A TEESSIDE student has won a place on a university course across the Atlantic. Basketball player Gavin Smith, 22, of Seaton Lane, Hartlepool, is starting his first year at Oakland City University in Indiana, US. A former Brierton School pupil, he is studying
FOR nearly 40 years, a shining silver tennis club trophy was proudly displayed in the home of its last men's singles champion. When Charlie and Vera Button moved house, the 15in high cup went as well - kept gleaming under Mrs Button's care. But three
PEOPLE power has failed to stop controversial plans to send dozens of heavy lorries through a village. Nearly every resident of Knitsley, a hamlet near Consett, has protested at plans by Elddis Caravans for a caravan storage compound that will see about
Teesside Hospice is holding a toy sale on Saturday, November 11, from 11am to 2pm, at the Holy Name of Mary Church Hall, The Avenue, Linthorpe, Middlesbrough. It is on the lookout for any unwanted toys. Anyone who would like to donate items for the event
STUDENTS from East Durham and Houghall Community College's International Boxing Academy have been roped into a demonstration which leaves no doubt that skipping is anything but sissy. The talented young fighters have agreed to illustrate the benefits
THEAKSTON's Brewery in Masham has given £750 to charities working for the welfare of children and animals. The Paradise Fund, launched in February, has helped nine local causes, and more cash is available. This month, the Jerry Green Foundation Trust,
RESIDENTS have objected to a fence that has been erected around land being developed for homes. Stockton Borough Council has received objections from residents in Bedlington Walk, Billingham, who are concerned that the fence is unsatisfactory in appearance
THE future looks brighter for an east Durham community venture, thanks to an £81,000 cash boost. The Hill Rigg House Project, Peterlee, provides facilities for individuals and organisations and is run by a management committee made up primarily of local
SUNDERLAND Football Club's controversial new training centre has been named the Academy of Light. Fierce opposition from green belt campaigners had forced the £8m development to a public inquiry, which finally ruled in favour of the ambitious proposal
RESIDENTS have joined forces to help to tackle the problems in their fast-declining community. After years of neglect, Swatch, a group of residents from the Parkfield area of Stockton, is helping the fight against decline in the area. They have set up
A NEW recruit is to encourage more young people to sign up to join the armed forces. Green Howard Private David Tose, 17, of Hartlepool, has completed his training as an infantryman and will spend a week in Darlington sharing his experiences. David, who
A FATHER-OF-SIX charged with bigamy came face-to-face in court yesterday with the three women he married. Former guest house manager Robert Hutchings, 53, married and divorced Jean Thomson, then wed teenage student Samantha Bone, while he was still married
A LACK of nursery school provision in a County Durham village has been addressed thanks to the efforts of a handful of dedicated parents. Facilities are now available for 18 three to four-year-olds in Witton Gilbert, near Durham, giving them an insight
The FA are to probe a half-time tunnel bust-up involving Niall Quinn and Gerry Taggart during Sunday's match between Sunderland and Leicester. The pair were booked for a 41st minute flare-up on the pitch and the row continued as they headed for the Stadium
A NINETEEN-foot python had to be rescued by firefighters yesterday after it made a bid for freedom. Clio, a 13-year-old Burmese python which weighs 11 stone, smashed open its sealed glass house, forced open a bedroom window and climbed out on to the roof
FOCUSED Hartlepool United boss Chris Turner will today step up his search for new blood. The Pool boss had seven players on the injured list for last weekend's victory over York City and while Lee Fitzpatrick may be back in contention following a viral
THE Darlington football stadium saga took another twist yesterday when the club parted company with the main contractors. Quakers supremo George Reynolds announced that construction firm Taylor Woodrow will no longer be building the new £15m stadium on
A GROUP of cyclists raised more than £1,770 for charity. The cyclists, from Teesside Training Enterprise (TTE), rode 200 miles to raise the money for the charity FSIDS, which conducts research into Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The eight cyclists, and
residents have given a helping hand to youngsters with reading difficulties. Rossmere and Seaton Grange Residents' Association, in Hartlepool, has raised more than £1,000 for the pupils at the town's Golden Flatts Primary School. The money will be used
ENTHUSIASTIC entrepreneurs in the North-East have the chance to study at one of the country's top universities and gain a qualification that will give them a strong edge against the competition. The Northern Echo and Durham University Business School
COUNCILLORS have hit back at criticism over their handling of a new supermarket development during a special finance meeting. Members of Teesdale District Council answered their critics during a meeting to discuss a draft statement of accounts for the
HE is known to all his friends and family as Stewart, but on Saturday night he became the disco star Leo Sayer. For 50 minutes, Stewart Cousins left his area sales manager job behind and was transformed into the 1970s superstar, Leo Sayer, as part of
A SENIOR church leader is expected to speak out in support of controversial moves for church buildings to be used as banks, post offices or even doctors' surgeries. The idea of cash machines at country churches angered traditionalists when it was first
THE Princess Royal proved she is never happier than when she is among friends in the horse world when she made a surprise appearance in the North-East yesterday. With husband Tim Lawrence and her son, Peter, she spent the day at Witton Castle, near Bishop
Out of the horror of holocaust camps such as Belsen, Auschwitz and Dachau, a new order was established. The atrocities inflicted on countless innocents rocked the world and brought a Europe-wide consensus that such scenes should never be witnessed again
Residents have reaped the rewards of their efforts in a gardening competition. Winners of the Stockton Borough Council competition were presented with awards at Preston Hall Museum, Eaglescliffe, on Thursday. The Mayor of Stockton, Councillor Pete Andrew
AN embroiderers' guild celebrated its 21st birthday over the weekend. Darlington Embroiderers' Guild held a celebration day "Stitching Up 21 Years" which included achievements, recollections and the presentation of Darlington 2000, A Celebration in Stitches
"WAITER, there's a cat in my soup!" Archaeologists have discovered that bar meals served at pubs in 18th Century Durham City had a secret ingredient. They have also unearthed evidence that oysters were the pork scratchings of the day. A dig on the site
A NEW study carried out in the region has shown that warming patients before operating on them reduces infections after surgery by up to 70 per cent. The study, funded by a £90,000 grant from Action Research, took a year and a half to complete, while
EVEN a champion young chatterbox was lost for words the day he met the world's favourite cartoon character. Lyndon Longhorne's date with Mickey Mouse was a reward for the long months of pain and frustration he endured as he fought back from a near deadly
IT is now two years since the death of his beloved wife and Sir Paul McCartney is moving on with his life. A frustrated artist for many years, he is publishing his first book of paintings and has started a relationship with North-East model Heather Mills
DRIVERS came face-to-face with the reality of vehicle crime on Saturday. Police staged an exhibition in Stockton, featuring a car and motorcycle that had been "ringed" by professional thieves. A member of the stolen vehicles squad was on hand to explain
TOP soap stars are to be involved in a murder in the region this week. Frazer Hines, formerly of Emmerdale, and ex-Eastender Sophie Lawrence head the cast for the classic 1950s thriller Dial M for Murder, which plays for a week at Darlington Civic Theatre
A PLANNED one-way traffic system to serve a supermarket is expected to be given the go-ahead, despite protests from residents. Objectors have written to North Yorkshire County Council to express their fears over the extra traffic which would use narrow
ONE of the region's NHS trusts is continuing to meet its targets despite an increasing workload. Between April and August this year, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust saw a big rise in the number of referrals by GPs and in the number of emergency admissions
A REWARD waits for two honest teenagers who kept a visitor to the Bishop of Durham's home in the picture. Margaret Ingham, of Eastbourne, east Sussex, left her camera on a seat near Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland. Before she went back to look for it
THOUSANDS of people made the 175th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway an event to remember. And hundreds turned out yesterday to "do the Locomotion" and set a world record in the process. A total of 374 people gathered in Darlington to
ONE of the area's beauty spots is to be the venue for an expedition with a difference. The event, in Kielder Forest, Northumberland, on Saturday, October 14, has been organised to allow owners of four-wheel drive vehicles the chance to sample the 155,000
THREE people are in police custody following an incident outside a north east nightclub which left a 24-year-old man fighting for his life. The disturbance broke out at around 1.25 am on Saturday near the Gass club in Houghton-le-Spring town centre. When
ONE of Stockton's most popular choirs is raising the roof in aid of parish church refurbishments. The Stockton Vocal Union is giving a concert next weekend to help to mend the roof of the town's parish church. English Heritage has awarded the church a
TWO police constables turned the clock back to help revive memories of the force's early history in east Durham. Durham Constabulary, Easington police division, the community safety department and Age Concern have been working in partnership to look at
EAST Durham firms have rallied round round to help a comprehensive school raise the last few thousands of pounds it needs to win technology status. Almost 1,000 pupils from St Bede's Catholic School, Peterlee, took to the streets to complete a sponsored
UNTIL the fuel crisis debacle and the Millennium Dome fiasco Tony Blair appeared all but invincible. Now it is apparent that the outcome of the next General Election is no longer a foregone conclusion. While Mr Blair has had a bruising few weeks, William
CHARITY workers have spoken of their disgust at the actions of burglars who left more than a dozen vulnerable people without their food orders. Member of the Women's Royal Volunteer Service (WRVS) in Consett, which recently started a frozen foods delivery
A NORTH-EAST stunt rider has beaten his own world record for travelling backwards on a motorbike. But despite beating the 140mph barrier backwards, it is still not enough for Dave Coates, of Darlington. The 35-year-old first took the title of the fastest
A £1.5M housing scheme, providing accommodation for 100 people, has been opened in Darlington. The Mayor of the town, Councillor Dorothy Long, gave a red carpet welcome to residents at Tees Valley Housing Group's Kingsbury Mews housing scheme, in Parkside
A TEESDALE resident has been given permission to build stables on his property, despite a push by some local councillors to put a stop to the plans. During a meeting of Teesdale District Council's development control committee, members were divided on
AFTER 40 years together, a couple have shown their family that marriage is just as wonderful the second time around. Alfred Atkinson's romantic ruby anniversary gift to his wife, Muriel, was a dream wedding ceremony in the church where they exchanged
THE champion of champions in the leek growing world were crowned yesterday. Excitement began on Saturday when competitors from six of Darlington's working men's clubs battled it out to take part in the Champion of Champions competition. The event was
I AM interested in ancient Egypt and all things Egyptian but I am unsure as to the exact origins of the name Egypt. Is it an etymological reference to the great Aegean? - Andrew Lightfoot, Bridlington. EGYPT was known to the Romans as Aegyptos and to
THE future of one of the region's councils has been placed in the hands of its residents. Under new laws, which came into effect in the summer, people in Hartlepool will have a choice of three options for the way in which the council makes decisions.
A hotel has been given the go-ahead to start work on a £125,000 development providing office space and a conference hall. Headlam Hall Hotel, near Gainford, in County Durham, was granted permission to extend their facilities during a meeting of Teesdale
A GAMES guru has scooped gold in the Playstation equivalent of the Olympics. Racing-mad Lee Hamilton, 23, became hooked on the console game Gran Turismo 2 the first time he played it. After spending hours playing it, he reached the highest possible level
TOTTENHAM yesterday emerged as rivals to Middlesbrough in the chase for £8m-rated centre-back Ugo Ehiogu. Manager George Graham confirmed they are ready to make a bid to take the Aston Villa defender to north London as it became clear that Sol Campbell
WILLIAM Hague yesterday reached out to inner-city Britain in a bold bid to win over the voters of the North. The Tory leader signalled a bid to recapture the backing of so-called one-nation Conservatives by launching "a bold new social agenda". On the
A NORTH-EAST survivor of the Greek ferry disaster in which more than 70 people were killed has returned home. Suzy McCormack last night recalled her horror as she found herself onboard a sinking ship. The 22-year-old and her American boyfriend, Justin
A CORNER of Teesside could soon be forever Thai. Courses on Thai cuisine, massage, Muay Thai, the country's national sport, dramatic art, music and dance may soon be on offer at the Middlesbrough College, Middlesbrough, as part of a cultural exchange.
Darlington manager Gary Bennett believes his policy of player rotation and strong competition for places in bringing the best out of his squad. Bennett is operating with a big squad this season - and with the recent introduction of Paul Beavers has now
MENSWEAR retailer Moss Bros has plunged £16m into the red after being hit by the costs of shaking up its shops portfolio. The group, which had been damaged by tough competition on the high street, announced plans in May to axe under-performing stores
CHARNLEIGH Construction, one of the region's major building and civil engineering companies, has celebrated its 10th anniversary this year in the best possible way - by filling its order books with a wide range of contracts. The company, based in South
A NORTH-EAST inventor has achieved international recognition after wining the prestigious Saatchi and Saatchi Innovation in Communication Award in New York. Darlington-based Peratech has won the award against stiff international competition for its development
Newcastle reserves last night crumbled 3-1 against a powerful Leeds side - and have not won in five games this season. Leeds, with former Newcastle striker Darren Huckerby and ex-Sunderland star Michael Bridges leading the attack, were ahead after just
