Three generations of the same family were rescued today by Sunderland RNLI lifeboat volunteers after their 32ft fishing vessel suffered engine failure close to Roker Pier. The rescue mission was launched at 10:50am when the crew issued an emergency VHF
A LADIES’ rugby team have triumped over dozens of others to win the chance to train with Newcastle Falcons. Darlington Rugby Football Club women’s side have been announced as winners of QBE Insurance Group’s Rugby Pro competition and are one of 12
Helen Brown talks to rap artist EGO TRIP, alias Mark Naylor, about his unusual start in the music business after learning to play brass instruments with The Salvation Army RAP artist EGO TRIP, alias Mark Naylor, has a success story on his hands
IT’S a wonder any work ever gets done in Underworld, the Walford knicker factory in Coronation Street (ITV1). If the stroppy workers aren’t on strike, the owners are having affairs or killing people. A dead body was hidden under the floor. And the
THE latest representative for Darlington’s young people has pledged to do more to improve access to facilities. Emily O’Hara made improved access a cornerstone of her manifesto for the position of Darlington member of the youth parliament and was this
A POLICEWOMAN suing her force for sexual discrimination received an apology from a chief inspector after being asked if she wanted "a pink gun", a tribunal heard today. The former firearms officer, identified as Miss M for security reasons, said she
COMMUNITY leaders are urging residents to support a town’s historic market as it fights back in the battle against out-of-town shopping and economic uncertainty. Bedale was first granted its market charter more than 860 years ago and it has
TWO men caught during a drugs raid were yesterday jailed for two years. Dale Jaffray's lawyer had argued that he could be given a community punishment because he had only £200 worth of cocaine when police swooped. Jaffray, 25, of Midhurst Road
A HISTORIC mansion that once hosted a royal banquet before falling into disrepair has been transformed into a £4.3m youth centre. With its feature walls, exposed brickwork and modern lighting, the Custom House in the St Hilda's area of Middlesbrough
VOLUNTEERS helping to run a community centre have won praise for supporting children and young people. Staff at the Jubilee Fields Community Centre, in Shildon, have been presented with an Investing In Children membership. The centre was opened in April
A SCHEME to shut two paths to allow for a community floral area has been criticised by a local opponent. Durham County Council wants to place the planted area on St Mary’s Close, Bishop Auckland, a cul-de-sac of residential houses. Approval of the plan
A NEW-LOOK library will celebrate its first anniversary on World Book Day after attracting more than 165,000 visitors during the past year. Redcar Library has also issued 73,600 books and welcomed 1,250 children to fun activities since opening on
NEARLY a sell-out before the curtain rose and given that the Customs House has been stripped of its new writing funding, this could be the venue’s swansong. However, Bafta-winning Emmerdale writer Karin Young’s work is a good marker to go out
A MOTHER handed her son in to the police after he broke into her home to steal the keys to the pub where she was manageress. Craig Roddam let himself into the pub, in Thornaby, while it was closed and stole £260 from the safe, Teesside Crown Court
Make Bradford British (C4, 9pm) Holiday Heaven on Earth (Channel 5, 7pm) Woof! A Horizon Guide to Dogs (BBC4, 8pm) What exactly does it mean to be British? Well, there’s a test to find out – the Government’s UK Citizenship Test, also known as
A 53-YEAR-OLD man was killed after a road accident, at Worsall, near Yarm, today. The accident occurred on Back Lane at around 9.10am. Police say the man, whose name has not been revealed, was from the Stokesley area and was driving a silver Toyota
A FORMER cricketer has been bowled over by the leap day birth of his son. Alfie William Blenkiron arrived at 1am yesterday at Bishop Auckland General Hospital. His parents are Darren Blenkiron, who played cricket for County Durham between 1991
OUR youngest is approaching a particularly important phase of his education. Fifteen in a few weeks, he’s preparing for his GCSEs and being made to start thinking about career possibilities beyond the paper round that he shares with his mum.
SHE was the dynamic woman with the clever ideas to get many of the North’s job-shy back to work – until she was forced to quit, last week, mired in scandal. Now Emma Harrison’s departure from A4E, the firm she founded and led flamboyantly, and from
THE forthcoming Olympic Games are a monstrous waste of money which could be better spent. I couldn’t give a flying fig if they go ahead or not. That aside, I find the suggestion that they are sidelined by a period of civil disobedience, as suggested
AT last we’ve finally had an acknowledgement of the struggle to keep Darlington Arts Centre open from The Northern Echo (comment, Feb 25). I’ve been waiting for the rallying call to help but all we got was a weak acceptance of defeat. Thanks
WHY do the vast majority of doctors sign their signatures in unreadable childish scrawl? The most ridiculous one I ever saw was just a half inch straight line. No doubt they have an armful of reasons and excuses as to why they do it. Two spring
Memories of Billy Callender, who met a terrible end, and of Crook Town, where there are whispers of a new beginning BILLY Callender, once a North-East miner, played 225 games in goal for Crystal Palace and then hanged himself with a skipping
A NEW free programme has been launched in east Durham to help people from the construction industry get back into work. East Durham College’s Business Academy has launched their first Sector-based Work Academy for the construction industry
HAS humour been completely eradicated from our society? Marjorie won’t talk to Hector because he is a Tory, Mr Jones ignores his neighbour because he was born in South Africa and Professor Palmer dislikes his assistant because she supports Raith
RONNIE CHAMBERS (HAS, Feb 28) is perfectly entitled to his opinion and, while hardened to such remarks, I was saddened to see Mr Chambers spoil a reasonable letter by suggesting I hate people with left-wing views. I merely think in general they
THE success of the silent film The Artist has been a surprise to some for it has revived interest in movies that were made without sound. Very few people alive today can remember the period. However, I do remember and very much enjoyed, the ITV
AN article on Monday, February 27 showed young volunteers planting trees along the River Gaunless in West Auckland. Well done the young people. In a few years time there will be an amazing difference, the young trees will soon shoot up. But on
I VISITED Redcar last week to see what progress was being made on the controversial vertical pier and the new sea defences. The new pier was looking good, but I could not believe what was taking place along the promenade. A Berlin type wall is
PLANS for a new health centre in Chilton have been submitted. Dr Martin Orlandi has applied to Durham County Council for planning permission for the new facility on land at Dale Street. Residents have been calling for the town’s dated
THE debate on a new airport in the South-East of England makes me wonder if the owners of Teesside Airport (I refuse to call it Durham Tees Valley) have thought of the options open to them? Teesside has a runway which can take the world’s biggest
THE trades unions should not be even thinking about disrupting the Olympic Games. If Britain finds itself portrayed as an incompetent sick man because industrial action reduces the Games to chaos, our reputation will be so badly harmed that it
A SOCIAL landlord has been criticised for refusing to face councillors over proposals to demolish sheltered housing complexes. Spennymoor Town Council called on Livin to answer members’ questions about a review of its 13 schemes across the
PRIME Minister David Cameron has pledged his Government will do everything it can to support North-East business. In a video message to the annual North-East Economic Forum conference, held at the Hilton Hotel, in Gateshead, on Thursday, Mr
PLANS are being considered to instroduce 20mph speed limits on streets surrounding two Darlington primary schools20mph zones, despite objections from some residents. The proposals, recommended for approval when they go before Darlington Borough Council's
PLANS to build nearly 40 affordable homes for older people on two former sheltered housing units have won cross-party support. The Vela Group wants to build 38 apartments and bungalows on the sites of Oversteads House, in Ushaw Moor, and Brandon House
MOTHER-of-two Anne Ash has returned from the fund-rarsing trip of a lifetime - cycling 400kms across Kenya. Anne, from Bedale, joined 100 other women from across the UK on the five-day ride, raising money for WomenVCancer, an organisation that supports
POLICE were joined by almost 100 volunteers in a joint cross-border operation designed to shut the gate on rural crime. North Yorkshire officers from the Richmoind and Hambleton Safer Neighbourhood Command were joiuned by colleagues from the County
BUSINESSES are to be asked to work together to support Darlington as a the future base for business. Representatives from local companies are invited to a meeting to be held at Lingfield Point, on McMullen Road, on Thursday, March 8, to give their ideas
A HOSPITAL director has apologised after a patient was set on fire during surgery. The unnamed patient was undergoing a surgical procedure at Scarborough Hospital, in North Yorkshire, when a chemical solution used to clean the skin ignited.
A public meeting to help create a vision for Bishop Auckland town centre will take place later this month. The town council is calling on residents and business owners to have their say on ways to revitalise the area. It is also hoped some people will
RULES governing how streets in County Durham are officially named will be discussed by councillors next week. A draft Street Naming and Numbering Policy will be presented to members of Durham County Council’s cabinet on Wednesday. The council has
A LONG-AWAITED revamp of a busy block of public toilets is to go-ahead. Concerns have been raised for many years about the state of the public conveniences at the bus station in Bishop Auckland for a number of years. At Bishop Auckland Town Council
FOREIGN secretary William Hague has called on hospital bosses to “set out a positive vision” for its future amid fears of service cuts. The Richmond MP yesterday visited the Friarage Hospital, in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, where maternity and children
A POST-mortem is being held this afternoon into the death of a man found in a Darlington park. Police this afternoon said that they do not believe that a third party was involved in his death. However inquiries are still ongoing. He
A NEW play area costing £106,000 is to be created in the centre of Sacriston. The facility will complement the recently-completed multi-use games area and outdoor gym next to The Fulforth Centre. The scheme has won a £49,999 grant from
As Durham County Council’s Cabinet rubber-stamped plans for 120 community centres yesterday, reporter Duncan Leatherdale visits a town which already seems to have lost more than most IN the final days of Wear Valley District Council in December 2008
A YOUNG runner has been picked to run in a national cross country championships, despite only taking up the sport last year. Lucy-Erin Hunter, 11, a student at Hummersknott Academy, started running competitively after joining the school in September
A FUNDRAISING coffee morning and auction is taking place at Middleton-in-Teesdale on Saturday. The events will be held in the Masonic Hall in aid of the village’s nursery school. The coffee morning runs from 10am to 12.30pm and includes a raffle. Entry
BRASS band that plays for enjoyment is looking for new members to boost its numbers. The Cockerton Vintage Brass Band, which plays at Cockerton Working Mens Club, meets every Tuesday and mostly play for fun, apart from the occasional carol or fundraising
A SEVEN-year-old boy who wrote to David Cameron to ask for his help to save a library threatened with closure was delighted when he received a reply from the Prime Minister’s office. William Dore, a pupil at Cockerton Primary School, in Darlington,
POLICE are currently at the scene of a serious single road accident on Back Lane, Worsall, near Yarm. The accident, at 9.10am today, involved a Toyota 4x4 which appears to have collided with a tree. "Back Lane is currently closed while
MIDDLESBROUGH have signed Wolves winger Adam Hammill on loan until the end of the season. Hammill, 24, has been at Molineux since arriving from Barnsley last summer and Tony Mowbray has moved to add the winger to his ranks. The former
THE policeman who was shot and blinded by crazed gunman Raoul Moat has been found dead at his home in a suspected suicide. The body of Pc David Rathband was discovered in Blyth, Northumberland, last night after officers received a report of
A BUS driver has been cleared of indecently assaulting a girl he knew from a school run. Charles McKenna, 61, was accused of supplying the girl with cigarettes. The alleged indecent touching and kissing was said to have taken place at one handover
TORY grandee Lord Heseltine has said he believes the North-East is through the worst of the recession and also accused opponents of the Government’s controversial work experience scheme of a “classic left-wing attack”. The former Deputy Prime Minister
A COUNCIL leader has pledged his authority’s full support to help volunteers save dozens of community centres threatened with closure. Simon Henig, Labour leader of Durham County Council, made the pledge as his cabinet confirmed the closure of 14 facilities
A GUN obsessive who “tinkered” with weapons as a hobby was yesterday jailed for six years. Glen Graham, 38, modified and made firearms in his spare time at work, at a motor salvage workshop in a former fire station in Delves Lane, Consett,
A DOCTOR who failed to prescribe antibiotics to a ten-year-old boy who died of meningitis will face a professional misconduct hearing. Seven years after William Cressey died after being sent home from Darlington Memorial Hospital, the consultant
CLEVELAND Police Authority has agreed to a 3.5 per cent council tax precept to protect frontline services following a stark warning from its temporary chief constable. Jacqui Cheer told members she could not guarantee that officer levels would
A CIVIL servant took advantage of the leap day tradition and asked her partner to marry her in a proposal on board one of the region’s most famous steam engines. Fiona Boubert won a competition with Mills and Boon to create the perfect romantic moment
POLICE fear a deadly batch of ecstasy pills may be circulating in Darlington after the death of a teenage girl. Nicole Tomlinson, 19, from Darlington, died on Tuesday morning 75 minutes after being taken to hospital. Although police
QUAKERS administrator Harvey Madden last night warned fans they needed to turn up in their thousands to Saturday’s home game if they wanted to see new signings. Mr Madden said the initial euphoria surrounding the club’s battle for survival
MINISTERS will decide later this month if a scheme that's kick-started careers for hundreds of Tees Valley youngsters gets a cash injection to secure its future. After putting their case to Skills Minister John Hayes in Westminster a delegation of the
FRAIZER Campbell enjoyed a remarkable evening in more ways than one last night as his senior England debut coincided with the birth of his first child. Campbell won his first England cap at Wembley as Arjen Robben's stoppage-time winner condemned Stuart
NO manager, no permanent captain, no striker in the squad with an international goal to his name. Does that mean England have no hope of success in this summer's European Championships in Poland and Ukraine? Not necessarily. Although they will
MIDDLESBROUGH captain Matthew Bates has challenged his team's midfielders to improve their service to the strikers as the play-off chasers look to avoid defeat on Saturday. Boro travel to crisis club Portsmouth at the weekend, on the back
By Chris Glancey Former Sunderland midfielder Alex Rae has thrown down the gauntlet to Lee Cattermole and Craig Gardner, insisting the pair need to win the midfield battle if they are to end their dreadful run on Tyneside. Rae was in the
Skipper Phil Mustard's hopes of landing a second Twenty20 winner's medal of the winter ended in disappointment yesterday. After leading the Mountaineers to victory in Zimbabwe's Stanbic Bank final by making 56 in the final against Mashonaland in December
FOR the first time in five years Sunderland is set to welcome some of Britain's top tennis talent when the National Premier Indoor tennis finals return to where they first began 13 years ago. The prestigious tournament, which includes previous
A GROUP of students from the region have been given an insight into the exciting careers on offer in advanced engineering. Pupils from Darlington College and Darlington's Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College and Carmell Sixth Form visited CTC
HE has won an Argentinian league title, an Olympic gold medal and made more than 30 senior appearances for his country, but when Fabricio Coloccini leads Newcastle United into his first home derby with Sunderland as the club's captain on Sunday
The policeman who was shot and blinded by crazed gunman Raoul Moat has been found dead at his home in a suspected suicide.The body of Pc David Rathband was discovered in Blyth, Northumberland, on Wednesday night after officers received a report of concern
An emotional Chris Coleman admitted it had been "an incredibly tough night" after watching his Wales side lose 1-0 to Costa Rica in an understandably subdued Gary Speed Memorial Match at Cardiff City Stadium. It was always going to be a difficult fixture
