TWO teenage girls had to be rescued tonight after becoming trapped on a cliffside. The incident happened near to the Skelton viaduct in Saltburn, North Yorkshire, at around 8pm. Two fire crews attended the scene, including the rope rescue team from
RAY Mallon was this morning celebrating winning a second term as the Mayor of Middlesbrough. Mr Mallon gained 58.5 per cent of the vote for a comfortable victory and pledged to build on his first time as the directly-elected mayor, with particular emphasis
Mourners turned out in their hundreds to pay their respects to footballing legend Alan Ball at Winchester Cathedral today. The 61-year-old member of the victorious 1966 squad died last week after suffering a heart attack at his home in Hampshire.
Durham UCCE v Durham (University Match) : Day One KYLE Coetzer, overlooked by Scotland for the World Cup, took out his frustrations on Durham University yesterday with a hard-hitting 153 not out at the Racecourse ground. The 23-year-old Aberdonian's
DARLINGTON manager Dave Penney has revealed six players will be on their way from the club in the summer - with the promise of more to come. The Northern Echo revealed last weekend that Craig James, Darren Holloway, Simon Johnson and Brian Close had
Forty years ago campers tackled the great outdoors with nothing more sophisticated than a gas stove and a torch. Now things are very different... AFTER years in the doldrums, when cheap package holidays replaced sleeping under canvas, it seems that
SIX more prisoners have been charged by police in connection with riots at a North-East prison that caused up to £1 million worth of damage. The men, all aged between 18 and 21, face charges of prison mutiny in relation to trouble at Deerbolt Young Offenders
Blacks Leisure Profits Hit By Bad Weather OUTDOOR clothing group Blacks Leisure has posted a huge £22.3m drop in profits as sales were hit by the unseasonably warm weather. The group, which operates a distribution centre in the North-East, said underlying
A HEROIN addict whose toddler son died after swallowing her methadone was today jailed for two years. Gemma Fennelly was told by a judge that public justice demanded that she should be punished by custody. The 25-year-old pleaded guilty to the manslaughter
The first ever Lotus 72 Grand Prix car, as campaigned by both John Miles (Team Lotus) and double World Champion Graham Hill (Rob Walker Racing) in the 1970 season, has been consigned by H&H for its July 25 sale at Kempton Park Racecourse. Chassis R1
Peugeot's latest single-make championship - the 207 Spider Cup - will serve as the support race for the five European rounds of the 2007 Le Mans Series, as well as for two other major meetings in France. The season's curtain-raiser at Monza saw French
Monday's (May 7) second round of the Kumho Tyres MSA British Rallycross Championship at Pembrey is a critical event for several of the pre-season favourites after a dramatic opening round at Lydden four weeks ago. The winner at Lydden, and the championship
Get closer to the action at the National Kit Car Motor Show than ever before, as the Caterham Drive Experience gives show-goers the chance of an adrenalin-fuelled ride they'll never forget. Above marvelling at the awesome array of cars and displays
Hustle (BBC1, 9pm), The Last Detective (ITV1, 9pm) TWO returning series, both concerned with criminal activities, but as different as chalk and cheese. Hustle has always been all mouth and no trousers. All surface gloss and glitz without much soul. It's
Ante-post favourite Teofilo will miss Saturday's first Classic of the season at Newmarket after suffering a setback. He was 2-1 favourite to begin his pursuit of Triple Crown glory with victory in the 2000 Guineas. Last season's champion two-year-old
JAMIE Whitfield is a working mother in New York's Upper East Side - home of the ridiculously rich, where it's not enough to have a private plane, but it has to be the right sort of private plane... Jamie's workaholic husband is rich but wants to
ANOTHER offering from the prolific but always-entertaining pen of former Dalesman editor Bill Mitchell. This one, a slim (35-page) but well-illustrated "minibook', is an enjoyable memoir of the real James Herriot, Alf Wight, drawing largely on conversations
ARMCHAIR walking? That's what every walker does with the aid of a map. But to enjoy it fully, it's usually necessary to have done the walk first. Only then does the armchair re-run, or rather re-walk come to life. But Hartlepool-based Ken Elliott
ABSOLUTELY enchanting pictures of many different baby animals illumine this gentle picture book which follows an unfolding day in the wilds, on a farm, at home and in the sky. Whether your toddler likes lambs, foals, fledglings or fox cubs best, this
Oliver... is equally mischievous. Our young hero simply "liked staying awake more than going to sleep". His tale is told in rollicking rhyme reminiscent of AA Milne, and features a fantasy rocket journey to Mars. The scatty pictures are full of
A 42-YEAR-OLD man has been arrested over an incident in which two bottles of a lethal chemical were posted to a councillor and a journalist. Each package contained a letter and a miniature vodka bottle, filled with industrial-strength caustic soda.
In Nighty-Night, Littlesaurus is determined to stay up, but Mummysaurus and Daddysaurus are determined to settle him down. Who will win in the battle of wits? Strong, funny, simple words and brilliantly bold pictures that leap out of the page guarantee
MAJOR part of driving a convertible is the pose factor. Even with the hood up they tell the world that they possess great optimism - the sun may just come out. Hood down, they are in-your-face pose-mobiles, male peacocks, fantails rippling as
IT takes a brave car company to be consciously different'. As Skoda enters its second century of car production, the Roomster proves that innovation is very much alive and well at the company's Czech headquarters. The strange-looking Roomster is
Solutions ACROSS 1 Chaplet. CHAPLE+T (chapel anag.) 5 Crammed. C+RAM+MED (dem+mar+c rev.) 9 Amateur. A+MATEUR (mature anag.) 10 Aquinas. A+Q+U+I+NA+S 11 Drury Lane. (two meanings) 12 Sheba. SHE+B+A (A+B rev.) 13 Odeon. ODE+ON 15
Cryptic Clues ACROSS 1 Wreath found in abandonned chapel by tenor (7) 5 Overfed Democrat to damage Charles in return (7) 9 A surprisingly mature admirer (7) 10 A question on university independence not applicable to Somerville's leading theologian
A SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD boy has been arrested this morning on suspicion of murdering a teenager who was stabbed in the neck. Victim Mark James Smith, also aged 16, of St Johns Walk, Newcastle, was fatally injured in the city's West End at about 11.10pm last
ALTHOUGH Prince Harry is possibly a future king, he is a soldier and as such must go to Iraq with his unit. I believe he will be kept well away from the front line. He has had all the training, as have the others, and must take his chance like the
I WAS very disappointed after reading the book, County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service - An Illustrated History (by Ron Henderson, published by Tempus, price £12.99, as featured Echo, Apr 13). The book is a very good record of Durham
SO, the Queen is now 81 years old. How old was her one-time chainsmoking sister, with the same lifestyle, when she died? E Reynolds, Wheatley Hill, Co Durham.
I WAS very disappointed to see that yet again our opponents have chosen to use our beautiful city as a political football. Gordon Bell's letter (HAS, May 1) complained of over development in Durham City. He should have been in Walkergate the other
WITH the local elections upon us today, it is apparent that the saving of Hurworth School is playing a major part in the various political campaigns across the borough of Darlington. Share (Support Hurworth and Rural Education) would like to point
HOW interested I was to read your account of the coroner's verdict on the death of an ex-soldier, with shrapnel wounds from the Second World War being a contributory factor (Echo, Apr 28). Your report said he was injured while fighting with the
"SO long as any state has nuclear weapons, others will want them. So long as any such weapons remain, there is a risk that they will one day be used, by design or accident. And any such use would be catastrophic." (UN Weapons of Mass Destruction
WE have been reluctant victims of Hambleton District Council's bizarre scheme of fortnightly collections of domestic refuse for more than two years. We were issued with a black wheelie bin for non-recyclable waste and a green one for garden waste
The creative pair behind 70s and 80s hit band Squeeze are back on tour. Chris Difford talks to Steve Pratt about turning back the clock. CHRIS Difford is as surprised as anyone that Squeeze is embarking on a series of live dates eight years after the
Originally planned as a Christmas treat for viewers, Lee Evans finally arrives on the small screen as H G Wells' hero Mr Polly. Steve Pratt reports on the comic 's latest project. THE attraction for comedian Lee Evans of starring in The History Of Mr
So far Spider-Man has been worth $1,5bn at the box office. With the comic character's next adventure about to open, star Tobey Maguire talks to Steve Pratt about the pressures of playing a superhero. TOBEY Maguire, the star of one of the cinema's most
A CAMPAIGN is being launched in Soapland to alert people to the fact that leaving tell-tale receipts in the pockets of your clothes could lead to upset. Pick pockets often finds evidence of criminal wrongdoing or marital meandering. That's what happens
UK DVD/VIDEO RENTAL 1 (1) Employee Of The Month 2 (2) It's A Boy/Girl Thing 3 (-) Eragon 4 (4) The Holiday 5 (5) Casino Royale 6 (8) The Departed 7 (-) The Night Listener 8 (7) Shadowboxer 9 (-) The Prestige 10 (10) Stranger Than Fiction
Thomas Haden explains to Steve Pratt how he switched from a comedy about wine to become a Spider-man baddie. UNTIL a few years ago Thomas Haden Church was one of acting's best kept secrets. Then he made Sideways, a comedy-drama taking a road trip through
Pop star turned showman Johnny Shentall talks to Viv Hardwick about how he beat the bullies to become an entertainer. The former Steps dancer and ear'Say singer also discusses the impact of chart pressure on wife Lisa Scott-Lee and the couple's future
WHEN Freddy Shepherd left the directors' car park at the Madejski Stadium on Monday night, he would immediately have been confronted by a crossroads offering him an escape route from a no-man's land on the edge of Reading. As a metaphor for the situation
CONNECTIONS of Stepaside (3.20) will be hoping his rivals do just that and allow the lightly-raced three-year-old a clear shot at goal in Catterick's Ladies Night Handicap. Stepaside hasn't got many miles on the clock having run just three times as a
Rafael Nadal won the so-called 'Battle of the Surfaces' with an incredible tie-break victory against Roger Federer. What began as an exhibition became an epic as the world's two best players slugged it out on a court that was grass at one end, clay at
KYLE Coetzer, overlooked by Scotland for the World Cup, took out his frustrations on Durham University yesterday with a hard-hitting 153 not out at the Racecourse ground, writes tim wellock. The 23-year-old Aberdonian's previous best first-class score
NEWCASTLE Falcons scrum-half Lee Dickson will represent England Saxons in this summer's Churchill Cup despite being named in the Scotland squad for the same tournament this week. With roots on either side of the border, Dickson is eligible to play for
Liverpool's new co-owner George Gillett has admitted he and partner Tom Hicks had no idea how good a manager Rafael Benitez was when they bought the club for nearly £500m. The American sports mogul, together with Hicks, watched Liverpool's Champions
AC Milan 3, Manchester United 0. (AC Milan win 5-3 on aggregate). Manchester United's hopes of turning the Champions League final into an all-English affair were brutally crushed at the San Siro as AC Milan set up a revenge attack on Liverpool. Sir Alex
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson admitted AC Milan were much sharper than his side after bowing out of the Champions League. Milan won 3-0 in the San Siro to overturn a 3-2 deficit from the first leg of the semi-final, and will face Liverpool
Hampshire v Yorkshire (County Championship) : Day One Younis Khan, involved in a misunderstanding which probably cost England captain Michael Vaughan a century, then went on to score one himself in Yorkshire's LV County Championship match against Hampshire
PERHAPS Roy Keane has something against buses. Not content with preventing three of his players from getting on one to Barnsley this season, the Sunderland manager has now banned his entire squad from indulging in an open-top bus tour of the city if they
IF Sunderland win the Championship on Sunday the Football League title-winners will not be able to party with the trophy at Kenilworth Road, writes PAUL FRASER.Should Birmingham fail to win at Preston and the Black Cats climb to the top of the table by
IT all started with a small bang in the kitchen. The fan in the oven had gone kaput and, naturally, this constituted a crisis. We could still use the conventional oven, the grill and the microwave without any problems, but not the fan- assisted oven.
John Cunningham has a lot to boast about. After all, not many peole have raised £1m for charity. But the remarkable man who stepped out to help others is still loath to talk about his achievements. Sharon Griffiths manages to coax a few words out of
TONY Blair's legacy to the Labour Party will be revealed tonight - the loss of up to 600 council seats and its near-obliteration in town halls across the South. But the expected election drubbing will also form part of his legacy to Britain, a country
Peace activist Norman Kember was criticised for his apparent ingratitude when he was freed by the SAS after being held hostage in Iraq. Almost two years later he tells Mark Summers why he went to the war-torn country. AS the projector is packed away at
A Men's hairdresser who worked in Bedale for 43 years has died aged 58. Frank Steel left school in the town at 15 to work in the business founded by his late father, Harry, on his return from service in the Royal Navy during the Second World War. He took
A THREE-DAY exhibition of professional arts and crafts takes place this weekend. It will be held from Saturday to Monday, at The Art Room, in the Old School Room, in Rowley Bank, Castleside, near Consett. Admission to the exhibition is free, and there
A controversial planning application has been deferred by the applicant. Plans have been submitted to the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority for a wooden games room and workshop at a house in Hill Close, Reeth. People living close to the proposed
YOUNG musicians have the opportunity to learn from a Hungarian master today. Jozef Balogh will hold a free two-hour workshop at Durham St Margaret's C of E Primary School, Crossgate Peth, Durham City, from 2pm. It is open to clarinet players aged up
A SPONSORSHIP scheme has been launched to raise £11,000 to build a wall around a village churchyard. Worshippers at St Agatha's Church, Gilling West, near Richmond, want to enclose the graveyard extension with a stone wall next summer. They are inviting
A CHURCH in Bedale has linked up with the Dales Festival of Food and Drink in Leyburn this weekend. Local organisations and groups were invited to be part of the event on Saturday, Sunday and Monday by voting for their favourite hymns and deciding how
VILLAGERS who say they take their life in their hands when they cross a busy road are urging highways chiefs to install a pedestrian refuge. More than 200 people in Shincliffe have signed a petition calling on Durham County Council's highways department
FOREIGN visitors have been on a fact-finding trip to view a successful volunteer scheme. A team of 30 visitors from Germany's national parks and conservation areas spoke to volunteers with North York Moors National Park - the park has about 800 volunteers
RESIDENTS of Bedale and surrounding villages are being given the chance to talk about crime. Quarterly meetings are being established involving neighbourhood police teams, community safety officers, Hambleton District Council and Bedale and Villages Community
A FLOODLIT pitch has re-opened after a month-long £43,000 revamp - with a surface made of old aircraft tyres. The rubber crumbs used to top the artificial pitch at Stokesley Leisure Centre are recycled tyres. The old sand-filled pitch was replaced with
A MEMORIAL concert for a long-serving church organist and composer will be held in Durham this weekend. David Higgins, who was organist and choirmaster at St Oswald's Church, Church Street, for more than 30 years, died last August, aged 67. Three volumes
POLICE in Durham have repeated warnings for people not to give burglars an opportunity by leaving windows open when they are out. A laptop computer was stolen a from student house in Gilesgate on Monday night by a thief who climbed through an open window
A BANK worker has helped raise more than £1,200 for her local school football team with help from her employers. Jaqueline Spence, manager of the Hetton-le-Hole branch of Barclays, raised £620 for Hetton School football team at the school's recent disco
AN award-winning drama will be presented in two community venues in County Durham this month. Inspector Sands and Stamping Ground Theatre will present Hysteria, as part of the Elements Touring Scheme spring season. Hysteria - a play inspired by the
YOUNG footballers got their first taste of international competition when they travelled to Spain. Teams from Richmond School took part in the five-day International Copa Costa Daurado tournament, in Barcelona. For some of the 47 students, aged 12 to
SPORTS clubs and coaches from across Stockton borough were recognised for their work at an awards ceremony. The 2007 Club and Coach Awards, held at Northfield School and Specialist Sports College, Billingham, last Wednesday, were organised by Stockton
CREWS from 25 Squadron, RAF Leeming, flew Tornado fighters to RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, for a visit by Cherished Memories, a charity helping children with life-limiting illnesses and their families. A highlight was a flight in a VC10 tanker aircraft
THREE members of a family from the region were killed when their car crashed into a tree in California, an inquest heard yesterday. Ly Sang Chu, 54, his wife Akiu Sam, 55 and their son, Chang Sin Chu, 20, died when the Ford Expedition they were travelling
VOLUNTEERS who stepped into the breach to save a closure-threatened community centre have suffered a funding blow. Staff and volunteers at the Shildon Centre were told this week that the first of two bids for Lottery cash that would secure the venue's
DARLINGTON Borough Council has rejected claims that its magazine, Town Crier, is distributed too widely. Residents in Shildon - in Sedgefield Borough - had claimed their town received 5,000 copies of the Darlington magazine. A council spokesman did admit
THE number of dairy farmers in County Durham is believed to have decreased to only 75. Alan Hutchinson, dairy business consultant for Profarma, told a Great Milk Debate meeting in Spennymoor, that in 1960 the county had 1,850 milk producers. By 2002,
AN investigation is being launched after passengers had to sit on the floor of an over-crowded bus. Passengers also say they risk being stranded because minibuses introduced on a rural bus route are not big enough. Under a new public transport contract
WATER butts and compost bins will be on their way to winners of an environment competition. They entered free prize draws at Stockton Borough Council's green waste roadshows. Residents can obtain compost bins for as little as £8, including free delivery
RESIDENTS in Darlington have been urged by all major parties to vote in today's local elections. In Darlington's local election in 2003 - which was postal vote only - turnout was 51 per cent. In total, 38,948 ballot papers were returned. Nationally
DARLINGTON Borough Council has rejected claims that its magazine, Town Crier, is distributed too widely. Residents in Shildon in Sedgefield Borough had claimed their town received 5,000 copies of the Darlington magazine. A council spokesman did admit
A DARLINGTON hairdresser has made the cut in a national competition. Sam Davies, owner of Mortimers hair salon, in Coniscliffe Road, reached the regional finals of the Colour Genius Redken Urban Talent hair competition. Stylists from across the North
TAXI drivers are calling for closed-circuit television cameras to be installed in their cabs, to protect them and their passengers. Cabbies from across Wear Valley met to discuss the need for the equipment at The Aclet Hotel in Bishop Auckland on Tuesday
A WOMAN who lost her husband to lung cancer has helped raise £1,000 for a Bishop Auckland appeal fund. Marion Johnson, whose husband, William, died in September last year following a short battle with lung cancer, raised the money by organising a social
POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a man was mugged at knifepoint in McMullen Road, Darlington. The man was walking towards Haughton Road, past Carshock, when he was approached by four men. One of the gang demanded the man's mobile phone and then
SCHOOL pupils are riding high after a letter-writing campaign for a favourite part of their curriculum. Dormanstown Primary School has extended horse-riding for 18 youngsters, aged seven to 11. The pupils, who have a variety of learning difficulties,
THE cost of damage caused during riots at a North-East young offenders' institution could reach £1m, it was revealed yesterday. Several prison officers were injured and one suffered a fractured skull during the disturbances at Deerbolt Young Offenders
A SWAP shop for unwanted plants is to be held this month to help celebrate Compost Awareness Week. They will be held in Stanley and Spennymoor and will help people to pass on surplus or unwanted houseplants, cuttings, seedlings and vegetables and pick
SAFETY-conscious staff at a factory in Newton Aycliffe have won an award for their efforts - for the fifth successive time. The 3M plant, in Heighington Lane, won the gold medal from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. The award recognises
A NEW principal has been appointed to take charge of a proposed Education Academy in Darlington. The appointment of Alison Appleyard as the principal designate of the Eastbourne Academy will be the seventh change in leadership at the school since 2002
MUSICAL teenagers are being invited to take part in a talent showcase next Thursday. The town's talented young people can get involved by organising or performing at the New Blood music show at The Forum, Darlington. The event is open to 14 to 17-year-olds
A GROUP that hopes to create a new community banner representing neighbouring villages is to hold an open day. Deaf Hill Miners Banner Group is inviting residents of Deaf Hill and the Trimdons to the event at Trimdon Station Community Centre on Saturday
POLICE who saw a banned driver behind the wheel and searched his car found a shotgun and cartridges in the boot. A court heard that the gun and ammunition had been stolen hours earlier from the home of a shooting club member. Peter Jenkins was yesterday
FLOORING company Storey Carpets has been acquired by a national chain in a deal worth £20m. The group, which was founded in the North-East in the early 1920s and today employs about 370 staff, has been snapped up by larger rival Carpetright. The Heptinstall
ENGINEERING firm MB Tech Limited has secured contracts worth more than £560,000 since the start of the year. The Teesside company, which was set up two years ago to provide access solutions, has already seen its turnover more than double to £1.5m. Bosses
A REGULAR Sunday night comedy show is switching to a Monday - for May Day only. Durham's Gala Theatre is the setting for The Comedy Store, a free afternoon of "laid-back music and fun". Singer and acoustic guitarist Terry Gorman, whose style has been
ENERGY company SembCorp yesterday said it plans to invest a further £7m to enhance its Wilton Power Station operations. SembCorp, which supplies utilities and services to major customers on the Wilton International site, in Teesside, wants to build four
THREE schoolgirls from the North-East have now told a court that they were raped after meeting a group of teenage travellers at Appleby Horse Fair. On Monday, one girl, who was 13 at the time, sobbed as she told Carlisle Crown Court how a 15-year-old
CULTURE change programme Aspire has appointed Maggie Pavlou as chairwoman as it continues its campaign to counteract the impending skills shortage in the region. Ms Pavlou is already familiar with the work of Aspire through her role as president of the
GREEN fuels firm D1 Oils yesterday said it had delivered its fifth refinery unit to its biodiesel plant on Teesside. Once commissioned, the unit will increase production in the region to 42,000 tonnes. In a quarterly trading update, the plc also said
SIMON NOBLE, from Billingham, Teesside, will represent the UK at the 2007 World Skills International Olympics in Japan in November. The competition showcases the talents of apprentices around the world. The 20-year-old works as a panel technician at
AIRLINE group bmi yesterday announced its pre-tax profits had soared by nearly 200 per cent to £29.7m last year. This compared with a pre-tax figure of £10m in 2005 for the group formerly known as British Midland Airways, and comes despite an estimated
STUDENTS have returned from two overseas trips which saw them climbing a volcano and going aboard a battleship.Sixth formers from Richmond School spent six days in Russia, touring Moscow and St Petersburg.Highlights of the trip included a visit to Red
QUALIFIED coaches are being sought to help teach canoeists at a new club in Ripon.The Sleningford Canoe Club held its first session on the River Ure last weekend and welcomed 30 members.But the club, based at Sleningford Water Mill Caravan Park, wants
A POLICE community support officer (PCSO) is a Mann on a mission, following a recent change of scenery.Steve Mann has embarked on a new beat, after three-and-a-half years as support officer for the Consett south area, in north-west Durham.He is now familiarising
POLICE seized 100 cans and bottles of alcohol in a crackdown on youngsters who drink in the street and cause anti-social behaviour.Officers in Durham, backed by police community support officers, visited trouble spots in the Framwellgate Moor and Newton
A JOINT truancy sweep targeting hot spots was last night hailed a success by police.Police officers on the Bat (behaviour, attendance and truancy) team and Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's education welfare service joined forces to carry out the
department chain Debenhams has been lined up to be the flagship store in a new shopping complex.Debenhams will be the anchor store in the £100m Commercial Street mall in Darlington.The chain is planning a 93,000sq ft store on a 25-year lease and it is
YOUNG Hannah MacDonald has not had the best start in life. Suffering from an extremely rare genetic disorder, in her first 18 months she has had heart surgery five times and two stomach operations. Yet, she still manages to smile.Grandmother Cheryl MacDonald
OARS have been crossed and the challenge laid for the 11th North-East version of the University Boat Race.Baltic Square, on the banks of the River Tyne, at Gateshead Quays, was the setting for a pre-race rowing ceremony yesterday.In what has become the
AN angry shop owner is demanding compensation after claiming council work lost her custom and caused £600 damage to her store.Karen Tombling, who owns Cameo, in Norton High Street, said since Stockton Borough Council began installing bollards outside
BRITAIN goes to the polls today in the biggest test of public opinion since the 2005 General Election.For Prime Minister Tony Blair, it will be his last before he departs office and is widely viewed as a chance for voters to give their verdict on his
TRADITION dictates that a player who notches a hole-in-one on the golf course buys a round of drinks, but Joel Tipton's parents need not fear, for the most the 13-year-old has promised his mates is a Coca-Cola. Joel, a pupil at Hummersknott School, in
HEALTH services in the region have improved significantly, according to bosses.Figures released by the North-East Strategic Health Authority (SHA) show that between April last year and March this year, hospitals and primary care trusts met or exceeded
A TRUSTING puppy was left fighting for its life with huge stab wounds after an attack that left animal experts sickened.Eight-month-old Storm, a German Shepherd, was stabbed and torn on her neck and body during the frenzied attack, and then left for dead
TEACHERS at a North-East college have won national recognition after scooping three awards.Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College in Darlington received the following awards from the Good Schools Guide:* The A-level award for the best results at vocational
A BRIDE-TO-BE who brought her fairytale wedding forward because she was seriously ill has died just weeks before her big day.Cystic fibrosis sufferer Tanya Lovert was due to marry 25-year-old sweetheart Brent Cannon next month.But the 20-year-old, from
LOCAL authorities throughout the North-East were placed on alert last night ahead of today's elections after a bottle containing extremely dangerous poison was sent to a councillor.The Northern Echo learned late last night that Durham Police had contacted
CAMPAIGNERS who raised more than £90,000 to restore a crumbling riverside path have officially wound-up their organisation.The Easby Riverside Restoration Project was formed in 1999 after the footpath close to Easby Abbey, near Richmond, repeatedly eroded.The
A VILLAGE pub has won a real ale award for the sixth year in a row.The Crown, in Manfield, has been named CAMRA Darlington's Country Pub of 2007.Landlord Peter Hynes said: "We're delighted with the award. It's all down to the quality of our real ale."
AN author inspired some young writers during a visit to their school.Writer Aidan Chambers visited Durham School to talk to year nine and ten pupils about his life, and pass on some tips.Mr Chambers has had success with Dance On My Grave, the Carnegie
A PUBLIC meeting has been called over plans to build a mobile phone mast on the roof of a parish hall.Telephone company O2 has applied for permission to erect a 2.5m antennae and a base station in Church House, Hutton Rudby.A number of residents say the
A PUBLIC meeting has been called over plans to build a mobile phone mast on the roof of a parish hall.Telephone company O2 has applied for permission to erect a 2.5m antennae and a base station in Church House, Hutton Rudby.A number of residents say the
POLICE have boosted their presence on the streets with the appointment of two teams of police community support officers (PCSOs).Since last autumn, Durham Constabulary has been recruiting PCSOs to the Spennymoor and Ferryhill areas, and with 11 new officers
IT was lucky seven for a Darlington schoolboy yesterday.Joe Rennard-Jacobs marked the double celebration of his seventh birthday and his local supermarket's seventh anniversary.Joe cut a cake at the Asda store, in Whinbush Way, to mark the occasion. The
Mystery surrounds the death of a hero who saved his wife and her sister from a burning house.Peter Wennington was discovered in his Middlesbrough home, on Friday, at about 11.30am, by a friend.The cause of death is not known but an inquest has been opened
A ROCKET touched down at a school yesterday to help celebrate the opening of its multi-million pound building.And 1,000 balloons were released to officially launch Sacred Heart RC School and the adjoining St Benedict's Primary School, in Mersey Road,
POLICE officers and nurses were so angered by the theft of a sick child's games machine that they bought him a new one.The machine was taken on April 24 from the hospital bed of 14-year-old Ben Hall, who was undergoing kidney treatment at Darlington Memorial
COLLEGE students became part of a global chain gang to highlight the plight of more than 80 million children worldwide who go without an education.Darlington College students on the Pathways access course joined hands in the lobby of their campus to make
A UNIVERSITY professor who has spent the past 45 years researching materials has backed a campaign to make pyjamas flame resistant.Professor Richard Horrocks said there was little impetus to change the law because fatal and serious injury accidents from
A village is preparing itself for a festival of flowers and music this bank holiday weekend.Barningham, a small village near Barnard Castle, County Durham, hosts Florissimo from tomorrow until Monday.Flower displays will be on show and around Barningham
N&SA U14's deservedly became county champions in a fast paced pulsating final between two excellent sides held at Eppleton CW. Last seasons runners up Norton with only 11 available players had a much better start this year and a superb passing move
A TV star has been banned from driving for six months after totting up 12 penalty points for speeding offences. Ex-Coronation Street actor Philip Middlemiss, 43, was caught by police in a speed trap on a dual carriageway just outside Hartlepool. The former
THE celebration of achievement is important in any organisation because it is an often underused way of motivating staff and sending a positive message to customers. However, it is also important that such celebration is kept in perspective because its
A MAN accused of threatening to kill a professional boxer was bailed yesterday. Graham Michael Boyle, 31, was bailed when he appeared at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates' Court. He is charged with making threats to kill Francis Jones between June 1, last year
UNEMPLOYMENT could effectively be wiped out in the region if more was done to improve sales skills, according to new figures. Research suggests that if skills were improved to the extent that targets were hit, it would enable North-East companies to employ
THE decision to send a 14-year-old boy to a secure centre 150 miles from his home has been defended.Adam Rickwood became the youngest inmate to die in custody in Britain when he was found hanged by his shoelaces at Hassockfield Secure Training Centre,
YORKSHIREMAN Ritchie Humphreys wants Hartlepool United to forget about next season's trip to Elland Road and focus on completing the job in League Two.With Leeds' relegation from the Championship to be confirmed this weekend after their failure to beat
NEWCASTLE UNITED could revive a long-standing interest in Liverpool's Sami Hyypia this summer as they attempt to solve the defensive inefficiency that has blighted them for numerous years.But the Champions League finalists, knowing Hyypia still has another
A GRANDMOTHER has made history on a day of appointments at one of the region's biggest councils.Councillor Edna Hunter became the first chairwoman of Durham County Council, which was founded 118 years ago, when she donned the chain of office at the annual
SCHOOLS in the region that failed to teach a foreign language to a single pupil over the age of 14 last year have responded to criticism.The Conservative party said Government guidelines to make GCSE language courses voluntary would damage Britain's international
MIDDLESBROUGH'S Andrew Taylor has been ruled out of England Under-21s' pursuit of European Championships glory this summer and faces a race to be fit for the start of pre-season training in July.Taylor has continued to play this season despite the ongoing
