AN emotional Dick Advocaat has paid tribute to everyone at Sunderland after earning the result at Champions League bound Arsenal which preserved top-flight status. Advocaat was in tears after the final whistle at the Emirates following the Black
Full-time: Arsenal 0 Sunderland 0 FOR the third year in a row Sunderland have achieved what many did not even think had been possible by winning a nail-biting fight to stay in the Premier League – and the celebrations in North London proved it.
A 29-year-old motorcycle rider was airlifted to hospital late this afternoon following a collision with a car near Chester-le-Street. The man, who is from the South Durham area, suffered severe back injuries in the smash which happened shortly
A DISPUTE over a local election result has been settled following an inspection of ballot papers. An examination of ballot papers took place in Darlington Town Hallon Wednesday after it emerged that some postal votes cast in the Hurworth ward may
DICK ADVOCAAT has introduced Adam Johnson back in to the Sunderland starting line-up as he looks to clinch the point that will guarantee Premier League football next season at the Emirates. Injuries to Liam Bridcutt and Jordi Gomez have tempted
A SHELTERED housing complex for people with memory loss problems has opened its doors to the public.Appleton Lodge in Spennymoor held an open day today (Wednesday, May 20) to raise awareness of dementia, while giving an insight into the service it and
STOCKTON-BORN actress Charlotte Riley will bring a little Hollywood glitz to the opening of the ninth Saltburn Film Festival.For Charlotte, who starred alongside Tom Cruise in Edge of Tomorrow and in the 2009 adaptation of Wuthering Heights, has again
LABOUR infighting stopped the party putting forward radical plans to devolve power to Northern areas, a leadership hopeful revealed.Tristram Hunt, Labour’s education spokesman, said his party had “dithered” over giving local councils greater freedoms
A CITY’S volunteer tourist guides are back for a new season.The Durham Pointers, easily identified in their pink tabards, will be on hand to help visitors find their way around the city centre daily until September.More volunteers are still needed, as
A GALLERY in the North-East has announced that it will display some of Leonardo da Vinci's finest drawings for three months next year. The Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle is celebrating after it was selected by the Royal Collection Trust to host
A GROUP of indoor bowlers have hit the jack-pot after winning £343,643 from the Lotto draw.The nine-strong syndicate, aptly named League Bowlers, matched five numbers and the bonus ball in the draw to pocket more than?38,000 each.The team, which includes
A CHARITY has been praised for the support it offers to inmates' children and families at a young offender’s institute just weeks after the jail was criticised for low morale and staff shortages. An Inspectorate of Prisons group toured HMYOI Deerbolt
A MOTORBIKE and a car were involved in a collision in Spennymoor on Wednesday. Nobody is thought to have been seriously hurt when the bike collided with a Vauxhall Astra near the Ken Warne shop on Whitworth Terrace, Spennymoor, at around 2.30pm
A MEMORIAL service has been held to honour hundreds of young soldiers a century after they marched away to war.On May 20, 1915, the 800 men of the 160th (Wearside) Brigade Royal Field Artillery paraded through Sunderland for the last time before marching
RICHARD AISBITT has become the first golfer since the turn of the century to clinch a third Durham County Championship title – and now has his sights set on an even greater crown.The Brancepeth Castle golfer retained the trophy he won 12 months ago by
A NEW project to help those living with dementia has been launched in Spennymoor.The Alzheimer’s Society has teamed up with Bishop Auckland Table Tennis Club to set up a six-week ‘Games for the Brain’ pilot scheme which focuses on ping-pong and other
CONTROVERSIAL plans to wipe out three of the region’s Westminster seats will be dropped, Tories now believe. David Cameron is poised to abandon a pledge to cut the number of constituencies across the UK by 50, because his small majority makes backbench
A WOULD-BE robber felt immediate contrition by the time he returned home after a failed bid to carry out a raid at a village store. Michael Leslie Knowles fled empty-handed when a bottle was thrown at him by the daughter of the owner of Windsor
BROADCASTER Graham Courtney was the speaker at a first-of-its-kind gentlemen’s breakfast.Age UK County Durham is organising monthly Gentlemen’s Breakfasts for men aged over 50 and the voice of Talk Sport attended the first, held at Cafe Cenno, at Durham
THE full line-up has been revealed for the region’s first electronic music festival with camping.Newcastle-based DJ Cristoph and Fabric nightclub regulars Menendez Brothers will headline the Northbridge Music Festival in a rural location near Sedgefield
A GRANDMOTHER from Darlington is the first patient to go public about the new generation of revolutionary cancer drugs developed in the North-East. Jean Vipond, 69, from Darlington, credits a new drug called Rucaparib with extending her life.
DESCENDANTS of a 19th century sporting hero will come together at the opening of a play celebrating his achievements.Harry Clasper was a rowing world champion nine times over in the mid-19th century, making him one of the world’s most famous sportsmen.The
Chief Football Writer Paul Fraser reports live from Emirates Stadium as Sunderland take on Arsenal. Draw tonight and Sunderland are guaranteed top flight football next season. Tweets by @paulfraserecho
A NEW exhibition exploring the importance of pilgrimage across different faiths opens on Friday (May 22).Pilgrimage: Pathways to Enlightenment explores the Islamic Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, the Buddhist pilgrimage to Lumbini and the Hindu Kumbh Mela tradition.Objects
A FORMER meals on wheels lady is a council’s new chairman.Councillor Jan Blakey was today (Wednesday, May 20) elected Durham County Council’s 56th chairman since its creation in 1889 and the sixth since it became a unitary authority in 2009.Originally
A MOTHER’S fight for justice took a major step forward on Wednesday when the inquest into her son’s death reopened following a High Court appeal. Kristian Thompson died ten months after he was assaulted by Mark Berry during a night out at a County
A CLASSIC car owner had his vehicle stolen after he pulled into a North Yorkshire nature reserve. Selby police are appealing for information after the classic Mk2 Ford Cortina, worth around £10,000, was stolen from a beauty spot near the town.
IF DURHAM held any title aspirations after winning three of their first four games they have receded following the second reality check of the season. The defeat at Lord's exposed some frailties and yesterday provided further confirmation that
A GROUP of dedicated walkers are set to take part in a hike across the Cleveland Hills and the North York Moors in aid of the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS).The long-established 22-mile circular walk will be taking place on Sunday, May 24,
A SON was charged extra to bury his mother with her late husband because she was not resident in the Redcar and Cleveland area for the final two years of her life. Redcar and Cleveland Council has now apologised for the distress caused over the
A PLAQUE commemorating the life of one of Richmondshire’s longest serving councillors has been unveiled.Rob Johnson had served as a Richmondshire District Council ward member for Catterick Village for 12 years when he died earlier this year, and spent
AN out of school fun club – on a quest to raise more than £100,000 for a much-needed new building - has submitted plans for the project.Sedgefield Out of School Fun Club is seeking planning permission to demolish its existing 1960s clubhouse at Sedgefield
THE funeral of a former professional footballer is to take place next week after he passed away earlier this month.Jimmy Cain, 81, from Sedgefield, County Durham, played 34 times for Hartlepool after joining the club on a part-time basis in August 1960
A TOWN mayor has boosted the work of good causes in her area by donating more than £3,600 to a football club and a Girl Guides group.Councillor Pauline Crathorne, mayor of Ferryhill, has helped raise cash for the Ferryhill Town Youth Football Club and
CONCERNS are growing for the safety of a County Durham teenager who has gone missing on the eve of her 17th birthday. Melissa O’Hara from Shotley Bridge, is due to celebrate her birthday today, Thursday. She was last seen at her home in Cutlers
A FORMER saleswoman is looking to put her people skills to work as she takes up the new challenge of helping keep the streets safe. Lauren Wray, 22, from Peterlee, has been recruited to the safer neighbourhoods unit for Chilton, Newton Aycliffe
A NEW campaign designed to raise awareness of child sexual exploitation amongst young people has been launched in the region. 'In the Wrong Hands' is a hard-hitting initiative which highlights the signs to look out for and where to find help or
SIX beaches in the North East and North Yorkshire have retained their ranking among the world's best beaches.Keep Britain Tidy has announced beaches at Tynemouth Longsands, King Edwards Bay, Whitley Bay, Sandhaven, North Bay in Scarborough and Whitby
A THREATENED train strike is threatening to derail the region’s first big stadium rock gig of the year.Fans of the Foo Fighters, who are due to perform at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland on Bank Holiday Monday, look set to be hit if the national 24
SHEPHERD GROUP has confirmed it has cut 55 jobs at the end of a consultation process into a restructure of its construction division. The figure is lower than originally expected, after suggestions that up to 180 roles were under threat. Shepherd
Striker Glen Taylor has agreed to return to Spennymoor on a two year deal from Ashington. Taylor left Moors in their Northern League days after failing to hold down a regular place at the time, but he has improved considerably in the Northern League
ORGANISTS from across the north are heading to Barnard Castle this summer for a series of recitals. The Parish Church of Saint Mary, in Newgate, is hosting weekly lunchtime concerts every Wednesday in July and August but will kick-start the musical magic
THE final batch of tickets for Middlesbrough's Wembley trip on Monday have sold out. The club received an additional allocation of tickets for the Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Final against Norwich City. The tickets went on sale this afternoon
A LONG weekend of family entertainment is expected to draw thousands of fun-seekers to a County Durham market town.The annual Barnard Castle Meet is one of the biggest and most popular events in Teesdale.As always, the grand procession, this year led
RAKISH BINGHAM has returned to Hartlepool United, becoming Ronnie Moore’s first signing of the summer. The striker moved to Pools in January on loan, and made five appearances, scoring once, before being recalled by Mansfield after the Stags dropped
POLICE investigating how a dog was killed and a boy injured has concluded no crime was committed. On social media Bev Brown claimed the driver of a white van or Nissan Qashqai hit her son, and ran over her dog, outside Tesco on Acklam Road, before
A WOMAN who admitted inadvertently starting a fire in a hostel where she was staying received a suspended prison sentence.Samantha Louise Alderson was one of three people rescued from a room at the YMCA, in Darlington, in the early hours of January 31
A MAN has been jailed for four years after he was convicted of a series of historic sex offences.Johnathan Riley had denied 11 counts of indecent assault and ten offences of indecency with a child, but was found guilty after a trial.Judge Tony Briggs,
AVID young readers are reviewing the country’s top authors in an initiative designed to boost literacy. Northallerton School and Sixth Form College students have formed a Carnegie Shadowing Group, to discuss works vying to take the prestigious annual
A ROAD has reopened after a two-car collision near Bishop Auckland. The accident involved a Nissan Micra and a Vauxhall Zafira and occurred just before noon on Wednesady on the A689 between the Toronto Lodge roundabout and the Witton-Le-Wear junction
Cold-hearted criminals have have gone on the run after stealing a “Mister Frosty’s” ice cream van. The vehicle, containing $15,000 worth of ice creams and lollies, was taken from a parking lot in Toledo, US. Officers are viewing CCTV footage in
DURHAM were slithering towards defeat this morning, not helped by Mark Stoneman being run out for 111, until Paul Coughlin put bat to ball. He was on 47 at lunch and had put on 48 with John Hastings to leave Durham 35 ahead on 300 for seven.
PLANS to finally install a disabled lift which would make a 300-year-old historic hall accessible to all have ground to a halt as trustees battle with British Gas to move pipes.Bedale Hall is run as a charitable trust for the town and for years trustees
In the first of two articles, Ray Mallon, who stepped down last week after 13 years as Middlesbrough’s directly elected mayor, talks to Chris Lloyd about surviving a financial storm MIDDLESBROUGH is changing. The banners hanging down from the lamp-posts
A SKILLS drive to fill thousands of North-East IT vacancies has been backed by a local authority. The IT Apprentice Hub has received support from Newcastle City Council, which is providing training facilities for the scheme. The hub, which
UNION bosses have warned a steel firm’s plants will be crippled by strike action unless management relent on changes to workers’ pensions.Unite has demanded last-ditch talks with Tata Steel over proposals to close the British Steel pension scheme (BSPS
A FOREIGN father who thrashed his son with a stick for several minutes in a bid to discipline him over a playground fight told police such beatings were used against children in his homeland. Paul Nicholson, prosecuting at York Crown Court, said
DISPUTED ballot papers will be re-examined today, after a judge authorised what is effectively a recount. An examination of ballot papers will be performed at Darlington Town Hall this afternoon, after it emerged last week that some postal votes
A LOTTERY windfall has given a charity that supports adults with learning disabilities long term security and a chance to help more people across County Durham.One to One, based in Spennymoor, secured £204,175 from the Big Lottery Fund (BLF) in the latest
DARLINGTON duo Aaron McManus and Andrew Wilson have qualified for the Brabazon Trophy. McManus and Wilson turned in solid performances at Clitheroe to claim one of the top 30 places on offer in the Northern Qualifier for arguably the biggest amateur
TWO year olds are getting their first taste of school thanks to an initiative that extends free childcare to toddlers.Gurney Pease Academy, in Darlington, has become one of the first schools in the town to accept the two-year-olds.The academy, in Albert
CARING students have been working alongside elderly residents to help suggest a new place name for them to call home.Darlington College health and social care students helped residents at North Park Care Centre, in Darlington, draw up a shortlist of names
MIDDLESBROUGH duo Ben Gibson and Patrick Bamford have been included in Gareth Southgate’s provisional squad for this summer’s European Under-21 Championships. Southgate has announced a 27-man squad, which will be trimmed to 23 ahead of the tournament
TODAY'S report on the standards of end-of-life care in Britain makes disturbing reading.The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman – the organisation which makes final decisions about NHS complaints in England – says thousands of dying patients, and
JOHN CARVER has launched a staunch defence of his presence at a charity golf day on Monday, claiming it had absolutely no impact on Newcastle United’s preparations for Sunday’s relegation decider against West Ham. Some Newcastle fans have criticised
AT the heart of this fictional story are two little boys, who are worlds apart but meet at a concentration camp fence and make friends. Its soul is the atrocious truth of the Holocaust, an unforgivable Nazi Final Solution that bears witness to a horror
AN industry leader is urging businesses to "speak out early" in favour of remaining in a reformed European Union. CBI President Sir Mike Rake will argue that the time is "ripe" for reforming the EU as the new Government presses ahead with its promised
POLICE have released CCTV footage of a man that they would like to speak to in connection with the theft of two bicycles. The thefts took place in Redcar on the evening of Thursday, April 30 at around 8.10pm. "The first cycle was stolen from
A NORTH-EAST man will appear in court today charged with terrorism offences. Anti-terrorism officers confirmed this morning that a 32-year-old man from has been charged with offences related to disseminating publications. Mohammed Abdal Miah
DETECTIVES have reopened the investigation into the death of a man found beaten and locked in a cellar. Robert Pride-McLeod, 49, was found dead in a cellar at a homeless hostel on Robert Street, Harrogate, on January 21, 2007. Mr Pride-McLeod
A VULNERABLE missing pensioner with a medical condition has been found safe and well. Police and volunteers from Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team searched through the night for Peter Lamb, 76, who went missing from his home in Middleton St George
DIRECT flights from the North-East to New York take off this weekend.The United Airlines service to Newark commences from Newcastle International Airport on Saturday and will run five-days-a-week until September 7.Airport chiefs hope that strong demand
T SEALE suggests we show school children film footage of VE Day to remind them of the sacrifices made by previous generations (HAS, May 15). I would suggest that, instead of showing people generally enjoying themselves because they survived; perhaps
IT is almost impossible to get a decent cup of tea on the Continent, said David Cameron during a visit last week to the world’s biggest tea bag factory. It is one of those little Englander, 'up yours Delors' type of remarks that probably plays
THE body behind bringing the Tour de France to Yorkshire, which generated £102m for the region's economy, is seeking sustainable funding from councils to secure its future work. North Yorkshire County Council's outgoing leader, Councillor John
Business Editor Andy Richardson sees how ElringKlinger in Redcar is driving a revival of North-East manufacturing. SOMETHING powerful is stirring on Teesside, but it is happening out of sight. A ripple disrupts the surface of Ian Malcolm's morning coffee
DAWN has only just broken, but Sara Davies is already up and about.As a new mother, such early starts are nothing out of the ordinary.However, today, she’s not been awoken by her little boy, Oliver.Instead, it’s her alarm making the noise, heralding the
A CIVIL engineering firm has started work on a £30m transport scheme.The Owen Pugh Group is supporting the Morpeth Northern Bypass project, in Northumberland.The company says its contracts division, which specialises in earthmoving, demolition and landfill
THE owners of a dormant North-East refinery have been stung by losses of more than £40m.CropEnergies AG says the suspension of production at its Ensus bioethanol plant, in Wilton, near Redcar, has conspired to turn an annual profit of £8.5m into a near
A WAREHOUSE firm says it will deliver 120 North-East jobs in a £23m expansion. Vantec Europe is building a 436,000sq ft base in Sunderland. Bosses say the development, on Hillthorn Business Park, will be its biggest regional site and the largest
THE Northern Powerhouse was given plenty of airtime during the election campaign, writes Jonathan Walker, North East Chamber of Commerce head of policy and campaigns. It has prompted plenty of scepticism in this part of the world about exactly
FOR a long time the Labour Party has needed to closely examine what to needs to do to succeed. There was a need for a new outlook but tragically it was not offered the right one by Tony Blair and the group of thinkers with him. Part of the problem
THE resounding victory for the Conservative Party at the General Election triggered what can only be described as a relief rally for UK equities. What came from that surprising result actually spawned positive conditions for firms trading in the
DICK ADVOCAAT is adamant he has not decided to quit Sunderland before the final two games of the season and has rubbished suggestions he could even head back to Scotland rather than retire.The experienced Dutchman’s initial contract on Wearside is due
ALAN SHEARER thinks it is a sign of just how bad things are at St James’ Park that Newcastle United might have to rely on Manchester United doing them a favour on Sunday. Shearer was part of the Magpies team which finished second behind Sir Alex
GLENN MAXWELL is hoping his forthcoming spell with Yorkshire can help reignite his Test career with Australia.Maxwell was initially signed as Yorkshire’s specialist overseas player for the NatWest T20 Blast competition, although a hamstring injury for
JONNY BAIRSTOW knows just what it is like to make your Test debut at Lord’s - and he expects Yorkshire team-mate Adam Lyth to handle the nerves and flourish against New Zealand tomorrow.White Rose opener Lyth will partner Alastair Cook against the new
Inspector George Gently (BBC1, 8pm) CHRISTMAS Eve and skinheads are an unlikely combination as we reach the end of George Gently's tour of duty in the North-East. The celebrations are interrupted by news of a bank raid carried out by a masked gang brandishing
MIDDLESBROUGH have already shown they can deliver when it matters and George Friend thinks a Premier League place beckons if the players can do exactly what Aitor Karanka tells them to.Karanka’s methods have won over everyone at the Teesside club, with
ENGLAND captain Chris Robshaw insists David Wilson’s return from injury is a timely one for his country’s hopes of World Cup glory. The Bath tighthead, who hails from South Shields and attended East Durham College, had been out of action since January
I’VE fallen into a fit of nostalgia for a movable feast. I refer to this coming weekend which used to be called Whitsuntide – a bank holiday before these things were secularised. In my childhood memories, Whit was always sunny and Yorkshire – either
AN investigation into how a rapist police officer avoided detection for years is complete and could be published soon, The Northern Echo has learned.Cleveland Police officer Wayne Scott, who joined the force in 2002, was jailed for 19 years in 2013 for
Monday and Tuesday's editions of The Northern Echo highlight a worrying "Emperors New Clothes" phenomenon. On Monday the paper had a story highlighting the problems and dangers of legal highs. Tuesday had a full page article detailing problems
JADE SLAVIN’S maiden appearance at the World Taekwondo Championships ended at the second-round stage, but the Consett fighter is hoping her performances will have strengthened her chances of competing at next year’s Olympics. Slavin, who is from
Durham Olympian Jess Eddie looks at the North-Easterners preparing to represent Great Britain at the European Rowing Championships FIRST up we have Kat Copeland (Stokesley). Most of you will remember Kat as our ‘golden girl’ from London 2012,
I THOUGHT Scott Wilson`s column (Echo, May 15) sadly just followed most other anti-Kevin Pietersen comments. He, and many other journalists use terms like "disruption and deceit", "detachment" and "large ego" etc. but where are the specifics
SHE might be an Olympic champion, but North-East rower Kat Copeland is happy to be reverting to her former status as an underdog as she prepares to compete in the European Championships later this month. Copeland, who won the Olympic lightweight
SEVEN people have been jailed following a pub brawl described as "terrifying mass violence," by a judge after which a Middlesbrough man died. A further four people were also convicted for their role in the violence at the Park Hotel, Linthorpe,
A JUDGE has shown compassion to a slaughterhouse owner when sentencing him for causing suffering to animals and leaving rotting carcasses at his premises due to the farmer’s serious mental breakdown.Ian Lancaster, 51, from Carthorpe, near Bedale in North
RURAL crime is coming under the spotlight in the biggest ever examination of its impact, causes and effect.People across the North-East and North Yorkshire are being urged to take part in the largest survey of its kind ever held in an effort to shape
POSTCODE Lottery players in North Yorkshire are to share in a £2m jackpot. Players living in the winning postcode sector, which has been announced as Scarborough's YO11 3, will discover how much they have won at a celebration on Saturday, May 30
