BLACKWELL BRIDGE has stood for exactly 180 years on a woollen foundation – a remarkable achievement. In fact, as the foundation stone was laid on June 5, 1832, it is an achievement that would normally have been celebrated in Echo Memories. However
THE Northern Echo printed my letter applauding the EU ruling that prisoners must be given the right to vote and CT Riley’s subsequent reply (HAS, May 25). What most weakens his case is his reference to prisoners not deserving to vote because they
FOR an Employment Minister who swears blind unpaid labour does not exist in Britain today, Chris Grayling certainly loves serving it up by the bucket load. From next month, 40,000 benefit claimants will be ordered to do unpaid community work or
THE Northern Echo invariably refers to the city of Durham as Durham City (capital C) and so does the BBC. Is this now its official title? Peter Elliott, Eaglescliffe.
THE Yarm Road area of Darlington has really entered into the spirit and fun of the forthcoming Olympics, with an even greater display of empty crisp bags, sweet wrappings, cans, takeaway cartons, plastic bottles and discarded cigarette packets
I WOULD not blame doctors for going on strike. They have to study a long time before they get to where they want to be. And when they have paid their mortgage off how will they be able to care for the upkeep of their homes? Zeeta Jackson, Shildon
A Jubilee Tribute to the Queen by the Prince of Wales (BBC1, 8pm) Elizabeth: Queen, Wife, Mother (ITV1, 9pm) Punk Britannia (BBC Four, 9pm) UNLESS you’ve been living on Mars for the past 12 months, you can’t fail to have noticed that the Queen
THE Northern Echo reported on May 30 that 800 tickets will be available for the Olympic Torch event, in Durham Market Place, on Sunday June 17. Unfortunately, the tickets were released on the same day. Even if I had read the paper that morning
ALLOW me to enlighten VJ Connor regarding speed bumps (HAS, May 30) as a resident in possession of all the facts. At our request, traffic on Rockingham Drive, in Bishop Auckland, was monitored and the residents were astounded at the results.
WHILE it is always entertaining to read lurid conspiracy theories in the pages of The Northern Echo, I feel I have to respond to the letter from Ian White about the introduction of wheelie bins to Darlington (HAS, May 30). While employee health
THERE was an investigation costing £4.6m, a wait of four-and-a-half years for it to come to court then a six week trial. But in the end, it took a jury just seven hours to ensure justice was done and common sense was restored. The acquittal of the
FEW North-East companies made a bigger impact on world affairs than the one established by Bishop Auckland Grammar School boy William George Armstrong. Yesterday, the former Vickers Armstrong tank factory in Scotswood Road, Newcastle, became the
Volunteers Week, which starts today, is an annual campaign to celebrate the contribution volunteers make. Karen Grundy, executive director at eVOLution, the Darlington-based voluntary and community sector group, explains why they are so important
SPOILSPORT thieves have stolen two Jubilee-themed scarecrows from a Richmondshire village, ahead of a competition today. (2) Villagers in Skeeby, near Richmond, realised one of the scarecrows that had been sitting outside the boarded up Traveller’s
UNSUCCESSFUL bids to win government cash for a high street upgrade have forced two towns to go back to the drawing board. Leyburn and Bedale submitted appeals for a share of £1.2m from the Government in response to a report on British high streets by
A BUSINESS association is appealing to businesses and residents to help fund a town’s CCTV system - and said once it is gone it will be gone for good. Richmond Business and Tourism Association (RBTA) launched Richmond Guardians in an attempt to save
With all the doom and gloom that's about this year, it is so heart-warming to have the Jubilee Bank holiday to cheer us all up. Perhaps we can all take a leaf out of the Queen's book. She has worked very hard and devoted her life to her country and
VISITORS to a railway museum can delve into their childhood with an exhibition of a worldwide hit toy. Locomotion: The National Railway Museum at Shildon is to host the Meccano Magic models exhibition. There will be displays of the toy which first appeared
AN Olympic torch bearer has carried the torch she held to the region to show it off to youngsters in local schools. Maggie Glastonbury was asked to carry the torch through the centre of Bristol on May 23 due to her charity work. The college lecturer
A PUB in Newton Aycliffe will hold an evening of fundraising in aid of the air ambulance. Regulars at The Huntsman are hoping to beat the £600 total they raised last year for the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS). As well as a disco, the event
NEW speed bumps have turned an accident waiting to happen into a safe driving zone, residents say. The speed calming measures, called speed tables, were installed along Rockingham Drive, in Bishop Auckland, two weeks ago after Durham county councillors
UNIONS and bosses will meet on Bank Holiday Monday to try to avert a rail strike that could hit two showcase rock concerts. Tyne and Wear Metro workers plan 24-hour walkouts on Thursday, June 7, and Thursday, June 21, when Coldplay and Bruce Springsteen
Yorkshire are building a healthy first-innings advantage on day three of their LV=County Championship match with Northamptonshire. By tea at Headingley, they had reached 361 for six to lead by 108 runs. Anthony McGrath was unbeaten on 43 at the interval
A STAND of 132 between Ben Stokes and Paul Collingwood got Durham back into the game after they had slipped from 53 without loss to 71 for four at lunch. Collingwood fell lbw to Kyle Hogg two balls after reaching 50, but Stokes was still there on 80
DURHAM'S Ashes Test will take place on Friday, August 9 to Tuesday, August 13 next year. It will be the fourth Test in the series and Durham CCC chief executive David Harker said: "Hosting the Investec Ashes Test match at Emirates Durham is great reward
The Northern Echo's revelation this week that councillors in Darlington have had a private briefing on a plan to demolish the town hall to make way for a supermarket has certainly put the cat among the pigeons. Inevitably, the plan, involving
Joe Root's century was the highlight for Yorkshire in the morning session on day three of their LV=County Championship match with Northamptonshire. Resuming on 98 not out, he passed three figures for the first time at Headingley off only the third ball
DURHAM wiped out their arrears for the loss of four wickets this morning, but it was disappointing that both openers should fall after putting on 53. It was no surprise when a plainly nervous Gordon Muchall also departed for seven. He survived a sticky
A MOTHER is taking the plunge and swimming the one smallest lake in the Lake District for charity. Social worker Cayherine Roberts, 36, of Chester-le-Street, will do the Grasmere Channel Swim in aid of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust on Saturday July 7.
PEOPLE are being warned not to respond to a scam letter. Police were alerted by a pensioner in Chester-le-Street who receiveda copy. It purported to be from a private investment manager and related to funds available from the estate of a man who
A DROP-IN youth and internet cafe in Ferryhill will open an extra night a week after receiving a cash windfall. Ferryhill Town Council secured a £36,000 grant from the Big Lottery’s Reaching Communities Fund to extend the opening hours at The E-Café.
People wishing to participate in the creation of Barnard Castle's Olympic Textile Art Installation can book a free place on one of the workshop dates at NeST gallery in Newgate, Barnard Castle or send completed 5in textile squares to the gallery
CANCER charities are the benefactors of fundraising campaigns by a new town mayor and his predecessor. Last year’s mayor of Spennymoor, Coun Bill Waters, raised £16,000 for The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation. He presented the cheque to
PUPILS, parents and staff celebrated the first anniversary of a primary school's popular walking bus. Guests joined in the last leg of the journey to Toft Hill Primary School on Friday morning. More than 30 children from the village
CHILDREN have been painting portraits of the Queen ahead of a jubilee garden party. Youngsters from St Hild’s Primary School, in Gilesgate, Durham, drew images of her Majesty inspired by television artist Rolf Harris’ 2005 impressionistic portrait
CHILDREN in part of the region have enjoyed a patriotic party. The Great British Party was held at Leadgate Junior School, near Consett, yesterday. Pupils enjoyed national favourites such as pork pies, ice cream, Cheddar cheese and cucumber
A CHARITY shop is displaying royal memorabilia from the 1930s. Age UK, in Darlington, has been given a donation including a collection of Union Flag inspired hats dating from 1935. The hats were donated last year by a customer who felt the shop
YOUNGSTERS have been getting into the spirit of the jubilee early during the halfterm holiday. Newton Aycliffe schoolchildren received a commemorative mug and pen to mark the occasion during a presentation yesterday as part of a wider programme
A GROUP of dales women are celebrating after finding a crown they lovingly created for the Queen’s silver jubilee. The jewel-encrusted crown has been gathering dust in a cupboard at the now closed Methodist Chapel at Westgate, in Weardale, County
EIGHTY thousand people were admitted to hospital for alcohol-related reasons in the North-East last year, an annual increase of more than 7,000. The newly-released statistics mean that the region has again topped a national league for alcohol-related
A GROUP of Weardale women are celebrating after finding a crown they lovingly created for the Queen’s silver jubilee. The jewel-encrusted crown has been gathering dust in a cupboard at the now closed Methodist Chapel at Westgate, near Stanhope, County
A WOMAN paid to help oversee accounts for a rail company has been convicted of defrauding the business of £36,781. Corina Heslop was yesterday found guilty of eight counts of fraud against her former employer, British American Rail Services (Bars),
A POLICE watchdog has concluded that officers from two North-East police forces dealt appropriately with concerns about a mother in the days before she strangled her two-year-old son. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) released its
A TOP-ranking official at the North’s leading university has been placed on special leave, The Northern Echo understands. Carolyn Fowler is the registrar and secretary at Durham University – secretary to the university’s governing council and senate,
Darlington will win the Northern League title next season, according to former midfielder Andy Toman. He has experience of managing in the league having been boss of Peterlee, Guisborough and Northallerton Town and he applied to be Quakers' new manager
WITHIN minutes of Frank Lampard hobbling off the training pitch on Wednesday clutching his thigh, the calls for a rethink about his replacement in the England squad had begun. "There's only one name we should be considering," tweeted John Harrison, a
NEWCASTLE have stepped up their interest in Crystal Palace full-back Nathaniel Clyne, but have earmarked Lyon's Aly Cissokho as an alternative option should they be unable to complete a deal for the 21-year-old. Magpies manager Alan Pardew is hoping
