Wolviston took high-riding North Shields to a penalty shoot-out but it was the Robins who reached the third round of the Sunderland Shipowners' Cup. The visitors led three times but on each occasion they were pegged back and following extra time the score
WRITING in the teenage fiction genre is, as author Melvin Burgess acknowledges, a tricky one. Not so much the actual putting pen to paper as the reaction from outraged adults. They, rather than his younger readers, are the ones who mount their moral high
TOURISM businesses in the North-East are being invited to share their views with regional development agency One NorthEast. A series of drop-in sessions have been arranged to allow the agency, which was given strategic responsibility for tourism by the
COUNCIL TAX: THE proposed increase in Council tax for Darlington is 8.4 per cent. In March 2003, just before the local elections, the Labour Council in its tax review advised a spend in 2004-5 of £109m and a resultant tax of 4.5 per cent. What is now
TWO people will get the chance to be stars for the night when a disco musical comes to the North-East. Darlington Civic Theatre is offering people the chance to appear in Oh! What a Night, on February 21. They will be performing alongside 1980s star Kid
MEDALS belonging to a soldier who survived 26 machine gun bullet wounds have been presented to a museum by his son. Corporal William Edward Corner, from Stokesley, North Yorkshire, was hit in his leg and groin in November 1917 when a column of men in
A NORTH-EAST MP has called for Teesside and Tyneside to work closely together following the announcement of an initiative to help bridge the North-South divide. Vera Baird, MP for Redcar, welcomed Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott's plan for a series
Love On A Saturday Night (ITV1); Angels In America (C4); 'Kerry closes in on battle with Bush' ran the top headline on Teletext News yesterday morning. That's a bit over the top, I thought - making the latest I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! bulletin
Just under one in five employers is planning to raise their company retirement age during the coming two years, research claimed today. Around 17% of firms think they will push their retirement age back from its current level, according to the Chartered
Three people who were arrested in connection with a robbery at the Costco store in Mandela Way, Gateshead, last Wednesday, have been charged with perverting the course of justice. Sarah Louise Ayre, 27, of Fernwood Road, Lemington, Newcastle; Graham Bowes
USERS of a North-East community centre have been promised alternative premises while their facility is used as an Alzheimer's Day Unit. The day unit, commissioned by Redcar and Cleveland's Social Services Department, on Teesside, will be accommodated
author Gervase Phinn took part in special writing workshops with secondary school pupils. Mr Phinn led the day-long masterclass for pupils from Hartlepool's six secondary schools at the town's Historic Quay. The former teacher and school inspector is
A SCHOOL sports hall is to be revamped at a cost of £865,000. The hall at Billingham Campus School will also be available for community use. A welcome grant of £551,000 towards the cost will come from the New Opportunities Fund with the rest met by Stockton
A GROUP aimed at building communities through environmental action staged a host of activities at the weekend to highlight its projects. The event, at Chester-le-Street library, was organised by Groundwork West Durham and included making Valentine cards
While the property boom cools off down south, prices in the North-East continue to rise, making it the hottest place to invest.speculators are forcing North-East house prices through the roof. Homes in Darlington have shown the second sharpest rise in
CHILDREN at a Hartlepool school came face-to-face with misunderstood creatures. Pupils at Barnard Grove Primary School met Angus, Dave and Norman, three pipistrelle bats, when Hartlepool Borough Council's ecologist Ian Bond took them along to the school
SCORES of North-East good causes have benefited from cash from the National Lottery. The Awards for All programme yesterday announced there would be £517,542 for 130 community groups and charities in the region. Pat Lowes, senior awards officer for Awards
A SCHOOL has been given a year's free high speed broadband internet access in recognition of its outstanding use of technology. Priory Woods School in Middlesbrough, was presented with the prize by networking provider Easynet and the Northern Grid for
ASPIRING sports stars who would relish a chance to represent Harrrogate at the North Yorkshire Youth Games have been urged to step forward. Indoor events will be staged at the Sheffield Arena in May, but youngsters who would like to be considered for
A BOY who overcame a brain tumour that developed only weeks after his father died has received a Diana Memorial Award. Despite enduring operations and coping with the loss of his father, 16-year-old Matthew Hammond, from Greatham, near Hartlepool, has
PROBLEMS of vandalism and dog fouling have become so bad in a village that residents are being urged to report culprits to the police. The parish council in Heighington, near Darlington, is so exasperated at bus shelters being damaged, littering and the
A CAMPAIGN to involve the whole village in a Neighbourhood Watch scheme has started in West Cornforth. The effort is backed by a leaflet campaign, with notices in shops. PC Bill Smith, community safety officer for the area, said there were already some
NEALE Cooper last night sprung to the defence of on-loan winger Chris Shuker. Shuker was given a rough ride at Oakwell on Saturday, as Pool and Barnsley battled out a 2-2 draw. He was smashed in the face by defender Neil Austin and, minutes later, midfielder
A NEW company is creating a database of reputable traders to stamp out cold-calling. Builder brokers Daveywood Limited, based in North Yorkshire, was set up last month. It has created a website where tradespeople can be listed, along with their qualifications
Most people probably think of St Teresa's Hospice as a place people go to die, but two of the guests say that is a misconception, because it has helped them to live again. Alison Lewis reports, in the last of a series on the hospice movement's 18th anniversary
AS introductions to your new teammates go, Darren Byfield's could hardly be considered as glamorous. While the Sunderland squad were glued to a video of East is East on their Friday coach trip south, the former Rotherham striker slipped almost unnoticed
UNLIKE Huddersfield Town boss Peter Jackson, the bookmakers clearly hadn't done their homework on Darlington. With odds as high as 6-1 - as generous as Terriers goalkeeper Phil Senior - any lucky punter backing an away win will have been laughing all
Love On A Saturday Night (ITV1) Angels In America (C4) KERRY CLOSES IN ON BATTLE WITH BUSH' ran the top headline on Teletext News yesterday morning. That's a bit over the top, I thought - making the latest I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! bulletin
THE jungle claimed another victim last night when Lord Brocket was evicted from ITV's I'm a Celebrity . . . Get Me Out Of Here. Viewers voted for former BBC reporter Jennie Bond, singer-turned-presenter Kerry McFadden and pop star Peter Andre to contest
HARD-WORKING pupils at a North-East dance school have raised more than £6,000 to perform at Disneyland Paris. Thirty-six students, aged between five and 17, from the Bradley School of Dance, in Great Ayton, North Yorkshire, took part in a worldwide audition
A report on housing in the countryside claims the Government is ignoring a growing crisis faced by people living and working in rural areas. The report from the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) says inadequate affordable housing provision and
JERMAINE JENAS delighted in silencing the jibes of his Newcastle United teammates with his first goal in 33 matches. The fledgling England midfielder, 21 this month, was superbly set up by skipper Alan Shearer to head the Magpies' crucial third in the
THE East Coast Main Line will be so full in ten years' time that a new, super-fast line will have to be built alongside it, according to a report released yesterday. The proposed line would mean that journey times between Darlington and London would be
A STAMMERER who cured himself after years of unsuccessful speech therapy is to visit the North-East to teach his life-changing techniques. Stephen Hill is to hold a free open day in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, on February 28 to show stammerers in
SCORES of North-East good causes have benefited from cash from the National Lottery. The Awards for All programme yesterday announced there would be £517,542 for 130 community groups and charities in the region. Pat Lowes, senior awards officer for Awards
A court heard today how a man was seen driving at more than 80mph moments before a crash that killed a 75-year-old man. Scott Reynolds, 27, appeared at Northallerton Magistrates Court where he pleaded guilty to careless driving and driving without insurance
The mum of a Royal Marine killed during the Gulf war attacked Tony Blair, claiming her son died for a "lie". She has accused the Government of pulling the wool over the public's eyes. Julie Maddison, campaigning mum of former Teesside Royal Marine Christopher
THE Black Dyke Brass Band will play at Spennymoor Leisure Centre on Saturday, March 27, at 7.30pm. To book, call (01388) 815827. Published: 09/02/2004
CHESTER-LE-STREET warmed up for the defence of their English National Women's Cross Country title with a runaway victory in the Royal Signals North-East Road Relay Championships at Gateshead. The Cestrians, who became the first North-East women's team
THE region's biggest union has welcomed the prospect of a significant cash boost for school teaching assistants. Durham County Council is considering allocating millions of pounds to employ more support staff and to improve pay and career prospects for
SUPPORTERS are being offered a lasting reminder of a record-breaking celebrity match that will forever be remembered at Darlington Football Club. North-East artist Maaike Draper-Albers was inspired to produce a painting depicting last month's fundraising
DARLINGTON must now desert the sanctuary of home sweet home for two weeks as they visit Macclesfield and Fylde still seeking the one away win which would rubber-stamp their survival in National Three North. Not that they need have any real fears as, on
Spennymoor manager Tony Lee thought his side dropped two points even though they gained their first away point in nearly three months at Radcliffe Borough on Saturday. Moors needed a late equaliser from Chris I'Anson to earn them a deserved point, but
THE mother of a student who disappeared a year ago has made an emotional plea for help in finding him. Teesside University student Craig Hetherington, 23, from Guisborough, has not been seen since he left Middlesbrough's Cornerhouse pub at about 1am,
MIDDLESBROUGH'S destroyer Jon Stead admits it will be a dream to play on the same pitch as Newcastle United's Alan Shearer on Wednesday night. Shearer, a former Rovers centre-forward himself, and the Magpies visit Ewood Park in the Premiership and Stead
SPORTS stars and medics have backed a bid by a North-East MP to cut the number of sudden deaths in young people. Stockton South MP Dari Taylor has welcomed the wide-ranging support for her Private Member's Bill which will have its second reading in Parliament
Semper Paratus, who will be well suited by the return to seven furlongs, looks the one to be on in the Bet Direct On Sky Active Handicap on the fibresand at Southwell today. Hugh Collingridge's five-year-old has been in decent heart on this surface this
THE pressure on Tony Blair over the Iraq war intensified last night after he was accused of acting like a salesman trying to shift a product in the run-up to the conflict. The UN's former chief weapons inspector, Hans Blix, said yesterday that the Prime
A HORSE trailer that was stolen last week has been returned to its owner, thanks to identification marks on it. Police last week urged owners of horse boxes to take precautions following the theft in Ferryhill, the sixth similar offence in about a year
TAXPAYERS in County Durham are likely to face a 4.6 per cent rise in their bills next year, a fall on the county council's initial forecast. Last month, the council announced it was considering a five per cent rise for 2004-05. If the new figure is agreed
AN undergraduate put a management theory to the test by getting her fellow students to take over a pub for a day. Alison Curry cooked up the idea as part of a project for her final year studies in business and management at Gateshead College. The eight
Police today renewed their appeal for information about the savage beating of a man found lying in a subway. The officer leading the investigation into the attack on David Peacock, Det Supt Dave Jones, said it was vital he established the victim's movements
MUSIC-LOVER Cat McAvoy is combining spinning discs with teaching students after landing her dream job. Cat, originally from New Zealand but now living in Newcastle, was delighted to spot the ad for a DJ lecturer on Gateshead College's increasingly popular
A WOMAN was killed when a car crashed on a North-East road at the weekend. Amii Veronica Stafford, 29, of Consett, County Durham, was flung from the car as it hit the central barrier of the A1 and rolled on to the opposite carriageway. Four more people
A FOSTER mother who operates a 24-hour helpline for foster carers has been honoured for her work. Sue Lax, who has cared for 55 young people in her 22 years as a foster carer, became a foster care support worker three years ago. But she still manages
PUPILS from an east Cleveland primary school are performing a Shakespeare play this week. The youngsters, from St Paulinus RC Primary School, Guisborough, present A Midsummer Night's Dream, courtesy of Shakespeare4kidz, a company which has adapted Shakespeare
NAIL technician Andrea Joynes has scooped an award at a glittering event in London. Andrea, who works at Saks in Chester-le-Street, won Nail Technician of the Year, at the Saks National Awards. The awards are held each year to recognise high-achieving
A support group for visually impaired people has received a £750 grant from Age Concern. The award was presented to the County Durham Macular Disease Support Group chairman, Len Lane, by Age Concern's Durham County chief executive Harriet Gibbon. The
MIDDLESBROUGH superfan Bjarte Hartog has set off on a month-long tour of British football grounds which he hopes will include the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Mr Hartog, from Bergen in Norway, will be watching about 20 games in the next few weeks -
AN avid Boro fan has booked a flight from Hong Kong so he can see the cup final match with Bolton Wanderers even though he has not got a ticket. Lawyer Graham Ridler has already spent £2,000 to get to Wales and said he will watch the Carling League Cup
SOME of the best bowls players in the UK will battle it out as a major tournament comes to the North-East next week. The finals of the Denny Cup will take place at Stanley Indoor Bowls Club, in Stanley, County Durham. It is dubbed the FA Cup of indoor
A SECTION of Hadrian's Wall buried beneath the urban sprawl of Newcastle will give up its secrets for the first time later this year. Archaeologists are to begin digging at the Westgate fire station in West Road once the fire and rescue servicehas made
A DALES community is hoping to find someone to run its post office in the wake of its sudden closure. Owner Lyn Bayley could not be contacted for comment after shutting up her premises in Middleham Market Place. But the Mayor, Councillor Tammi Tolhurst
Melvin Burgess is used to being criticised for his hard-hitting teenage novels and could attract further scorn when the latest stage adaption is performed. He talks to Steve Pratt. WRITING in the teenage fiction genre is, as author Melvin Burgess acknowledges
WORKERS at a North-East crisp factory are being trained in everything from salsa dancing to literacy as part of a campaign to tackle the lack of basic skills in the region. Walkers snack foods factory, in Peterlee, is taking part in Skills for Life, a
PEOPLE living in one Teesside neighbourhood are making a clean sweep. Residents have launched a nine-day blitz on rubbish in the adjoining Middlesbrough neighbourhoods of Whinney Banks, West Lane and Newport. People are going to war on litter, cleaning
A MAN about to embark on a charity trek in South America is getting in some extra training this week at the same time as raising funds. Paul Wilson, 34, from Thirsk, is going to Peru in May to walk the Inca trail and raise money for Action Medical Research
A MAJOR exercise to consult the public on traffic problems in two North Yorkshire towns is moving ahead. The aim is to develop an integrated transport policy for Harrogate and Knaresborough by 2006, taking the area through to 2016. A decision to ditch
A CAMPAIGN to save Richmond's sports centre from the axe has won the backing of the town council. Already struggling to balance its books for the next financial year, Richmondshire District Council claims the crumbling building is in such a state that
FARMERS should be encouraged to diversify into waste management, according to a review of recycling and rubbish collection in Hambleton. A policy review of the district council's waste management strategy has been carried out and a number of options put
A lottery windfall will encourage people to take responsibility for County Durham's coastline. The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has awarded more than £33,000 to Durham Heritage Coast for regeneration work aimed at increasing community involvement. The
PLANS to install a memorial in time for the anniversary of one of the region's worst pit disasters have been dashed. Stanley Hall Community Partnership last year announced proposals to put a stone memorial on the shaft head at West Stanley Burns Pit.
BUSINESSES are being asked to support two children's discos organised to raise funds for cash-strapped Darlington Football Club. The discos are being held on Wednesday and then Wednesday, February 18, at the Galaxy Suite, in the town's North Road. A signed
ONE goal in nine games represents Alan Shearer's worst lean spell for nearly two-and-a-half years. Even when the Newcastle skipper last endured such a barren run, it was only the Dubious Goals Panel who denied him another effort, ruling that the winner
IN a week when English football has been lauded for it's entertainment, with seven goal thrillers becoming the norm, Hartlepool and Barnsley proved Division Two can be just as exciting as the rest. You will be hard pressed to find a game with as much
THERE were more claims over the weekend about the validity of the intelligence that took us to war. Many of those claims involved the accuracy of the 45-minute claim, and the extent of Prime Minister Tony Blair's knowledge. Most of the claims were followed
Durham manager Billy Cruddas admitted that his team are no longer title favourites after they lost 3-2 at home to Guisborough. Even though Durham are still top of the table, they can now be caught by three of the teams chasing them, with Dunston in the
I HAVE come to that bitter last stage of a relationship in which one of us, sooner or later, will demand a divorce. We used to know each other so well and now I feel like a stranger. We don't talk or laugh in each other's company anymore, or even reminisce
Britons plan to spend £2.36 billion spoiling their partner on Valentine's Day, with men set to splash out four times as much as women, research claimed today. People will fork out an average of £93.50 each on cards, presents and meals out, with men expecting
PEOPLE in the North-East are worried about the quality of education and jobs in the region, according to a survey published today. The Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR) held a public involvement event at Newcastle United's St James' Park to get
DARLINGTON Mowden Park will have the luxury of selection options in the backs for Saturday's visit of New Brighton following Mark Bedworth's successful return in the 32-10 win at Longton. Named on the bench after his five-week absence, Bedworth was drafted
Relatives of a North-East couple were desperately trying to get in touch last night after a burst pipe spewed more than 25,000 gallons of water into their home. The pensioners' home was among the worst hit when the mains pipe fractured sending a torrent
THE pressure on Tony Blair over the Iraq war showed intensified last night after he was accused of acting like a salesman trying to shift a product in the run-up to the conflict. The UN's former chief weapons inspector, Hans Blix, said yesterday that
Melvin Burgess is used to being criticised for his hard-hitting teenage novels and could attract further scorn when the latest stage adaption is performed. He talks to Steve Pratt. WRITING in the teenage fiction genre is, as author Melvin Burgess acknowledges
MICK McCARTHY found an unlikely ally in his vehement protests over the award of a second-half penalty to Watford on Saturday, writes Adam Murray. The tackle in the 67th minute by Phil Babb on Heidar Helguson took place outside the box, and the former
A DISABLED woman claims her life is being destroyed by vandals who have targeted her car four times in the past year. The single mother, who asked not to be named, relies on her car to get around as she has spinal injuries and osteoarthritis, which prevent
THE Royal Air Force honoured one its heroes when the funeral of a Battle of Britain pilot was held. Spitfire ace Squadron Leader George Bennions, from Catterick, North Yorkshire died on January 30, age 90. Family, friends and locals filled St Anne's Parish
COASTGUARDS issued a warning last night following the death of a North-East schoolgirl who was swept out to sea as she played. Jade Anderson, 12, and three friends are thought to have been jumping from rock to rock when they were hit by a wave. A police
FANS of North-East wildlife artist James Alder got a chance to meet him at a book-signing session on Saturday. Mr Alder was at Ottakar's bookshop in Darlington to autograph copies of his book, Birds and Flowers of the Castle of Mey and Balmoral. The book
Old English, Old Norse, German, Swedish, even Dutch - all have contributed to the melting pot that is the North-East dialect. But as use of dialect wanes, Nick Morrison reports on efforts to keep the native tongue alive. YOU may know it as a bagie, or
MANY child cancer victims in the North-East are not getting follow-up care vital to their health, according to research revealed today. A study by Cancer Research UK and the UK Children's Cancer Study Group (UKCCSG) found "important variations" in the
DARLINGTON goalkeeper Michael Price has sympathised with opposite number Phil Senior after the Huddersfield stopper's howler at the weekend. The Terriers rookie - deputising for Ian Gray - flapped at Neil Maddison's hopeful high ball into the box, which
ONE of the North-East's premier brass bands is hoping to find a sponsor to help it continue. Fishburn Brass Band underlined its credentials last week by claiming the top honours in the Durham County Brass Band Association's grading contest. The band,
GARETH SOUTHGATE, perhaps more than any other Middlesbrough player, would love to lift the Carling Cup at the end of this month. Only club veteran Colin Cooper has enjoyed more years as a top professional at the Riverside, and 33-year-old Southgate is
