Archive

  • Blair back on home turf over education

    TONY Blair put education back at the top of the election agenda with a powerful speech in the North-East yesterday, marking the real start of the 2005 campaign. Echoing his famous 1997 pledge, Mr Blair said: ''Education, education, education - now and

  • Storm in fine finish

    GRAEME STORM reacted to his biggest disappointment of the year by ending on a high in the Madeira Island Open last night, writes Paul Fraser. After last week's failure to make the cut in the Estoril Portuguese Open - the first time he had missed the weekend's

  • Comedian's trek to No 10 is not a laughing matter

    A PROTESTOR is about to prove he will go to any lengths to make his point. Comedian Chris McGlade believes a planned multi-million pound housing and leisure development on the seafront of his home town is no laughing matter. That is why the 40-year-old

  • Concert for pilot appeal a success

    THE second of two concerts in memory of pilot Andrew Mynarski has been a huge success, sparking the hope that more will be held to raise money for local charities. The event, which was in aid of The Northern Echo's Forgotten Hero Appeal, took place in

  • Hodgson issues warning

    DAVID HODGSON last night warned Darlington's younger players to learn from their elders - or end up on the football scrapheap. The Quakers boss' chilling message comes in the wake of Saturday's 3-1 defeat at bottom-of-the-table Cambridge United. Hodgson

  • The Lifeblood Campaign

    As part of The Northern Echo's Lifeblood campaign, which aims to encourage people to give blood, here are details of forthcoming donor sessions in the region: Monday Community Centre, Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough 2pm-6.15pm Three Tuns Hotel, The Elvet

  • Daughter's tribute to mum

    FAMILY and friends of a young mother found dead in a stream laid moving tributes yesterday at the spot where her body was found. A note from Kerry Deighton's young daughter said: "To mum, I don't care where ever you are. I'll always be there for you.

  • Volunteers sought for computer course

    A CHARITY for the blind is appealing for help in running computer lessons for people with sight problems. The County Durham Society for the Blind and Partially Sighted, based in Durham City, has launched a mentoring scheme to provide people with vision

  • Driver injured

    A driver was seriously hurt when his Peugeot 306 hit a roundabout on the A189 at Dudley, near Newcastle, then hit a tree and overturned early on Saturday. He was freed by firefighters. Two passengers had minor injuries.

  • Advice on attracting wildlife to gardens

    CONSERVATIONISTS have been showing gardeners what they can do to make their plots more attractive to wildlife. The Durham Wildlife Trust held a Wild About Gardens event at its site at Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve and Visitor Centre, near Houghton-le-Spring

  • Comedian's trek to No 10 is not a laughing matter

    A PROTESTOR is about to prove he will go to any lengths to make his point. Comedian Chris McGlade believes a planned multi-million pound housing and leisure development on the seafront of his home town is no laughing matter. That is why the 40-year-old

  • Arty youngsters win chocolate prizes

    PUPILS from a school where art is a key part of the curriculum were presented with prizes they had won in a painting competition yesterday. Children from years one and two at Cockton Hill Infants School, Bishop Auckland, filled the windows of Chribec

  • Fledgling footballers prepare to compete

    A GIRLS football team that formed last year is preparing to take part in a national competition. Consett YMCA Juniors under-13s side, The Belles, is taking part The Blackpool Youth Soccer Tournament at the start of June. Chairman of The Belles Supporters

  • Candidate selected

    THE Liberal Democrats have selected Carol Woods to fight their number one target seat in the North-East. The party has hopes of winning Durham City. Ms Woods, who is cabinet member for finance on Durham City Council, was officially selected as candidate

  • City vet named best in business

    A veterinary nurse is celebrating after being voted the best in the business. Rachel Smith, 28, of Vets4Pets in Framwellgate Moor, Durham City, was named Vet Nurse of the Year in the annual Petplan Veterinary Awards. Ms Smith, 28, who has been qualified

  • Bingo fan wins car

    A BINGO fan from Stanley has won a Ford Ka. Sharon Curry, a regular at the Top Ten club in the Elite Buildings, Stanley, won the top prize in the Easter Sunday draw. All 24 clubs in the Top Ten group linked up for the live draw, in which each was allocated

  • Award hope for lone parents' job scheme

    A GROUP that helps single parents into employment is in the running for the highest national award for public services. Tees Valley Lone Parent Team has made it to a shortlist of three in the Public Services of the Year Awards. The group of 47 Jobcentre

  • Howard launches Conservative manifesto

    Conservative leader Michael Howard launched his party's General Election manifesto, insisting it was "time for change" after the "let-down" of eight years of Labour rule. Mr Howard said he now led a "changed Conservative Party" and pledged to "battle

  • Sex attacker posed as taxi driver - police

    POLICE are hunting a sex attacker who posed as a taxi driver. An 18-year-old woman was indecently assaulted at about 11.30pm on Friday after she and a friend got in what they believed was a taxi. They had been out in Redcar, east Cleveland. Police Inspector

  • Police plea to missing man

    POLICE are urging a man who has not been home since the end of last month to get in touch. Peter David Shield, 54, of Stanley, has been missing since Wednesday, March 30, but was recently seen in Lanchester, at a pub and at a bed and breakfast. A police

  • Hotline is helping residents hit back against fly tippers

    RESIDENTS fed up with having their town plagued by litter louts and fly tippers are hitting back. Figures show more people are using a telephone hotline to report those who dump rubbish across Middlesbrough. Councillor Bob Kerr, Middlesbrough Council's

  • Neighbours help search for Grace

    RESIDENTS on a housing estate are being recruited to look for a missing cat. Heather Bryan and her husband, Steve, have been out every day looking for Grace, a six-year-old grey and lilac Persian, who vanished from their Eaglescliffe home five weeks ago

  • Design prize for SureStart building

    A FIRM of architects has won a design award for the £250,000 SureStart building in Redcar. Browne Smith Baker architects has been presented with a Redcar and Cleveland Good Design Award for the building, designed in the shape of sails. Lakeside Families

  • Teesport expansion bid boosted

    THE battle to get Government support for the expansion of Teesport received a boost when Mr Blair said it "obviously has a very good case". The port's owner wants to invest £300m of private money to create a deep water container terminal, which could

  • Mayor gets to meat of town's problems

    A TOWN mayor has appealed for a butcher to set up in vacant shops, saying pensioners are being hit by the lack of a meat counter. Colburn has not had a butcher since the Co-op closed the meat counter when it took over the town's Quality Fare store earlier

  • Teenager is shortlisted for bravery award

    A BRAVE teenager has been shortlisted for a national award. Cystic Fibrosis sufferer Thomas Anderson, 16, from Stockton, was ill in hospital when he was due to sit his GCSEs and had missed a lot of schooling leading up to the exams. But the teenager insisted

  • Proposal for cultural area to be debated

    HISTORIC Malton could soon have a cultural quarter to boost its economy. The idea goes before Ryedale District Council members this week and includes giving a new look to the Market Place and Milton Rooms, and the building of a new complex. Architectural

  • Sage sponsors student radio station

    One of the North-East's biggest entertainment complexes has signed a deal to sponsor a popular student radio station. The Gate, in Newcastle, will be the location for regular live broadcasts by Newcastle Student Radio (NSR). NSR has a potential audience

  • Architects praised for seaside design of centre for families

    A FIRM of architects has won an award for a nautical design. Architect firm Browne Smith Baker, based in Darlington, has been presented with a Redcar and Cleveland Good Design Award for the £250,000 SureStart building in the seaside resort, designed by

  • Probe into fire at empty pub

    FIRE investigators are looking into the cause of a blaze that badly damaged an empty pub. About 40 firefighters were called to The South Moor, Park Road South, South Moor, Stanley, on Saturday morning. It took more than three-and-a-half-hours to bring

  • TV company drafted in to aid fight against conmen

    TRADING standards officials have teamed up with a television production company to help crack down on doorstep crime offenders. North Yorkshire County Council is working with True North Productions and ITV Yorkshire to produce a programme about the authority's

  • Sanctuary on the right road to attract more dog lovers

    STAFF at an animal sanctuary are urging people to call in because their access road has been repaired. Kennel assistants, from left, Jenny Day, Kirstein Reenison and Amy Younger are pictured with, respectively, Jasper, Herbie and Patch, testing the new

  • It's happened again - and crisis worsens

    A CRISIS facing one of the North-East's most famous non-league football clubs has deepened after they failed to fulfil a fixture for the fourth time this season. Spennymoor United are in serious trouble with the UniBond League after they failed to send

  • Party candidates are named as elections loom

    PROSPECTIVE county councillors are getting ready to fight their corners as the date of the local election grows nearer. Nominations for the 72 seats on North Yorkshire County Council have now been published by the authority for the May 5 polling day.

  • Don't trust them, they're doctors

    Malice Aforethought (ITV1); Doctor Who (BBC1); I'll Do Anything To Get On TV (C4): IS there a doctor in the house? Well, yes, several actually - but I wouldn't trust either of them to treat you. They have other priorities. Malice Aforethought, the latest

  • Architects praised for seaside design of centre for families

    A FIRM of architects has won an award for a nautical design. Architect firm Browne Smith Baker, based in Darlington, has been presented with a Redcar and Cleveland Good Design Award for the £250,000 SureStart building in the seaside resort, designed by

  • Sobbing my way to happiness

    ASIDE from helping me sleep, the meditation technique I've been learning also encourages you to expel any unhealthy discharges that many people keep buried and which can chip away at their health. One of the expressions is the "motor garbage" technique

  • Snowy can build on debut promise

    Snowy, who shaped with a good deal of promise on his chasing debut at Carlisle last time, is the fancy in the Paul Burton Drinks Wholesale Beginners Chase at Kelso this afternoon. Alastair Charlton's seven-year-old jumped soundly in the main at Carlisle

  • Passenger numbers rising for rail firm

    TRAIN operator GNER has revealed figures showing it carried a record number of passengers last year. About 16.6 million people travelled with GNER last year, an increase of ten per cent on the year before, when 15.1 million journeys were made. GNER is

  • Woodland now a political wilderness

    AN arboretum has created a quiet area for people who want to escape the general and local election campaigns. Thorp Perrow Arboretum, near Bedale, North Yorkshire, is designating its most remote location, the Woodland Garden, as a political-free zone

  • On TV

    Malice Aforethought (ITV1) Doctor Who (BBC1) I'll Do Anything To Get On TV (C4) IS there a doctor in the house? Well, yes, several actually - but I wouldn't trust either of them to treat you. They have other priorities. Malice Aforethought, the latest

  • End to barmy ban on Asbo naming

    A LAW protecting the identities of offenders who breach anti-social behaviour orders (Asbo) has been scrapped. The Serious Organised Crime and Police Bill, which removes the automatic anonymity for offenders who appear in youth court for Asbo breaches

  • Bid to scrap clubs ban on women fails

    AN attempt to have women accepted in working men's clubs for the first time has been defeated. And men in the North-East are being blamed for the failure to overturn the rule, which dates back more than 100 years. A vote to scrap the ban on women becoming

  • Battling Lawyers 'can beat drop'

    Tow Law manager Geoff Young believes that his side can climb out of relegation trouble after a battling 0-0 draw with champions Dunston on Saturday. Lawyers did well to hold Dunston, who are unbeaten in 35 league games this season, and in turn improve

  • Harper suffers White Hart pain

    GRAEME Souness has spoken extensively of how much Newcastle will miss Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer in the next few weeks but, after yesterday's defeat to Spurs, the Newcastle boss will surely be musing on how the absence of another key name could wreck

  • Shire perfection

    The Shire horse is facing a bleak future with fewer than 3,000 left in the UK. Lindsay Jennings meets Tony Jenkins, who has made the majestic Shire the heart of a popular tourist attraction in North Yorkshire. TONY Jenkins has always loved horses. It

  • Tributes to theatre boss

    Tributes have been paid to Newcastle Theatre Royal's boss Peter Sarah who died suddenly at the weekend. Mr Sarah, 58, the man credited with turning round the venue's fortunes collapsed at the theatre on Friday, minutes before he was due to attend a board

  • Comment from The Northern Echo: Time to wish them the best

    IT was a wedding dogged by controversy, bad luck, a great deal of disapproval, and a large slice of apathy. But Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles are finally man and wife and should now be allowed to get on with their lives together. Rightly or

  • Number of birds rising thanks to farmers

    CHANGES in farming practices in the North have contributed to an increase in bird populations, according to figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Its report shows a 13 per cent increase for all native bird species

  • Nuclear site security examined

    SECURITY is being reviewed after an intruder got into a nuclear power plant. Guards discovered the man inside offices at Hartlepool Power Station, in the middle of the night. Owner British Energy said it was thought he scaled a perimeter fence and got

  • Woman who murdered neighbour's son jailed for life

    Babysitter Suzanne Holdsworth, who murdered her neighbour's two-year-old son by repeatedly banging his head against a wooden banister, will serve at least 10 years in prison after being jailed for life today at Leeds Crown Court. More to follow.

  • Museum spending

    COUNCILLORS are tomorrow expected to approve spending almost £500,000 on Darlington's railway museum roof. A restoration scheme was initially expected to cost £400,000, but construction changes added £90,000 to the bill. The council said the work was

  • PM's support for hero appeal

    TONY Blair yesterday hailed the project to build a statue in memory of Canadian flyer Andrew Mynarski as "a fantastic commemoration". Children from a school in Mr Blair's constituency, Middleton St George, are working with The Northern Echo, Durham Tees

  • Retired plastic surgeon joins mission to help 2,000 Iranians

    TWO thousand Iranians who need plastic surgery will be waiting for a North-East surgeon when he goes on his next mercy mission. Charles Viva, a retired surgeon who used to work at Middlesbrough General Hospital, has already operated on hundreds of poor

  • Glimmer of hope for MG Rover

    The Government has offered a £6.5m loan to prevent redundancies at MG Rover today, Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt said last night. The loan will pay wages and expenses for a week to keep the company afloat in case a possible deal can be

  • Daly's fitness is put to the test as finishing line nears

    JON Daly has felt at times he's signed for Hartlepool Harriers Athletics Club and not Hartlepool United since moving from Stockport in February. Now he may have a vital role to play in the sprint to the play-off finishing line. With Joel Porter turning

  • Couple celebrate 69 years of married life

    SIXTY-NINE years after they tied the knot, Walter and Reene Marchant are still happily together. The couple, who are both 95, are celebrating their wedding anniversary today. The pair will be joined by their two sons, two daughters, six grandchildren

  • Storing past safely for the future

    MONTHS of painstaking work have brought the past up to date for a group of south Durham historians. Fascinating information from the late Victorian era has been stored on computer by Crook and District Local History Society member Bryan Richardson, giving

  • Robinson bewildered after Sunderland are sunk at home

    A BEWILDERED Carl Robinson left the Stadium of Light at a loss to how Sunderland let Saturday's game with Reading slip through their fingers. The 28-year-old midfielder was part of a Black Cats' side, which largely dominated its Coca Cola Championship

  • Boro, Stockton safe as Blaydon left to sweat

    THERE was joy for Middlesbrough, Stockton and West Hartlepool as they avoided relegation on Saturday, but a penalty in the last minute of normal time at Rugby left Blaydon to sweat a while longer in National Three North. They lost 19-18, and are three

  • Luckless Clan Royal will try again

    Jonjo O'Neill revealed yesterday that Clan Royal will not run again this season and will be trained specifically for next year's John Smith's Grand National. The ten-year-old did not enjoy the best of fortune when second to Amberleigh House in last year's

  • End of the back street blues thanks to firm's donation

    CONTRACTORS have put an end to years of back street blues for a Bishop Auckland community. People in Tindale Crescent appealed for help to resurface the road behind their homes, which has always been a mudbath. Their plea was answered at the weekend when

  • Stars for charity

    STARS are raising money for the Butterwick Hospice, in Bishop Auckland, on April 29. The Beehive, in Kingsway, is hosting a Stars in Your Eyes night and expects at least 15 people dressed their favourite performers to take part. To register, call Debbie

  • Passenger numbers rising for rail firm

    TRAIN operator GNER has revealed figures showing it carried a record number of passengers last year. About 16.6 million people travelled with GNER last year, an increase of ten per cent on the year before, when 15.1 million journeys were made. GNER is

  • Witness appeal

    POLICE are looking for witnesses to a house burglary. Jewellery and cash were stolen from a home in Greenbank Road, Darlington, between 7.30pm on Saturday and 11am on Sunday. Police believe the offenders gained entry via the rear yard before breaking

  • Plan to reopen derelict store

    A PLAN to turn a derelict shop into a food and drink store has been submitted to Darlington Borough Council. London-based Investream has submitted the proposal for the empty Style Furnishings building in Crown Street. Planning officer Andrew Harker said

  • End of back street blues in community

    CONTRACTORS have put an end to years of back street blues for a Bishop Auckland community. People in Tindale Crescent appealed for help to resurface the road behind their homes, which has always been a mudbath. Their plea was answered at the weekend when

  • Warning over home security salesmen

    RESIDENTS are being warned to be on their guard following a spate of calls by high-pressure salesmen in the Darlington area. Darlington Borough Council has received several complaints in recent weeks in which salesmen have approached residents, many of

  • Funeral home backs appeal for stray cats

    A FUNERAL director is helping to feed and house unwanted cats by collecting for the Wear Valley and Darlington branch of Cats Protection. Staff at the Co-operative Funeral service, Church Street, Shildon, are appealing to people to donate cat food, blankets

  • Stephanie shines for a third time

    YOUNG dancer Stephanie Lund has tapped her way to a third successive honour. The 13-year-old, from Shadforth, won the tap dancing category of the International Dance Teachers' Association's North East of England Junior Championships. She took the title

  • Volunteers sought for computer course

    A CHARITY for the blind is appealing for help in running computer lessons for people with sight problems. The County Durham Society for the Blind and Partially Sighted, based in Durham City, has launched a mentoring scheme to provide people with vision

  • Money starts to roll in for new group

    A CHARITY has made a start raising money for a support service for pre-school children with Down's syndrome. The group, which formed earlier this year and hopes to raise £20,000 by November, organised a bag pack at Morrison's, in Darlington's Morton Park

  • Eighty join search for sea victim Aimee

    FAMILY members, caving experts and teams with metal detectors came together yesterday to search for the body of a teenage girl swept into the sea last month. North Yorkshire boat owner Tom Ward organised the search for the body of Aimee Greenwood, 13,

  • Exercise and help offered by charity

    AGE CONCERN has unveiled a full programme of events for April. Seated Exercise to Music sessions for Over 50s are on Mondays from 10.30am to 12.30pm in the Community House, Proudfoot Drive, Woodhouse Close. Sessions are free. The sessions also start today

  • Boateng back by George!

    IT is little wonder that in the absence of George Boateng, Middlesbrough struggled to build on their early season good form: winning just once this year before making his comeback from a broken toe at Crystal Palace nine days ago. And, while the three

  • Drivers caught out by high tide

    TWO drivers found themselves with flooded engines when a spring tide deluged a seafront car park. One elderly couple, who were in their car, managed to escape to safety after becoming trapped. But the owner of a red Renault Megane had to wade into the

  • Building homes for our summer visitors

    THIRTY Cubs and Beavers will be keeping a keen eye on their feathered friends this summer after a Saturday morning woodworking workshop. Members of the 2nd Bishop Auckland Scouts made bird nesting boxes with the help of Bishop Auckland College staff.

  • Unsung heroes of community

    A COUNCIL is to give public spirited residents a civic thank-you and recognition. The Mayor of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, Madge Moses, will present them with certificates at a ceremony in the town hall on Wednesday. She said: "Their common

  • Teenagers sent home after 9pm as part of crackdown

    CHILDREN under 16 who are in public places after 9pm unsupervised could be sent home by police. Officers will also have the power to force groups of more than two to disperse as part of a crackdown on unruly conduct in Chester-le-Street. The powers were

  • Pub workers fined £80

    POLICE are warning landlords about the penalties of serving alcohol to children. It follows the issue of £80 fixed penalty fines to pub staff in Middlesbrough. A 15-year-old girl working with the police was served alcohol in the Brunton Arms, Stainton

  • School children taught about dangers of playing on rail lines

    School children in east Durham are being taught the dangers of playing on railway lines - just weeks after two teenagers were killed after being hit by a train. Stuart Adams and Lee Mullis were killed instantly on Good Friday when they wwere struck by

  • Family ceilidh

    Stokesley entertainer Jumping Jack will provide the music and lead the dancing at a family ceilidh at the Riding for the Disabled Association's Unicorn Centre, in Stainton Way, Hemlington, near Middlesbrough, on May 7, from 7.30pm. Tickets are £5 for

  • Transplant gran aims to net medals

    A GRANDMOTHER-OF-SEVEN is preparing to take part in the World Transplant Games. Joan Whitney, 65, from Guisborough, will travel to Ontario, Canada, in July, to compete in the badminton. Mrs Whitney had a serious heart attack in 1996 and was told six months

  • House fire blamed on ashes in plastic bin

    A HOUSE and garage were left badly damaged by fire after household ashes were put in a plastic bin. Firefighters yesterday issued a warning for people to be more careful how they dispose of ashes following the blaze at Carthorpe, near Bedale. They were

  • Children in foster care on increase

    THE numbers of children coming under the care of North Yorkshire County Council is rising year on year, a report has revealed. Figures in the county are reflecting a national trend, members of a North Yorkshire County area committee for Harrogate district

  • 11/04/05

    HOTEL PLEA: WITH reference to your article on the White Horse Hotel, Darlington (Echo, April 6), I would like to ask the owners of the hotel why they want to demolish a building of such great character which has a history behind it? Instead of building

  • Photo course

    Philip Nixon will run a ten-week photography course at Durham Gilesgate School's Gilesgate complex, starting on Tuesday, April 19 at 7pm. The course costs £32.50. For details, call 0191-384 5058.

  • £30,000 robot Titan wows city's shoppers

    IT could have been a scene from Robocop as the 8ft metallic robot lurched towards crowds of youngsters. Titan was followed by a crowd of children and adults as he put on a 15-minute show in Durham's Prince Bishops Shopping Centre. Complete with sound

  • Council plea for scrapyard proposal to be thrown out

    A FAMILY-RUN motor company wants to expand its business by creating a car recycling plant on one of the region's largest industrial estates. But borough councillors are urging the county council to scrap the proposals. They say it will be an eyesore.

  • Norman conquest will aid children

    A FOOTBALLING hero will step out on a 190-mile sponsored walk for a children's heart charity, despite having a heart condition himself. Goalkeeper Tony Norman spent seven seasons with Sunderland and played at Wembley in the club's 1992 FA Cup final defeat

  • Police beat officers move out into the community

    A POLICE shake-up will see Darlington's beat officers moved from the town centre to the communities they serve. The 40-strong beat team will be divided between four locations - Cockerton, the North Road area, west Darlington (probably Firthmoor or Skerne

  • Charity for homeless plans an expansion of its night service

    A CHARITY for homeless people is hoping to expand a project that provided shelter for people sleeping rough during the winter months. Volunteers kept First Stop Darlington, in Tubwell Row, open overnight when temperatures dropped below freezing between

  • New career gives Alan a lift . . . up and down

    LIFE has its ups and downs in equal measure for grandfather Alan Ismay. The 62-year-old former customs officer is the new man at the helm of Saltburn's famous cliff lift. Each year, the lift carries more than 100,000 tourists up and down the 120ft drop

  • Water supplies get £1.5m upgrade

    WORK will start soon on a £1m-plus scheme to improve water supplies to thousands of homes. Northumbrian Water will upgrade nearly 14 miles of mains pipes, some of which may be up to 100 years old, in the east of Sunderland city centre and parts of Hendon

  • Advice on attracting wildlife to gardens

    CONSERVATIONISTS have been showing gardeners what they can do to make their plots more attractive to wildlife. The Durham Wildlife Trust held a Wild About Gardens event at its site at Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve and Visitor Centre, near Houghton-le-Spring

  • Norman conquest will aid children

    A FOOTBALLING hero will step out on a 190-mile sponsored walk for a children's heart charity, despite having a heart condition himself. Goalkeeper Tony Norman spent seven seasons with Sunderland and played at Wembley in the club's 1992 FA Cup final defeat

  • Hepples breezes to Wallsend victory

    NORTH-EAST half marathon champion Stephen Hepples made a winning road race debut on Tyneside yesterday with a comfortable victory in the Wallsend 10K. But a blustery wind and the North Yorkshireman's uncertainty about the route ruled out an attack on

  • Accolade for cancer charity

    A NORTH-EAST charity has been given £20,000 to help cancer sufferers. Coping with Cancer North-East received the GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Impact Award in conjunction with the King's Fund, an independent health charity. The money has been given in recognition

  • Water supplies get £1.5m upgrade

    WORK will start soon on a £1m-plus scheme to improve water supplies to thousands of homes. Northumbrian Water will upgrade nearly 14 miles of mains pipes, some of which may be up to 100 years old, in the east of Sunderland city centre and parts of Hendon

  • Wilks is second in class

    GUY Wilks was looking on the positive side after an eventful Rally of New Zealand, writes Matt Westcott. The Darlington driver, who is currently leading the Junior World Rally Championship standings after two rounds, took his Suzuki Ignis to the Antipodes

  • Graduates in good company under pioneering scheme

    NINE companies are being set up by graduates who are taking advantage of a scheme pioneered by a North-East university. The nine are making use of a Digital Fellowship scheme, launched two years ago with the support of the European Social Fund, One NorthEast

  • Royals flush after portents of doom ring true for Cats

    THERE was a definite touch of foreboding before Sunderland's game at the Stadium of Light on Saturday. The Smiths' melancholic classic 'Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now' played menacingly on the radio prior to the game. Reading were the visitors - a place

  • Shire perfection

    TONY Jenkins has always loved horses. It began when he lived with his grandparents in a Derbyshire village, when heavy horses were a regular sight, pulling the milkman's cart and the bakery vans. As other boys his age became enthralled in football or

  • Is Mr Blair homing in on No 10 again?

    As Tony Blair addresses the local party faithful at Trimdon Labour Club at the start of the election campaign, Northern Echo political editor Chris Lloyd takes the opportunity to ask some pertinent questions in an exclusive interview with the Prime Minister

  • Souness throws weight behind calamity keeper

    GRAEME Souness last night backed calamity keeper Steve Harper, and insisted he has no qualms about keeping him in his side for Thursday night's UEFA Cup decider in Lisbon. Harper made only his second Premiership appearance of the season at White Hart

  • Soldiers looking to the future after bombshell decision

    Next year, The Green Howards will undergo the most dramatic change in its 316 years when it merges with two battalions to become the Yorkshire Regiment. In the last of three articles on the Green Howards on exercise in Belize, Olivia Richwald asks how

  • Mystery of body found in stream

    FAMILY and friends of a young mother found dead in a stream laid moving tributes yesterday at the spot where her body was found. A note from her young daughter said: "To mum, I don't care where ever you are. I'll always be there for you. I miss you loads

  • Tributes for musician June

    A WOMAN who brought music to thousands of children and adults has died aged 82. Everyone who met June Marion Prested, a former head of music at Darlington's Dodmire School, said she had a zest for life. She began work in banking before she trained as

  • Five jailed for selling counterfeit products

    FIVE people were jailed today after one of the North-East's biggest counterfeiting music and film rings was smashed. The four men and woman - part of a gang of ten from County Durham and Tyneside who appeared in court - were locked up for a total of eight

  • Bishops are cut adrift at bottom

    Bishop Auckland are now ten points adrift at the bottom of the UniBond League Premier Division after a 3-1 defeat at home to Prescot Cables, writes Ray Simpson. But Bishops only had themselves to blame after being in the lead at one point. "That typifies

  • Plot thickens in Quakers' end of season drama

    'SECOND Chance Sunday' on Channel Four may be seen as a Godsend to ardent Hollyoaks fans, but Darlington supporters are warming to League Two's offering of second chance Saturday's. The viewing may not have the looks or the peroxide - with the exception

  • Butler delivers again

    GOALS haven't come along often for Thomas Butler, so there was no way he was going to pass up his second in a week. Scoring against Swindon on April 2 was Butler's first career goal. After making it two in a week with Hartlepool's equaliser at Colchester

  • Soldiers looking to the future after bombshell decision

    THE news came like a bombshell while the battalion was on peacekeeping duties in Afghanistan. It was July 2004 and the soldiers were devastated to hear the Government was re-structuring the Army and that their battalion was in jeopardy. Looking back,

  • Anna's making music to fund Iceland trip

    A TEENAGE musician is relying on a little help from her friends to make it to an international event for Girl Guides. Anna Donaghy, 17, of Tow Law, County Durham, is one of eight people representing the North-East at the Icelandic National Jamboree, in

  • Henry's prayers answered as Hasselbaink fires blank

    SUCH is the reputation of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink that even Thierry Henry, the most prolific Premiership striker of the past six years, expected the Dutchman to grab Middlesbrough a deserved equaliser against an out-of-sorts Arsenal. But things have not

  • Contestants with a feel for chess

    THIRTY two chess players from all parts of the UK converged on a North-East hotel at the weekend for one of the keenest competitions in their diary. A sure touch and an infallible memory, not to mention a tactical brain and an iron nerve, carried members

  • Mowden hit top gear to clinch safety

    THE relief and jubilation at Mowden Park on Saturday was tinged with regret that the team had not played with such sparkle all season. It seems that only when relegation from National Three North became a real possibility did they perform to their potential

  • War memories go into archives

    PEOPLE in the region have been putting their memories of war on record. They have been recording their experiences, to be added to the BBC archive People's War. Emma Shields, Stockton Libraries' community engagement officer, said: "We heard some remarkable

  • RA taste first away defeat

    There was yet another twist in the three-horse race for the championship when Darlington RA conceded their first away points of the season on Saturday. Dave Woodcock's side visited Perth Green protecting a 100 per cent record on opponents' soil but it