MY first car, pictured on Crook market place, was a 1946 Austin Eight bought from GW Holmes garage in Etherley. I bought the car on the day I passed my driving test – May 28, 1962. The headlights dipped by turning the offside headlight off
ALL people who lost power during Wednesday night's storms are now back on, according to Northern Powergrid. A Northern Powergrid spokeswoman said: “We’ve had more than 500 of our engineers working to carry out repairs to our network to restore
SUNDERLAND have agreed a fee with Celtic for Welsh international full-back Adam Matthews. The 23-year-old has been given permission to speak with the Black Cats to discuss a move to Wearside which is believed to be around the £1.5m mark. Matthews
THE organisers of the Great Yorkshire Show are preparing for a visit by Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall and a live TV broadcast.The Harrogate event will welcome the Royals to the first day of the 157th show on Tuesday, July 14, and The One
AN APPEAL has been issued for suggestions about what should go in a new time capsule in Middlesbrough.The capsule has been designed by Middlesbrough College students and will eventually be buried at Middlehaven, a new urban park which it is hoped will
CONSERVATIVE council and group leaders from across Yorkshire have agreed negotiations with ministers about devolving powers to local government should take into account the identity of Yorkshire as a whole.Catterick councillor Carl Les, the newly-elected
HUNDREDS of York workers are to begin a consultation process with Nestlé as the chocolate giant reveals proposed changes to its pension scheme.Nestlé UK has advised staff it proposes to close its defined benefit pension scheme due to cost and risk implications.Following
A FLOOD and coastal group will oversee spending of more than £28m to protect hundreds of homes across the region over the next year.The Northumbria Regional Flood and Coastal Committee’s (NRFCC) business plan for 2015/16 will include work at Lustrum Beck
DETAILS of the next North-East involvement in the Tall Ships Race will be outlined tomorrow (Friday July 3).Appropriately, dates for Sunderland’s staging of a leg of the annual maritime festival, in three years time, will be confirmed on board a visiting
A FLOCK of giant seagulls is preparing to descend on a North-East town this summer.For the third year running, Distinct Darlington is bringing Darlington by the Sea to the town’s market square from Friday, July 24 to Thursday, August 6.Along with a sandy
A FAMILY who launched a fundraising campaign to help their severely disabled son has been overwhelmed by the response. The parents of three-year-old Liam Jefferson, who has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, appealed for help to buy him a specialised
DIAMOND wedding anniversary couple, Stan and June Briggs, say that working together and being good friends is the secret to their happy marriage.The devoted couple, from Oakley Green, West Auckland, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary today. (July
AN MP is fighting for fairer school funding for youngsters who have historically received less than other areas.Rishi Sunak, MP for Richmond, has urged ministers in the Department for Education to ensure schools in North Yorkshire benefit from a permanent
GENETIC inheritance is a fascinating thing. Some of our features, such as blue eyes or brown hair, or particular medical conditions, are clearly passed down through the family line.And so, we have one brown eyed, dark haired boy, the rest blue-eyed and
A FAMOUS club fallen on hard times, Crook Town FC – five times FA Amateur Cup winners – held its annual meeting last Thursday. Last season they finished bottom of the Ebac Northern League first division – one win, five draws and three points deducted
SHILDON Football Club held its 125th anniversary dinner on Saturday night, Mr Jeff Stelling the main speaker and profiteroles for pudding. There was an auction, too, the lots including a pair of goalie gloves signed by that polysyllabic Greek chap
A SWALEDALE medical practice has been rated in the top three per cent in the county by a health and social care regulator – and it is also the first outstanding grade throughout Yorkshire and Humber.Reeth Medical Practice is one of the smallest GP surgeries
A university degree is no longer a guarantee of a good job. Tony Chapman asks: How do we equip young people to enable them to find better careers? YOUNG people occupy a peculiar position in society: and, as far as older adults are concerned, it
THOUSANDS of petrol heads are expected at an action-packed day of some of the most extreme entertainment on four wheels.The third Extreme Torque Show rolls into the Nissan plant at Washington on Sunday (July 5) with three arenas - the Urban Arena, Extreme
COCKFIELD residents are being urged to have their say on whether the village should have a new miners’ banner.Durham County Councillors, Heather Smith and Andy Turner, organised a public meeting in the church hall last night (July 1) to see how much public
A NORTH Yorkshire music festival is preparing for Beatlemania to hit when a top tribute act headlines this year.Richmond Live, a weekend music festival set on the banks of the River Swale, has announced The Bootleg Beatles as its Saturday night headline
A WOMAN who helps young fathers at a North-East young offenders’ institution maintain a relationship with their children has had her efforts recognised with an award. Amanda Moffett, from HMYOI Deerbolt at Barnard Castle, County Durham, was honoured
A FAMILY whose house was struck by lightning have spoken of their surprise - and joy - that their 15-year-old cat survived the ensuing blaze. Raymond Lee and partner Leigh Iles were devastated to find their home, in Dean Park, Ferryhill, on fire
THE region’s first conference on coaching women and girls in sport is to take place last this month.The event takes place at East Durham College in Peterlee and is aimed at female coaches and all coaches who train women and girls.It will focus on how
A BANNED motorist was said to allow "adrenaline" to take over on seeing a police car's blue light.The comments were made in a probation report on Robert Peter Holliday, awaiting sentence following a dangerous high speed chase.It began when a
AN author is aiming to create a buzz at the world's largest arts festival by turning his hand to stand-up comedy with a show written and performed from the perspective of a fly.Private Eye cartoonist and former Who Wants To Be A Millionaire writer Mike
I HAVE just bought a new salt grinder. I realise that this in itself is not headline news, although in our house it was a historic moment because for at least a year, the salt has been falling unground into a pile on the table so there is never any
AN energy firm behind a plan to launch the region's first fracking site has dismissed a Government report which found the controversial gas extraction method could reduce house prices by up to seven per cent. Third Energy, which is set to resubmit
A MEETING to decide the fate of North Yorkshire’s libraries will take place next week.North Yorkshire County Council’s executive committee will meet on Tuesday, July 7 to decide whether to press ahead with a recommendation to axe staff at 21 libraries
LAURA BASSETT’S horrible own goal in stoppage-time in Edmonton yesterday proved the killer blow to England’s attempts to reach a first ever Women’s World Cup final. It was a cruel way for the Lionesses to bow out of the competition in Canada. The
A FUNERAL is to take place tomorrow - paid for by kind-hearted residents of a town after a resident died penniless and with no family to arrange his send-off.Andrew Shield, 38, died recently of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He had been a well-known
A SUPERMARKET ran wild this morning (Thursday, July 2) when it held a trolley dash in aid of charity.The Tesco store on Tindale Crescent, St Helen Auckland, saw four of its staff filling their baskets in a 15 minute mad-cap race around the store.The food
Five North-East and North Yorkshire dates for Fred MacAulaySCOTTISH comedian and star of BBC Radio 4's The News Quiz, Bridget Christie Minds The Gap and The Unbelievable Truth, Fred MacAulay is bringing a new show, Twenty Fifteen, to five venues in the
STUDENTS from The King's Academy in Coulby Newham marked the official end of school with a ball to remember last week. PHOTOS: View pictures from the Year 11 and Year 13 leavers' balls in our School Proms section, plus more from schools and colleges
LABOUR’S leadership candidates all promised “fair funding” for the region’s hard-up councils today (Thursday, July 2).During a leadership hustings in Harrogate, Hartlepool’s Stephen Akers-Belcher challenged the would-be party leaders to say how they would
AN 83-year-old RAF veteran is helping create a lasting legacy of a town's proud association with the Royal Air Force.An interactive history trail and community book are being created to remember the major RAF base that once dominated Thornaby.Thornaby
THE MOTHER of two deaf babies is calling for more to be done to help families cope with hearing loss.With no history of deafness in the family, Darlington woman Anita Pickard was shocked to discover daughters Alicia and Suzanne were unable to hear properly.Ms
RSC Dream delight for North-East amateursTHE Castle Players from Barnard Castle and The People’s Theatre from Newcastle are the two North-East amateur theatre groups chosen to take part in the Royal Shakespeare Company's North-East leg of a national tour
A GOVERNMENT minister has warned the North-East risks being stuck in the “slow lane” of devolution if it fails to agree united proposals to transfer powers to the region.Communities Secretary Greg Clark, who was born in Middlesbrough, challenged North-East
STEVE McCLAREN wants Newcastle United’s players to enjoy a first pre-season under his watch and has even got ‘the ball out’ to make sure they do. The recently appointed Magpies boss might have made slower progress than anticipated on the recruitment
A MOTORIST with a young child in her car has been charged with drink-driving after giving a breath test reading more than four times the legal limit.The 39-year-old woman, from York, was challenged by North Yorkshire Police officers outside Spar, in the
BUDGET cuts have led a council to begin charging for the treatment of rodents.Darlington Borough Council has introduced a £10 charge for the treatment of rats and mice in domestic properties in the authority area.The service was previously free and the
Fizzing into BillinghamCHERYL Baker, Mike Nolan and Jay Aston formerly of Bucks Fizz, with special guest Bobby McVay, are back on tour and will play Billingham Forum Theatre on Friday, September 18.It's more than 30 years since they stormed charts across
Peter Pan Goes Wrong, Theatre Royal: NewcastleTHIS hilariously funny slapstick comedy from Mischief Theatre follows the West End hit and Olivier award winning The Play That Goes Wrong.The show takes the JM Barrie classic Christmas pantomime and treats
WORK to improve a communal hall is to take place in the autumn.Broomside Lane Communal Hall in Belmont is being refurbished following a consultation exercise with residents.The move is part of a scheme by Durham City Homes to improve the dozen communal
CLEVELAND Police officers and volunteers have received awards in a ceremony held at the University of Teesside.Almost 40 individuals and teams were nominated for awards alongside Chief Constable Jacqui Cheer, who was presented with an award for her contribution
A DOG lover is holding an event in Darlington to encourage people to stop stereotyping ‘scary’ breeds.Darlington woman Lucy Moor is hoping her upcoming dog-meet will help those with dog phobias and challenge negative stereotypes around certain breeds.Ms
A LEADING American intellectual has backed calls for the closure of a controversial spy base, after it emerged the centre had been linked to US drone attacks in non-war zones.Radical political philosopher Professor Noam Chomsky, who has been described
POLICE are appealing for witnesses after thieves stole large quantities of lead from a Yorkshire Dales church.St Andrew's Church, in Aysgarth, near Leyburn, was targeted overnight between June 19 and June 20.Church warden Margaret Ferguson said the church
A TRAIN operator has donated £20,000 towards tree and woodland conservation projectsFor the eighth consecutive year, train company First TransPennine Express (FTPE) has joined forces with the Forestry Commission (FC) to give community environmental projects
CAMPAIGNERS battling controversial development plans in Darlington have formalised their fight.The Friends of Bellburn Lane Field group has been set up in a bid to strengthen opposition to Darlington Borough Council’s Making and Growing Places plan (MGPP
A MAN who killed a father-of-three with a single punch during a night out has been jailed for six years.Phillip Begley, 44, was found guilty of the manslaughter of workmate at roadworks firm Ringway Paul Morrison, of Burton Leonard, near Ripon, following
A THREE day collection is taking place to boost donations to a local foodbank.Mayor of Northallerton, Councillor John Forrest launched the appeal for Hambleton FoodShare at the Tesco store in Northallerton today (Thursday, July 2), where donations had
THIS is the aftermath of a lightning strike on a house as the soaring temperatures sparked a series of severe thunderstorms across the region. The bolt of lightning started a fire in the roof of the property in Dean Park, Ferryhill, County Durham
ADVICE has been issued to ensure minimal disruption as work is poised to start on a busy city centre river crossing. The essential project, involving major renovations of Milburngate Bridge, carrying the A690 east/west over the River Wear, in Durham
A MAN damaged three cars after taking his friend’s van without consent, a court heard. Stephen Richardson, of Falmer Road, Darlington, took his friend’s Ford Transit van after going round to his house for a chat on the evening of December 30 last
A BANK branch has chosen to give its backing to a local charity for the first time this year.The Crook branch of TSB has announced it will be supporting Blind Life in Durham and has donated £100 to kick-start their partnership.Instead of having a centrally
THE only bowling club left in the Dales is looking for new members.Wolsingham Bowling Club, based at the recreation ground, next to St Anne's Centre, is open every day from 2pm to 4pm, and every evening, except Saturdays, from 6pm to dusk.The club is
A LONG-AWAITED leisure centre will open its doors for business later this month.Dates have been announced for the opening of the new swimming pools and gym facilities at the multi-million pound Consett Leisure Centre.The centre, owned by Durham County
TEES Valley law firm Tilly Bailey & Irvine Solicitors has been honoured at The Tees Valley Law Society Annual General Meeting.Helen Lyne was sworn in as the Society's youngest ever president, while Martin Levinson was awarded for his 40 years’ service
POLICE have issued a warning of the dangers associated with growing cannabis after drug-growing paraphernalia at an address almost caused a fire.Officers attended an address on Acton Street in Middlesbrough on Tuesday, June 30 where a cannabis farm of
NESTLE workers in the region are being told today of plans to make major changes to the company pension scheme. Nestle proposes to close the defined benefit pension scheme - commonly referred to as a final salary pension scheme - and replace it
AN amateur Darlington golfer will be swapping his Rockliffe Hall club surroundings for the Firestone Country Club in Ohio after winning at The Belfry. Ray Pipe overcame the odds – and the weather – by winning the Bridgestone Amateur Golf Championship
WHITE goods manufacturer Ebac is set for further growth after it secured a £10.5m refinancing deal. The Newton Aycliffe business makes water coolers and dehumidifiers and earlier this year announced plans to become the first UK-based firm in 10
A FAMILY fete is being held this weekend to raise funds for a little boy who is fighting cancer.On Saturday (July 4), Cockerton Green, in Darlington, will be transformed into a summer fete featuring a range of family entertainment, stalls and refreshments.The
DICK ADVOCAAT has persuaded Lee Cattermole to extend his stay at Sunderland by a further five years. The Black Cats midfielder, a fans’ favourite for his committed style, was about to enter the final year of his contract but has agreed the new
THE country's leading competitors will be testing their skills on Coatham Sands at the weekend (July 4 and 5) when Redcar plays host to the British Landsailing Championships.Organised by York Landyacht Club, the Redcar Regatta will take place over two
ALL the fun of the fair is heading to the county town of North Yorkshire this weekend.Northallerton Carnival returns on Sunday (July 5) with a packed programme of events for all the family. The popular annual festival is bigger than ever this year at
FOUR motorists have been fined after being caught dropping rubbish from their cars, as part of a crackdown on littering. Richmondshire District Council said members of its waste and street scene team had issued the £80 fines over the last three
A FATHER and daughter have had a joint celebration after both graduating from the same course on the same day. Andrew and Jenny Glazebrook from Tollesby in Middlesbrough both studied production design for stage and screen at Hartlepool's Cleveland
A CALL has gone out for people to join an annual seafront walk for motor neurone disease. Redcar and Cleveland councillor Mike Findley MBE is inviting people to join the walk, which he has now organised for ten years. Walking from Marske Square
A TIRELESS charity fundraiser has received a national award in recognition of his contribution over the years.Bus driver Bill Burgess was named an Honorary Fellow of Cancer Research UK at the charity’s annual Flame of Hope Awards held in London.The 60
WORK has started to extend a cemetery to create much-needed extra burial space.Pelton Cemetery, near Chester-le-Street, is being extended onto a plot of land behind the existing burial ground.Work to enlarge the Front Street cemetery, which is owned by
A THEME park has pledge to help people with autism. Diggerland, in Langley Park, near Durham has become one of the first organisations in the region to join the Connect to Autism campaign. It has signed up to an Autism Charter and committed
A STRENGTHENING residential housebuilding sector has helped drive the construction industry to a four-month high, it has been claimed.A report says work on new properties delivered more jobs in June and lifted employment numbers at their fastest pace
A MUTUAL is working with a planning business to offer customers greater financial advice. Darlington Building Society (DBS) has signed an agreement with Wren Sterling. The firm says the deal will deliver more help on pensions amid Government
MIDDLESBROUGH have allowed Luke Williams to sign for Scunthorpe United on a permanent basis for an undisclosed fee. The 22-year-old has signed a three-year deal at Glanford Park after the Iron boss Mark Robins persuaded him the time was right to
A YOUNG inventor is employing his cutting edge design skills to help meet the needs of the architectural industry.Technician Lewis Pennicott, who patented a revolutionary chopping board, is now adapting computer programmes originally designed for games
WORKMATES have completed two gruelling challenges for charity.Staff from Durham-based property and energy firm The Banks Group tackled the Druridge Bay 10k run in Northumberland and the Total Warrior event in Leeds.They raised around £2,500 for Banks’
Billingham Town’s new manager Barry Oliver says he wants the sense of uncertainty around the club to disappear. Oliver took over earlier this week from previous boss Darren Trotter, and his first aim is to instil a feeling of togetherness at the
POLICE in Mexico have sparked controversy after locking up a woman for refusing to do her husband's laundry. Dulce Requena Garcia, 21, was taken to a police station after her husband Edgar Alvarado reported her for refusing to wash and iron his
A REWARD is being offered for information after a peregrine falcon was found shot at a North-East nature reserve. The male bird was so badly injured it had to be put down. It was found alive at Castle Lake, Bishop Middleham, near Sedgefield
HOME buyers with more confidence and cash have helped a housebuilder lift sales, bosses have claimed. Persimmon says demand for its properties has remained strong over the last six months, helped by rising employment levels, a competitive mortgage
A FAMILIAR face returns to Weatherfield and Coronation Street (ITV) – but it's not the one that Ken and Tracy were looking forward to seeing. After organising a surprise 60th birthday party to welcome Deirdre back to the cobbles, Ken receives a
Alan Carr loves live comedy and talks to James Rampton about staging his biggest tour to date IN the middle of the interview with Alan Carr, a very loud police siren starts wailing in the background. Quick as a flash, the comedian jokes that, “
October not only brings Whitby's award-winning Musicport event, but also the Blues, Rhythm and Rock Festival 3 NOW in its 16th year, and having received the best ever feedback from audience and artists alike last year, Whitby's award-winning Musicport
Certificate: 12A Running Time: 126 mins ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER is true to his word and returns as the mechanised killing machine in this reboot of the Terminator franchise, directed by Alan Taylor, which promises to tell the same origin story
THERE'S no escape, even when you're on holiday. Wherever I went during my week off, I was stopped on the street, emailed and tweeted about The Northern Echo's sports page report on Darlington striker Graeme Armstrong's recovery from major surgery
I SPENT last weekend at the Old Songs Festival near Albany New York, which uncharacteristically was somewhat blighted by rain and chilly winds instead of the usual heat and mosquitoes. It didn't dampen our spirits too much though, and the crowds seemed
FOUR thousand pheasants have been killed after a fire broke out at a poultry farm. North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said they were alerted about a blaze at two large sheds in Austins Hill, Brafferton, near Thirsk, at 1.40am this morning.
HAILSTONES the size of golf balls caused havoc across the region last night, with thousands of pounds’ worth of damage reported. A North Yorkshire nursery saw thousands of panes of glass in its greenhouses shattered, while cars also felt the force
Crook Town want to attract the fans back to the Millfield, says their new manager Gary Anderson. Crook had a season to forget last time round, being relegated from the first division well before the end of the season, and during the summer their
The pre-season schedule gets under way on Saturday, so here's a list of friendlies. Saturday July 4th. Berwick Rangers v North Shields, Dalbeattie Star v Whitley Bay, Durham City v Darlington, Richmond Town v Tow Law (at Catterick Village),
DARLINGTON have a better a team than half of the Conference clubs and will be challenging for the title during their first season in the Evo-Stik Premier Division, believes new signing Phil Turnbull. He has moved to Quakers after changing profession
THREE men have been jailed for falsely imprisoning a vulnerable woman with learning difficulties.Sean Carl Wolfe, 42, Philip Pringle, 21 and Daniel Alderson, 21, had kept her imprisoned in Pringle’s home in Clifton Road, Darlington, Teesside Crown Court
LIFE as a Tour golfer is not always what it is perceived to be, particularly if you have spent years trying to establish yourself on the circuit. Earning a sufficient amount of cash to live comfortably can be a real struggle, with the constant threat
Britain Beneath Our Feet (BBC1, 8pm) SOME presenters study their chosen subject for years – even if, like Professor Brian Cox, they also take a detour into pop stardom along the way – while others find their expert status thrust upon them.Dallas Campbell
BILLY PAYNTER wants to reignite his career – and believes that under Ronnie Moore at Hartlepool United is the perfect place to do just that.Paynter, 30, fell out with Carlisle manager Keith Curle last season and was forced to train on his own, and was
GEORGE FRIEND has pledged his future to Middlesbrough and has declared that he is over the disappointment of missing out on promotion to the Premier League.The 27-year-old left-back will return to pre-season training with Boro on Monday with the rest
AROUND 40,000 people were left without power after Wednesday’s storm. Northern Powergrid, the company responsible for running the power network across the North-East, and Yorkshire, said the weather caused damage to the overhead electricity network
THE MOTHER of a disabled boy who went missing from a Darlington school is refusing to send him back in a stand-off with education chiefs.Beaumont Hill Academy pupil Dylan Stokes, who has Down’s Syndrome, dodged his bus home and went missing for around
FURTHER to the Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council Cabinet Report on the options relating to the Boosbeck abattoir to be voted on July 7 (Echo, June 30). Village resident Marlene Brown is correct to remind people that previous council leaders,
England Women went out of the World Cup in desperately unlucky fashion as Laura Bassett's stoppage-time own goal gave Japan a 2-1 win. Japan captain Aya Miyama's penalty opened the scoring but Fara Williams responded in kind for England before
THE region’s town halls would be handed new responsibilities over education, skills training and energy, under a Labour leadership contender’s plans. Yvette Cooper will today (Thursday, July 2) seek to outflank her rivals - and David Cameron’s
GIVE thanks the next time your local council fills in a pesky pothole, because it is not just protecting your car suspension – it is creating a Northern Powerhouse. Similarly, if a new bus or cycle lane goes in – or traffic-calming, on a busy road
SOMETIMES it can be surprising how a feel good factor arises from an unfortunate incident. On Wednesday, June 24, I was returning to my car after taking my lovely granddaughter to school, Sedgefield Hardwick. Unfortunately my car was swiped by
ON JUNE 17, 9,000 people came together to ask their MPs to make sure the Government takes strong action on climate change. Thanks to them MPs now realise that people from all parts of the UK want them to do more to tackle one of the greatest issues
PETER Mullen made some good observations in his column about combating ISIS (Echo, June 29). We confront an enemy at the gate as threatening as Hitler’s Germany in the 1930s and should meet it with the same resolve as Winston Churchill did then
IF one market stallholder has paid £250,000 in rent over 15 years (Echo, June 12) then 40 stallholders will have paid somewhere in the region of £10m to Darlington Borough Council. No wonder the Labour cabinet describe the indoor market as the town
WE MOVED to what we thought was our ideal (and last, being pensioners) home just over two years ago. Now we are moving back to where we came from totally because of our nightmare neighbour. He is in his 40s, uses a wheelchair and he thinks
IN reply to Malcolm Rolling’s letter about Jungle’s funeral (HAS, June 23), what planet does he live on? Has he never heard the term ‘doffing your hat’ when a funeral procession goes by. It is a mark of respect to the deceased, whether you knew
