When I was in my early teens we (a Gang of Girls and Boys) used to spend our time trekking around the village just messing about and having fun. Always good for laughing at the slow runners was nocky nine door, where someone knocked on a door and
WE avoided the rain, heard a few claps of thunder, and Dave Whiteley completed his tour of the North-East. I had never met Dave before but having played his final round of the 111 courses across the region at Rockliffe Hall this morning, I have to pay
AS steelworkers marched to save their jobs they would have been unaware that their campaign had caught the imagination of a potential saviour thousands of miles away. Win Viriyaprapaikit, president of Sahaviriya Steel Industries (SSI), the Thai company
Creator of Gosford Park, Julian Fellowes, talks to Steve Pratt about creating a costume drama for today which isn’t too posh. While actors Rob James-Collier and Hugh Bonneville reflect on their upstairs-downstairs roles. OSCAR-winning writer Julian
The deal to save Corus Teesside Cast Products is not yet sealed but everyone who has been involved in the fight to save the Redcar plant should take great heart from the positive comments made this week by Win Viriyaprapaikit. It is a story
Stars: Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm, Pete Postlethwaite, Blake Lively, Chris Cooper, Titus Welliver, Slaine, Owen Burke Running time: 125 mins Rating: ★★★★ FIRST the facts: There are over 300 bank robberies in Boston every
Sophie Stratford talks to Matt from alternative duo Heinali and Matt Finney, about their EP Lemonade, musical inspiration and about what’s next. The band is a collaborative effort from Ukrainian composer Heinali and American poet Matt Finney. Matt
Ben Affleck talks to Shereen Low about buffing up as actor, co-writer, director and star of crime caper movie The Town. BEN Affleck’s new film, The Town, which he cowrote, directed and stars in, has kept him busy since it premiered at the Venice
THIS euphoric dance number may not be as catchy as other tunes in the singer’s back catalogue but it’s a definite grower and makes for an understated hit.
BETWEEN leaving Depeche Mode and setting up Erasure, synth-pop wizard Vince Clarke was a member of Yazoo with singer Alison Moyet. This is a live recording from their comeback tour in 2008 which brought the pair back together on stage for the
TALK about being spoiled for choice, folk music fans. This week our region is invaded by some of the biggest names on the scene, starting tonight when one of the leading new names in folk, Jim Moray makes a rare visit North to appear at
FORTY years after he released his debut solo release, Clapton brings out his 19th studio album. And the legend doesn’t disappoint. His distinctive bluesy style is there in bucketloads, but there’s plenty more to keep you on your toes with guests
BRIGHTON Mathcore band, Architects’ third album is not a departure from tried and tested routes, more a finetuning of what they do best. Pounding drums, thumping base lines, guitars played at 100mph and Sam Carter’s tortured screams, allied to
WHAT’S ON Thomas Zehetmair opens the new season at The Sage Gateshead at 7.30pm tomorrow. Beethoven’s Grosse Fuge and Sir Michael Tippett’s A Child of Our Time. Box Office: 0191-384-4600. REVIEWS King Roger: Szymanovski
CD REVIEWS One For All/Incorrigible (Jazz legacy JLP1001005) Although not well known here, this New York-based group has been together for 13 years, producing several CDs already. Eric Alexander on tenor saxophone, Jim Rotundi trumpet and Steve
MANY moons ago I was given a present which I’m sure was for Christmas of an artist called Roger Miller, the album was called Roger and Out, and naturally in those days, it was a vinyl LP. At that time I was not aware that Roger Miller was a country
Mark Ronson plays Northumbria University on October 18 for BBC Radio 1’s Student Tour. Viv Hardwick reports. AS an in-demand music producer and DJ, Mark Ronson admits that he finds it difficult to know when to stop working on his tracks.
Geordie stand-up Ross Noble is back in the UK and heading to the North-East on tour and brilliantly under-prepared. Viv Hardwick reports. "ASK me in a few weeks time," says Cramlington-born stand-up Ross Noble when questioned about the content
The idea of two women getting their tops off for laughs is definitely a test for UK audiences. Viv Hardwick talks to Emma Powell and Bev Killick. FACED with the prospect of appearing halfnaked professionally on stage, I suspect most women would
RYAN Lamb is the latest resident of Soapland to find that being behind bars doesn’t mean going for a drink in the Woolpack or Rovers Return. In Emmerdale (ITV1) the poor lad has been led – like a Lamb to the slaughter, you might say – into a prison
HUNDREDS more city residents face having to buy permits to park outside their own home, under an extended parking regime. Durham County Council officials are set to introduce a controlled parking area (CPA) in the Dryburn area of Framwellgate Moor, Durham
A NORTH-East academic has been included in a list of the most influential thinkers in her field. Dr Julie Hodges was named in national human resources title HR Magazine’s Most Influential Thinkers 2010, appearing in two categories: HR Thinkers - UK past
A FEARLESS fundraiser is to hike part of the Great Wall of China for a deafness charity. Jane Thomas will walk 60km along the wall over five days next month to raise money for RNID. The 51-year-old, who has herself experienced hearing problems from
AN inquest heard tributes today to the character, experience and professionalism of an Army dog handler killed in an intense Taliban attack while serving alongside soldiers from the Parachute Regiment in Afghanistan. Lance Corporal Kenneth Rowe, of the
IRISH threesome Two Door Cinema Club are an electro pop indie rock band who have been making waves in the music industry for a while now. Incorporating a live drummer – replacing a drum machine – gives the band a harder edge and drives the songs
They’ve returned to Newcastle for the seventh successive year and are proving more popular than ever. Yes, The Lady Boys of Bangkok are back by public demand and entertaining audiences with their unique brand of burlesque, cabaret and revue.
Highgrove: Alan Meets Prince Charles (BBC2, 8pm) River Cottage Everyday (C4, 8pm) Alan Davies’ Teenage Revolution (C4, 9pm) HE’S the green-fingered mogul of daytime telly who’s even managed to get his hands on Nelson Mandela’s shrubbery, not
ANDREW BRENNAN has just won £44,750 on a game of cards. He came fifth. “For a couple of hours I was really annoyed with myself for getting knocked out. Then I realised it was quite a lot of money,” he says. Mentioned in passing in last week’s
RANKLAND high security prison near Durham has two new inmates, Harris hawks called Zeus and Apollo. They are, of course, jail birds. It’s other wings they’re there to clip, however. The prison has a serious pigeon problem. “It was costing us
This column is dedicated to all the dads (and mums) whose children have left home for university this month... FOR as long as I can remember, there have been two main passions in my baby girl’s life: food and dancing. When she was six, she told
Friends enjoy the fruits of their labours, a new slant on "doing bird" and some big money in poker. NORTH Lodge Park is known otherwise as the outer office, the place where on fine summer days some of these columns are written. This year there
A MOTHER has expressed her family's relief at being reunited with their two puppies, who went missing last week. Diesel and Princess, two Dog du Bordeaux pups aged 11 months and 12 months, were seen being put into a green Peugeot estate car
A GANG of youths stole a bike from a 13-year-old in Bishop Auckland on Tuesday evening. The victim was heading home from a friend's house along Cockton Hill Road at about 7.10pm when he was targeted by five youths, some riding bikes, after they emerged
DURHAM University economics graduate and successful entrepreneur James Averdieck was in the region yesterday to share the secrets of his success with delegates at a North-East business conference. Mr Averdieck, founder and managing director of
BRITAIN’S largest van hire company will take delivery of thousands of vehicles this month as part of a renewal of its fleet. Northgate Vehicle Hire, based in Darlington, is taking delivery of more than 2,000 new vans and cars. A total of 1,500
A SHOPPING centre in the North-East is set for a multimillion pound expansion. Land Securities, owner of the Bridges, in Sunderland, yesterday confirmed it intends to embark on a £15m expansion, subject to planning consent. A planning application
THE conference roadshow is about to move from Liverpool to Manchester – where a Miliband will be crowned the next Labour leader, on Saturday. There seems little doubt that Andy Burnham, Ed Balls and Diane Abbott have been left trailing by the two
I WOULD like to take this opportunity to pass on my condolences to the Mullett family from Darlington. My good friend, Colin John Mullett, passed away last weekend. A familiar face in town and a regular reader of Hear All Sides, he was a gentleman
OLYMPIC gold medallist Jonathan Edwards took part in a day of events in the region aimed at challenging attitudes to disability and exploring how having a disability can be overcome in business and sport. The triple jump world record holder
GOLD mining stocks bucked wider falls on the London market yesterday as the cost of it soared to record highs. Investors flocked to gold as stocks here and in the US slipped into the red, with the dollar also under pressure following cautious
EXOTIC seafood and the odd winged mammal may have to be added to the menu of a new regional restaurant if its head chef gets a visit from his most famous former customer – hard rock wildman Ozzy Osbourne. Darlington College of Technology-trained
A NEW British bank says it is targeting businesses in the North-East as it looks to build up its profile. Aldermore Invoice Finance, part of the business focused Aldermore Bank, has established a North-East office. The bank was set up last year
Yorkshire have agreed to release star batsman Jacques Rudolph from the final year of his contract. Losing their most prized asset will be a major blow to the club, with Rudolph having scored 8,629 runs in all competitions since arriving at the club
WHY do we always have to blame the young drivers? The latest proposals to stop drinking and driving at night and the carrying of passengers is just going a bit too far. One of the great things about passing your test is having the freedom to take
INTERESTING to read in your report (Echo, Sept 21) that Keith MacDonald only pays £5 per week towards the upkeep of his numerous children out of his incapacity benefit. Whatever part of him is ‘incapacitated’ it’s not the part that needs to be
SID James was born on May 8, 1913 in Johannesburg, South Africa, and came to Britain on Christmas Day 1946. His film debut in Black Memory was followed by British movies with Once A Jolly Swagman, The Small Black Room, Hell Drivers,, Too Many
WHILST we are critical over the level and time frame for the public expenditure cutbacks, it is only right we welcome the legislation to scrap ID cards, which began its last parliamentary lap in the House of Commons this month. ID cards were an
I AM truly sorry for those people in Pakistan during the recent floods and the high loss of life. However, initially we gave £66m now we are to give another £77m in aid. I always find it strange that we can find money for countries which suffer
KEV McStravick attributes a number of remarks to Feisal Abdul Rauf, the man behind the proposal to build an Islamic centre near Ground Zero (HAS, Sept 22). These remarks need to be put in context. According to the New York Times, Mr Rauf was
THE European Parliament’s support for the report by Joao Ferreira about a ‘community approach to the prevention of natural and man-made disasters’ shows the rampant megalomania that the European Union (EU) is cultivating. What can this report
IN the United Kingdom we have the Royal Navy, the Royal Air Force and the Royal Marines. Despite fighting for Queen and country, we have the Army, plain and simple. Isn’t it time that we honoured our brave soldiers by bestowing the Royal title
CAN anyone tell me why Priests can’t marry? It must be a lonely life with no one in the house to talk to. S Taylor, Darlington.
THERE will be those who take the view that jailing someone for killing a hamster is excessive. We are not among them. The North-East has an unenviable record for animal cruelty and the case of Anthony Parker is one of the most appalling it has
Campaigners are urging us to break down the walls of prejudice surrounding treatment of mental health. Health Editor Barry Nelson found out why it is time to change. WHEN researchers asked passers-by to guess what proportion of the population is
IT may be 14 years since Frankie Dettori exploded on to the public’s conscience with his Magnificent Seven at Ascot – but it is still fresh in the Italian’s memory. His feat has never been close to being emulated since at even a humdrum midweek
HE was unable to defend the County Championship title in his first season as skipper, but Phil Mustard was still a triple trophy winner as Durham County Cricket Club held their end-of-season Player of the Year awards last night. Mustard was crowned
ENGLAND captain Andrew Strauss admitted he would savour his side’s NatWest Series over Pakistan after they overcame the spotfixing controversy to seal a hard-fought success. Strauss’ side were accused of throwing the third match of the series
EOIN Morgan’s second Rose Bowl hundred of the summer helped England clinch the troubled NatWest Series 3-2 with a landslide 121-run victory over Pakistan. England’s mettle has been tested more than they could have imagined amid the ceaseless
PADRAIG Harrington aims to put an even bigger smile on Colin Montgomerie’s face as Europe head into the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor next week. Montgomerie has seen nearly half of his team – Ross Fisher, Martin Kaymer (twice), Peter Hanson, Edoardo
RESIDENTS with young children can find out their rights at a roadshow in Teesdale next month. Durham County Council staff will use the Sure Start centres to help spread the message, starting on Friday, October 1. Parents and carers,
MARK COOPER hailed the performance of terrace booboy target Aaron Brown after his man of the match display on Tuesday night. The 30-year-old defender made one goal and scored another in Quakers’ 2-2 draw with the Blue Square Bet Premier League
A DEVASTATED family are offering a £1,000 reward for the safe return of their beloved dog. Pickles, a two-year-old pug, went missing from her home on Ricknall Lane in Aycliffe Village between 12.45pm and 1.15pm on Thursday. Now her family is appealing
SUNDERLAND boss Steve Bruce has given George McCartney the go-ahead to move to Leeds United on loan – despite Sunderland’s left-back crisis. Bruce hopes to discover the extent of the hamstring injury sustained by Kieran Richardson this morning
WATFORD boss Malky Mackay has been impressed by Andrew Taylor’s immediate impact at Vicarage Road, and is already hoping to extend the Middlesbrough full-back’s loan beyond the start of January. Taylor, who joined the Hornets on transfer-deadline
MORE than 20 suspected cannabis plants were seized during a drugs raid by police as part of a community clean up operation. Officers executed a search warrant at a terraced house in Dean Bank, Ferryhill, on Tuesday morning. Once inside the property
SIX people have been arrested after allegedly burning copies of the Koran and posting a video of the incident on the internet. Police say that the arrests were made after what appeared to be two copies of the Muslim holy book were burned in
A JUBILANT Chris Hughton last night insisted Newcastle’s thrilling Carling Cup third-round win at Chelsea underlined the strength in depth that exists at St James’ Park. Hughton made ten changes to the side that won at Everton last weekend
A TRAINEE GP who sewed his lips together and threatened to decapitate another doctor “al Qaida-style” has voluntarily removed himself from the medical register. Dr Mohammad Reza Heidari was on a GP training scheme in Newcastle when he sewed
A COMMUNITY speed-watch initiative has been launched in response to concerns about speeding vehicles in parts of Shildon. The police, the Bishop Auckland and Shildon Area Action Partnership (AAP), the town's county councillors, and the Shildon Community
AN inmate at a top-security jail has been charged with attempting to kill two prison officers and seriously wounding a third. Convicted killer Kevan Thakrar is accused of stabbing three officers at Frankland Prison, near Durham City, on March
SOME of the region’s best amateur boxers hope to shine when an international fixture is held on their home turf. Spennymoor Leisure Centre, in County Durham, will host a tie between England and Denmark in November. There will be ten to 12 bouts and
AN angry father attacked a witness at the inquest into the death of his teenage son. Punches were thrown and chairs were sent flying at the end of the hearing into the death of Kane Sales, 15, who was knocked down and killed in Sunderland last
A CLUB singer has hit out at an NHS website that can predict a breast cancer patient’s chances of survival. Data such as age, tumour size and how the lump was detected can be put into a tool at predict.nhs.uk to gain information about life expectancy
MEDICAL researchers want to hear from hundreds of North-East 63-year-olds who have dropped out of one of the world’s longest studies into health. Set up by doctors in Newcastle in the Forties, the Thousand Families Study – better known as the
PLANS to use undercover test purchase operations to protect youngsters from the dangers of sunbeds have been approved by councillors. Durham County Council’s cabinet backed proposals to use under-age volunteers in test purchases at tanning salons
A SENIOR police officer under investigation for trying to view a computer disk featuring “potentially offensive” images will not face disciplinary action for misconduct. An inquiry into Adam Briggs, deputy chief constable of North Yorkshire Police
THE police officer blinded by Raoul Moat has pledged to raise £1m to help injured 999 heroes. David Rathband will shortly launch his own charity, the Blue Lamp Foundation, to offer a lifeline to emergency workers injured by criminals in the line
A CAMPAIGNER for fathers’ rights appeared in court yesterday for attacking his former wife and the mother of his daughter. Carl Stockill was told he will not be jailed after he admitted headbutting Sara Stockill at her home in Darlington in December
A RAPE suspect had “an enormous” amount to drink and took a cocktail of drugs before he allegedly attacked a woman walking home from a fancy dress night out. A court heard yesterday that Craig Campbell had downed a two-litre bottle of cheap
THE North-East branch of euro-sceptic party UKIP has been investigated by trading standards officials after making a bogus application for cash from an EU quango. Members of UKIP North- East created the fake Hartlepool and East Durham European
THE potential saviour of North-East steelmaking arrived in the region last night as plans to rescue the industry took another step forward. Win Viriyaprapaikit, president of Sahaviriya Steel Industries (SSI), the Thai company proposing to buy
AS PART of my series on the Battle of Britain, here is another archive article, this time from 2000 which was, of course, the 60th anniversary. It is the story of August 15, 1940, when 32 people were killed and 105 were injured in a series of air raids
SUNDERLAND footballer Titus Bramble and his brother Tesfaye have been released on bail pending further inquiries over a rape allegation. Northumbria Police confirmed today that the 29-year-old former England under-21 international and his 30-year-old
A COUNCILLOR fears a supported bus service, which campaigners spentmore than a year trying to save, could be facing the axe again. Mark Burton claimed a lack of agreed upgrades to the route of a service in Harrowgate Hill could spell its end.
FIRST the bad news. Chris Hughton travelled to Stamford Bridge last night and discovered a team that was better than the Newcastle United side that beat Everton at the weekend. Now the good news. That team was Newcastle United reserves. Shorn
A TEENAGER has been arrested after a laser pen was shone into the cockpit of a holiday jet carrying more than 200 passengers. The device was also flashed at a police helicopter sent to investigate after the incident was reported. Although
VANDALS thought to be as young as ten are putting lives at risk by targeting an ambulance station. A spate of criminal damage and anti-social behaviour has been reported at Fishburn ambulance station, near Sedgefield, County Durham. The North-East
THE region’s police forces should take a new approach to tackling anti-social behaviour to restore “civility” to public places. A study by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) said anti-social behaviour was widespread and more needed
VINCE CABLE cheered the nervous Lib Dem faithful when he urged them to keep fighting for higher taxes on the rich and against tuition fees in his endof- conference speech. The Business Secretary’s rousing address appeared to open up a clear divide
POLICE are appealing for witnesses to an accident which left a driver critical when her car was in a collision with an ambulance. The accident happened at about 7.50pm on Wednesday on the A694 Lintzford Road near Rowlands Gill, Gateshead. The 36-year-old
