Archive

  • Hunt for former beauty queens

    THE search is on to find former winners of a beauty contest more than 20 years after the final pageant. The Miss Crimdon Beauty Pageant began before the Second World War when the resort's wide sandy beaches were hugely popular with miners' families and

  • Work on £20m academy nears completion

    A £20M school in the North-East is nearing completion. The Unity City Academy building has been described by builders as revolutionary and will serve east Middlesbrough. The copper-clad elliptical building, designed by Hickton Madeley Architects, features

  • Weather puts paid to games

    Foster's ECB North East Regional Premier League: Not one game went the distance as either rain or bad light curtailed play. Eighty overs were possible at Stockton where Newcastle replied with 104-2 from just 29 overs to the home side's total of 152-9

  • Taking knife to Sabres

    Tim Bresnan gave the best all-round performance of his career as Yorkshire Phoenix cut Somerset Sabres to pieces to win by 145 runs in the totesport League at Taunton yesterday. The England Under 19s player first blasted 49 off only 27 balls with seven

  • Meetings focus on healthy lifestyles

    TWO public meetings will be held this week to find out what people think would encourage them to adopt more healthy lifestyles. The meetings are being organised by North Yorkshire County Council and Craven, Harrogate and Rural District Primary Care Trust

  • Army salute after seeing Emily play

    A YOUNG woman is fulfilling her dream of making a living from music - after joining the Army. Emily Barker, from South Moor, near Stanley, has just finished studying at the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall, Twickenham. The 19-year-old, who

  • Harbour homes plan unveiled

    A NORTH-EAST businessman has bought a 1.5-acre site at a harbour for a multi-million pound residential development. Kevin Wilde plans to develop the site at Seaham Harbour into a 30-unit residential site in a deal supported by Lloyds TSB Corporate Newcastle

  • Wargames enthusiasts turn out in force

    MORE than 400 model and wargames enthusiasts took part in one of the North-East's biggest exhibitions of its kind at the weekend. Fans of military models recreated miniature battles, including some from after D-Day, which were designed to mark the 60th

  • Memory lane for Aycliffe Angels

    WARTIME memories were evoked during a nostalgic event to celebrate the anniversary of VE Day. The Newton Aycliffe Scout Supporters Association (Nassa) organised a weekend of free attractions to mark the official surrender of Germany at the end of the

  • Horden profit as trio lose

    Federation Special Durham Senior League: The three sides at the top all lost their 100 per cent records and Horden now take over the leadership. The current champions were unable to winkle out the final South Hetton pair who held on for two overs together

  • Pressure off at last as players

    THE 801 Darlington fans who travelled down to Scunthorpe had every reason to celebrate on Saturday. David Hodgson's men could have been battered 7-1 at Glanford Park and still been able to hold their heads up high. Pressure-free Saturdays have been somewhat

  • Church may be demolished in expanded shops project

    AMENDED plans for a £45m shopping mall in the North-East could result in a church being demolished. Planning permission for the new Queen Street shopping complex in Darlington was given last year, but it did not include the former United Reformed Church

  • Man jailed for fuel scam

    A MAN involved in an organised fuel scam across the North-East and North Yorkshire has been jailed for three-and-a-half years. Gary Lowes was part of a team of people who stole diesel from service stations and haulage yards to sell on the black market

  • Ashlea sings her way to TV stardom

    RISING star Ashlea Pearson was last night celebrating after winning her way through to the finals of a popular television talent show. The 13-year-old, from Birtley, near Chester-le-Street, will be flying the flag for the North-East when millions of viewers

  • Dale's praise for N-E fighter

    Television host Dale Winton has revealed that he thinks Britain's Hardest fighting champion is a knockout presenter. The 48-year-old reckons he and North-East hardman Ian Freeman would make a dynamic television duo with great on-screen chemistry. Dale

  • Drug rape: not just an urban myth

    A WOMAN is drugged during a business appointment. She is taken into the countryside and gang raped in front of a live audience. The attack is recorded on video. A female solicitor, goes on a date with a man and wakes the next morning, realising she has

  • Sisters' crafty idea for business venture

    A LIFELONG passion for arts and crafts has inspired two sisters to create a craft supplies business in the heart of a former mining village. Scrap 'n' Craft was opened in Horden, east Durham, on Saturday by 27-year-old Rachel Stirman and sister Emma Parsons

  • Durham Diary

    STOCKTON will have to do without the services of budding batsman Alan Walker for three weeks following his brief return to Durham first team duty. Never previously known as a master bladesman, Walker's highest score in the national knockout cup was 13

  • Conductor prepares for milestone

    A CONDUCTOR will celebrate 40 years at the top when he steps on stage next week. Colin Short will mark four decades with the Sunderland Singers when he performs at Sunderland University's St Peter's riverside on Saturday. The choir will make a special

  • Harbour homes plan unveiled

    A NORTH-EAST businessman has bought a 1.5-acre site at a harbour for a multi-million pound residential development. Kevin Wilde plans to develop the site at Seaham Harbour into a 30-unit residential site in a deal supported by Lloyds TSB Corporate Newcastle

  • Museum hosts global display

    AN exhibition featuring important paintings from across the globe opens at a County Durham museum this month. The Bowes Museum, in Barnard Castle, is featuring paintings loaned from museums in Britain, France and America, in its forthcoming Boudin, Monet

  • Who'd have thought it? Pool eye Division One

    MAYBE Ritchie Humphreys' reaction said it all: "Hartlepool in the play-offs for Division One - who would have thought it, eh?'' Written off by the experts, knocked down by the bookies and scoffed at by rivals, remember Hartlepool United were in for a

  • Chemists investigate who killed colonel's marrows

    YOUNG chemists from across the North-East have been delving deep to solve a mystery. Students carried out scientific spade work after being set an unusual challenge at the University of Sunderland. Eight sixth-form teams had to solve the mystery of who

  • Bridge climb

    THIRTY children aged 12 to 16 from Huntcliffe Secondary School, in Saltburn, east Cleveland, will climb Middlesbrough's Transporter Bridge to raise money for the Teesside and Butterwick hospices on Saturday, June 12.

  • 'Frankenstein science' row over cloned embryos plan

    PRO-LIFE campaigners have described a project to clone Britain's first human embryos by North-East scientists as "Frankenstein science". Professor Jack Scarisbrick, of the charity Life, said: "I'm very upset at this manufacturing of a new kind of human

  • Protest over phone mast bid

    Plans for a 12m mobile phone mast are likely to be approved despite objections. Sacriston Parish Council opposed Vodafone's plans at Sacriston Industrial Estate, Plawsworth Road, Sacriston, on health grounds. But in a report to today's meeting of Chester-le-Street

  • Hospital closure plan protest

    A rally was held at the weekend by protestors angered at the possible closure of a hospital in Hartlepool. About 150 people attended the demonstration in Victory Square, in the town, to fight the plans to close the University Hospital of Hartlepool. The

  • Soldiers restore water to pond at beauty spot

    A team of 36 trainee soldiers marched to a North Yorkshire beauty spot to clear a pond. The team from the Army Foundation College, in Harrogate, fulfilled their pledge to clear out a 300-yard ditch that had helped to supply the Green Pond, in Hookstone

  • Disabled mother pleads for home with more room

    A WHEELCHAIR-bound mother, living with her husband and baby in a one-bedroomed flat, is pleading to be rehomed. Claire Dixon, 32, who has cerebral palsy, lives with husband Andrew and baby James in a flat owned by Cheshire Homes in Marske. She told The

  • Cricketers' tribute to fall victim

    A trophy dedicated to the memory of a talented cricketer who died last year will be awarded for the first time tomorrow. Officials of Crook Cricket Club, in County Durham, inaugurated the trophy dedicated to Michael Cooper. The 18-year-old died two days

  • Vegetarian recipe book creates a stir with hungry customers

    The team behind a children's recipe book cooked up treats for customers at a North Yorkshire book shop on Saturday. Sally Mowbray, Rosey Hill, Katie Ireland and Rachel Stainsby were promoting their book, Hand in Hand - an extraordinary cookbook, at Ottakar's

  • Fire authority's safety plan aims to save 125 extra lives

    A performance plan to be introduced by the North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority aims to save the lives of an extra 125 people over the next ten years. The draft Best Value Performance Plan, written by Deputy Chief Fire Officer Nigel Hutchinson, states

  • Keep-fit enthusiasts step out to raise funds for hospice

    A LEISURE centre hosted an aerobathon at the weekend to encourage people to get fit for the summer, while at the same time raising money for a local charity. Durham City Council's leisure services department got the Mayor's charity off to a good start

  • Comment from The Northern Echo: Spinning out of control

    WHEN Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon makes a statement to MPs today on the alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners, he is not expected to agree to the release of a Red Cross report detailing the mistreatment of detainees. Why not? What possible justification is

  • Museum unveils military portrait

    A PORTRAIT of the last field marshal to be appointed to the British Army has been unveiled at a museum in the region. The full-length portrait of Field Marshal the Rt Hon Lord Peter Inge KG GCB DL has been commissioned by the Green Howards to mark Lord

  • Creative workshops on offer at summer school

    Young people are being urged to be creative during their holidays this year, with a summer school designed to bring out their artistic talents. Greenfield School Community and Arts College, in Newton Aycliffe, will be offering a full programme of activities

  • University takes big step towards wiping out superbugs

    SCIENTISTS in the region have taken an important step forward in their battle against the threat of mutating superbugs. A team at Durham University headed by Professor Adrian Walmsley has succeeded in isolating a protein from the micro-organism which

  • Sporting accolades

    MORE than 70 students at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, Darlington, were presented with sporting awards by Mark Proctor, Middlesbrough Football Club's youth team coach. The Lewis Gordon Trophy for achievement went to Carol Mohan, who has represented

  • Release of Kelly film

    THE release date of a much-anticipated sexy North-East film has been delayed. School For Seduction will star Kelly Brook and some of the region's best known actors. A comedy about an Italian woman who comes to Newcastle to teach local women how to seduce

  • Council appealing for long-term foster carers

    AN appeal for long-term foster carers has been launched in Darlington. The borough council' social services department is seeking long-term homes for eight children, aged eight to 13, but that figure is constantly changing. Hilary Tillotson, a social

  • Labour gets new deputy

    THE Labour Party on a Teesside council has appointed a new deputy leader following the resignation of a senior councillor. The previous deputy leader of Redcar and Cleveland Labour group, Councillor Keith Pudney, resigned from the party over the Iraq

  • Mayor meets owners as kennels stages open day

    THE Mayor of Durham, Councillor Mary Hawgood, met dog lovers at a kennels' open day. She judged the Scruffs dog show and chatted to local primary school pupils learning about good dog ownership at the event at Deerness Kennels, Langley Moor. The event

  • Health and safety law scam prompts warning to firms

    BOGUS companies are targeting businesses in north Durham with a health and safety scam. Derwentside District Council said it has received dozens of complaints from companies which have been sent requests for payment to make sure they comply with health

  • Conductor prepares for milestone

    A CONDUCTOR will celebrate 40 years at the top when he steps on stage next week. Colin Short will mark four decades with the Sunderland Singers when he performs at Sunderland University's St Peter's riverside on Saturday. The choir will make a special

  • Langley Park fall just short

    The Readers Durham County League: Langley Park were within five runs of causing an upset when they were involved in a high-scoring game with champions Evenwood. The visitors' total of 220-7 appeared defendable but Langley took up the challenge and it

  • Blaze hits teabag factory

    Tons of waste went up in smoke at teabag maker Tetley in Eaglescliffe, near Stockton, at the weekend. The fire on the Durham Lane Industrial Estate started at 6.55pm on Saturday in a silo used to store waste. Firefighters had to use breathing apparatus

  • Drug rape: not just an urban myth

    The North Yorkshire-based Roofie Foundation is Britain's only specialist drug rape agency. Women's Editor Christen Pears speaks to its founder about his uphill struggle to stamp out the crime. A WOMAN is drugged during a business appointment. She is taken

  • Stellite to feel banded benefits

    Banded racing hasn't been everyone's cup of tea but it has certainly provided some of the lower-rated animals with opportunities it is unlikely they would have had in ordinary handicap company. And Stellite and Moonlight Song, first and third respectively

  • MP backs curfew to tackle bad behaviour

    AN MP has thrown his weight behind a North-East town's new measures to tackle anti-social behaviour by imposing a night-time curfew on under 16s. The curfew order came into force in the Deneside and Eastlea ward of Seaham, in County Durham, after a stream

  • Health and safety law scam prompts warning to firms

    BOGUS companies are targeting businesses in north Durham with a health and safety scam. Derwentside District Council said it has received dozens of complaints from companies which have been sent requests for payment to make sure they comply with health

  • Forest will come alive with top music

    THIS year's outdoor concerts in Dalby Forest are on course to be the most successful ever, according to the Forestry Commission. Ex-Jam frontman Paul Weller will appear in the forest, near Pickering, on June 19, followed by Bryan Ferry on June 20. A concert

  • TV review

    Kingdom Hospital (BBC2) Carthage: The Roman Holocaust (C4) WHEN you're ill in hospital, it's always pleasant to receive visitors. Unless you're in a Stephen King mini-series, that is. Artist Peter Rickman wakes to find a little girl who looks deathly

  • King expects progress

    ANDY King believes his Swindon side and not Hartlepool United have the better half of the play-off draw. Pool's point at the County Ground means Neale Cooper's team face Bristol City, while Swindon meet Brighton in the semi-finals. And King, critical

  • 10/05/04

    TEESSIDE AIRPORT: AS an ex-wartime RAF pilot I was lucky enough to fly the first RAF Dakota (and 100 others), so that by 1946 I had landed at 185 airfields in the northern hemisphere. Virtually all their names were single words of two of three syllables

  • Black Cats win fails to paper over the cracks

    ARDENT Burnley fan Alistair Campbell was an interested onlooker as Sunderland ended their Division One campaign at Turf Moor yesterday. But, despite a 2-1 win over the Clarets, even Tony Blair's former spin doctor would struggle to convince anybody that

  • Ghostly goings-on on the wards

    Kingdom Hospital (BBC2) : Carthage: The Roman Holocaust (C4): WHEN you're ill in hospital, it's always pleasant to receive visitors. Unless you're in a Stephen King mini-series, that is. Artist Peter Rickman wakes to find a little girl who looks deathly

  • 'Frankenstein science' row over cloned embryos plan

    PRO-LIFE campaigners have described a project to clone Britain's first human embryos by North-East scientists as "Frankenstein science". Professor Jack Scarisbrick, of the charity Life, said: "I'm very upset at this manufacturing of a new kind of human

  • Home is where the angst is

    I HAVE been trying to buy my first flat for nearly a year now. In the course of my search, house prices have risen so much that I have gone from being able to afford a cupboard-sized flat to a cupboard posing as a flat with a gaping hole in its ceiling

  • McCarthy eyes promotion after sudden turnaround

    MICK McCarthy last night admitted that Sunderland's third place finish was a fair reflection of their First Division campaign, writes Scott Wilson. But, with yesterday's 2-1 win over Burnley booking a play-off semi-final against Crystal Palace, the Black

  • Rantzen calls for hault to bullying

    CHILDLINE chairwoman Esther Rantzen yesterday made a heartfelt plea for an end to the schooldays scourge of bullying. She likened the problem to the abuse of Iraqi prisoners, saying the horrifying images in the media showed just how the vulnerable could

  • Teenager gets highest mark in music exam

    A TEENAGER is celebratafter receiving the highest marks in the UK in a clarinet exam. Christopher Turner, 15, from Hornby, near Great Smeaton, North Yorkshire, has won two prizes for achieving 146 marks out of a possible 150 in his grade eight examination

  • Determined Hussain reveals his intentions

    IF Durham's Paul Collingwood hopes to be in the team for the first Test against New Zealand next week, Nasser Hussain is clearly determined it will not be at his expense. There has been talk of the former England captain making way, but he wants to play

  • Pioneer autism research role for region

    A RESEARCH project to see if daily food supplements can help children with autism is to be carried out in the North-East. From the results of a study involving County Durham junior schools, researchers already know that capsules containing a pure form

  • Friends reunite as girls' school marks 100 years

    A 103-year-old was among 200 former pupils of a Catholic girls' school who attended a 100th anniversary reunion on Saturday. Rose Prior, who lives in Middlesbrough, cut the cake at the reunion of pupils from the Immaculate Conception Grammar School, Darlington

  • Wearside League: North Shields celebrate title with a rout

    North Shields, already promoted to the Albany Northern League, clinched the championship with 9-0 rout of bottom-of-the-table Washington Nissan UK. When the meanest defence was up against the most prolifigate there was likely to be just one outcome but

  • Bridge bag maiden win of the season

    Foster's Northumberland and Tyneside Senior League Review: Shotley Bridge stole a march on their rivals when their game with Benwell and Walbottle was the only one to go the distance. Three failed to start and the other two were quickly abandoned but

  • All aboard for Richard and Judy

    ONE of the country's favourite TV shows is to broadcast from on board a replica of Captain Cook's ship berthed in a Yorkshire town. The Richard and Judy show is to broadcast from the HM Bark Endeavour while it is in berthed in Scarborough's South Bay

  • Conlon's future in the balance

    DARLINGTON striker Barry Conlon last night admitted he may have played his last game for the club. The 25-year-old is out of contract this summer with a host of clubs chasing his signature. And while Conlon has made no secret of his desire to extend his

  • Match violence probed by FA

    THE Football Association has launched an investigation into disgraceful scenes during a North-East amateur football final. The showdown between two bitter rivals had to be abandoned when the match ended in uproar with a pitch invasion. Witnesses said

  • Passengers tell of flight delays

    PASSENGERS due to fly from Spain to the region on Friday night were angered to find their flight had been cancelled. Instead of their expected flight from Alicante to Tees-side Airport, some people were flown to Manchester and then taken by bus to Teesside

  • Work on £20m academy nears completion

    A £20M school in the North-East is nearing completion. The Unity City Academy building has been described by builders as revolutionary and will serve east Middlesbrough. The copper-clad elliptical building, designed by Hickton Madeley Architects, features

  • A victory at last for Murton

    Durham Coast League: hampions Murton won for the first time in three attempts defeating Seaham Park by four wickets. Difficult conditions did not make for easy batting and Seaham ended with only 117 on top despite five players reaching double figures.

  • Gardeners' questions

    You know that pile of correspondence that you put in a safe place and vow to get round to sorting out 'soon'. Well, I found my stack of letters this week. Well, to be truthful, they found me. They jumped out of the cupboard when I opened the door. I thought

  • Children's discos bring funds boost for cash-strapped club

    TWO children's discos have raised £500 for cash-strapped Darlington Football Club. The events took place at the town's Galaxy Suite, in North Road, in February. Sixty businesses and individuals bought tickets, which were then given to local children.

  • 'Teflon Tony' comes unstuck

    With a poll yesterday showing that Labour can only win a clear victory in the next General Election if Tony Blair steps down in favour of Chancellor Gordon Brown, trust in the Prime Minister appears lower than ever. Two years ago when Mr Blair celebrated

  • Gardeners' questions

    You know that pile of correspondence that you put in a safe place and vow to get round to sorting out 'soon'. Well, I found my stack of letters this week. Well, to be truthful, they found me. They jumped out of the cupboard when I opened the door. I thought

  • Northallerton home and dry despite conditions

    The vast majority of players would welcome a quick change in the weather but perhaps at Northallerton they are not too bothered! They again beat the elements and their opponents, while the remainder of the programme was just about washed out. Full credit

  • Neighbours' buses campaign

    NEIGHBOURS have joined forces to fight for a better bus service. People living in the Tollesby Road area of Acklam, Middlesbrough, want bus company Stagecoach to reintroduce a bus route into the town. The company withdrew the service two years ago, saying

  • MP backs curfew to tackle bad behaviour

    AN MP has thrown his weight behind a North-East town's new measures to tackle anti-social behaviour by imposing a night-time curfew on under 16s. The curfew order came into force in the Deneside and Eastlea ward of Seaham, in County Durham, after a stream

  • Labour gets new deputy

    THE Labour Party on a Teesside council has appointed a new deputy leader following the resignation of a senior councillor. The previous deputy leader of Redcar and Cleveland Labour group, Councillor Keith Pudney, resigned from the party over the Iraq

  • Spotlight on mental health needs of young adults

    A CONFERENCE aimed at bridging the age gap in addressing young people's mental health problems will be held in the region this week. Durham County Council's Overview and Scrutiny Committee has carried out a detailed investigation into fears that people

  • Yorkshire Diary

    IT was Chris Silverwood's lethal new-ball burst, followed by opener Matthew Wood's blazing 71 not out off 58 balls, which hurried Yorkshire to their eight-wicket victory over Dorset in the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy at Bournemouth last week. After

  • Ex-cleaner dusts off the past

    A FORMER cleaner who ditched her dusters to go back to school is taking the first steps in a new career. Single mother Elizabeth Cassidy, from Consett, decided to get back in the classroom after working at the town's Derwentside College as a cleaner.

  • Fair keeping alive countryside traditions

    AN annual fair that is helping to keep countryside traditions alive drew large crowds at the weekend. The Teesdale and District Game Fair featured an enlarged and improved programme at Witton Castle on Saturday and Sunday. Three Clydesdale horses were

  • Recyclers buy back their own compost

    MEMBERS of a garden waste collection scheme have been given the chance to purchase the compost they helped to produce. The event was part of Compost Awareness Week, a national campaign to promote the benefits of making and using compost for gardens and

  • Walk to help put diabetes in spotlight

    A GROUP of volunteers from Bishop Auckland are preparing to hold a sponsored walk to raise the profile of diabetes. About 200 walkers are expected to take part in the event, organised by The Bishop Auckland Voluntary Group of Diabetes UK. They will gather

  • Families gather petition in protest at loss of play area

    FAMILIES on a Willington estate have organised a petition against the closure of a popular playground. More than 200 signatures have been collected in less than a week by protestors angry that the Armoury Field play area has been identified for possible

  • Swimathon teams raise £5,000 for a host of charities

    AN annual swimathon that attracted 300 entrants has raised more than £5,000 for charity. The event, which was held at Spennymoor Leisure Centre yesterday, has been running for more than 20 years and is organised by Rotary Clubs and Lions Clubs in south

  • Arson-damaged school to become education centre

    A PRIMARY school partly destroyed in an arson attack is undergoing a transformation to become a multi-million pound education centre for the community. In February last year, a fire swept through Middleton St George Primary School, near Darlington, causing

  • Primary schools' netball clash

    PRIMARY schools in Darlington competed in the annual school's netball competition, on Saturday. Children from 17 schools took part in the tournament at Polam Hall School, with teams competing for six minutes each way. Polam Hall School won the competition

  • Racing Scouts go the distance for charity

    BEAVERS, Cubs, Scouts and Adventure Scouts stayed up all night on Friday to recreate a miniature version of the Le Mans 24-hour race. The 9th Darlington Scout Group set up 100ft of Scalextric track in Harrowgate Hill Methodist Church and spent 24 hours

  • Outdoor theatre

    TICKETS for Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's outdoor theatre season go on sale this week. The Oddsocks Company will present The Legend of Robin Hood at Kirkleatham Museum, Redcar, from Wednesday to Saturday, July 14 to 17. Tickets for the 7.30pm

  • Awareness of natural way of feeding

    TEESSIDE mothers are being encouraged by Middlesbrough Primary Care Trust to try breastfeeding as part of National Breastfeeding Awareness Week. Breastfeeding benefits mothers by helping weight loss, helping the womb return to normal and reducing the

  • Hundreds expected at craftwork exhibition

    Visitors from all over the country are expected to visit North Yorkshire to see a craftwork exhibition. The Pavilions of Harrogate will host the fourth Parchment Craft Exhibition on May 22. It will highlight skills which date from before the 12th Century

  • School's joy over sports accolade

    SPORTY pupils are celebrating after receiving a national award. The Hermitage School, in Chester-le-Street, has earned a Sportsmark Gold award for its outstanding commitment to sports provision - an upgrade from the Sportsmark status it achieved two years

  • College team wins endurance race

    A GRUELLING Army endurance race has been won by a team from the Army Foundation College, Harrogate. The soldiers and civilian staff were among 13 teams which took part in the annual Race the Sun competition. They had to run, swim and canoe 182 miles across

  • Report says home buying out of reach

    AFFORDABLE housing is still beyond the reach of many of a city's poorest residents, according to a new report. Most of the 4,500 people on City of York Council's housing waiting list are on too low an income to afford a discounted sale or shared ownership

  • Woman attacked by youths

    POLICE are appealing for information after a gang attacked a disabled woman. The 51-year-old victim, who uses a battery-operated wheelchair, was attacked by between ten and 12 youths in Broughton Road, Skipton, North Yorkshire. The woman was assaulted

  • North-East MP buys £850,000 penthouse

    PETER Mandelson has bought a £850,000 penthouse apartment less than half a mile from Downing Street. The Hartlepool MP and former cabinet minister's sixth-floor flat overlooks Trafalgar Square. He has sold his former West London home for £600,000 and

  • Cast puts final touches to big performance

    AFTER four months of intensive rehearsal, the 150-strong cast of Stagestruck are making their final preparations before their big night. The musical, which has performers as young as three and pensioners in their seventies, will be performed for one day

  • Perspiration and inspiration key to season of success

    KEVIN KEEGAN bemoaned City's lack of work ethic, a quality counterpart Steve McClaren has instilled to telling effect at Middlesbrough. Boro celebrated an historic season, one that has seen them finally lift the major trophy that had remained tantalisingly

  • Quakers creditors offered £150,000

    CREDITORS of Darlington Football Club are being asked to accept an offer of only £150,000 for the club - despite being owed millions. Financiers the Sterling Consortium have offered £700,000 for the club's business and assets but only a fraction will

  • Pressure off at last as players turn on style for supporters

    THE 801 Darlington fans who travelled down to Scunthorpe had every reason to celebrate on Saturday. David Hodgson's men could have been battered 7-1 at Glanford Park and still been able to hold their heads up high. Pressure-free Saturdays have been somewhat

  • 'She was more of a bloke than a bloke'

    Margaret Thatcher may have been Britain's first female Prime Minister but she did surprisingly little for her fellow women, as Women's Editor Christen Pears finds out. AS Margaret Thatcher stood at the door of Number 10 in her dark blue suit, smiling

  • Torture: 'Ministers were told a year ago'

    TONY BLAIR was looking increasingly beleaguered last night after Amnesty International claimed the Government was told a year ago that British troops had tortured Iraqi prisoners. The group said it had held ongoing talks with the Ministry of Defence and

  • Tait turns to books after a dream Falcons debut

    WHAT a difference a day makes. Eight days ago, County Durham youngster Mathew Tait began his Newcastle Falcons career by scoring a try with his very first touch of the ball. The term 'dream debut' could have been coined for the occasion but, just 24 hours

  • Boomerang rebounds on Oz

    Australians were outraged last night at a claim that the boomerang - an iconic symbol of their heritage - could have been invented in Yorkshire. North-East author and explorer Terry Deary, who is behind the popular Horrible Histories books, believes he

  • Champions League hopes fade

    WHEN Sir Bobby Robson needed Alan Shearer yesterday, the Newcastle skipper was found wanting as the Gallowgate End penalty jinx struck again to all but destroy the Magpies' Champions League hopes. Shearer, who infamously failed from the spot at the same

  • Sweet music from the Likely Lass

    Brigit Forsyth is still best known as Thelma in the Likely Lads, a TV hit 35 years ago. A more current role finds her playing the cello, she tells Steve Pratt. A CELLO leans against the wall of the rehearsal room. The instrument is playing a key role

  • Jury still out on McClaren magic

    STEVE McClaren has yet to prove himself as a top manager, despite leading Middlesbrough into a major European competition for the first time in their history. That's the view of former England, Manchester United and Boro centre-back Gary Pallister. McClaren's

  • New take on music festival

    A NEW version of a popular music event will be held at a different venue this year. The World Heritage Site at Fountains Abbey, near Ripon, North Yorkshire, has hosted a classical music concert that closes with a fireworks display for a number of years

  • Must-win games beckon Magpies

    SIR BOBBY ROBSON last night admitted it was "all or nothing'' for Newcastle in their desperate bid for a return to the Champions League. United were booed off yesterday after they were held to a bitterly disappointing 1-1 draw by relegated Wolves at St

  • Wood you believe what sculptors can make from trees

    TREE sculptors drew the crowds at one of the region's biggest garden festivals at the weekend. Renowned artist Lorraine Botterill was one of the sculptors who entertained 4,000 people who attended the Teesside Garden and Wood Festival with her creations

  • McClaren desperate to keep Zenden

    MIDDLESBROUGH boss Steve McClaren has pledged to "move heaven and earth'' to bring Bolo Zenden back to the Riverside next season. The Holland winger, whose penalty helped Boro to Carling Cup glory against Bolton, has made a huge impact during a season's

  • Torture: 'Ministers were told a year ago'

    TONY BLAIR was looking increasingly beleaguered last night after Amnesty International claimed the Government was told a year ago that British troops had tortured Iraqi prisoners. The group said it had held ongoing talks with the Ministry of Defence and

  • Northallerton home and dry despite conditions

    Darlington Building Society NYSD Premier League: The vast majority of players would welcome a quick change in the weather but perhaps at Northallerton they are not too bothered! They again beat the elements and their opponents, while the remainder of