A MAN attacked a passer-by after he intervened in a fight, a court was told yesterday. David Britton, 20, of Egglestone View, Darlington, denied assaulting Raymond Bullock. He was found guilty after a trial at South Durham Magistrates' Court. Rachel Masters
A NORTH-EAST MP relived a humbling moment from his past when he took on a young opponent at chess. In 1978, aged 22, Dr Ashok Kumar, the future Labour MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, was beaten at chess by a nine-year-old in a Redcar Chess
SINCE opening a month ago, a nursery in Darlington has already got 22 children on its books. Staff at the Tiny Turners Day Nursery, in Brinkburn Road, hope to fill its 50 places soon. They cater for children aged from six weeks to 14 years and provide
HEALTH officials are to play a key role in understanding crime in Darlington. A meeting of Darlington Primary Care Trust's board heard about the impact of crime on health services. Nationally, £1.7bn a year is spent on the consequences of alcohol abuse
A REWARD is being offered to catch thieves who stole a youngster's pet hens and chickens. Adam Thompson, four, kept four chicks and five hens in a shed at Sacriston Allotments, Woodside, Sacriston, but they have been stolen along with scores of pigeons
TWO actors will take to the stage in the North-East next month in the world premiere of Going Straight. Richard Harris wrote the play about two London gangsters failing to retire peacefully, which will be staged at Darlington's Civic Theatre from Monday
A boy, who may be as young as 10, was involved in a gang robbery in which a man was threatened with a broken bottle. The boy was in a three-strong group of youths who robbed a man collecting money from television meters in Sunderland on Thursday afternoon
EXPANSION is on the horizon for an award-winning 75-year-old family firm near Bedale, now under the guidance of its third generation. Nicola, Martin and Kevin Carrick, grandchildren of the founder of Carricks at Snape, are now among those guiding the
FUTURE Jenson Buttons at a County Durham school have qualified for a national competition after designing, building and racing an electric car. For more than a year, pupils at Teesdale Comprehensive School, Barnard Castle, have spent their lunchtimes
CLEVELAND Police fraud investigation team is warning people to be on their guard against letters asking for money to register on a training scheme. Small businesses have also been alerted to the letters purporting to be from the Anti-Money Laundering
ONE of the oldest traditions in the North-East gets under way next month with a week-long community celebration. Houghton Feast is thought to date back to the early 12th Century as a festival associated with the Church of St Michael and All Angels in
STREET theatre, live gigs and virtual reality babies will be some of the attractions at an event aimed at turning young people away from drugs. There will also be steel bands, interactive stalls and stands with competitions and free items on offer at
A NEW book about St Cuthbert has been launched at his resting place in Durham Cathedral. Sister Helen Julian, an Anglican nun of the Society of St Francis, wrote The Lindisfarne Icon: St Cuthbert and the 21st Century Christian, which has been published
Richmond Foods said the proposed closure of its ice cream factory in Devon could lead to the loss of 175 jobs. The company, which is based in North Yorkshire, said it would consult employees about shutting down production at its plant in Ivybridge, near
A PARISH priest is preparing to fly to Washington to continue his work helping to translate a new edition of the Roman Missal. Father Bill East, 56, who became parish priest of St Joseph's, in Potter Hill, Pickering, four years ago, is one of a handful
RACISM comes under the spotlight in a £50,000 musical being staged in the region next year. The production is a collaboration between The Sage, Gateshead, and Middlesbrough Council. Called Union City and described as a multi-cultural youth project, the
AN electronic safety device has been installed outside a primary school to help slow down traffic. The Road Safety Speed Indication Device - nicknamed Smiley Sid - shows drivers how fast they are travelling, displaying a smiley face if a driver's speed
NISSAN'S North-East workers were celebrating last night after winning the contract to build their fifth model - a decision that promises to create 200 jobs and safeguard thousands more. The Wearside plant beat off competition from Europe for the compact
A mechanic who led police on a late-night chase around the a Harrogate suburb after a six-hour drinking session was banned from driving for 40 months yesterday. Caroline Midgley, prosecuting, told town magistrates how a police patrol in Crab Lane, Bilton
Country Legends, a show based on the Grand Old Opry music hall in Nashville, will be staged at the Town Hall Theatre, Hartlepool tonight. Tomorrow, the venue hosts Peter Karrie and Friends, with a chance for people to win £100 and appear on stage. For
A RAILWAY station supervisor has won a national customer service award thanks to the pride she takes in her town and station. Linda Green, 42, station supervisor at Redcar Central, has been named the Institute of Customer Services' (ICS) Front-line Customer
A COUNCIL has hailed a by-election postal ballot a success, despite a spelling error which forced the reprint of thousands of papers. Labour candidate David Holding was elected councillor for the Edmondsley and Waldridge ward of Chester-le-Street, District
A TRIO of talented young trials riders from North Yorkshire are in action in an international event in Spain this weekend. Katy Sunter, from Healaugh near Richmond, is all set to ride for Great Britain in the Women's Trial des Nations in Cordoba tomorrow
A PREVIOUSLY unrecorded painting that overturns the accepted version of the death of North-East hero Captain James Cook was among a set of four watercolours that fetched £318,850 at auction yesterday - twice as much as expected. Historically, the Middlesbrough-born
MEMBERS of the Hurworth Hunt Pony Club had some excellent results in the Area 3 tetrathlon held at Ampleforth College and Hamley Hagg, Appleton le Moors on September 11 and 12. The minimus boys class was won by ten-year-old Jack Bagley, who achieved two
THE curtain comes down on Ripon's 2004 season tomorrow, when racing is scheduled to start at 1.50. Highlights include The sportingoptions.co.uk Commission Cutters Handicap Stakes, a £20,000-added sprint contest over six furlongs, and The Weatherbys Bank
Earlier this week I drove at night along the A19 through North Yorkshire and, for the second time in a matter of months, was surprised to find myself alongside roadworks. The surprise was due to the fact that the warning sign was not illuminated. Thankfully
ENGLAND'S highest and most remote recycling collection point opens today as part of the Swaledale and Arkengarthdale rural recycling project. Keld Youth Hostel, which stands about 350m above sea level, is one of three collection points for paper, glass
Earlier this week I drove at night along the A19 through North Yorkshire and, for the second time in a matter of months, was surprised to find myself alongside roadworks. The surprise was due to the fact that the warning sign was not illuminated. Thankfully
THE search is on to find a young North-East girl to appear in the London West End musical based on the hit movie Billy Elliot. Open auditions are being held in Newcastle on Sunday for girls aged ten to 14. The role of Debbie is a key one because she is
EAST Coast Mainline operator GNER has admitted it has more work to do after recording only a small improvement in the number of its trains running on time. The York-based company saw 78.4 per cent of trains run on time between April and June this year
NORTH-EAST students have been given a timely warning of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning as they return to university. New research has found that many are continuing to put their lives at risk by living in lodgings where basic checks are not
A LANDMARK court battle that will decide the fate of nine rusting US navy ships marked for disposal in the North-East has been delayed yet again. The ships have been unable to leave the James River, in Virginia, for the Able UK yard on Teesside pending
MASHAM'S economy was, for years, dependent on sheep and the wool trade. It is only recently that matters have changed. And so have the sheep. For decades, Masham sheep, a cross between the Swaledale hill-bred ewe and the Wensleydale ram, were the dominant
TROUBLED nuclear power group British Energy (BE) is delisting from the stock market to stop rebel shareholders derailing its rescue package. BE said it had applied to the UK Listing Authority and the London Stock Exchange to end the listing and trading
WHEN Tanni Grey-Thompson won four gold medals at the Sydney Paralympics in 2000, she became a national hero. For most people, it was the first time they had heard of the Redcar-based wheelchair athlete - even though, by then she had been at the top of
FROM this newspaper 100 years ago. - When it comes to the use of "bobbies on bikes" in the London suburbs, our capital city, as with many other things, is behind the country. In Thirsk, every member of the force has his machine, as many a wanted man has
THE Yorkshire Event Centre in Harrogate contributes between £30m and £37m a year to the local economy, according to a recent report. Built on the Great Yorkshire show ground, it attracts more than 1m visitors a year and supports the equivalent of between
BREAKING records is second nature to the workforce at Nissan's Sunderland plant. The factory has set the European standard for flexibility, efficiency and productivity during nearly two decades of success. Yesterday's announcement that the Japanese company
With the boom in home improvement, reclamation yards have become busy with householders rooting around for that perfect antique piece. ROWS of radiators... piles of bricks... stacks of slates...dozens of doors... White House Farm Antiques is a bit like
A GREAT North Run regular is continuing to take part in the annual half-marathon despite losing his sight. Joe Elsender has completed the 13-and-a-half-mile run from Newcastle to South Shields 14 times, alongside former colleague from AEI cables factory
AN inquest has been opened into the death of a little girl after an accident involving a car. Demi Schwec, two, was walking with two teenage friends along High Street, Loftus, when she was injured on September 9. She was taken to the James Cook University
DEFENDING North-East champion Gary Wearmouth of MTS Cycle Sport kicked off his cyclo-cross campaign in style by winning round two of the North-East Cyclo Cross League at Branksome in Darlington last Sunday. The event, promoted by VC 167, attracted sponsorship
ENGLISH sheep meat exports have continued to grow in the first six months of 2004. The English Beef and Lamb Executive says the growth was achieved despite the simultaneous challenges of limited supplies, weaker demand in the most important markets and
DARLINGTON Borough Council is to get tough on travellers. Immediate action is to be taken to block off certain open spaces in the town. The council is to spend about £30,000 to deter increasing numbers of travellers forming illegal encampments. The move
A BID to ease Osmotherley's parking crisis has hit another dead end. The parish council's hopes of using church land as a car park were dashed a second time this week by a letter from the Archbishop of York's office. The council had written to the archbishop
Estate agency group Countrywide provided further evidence of a cooling in the housing market as it warned its annual results would be below current expectations. The profits warning came as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said that rising interest
Soviet Song is a warm order to notch her fourth Group One win of the season in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot tomorrow. The James Fanshawe-trained filly is a best-priced 11-4 market leader with totesport, while Reuben Page go 5-2 for the mile
A VICAR who says his church is under siege from vandals has criticised councillors for failing to attend a problem-solving meeting with police. The Rev John Parker, from the United Reformed Church in Northallerton, said he was deeply disappointed to hear
Wentworth Park WI: The September meeting was held in Ouston Community Centre. The minutes of the last meeting and other business were dealt with. We then sang happy birthday to the highest number of members to have a birthday in the same month, two of
NISSAN'S North-East workers were celebrating last night after winning the contract to build their fifth model - a decision that promises to create 200 jobs and safeguard thousands more. The Wearside plant beat off competition from Europe for the compact
Laura Ashley's bold move to attract fashionable young customers has not impressed its floral-loving traditionalists, as a slump in fashion sales showed yesterday, Women's Editor Lindsay Jennings looks at what the future holds for the stuggling fashion
THE first refuge for male victims of domestic violence in Britain is to be set up in the region. The purpose-built unit will be run by the charity It Does Happen, based in County Durham, and will offer men and their children a secure place to escape from
IF AN era were to be judged solely on its advertising images, then the Belle Epoque would be seen as one of femininity, frivolity and fashion. The dominating image in this collection of nineteenth century French posters at the Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle
THE glory days of British motorcycling were recreated on the rural roads of the North-East at the weekend. Nearly 100 vintage motorcycles, cycle cars, tricycles, micro-cars and light cars, all manufactured in 1979 or before, took part in the 33rd Beamish
RESIDENTS are celebrating the news that a venerable sycamore tree at Great Ayton Tennis Club has been saved. The club had applied to Hambleton Council for permission to cut down and replace two sycamore trees, between Mill Terrace and Stokesley Road,
MIDDLESBROUGH defender Chris Riggott has thrown down the gauntlet to team-mate Ugo Ehiogu and challenged him to win his place back. The former Aston Villa defender has been limited to two appearances this season but is nearing full fitness after being
THE Northern School of Contemporary Music is staging a week-long dance workshop in the region. The event, at The Forum in Darlington, will be held during October half-term week, from Saturday, October 23, to Friday, October 29, with two performances on
A FLAGSHIP retail scheme for Darlington has been hit by an 11th-hour hitch. The firm which was to develop a £90m shopping complex in the Queen Street and Commercial Street area has pulled out. The scheme had been hailed as a key to transforming the town
GOALKEEPER Mart Poom has put Sunderland's recent revival down to improvements in Mick McCarthy's backline. After a shaky start to the season, when the Black Cats won just one of their opening six fixtures, Steve Caldwell and Gary Breen have been instrumental
Police are appealing for witnesses after a man approached a nine-year-old girl as she walked down the street on Thursday. The girl was walking along Southfield Drive, in Toft Hill, near Bishop Auckland, at around 5pm, when she was approached by the man
MIDDLESBROUGH have been drawn at home to old rivals Sandal in the second round of the Powergen Intermediate Cup next Saturday. The Halifax-based visitors have dropped a couple of divisions since the days when they often used to knock Boro out of the Yorkshire
ALL is not lost. The Bill to ban hunting with hounds may have been pushed through Parliament but there is a long way to go before the Bill becomes law. The hunting community still has the time and the resources to make implementation of this plainly daft
AN INITIATIVE designed to benefit nesting birds in the North Pennines got off to a flying start this week. Twenty farmers attended a meeting in Mickleton Village Hall, Teesdale, on Monday to hear details of the RSPB's new Pastures for Plovers scheme.
TODAY is the feast day of a little-known local saint, St Robert of Knaresborough. He was a twelfth-century hermit who became renowned because he lived in a cave near the River Nidd in Knaresborough, and he had a chapel nearby. St Robert's Chapel, more
Washington Nissan 2 Northallerton Town 0 NORTHALLERTON Town manager Paul Burton introduced new signing, midfielder Steven Cochrane, son of former Middlesbrough and Northern Ireland international Terry Cochrane, for last Saturday's division two game at
NICKY BUTT has been banned from Newcastle United's next three UEFA Cup matches - meaning he will miss the trip to Israeli outfit Hapoel Bnei Sakhnin next week. Butt has been handed the maximum possible suspension for his clash with Sakhnin skipper Abas
AS good as gold, that's David "Dandy" Nicholls, the Sessay trainer who has now landed the last four out of five Ayr Gold Cups, only stepping aside last year for his old mentor, David Chapman, when Quito won. Last Saturday's big sprint event saw Funfare
England are planning to continue their short-pitched strategy against West Indies captain Brian Lara in an attempt to test his courage and try to limit his effectiveness in tomorrow's ICC Champions Trophy final. So successful was England's bouncer barrage
THE tale of a North-East man who went from a debtors' prison to become a national hero is one of the latest additions to an authoritative resource book on the great, the good and the eccentric. George Wilson, born in 1764 in Newcastle, became renowned
Greatest Wannabe TV Moments (five); The Truth About Celebrity Ads (five): ENOUGH is enough. It's reached a point where the same celebrity clips are turning up in every programme. What's an "embarrassing TV moment" one night is a "truth about boy bands
RYELAND Down sheep took both the championship and reserve at the annual show and sale of traditional, native and rare breed sheep, cattle, poultry and waterfowl at Craven Cattle Marts' Skipton mart on Saturday, staged in association with the Dales Support
KIRKBY STEPHEN. - Sat. Annual Cowper Day horse & pony sale, 286 fwd. Av 629gns (significantly up on year). Prices, all in gns, mares. - 4 years: 1,800, 1,210, 1,150. 6 years: 1,500. 7 years: 1,260 8 years: 1,500. Geldings.- 3 years: 1,080, 1,020.
THE North-East's railway heritage will never be lost as long as there is film in Andy Elliott's camera. The Stockton photographer has taken more than 6,000 images of steam railway history over the past four decades, and is now, for the first time, cataloguing
MARK JOHNSTON'S position as the leading trainer at Ascot over the past five years seems secure with the likes of Gold History (2.00) poised to top up the Middleham handler's impressive haul at the course. Much earlier in the season Gold History won a
TWO con artists got more than they bargained for when they targeted grandmother Loraine Findley. Mrs Findley, 83, the mother of Bali bomb victim Ian Findley, sent the pair packing, after giving them a sound beating with her trusty bucket. Mrs Findley,
IT hasn't been a bad week on the personal front for Jim Provett. The Hartlepool United goalkeeper first picked up the award for the best save in North-East football last season - a stunning double block against Wycombe - and 24 hours later offered a fresh
YORKSHIRE Forward and One NorthEast have each given £2,000 to support this year's Great North Meet. Both will have staff at the event to explain to farmers and rural professionals how they deliver policy. "In future, the majority of European policy will
UP to 19 workers are to be made redundant at a company manufacturing aeroplanes. Jeff Bevan, managing director of Slingsby Aviation, at Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire, confirmed the job losses. He said the staff were told of the redundancies last week
A FORMER student at Stockton Sixth Form College has returned to step into the shoes of his old teacher. Dr Christopher Griffiths, 43, a geologist who spent two stints as a researcher in the Antarctic, has come back to base as a member of staff at the
THE playground of a village school near Bedale has a bright new look, thanks to the artistic efforts of its young pupils. What was previously a plain brick wall at Leeming and Londonderry County Primary School is now adorned with a colourful mural, measuring
INJURY-HIT Quakers may have to cope without instant hero Craig Hignett when they visit Macclesfield Town tomorrow. The experienced midfielder followed up his debut goal at Rochdale by scoring in his first home appearance last Saturday, but his strike
THE heartache of witnessing her son's torment at the hands of his Iraqi captives proved too much for Lil Bigley last night. Only hours after making a desperate plea for mercy, the 86-year-old was taken to hospital after falling ill at her Liverpool home
Nissan is to build a small people carrier at its Sunderland factory, but an even greater prize remains to be won, Motoring Editor Nigel Burton reports. BREAKING records is second nature to the workforce at Nissan's Sunderland plant. The factory has set
ONE of 31 public telephone boxes facing the axe in Teesdale took less than £5 in the past 12 months, it was revealed this week. Some 178 payphones in the D&S Times area are under threat after BT announced that many of them were no longer commercially
AN INVESTIGATION is to be held into proposals for a controversial multi-million pound development for Redcar. Developer Persimmon hopes to build homes and leisure facilities on the site of the Coatham Enclosure and is due to submit plans to Redcar and
A film about a Cambodian orphan's quest to discover the truth about her parents will be screened at a North-East arts venue next week. Belonging will be shown at Darlington Arts Centre on Thursday, at 8pm. For tickets, priced £2.50 with concessions £2
TO a blustery Nidderdale Show at Pateley Bridge on Monday and pleasant reminiscences in the haven of the Press hut with Luke Casey about North of England Newspapers, as Newsquest North-East publishers of the D&S Times, used to be in days of yore.
ORGANISERS of one of the country's biggest animation festivals are on the look-out for the latest talent. As Middlesbrough plans its fifth annual Animex International Animation Festival, people working in the animation industry are being invited to submit
by Robin Twizell RMD Agriculture OLD crop feed wheat prices have remained below £60. There is some export trade at the moment but we have to compete with what is predicted to be a record maize crop in both Europe and US. The value of soft biscuit wheat
Not that Boyzone clip again! Greatest Wannabe TV Moments (five) The Truth About Celebrity Ads (five) ENOUGH is enough. It's reached a point where the same celebrity clips are turning up in every programme. What's an "embarrassing TV moment" one night
MICHAEL BRIDGES has gone straight into the Sunderland squad for tonight's Championship match with Leeds - and he's desperate to help the Black Cats back to the Premiership. The finishing touches to the deal were concluded yesterday and, as he has signed
A BOROUGHBRIDGE businesswoman will be doing her bit to fight crime by micro-chipping saddles at Masham auction mart from 10am on Sunday. Justine Taylor of EC Remedies is taking part in the event organised by PC Gareth Jones, a police officer based at
A DARLINGTON playgroup celebrated its 30th anniversary yesterday with a party. Sue Tinkler, who has been the Pierremont Playgroup's leader for the past 14 years, said that the group started off with 12 youngsters on two mornings a week. Since then it
They were one of the most sacred sites in prehistoric Britain, but campaigners claim they are under threat from a very modern practice. Nick Morrison looks at the fight to save the Stonehenge of the North. THE centuries have not been kind, but standing
A COURSE run by the Prince's Trust in Darlington, aimed at helping young people to develop skills to help them find work, has been cancelled. The Team 12-week course was to start on Monday at Cockerton Methodist Church, but has been cancelled due to a
FIGURES have been released suggesting that the recovery in UK manufacturing has stalled. Total orders slipped back this month and demand for exports fell to its lowest level since February, the Monthly Industrial Trends poll from the Confederation of
ELDERLY people living in council bungalows fear someone is going to be hurt unless the authority installs a footpath. Residents of Tennyson Gardens, in Darlington's Park East Ward, have paths from their homes on to the circular road around the cul-de-sac
DARLINGTON Primary Care Trust is introducing a new schedule of meetings. In the past, the trust has held separate monthly meetings for its board and professional executive committee (PEC). But in future, meetings will be held on a quarterly rota, with
PUPILS have demonstrated how they have adopted a healthier, safer way of travelling to school to two VIP guests. The Mayoress of Newton Aycliffe, Councillor Maude Gray, and director of education Keith Mitchell and their cars were surrounded by students
TWO operating theatres and a unit for investigating cardiac and vascular conditions have opened at a hospital. The modular theatres were delivered to York Hospital in sections and assembled on site in seven months. Operations were carried out in them
MIDDLESBROUGH Football Club is hoping to help improve the area's poor record of deaths from heart disease. A healthy living message is to be taught to hundreds of children on Teesside, where the combined death rate from heart disease, cancers and strokes
POLICE have launched a campaign to target thieves who use busy market days to steal purses and bags, mainly from elderly women. Officers in Northallerton will be carrying out high-visibility patrols, distributing leaflets and offering advice to shop staff
POLICE are appealing for the owner of a quad bike they believe was stolen earlier this week to come forward. The green and black Kawasaki 4x4 Bayou vehicle was found in Bond Isle Way, Stanhope, on Wednesday and has since been in police possession. Detective
A FARMING couple who hoped to spend their retirement living in a converted barn are to appeal against a decision to refuse planning permission. Teesdale District Council's planning committee unanimously refused permission to convert the barn at Mickleton
THE future of Wear Valley District Council's housing stock could be decided today. Councillors will discuss future management of the 5,600 homes at a meeting of the housing services committee this afternoon. The council is considering four options for
YOUNGSTERS in a Teesdale village are celebrating getting a £50,000 play area. The Evenwood Welfare Area playground is the first of 12 in the district to be refurbished by SureStart. The playground, for children under four, is linked to one for older children
A SCHOOLBOY says he has been living in fear since he was questioned by police over the death of a puppy. Robert Coates was held in a cell by officers investigating the death of a six-week-old mongrel put to sleep after she was attacked in a South Shields
A SHOP employee inspired her colleagues to raise almost £625 for victims of the Beslan school siege. Shirlie Judson was shocked by images she saw on the front of newspapers in Bells Stores, in Esk Close, Guisborough, of the tragedy. About 340 people,
ONE of the most dramatic sea rescues ever to take place off the Yorkshire coast is to be commemorated next month. Organisers of the special service of remembrance want to contact relatives of anyone who was on board the ill-fated Rohilla, a First World
A MAJOR row is brewing over plans to put a phone mast in the middle of a built-up area of Darlington. People living around Whinbush Way say there will be a "massive protest" against the scheme. Council planners are already preparing for a rush of objections
PEOPLE are being given the chance to meet their favourite authors. They will be able to join in open discussions with award-winning writers, who will talk about their books and themselves at the annual Readers' Day, at Middlesbrough Teaching and Learning
WEEKEND bikers are a familiar sight on our country roads, but one in particular always turns heads wherever she rides. Abbey, a four-year-old bearded collie, likes nothing more than accompanying, in her specially-adapted trailer, her owner, Ken Burton
DEFIANCE is on the cards if fox hunting is banned by law, say hunt supporters across North Yorkshire and the North-East. While many said they were reluctant to break the law, they planned to prepare for the 2005 season in the same way as this year. Angie
A DENTAL practice has become the first to achieve Investors in People status through a fast-track programme launched earlier this year. Red House Dental Practice, in Malton, won the award in six months, half the time it usually takes. The programme, run
A BOUNTIFUL crop of apples and pears are ripe for plucking by members of the public at a manor house at the weekend. Crook Hall is a medieval manor which is set in four-acres of attractive walled gardens, near the banks of the River Wear, in Sidegate,
A SHOP is inviting people to celebrate British Food Fortnight by tasting the best in regional produce. The Food Shop, in Claypath, will hold a series of tastings from noon to 6pm today and between 9am to 5pm tomorrow to showcase the range of healthy food
VILLAGERS have another reason to celebrate following the re-opening of their shop and post office. Middleton Tyas Memorial Hall is to have a replacement heating system after grants totalling nearly £8,000 were secured. Last month the village shop re-opened
PIPE-fitter Kenneth Bottom twice had to be resuscitated by the emergency services after he crashed his Porsche into a tree after a party, a court heard yesterday. Harrogate magistrates heard how Bottom, 44, broke his neck and back when his sports car
TWO farmers have been praised for showing the way ahead for horse riders. East Cleveland landowners William Wardman and Gerald Towers have been presented with a Rider's Charter Award for their efforts in helping to create safe bridleways. The awards were
A PILOT project to encourage fathers to take day trips with their children will get under way tomorrow. Beamish Museum, near Stanley, County Durham, has organised a fathers' and childrens' day for a group from Sure Start Ferryhill and Chilton, County
A COURSE will start next month for people with long-term health problems. The Living Well project aims to help patients in the Stokesley area. Graham Purdy, course co-ordinator from Hambleton and Richmondshire Primary Care Trust, said: "The course is
A COASTGUARD has entered Sunday's Great North Run to raise awareness about the neurological condition affecting his wife. Paul Waugh, Skinningrove Coastguards' deputy station officer, will be taking part in the marathon for the 14th time, this time to
A COW is helping a congregation to raise money for charity. The cow, from Hazel Brow Farm, in Low Row, Swaledale, is wearing a Send a Cow to Africa blanket to raise awareness of the local church's campaign to buy livestock for farmers in the developing
RUNNERS and spectators preparing for the region's half-marathon this weekend are being urged to follow police advice about road closures and parking. About 49,000 athletes and fun-runners are expected to line up for this year's Great North Run, which
A GREAT North Run regular is continuing to take part in the annual half-marathon despite losing his sight. Joe Elsender has completed the 13-and-a-half-mile run from Newcastle to South Shields 14 times, alongside former colleague from AEI cables factory
PUPILS at an east Durham junior school dined out in style all day yesterday. The special healthy eating day was held at Shotton Hall Junior School in Peterlee as part of the Easington Primary Care Trust's campaign to persuade children to eat a healthy
A MOTORIST narrowly escaped a prison sentence after leading police on a high-speed chase while over the drink-drive limit. Durham Crown Court was told Darin Dixon, who only took his car to the pub because it was raining, tried to persuade a colleague
PEOPLE in the Chester-le-Street and Stanley areas are being urged to highlight the work of unsung community heroes. North Durham MP Kevan Jones is asking constituents to nominate local groups for the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service, which recognises
SUNDERLAND Football Club has applied to extend the planning permission it has for a major upgrade of the Stadium of Light. The club has applied so the permission to extend the South Stand and build a further 7,232 seats can remain active for another five
A RAILWAY station at the centre of a North-East museum that will open tomorrow has undergone a £185,000 refurbishment. The work at Shildon Station, in County Durham, will be ready in time for the opening of Locomotion: The National Railway Museum. The
A GROUP of police officers will take part in the run for charity after a colleague's son underwent lifesaving open heart surgery following a heart attack at birth. The group of six officers, a former colleague and Cleveland Police support staff are hoping
STREET theatre, live gigs and virtual reality babies will be just some of the attractions at an event aimed at turning young people away from drugs. There will also be steel bands, interactive stalls and stands with competitions and freebies at the Drugs
TOP Paralympian Tanni Grey-Thompson won her tenth gold medal last night in the wheelchair 100m at the Athens Games. The victory gave Britain its first track gold medal of the games and makes Grey-Thompson one of the most successful Paralympians of all
TESCO has confirmed it is buying the former Safeway stores in Ingleby Barwick and Redcar. The disposal is the latest move by Morrison's to sell off stores it acquired through the take over of Safeway earlier this year. To comply with a ruling by the Competition
ANOTHER good year at the North-East's organ transplant centre has helped break national records. Figures from UK Transplant show an increase in the number of people who had lifesaving transplants during the past financial year. By the end of March, 2,863
A POLICE inquiry is continuing after a woman was attacked by a youth as she attempted to rescue her dog from a fight with a bull terrier. The 41-year-old woman, who may need reconstructive facial surgery, was walking her two dogs in Borough Park, off
ROWS of radiators... piles of bricks... stacks of slates...dozens of doors... White House Farm Antiques is a bit like a building set for grown-ups. Baths, basins, bidets and a tower of taps... But the difference is that everything on display has been
FIVE-YEAR-OLD Annabelle Jones from Chop Gate was on top form at the British Elite Championship held at Myerscough College, Preston, where she took the lead rein and reserve mini show pony championship. She was riding the four-year-old Rotherwood Penny
A COUPLE are to have their wedding featured in a television pilot programme for Channel Four. Helen Craven and Richard Farrar, both 31, spent a day being filmed for the programme, called My Daughter's Wedding. It is based on the build up to the wedding
ARTISTS who turned their passion into successful rural businesses are celebrating two important milestones. Ron and Maralyn O'Keefe threw parties to mark five years since the opening of The Glass and Art Gallery in Consett, County Durham and the first
THE passing of "the greatest manager England never had" is tinged with more than the customary sadness we feel when we trot out the phrase "the world will be a poorer place without him." As when George Best departs, and possibly even Gazza, we marvel
A NORTH-EAST student's A* grade in GCSE Russian has come as no surprise to her teachers and friends. Fourteen-year-old Katia Pallister, who attends Shotton Hall school, in Peterlee, County Durham, was born in the Yosher-Ola region of Russia and moved
THE Liberal Democrats are the real rivals to Labour in the North with the Tories out of the race in the Hartlepool by-election, Charles Kennedy said yesterday. In an upbeat speech to close his party's conference, the LibDem leader insisted his party was
MARK PROCTOR last night backed Alun Armstrong to return to his best back in the North-East with Darlington. Quakers assistant boss Proctor believes Armstrong will only improve with every game he plays after joining on a free transfer last week. And while
A COURT has ruled that eviction orders should be served on gipsies despite a legal challenge that highlighted serious health concerns. Darlington Borough Council applied to magistrates for the orders to force any remaining families to leave the site near
After developers pulled out of a £90m scheme to transform shopping in Darlington, Stuart Mackintosh and Sam Strangeways look at what the future holds for key sites in the town centre a year to the day after the scheme was approved. JUST over 12 years
A PREVIOUSLY unrecorded painting that overturns the accepted version of the death of North-East hero Captain James Cook was among a set of four watercolours that fetched £318,850 at auction yesterday - twice as much as expected. Historically, the Middlesbrough-born
THE 1950s were brought to life in Durham's Market Place when a popular local band staged a free show. At The Hop, from Coxhoe, have built a strong reputation with rock 'n roll fans up and down the country and will be bringing their energetic performance
A NEW quality scheme for English beef and lamb is being launched in London today but, on Monday, farmers and members of the meat industry received a sneak preview at a meeting in Durham. The English Beef and Lamb Executive invited farmers and members
Coxhoe Ladies Club: Jean Holmes opened the September harvest supper meeting. The evening trip to Harperley Hotel was finalised and ten tickets were allocated for the senior citizen rally at Coxhoe Leisure Centre. Names were drawn from the hat as many
Bedale & West of Yore PC. - Sept 26: Mounted games training starts, 4-6pm, Catterick. For more details tel Rowan 01748 832829. Bedale Hunt SC. - Oct 17: Hunter trial at Maunby Hall, near Thirsk. For details telephone 01325 378259. BHS County Durham
HEIGHINGTON rally driver Guy Wilks upheld British honour to win the Junior World Rally Championship category of the Wales Rally GB last weekend. The result was good enough to see the Suzuki driver move up to top spot in the Junior World Rally Championship
A MAN who continued claiming benefits despite working as a meat preparer was yesterday ordered to repay £10,000. Durham Crown Court heard that, over a three-year period, Philip Anthony Quinn received £20,541 overpayment by the Department for Work and
THREE years after it was founded with 13 members in February 2001, the Durham MG club has grown to more than 150, forcing it to find a new venue for its meetings The club first met at Durham's Cock of the North hotel, but its expanding membership has
TROUBLED nuclear power group British Energy (BE) is delisting from the stock market to stop rebel shareholders derailing its rescue package. BE said it had applied to the UK Listing Authority and the London Stock Exchange to end the listing and trading
A PLAN to move Northallerton's farmers' market is to be considered following concerns voiced by taxi drivers and the police. The market is held on the fourth Wednesday every month on the north side of the town hall in an area normally used as a taxi rank
RESIDENT EVIL: OUTBREAK. Publisher: Capcom. Format: PS2. Price: £39.99: Family Friendly? Living dead mayhem marks this game out as adults only. WHEN Capcom announced it was working on an online version of the popular Resident Evil franchise everyone agreed
AN 11-year-old boy was rushed to hospital yesterday afternoon after he stepped into the path of car. He was believed to have suffered a broken leg and a head injury in the crash, at 3.50pm, near the Highland Laddie pub, Stockton Road, in the Haughton
Skate mistake: I am writing on behalf of the many adult skateboarders throughout County Durham. After finding out about the up and coming skate park plans, we could not hide our disappointment. Is our council really prepared to waste £230,000 on three
THE passing of "the greatest manager England never had" is tinged with more than the customary sadness we feel when we trot out the phrase "the world will be a poorer place without him." As when George Best departs, and possibly even Gazza, we marvel
SOAP star Liz Dawn hit the Hartlepool by-election campaign trail yesterday to back Labour candidate Iain Wright. The actress, who plays Vera Duckworth in Coronation Street, became the second TV personality to support Mr Wright, following an endorsement
AS we pulled off the eastbound carriageway of the A66 onto the filling station forecourt, passing over the faded "welcome" exhortation painted on the tarmac, I remembered what the Akbar Dynasty Indian restaurant had been. One of a thousand Little Chefs
A RAILWAY station at the centre of a North-East museum that will open tomorrow has undergone a £185,000 refurbishment. The work at Shildon Station, in County Durham, will be ready in time for the opening of Locomotion: The National Railway Museum. The
RESIDENTS of a tiny fellside hamlet are worried that if Sir Bobby Robson agrees to manage Wales it could affect the prices of their homes. The former Newcastle United boss is renovating a wing of historic Urpeth Hall in High Urpeth, near Stanley, after
IT WAS a simple Methodist funeral for an uncomplicated man who suddenly found himself coping with the pressures of being an international celebrity. Bill Foggitt, the amateur weather watcher from Thirsk who proved that he could hold his own against some
A BREAST cancer survivor from Darlington this week helped to launch a major fundraising and awareness campaign for Cancer Research UK. Shirley Gibson, 58, posed with 11 pink roses to symbolise the average number of women diagnosed with breast cancer every
THE father of a North-East soldier killed at an Army base said last night he was shocked at new allegations of abuse. Geoff Gray reiterated his calls for a public inquiry into Deepcut barracks, in Surrey, after the Ministry of Defence confirmed it was
AN appeal to buy a new pipe organ for one of Darlington's oldest churches began in earnest at a striking flower festival last night. St Cuthbert's Church, in the town centre, needs to raise up to £400,000 to replace its 124-year-old organ, which is in
BARNARD CASTLE. - Wed of last week. Fwd: 1,684 sheep. Lt lambs to 110p av 95.8p; std to 108p av 106.6p; med to 109p av 105.9p; heavy to 110p av 104.8p. Cast sheep: Cont £43; Mule £32.50; Swale £18. DARLINGTON. - Thurs of last week. Fwd: 345 cattle, 1,562
HEXHAM. - Wed of last week. Fwd: 2,679 Mule & other gimmers & ewes for annual show & sale. Judge: Mr John Moralee, Hard Riding, Bardon Mill. Champion pen: FS Vickers, South Rennington, £125; res: CG&JM Dinning, Fallowfield, £124, both
FOXHUNTING: IN RESPONSE to three letters (HAS, Sept 22), Hilary Armstrong, the MP for North West Durham, abstained from the Commons vote on foxhunting, as did a majority of Northern Labour MPs. I was there for the vote. I hunt, shoot and fish but I also
THERE is to be no Powergen Cup run for the two Darlington clubs as both fell at the first hurdle last Saturday. In fact, Darlington were trounced 62-3 at Rugby Lions and Mowden Park were well beaten at Cleckheaton, reducing the margin to 28-17 only by
PRODUCTION of Newcastle Brown Ale could be affected after workers at the Tyne Brewery voted in favour of strike action over pay. The maintenance crew at the Newcastle brewery, members of trade union Amicus, voted in favour of industrial action in a ballot
GPs are no longer expected to provide round the clock care for their patients - but is that such a bad thing? Barry Nelson investigates the new arrangements for providing out of hours primary care. FAMILY doctor John Canning can't really understand what
Supporters of the North-East Says No campaign gathered in the shadow of Durham Cathedral yesterday to launch their fight against the proposed regional assembly. Tony Kearney reports. FOR centuries, Durham Castle and Cathedral were the twin symbols of
THE No campaign in the regional assembly referendum has a difficult job. For decades under successive political parties, the North-East has felt it has been on the periphery of governmental thinking. It has felt that the current system of government does
A fathers 4 Justice protest by two men dressed as Batman and Robin on top of a famous bridge which featured in a TV series ended today. Builder Steve Fletcher, 33, dressed up as the Caped Crusader with his anonymous sidekick for a 10 hour sit-in on top
WORRIED residents have acted to block a planning application that could lead to the loss of an area of public land in Guisborough. The owner of Dovedale, a house in Belmangate, has applied for outline planning permission to build a dwelling in the back
A COURTROOM drama with a difference will be played out in the region next month after a law firm teamed up with a drama group to provide an employer training programme. North-East law firm Jacksons C&PL has joined Blink Drama to help employers understand
RESIDENT EVIL: OUTBREAK. Publisher: Capcom. Format: PS2. Price: £39.99: Family Friendly? Living dead mayhem marks this game out as adults only. WHEN Capcom announced it was working on an online version of the popular Resident Evil franchise everyone agreed
MICHAEL BRIDGES has gone straight into the Sunderland squad for tonight's Championship match with Leeds - and he's desperate to help the Black Cats back to the Premiership. The finishing touches to the deal were concluded yesterday and, as he has signed
IT COULD be a search for seminal novels, or "Watershed Works of Fiction" or simply a quest to find out how the novels women read differ from those read by men. It all depends on whether you listen to Radio 4, look on the BBC web site or read the national
