BRENDAN RODGERS has told Sunderland that Derek McInnes would be the “perfect fit” for transforming the fortunes at the Stadium of Light after being shortlisted for the job. Rodgers was speaking at Hampden Park yesterday ahead of leading Celtic
A HOST of former North-East footballers are turning out in a charity match tomorrow at Coxhoe Athletic. Former Hartlepool United players Jason Ainsley, Tommy Miller, Brian Honour and Matty Robson are among those playing in memory of Gemma Robson
NORTH-EAST rivals Middlesbrough and Sunderland are weighing up whether to offer Garry Monk the chance to bounce straight back into football after quitting to “consider life beyond Leeds United.” The Whites are looking for a new first team coach
A SCHOOLBOY who collapsed and died during a kickabout with his friends has been named. James Cook, from Bishop Auckland, was enjoying a game of football on playing fields belonging to St John’s School and Sixth Form in the town when he became unwell
PAUL COLLINGWOOD ensured a 41st birthday to remember with a superb century as Durham made 342 on day one of their Specsavers County Championship clash with Glamorgan.The former England all-rounder struck 127 off 174 balls after Durham lost early wickets
Darlington this week appointed David Johnston as chief executive, the 52-year-old bringing a new perspective to the club having previously been managing director at Stansted Airport and held numerous other senior positions at companies around the country
KEVIN BURGESS has become the latest Darlington player to sign a new contract, committing himself to a two-year deal, writes craig stoddart. The captain follows Phil Turnbull, Nathan Cartman, Mark Beck and Harvey Saunders in putting pen to paper on
AN alert has been issued over a "particularly dangerous" batch of heroin after 14 people suffered overdoses in the last 24 hours in Teesside. Cleveland Police have been working with their partner agencies including North East Ambulance Service
WINDY weather has punctured hopes of a flying start to County Durham's first ever balloon festival.Hundreds of people gathered in Durham last night in the hope of seeing brightly coloured silks floating in the skies above the city.But high temperatures
PLANS to build offices in the open space between Middlesbrough Town Hall and library, which it is hoped will bring 1,500 jobs to the town, have been approved by councillors.Middlesbrough Council’s planning committee approved plans by developer Ashall
A SCHOOL has received support from a house builder in its bid to get more of its pupils travelling on foot.St George’s Church of England Academy in Middleton St George, Darlington, took part in Walk to School Week earlier this month.The initiative, which
A VICTORIAN pumping station will open its doors to the public over the bank holiday weekend.After almost 100 years supplying Sunderland’s drinking water, Ryhope Pumping Station closed in 1967, although its beam engines were kept in working order.Now the
MALTON Food Lovers Festival takes place this weekend with organisers promising more top name chefs and foodie, family fun than ever before. Back for the ninth year running, the festival will welcome celebrity chef and British-Jamaican reggae musician
THE saying goes that a picture is worth a thousand words, and the image of heavily armed Durham Police officer PC Nick Downing blowing a kiss to two women offering free hugs on the streets of Manchester certainly tells its own story.The photograph was
A ROW has broken out at a Pride event after a fake tan wearing Beyonce tribute act was accused of blackface. Leanne Harper, a Beyonce tribute act booked to perform at Durham Pride this weekend, became the subject of death threats after commentators
A NORTH Yorkshire man found with an imitation gun while driving under the influence of drugs has been banned from the roads. Stephen John Baines, 31, from Harrogate, was stopped while driving a blue Vauxhall Astra on the A19 at Selby in the early
A POPULAR green space cherished by a village’s children for decades has been saved by parish councillors.Villagers in Gainford, Teesdale, are celebrating after councillors revealed they had secured land on Balmer Hill, at Gainford and Langton Parish Council
THERE are hopes that a two-week-old foal - who will grow no bigger than a large dog - could become one of the UK’s first guide horses. The newly-born American miniature horse, Digby, has been picked by Katy Smith for potential training for the relatively
HUNDREDS of cannabis plants worth more than £400,000 have been discovered growing in a “large-scale industrial size farm” in a North-East home. Around 476 plants at various stages of growth have been seized after neighbourhood police officers were
A TRUSTED leisure centre worker who was caught stealing money from her employers has walked free from court. Katrina Humphrey booked customers into their sports sessions, but did not put their money through the till. The 46-year-old was spotted
ALL eyes will be on the skies tomorrow to see the long-awaited take off of the second-annual Skylive Airshow as it returns to Durham Tees Valley Airport.Deafening airborne and arena-based entertainment will be taking the spring bank holiday to new heights
AN event aimed at giving people with learning disabilities more information about services and opportunities is taking place next week.The Fulfilling Lives event will take place at New College Durham between 10am and 4pm on Thursday, June 1. There will
FIRE crews have had to cut a seven-year-old child out of handcuffs. The youngster called in at the fire station in Scarborough just before 8pm on Thursday and a crew released him using a hacksaw. A spokesman said there was no information on
THE lead singer of an American rock band has been reunited with a fan that saved one of the band’s North-East gigs more than a decade ago - after a 'teenage dirtbag' threatened to bring it to a halt. Brendan Brown, front man of Wheatus - came face
SCHOOLCHILDREN have been told about one drummer’s experiences of Rockin’ All Over The World in legendary rock band, Status Quo. Jeff Rich, who played with the band between 1986 and 2000, visited Corporation Road Community Primary School in Darlington
FOLLOWING the sacking of Dave Jones towards the end of last season’s ill-fated campaign, Hartlepool United have appointed Craig Harrison as their new manager, writes JOE COOPER.Plying his trade in the Welsh Premier League since December 2011, Harrison
SCHOOLCHILDREN have been praised for their creative thinking after winning a competition challenging them to think about what they could do when the lights go out.Energy supplier Northern Powergrid tasked pupils from 35 schools at a Durham Safety Carousel
CRAIG Harrison has been confirmed as the new Hartlepool United manager. The former Middlesbrough defender moves from TNS, the League of Wales champions. TNS, they have been crowned Welsh Premier League champions six times, won four Welsh Cups
THE city of York is entering a new era with its first all-female civic party. Councillor Barbara Boyce became Lord Mayor, Valerie Clark became Lady Mayoress, Gillian Brian became Sheriff and Anne Bush became Sheriff”s Consort at the city’s annual mayor-making
GRANTS of up to £3,000 are up for grabs to help ensure children have a summer to remember.The Three Towns Area Action Partnership has allocated £7,000 for its Holiday Activity Grants Scheme and is encouraging groups and organisations to apply.Grants of
A MAN who approached a group of children playing outdoors is being sought by police after he encouraged a ten-year-old girl to sit with him before kissing her hand. The girl had been with friends on a grassy hill area near the Parkfield Community Centre
ANGRY residents have called for action to be taken at a derelict former school they say has become a flytipping hotspot.Villagers in Gainford, County Durham, have labelled the old St Peter’s School a “dump” after complaining it is an easy target for flytippers.The
FOUR cheeky lads are using the Just Giving charity page to fund a big night 'on the sesh'. The appeal, set up by Sam Bailey of Catterick Garrison, is seeking to raise £500 so that he and four of his friends can enjoy a night out together.
A GRIEVING father has urged teenagers tempted to take drugs to picture the face of his beloved daughter and remember the name Megan Bell. The popular 17-year-old died at a music festival last summer and on Friday afternoon an inquest concluded
RESIDENTS can have their say on plans to build 16 affordable homes in Willington next week.County Durham Housing Group is staging a public consultation event at Willington Methodist Church on Wednesday, May 31, from 4pm to 6pm.The three-bedroom homes
THOSE still hoping to catch some rays over the bank holiday weekend are more likely to need their brollies than their bikinis after forecasters issued three weather warnings for rain over the next four days. The first yellow warning for wet weather
WORK has started on a £1.8 million housing development Landlord Karbon Homes is building 17 family homes on three neighbouring sites in the South Pelaw area of Chester-le-Street previously used as garages.The new homes, which will be available for rent
SCHOOL staff and friends will be breaking out their lycra for a 150-mile coast-to-coast cycle ride.Six cyclists from Durham Trinity School and Sports College will be tackling the route from Workington to Sunderland this weekend Head teacher Rachel Grimwood
BUSINESS people from across the area came together to discuss how to make towns successful and prosperous.Now in its fifth year, the Hambleton Business Conference event at Easingwold attracted more than 130 people from 80 businesses in the district.Delegates
COMMUNITY groups have joined forces to fight for the future of a historic building after funding was scrapped. Richmondshire Community and Voluntary Action lost its funding earlier this year when a £1.4m four-year contract was given to Rural Action
A NORTH Yorkshire veterinary practice has just taken delivery of a new £12,000 digital X-ray machine.Mount Veterinary Group has bought the technology to replace outdated equipment at its surgery in Middlecave Road, Malton.It will be used to diagnose fractures
ALMOST 2,000 runners are expected to be lacing up their trainers and descending on Northallerton for a popular10k run on Sunday.The number of entrants for this year’s Northallerton 10k race has exceeded expectations, as organisers anticipate close to
IT'S fair to say that overall it’s been a disappointing season for the region’s professional football clubs, writes JOE COOPER. This year saw Sunderland and Middlesbrough relegated from the top-flight and though Newcastle will be replacing one
A MAN was hit over the head with a bottle, then robbed of cash and his jacket. Police are appealing for information after the 29-year-old man was attacked while walking across the wasteland area between Diamond Road and Waverley Street, near to
A FARMING family are hoping to support local farmers as they launch a café in one of their former dairy buildings. Jeff and Sharon Stead and their daughter Emily have just opened up Middlemoor Farm Café at their farm near Hudswell, Richmond.
SLIMMERS at Leyburn and Richmond are donating clothes they’ve successfully slimmed out of to a cancer charity. A two-week long event, “The Big Slimming World Clothes Throw” runs at groups across the UK from June 5 to 18. Members confident enough
Swaledale Festival, starts on Saturday and runs until June 10 The award-winning Swaledale Festival is an annual celebration of music and arts in the beautiful landscape of the three northernmost Yorkshire Dales - Swaledale, Wensleydale and Arkengarthdale
DANCERS, teachers and would-be dancers from across Hambleton are being asked to come together to toe-tap the day away.The annual ‘day of dance’, organised by Hambleton District Council, is taking place next month to raise awareness of dance and highlight
HELMSLEY Community Library is to house a slice of local history when an exact replica of the Magna Carta goes on display next week. The library, which is celebrating two-months of being community-led, will unveil the replica on June 2 at 11.30am
GEORGE HONEYMAN has signed a new two-year contract at Sunderland – even though he missed out on triggering a deal automatically. The 22-year-old midfielder had to play one extra game – and it didn’t need to be a full match or a start – to have his
As this year's point-to-point season draws to a close, Jenny Needham talks to a competitive couple who like to take life at a gallop Every few weeks during the point-to-point season, Alice Dawson saddles up and rides hell for leather across the countryside
Carol Malia marks 20 years as the presenter of flagship BBC regional news programme Look North this month. Sarah Millington talks to her about her time in the public eye CAROL Malia remembers vividly breaking the news of her appointment to the
Irish actress Denise Gough waited years for her big break – and thought about quitting acting – but her hard work is now being rewarded. She tells Jeananne Craig why she couldn’t be happier with the gritty lead role in new BBC Two drama, Paula
WHAT the papers are saying about possible transfers. Manchester United are expected to bring in three or four players this summer - and ANTOINE GRIEZMANN is set to be the first, according to the newspapers. The France forward has been heavily linked
JAVIER Bardem is reportedly never late. Whether it's on set, to dinner with friends, or anywhere, he prides himself on being "punctual" - or "punto" as it sounds in his trademark thick Spanish accent. "That's why I don't wear a watch," he says,
LET’S reboot and see how the election resets itself as life begins to restart after the week’s appalling events. At the start of the week, which now seems like a very different age, Theresa May’s team was troubled. Their manifesto was a slipshod
I WAS surprised to see my Labour candidate’s assertion that he supported the Labour Party but not its leader (Echo, May 22). Given that the General Election is now only a couple of weeks away, the most important message I would have expected Phil
Take inspiration from Chelsea – the flower show, not the football club – by planting some beautiful blue poppies I was lucky enough to attend this year’s Chelsea Flower Show, and whilst there was much to admire on Main Avenue and elsewhere, I felt
AT the Shildon hustings last Friday night, the Tory candidate for Bishop Auckland told us he was not afraid to disagree with his party on policy from time to time. He went on to disagree with it on almost everything: the bedroom tax, cuts to school
THE whole of the United Kingdom and right minded people throughout the world will come together against such acts of terror as we witnessed in Manchester. Many of the fans at the concert were young which makes this atrocity a much more vile and
HOW long are we going to allow these atrocities to continue? We must take a hard line now. These animals have no place in our civilisation. Children are being blown up by cowards. I know not all Muslims are terrorists but some are, and I can’t
THE power of the statement that “we stand together and are united against atrocities” is starting to wane. Those who have lost loved ones in this and other unthinkable tragedies will never get over their loss, and they want to hear the words that “
AS the election gets nearer, various opinion polls will come out with their updates on the voting patterns. There is no doubt that these polls can have an impact on the election result, especially concerning the turnout. If the polls indicate
Murder mystery writer Amanda Taylor stumbled upon her latest plot purely by chance, she tells Jenny Needham Amanda Taylor believes she was destined to write about crime, and no wonder. “The first house we lived in was near the site of the discovery
IMAGINE you are a top civil servant in Whitehall sitting up in your ivory tower and you have been closing down A&E Departments for years. Imagine you now want to shut Darlington’s A&E. The man down the corridor in your ministry sets the budget
The key to a good dinner party is keeping it relaxed, Alice Levine and Laura Jackson, the authors of Round To Ours, tell Keeley Bolger DINNER parties. The term can't help but conjure visions of Hyacinth Bucket fussing over napkin rings and place
PRIOR to moving from primary school to middle school some 30 plus years ago, it was common to get your friends’ and teachers’ signatures in an autograph book. I wanted to write something different to the usual rhymes so I asked my mum, now in her mid
I WAS reading Sharon Griffiths’ page on Friday, which I enjoy, and thought how unfair life is (Echo, May 19). There was Pippa Middleton’s wedding costing a fortune and then that stupid lad Wayne Rooney wasting thousands on gambling. But most days
Want to avoid injury while pounding the pavements? Sports therapist Jamie Webb goes through some exercises that’ll help keep those running pains at bay IT'S one of the cheapest and quickest ways to get your heart pumping and work up a sweat. All
It’s just got cheaper to set your affairs in order WHAT’S more important than a will? One person develops dementia every three minutes. Many others lose their faculties via strokes, accidents and more. The emotional challenges this puts on
A TWELVE-YEAR-OLD boy has died after collapsing while playing football with his friends. It is understood the boy’s friends and nearby dog walkers attempted to resuscitate the him during the incident at St John’s School and Sixth Form College in
WHEN I was 13, I was involved in a terrorist attack. On March 28 1994, schizophrenic Middlesbrough man Stephen Wilkinson broke into a classroom at Hall Garth School, where I was studying maths. He stabbed 12-year-old Nikki Conroy to death and
A FORMER Crown Post Office could become student digs following an application to turn the building into apartments. Developers Starstruck Limited have released plans to turn Durham’s former Post Office into student accommodation. The Grade II listed building
THIS is the moment an armed Durham Police officer on duty in Manchester following the terror attack blew a kiss to women offering 'free hugs'. The heart-warming picture was captured by graphic designer Natalie Thornley outside Manchester Town Hall
SOCIAL media sites have been under growing pressure to crack down on misinformation and fake news in recent months but they have been dreadfully slow to react. The false reports which circulated in the wake of the Manchester terror attack showed
A TWITTER storm of fake news saw Darlington teenagers caught up in the aftermath of the Manchester bombing. The Express and the Daily Star published photos of 13-year-old Niamh Bishop after falling for messages from a Twitter troll claiming the
POLICE are appealing for information as to the whereabouts of a 28-year-old man, last seen in Middlesbrough. Shane Brown left Roseberry Park in Middlesbrough in the early hours of Friday morning. He is 5'6" tall, of thin build, with short mousey
A WARNING has been issued in response to off-road bikers driving through residential streets as police across the county crackdown on the problem. Reports were made to Newton Aycliffe officers about three bikes spotted in the Shafto Way area.
NEWCASTLE UNITED are ready to press ahead with plans initially discussed in January to finalise a deal for Brazilian midfielder Gabriel Pires.The Magpies have been encouraged to follow up their initial interest with a fresh offer for the Leganes player
A CRUEL hoax that saw teenage sisters wrongly identified as potential victims of the Manchester suicide bomber has been condemned by their appalled family. Images of 13-year-old Niamh Bishop and her sister Anna Heward, 18, were published by national
THE full impact of the financial difficulties which forced Durham to seek an ECB bail-out is now clear after this week's drubbing at Hove.Brave talk of a swift return to division one always looked fanciful. Now, with 18 points from three games, they
FORMER Middlesbrough defender Craig Harrison is back in the frame for the Hartlepool United job. The Gateshead-born 39-year-old has been shortlisted for the job and is believed to have climbed to the top of the queue after Barrow's demands for
With the threat of a virtual stroke epidemic on the horizon, North-East GP, Dr Zak Uddin examines a very frightening condition where prevention really is better than cure EVERY year, the month of May is dedicated to Stroke Awareness, with the aim
NEWCASTLE UNITED officials will meet with Tammy Abraham’s representatives next week as they attempt to persuade the teenage striker to uproot to Tyneside. Chelsea are set to fend off interest in the sale of the youngster, who spent last season on loan
