IT was lovely weather for ducks yesterday where showers added to the excitement of a village fun weekend. Residents of Cotherstone, in Teesdale, traditionally round off their carnival celebrations with a duck race on the River Tees, where rain swelled
Darlington Building Society NYSD Premier League: GUISBOROUGH, who have won the championship for three successive seasons, are now within striking distance of leaders Saltburn. The Fountain Garth side have overcome a slow start and are now displaying the
VINTAGE cars from around the country converged on the North-East yesterday in an annual test of safety and reliability. The 33rd Beamish Run featured 118 cars and motorcycles of 50 years old or more. Its route, starting and finishing at Riverside Park
AN ILLUMINATED sculpture, which has prompted a wave of protest, took its place on the North-East skyline yesterday. The steel and glass waymarker, almost 60 ft high, 4ft square and bearing the words County Durham down its length, was fixed in place alongside
Foster's ECB North-East Premier League: THE weather played havoc with the programme and only Chester -le-Street managed a win. It was a significant result though and the Cestrians are in pole position as the leadership changed for the third successive
MEMBERS of Sedgefield Lyric Singers are on the look out for men who have good voices and a love of singing. Like many music groups, The Lyric Singers have been experiencing a shortage of male singers for some time. But men are in particular demand this
North-East farmer Neil Richmond reckons he can earn a large slice of financial pie by switching from heifers to hit records after launching the world's first website which allows fans to invest in promising bands. Bands from Latvia, Germany and the US
PARTS of the North-East and North Yorkshire could be hit by a crash in the price of property, according to a new study. The study by market research company Experian examined areas where prices have risen highest in relation to income. It singled out
Foster's Northumberland and Tyneside Senior League: THERE was a close call for leaders Tynedale before they squeezed home by just five runs against Newcastle City. Runs were at a premium throughout and the Hexham side's 134 looked vulnerable but eventually
David Beckham has stressed his desire to reward the nation for their support by winning Euro 2004 while admitting his career would not be complete without an international trophy. Beckham can picture the scenes which would greet the team at home if they
A showpiece music venue has struck the right note with jobseekers. Hundreds attended a recruitment event on Saturday to become part of the team of The Sage Gateshead and be considered for one of 250 jobs up for grabs. Organised by Gateshead Council's
A man had part of his ear bitten off during a fight in a Stockton pub. The incident happened at around 1.40am on Sunday in the Blue Lounge pub, Bridge Road, Stockton, and as a result a 35-year-old Billingham man was taken to the University Hospital of
I WAS taken around the back of the houses and led through a well-used but slightly overgrown alleyway. A quiet man leading two docile greyhounds nodded as he passed me in the opposite direction. The land opened up and to my right, stood a large fenced
FORMER Newcastle United boss Jack Charlton popped down to the supermarket to have a chat with his protege Paul Gascoigne. The England World Cup winner met up with Gascoigne as he signed copies of his autobiography, Gazza: My Story, at Tesco's Kingston
DIY bunglers rejoice. Britain's first firm specialising in the assembly of flat-pack furniture is about to be launched. Frank Roche left his job as a printing firm executive after being persuaded by friend Peter Young that there was a gap in the market
IT is part of being English to crave sporting success and to be normally denied it in agonising circumstances. We build our hopes up, convince ourselves that we're going to do it, and then usually blow it in a penalty shoot-out or nail-biting tie-break
A STREET in the North-East has won the inauspicious crown of being the poorest address in the country to live - despite there being no residential houses on the road. A survey shows that Newport Road, in Middlesbrough, has the lowest average income of
YOUNG musicians provided a fanfare to herald the opening of a £2m business. The brass band from Pittington Primary School, near Durham, was invited to perform at the opening of the Thompson Building Centre, in nearby Langley Moor. The Mayor of Durham,
An aviation enthusiast from the North-East has dedicated many years to piecing together an amazing collection of photographs, official records and various items of memorabilia as a tribute to one man's amazing courage. Kate Bowman reports. THE squadron
A SEARCH for a missing camper was called off when he arrived back at his tent after a day's sightseeing. The middle-aged man had not been seen for more than 24 hours when police were alerted on Friday evening. He had been camping at East Mellwaters Farm
DURHAM squandered a winning position yesterday and became the first team to lose to Scotland in the totesport League this season. At 44 for four in reply to 189 for seven, Scotland were sliding tamely to their eighth successive defeat. But Durham relaxed
Federation Special Durham Senior League: THE rain-affected programme did not prevent leaders Burnmoor from picking up maximum points at Durham City. The game was delayed and City were quickly in trouble when the match finally got under way 90 minutes
A FORMER building executive who plundered his company's coffers to fund his obsession with fast cars has started a three-year jail sentence. Peter Spoors was managing director of Tyneside-based Miller Homes, when he stole nearly £380,000 to pay for expensive
A COMMUNITY is counting the cost of vandalism which could damage its chances in a regional competition to find the village with the best flower displays. Children in Fishburn, County Durham, helped to plant bedding flowers and tubs through a project to
I WALK into Hooker & Young's new salon looking, quite frankly, a mess. My hair's untidy, horribly frizzy and I've got about half an inch of grey roots showing. When I leave a couple of hours later, it's so sleek and shiny I find it hard to believe
DOGS of all shapes, colours and sizes strutted their stuff during a fun competition yesterday. About 1,500 dog owners took their pets to an open day at the Dogs Trust Re-homing Centre, in Sadberge, near Darlington. The event included a dog show with categories
SCORES of men from the Durham Dales area were given MoT health checks in an event which aimed to raise awareness of health and fitness issues. Staff from Durham Dales Primary Care Trust measured the fitness levels of students and staff at Bishop Auckland
LIBERAL Democrats are to hold their Northern regional conference at the weekend. The conference, starting on Saturday at Gateshead Civic Centre, will debate plans for a regional assembly, the subject of a referendum due to be held in the autumn. Delegates
A SERVICE for terminal cancer patients in Darlington could become a blueprint for care across the country. Darlington Primary Care Trust, St Teresa's Hospice and Marie Curie Cancer Care run a joint scheme that aims to keep cancer patients in their homes
JUNIOR chefs have been busy creating delicacies at Darlington College of Technology. A group of 14 children, aged ten to 14, are taking part in an eight-week course to experience life in a professional kitchen. At the end of the session they will cook
WET weather failed to dampen the spirits of young footballers in Darlington at the weekend. A total of 900 children took part in a football tournament, held as part of Branksome Carnival, at Branksome School. Visitors also enjoyed a bucking bronco, balloon
DIABETES care in Darlington is to receive an important boost thanks to a £120,000 health initiative. Five GP practices in the town are taking part in the project, which is expected to have a huge impact on quality of life for thousands of people in the
A TEENAGER has started work on her second book, after her first was published by her grandfather. Nikita Cadman, 13, from Harrowgate Hill, Darlington, wrote Island Disaster as part of a homework project at Longfield Comprehensive School. The story so
HUNDREDS of villagers have responded to a questionnaire asking how they would like to see their parish improved. The 530 residents in Heighington, near Darlington, responded to a parish council survey that asked 69 questions about how quality of life
FORMER Newcastle United boss Jack Charlton popped down to the supermarket to have a chat with his protege Paul Gascoigne. The England World Cup winner met up with Gascoigne as he signed copies of his autobiography, Gazza: My Story, at Tesco's Kingston
A COMMUNITY carnival has been cancelled because villagers failed to respond to an appeal for help to run it. West Auckland Village Partnership has reluctantly scrapped plans to hold a summer carnival on the village green on August Bank Holiday Monday.
A PRIMARY school is celebrating after collecting its third award of the year from North West Durham MP Hilary Armstrong. The Government Chief Whip presented a silver Artsmark award to Hunwick Primary School, near Bishop Auckland, on Friday, for its efforts
A SENSORY room of light and sound has been opened in the North-East for children with profound learning difficulties. The £15,000 room, in the Pathways building at Darlington College of Technology, features equipment for people with severe sensory and
A MAJOR review of council highway depots in North Yorkshire is being carried out. Changes are planned at several depots including Bainbridge, Easingwold, Thirsk, West Ayton, Skipton, Ryedale, and Pateley Bridge. Negotiations are under way between the
A CLUB in which youngsters learn about birds of prey and wildlife conservation is proving a huge hit. The club, which meets every other Saturday at the Sion Hill Hall Falconry Centre in Kirby Wiske, near Thirsk, has been full for the past several weeks
SALTBURN Tennis Club held a 24-hour tennis marathon over the weekend - and a local MP dropped in to serve up his support for the event. The marathon was designed to interest local youngsters in tennis in the build-up to Wimbledon fortnight, as well as
SEVEN wildlife sites in the Stockton borough have been given Local Nature Reserve status. Stockton Borough Council's parks and countryside team declared the seven sites; Barwick Pond, Charltons Pond, Norton Grange Marsh, Greenvale, Quarry Wood, Stillington
A WOMAN from Hartlepool has received a national award for her environmental work. Beverley Miller, engineering administrator at Britvic Soft Drinks in Hartlepool, has been awarded the British Safety Council Diploma in Environmental Management. She was
BEECH Grove Primary school has been crowned the king of the road after winning an annual Junior Road Safety Quiz. Last year's champions, St Peter's CoE Primary School, were a close second with Riverdale Primary finishing in third place. The event, organised
FEARS have been raised that a child may be seriously injured while playing in a derelict building. Geoff Harrison, chairman of the Low Grange Residents' Association in Billingham, has expressed concern of the dangers which Billingham House, a derelict
DETECTIVES have been flooded with calls after The Northern Echo revealed how a North-East father and son disappeared from their horse truck business owing customers money. The investigation into Just Trucks, run by Gary Upson and his son, Ryan, has been
A PIONEERING scheme to teach young people how to be better citizens has won a national award. Spice, the Special Project to Implement Children's Elections, was set up by Derwentside District Council last year. It aimed to give youngsters more involvement
A GROUP of soldiers serving in Afghanistan are running 3,670 miles for charity - the equivalent distance from their base in Kabul to their regimental headquarters. The members of the 1st Battalion The Green Howards are serving with the International Security
TAXI drivers have said that the location of a farmers' market is dangerous and is an accident waiting to happen. Northallerton farmers' market takes place every fourth Wednesday of the month on the area usually taken up by a taxi rank, north of the town
A NORTH-EAST college has become the first in the country to win an award from a body that helps people in developing countries get a decent wage for the food they produce. The Fairtrade Foundation has granted Sunderland College Fairtrade status as it
CO-OPERATION among co-operatives is helping a County Durham organisation offer work experience for clients recovering from mental health problems. Broadgate Farm Co-operative, near Esh Winning, has got a £500 community dividend grant from North Eastern
COMMUNITY groups are getting together this week to celebrate their successes. A total of 58 organisations have shared £50,000 funding from Middlesbrough Prim- ary Care Trust's (PCT) easy access small grants scheme. The scheme, which provides one-off grants
TONY Blair has conceded he faces a tough fight to sell the EU constitution to a sceptical British public in a referendum. But the Prime Minister insisted voters would be won round once they were told the truth about the deal. However, the Tories branded
Durham Coast League: DESPITE their game with Dawdon being abandoned, Murton are the new leaders. Silksworth were deposed when neighbours Ryhope inflicted a nine-wicket defeat, leaving the way open for Murton to take a narrow lead at the top. Silksworth
On the eve of Wimbledon, Tim Henman is looking tanned and feeling confident. ''In the last seven or eight months my game has probably improved more than it has in the past seven or eight years,'' he explains. ''I couldn't be more excited or optimistic
An England supporter claims he was handcuffed, beaten and deported - for singing football songs. John Crangle from Grangetown, Sunderland, was arrested in the Algarve resort of Albufeira where he and a friend had been enjoying the Euro 2004 championships
First time author Allistair Mitchell fooled the world with a publicity stunt using a fake dragon and now he's reaping the rewards, with a $150,000 publishing deal. He talks to Sarah Foster. IT seemed incredible, and yet it had an undeniable ring of authenticity
Reader's Durham County League: Evenwood conceded the last unbeaten record when they went down to arch rivals Tudhoe by two wickets yesterday. Their lead at the top is now just two points. Andy Poole's unbeaten 35 was the best which Evenwood produced in
Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard will not allow frenzied speculation over their club futures to affect England's Euro 2004 campaign, insists assistant coach Steve McClaren. Gerrard has been linked with a potential £30m move to Stamford Bridge, while Rooney
cyclists are being given the chance to take a trip around some of the region's villages. An 11-mile circular ride, organised by Hartlepool Borough Council's countryside access team, takes place on Sunday. Starting at the visitor centre at the town's Summerhill
THEY began chanting his name before he even reached the stage - a chorus of approval that never subsided. And the Modfather Paul Weller didn't disappoint as he lit a musical forest fire in North Yorkshire on Saturday night. About 4,500 rain-soaked devotees
CAN you believe it? I'm at a party surrounded by women and the conversation is all about. . . football. That's probably because there's nothing else on TV, but a shock to the system nonetheless as my wife is among those enthusing about England's victory
A pet dog travelled 14,000 miles to a new home in the North-East - then ran away yards from the front door. Honeybear's epic journey began in Macau, off the coast of China, and took her to Oklahoma, US, then across the Atlantic to Heathrow. She was then
A BLAZE believed to have been deliberately started has wrecked a school swimming pool. Police are investigating the fire at Hartlepool Sixth Form College, in Blakelock Road, which began about 9.30pm on Friday. The pool is regularly visited by other schools
A POPULAR museum is looking for a blacksmith to keep the old traditions alive. Beamish Museum, near Stanley, County Durham, has a vacancy at its Home Farm forge - one of the most popular exhibits at the museum. Since the forge opened 20 years ago, millions
THE sounds of rock and pop music legends will be recreated in a live show next week. Second-year students at New College Durham are to present a concert called The Final Showdown. It is the culmination of a two-year BTEC National Diploma in Popular Music
A HOSPICE charity is appealing to people to help stock its shops. Teesside Hospice has ten shops in the Teesside area, which rely on donations from the public. The shops accept donations of good quality household items, clothing, books and records and
NORTH-EAST sprint double record breaker Yousef Aliu underlined his chances of a medal in next month's English Schools Championships with two more unbeatable performances in the annual Inter-Counties Schools fixture on home ground at Middlesbrough. The
A cinema version of the television series Blue Planet is expected to be a big success - even without the 'voice of wildlife' David Attenborough. DAVID Attenborough may be recognised as the voice of BBC wildlife programmes but was told his services weren't
REGIONAL GOVERNMENT: DENISE Robertson is yet another voice in favour of a North-East Regional Assembly. She is correct is saying that if this opportunity is not taken we will lose out. The Government is giving us this chance to make our voices heard and
John Terry claims if England win Euro 2004 they will dedicate it to banned central defender Rio Ferdinand. Ferdinand is serving an eight-month Football Association ban for failing to attend a drugs test with Manchester United last summer. Terry is the
I WAS taken around the back of the houses and led through a well-used but slightly overgrown alleyway. A quiet man leading two docile greyhounds nodded as he passed me in the opposite direction. The land opened up and to my right, stood a large fenced
RELATIVES of the victims of the Selby rail crash have criticised the legal system after learning that the man responsible will be freed early from prison. Gary Hart, 40, will be released next summer after serving half of his jail sentence. Hart, from
A VILLAGE'S CCTV system has been rendered useless after one of the cameras was placed next to a tree. Now a plan to fell the 100-year-old tree has been put on hold after it emerged it could be home to a colony of endangered bats. A second security camera
OWNERS of sailing vessels are being urged to chart a course for the North-East next month to join the Hartlepool Maritime Festival. The highlight of the festival will be the visit of replicas of Captain Cook's ship HM Bark Endeavour and Tsar Peter the
Extreme Archaeology (Sunday Ch4); Strictly Come Dancing (Saturday BBC1); The Rough Guide to Choreography (Saturday Ch4): FORGET Tony Robinson and that bearded fellow from Time Team, this is archaeology with attractive women and a sense of adventure. Katie
RECORD crowds dodged torrential showers over the weekend to make it a vintage year for the 23rd Great Aycliffe Show. Organisers said the car parks at the Oakleaf Leisure Centre, in Newton Aycliffe, had never been fuller and estimated that more people
POLICE were last night becoming very concerned for the welfare of a 15-year-old boy last seen on Thursday. A police spokesman said Cleveland and Durham Police were looking for Seaham teenager Shaun Bate, who went missing from West Lane Hospital, in Middlesbrough
DETECTIVES have been flooded with calls after The Northern Echo revealed how a North-East father and son disappeared from their horse truck business owing customers money. The investigation into Just Trucks, run by Gary Upson and his son, Ryan, has been
A FIVE-YEAR-OLD girl was hailed a heroine yesterday after she leapt into a pond to save a toddler neighbour. Geordie Gray, three, was under the water and would have drowned but for brave Melissa Chapman. She ran into the water up to her waist and grabbed
THE British Red Cross is holding a zip slide event from the Transporter Bridge, Middlesbrough, on Sunday, July 11, to raise funds for the charity. It is only the second time the bridge has been used for such an event. No experience is necessary, although
YORKSHIRE suffered a severe blow in their rain-wrecked Championship game against Leicestershire at Headingley yesterday when captain Craig White had to limp off the field with a torn hamstring. White will have a scan today to discover the extent of the
A BUILDING has opened to signify the start of a fresh approach to improving community safety in south Durham. The Community Safety Centre, in Bishop Auckland, will serve residents seeking help from police and fire services, councils, support workers and
PLANS for a £750,000 road development will go on public display this week. Work on the £9m Chilton bypass, which was first mooted in 1939, will begin in the middle of next month. When completed, it will divert traffic away from the A167 Durham Road, which
AN African asylum seeker forced to flee persecution in her own country says she has received a warm welcome in Darlington. The 27-year-old mother-of-two, who came to the town from Burundi, in Central Africa, a year ago, said her life had been made bearable
A FAMILY centre has gained approval from the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) to offer full day care services. The Lighthouse Family Centre, in School Aycliffe, caters for children aged between two and eight. From next month, the centre will
Gary Hooker and Michael Young, two of the North-East's leading hairstylists, are opening new salons in the south of the region. Christen Pears reports. I WALK into Hooker & Young's new salon looking, quite frankly, a mess. My hair's untidy, horribly
A charity has reaped the rewards of a crime prevention boss's bright idea to cut car crime. Sergeant Glynn Bass had 1,000 windscreen sunshields printed with the words "On the advice of the Safer Middlesbrough Partnership property removed" in a bid to
A SCHEME to encourage pupils to cycle to school safely is to be launched in Hartlepool. St John Vianney RC Primary School, in King Oswy Drive, plans to issue permits to youngsters once they have passed their Cycling Proficiency Test. The permits will
A WOMAN from Hartlepool is looking forward to a fresh future thanks to a project to help young people start a career in the health sector. Tina Doxford, 21, from Hartlepool, is one of 19 people who found jobs in the health service through the Hospital
YOUNG volunteers have been recognised for their contribution to the Hartlepool community. A group of Millennium Volunteers were presented with awards at a ceremony at the town's Historic Quay. Together they have clocked up thousands of hours of unpaid
THE pink signs pinned to the backs of runners' vests provided the most poignant image at yesterday's Race for Life, in Darlington. Hundreds of them were on view at the town's South Park, each giving the name of a loved one whose life had been blighted
A pet dog travelled 14,000 miles to a new home in the North-East - then ran away yards from the front door. Honeybear's epic journey began in Macau, off the coast of China, and took her to Oklahoma, US, then across the Atlantic to Heathrow. She was then
THE cream of community businesses in the North-East have been recognised for their achievements. The first Social Enterprise Awards organised by the North-East Social Enterprise Partnership (NESEP) and funded by One NorthEast were held at Durham County
SKIPPING lessons usually get youngsters in trouble but this time teachers joined in at a County Durham school. Children at Blue Coat Primary School in Neville's Cross, Durham, took part in a sponsored skip to raise money for the British Heart Foundation
A PARTY to mark the launch of new facilities for teenagers in an east Durham village takes place next weekend. The Teenzone project, in Ludworth, near Peterlee, was developed by environmental group Groundwork East Durham with the young people of the village
STAFF sickness figures for Hambleton and Richmondshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) are lower than average for the NHS nationally and regionally. The figures on absence rates due to sickness, which were released by the Department of Health, have been welcomed
A singing fish will be one of the attractions at a village scarecrow competition. Bassett the fish, which is activated by a sensor, has appeared in the front garden of a bungalow in Sawley, near Ripon, as part of the community's annual competition. Creator
A TWO-YEAR project to build a medical centre came to fruition with the official opening of the new premises. Leyburn Medical Centre, in Brentwood, brings together the town's health services under one roof, with space for GPs, midwives, health visitors
A CHAIN of Indian restaurants is to open two venues, creating 15 jobs. The launch of Varanda at the former Style Bar, Victory Lane, Whickham, Gates-head, and Dalchini, in Durham, early next month will bring the number outlets owned by entrepreneur Martin
PEOPLE who give up their time to make a difference in their community celebrated at a party in their honour. Derwentside Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) and Volunteer Bureau held a celebration evening at the Raven Country Hotel, Lanchester, to mark
THE £177,000 Sure Start Caedmon Centre, in Grangetown, was blessed by the Bishop of Whitby, the Right Reverend Robert Ladds. There was a ballet performance by the Little Movers, a group of 15 girls aged three to four, after the centre's launch by Redcar
WITH his trademark idiotic grin and tousled hair, Stan Laurel earned lasting fame by landing his partner Oliver Hardy in "another fine mess" on stage and screen. Nearly four decades after his death, the comic genius is still a global superstar, with fans
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT NOW that Montes has been sentenced, I very much regret that they no longer use the guillotine in France. How, therefore, should sexual predators, especially those who prey on children, be treated? Life imprisonment, with life meaning
FIVE teenagers have secured jobs after being among the first to complete a Childcare Foundation Apprenticeship. The apprenticeship is part of a scheme introduced by the Early Years National Training Organisation and funded by the Learning and Skills Council
A tanker driver from Stockton-on-Tees is facing a lengthy jail sentence after admitting killing a father and son by ramming into the back of their horse-drawn caravan. Gerald Norman Grange, 50, of Norwood Close, Stockton-and-Tees, pleaded guilty at Carlisle
Michael Vaughan's dazzling Roses innings of 116 not out at Old Trafford will long be remembered by all who were fortunate enough to see it. Much more importantly, the win which it brought exorcised the ghosts that have troubled Yorkshire ever since Lancashire
Wimbledon may well give the coverage of Euro 2004 a run for its money especially if Tim Henman goes all the way to the final on July 4. Chief Sports Writer Scott Wilson weighs up the chances of Oxford's finest. AFTER springtime in Paris comes summer in
A FRIEND who had been planning to marry this spring recently wrote a group email telling us that the wedding was off and the hen party had been cancelled. The email didn't go in to why, but just said it was a time of sadness for both of them. I was alarmed
MILTON Bradley, who reached the pinnacle of his training career when successful with The Tatling at Royal Ascot last week, can be on the mark in more mundane surroundings today. Bradley's Roxanne Mill has been knocking on the door of late and should give
