FORMER Sunderland footballers Gary Bennett and Keiron Brady will today take the Show Racism the Red Card message into schools in the region. The former Black Cats stars are joining Sarah Soye, of the anti-racism campaign, to carry out football training
AN artist has returned to her former employers to help them get their Christmas celebrations in order. Rebecca Rawlinson, 18, of Staindrop, has transformed an 18th Century riding school at Raby Castle, into a woodland walk and Santa's grotto for young
A FORMER prisoner of war camp which is becoming a major tourist attraction in County Durham is holding festive events to pull in more visitors, including a visit from Father Christmas. Harperley POW Camp, near Wolsingham, has attracted thousands of visitors
ERIC ELLIOTT, a barrister who owns and trains a handful of horses under permit at Rushyford, near Newton Aycliffe, was rewarded for his patience when Place Above won at Sedgefield yesterday. "I bought Place Above in Ireland and we always knew he had a
RESIDENTS have been encouraged to be more involved in issues affecting their homes and environment. The Easington district's Tenants and Residents Federation yesterday held its first conference at Peterlee Methodist Church. Seventeen tenants' and residents
GIRLS at Teesside Preparatory and High School, in Eaglescliffe, have raised more than £1,000 for Children In Need. A group of sixthformers organised a week of fundraising activities involving pupils and staff, and raised £1,122. The week began with a
THE man who led a campaign to save the world's oldest rail bridge has been honoured. Ted Defty, of Clough Dene, Tantobie, near Stanley, County Durham, travelled to Buckingham Palace to collect the MBE for services to his community. As chairman of Stanley
AIRPORT: I TOTALLY agree with Billy Snook's views on Durham Tees Valley Airport (HAS, Nov 22). To call Teesside Airport, Durham Tees Valley is ludicrous, as it is just outside of Darlington. The name will baffle not only foreign travellers, but national
A TOWN'S young people have been rewarded for outstanding contributions they have made to clubs and organisations over the past year. Willington Community Partnership chairman County Councillor Brian Myers presented the awards to prominent members of groups
A GROUP formed to make Scarborough Council's area a safer place to live is looking for help to achieve its goal. Safer Communities Partnership for the North Yorkshire Moors and Coast has carried out an audit on the issues that concern residents and businesses
floral tributes formed a roadside shrine yesterday at the spot where a popular young police officer died in a car crash. The bouquets placed beside the A67 near Barnard Castle, County Durham, bore messages from friends and relatives of 23-year-old PC
A TELEVISION actor has given a helping hand to his former flatmate, who has launched his second book of poetry. Kevin Whately, who is famous as Sergeant Lewis in television detective series Inspector Morse, in which he starred with John Thaw, is supporting
A CARE home nurse has been arrested following the death of an elderly resident. The nurse, understood to be from South Africa, has been arrested and had her passport removed until a police investigation into the death of 86-year-old Fred Brown has been
A former football club chairman was sent for trial today on charges of money laundering. George Reynolds, the 68-year-old former Darlington Football club chairman, appeared at Bishop Auckland Magistrates' Court with his cousin Richard Tennick, 58, and
POMPEY and circumstance, as Sir Edward Elgar might almost have observed, a signal arrives from the 20,000 tonne amphibious assault ship HMS Bulwark, heading duck to water towards the Tyne. Called to explain how the city of Portsmouth landed the nickname
COLLEAGUES and family have paid tribute to a dedicated teacher who has died from cancer aged 44. Louise Gilroy worked at Borough Road Nursery School, in Darlington, for seven years before she lost her year-long battle for life, on November 14. During
CATERING equipment group Enodis said yesterday the recent trend towards healthier fast-food menus had boosted demand for its products. The company, which sells equipment to restaurants and chains, including McDonald's, said a number of large groups were
FORMER Barcelona midfielder Bolo Zenden is relishing a return to Spain tomorrow night, where he hopes to continue his run of six goals in six games. He is also looking forward to meeting up with Middlesbrough teammate Gaizka Mendieta. Spaniard Mendieta
UNION officials at BPI's Stockton plant have announced three days of strikes will begin next week. Up to 180 workers at the plastics factory will take part in three one-day strikes, starting on December 1. Workers had already agreed to start an overtime
A LIBRARY-USER from Darlington says he has been left out-of-pocket after the library lost a book he borrowed. John Auton was fined £13 and is now demanding an apology. He borrowed Web Graphics in Easy Steps from the library, in Crown Street, last month
A campaigning woman who brought a North-East football match to a halt by pole dancing around the goalpost is in the region today. Nija Levis is national co-ordinator of Purplehearts, a division of militant pressure group Fathers4Justice for women, friends
BLINK and you'd have missed it. Diego Forlan's brief Champions League appearance for Manchester United this season was enough to rule him out of Middlesbrough's trip to the Costa Azahar tomorrow night. The striker's late introduction for United in an
HEALTH bosses are to go ahead with controversial proposals to move a psychiatric intensive care unit but plan to sweeten the pill. The NHS trust that runs mental health services in County Durham and Darlington wants to close the five-bed Tony White Unit
A 350-seat restaurant, cafe and bar at the Psyche department store is all part of the resurgence of Middlesbrough's Linthorpe Road, as Women's Editor Lindsay Jennings discovers. AN ENTREPRENEUR has unveiled plans to create a 350-seat restaurant, bar and
THE lights will go down and the reels will roll at the North-East's newest cinema later this week. Almost 20 years after the first multiplex development opened in the region at the MetroCentre, Sunderland sees its first multi-screen cinema development
A FROSTY feathered pet is hoping his owner comes forward to take him home after five days at a village veterinary practice. The young cockatiel has been cared for at Clifton Lodge Veterinary Group, in Sedgefield, County Durham, since a villager rescued
THE man who helped spark violent scenes during Middlesbrough's first competitive game on foreign soil has been banned from football grounds for three years. Nigel Craig McMaster, 36, of Harrier Close, Thornaby, near Stockton, acted as the catalyst for
A MOTORCYCLIST yesterday denied leaving a fatally injured fellow rider at the scene of an accident. Experienced rider Paul Andrew Bedding is alleged to have been involved in a high-speed race with Andrew Reed along the A19, on the afternoon of Sunday
DNA tests prove paternity of a child, but they can leave a lot of sadness in their wake. SO is David Blunkett a hero - or a selfish cad? The Home Secretary apparently wants to know if he is the father of his former mistress's children. He is prepared
THE owner of a furniture shop died after he caused an explosion by cutting open a fume-filled barrel, an inquest has heard. Nigel Peacey suffered 98 per cent burns in the blast at Priory Pine, in West Auckland, County Durham, in January. Mr Peacey, 58
WORKERS at a lawnmower factory have reacted angrily after their employer began recruiting temporary staff while at the same time confirming 20 redundancies. Bosses at Electrolux, which owns the Flymo plant at Aycliffe Industrial Estate, County Durham,
A SEASIDE-style railway could be built in the heart of one of the region's market towns. A near-perpendicular railway is only one of the ideas put forward for the future of Knaresborough, near Harrogate, North Yorkshire. It would run from Waterside, by
DARLINGTON'S FA Cup campaign is over, but last night's battling performance at Huish Park did much to restore the pride of David Hodgson's men. With non-league Histon awaiting in the second round on December 4, Quakers did not the result they wanted.
DNA tests prove paternity of a child, but they can leave a lot of sadness in their wake. SO is David Blunkett a hero - or a selfish cad? The Home Secretary apparently wants to know if he is the father of his former mistress's children. He is prepared
A BUSINESSMAN has been accused of illegally dumping sheep's heads, intestines and stomachs. The charges against Jalal Sulman also involve other items of animal waste, including bones, fat and cows' hooves, magistrates heard. The 43-year-old, who runs
LOW-cost airline easyJet yesterday announced a 21 per cent improvement in annual profits but warned it expected competition to remain intense this winter. The budget operator reported a pre-tax figure of £62.2m for the year to September 30, a performance
Hi there, citizens of Teesdale. How many of you up there, enjoying the beauties of the wild and romantic Tees, looked to this month's regional referendum to usher in an elected North-East assembly? Fewer than one in ten, that's certain. For, of the 56.89
EMERGENCY work to stabilise Loftus Bank embankment is forcing council bosses to close the road at the weekend. A monitoring system, measuring 17 positions along the roadside, has shown a small section has dropped about ten inches over the past week. Specialist
NEWCASTLE could be lining up with an all-Norwegian central defensive partnership in January after tracking Scandanavian stopper Brede Hangeland. With Graeme Souness desperate to bolster his backline when the transfer window opens, United scouts are understood
A 350-seat restaurant, cafe and bar at the Psyche department store is all part of the resurgence of Middlesbrough's Linthorpe Road, as Women's Editor Lindsay Jennings discovers. AN ENTREPRENEUR has unveiled plans to create a 350-seat restaurant, bar and
AN 18-year-old student from the North-East has beaten thousands of computer buffs to win the title of England's top female student. Nicola McCullogh, who sat her A-level at Bede College in Billingham, near Stockton, received the Axios A Star trophy from
A HEADTEACHER with a track record for success has been hired to take charge of a troubled school. Michael Griffiths, chief executive of Deacon's School, in Peterborough - one of the most successful schools in the country - has been appointed to guide
The North-East is to host an international bridge tournament - the first time such a tournament has come to the region. On Saturday, the England versus Scotland Junior International Bridge tournament will be held in the region, at the St George's Bridge
NEW signing Andy Welsh, who is 21 today, made his first start in a Sunderland shirt last night. But there was no celebrations for the ex-Stockport left winger as Sunderland's second string lost 1-0 at Aston Villa. Welsh had one chance to make a swift
POLICE involved in a simulated car chase were not to blame for an accident involving a pensioner, a judge ruled yesterday. Marjorie Dobson, 85, was crossing High Street, in Redcar, east Cleveland, when she was startled by two police cars doing a pursuit
STUDENTS have stunned a national charity after raising more than £18,000 in one day. Park View Community School, in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, raised the money last Friday for the BBC's Children in Need appeal. The efforts of the 300 sixth form
THE owner of a pie shop at the centre of one of Britain's worst food bug outbreaks could face prosecution. Robson Fresh Foods, in Stanley, County Durham, was identified as the only possible source of the salmonella outbreak that infected at least 88 people
VICTORY for Historg (3.10) at Wetherby is by no means a forlorn hope provided he doesn't suffer a reccurrence of his old injury problems. Ferdy Murphy's one-time Cheltenham Gold Cup contender had been sidelined for 604 days prior to his recent comeback
STUDENTS have stunned a national charity after raising more than £18,000 in one day. Park View Community School, in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, raised the money last Friday for the BBC's Children in Need appeal. The efforts of the 300 sixth form
BLINK and you'd have missed it. Diego Forlan's brief Champions League appearance for Manchester United this season was enough to rule him out of Middlesbrough's trip to the Costa Azahar tomorrow night. The striker's late introduction for United in an
RESIDENTS in care homes on Teesside are benefiting from a motivational programme. Elaine Everett specialises in providing motivation and exercise classes to residents of nursing and care homes to help them to stay mentally and physically alert. Earlier
UNION officials at BPI's Stockton plant have announced three days of strikes will begin next week. Up to 180 workers at the plastics factory will take part in three one-day strikes, starting on December 1. Workers had already agreed to start an overtime
A ROADSHOW is visiting a market town to give residents the chance to find out about the fight against crime. Hambleton Community Safety Partnership will hold the event in Northallerton Town Hall on Friday, between 10am tand 4pm. Police, fire and district
Someone To Watch Over Me (BBC1); Strictly Come Dancing It Takes Two (BBC2): THERE are some jobs that just don't pay enough and after watching Someone To Watch Over Me, I think social work is pretty high on the list. This fly-on-the-wall documentary follows
A LEADING regional airport faces a crippling strike over Christmas in a dispute about pensions, union leaders warned yesterday. Amicus announced it was balloting its members at Birmingham Airport for industrial action to defend their final salary pension
Multi-million pound plans that will create one of Britain's most luxurious hotels and make Wynyard one of the most exclusive golf destinations in the country have been unveiled. The £15m project is at the heart of plans by the Wynyard Club to make its
IN an age of spin it is very easy to be cynical when it comes to politics. Was it any coincidence that, on the day the Queen's Speech placed the war against terror at the heart of Tony Blair's election build-up, newspapers featured reports suggesting
BANK employees have taken part in a volunteering day in aid of the Jerry Green Foundation Trust Dog Sanctuary, near Thirsk. The team of 12 from North Yorkshire and Teesside carried out the work as part of the Barclays employee volunteering programme.
A GRANDMOTHER who went back to college so she could help people in crisis has been named Britain's best student. Gloria Cox, 55, of Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, won the national Student of the Year. The awards are open to all 200,000 people studying
BROADBAND goes live in a number of Yorkshire Dales communities today after a campaign by residents. BT will switch on the high-speed Internet connection at exchanges in Leyburn and Aysgarth, in Wensleydale. The move means hundreds of residents and businesses
DARLINGTON'S FA Cup campaign is over, but last night's battling performance at Huish Park did much to restore the pride of David Hodgson's men. With non-league Histon awaiting in the second round on December 4, Quakers did not the result they wanted.
As England's cricketers land in Zimbabwe today ahead of their one-day international, Cheif sports writer Scott Wilson looks at whether politicians should enter the sporting arena. NEXT Monday, the Government will host a Downing Street reception to bask
A SELF-HELP group for people who experience difficulty communicating following a stroke or head injury is seeking new members. The Durham Speakability Group meets in the group room at Chester-le-Street Hospital, giving members the chance to support each
THOUSANDS of tenants are being urged to get involved in a consultation exercise to help determine the future of their homes. Sedgefield Borough Council wants every tenant in a local authority property to share views about the proposed transfer of housing
POMPEY and circumstance, as Sir Edward Elgar might almost have observed, a signal arrives from the 20,000 tonne amphibious assault ship HMS Bulwark, heading duck to water towards the Tyne. Called to explain how the city of Portsmouth landed the nickname
PUPILS have stunned a national charity after raising more than £18,000 in one day. Park View Community School, in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, made the cash last Friday for the BBC's Children in Need appeal. The efforts of the 300 sixth form students
DURHAM Chief Constable Paul Garvin yesterday visited a car park to present staff with an award for the second time in six months. The 200-space multi-storey car park at the Millburngate Shopping Centre, in Durham, has been awarded the Park Mark Safer
DRIVERS who park on the pavement in a village could find themselves in trouble with the police. When the village of Heighington, near Darlington, was founded, the streets were not designed for the motor car. And there is a big problem with people clogging
AN open verdict has been recorded at an inquest into the death of a nine-week-old baby. Andrew Love's death will remain a mystery - "unascertainable" - ruled Teesside Coroner Michael Sheffield. No anatomical explanation could be found for his death and
THE thieves who tried to bag a post van parked on a North-East housing estate did not stand a chance. As they jumped into the van and made off, little did they realise that lurking among the Christmas parcels was a team of police officers. Following a
PRIMARY schools in Darlington are being targeted by gangs of young burglars, according to police. There have been five break-ins since the start of last week and officers believe the same group of youths may be responsible. Yesterday, Mowden Junior School
HUGH Robertson will today step up his return from injury, when he appears for Hartlepool United's second string. After an hour's run out in last week's reserve defeat to Hull, the left back will start this afternoon's game with Preston. Robertson, who
CLASSIC FM owner GWR highlighted the weak state of the radio advertising market yesterday after revenues fell sharply. The group said the caution of advertisers pushed sales last month down by 8.7 per on a year earlier, with the figure for this month
THE lights will go down and the reels will roll at the North-East's newest cinema later this week. Almost 20 years after the first multiplex development opened in the region at the MetroCentre, Sunderland sees its first multi-screen cinema development
GEORGE REYNOLDS will deny money laundering charges when he appears in court today, his solicitor said last night. The 68-year-old former chairman of Darlington Football Club is accused of three counts of laundering money, plus evasion of a liability and
A CARE home nurse has been arrested following the death of an elderly resident. The nurse, understood to be from South Africa, has been arrested and had her passport removed until a police investigation into the death of 86-year-old Fred Brown has been
HEALTH chiefs have agreed to make changes to avoid a repeat of the Richard Neale scandal. The disgraced gynaecologist was struck off in 2000 after a catalogue of errors that left women in agonising pain and, in some cases, unable to have children. Following
