TWO-year-old Hannah Maxwell-Jones is preparing for a journey which will change her life for ever - thanks to the generosity of people throughout the region. In two weeks, the severely deformed youngster from Teesside will undergo pioneering surgery in
YOUNGSTERS on a Sunderland estate have produced a compact disc (CD) to help their peers avoid drink and drug problems. The group Drugbusters is for teenagers at Pennywell, which is undergoing a multi-million pound facelift. The youngsters are part of
FORMER cabinet minister Peter Mandelson is returning to the political limelight. The Hartlepool MP will be named this week as chairman of one of the country's most high-powered policy think tanks. But the former Northern Ireland Secretary claims his appointment
ALMOST a quarter of job hunters in the North-East keep the fact they have children secret from potential employers, according to a new survey. Research conducted among employees, working in areas ranging from marketing and management to factories and
A CAMPAIGN to rejuvenate Britain's oldest Georgian theatre will be given a fitting backdrop later this month. Volunteers will dress in period costume when they attend one of the region's most prestigious antiques fairs between Thursday, September 20,
A POLICEMAN is temporarily swapping his beat for the wildlife wastes of Patagonia. PC Barry Dixon, who is based at Stockton, Teesside, hopes his planned 100-kilometre trek across some of the remotest parts of South America will raise at least £2,500 for
HARTLEPOOL Indoor Club hosts the 25th anniversary meeting of the Four Countries Fellowship today and tomorrow. The indoor clubs of Dundee, Belfast, Cardiff and Hartlepool formed the Fellowship in Belfast in 1976 to replace the British Isles International
A walk in memory of the east Durham tourism officer who lost his life in the Southall train crash is to be held on September 23. The Ged Traynor Memorial Walk will begin at the warden's lodge, in Peterlee's Oakerside Park, and cover a ten-mile route around
ONLY 21 people commented on plans to brighten up Bishop Auckland town centre when they went on display last month. Organisers of a ten-day exhibition in the town hall library said they were disappointed by the responses, even though they showed an overwhelming
IT WAS third time lucky for brave bully victim Joanne Geldart who wrote three letters pleading Tony Blair for a face-to-face meeting before she got her wish. The schoolgirl finally met the premier at her Sedgefield home constituency to describe a decade
A: A few weeks ago you answered a query regarding an encyclopaedic entry which stated that the River Wear entered the sea at Hartlepool, before a diversion to Sunderland. Prior to the last Ice Age, 10,000 years ago, the Tees entered the sea at Whitby
TRANSPORT, Local Government and the Regions Secretary Stephen Byers will deliver a keynote address at the Coalfields Communities Campaign conference today. He is expected to review what the Government is doing to help former pit communities in the North-East
A LANDMARK development spearheading the long-awaited renewal of Bishop Auckland's dwindling fortunes is under way. Builders have started work on a £675,000 conversion of a Newgate Street church into a "one-stop" community centre in the heart of the town
A WOMEN'S education and training project is looking to fill places on its courses. The Bridge Women's Education and Support Project, at Chester-le-Street, is offering subjects including computing, crafts, confidence-building, tai chi and first aid. The
THOUSANDS of pounds are to be spent on an area around a sheltered housing complex which residents say has become a rubbish dump. Elderly people living in the Park Place and Hargreave Terrace residential complex, in Darlington, have complained to the borough
THE public has been banned from a nursing home's grounds after residents were frightened by dogs. The private grounds of Middleton Hall nursing home, at Middleton St George, near Darlington, have been used by some people to exercise their dogs rather
MUSEUM curator Robin Hildyard took a walk down memory lane yesterday to recapture moments of a "blissful childhood". After reopening the village hall in the tiny village of Eastgate, in Weardale, County Durham, he went on to stay at the Victorian mansion
A NEW magistrates' court is to be given the royal seal of approval. The Courthouse, at Peterlee, County Durham, which was completed earlier this year is to be officially opened by The Princess Royal on Thursday. After watching local children perform a
A MEMORIAL stone celebrating the exceptional deeds of 11 war heroes was unveiled in a colourful and poignant ceremony at the weekend. Hundreds of people attended the Durham Light Infantry Museum, in Durham City, to see the dedication of the sandstone
THE swimming pool at Newton Aycliife's Leisure Centre is to close while the water slide is removed. Sedgefield Borough Council made the decision to remove the slide when it was discovered that the supports and staircase were deteriorating and it would
A MEETING tomorrow night will update a Dales market town on a partnership which residents hope will secure a police presence in the future while establishing new facilities for the community. There was concern last year that Masham may not figure prominently
A NORTH-EAST council has joined a campaign by The Northern Echo and Bishop Auckland Civic Society to keep treasured paintings in the region. Wear Valley District Council is sending a letter of protest to the Church Commissioners, who could decide later
JUDGES of this year's Northumbria in Bloom competition have hailed the region's colourful towns and cities for producing the highest ever standard of entries. More than 30 awards were handed out at The Stadium of Light, Sunderland, in the competition
GREAT BRITAIN international Stewy Bell took another major step towards re-establishing himself as one of the North-East's leading road racers with an emphatic victory in yesterday's gruelling Derwentside 10. But after fighting off a determined challenge
GOVERNMENT inspectors have criticised Durham County Council for the poor standard of its information and communications technology (ICT) service. An independent report published today gives Durham County Council's use and provision of ICT services one
CINEMA buffs are being given the chance to see a range of films from different genres in Hartlepool from now until Christmas. Hartlepool Borough Council's arts and museums service has linked up with the town's Warner Village Cinema to show a range of
AN east Cleveland community is facing disruption as it undergoes extensive roadworks. Liverton Road, passing through the village of Liverton Mines, near Loftus, will be closed for three weeks from next Monday to allow reconstruction of Liverton Bank,
TWO cyber cafes are to share a £10,000 grant. Sedgefield Borough Council planned to give the money to its leisure services department to set up a cyber cafe at Shildon's Sunnydale Leisure Centre. But half the money will be used to help create a cyber
CUSTOMS officers believe they are winning the fight against cigarette smugglers after reporting a drop in the number of seizures in the North-East. Between 30 and 40 per cent less cigarettes were seized in the region between April and June, compared with
POLICE have confirmed they are to be involved in a new community office in the heart of Swaledale. Hudson House is due to open in Reeth next year, making the town the third in the Yorkshire Dales to open a one-stop shop for tourists and peple looking
COUNTRYSIDE guardian the National Trust is hoping a decision to open the grounds of a stately home to dog owners - with their pets - will prove to have been a howling success. The conservation charity, thought nationally to be down on its income by £750,000
SCIENTISTS in the region have made an important breakthrough in the treatment of diabetes. Research carried out at Newcastle University has confirmed that a new diabetes drug seems to stop the disease in its tracks. If it is borne out by a larger trial
IT was when cheering teenagers gathered around two-year-old Hannah as she danced, that Allison realised that things had changed for ever. Hannah's parents, Allison and Keith Maxwell-Jones, thought long and hard before deciding to make a public appeal
NO excuses - get yourself a smoke alarm. That's the message from the region's fire brigades, which have launched a hard-hitting television campaign to help prevent fire deaths. Five people have died in house fires in the Tyne and Wear area since April
POLICE have launched a murder hunt after a teenager died following an apparently unprovoked attack at the weekend. Paul Smith, 18, was punched in the face and knocked to the ground by two youths as he left the Catholic Club in Dunhelm Road, Thornley,
Guisborough celebrated three wins inside a week with a 3-1 victory at Dunston on Saturday. Guisborough had a slow start to the season, but it has all suddenly come good for manager Steve Corden and his players. "The lads are starting to believe in themselves
PETER Mandelson came back from the dead once after the home loan scandal, only to be embarrassingly ousted from Government again in the wake of the Hinduja brothers passport affair. A bitter man - passionate in the belief that an injustice was done -
STEVE McCLAREN insists there will be no drastic overhaul of his Middlesbrough squad despite their disastrous start to the season. Boro dropped to the bottom of the Premiership table after crashing to a fourth straight defeat. The 4-1 derby drubbing by
A TREE near Northallerton, planted to commemorate the Queen's silver jubilee 24 years ago, is to be axed to increase the size of a layby in a bid to attract visitors to the area. The tree is three miles north of Northallerton, on the A167, near the Battle
CAMPAIGNERS have held talks with Government officials over plans to hold an inquiry into the Richard Neale scandal. The group, which has been campaigning on behalf of victims of the disgraced surgeon, requested the meeting because they are unhappy that
UNDERWATER explosives experts are being called in amid fears that a wrecked ammunitions ship may be breaking up, releasing its lethal cargo off the North-East coast. A plea for help is being sent to the head of the Ministry of Defence's (MoD) underwater
GATES are to be fitted on the bus shelter in Leyburn and it will be closed indefinitely, the town council has agreed. In July, members received a letter from the police pointing out that the building was insanitary. A complaint was received from a retired
CLOSED-CIRCUIT TV cameras are to be installed on all buses run by North-East transport group Go-Ahead, in a move to protect passengers and drivers. The Newcastle company is one of the biggest bus operators in the country, with services in London, Brighton
DELIGHTED Durham had cause to be grateful for the presence of the Sky cameras at the Riverside yesterday as they clinched promotion in the Norwich Union League. After 30 seconds of tension accompanied by the theme music from Jaws, the third umpire was
PEOPLE in east Cleveland who would like to improve their French language skills can learn the lingo at a part-time course at Redcar Adult Education Centre, opposite Redcar and Cleveland College, on Tuesday mornings from September 25. No previous knowledge
STUDENTS from seven countries across the globe are improving their English on Teesside. Cameroon, Taiwan, Kosovo, Sri Lanka, China, Afghanistan and Japan are represented by a group of eight students studying in the area. They have been living in the North-East
SUNDERLAND rode their luck to maintain their 100 per cent home record - thanks to veteran striker Niall Quinn. But manager Peter Reid knows that the lacklustre form his team has shown so far this season will not unlock the door into a European utopia.
REDCAR and Cleveland's mayor is preparing to let her hair down for a party in aid of her chosen charities. Councillor Vilma Collins is ready for the Mayor's Charity Night, which takes place at the Coatham Bowl, Redcar, on Saturday, December 1. Organiser
Wings Appeal They will not grow old, as we've grown old. Those of us who can remember. Those battles in the summer sky, that August and September When vapour trails wrote history in those skies of blue By Spitfires and Hurricanes, flown by the Valiant
Employees protested outside a North-East store at the weekend in a battle for union recognition. Shopfloor workers at MFI handed leaflets to customers arriving at the Middlesbrough retail warehouse and lobbied them for their support. The protest was organised
THE police are objecting to an application by a 1970s revival bar in Darlington town centre to stay open until 2am. The owners of Flares, in Skinnergate, want the bar to close at 2am from Wednesdays to Saturdays, rather than the present closing time of
A SHOW celebrating the work of Durham's gardeners took place at the weekend. The annual City of Durham Show was organised by Durham City Council and was held in the city's Town Hall. Vegetables, flowers, floral arrangements, preserves, country wine, textiles
A MAN enjoying the sunshine in a public park was run over by a car which drove into the playing fields. Paul Rumney, 42, of Shiney Row, Wearside, suffered serious head injuries and a collapsed lung at the fields near Biddick Woods, in Shiney Row, on Saturday
THE 1940s were revisited at the weekend when hundreds of people flocked to Darlington Railway Carnival. The theme of the event was the 1940s and there was an array of entertainment from the era. Vintage vehicles, music, costumes and children's entertainers
HUNDREDS of people packed into a service held at Durham Cathedral to commemorate the Battle of Britain yesterday. In a moving sermon, Canon David Whittington painted a vivid picture of The Few "facing hell and horror to ensure the glory and beauty for
POLICE in Durham are hunting thieves who stole bikes and equipment worth £24,000 from a store. The theft took place at the Specialist Cycles shop, in Frederick Street South, Meadowfield, between 7.30pm on Tuesday and 9.50am the following day. The raiders
DIPLOMATIC pressure is mounting on the Greek government amid fears that a kidney from a North-East man who died on holiday was sold on the organ blackmarket. The parents of Chris Rochester, 24, who died after falling from an apartment balcony on the holiday
THE city of Ripon went to town to mark the end of summer at the weekend. The racecourse hosted the 2001 Ripon Day on Saturday - and so many people turned up, organisers say they are confident the event is now established as a permanent fixture on the
THE search is continuing for Darlington's most environmentally friendly people. The Northern Echo has joined forces with Darlington Borough Council to find schools, community group, business and individuals who are doing their bit to help the local environment
A PIG farmer was today convicted of breaching pig movement regulations and now faces up to £35,000 in fines when he returns to court to be sentenced. Magistrates at Bishop Auckland Court, County Durham, convicted farmer Alan Clement, 57, in his absence
THE water supply to hundreds of Darlington homes and businesses suffered discoloration at the weekend after contractors cut through a mains pipe. Workmen in Cockerton accidentally severed the 18in main, which supplies a large area of Darlington, on Saturday
BOTH Darlington clubs topped 40 points in their new divisions on Saturday, while there were further setbacks for West Hartlepool, Blaydon and Middlesbrough. Mowden Park are one of four teams in National Three North with four points from two games after
THE shortlist for The Northern Echo's environmental competition has been announced. This is the third year the competition has been held, sponsored by regional development agency One NorthEast. Shortlisted entries are: * Summerhill (Hartlepool) Bird Club
A SAILING boat adapted to take wheelchairs has been launched in the region. Muriel, named after one of the Derwent Reservoir Sailing Club's most dedicated members, Muriel King, 92, was built for £20,000 by Tyneside boatbuilder McNulty. A Sailability grant
YOUNGSTERS are being given a helping hand with their homework thanks to special sessions taking place at Stockton Central Library. The sessions run from 4.30pm to 6.30pm on Mondays and Wednesdays, starting from this Wednesday, when a dedicated children's
A NORTH-EAST travel company is taking to the road to attract recruits as it prepares to expand. Freedom Direct, the largest independent UK travel agent selling deals on Teletext, has four call centres in Newcastle, Sunderland and Durham City. After a
THERE were a lot of soldiers hanging around at Richmond Castle this weekend - but it was all for a good cause. Four teams of 40 spent most of Saturday abseiling from the top of the tower in aid of Bedale's Mowbray School for children with special needs
FOUR-legged, tail wagging, crime cracking sleuth Buster has lived up to his name following a narcotics search on Teesside. The white and brown police spaniel sniffed out 2,000 ecstasy tablets with a street value of £20,000 plus wraps of heroin in raids
NOEL'S NOEL: Everyone's favourite Popstars Hear'Say are set to record a duet with the winners of the German version of the show that rocketed them to fame. Danny, Kym, Noel, Suzanne and Myleene are hoping their duet with all-girl band No Angels will give
WORRIED residents say five new apartment blocks planned for the site of a soon-to-close community hospital would tower over their homes. Developers hope to build five three-storey blocks of flats on the site of the Chester-le-Street General Hospital.
AN east Durham artist has chosen his home village for an exhibition of his work. Dawson Elliott, of Easington, will be displaying his paintings and drawings at the village's Discovery Centre. Mr Elliott, who recently held a smaller exhibition at the centre
A historic building on Hartlepool's Headland has opened to the community again after renovation work. The Horsley Building, which is opposite Northgate shops, has been able to continue hosting a range of activities for local people thanks to a £31,000
IT is the confident expectation of this column that Darlington will today be covered in glory in the Northumbria in Bloom competition. The results of the regional competition will be announced this afternoon and, if there is any justice, our town will
A WASTE paper recycling initiative in Hartlepool has proved an instant success and householders have been praised for their support. A total of 130 tonnes of paper was collected in July alone, the first month of Hartlepool Borough Council's kerbside collection
A COLLEGE has won a £75,000 BT Lifelong Learning Award to team up with Middlesbrough Football Club in an initiative that uses football to encourage young adults to learn new skills. The initiative, Football First, will be aimed at men aged 18 to 25, particularly
SUNDERLAND winger Kevin Kilbane last night described his Republic of Ireland teammate Niall Quinn as "a legend" after his match-winning performance in the 1-0 home victory over Blackburn Rovers. The lanky striker - 35 next month - came on as a second-half
BOBBY ROBSON has drawn on his experience of Newcastle United's nightmare start two years ago to offer hope and encouragement to under-pressure Middlesbrough counterpart Steve McClaren. The Magpies' 4-1 victory at the Riverside leaves McClaren still searching
ECSTASY turned to deep frustration for Durham on the final afternoon of their championship programme on Saturday. They looked certain to complete the double over Worcestershire and finish the season with a second successive win when they had the visitors
WHEN gardening enthusiast Michael Murtagh went to the annual Sedgefield Civic Trust Floral Awards presentation in Sedgefield Parish Hall, he expected to receive a certificate for being second in his class. But he also received the Eric Lowes Cup for best
Despite Saturday's blip against his former club, defender David Brightwell believes Darlington are on the right track for promotion. Brightwell, who arrived at Feethams from Hull City earlier this year, endured his worst game of the season on Saturday
A PERSONAL pledge from Prime Minister Tony Blair has given a ray of hope to villagers fighting for a foot-and-mouth burial site on their doorstep to be shut down. Mr Blair promised to try to give people in Tow Law, County Durham, a closure date for the
West Auckland manager Alan Oliver was happy to pay up after losing a bet following his side's 5-2 home win over Ashington in the first qualifying round of the FA Carlsberg Vase on Saturday. West won the game 5-2, with Paul Stout amongst the scorers, and
POLICE have launched a murder hunt after a teenager died following an apparently unprovoked attack at the weekend. Paul Smith, 18, was punched in the face and knocked to the ground by two youths as he left the Catholic Club in Dunhelm Road, Thornley,
JAMES Sharp is sure Hartlepool United are putting their indifferent spell behind them. Pool have stuttered along this season and Saturday's single goal defeat a Scunthorpe means Chris Turner's side have only taken four points from five games this season
IF Newcastle skipper Alan Shearer has any say in the matter, French new boy Laurent Robert will soon be flat on his derriere, desperately trying to catch his breath. The winger was the inspiration for United's derby demolition of troubled Middlesbrough
DIPLOMATIC pressure is mounting on the Greek government amid fears that a kidney from a North-East man who died on holiday was sold on the organ blackmarket. The parents of Chris Rochester, 24, who died after falling from an apartment balcony on the holiday
WAR has been declared on the growing herring gull population on the North Yorkshire coast after councillors protested that people are being terrified by the birds. Scarborough Borough Council's cabinet heard that in some places along the coast the gull
A RIGHT wing party is planning another demonstration in the North-East - even though a ban on marching is in force. But the National Front's opponents have also pledged to hold their own counter-demonstration in the centre of Sunderland. Home Secretary
STEVE McClaren must be wondering what he can do. For half an hour of the derby with Newcastle on Saturday the Middlesbrough manager's plans were finally coming to fruition. Boro had hit the net for the first time this season, were genuinely in control
A SHOPKEEPER has thanked his customers for their loyal service after being forced to close a family store which has been trading for more than 110 years. Jacksons, of Eldon Lane, near Bishop Auckland, was opened as a hardware store in 1890 by Thomas Jackson
YOUNGSTERS across the borough of Stockton are being offered the chance to pick up a reward if they care for their area. Stockton Borough Council has joined forces with Hollywood Bowl, at Teesside Park, to run a litter reward scheme around a number of
A £2m facelift for the outdated Newgate Centre in Bishop Auckland has been approved by district councillors. Retail chain Asda is committed to improving the centre when it moves out to a new superstore, which is to be built at Wilson's Forge next year
SLOW starts to a season are becoming the norm for Hartlepool United. Five games gone, four points on the board and the Division Three table doesn't make good reading. Last year, after five games Chris Turner's side had five points; in 1999 it was four
Successful teams always seem to have the uncanny knack of taking points when the opposition have done enough to earn all three. On Saturday, Darlington had to rely on injury-time goals in each half to secure a point which they scarcely looked like earning
NORTHERN IRELAND YOUR editorial (Echo, Sept 4) serves to illustrate the results of bigotry and hatred ingrained from birth between the two communities in Northern Ireland. What kind of pond life would stoop to the kind of intimidation shown to school
Bookings have started for places at the 20th Teesside Classic Bike Show at Redcar Leisure Centre on October 7. There are eight categories, ranging from veteran and vintage up to 1930, post-vintage and war, competition, specialised interest, emerging classics
THIS is the man who claims he was punched in the face by North-East Labour MP Ronnie Campbell after a curry house row. Police have interviewed the Blyth Valley MP over the allegations made by father-of-three Graeme Gillespie. The unemployed plasterer,
FIREFIGHTERS have condemned arsonists for putting the lives of residents and fire crews at risk. At the same time, regeneration officials are urgently trying to deal with the problem of more than 100 houses standing empty - and open to vandals - on Middlesbrough's
TWO deaths marred a bikers' festival which brought 4,500 leather-clad riders to the grounds of a North-East castle at the weekend. Police were called to Witton Castle, near Bishop Auckland, County Durham, on Saturday morning when a camper attending a
