of county
At the final track meeting of the season Adam Harker produced a personal best in the Senior Men's 800m, winning the Gold Medal in 2min7.8sec. Lewis Moses finished second in the under-17s 800m in a time of 2min5.8sec. However two hours later, Lewis came
Myths and legends of Hartlepool will be put in the spotlight on Monday. A free guided walk around the town's Headland will take in the ghost of the Grey Lady, tales of the Hartlepool monkey, and the story of how fishermen spread their nets to halt the
SUNDERLAND City Council has a new chief executive. Ged Fitzgerald, former chief executive of Rotherham council, has been chosen as the successor to Colin Sinclair, who retires at the end of the year after ten years. The four short-listed candidates for
NEALE Cooper isn't resting on his laurels at Hartlepool United. Pool are Division Two's highest scorers after last week's 8-1 rout of Grimsby and are sitting comfortably in second spot. But Cooper, who took Ross County from the Highland League to the
WE could have live Middleham chances in both Guineas races at Newmarket next year after last week's Doncaster showing. Patrick Haslam landed the May Hill Stakes with Kinnaird and Mark Johnston took the Champagne Stakes with Lucky Story, as we forecast
HAMBLETON District Council cabinet's decision to scrap charges for rodent control is gratifying in two respects. Firstly, it reverses a decision taken earlier this year to introduce the £25 charge. Readers of this newspaper's letters page will recall
ONE of Yorkshire's most unusual tourist attractions has been sold for more than its £675,000 asking price. Stump Cross Caverns has been bought by Richard Bowerman, the head brewer for Scottish and Newcastle Brewery and site manager at Theakston's Brewery
PARENTS in Castleton have won the fight to get their children back on the train to schools in Whitby. But the battle continues as they try to ensure the youngsters travel by rail in the future. At a public meeting in the North York Moors village last
A SALE of animals from one of the country's pioneers in alpaca breeding drew large crowds to the Borderway Mart, Carlisle, on Saturday. Pat Bentley was one of the country's first alpaca breeders when she founded the Syke House herd at Newby, near Penrith
When last we were down by the Riverside, it may be recalled, Durham took the first four Somerset wickets for but a single run. Later they recovered to 8-6. Inevitably seeking the last of the summer wine, we looked in again at 3.10pm on Wednesday, Glamorgan
WORRY, stress and a lack of confidence are some of the reasons behind the region's poor GCSE performance, according to a new study. The North-East Assembly yesterday unveiled its research into young people's attitudes to education in the North-East. The
In the first round of the Darlington Motor Factors-sponsored Division Two Cup Berlins won a five-goal thriller with Hole In The Wall, the winner coming in extra time with a golden goal. Hole In The Wall started brightly, and they had numerous chances
TWO girls who play water polo with the Catterick Cobras have won their way into national squads this past week. Charlotte Hanson, 17, from Aysgarth, has been selected for the senior women's squad and 13-year-old Francesca Clayton, from Healey, near Masham
A NORTH Yorkshire business which was launched in a garden shed over two decades ago, has now moved into a factory in a £2m investment project. In Print was set up by its owner, Paul Coulson and, from a small-time operation in the shed at his home in Malton
Chester-le-Street: The Cestrians went into their match at Durham City already three points clear having recently won 4-1 the previous Thursday at Killingworth. An early opportunity went begging as captain Vikki Ryder put a penalty over the crossbar but
Kirby Sigston will win the championship if they defeat Thimbleby in their final game of the season tomorrow. Last weekend they were involved in a double programme and secured victories over East Harlsey and Kildale. In the first match of the double programme
MIXED messages emerged last night about the state of the economy and what impact it may have on interest rates. Fears that last month's soaring temperatures had curbed growth on the high street were partially allayed, while manufacturing firms suffered
Haughton and Axa Insurance faced each other when Haughton stared the game in a positive mood and were rewarded early on when Andy MacLeod burst through the midfield to fire home a tremendous shot with the outside of his foot into the bottom corner of
Sir, - I refer to the proposed development of the Thirsk auction mart at the junction of Blakey Lane and the Thirsk bypass. My neighbour, Mike Whybrow, pointed out (D&S, Sept 12) the problems that will occur if no restrictions are placed on access
Wilton 1st travelled to Durham City 1st facing a tricky tie on their unfamiliar water-based surface which provided a new experience for many of the Wilton players. Despite Durham's slick passing on the slippery surface Wilton soon adapted and found themselves
At Morrisons Indoor Bowls Club in the Saturday morning men's triples John Appleton, Ken Coates and skip Derek Redfern scored 15-3 in the first six ends against Jack Grayson, Barry Hodgson and skip Ken Tinkler. They kept up the pressure throughout winning
League champions Spennymoor A failed in their quest to win the double when they were beaten by Mainsforth in the final of the knockout. Robert Hopkinson of Wolsingham beat David Strong (Shildon Railway) to take the singles title. The pairs went to Billy
EIGHT North-East food producers - all members of Northumbria Larder - scooped a fistful of honours at the 2003 International Great Taste Awards in London. The competition attracted a record 3,700 entries, including entries from Europe and North America
THE club has been invited by Scottish Polo Association to take part in the Scottish National Championships. Sedgefield, England's leading junior club over the past three years are apparently the first team from outside Scotland to be ever invited to take
Sir, - Whilst I support much of Mr Stephen Kershaw's letter (D&S, Sept 12) I have a major concern. His suggestion that a biodegradable refuse sack has environmental merit is flawed and misplaced as these products only have value in well controlled
Landlady Linda Birkett serves plenty of whisky and vodka at the Ancient Unicorn in Bowes, but she also enjoys fascinating encounters with the other type of spirit - ghosts. She has often seen what she believes is the phantom of Martha Railton, a tragic
THE news that Theakstons Brewery at Masham is to once more be proudly independent brings to mind the mouth-watering prospect of the Theakston brothers going head to head with Theakston in the shape of the other brother Paul and his Black Sheep brewery
LIFE used to be regulated by the march of miners' boots here. Former pitman Peter Campbell, 72, who lived within 30 yards of the road leading into Vane Tempest Colliery recalls: "You could set your watch to the sound of miners walking past. "There was
With the County Cup taking priority only one game took place in the first division with the improving Hurworth Albion taking on Spraire RA. After a goal-first half the home side overcame a below par Spraire side 5-1. James Edwards helped himself to a
North-East governmental organisations which believe they provide excellent services have applied for special recognition. A police force, councils and a transport authority are seeking Beacon Status. If successful, they will be used to show other public
A NEW village was born yesterday, breathing life back into a former pit site in one of the most deprived areas of the country. The remnants of the Vane Tempest Colliery, on the outskirts of Seaham, in east Durham, have been swept away and replaced with
Spennymoor A clinched the League Championship with two matches remaining in the league programme after they won in the decider at Sherburn Village. Paul Atkinson gave the Moors a great start when he put in the highest break of the season with 84 in the
Canterbury Tales: The Wife Of Bath (BBC1) IN Chaucer's original, the Wife of Bath was a randy older woman who couldn't keep her hands off men or resist taking the marriage vows. In Sally Wainwright's classy update, Beth Craddock was a leading soap star
by Robin Twizell RMD Agriculture WHEAT prices have had a slow but small drift down over the last week. This is mainly due to slightly lower US markets, so that their wheat is now cheaper than ours, and large crops are expected from both Canada and Australia
MORE than 100 firefighters were last night battling a huge moorland blaze as it extended its path towards the North Yorkshire coast. As darkness fell, 19 fire engines were at the scene on Fylingdales Moor, with specialist support vehicles also attending
THE NFU repeated its demands for a 2ppl increase in farm gate milk prices at this week's national Dairy Event. Milk price negotiations are at a critical stage and, officials said, farmers both needed and expected price rises from October 1. "No-one should
IT has been a hectic year for Teesside High School pupil Kate Soley. Kate, from Middleton St George, was first seen with her pony, Daldron Honey Bee, at a British Dressage talent-spotting day and has since enjoyed plenty of success. Since starting to
Ennis Square 1 M'brough PO 3: Middlesbrough Post Office ended Ennis Square's unbeaten start to the season to draw level at the top of the table. Playing with the wind in the first half, Post Office took a twenty fifth minute lead when David Mills made
SHILDON rally driver Barry Johnson emerged with two outright victories to his credit after a hectic weekend both north and south of the border. Driving his Subaru WRC, which had been repaired following a huge shunt in Wales a few weeks ago, the outgoing
AN Indian dance company is leading school pupils on a two-day workshop in the ancient art-form. The Annapurna Dance Company arrived at Easington Community School in east Durham, yesterday, for the start of a workshop that will finish with a performance
COMMUNITY leaders in east Durham are fighting back, after a report dubbed it the worst place to live in Britain. A study by consumer information company Experian, released this week, said residents in the district of Easington have the poorest quality
POLICE have been given a new weapon in the battle to clamp down on rowdy youths responsible for vandalism and anti-social behaviour in parks and gardens in the Richmond area. Until now, officers have had only limited powers when they have had to deal
TRUE to form, Mick McCarthy produced a light-hearted comment on the serious subject of strict refereeing that has seen matches ruined by a welter of yellow and red cards. "They'll have to cancel the League at Christmas because there will be no players
A 57-YEAR-OLD man appeared in court at Harrogate yesterday to face indecent assault charges. Ronald Turner, of North End, Long Marston, near York, was remanded on bail until October 2. Turner faces two allegations of indecent assault on the same woman
John Hewitt of Witton Gilbert guided his Rinks team to an even more spectacular victory in the Durham City Council Bowls Finals held at Belmont than he did last week when he pulled out a remarkable last wood to beat the Leeholme team in the Durham Bowling
PEOPLE across the borough of Stockton are being given an opportunity to see how a redevelopment project is progressing. The South Stockton Link Road stage two site, which is being run by Stockton Borough Council in conjunction with Birse Civils, will
COMMUNITY groups on Teesside are celebrating a National Lottery windfall from the latest round of Awards for All grants. St Peter's Church of England Primary School, in Brotton, near Saltburn, received £5,000 to install a collapsible stage in its sports
A WANDER around a pretty Wear Valley village, famed for its 7th Century Saxon church, heads a new programme of health walks. As part of the Wear Walking for Health initiative, which aims to improve health and physical fitness by encouraging walking, a
Litter-free zones are to be created which will see some commercial premises take responsibility for the rubbish generated by their customers. Harrogate Borough Council has given approval for staff to serve litter notices under the Environmental Protection
YORKSHIRE products will be on display at next week's Nidderdale Show. The Made In Yorkshire partnership, funded by Yorkshire Forward, has 19 members exhibiting at Monday's Pateley Bridge show. Clothing from Ampleforth's Fieldside Arts, furniture from
THE traditional cry of oyez, oyez could be heard in every corner of a North-East city if its bid to host the national town crier championships is successful. Residents of Durham City may need to reach for the earplugs in an event which would attract criers
A PENSIONER died of a form of lung cancer linked to asbestos, an inquest heard yesterday. The hearing at Bishop Auckland Magistrates' Court was told that Edward Alan Raw, 73, of Association Street, Shildon, died from mesothelioma cancer on July 27 last
CRIMINAL JUSTICE: RE-OFFENDING rates for young offender institutions are as high as 84 per cent (Echo, Sept 15). As preventing re-offending is one of the institutions' priorities it is clear that they do not work. So perhaps more community-based sentences
YOUNG skateboarders in a North Yorkshire market town who had been offered £60,000 towards providing a park for their sport, have been told the scheme cannot go ahead. The venture had been lined up for a site at the Pickering Recreation Ground but the
A Teesside service that cares for young people with dementia has been shortlisted for a national award. Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust's Young Onset Dementia Team is on a shortlist of three for a mental health award in the Health Service Journal
A DEDICATED horticulturist with a knack for growing giant pumpkins has branched out into another field. Jimmy Reid has already won national titles and even has a reputation in America, where the current world record holders have learned to keep a watchful
Sutton on Forest provided the attractive setting for the inaugural running of the Sutton 7 over a flat course. Alan Somers finished in 32nd place in 49.12, Geoff Bullock 45th, and 3rd in his age group, in 51.28, Paul Goacher 48th in 52.10, Ian Codling
A £250,000 multi-use games area was officially opened in Stockton yesterday. The Arlington Park facility, which is based in the grounds of Bowesfield Primary School, has a floodlit playing surface that can be used for football, netball, basketball and
All the action came in the Durham Minor Cup where a golden goal from Paul Tennick in the second minute of extra time saw Wearhead United beat Hartlepool Park Hotel. The sides had drawn 2-2 in ninety minutes with Tennick and Darren White on target for
UTILITY company Northumbrian Water last night announced it had put measures in place allowing it to be listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) on Tuesday. The water group has published its listing particulars ahead of its proposed admission. Trading
JOHN Cauldwell, the multi-millionaire owner of high street retailer Phones 4u, has banned staff from using internal e-mail. The tycoon - who does not use e-mail - told more than 2,500 employees they would have to swap cyberspace for face-to-face. He estimates
Last week's tales of amusing incidents from the 1950's and 1960's generated a few more from the archives. A referee tells the tale that he was once given pre-match instructions from the home club to make his way to the village pub before the game as there
A GUN dog breeder from the region has returned home with an armful of trophies after taking on the might of Europe at an international competition in France. Roy Bebbington and his wire-haired vizsla, Zac, were the first British duo to enter the annual
Adam Barratclough, from Sunderland, fought his way through three rounds of qualifying to make the main draw at the beginning of this week in the Futures circuit event at the Puma Tennis Centre in his home city. But the Durham and Cleveland number two
The first six matches in the competition played at the Kingsway Club, Bishop Auckland featured some good break building from attacking potting but the two matches played this week featured some very tight safety play, mixed with missed chances. The draw
GEORGE BOATENG last night called on his Middlesbrough teammates to pump up the workrate and "fight'' to halt their alarming slide. As they prepare for Sunday's visit of Everton, Boro are second bottom with only one point from their first five Premiership
A NORTH-East student who designed a car allowing drivers to have the thrills of racing while driving at safe speeds has won a top international award. Paul Howse, 20, of Northumbria University, in Newcastle, won first prize in the Interior Motives international
As Hurricane Isabel hits the US eastern seaboard, Nick Morrison looks at what causes hurricanes - and recalls the damage some of them have wreaked. THE year started with Ana, but so far it's only really been Fabian that's attracted much attention, although
Black Swan v Lingdale Utd: Black Swan continued their run of defeats, this time at home to Lingdale Utd. Naivity in defence again led to silly goals being conceded. Goals from Iseton, Woodall and two from Hololob gave Lingdale a four goal advantage which
Former Yorkshire left-armer Ian Fisher made it a 33rd birthday to forget for Darren Gough at Headingley yesterday as he bravely saved Gloucestershire from the follow on and gave his side an outside chance of promotion instead of his of his exasperated
Canterbury Tales: The Wife Of Bath (BBC1): IN Chaucer's original, the Wife of Bath was a randy older woman who couldn't keep her hands off men or resist taking the marriage vows. In Sally Wainwright's classy update, Beth Craddock was a leading soap star
A COMPANY was fined £5,000 yesterday after it admitted supplying a dangerous fireplace which almost killed a toddler. The three-year-old girl was left on a life support machine after the insecure mantelpiece and fire surround broke away from a wall as
Would you go on holiday and leave your 16 or 17-year-old home alone? Would you return safe in the knowledge that your offspring will have taken good care of your most valuable possessions? Or would you spend the entire time fearful of a repetition of
MIDDLESBROUGH Bears rounded off their Humber League fixtures on a positive note at Hull's Craven Park with a one point victory (18-17pts) against the (Hull) Preston Road Flyers. The Bears, seeking revenge for a last heat defeat four weeks ago, welcomed
Richard Hughes was in record-breaking form at Ayr yesterday and maintained his tremendous strike rate at the course with a near 141-1 treble on Brave Burt, Boogie Street and Matt Blanc. Brave Burt was only 0.18 sec outside the five-furlong course record
OLD Shildon narrowly progressed to the second round of the First Division Cup last week with a 3-2 win over rivals Thorns. Andrew Richardson had given home side Thorns a 1-0 lead when he converted a penalty, although Shildon equalised through Ian Maddison
Since starting to play mini rugby at the age of 5, Abby Blackburn's dream has been to play rugby for England. Her dream is now one step closer as she has just heard that she has got through to the second round of trials for the U19 England Women's team
FANS of the Northern Sinfonia can combine two series of concerts to give savings over single ticket costs in the coming concert season, writes Dave Robson. There's a fine spread, too, of music from Bach to modern times in five concerts at two venues -
Division One, BEADS FC 3, Bedale FC 0: Middlesbrough side BEADS bounced back from last week's disappointing 1-0 defeat, beating Bedale 3-0. Paul Newham opened the scoring just before the break after the Bedale keeper spilled a Paul Chamberlain free-kick
Tragic weapons expert David Kelly brought his public exposure upon himself, a senior Ministry of Defence official said yesterday. MoD personnel director Richard Hatfield told the Hutton Inquiry into the scientist's death that Dr Kelly would not have found
JOBS will go at a long-established North-East engineering firm at the end of next month. Fierce competition from abroad means orders have dried up and 40 jobs will be lost when C N Hadley at Middleton St George closes on October 31. The company has manufactured
North Shields manager Wilf Keilty could not hide his delight following his side's victory over Stokesley SC at the weekend. The win moved the Robins into second position, just a point behind leaders Cleadon SC and with a much superior goals difference
THE Spar shop in Durham Road, Eaglescliffe, is to close, leaving 11 members of staff out of work. The closure comes in the face of fierce competition from Tesco, sparking fears among other traders in the Orchard shopping precinct that the move could have
Matthew Caley is fast becoming one of the country's top young American footballers after starring in the Great Britain side which won the an Under-16s tournament in Italy. National representative sides from Germany, Netherlands, Russia, Switzerland, France
AN Indian dance company is leading school pupils on a two-day workshop in the ancient art-form. The Annapurna Dance Company arrived at Easington Community School in east Durham, yesterday, for the start of a workshop that will finish with a performance
WHEN Neptune's statue was removed from Durham Market Place in 1923 because of the hazard it posed to traffic, it was perhaps surprising that the Man on the Horse remained. This statue though not as old as Neptune having only arrived in 1861 compared to
With eight clubs on Durham Minor Cup duty, only one league game took place and Greyhound made it know that they will be one of the title contenders come the end of the season with a 4-0 defeat of Killinghall Arms, who also have title aspirations. The
AS I peer dejectedly from the press box by the Wear for the final time this season, one option is to console myself with the thought that it beats the hell out of being suspended in a box over the Thames. Alternatively I could weep for the future of county
THIS Government was swept into power in 1997 on the back of a manifesto which promised to create a wholly or mainly elected second chamber. On the premise that turkeys don't vote for Christmas, there was opposition from peers. But there was precious little
POP lovers from all over the world are bombarding a North-East fan club for information about their critically ill idol. Sixties singer Mike Smith, who led The Dave Clark Five, fell at his home in Spain on Saturday, suffering a serious spinal injury.
A MAN who is transforming his hobby into a business received long-sought permission this week. Alan Moore's earlier application to build extra stables and toilets at South View Farm, Bolam, and create an all-weather practice gallop for racehorse training
A PUPIL at Thirsk School, Richard Lyth, 12, has beaten 50 other youngsters to win the lead role in a production of Lional Bart's musical, Oliver! The musical is being staged at The Grand Opera House, York, from September 25 to October 4 by York Musical
The Hartlepool Mixed Pairs for the Gordon Kewell Memorial Trophy, sponsored by LK and P Motors, was won by Linda George (Hartlepool Park) partnered by Mark Higgins (Blackhall) 13-10 winners of the 11 ends final against Marion Kewell (Peterlee Town) and
A FRESH challenge was made to stop rusting American warships being dismantled in the North-East last night when environmental campaigners questioned the legitimacy of planning permission. Able UK, which wants to dismantle the fleet of 13 obsolete ships
A NEW guide to locally produced food and crafts in the North York Moors and Howardian Hills has been launched at a York festival. The pocket sized guide contains details of 150 local producers supplying everything from cheese and meats, wines, arts and
THE North-East will once again be a pioneer in the fields of engineering and manufacturing, says a prominent industrial academic. Sir Kumar Bhattacharyya made his prediction when opening the B2B manufacturing centre at the University of Teesside. Sir
THE Frank Craggs Memorial Trophy at Sedgefield Knotty Hill Golf Centre was this year won by a father and son combination. Michael Cook senior and junior of Peterlee took the trophy with 47 points. Bill and Judy Reynolds of Sedgefield finished second with
The Football Association have stepped up their campaign to urge England fans not to travel to Turkey, by going to the homes of every club in the Premiership, Football league and the Conference. The FA is so concerned about fans heading to Istanbul without
Sunderland Scorpions gave a debut to Great Britain international Gemma Watt and she tucked away a penalty shot as Scorpions crushed Basingstoke Lady Bison 26-0 in a women's premier league match. Watt's goal was Scorpions' fourth at 04.54 after Claire
Following their tour visit to Yiewsley Drive last Easter, Malton & Norton have begun fixtures across the whole range of junior levels. For their return match, the Under-17s travelled to Malton where they won 60-0. Tries came from Danny Alsop (2),
A REVISED application for the demolition of a Redcar hotel and its redevelopment into flats has been approved. The redevelopment of the Regency Hotel in Coatham Road to make 42 flats had sparked concerns from residents about the loss of another major
A PLANNED £25m biodiesel complex at Seal Sands could help the Tees Valley become the country's leading area for green fuels and renewable energy. The complex is said to be the largest in the world - and it is also hoped the largest biomass power station
A NORTH-EAST council has agreed to revoke a £50 fine imposed on a woman who left garden rubbish outside her home. The decision came after a written appeal was received from Alexandra Wilkinson, who was fined for leaving garden rubbish outside her home
COUNTRY Herb, Cumberland and sage, pork and apple, pork and honey... At Beavers the butchers in Masham, they have turned sausages into an art form, with over 40 different varieties to choose from - many of them award winners. ...pork and stilton, pork
STORMING Norman Sturman might have taken the honours, but it was Joseph Smith who caused the biggest splash at last year's event - and the ripples were still causing a commotion weeks later! Young swimmer Joseph was crowned the Under-16 Local Hero after
HUNDREDS of ponies from as far north as Aberdeen and down to Cornwall in the south attended this year's Shetland Pony Stud Book Society Breed Show at the end of August. The event was held at Queen Ethelburga's College, between Harrogate and York, the
WORK is due to start next Monday on a £165,000 road maintenance scheme in County Durham. Durham County Council highway engineers warned last night that the work, which is likely to take two weeks to complete, will require road closures, traffic diversions
A CONTROVERSIAL plan to create a £45m shopping complex in Darlington is likely to be referred to Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott next week. More than 250 people have objected to the proposals for a redevelopment of the Queen Street arcade, which would
Marks and Spencer is investing in the future of Bishop Auckland by giving its New-gate Street store a £120,000 facelift. Work starts on Monday and will enable the store to offer a wider range of facilities. The revamp will mostly be carried out through
A NEWLY-APPOINTED Darlington headteacher is hoping to gain extra status for his school. Dean Judson took over as headteacher of Hurworth Comprehensive School on Monday - the same day the school adopted a new name, Hurworth School Maths and Computing College
LEYBURN Town Council has reversed its decision to ban the Dales Festival of Food and Drink from the market place. It followed one councillor begging colleagues to at least allow a bus pick-up point there. Coun Mavis Parry added: "Our real concern is that
A GOAL from Barry Conlon was enough to keep Darlington's recent revival going with a point at York City on Tuesday night - despite Gary Pearson's second red card in three matches. The striker's thumping header from an Ashley Nicholls cross on the stroke
THE consortium of farmer-owned milk co-operatives has negotiated outline terms of a deal with receivers PricewaterhouseCoopers to secure the future of the Westbury plant. It is hoped a contract can now be completed within two weeks. Speaking at the Dairy
A MAN was undergoing surgery last night after he was stabbed during a mass brawl at a gipsy site in which shots were reported to have been fired. As many as 70 people were involved in the fight at Stockton's Bowesfield Lane gipsy site, on Wednesday night
Ripon Piscatorials attracted its usual big turnout for their annual Ure Championships. This time 116 anglers competed for bumper payouts thanks to sponsors Ripon Interiors. Leeds man Martin Thorpe lifted the much sought after trophy and a cheque for £500
TWO North-East men appeared before magistrates yesterday accused of conspiring to create a worldwide computer virus which caused millions of pounds of damage. Andrew Harvey, 22, of Scardale Way, Belmont, Durham City, appeared in Consett Magistrates' Court
Athletes from Richmond and Zetland Harriers have been in competition all across the north of England in recent weeks and catching-up with results has proved almost as hard as catching the runners, jumpers and throwers! Sam Stanislaus was at Gateshead
DISNEY'S MAGICAL QUEST Format: Game Boy Advance. Price: £29.99: ONE of the beauties of the extra horsepower beneath the slinky little Game Boy Advance clamshell is the opportunity it lends publishers to "revisit" classic games. When Nintendo published
From his base in the North-East, British Medical Association boss Dr Paul Miller is working hard to create a more clinically sensitive environment in an NHS increasingly run by number-crunchers. Health Correspondent Barry Nelson reports. IT'S not known
Chester-le-Street Town: CHESTER-LE-STREET are through to the final qualifying round of this season's FA Youth Cup after they beat Burscough 2-1 at Moor Park on Sunday. It was a below-par performance by Chester on the back of their superb 4-3 win at Morecambe
DISNEY'S MAGICAL QUEST Format: Game Boy Advance. Price: £29.99: ONE of the beauties of the extra horsepower beneath the slinky little Game Boy Advance clamshell is the opportunity it lends publishers to "revisit" classic games. When Nintendo published
Champions East Rainton completed a marvellous season winning their last game again Medomsley to finish unbeaten with 17 victories and five draws in 22 games. Batting first Medomsley totalled 136 for eight which included 49 by Dixon, while for East Rainton
NO sooner had the retained list been announced yesterday than the Durham players relaxed and allowed Glamorgan to score 239 runs in the afternoon session It prompted skipper Jon Lewis to gather his players round for what looked like a ticking-off. But
A helicopter was drafted in today to drop water on a moorland fire which more than 100 firefighters have been battling since Wednesday. North Yorkshire Fire Service said the blaze on Fylingdales Moor, in the North Yorkshire Moors National Park, was still
Ferryhill Club can boast of having two of the top four singles darts players after Roy Brown won through his semi-final to join Phil Nixon, who had already qualified. Brown entertained Jez Porter from Leicester in front of a very good crowd, who saw some
RACHEL Metcalf, of High Shipley Farm, Eggleston, is pictured above on her way to winning the ten years and under class at the recent Zetland Hunt Pony Club junior one-day event at Sandwath. Her pony, Boston Buds of Spring, was competing over a cross-country
Two members travelled off to marathons last weekend. Colin Everson finished the Robin Hood Marathon in a good time of 3 hrs. 21 mins despite the very warm conditions and similarily Gerry Hehir ran 3 hrs. 27 mins. at the Ostend marathon. Closer to home
Spennymoor expect to complete the signing of Jason Ainsley before Saturday's home game with league leaders Alfreton. Ainsley, skipper of the promotion winning team last season, left the club in the summer when Jamie Pollock resigned as manager, but he
HIGH street fashion chain Next shrugged off fears that the hot weather would have dried up summer sales as it beat City forecasts with a six per cent rise in profits. New outlets in Gateshead, Nottingham, Chester, Croydon and Dudley drove profits. The
A hat-trick by Steven Combellack handed Boosbeck St Aidens a 4-1 win over Big W. Boosbeck took an early lead when Steve Welsh scored and Boosbeck took confidence in this but Big W dug in to defend strongly. Aaron Thompson put Big W on level terms just
WILLIAM Morrison Supermarkets proved that high-profile takeover wranglings had not distracted it from its core business. The Northern chain, which is one of four store groups competing for Safeway, said that like-for-like sales rose nine per cent in the
Darlington FC will this season again be taking part in the Nationwide Supporters of Tomorrow scheme. The scheme has been designed by Nationwide to encourage clubs in the three divisions of the Nationwide Football League to promote female interest in football
A CHIEF constable has vowed to take action if any of his officers are found to have bent the rules amid allegations that police encouraged a loan to a criminal to buy shotguns. Weeks after a loan of £600 was made to convicted armed robber Keith McQuade
A DIY store manager has given up his job to open a flower shop. Russell Sawdon has left the security of working for B&Q to open the florists in Hartburn, Stockton. The shop, called Flowerhouse, carries on a tradition started by Mr Sawdon's parents
League leaders, Newhouse Club had to pull off a great recovery before they managed to beat the visiting Sunniside Comedian by the odd point. The trebles were shared but then the Comic went ahead with singles points from Bill Railton, Ray Johnson, Peter
DURHAM yesterday confirmed the release of six players, but admitted their current budget still would not allow them to bring back Shoaib Akhtar for a full season. "Money is an issue," said coach Martyn Moxon. "We are exploring whether we can find the
Spennymoor Boxing Academy is gearing up for another action-packed season which will see the globetrotting club take in another trip abroad. After accepting an invite the boxers will chalk up their latest journey across seas next month when they visit
WHEN proud father John Furniss listens to his son, Peter, playing the Mozart Clarinet Concerto next weekend, he will be remembering how much joy music brought to his wife, Joan. Mrs Furniss was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer last year - although
COUNCIL charges for rodent control in Hambleton district are to be scrapped immediately following concern that they have been deterring the public from seeking expert treatment. The council cabinet yesterday unanimously agreed with a recommendation by
A NORTH-EAST audience will be taking part in the world's largest musical event next month. Cellist Julian Lloyd Webber said: "I hope that as many local people as possible will support this classical music charity concert, part of the Voices for Hospices
Tow Law Area League: Esh McKennas held on to the top spot with an odd point win at Esh Stag's Head, the reigning champions. The visitors' took four of the singles through Colin Leigh, Joe Starr, Alan Hennigan and Eric Starr, whilst the home side had wins
Shildon edged three points clear at the top of the league after their 2-1 win at Marske on Tuesday night. Shildon, who are now unbeaten in ten league and cup games, took the lead after 42 minutes with a shot on the turn from Gary Barnes, then he got the
COUNTRY Herb, Cumberland and sage, pork and apple, pork and honey... At Beavers the butchers in Masham, they have turned sausages into an art form, with over 40 different varieties to choose from - many of them award winners. ...pork and stilton, pork
OLYMPIC gold medal winner Sally Gunnell has given her seal of approval to a new award scheme to recognise and reward the achievements of young people in the Tees Valley. On Tuesday, she visited Eastbourne sports complex at Eastbourne Comprehensive School
A BRAND new Ripon race meeting - the first new date at the course in many years - heralds the end of another successful season. James Hutchinson, clerk of the course at Ripon, said: "This season has been excellent, with some super weather and really good
It was a week for big wins, with leaders Durham HQ trouncing demoralised Derwentside 11-0. There were hat-tricks for Dave Oliver, Tony Insall and Paul Bruce, with Lee Tooke and Lee Elliott chipping in with a goal each. The win maintains HQ's unbeaten
Sir, - Your leading article of September 12 about the future of local government showed a lacked of understanding about how the county council serves the people of North Yorkshire. "Counties alone would be too remote" you stated shortly after declaring
Blue Bell B slumped to their second successive defeat when they entertained Black Lion A. Results: Wolsingham Black Lion B 5 Wolsingham Black Bull 3; Stanhope Grey Bull 7 Blanchland Sports Club 1; Eastgate Cross Keys 2 Westgate Hare and Hounds 6; Stanhope
MIXED messages emerged last night about the state of the economy and what impact it may have on interest rates. Fears that last month's soaring temperatures had curbed growth on the high street were partially allayed, while manufacturing firms suffered
A COMPANY was fined £5,000 yesterday after it admitted supplying a dangerous fireplace which almost killed a toddler. The three-year-old girl was left on a life support machine after the insecure mantelpiece and fire surround broke away from a wall as
DISNEY'S MAGICAL QUEST Format: Game Boy Advance. Price: £29.99 ONE of the beauties of the extra horsepower beneath the slinky little Game Boy Advance clamshell is the opportunity it lends publishers to "revisit" classic games. When Nintendo published
Norton & Stockton Ancients: A brilliant start to the season for Norton Under-8s with a well deserved 7-0 away win over Greatham. From the beginning, Norton attacked and were 6-0 up by half time, with four of the goals being scored by the impressive
UP to 200 rail jobs could be created through a £10m deal for a former carriageworks site in York. Newly-formed Holgate Rail Industries (HRI) is on the brink of acquiring the site from owners Ashtenne to carry out maintenance on railway support vehicles
Due to County cup commitments the league programme was reduced to just two fixtures. Near neighbours Darlington Travellers Rest and Darlington Archdeacon met at Hundens Lane in a closely contested game, although the Deacon came out 4-0 victors the wind
The big game of the weekend saw current leaders in the Premiership Sherborn Lambton Arms entertain last season's champions Hetton Lyons Cricket Club. In an very entertaining game honours were even in the 2-2 draw. Graham Best and Chris Gillespie scoring
A CAMPAIGN to stop hunting being banned is hotting up. The Government should listen to the Lords on the Hunting Bill, the Countryside Alliance said this week. A survey of 1,016 voters asked: "If the House of Commons votes in favour of the Hunting Bill
Tim Henman is determined to get Great Britain off to a winning start when he takes on Hicham Arazi in the opening rubber of the Davis Cup play-off today. Defeat against Morocco would see Britain relegated from the World Group and Henman is well aware
BARNARD CASTLE. - Tues. Fwd: 136 store cattle, 110 store lambs. Simm cow & calf: £640 C&E Gaskin; £600 G&JM Blackburn. Store bullocks. - Lim: £625 NN&RG Handley; £590, £578, £562 RA Barker; £572 R Hutchinson & Son; £550, £538, £490
A SHOCK rise in the proportion of North-East children in jobless families has thrown doubt on Government claims that is closing the poverty gap. A "poverty snapshot" has revealed that 23.3 per cent of youngsters in the region have no parent or carer in
CHILDREN from the Stockton area enjoyed a day messing about on the river yesterday. The primary school pupils took part in the second Bellboat Festival, on the Tees, which is designed for fun and to encourage team spirit. A bellboat is a twin-hold boat
A PARISH church which has been the centre of its community for 150 years is marking the anniversary with a series of events. An exhibition charting the history of St Luke's Church, in Ferryhill, and its role in the community will form the centrepiece
More than 3,500 anonymous calls have been made over the last year to a crime fighting charity in the region, new figures have revealed. North East Crimestoppers, which covers Cleveland, County Durham and Northumbria, says the calls have led to almost
Would you go on holiday and leave your 16 or 17-year-old home alone? Would you return safe in the knowledge that your offspring will have taken good care of your most valuable possessions? Or would you spend the entire time fearful of a repetition of
Dale Jordan of Middlesbrough College is Cleveland's representative in the final of the English Schools Decathlon championship at Sheffield on Saturday and Sunday. He qualified for the final by his performance in the Northern finals at York two months
Actors Jeremy Swift and Mary Roscoe will join local diva Suzannah Clarke, Opera Nova and the Northern Sinfonia for a musical tribute to Middlesbrough's most famous son, explorer Captain James Cook. Organisers Middlesbrough Council said there will be a
A PROPOSED £45m shopping mall with leisure facilities and a restaurant gallery in Darlington town centre has sparked opposition from residents and employers. The plans for the ambitious Commercial Street project, linking in to the present Queen Street
Coxhoe Under-15s continued their winning ways when the Under-15s put six past Horden on Sunday. A another good team performance featured good individual displays from Steven Bunning, Shane Gavin and Daniel Jones who is a right midfielder who has moved
CHILDREN at a primary school used their love of football as an inspiration for a giant mural. Year six pupils at Newker Primary School, Chester-le-Street, spent two days working with Lionel Playford, the artist-in-residence at the Universal Building Society
WENSLEYDALE has the "chance in a lifetime" to become a national flagship site for a new type of housing for the elderly. Supporters hope the "extra care" scheme could be developed at Bainbridge in the next two to three years. A housing association would
Coxhoe Athletic earned a valuable point in a 2-2 draw away to a strong Hartlepool Town outfit. The match was only in progress for two minutes when Coxhoe got the first break. A clearance found Andrew Soppitt deep in the Hartlepool half who went on to
Myths and legends of Hartlepool will be put in the spotlight on Monday. A free guided walk around the town's Headland will take in the ghost of the Grey Lady, tales of the Hartlepool monkey, and the story of how fishermen spread their nets to halt the
GOLDEN DIXIE looks the class act in this afternoon's six furlong Tote-sponsored Ayr Silver Cup. Rookie Kingslere handler Andrew Balding is enjoying a dream start to his training career and mugging his northern counterparts in the big-race of the day at
A CHARITY is on the look out for volunteers. Home Start Teesside needs people to offer support, friendship and help to families with children under the age of five. A spokesman for Home Start said: "Many families need a friend. They are coping with impossible
PLANS for a multi-million pound regeneration of a Teesside town centre should be submitted by the end of next month. The Gateway Project for Billingham is a proposed leisure, health, learning and cultural facility in the town's John Whitehead Park, which
CHILDREN have swapped old for new now that their Victorian school has been transformed. More than £325,000 has been spent by North Yorkshire County Council's education service on the school at Melsonby, near Richmond. The 39 children on the roll now have
TWO thousand schoolchildren will descend on RAF Leeming next week as part of a safety exercise in North Yorkshire Representing schools from across Hambleton and Richmondshire, they are taking part in the annual Crucial Crew campaign. Safety chiefs will
Willington Cottles lost their unbeaten record when they went down in the deciding team game to the visiting Willington Burn Inn. The home side went into the lead with singles wins from John Barron, Kenny Louth, Stephen Robinson and Michael Richardson,
SOLDIERS who were awarded the Victoria Cross will be remembered at a golf tournament today. The holes in the contest, at Forest Park Golf Club, Stockton-on-the-Forest, near York, have been named after 18 Green Howards who were presented with the Victoria
A watercolours exhibition is to open at Billingham Art Gallery tomorrow. The paintings, by George Colley, include Autumn at Roseberry Topping, Goathland Falls and Across Tees Bay. Mr Colley was brought up in Hartlepool and in 1968 he started his own business
A BUSINESSMAN is to build a multi-million pound events arena and exhibition centre on the outskirts of Pickering. The scheme, being promoted by Simon Boak, who is responsible for staging several big annual events in the area including the annual Northern
JOB hunters in Hartlepool are to be given free help on their doorsteps. Staff from the employment initiative Hartlepool Working Solutions (HWS) are to hold regular drop-ins around the town. HWS offers training and works with employers as well as helping
Durham County: Durham Counties' three teams entertained Humberside in the Region One Inter Counties Championship and came out even as they recorded one win, one draw and one defeat. The men's A team came through to win 24-20 and hope ate least to maintain
HUNDREDS of former soldiers who raised funds to repair a fire-ravaged church have seen the result of their donations. About 300 members of the Durham Light Infantry visited their old regimental headquarters at Brancepeth Castle, near Durham. The nearby
WHEN Neptune's statue was removed from Durham Market Place in 1923 because of the hazard it posed to traffic, it was perhaps surprising that the Man on the Horse remained. This statue though not as old as Neptune having only arrived in 1861 compared to
MY footballing education isn't just restricted to my work with Willington. Every Monday at Tow Law Recreation Centre, I am being given an object lesson in how to coach by Brian Fowler - known as Foxy to the lads that are benefiting from his expertise.
Newton Aycliffe Sunday morning side Lakeside FC unveiled their new strip last week, sponsored by Aycliffe-based printing firm Hillprint Media. Director Peter Groves is pictured with Lakeside stars Marc De Lucia (left) and Andy Clay after Hillprint signed
Canterbury Tales: The Wife Of Bath (BBC1): IN Chaucer's original, the Wife of Bath was a randy older woman who couldn't keep her hands off men or resist taking the marriage vows. In Sally Wainwright's classy update, Beth Craddock was a leading soap star
Harrogate Squash Club is planning a special homecoming for their former player Simon Parke who left to pursue a successful career on the world stage. It's more than a decade since Parke, who lived in Knaresborough and then Harrogate, left the town to
A PLAN to build a shelter for village teenagers faced strong opposition this week - and the parish council chairman was asked if he had considered resigning. The shelter was to be sited at the corner of Gas Lane, in Middleton in Teesdale, and was recommended
SINCE starting to play mini rugby at the age of five, Abby Blackburn's dream has been to play rugby for England. Her dream moved a step closer to becoming reality with the news she has won through to the second round of trials for the under-19 England
Rose Moffatt of Crook Belle Vue relies on her high scores from the 19 section of the board and was delighted to put three in the treble 19 to hear a 171 shout against the visiting Crook Jelly's Bar A. There were also good scores from her teammates when
NEWCASTLE United goalkeeper Shay Given has issued a plea for patience to anxious fans as the Magpies chase their first Premiership win this season. Given, battling to shake off a nagging knee injury ahead of tomorrow's crucial home game against Bolton
