FORMER DJ Chris Evans received more than £800,000 from his production company last year, despite the failure of shows such as Boys And Girls. The multi-millionaire's financial package from UMTV included £360,000 in dividends and £447,750 which he charged
NEWCASTLE United have failed in their bid to bring Leeds striker Michael Bridges in on loan until the end of the season, writes Adam Murray.. Sir Bobby Robson was looking to tie up a deal for the Whitley Bay-born former Sunderland forward before the transfer
Spennymoor are optimistic that their home game against Ashton United will go ahead today. Volunteers have worked hard on the pitch over the last two days, and the club hope it will pass a morning inspection. Moors boss Tony Lee said: "We really want the
A LIFELONG fan of Laurel and Hardy is sharing some of his memorabilia collection with fellow fans at a month-long exhibition. Richard Franklin has worshipped the comic duo since he was a child and, over the years, has built up an impressive collection
A NATIONAL park's rangers have warned they will be joining forces with the police in a clampdown on off-road vehicles being used illegally. People walking in parts of the Yorkshire Dales say their enjoyment of the countryside has been ruined by the irresponsible
MICK McCARTHY was last night hailed by midfielder Jason McAteer for guiding Sunderland out of the darkness and within sight of a quick return to the Premiership. When McCarthy took over last March the Black Cats were already destined for Nationwide League
DARLINGTON striker Neil Wainwright knows Saturday's victory over Rochdale was long overdue, writes Lee Hall. After ending a run of seven games without a win, David Hodgson's men are now just one point adrift of safety. Since Wainwright was on target in
WHAT would be the first three TV programmes you'd watch if someone gave you your first set? A long-retired schoolteacher told me this week his choices were Songs Of Praise (BBC1), What The Victorians Did For Us (BBC2), because it featured Cragside, Northumberland
A NORTH-East Search and Rescue Team has unveiled its new £30,000 Land Rover in memory of a popular former member. The Stan's Van appeal was started by Teesdale and Weardale Search and Rescue Team, after former secretary Stan White died in February 2002
A YOUNG jockey who was about to get his first riding licence hanged himself only days after he had parted from his girlfriend, an inquest was told. A verdict that Lee Weightman, 21, of Common Farm, Upper Helmsley, York, killed himself was recorded by
A MAN from the region who spent nearly a decade in an Indian prison on illegal arms charges may soon be released. Indian deputy prime minister Lal Krishna Advani said that negotiations were under way to free Peter Bleach. Mr Bleach, 52, formerly of Fylingthorpe
STAFF at a children's hospice are to be kept in the picture where uninvited visitors are concerned. A local company has supplied and installed a closed-circuit television system at Zoe's Place. The work comes only days before the centre, in Normanby,
POLICE across the region say they will be able to focus on fighting the war against hard drugs thanks to cannabis laws which came into force this week. Northumbria, Durham and Cleveland constabularies are geared up to deal with the Government's relaxation
A FLAGSHIP housing office has been officially opened. The £1.46m Skyline Centre was opened in Newbottle Street, Houghton-le-Spring, by Houghton and Washington East MP Fraser Kemp. The building is to be used as a blueprint for all Sunderland Housing Group's
A North-East housing association has pledged to respond to feedback from a series of meetings across the region. Residents are being given the opportunity to have their say about the way Nomad Housing operates and the services it provides. The first of
BRIDGET NICHOLLS is looking forward to a big run from her stable star, Lord Noelie, in this afternoon's Skybet Chase at Doncaster. Formerly known as the Great Yorkshire Chase, Lord Noelie has been aimed at the three-mile contest ever since providing Bridget
DARLINGTON FC: S BEATON and W Lamb (HAS, Jan 28) seem to blame Darlington FC supporters for the current situation. There is only one person to blame and that is George Reynolds, who I did support when he first arrived. But if you look more closely at
A CHEMICALS company is considering cutting its 1,800-strong workforce. Huntsman's Wilton site is under pressure to identify savings because global economic pressures are forcing the industry to tighten its belt. The US-owned firm, which must cut £120m
A CHARITY facing a funding crisis is to press ahead with an open day to help small businesses cope with changes they face when the Disability Discrimination Act becomes law. The event is being organised by the Wear Valley Disability Access Forum, on April
COUNCIL tenants are being urged to have their say as their local authority plans for the future. In order to meet the requirements of the Government's Decent Homes Standards guidelines, Teesdale District Council would have to find £24m over 30 years.
GIRLS at a Teesdale school have taken up a sport that has been absent from its curriculum for 120 years. About 100 girls between 11 and 18 at Barnard Castle School are playing the native American sport of lacrosse. To help the girls, the school has taken
A CHILDREN'S ward has received a cash boost towards the redevelopment of its facilities. The children's unit at Darlington Memorial Hospital has been presented with a £3,000 cheque. The sum was raised at a casino night and auction held in the Morritt
AN initiative to help people with mental health problems find employment has been launched. The service at Darlington Mind was launched by Ian Jamieson, a North-East regional committee member of the Community Fund, which has supported the Options Project
OPPONENTS of the proposed amalgamation of two Darlington schools have gathered hundreds of signatures on a petition against the plan. Parents of children at Whinfield infant and junior schools presented the petition to education chiefs at Darlington Borough
A DOG which has been in rescue kennels for almost a year needs a home. Sprout, a three-year-old German shepherd cross, has been living at the Dogs Trust Darlington Rehoming Centre, at Sadberge, since he was rescued. Catherine Gillie, manager of the centre
A swan stuck in an ice-covered pond was saved in the nick of time by pensioner Joan Scott. Three-year-old Swanny was minutes away from dying of hypothermia. But Mrs Scott, 84, was determined it would not be the bird's swansong. The drama unfolded at Selby
A SECONDARY school could soon become a mini fame academy after winning performing arts status. Staff at Belmont Comprehensive School, on the outskirts of Durham, were delighted to receive confirmation from the Government last week. It follows months finalising
THE cold snap has led to the closure of one of the main approaches to a North-East council headquarters. Public access to Sunderland Civic Centre is restricted until further notice after paving tiles became loose on the steps and ramps on the approach
Sponsorship of TV programmes is big business, with companies forking out millions to have their brand associated with popular shows. But how much would you have to pay to sponsor your favourite? THE services of Loose Women will cost you £430k for half-hourly
A WEEK-LONG crackdown on city centre pavement parking begins today. Northumbria Police and Newcastle City Council are mounting the blitz on motorists in the city centre. Apart from causing access problems for pedestrians, the council estimates the cost
BARRY CONLON'S Darlington days may be numbered, but on Saturday fans proved that, in football, memories don't stretch very long in football. So often the darling of the fans, and on countless occasions their saviour too, Conlon is a vital cog in the Darlington
A DUO of Davids have won The Northern Echo Superbrain quiz for the third year in four. But they may not win next year - because the pair look likely to be setting the questions. The title of Superbrain 2003 goes to teacher Dave Tucker, of Aycliffe Village
MIDDLESBROUGH have all but conceded defeat in their battle to beat the clock and land Leeds striker Mark Viduka before today's transfer window slams shut. The Australian international is due back in England today after Leeds granted him compassionate
WRITER Terry Deary hopes to build a £129m theme park based on his best-selling Horrible History children's books. The park would create 4,225 direct and indirect jobs in one of the country's worst unemployment areas, South Tyneside. The writer, one of
TIM Healy's school day memories came flooding back yesterday when the celebrity paid a visit to his former haunt. The Auf Wiedersehen Pet actor had been invited to Pelton Community Primary, near Chester-le-Street, to help mark a special occasion. Rising
BROADWAY fans have one last chance to see a performance packed with songs from the musical shows today. Zipp! The Musical, starring Gyles Brandreth and his Pocket Musical Theatre Company, is at Darlington Civic Theatre at 4pm and 7.30pm. The show features
OLIVIER BERNARD has revealed the depth of feeling in the Newcastle dressing-room over Sir Bobby Robson's controversial decision to sell crowd favourite Nolberto Solano. The hugely-popular Peruvian has joined Aston Villa in a £1.5m deal after nearly five-and-a-half
ONLY three seasons ago, Gaizka Mendieta administered the coup de grace to Leeds' memorable Champions League crusade. After featuring in the Valencia side that fought a goalless first-leg draw here, the Spaniard scored the goal which sealed a 3-0 semi-final
A TEESSIDE school has been praised by inspectors. St Clare's RC Primary School, in Middlesbrough, is in the top five per cent in the country for science results. Ofsted inspectors also judged standards in English to be very high and predicted that pupils
TONY Blair's Government may have been vindicated by the Hutton inquiry but the overriding question remains: Was the war against Iraq justified? It is a question which will not go away unless Saddam's increasingly elusive weapons of mass destruction are
MP ALAN Milburn proved he had a big heart yesterday by backing a charity's Valentine's Day campaign. The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is asking people to declare their feelings by sticking love notes in the window of its charity shops and making £1
A SNOWBALL fight ended in tragedy when a teenager was in collision with a bus in front of his friends. Stephen Moore, 15, was hit as he threw snowballs with his friends and girlfriend Sarah Beaton, as they left a youth club in Byker, Newcastle, at about
TWO police officers were injured by a man in a fracas outside a Spennymoor nightclub, a court was told yesterday. John Christopher Taylor, 24, of Wood View, Spennymoor, appeared before magistrates at Newton Aycliffe. He admitted being drunk and disorderly
UNEMPLOYED people are being given the opportunity to follow their dreams. Hugh McGouran, the new boss of Pertemps Employment Alliance, in Albert Road Middlesbrough, has pledged to help anybody who wants to achieve their ambition. He said: "We have got
WORK is due to begin tomorrow on a scheme to improve County Durham's busiest roundabout. The main phase of the work is a £500,000 project to redesign the Millburngate roundabout, in Durham City. The roundabout is used by more than 40,000 vehicles a day
Film-making in the North East may still be in its infancy, but North-East Arts Writer of the Year Steve Pratt meets the man charged with ensuring that Billy Elliot was no flash in the pan. The framed poster behind Tom Harvey is for the British film Billy
AN RAF officer has been recognised by the Pakistani embassy in London for his work with youngsters from ethnic minorities. Sergeant Mohammed 'Mo' Kahn, 39, from RAF Linton on Ouse, near York, was awarded an MBE in the New Year's Honours List. Following
A COMMUNITY centre has completed a £56,000 refurbishment in time for a show. Chester-le-Street Community Centre was awarded a grant by the National Lottery fund to install a lift that will allow disabled people to gain access to the centre and for general
NORTH Yorkshire stands to lose many thousands of pounds in grant aid from Brussels. Timothy Kirkhope, European MP for the Yorkshire and Humber constituency, said the whole region was likely to lose £520m of European funding under European Commission proposals
NEW legislation banning replica firearms from public places has been welcomed by a senior police officer. North Yorkshire Police Assistant Chief Constable David Collins said the new laws could be a life saver. The Anti-Social Behaviour Act came into force
THE work of some of Britain's most talented glass artists will be on display next week. The diverse range of artwork created by eight people shortlisted for the Jerwood Applied Arts Prize, will be on view at the National Glass Centre, in Sunderland, from
YOUNGSTERS are to hold their own Groundforce day to clear the overgrown gardens of a resource centre. The young people are all members of Millennium Volunteers, an organisation which aims to encourage people aged 16 to 24 to make a difference in their
Film-making in the North East may still be in its infancy, but North-East Arts Writer of the Year Steve Pratt meets the man charged with ensuring that Billy Elliot was no flash in the pan. The framed poster behind Tom Harvey is for the British film Billy
More than 4,800 people have signed a petition protesting against plans to cut train services in the region. It will be handed to transport minister Kim Howells by Ashok Kumar MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, Redcar MP Vera Baird and Stockton
Just weeks since she was appointed, Darlington's new domestic violence co-ordinator is tackling the issue head on. She talks to Women's Editor Christen Pears. RECENTLY, a Spanish judge caused controversy by telling a woman she didn't fit the profile of
PLANS are afoot to create a living memorial for victims of a devastating wartime bombing raid. The proposals follow research carried out by local historian Jack Hair into bombing of Beamish, near Stanley, County, Durham, in the early hours of May 1, 1942
DELEGATES from China have turned to Durham for help in reforming their schools. The group visited the University of Durham's Curriculum Evaluation Management (CEM) Centre for help in setting up a blueprint for education overhaul. It also visited a number
A COUNTY Durham MP has given his support to a £6m scheme to upgrade a community hall. Bishop Auckland MP Derek Foster visited Witham Hall, in Barnard Castle, yesterday to inspect the ambitious plans for the building's refurbishment. The project includes
HEALTH services in communities across the north of County Durham are to receive £250,000 in funding. Durham and Chester-le-Street Primary Care Trust (PCT) won the cash from the Department of Health after being awarded a "three-star" rating by the Commission
CHILDREN, staff and governors at Trimdon Grange School had a VIP guest to open their newly refurbished early years unit. Prime Minister Tony Blair performed the opening of the unit during a whirlwind tour of his Sedgefield constituency. The unit is one
BREAKFAST radio presenters are well known for having their sidekicks. But one of the region's newest radio voices has taken the idea a step further. Susanne Fraser started her breakfast show for the troops on Garrison Radio with baby Isla firmly by her
SCHOOLS Standards Minister David Miliband opened one of the county's first Classrooms of the Future, yesterday. The South Shields MP viewed the advanced technology that has been employed by New Seaham Primary School, with its new learning zone. The rooms
A HEROIN addict committed a burglary at the home of a grieving widower, a court heard. Edward Miller struck at the man's house in Highland Terrace, Ferryhill, a month after his wife had died. Miller, 24, of no fixed address, stole jewellery belonging
The family of a teenager who lost his life in a drowning tragedy have spoken for the first time. Raymond Steel, whose son David, who was 16, died after falling into a river broke his silence in an effort to promote water safety for other young people.
AN OPERATIC society has launched an urgent appeal for help to find storage space for its scenery. Containers are used by Spennymoor Operatic Society to create and store scenery for its popular productions, but the land they are kept on, which the society
A COMPANY was fined £10,000 yesterday for the death of a workman while he was loading a lorry with steel. Steel construction company Finley Structures Limited, on the Aycliffe Industrial Estate, was also ordered to pay £3,500 costs at Teesside Crown Court
A COMPANY was fined £10,000 yesterday for the death of a workman while he was loading a lorry with steel. Steel construction company Finley Structures Limited, on the Aycliffe Industrial Estate, was also ordered to pay £3,500 costs at Teesside Crown Court
A popular museum has been shortlisted as one of the friendliest places in the country to take the family. Killhope, the North of England Lead Mining Museum, in Upper Weardale, is one of five centres competing for the Guardian newspaper's Family Friendly
A MULTI-MILLION pound facelift package for part of the North-East is unveiled today. More than £24m is to be invested in 50 projects in Teesside, Hartlepool and Darlington. Alistair Arkley, chairman of the Tees Valley Partnership, said the plan aimed
The headteacher of a school where two pupils killed themselves within a fortnight defended his anti-bullying policy at an inquest today. Gemma Dimmick, 15, of Ashington, Northumberland, took an overdose of Co-proxamol painkillers in June last year, just
NORTH-EAST football legend Bob Stokoe died in hospital yesterday. He was 73. Mr Stokoe, who managed Sunderland's famous 1973 FA Cup-winning team, died peacefully at the University Hospital of Hartlepool with his family around him. The former Newcastle
COUNTRY-loving TV stars Brian Blessed and Sir Jimmy Savile joined in the celebrations to mark the 50th birthday of a national park. They were among the guests who braved heavy rain and put on their walking shoes to launch a year of events marking the
LAST week, I went to the kind of party you only see in films. A down-to-earth friend invited me to her Bollywood themed party. 'Don't bring any wine, just bring yourself', she said. Because she works in wine marketing, I guessed that meant that free booze
A 15-YEAR-OLD boy faces being locked up after assaulting a man and stealing his car and cash from his home. The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared before Darlington Youth Court yesterday. Magistrates heard how the youngster had
THE threat to Darlington Football Club is very real. The Quakers remain in grave danger of going out of business after 120 years. Earlier this month, The Northern Echo revealed that administrators were minded to close the club by February unless enough
A SNOWBALL fight ended in tragedy when a teenager was in collision with a bus in front of his friends. Stephen Moore, 15, was hit as he threw snowballs with his friends and girlfriend Sarah Beaton, as they left a youth club in Byker, Newcastle, at about
MIKE Newell makes his first return to Victoria Park today since he was axed as Hartlepool United manager last year. After steering Pool out of division three, Newell was replaced by chairman Ken Hodcroft on May 30. Newell never had a comfortable relationship
Bored footie fan Adrian Carr was locked up by cops when he nodded off as his side were hammered by Arsenal. Dozy factory worker Adrian had to be ascorted from Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium when worried stewards found him slumped in his seat "paraletic
Opera singer Suzannah Clarke is appealing for an eligible partner to join her in a duet. Her only stipulation is that whoever joins her in song is a footballer. "I am hoping to have someone from the world of football sing with me,'' said Middlesbrough-born
TWO school friends who lost touch after the Second World War had an emotional reunion on Saturday. Almost 60 years since they last saw each other, Nancy Watson welcomed childhood friend Joan Davison into her Darlington home for lunch. And from the moment
SUNDERLAND Harriers, chasing their 19th DP Furniture North-East Harrier League senior men's team title, shot to the top of division one, despite being beaten by one point in the rain-swept third meeting at Chester-le-Street. The Wearsiders lost 118-119
SEVERAL North-East schools have announced plans for dance studios, fitness centres and youth theatre following successful bids for specialist school status. Schools including Longfield in Darlington, Belmont Comprehensive in Durham, Blakeston in Stockton
BRASS bands from all over the North-East gathered in the region yesterday for a major competition. Twenty eight bands featuring more than 1,000 musicians turned out at Spennymoor Leisure Centre for the Durham County Brass Band Association's grading contest
FOR a club so perilously close to relegation, three points on Saturday could prove just as valuable as the thousands of pounds raised from the celebrity match six days earlier. The money from that friendly at the Reynolds Arena should keep Darlington
Critics of a directly elected regional assembly have stepped up their campaign by outlining their arguments on a new website. The website, set up by South Shields based Stan Smith, describes how such an assembly will not bring any extra funding to the
SIR BOBBY ROBSON insists Darren Ambrose is ready to emerge as a star at Newcastle following the departure of Nolberto Solano. Ambrose, signed from Ipswich for £1.5m last March and rated a better player there than Kieron Dyer at the same age, is set for
Hundreds of customers have backed a shopkeeper's decision to paint his 300-year-old listed building pink. Peter Lown decided to splash out on his shopfront so it matched the colour of the carrier bags used by his greeting cards shop. But Mr Lown and his
CHESTER-LE-STREET AC's hopes of European debut glory have been hit by illness, injury and unavailability. Four members of the all-conquering squad which finished last year with the English National Cross Country, National four stage road relay, Northern
THREE North-East companies have been recognised as being among the fastest-growing in their sectors. Expansion at Enigma Interactive earned the Newcastle company the title of highest ranking regional firm in the Deloitte 2003 European Technology Fast
UTTOXETER'S £70,000 Singer & Friedlander National Trial is likely to be run in a quagmire, but that won't worry Brancepeth-based mudlark, Tyneandthyneagain (2.15). Conditions are already described as heavy at the course, which must pass a 7.30am inspection
A DISQUALIFIED driver who was responsible for the deaths of two women in a car crash has been jailed for two-and-a-half years. Teesside Crown Court was told how Stephen Dack, 43, who is deaf and also without speech, lost control of his van on the A67,
IN terms of national treasures, a tiny gold loop found near one of the region's Roman forts is probably worth very little. But it has taken almost three years and two inquest hearings for experts to solve the puzzle of the mystery object which could date
A father has been beaten to death after leaving a pub featured in a reality TV series. Sean Ridley, 38, died on Friday in what appears to have been a motiveless attack yards from his girlfriend's front door. He had left the Balmoral, in Arthur's Hill,
DARLINGTON looks likely to miss out on a Government drive to boost the regions by moving thousands of civil service jobs out of London. The town had put forward a case for a new Government department - but a long-awaited report has dashed hopes of a major
A MEDICAL expert is temporarily quitting the chilly climes of Teesside and jetting off to India. But Carol Kraus's trip to Bombay, or Mumbai as it is now called, will be no holiday. The senior physiotherapist with the Middlesbrough Primary Care Trust
METHODISTS celebrated the completion of a five-year fundraising campaign when their rebuilt church was reopened at the weekend. A packed congregation attended the church, built at a cost of £500,000 on the site of the 133-year-old original, in the High
A COUNCILLOR has vowed to do all he can to ensure a swimming pool remains open. Independent Councillor David Fitzpatrick, deputy chairman of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, denies there is a proposal to shut Guisborough Pool, despite claims to the
A RARE collection of model soldiers is to be auctioned on Teesside this month. Each of the hand-painted figures is a model soldier from the ranks of the British, Austrian, and Russian armies during the Napoleonic wars. The miniatures include vignettes
Meals in a restaurant, university course, his own name - all were determined by Michael Richardson's speech impediment. He tells Any White how it ruled his life, and how he finally overcame his stutter. IT was when he started introducing himself as Andrew
PRIMARY school pupils are celebrating after being presented with their first award. Children at St John's Primary School, in Shildon, have worked hard to achieve the National Healthy Schools Award. To achieve the accolade the school has investigated areas
FOUR teenagers were hurt, one of them seriously, when the car they were travelling in crashed on a bend while being pursued by a police vehicle. Two of the youngsters were injured when they were catapulted out of the back seat of the gold-coloured Ford
I HAVE had a bit of an exciting adventure this week. Some time ago I received an invitation to attend the press preview at the Royal Horticultural Headquarters of some of the top garden designs for this year's Chelsea Flower Show. My immediate reaction
THE region was bracing itself for more floods last night amid predictions of days of heavy rain. Seven people had to airlifted to safety in a dramatic rescue at the weekend when their cars were stranded by waters rising in the Yorkshire Dales. And with
NOLBERTO SOLANO had the chance to say farewell to his old Newcastle teammates last night - after checking into the same hotel as Sir Bobby Robson's squad. Aston Villa this week swooped to land Solano for £1.5m, and the winger goes straight into the side
A BRAVE teenager is returning to a normal life, following a 15-month nightmare for her and her family. Kimberley Stobbs, 15, is back at school trying to catch up on studies, having missed much of the past academic year after she developed leukaemia. It
A LOCAL authority has pledged to listen to the views of its council tax payers before setting its rate for the coming year. Durham City Council is to undertake a consultation exercise this month, using a questionnaire, holding public meetings and a concluding
THE Government has pledged to help relatives who are fighting a new battle over the death of their son. The family of Christopher Rochester, who died while on holiday in Greece, have travelled to London to meet Foreign and Commonwealth Minister Baroness
FIVE generations of a family celebrated a 100th birthday at a North-East nursing home at the weekend. Julia Proud marked her special day at Stoneleigh Nursing Home, in Annfield Plain, with a visit by relatives from as far afield as Nottinghamshire and
RABBIT breeders from across the North displayed their prized pets at a show over the weekend. About 125 rabbits and 25 cavies, or guinea-pigs, competed for honours at the Durham and District Rabbit and Cavy Society January Show. Among them was Alan Belgian
COUNTRY-loving TV stars Brian Blessed and Sir Jimmy Savile joined in the celebrations to mark the 50th birthday of a national park. They were among the guests who braved heavy rain and put on their walking shoes to launch a year of events marking the
A CHILD burns victim whose plight won a region's heart, has died before she could be brought to Britain, to undergo life-saving surgery. People across the North-East raised £8,000 to bring seven-year-old Romanian Mariana Nechitescu to Teesside, where
DARLINGTON manager David Hodgson admits the club's crippling financial situation may force the sale of striker Barry Conlon. With reported debts of £20m, Hodgson has reluctantly conceded that the club will listen to offers for Quakers' leading scorer.
STEVE McCLAREN insists there is no room for sentiment as Middlesbrough set out to nudge his boyhood heroes Leeds United nearer the Premiership precipice at Elland Road this afternoon. McClaren yesterday spoke fondly of his formative days as a Leeds fan
THE End of an Era, 2000. An artist's impression depicting the last Wembley FA Cup final between Chelsea and Aston Villa hangs on the short hallway leading up to the boardroom at Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium. Sitting relaxed in his leather armchair
More than 45,000 staff at supermarket giant Tesco are set to share a £110m windfall from their company's savings scheme. Some workers are likely to pick up as much as £30,000 following the maturing of two of Tesco's Save as You Earn (SAYE) schemes. *
AN anti-fireworks campaigner has said that proposed legal restrictions do not go far enough. Shopkeeper Pearl Hall, from South Bank, on Teesside, is calling for a complete ban on shop sales of fireworks. The battling 82-year-old, who recently spelt out
Darlington 0 Plymouth Argyle 1 May 25 1996. "WAYS of Wembley are so cruel on Quakers," said The Northern Echo's match report after the 1996 play-off final. If Wembley ways were cruel in 1996, then they were barbarous, brutal and sadistic in 2000 with
THE Northern Echo's sponsor-a-minute appeal for Darlington's crunch match with Rochdale stood at a total of £21,550 last night. The appeal has proven a major success in the on-going efforts to secure the Quakers' immediate future. Every minute of today's
A NATIONAL park's rangers have warned they will be joining forces with the police in a clampdown on off-road vehicles being used illegally. People walking in parts of the Yorkshire Dales say their enjoyment of the countryside has been ruined by the irresponsible
YOUNGSTERS who have helped to clean up Darlington have been rewarded for their efforts by the town's mayor. Councillor Ron Lewis visited Hummersknott School and Language College on Friday to present pupils with Darlington Borough Council's Caring for
A FAMILY has paid tribute to a determined young man who lost his life to an illness he had fought for almost 20 years. Adam Scott, 23, of Moray Close, Darlington, will be remembered as a loving and caring man who never let his epilepsy stop him living
A MAN burst into a friend's flat during the night and carried out a knife attack on someone he blamed for a break-in at his mother's home, a court heard. Melvin Park slashed the man's forehead and cheek after waking the occupants of the flat in Pensbury
A CAMPAIGN has been launched to restore a locomotive to full, working condition, 36 years after it was retired. Britannia class Pacific No 70013 Oliver Cromwell hauled the last steam train for British Rail on August 11, 1968. It is currently a favourite
A GROUP that offers support and help for homeless people in the Darlington borough is appealing for more volunteers. The Darlington Housing Action Group is seeking to improve the front-line services it offers. Local charities, including Night Stop, the
A HEADTEACHER is bidding goodbye to staff and pupils at a Darlington school after a teaching career spanning more than a quarter of a century. Doreen Procter is retiring after working for 27 years at Raventhorpe Preparatory School, in Carmel Road North
DEPUTY Prime Minister John Prescott visited the North-East yesterday. The trip was part of Labour's Big Conversation project, designed to ensure the party is in touch with the electorate. Mr Prescott took part in two events on Tyneside, based around the
NORTH Yorkshire's chief constable was yesterday challenged to justify an 11 per cent increase in the amount the force receives from the public purse. Della Cannings attended a public meeting at the Colburn Health and Recreation Centre, one of a series
PLANS to build a £5.5m primary school have been approved despite strong opposition from local people. Now the plans to build the school on playing fields in Ingleby Barwick, near Stockton, have been accepted by Stockton Borough Council they will go to
THE North-East Women's Forum is holding a conference today to ensure it has a voice in shaping the future of the region. The event, at Sunderland Winter Gardens, will be opened by Councillor Julianna Heron, Mayor of Sunderland. Women attending will be
AN MP is urging a council to think again about plans to increase the cost of concessionary bus fares. Pensioners are angry at Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council proposals for council tax rises of seven percent and increases in bus passes. More than
A WOMAN kept monthly pension payments sent to her widowed mother for eight years after her death. Linda Cookson, 54, of Cambridge Avenue, Donwell, Washington, Wearside, failed to notify the Railway Pensions Board, in Darlington, of her mother's death
A MAGICAL, garden hideaway where children can listen to stories, is to be created with an environmental grant. Newbottle Primary School, near Houghton-le-Spring, is to create a storyteller's arbour out of living willow trees, with a carved storyteller's
Henrietta Knight looks the trainer to follow at Kempton this afternoon, where the Wantage trainer has a sporting chance of bagging a nap hand of winners. Rosslea, who shaped well in a strong-looking Grade 1 Chase in Ireland last time, will appreciate
HEALTH bosses are celebrating after securing £10.4m to fund a series of developments. Scarborough and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust has been given the go-ahead for six programmes. The regional Strategic Health Authority backed six out of seven bids from
SHOPPERS and traders must endure a further wait to discover when a supermarket will open in a run-down shopping precinct. People in Eston, near Middlesbrough, have been waiting three years for supermarket chain Aldi to redevelop much of Eston Square,
POLICE say they are concerned for the welfare of a 65-year-old man who has been missing from home since Monday. Peter Garrick, from North Street, York, has medical problems and was last seen wearing a navy donkey jacket and dark trousers with a blue or
HOSPICE managers faced a careful journey back to base after collecting a donation from well-wishers at a Little Chef restaurant. The branch of the national chain at Skeeby, near Richmond, North Yorkshire, has ordered new crockery and, rather than throw
A MULTI-MILLION pound development designed to help regenerate part of Teesside has been given the go-ahead. The Middlesbrough Police district headquarters and 50-cell custody suite will be built in St Hilda's. It will be the centrepiece of a scheme that
DARLINGTON Football Club's fight for survival was given an important boost when The Northern Echo handed the Quakers a cheque for £22,850 at the weekend. That was the total raised in only a week after the newspaper appealed to local businesses, organisations
CHILDREN at a mother and toddler group have received a belated Christmas present - £1,000-worth of toys. Officials from the Government's SureStart programme, which aims to give preschool children the best possible start in life, donated the money after
THREE brothers are hoping to copy the region's Charlton brothers and become football stars. They are already on the books of two different North-East clubs and train throughout the week. But their other brother says he does not even like football and
COUPLES are being encouraged to pop the question in a pub this Valentine's Day. Robert Middlemiss, landlord of the Church Mouse, in Great North Road, Chester Moor, has set up a proposal table for the first person who informs him of their intention to
SETTING Superbrain, The Northern Echo's annual trivia quiz, is one of life's little joys. You dredge your brain for the most obscure titbit, turn it into a question and then sit back as the quizees scour the Internet and drive every librarian in the region
PUPILS' experiences in the great outdoors are being portrayed on a mural. The finishing touches are being put to the painting which takes up two walls at Burnside Primary School, in Houghton-le-Spring. About 40 ten and 11-year-olds, all members of year
STUDENTS at a Darlington school were given food for thought about their possible future careers during a visit from a theatre company. Cragrats, one of the country's largest touring groups, performed for a group of year nine students at Hurworth Maths
THEATRE students were urged to express their feelings towards their home town in an art workshop yesterday. The youngsters from Stockton Sixth Form were taking part in an experiment organised by artist Adrian Moule to focus on what they thought about
A swan stuck in an ice-covered pond was saved in the nick of time by pensioner Joan Scott. Three-year-old Swanny was minutes away from dying of hypothermia. But Mrs Scott, 84, was determined it would not be the bird's swansong. The drama unfolded at Selby
A WOMAN who allegedly told airport security staff she had a bomb in her luggage has appeared in court. Lesley Brennan, 48, of Wheatley Gardens, West Boldon, Tyneside, made a five-minute appearance before magistrates in Newcastle after she was charged
Access to Sunderland Civic Centre has been restricted, after the frost and cold weather loosened the tiles on the steps and ramps to the main entrance. The city council is asking people to use either the narrow access on the steps, or the Park Lane entrance
The police officer who brought speed cameras to Britain has sparked a row after admitting: "It has gone too far." Peter Joslin, the former chief constable of Warwickshire, warned police they are in danger of turning the public against them by introducing
CONMEN could be netting thousands of pounds in a new credit card scam across the North-East. One Teesside woman had a £500 purchase put on her card within minutes of being talked into revealing credit card details over the telephone to a bogus fraud investigator
THE journalist at the heart of the Hutton Inquiry resigned from the BBC last night but insisted the corporation had been the victim of a "grave injustice". Andrew Gilligan was the third person to quit the corporation over the affair, following the departures
MORE than 200 delegates from around the country converged on the North-East to learn the secrets of a town's success in tackling crime and disorder. Middlesbrough mayor and former detective Ray Mallon hosted a conference to show how his Raising Hope initiative
Tony Blair and George Bush have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for waging war on Saddam Hussein, it was announced yesterday. The Prime Minister and the US President have been put forward by a Norwegian politician who said ousting the dictator
MARK DARBYSHIRE has two loves in his life -his partner, Claire Stemmer, and Darlington Football Club. And even on his wedding day, on Saturday, he did not miss the Quakers' crucial game against Rochdale. Hailed by friends as the wackiest wedding of all
A CAMPAIGNER seeking greater protection for patients following the Richard Neale scandal fears his efforts are being blocked by the Government. Former Northallerton mayor John Bacon is angry that disgraced North Yorkshire surgeon Richard Neale escaped
SUNDERLAND transfer target Jon Stead is set to sign for Blackburn Rovers today. The big Huddersfield Town frontman, with 18 goals to his name this season, has long been in Mick McCarthy's sights. But the 20-year-old was at Ewood Park to watch Rovers lose
Electronics specialist Filtronic expects its Newton Aycliffe facility to be in full production before the end of the year. That was the message from the group as it reported losses at the former Fujitsu plant had been cut from £14.2m to £8.2m in the six
A SOLICITOR acting for council staff taking their employers to tribunal last night condemned a pay settlement. Stefan Cross believes low-paid women have agreed a deal that is a fraction of what he could have won them in court. His angry reaction to the
IT IS widely thought that jazz music's best period is firmly rooted in the past. But some young North-East musicians are embracing jazz as the sound of the future. Durham jazz group High Street Anywhere are creating a sound which they say joins the dots
Darlington FC attracted a strong crowd on Saturday for a long-sought-after win at the Reynolds Arena. The Quakers beat Rochdale 1 - 0, with winger Chris Hughes scoring a spectacular goal in the second half. More than 4,800 people were on hand, and organisers
IN September 2001, amid little fanfare, 50 followers of Darlington Football Club gathered in the town's Arts Centre to form an organisation intended to be the mouthpiece of the Quakers' fans. It is fair to assume not one of them had an inkling of the
Police have arrested a man in connection with the murder of a mother who lay dead in her home for three weeks before she was found. Christine Longworth, 33, was found dead with multiple stab wounds at her home in Chopwell, Gateshead, on January 27. The
Q My wife has just reached 60 but gets no State Pension as she only paid married woman's National Insurance. She has a pension from her employer. Can I claim anything on my long-term Incapacity Benefit for her? A You could claim £43.15 a week for her,
The Northern Echo's film website is giving film enthusiasts a chance to pick the Oscar winners. Movie fans who think they can predict the winners are invited to log on to the website and cast a vote. In addition, the site is running a competition giving
"He has taken a significant pay cut and it is never something I thought I would say about a player in this day and age." Never has there been a truer word spoken by Aston Villa manager David O'Leary after capturing Nolberto Solano. It is exactly that
The Northern Echo's chief football writer Clive Hetherington pays a personal tribute to Sunderland's FA Cup-winning manager Bob Stokoe, whi died yesterday aged 73. THE TRADEMARK trilby, billowing mack and red tracksuit bottoms provided one of the most
IN CONDITIONS more suitable for bog-snorkelling than grasshopping, Darlington saw their best remaining chance of an away win in their first season in National Three North washed away at Preston. The consolation was that next Saturday's visitors, Liverpool
BEREAVED relatives are having to wait weeks for grief counselling because of a shortage of North-East volunteers. Tees Valley Cruse desperately needs supervisors to support its teams of counsellors who bring much-needed relief to people who have lost
DARLINGTON Mowden Park have signed Tongan international centre Suka Hufanga and he is in the squad for today's home match against National Three North leaders Halifax. He has had two months with Division One club Pertemps Bees, formerly Birmingham/Solihull
WHEN it comes to winding up opponents, Welsh international colleagues Robbie Savage and Craig Bellamy are footballers cut from the same cloth. They are hated by opposing fans with as much passion as they are loved by their own. Bellamy, out for four months
A DUO of Davids has won The Northern Echo's Superbrain quiz for the third year in four. But no more -- next year the pair will be setting the quiz. The title of Superbrain 2003 goes to teacher Dave Tucker of Aycliffe Village and bread delivery man David
An inquest was due to be held today into the death of a teenager from the same school as a pupil who killed himself after a lifetime of bullying. Gemma Dimmick, 15, was found dead at her terraced home in George Street, Ashington, Northumberland in June
A 20-year-old woman was subjected to a sexual attack in Selby, near York in the early hours of Sunday morning. At about 2am, as she approached the junction of Hemp Bridge Road and Flaxby Road, she was hit in the face by her attacker and fell to the ground
POLICE are investigating reports that a gang of badger baiters is targeting setts in part of the North-East. Durham County Badger Group called in the police after discovering evidence of two attacks in Wear Valley, County Durham. Group members fear the
A PROJECT to offer training and support for graduate actors in the North-East is launched today. Newcastle's Live Theatre is joining forces with the city's Northumbria University to set up the only graduate theatre company of its kind in Britain. The
FOOTBALL legend Paul Gascoigne admitted he was lucky to be alive yesterday after a car crash. As police continued their investigation into the accident, the former Newcastle United and England idol told how he avoided serious injury when his BMW X5 smashed
THE work of some of Britain's most talented glass artists will be on display next week. The diverse range of artwork created by eight people shortlisted for the Jerwood Applied Arts Prize, will be on view at the National Glass Centre, in Sunderland, from
ART inspired by memories of the First World War has gone on show at a North-East regimental museum. Memories of History is a collection of paintings, drawings, sketches, etchings and photographs from the Imperial War Museum, in London. The exhibition,
WANTED man Barry Conlon has been hailed as a 'true professional' by Darlington teammate Ian Clark, writes Paul Fraser. Striker Conlon, without a goal since December, was jeered by sections of the Reynolds Arena crowd on Saturday when he was replaced 17
SIR BOBBY Robson has warned Welsh counterpart Mark Hughes not to expect an immediate return to international duty for fit-again striker Craig Bellamy. Robson spoke of serious repercussions and, 'the balloon going off' if Bellamy returned for Wales upcoming
NORTH-EAST Eric Clapton soundalike Mike Hall feels like he is knocking on heaven's door after finally landing a booking in his home city. For 18 years, Mike and his Classic Clapton band have enjoyed a tribute trail all over the country, but now the Newcastle-based
THE father of a 16-year-old girl who died after plunging 200ft from cliffs, said last night: "This must not be allowed to happen again." Terry Ellwood was speaking after an inquest into the death of his daughter Terri Ann, from Peterlee, east Durham.
JULIO ARCA has set his sights on a double delight for club and country this year. The South American wants to help Sunderland clinch promotion to the Premiership by May before hopefully going for gold in August with Argentina at the Olympics. Arca did
THE public's appetite for debt showed signs of waning last month with unsecured lending rising at its slowest rate for three years. The Bank of England said borrowing through loans, overdrafts and credit cards increased by £834m last month, well down
