A TOWN centre will get a new bus and cycle lane to ease congestion. The lane will be introduced on Newcastle Road, Chester-le-Street, to reduce tailbacks particularly during peak times. The lane will be open to buses and cyclists between 7am and 7pm and
A YOUNG Thai boxer will make his first challenge for a national title today. Reece McAllister, aged 12, from Newton Aycliffe, has practised the sport since he was two and has high hopes of a win when he fights a Manchester opponent in the 42 kilogram
A SAFETY report could lead to more than half of Wear Valley District Council's play areas being closed. A special meeting of the authority's community services committee has been called for Monday, April 26, to discuss the report from the Health and Safety
THE spectacular entrance to a housing development in Darlington is taking shape. Artistic blacksmith Brian Russell has used six tonnes of steel to create two life-sized stags for the gateway to a 28-home development in Cleveland Terrace, Darlington. The
ENTERPRISING gardeners at Darlington Borough Council are growing plants in reusable pots in a cost-cutting move. The authority's Woodburn Nursery sends more than a million plants to 23 councils around the country. For the past two years, the council has
AS a child, pottering around the family garden centre was a way of life for Caroline Crowther. Now the psychology graduate is putting the knowledge she gained then to good use by re-opening Beech Tree Nurseries on Adelaide Bank, near Shildon. It has taken
AN action plan is being put in place after youths smashed a bus window, resulting in bus services being withdrawn from an estate. Community leaders, police and Darlington Borough Council officers met on the Red Hall estate yesterday to address the problem
REHEARSALS are underway for a performance of Oklahoma! The Earthbeat Theatre Company, for adults with learning difficulties in Redcar and east Cleveland, will perform the musical at Darlington Civic Theatre on Friday April 23. The 7.30pm performance follows
THE battle of wills over boardroom seats at Corus reached fever pitch last night as the company turned down the advances of businessman Alisher Usmanov. The Russian entrepreneur is tenacious in his desire to get a representative on the steelmaker's board
MICK McCARTHY has prepared his Sunderland stars for tomorrow's big showdown with West Brom by insisting: 'Lose this and you can kiss goodbye to automatic promotion'. But a realistic McCarthy also conceded that success over the second-placed Baggies may
GARLANDS Call Centres vowed not to rest on its laurels last night after creating 200 more jobs in Middlesbrough. The success of the company since opening operations in the town has been meteoric, a trend it hopes to continue emulating. Garlands broke
VILLAGERS are preparing for their greatest floral challenge yet as they get ready to compete in the 2004 Britain in Bloom competition. Appleton Wiske, near Northallerton, is the Yorkshire and Humber entry in the villages category. The village won a silver
A COUNCIL is continuing its campaign to secure more cash for pensioners. The District of Easington authority has joined forces with the Pension Services's "Pick it up, It's yours'' campaign to urge over 60s to apply for money, which is due to them. Pension
A Methodist chapel is preparing to mark its 250th anniversary with a summer of events and celebrations. Osmotherley Methodist Chapel dates from 1754. It was set up by the founder of Methodism, John Wesley, who had close ties to the village. He visited
"LOOK at all those tattoos," groaned my wife, who thankfully wasn't commenting on the appearance of a member of our family. Her eyes were focused on former Boyzone singer Shane Lynch, who is literally running away with the male section of The Games (C4
It has gone from much-mocked backwater to the nation's favourite. Steve Pratt talks to the Controller of Radio 2 about her own journey from fan of Metro radio to Terry Wogan's boss. LESLEY Douglas's five-year-old daughter Sarah became aware of what her
A SCHOOLGIRL is a step away from attending the Olympic Games in Athens thanks to her artistic flair. Sophie Herring's work won the regional heat of the Visa Olympics of the Imagination children's art competition. Youngsters were asked to draw pictures
NEWCASTLE United captain Alan Shearer has pledged to take part in a fundraising event - despite playing a crucial match hours before. Shearer will make a 200-mile dash to co-host a charity dinner in aid of Hartlepool and District Hospice. The event, on
MIDDLESBROUGH defender Andrew Davies would give the shirt off his back to help a good cause. And he's just proved it. A broken leg forced him to miss his team's Carling Cup final victory, but he has donated the shirt he wore in qualifying matches to cancer
A BURGLAR told police he had been looking for a body when he was arrested in connection with a house break-in, a court heard. Christopher Rae, 20, was apparently doing his "public duty" when he broke into a house at The Hollies, Redcar, East Cleveland
KEEP Kerry Lads (2.40) on your side in this afternoon's £120,000 four-mile Scottish Grand National at Ayr. Two years ago Kerry Lads shaped as if he was going to be a major force in the staying chase arena, but he was subsequently hindered by occasional
MEMBERS of Durham Constabulary's Male Voice Choir are hoping their annual concert will be a sell-out. Each year the show has seen all 350 tickets snapped up and expectations are high for their latest performance which will be staged at the police headquarters
After a year of ups and downs for Newcastle Falcons' Dave Walder, the fly-half hopes to hit the heights today when he and his teammates step out at Twickenham for the Powergen Cup final. Chief Sports Writer Scott Wilson talks ot him. NEWCASTLE fly-half
CONTROVERSIAL plans to redevelop a theatre and sports complex will go before councillors next week. If given the go-ahead, the Barbican Centre, in York, would undergo a major redevelopment. The plans include a four-star hotel with conferencing facilities
AFTER a five match suspension, Sunderland midfielder Jeff Whitley is hoping to make up for lost time tomorrow, writes Paul Fraser. With Jason McAteer and Paul Thirlwell both on the absent list, Whitley is likely to find himself thrown into battle against
IT might be a case of 'Friends Reunited' at Villa Park tomorrow - but Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given is desperate to give former United favourite Nolberto Solano an afternoon to forget. Solano will line up against his former teammates for the first time
PRIME Minister Tony Blair and President George Bush vowed last night not to waiver in their fight to build a free Iraq, despite recent violence that has claimed scores of Coalition lives. The two leaders, standing side by side in the Rose Garden of the
LEISURE: THIS week, I played squash at Glenholme Leisure Centre in Crook. I was shocked to find that the price for a 40 minute session had risen from £4.40 to the astronomical £5. I recently renewed my Wear Fit membership at a cost of £8 and without this
TWO years ago, a two-bedroom house in Darlington's popular Denes areas sold for £40,000 or less. It was a hotbed for first-time buyers looking to get on the property ladder but not wanting to get mortgaged to the hilt. In today's property market, with
CYCLING enthusiasts have been invited to join a 40-mile ride through some of the region's most beautiful countryside. Sunday's event will cover an off-road stretch of the National Cycle Route along reclaimed railway lines from Hetton Lyons Country Park
METRO rail services will be suspended at two points on the Tyne and Wear network for engineering work tomorrow. Continuing work on the installation of a new bridge at Jarrow will mean no Metro service will operate between Pelaw and South Shields until
SOCCER star Phil Babb has been banned from driving for six months after being caught travelling at more than 100mph in his BMW. The Sunderland and Republic of Ireland player, who has 35 caps for his country and was once Britain's most expensive defender
A group in Chester-le-Street is organising a shopping trip to Leeds to raise funds for Durham's St Cuthbert's Hospice. People can buy tickets, costing £7.50, for the outing on Saturday, May 22. A coach will leave Chester-le-Street Market Place at 8.30am
A SUPPORT services company and a local authority have been celebrating their partnership's fifth anniversary. Mouchel Parkman has been providing engineering and property services for North Yorkshire County Council since 1999. In that time, they have worked
POLICE are trying to trace relatives of a former North-East man to inform them of his recent death. Detectives in Blackpool are trying to make contact with the ex-wife and son of a John Wilson, following his death in the Lancashire resort where he had
A STUDENT injured in a grenade attack was cleared yesterday following a retrial of raping a vice girl in his flat. Ashmatullah Darwish, 28, suffered severe leg injuries in 1999 when Taliban forces threw a grenade into his home in Afghanistan. He told
A PLAN to improve the facilities at a Harrogate sports ground has been supported by people living in the area. The project already has the backing of Harrogate Borough Council, Harrogate and Bilton cricket clubs and Pannal Ash Football Club. However,
A COLBURN pub will be rocking to the sounds that have filled arenas around the world. Bruce Springsteen fans will be heading for Colburn Lodge on Saturday, May 1, for a one-off performance by tribute band Born to Run. Badlands, Thunder Road, The River
FOR Darlington stalwart Craig Liddle it has always been club first and personal ambitions a distant second. Five months after selflessly handing the captain's armband over to Neil Maddison, the centre-back's no-nonsense approach shows few signs of wavering
THE jury is out on the proposed regional assemblies for the North-East and Yorkshire. We support calls for a stronger voice for the northern regions but until questions are answered about the powers the assemblies would have, and where they would be based
A 17-YEAR-OLD disqualified driver was involved in a high-speed car chase, a court heard yesterday. The youth reached speeds of more than 100mph as police cars pursued him out of Darlington town centre and into the surrounding countryside. Darlington Youth
THE region's beleaguered manufacturing industry was yesterday told by the Government: "You do have a future." Industry Minister Jacqui Smith promised help for the ailing manufacturing sector during her visit to the North-East. In the first four months
Q I am a widow of 92, turned down for Pension Credit (PC), but have since been awarded £58 a week for my care. Can I now claim anything else? A What you have been awarded is Attendance Allowance, which is ignored when PC is worked out. If you live alone
FORWARD-THINKING Steve McClaren yesterday moved to tie two of Middlesbrough's 'model professionals' down to new contracts. Veteran defender Colin Cooper has been rewarded for a consistent campaign with a one-year deal, while stand-in captain Ugo Ehiogu
THE Rose Bowl was full of thorns for Durham yesterday as they made a dispiriting start to their County Championship programme. While Hampshire are obviously simmering nicely under the captaincy of Shane Warne, under-cooked Durham were all out for 128
MEMBERS of Durham Constabulary's Male Voice Choir are hoping their annual concert will be a sell-out. Each year the show has seen all 350 tickets snapped up and expectations are high for their latest performance which will be staged at the police headquarters
IT might be a case of 'Friends Reunited' at Villa Park tomorrow - but Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given is desperate to give former United favourite Nolberto Solano an afternoon to forget. Solano will line up against his former teammates for the first time
THE eagerly awaited decision on whether troubled Darlington Football Club has a long-term future will be made only days after the end of the season. Administrator Wilson Field said yesterday that the verdict could come in the week beginning May 10, two
DURHAM'S preparations for the County Championship have been thrown into disarray with several players withdrawing from the squad. With the first match away to Cheshire on May 1, a training session scheduled for Thursday was cancelled and assistant coach
A FURNITURE group backed by the former boss of Habitat is planning to go head-to-head with rival Ikea when it opens in the UK next year. Danish company Ilva, which was taken over in a deal led by former Habitat chief executive Martin Toogood last March
It's awards time again, as the British televison industry holds its annual night of back-slapping. But who will be this year's happy bunnies, and who its Hartley hares? WHEN is a soap not a soap? When it's a continuing drama, according to the British
A PUBLIC art gallery is to have a new management committee. At the suggestion of the committee of the Castle Gallery, in Barnard Castle, the administration of the gallery is to be taken over by Witham Hall Management Committee. The gallery is in Witham
POLICE were last night hunting a motorcyclist who sped off after an accident, leaving his seriously injured friend lying in the road. The rider fled the scene of the crash in Milton Street, Darlington, at about 3pm on Thursday, after mounting the footpath
TEESSIDE International Airport has celebrated its 40th birthday. Local broadcaster and journalist Ian Hindmarsh, one of the first passengers at the airport, helped the celebrations by cutting the birthday cake yesterday. RAF Middleton St George, as it
A COMMUNITY centre will reopen tomorrow after a £480,000 revamp. Tow Law Community Centre has undergone a refurbishment to create a computer suite, creche facilities, an office and a meeting room. The centre will also provide space for a health visitor
TWO teenage sisters appeared in court yesterday charged with separate offences. The eldest girl admitted to being drunk and disorderly when police went to speak to her and her friends at Dinsdale railway station, near Darlington, on April 2. Darlington
A SERIES of health roadshows aimed primarily at people aged over 50 are returning to Sedgefield borough. The initiative offers the opportunity to have free general health, diabetes and cholesterol checks. There will also be the chance to access information
ALLOTMENT holders have told of their hopes for the future after taking over a thriving set of garden plots. The Barmpton Lane Allotment Society has redeveloped its land since taking over the site from Darlington Borough Council in January. The group won
RELIEVED Kathryne Cubello last night praised rescuers who helped to save her horse from a burning stable block. Ms Cubello was panic-stricken when fellow horse owner Jen Syer rang her after discovering the blaze at the stables, near Durham. Both Ms Syer
PEOPLE are being asked to raise money for the Disability North charity by abseiling from the Tyne Bridge. The event, on Sunday, June 27, starting at 9am, has already attracted dozens of daring participants. Anyone over 16 can tackle the challenge and
A recruitment drive is being launched to fill vital vacancies at two North-East hospitals. South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs units in Middlesbrough and at Northallerton, North Yorkshire, was recently praised by the Healthcare Commission, which
WHEN is a soap not a soap? When it's a continuing drama, according to the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. What's the difference between a drama series and a drama serial? And - last question, I promise - differentiate between a comedy and
ONE of Teesside best known tourist attractions had a big rise in the number of visitors during Easter weekend. The total number of visitors to Hartlepool Historic Quay rose by a third compared to the same weekend last year. From Good Friday to Easter
A HEROIN addict died after contracting an infection probably caused by injecting himself with a dirty needle, a Teesside Coroners' Court heard yesterday. Craig Weatherell, 35, of Elwick Gardens, Stockton, was found in a coma by a police officer, who had
PRIME Minister Tony Blair and President George Bush vowed last night not to waiver in their fight to build a free Iraq, despite recent violence that has claimed scores of Coalition lives. The two leaders, standing side by side in the Rose Garden of the
A deal worth £20m with the Nissan plant, in Sunderland, and a schools contract in Darlington have helped outsourcing specialist Mitie to predict a rosy future. The group's share price rose three per cent as it said its trading performance remained good
Dance classes for children will resume in Colburn Village Hall next Saturday. Sessions in ballroom and disco dancing for six to ten-year-olds will run from 9.30am, fun dancing for the under-fives from 10.45am, and ballroom and Latin American lessons for
THE annual meeting for Havannah Community Partnership in Stanley will take place next month. Everyone living in the Havannah ward area is entitled to attend the meeting at St Andrews Resource Centre, in Stanley. Scheduled business includes the election
AN initiative aims to get a North-East city clean in just 100 days. Newcastle City Council has pledged to clean up problem areas in the city which are reported to them by councillors and memebers of the public. The scheme will see about 20 staff cleaning
CHASING success at the end of the season is nothing new to Hartlepool United. And that experience can stand them in fine fettle as this season draws to another exciting finale. Following three play-off campaigns and a promotion, Pool have four games left
THE parents of a teenager who was killed in a car crash have spoken of the strength they have drawn from their community since his death. Individuals and groups in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, have raised more than £3,000 in memory of Ben Ellison
THE battle of wills over boardroom seats at Corus reached fever pitch last night as the company turned down the advances of businessman Alisher Usmanov. The Russian entrepreneur is tenacious in his desire to get a representative on the steelmaker's board
BEHIND ketchup's red squirty-ness lies a fascinating story. A survey this week by Little Chef discovered that the North of England was the only part of the entire United Kingdom to prefer brown sauce to ketchup on its fry-ups. Seventy per cent in the
THE region's first national museum has won an award for its environmentally-friendly construction months before it is due to open. The £10m Locomotion: The National Railway Museum at Shildon, has been officially recognised by the European Regional Development
NEWCASTLE director of rugby Rob Andrew last night admitted that he expects today's Powergen Cup final with Sale Sharks to go all the way to extra-time. The Falcons know all about last-gasp cup final successes after Dave Walder's dramatic injury-time try
ALBANY Northern League clubs are likely to tell the FA to "leave us alone" after a meeting on Thursday night. FA official Mike Appleby, in charge of the non league system restructuring, met league clubs at Seaham. He outlined the proposals for football
FORWARD-THINKING Steve McClaren yesterday moved to tie two of Middlesbrough's 'model professionals' down to new contracts. Veteran defender Colin Cooper has been rewarded for a consistent campaign with a one-year deal, while stand-in captain Ugo Ehiogu
A LONG-running junior rugby festival has received a boost from a North-East property developer. City and Northern, which is developing the Morton Palms Business Park in Darlington, has sponsored the under-13s section of the 2004 Darlington RFC Junior
ALKAADHEM, a proverbial wolf in sheep's clothing, should not be missed in the Spring Cup at Newbury. If my sums are right this could be the last handicap the Marcus Tregoning-trained colt contests because Alkaadhem (2.15) looks to be every inch a Group
A project got under way yesterday designed to turn street scenes into art forms. The Grafooty initiative was held at the Arc, in Stockton, and saw football keepyups replaced by juggling and graffiti by art. Funding for the project is being provided by
THE blight of untaxed cars on the roads of Middlesbrough is being stepped up with the local authority removing its 1,000th vehicle yesterday. And the clean up of the town's streets is cutting the number of deliberate vehicle fires, according to Cleveland
A SOLO rowing heroine will be the guest speaker at an annual North-East event highlighting the achievement of women in business. Debra Veal, the owner of an Internet-based art company, a television presenter and author, was the first woman to complete
THREE east Durham village schools look likely to be merged. Durham County Council chiefs will be recommending the proposal to create a £5.6m school at a cabinet meeting on Monday. It follows the completion of an extensive review of education provision
CELEBRITY chef Brian Turner will run the rule over leading butchers' barbecue offerings in the North-East later this month. The renowned restaurateur and regular participant on television's Ready, Steady, Cook programme is the guest judge at this year's
SPORTS professionals and enthusiasts will meet to swap notes at the first conference of its kind in the North-East later this month. A series of workshops will be staged during the event, at Sunderland's Stadium of Light conference suite, to help draw
HOUSE prices in the North-East have doubled in three years - ranking it first in the UK for property increases, it was revealed last night. The region also emerged as home to four of the country's top ten property hotspots, with Hartlepool showing the
A COMMUNITY that was hit by floods twice in one year is to get new coastal defences. Skinningrove, near Saltburn, was badly hit by flooding in July and November 2000 and the village was given flood defences. But now the existing coastal defences are to
A CALL has gone out to ex-servicemen and women across Teesside to rally around and help boost the membership of a local club. The Stockton and Billingham branch of the Combined Services Association has launched a spring drive to strengthen membership.
THREE leading female citizens have swapped experiences of their years in office. Sunderland's first female mayor, former councillor Elizabeth Porter, met Annie Pratt and the city's latest first citizen, Juliana Heron, at an annual civic reception for
AN 18-year-old has become the only qualified male nursery nurse in east Cleveland. Terry Agar, from Lingdale, near Saltburn, began work at the new Dots n' Spots Day Nursery and After School Club, in Skelton, in March after being unemployed for six months
SIR Bobby Robson last night praised his Newcastle side for the way in which they have "pulled their socks up" since the turn of the year. The Magpies have lost just three games in all competitions in 2004, conceding less than a goal a game along the way
BUSINESS tycoon Sir John Hall will stand for election to a regional assembly if the North-East votes in favour of the proposal later this year. The man who built the MetroCentre - Europe's biggest indoor shopping mall - and was chairman of Newcastle United
The At Your Service column - service, it is generally to be hoped, with a smile - is ten years old this weekend. We have joined hundreds in majestic cathedrals, handfuls in wayside chapels. As well as the principal denominations - high, low and over the
A MUSEUM voted the most family friendly in the country has started the tourist season with a record number of visitors. The number of people looking round Killhope, the North of England Lead Mining Museum, in Weardale, at Easter was 21 per cent higher
A GOLDFISH named William was saved after residents mounted a three-hour rescue operation to retrieve him from a drain. In a script worthy of Disney, 11 people, the RSPCA and council workers set about Finding William. Like Nemo, William was a sole survivor
A FOOTBALL fan was reunited with his wallet yesterday - 30 years after it was stolen by a pickpocket during a match. Arnold Coleman, 71, was stunned when the wallet was returned to him after being discovered in a garden close to the football ground Ayresome
THE mother of a leading kayaker who died in a New Zealand river yesterday spoke of her daughter's "bright, shining, golden smile" during a moving tribute at her funeral. Eleanor Rutter was killed on March 29 after being swept away as she tried to negotiate
BUSINESS tycoon Sir John Hall will stand for election to a regional assembly if the North-East votes in favour of the proposal later this year. The man who built the MetroCentre - Europe's biggest indoor shopping mall - and was chairman of Newcastle United
Yorkshire welcomed back an old Aussie friend yesterday in Darren Lehmann, and also greeted a new one in versatile all-rounder Ian Harvey who has arrived at Headingley after five successful seasons with Gloucestershire. Slate grey skies and pouring rain
A MAN has been arrested following a bus crash which left one person dead and four injured. The bus, which was returning from a nightclub, hit a hotel wall before careering into the parapet of a nearby railway bridge in York, early yesterday. A man inside
ART lovers will today be able to see the new face of a leading gallery celebrating its centenary. The Laing Art Gallery, in Higham Place, Newcastle, reopens its doors after undergoing a major refurbishment that has taken six months to complete. To mark
HOUSE prices in the North-East have doubled in three years - ranking it first in the UK for property increases, it was revealed last night. The region also emerged as home to four of the country's top ten property hotspots, with Hartlepool showing the
