A multi-million pound marketing campaign designed to raise the profile and improve the image of the North-East was launched today. The campaign, put together and led by development agency One NorthEast, aims to encourage people to come to the region to
A nurse is being forced to quit her dream job after she was attacked three times in a year, leaving her terrified to set foot on the ward. Wendy Boulton's career is in ruins after she became a victim of the rising tide of violence against staff. The 42
Parenting columnist Anne Sutton runs the nannying agency, Internannies, and has 30 years experience in childcare. This month she gives advice on toilet training. HOW do I toilet train my two-yearold? He doesn't seem interested and my mother-in-law says
ANDY van der Meyde's agent issued 'a come and get him' message to Middlesbrough last night. Van der Meyde is set to leave Italian giants Internazionale this summer after failing to hold down a regular place in the side following his move to Milan from
DRUG maker Quantum Specials is to double its workforce after winning a £28,000 grant. The North Tyneside company has found a niche market with a tailor-made, same day delivery service for pharmacy prescriptions. Recent orders have included a lollipop
FOOTBALL: Hartlepool United's goalscorers took the main honours at the club's presentation evening last night. Leading marksman Adam Boyd was voted the Players' Player of the Year. Boyd's partner in crime Joel Porter took the Player of the Year award,
My three-year-old suffers from frequent colds and coughs. Is this normal? I worry that these illnesses may develop into something more serious. How do I take care of her when she is poorly and how do I know when to ask for help? ILLNESS is a natural and
THE bubble was bound to burst sooner or later. The Government may have set out to end boom and bust, and Chancellor Gordon Brown may have been able to boast of 50 quarters of successive growth - even if that meant including five Tory years - but no-one
A POLICEMAN stabbed his wife almost 100 times after she taunted him about an affair she was having with a man almost half his age. PC Graham Jones, also known as Ivor, was said to have told his hairdresser wife, Maria: "If I cannot have you I will kill
THE North-East is like a communist state because its increasing dependence on public spending "crowds out" private enterprise, according to a controversial study. The report claims public spending as a proportion of the regional economy has risen from
THE buoyancy of the region's construction sector has led to the Constructing Excellence organisation having to relocate. Constructing Excellence, which encourages innovation in the industry, has moved into larger offices in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham
EURO-MPs will today vote on plans to scrap Britain's opt-out from EU rules limiting working hours. Pressure has been building in Brussels for months to remove the right of employees to work longer than the maximum 48 hours a week allowed under the EU's
Two women have received £7,850 to pay tribute to the Aycliffe Angels and celebrate their role during the Second World War. The Big Lottery Fund has donated the money to Lucy Thompson and Ann Symons, both from Coundon, County Durham, to help trace Aycliffe
HALF-year profits at software group Sage have punched through the £100m mark. The Newcastle-based company saw pre-tax profits rise 16 per cent to £100.6m for the six months ending in March. Turnover increased 17 per cent to £381.6m. Chief executive Paul
A WOMAN who threatened to take her mother's ashes to court to prove she was dead has had the case against her dropped. Darlington Borough Council was trying to recover £122 in unpaid council tax from Alexandrina Stanton, despite the fact she died last
HUNDREDS of Christian Aid supporters will gather at Durham Cathedral to celebrate the international development charity's 60th anniversary. The Bishop of Jarrow, the Right Reverend John Pritchard, a former Christian Aid Week fundraiser, is the main preacher
THE mystery of how an experienced walker drowned in heavy seas while trekking between Robin Hood's Bay and Whitby, in North Yorkshire, remains unsolved, an inquest heard. David Neil Hammersley, who had been staying at a guest house in Robin Hood's Bay
RESIDENTS can receive advice on disposing of their household waste from two newly-appointed recycling workers. Stockton Borough Council has recruited the staff to work at the household waste recycling centre at Haverton Hill to advise visitors on the
A young mother spoke today of how she and her two-day-old baby contracted the MRSA superbug. Priscilla Peart, 20, and her daughter Soshone both caught the bug after a difficult birth at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, nine weeks
TONY BLAIR: Why is it, I wonder, that after a swing in votes from Conservative to Labour in Prime Minister Tony Blair's constituency, are we now hearing talk from those within the Labour Party suggesting that he should now resign? Surely some of those
A SUPERMARKET will reopen next week after a £600,000 refit - including self-service checkouts. The Somerfield store in High Street North, Langley Moor, Durham City has undergone a makeover as part of a £155m nationwide programme by the company. Four extra
MIDDLESBROUGH and England footballer Stewart Downing yesterday launched a £500,000 fundraising appeal to improve sports facilities for a seaside community. People in Lythe, near Whitby, are trying to raise money for a football and cricket pitch, sports
Stunned Michael Williams was accused of fathering a child by the CSA - 15 years after having a vasectomy. Mr Williams, 58, got the shock of his life when he received a letter from the Child Support Agency naming him as the father of a boy by a woman he
MANY parents are worried when their children develop seemingly irrational fears from an early age. In my family we had one child who couldn't tolerate a gap in the curtains in case he saw the moon, another who had a phobia about keys and getting locked
A DOWNTURN in the economy was predicted yesterday as the axe fell on more than 250 jobs in the region - and a question mark was hanging over a further 550. Adminstrators for civil engineering firm the O'Donnell Brothers made 229 employees - 85 per cent
HOSPITAL staff are setting an example to improve the health of people in the area. With obesity at an all-time high, and the North-East recently revealed as the worst area for overweight people in the country, workers at County Durham and Tees Valley
AN airport has launched a shuttle bus service to make travelling to and from terminals more convenient for holiday-makers. Starting this week, customers with valid flight tickets for Durham Tees Valley Airport can take advantage of the free half-hourly
HEALTH bosses are paying to fly in German GPs at weekends to provide out-of-hours cover for North-East patients. The NHS is so short of doctors willing to do unpopular weekend shifts that it is turning to GPs in Germany. The unusual emergency cover arrangements
TO neighbours and the wider community in a middle-class area of Teesside, there appeared to be very little wrong in the lives of a policeman and his attractive hairdresser wife. Ivor and Maria Jones lived in comfortable surroundings with their three sons
CLINTON Morrison last night dealt Sunderland a transfer blow by claiming that he had no intention of leaving Birmingham this summer. With Black Cats boss Mick McCarthy desperate to sign a new striker after releasing Marcus Stewart last week, the Republic
STUDENTS from the North-East are being given the chance to sample life at sea with the Royal Navy, on board the training craft HMS Example. Ten students from the catering department at Tyne Metropolitan College are to board the ship - part of the Northumbria
GARETH Barry last night admitted he is flattered by speculation linking him with a move to Newcastle United. Manager Graeme Souness is set to make wholesale changes at St James' Park at the end of the season and Barry has been identified as the answer
One of the region's leading political figures today completed a remarkable comeback when he was reinstated as leader of the North-East's biggest local authority. Earlier this year, Ken Manton's political career appeared to be in tatters when he was deselected
IS any gerbil safe? The cat's nine lives could be about to run out. And may God help the goldfish... Just as the exam season cranks up into top gear, the authority that sets GCSE and A-levels, has produced a sliding scale for stress and allowances that
A RETIRED policeman who quit the force after a nervous breakdown killed himself by setting his house on fire, an inquest heard yesterday. Neighbours of 61-year-old Allan Campbell begged him to leave his home in Coniston Close, Belmont, near Durham City
A man was in custody last night after an incident involving a knife. Nicholas Michael Dobinson, 40, of Willance Grove, Richmond, North Yorkshire, was arrested on Monday afternoon after allegedly being spotted with the weapon in public in Richmond. Officers
AN unemployed taxi driver returned to his home town to kill himself, an inquest was told. Alan Dixon's sister, Denise, told the inquest in Scarborough that the 48-year-old had left the town and moved to Blackpool after the break-up of his marriage. She
SEVENTY years of tradition is coming to an end as an agricultural college sells its herd of dairy cows. Houghall Agricultural College, on the outskirts of Durham City, will today auction 85 cattle, yearling heifers and farm equipment considered surplus
THREE pedestrians were in hospital yesterday with serious injuries after being knocked down in separate accidents. Scott Oliver, 20, was involved in an accident in Front Street, Perkinsville, near Chester-le-Street, County Durham, at 11pm on Monday. The
It took a chain of four police officers and the quick thinking of two little sisters to save lucky Timothy Rabot from drowning in a pool of mud. Timothy, 11, had decided to go fishing with his net at an isolated pond quarter of a mile from his home. The
TELEVISION presenter Richard Whiteley remained in a stable condition in hospital last night after contracting pneumonia. The host of Channel 4 quiz Countdown, who has a house in East Witton, near Leyburn, North Yorkshire, was admitted to Bradford Royal
MORE than 200 North-East workers left in limbo when their workplace closed down had their worst fears confirmed last night. Administrators at the troubled O'Donnell Brothers firm yesterday laid off 229 of its 267 staff - more than 85 per cent of the workforce
POLICE have released an e-fit of a man who grabbed a teenage girl's arm in a Bishop Auckland car park. The incident, near the entrance to Bracks Farm, off the A688, at noon on Saturday, is being treated as an attempted abduction. The 15-year-old girl
A two-day-old baby and her mother caught hospital superbug MRSA. Soshone Peart and her mother, Priscilla, were struck down with the bug at Gateshead's Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Complications at birth had caused Soshone's heart to stop and she was resuscitated
A pensioner who has overcoming the odds to learn how to use a computer has earned himself a national learning award. Gordon Nattrass, who is 72 and is blind and partially deaf, has received a Senior Learner's Award from organisers of the UK's largest
Bad Girls (ITV1); Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee (BBC1); Deep Jungle (ITV1) 'SHE might be a slut but she's a psycho slut". Where else could we be but Larkhall, the women's prison in Bad Girls?. They're a tough bunch and it's good to see them back inside
DURHAM face a trial by spin as they attempt to maintain their 100 per cent County Championship record against Lancashire at Old Trafford today. Derbyshire knew to expect the same on the last day of their match at the Red Rose headquarters on Monday, but
A COUPLE are to appear in court this morning charged with the murder of a three-month-old baby. Paul O'Neil, of Banbury Road, Kenton, Newcastle, and Jodie Taylor, 19, of Kinross Drive, will appear at Newcastle Magistrates' Court. They stand accused of
AS the General Election campaign closed, there was a consensus that politics was in dire need of a fresh approach. It had gone stale amid widespread feelings of mistrust and disillusionment. Indeed, in the small hours of an unconvincing victory, a relieved
A virtual shack with peeling paint, accessed by a ramp of rough concrete topped with makeshift scaffolding-type tubular railings: the polling station where our Prime Minster cast a vote that no doubt helped him secure his historic third term at No 10
IS any gerbil safe? The cat's nine lives could be about to run out. And may God help the goldfish... Just as the exam season cranks up into top gear, the authority that sets GCSE and A-levels, has produced a sliding scale for stress and allowances that
PRESUMABLY involving some poor, impoverished sod sitting by a computer in the back bedroom, there are now text messaging services which offer to answer Damn Fool Questions 24 hours a day. It's a bit like premium rate chat-lines, only cheaper and without
Only four days after failing to reach the League Two play-offs 23 of Darlington's squad will today discover if they have a future at the club. Instead of preparing for the first leg of the play-offs David Hodgson is already looking ahead to next season
A FORMER taxi driver whose business idea was mocked by judges on a Pop Idol-style BBC programme had the last laugh yesterday by clinching a contract. A panel of experts on the Dragon's Den programme told Mark Greenhalgh his plan to pioneer the installation
HUNDREDS of people are being encouraged to sign up to pound the streets of a North-East town - and take a big step towards a healthy lifestyle. The annual Darlington 10K Road Run is coming soon, and organisers are hopeful of this year's event being the
A couple were remanded in custody today after appearing before magistrates charged with the murder of their three-month-old son. Paul O'Neil, 32, and 19-year-old Jodie Taylor, were charged in connection with the death of Aaron O'Neil who died in hospital
Only four days after failing to reach the League Two play-offs 23 of Darlington's squad will today discover if they have a future at the club. Instead of preparing for the first leg of the play-offs David Hodgson is already looking ahead to next season
HUNDREDS of jobs in the region were in the balance last night as banking group Abbey dealt a fresh blow to staff by warning it planned to cut 1,000 more jobs than originally forecast. Spain's Banco Santander, which recently acquired the bank, said it
A successful scheme which has created a breastfeeding-friendly town centre is likely to be copied in the North-East. Hull and East Riding has pioneered a scheme which allows private and public sector businesses to display window stickers as part of efforts
THE home can be a very hazardous place for babies and young children. Children are naturally inquisitive and adventurous and however careful we are, the unexpected can occur, such as when a friend's son decided he was Superman and, convinced he could
A MOTHER was taken to court after she was captured by secret cameras selling cigarettes to children. Theresa Ann Searson, 44, admitted selling single cigarettes to youngsters from the doorstep of her flat in sheltered accommodation in Guisborough, east
PLANS to demolish up to 2,000 homes in the centre of Middlesbrough were put to residents for the first time yesterday. Middlesbrough Council is proposing to bulldoze between 1,500 and 2,000 terraced houses in an attempt to transform rundown areas. The
A FATHER last night paid tribute to his "wonderful daughter and good mate" who was killed by a banned driver high on a cocktail of drink and drugs. Bruce Davis spoke for the first time about the crash that claimed the life of his 20-year-old daughter,
TWO thieves who called at a string of antique shops, claiming to be brothers looking for a "really nice gift" for their mother, were being hunted by police yesterday. They told the same story at all the shops they visited in Barnard Castle, County Durham
ZAK the terrier has landed his owner in the doghouse after scooping the prize draw at his local social club. William Wilson paid £2.50 to enroll the three-year-old Jack Russell as a member of Bebside Welfare Social Club, in Bedlington, Northumberland.
A MUSEUM which attracted 35,000 visitors during a recent five-week stay in Redcar, has opened in Stockton. The Curiosity Shop, which features many weird and wonderful items on loan from local museums, will be in the town until Saturday, June 18. The attraction
PET dogs have become the ultimate fashion accessory for some people, with designer outfits and jewellery readily available. But one landowner has dreamt up a new fashion statement to entice dog lovers to his 85-acre arboretum. Sir John Ropner, who owns
NURSES in north Durham have joined forces to produce a strategy to improve care services across the area. The strategy will be launched today by Chief Nursing Officer for England and Wales Professor Christine Beasley and Professor Christine Edwards, director
THE boss of a gipsy camp has been fined by a judge after he admitted possession of a pepper spray and a can of CS gas. The weapons were found in a garage belonging to Louis Welch, who manages the Honeypot Lane gipsy camp in Darlington. Aisha Wadoodi,
A NORTH-EAST town's hopes of kicking off a future Paralympic sport will take a further step this week. It is hoped that Darlington can lead the development in the UK of Powerchair Soccer, a six-a-side sport for wheelchair users which originated in Japan
A FAMILY firm of cheesemakers fighting with the Greeks over the right to call their product feta has suffered a legal setback. A top advisor to judges in the European Court of Justice has declared only cheese made in Greece should be allowed to use the
A TOP independent girls' school has announced that it will open its doors to boys from September. Teesside Prep and High School, in Eaglescliffe, near Stockton, will welcome boys into the school's nursery as part of a phased scheme. Headteacher Hilary
PLANS for a 72-bed residential home in Stanley are being recommended for approval, despite objections over possible parking problems. Derwentside District Council gave planning permission for a Gary Lewis Care Centre in Wear Road last year, but the company
A blind phone pest is being booted out of her home after bombarding emergency services with hundreds of hoax 999 calls. Over nearly three years Denise Talbot made scores of calls which needlessly tied up the emergency services. She also terrorised neighbours
KEVIN Kyle will see a French specialist later this month in a final attempt to solve his long-standing hip problem but, after missing almost all of Sunderland's promotion campaign, the striker has admitted he might never play football again. While the
YET another fantastic York May meeting gets underway this afternoon with a whole bevy of leading equine stars lining up on the Knavesmire. Punters seeking Classic clues for next month's Epsom Oaks will be focussing on the Musidora Stakes, an extended
AS crime capers go, it was not exactly the great rock'n'roll swindle. But when rock band The Revillos had thousands of pounds worth of musical equipment stolen from their van following a gig in the North-East recently, it looked like the end of the road
England fast bowler, Matthew Hoggard, goes into Yorkshire's Championship match against Leicestershire at Grace Road today needing just one more wicket to take his tally in first class cricket to 400 dismissals. The Pudsey-born paceman has so far claimed
HALF-year profits at software group Sage have punched through the £100m mark. The Newcastle-based company saw pre-tax profits rise 16 per cent to £100.6m for the six months ending in March. Turnover increased 17 per cent to £381.6m. Chief executive Paul
BRANCH line rail routes across the country take centre stage this Saturday, when the industry hosts its first Community Rail Day. Train operators on more than 40 routes, including the Heritage Line at Bishop Auckland, County Durham, will be working together
A MAN died and a minibus full of people with learning difficulties were taken to hospital following two separate accidents on the same stretch of road. The normally busy A66 was closed for several hours after the crashes, which happened within an hour
BOSSES at a cash-strapped hospital trust have hinted that the Government may have to wipe out potentially huge debts in the long run. Officials at South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the 1,000-bed James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough
YET another fantastic York May meeting gets underway this afternoon with a whole bevy of leading equine stars lining up on the Knavesmire. Punters seeking Classic clues for next month's Epsom Oaks will be focussing on the Musidora Stakes, an extended
DARLINGTON Borough Council will extend the town's security system by installing cameras which can read car number plates. The automatic number plate recognition system can tell police in seconds if a vehicle has been stolen or is known to have been involved
Bad Girls (ITV1) Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee (BBC1) Deep Jungle (ITV1) SHE might be a slut but she's a psycho slut". Where else could we be but Larkhall, the women's prison in Bad Girls?. They're a tough bunch and it's good to see them back inside, although
HUNDREDS of right-wing extremists are expected to arrive in the region later this week for the funeral of a woman found dead in a stream. The body of Kerry Deighton, 33, of Rutland Close, Catterick Garrison, was found at the North Yorkshire Army base
A NORTH-EAST museum has been recognised as one of the best in Europe at an awards ceremony in Brussels. Discovery Museum, in Newcastle, was one of four in the UK to be nominated for European Museum of the Year, and the only attraction from the North-East
A RECRUITMENT agency, which has an office in Darlington, has been praised by the government for its approach in tackling workplace age discrimination. Angel Human Resources, formerly known as LDS Recruitment, is based in Horsemarket. It was given Age
A TOP independent girls' school has announced that it will open its doors to boys from September. Teesside Prep and High School, in Eaglescliffe, near Stockton, will welcome boys into the school's nursery as part of a phased scheme. Headteacher Hilary
FEARS have been raised that a district could be the focus for a raft of wind-farm developments. Hambleton, in North Yorkshire, which includes Northallerton, Thirsk, Bedale, Stokesley and Easingwold, has been identified as having huge potential for wind
A CLUB that teaches young people how to survive in the wild has been awarded charitable status. The move means that The Pilgrim Club, in Shildon, can expand its services to children throughout Sedgefield Borough and the wider area. Club founder John Cutting
TRIBUTES have been paid to a former Olympic coach who has died at the age of 83. Herbert Goodwin was a member of Darlington Harriers from the age of 15 and later went on to become president of the running club. He launched a women's section of the club
BORN-AGAIN biker Peter Ruddick is back on two wheels thanks to his successful battle to give up smoking. Mr Ruddick, 44, from Consett, County Durham, vowed he would buy himself his first motorbike for many years if he could beat his nicotine habit. That
Parenting columnist Anne Sutton runs the nannying agency, Internannies, and has 30 years experience in childcare. This month she tackles a query from Kathryn Maynard of Stokesley who wrote in for some advice on encouraging her two-month-old baby to sleep
A NORTH-SOUTH divide in the type of disabilities suffered by workers has emerged from research. Claims for Disability Living Allowance for mental health conditions are higher in London and the South-East, while the number of people registered disabled
THE pride and the passion of the North-East will take centre stage in a multi-million pound marketing campaign launched today to improve the image of the region. Business and tourism leaders will gather at Seaham Hall, in County Durham, for the unveiling
Fresh retail misery gave investors an excuse to bank profits yesterday, leaving the London market in the red for the second session in a row. Marks & Spencer and B&Q owner Kingfisher were prominent blue-chip fallers after the British Retail Consortium
SEE YOU AGAIN: HAVING read the articles Mike Amos wrote about R3 Tenors both at Spennymoor and Hartlepool, (Echo, Apr 14 & May 5) I would like to say a very big thank you to the staff at both venues for their help at both performances. Both audiences
A POLICEMAN stabbed his wife almost 100 times after she taunted him about an affair she was having with a man nearly half his age. PC Graham Jones, also known as Ivor, was said to have told his hairdresser wife, Maria: "If I cannot have you, I will kill
