Archive

  • Helping to take teenagers off scrapheap

    THOUSANDS fewer North teenagers are on the scrapheap after a pioneering scheme to get them into jobs or college, according to new figures. Connexions, a £450m Government project launched in 2001, offers detailed advice and guidance to young people to

  • A lesbian muslim putting her life on the line

    IRSHAD Manji is a Muslim with attitude. The outspoken social commentator never eats pork, never drinks alcohol and fasts during Ramadan. She is also one of the most fervent critics of the self-appointed ambassadors of Allah. A 35-year-old lesbian, Irshad

  • Lights that made villagers see red

    RUFFLED feathers have been smoothed in a village about to be thrust into the limelight as host to an exhibition by artists from around the world. Former Turner Prize judge Greville Worthington is promoting Some Versions of Light, which opens at the former

  • A cosi future for classical music?

    AS the world's best-known baritone, Sir Thomas Allen has acquired god-like status with the rising stars of singing. Yet this son of Seaham also uses his globe-trotting status to further the careers of others and is just as happy to discuss his love of

  • Focus on pier photos exhibition

    AN end-of-the-pier show with a difference is coming to the region. Saltburn Pier, the North-East's sole surviving pleasure pier, is next month playing host to an exhibition that features large-scale photographic panoramas of the Britain's 54 remaining

  • Community unites to celebrate diversity

    THE GROWING cultural diversity of the North-East was reflected in a popular festival staged in the region yesterday. Thousands of visitors flocked to Cliff Park, near the seafront at Roker, Sunderland, to sample the range of music, dance and food at the

  • Intruder fighting for life

    A NORTH-EAST man was fighting for his life last night after he was electrocuted following a break-in at a disused dairy. Police said the 39-year-old intruder had been trying to steal copper cable at the premises in Teesside when the accident happened.

  • Pool aim for more happy travelling

    HARTLEPOOL United go to Swindon on Saturday confident their away form will be good enough to see them through. Pool need to avoid defeat - or hope Port Vale lose at Rushden - to secure a play-off spot. A draw would be enough for both teams, but there

  • Park may be used for cars

    CONTROVERSIAL plans to solve a car parking crisis at the Friarage Hospital should be given the go-ahead this week, according to council planners. They have recommended that the proposed 82-space car park on part of the Bullamoor Memorial Park, Northallerton

  • Inquiry into cash problems at centre

    CHARITY watchdogs have been called in to investigate the management and finances of a North-East community centre. The Phoenix Centre, in Hartlepool, is suffering a cash crisis which will result in the five paid members of staff losing their jobs next

  • No family fortunes but lots of cash in attic for hospice

    I HAD always held secret aspirations that a pair of wooden candle sticks given to me by my grandmother could be quite valuable. So when I heard about an antiques valuation day by Bonhams Auctioneers of Leyburn in aid of the Butterwick Hospice in Bishop

  • N-E date for broadcaster

    JOURNALIST and broadcaster Janet Street-Porter will come to the North-East this month with a one-woman show about her life and work. Following a sell-out debut at the Edinburgh Festival last year, All the Rage will be staged at Darlington Arts Centre.

  • They came, they saw, they settled

    Archaeologists believe the most northerly professionally identified Roman villa in the entire Roman Empire has been found in the region. Chris Webber finds out more. A ROMAN soldier, sent from warm civilisation to a savage, bitterly cold northern shore

  • Following the scent

    THE air has become infused with a selection of heavy, heady pungent scents, which intensify on the warming morning thermals. It is a mixture of sweet toffee and honey, and initially took me some time to identify. I wandered around scanning the ground

  • Theatre hosts Sixties bands

    TWO 1960s groups will bring their music to the North-East this month. The Spencer Davis Group and the Yardbirds will perform R&B and rock 'n' roll at Darlington Civic Theatre on Saturday, May 22, at 7.30pm. The Spencer Davis Group scored their first

  • MEP helps avert threat to credit unions

    A NORTH-East MEP has helped to curb the spread of loan sharks on council estates across the region. Stephen Hughes was among MEPs who stopped European red tape strangling credit unions, which provide affordable credit to people who would otherwise not

  • Given lays down law to United

    DISGUSTED Shay Given has warned Newcastle United's under-performers to shape-up or miss out on Champions League football once again next season. After losing at Manchester City on Saturday, the Magpies are three points adrift of occupiers of the coveted

  • Falconer takes Harry Potter skills on to a new career

    FROM training feathered film stars to execute perfectly choreographed scenes to shooing nuisance gulls from a quarry, a teenager's fascination with falconry has opened up two career opportunities worlds apart from one another. Having sampled the lifestyle

  • Quakers return could be on for Graham

    MIDDLESBROUGH striker Danny Graham has refused to rule out the possibility of returning to Darlington next season. The 18-year-old has been on loan with Quakers since April and is due to return to the Riverside after Saturday's final game of the season

  • Youngest councillor happy to pursue career in politics

    BRITAIN'S youngest councillor is celebrating his first year of committee meetings and council agendas. At 22, Stephen Parry, Stockton Borough Council's member for Wolviston, says he has never been happier. While many young men are more interested in beer

  • Oster eager to erase memories

    WINGER John Oster is eager to atone for his sending-off at Norwich this season when Sunderland bid to book their play-off place tonight against the Canaries, writes Clive Hetherington. Oster was shown a red card at Carrow Road in October for serious foul

  • Pupils act out commandments

    POWERFUL ancient stories that formed the basis of English law are being retold on film by North-East youngsters. Pupils from ten schools in County Durham and Sunderland are putting the finishing touches to Exodus 20, a series of short films inspired by

  • Garrison link 'can help town'

    DELEGATES who spent a week examining Richmond's opportunities have urged community leaders to forge closer ties with their military neighbours - or risk a slow decline. The Countryside Agency and Richmond Town Council pioneered the international exchange

  • Expert's talk on moving pictures

    FILM buffs in North Yorkshire have a nostalgic treat in store. Sue Howard, director of the Yorkshire Film Archive, will give a talk on early film in Yorkshire, illustrated with archive footage, at the library and information centre at Masham. The event

  • Ehiogu can be answer to England's woes - Riggott

    CROCKED Chris Riggott backed Ugo Ehiogu to end two years in the international wilderness last night by forcing his way into Sven-Goran Eriksson's Euro 2004 plans. Ehiogu's last appearance for his country was as a substitute during the build up to the

  • Restoration of mining banner to go ahead after £23,000 grant

    A FORMER pit village plans to explore its history in film and restore its colliery banner. Waterhouses, near Durham, was once the thriving home to a colliery and several driftmines. But the slow demise of mining led to it becoming a shadow of its former

  • Former prison officer is banned for drink-drivng

    THE manager of internationally renowned artist McKenzie Thorpe's gallery has been banned from driving for two years after admitting being drunk at the wheel of her car. Wendy Bowker, 42, a former prison officer who consults on the ITV series Bad Girls

  • Marching in with funding for band

    THE president of the Richmond Meet tried drums and kazoos when she met a local band to make a donation. Christine Hill visited the Phoenix Flames at Brompton-on-Swale with funding to help them buy uniforms and equipment. She said that the Meet was delighted

  • Job Search: Vacancies

    Motor mechanic/driver, Northallerton. 40hrs pw, 8am to 5pm, Mon-Fri. Must have full clean driving licence and be skilled or semi-skilled with ability to drive 7.5-tonne vehicle. Ref: NOE 21898. Sales assistant, Northallerton. £4.60 to £5.50ph, 16-20hrs

  • Concert hall will have pure acoustics

    CONCERT-goers visiting the region's most spectacular auditorium will be treated to the purest of musical sound thanks to an intricate panelling system installed by a County Durham construction company. M and M Plasline (MMP), from Bishop Auckland, has

  • Women race for life

    WOMEN from across the region are being urged to take part in Cancer Research UK's Race for Life, which takes place in Darlington's South Park on Sunday, June 20. Thirty five members of staff from Tesco's Catterick store, which is sponsoring the event,

  • Funeral service for British Steel official

    THE funeral has taken place of a North-East-born accountant who became a senior British Steel official before moving into diplomatic postings overseas. Oliver Draffan died aged 85 at the family home in Scarborough. Mr Draffan, who leaves a widow, Lorina

  • Residents to voice flats opposition

    ABOUT 20 people are expected to attend a meeting tomorrow to object to millionaire businessman Duncan Bannatyne's proposals for 18 flats in Darlington. His company, Bannatyne Fitness, has applied to Darlington Borough Council for permission to redevelop

  • Gas engineer wins award

    A GAS service engineer has won an award. Colin Esplin, 25, was nominated for the regional service and maintenance award from the Heating and Ventilating Contractors' Association (HVCA) by his lecturers at Middlesbrough College and his company bosses.

  • 350 houses for cokeworks site

    ONE of Wearside's notorious eyesores could be transformed into a 350-house estate. English Partnerships has applied to turn the derelict Lambton Cokeworks site near Shiney Row into a housing estate with its own pub. It has pledged to start reclamation

  • Ofsted praise for closure threat school

    A SCHOOL scheduled for closure has been praised by inspectors from the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted). Eldon Lane Primary School, in Bishop Auckland, has improved since its last inspection and pupils are performing well above average in mathematics

  • Crowds drawn to demonstration of traditional handicraft

    VISITORS threaded their way through an unusual exhibition of embroidery, taking a look at skills which have spanned five centuries. Shirley Spenceley believes she is the only person teaching three dimensional embroidery called Stumpwork in the North-East

  • Heritage project to preserve old papers

    OLD and fragile newspapers dating from 1847 are to be made more accessible thanks to a national project. Editions of The Northern Echo's sister paper, The Darlington and Stockton Times, dating from 1847 to 1950, and the former evening paper The Northern

  • Heritage project to preserve old papers

    OLD and fragile newspapers dating from 1847 are to be made more accessible thanks to a national project. Editions of The Northern Echo's sister paper, The Darlington and Stockton Times, dating from 1847 to 1950, and the former evening paper The Northern

  • £500,000 enterprise centre completed

    A £500,000 scheme to provide child care, and employment training on Scarborough's Eastfield housing estate has been opened by Deputy Mayor, Councillor Herbert Tindall. The Eastfield Link Training and Enterprise Centre has been opened after three years

  • Lone parents invited to set up group

    LONE parents seeking support and advice are being asked to set up a group in the Durham area. The national lone parent charity Gingerbread is seeking to broaden its network of local groups in the North-East. Gingerbread has groups which meet in Bishop

  • Concert hall will have pure acoustics

    CONCERT-goers visiting the region's most spectacular auditorium will be treated to the purest of musical sound thanks to an intricate panelling system installed by a County Durham construction company. M and M Plasline (MMP), from Bishop Auckland, has

  • Projects sought to take advantage of grant help

    VILLAGES in part of the North York Moors National Park are being encouraged to put forward ideas to take advantage of a new funding scheme. The Yorkshire Rural Community Council has secured funding to create a small grants scheme in the Dales and Ebberston

  • Hague to open village school

    FORMER Tory leader William Hague will be going back to school to open a £1.1m development. The Richmondshire MP will open the Church of England primary school at Middleton Tyas on Friday, May 21. The building replaces one that dated from 1862 and over

  • Two arrested in connection with killing

    TWO men were last night helping police with their investigation into the death of a father-of-two. Northumbria Police said that the pair, aged 23 and 27, were arrested in connection with the death of Robin Chard and were being interviewed at separate

  • Nuisance issue is one of perception

    In the second part of a special report on issues surrounding youth nuisance, Stuart Mackintosh looks at how the police view the problem, and John Dean examines how a junior Neighbourhood Watch initiative is improving the image of young people. POLICE

  • Honour for officers who rescued woman from track

    TWO police officers who saved a suicidal woman from being hit by a high-speed train have been honoured by the Royal Humane Society. Sgt Paul Reed and PC Michael Pattinson risked their own lives when they jumped on to the track, near Alnmouth Station,

  • Comment from The Northern Echo: Teaching by example

    THE withering attack on feckless parents by the general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers will earn him support from many quarters. David Hart is right to make the correlation between upbringing at home and behaviour in the classroom

  • Birthday cash boost as cafe prepares to move

    A CAF run by adults with learning disabilities received a welcome cash boost last week as it celebrated its first birthday The Coachhouse Caf, at the Upsall Hall Rural Centre, near Nunthorpe, has received £12,000 from the Cleveland Society Mencap. Ten

  • Youngest councillor happy to pursue career in politics

    BRITAIN'S youngest councillor is celebrating his first year of committee meetings and council agendas. At 22, Stephen Parry, Stockton Borough Council's member for Wolviston, says he has never been happier. While many young men are more interested in beer

  • Opticians in frame with fun day

    OPTICIANS invited shoppers to raise a glass to their new store. Specsavers opened in Front Street, Chester-le-Street, last week and the firm decided to mark the occasion with a fun day on Saturday. Dino, an 8ft inflatable dinosaur, helped staff hand out

  • Inquiry into cash problems at centre

    CHARITY watchdogs have been called in to investigate the management and finances of a North-East community centre. The Phoenix Centre, in Hartlepool, is suffering a cash crisis which will result in the five paid members of staff losing their jobs next

  • A Cosi future for classical music?

    Wherever he goes in the world, opera star Sir Thomas Allen finds it impossible to escape his roots in the North-East, he tells Viv Hardwick. AS the world's best-known baritone, Sir Thomas Allen has acquired god-like status with the rising stars of singing

  • Funeral of Scout leader

    THE funeral of a well-known Scout leader will be held today. Andrew Muckley, 58, died at his home in Houghton-le-Side, near Darlington, on Saturday, April 24, from cancer. He was an educational psychologist, and his work, which specialised in studying

  • Mixed feelings for winning trainer Given

    Trainer James Given and Michael Fenton were in double form at Doncaster yesterday with Telemachus and Nessen Dorma, but the Gainsborough trainer's delight was tempered by the news that one of his horses had injured George Duffield at Warwick. Duffield

  • TV review

    D-Day: The Ultimate Conflict (five) Three elderly men approached each other on a beach. "Good morning, how are you?," asked one, as they shook hands and exchanged friendly greetings. The British man, the American and the German met for the first time

  • Axed Rothmans workers waiting for legacy pledge

    ONLY weeks before the closure of the region's last cigarette manufacturing plant, a decision is yet to be made about a legacy promised for the hundreds of redundant workers. Bosses at Rothmans' parent company British American Tobacco (BAT) pledged to

  • 04/05/04

    DEEPCUT: I WOULD have thought the circumstances surrounding the death of Dr Kelly were more clear-cut than those surrounding the death Geoff Gray. The Hutton Inquiry was set up to investigate the former but for the latter no inquiry is necessary. Why?

  • Feckless parents under fire from headteachers' leader

    Feckless parents of all social classes were condemned by a teachers' leader yesterday for failing to ensure their children arrived at school ready to behave properly and work. Parents should enter into a "learning contract" with schools to ensure that

  • Ingenuity that won the day

    D-Day: The Ultimate Conflict (five): Three elderly men approached each other on a beach. "Good morning, how are you?," asked one, as they shook hands and exchanged friendly greetings. The British man, the American and the German met for the first time

  • Cats aim to ruffle Canaries feathers

    SUNDERLAND midfielder Jeff Whitley has warned Norwich City that the Black Cats are ready to wreck their Division One title party at the Stadium of Light tonight. The Premiership-bound Canaries need a point to virtually assure themselves of the Nationwide

  • Experts save salt ship for posterity

    AN ancient relic of a long-gone industry is to be saved for future generations - thanks to experts in North Yorkshire. A survivor of the late medieval salt production industry, the salt ship is to be preserved by experts from the York Archaeological Trust

  • Fantastic display

    A NATIONAL touring exhibiton of fantastic architecture has arrived in the region. Fantasy Architecture 1500-2036 is a collection of paintings, models and artists' drawings of architecture from the past, present and future. The exhibition arrived in Sunderland

  • Pet lover's heart-breaking message after abandoning cats

    ANIMAL welfare volunteers received a heart-breaking note from a cat owner forced to abandon three pets. The cats, called Betsy, Emily and Tigger, were left outside the White Lion Veterinary Clinic, in Hall Street, South Hetton, near Easington, east Durham

  • Honours for pair who saved woman

    TWO police officers who saved a suicidal woman from being struck by a high-speed train have been honoured by the Royal Humane Society. Sergeant Paul Reed and PC Michael Pattinson risked their own lives when they jumped on to the track, near Alnmouth Station

  • Couple to sue over outbreak of illness at holiday hotel

    HOLIDAYMAKERS are taking legal action against a tour operator for sending them to a hotel hit by an outbreak of illness. John Cook, from County Durham, said he was not warned about the problems at the Cala Llonga Fiesta hotel, on the island of Ibiza.

  • Doris finds happy home for her final days

    THE sad story of stray dog Doris, who may only have weeks to live, has a happy ending. The ten-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier cross has leukaemia. But she has found a home after an appeal in The Northern Echo. Staff at the Dogs Trust were keen she

  • 'I just knew I should have been a girl'

    Transsexual Dawn Smith has just written her autobiography. She talks to Women's Editor Christen Pears about her remarkable life. THE sign on the desk reads Dawn Smith and behind it, sits a tall woman in her sixties. She's wearing a brown, hooded coat

  • Volunteers who changed the face of troubled area

    A COMMUNITY association which has transformed its area is the latest entry in The Northern Echo's competition Making a Difference. Now in its sixth year, and sponsored by regional development agency One NorthEast, Making a Difference honours volunteers

  • Eating Owt: A peer and a pint

    A real ale festival in the further reaches of Teesdale suplies thirst-quenching sustenance and an unexpected encounter with the aristocracy. FTER last week's Arkengarthdale idyll, another splendid, sun-blessed walk on the wild side - and at the end of

  • Tractor run aids heart charity

    MORE than 80 vintage tractors set off yesterday to raise money for the British Heart Foundation. It is the fourth year the Vintage Tractor Road Run has started at Constantine Farm, in North Bitchburn, near Crook, County Durham, and organisers said this

  • A Cosi future for classical music?

    Wherever he goes in the world, opera star Sir Thomas Allen finds it impossible to escape his roots in the North-East, he tells Viv Hardwick. AS the world's best-known baritone, Sir Thomas Allen has acquired god-like status with the rising stars of singing

  • 'Smear' chief urged to name culprits

    A POLICE chief who claims he is the subject of a smear campaign has been challenged to name those he thinks are working against him. Councillor Ken Walker, chairman of the Cleveland Police Authority last night criticised the force's Chief Constable, Sean

  • Shearer's timing always right, says Keegan

    KEVIN KEEGAN insists Newcastle United skipper Alan Shearer will go on "kicking his critics'' until he hangs up his boots at the end of next season. Former Newcastle boss Keegan, who as England manager oversaw Shearer's international swansong at Euro 2000

  • Plans to rebuild hospital

    WORK is expected to start on a project to rebuild one of the region's busiest hospitals later this year. Newcastle City Council's development control committee has approved a £180m project to expand and modernise the city's Royal Victoria Infirmary. The

  • Couple to sue over outbreak of illness at holiday hotel

    HOLIDAYMAKERS are taking legal action against a tour operator for sending them to a hotel hit by an outbreak of illness. John Cook, from County Durham, said he was not warned about the problems at the Cala Llonga Fiesta hotel, on the island of Ibiza.

  • A peer and a pint

    A real ale festival in the further reaches of Teesdale suplies thirst-quenching sustenance and an unexpected encounter with the aristocracy. FTER last week's Arkengarthdale idyll, another splendid, sun-blessed walk on the wild side - and at the end of

  • Dancers' timely gift to hospital

    A GROUP of Scottish dancers have ensured that everything will run on time at the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton. A stylish clock now has pride of place on the wall of the recreation hall thanks to the generosity of the local Caledonian Society. Members

  • All this sex is making me sick

    WELL now, here's a surprise! In the areas of the country where there has been the most intense advertising of "safe sex", schoolgirl pregnancies have shown the biggest increase. These are also the same areas showing the most abortions and the highest

  • Campaign shows region's creativity

    A BID to make the North-East a cultural hotbed during the coming summer season is launched today. Billed as the next phase of the Newcastle Gateshead Initiative, Hotbed 2004 will focus on design, fashion and the garden. It is the latest stage in the £140m

  • Quakers return could be on for Graham

    MIDDLESBROUGH striker Danny Graham has refused to rule out the possibility of returning to Darlington next season. The 18-year-old has been on loan with Quakers since April and is due to return to the Riverside after Saturday's final game of the season

  • Wilks hopes luck will change

    GUY WILKS hopes to have put his bad luck behind him by the time the International Rally of Wales comes round later this month. The Dealer Team Suzuki driver from Darlington suffered a bizarre accident on the very first stage during the Pirelli International

  • Community unites to celebrate diversity

    THE GROWING cultural diversity of the North-East was reflected in a popular festival staged in the region yesterday. Thousands of visitors flocked to Cliff Park, near the seafront at Roker, Sunderland, to sample the range of music, dance and food at the

  • Following the scent

    THE air has become infused with a selection of heavy, heady pungent scents, which intensify on the warming morning thermals. It is a mixture of sweet toffee and honey, and initially took me some time to identify. I wandered around scanning the ground

  • Adele to help poor children in Africa

    A STUDENT is preparing to go to South Africa to work with poor and homeless children. Adele Pearson, 21, will travel to Pietermaritzburg in July with ten people from England. The group will work on projects dealing with education, poverty, homelessness

  • Job Search: Vacancies

    Tea shop assistant, Lanchester. £5ph, 35hrs pw, 5 days out of 7, 10am to 5.30pm, temporary, six months. Experience and food hygiene certificate an advantage. Must have own transport. Ref: STG 16862. Tea shop assistant, Lanchester. £5ph, 10-15hrs pw, 2

  • Visitors take a trip to golden age of steam

    STEAM enthusiasts were cooling off last night after a busy bank holiday weekend recreating a golden age for the railways. Crowds gathered at the Tanfield Railway, on the County Durham boundary with western Gateshead, to see the engines. About 25 volunteers

  • Couple to sue over outbreak of illness at holiday hotel

    HOLIDAYMAKERS are taking legal action against a tour operator for sending them to a hotel hit by an outbreak of illness. John Cook, from County Durham, said he was not warned about the problems at the Cala Llonga Fiesta hotel, on the island of Ibiza.

  • Fantastic display

    A NATIONAL touring exhibiton of fantastic architecture has arrived in the region. Fantasy Architecture 1500-2036 is a collection of paintings, models and artists' drawings of architecture from the past, present and future. The exhibition arrived in Sunderland

  • Focus on pier photos exhibition

    AN end-of-the-pier show with a difference is coming to the region. Saltburn Pier, the North-East's sole surviving pleasure pier, is next month playing host to an exhibition that features large-scale photographic panoramas of the Britain's 54 remaining

  • Boat 'went down too fast for anglers to reach the radio'

    MARINE engineers were last night examining a boat which suddenly capsized drowning two anglers. The dead men have been named as Peter Blount, 47, from Redcar, Teesside, and 56-year-old Bernard Powell, from Stokesley, North Yorkshire. Londoner Peter Ridout

  • Petition to stop bus cuts on estate

    A CAMPAIGN is under way to stop bus company bosses cutting services on a private housing estate. Residents who rely on bus services in Newton Hall, Durham, are angry that services will be reduced next month. They are particularly concerned about a decision

  • Bikeathon bonus for charity

    CHILDREN as young as three have been riding their bikes around South Park, in Darlington, to raise money for charity. The youngsters took part in the Leukaemia Research Fund's Big Bikeathon, on Sunday. Linda Young, from the charity, said a host of people

  • Relief for MS patients

    FUNDING has been secured to bring a dedicated multiple sclerosis physiotherapist to Hambleton and Richmondshire. At the moment MS sufferers in the area have to travel to York, Middlesbrough or Newcastle for physiotherapy, which helps to prevent muscle

  • Climbing towards play scheme goal

    MORE than 200 children helped raise money for a summer play scheme yesterday by climbing the Rock-It mobile climbing wall at Branksome Comprehensive School, in Darlington. Sarah Kasagic, development worker for the Cockerton and Branksome area, said the

  • Tackling graffiti vandals

    shopkeepers are being told the writing is on the wall if they sell aerosol paint sprays to children. A law has been introduced to try to stop paint sprays being sold to young vandals. Retailers found to have sold aerosol paint sprays to children under

  • Groups urged to earn cash by recycling

    COMMUNITY groups are gearing up to earn money and recycle waste. North Yorkshire County Council has launched Community Solutions North Yorkshire to give groups the chance to back recycling. The project provides support to groups through its dedicated

  • MP opens community support headquarters

    VOLUNTEERS are looking forward to working with the community more closely after opening their own offices. The Weardale Community Partnership has been working for a year to get funding for its own premises. Now thanks to funding from the Leader Plus Programme

  • Soldier marries his sweetheart

    A soldier who proposed from the frontline during the height of the Iraqi war has exchanged vows with his childhood sweetheart. Corporal Adam Holmes, 31, of Hebburn, South Tyneside, penned his undying love to Caroline Nesbitt the night before he pushed

  • Dods goes double-handed down at Warwick

    COMMITMENT LECTURE and Balakiref should ensure Michael Dods does not leave Warwick empty-handed this afternoon. Conditions are bound to be very testing at the course with the ground certain to be chewed up in the wake of the busy meeting held at the track

  • Union calls for inquiry into 'pay downgrade'

    EMPLOYEES of a Teesside council are continuing to receive letters telling them their pay is to be cut. Workers at Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council have letters stating that their salaries are to be reduced as part of the national Job Evaluation Scheme

  • Job Search: Vacancies

    Draughtsperson, 36.5hrs pw, must have at least five years experience and be conversant with AutoCad. Ref: NEU 17869. Spray finisher, £7.40ph, 40hrs pw, must be trained and experience within furnishing industry. Ref: NEU 18396. Warehouse person/paper sorter

  • Curtain up for town's young ballet dancers

    SIXTY youngsters from a North-East town are appearing in a ballet production of Sleeping Beauty. A total of 106 dancers from across the region have won places in the English Youth Ballet production and 60 of them are from Darlington. General manager for

  • Marching in with funding for band

    THE president of the Richmond Meet tried drums and kazoos when she met a local band to make a donation. Christine Hill visited the Phoenix Flames at Brompton-on-Swale with funding to help them buy uniforms and equipment. She said that the Meet was delighted

  • New kitchen adds to diamond celebrations

    A COUPLE celebrated their diamond wedding in style - with a new kitchen - thanks to their landlords. Joan and Kenneth Cooper, from Redcar, realised their bungalow was due to have a kitchen fitted in the middle of their 60th wedding anniversary celebrations

  • Stepping out for marathon charity walk

    FOUR long-standing friends are planning to put their hiking boots on for an 84-mile trek along Hadrian's Wall. Hazel Hart, Barbara Wood, Sheila Ritchie and Jenny Morris all went to school together at York College for Girls. They met up again at one of

  • New training facility helps save energy

    UNEMPLOYED people or those working in the energy efficiency industry can benefit from a new facility. The training and assessment facility at Redcar and Cleveland College is the first of its kind in the region. It includes a mock building with a loft

  • £35m revamp is taking shape

    A NORTH-EAST college will have modern facilities for all the community after the completion of a £35m redevelopment. New College Durham, in Framwellgate Moor, is being transformed from 1950s brick buildings to up-to-date grey structures. Work will be

  • Concert hall will have pure acoustics

    CONCERT-goers visiting the region's most spectacular auditorium will be treated to the purest of musical sound thanks to an intricate panelling system installed by a County Durham construction company. M and M Plasline (MMP), from Bishop Auckland, has

  • Regional rail lines 'can go to hell'

    THE boss of GNER last night called on the Government to scrap unprofitable rail lines adding that regional services that run virtually empty could go "to hell". James Sherwood, president of Sea Containers - parent company of GNER - became the first rail

  • £35m revamp is taking shape

    A NORTH-EAST college will have modern facilities for all the community after the completion of a £35m redevelopment. New College Durham, in Framwellgate Moor, is being transformed from 1950s brick buildings to up-to-date grey structures. Work will be

  • Lights that made villagers see red

    RUFFLED feathers have been smoothed in a village about to be thrust into the limelight as host to an exhibition by artists from around the world. Former Turner Prize judge Greville Worthington is promoting Some Versions of Light, which opens at the former

  • Tiny pub with huge reputation for serving up top quality ales

    ONE of the North-East's finest real-ale pubs that was under threat from closure six months ago has won an award. The tiny Quaker bar, in Darlington's Mechanics Yard, run by Steve Metcalfe and Lynda Harland, was due to close in October when the owner,

  • Call for fresh look at rules for doctors

    DAVID Hinchliffe, chairman of the powerful Commons Health Select Committee, has called for the question of self-regulation by doctors to be urgently re-examined. It follows revelations about the failure of the General Medical Council (GMC) to protect

  • A fine weekend for Bishops

    Bishop Auckland were the only side to win both weekend games in the Darlington Building Society NYSD Premier League Premier Division, following up Saturday's 10-wicket victory with a near 100-runs success over Darlington RA at Feethams yesterday. Darren