A MAN was cut free from a car and taken to hospital tonight after a two-car crash in Darlington. A red Renault Laguna and a black Vauxhall Corsa collided at the junction of Corporation Road with Bartlett Street and Easson Road, at 9.45pm.
WORK has got underway to create a huge green goddess into the North-East landscape. Around £2.5m is being invested by regional developer The Banks Group and The Blagdon Estate in the creation of the unique Northumberlandia landform, which will form
A COUPLE who met as teenagers at a village dance are still in perfect time with one another after 60 years of marriage. Ray and Edna Dodds, of Middlestone Moor, Spennymoor, celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary on March 25. They met at a dance
MINI fiestas will be held in communities around Spennymoor following the success of a town-wide event. More than 250 young people attended activities held at Spennymoor Leisure Centre in February and two spin-off events are planned for later this month
A HOUSING association has launched a new fund raising campaign after adopting a charity for the new financial year. Sedgefield Borough Homes employees chose to support the Great North Air Ambulance Service in 2010-11 from a list of 20 nominated
A RURAL airfield owner is considering dropping planning appeals to extend his site if locals agree to his new revised plans for the land. Martin Scott, the owner of Bagby Airfield, near Thirsk, has tried to develop the land for nearly three
THE search for missing woman Mandy Bishop took a grim turn yesterday following tests on traces of blood found in her home. The results indicate that the blood did come from the 34-year-old, who has now not been seen for more than two weeks. And they
DOROTHY YOUNG is researching her family tree and has come to a halt with her maternal great-grandparents. Her grandmother Catherine or Kathleen Hill comes from Stockton. She married James Hill or Richmond. Mrs Young is trying to trace Mrs Hill's parents
DNA tests are being carried out to see if a body found in Spanish mountains is that of a North-East walker who went missing last year. Michael Egglestone, 52, of Nettlesworth, near Durham City, disappeared last June while he was on a holiday
STARS of TV’s Dancing on Ice will perform in the North-East on Saturday night. Husband and wife team Andrei Lipanov and Susie Lipanova will skate at Durham City’s temporary ice rink. They will be joined by students of the rink’s Learn to Skate and Learn
RESCUE crews are still trying to recover the body of a North-East teenage kayaker who drowned when his boat got trapped under rocks in a fast-flowing river. Attempts to release the 19-year-old from Cleveland failed yesterday as the torrent
YOUNGSTERS have made a splash by winning a local swimming competition held by the Thirsk White Horse Swim Team. Ben Grandison, from Ripon, and Joan Clayton, from Helperby, near Thirsk, were joint winners of the bi-annual Tadpole Gala.
A MOVIE first is being held by a Rotary club to try to raise £20,000 to boost the coffers of Help for Heroes. Ripon Rotary Rowells Club is to stage the city’s first drive in movie with a screening of the Abba-inspired hit Mamma Mia! The film is to be
I'M just thinking about how I should describe the City of Durham contest this afternoon as I've been asked to do a little bit for BBC News 24 which is broadcasting much of the day from Palace Green. It's a funny constituency: a doughnut,
THE owners of one of the region’s most renowned pub-restaurants have angrily denied rumours that they are selling their business to a TV celebrity. They say the stories are "damaging and totally unfounded" and are threatening their business - the Michelin-starred
A HEADMASTER is to spend the school holidays by running the length of Hadrian’s Wall for charity. Martin George, head teacher of Durham School, is to tackle the 83-mile route next week to raise funds for Help For Heroes. Mr George has already raised
SORRY. The election has rather overtaken me, but I've been triggered back into action as yesterday someone stopped me and told me how he nearly crashed because of me recently. There he was, quietly driving along, when his wife in the passenger
A stage show dedicated to the wartime memories of UK comic Spike Milligan reveals the beginnings of a unique comedy talent which still inspires the stars of today. Viv Hardwick reports on this unusual tour. SPIKE Milligan’s influence on
Neil Sedaka talks to Viv Hardwick about surviving the dark days of his career. It inspired the new musical Laughter In The Rain, which tours to Sunderland later this month. THE US star who was almost put out of business by The Beatles sees
DETECTIVES investigating an alleged assault in Frankland Prison have made an arrest. Three prison officers were injured in the attack at the high-security prison, near Durham, last month. Police enquiries have been ongoing since then
Stars: Julianne Moore, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Jeffrey DeMunn, Frances Conroy, Brooklynn Proulx, Nathan Corddry Running time: 112 mins Rating: ★★★ IF you’re going to make a psychological horror movie whose premise takes a lot of swallowing always
Stars: Ellen Page, Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Wiig, Drew Barrymore, Juliette Lewis, Jimmy Fallon, Alia Shawkat, Landon Pigg Running time: 111 mins Rating: ★★★★ CONSIDERING how spectacularly cinematic the sport is, the world of women’s
She’s gone from child star to director, but Drew Barrymore feels ready for the challenge. Steve Pratt reports. HAVING been in front of the camera for three decades, it could only be a matter of time before Drew Barrymore sat in the director’s
A TEENAGER from the North-East died yesterday in a kayaking accident in Scotland. The 19-year-old got trapped under rocks on the River Tay in Perthshire. Rescuers battled for almost seven hours to save the teenager, from the Cleveland
Russell Howard’s Good News is BBC3’s most successful studio-based show, drawing in 2.5m and he’s just announced a tour for next year having played to more than 58,000 fans over nine nights. He also has two best-selling DVDs. EACH episode
THIS is 25-year-old singer-songwriter, Alan Pownall’s terribly addictive debut single. It is a refreshing formula of sublime and effortless song craft, added with an obsession for pop perfection. The single is also the opening glimpse of Pownall
There are many ways of describing Sarah Blasko’s voice – haunting, beguiling and bewitching are but a few. But whichever adjective you prefer, there is no denying just how good it is. It carries this, the third album from the Australian, from the
A TEENAGE boy is in hospital after being attacked in a Bishop Auckland street on Tuesday evening. The 15-year-old is believed to have been kicked in the head several times and suffered a fractured right eye socket and a cut above his right
A REWORKING of the Gladys Knight and the Pips song, Florence Rawlings brings her own sassiness to proceedings. Her deep and soulful voice is ideally suited to the song, which comes from her new album A Fool in Love. Close your eyes and you can
THE instrumental version of this song is currently doing the rounds on your TV, advertising the wares of a High Street electrical chain. Taken from the album Staring at the Ice Melt the French quartet have come up with an infectiously poppy little
I’M getting too old to know what kind of style this music is, but what I do know is that I like it a lot. I’d describe it as underground, electro hip-hop, but I could be way off the mark. What it is is a pumping soundtrack perfectly complimented
HIGH points come thick and fast across the region’s folk scene this week, with several national names, alongside our own homegrown stars, making welcome appearances. Marton Country Club near Middlesbrough gets us off to a fine start tonight
WHAT’S ON: Alto player Martin Speake and guitarist Colin Oxley, Potto Village Hall, tomorrow, 01642-700609, and Thirkleby Church, Saturday, 01845 501394. CD REVIEWS: Humphrey Lyttelton 1959 (Lake LACD282) Producer Paul Adams calls this band, with
WHAT’S ON: Northern Sinfonia, conducted by Diego Masson, The Sage Gateshead, 7.30pm tomorrow. Bartok, Ligeti and Ravel. Carolin Widmann fronts Woolrich’s Violin Concert. Box office: 0191-443-4661. JS Bach: Matthaus-Passion, Riccardo Chailly (Decca
TWO years ago, when Jack Ingram won the Academy of Country Music award for Best New Male Vocalist, many knew that he’d actually spent years playing theatres, clubs, and stadiums. Hard-core fans had tasted his music for more than a decade and he
A WOMAN is to tackle a sponsored walk in aid of a hospice which transformed her mother’s quality of life. Karen Dobson noticed a marked improvement in her mother Anne Nixon’s health after she began visiting St Cuthbert’s Hospice, in Durham, in December
Viv Hardwick talks to pop star turned music boss Feargal Sharkey about a £1.6m boost for North-East muisic. THE perfect model for taking the UK’s grassroots industry into the future has been created in the North- East, says UK Music chief executive
Rock musical supremo Steve Steinman talks to Viv Hardwick about buying the world rights to touring show Bad Boy Johnny. STEVE Steinman didn’t realise he was dyslexic until he was in his forties and now appreciates it was the reason he was artistic
CHARITY begins at home, usually in the bedroom. Charity Tate has always been one to spread her favours liberally among the menfolk (and the occasional woman) of Emmerdale (ITV1). Now she and partner-in-crime Cain Dingle have a new scam – stealing
Alvin And The Chipmunks 2: The Squeakquel (U) 84 mins Twentieth Century Fox DVD £19.99/Double Trouble DVD £22.99/Blu-ray £28.99/Double Trouble Blu-ray £34.99 Stars: Jason Lee, Kathryn Joosten, Zachary Levi, David Cross, Wendie Malick, and the voices
TRIBUTES have been paid to an expert on ancient manuscripts, who has died aged 81. Martin Snape was an authority on Durham Cathedral’s medieval archive, among other texts. Patrick Mussett, a former work colleague, said: "He was enormously generous in
WHEN I was a kid, any money I had left over from Christmas or birthdays was spent on things like new football boots or goalie gloves. But to my horror, my two younger sons – aged 16 and 13 – have gone halves on a pair of hair-straighteners.
THE play investigates the same idea as the film – men and women can’t be friends because “the sex part” always gets in the way. Americans Harry, a corporate lawyer, and Sally, a journalist, are the case studies. They first meet before either
Outnumbered (BBC1, 9pm); How the Other Half Live (C4, 9pm) DON’T work with children, goes the actor’s old adage, but received wisdom claims that kids say the funniest things. The panel of the British Comedy Awards certainly agrees with the
A RECENT survey by the TUC discovered that one fifth of public workers who turned in for work during the past month – of one of the coldest winters for 30 years – did so despite being ill. Another recent report of the findings of an earlier survey
Former Anglican priest Michael Wright is offering bespoke funerals featuring everyone from Shakespeare to Joyce Grenfell. Thus departed Hiawatha, Hiawatha the Beloved, In the glory of the sunset, In the purple mists of
YOU’VE seen Star Wars on the big screen and, on Tuesday, it was your chance to see it live. It’s just a shame that the MetroRadio Arena was barely a third full for Star Wars in Concert; it deserved much more for its final event in the UK of
IN THE days when the North Riding had its own roads work force, our roads were amongst the best in the country. I should know as I covered most of them at the time. Looking at the terrible state of Rawcliffe Lane, in York, outside the library
THE quotation supplied by Peter Hill (HAS, April 5) hit the nail right on the head, as has been proved by all the many, some would say too many, politicians of all shapes, sizes and hues that we have. Hindsight, apologies or a knowledge of history
SO, the General Election has finally been called and the great issues of the day will be thrashed out on soapboxes and in television studios before D-Day on May 6. Well, not quite. Here are seven controversies our political leaders will duck and
WHAT’S all the hullabaloo about the national insurance rise? Obviously large companies back the Tories but they won’t even feel this with their huge profit margins. Anyway, I’m happy to pay extra for vital services like hospitals, schools and
WITH reference to Andy McNaney’s letter (HAS, April 5) Durham County Council ignores all concerns that the public put to them. I have come to the conclusion that they do not like to be challenged on any subject. We should think ourselves lucky
THE Equality Bill currently working its way through Parliament is a significant win for older people who have been waiting for years to gain the same protections from discrimination as other groups in society. However, the Bill is still not everything
YOUR article, “Care plans unveiled by Labour” (Echo, March 31), stated that Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council was “forcing many people to sell their homes” to meet the cost of residential care. We are required, like all councils, to undertake
LABOUR wants a national debate on whether zoos are cruel, outdated and ought to be banned. Rightly so. It is a contentious issue. In the words of Charities Minister Angela Smith, they cause suffering to animals that should be allowed to roam free
THREE years ago, Sir John Hall was named the North-East’s most inspirational figure. He took 30 per cent of the vote – more than twice that of runner- up Thomas Spencer, the man who co-founded Marks & Spencer. It’s part of the legend surrounding
A CONFECTIONER has made a sweet gesture by donating a slice of the profits from two fruity favourites to charity. Ten percent of sales of Western Indian Limes and Chocolate Limes at Sweet Greetings, in Church Street, Shildon, is donated to Asthma UK.
In the first of a series of interviews, Chris Lloyd talks to Hilary Armstrong, the retiring North West Durham MP who has been at the heart of the Labour Government. "EXCUSE me, do you know where North Terrace is?” The young man by the war memorial
DECIDING to miss Cheltenham with What A Friend can pay a big dividend for Paul Nicholls at Aintree and he is the value call to beat Imperial Commander in the totesport Bowl. While Nigel Twiston- Davies’ new star won the Gold Cup on merit, he
LIAM PLUNKETT, who returned early from the England tour of Bangladesh because of an elbow injury, is in the Durham squad for the two-day friendly against Lancashire, starting at Old Trafford today. But Graham Onions will not feature in the
IF Rory McIlroy wants to become the youngest Masters champion in history – a position currently held by Tiger Woods, of course – he has to do it this week. Northern Ireland’s world number 11 turns 21 in four weeks and come next April will be
IF Rory McIlroy wants to become the youngest Masters champion in history – a position currently held by Tiger Woods, of course – he has to do it this week. Northern Ireland’s world number 11 turns 21 in four weeks and come next April will be
ROBERT DINWIDDIE returns to the European Tour in Madeira this morning buoyed by the third Challenge Tour victory of his career in last week’s Kenya Open, writes SCOTT WILSON. Barnard Castle-born Dinwiddie lost his European Tour card last year
Twelve months ago, Chief Sports Writer Scott Wilson tipped Angel Cabrera as a 100-1 winner of the US Masters. Here are his four to follow this week, including another 100-1 long shot. TIGER WOODS (5-1): After everything that’s happened since
SIMON DAVEY has been manager of Darlington for just a week but he has already learnt plenty about the players under his wing at The Northern Echo Arena. The ex-Barnsley boss has been at the helm for two matches – Saturday’s win at Burton Albion
CHRIS TURNER has set his side a new target for the season – to reach 60 points. Back-to-back wins over Orient and Brighton have given Hartlepool United a massive lift in their scrap to ensure League One football remains at Victoria Park next
NEWCASTLE Academy chief Joe Joyce claims his youthteam players will kick off this evening’s FA Youth Cup semifinal with Aston Villa confident of going all the way in the competition, writes SCOTT WILSON. Newcastle’s youngsters travel to Villa
Bordeaux 1 Lyon 0 (Lyon win 3-2 on aggregate) Hugo Lloris for a dramatic late save as Les Gones reached the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in club history with victory over Ligue 1 rivals Bordeaux. With Lyon losing 1-0 on the
GORDON STRACHAN has hailed Barry Robson’s contribution since moving to Middlesbrough in January, and claimed the Scotland international is the epitome of what supporters demand from their players. Robson made his 15th Championship appearance
HAVING taken his fair share of flak as Newcastle crashed out of the Premier League, Alan Smith feels this season’s successful promotion push has silenced the club’s critics. Smith was one of a number of players criticised for consistently underachieving
SIR ALEX FERGUSON slammed the behaviour of the Bayern Munich players after Manchester United’s Champions League exit at the hands of the German side. United, who lost on away goals having won 3-2 on the night, appeared to be cruising through
Manchester United 3 Bayern Munich 2 (4-4 on gregate. Bayern win on away goals) TEN-MAN Manchester United crashed out of the Champions League on away goals thanks to Arjen Robben’s wonder strike at Old Trafford. From a seemingly impregnable position
BOLO ZENDEN has admitted his future could lie away from Sunderland despite the option of a one-year extension to his current deal. Zenden, who moved to the Stadium of Light as a free agent last October, is due to meet Black Cats boss Steve
A SUPERMARKET’S ambitions to become a town’s biggest retail unit have been thwarted over its possible effects on local businesses. Councillors rejected plans for Sainsbury’s to expand and transform its Darlington store into a major retail complex
ACCORDING to the Adam Smith Institute, in the 2009 calendar year it “only” took 135 days for individuals to reach tax freedom day – the date that the individual’s debt to the taxman is paid off. The fact that the tax year starts on April 6
A TEES Valley company which provides professional services to the UK communications sector has taken on 20 apprentices. MAP Group, which is based in Stockton, has taken on the apprentices to meet the demand from its customers, while also investing
A FAMILY-RUN North-East manufacturing business has expanded into bigger premises, heralding significant growth for the firm. Wearside business Wessington Cryogenics has opened a factory, which will enable it to branch out into international markets
The Government yesterday published its reaction to a report from a committee of North-East MPs concerning the closure of the Corus Teesside Cast Products plant. Stuart Arnold reports. FOLLOWING the closure of the Corus Teesside Cast Products (TCP
A CYCLIST is gearing up for a bike ride through some of the Lake District’s toughest terrain for a cancer charity. Ian Legge, from Bishop Auckland, is one of about 20 cyclists from the town taking part in the third Lakeland Loop, on Sunday.
A TEENAGER who took the legal high mephedrone was treated in hospital after he cut himself on broken glass while under its influence. Police have issued a further warning of the dangers of the drug, which is sold legally as plant food, following
A TOWN’S run down police station is to be demolished and replaced with a modern facility on the same prominent site. Plans have been drawn up to rebuild the station at Newton Aycliffe which is deemed outdated despite being less than 40 years old. The
THE mastermind behind one of the greatest achievements in English sport is to inspire North-East entrepreneurs when he returns to the region for the first time in seven years. Sir Clive Woodward, whose England side claimed the Rugby World Cup
A WOMAN who held one of the most senior positions in the UK rail industry has taken over at the helm of Northumbrian Water. Heidi Mottram has become the water company’s chief executive, taking over from John Cuthbert, who steps down after nearly
A FOOTBALL club has been given the go-ahead to expand its income by staging car boot sales at its stadium. Darlington Football Club can hold sales in the car park of The Northern Echo Arena every Sunday, after it was given permission on a oneyear
BIRDS in a park aviary have been causing a squawk after injuring several inquisitive children. Parents have complained their children have been bitten and pecked after putting their hands into the aviary in South Park, Darlington. One
A BRAVE youngster born with a hole in his heart has defied the odds again to battle back from the brink of death. After a series of life-saving operations as a baby, Connor Franklin’s parents were told he wouldn’t need further surgery until
THE organisers of a charity walk are hoping the scenic route will encourage people to pull on their boots and enjoy the view. The route for this year’s Diabetes UK Great North Walk is a slightly more challenging one than usual, but rewards
A FORMER taxi driver at the centre of a fatal love triangle has told a jury how he blames himself every day for the death of his partner. Katrina Jones was knifed to death by her ex-husband, Brian, at their former marital home months after
A national charity that began in a Middlesbrough council house is celebrating its 50th anniversary, having raised more than £300m for vital research. Julia Breen reports. FIFTY years ago, the parents of Susan Eastwood were told she had a little-known
LABOUR will keep the basic rate of income tax at 20p for the whole of the next Parliament if it wins the General Election, Prime Minister Gordon Brown indicated yesterday. The promise is expected to be a key pledge in Labour’s manifesto, to
AMONG the 30 new business leaders who threw their weight behind a Conservative Party promise to block Labour’s planned National Insurance increase was Kirby Adams the chief executive of Corus. He said: “The proposal is a tax on jobs, whereas
Political Correspondent Robert Merrick shares his view of Prime Minister’s Questions. THE clunking Labour fist failed to lay a glove on the dancing Tory butterfly in a worrying final Prime Minister’s Questions for Gordon Brown yesterday.
THE hunt for missing woman Mandy Bishop was extended yesterday after a team of divers was called in. A police underwater search team scoured the river near her home as fears continued to increase for the safety of the 34-year-old. Mandy has
City of Durham will be one of the key election battlegrounds in the North-East. Durham chief reporter Tony Kearney reports. IN the centre of landlocked Durham stands an incongruous statue of Neptune. The sculpture was erected in the 18th Century
GENTLY does it for the first time in the North-East as the TV detective series starring Martin Shaw films in and around Durham City, where the stories are set. Previous series of Inspector George Gently, written by Our Friends In The North
A SHOP owner who criticised police for confiscating a 4ft statue of a willy says he has ordered more of the ornaments. Police raided Jason Hadlow’s furniture store last week and seized the £200 handcarved sandstone statue. Mr Hadlow, who owns
FORMER Newcastle United owner and millionaire businessman Sir John Hall said yesterday he was facing the “battle of his life” after being diagnosed with incurable prostate cancer. The 77-year-old, whose family home is Wynyard Hall, near Sedgefield
THE Government last night dashed any hopes that it is ready to offer more help for the mothballed Corus steel plant. Responding to calls for help from the region’s MPs, the Government made it clear that there would be no direct intervention
A DJ has quit as a station’s breakfast show host after he was questioned by police for contacting a 14-year-old girl on the internet. Chris Hakin was a presenter at Star Radio, based in Darlington. He resigned last week after complaints were
