Local people in Thornaby will be putting on their boots following a £5,000 Grow the Game grant, from the Football Foundation, the country’s largest sports charity. The grant will allow Thornaby Football Club to form as a new Under-7 team for it’s first
A YOUNGSTER with an incurable degenerative disease will now be able to enjoy his favourite television shows in his bedroom thanks to a generous donation from a high street store. As a reward for raising almost £2,800 for the Teenage Cancer Trust, staff
POLICE have today issued an e-fit of one of two men wanted in connection with a distraction burglary at a house in Merrybent, near Darlington. Two men in a white Transit-type van were in the village at 2.30pm on Monday afternoon and asked a resident
THE boss of a North-East port has been named regional ambassador for the Prince of Wales. David Robinson, chief executive of PD Ports in Teesside, was given the title following his leadership in a scheme to encourage businesses to help improve the
IF you've ever wondered what happens to those little plastic bags which your headphones come wrapped in on an aeroplane, you may need to find a new issue to pontificate. For Stanley-based recycled furniture manufacturer Marmax Products have just completed
A TEENAGE musician is hoping he has hit the right note after opening a music store to combine his passion with a career. Dean Batey, 19, of Ferryhill, has opened Bluetone Music in the town which caters for musicians of all abilities. The budding guitarist
PUPILS and staff are celebrating after a school was given a prestigious national award for its work in the arts. St Charles Primary School, Spennymoor, has been presented with an Artsmark Gold in praise of its arts teaching. The school has thriving
JEREMY Vine was congratulated by his brother Tim after he received an honorary degree from Durham University. The BBC radio two presenter was today awarded an honorary Doctor of Civil Law while proud Tim looked on. Stand-up comedian
John Carr, the 18th Century North Riding Surveyor of Bridges, is one of my favourite chaps - largely because of a great pork pie story, but also because we still cross so many rivers using his bridges. He gets a mention in Saturday's Echo
A SUNDERLAND XI will take on newly-promoted League Two side York City after confirming a pre-season friendly at Bootham Crescent. The Black Cats' line-up, which will feature reserve and academy players, will travel to face Gary Mills' side on Tuesday
THE last ever arts event at a soon-to-close Darlington community centre will be a summer concert. Darlington Orchestra will perform in the town’s Arts Centre at 7.30pm on Saturday, July 7 - the day the building will shut due to council cuts. The orchestra
A PENSIONER whose car burst into flames after a collision with a truck on the A1M has died in hospital. Josephine Smith, 84, of Greater Manchester was the front seat passenger in a Citroen Saxo heading north on the A1M near Sedgefield when
A LAW firm has revealed record profits of £9m and seen its annual turnover break the £30m barrier for the first time. Ward Hadaway, which has offices in Newcastle, Leeds and Manchester, said the results, recorded to the end of April, were a reflection
Business is not always about boardrooms, briefings and black coffee. So, in tribute to the North-East men and women who take a more unusual approach to enterprise, Lauren Pyrah examines the unconventional, alternative or downright difficult careers
TV viewers in Northallerton are to get the chance to find out mkotre about the switch to digital viewing. The switchover roadshow is cominbg to town on July 11as part of a tour of the North-East. It will be staged in the town hall from 9am to 5pm
A RAPIDLY expanding engineering company is holding an open day in its search for a number of apprentices. Electrical mechanical engineering firm Houghton International, of Newcastle, is offering successful candidates the Association of Mechanical
A COUNCIL is investing £100,000 in a scheme that aims to bring 50 long-term unemployed youngsters into the workplace. Hambleton District Council’s cabinet backed plans to encourage the area’s employers to take on young apprentices – by paying
LOW business confidence and a lack of hiring in the North of England will lead to a sharp rise in youth unemployment this summer, a think tank has warned. The report by IPPR North, which comes just as young people leave school and university and
ENGINEERING companies are invited to get involved in a scheme to help the region retain talented undergraduates. Now in its third year, funded by the British American Tobacco Legacy, the Encouraging Engineering scheme gives mechanical engineering
A DESIGN student has been offered a rare chance to showcase her talent across the Atlantic after being offered work in New York. Cleveland College of Art and Design student Wai Ting-ho has secured a three-month internship with Abby Lichtman
REGARDING the letter “Nazi Insult” (HAS, June 25), while I respect S Sygmuta’s opinion about seeing people in German wartime uniforms walking around Northallerton, as the organiser of the Northallerton Wartime Weekend, I must point out that the
RECENTLY, MPs and the media have “identfied” concerns relating to the existence of asbestos in schools and are calling for its systematic removal because of the serious healthrelated issues. While I do not wish to underestimate such concerns,
THE other night, after a sabbatical of 20 years or more, I decided to watch a game of international football and duly tuned in for England against Italy. Having previously found that watching this type of football was, for me, rather like taking
AT the beginning of the year, The Northern Echo identified youth unemployment as one of the key issues facing the North-East in 2012. On the back of disturbing unemployment rates among the young, we launched the Foundation For Jobs. With the support
Today’s news that Botox injections to treat chronic migraine are to be made available on the NHS should bring relief to many sufferers. Health and Education Editor Barry Nelson investigates LINDA has suffered from migraine attacks all of her
Interior designer and presenter Linda Barker talks about what motherhood means to her, how Changing Rooms transformed her life, and her hopes for the future LINDA BARKER doesn’t appear to be a person who would have time for introspection.
WELL done to June Northridge of Thirsk for her rollerblading (Echo, June 23), but it would be interesting to find out how many 70-yearolds choose to sit around in chairs and knit these days. In County Durham there are more than
IN relation to the story headlined “Campaign group vows to fight new store ideas” (Echo, June 22) it seems certain Darlington politicians and traders have made their minds up about this potential development without being in possession of the
LAST Thursday afternoon there was an accident at the junction of the B6299 and Wolsingham Road at the western edge of Stanley Crook. This was the second in the past few months, and took place in similar conditions of quite thick mist and rain.
THE death, in Richmond, Surrey, of the ninth Marquess of Londonderry is a reminder of a major missed opportunity for the North-East. As many North-Easterners will know, the marquess’ family seat was Wynyard Hall, County Durham. Centrepiece of the
CHELTENHAM Festival-winning jockey Campbell Gillies has died following an accident on holiday in Greece. Gillies, who was due to turn 22 today, was attached to the Lucinda Russell yard in Kinross, Scotland. He rode the biggest winner
DEFENDING champion Petra Kvitova overcame her nerves to secure a less than convincing victory over world number 96 Akgul Amanmuradova on Centre Court. The 22-year-old Czech waltzed to the women’s title at SW19 last year, but she was clearly
RAFAEL Nadal was given an early working over but had more than enough in reserve to win his Wimbledon firstround match against Thomaz Bellucci. Gunning for a third title at the All England Club, the Spaniard served as a punchbag over the course
ANDY Murray was happy to silence his critics at least for one day as he put on a brilliant display of grass-court tennis to brush aside Nikolay Davydenko in the opening round of Wimbledon. The world number four, a 6- 1 6-1 6-4 winner, has had
A KIND-HEARTED ten-year-old is raising money to help pay for cleft palate operations in developing countries. Megan Simmonds, from Mickleton, is holding a coffee morning at the Masonic Hall, in Middleton-in-Teesdale, on Saturday, from 10am to noon, in
THE Neighbourhood Watch scheme has received a huge boost in Darlington after a recruitment week saw more than 1,000 people sign up as members. After several years of inactivity the scheme has been revived in the town, with a new Neighbourhood Watch
ANGLO-Irish relations took a momentous step forward today when the Queen shook hands with Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness. The historic encounter between the former IRA commander - now Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister - and the Queen was
NORTH-EAST van hire company Northgate has reported a rise in annual profits after cutting back its UK and Spanish fleets and raising prices. The Darlington-based company made £46m in the year ending 30 April, up 74 per cent from £26.5m in the
A PARTNER at David Gray Solicitors LLP, has won a major award for his work in legal aid. Mike Bishop was presented with the Mental Health Lawyer of the Year award by Michael Mansfield QC, a leading legal aid barrister at the 10th anniversary Legal Aid
THE Government last night began the countdown to returning the East Coast Mainline to the private sector by asking passengers what they wanted from a new operator. The publicly backed Directly Operated Railways (DOR) took over the running of the route
SCHOOL leaders in the region have welcomed the spotlight being turned on Ofsted inspectors after claims that failed heads had been recruited to judge other schools. Governors and former school secretaries had also taken on the job of Ofsted inspectors
A CHEMICAL company responsible for an illegal gas release that left nearby homes coated in white powder has been fined £10,000. The incident, which took place on December 1, 2010 at Ineos, in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, sent 56 tonnes of gas, particles
THE future of a historic landmark which inspired one of the greatest poets of the 20th Century has been secured after vital restoration work was carried out. The Bolt’s Law Incline Engine House, near Rookhope, in Weardale, was the setting for WH Auden
A SHOPPING centre security officer who chased a thief and stopped him jumping into a river in a bid to escape is to be honoured by the police. Ken Morley, 31, a “security ambassador” at the Prince Bishops Centre in Durham City will receive a Chief Superintendent
A PREGNANT woman who was to be chief bridesmaid at her sister’s wedding gave birth to a baby girl as the vows were being exchanged. Nicola Pearson was due to accompany her younger sister, Lesley Errington, down the aisle at St James Church,
THE Deputy Prime Minister will today admit that the North-East is facing a youth unemployment crisis – while announcing fresh measures to help its “hardest to reach” young jobless. Nick Clegg will reveal six of the 20 newly-identified youth
BOSSES at a financially troubled hospital trust in the region said a planned takeover by a larger neighbour should help to ease money problems. Scarborough and North-East Yorkshire Healthcare Trust was yesterday named on a list of 20 hospital trusts
A LIGHTNING strike could have caused a clock bell to start chiming for the first time in decades. The long-silent chime from the clock tower at Durham Crown Court has been resonating again around the Old Elvet area of the city on the hour for more
Yorkshire are still waiting on a decision from Cricket Australia over Mitchell Starc's availability. The left-arm fast bowler, enjoying an impressive run in the Friends Life t20, has been selected for his country's three-week A tour of England
FRASER Forster's proposed move to Celtic appears to have collapsed, although Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew still expects the goalkeeper to leave Tyneside this summer. Forster spent last season on loan at Parkhead and Celtic are understood
MIDDLESBROUGH will attempt to tie up the capture of midfielder Emmanuel Ledesma when he returns from his native Argentina at the end of the week. Boro officials have already held preliminary discussions with Ledesma, who is a free agent after leaving
JILL Scott is hoping to help Britain's female footballers start the Olympic Games with a bang after being named in an 18-strong squad that was announced yesterday. Scott, who is from Sunderland, will be joined by fellow North-Easterner Steph
Pre season is upon us, so here's the list of local pre-season friendlie, which are of course subject to change. Tuesday 3rd July. Billingham Synthonia v Darlington RA. Thursday 5th July. Esh Winning v Silksworth.
DURHAM need to complete a double over Derbyshire at Chester-le-Street this evening to keep their interest alive in this season's Friends Life t20 competition. They will stand by the squad which has been on duty in the first half of the programme
SARAH Clark will compete in her third Olympic Games after she was named in the British judo squad that was announced yesterday. Clark, who is from South Shields, has been one of British judo's leading lights for a number of years and will contest the
HE arrived with a reputation as a free-scoring midfielder, but scored just three goals as he was asked to play in a host of positions including right and left-back. Little wonder, then, that as he looks ahead to his second season in Sunderland colours
CHRIS Tomlinson is determined to push his Olympic credentials when he competes in the European Athletics Championships that begin in Helsinki this morning. Having failed to secure an automatic Olympic place at last weekend's Aviva UK Trials
