Archive

  • Well-earned retirement

    THE only buckets Catherine Monument wants to see now are full of ice and chilled champagne. After 21 years as a cleaner at Darlington's Argos store, the 84-year-old has retired. Mrs Monument, known as Kitty, who lives in Lazenby Close, worked her last

  • Tenants demand vote

    COUNCIL tenants are meeting tonight to demand a say on the future of their homes. Tenants on Woodhouse Close, in Bishop Auckland, are pressing Wear Valley District Council to reverse its decision not to offer a ballot on a new management scheme. Wear

  • Children's champion

    THE founder of a leading North-East charity has been appointed the first Children's Commissioner for England. Professor Al Aynsley-Green, a former head of child health at Newcastle University and now a professor at Great Ormond Street Hospital, in London

  • Addict tried to use stolen bank card

    A HEROIN addict tried to use a bank card stolen in a robbery to get money from a cash machine, a court heard. Stephen Turnbull, 26, was put on a drug treatment and testing order for 12 months by Teesside Crown Court judge Peter Armstrong yesterday. The

  • Tea dance

    Dance hall music veterans George Hetherington, on keyboards, and guitarist Geoff Phillips will provide the accompaniment at a monthly tea dance at the Soccarena complex, at Broomside Park, Belmont, Durham, today. It runs from 2pm to 5pm, with admission

  • North-East singer to release first solo CD

    A SINGER is to release his first solo CD later this month after a musical career which has spanned more than four decades. Michael Kelly has been a favourite on Durham's folk circuit since the 1970s. He has recorded several times with various bands and

  • Nine arrested in raids on burglars

    POLICE on Teesside made nine arrests in a series of raids. Yesterday's operation was codenamed Beat the Burglar and targeted prolific burglars in Billingham, near Stockton. The arrests were made in connection to house burglary and drug-related crimes.

  • Gifted footballer with world at his feet

    Paul Day's parents spoke exclusively to The Northern Echo yesterday at the end of the inquest into his death. Andy and Pauline Day said that before turning to crime, their son was a teenager with the world at his feet. A talented footballer, he had trials

  • Many losing benefit cash

    PEOPLE in Darlington could be missing out on at least £25,000 in benefits. Residents may be paying too much council tax or rent and not receiving their full entitlement of tax credits. The findings, which show thousands of pounds of unclaimed benefits

  • Students' sporting accolade

    FOUR talented students have been singled out for praise by a school's sports council. Pippa Allen, Emily-Jane Saxby, Paul Johnston and Abi Curry recently won certificates for Outstanding Sporting Achievements from Teesside Schools' Sports Council. The

  • Sniffing out drugs in pubs and clubs

    DRINKERS in pubs and clubs across Middlesbrough town centre came under investigation from a drug-busting sniffer dog. Over the weekend, officers from Cleveland Police and the British Transport Police targeted revellers who they suspected were in possession

  • A slimy taste of culture

    IT'S not true that French people eat nothing but snails and frogs' legs. On the other hand, many French restaurants do include these delicacies on the menu, in case anyone wants to eat them. I've never ordered them, nor had all but one of the family party

  • Ready to strike up the band

    YOUNG musicians are busy tuning up their instruments for the regional round of the National Festival of Music for Youth. Northallerton College, North Yorkshire, is hosting the competition on Saturday, when schools from across the region will be aiming

  • Robson, 72, still in running for 'right' job

    SIR BOBBY ROBSON still has no thoughts of retiring and claims there is one more job left in him. The former Newcastle United boss has been out of work since being sacked at St James' Park in August but, despite celebrating his 72nd birthday last month

  • TSG's Windows of opportunity

    IT solutions company Technology Services Group (TSG) has been named as an expert advisor for Microsoft computer technology. TSG, based in Newcastle, was set up by Sage co-founder Graham Wylie and has achieved gold certificate status with Microsoft for

  • Club members help to spruce up landscape

    MEMBERS of an over-60s group have done their bit to improve their local community, with the help of a former Durham mayor. The last of 11 trees was planted in wintry conditions in the Nevilles Cross area. All 11 have been bedded in on the fringes of the

  • Young school gymnasts show off skills in first competition

    MORE than 200 youngsters enjoyed their first taste of competitive sport when they took part in Durham County Gymnastics Association's schools' novice competition. Children from schools throughout the Wear Valley, Easington and Sedgefield areas showed

  • City honour for football legend

    SIR Bobby Robson was made an Honorary Freeman of Newcastle yesterday. The former Newcastle United and England manager fought back tears at the ceremony, held in recognition of his outstanding football career and his contribution to the business and culture

  • Write couple

    Scarborough-born actress Penelope Wilton took the chance to visit her former seaside home when she returned to the region to play an author moving from London to Yorkshire. Steve Pratt reports. IN her latest TV drama, Penelope Wilton's character tells

  • Show calls for young men

    A SHORTAGE of young men is causing a headache for amateur show producers. Richmond Operatic Society needs three men aged 18 to 28 for leading roles in its forthcoming production of Divorce Me, Darling. Society spokesman Rhoda Fraser said: "It seems many

  • Development means police dogs looking for new home

    THE future of a North mansion was secured when development plans were approved this week - but the news was not so good for a police force's dog unit. Major improvements establishing Harperley Hall, near Crook, County Durham as one of the world's leading

  • Informer who was taunted by prisoners

    A series of "systematic errors" was yesterday found to have contributed to the suicide of Paul Day in Frankland Prison, Durham. Gavin Engelbrecht reports on the prisoner's experiences as revealed through inquest evidence. PAUL Day was not a suicidal person

  • Elegance to prove a class act

    BACK-TO-FORM Millkom Elegance (2.00) makes maximum punting appeal in Taunton's opening Selling Handicap Hurdle. Having picked up useful prizemoney both on the level and over jumps for Kevin Ryan last season, Millkom Elegance then moved to pastures new

  • We must put our faith in freedom

    As the Church of England threatens to tear itself apart over the issue of gay priests, the Rev Paul Walker argues that if the church is to be relevant to the 21st century it must cast aside its bigotry. THE last 200 years ago has seen the most incredible

  • 'Effects of late drinking will be monitored'

    A SENIOR police officer has warned he will be one of the first to complain if extended drinking hours take up extra police resources. Chief Superintendent Michael Banks, the south area commander for Durham Police, said he would be monitoring the effects

  • Cameras help crime rate fall

    CRIME has fallen by nearly 14 per cent in Derwentside for the second three-year period running, new figures have shown. Recorded crime has risen by more than seven per cent nationally over the past three years, but a recent crime and disorder audit showed

  • Gulbenkian Judges visit railway museum

    THE North-East's first national museum was under the spotlight yesterday when the Gulbenkian Award judges visited County Durham. Locomotion: The National Railway Museum, in Shildon, has been shortlisted for the coveted accolade of Gulbenkian Museum of

  • Still searching for a new dawn

    After the latest in a series of crushing blows for the region's manufacturing sector, Business Editor Julia Breen looks at recent North-East job losses - and what is being done to reverse the trend. "UNEMPLOYMENT is at an all all-time low in the North-East

  • What a cross to bear!

    You can always rely on Posh and Becks to grab the headlines. The birth of their third son was such a momentous occasion it even knocked that other IT couple Camilla and Charles off the front pages. The lovely Victoria (who I can't help but like despite

  • Black Wednesday

    THE North-East's economy suffered one of its darkest days yesterday with the loss of 1,500 jobs. LG Philips Displays announced it was closing its Durham plant, with 761 redundancies. The news will have a direct effect on the regional supply chain, mainly

  • North-East singer to release first solo CD

    A SINGER is to release his first solo CD later this month after a musical career which has spanned more than four decades. Michael Kelly has been a favourite on Durham's folk circuit since the 1970s. He has recorded several times with various bands and

  • Questions over police action after dinner lady acquitted

    POLICE have come under heavy criticism after a dinner lady was cleared of assaulting two primary school pupils. The 56-year-old dinner lady was accused of pushing an eight-year-old boy against a wall and pulling an 11-year-old girl's hair at a Teesside

  • Designers heading for Monte Carlo

    IT is Monte Carlo or bust this weekend for a team of North-East designers shortlisted for an industry award. Staff from Sumo, in Newcastle, are travelling all expenses paid to Monte Carlo, in the hope of picking up a McNaughton Award. Sumo managing director

  • Beware the lossage of grass

    FEET freshly beneath the table at their spanking new £1m headquarters, the folk at Durham FA are staggering beneath the weight of threatened football-related litigation. "I have three lever-arch files absolutely solid with cases. This no-win, no-fee business

  • 'Food scare claims will not hurt Premier Foods'

    THE company caught up in the controversy surrounding food contaminated with potentially cancer-causing dye Sudan 1 said yesterday it did not expect to lose money as a result of the scare. Premier Foods, which used chilli powder containing the dye to make

  • Extra inspector

    North-East-inspired Billy Elliot The Musical is currently taking up a lot of director Stephen Daldry's time. But 12 years ago, it was An Inspector Calls which shot him to fame. Viv Hardwick reports on Daldry's first West End success arriving on Tyneside

  • Elegance to prove a class act

    BACK-TO-FORM Millkom Elegance (2.00) makes maximum punting appeal in Taunton's opening Selling Handicap Hurdle. Having picked up useful prizemoney both on the level and over jumps for Kevin Ryan last season, Millkom Elegance then moved to pastures new

  • Woman's body found

    POLICE are investigating after the body of a young woman was discovered on the outskirts of Durham City. A police investigation was launched after the woman's body was discovered on the edge of woods behind Meadowfield Sports Centre, near the village

  • Coastguard agency deals with mock oil spill

    A BEACH training exercise was carried out yesterday, above, to help deal with possible future oil spills. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency visited Saltburn beach, in east Cleveland, in freezing conditions for a demonstration. The agency arrived with

  • Children's champion

    THE founder of a leading North-East charity has been appointed the first Children's Commissioner for England. Professor Al Aynsley-Green, a former head of child health at Newcastle University and now a professor at Great Ormond Street Hospital, in London

  • Morrison adds to Boro's injury woes

    MIDDLESBROUGH have been rocked by news that James Morrison will be ruled out of action for up to eight weeks. The Boro midfielder went under the surgeon's knife on Tuesday to repair a double hernia and now joins long-term injured Gaizka Mendieta, Mark

  • You write

    Tipping rules: I am writing about new tipping regulations in our area. I have a small gardening business and operate using a small van. I am no longer allowed in any tip. Even for my own household rubbish I am required to obtain a council permit, whereas

  • Road trip film screened

    ON The Verge, a film about the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest for Disabled Artists, Jez Colborne, and his road trip across the US, is showing at Darlington Arts Centre at 8pm on Wednesday. Tickets are £8.50, and £6.50 concessions, on (01325) 486555

  • Robert to repay fans' faith

    LAURENT ROBERT feels refreshed and has vowed to repay the supporters who have stood by him by helping Newcastle United continue on the road to recovery. After forcing his way back into Graeme Souness' plans, the enigmatic French winger has been an integral

  • 03/03/05

    HUNTING: MICHAEL Spencer QC has resigned from the bench because he says the Government's ban on fox-hunting "parallels closely the conduct in government in Nazi Germany in the 1930s" (Echo, Feb 25). His resignation is certainly good news for decency and

  • Killer caged for 'life'

    A CALCULATING killer who stabbed his girlfriend 70 times in a frenzied attack, then spent four hours in the blood-soaked house concocting an elaborate cover story, has been jailed for life. So severe were the injuries to mother-of-two Susan Carr that

  • Comment from The Northern Echo: Time to play a new tune

    THE devastating loss of hundreds more North-East jobs at the LG Philips Displays electronics plant has a depressingly familiar ring to it. Here we go again. Despite the best efforts of a skilled and dedicated workforce, it is cheaper to shift manufacturing

  • Killer's sister suggested prison protest

    One of the people called to give evidence at the inquest was Barbara Stone, sister of killer Michael Stone. Gavin Engelbrecht looks at the role the murderer played in Paul Day's life. THE sister of notorious killer Michael Stone told the inquest she had

  • More snow on the way

    Britain was braced for more icy blasts today as forecasters warned of continuing cold and the threat of more snow. The worst of the conditions today were in Kent, with other areas enjoying brighter weather. But weather experts said temperatures were set

  • School achieves sporting gold mark

    A SCHOOL that gives all pupils a grounding in sport - including those who are not natural athletes - has netted a top award. Sedgefield Community College has been awarded an extension to its Sportsmark Gold status for offering pupils a broad PE curriculum

  • Johnny rotten

    THERE'S only one thing that Soapland likes more than a good wedding and that's a good funeral when people have the opportunity to pay their respects to a loved figure. When the person being laid to rest is Andy the gangster - pushed off a bridge over

  • Man tells of near-death beating

    A MAN who was viciously beaten when he went to help a car crash victim has spoken of the lasting effect the attack has had on his life. BBC Radio Newcastle reporter Russell Ward, 43, was left with a fractured skull and brain damage, after going to help

  • Priest jailed for sexual abuse

    A Roman Catholic priest was jailed for 18 months yesterday after admitting sexually abusing a teenage boy 30 years ago. Teesside Crown Court was told that Father Michael Dunn was a "young, trendy priest" when he went to his first parish in 1975, the Church

  • Football memorabilia raising money for Youth

    SIGNED football memorabilia from the region's top teams is being auctioned to raise money for children in the area. Playworkers from Redhall Community Centre have organised a race night to fund activities for youngsters from the Darlington estate. A signed

  • Review of services for nursing mums

    PLANS to provide more breast-feeding services in Darlington town centre are being investigated. Last year, the borough council received a £20,000 grant from the Centre for Public Scrutiny to carry out a review of services for nursing mothers. The review

  • Green light for games area

    AN alternative site for a controversial multi-use games area at a village school has been approved. North Yorkshire County Council granted planning permission for the twin-court facility to be built behind Middleton Tyas Primary School, near Richmond,

  • £25,000 benefits are not claimed

    PEOPLE could be missing out on at least £25,000 in benefits. Residents of Darlington may be paying too much council tax or rent and not receiving their tax credits. A report showing thousands of pounds of benefits are not being claimed, was produced after

  • Is call for North centres on the way out?

    DRAWN to the region by pools of workers with friendly northern accents, at a time when manufacturing was declining, many companies brought their call centres to the North-East in the 1990s. But as yet another centre leaves the region, experts are assessing

  • Field at centre of green wrangle

    EFFORTS to protect a community's last open space is facing failure tomorrow. Retired welder Fred Smith, backed by some residents of High Grange Estate, at Gilesgate Moor, Durham, is applying for village green status for a small plot of land between their

  • Diamond days

    A COUPLE are celebrating 60 years of marriage today with more than 80 friends and relatives. Mary and Frank Allison, of Newton Aycliffe, are holding a party at the Raffle Club, in the village, with bingo, buffet, singing and a dance. And it was at a dance

  • Policewoman tried in vain to save man

    A BRAVE policewoman has told an inquest how she struggled to talk down a former holiday park worker who threatened to throw himself from the top of a car park. But despite the pleadings of PC Heather Standing, Anthony Bilton,42, of Barnby Gate, Newark

  • £5m grant to boost sports opportunities in schools

    MILLIONS of pounds of Government funding has been secured to give youngsters better sporting opportunities in schools. North Yorkshire had already been in line to receive £3m from the Government. But council officials pressed for more cash because of

  • Banned driver rammed police van

    A BANNED driver rammed a police van in an attempt to escape because he had been drinking, a court heard yesterday. Paul Harland was given a nine-month prison sentence, but had already served the equivalent while on remand. Judge Peter Armstrong also disqualified

  • City salutes Sir Bobby as a true free spirit

    GROWING up in Sacriston, County Durham, a schoolboy by the name of Robert William Robson would frequently be seen in the backstreets kicking lumps of coal around pretending he was Newcastle United legend Albert Stubbins. The son of a pit-man, the youngster

  • Council saluting band of dedicated volunteers

    THE band of volunteers who donate their own time to support council services have been formally thanked for their efforts. More than 500 people give their time for free to support services in the Hambleton area and they take on a wide variety of roles

  • Lonnie's D-Day

    Entertainment Editor Viv Hardwick talks to Peter Donnegan about his famous father as the show which tells the story of Lonnie's life goes on a massive tour. Peter is currently living in the North-East and actually made his professional debut with his

  • Charity raises awareness of osteoporosis

    MEMBERS of the National Osteoporosis Society, the charity that helps sufferers of brittle bone disease, are to hold an awareness event in Durham this summer. The osteoporosis support and information day will be held at County Hall, in June. Colin Stephenson

  • Miners minimum payout ruled out

    SICK ex-miners will continue to receive compensation of as little as £13 following a shock announcement by the Department of Trade and Industry. The Coalfields Communities Campaign condemned the news that the Government "will not fund a minimum payment

  • University opens doors

    The University of Teesside is holding a Postgraduate Open Day on Tuesday, March 15. The event will be held at the Centuria Building, off Victoria Road, Middlesbrough, from 11am to 2pm and 5pm to 7pm. Information will be available on courses including

  • Former miner seeking North pit tokens

    A FORMER Yorkshire miner is appealing to his North counterparts to help him with his hobby of collecting colliery tokens. Bill Bennett, who lives in Rotherham, was a miner for 33 years. He collects colliery tokens, or tallies, and has memorabilia from

  • Gazza's fears over neck injury

    England football legend Paul Gascoigne yesterday spoke of his fear that the latest operation to cure an injury to his neck would not be successful. Gascoigne is sueing the BBC over the injury, which happened when he slipped and fell during training for

  • Society 'will manage £3bn for rivals'

    NEWCASTLE Building Society expects to be managing more than £3bn of its rivals' assets in the coming years thanks to its investment in information technology. The group last year won a contract with Bradford and Bingley to operate its Internet savings

  • A66 scheme reaching crucial stage

    TRANSPORT plans that could have a key role in the regeneration of the Tees Valley are reaching a crucial stage. Consultants recently completed an 18-month study into ways of upgrading the A66 trunk road around Darlington. They were commissioned by the

  • Field at centre of green wrangle

    EFFORTS to protect a community's last open space is facing failure tomorrow. Retired welder Fred Smith, backed by some residents of High Grange Estate, at Gilesgate Moor, Durham, is applying for village green status for a small plot of land between their

  • Dracula, Darlington Civic Theatre

    TURNING the Prince of Darkness into the bloodsucker of cyberspace becomes quite a programming nightmare as this Bryony Lavery adaptation attempts to draw fresh blood from Bram Stoker's classic ghoul-fest. Somehow, a set with steep ramps linking five levels

  • Child seats crushed in campaign to stress safety

    DOZENS of child car seats were crushed yesterdayt to highlight the dangers of using old seats. Road safety officers in North Yorkshire have launched a campaign to push the fact that old, second hand or damaged seats can be potentially fatal. One of the

  • North Walk going to be great

    ORGANISERS of The Great North Walk yesterday called on people to get ready for a great day out. At an upbeat launch at Wolsingham Town Hall yesterday, details were released of this year's Great North Walk. A collaboration of local authorities, the NHS

  • Black Wednesday

    THE region's economy suffered one of its darkest days yesterday with the loss of 1,500 jobs. LG Philips Displays announced it was closing its Durham plant, with 761 redundancies. The news will have a direct effect on the regional supply chain, mainly

  • Shopping centre manager bows out after 13 years

    A MAN who has spent the past 13 years at the helm of a Darlington shopping centre has retired. Albion Small has been a familiar face in the Cornmill Centre since it opened in 1992. Past and present colleagues and friends attended a party at the shopping

  • Prudential predicts sales growth

    Insurer Prudential has increased annual profits by 39 per cent and predicted further sales growth. The group, which achieved an overall surplus of £1.12bn last year, said it was well placed to take advantage of a continued upturn in the UK market. It

  • Damning report into jail suicide

    A JURY yesterday returned a damning indictment of the Prison Service, which it said let down a vulnerable inmate who took his own life in a high-security segregation unit. Following a five-week inquest - one of the longest into a death in custody - the

  • Police identify body of woman

    POLICE last night identified the body of a woman found lying on a frozen playing field. She was 21 years old and from Brandon, near Durham City. Her full details are unlikely to be released until later today once all relatives have been informed. Her

  • How brittle our plastic dreams?

    IT wasn't that long ago we sensible Brits gawped in horror at the thought of plastic surgery, something we thought only wacky Californians who have lost all sense of reality did. So what has happened? Botoxed foreheads, facial peels, eye bag removals,

  • Caribbean-row ward polling day

    VOTERS go to the polls today to elect a replacement for a councillor who was criticised for moving to the Caribbean and still claiming council expenses. Four parties are contesting the Bishop Auckland Town Centre ward, including, for the first time, the

  • You write

    Safe colour: I think that Durham City Council is right to pursue a colour policy for its taxis, and white is a good safety colour. We often hear stories about young women getting into cars which they mistakenly think are taxis, particularly in the early

  • Club stages silver show

    LOCOMOTION National Railway Museum will be transformed into a floral haven as the Shildon and District Flower Club celebrates its silver jubilee. Some of the finest engines in the railway museum's collection will provide a magnificent back-drop for the

  • Child porn man escapes prison

    A GRANDFATHER who accessed sickening images of children on his home computer was spared jail yesterday. Stephen Kinnair's home was searched by police after a tip-off to Metropolitan police that a user named "Squire22" had been searching the Internet for

  • Karl is top trainee

    A FORMER pupil of Haughton Comprehensive School in Darlington, has won a prize after completing his basic Army training in Winchester. Trooper Karl Bensley, aged 20, was judged best recruit in his intake. He continues training in Dorset, before joining

  • Pit memorial ready to be unveiled

    AFTER 96 years, the mass burial trenches where the men and boys who died in the region's worst pit disaster have finally been marked. Workers struggled through the snow last week to lay the base of the memorial to the mine workers who died in the West

  • Investment will help firm to evolve

    THE company that started out distributing adult comic Viz is planning to expand after attracting new investment. Viz Comic Distributions, in Byker, Newcastle, has secured "six-figure investment" from Evolve Finance, a division of North-East fund management

  • Four women in battle for Labour

    TWO early favourites emerged from the weekend all-woman scrap over Labour's choice of candidate to fight the next election in Bishop Auckland. Fifteen names were whittled down to a shortlist of four on Saturday with constituency workers predicting a difficult

  • Anniversary of last German bomber downed in UK

    There was no room for complacency for Allied aircrew as the war approached its end. Sixty years ago tomorrow the Luftwaffe cooked up an unpleasant surprise and hit them at their most vulnerable point - their home bases. Mark Foster reports. The crews

  • John North: Sleepless in Shildon

    SHE has pneumonia, bless her; lungs rattling like a Saturday street collection, cough like a corncrakes' chorale. Neither of us has had much sleep these past few nights. In search of solace, therefore, the column has been back to the Old Home Town and

  • Jobs disaster for city

    ABOUT 1,000 people are to lose their jobs after the closure of an electronics plant was announced this week. LG Philips Displays is shutting down its cathode ray tube factory on the Belmont Industrial Estate in Durham, with the loss of 761 jobs. The union

  • Christmas is on its way to tsunami area

    A CONTAINER packed with almost 8,000 shoeboxes will leave the North-East today to bring a late Christmas present to children caught up in the Asian tsunami. The special delivery is being co-ordinated by Operation Christmas Child, the annual campaign which

  • Gran At Large: A slimy taste of culture

    IT'S not true that French people eat nothing but snails and frogs' legs. On the other hand, many French restaurants do include these delicacies on the menu, in case anyone wants to eat them. I've never ordered them, nor had all but one of the family party

  • Airline overcomes rising costs to land in the black

    AIRLINE bmi swung back into the black yesterday with pre-tax profits of £2.1m, despite fuel cost rises. In the year bmi expanded to include year-round services at Durham Tees Valley Airport and launched extra flights to London Heathrow from the airport

  • Murder verdict is unsafe, judges told

    A SECRET police video which helped to convict a woman of murdering her 'gentle giant' of a husband should never have been shown to the jury at her trial, the Court of Appeal was told this week. Lawyers for Christina Button and her co-accused - her nephew

  • Rumours of celebrity to oppose Blair

    SPECULATION that Prime Minister Tony Blair could face opposition from a celebrity candidate in the next General Election will not sway voters, his agent said last night. John Burton believes residents in the Sedgefield constituency will pay little attention

  • Pit memorial ready to be unveiled

    AFTER 96 years, the mass burial trenches where the men and boys who died in the region's worst pit disaster have finally been marked. Workers struggled through the snow last week to lay the base of the memorial to the mine worekrs who died in the West

  • Man tells of near-death beating

    A MAN who was viciously beaten when he went to help a car crash victim has spoken of the lasting effect the attack has had on his life. BBC Radio Newcastle reporter Russell Ward, 43, was left with a fractured skull and brain damage, after going to help

  • Broadband link boosts village

    WORKERS in a remote dale got a high speed global link this week to attract businesses and create jobs. The Weardale village of Eastgate, earmarked by regeneration agencies for a renewable energy development, is among 12 North-East telephone exchanges

  • Gran At Large

    IT'S not true that French people eat nothing but snails and frogs' legs. On the other hand, many French restaurants do include these delicacies on the menu, in case anyone wants to eat them. I've never ordered them, nor had all but one of the family party

  • Top Ten To Rent

    UK DVD/VIDEO RENTAL: 1 (-) Dead Man's Shoes 2 (1) Sky Captain And The World of Tomorrow 3 (2) Shark Tale 4 (4) Walking Tall 5 (10) Collateral 6 (6) The Grudge 7 (3) Hellboy 8 (8) Super Size Me 9 (9) Bridget Jones 10 (-) Old Boy Published: 03/03/2005

  • Police seek new base for kennels

    POLICE dog trainers need to sniff out new premises for rookie canine recruits. Durham Police needs another base for its kennels when its regional police dog training centre, at Harperley Hall, near Crook, closes later this year. The department will be

  • Town's comic relief

    LIVE comedy returns to Teesside this week. The Funnybones comedy night will return to Hartlepool Studio in Tower Street after anabsence since New Year. Headlining the bill is the comic character of Nige as played by his creator Keith Carter. London comedy

  • Sun no longer shines on the 'fat' TV

    The demise of LG Philips Displays has been due to a revolution which has seen demand for flat and plasma-screen televisions overtake traditional sets. Julia Breen and Dan Jenkins report. LIVING rooms around the world are starting to do away with the traditional

  • Directing Phoenix flights

    The sands of time have run and produced a re-make of the classic 1965 movie The Flight Of The Phoenix. Director John Moore chats to Steve Pratt about his reasons for taking on the movie. DIRECTOR John Moore admits that not all the cast in the remake of

  • On TV

    10 Years Younger Celebrity Special (C4) Torture: The Dirty Business (C4) CELEBRITIES prefer to leave us guessing whether they've had facelifts or other cosmetic surgery. Sometimes it's obvious something's been going on. Just think of Lesley Ash and her

  • Arts project leads to song and dance

    SCHOOLCHILDREN from all over Darlington made a song and dance about an innovative arts project. The Red Feb scheme has involved more than 3,000 pupils from 28 of the town's schools taking part in sessions with local artists. They visited schools to work

  • Bare-faced truth about ageing

    10 Years Younger Celebrity Special (C4); Torture: The Dirty Business (C4): CELEBRITIES prefer to leave us guessing whether they've had facelifts or other cosmetic surgery. Sometimes it's obvious something's been going on. Just think of Lesley Ash and

  • Quakers turn to Campbell

    DARLINGTON have turned to Cardiff City's Andy Campbell in a bid to solve their striker crisis. With Clyde Wijnhard and Alun Armstrong suspended for Saturday's visit of Boston United, Quakers' boss David Hodgson is without his first-choice front-men. After

  • Lawrence's play-off worries

    LIAM LAWRENCE is determined to erase the painful memory of last season's play-off final by securing automatic promotion this time around. Lawrence was part of Mansfield Town's emotionally draining defeat to Huddersfield Town at the Millennium Stadium

  • Schools shut as the snow returns

    Schools were closed after snow brought major disruption to the region yesterday. Nineteen schools in North Yorkshire closed or opened late after several inches of snow fell during the morning. Pupils at three schools and colleges in the Redcar area of

  • Ban on fizzy and fried

    A NEW community kitchen is putting healthy eating at the top of the menu. The kitchen, in Maidendale House Community Centre, Firthmoor, Darlington, has banned fried foods and fizzy drinks and is converting the community. The emphasis will be on fresh

  • Survey will lead to smoking policies

    A SURVEY in Darlington will find out people's views on smoking. Darlington Primary Care Trust, the borough council and Darlington Partnership will be investigating views on smoking, particularly in public places. Drawn up by the trust, a questionnaire

  • Community minibus relieves transport void

    A NEW community minibus is getting rural residents out and about. The Central Durham Community Transport project provides minibus hire for people in Bishop Middleham, Cassop, Chilton, Cornforth, Coxhoe, Ferryhill, Kelloe, Mainsforth, Quarrington Hill

  • Vandals force family to quit

    A FAMILY say they have been driven out of the home they have lived in for 18 years - despite promises to tackle anti-social behaviour in the area. A couple, who do not wish to be named, said they have been forced to leave their home in Lanethorpe Road

  • Debate over flats proposal

    PLANS to covert a guest house and bar into flats in a market town has sparked concerns. Lesley Jackson is applying for the guest house conversion at Farndale Guest House, Horsefair, Boroughbridge. But Boroughbridge Town Council has told planners of their

  • Consultants find no need for more taxis

    RICHMONDSHIRE does not need any more taxis, experts have concluded. Halcrow Group Ltd consultants studied the district's taxi trade on behalf of Richmondshire District Council. The study was commissioned after the council was told by the Government to

  • Clean up streets, demand residents

    COMMUNITY safety and environmental improvements are top of a council's list of spending priorities for the next year. Sedgefield Borough Council is responding to calls from the public to clean up their neighbourhoods by investing in the two key areas

  • Fears mount over future of hospital

    A HEALTH trust has been challenged to give assurances that Whitby Hospital's future is secure. The call has come from Scarborough Borough Council after it was told by Councillor Dorothy Clegg, a long serving Whitby member and former Mayor, that there

  • Support for £10m shopping scheme

    MOVES to pave the way for a long-awaited start on a £10m redevelopment plan have been agreed. A semi-derelict site west of Ripon Market Place is set to become a Booth's supermarket, shops, 36 flats and parking for almost 200 cars. While work is under

  • Builder fined after 16-year-old falls off garage roof

    A TEESSIDE builder has been fined after a teenager on work experience fell from a garage roof smashing his wrists and elbows. Carl Lambert, who trades as Safe and Sound Roofing, pleaded guilty to two breaches of health and safety regulations when he appeared

  • Arson expert set to retire

    AN arson investigator is retiring after 30 years in the police force. Detective Constable Graham Thompson dedicated the majority of his career to crime scene investigation and has spent the past five years seconded to the fire brigade's arson investigation

  • Banned driver rammed police

    A BANNED driver rammed a police van in an attempt to escape because he had been drinking, a court heard. Paul Harland was given a nine-month prison sentence, but had already served the equivalent while on remand. Judge Peter Armstrong also disqualified

  • Marking special day for women

    WOMEN are being invited to help mark an international day of celebrations. Easington Primary Care Trust's Health for All project has joined forces with Aim High and Durham County Council Education in the Community to host activities, workshops and demonstrations

  • College courses move to new venue

    FULL-TIME students will no longer study in Stanley after a college moves two of its courses to Consett. Derwentside College is moving its childcare course from the town's Louisa Centre to the former steelworks site at Berry Edge next month. In September

  • Peru adventure for intrepid trekkers

    A MOTHER and son are preparing for a South American trek to raise money for charity. In October, Marjorie Sanderson, 56, and her son, Stephen, 23, will tackle the mountains of Machu Picchu, in South East Peru, South America, during a ten-day visit and

  • Police target fine dodgers and dealers

    POLICE have carried out another sting targeting drug dealers and fines dodgers as part of a region-wide operation. Officers from all four districts of the Cleveland force raided addresses in Redcar on Monday. Simultaneously, community support wardens

  • Swimmers inspired in 5,000m charity challenge

    BROTHER and sister Tim and Ciaran Jasper will make a splash for charity this weekend when they take part in a sponsored swim. Tim, 11, and Ciaran, nine, of Sedgefield village, each hope to gain their 5,000m distance awards on Saturday, and at the same

  • Join in the fun

    A WEEK-long festival will give community groups a chance to show off. Public meetings will be held next week to people to join the Crook and District Festival. The event will start on June 26 and finish on July 2, the day of Crook Carnival. The first

  • Animal charity appeals for fundraising boost

    A CHARITY is appealing for donations from people in Darlington as it prepares to open a temporary shop. The Darlington branch of the RSPCA will open a shop at the front of the covered market, in Darlington, from March 14 to 20. Volunteers are appealing

  • Police probe riot at institute

    EIGHTEEN police officers are investigating a riot at a County Durham young offenders institute. The riot at HMYOI Deerbolt, in Startforth, near Barnard Castle, last month left the inside of a prison chapel in ruins. SAS-style stun grenades were used to

  • Signal fault causes delays to rail service

    A SIGNAL fault caused huge disruption to both GNER and Virgin rail passengers using the East Coast Mainline. The signal failure, between Dunbar in Scotland, and Berwick at 6.30am yesterday morning was corrected at about 12.30pm but hit services for most

  • Crimes down but police are cautious

    A RURAL district has seen crime decrease by nearly nine per cent over the past year. But police in Teesdale have warned that this success could mean that residents may see an increase in crime next year. Community inspector Kevin Tuck, of Barnard Castle

  • Residents get first glimpse of their new estate

    HUNDREDS of people braved the snow to see for themselves how their £30m estate will look. Work has begun on creating the new Mandale Estate in Thornaby and yesterday an exhibition was opened featuring a model of what the redeveloped estate will look like

  • Dressed to impress

    LOCOMOTION: National Railway Museum will be transformed as the Shildon and District Flower Club celebrates its Silver Jubilee. Some of the finest engines in the National Railway Museum's collection will provide a back-drop for displays this weekend. Sedgefield

  • Cannabis farm in loft

    A CANNABIS farm complete with heaters and lights operated by timers was found in a loft in a Teesside house yesterday. The community policing team on Hardwick Estate, in Stockton, executed a warrant under the misuse of drugs act on Scurfield Road. They

  • Students experience the world of ballet

    A GROUP of visually impaired students were given the chance to experience the sounds of classic ballet La Traviata. The 12-strong group from Henshaws College in Harrogate visited Leeds Grand Theatre. They had front row seats, allowing them to hear everything