LOST Voice Guy has won the first live semi-final of Britain's Got Talent. The Consett comedian, real name Lee Ridley, was voted through to the final of the ITV show by the public. Singers The D-Day Darlings are also going through after being
Big Country is to be aimed at Royal Ascot after a gallant front-running performance under top-weight in today’s Racing UK Zetland Gold Cup at Redcar. The gelding, trained by Mick Appleby and ridden by champion jockey Silvestre de Sousa, repelled
DEREK Christie knew Neale Cooper long before the Scot set foot in Hartlepool. Radio reporter Christie was in the North-East when Cooper arrived in 2003 and their paths had crossed before. Here he pens his thoughts and pays tribute to one of football's
FROM Viking reenactments to thrilling show rides and a full parade, thousands of people flocked to a market town for its annual meet weekend. There was fun for all the family at the Barnard Castle Meet, which kicked off with a fun run and boat
Neale Cooper has died in hospital in Aberdeen. The former Hartleoool United boss was found at the foot of a stairwell at flat in Aberdeen in the early hours of Sunday morning. It is understood he suffered a heart attack. He was on a life support
HALF a dozen hot air balloons flew above County Durham as a two-day event encouraging people to look up to the skies came to an end. The sight of the coloured silks, floating slowly across the Durham skyline on a beautiful May evening was surely
PEDESTRIAN access to Newburn Bridge, in Newcastle, is now open following damage caused by a burst water pipe.The bridge had to be closed to vehicles and pedestrians last Monday after a major water pipe burst caused flooding and structural damage.Damage
HUNDREDS of food lovers got the chance to sample cuisines from all over the world at the weekend with the return of an annual festival. Darlington Food and Drink Festival, otherwise known as “Darlo Dines Out”, allowed visitors the chance to sample
AS the Bank Holiday sun shone down yesterday, crowds flocked to the popular seaside beside the quayside in Newcastle.The initiative is now in its seventh year, and sees a sandy beach complete with deck chairs, palm tree and beach huts set up beside the
Liam Plunkett has revealed how his recent spell in the Indian Premier League afforded him the opportunity to get to know one of his heroes.It may be some surprise to learn that a young fast bowler growing up in Middlesbrough looked up to an Australian
THE opening of Sunderland’s new bridge across the River Wear – Northern Spire – is getting closer after a long and challenging winter. Finishing works on the cable-stayed bridge, which boasts a 105m-high central A-frame pylon, are underway with
A MOTORIST stopped by police on the A64 in North Yorkshire at the weekend was almost five times the drink driving limit, it has been alleged.North Yorkshire Police tweeted that a member of the public and an off-duty police officer had both reported that
TENS of thousands of fans turned out for a rapidly expanding food festival. Malton Food Lovers Festival marked its tenth anniversary with a producers market featuring 175 stalls and several Michelin-starred chefs including Tommy Banks whose North Yorkshire
A MAN has been arrested after a crash in Stockton left another man with a serious leg injury which required a partial amputation. The injured man, understood to be in his 40s, was caught up in a collision with a grey Astra and a road sign on the
RAFAEL BENITEZ is expecting to hear a transfer update from managing director Lee Charnley at the beginning of June, as Newcastle United consider a range of potential targets.It has emerged that former Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel has been offered
SUNDERLAND’S new executive director Charlie Methven has outlined how he wants the club to be “ferocious and brutal” to ensure everything is done to secure the talent to turn things around at the Stadium of Light. In an interview with Sunderland
PLANS to build 88 new homes on a former farming site have been submitted to Durham County Council.An outline planning application proposes a housing development on land north of the former Rodridge Cottage Farm in Station Town, near Wingate.Plan B Planning
A CHARITY is set to launch a new project aimed at getting people out and about as they face later life.East Durham Trust will host the Walk Together programme that will see over 40 walks staged across the district with over 300 people taking part. The
TWO tubs of ice cream cost a businessman almost £370 after he was caught trading without a licence.Brian Trinder was seen serving customers from an ice cream van parked near the entrance to Birch Place, Esh Winning, last October, a hearing at Newton Aycliffe
THE future of Sunderland Ladies is unclear after the club was denied a place in the FA Women’s Championship next season. Even though the Women's Super League will be extended to ten teams including Brighton and West Ham, Sunderland’s application for
THE largest cavern in Britain opened up to the public at the weekend.Gaping Gill in the Yorkshire Dales National Park is only open two weekends a year, allowing people to be winched from a hole in the roof and up again for a fee of £15. The drop is 110
Durham County secured Twickenham glory with a 46-12 win over Warwickshire to lift the Bill Beaumont Division Two Championship .Captain Chris Wearmouth paid tribute to his players after the win: “We are over the moon as a team, it is a great achievement
RUNNERS battled the heat on Sunday to take part in the increasingly popular Northallerton 10k race. Although it was only the third race held, more than a thousand people registered from all over the country. The winner Daniel Haymes, from Derby
WORRIED customers have been told not to panic after a popular charity shop closed at the weekend.The derelict appearance of Age UK in Cockerton, Darlington, is only a temporary measure as the store is undergoing refurbishment.Due to its popularity, the
THE breathtaking beauty of a public transport route which features rugged moorland and sweeping sea views has seen it voted as Britain’s most scenic bus journey.More than 15,000 people voted in a poll to find the bus route with the most stunning scenery
NEWCASTLE Rafa Benitez expects a battle to keep Jamaal Lascelles on Tyneside this summer, with a growing number of admirers preparing a bid. The Magpies are in a strong position because the player is keen to stay and is under contract, so just
NEALE Cooper, the former Hartlepool United manager, is in a critical condition in hospital in Aberdeen. He was found collapsed in the stairwell of flats in the city at around 1.45am on Sunday morning. Cooper, who had two spells in charge of
TWO men were rescued at the weekend after a yacht struck rocks after suffering an engine fire. The alarm was raised just after 5.15pm on Saturday by an off-duty Redcar RNLI crew member who saw the yacht sailing close inshore and then strike rocks
THE new Mayor of Ferryhill Councillor Richard Smith has chosen to support the Great North Air Ambulance, Blind Veterans UK and Rainbow Tots Parent and Toddler Group during his year in office.Fundraising will begin with a coffee morning at Dean Bank and
Loved compering the Darlington Food and Drink Festival over the past few days. What a fantastic event for Darlington. Exactly what the town centre needs. Great to see so many people enjoying themselves in the sunshine - and it was all free!
THE story of the Scottish soldiers whose remains were discovered in two mass burial sites in Durham city centre, will be told in a new exhibition opening this summer.The exhibition, entitled Bodies of Evidence: How Science Unearthed Durham’s Dark Secret
A CHARITY football match in memory of a popular Durham woman has raised more than £6,000.The annual Mary Hayton Charity Football tournament always draws in hundreds of people from the community, Mrs Hayton was so well-known in.And it was no different
EVEN though he’s just climbed to the top of the world’s highest mountain, Steve Graham doesn’t think of it as “conquering Everest”. “It might sound a bit corny, but you don’t conquer the mountain, it allows you to climb it,” says the unassuming
THOUSANDS of pop fans were singing, dancing and reliving the sounds of the ‘90s and noughties last night as chart-toppers celebrated the bank holiday weekend in style. Headline act Steps stormed the stage at The Northern Echo Arena, in Darlington
A VICAR recovering from cancer and her husband have spoken of their “agonising” experience after a planned extension to their home went disastrously wrong, leaving them more than £30,000 out of pocket. Lissa and Nigel Scott said they wanted to
VISITORS flocked to a County Durham farm over the weekend to witness the art of sheep shearing. Experts made the skill look easy as they held demonstrations at the award-winning Hall Hill Farm, near Lanchester. About 50 sheep were relieved
ONE year ago this month, I had the honour of being elected Tees Valley Mayor, representing the area I have always been proud to call home. To mark this anniversary, I delivered a speech at major Teesside logistics firm AV Dawson. The industrial
FOUR colleges and post-16 providers across the North-East have been named as the first to teach new T Levels.Durham Sixth Form Centre, New College, Durham, Gateshead College and St Thomas More Catholic School are among the 52 places named by Education
SERIOUS concerns have been raised about proposals to move specialist health services away from a hospital because it is feared acute services are being centralised away from County Durham.A review of vascular services in the North-East has been carried
A LABOUR-run council has been accused of 'political gerrymandering' after wrongly electing an independent councillor to a panel set up to scrutinise Cleveland Police.The Police and Crime Panel, a body of councillors set up to inspect the work
THERE is a corner of Colorado, in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, that has the Durham coalfield at its heart. Biddy Breen, of Stokesley, was recently holidaying in the small town of Louisville in Colorado and was surprised to find that Durham
PRISON campaigners say overcrowding is an “unchanging reality” as official figures continue to show all of the region’s jails are operating near to maximum capacity.Seven prisons in the North-East and North Yorkshire are at between 93 per cent and 99
SHOCKING figures revealed in a Freedom of Information request highlight an increase in women living on the streets. According to the FOI response from Durham County Council, in 2016, 46 per cent of the homeless population were female and seeking
Who or what inspired you to take up photography?MY inspiration for photography is my boys and I do a lot of sports photography. Joe Cornish inspires me to some extent, but now with youtube and instagram there are so many others – Mr Ben Brown for one.
DOZENS of civilians from across the north tested themselves top the limit in a new military leadership challenge set by Army reserves.For the first time the reserve soldiers from the Queen’s Own Yeomanry offered a one-day leadership challenge at Queen
JUDGES for Yorkshire In Bloom will visit Richmond in five weeks time, and work is well underway to ensure the town is looking its best.Original Richmond and Richmond Business and Tourism Association entered Yorkshire In Bloom to raise the profile of the
PARENTS of children at a Dales primary school have officially given notice requesting the school’s release from a federation to become independent once more.West Burton Primary School is currently in a federation with Bainbridge and Askrigg primary schools
A FLAGSHIP family show at the Swaledale Festival has been saved at the eleventh hour by a replacement musician after its central pianist had to pull out.The show, The Boy, the Piano and the Beach, is a magical adventure told through dance, puppetry and
Library closureNORTHALLERTON library will be closed on June 14 and 15 for essential building maintenance. It will reopen on June 16. Loan periods have been adjusted so no borrowed items will be due for return on the days when the library is closed and
A RAINBOW of colour filled a city centre yesterday as thousands turned out for Durham Pride.The event was headlined by British girl band Stooshe with a parade and afternoon music.People of all ages and backgrounds joined in the celebrations with the LGBTQ
