CHILDREN scarred by the experience of having their homes flooded are to be treated to a special trip. It is more than a year since the floods swept through the community of South Church near Bishop Auckland, but many families have not forgotten the trauma
A SHY hero who saved an elderly woman from drowning yesterday has been praised by police. The mystery holidaymaker rescued the pensioner from the River Wear, near the Heather View caravan park in Stanhope, County Durham. He saw her go into the water and
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IT seems that too many heavy lunches have taken their toll on the teachers of a County Durham school. The staff at Roseberry Comprehensive School, at Pelton, near Chester-le-Street, came last in the pupils versus teachers 4x100m relay race in the school
IN September 1825, George Stephenson's Locomotion No 1 took a groundbreaking journey along the world's first passenger line, the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR). Nearly 176 years later, it has emerged that a less innovative form of transport
COMPANIES in Sedgefield borough had a chance to look over the "new concept" printing facilities of Hillprint, twice voted print company of the year by the British Printing Industry Federation. Twelve firms attended the Best Practice Exchange event last
JULIAN Goodwill has returned to the region to make furniture, after three months away learning new skills. Julian, set up his business, Few Miles North, with his American wife Jane, at Houghton Enterprise Centre in Sunderland four weeks ago. The business
MUSIC teacher Derek Smith has hit the right note with colleagues at a dance and stage school. They are impressed by a musical he has composed about a fairground puppet. The big test comes later this week, when his work - Petruska - has its premiere at
CAN I have my gun back please? The problem is this. We live in a house called The Watch House, attached to my church in the City of London, and directly across the road from the Old Bailey. After the excitements of the Jill Dando murder trial - which,
JACK Cohen, it's said, formed Tesco with a watchword to pile it high and sell it cheap. The new wave of Chinese buffet restaurants appears to work on the same principle. Lunchtime diners can usually pig out for under a fiver, return like some oriental
TWO women have been charged with drugs offences following an investigation into the death of a 15-year-old schoolgirl. Stacey Laight, from Horden in East Durham, died in the University Hospital of Hartlepool in May after a night out in the town with friends
TWO teenagers are celebrating after they were among a small band of school pupils in the country to receive Princess Diana Memorial Trust awards, for outstanding work in the community. Sixteen-year-olds Andrea Morgan and Ruth Parkinson, from St Michael's
LORD MINIMUS by Nick Page (4th Estate, hb, £12.99) IN 1644 Jeffrey Hudson, England's smallest man, just three feet nine inches short, grew tired of the insults and jokes hurled at him. He announced he would challenge the next person who ridiculed him
YOUNGSTERS had the chance to show off their physical skills in their annual sports day yesterday. Pupils at Wensleydale School, Leyburn, demonstrated their talents at track and field sports. And with the end of term fast approaching, pupils were able
FIVE cyclists are to ride across Scotland to raise money for a hospital cancer unit. The 265-mile journey from Ayr, in the South-West, to Inverness, in the North-East, will aid Darlington Memorial Hospital. Tom Russell, who works for Darlington Borough
FEARS that a public entrance to Fountains Abbey estate near Ripon could be closed permanently has led to protests to English Heritage. It comes as villagers in Studley Roger are being canvassed for their views on closing the entrance to Studley Royal
AN extra life-saving kidney unit is to be opened in the region. Patients who rely on regular kidney dialysis to stay alive often have to travel long distances. Now, a cash injection of £620,000 from the Department of Health will mean a new 12-bed kidney
TO local people it is known as the paupers' corner. You could walk straight past and not realise anyone is buried there. Linthorpe Cemetery is the largest graveyard in Middlesbrough. To reach paupers' corner, you park by the town's West Lane Hospital
A NORTH-EAST police force is to hold the first information seminar for people whose first language is not English. Language barriers prevent many groups gaining access to agencies in the region. Now, police at Newcastle west area command, under the Government-funded
CONSTRUCTION workers are hopeful they may have stumbled across masterpieces while working at a castle. A team from Wimpey Homes North-East was busy converting Wilton Castle, the former seat of the Lowther family and private hotel owned by ICI, when site
THE body working to boost regeneration and economic prospects in Darlington has made five appointments to its board. New to the Darlington Partnership are are Durham Police Chief Superintendent MICHAEL BANKS, Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Tees Valley
Police are looking for a gang of burglars who threatened a man with a knife after he confronted them in his home. The raiders fled the house in Chester Road, Sunderland, Wearside, at about 11pm on Saturday, taking a tape recorder. No one was hurt. One
BUSINESS Link County Durham will be on hand to provide support for businesses in the wake of the foot-and-mouth crisis tomorrow. The organisation has organised the Come Together event, sponsored by Century FM, taking place at Auckland Castle between 10am
GARDENERS in a North-East city are seeing stars in their bid to win a top environmental award. Sunderland won Britain in Bloom last year and has been invited to represent the UK in the Entente Florale European Environmental Competition. The theme for
POLICE are hunting a man who hijacked a delivery van at a motorway service station before leading the driver to a remote field and assaulting him. The driver endured a four-hour ordeal after he was confronted by a man, who detectives believe could have
WE share Stephen Byers's desire for improved safety, punctuality and comfort on our railways. They were, we recall, the empty promises made at the time of privatisation. We accept that Mr Byers and his Government bear no responsibility for the flawed
POLICE have issued a warning to motorists whose untaxed cars have been clamped - "Pay up, or your car will be crushed." The warning followed the completion of Operation Jethro, a two-week joint initiative by police in North Yorkshire and the DVLA. Over
A DRAMATIC cliff top operation to salvage buried treasure has led to the surprise discovery of a major Anglo-Saxon settlement, archaeologists said yesterday. English Heritage experts launched a rescue bid earlier this year at Whitby Abbey, in North Yorkshire
TWO men who admitted having unlawful sex with the same underage girl on the same day avoided a prison sentence yesterday. Glen Wood, 25, of The Green in Ugthorpe, near Whitby, and Paul Wilkinson, 23, of Lime Trees in High Clarence, near Stockton, both
WORK will start on a £1.6m replica of a 1913 engineering works at Beamish museum, in County Durham, today. The building, funded by the national lottery and museum groups, will house some of the largest artefacts of the North-East's industrial past. The
THE COLLIERIES IN reply to Gordon Hodgson (HAS, July 6), can I point out that during Labour's reign in the late 1960s, West Durham was completely decimated, with over 50 collieries closed in that area alone and villages left to die. No Enterprise Zones
THE GSM group has rescued British Industrial Graphics from the receivers. The Thirsk group, which employs more than 200 staff, has paid £1.25m for the firm to become the largest manufacturer of industrial graphics in Europe. The deal is part of GSM's
A FIVE-YEAR-OLD girl was last night fighting for her life after been knocked over by a hit-and-run driver as she danced in the street showing off her bridesmaid's tiara. Sophie Graham had been a flower girl at her aunt's wedding the previous day and wanted
SUNDERLAND manager Peter Reid, ready to launch his troops into the first of nine pre-season friendlies against Calais Racing Union tonight, is delighted to have a clean bill of health after a week's rigorous training in Northern France. Only Scottish
HOME Secretary David Blunkett has been personally asked to intervene in a controversial bid by the probation service to build a bail hostel in a town centre. New MP for Durham North, Kevan Jones, has written to Mr Blunkett outlining his concerns at the
SCOOTER owners are being asked to help put a brake on crime - while helping themselves. Thefts of motor scooters are on the increase on Teesside, because their young owners appear to be giving security a low priority. Detective Inspector Gordon Lang,
WORK on a £26m shopping development in Redcar town centre got under way yesterday. The Regent Walk scheme has been proposed for the town for the past five years. The development will include a Morrisons supermarket, 23 shops and parking for more than
THE great Portillo steam engine appears to have spluttered and juddered to a halt - indeed, it may even be going into reverse. The former darling of the Tory right has been facing nothing but difficulties ever since last Thursday's re-run of the MPs'
WORK is under way on the regional headquarters of the NG Bailey Organisation. The construction project heralds a new chapter in the development of the Wynyard Business Park. The £2m building on a three-acre site, near the A19, is being designed and built
THE future of a charity that does life-saving work has been put in jeopardy by the foot-and-mouth crisis. Just weeks ago, the Swaledale Fell Rescue Organisation opened a new headquarters at Catterick Garrison, paid for with more than £425,000 of National
Members of Guisborough Town Pride tested public opinion at the weekend about their plans to renovate the grounds of Gisborough Priory. The proposals went on display at a two-day concert of blues, folk and choral singing in the priory grounds. Event coordinator
STAFF, parents and pupils at a primary school stage their own version of Tv's celebrity take-off programme, Stars in their Eyes, tomorrow. Thornley Primary School, in east Durham, presents matinee and evening versions of the show, at 2pm and 6pm, with
ALL of the pupils at Heighington Pre-School were out on the village green yesterday taking part in their sports day. The three and four-year-olds competed in flat races, hoop and bean bag races, sack races and a relay race, with parents taking part in
THE search is on for buskers and street theatre entertainers to take part in a three-day festival in the region, next month. This year's Orange Darlington Festival takes place during the August Bank Holiday weekend, with the theme of A Festival of Festivals
THE footballers' curse - cartilage injuries - may one day be cured by tissue grown in a laboratory. That is the hope of researchers in York, who have just received a share in a £12m award made by Science Minister Lord Sainsbury. Cartilage problems have
PREPARATIONS are under way for a summer fair aimed at bringing together an east Cleveland community. The Marske Town Centre Partnership summer fair takes place on Saturday, August 4, at 1pm at the Cheshire Home in the town, when there will be plenty of
A SAMARITANS group, which has expanded to help prisoners, youngsters and the disabled, is appealing for more volunteers. Anyone interested in becoming a listener with the Central Durham branch of the charity can find out more at an introductory session
Click here to see pictures from the town and get involved. THE judges are in Darlington today to see the floral displays vying for the Northumbria in Bloom title. The town is hoping to win the title this year and go on to be successful in the Britain
A NORTH-EAST hospice found itself at the centre of a national charity appeal yesterday. GMTV's annual Get Up and Give appeal was launched at the Butterwick Hospice, in Stockton, where Fiona Phillips saw work get under way to give the hospice's garden
NEW training opportunities are to become available for residents looking for work. A New Opportunities Centre will be unveiled at Hartlepool College of Further Education this week. The facility in Lynn Street, Hartlepool, will provide advice and guidance
THE sisters of two murder victims are reaching out to other grieving families by forming a new branch of a national support group. Judith Thompson and Sharon Caton became friends after Sharon's brother, Gary Walton, was murdered in the back garden of
DESIGNERS have been appointed to oversee the development of a social history centre in County Durham. Middleton Plus has appointed Lindsay Tuck Associates, from Rowlands Gill, as the designers of the Heritage Resource and Activities Centre at Middleton-in-Teesdale
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MORE details about the jobs below are available from the Employment Service Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Cleaner, Leeming. £4.25ph, various hrs, Mon-Fri. Experience preferred but not essential. Must have own transport. Students welcome to apply. Ref: NOE
ProposalS for an athletics training ground in east Cleveland have been unveiled. The £400,000 scheme is the brainchild of the East Cleveland Athletic Track Association, formed by New Marske Harriers Athletics Club, Redcar Running Club, Loftus Athletics
Brewer Wolverhampton and Dudley yesterday launched a High Court action against Pubmaster, the Hartlepool pubs group bidding £453m for the business. W&D claims Pubmaster leaked sensitive commercial details of its brewery business to competitors and
Sample machinist, Seaham. £9,500pa, 8am to 4.30pm, Mon-Thur, 3.30pm finish Fri, temporary ongoing. Required to complete whole garments to high standard. Experience required. Ref: SHE 4454. Driver, Seaham-based. £4 to £4.50ph, full or part-time hrs available
A VILLAGE managed to salvage its annual fete despite being affected by the foot-and- mouth outbreak. Middridge Village Association feared it would have to cancel the highlight of its social calendar, which takes place on the first weekend in July, when
AN environmental charity has condemned vandals who are threatening to wreck years of work to create a community forest. Workers at the Acorn Trust spoke out following a spate of arson attacks and vandalism at the Caribee Community Woodland, in Delves
A NATURAL phenomenon more familiar to areas of the US was spotted in the North-East yesterday. Startled motorists and residents watched as an infant tornado wove its way across the County Durham skyline, near Sedgefield. What began as a small funnel of
UPMARKET leisure operator Chorion is bringing its vibrant Tiger Tiger brand to Newcastle in Land Securities' first letting at its £70m The Gate urban entertainment centre. Chorion will occupy a 25,000sq ft location fronting Newgate Street on the ground
The GMB union is slashing its Labour Party donations by £1 million in protest at the private sector's greater role in public services. The union's executive is cutting £250,000 immediately from its expected £650,000 donation this year. But the 70-member
A KILLER who sent an anonymous letter to police and made calls to Crimestoppers with false information broke down as he admitted he had killed a Teesside prostitute. But Shaun Tuley, 30, sobbed as he told a jury on the first day of his Teesside Crown
PROCTOR and Gamble (P&G) is expanding its global centre of excellence in laundry products, creating and safeguarding nearly 130 jobs in the region. The company plans to invest more than £9.25m in its Longbenton Technical Centre on North Tyneside in
Dwellers upon the North-East sports scene will have noticed over the weekend that the column was conspicuous in absence, for once unable to prowl about seeking whatsoever might be devoured. Instead we were attending a three day FA seminar in Northamptonshire
THE health of thousands of women is expected to benefit from a new breast screening unit which has opened in North Yorkshire. The unit, in York, will help cope with an increase in demand expected by the North Yorkshire Breast Screening Service. The service
STAN FINNAMORE'S superior riding experience could play a major part in steering Shinner (2.15) to victory in the Collecting Ring Apprentice Handicap at Beverley today. Such contests are normally a minefield for punters since many of the jockeys have yet
TWO women have been charged with drugs offences following an investigation into the death of a 15-year-old schoolgirl. Stacey Laight, from Horden in East Durham, died in the University Hospital of Hartlepool in May after a night out in the town with friends
DETAILS of a road safety campaign to cut the casualty rate on one of the region's most dangerous roads have been unveiled. Motorists using the A171 moor road between Teesside and Whitby will see four signs along the route warning them that there have
Dance music fans say they'll stage their own Love Parade in Newcastle this weekend after the official festival was cancelled. The Radio 1 event was pulled because Newcastle City Council refused to grant it a public entertainment licence over safety fears
ONE of Darlington's lottery jackpot winners took a helicopter ride today to say a final farewell to his career as a JCB digger driver. Barry Moss, who scooped £7.5m last week, has spent the last 20 years working as a digger driver. However, he quit his
ONE of Darlington's lottery jackpot winners took a helicopter ride today to say a final farewell to his career as a JCB digger driver. Barry Moss, who scooped £7.5m last week, has spent the last 20 years working as a digger driver. However, he quit his
THE future of a centre for people with learning disabilities in Newton Aycliffe is under review. The Oaks Centre and its satellite unit, the Acorn Centre, provide day care services for about 100 people. Durham County Council has set out proposals to improve
THE Mayor of Darlington was among those celebrating the 175th anniversary of the Bowes Railway. Councillor Isobel Hartley attended the children's day at the railway, when pupils from schools across the region spent the day learning about the railway and
FORMER North-East marksman Mikko Koivunoro has agreed terms to return to Tyneside as director of hockey Glenn Mulvenna's first summer capture for the Newcastle Jesters. The former Newcastle Riverkings favourite is expected to officially sign within days
NORTHUMBRIA Police saw overall crime figures fall by 5.3 per cent in the previous year - bringing to 34 per cent the drop in crime since a peak in 1991. Crime statistics released in Gateshead yesterday revealed that house burglary had dropped by 9.2 per
OSCAR-winning film director Lord David Puttnam will visit the region today, to tour work under way on the £98m extension of the Metro system to Sunderland. Lord Puttnam's visit will include trips to Sunderland's two Metro stations, St Peter's and University
A MEMORIAL is to be erected to the memory of thousands of stillborn babies buried in unmarked graves at a North-East cemetery. More than 2,000 babies were buried in common plots over several decades. Hospitals carried out the burials - placing up to 60
A Cabinet member gave a campaign to save an historic railway line a boost by visiting its open weekend. Chief Whip Hilary Armstrong attended the Weardale Railway Trust's event at Stanhope. Crowds gathered to enjoy attractions such as a steam wagon, traction
THE Aske Stables in Richmond, North Yorkshire, is celebrating again. The development of office accommodation for businesses was opened by Richmond MP William Hague last May. Since then they have become home to businesses ranging from dotcom companies
DERWENT Engineering has completed an order to supply 800 hydraulic cylinders for ten merchant ships being built in Korea and Japan. The company specialises in the design and manufacture of hydraulic cylinders, particularly for marine and offshore applications
A FORMER pupil has presented equipment to a North-East special school after raising cash with a sponsored wheelchair push. Paul Hodgson was pushed from Darlington FC's Feethams ground to York City's Bootham Crescent earlier this year by a friend. He said
YOUNG sport enthusiasts in Hartlepool will be spoilt for choice during the summer holidays. Hartlepool Borough Council's sports development team has drawn up a package of activities to suit all tastes. These include megamix sessions, offering fun and
EVICTED Big Brother contestant Josh Rafter told a North-East radio show yesterday that his ex-housemate, Paul Clarke, was "crafty" and "playing a game to win". Josh, who had praise for his other housemates, made the scathing comments live on air to Paul
POLICE are hunting a man who hijacked a delivery van at a motorway service station before leading the driver to a remote field and assaulting him. The driver endured a four-hour ordeal after he was confronted by a man, who detectives believe could have
PENSIONERS in east Cleveland are being advised to be on their guard following a series of "cold-calling" thefts in the area. Police in Marske said there had been six incidents since the start of the month, the latest on Sunday afternoon when a 72-year-old
A SPORTY teacher is celebrating after winning a medal in an international athletics competition. Gill Dobson, who teaches at The Hermitage School, Chester-le-Street, County Durham, won a silver medal in the javelin at The World Veterans' Championships
THE Army is to help launch a police force's summer holiday leisure scheme for youngsters, on Friday. Members of the Green Howards Youth Action Team, at Catterick Garrison, will abseil down the front of the Scarborough Spa building to release a banner
THE crew of a cabin cruiser that almost sank off the east Cleveland coast was rescued by Redcar lifeboat. On Sunday morning, the Coastwatch lookout saw the vessel, apparently in trouble, three-quarters of a mile out. The Atlantic 21 lifeboat's crew found
NEWCASTLE United chairman Freddy Shepherd yesterday emerged from clear-the-air talks with Kieron Dyer and maintained that the England starlet is not for sale. Rumours continue to abound that former Ipswich midfielder Dyer, signed by Ruud Gullit nearly
THE modifications, maintenance and operations arm of Kvaerner Oil and Gas has won a major redevelopment project. Kvaerner MMO, based in Stockton, is carrying out a major redevelopment project at Huntsman's Tioxide Site at Greatham, near Hartlepool. An
MIDDLESBROUGH'S Christian Karembeu last night flew to to Athens to tie up a near-£3m move to Olympiakos. The French star yesterday met representatives of the Greek giants in Paris where he agreed a two-year deal reported to be worth £1.7m-a-year - around
OSCAR-winning film director Lord David Puttnam will visit the region today, to tour work under way on the £98m extension of the Metro system to Sunderland. Lord Puttnam's visit will include trips to Sunderland's two Metro stations, St Peter's and University
Dance music fans say they'll stage their own Love Parade in Newcastle this weekend after the official festival was cancelled. The Radio 1 event was pulled because Newcastle City Council refused to grant it a public entertainment licence over safety fears
EMOTIONAL Tommy Miller yesterday swopped life in Division Three for a Premier future with Ipswich Town - and promptly walked into a jovial bout of family trouble. Miller swiftly completed his transfer to Portman Road after holding talks with George Burley
A NORTH-EAST museum has received national recognition for its approach to education. Beamish Museum, near Chester-le-Street, County Durham, has been awarded a Sandford Award, which recognises the standard of education provided. The museum runs programmes
AN insurance firm has refused to pay out to a brain tumour victim because he did not declare a bump to the head. James Gustard, 37, was devastated when he was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour. But he took a shred of comfort from an insurance policy
A GAS explosion that ripped through a house has left a 41-year-old man with serious burns. The victim, who lives at the terrace house in Durham City with his elderly parents, was said to be lucky to survive after a gas boiler exploded and his bedroom
GNER is to offer half-price first class rail tickets on the East Coast Mainline as a summer promotion. The operator, which operates London to Scotland services, will run cheap off-peak tickets from July 19 to September 7, as long as they are booked three
A MAN died when he was struck by a passenger train at a quiet unmanned railway crossing. The man, believed to be in his late 50s or early 60s, was killed instantly on the crossing at Ryton Village, Gateshead, on Saturday morning. He was hit by the train
A KILLER who sent an anonymous letter to police and made calls to Crimestoppers with false information about his evil deed broke down yesterday as he admitted he had killed a Teesside prostitute. Shaun Tuley, 30, sobbed as he told a jury on the first
SAFETY checks on about 100 taxis in Durham City uncovered dozens of minor faults. Ninety-nine taxi owners were asked to attend inspections at the Dragonville council depot, in the Gilesgate area of the city, last Friday. The checks were carried out by
