A CHEEKY Christmas card depicting Viz magazine's The Fat Slags with slim figures has become a collectors' item. The Geordie pair, normally pictured with sagging stomachs and bulging bottoms, are captured with hourglass shapes for the first time in the
A DOG has won a reprieve from a threatened death sentence. Buster the bull mastiff/ Staffordshire bull terrier cross was in danger of being put down after biting an eight-year-old girl outside owner Ashley Keogh's home in June. The victim received stitches
TONIGHT, Darlington songbird Zoe Birkett will make her bid to stay in the ITV Pop Idol competition. The 16-year-old will compete against nine other finalists in a festive edition of the show. Viewers will be asked to vote for their favourite performer
SUPER SUB Roddy Greene gets his big chance to shine aboard Exit Swinger (2.35) in the £100,000 Ladbroke Handicap Hurdle at Ascot this afternoon. As second jockey to Tony McCoy at Martin Pipe's all-conquering west-country stable, Greene normally has to
A FIREFIGHTER has been reunited with a three-year-old boy whose life he saved after the child was thrown through a car windscreen. Ethan Blackburn needed 260 stitches and nearly lost his life four times because of the head injuries he suffered in the
SHEPHERDS arrived bearing gifts when construction workers brought Christmas presents for sick children. Staff from Shepherds Construction working on Bishop Auckland's £67m hospital have been celebrating the completion of the new building and thought they
Rise in visitors to museum Richmondshire Museum reported a 2.5 per cent increase in visitors this year, despite the foot-and-mouth crisis. A total of 4,646 people visited the museum, in Ryders Wynd, which helped it balance its books - although more cash
A business centre is set to be built on the site of the famous Castle Eden Brewery in Peterlee. Beer production ceases on the site on December 31, when Castle Eden plans to transfer production to Cameron's Lion Brewery at Hartlepool. The takeover is dependent
A SERIAL killer will not be considered for parole until he has served 35 years in prison, it emerged yesterday. Steven Grieveson, of Roker Avenue, Sunderland, was given three life sentences at Leeds Crown Court, in 1996, for murdering 15-year-olds David
A SINGING copper is hoping a love song he penned for his wife will help him make it in the music business. PC Brian McCarthy, 35, a Cleveland Police trainer, has been writing tunes since he was a teenager but his audience so far has been limited mainly
GARMENT embroidery and screen-printing business Armstrong UK is doubling the size of its workforce. Armstrong wants to increase its workforce to 40 after moving to Henson Road, Yarm Road Business Park, in Darlington, from the Nestfield Industrial Estate
CHRISTMAS Day will be extra special this year for a couple who are celebrating their sapphire wedding anniversary. Leslie and Doris Smith, both in their eighties, of Sidlaw Avenue, Chester-le-Street, were married at Fawcett Hill Methodist Church, Craghead
A BISHOP has delivered a message of hope in his last Christmas address before he retires. The Bishop of Jarrow, the Right Reverend Alan Smithson, is due to move at the end of the month after 11 years in the position. The bishop will move from his North-East
A MAN who tried to stop a fight ended up being punched unconscious, a court heard yesterday. Barry Greaves, 20, and Mark Wilks, 22, both of Fitzwilliam Street, Redcar, east Cleveland, admitted a charge of assault causing actual bodily harm to John McGuinness
COUNCILLORS have approved plans that will save a Durham landmark from the bulldozers. Brown's Boathouse, on the banks of the River Wear near Elvet Bridge, looked to be doomed when developers won planning permission to replace it with a large, glass-fronted
A GROUP of nursery children dressed up in Victorian costume to visit a castle's Christmas grotto. Thirty-six youngsters from the Small World Nursery, in Staindrop, dressed up in home-made costumes for their visit to Raby Castle. Staff at the castle also
A Marvin Johnson goal six minutes from time denied Hartlepool all three points at Kenilworth Road on Saturday. Pools looked to be heading for their fourth away win of the season thanks to Darrell Clarke, who scored in each half. The former Mansfield midfielder
A TRIBUNAL in Newcastle is wrestling with a case that has a "sign of the times" written all over it. Whatever the rights and wrongs of Kristy Green versus Gillman and Soame - and there may be more to this case than simply sex discrimination - it is a
FIFTY couples have been put on a fast-track for fertility treatment thanks to an £80,000 gift from primary care groups (PCGs) in County Durham. The money, allocated by the Dales, Darlington, Sedgefield, Durham and Chester-le-Street and Derwentside PCGs
THERE is nothing remotely festive about the reception area at HMYOI, Deerbolt. There is an elderly bike, as if for a slow getaway, a green button above a sign saying "Do not press this bell" and, of course, a Mission Statement. Everyone has a Mission
Letters from The Northern Echo PRINCE CHARLES PERHAPS Prince Charles is a little optimistic when he talks of being king. One should never count one's chickens. There is a similarity here between Edward, Prince of Wales, and Mrs Simpson and Charles, Prince
IT'S all change for North Yorkshire police in their central area - at least for the next ten months. Superintendent John Lacy, operations commander, will be taking over as temporary chief superintendent from January. The change comes about because the
MIDDLESBROUGH defender Ugo Ehiogu last night called for the rest of Steve McClaren's squad to take the pressure off star striker Alen Boksic. Top-scorer Boksic is beginning to come under fire from the Riverside faithful after a barren spell. Boro have
BUDDING young footballers have the chance to learn more about the game on Christmas coaching courses. Sunderland FC's coaching staff will be running soccer schools during the festive break for youngsters aged four to 14. Development officer Bob Oates
KIND-HEARTED soldiers helped a teenager's dream come true yesterday, putting him on the road to extra mobility. Cerebral palsy sufferer Vincent Gordon, 16, was one of a number of pupils from Wensleydale School, at Leyburn, who recently attended a personal
A POLICE clampdown on truants has been hailed a success. More than 30 Northumbria Police officers joined educational welfare officers from Sunderland City Council for a one-day swoop on truants, on December 12. They stopped and questioned 259 youngsters
A BARMAID'S stolen purse led police on a 150-mile chase to recapture an escaped prisoner, a court was told yesterday. Helen Maughan's purse was stolen from the private quarters at the Spotted Dog, at High Coniscliffe, Darlington, and then she discovered
THREE people were cleared of the murder of a nightclub doorman yesterday. Shaun Doyle, 28, Ian Morgan, 37, and his wife Joanne, 27, were accused of gunning down Kevin Nightingale on his doorstep, in South Shields, on February 27, 1996. But after the Crown
PLANS to erect a wind farm on the fells above a remote North Pennines village are still under consideration. National Wind Power, which announced its intention to build the controversial wind farm at Rookhope, in Weardale, in 1997, said yesterday it was
Christmas is a time for magic and miracles, not to mention the mulled wine and mice pies but, according to one man, it's also a time for science. Christen Pears reports. RUDOLPH is female, Santa has diabetes and you need the telescope of the WM Keck Observatory
IT was not a sight frequently seen in ancient Jerusalem, but angels will be spreading their heavenly message from the back of a tractor when villagers stage a Nativity play. A rescue centre donkey, three wise men on horseback and a real inn will also
POLICE in Durham and Chester-le-Street are warning burglars they will not be taking a holiday during the festive season. A crackdown on thieves is in operation to counter a 60 per cent increase in house break-ins across the division. More than 40 suspects
HUMBLE earthworms could hold the key to survival for one of northern England's declining birds. The ring ouzel, the "blackbird of the hills", has been declining for many years and is increasingly scarce in areas such as the Yorkshire Dales. A recent Royal
THE mother of a boy stabbed 18 times by two schoolboy friends after they watched a violent horror film has reacted with disbelief that one of them may shortly be released on parole. Yesterday victim 16-year-old Ashley Murray and his mother Joanne said
Chris Lloyd meets some survivors of a once-large community of families who moved into prefabs in Shildon after the war FIFTY-FIVE years ago, hundreds of North-East families were enjoying their first Christmases together in their first homes together as
A PIONEERING initiative is under way to protect vulnerable adults from abuse. The Darlington Adult Protection Committee was formed at the start of the year to find ways to stop the town's elderly and vulnerable people being abused by strangers or relatives
FORMER Dr Who Colin Baker will once again travel through time to showcase the North-East's rich legends next year. The doctor's latest assistant, local musician George Hastings, will help him put on an ambitious musical show at one of the region's most
football pundit Trevor Brooking presented a North-East university with an award for the work its sports volunteers do in the community. The Sports England award of £3,000 was presented to Northumbria University's head of recreation, Sue Vont, in London
TEENAGER Jonathan Harries has been presented with the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Award for his outstanding contribution to his school. A Year Ten pupil at Bedale High School and a runner-up in under-16 category of The Northern Echo Local Heroes
IT was a voyage that changed the course of history, and now one of Captain Cook's ancestors is hitching a lift home in a replica of the legendary seafarer's ship. Jon Preston felt the pull of home when the Endeavour sailing ship docked 500 yards from
NVISAGE customer contact centre is giving potential recruits a better chance of a job with a new initiative to help develop IT skills. The company, which is creating 500 jobs in customer services and telesales on the Bracken Hill Business Park in Peterlee
AN air traffic controller spent her day off back at work, entertaining passengers at Teesside International Airport. Clare Kirby was not meant to be in work yesterday, but returned to the airport foyer as a tenor horn player with the Langbaurgh Brass
NEW SIGNING Claudio Reyna marked his home debut with the match-winning goal for Sunderland against Everton at the Stadium of Light. The United States captain, a £4.5m capture from Glasgow Rangers, broke the deadlock in the 77th minute from close range
A WOMAN is in a critical condition with a fractured spine after an accident on the A66 near Barnard Castle, County Durham. The accident happened on the eastbound dual carriageway of the trans-Pennine route, three miles east of Bowes, at about 6.50pm on
THE mysterious identity of a sailor, who sent a Christmas card to his best friend from the mighty HMS Hood, has been revealed. In The Northern Echo on Thursday, Joan Leyland, of Sedgefield, County Durham appealed for information about the card sent to
A RUBBISH fire on Shildon's Timothy Hackworth Industrial Estate last night may have been started deliberately, Bishop Auckland Fire Brigade said. Firefighters were unable to break the ten tonnes of rubbish apart and were forced to keep guard as the fire
A TEENAGER is getting ready to celebrate Christmas a year after she was struck by a life-threatening condition. Rachel Wakeford was a healthy, happy girl until last December when she caught a virus and developed cardiomyopathy, a rare heart condition.
DARLINGTON last night admitted making a move for Oldham striker Carlo Corazzin. The Canadian international, who turns 30 on Christmas Day, is available for transfer from the Latics and Quakers boss Tommy Taylor made an approach earlier this week. Taylor
THE drive to crack down on rip-off football shirt prices and the cost of supporting your favourite team is to be spearheaded from the North-East. The Independent Football Commission (IFC), announced by former Culture Secretary Chris Smith in August 2000
WORK is to begin next month on a £750,000 day centre for the elderly in Knaresbor-ough. The town's Age Concern group has awarded the construction contract to D and A Construction, of York, one of five firms seeking the work. The group has already banked
CHEMICAL firm ICI faces an 18-month wait to pick up the proceeds from the sale of its 30 per cent stake in Huntsman International. ICI's agreement, worth £250m, with US-based Huntsman Corporation will help reduce a £3.1bn debt mountain. The UK company
SUNDERLAND boss Peter Reid last night called on his players to "get that fire back in their bellies" as they go into a crucial, four-match holiday programme. The Wearsiders have been blowing hot and cold this season and were given a tongue-lashing by
A RADIO station has given away season tickets to five lucky football fans. Metro Radio, in conjunction with Sunderland Football Club, gave part season tickets, covering the 2001/2 season's remaining nine home games at the Stadium of Light, to breakfast
THE Mayor of Middlesbrough, Councillor Patricia Walker, has given a thank you to the widow of a man who raised thousands of pounds for charity. John Lloyd died suddenly earlier this year after a lifetime spent raising cash for good causes. Shortly before
MORE than 500 people have taken part in a crime audit in Chester-le-Street. Members from a number of community groups were asked to name their priorities for reducing crime and improving community safety in the town. The crime review was carried out by
THREE community projects will be operating in Trimdon Station next year, thanks to a millennium grant. Ann Smith, secretary of the Trimdon Station Residents' Association, received a £4,400 Coalfield Community Spirit Millennium Award to get the ideas off
TIME is being called on greedy traders who sell alcohol to children, as part of a Christmas crackdown. Middlesbrough Council trading standards department has become one of the first in Britain to use new powers over illegal sales of alcohol to the under
THERE is nothing remotely festive about the reception area at HMYOI, Deerbolt. There is an elderly bike, as if for a slow getaway, a green button above a sign saying "Do not press this bell" and, of course, a Mission Statement. Everyone has a Mission
THE sun-and-swimming-pools Los Angeles lifestyle seem a long way away as writer Dick Clement sits in a bus parked on a disused industrial site in the shadow of the Transporter Bridge. The rain is lashing down outside this makeshift rest room on the Middlesbrough
DETECTIVES investigating the murder of a woman, whose body was found dumped in a suitcase in North Yorkshire, are awaiting further details of a similar find in Hampshire yesterday. The body of a murdered man was left in a suitcase outside Basingstoke
POLICE are hoping to trace the drivers of two cars who may be able to help with an investigation into a serious road accident in the early hours of yesterday. Pedestrian Graham Stainton, 29, of Regent Avenue, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, was hurt in a
entrepreneurs have been sharing their successes with students and graduates embarking on new ventures. In an event staged by the University of Sunderland's Business School, Spirit of Innovation Awards winner Julian Peck, from Innoverce Products in Newcastle
SAFETY campaigners have called on parents to act responsibly when a gory show returns to the region. The Circus of Horrors, which wowed audiences at the Stockton Riverside festival in 1998, will be at Darlington Civic Theatre on Saturday, January 26.
IF Marks and Spencer boss Luc Vandevelde ever fancies a change of career, he can be assured of a job in the company's Middlesbrough store. The chairman and chief executive spent Wednesday working at the Linthorpe Road shop, and impressed customers and
CENTURY FM star Paul Gough is helping to kick-start a campaign to see a Teesside hospital radio station given an extended licence. The radio presenter was at the University Hospital of Hartlepool to launch a bid by Wardsound Hospital Radio to raise funds
THE majority of motorway lanes and roads in the region will remain open over Christmas and New Year to ease the Christmas rush. The Highways Agency announced that most roadworks will be suspended over the holiday period to help reduce traffic congestion
FIREfighters have been praised for saving 26 jobs this Christmas. Print firm boss Sean Maynard said that if it had not been for the prompt and effective action of Cleveland Fire Brigade crews last week, layoffs would have run into double figures and a
WHILE September 11 is a date imprinted on most people's memories, Dave Mitchell has more reason than most for remembering the day of the World Trade Centre disaster. It was the day he had a blood test which revealed he was suffering from leukaemia, thereby
Help wanted for homeless Darlington Churches Together is looking for people to spare a night a month to help the homeless. The group wants to turn church halls into emergency accommodation for those sleeping rough and needs help moving beds, cooking and
A trainee photographer claims she was sacked by an elite photo firm when it found out she had been a Page Three girl. Kristy Green had joined the company after deciding to give up her modelling career. She studied at college, and was hired by Gillman
TROUBLED telecoms firm Marconi is selling its 50 per cent stake in Hotpoint-owner General Domestic Appliances in a £144m deal. The group is selling the stake to Italian firm Merloni Elettrodomestici, for £121m, while it will also receive a dividend of
TINY Lewis Younger is home in time for Christmas after having a life-saving operation to remove a cyst the size of an orange from his abdomen. Lewis was still in the womb when doctors discovered problems. He was only five days old when surgeons at Newcastle's
A CAR salesman accused of stealing money and motors from his firm before trying to frame his former boss has been cleared. Michael Willas, 32, was said to have taken almost £6,000 and two Vauxhall cars from SG Petch Ltd, in Langley Moor, County Durham
A devoted mother who brought her son to England in a cross-Channel tug of love has suffered the heartbreak of having him taken away from her. Lorraine Somers, 42, now faces being without six-year-old Vincent for Christmas after he was taken back by her
IT was not a sight frequently seen in ancient Jerusalem, but angels will be spreading their heavenly message from the back of a tractor when villagers stage a Nativity play. A rescue centre donkey, three wise men on horseback and a real inn will also
LIZA Tarbuck is hoping to change the lives of thousands of North-East women who suffer from domestic violence after appearing on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? The actress will appear on a celebrity edition of the show to raise money for a small but vital
TRAIN companies were last night accused of delivering a "smack in the face" to beleaguered passengers by announcing a series of increases in ticket prices. Several operators said they would raise fares from the New Year - in some cases by as much as ten
Police swoop nets ten POLICE have swooped on a gang of suspected burglars in Sunderland. Detectives raided a number of addresses in the Thorney Close area of the city on Thursday and arrested ten people on suspicion of theft and burglary. Two men, four
FAMILIES in Darlington are being encouraged to think green this Christmas and recycle their rubbish. It has been estimated that 90 per cent of Christmas waste is thrown away, even though half of it could be recycled. Darlington Borough Council has come
RITCHIE Humphreys and Gordon Watson are ready to rekindle their blossoming Hartlepool United partnership this afternoon. The two strikers have not played together since the draw with Rochdale on November 30, and manager Chris Turner is convinced they
A FATHER who kidnapped his children from their mother and held them for almost a year after fleeing to Bangladesh has been jailed for two-and-a-half-years. Mohammed Miah, 42, told wife Husna Khanom Parvin, 35, he was taking their four children to Newcastle
MIDDLESBROUGH'S Premiership clash with Fulham has been postponed along with Darlington's third division encounter with Cheltenham at Feethams after heavy overnight snow. Despite the Riverside pitch being in a playable condition, Boro's game was forced
A CHARITY shop has won a Christmas window competition in Redcar for the second year running. The competition is organised by Redcar Business Association and most of the shops along the High Street and neighbouring roads take part by dressing their shop
WITH a loft conversion providing a pool room and space for a quick game of table tennis, and no bills to pay, this house is Tony Staveley's ideal home. Unfortunately, at 6ft he's just a touch too big - because this house is fit only for dolls. Mr Staveley
Men relive war time episodes Howard McNicholas, a member of the Redcar Retired Men's Association, took 61 members on a nautical jour-ney, recalling aspects of his wartime service in the Royal Navy. Entitled That's Life, Howard's talk, complete with maps
A community-based wild-life project plans significant improvements after being awarded a National Lottery grant. Summerhill (Hartlepool) Bird Club, which includes members of Durham Bird Club, has been given £4,250 under the Awards for All scheme. The
WHILE most people in the North-East will be spending Boxing Day recovering from the excesses of the day before, some hardy people will be taking a quick dip in the North Sea - and it is all for charity. Boxing Day dips, which have become a firm part of
North-East holidaymakers could benefit from more cut- price international flights from a local airport. Teesside International Airport is being looked at by no-frills airline Loco Flights, which has already announced plans to start flights to Malaga and
A shocking raid on a bereaved husband's home has moved an anonymous donor to put up a £1,000 reward to catch the callous culprits. Nigel Draper had left his home in Chilton, County Durham, this week, to spend time with his family in London, to try to
Premiership leaders Newcastle United maintained their position at the top by winning a seven-goal classic at Elland Road on Saturday. A truly great game was won in the 90th minute with the superb Kieron Dyer feeding Nolberto Solano to fire past Nigel
