Spennymoor Town’s hopes of a league and league cup double improved with two late goals in their league cup semi final at Sunderland RCA to give them a 3-1 win. Moors took the lead after 16 minutes when Steve Richardson turned quickly and
WE'RE all looking to save a few quid these days. Across the world drivers are trading down, especially in the UK where the soaring cost of fuel is accelerating the trend towards smaller cars. But downsizing needn't mean taking a step down in
A CONSULTATION exercise has been launched for two separate improvement schemes on the seafront at Seaton Carew. Hartlepool Borough Council is proposing to build a new children's play area beside one part of the promenade and create an Art Deco-style
A VOLUNTEER service for vulnerable young adults who find themselves on the streets or in need of a safe house is struggling to find families willing to open their doors. Nightstop Teesside, which offers temporary accommodation to 16-25 year-olds, has
NEIGHBOURS in Billingham have scooped a £2.5 million People's Postcode Lottery windfall. All players living in the TS23 3 postcode area will get a share of the prize money and the more tickets a person plays with, the more cash they win. The biggest
A SHOPKEEPER accused of murdering his wife in her sleep said the accusation was "a terrible, awful thing to say". Prosecutors claim that Robin Garbutt, 45, bludgeoned his wife Diana, 40, in their living quarters above The Village Shop and Post
THE headteacher from a top performing school have been chosen to support other schools facing challenging circumstances. Angela Puddick, the head of The Links Primary School in Eaglescliffe, has been appointed to the role of National Leader of Education
A PAIR of safety conscious pupils have seen their artistic hard work turned into distinctive road signs. Park End Community Council asked local children to design signs welcoming motorists to the area and asking them to drive carefully. The winning
THE Victorian cliff lifts in Saltburn have been lowered back onto their tracks after a £30,000 refurbishment. The famous water powered carriages will be up and running in time for the Easter holiday period. Over the winter the carriages
PIGEONS will be the topic of a discussion between Darlington Borough Council and Network Rail following complaints from pedestrians. Concerns over the cleanliness of footpaths under the Parkgate railway bridge in Darlington have prompted talks between
CAMPAIGNERS have vowed to keep battling despite suffering another blow in their fight to save a field from a £44m education and leisure development. Members of Consett Green Spaces Group (CGSG) saw their bid to have Consett’s Belle Vue, on which Durham
TWO men have been cleared of taking part violence which erupted after a Hartlepool United football match. Dean Carroll and John Welsh were acquitted of charges of unlawful wounding and affray at the end of a five-day trial. Both men claimed they got
DURHAM were suddenly given a glimmer of hope when Hampshire’s second and third wickets went down in successive balls with the total on 242. But it was the faintest glimmer and had all but expired by tea. Left-hander Jimmy Adams, out first ball in the
I FEEL bad about the bad things, I feel good about the good things, I wouldn’t change a thing, says Dave Grohl at the end of Back and Forth. Throughout the 16 years that the Foo Fighters have been around there have been plenty of both.
MORE retailers will be under the spotlight this week when JD Sports Fashion, stationery chain WH Smith and department store Debenhams update the market. Retailer JD Sports Fashion is expected to announce a 17 per cent increase in profits as it
A LEADING North-East business figure has welcomed BT’s decision to extend the roll-out of superfast broadband across the region. James Ramsbotham, chief executive of the North East Chamber of Commerce, which represents 4,000 of the region’s
AFTER all the drama and excitement provided by Ben Stokes yesterday, the morning’s play on the final day at the Rose Bowl was as flat as the pitch. With Steve Harmison not on the field because of his arm injury, Stokes bowled for the first 50 minutes
Waking The Dead (BBC1, 9pm) A Home for Maisie (BBC2, 9pm) The Great Estate: The Rise And Fall Of The Council House (BBC4, 9pm) IT’S the end of an era – Waking the Dead is about to be consigned to the great TV archive in the sky. The final part
CELEBRITIES, sports stars, former Middlesbrough players and the club's shirt sponsor, Ramsdens, are coming together to support former Boro player Gary Parkinson at a Riverside benefit match. The event, which kicks off at 4pm on Sunday, May 15, will raise
THE engineers of tomorrow were given a science lesson with a difference at a leading North-East steel firm. The year six pupils from Fishburn Primary School took a break from the classroom to visit Finley Structures, in Newton Aycliffe, to see
A YOUNG woman who battled back from redundancy to launch a chartered surveying business is the latest entrant to an entrepreneurial competition. Qualified chartered surveyor Emma Yarrow, 26, of Darlington, set up her practice after losing her
I AM writing to thank everyone who supported the campaign to save the Zurbarans and Auckland Castle and who signed the petition which I presented to Parliament. Your voice was heard. The Zurbarans and Auckland Castle have been saved for the people
As her latest novel hits the shops, Darlington author Jenna Burtenshaw shares the local places that inspired her to write. I HAVE lived in Darlington all my life, and ever since I first learnt to read, I have loved books. Whenever someone picks
WITH the conclusion of the inquest into the Derrick Bird murders in Cumbria last year I ask if there is a price put on a human life and, if so, is it the pleasure of gun use by a tiny influential minority of the population? The lesson to be learnt
THERE are many find actors. They charm and inspire but above all they have the ability to transform a character from script to stage or screen. Some actors are renowned for a particular there are others whose versatility lends itself to vogue
WHERE are all the politicians representing the pensioners who will lose out on a decent state pension, having worked and fought for our country and being overlooked by every Government? While helping other countries instead of our own, what have
I’M just writing to say how hard it must be for some supermarkets like Asda and Sainsbury’s. Middlestone Moor Homing Society was holding its annual charity pigeon sale in aid of the kidney dialysis unit in Darlington. They asked local stores
TO the gentleman who was curious about the workings of my mind (HAS, April 4). At 82 years of age, it is functioning very nicely, thank you very much. Judging by the contents of your letter, I have forgotten more than you will ever know. Hugh
I WOULD like to comment on your editorial (Echo, April 6) regarding councils using “bully boy” debt tactics. Some years ago, when I lived in Wood Vue, Spennymoor, I had a dispute with Sedgefield Borough Council regarding housing benefit. They
THERE have been some great debates on this page and Hear All Sides can often be a top read. Over the years, some people have written in to complain about my letters, and called me names that some teachers called me in front of my fellow classmates
FOLLOWING the revealing and distasteful remarks by Oliver Letwin, about the incongruity of the working class taking foreign holidays, some HAS correspondents seem to have concluded that the Tories dislike such people and hold them in contempt.
WHEN all this trouble in Libya gets settled, will Mr Gaddafi and all his tribe want to come and live in Britain? I’m sure if he does come, he will feel very much at home here. We have a country full of despots, rapists, murderers, known terrorists
GUY Wilks believes fortune will favour the brave when it comes to the second round of this years Intercontinental Rally Challenge. Peugeot UK driver Wilks, from Darlington, is in Gran Canaria for the Rally Islas Canarias which begins on Thursday
I WENT to see the viewing of Teesside Troubadour by Craig Hornby about Vin Garbutt. I have to admit to not being a fan of country music, but thought it would be of interest as it is about a local entertainer. What an entertaining talented man
NORTH Yorkshire County Council has published proposals to sell off most of the land at Richmond Lower School. This historic site has been used by generations of school children. It has long been a public asset and amenity and should continue
IT will seem very strange for The Northern Echo to leave Priestgate, which has been the paper’s home since the first copy was published on January 1 1870. Great editors such as William Stead and Harold Evans have guided the paper from the Darlington
At a time when many theatres in the country fear for their future because of Government cuts, a venue in York is on a growth curve, says Steve Pratt. LIZ WILSON has never worked in a place where so many people come knocking on the door. They have
IT is, of course, very sad that two horses were killed in Saturday’s Grand National. And it is inevitable that the deaths of Dooney’s Gate and Ornais have led to renewed calls for an outright ban on the world’s most famous steeplechase. The protests
A MOTORING menace who has been taking cars since his schooldays is today starting his first sentence in an adult prison. Christopher Hope, 19, was jailed for a total of 27 months for a string of car crimes and house burglaries across Stockton in January
TWO men convicted of a murder in the Costa Blanca region of Spain have failed with appeals against their jail terms. Adrian Marshall, 52, originally from Darlington, and 62-year-old Lindsay George Frampton-Slade had appealed the 16 year jail sentences
IT was not hard to determine the sense of fatherly pride in Ginger McCain, even if much of what he said in interviews was unprintable. McCain is synonymous with the Grand National because of his exploits with the heroic Red Rum in the 1970s
IT WAS ecstasy for South African Charl Schwartzel in The Masters at Augusta – and total unmitigated agony for Rory McIlroy. Schwartzel, 26, grabbed his first major title after yet another amazing day of high drama that saw Tiger Woods charge
THE sun-baked Rose Bowl staged the Ben Stokes Show yesterday. With four of the original cast injured, those left standing were mere extras as the budding colossus bestrode the arena. It is not every day that a 19- year-old starts by taking three
BURGLARS have targeted the home of a retired musician, helping themselves to £26,000-worth of top of the range electrical goods. The flat in the Stanhope Road area of Darlington was broken into and over 20 items of audio and video equipment stolen.
UNLESS Ben Stokes can produce more magic, Durham will need some wizardry from spinners Ian Blackwell and Scott Borthwick if they are to beat Hampshire today. The Rose Bowl pitch showed no sign of wear on the third day and after being set a target
CHESS players of all abilities are invited to take part in an annual competition staged over three days of intense play. The 32nd County Durham Open Chess Congress takes place at Houghton Sports Centre, in Station Road, Houghton-le-Spring, between Durham
SEARCH and rescue volunteers spent several hours combing a disused industrial site in an attempt to trace a man who has not been seen for three months. Despite several emotional pleas from Darren Waller’s former partner and his three children
EXTRA money has been given to the flagship regional growth fund after protests that hundreds of bids for jobcreation projects will be thrown out. Chancellor George Osborne said £400m would be distributed this week when the winning applications
HAVING recently secured their future, the Zurbarans are now to take to the rugby field. Bishop Auckland Rugby Club has named its new third team after the paintings, which have hung in Auckland Castle, in the town, for more than 250 years
THE founder of a family-run ice cream buisness has died aged 76. Brian Moore founded Brymor Ice Cream in 1985 as a farm diversification project and the business went from strength to strength, eventually becoming one of North Yorkshire’s most
A JUDGE spared a couple jail for a £100,000 theft after hearing a bank was to blame for putting the cash into their account. Colin and Susan Clack left the unexpected windfall for a year to see if the mistake was rectified before they started
THE region’s racehorse trainers last night sprang to the defence of the Grand National amid growing calls for the famous race to be banned. Animal welfare groups have called for an outright ban on the gruelling four-anda- half mile steeplechase
A 20-YEAR-OLD man has been charged with manslaughter following the death of a man who was attacked near a pub. Spencer Freeman, 42, was assaulted early on Sunday near The Grenadier, in Trimdon Avenue, Middlesbrough. Mr Freeman, a father-of-two
POLICE have smashed a drugs ring that smuggled cocaine into the region from India inside counterfeit designer handbags. Staff at an airport uncovered the plot and alerted North Yorkshire Police, who set a trap. Class A drugs worth more
HOUSEHOLDERS will no longer be fined for falling foul of waste and recycling rules, as part of a shake-up of local authority powers. The Government has promised to tackle Britain’s “barmy bin policies” which will restrict fines to all but the
AN MP has spoken about her frustration at further plans to move mobile phone workers’ jobs abroad. Jenny Chapman made her comments in the wake of Orange – now part of the merged Everything Everywhere brand – confirming last week it was to make
ENGINEERS in the region are dancing to a Brazilian beat after winning a new contract that has put the spring back in the step of a company that was in the doldrums. Precision engineering specialist Express Engineering has netted a deal to supply components
Goals: 1-0: Collins (24mins, glanced Ashley Young's free-kick into the corner after the winger had been fouled by Barton) Bookings: Williamson (23mins, foul), Petrov (79, foul), Barton (90, dissent), Cuellar (90, foul) Referee
TWO years after their last trip to Aston Villa resulted in a 1-0 defeat that condemned them to the Championship, Newcastle returned to Villa Park to suffer an identical reverse. However, barring a disaster in the remaining six matches of the
ALAN Pardew last night claimed Ashley Young was Newcastle's 'fall guy' as his side slipped to a 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa. The Magpies were far from outclassed as they returned to the scene of 2009's relegation from the top-flight, but were
An actor from popular ITV soap Emmerdale will be taking over the managerial reins at Chester-le-Street in the summer. No, not Cain, Jimmy or Aaron, but Grant Crookes. As revealed in Northern Echo online and in Local Heroes on Saturday
