Archive

FINAL dates for entries to the horse, pony and donkey classes at the Great Yorkshire Show have been extended to May 22. But the closing date for show jumping remains Friday, June 15. A total of £29,268 is offered in prize money for the horse and pony

RICHARD QUINN'S appointment as stable jockey to Henry Cecil last season did not as expected turn out to be route one to the jockeys' championship, but it did afford him the opportunity to team up with some serious firepower including Newmarket-bound Shibboleth

THERE have been some strange episodes during my time as a dad, but picking up a child at a motorway service station and wrapping him in Christmas paper is the strangest so far. Let me explain...Jack, aged seven, has a best friend called Luke. Ever since

AFTER a week of desperate campaigning, the Government finally bowed to pressure to seal off a burial pit at Tow Law this week. On Monday work began on sealing off the mass grave of more than 12,000 animal carcasses - the source of a foul stench that villagers

LET me tell you what I did in last week's London riot. I went up to Oxford Street where thousands of police were trying to control the great crowd of anti-capitalist protestors. In nearby Tottenham Court Road, 20 shop windows were smashed including those

YOU may think perfecting the art of the butterfly or backstroke is the sole preserve of adults, but water-loving tots as young as four months are working on their technique nowadays. Teaching children to swim is a smart move for any parent. After all,

TEESWATER sheep will not be automatically slaughtered if they are within a foot-and-mouth infection zone. The breed is now one of 30 exempt from MAFF regulations, even if they are within 3km of infected animals, or on land adjacent to infected stock.

Acavalcade of lovingly preserved cars is back on the road, despite being threatened by the foot-and-mouth outbreak. Organisers confirmed last night that the Beamish Reliability Run, which is now in its 30th year, will take place next month, but in a reduced

York and District Senior League - DUNNINGTON confirmed their early season ranking as Premier Division favourites by moving top after convincingly beating third-placed Osbaldwick by seven wickets. Collis King again ruled the roost as Dunnington blew away

THERE have been some strange episodes during my time as a dad, but picking up a child at a motorway service station and wrapping him in Christmas paper is the strangest so far. Let me explain...Jack, aged seven, has a best friend called Luke. Ever since

A SUPPORT network for disabled youngsters and their families is stepping up a gear. County Durham's Children's Network offers huge benefits to disabled children and their families but hundreds of people are unaware it exists. The Network was set up about

A REVOLUTIONARY office block with the very latest energy-saving techniques is to officially open later this month. Developers, architects and business leaders are already being urged to visit the Hambleton District Council depot on Darlington Road to

Stepy's Coaches Durham Sunday League - Hetton Lyons Cricket Club rounded of a great season taking the Premiership title with a 6-0 win at Relton Terrace. Hetton, Durham Sunday Cup winners, have gone one better than last season when they were runners-up

POLICE are renewing an appeal for help in tracking a missing teenager. Laura Elizabeth Dooley, 17, has been missing from her home in Skelton, since April 10, when she was last seen by her grandparents. Laura is five feet four inches tall, with a slim

Peter Brunt Cup - The Spraire Lads Under-12's B battled bravely against Thirsk Falcons in the final of the Richmond League Cup, but were narrowly defeated 3-2. Falcons took the lead after 12 minutes when David James timed his run to perfection to score

Bass North Cleveland League - Brotton were all out for 87 when they hosted Skelton Castle in Division One. Hogarth with four for 19 in 13 overs and Fergus Grant whose 12.2 overs produced five for 29, were the bowlers who caused Brotton their problems.

WHEN Alison Blair was asked by her 11-year-old daughter to sponsor a fund-raising swim she thought nothing of offering her £1 for every length of the pool she completed. After all, she reasoned, it wouldn't amount to more than a few pounds out of pocket

SECONDARY education in North-allerton has received a further boost in government funding, taking its total of special extra grants to more than £1m. The news was announced as it was revealed that Northallerton college and its partner, the Allertonshire

A council candidate is threatening legal action after his controversial website was sabotaged for the second time. Tony Martin, better known as the Durham Cobbler, says scurrilous allegations about him were posted in the guest book of the site cobblers2thecouncil

Sir, - Well said, David Price (D&S letters, May 4) regarding the attitude of Thirsk town councillors towards the town hall annexe fiasco. In my opinion, most of them do not care about anyone else or the town of Thirsk and as for Coun Marshall's attitude

Two of the four soldiers accused of murdering a railway worker outside a nightclub were today found not guilty after a direction from the trial judge. Private Marc Hunter, 18, and Lance Corporal David White, 23, were both found not guilty at Bristol Crown

A RESTAURATEUR is planning to serve up a treat for charity. Abid Hussein wants to raise £250,000 to fund two Macmillan nurses to work with cancer patients. Inspired by the death of his brother, 31-year-old father of four, Altaf, in 1996, Abid has devised

AS the once noble art of boxing is plunged into ever greater disrepute, it will take more than a feeble left jab from John Prescott to revive its credibility. I'm all for zero tolerance ahead of political correctness, but the situation clearly called

A COMMUNITY is pressing for village green status for its only public open space, in a bid to counter a housing application for the plot. Villagers in High Pittington, near Durham, claim the area of land, north of Coalford Lane, meets all the criteria

ORGANISERS have confirmed no one will be going to a Scarborough fair this summer. The risk of spreading foot-and-mouth disease has prompted cancellation of the Seamer Fair, held near the North Yorkshire resort every July. The event is popular with the

DEPUTY Prime Minister John Prescott ducked a confrontation with angry farmers in the North-East last night. The Labour heavyweight was in the region but kept a low profile in the wake of his punch-up with a farm worker in Wales. Mr Prescott had been expected

BILL RAW - if ever a surname offered itself, gratis, to a headline - was but a callow youth when first he became a groundsman at Norton Cricket Club. Nearly 50 grassroots years later he retires - early - on June 2 having never changed jobs, never moved

APPLETON Wiske reached the third round of the Wadworth 6X National Village Cricket Championship with a 38-run win over Skelton Castle on Sunday. Appleton, who had to switch the second round match to Skelton because their own ground is in a foot-and-mouth

NATIONAL newspapers, in election mood, have been fascinated by the proximity of the parliamentary constituencies held by Messrs Blair and Hague and have realised the communities of Croft and Hurworth/Hurworth Place are the settlements closest to each

"WE'RE just the wires business", says Mike Leighton, commercial director of power distribution company NEDL. This is something of an understatement for a multi-million business which looks after 26,000 miles of overhead and underground electricity cable

BOYS from the Durham preparatory school which has the Prime Minister as a past pupil have won scholarships to some of the country's leading learning institutions. Sixteen youngsters at Durham's Chorister School are enjoying their final term knowing they

A CRICKET pitch which cost its community just £1 in a bargain land sale has been given its baptism by a village team - with a thrilling victory. Bishop Monkton Cricket Club, near Ripon, had been waiting years to move from its former pocket handkerchief

NEDL has 40 rapid response teams across the region whose job is to deal quickly with any cuts in electricity supply. They are backed up by a number of major repair teams who are on hand to complete repair work which can often take a number of days. Again

THE first major British Championship rally since the outbreak of the foot-and-mouth epidemic kicked off last weekend when five local crews tackled the Rally of Wirral in glorious conditions on Merseyside. The delayed and subsequently revamped opening

PROPOSALS to provide a temporary toilet for travellers living in a lay-by on the A19 south of Thirsk have angered local residents. Mr Peter Swales, of Mile House Farm, says he and other residents were amazed to hear that the travellers were to be provided

THE underwear firm which helped launch TV beauty Kelly Brook's modelling career has provided some extra support for Newcastle United. For two weeks only, Magpies devotees a little disappointed with the team's recent league form can have an uplifting experience

CHRIS Turner's planning for next season began in earnest yesterday. The Hartlepool United manager saw his side fall at the play-off hurdle for the second season in a row on Wednesday as Pool were beaten by Blackpool. Pool lost 5-1 on aggregate to Steve

PARISHIONERS hope to raise the roof in their appeal for funds to meet the cost of emergency repairs at a village church. Close examination revealed rotten timbers in the roof at St Barnabas Church, Burnmoor, near Chester-le-Street, after it began leaking

DURHAM will have to win a battle with Phil Tufnell today after the former England spinner ruined Michael Gough's day in fading light at the Riverside yesterday. Gough had claimed his first five-wicket haul, but what he desperately wants is a big score

THE schoolboy chosen to lead this year's annual Richmond drummer boy walk had a spot of military drill when he visited Catterick Garrison. Nathan Wilkie, aged 11, was treated to a drumming lesson by the army's Normandy band. The Richmond school student

DETECTIVES have mounted a investigation following a brutal attack on two friends which left one in hospital last night fighting for his life. More than 30 detectives began house-to-house inquiries in Leadgate, County Durham, following the assault early

THE 30th annual Beamish reliability run on June 17 will use a shortened course to comply with foot-and-mouth regulations. The 91-mile route across County Durham has been sponsored this year by Lanchester Dairies and organisers have stressed that no cars

Olympian Nicola Jackson (Durham Aquatics) scored a hat-trick of wins in the women's 100m freestyle, 50m and 100m butterfly at the NE Counties senior and junior long course championships at Sheffield, which also doubled as trials for the GB team to go

POLICE have confirmed they are not treating the death of a North Yorkshire slaughterman as suspicious, after he was found with head injuries outside the pub where he was staying. The body of 31-year-old Craig Iveson was discovered on the footpath outside

CHANGES to the electoral wards in Darlington have been recommended, following a year-long review into the borough's voting areas. The Local Government Commission for England has submitted its plans to Secretary of State for the Regions John Prescott,

County events - THE series of Durham County Primary Schools' festivals continue next week in Bishop Auckland (St. John's, Tuesday) and Willington Parkside on Thursday. School teams in both areas will compete in the unique fun-based competition aiming

THERE'S a lady in Scotland who buys teddy bears for her new born grandchildren. Every time another baby's born, she calls Kate Atkinson and asks her to make another bear. So far Kate has made 13 for the same lady - all in the family tartan. Kate's shop

ANTI-SOCIAL behaviour in Ormesby has prompted calls for the area to be considered first for community wardens. The area of Ormesby and Nunthorpe is last on the list of all areas in the Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council areas to get community wardens

Willington Ladies League - In the semi-finals of the Darts Team Knock Out Cup, Hunwick Joiners Arms travelled to Willington Club and won 2-0, while Willington Market beat their hosts at Hunwick Quarry Burn B by the odd point. The draw for the Preliminary

Lee Skinner gained two impressive wins out of four matches for Durham and Cleveland in the Under-15 Northern County Cup held at The Fringe Squash Club, Mansfield, last weekend, and was named player of the weekend. Results - Durham and Cleveland 0, Notts

Farmers' leaders have welcomed the first 24-hour period without any new foot-and-mouth cases since the crisis began three months ago. But they warned the fight against the disease is far from over and urged people to remain cautious. Kevin Pearce, of

OUR school is situated at the top of Sherburn Hill, on the outskirts of Durham city. It is a small school with seventy-one pupils. There are three classes at the moment - class one have a huge classroom, which is really two rooms. We have a library so

THE next government must work with farmers to get the industry back on its feet, the NFU has said. Mr Ben Gill, president, pictured, right,said foot-and-mouth had struck an industry already on its knees after years of plummeting farm incomes, but, launching

NISSAN's workforce in the North-East received a massive boost last night as the Japanese car giant reported a return to profit for the first time in three years. The company, which employs more than 5,000 staff at its plant in Sunderland, reported a profit

REAL ale campaigners in Darlington have stepped in to try to save a 170-year-old village pub from closure. Plans to turn the Raby Hunt at Summerhouses into private accommodation have prompted an objection by the Darlington branch of the Campaign for Real

A PROPOSAL to build a road and car park to access a piece of woodland would be "a terminal cancer on the land", objectors claimed this week. Members of Darlington development committee eventually agreed to hold a site visit before deciding about the application

DIABETICS in Bishop Auckland and Darlington will benefit from a musical tribute to a singer who died last year. Syd Lawson, from Shildon, sang with Bishop Auckland's choral and musical societies, as well as Darlington Choral Society. Last month, his former

ALTHOUGH never very cold, there was a distinct lack of warm spells this April. It was therefore a chilly month, averaging 1C (2F) below normal. This difference was fairly modest, yet it was the coolest April since 1989. Only one other April in my 18 years

A MULTI-MILLION pound racecourse and leisure centre could be built near Redcar by 2005, says a leading property developer. Lord Zetland said the new racecourse - which is expected to cost more than £100m - would be built at a 537-acre site at Dunsdale

GHOSTS, ghouls and things that go bump in the night are usually a subject reserved for Halloween but a retired teacher believes they are far more common than previously imagined. Dave Shotten, who lives in Belmont, Durham City, became interested in the

Sir, - Two-and-a-half thousand years ago, the Greek city of Athens invented a new system of government - democracy - which enabled its citizens to participate directly in the politics and administration of their state. Yet on the eve of the 2001 general

Darlington are likely to vote in favour of the Football League's proposal of two up and two down with the Nationwide Conference. The League's Management committee is to recommend to its clubs at next month's AGM that from the start of next season, the

MORE than half of the 300 full-time farmers in Teesdale have now lost their livestock to foot- and-mouth. The number of confirmed cases in the dale rose to 41 this week, but it was also revealed that more than 100 other farms had lost their stock, simply

One simply has to take one's hat off to a spectacular display that goes on show at the Bowes museum tomorrow. The exhibition, initially intended to feature the hats of its patron the Queen Mother, now has more than 100 royal and contemporary hats after

PRIOR Pursglove College staff have this week been at Guisborough Library to offer advice. They were available to speak to people who have decided to change the course of their lives and go into higher education, or expand their knowledge. A number of

TEENAGER Russell Dixon is showing he has got what it takes in the competitive world of sport. Russell, from Aiskew, has been presented with the David Dick Memorial Trophy for his outstanding services to football at Northallerton College. He captained

A FEW days before compiling these notes (on April 26 to be precise), I heard the cuckoo calling for the first time this year and, like so many countryfolk of my generation, I turned over the money in my pocket. This is believed to bring good fortune,

A ROW over spending plans for Middlesbrough's town hall are under fire from some councillors . Councillor Tom Mawston, leader of the opposition group of Liberal Democrats on Middlesbrough council, said yesterday: "If money is going to be spent on the

A HOUSE that was damaged when a neighbouring home was destroyed in a suspected gas blast is to be demolished. Surveyors have told Lesley McCance that her home of six years suffered such structural damage in the explosion that it will have to be bulldozed

THE Chester Volunteers would get so drunk they'd have their weapons confiscated for the night. And unlike their TV counterparts, this volunteer force were armed to the teeth - instead of rifles and pitchforks, this lot had field cannons, a whole magazine

AN ASIAN family has been left deeply upset after being subjected to a torrent of racial abuse at their home. Police are trying to trace the man who gave Nazi-type salutes as he insulted the family in the Stanley area at 8.45pm on Satur-day, May 6. DC

AN exhibition of work by disabled people in Darlington proved a great success. The demonstration by members of the Dimensions Disability Initiative was held at Darlington College of Technology as a celebration of Adult Learners' Week. Dimensions has members

A PURPOSE-BUILT, pedal-powered trike takes to the streets of Darlington this weekend. The bright yellow machine, which boasts 42 gears, will deliver organic produce from Growing Green at Low Walworth. The eye-catching trike, to be officially launched

FIVE North-East cemeteries are bidding to be voted the best in the UK. Graveyards in Spennymoor, Tudhoe, Easington Colliery and Chester-le-Street, all County Durham, are entered in the Cemetery of the Year award. Last year's winner was Thorpe Road, near

FIVE North-East cemeteries are bidding to be voted the best in the UK. Graveyards in Spennymoor, Tudhoe, Easington Colliery and Chester-le-Street, all County Durham, are entered in the Cemetery of the Year award. Last year's winner was Thorpe Road, near

MIDDLESBROUGH last night insisted FIFA had "no jurisdiction'' to ban them from domestic competitions over former striker Marco Branca's claim for £500,000 in unpaid wages, writes CLIVE HETHERINGTON. The FA have stepped in to sort out a dispute which escalated

CASH-strapped Newcastle boss Bobby Robson has been priced out of a probable summer auction for Liverpool's £15m-rated striker Robbie Fowler. Robson is a huge fan of Anfield's vice-captain, who could move on despite his starring role in Wednesday's sensational

THE Conservatives went on the offensive over asylum yesterday in an attempt to recapture the initiative in the election campaign. Despite Labour's apparent difficulties over Deputy PM John Prescott's punch-up with an egg-throwing demonstrator, and the

THE customer who complained about being called pet and love by staff in her local Tesco store is too easily offended. Staff were not being over-familiar or sexist, just genuinely friendly. Most people expect, and welcome, local accents and expressions

NEWCASTLE United boss Bobby Robson has told England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson he has a future star in Carl Cort. Robson has already put his money where his mouth is by splashing out £7m to lure under-21 striker Cort from Wimbledon last summer. Eriksson

DARLINGTON Borough Council has been criticised after it sent an 80-year-old war veteran a letter threatening legal action over "unpaid" rent. The letter received by Bert Smith described how his rent was £88.50 in arrears, and if he did not make arrangements

A COLLECTION of antique furniture, paintings, and ceramics from one of Richmond's oldest houses has fetched £1.3m at a London auction, nearly three times more than expected. The 363 lots from St Nicholas, situated on the outskirts of the town, beside

WORK has begun on the building of a controversial, multi-million pound city academy. Contractors have moved on to the earmarked site in east Middlesbrough, and started excavation and investigation work. The academy, which will cater for 1,200 pupils,

JOHN Prescott, the punching politician, went to ground somewhere in the North-East yesterday with the nation's media kept well out of harm's way. Two days after he infamously threw a left jab at an egg-hurling protestor, the Deputy Prime Minister was

A MEETING described as "the most important ever held by Yarm Town Council" has just taken place. But the meeting, called for the council to answer to the public for its actions, was snubbed by residents. Apart from one ratepayer representative, not one

A MAN faced a rape charge when he appeared in a North Yorkshire court yesterday. John Andrew Holmes, 53, had earlier pleaded not guilty to three counts of indecent assault on a man, now aged 21, between June 1997 and September last year. At Harrogate

AN inquiry is to be held into the care of a mental patient who killed his sister and her son. Raymond Wills, 29, killed his 26-year-old sister, Caroline, and her five-year-old son, Ashley, in a knife attack at their home in Cramlington, Northumberland

A SUMMER evening of music and fireworks on a theme of ghosts and ghouls is to be held at Guisborough Priory. Musical entertainment will be headlined by the band of the 34th Signals Regiment and compered by BBC Radio Cleveland's Clem and Fischer. Although

RAILTRACK'S new boss admitted Britain's rail infrastructure wasn't up to scratch last night and pledged to put things right. John Robinson, a regular traveller on the main line, pledged to make the beleaguered rail network "world class" within ten years

THERE is something strangely disconcerting about seeing a usually popular tourist attraction almost deserted on a scorching Sunday in May. To begin with, you start to worry that you've missed a news bulletin warning of an imminent nuclear attack, or that

A LIBRARY'S home is very much its castle at a Stockton school. Dreamy turrets and yellow stonework house the books at Rosehill infants' school after limited space meant the only place staff could find for the library was in the entrance. The castle was

Auckland and District Ebac Youth League - CROOK Town lifted three cups in four days last week, including the Durham County Youth Cup for the first time. The demanding programme started with a 5-0 victory over Willington at Spennymoor United to take the

TELECOMS equipment group Marconi has come through "the worst six months" in the history of the telecoms sector to report an increase in pre-tax profits. For the year ending March 31, the group saw pre-tax profits, excluding exceptional items, edge up

PLANS for an extension to a falconry centre at Great Broughton were approved by just one vote yesterday. Hambleton planning committee agreed by seven votes to six to give retrospective conditional consent for the development by Dr Michael Robb at The

PARISHIONERS hope to raise the roof in their appeal for funds to meet the cost of emergency repairs at a village church. Close examination revealed rotten timbers in the roof at St Barnabas Church, Burnmoor, near Chester-le-Street, after it began leaking

MORE than anything else in the world Tracey Parker wanted to be able to throw away her specs. At school, she only needed glasses to see the blackboard but as she got older she needed them more and more. "When I started to drive I ended up wearing them

COXWOLD Sunday, and Solomon in all his glory may not have been arrayed like the colourful crowd - Lycra for like - assembled in St Michael's. It is the 75th annual Cyclists Touring Club service, the one at which the Kingdom of God was once likened unto

Letters from The Northern Echo GENERAL ELECTION WILL Tony Blair, during the General Election campaign, visit his great legacy, that testament to and symbol of New Labour, the Millennium Dome? "The Dome will be the first paragraph of Labour's next Election

COUNCIL chief executive Paul Wilding swapped his high-powered post for bricks and mortar yesterday. Despite his grammar school and university education, the head of District of Easington Council had long harboured a yearning to have a go at a more manual

A GROUP of enthusiasts have clubbed together to formed Saltburn Crafts. The group is now starting to sell its work, including jewellery and ceramics, at the Tourist Information Centre. Members received a grant from Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council

ALMOST a century after horses worked alongside lead miners, they are helping to landscape a museum site. Killhope Lead Mining Museum, upper Weardale, gives visitors an image of traditional working methods, with a restored mine, a water wheel, cottages

TONY Blair was publicly urged by high-profile supporters within his own party - Peter Mandelson and John Burton included - to adopt a more direct approach in his campaigning: ditch the stage-management and the spin; get in amongst real people. How ironic

NISSAN appears to be zooming along the road to recovery following the implementation of its now famous revival plan. The transformation of the Japanese car giant since France's Renault took a 36.8 per cent stake in the business almost two years ago has

CLEVELAND Accordionaires , part of the Accordion Workshop group, entertained at Kemplah House residential complex, Guisborough. Led by Les Kerridge and compered by Arthur Metcalfe, they provided a night of light music for residents and guests. The accordion

HUTTON Magna's between Barnard Castle and Richmond, on the civilised side of the county boundary. There probably aren't more than two dozen houses, a war memorial and a cottagey pub, called the Oak Tree. If this is Hutton Magna, heaven help Hutton Parva

Stanhope Town versus Wearhead United. Any closer to football's grass roots and you probably strike coal. Usually, they change upstairs at the workmen's club, walk the quarter of a mile or so to the field by the river, remove the worst of the sheep muck

GIVING a focus and positive alternatives to young people at risk of drug abuse, crime and anti-social behaviour is a tough challenge. Setting up youth projects in a county as large as North Yorkshire also has its problems. But the difficulties are being

A DRUNKEN thug who punched and kicked an 81-year-old grandfather in an "appalling" attack was jailed for four years yesterday. Homeless Peter William Vant, 20, admitted at Teesside Crown Court attempting to rob war veteran Edward Bavin in Redcar High

TERRY VENABLES has reached a decision over his future with Middlesbrough - and will today break the news to chairman Steve Gibson. Head coach Venables yesterday admitted that all could be revealed before Boro's final game of the season tomorrow at home

AN unoccupied house in Hartlepool was almost destroyed by a fire early yesterday morning. Three appliances from Stranton fire station attended the blaze, which had been started deliberately, at a terraced house at Acklam Street, Dyke House, Hartlepool

Redcar WMC achieved many a schoolboy's dream on Sunday when they played at Liverpool's famous home ground, Anfield. The club's football team won the FA Carlsberg Pub Cup, beating Suffolk side Sizewell Sports and Social Club. Redcar needed just one goal

A GROUP of divers has become the first in the North-East to officially adopt a shipwreck. Cleveland Divers have become custodians of the former Greek cargo vessel, the Dimitris, which was built in Scotland in 1918 and was wrecked off Redcar, east Cleveland

FROM this newspaper 100 years ago. - A street musician failed to appear to answer a charge of travelling on the NE Railway from Bishop Auckland to Darlington on the 6th March with intent to defraud the company. Inspector W Grosert, of the NE Railway,

A VILLAGE postmistress is celebrating poetic success. Ann Marsden, from Skelton, won United Press's UK Poetry champion competition with her entry, Take This Aching Heart. The competition produces a national poetry anthology and the winners of each year's

IT'S May and it's York again as racing gets back into top gear after the disappointing weather of the winter and early spring and the disruption created by foot-and-mouth. Mark Johnston and Kevin Darley headed the locals' list with a double on Tuesday

THE Ramblers' Association has welcomed Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's decision to re-open some of its footpaths and woodland walks. Twenty urban paths and 11 routes either over, or next to, cropped or ploughed land are to be re-opened after the

THOUGH the Van Dycks may have to go and the Bechstein grand be pawned, sang Noel Coward, we'll stand by the stately homes of England. Well, yes, by and large we as a nation, or more often a few immensely rich individuals, have stood by the really stately

Third Division Newton Hall maintained a clear 100 percent record when they completed their second match by whitewashing the visiting Kelloe. At the other end of the same table, Belmont remain pointless after failing to score at home to Wolsingham. Ever

A Selby rail crash survivor who feared he would be wheelchair-bound for life walked down the aisle with his bride today. Train steward Thomas Kaplanis feared he would never walk again after the devastating crash which left him with a broken back. But,

ART lovers are launching a bid to keep a treasured collection of paintings in the North-East. Thirteen full-length portraits of Jacob and his Twelve Sons by 17th century Spanish artist Francisco de Zurbaran have hung in the Bishop of Durham's home, Auckland

Residents have again confronted Ministry of Agriculture (Maff) officials over the long-term implications of burying carcasses on fell land they say is riddled with old mine-workings. The Environment Agency is investigating claims made by protestors at

HEADTEACHERS are seeking special allowances from examination boards for teenagers who were trapped on their farms by the foot-and-mouth crisis. Hundreds of pupils from rural schools across the region missed out on weeks of classroom time when the epidemic

Darlington - TWO goals in the last 20 minutes prevented Darlington from finishing their home campaign with a win as they were held to a 3-3 draw with Newcastle. The Quakers, already relegated from the Northern Combination, looked set for a deserved consolation

THE Mayor of Gateshead has raised more than £7,000 for charity during his year in office. Councillor Pitch Wilson supported a number of charities, including St Mark's Deaf Club, the Gurkha Welfare Trust and the Royal British Legion. He handed over cheques

Bedale & West of Yore PC. - All mounted activities cancelled until further notice. British Eventing. - June 10: Cross country training competition at Thirsk to include ditches and water in two classes, 2ft 9ins and 3ft 6ins. Sae for schedules to Helen

CONSERVATIONISTS and residents have clashed over plans by British Telecom to erect a telecommunications tower at the beauty spot of Farndale, famed for its daffodils. The North York Moors National Park authority is being recommended to approve the 15

HARLEY Davidson dealership Just Harleys has appointed a new managing director. John Stares, 36, who is moving to the Newcastle dealership from Norfolk, has been given the task of expanding the Harley Davidson market in the region. He has ambitious plans

FAKE signs which falsely indicated footpaths in North Yorkshire were open have been given to the police for fingerprinting. Yorkshire Dales national park officials were horrified when several signs were posted on rights of way in the Ingleborough area

ITEC North-East has teamed up with the Employment Service to offer free computer skills training to unemployed people. The IT company is offering the part-time training through the new UK On-Line initiative, which aims to help jobless people return to

THE next government should create a single, all-in-one ministry to solve rural chaos. The Country Land and Business Association has called for the new department following the foot-and-mouth crisis. Mr Antony Haslam, North-East regional director, said

DARLINGTON RA have won the Darlington Charity Cup, sponsored by Darlington Building Society, after defeating Hartlepool Arriva Express 4-1 at Feethams. They faced strong opposition in the first half from a physical Hartlepool team and, despite taking

AMANDA Cowan, based at Elwick, took the 1.10m members cup at Stainsby Grange senior show on bank holiday Monday. Her victory came on the eight-year-old Dovecote Jilly, bred by her grandfather Fred Grieves out of his mare Separate Tables. Her nearest rival

DARLINGTON council has to be able to allow the public access to all of its services through the internet within five years. The cabinet was given an insight into the future when a model of electronic government was unveiled on Tuesday. A web site was

A MAN arrested in Scotland in connection with the death of a North-East man has been brought to the region. Freddie Knights, 38, was shot dead in front of his wife outside his mother's home last September in Longbenton, Newcastle. The man arrested in

Worthington CIU Summer League - Wheatley Hill A established themselves as the early leaders in Division One following their odd point win at Witton Gilbert, who took the first and last points through Ian Renwick and Willis Joynes. The Hill's winners were

Darlington RA had a season to remember. They clinched The Hathaway Auckland and District League crown on Monday night - adding to the three cups already tucked away. RA's trio of trophies were the Darlington Charity Cup, sponsored by Darlington Building

IMAGES of suffering and oppression on show in Bishop Auckland town hall recall the story of a remarkable woman, Tisa von der Schulenburg, who spent several years in the 30s in County Durham. Born a countess in 1903 on the family estate near the Baltic

AS the once noble art of boxing is plunged into ever greater disrepute, it will take more than a feeble left jab from John Prescott to revive its credibility. I'm all for zero tolerance ahead of political correctness, but the situation clearly called

BILL RAW - if ever a surname offered itself, gratis, to a headline - was but a callow youth when first he became a groundsman at Norton Cricket Club. Nearly 50 grassroots years later he retires - early - on June 2 having never changed jobs, never moved

Sir, - Mr John Humphreys' interview with Mr Blair on the Today programme was a real eye opener, or should I say ear opener. Mr Humphreys really brought out how sleaze ridden is the Labour party and how slippery is Mr Blair. As Mr Humphreys pointed out

Junior round-up - Whitley Bay Arrows defeated Solihull Kings at Hillheads on Sunday to secure their promotion to English Bantam (Under-12) North A League next season. The match in the play-offs was not as close as the 3-2 margin suggests, Solihull's netminder

Bishop Auckland League - Spennymoor Weardale managed to take an odd point win when their captain, Shane Casen shared the captain's points with Alan Young, the captain of the host team, St. Helens Wheatsheaf. The Wheatsheaf had two singles points from

A CAT owner is distraught after her animals were poisoned by drinking antifreeze. Christine Parker's two cats, Sweep and Clement, died at the weekend, despite a vet's efforts to save them. Ms Parker, of Thornton Street, Darlington, does not know if her

A PRIZED dairy herd was slaughtered at a Cleveland farm this week. Foot-and-mouth was confirmed among the 272-strong herd of Friesians at Corps House Farm, Crathorne. Slaughtermen moved in on Wednesday and yesterday the carcases were being taken away.

APPROVAL has been given to build more houses in a rapidly-expanding village. Darlington Borough Council's planning applications committee granted permission yesterday for Mandale Properties to build 22 detached properties in Middleton St George, near

ONE NorthEast has announced a £6.5m aid package to help businesses hit by the foot-and-mouth crisis. The regional development agency said the package would help safeguard jobs, sustain businesses and help communities affected by the disease. The agency

IN the showpiece event of the weekend Coundon Miners Arms seal a league and cup double. Although they lost 2-1 to nearest rivals Spraire yesterday week, the championship had already been won. Match referee Paul Wigham, on behalf of the league management

PROTESTORS claim plans to build a road through a stretch of countryside would be a "terminal cancer" in the area. An application has been submitted to construct an access road and car park in a field near Barmpton Lane, Barmpton, near Darlington. The

A UNIVERSITY is in a class of its own when it comes to teaching computer skills. Officials from the British Computer Society (BCS) were so impressed with what they saw on a visit to the University of Teesside at Middlesbrough, students will be either

SUNDERLAND Football In The Community is a non-profit-making organisation which aims to encourage children to play more sport. Staff from the project visited our school last term, spending at least half an hour with each year group from nursery onwards

DETECTIVES described public response to a mother's appeal to find her sex attacker as "great". The woman was dragged into bushes in Green Lane, Darlington, and attacked as she walked her dog on Bank Holiday Monday, May 7, at about 5pm. Her children had

Sunderland boss Peter Reid today splashed out £3.5 million to snatch Argentinian whizzkid Nicolas Medina. The Black Cats manager beat off a number of clubs to take the 19-year-old attacking midfielder to the Stadium of Light. Reid was thrilled after landing

England appeared to have a communication breakdown with Yorkshire yesterday over Craig White whose stiff back caused him to be pulled out of the Test squad at Lord's. Yorkshire coach Wayne Clark was under the impression that White was being sent back

A CANDIDATE in the coming local elections has vowed to campaign as 'the man with no name' if his first choice of identity is ruled out by officials. Conversations at the school gates prompted parents in Brompton-on-Swale to nominate Leslie Rowe to challenge

Nissan finally clinched the championship and the added prize of entry into the Second Division of the Albany Northern League when they gained the one point needed from their final match of the season at Simonside SC on Wednesday night. They romped to

PICKING up dozens of the deadliest snakes in the world in a police raid is not everybody's idea of an ideal job. But for the men of the Reptile Trust, handling dozens of rare snakes with enough venom between them to kill up to 400 people is the best job

THE Tenant Farmers' Association has launched its election manifesto, warning all parties that they must change their attitude to the agricultural industry. Mr Reg Haydon, national chairman, said the industry had suffered for too long from governments

THE Darlington & Stockton Times has been awarded the title of North-East Weekly Newspaper of the Year. The award was made on Saturday night at the Tom Cordner North-East Press Awards 2000, held at the Civic Centre, Newcastle. It was one of three trophies

THE landmark Holy Trinity Church on Scarborough's South Cliff is to be redeveloped into flats after successful efforts to save it from demolition. The listed building, in Trinity Road, has been redundant for the past decade since its parish merged with

RICHMOND'S Olympic swimmer Nicola Jackson just missed out on a new British record and took three gold medals at the North Eastern Counties ASA long course championships in Sheffield last weekend. The 17-year-old, competing for the newly-formed Durham

A £1m restoration of Richmond's Georgian theatre comes a step nearer today with the submission of formal plans to Richmondshire District Council. The application sets out urgent proposals to improve the 18th century building to meet the requirements of

An amazing match on Moor Monkton's Carpvale Pool saw the six hour best of 135.0.0 raised to a breathtaking 195.15.0, writes JEFF HERBERT. No surprises who took it - the one and only Dave Wright of Diawa Team Armley, a master on this carp filled paradise

BUDDING journalists told it like it is - and won the praise of a university vice chancellor. A group of teenagers attending doomed Langbaurgh School, Middlesbrough, reported in their one-off edition newspaper the news that their school was to close and

SUPER Sid Arrowsmith celebrated his 100th birthday in style this week when he became Britain's oldest lifeboat man. The champion fundraiser was made an honorary crew member of the RNLI Lifeboat station in Redcar, the first time that a centenarian has

Coun Eric Jackson, the mayor of Loftus, has handed his civic chains over to Coun Christine Swales. Coun Jackson's year as head of the Loftus Town Council has been great experience for his next civic role - as Deputy Mayor for the Redcar and Cleveland

The Readers Durham County League Under-18s - SCOTT Hopson with an unbeaten 53 and Richard Curry (26) led Brandon to a match-winning 118 for four in the home game with Ushaw Moor who were restricted to 74 for six which included 44 not out by Usher. Despite

A NEW portrait of the man who built Kiplin Hall, near Richmond, almost 400 years ago has been unveiled. George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore and founder of the US state of Maryland, constructed the Jacobean house near Scorton in 1620. American artist

NORTH Yorkshire retained firefighter Mr Neil Gray is still finding his land legs after spending six weeks circumnavigating the globe. As part of an 18-man crew on board a yacht sponsored by his employer Serco, it was a trip he will never forget. He is

A dispute with staff over working arrangements and a re-structuring of bin rounds have led to a backlog of 4,000 requests to Redcar and Cleveland Council to remove heavy items from homes. The council's Junk Job service deals with 30,000 requests a year

A MULTI-MILLION pound racecourse and leisure centre could be built in the North-East by 2005, a leading property developer revealed earlier this week. Developer Lord Zetland said the new racecourse - which is expected to cost upwards of £100m - would

A LAW firm has hit back following a minister's call for a crackdown on 'ambulance chasing' solicitors. Health Secretary and Darlington MP Alan Milburn criticised a poster, in a bus shelter outside the new University Hospital of North Durham in Durham

Bedale Golf Club, May Medal and Chrysler Golf Challenge - Oa beautiful day the competition attracted 140 entrants and the clear winner by three shots was former club captain Ian Smith, whose excellent score also netted him the gross prize. The standard

A crane was used at a North-East museum to lift a fire engine and other exhibits out of a window and down two floors. The operation took place at Newcastle's Discovery Museum as part of a £10.7m transformation, which will include three new galleries and

THE new leaders of Guisborough Town Council were this week branded as "Muppets" who had done nothing for the authority. The council chamber was in uproar as Conservative member Coun Bill Clarke launched his tirade at the annual meeting on Monday. The

VENTURE capital group 3i has invested £215.8m in 37 North-East businesses in the past year. The investment ranged from start-ups and early stage businesses to larger transactions spread across traditional and technology industries. The news came as 3i

HEALTH experts are predicting that next year's winter beds crisis could be the worst ever, after a huge surge in demand. Despite months of planning, the numbers of sick patients being admitted by County Durham hospitals over last winter placed tremendous

THE customer who complained about being called pet and love by staff in her local Tesco store is too easily offended. Staff were not being over-familiar or sexist, just genuinely friendly. Most people expect, and welcome, local accents and expressions

A DRIVER who abandoned his two seriously injured passengers after a car accident has been jailed. Graham Leigh, 24, left two friends, Donna Walker and Scott Leather, with "horrific" injuries after the crash on February 27, 1999. During his trial at Durham

A DARLINGTON student was the outstanding entrant in an annual welding competition. Paul Alderson, who attends Darlington College of Technology, won the Teesside Welding and Joinery Society's annual trainee award. He was entered for the best City &

Tory leader William Hague was today launching a savage attack on the Government's immigration record. Mr Hague was spelling out Tory proposals to prevent Britain being a "soft touch" for bogus asylum seekers on a visit to Dover. But Liberal Democrat leader

THIS was clearly an offer you couldn't refuse. "It gives you great results yet is really affordable. The right one for you at a really low price," was the promise made in the TV advertisement. The woman was actually promoting a washing machine but might

THIS was clearly an offer you couldn't refuse. "It gives you great results yet is really affordable. The right one for you at a really low price," was the promise made in the TV advertisement. The woman was actually promoting a washing machine but might

A ROAD RAGE knife attacker left a terrified motorist cut and bruised after a savage confrontation on a quiet, foggy road. Last night, the victim told how he got out of his car to confront the crazed driver only to have a four-inch knife pulled on him

A SHOPLIFTER'S criminal past landed him in jail after his probation form was found in the jacket he was wearing after he fled from a shop. Steven Wastell, 19, was chased by passers-by after he stole a toy from Woolworths in Jarrow in September 1999. Wastell

OUR front page story today about a knife attack on a driver on a North-East road, underlines again the dangers of road rage. Annoyed at being overtaken on a bend, the victim made the mistake of flashing his lights and sounding his horn. That led to him

THIRTEEN months after he first hit the headlines, Nicky Peng reminded us yesterday what all the fuss was about. Still only 18, Peng became Durham's youngest century-maker in first-class cricket with a wonderful innings of 101 against Middlesex. On a more

AN evening of musical entertainment at Guisborough Priory will help celebrate 30 years of BBC Radio Cleveland. It takes place on Sunday, June 24. Various artists will join in the celebrations, including Beatlemania, opera singer Katherine Bean, The Royal

SUNDERLAND manager Peter Reid yesterday clinched the signing of 19-year-old Argentinia Nicolas Medina for £3.5m - and hailed him as "a complete midfield player". The 19-year-old will join his close friend and former Argentinos Juniors clubmate Julio Arca

A Selby rail crash survivor who feared he would be wheelchair-bound for life walked down the aisle with his bride yesterday. Train steward Thomas Kaplanis feared he would never walk again after the devastating crash which left him with a broken back.

A FATHER-of-four appeared in court yesterday accused of causing the deaths of the ten people who died in the Selby rail disaster. Gary Hart, 36, of Church Lane, Strubby, Lincolnshire, appeared before Selby Magistrates Court in connection with the crash

CAPITAL Radio has provided a further warning about the state of the UK advertising market as it scaled down forecasts for the year. The group, which operates commercial radio stations around the country, including Century in the North-East, said conditions

Marske United clinched third place with a 1-0 win at relegated Crook Town on Monday night. Marske, who have surged up the table in recent weeks, scored the winner after 73 minutes when James Middleton scored from a clearance by keeper John Jackson. On

HIGH street sales rose last month despite a further increase in prices, official figures have shown. The volume of retail sales in April was 5.9 per cent higher than a year earlier, the biggest annual increase since January 2000. At the same time, the