ADAM MATTHEWS last night completed a £2m move to Sunderland and Dick Advocaat is waiting to hear of more transfer success. The Celtic full-back, 23, was given permission to head for Wearside to finalise a move after the Black Cats agreed a fee
The Coral Eclipse is the big race of the day but only five go to post for what is the first clash of the generations and it is impossible to look beyond the unbeaten Derby winner Golden Horn (3.45).There is no guaranteed pacemaker in the field, but jockey
SOLDIERS from the region who have been running an Ebola treatment centre in Sierra Leone have returned home. Thirty four soldiers from 34 Field Hospital arrived back at Queen Elizabeth Barracks, in Strensall, York, on Friday evening following a
Hetton Lyons are struggling to keep their heads above the relegation waters having slipped to second bottom following last week’s home defeat to Whitburn.And today’s match at Tynemouth has assumed significant proportions with the teams separated by just
THE activities of the caliphate which holds ground now in Iraq, Syria and Libya have further disturbed societies in that part of the world and the migrations of peoples wanting to get away is already a challenge to Europe. The men who unfortunately
THE Ness Factory at Croxdale will be an iconic landmark for many who regularly commute on the A167 to Durham and Newcastle. The site has a history dating back to the 1900s, when it was used for making munitions in World War II. The current
NORTH-EAST veterans will join the nation in commemorating the 70th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day) next month.Veterans from the region who served in the Far East campaign, former Prisoners of War and their families are invited to mark the
A MALE nurse accused of sexually assaulting a man he met in a gay bar wept in court after a jury cleared him of the charge.Family and friends of Christopher Wales also burst into tears when the not guilty verdict was announced yesterday afternoon.Mr Wales
LAMBERT Smith Hampton has received revised instructions to market the attractive Halegrove Court office scheme at Bowesfield in Stockton. The scheme is now in the hands of Eglinton Developments which is rolling out a fresh programme of sales.
Marton face arguably the most important weekend in their recent history with two difficult away matches in two days set to define the rest of their season.It is ten years since Marton won promotion to the Premier Division, and they have quickly established
DARLINGTON Conservative councillors are yet to make a decision over whether to formally challenge the council over its ill-fated £6,000 clock tower bells experiment.As previously reported in The Northern Echo, Darlington Borough Council spent £6,000 installing
Having risen to the top of a forever changing DCL Division One table for the first time this season, unbeaten Esh Winning look as though they might be the side to hang on to the number one ranking.Prior to Esh taking over, Durham City, Castle Eden and
A MAN jailed for committing a sex act on himself in public has had his future contact with children curtailed.Gary Smith, who admits he has a sexual preoccupation with children, was jailed for two years last month after committing a sex act on himself
A DISPLAY of textiles will be on show at one of the region’s best-loved landmarks this month.Looking Back, Going Forward is an exhibition by the Durham Guild of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers.It is in the Galilee Chapel at Durham Cathedral from tomorrow
A GRANDFATHER who has been tirelessly working to raise money and awareness of cancer found himself the recipient of a generous prize recently.Norman Smith, 74, from Darlington, was diagnosed with prostate cancer 18 years ago, so when he saw an appeal
A MUCH-LOVED leading light of the voluntary and community movement on Teesside and Saltburn has died.Bernard Storey died last month and the Saltburn man had a Humanist service at the Kirkleatham Crematorium which was attended by more than 150 people,
A POLICE force which apologised to the victims of Jimmy Savile and his council leader friend, is addressing its failings, a report has concluded.Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) said North Yorkshire Police had gone a long way to improving
NORTH Yorkshire residents got the chance to find out about challenges facing police and what they are doing to keep the public safe in a recent exhibition.North Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan attended the exhibitions, which took
TWO top family comedy acts are set to perform in Barnard Castle later this month.The Kagools will perform at The Witham on Saturday, July 11, at 1.30pm.The show promised to be a wacky combination of physical comedy, sketch and film that transports you
THE final wish of a football fan who left more than £300,000 to his favourite non-league football club was carried out today (Friday).When he died, Colin Rowell, left most of his estate – including the proceeds from the sale of his bungalow - to Bishop
AN unemployed man who copied children's photographs off Facebook to make sexual images because he was lonely has been jailed for 18 months.James Taylor, 35, admitted 15 charges of possessing indecent images and videos of children, possessing extreme pornographic
A CHARITY that supports wounded, injured and sick veterans and service personnel has teamed up with a supermarket to give back to local troops.Tesco at Catterick Garrison organised a Heroes' Breakfast on June 24 for 25 soldiers to raise awareness for
DARLINGTON joined the rest of the UK in holding a one minute’s silence to respect those who lost their lives in last week’s devastating terror attack in Tunisia.A large crowd of people gathered on High Row below Darlington clock tower and shoppers stopped
RESIDENTS are being invited to have their say on plans for a new £1.7m development that would provide dementia care in the local community.Erimus Housing, which is part of the Thirteen Group, is proposing to build five bungalows which will provide accommodation
TALENTED young performers have won leading roles in a touring production of Peter Pan.The musical, based on the classic children’s story by JM Barrie, is being staged at The Playhouse in Whitley Bay from August 5 to 7.The role of Tinker Bell is being
A YOUTH theatre is celebrating its tenth anniversary by staging a show which inspired the group’s creation.CBW Youth Theatre, based in Stokesley, is due to stage a production of Oliver next week – which was first performed by the group ten years ago.The
TWO children have won a competition to rename an indoor play area ahead of its grand reopening next month.Escomb Primary School pupils Thomas Stones, nine, and Freya Fodden, seven, both came up with the name Scallywagz when the new owners of Shildon’s
PEOPLE are being reminded to drink responsibly in the hot weather expected this weekend.Whether it’s a barbecue, a beer garden or a night out, officers are reminding people not to drink too much as they all too regularly see the consequences of drinking
A TOWN moved by the tragic past of a local man united today to ensure he was given a good send-off at his funeral.Andrew Shield, 38, from Northallerton, died with no money or any family to organise his burial, after a tragic childhood in which both his
A NATIONAL park has issued a fire alert due to tinderbox conditions.Staff from the North York Moors National Park Authority said continuing dry weather has led to fire risk warning signs being installed at key sites this week advising people how they
THE heroism of more than seven million women during the Second World War is being celebrated through a thought-provoking exhibition.Ripon Cathedral is hosting the Raise Your Hats event to mark the tenth anniversary of the first time women's role in the
PUPILS have won their school a £25,000 “energy makeover” after becoming runners up in a dance competition judged by Diversity stars. Students from Wensleydale School and Sixth Form took part in the Generation Green competition run by British Gas recently
A SUPERFAST 1,000mph car will be zooming its way in to the Croft Circuit this month to help ‘inspire a generation’.The ‘Bloodhound SuperSonic Car’, sponsored by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, will be visiting the region as part of the North-East
A FLEDGLING North-East festival that has proved a big hit with visitors has scooped a national award. The Festival of Thrift, held at Darlington’s Lingfield Point, has scooped the award for Arts and Culture at the prestigious Observer Ethical Awards
A JEALOUS lover who feared his girlfriend was cheating on him tried to strangle her in a hospital car park, threatened to kill her during a clear-the-air walk in the woods and beat up his suspected love rival, a court heard. Ryan Lancaster had
GRAEME STORM and Rob Dinwiddie have both narrowly made the cut at the French Open.Storm is marginally better placed going in to the weekend’s play at Le Golf National despite failing to make par on the venue where he won his only European Tour title in
I’M all for people stopping smoking. Without being too much of a killjoy, it’s an awful habit, especially when smoking does not just affect the smoker, but everyone else around them. I’m all for it being banned in public places, so that we
MORE than eight million tonnes of steel have been produced at Redcar since SSI famously saved the Teesside plant from mothballing and relit the blast furnaces to international acclaim in April 2012. It was a rescue of huge importance to the regional
AN ICONIC airliner saved from an ignominious end at Durham Tees valley Airport is to be unveiled to the public next week.G-ARPO is the last complete Hawker Siddeley 1C Trident aircraft anywhere in the world and was salvaged from the airport's International
HARTLEPOOL UNITED have sold their 2,000th season ticket for the 2015/16 campaign at Victoria Park. Brothers Eddie and Frank Stokle pushed the sales figure past the latest milestone when they popped in to the ticket office to buy after 3pm.
TWO of the best North-East actors over the past two decades have been Charlie Hardwick and Trevor Fox and both finally made the commercial breakthrough after a spell in Emmerdale. In Hardwick’s case, the “spell” lasted 12 years with her popular Geordie
‘Gary, where do I put my money?’ As a wealth manager specialising in investments, this is the one question I get asked most. Investment management at Brewin Dolphin is all about creating a personalised portfolio of assets to achieve an investor
AN animal lover from the North-East has launched a special day to remember pets who have died. The first-ever National Pet Remembrance Day is on Sunday and was created by Marie Carter, who lives near Durham City. She said it was to celebrate
COCKTAIL connoisseurs are both stirring and shaking up a storm having reached the national finals of an international competition.Voodoo Café in Darlington, run by husband and wife team Les and Kendra Fry, won the northern heats for ‘Best Cocktail’ and
A SUNDAY bus service through a national park has been doubled, following a group of volunteers receiving a wave of donations.In addition to the Moorsbus service from Darlington, Stockton and Middlesbrough to the Moors and Pickering, a new service will
THERE were traffic delays near Crook in County Durham after an accident this afternoon. A Peugeot 207 driving from Bishop Auckland towards Crook collided with a 4x4 vehicle with a trailer at the turn off for Toronto. Traffic was said to be
THE fate of Amy Winehouse is very much on the mind of Mica Paris, who is an ambassador for the charity in her fellow singer's name, as she prepares to star in new musical Love Me Tender at Sunderland Empire next week."I haven't had a chance to see
SUNDERLAND’S Premier League home game against Tottenham Hotspur has been rescheduled for a live television broadcast - on the same day as the Great North Run.The Black Cats’ had been due to take on Spurs at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, September
Spennymoor have been drawn away to Harrogate RA in the preliminary round of the FA Cup on August 29th. Moors had several clashes with the RA in the EvoStik League and league cup last season, and the winners of the tie will go into the first qualifying
HUNDREDS of thousands of visitors are expected to visit the North-East after it was confirmed the 2018 Tall Ships Race will set sail from the region. Race organisers announced today (Friday, July 3) that the world famous race will start in Sunderland
MIDDLESBROUGH are waiting to receive the go-ahead to complete a move for Stewart Downing after making a firm bid to take the West Ham United winger back to his hometown club. It is understood that Boro officials have been in contact with their
PARENTS at a Richmond school have challenged plans to obtain an alcohol licence that will cover the entire school site – saying it is the wrong environment to encourage drinking.Lorraine Hodgson, a mother of students at Richmond School and member of Richmond
FEARS are mounting that rapid house building in a Richmondshire town is outstripping the capability to provide school places and deal with waste water.Members of Colburn Town Council said there are currently plans or ongoing building works for around
Charity's garden event revives memories of a family whose business enterprise and generosity helped shape a town LADY STARMER died more than 35 years ago, but she is still fondly remembered in Darlington for her generous garden parties and for
AN artist's failure to master a piece of music has helped her win a £20,000 prize at a ceremony in Newcastle. Kayt Hughes says she is "still in shock" after winning the Woon Foundation Art and Sculpture Prize for her work made of wood, emulsion
As expected, Michael Dods' star sprinter Mecca's Angel will not take her chance in the Coral Charge at Sandown on Saturday. The four-year-old was an impressive winner on her seasonal reappearance at Longchamp in early May, but missed an intended
FOUR of Newcastle’s early Premier League fixtures have been moved for television and the season opener with Southampton now has a different date. The Saints' visit to Tyneside will take place on Sunday, August 9 because of the South Coast club's
A TALENTED young writer has been nominated for a national creative writing prize.Abby Walker of Toft Hill, County Durham, was shortlisted in the 11-14 year-old category of the Wicked Young Writers' Award.The national competition, set up by the team that
A NEW book about the history of Darlington churches is launched next week in the Crown Street library. It is by Darlingtonian Colin Wilkinson, who now lives in Ingleby Barwick, and it has come out of his research for his MA at Teesside University
PUPILS have been rewarded for their efforts in choosing active ways of travelling to school.Students from St George’s Church of England Academy, Middleton St George, were one of many schools competing in the MEGA Friday walks which encouraged pupils and
A century ago, an oddly named experimental locomotive - built in Darlington - proved a false dawn in the new age of electrification ONE hundred years ago this week, the Bo-Bos tried to haul the British railway system into the age of electricity
A NEW arts organisation has formed in Darlington with the aim of bringing more theatrical productions to the town.Glint Adorn, an anagram of Darlington, is seeking to work with artists and performers from Darlington and beyond to add to the town’s arts
SOMETHING fishy will be happening in Darlington this month when a much-loved family movie comes to town.As part of its Darlington by the Sea schedule of summertime events, Distinct Darlington is installing a giant silver screen in the town’s Market Square
Business Editor Andy Richardson was at the opening of BOC's £25m revamped gas plant that could help Teesside's industrial heavyweights to stay afloat. TEESSIDE iron and steelworks could not breathe without the oxygen supplied by BOC. Business
ONE of the most stunning gardens in the North-East is set to open its gates this weekend to raise funds for charity.Tudor Croft in Stokesley Road, Guisborough, east Cleveland, features plants from across the world alongside fountains, a stream, bridges
RAF bosses have paid tribute to a mechanical transport driver who has retired after nearly half a century of service.RAF Leeming staff gathered to honour Brian Gordon, who joined the Royal Air Force in 1967 at the aged 17 and served for 22 years in a
A RESCUE centre overwhelmed by Persian cats has issued an emergency appeal for help.St Francis Cat Rescue specialises in caring for the animals, but has been swamped by cats in need, so they’re asking foster carers to come forward.The centre at Thornborough
Seafest ready for Scarborough's West PierA DAZZLING array of maritime-themed street theatre, arts and music will entertain visitors to Scarborough’s Seafest for the weekend of Friday, July 24 to Sunday, July 26.There’ll be Talking Birds’ spectacular Whale
A NORTH-EAST technology firm will complete its expansion into China later this month, bosses have said.Stadium Group, which employs more than 130 staff in Hartlepool, says its Asian base will be a centre of excellence to complement its regional site.The
Gregory Porter is Gateshead's festival's first star actTICKETS went on sale this morning (July 3) for Gateshead International Jazz Festival 2016 with hosts Sage Gateshead announcing that Grammy Award-winner Gregory Porter is the event's first headline
OF course I’m jealous. When we left school all we had was a disco with the boys’ school, warm orange squash and soggy crisps. I would have loved to get all glammed up for a prom – posh frock, posh hair, shoes and the immaculate make up. What’s
I AM delighted that Sirius Minerals has been successful in obtaining planning application to build a £2bn potash mine close to Whitby in the North York Moors National Park. This ambitious project, by York Potash, will provide more than 1,000 well-paid
A BUSY road is to be closed for five days next week while major roadworks take place.Browney Lane, in Durham, will close at midnight on Sunday and will not reopen to traffic until 7pm on Friday (July 10) while resurfacing work takes place.The road links
THE magnificent Victorian clock tower overlooking Darlington's market square and historic High Row is the town's most iconic landmark and its bells have chimed on the hour and every 15 minutes for more than 150 years.The sound of the bells is clearly
A former Durham student has returned to head up the city’s World Heritage Site. In her first interview in the job, Jane Gibson speaks to Mark Tallentire JANE Gibson’s office may be a small hideaway up a narrow staircase; but her personality more
The Ghost Train: Darlington Civic TheatreBILLED as a classic comedy thriller, this vintage item was written by Arnold Ridley, perhaps better known to us as Godfrey in Dad’s Army. It’s set in 1925, at a remote railway station in a torrential thunderstorm
Spennymoor Town have a tough opening tie in this season’s FA Trophy. Moors have been drawn away in the preliminary round to Glossop North End, who won the North West Counties League last season, and lost in the Vase final at Wembley against North
A FATHER-OF-THREE who died in a car accident was nearly three times over the legal drink drive limit, an inquest heard. Darren Edwards, from Willington, County Durham, suffered fatal head injuries when his silver Citroen C2 left the road and hit
WORKERS on Northern Rail, which runs services across the North-East and North Yorkshire, have voted to go on strike in a row over jobs and safety. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union backed walkouts by 80 per cent and other forms
LEICESTER City have had a bid of £12m for Newcastle United target Charlie Austin turned down by Queens Park Rangers. The Magpies have been told they will have to pay nearer to the £15m mark for the former Burnley front-man but the Foxes’ move has
Crook Town and twice finalists West Auckland will play each other in a local derby in the first qualifying round of the FA Vase on September 5th. Whitley Bay, who have won the competition four times, are at Willington. The draw for the first
The extra preliminary round draw of the FA Cup has produced some attractive ties. The game of the round as far as this area is concerned is the local derby between Bishop Auckland and Shildon at Heritage Park. West Auckland must go to Bedlington
MORE heavy rain, thunder and lightning is forecast to hit the region tonight. The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for the region from 7pm on Friday. Experts say hot and humid weather on Friday will spread northwards from the
BRITAIN has paid tribute to the victims of the Tunisia terror attack with a minute's silence. The nation paused at noon to reflect on last Friday's atrocity and remember the 30 British people who were killed in the beach front massacre. The
TRIBUTES have been paid followed the death of a much-loved sportsman from north Durham. Ken Day, the treasurer of Shotley Bridge Cricket Club in County Durham, died on Saturday, three years after he was diagnosed as suffering from a brain tumour
POLICE have released CCTV images of a man they want to trace after a teenager was filmed at a North-East station. At 11.30am on Sunday, June 14, the 16-year-old girl was in the waiting room at Darlington railway station when she noticed a man taking
A RAILWAY passenger has been arrested after threatening to blow up a train. British Transport Police said a 42-year-old remained in police custody following an incident in North Yorkshire on a TransPennine Express service from Scarborough to Liverpool
Tom Robinson has returned with his first new album in 20 years – Only The Now, a record made with award-winning producer and multi-instrumentalist Gerry Diver – and a tour which takes in Sage Gateshead in November.Drawing on his long, rich fund of experience
The Wailers are following the success of last year's sell-out UK tour, with another run of dates, including a visit to Newcastle O2 Academy in November. The reggae band will be performing the iconic Bob Marley Legend album live on stage featuring
A TRACTOR was destroyed in a barn fire overnight. Around 15 firefighters tackled the blaze near Trimdon Station. Crews from Wheatley Hill, Peterlee and Sedgefield attended. Four breathing apparatus kits, thermal imaging and two jets were
A 15 year industrial gas deal has been agreed to help safeguard the future of steelmaking on Teesside.Redcar iron and steel firm SSI, and Middlesbrough-based gas supplier BOC have signed one of the UK's largest ever gases contracts to keep the fires burning
A COUNCIL has performed a u-turn after controversially replacing the chiming of a town's historic clock bells with pre-recorded ringing. The bells in Darlington’s Victorian clock tower have chimed on the hour and every quarter hour for more than
THE newly-formed Darlington FC Supporters Group, which formed earlier this year, last night launched their new website. The group say they formed after listening to fans’ views on merging the CIC, Supporters Club and Supporters Trust. It holds
THE Football Association yesterday made the draw for the early rounds of the FA Trophy and it saw Darlington handed a home tie against either Mossley or Harrogate Railway Athletic. The two teams will face each other in the preliminary round with
WHEN a prize bull went under the hammer for £1,400, the scene was set for a High Court test case of vital importance to the meat and farming industries The bull appeared healthy when it was sold at Darlington Farmers' Auction Mart in September
DICK ADVOCAAT enjoyed a satisfying double on the first day of pre-season training yesterday when a new contract for Lee Cattermole was followed by a second transfer breakthrough.It emerged last night that Celtic have agreed a fee with the Black Cats for
A RESTAURANT in rural County Durham has proved it can mix it with the best after being included in a prestigious list of the UK's top 100 eateries.The Raby Hunt in the village of Summerhouse, near Darlington, was ranked 51st in Restaurant Magazine’s Top
THE hottest July day for almost a decade was interrupted by violent thunderstorms that swept across the region yesterday. Arron Briddick headed out with his GoPro camera in the early hours to capture this incredible time-lapse video as thunderstorms
Artsnight (BBC2, 11pm) ART for art's sake, may want us up a little bit too late at night, but Jonty Claypole, director of BBC Arts, sees it as British culture as experienced by the movers and shakers behind it."From Enniskillen to the Edinburgh Festivals
DURHAM will be wary of one who got away as they attempt to halt a run of three defeats when they entertain Leicestershire in the NatWest T20 Blast tonight.While they include four Wearsiders in their own squad, it's another Sunderland lad, Ben Raine, who
JONNY BAIRSTOW has pulled no punches in assessing Yorkshire’s performances in the first half of this season’s NatWest T20 Blast campaign ahead of tonight’s blockbuster clash with Lancashire. The England limited overs star accepts the Vikings have
AN armed raider who tried to hold-up a betting shop but claimed it was a "cack-handed joke" when he was caught was last night (Thursday, July 2) behind bars. David Swan was jailed for four years at Teesside Crown Court yesterday after a jury took
ONE of the most stunning gardens in the North East is set to open its gates at the weekend to raise funds for charity. Tudor Croft in Stokesley Road, Guisborough, east Cleveland, features plants from across the world alongside fountains, a stream
ANGRY MPs have accused George Osborne of “deceit” after it was revealed that filling in potholes will count as part of “building a Northern Powerhouse”. Cash for bus and cycle lanes – and for traffic-calming – is also included in the £13bn the
A FORMER asbestos worker who is fighting cancer for a third time is suing his old employer for his "five years of pain and suffering". Colin Stephenson, 66, had his voicebox removed due to cancer in 2009, lost part of his lung to the disease six
A FORMER police chief who stepped down after being cleared of misconduct charges said she was “absolutely shocked” to learn senior officers treated her differently because she was a woman.In an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live Sue Sim, who retired in April
LIKE R Robinson of Coxhoe, I started work at Thrislington Colliery at the age of 15 years. I did not want to work in that hole in the ground but my father said if pit work was good enough for him, it was good enough for me. I must say I enjoyed
ALAN Milburn (HAS, June 25) harks back to the Blair era, not surprisingly perhaps since he was one of its main players as well as one of its main beneficiaries. For the rest, or most, of us, Blair’s premiership was an unmitigated disaster. Apart
