Archive

  • Let's not forget to support the 'fifth emergency service'

    AS the Royal British Legion marks its 80th anniversary, the misconception that the charity's sole aim is to help the veterans of the two world wars continues to be laid to rest. Roger Braybrook, Commanding Field Officer for the legion in the Durham area

  • Going soft over summer fruit

    Autumn is the best time to select and plant soft fruits. These are the fruits which are produced on canes, plants and bushes. Those like apples, pears and plums, which are harvested from trees, are referred to as top fruits. Soft fruits include black

  • Hear All Sides

    Letters from The Northern Echo DARLINGTON FC HERE we are in November and all the promise of promotion has now gone for Darlington FC. All we hear is: "We play well but can't score." Well isn't that the point in football, to score goals? The fans can see

  • Widow can claim a pension

    Q My mother is 63 and has not paid enough National Insurance to qualify for a state pension. Now my dad has died, what happens? A She can claim a retirement pension based upon your father's National Insurance, regardless of what she has paid herself.

  • Crucified swan is 'pagan ritual'

    Sadists who crucified, beheaded and hung a rare swan on a tree are thought to have been carrying out a sick pagan ritual. Horrified staff at a Durham Wildlife Trust nature reserve discovered the gory remains of the mute swan at their special site of scientific

  • Debut boy Healy seals it for Quakers

    It was a day of firsts at Feethams on Saturday afternoon as Tommy Taylor enjoyed his first home game in charge. Beating Oxford brought Darlington a first three point-haul in nine matches, a first clean sheet in seven games and Taylor's first signing,

  • Pensioner jailed for misery inflicted on neighbours

    A CANTANKEROUS pensioner who waged a 40-year vendetta on neighbours whose homes did not match his idea of house-proud perfection was jailed for three months yesterday. Retired bookmaker John Bushell, 75, was locked up after a court heard how he plagued

  • Bracewell set for a return to Sunderland

    FORMER Sunderland assistant manager Paul Bracewell could be set to return to the club as a coach. The 39-year-old former England international, who parted company with Third Division outfit Halifax Town earlier this season, has been linked with a job

  • Fighting a war for hearts and minds

    The West must accept its share of the blame for Afghanistan's problems, and must not be found wanting again, argues Dari Taylor, MP for Stockton South. FOR many of us, Afghanistan is a little known country. At school we may remember history lessons of

  • Healy bids to spark Quakers revival

    MIDFIELDER Brian Healy yesterday became Tommy Taylor's first signing as Darlington manager. And within hours of the former Torquay United man putting pen to paper on a one-month contract, he set his sights on earning a longer deal. Healy, a Glaswegian

  • £20m scheme to transform river bank

    PLANS to transform the north bank of the River Tees into offices and research facilities, with the potential to create 2,000 jobs, have moved a step closer. Regeneration agency English Partnerships has drawn up a £20m masterplan to transform the area

  • Pottermania sweeps the region

    POTTERMANIA continues to sweep the region with both adults and children alike flocking to cinemas to witness the wizard film sensation. Cinema bosses staged extra showings of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone such was the demand over the weekend

  • Trainer Talk

    Doncaster today brings the curtain down on another turf flat season - and what a season it has been for the top jockeys! Kieron Fallon is seven ahead of Kevin Darley in the Jockey's Championship which assures him of a fourth championship in five years

  • Crowds pack town centre for festive lights switch-on

    CROWDS packed into Darlington town centre last night for the launch of the festive celebrations. Pop Idols hopeful Zoe Birkett got to throw the switch to light up her home town for Christmas. The 16-year-old was chosen to perform the ceremony after becoming

  • England held at Old Trafford

    A Hakan Mild goal just before half-time denied Sven Goran Eriksson an emotional victory over his native Sweden as England were held to a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford on Saturday. Eriksson, fielding an experimental line-up, started with Middlesbrough defender

  • The celebration where everyything went to plan

    The opening of East Road Wesleyan church in Darlington - and another at Boosbeck, east Cleveland, by the Lord Bishop of Hull - seemed just about the only good news to be had on Tuesday, October 29, 1901. Elsewhere, the Echo reported, President McKinley's

  • Museum's multi-million pound scheme is child's play

    A MUSEUM in the region is to create a children's attraction as part a multi-million pound refurbishment scheme. The Bowes Museum, in Barnard Castle, County Durham, is launching a massive drive to attract more youngsters through its doors, and staff are

  • Golden Well tipped

    GOLDEN WELLS, equipped with a pair of blinkers for the first time in his life, is strongly fancied to bring the curtain down on another glittering turf campaign for Mark Johnston by picking up Doncaster's November Handicap. Johnson's mighty Middleham

  • Energy firms future not assured despite merger

    THE merger of a troubled energy firm employing 900 North-East workers has done little to allay fears over its future. The deal between US-based firm Enron and competitor Dynegy was announced yesterday after mounting speculation. Earlier this month Enron

  • Telecoms sector to step into spotlight

    IN A busy week for corporate results, the telecoms sector will hog the limelight. Figures from Vodafone, Cable and Wireless and Marconi are due - giving investors more clues about how the industry will cope with a global slowdown. Troubled telecoms group

  • Children's day care centre plan for derelict nightclub

    A DERELICT nightclub, which sparked a dispute between Darlington Football Club chairman George Reynolds and a local businessman, is to be transformed. Residents have long complained about the state of the former Talk of The Town club in Darlington, which

  • We're back in business . . .

    TWO visitor attractions in the region will reopen today following the lifting of blue box foot-and-mouth restrictions. Staff at Allen Banks, at Haydon Bridge, and the historic Houseteads Roman Fort, on Hadrian's Wall, have been busy preparing the attractions

  • Debutants Usher and Wilkinson hope to shine

    TWO talented all-round sportsmen hope to make their mark on the rugby fields of Darlington today. Former professional cricketer Ben Usher makes his Darlington debut in the North Division One match at home to Bradford and Bingley, while Jonny Wilkinson's

  • It's two out of two for Pool

    CLASS will always shine through. Back on January 12, Hartlepool were heading for a dull draw with Exeter. Just 12 seconds into the second half and up popped Tommy Miller with a stunning strike to break the deadlock. On Saturday, with Miller watching from

  • Comment from The Northern Echo - Players could be the losers

    IN a dispute over money it is difficult for the public to stand shoulder to shoulder with the likes of David Beckham, Roy Keane and Alan Shearer, who earn tens of thousands of pounds every week. But it is important that the dispute between the Professional

  • N-E assembly needs power - or it will fail

    A NORTH-EAST assembly will be a sham and a failure if it does not have real power to make a difference to the lives of people in the region, the minister responsible for devolution warned yesterday. Stephen Byers, the transport and regions secretary and

  • Rose picked for a smashing job

    A DARLINGTON seamstress was picked to begin demolition work on a former office block and start the latest stage of redevelopment work at Lingfield Point, in the town. Rose Austin started the demolition work on the building, a former laboratory for the

  • Man sentenced for killing teenager with single blow

    A MAN was jailed for five years yesterday after admitting killing a teenager by punching him once while high on a cocktail of drink and drugs. Teesside Crown Court heard that Paul Smith, 18, of Thornley, near Peterlee, County Durham, died after being

  • Shocked skipper hopes Barron days are over

    MICKY Barron is still trying to come to terms with the shock of Tuesday. Hartlepool United beat Hull 4-0 at Victoria Park, but it wasn't the result that left the Pool skipper reeling - it was his goal in the closing stages of the win that caused all the

  • Development grant provides Adrenalin boost

    A £25,000 grant is helping a Darlington motorcycle business to target the French market. Adrenalin-Moto, in Whessoe Road, has been awarded the grant by The North-East Investment Fund (Neif) to develop its already growing list of European suppliers. The

  • Bantams tracking Vickers

    OUT-of-favour Middlesbrough defender Steve Vickers is being tracked by Bradford City. The 34-year-old centre-back is seen by Bantams chief Jim Jeffries as a short-term replacement for David Wetherall, who is expected to move on from Valley Parade. Manchester

  • Nurse quits to take up strip job

    A SURGEON'S daughter who quit her nursing career because of low wages has begun a new career as a table dancer. Nicola Provart earned the equivalent of half a month's wages as a student nurse in just a few hours by taking off her clothes at the controversial

  • Move to speed up coronary checks

    HEART patients are to benefit from plans to build diagnostic units at smaller hospitals. The move should speed up tests and allow patients to be seen closer to their homes. At the moment, patients with suspected coronary heart disease in South Durham,

  • Lifelike - but too slow off the button

    Reviews: Title: 90 Minutes. Format: Dreamcast GD-ROM. Publisher: Sega. Price: £29.99 DREAMCAST owners have waited in vain for their own version of the ever-popular FIFA football sim. Sadly, Electronic Arts decided early on not to publish for Sega's last

  • Fairless fares well as NDI member

    FAIRLESS Engineering has experienced the best six months of business in its 82-year history. The company has seen output rise by 30 per cent on last year, and has an order book of £100,000, with more to come. Fairless specialises in manufacturing cable

  • Society backs Wendy's art

    ARTIST Wendy Thompson has won an important commission from Darlington Building Society. She received her commission, to paint the society in its local environment in a contemporary style, following an exhibition of her work at the "Art for Business" Sponsors