There has been a considerable amount of hoo-ha this week about Debenham’s decision to offer a divorce gift list. The store is reported to claim that it’s in response to the growing popularity of parties, cakes and cards to celebrate the unravelling of
A FAMILY disturbed a burglar when they returned home last night. The front door of their home at Birk Brow Bungalows at Charltons, near Guisborough, was open, and when they entered the house at 9pm and switched on the lights, a man ran past
A PARISH council has drafted a letter for villagers to inform planning officers of their objections to a proposed wind farm. Sadberge Parish Council is set to oppose plans for a wind farm including ten turbines, on land at Moor House Farm, to the north-east
DARLINGTON must look to establish its own identity on a local, national and international level if it is to move forward, experts have said. The inaugural Darlington Debate heard that the town must decide what it is good at and work with partners
A COMMUNITY safety event will be held on an estate in an attempt to clamp down on anti-social behaviour. A range of agencies will join forces to stage the event at Burbank in Hartlepool on Wednesday January 27 from 6-8pm. They include Victim Support
MORE than 400 school children will take part in an event that aims to increase their awareness of environmental issues. The Hartlepool Environment Roundabout will take place at the town’s Civic Centre on January 26, 27 and 28. Year 5 children from 14
A NORTH Yorkshire hotel which has played host to world leaders has been named as among the best in the world. Guests at Rudding Park, near Harrogate, in the past have included former US President Bill Clinton, ex-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev
SUNDERLAND striker David Healy has issued a come and get me plea to potential buyers as he looks for a way out of the club. The 30-year-old Northern Ireland international has made just six appearances for the Black Cats this season, all of
The Teesdale Area Action Partnership meeting which was cancelled earlier in the month because of the weather has been re-arranged. The meeting will take place at The Witham Hall on January 28 between 6pm and 8pm. The public are welcome to attend. To
FEARS are once again being expressed for the future of one of the major events in the region’s racing calendar. The Middleham Stables Open Day, always staged on Good Friday, has been highly successful over the last two decades. Last
A LEADNG trading standards officer has won a national recognition for her efforts in investigating financial crime. The Keith Hughes Award for Excellence in Financial Investigation is open to all accredited financial investigators in the UK and awards
SIX rugby league players who were arrested on suspicion of rape were released on bail today. The players from Huddersfield Giants Super League squad were questioned by police in Newcastle after a 22-year-old woman said she was raped early yesterday.
FOUR new books on modern Christianity have been launched in the North-East. The works, all produced by academics at Durham University, were launched during a ceremony at the university’s St John’s College. The books are: The Virtuous
There has been generally positive feedback about last night's Darlington Debate. A localised kind of Question Time is something I've been pushing for in the town for some time so we can get local people more involved in influencing decisions
A YOUTH club has reopened following a £50,000 refurbishment. The DJ Evans Youth Club, in Bowburn, was reopened by Durham County Council chairman Brian Myers on Monday. The Burn Street facility, also known as Bowburn Youth Project, features a new office
THE DURHAM Choral Society will present a concert featuring the works of composer Vaughan Williams at the weekend. The programme presented at Durham Cathedral at 7.30;pm on Saturday (Jan23) includes Williams’ Sea Symphony, Serenade to Music, and his
UNEMPLOYMENT in the region continues to rise despite a national fall in the number of people out of work. The North-East jobless total rose by 7,000 between September and November last year. A total of 126,000 - 9.8 per cent of the workforce - were
THE consultation process over a proposed town square in Northallerton did not include enough businesses in the high street, according to one councillor. Northallerton Town Council wants to improve the area outside the town hall and make it into a pedestrian
Our front page this morning was devoted to the repatriation of Corporal Lee Brownson, of Bishop Auckland, who was killed in Afghanistan. What brings the tragedy closer to home is that it has emerged that Lee wrote to us last September.
A SOCIAL landlord in east Durham is encouraging residents to join a new action group aimed at making their community a better place to live. Accent Foundation, which owns 101 properties in Easington Colliery, has invited residents from the village
A REVAMPED Tourist Information Centre is proving to be a hit with visitors and local artists. Redcars TIC has moved onto the High Street, alongside a new thriving showcase for local artists and craftspeople. The former greengrocers, now renamed, 'this
EAST Coast rail was hardest hit by the recent severe cold weather of all of the region's train operators with about a third of its services failing to run on time, new figures show. A total of 67.2 per cent of the company's services were on time between
HUNDREDS of jobs have been created and nearly £60m of grants secured across the region with help from a North- East chartered accountant. Newcastle-based unw, which has a growing team of corporate finance specialists at its Citygate premises in
BUSINESSES across the region are being urged to pledge their support for installing electric car charging points, as the North-East continues its drive to lead the way in pioneering low carbon vehicles. As final preparations for the bid to the
CADBURY workers fear their jobs are on the line with the chocolate firm set to be bought by the same US rival that cut Terry’s historic ties with York. One Cadbury employee said colleagues were very worried after the board of the Birmingham-
A COMMERCIAL development has opened which combines 19th Century architecture with contemporary design. Building firm newroc, based in Richmond, North Yorkshire, had to change the renovation schedule of Church House, in Stokesley, so that its
Mo Mowlam had a radically different way of getting things done, something we need a lot more of in these colourless times MO MOWLAM lied. She told everyone that her brain tumour was benign, that there was nothing to worry about, and took on the
PLANS for a £5m hospice to be built in north Durham are to be unveiled next week. Willow Burn Hospice is to unveil their proposals for a new hospice development on the site of the former Maiden Law Hospital in Lanchester. The hospice is already based
A SCHOOL is hosting a special event to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day next week. Consett Community Sports College will be holding a series of workshops and an exhibition about the Nazi extermination of Jewish communities on Wednesday.
THE UK Independence Party is proposing a ban on the wearing of the burka in public places and buildings. How very sensible. This representation of subjugation of females has no religious significance and certainly has no place in the UK.
THE Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has charged Tottenham Hotspur FC manager Harry Redknapp with two offences of “cheating the public revenue”, adding that the charges were “in the public interest” (Echo, Jan 15). How soon will the CPS bring
BRITAIN has always taken a relaxed attitude to foreign ownership. These days, it is hard to name an iconic British brand not in foreign hands. Think Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin, Manchester United, Madam Tussauds or The Savoy are British? Then think
Cliff Richard, Newton Aycliffe, and an old school pal who recalls the popstar used to claim he couldn’t sing CLIFF Richard didn’t really live in a makeshift house in Newton Aycliffe. Though boasted in Yours magazine, the claim – like the supposed
IN these tough economic times local businesses and farmers need our support. “Shop local” are more than just buzzwords; they now relate to the survival of local shops and businesses. This is not nanny-statism – the hallmark of the current Labour
MANY people in this country have good values, but the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord (George) Carey is wrong in his recent well-publicised comments on curbing immigration if he believes these are Christian values. How does he explain our
I WOULD like to thank Durham county councillors Bob Young and Brian Stephens (respective cabinet members for strategic environment and neighbourhoods and local partnerships) and the whole of the council workforce who worked diligently throughout
IT was interesting to read Stockton North prospective Labour parliamentary candidate Alex Cunningham’s letter (HAS, Jan 16). He has a good reputation as a leading member of Stockton Borough Council and from what I have seen he has done a good
I WAS very pleased to hear that the respected National Institute of Economic and Social Research is predicting a return to economic growth for Britain during the final months of 2009. The statistics show a productive increase of 0.3 per cent and
I THINK anyone with half a brain recognises that Asbos are an insult to our intelligence. They are an absurdity and a sham and are regarded as such by those who get them. In fact, they are something to boast about – which says it all. I don’t
FROM the comfort of our armchairs, in a land where a tremor that mildly shakes a wardrobe is labelled an earthquake, most of us could, of course, organise the rescue response to possibly the most disastrous ever earthquake far better than world
Today is the first anniversary of the election of Barack Obama. Chris Lloyd looks at what the 44th President of the US has to celebrate REMEMBER May 1, 1997? The entire British nation seemed to have a smile on its face as power passed
ANGRY locals have criticised plans to cut the time limit on parking bays in the middle of a popular market town. North Yorkshire County Council is looking into reducing the time motorists can park in its bays on Millgate and Kirkgate, in Thirsk. At
POLICE in Northallerton have been praised by councillors after new figures showed that crime in the town has dropped significantly in the past month. At a meeting of Northallerton Town Council, Inspector Nigel Slater from North Yorkshire Police said
A POLICE officer was remanded in custody today accused of a string of sex attacks. Pc Stephen Mitchell, who serves with Northumbria Police, is accused of 43 offences, including rape, indecent assault and misconduct in a public office. During a hearing
AN art exhibition commemorating those who lost their lives in the Holocaust is expected to host thousands of visitors. The exhibition, 6 million +, every person counts, which has taken over the north aisle of Ripon Cathedral, is an artwork made
THESE sundials of Hurworth are baffling me. This morning's Memories tells the story of the village's most famous son, William Emerson. When writing his mathematical textbook about sundials, which was published in 1770, Emerson was said to have made 30
Alison Thorpe feels there is still plenty of improvement in Diktalina after she produced an impressive performance to land the Saga Personal Finance Juvenile Maiden Hurdle at Folkestone. Alison Thorpe’s youngster was no great shakes on the
YORKSHIRE captain Andrew Gale has pointed to Ajmal Shahzad’s determination to put a long list of injuries behind him as one of the main reasons for the pace bowler’s England call-up. The 24-year-old was awarded a place for next month’s tours
STUDENTS at East Durham College are being encouraged to enrol on an Urban Dance taster programme. A number of dancers from the Nouveau Dance Company, all pupils aged between 12 and 16 from Easington School, performed at the college in Peterlee as
A TALENTED musical youngster has been awarded a new shield for her outstanding contribution to a junior band. Sarah Wilson, of Sowerby, near Thirsk, is a member of the Chirons which is the junior section of the Thirsk Royal British Legion Band. She
LIVERPOOL manager Rafael Benitez was last night trying to plot his next move after finding Sunderland unwilling to let Kenwyne Jones head to Anfield on loan. Benitez spent Monday trying to convince Liverpool’s American owners to offer £12m for
GORDON STRACHAN has endured a difficult start to life on Teesside, but Barry Robson insists his former Celtic manager will soon have Middlesbrough motoring back up the Championship table. Saturday’s defeat at Sheffield United has left Strachan
SUNDERLAND’S latest crop of talented youngsters are in action in the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup tonight, with coach Kevin Ball urging them to prove they can handle the big occasion. Ball and Academy manager Ged McNamee have been instrumental
ALAN SMITH accepts time is running out for new signings to arrive at Newcastle United, and the rejuvenated captain feels it would be a gamble to head into the promotion runin with such a small squad. Magpies boss Chris Hughton has been left frustrated
THIS is the first picture of a single mother who seduced a 12-year-old, sleeping with him 191 times. Angela Sullivan, 36, is facing a lengthy prison sentence for corrupting the boy. Her home, in Cavendish Road, Middlesbrough, has been
A CONVICTED killer dated a student and went to a nightclub during a controversial overnight prison release scheme. Adam Briggs, 23, was three years into a nine-year sentence for the manslaughter of 16-year-old Carolyn Lemm when he was allowed
DAMAGE to the region’s roads caused by snow and ice will cost millions to fix, road bosses say. Senior councillors at North Yorkshire County Council will be asked next week to allocate £1m to fund emergency pothole repairs. The full cost of repairing
DALES residents fighting plans for a renewable energy village on their doorstep have labelled new drilling operations “a financial black hole”. Members of the Eastgate Action Group say water pumped from hot rocks under Weardale, County Durham,
POLICE have interviewed another two children who risked their lives by taking part in a dangerous “bus surfing” craze. Three boys were photographed hitching a ride on the back of a moving bus in Darlington last week. Police warned
NOTTINGHAM Forest have rejected an offer for James Perch from Newcastle with Reds boss Billy Davies describing the bid as derisory. Perch has only recently returned to first-team duty after being sidelined since last April with a stress fracture in his
Charlton Athletic 2 Hartlepool United 1 CHRIS TURNER felt his Hartlepool United side restored some much-needed pride last night. Pools may have lost at Charlton Athletic, but the performance was a world apart from the 5-0 humiliation
Rotherham United 1 Darlington 2 AFTER five weeks without a game Darlington returned to action in style last night with two second half goals to claim only their third win of the season at promotion-chasing Rotherham United. Debutant
HOSPITAL officials have admitted they have ten months to recruit more specialist doctors or face having to close one of two acute stroke units. Last week, The Northern Echo exclusively revealed that officials at the County Durham and Darlington
A WAGE subsidy scheme would not save the Corus steelworks because its losses are simply too great, the company insisted yesterday. Corus killed stone dead the proposal, put forward by the region’s MPs last week, dismissing a claim that it could
THREE people were taken to hospital last night after a car crashed into railings in Newcastle. Fire crews were called to Scotswood Road at 9.29pm. The driver had managed to free himself from the car, but the front and rear seat passengers were trapped
