Archive

  • Crime rising in churches

    VANDALISM, graffiti and theft are on the increase in the region's churches and cathedrals, according to a report. The survey, To Be a Pilgrim, was carried out by the International Council on Monuments and Sites. It is the first major report into the state

  • A dog's life gets sweeter as Mars backs pet hotel

    A NORTH-East pet hotel has teamed up with a confectioner to offer the ultimate in animal pampering. Mars Incorporated, maker of the Mars bar, has branched out into animal hospitality by forming Petcareco Ltd, a joint partnership with Ann Adlington, former

  • Printing company to axe 80 workers

    ONE of the region's leading printing companies is to axe 80 jobs as a result of mounting losses. Polestar Greaves has lost the contract to print The Guardian's weekend magazine. About 50 jobs are to be cut as a result of the company closing its bindery

  • Friends on charity trail

    ADVENTUROUS friends hope to raise sponsorship for charity trips abroad. Rebecca Armstrong and Jennifer Jones, both 17 and from Durham City, are planning trips with Project Trust to Thailand and South Africa respectively. Rebecca will teach children and

  • People's views wanted on waste disposal plans

    FAMILIES in County Durham are being asked for their views on how to improve the systems for disposal of waste in the county. The consultation is being undertaken as Durham County Council launches the next stage of its waste management review this week

  • Jack prepares to scale beanstalk

    THE curtain is about to go up on one of Darlington's last pantomimes of the season. A production of Jack and the Beanstalk, by Peter Denyer, will be performed at the St Augustine's Parish Centre, in Larchfield Street, Darlington, next week. The show will

  • Fans turn against Reid

    THE NATIVES are growing restless. And for the first time this season Sunderland manager Peter Reid had to suffer a torrent of abuse from supporters after bowing out of the FA Cup to First Division West Bromwich Albion. There were angry scenes around the

  • Millennium tree planted

    A MILLENNIUM tree is finally taking root in a North-East churchyard. The tree, a cutting taken from a 2,000 year old yew, has been planted at St Cuthbert's Church, Darlington. The sapling was given to the church during a service in Durham Cathedral in

  • Drop-in centre for disabled proposed

    A DROP-IN centre for the disabled could be set up in the grounds of Darlington's Art Centre. Darlington Borough Council's planning committee is to consider an application to turn a former caretaker's house on the site into a drop-in centre. The centre

  • Teesside news in brief

    University date for pop icons Pop icons The Pet Shop Boys will be paying a visit to Middlesbrough next month as part of a nationwide university tour. Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe will preview songs from their new studio album at the University of Teesside

  • Rail passengers face fare increases and strike threat fare

    RAIL users face a double whammy this week - an increase in fares and the possibility of strike action. The fares increase will hit hardest elsewhere in the country, but the industrial action could bring chaos to local services. Conductors for Arriva Trains

  • Man charged with murder

    A TAXI driver appeared before magistrates on Saturday charged with the murder of New Year partygoer Colin Arnold. Mr Arnold, 34, of Sadberge Road, Stockton, Teesside, was found fatally wounded outside a house in the town at 4am, on New Year's Day. He

  • Decision due on sentence appeal

    A CHARITY worker serving a ten-year sentence in an Indian jail for a drugs conviction will hear this week whether his appeal has been successful. Ian Stillman, 51, who only has one leg and is also deaf, was convicted last June of possessing 20kgs of cannabis

  • £4m bar chain expansion to create 300 jobs

    A BAR chain is to create hundreds of new jobs with the opening of eight outlets across the UK. The Durham City company Hollathan's, which already employs about 150 people, will create more than 300 jobs in a £4m expansion plan. The news follows the success

  • Hand-y pub discovery

    EVERYBODY loses things occasionally and, after a few drinks in the pub, it is even easier to forget what you went in with. Brolleys, hats and scarves are frequently found by bar staff as they clean up after closing time. But staff at a York pub were amazed

  • Work to start on town's revival

    WORK is expected to start this week on a project to revitalise Wolsingham. Businesses in the town were badly affected by the foot-and-mouth crisis last year, which devastated many farms in Weardale and deterred tourists from visiting it. But the town's

  • Teddy and co take their official place in life

    YOUNG and old alike took their teddy bears along to a register office on Saturday morning for an official seal of approval. Mini birth certificates were presented to the owners of teddies and other toys, in exchange for a small donation to the Mayor of

  • Insight into the mind of dictator

    A PLAY based on Adolf Hitler's writings will be staged in Darlington later this month as part of this year's events to mark the second national Holocaust Memorial Day, on January 27. Last year was the first time a country-wide commemoration was organised

  • Springer leaps up in ratings

    HE might be top dog on US television but Jerry Springer is now lapping up life in more down-to-earth surroundings. When Pauline Dargue, a carer at Westerleigh Care Home in Stanley, dropped off bedding and tins of dog foot at a Tyneside animal sanctuary

  • Browns' daughter fights for her life

    Chancellor Gordon Brown and his wife Sarah were last night at the bedside of their tiny baby daughter as she battled for life after suffering a brain haemorrhage. The couple were facing every parents' nightmare as they waited anxiously at one of the country's

  • The House rises to say farewell to Fremmie

    THERE was no sitting of the Reeth Parliament over the weekend. The house had risen - possibly for the last time. The bus shelter, overlooking the village green and squeezed beside a public toilet, still had its House of Commons sign - but its seats of

  • Darlington promotion is all at sea

    SUN worshippers looking for golden sands, sea and a pier should head to Darlington, according to a national advertising campaign. Usually famous for being the birthplace of the railway, Darlington has been given a new image by the British Resorts Association

  • Artist's novel is filmed

    HOLLYWOOD is beckoning for a North-East graphic artist as the release of Stephen Spielberg's screen adaptation of one of his works draws near. Richard Piers Rayner was overjoyed when the movie legend's Dreamworks company bought up Road to Perdition, the

  • Tributes after death of former police inspector

    A TRIBUTE has been paid following the death of a long-serving former police officer. Alan Gee, who rose to the rank of inspector during more than 33 years in the force, died at home in Meadowfield, near Durham City, following an illness, aged 74. The

  • North Yorkshire news in brief

    Meeting to get service on line Phil Willis, the Liberal-Democrat MP for Harrogate has called a meeting at the White Hart Hotel, on January 24, concerning Arriva train services. He is particularly concerned with the Leeds-Harrogate-York service which affects

  • North-east news in brief

    Quakers may face Magpies A remarkable day of FA Cup football ended last night with the prospect of Darlington taking on Newcastle United and Middlesbrough playing Manchester United in the next round. The third round ties involving Darlington and Middlesbrough

  • South West Durham news in brief

    Charity appeal for volunteers Children's charity Barnado's is appealing for people in Darlington to make a New Year's resolution to support its work. The charity needs volunteers to help keep its services running. Darlington Inclusion provides a number

  • GPs join forces to provide out-of-hours health care service

    AN out-of-hours medical service comes into operation in east Durham tonight. When patients ring their GP's surgery at night or during the weekend they will either be transferred automatically to the new service or given the number to ring. A nurse or

  • Hear all sides; Spare a thought for the hedgehogs

    HEDGEHOGS HEDGEHOGS don't end their hibernation until the warmer weather in spring but you may well see one bumbling round in winter. They often wake and forage for food, even when it's snowing. If you do see a hedgehog, please spare it some food. Some

  • Cycle security coding offered free of charge

    PEOPLE living in Thornaby can get their hands on security marking equipment at a greatly reduced cost. Thanks to a partnership between Thornaby and District Neighbourhood Watch and Stockton crime prevention panel, Thornaby police are now able to offer

  • Mobile phone anguish as dad and son drown

    A father and his nine-year-old son drowned in icy waters while rescuers stood helpless on the coastline only yards away as the pair screamed for help, police said last night. But emergency services - alerted to the plight of Stewart Rushton, 51, and his

  • Gas back for 1,900 cut-off homes

    THE last of 1,900 homes in the region that have been without gas since last Wednesday, had their supply resumed yesterday. Transco engineers have been working round the clock to trace the fault and reconnect supplies to families in the Crossgates, Seamer

  • What's hot...and what's not

    What's hot SUDS-U-LIKE: Forget taking a sauna or spa to relax those New Year stresses, the best way to calm down is to do the washing up. While hoovering, ironing and cooking may make your blood boil, researchers have identified the daily chore of washing

  • Drive for adults to put safety first

    AN initiative has been launched to push home the safety message to adults living throughout the Hambleton district. A Home Safety Roadshow is taking to the road and its first port of call, next Friday, will be Easingwold. The roadshow brings together

  • Appeal hits landmark

    CHARITY campaigners are celebrating after the Macmillan County Durham Appeal passed a major landmark. The appeal - to boost the number of specialist Macmillan cancer doctors and nurses based in County Durham - has reached £100,000. Since the high-profile

  • Monumental challenge

    A FITNESS expert has challenged a rugby squad to scale a monument for charity. Bridgitte Swales, from Newcastle, who has 12 years experience in the fitness industry, has challenged the Newcastle Falcons to join her in a race up Grey's Monument, in the

  • The Monday poem

    Winter As winter's icy fingers Reach out and grasp the land In a vice-like grip Of some huge unrelenting hand, Pools that once were liquid Lie solid, hard as stone - And a cold wind blows That chills you to the bone. Cattle stand, backs arched Barely

  • Nudes told to keep their kit on

    GET yer kit on! That was the message to members of a Women's Institute who went nude for charity. The Rylstone and District Women's Institute, in North Yorkshire, raised £500,000 when members published nude pictures of themselves. But committed naturists

  • £1m project to improve health

    A £1M plan to boost healthy living is likely to get the go-ahead tomorrow. Middlesbrough Council's cabinet meeting will be asked to back a project aimed at helping neighbourhoods with a poor health record. If approved, the scheme will target the eating

  • Cathedral's organ recital

    AN opportunity to hear one of the major organ works of the 20th Century is being offered by a cathedral. On Saturday, January 12, at 7.30pm in Durham Cathedral, organist James Lancelot will perform the whole of Olivier Messiaen's great organ cycle La

  • Recycling plan for old granary

    THE remains of a former granary building could be used to create a new building. The building in Front Street North, Trimdon, was demolished in 1999 after becoming dilapidated and unsafe. Owner Derek Parkinson has applied for planning permission to build

  • Hospital 'hotel charges' denial

    Health Secretary Alan Milburn has denied that charging patients for private phones and televisions will lead to other hotel-style fees. Under the NHS Plan, all hospitals are expected to introduce personal phones and televisions, with patients paying to

  • Small firms struggle to find premises

    SMALL businesses in the region are suffering from a lack of suitable premises, according to research. The survey by Spacia has revealed many businesses in the North-East cannot get established or expand because they can not find accommodation in the area

  • Durham news in brief

    Health care under scrutiny The Commission for Health Improvement would like to hear from local people about their good and bad experiences as part of an assessment of The North Durham Heathcare NHS Trust. For details on how to register comments, ring

  • £20,000 safety scheme for road tragedy area

    TRAFFIC calming measures are finally to be introduced on a County Durham road, 11 years after a child was knocked down and killed there. Adam Setterfield, aged seven, died when he was hit by a speeding car on Dunelm Road, in his home village of Thornley

  • Family flee blaze in home

    A FAMILY of five fled from their home after vandals set fire to their front porch in the early hours of Saturday. Three fire engines attended the blaze at a house in Rodney Street, Hartlepool, at 4.35am, and found a 45-year-old man, three women, aged

  • Neighbourhood efforts earn their reward

    TWO Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinators have been recognised with awards. George Duddin, from Blackhall, and Brian Dickinson, of Newton Aycliffe, both County Durham, have earned certificates of commendation in the Norwich Union National Neighbourhood Watch

  • Station fines photo-shoot presenter

    A RADIO presenter has been fined and threatened with the sack after posing for a photo-shoot for a men's magazine. Norwegian-born Ingrid Hagemann, the afternoon show presenter on Radio Aire, has been disciplined after she was pictured naked in a bubble

  • Region's first bridal event of year

    THE region's first wedding fair of the year was staged at a Durham hotel yesterday. Businesses including bridal dress shops, cake shops, photographers, stationers, video producers and car hire firms gathered at the Marriott Royal County Hotel, in Durham

  • Appeal to Far East service veterans

    A NEW branch of a veterans' association is looking to boost its numbers across the North-East. The Far East Veterans Association meets at the Royal British Legion, Park Road, Middlesbrough, every fourth Saturday of the month. Members are looking for ex-servicemen

  • Plea aired to lovers of sea creatures

    AN animal trust is appealing for help in breathing new life into dying seas. Durham members of the Wildlife Trust have already helped to raise more than £90,000 for its Marine Appeal. The organisation aims to save porpoises, dolphins and other sea creatures

  • Charity memorial tribute

    FORMER workmates of an NHS carer have raised more than £1,000 in her memory. Staff at Wellfield House, Wingate, East Durham, raised £1,300 in memory of former colleague Lynn Miles, who died from cancer recently. The mother-of-two was nursed at Butterwick

  • Discussion time for warden scheme

    PEOPLE living in Hartlepool are being given the opportunity to find out more about the recruitment of specially-trained wardens to patrol the town's streets. The Community Wardens Scheme is one of the topics that will be discussed at three council meetings

  • Injured soldier launches compensation battle

    A soldier could be awarded £50,000 in damages after he lost the sight in one eye during a water polo game with fellow recruits. David Gillespie, 31, from Durham, claims the Army is responsible for his injury which happened when he was poked in the eye

  • Strongest man's Tyne Bridge challenge

    STRONGMAN Stephen Brooks will be challenging his contemporaries to lift the Tyne Bridge when he stages a contest of strength. The 35-year-old muscleman, who this year achieved his ambition of becoming the UK's strongest man, is organising his own competition

  • Church's plea to boost funds

    A CHURCH which celebrated its 125th anniversary last year is appealing for help to pay for essential restoration work. St James the Great Church, in Albert Hill, Darlington, is raising funds to help with the continuation of renovation of two stained glass

  • Will the great M&S gamble pay off?

    The temperature may be freezing outside but, from today, spring is in the air at Marks & Spencer, with strappy dresses amd even shorts on sale. Women's Editor Christen Pears reports. JANUARY is usually pretty dismal when it comes to fashion - plenty

  • Darlington face more frustration

    DESPITE being without a game for four weeks, Darlington look like like having another blank day, whatever the weather, on January 19. They had a better chance than most of playing on Saturday as they were due to visit Wigton and temperatures had been

  • Views sought on waste management strategies

    FAMILIES are being asked their views on how better to dispose of waste, in the second phase of consultations. This week, Durham County Council launches the next stage of its waste management review, looking at how to handle the hundreds of thousands of

  • Falcons owner hits back

    NEWCASTLE Falcons owner David Thompson has threatened to pull his team out of trips to Gloucester if Rob Andrew is banned from the Kingsholm ground. The row between the clubs following Andrew's accusation of racism hotted up on Saturday when Gloucester

  • Official credit awarded to savings union

    A CREDIT union for people living or working in east Derwentside has been officially launched. The East Derwentside Credit Union began with a public meeting in November 1998, but has just been invited to register with the Financial Services Authority,

  • Grandmother pledges year of fundraising for Charlie

    THE grandmother of a toddler with a life-threatening blood disorder plans to stick to her New Year's resolution to raise more money for vital research. When three-year-old Charlie Whitacker was diagnosed with Diamond Blackfan Anaemia shortly after his

  • Zoe's still on song

    NORTH-EAST singing sensation, Zoe Birkett, overcame a last-minute crisis to make it through to the last six of Pop Idols at the weekend. Only 24 hours before the latest heat of the ITV show was broadcast live, Zoe, 16, was told she could not sing the

  • Late licence bid is turned down

    A Market town pub has been told it cannot stay open until the early hours because of problems it would cause for nearby residents. Bar 44 bar and restaurant, in Westgate, Guisborough, applied to Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council more than a year ago

  • Comment from The Northern Echo; The impartial might of Nature

    THERE are two very sad stories on the front page of The Northern Echo this morning, and our thoughts and prayers go out to both of the families involved: the Browns of Dunfermline and the Rushtons of Cumbria. What happened on the beach near Ulverston

  • Easy win for Bell

    CHESTER-LE-STREET athlete Stewy Bell celebrated an England call-up by joining a select band of athletes to win the Durham Pine North-East Harrier League senior men's handicap race, despite giving away five minutes start. The runaway win underlined Bell's

  • Yvonne in the wars again as mugger takes passport

    WAR journalist Yvonne Ridley has had to postpone her return to Afghanistan after having her passport stolen in a mugging in London. The 43-year-old former reporter with The Northern Echo, who survived unscathed despite being held captive by the Taliban

  • Store creche closes

    A CRECHE at a Redcar supermarket closed its doors for the last time on Saturday. Bosses at Safeway, on West Dyke Road, decided to close the crche as part of a revamp of the store, which could create up to 20 jobs. Staff who worked in the crche have been

  • Theatre raises hopes with financial boost

    A THEATRE left reeling earlier this year after being snubbed for a £2m National Lottery grant, has welcomed a change in its financial fortunes. Harrogate Theatre, which has just celebrated its centenary, has secured a substantial increase in its grant

  • League nets website accolade

    A FORTY-YEAR-OLD football league which has embraced the computer age has been named a winner. An Internet site created for the Hathaway and Cope Stokesley and District Football League is the latest winner of The Northern Echo's Communigate competition

  • Mature cheese plans likely to be approved

    AN award-winning company seems set to mature at its North Yorkshire base if planners approve a bid for an extension. The Swaledale Cheese Company's reputation has been growing since moving to Richmond's Gallowfields Trading Estate in the late 1980s. However

  • Paramedic to the rescue - on quad bike

    A PARAMEDIC sped across moors on a quad bike to reach a rambler who had fallen and hurt her arm. The 46-year-old Middlesbrough woman slipped near Kildale, on the North York Moors, with four friends, at midday on Saturday. An ambulance was called but was

  • Clearer picture of F&M crisis

    A CLEARER picture of the misery caused by the foot-and-mouth crisis across Yorkshire has been painted in a new report on the state of the region. Statistics show that the region's rural economy lost about £125m as the disease spread through the countryside

  • Schools scheme likely to go ahead

    DETAILED plans for a 600-place secondary school in Ingleby Barwick look likely to be approved by councillors. In September last year, outline planning permission was granted for the All Saints Voluntary Aided School, but councillors will meet on Friday

  • Robson - 'Fit Dyer will be awesome'

    BOBBY ROBSON has good news for England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson and a warning for Newcastle United's Premiership rivals. "Just wait till you see Kieron Dyer when he's fully fit what a player he is going to be,'' said the Newcastle manager. Midfield gem

  • Super Shearer lets his goals do the talking

    WHERE goals are concerned, Alan Shearer has always had what you might call the gift of the grab. But Palace manager Trevor Francis, who scored a few of his own in his time, insists the Newcastle captain has developed a new quality - the gift of the gab

  • Summing up mathematician's colourful past

    THE colourful life of a North-East mathematician is being uncovered by a local historian. Part-time University of Newcastle student Stephen Erskine is researching the life of the eccentric 18th Century scholar, William Emerson, who lived in Hurworth-on-Tees

  • Libby earns honour through dedication

    LIBBY Capstick's long service to her village is to be rewarded with a rare honour - she is to receive the freedom of the parish. Only a handful of parish councils have ever bestowed the accolade on one of their residents, but Libby's 34-year service to

  • Forgotten mystery of the Picts

    WHAT was the difference between the Scots and the Picts? - Doug McKenna, Stockton. PICTS and Scots are thought of as the indigenous Celtic people of Scotland. However, there were actually five main groups of people who contributed to the ethnic make-up

  • New Year clean-up for town's sea front

    BEACH babies were out in force on Saturday morning helping to clean up the coastline at Saltburn. A group of hardy volunteers - many from the Saltburn 500 Club - braved the cold weather to pick up more than 200kgs of rubbish from a stretch of beach on

  • Cup exit can spur us into Europe, says Kilbane

    AN EMBARRASSING FA Cup exit should spur Sunderland on to a European goal, says Republic of Ireland international Kevin Kilbane. "We owe it to the supporters," said Kilbane, a second half substitute in the 2-1 home defeat by his old club, West Brom. Wearside

  • Poster delivery marks start of charity show promotions

    A POSTER campaign has been launched to promote two charity shows in memory of North-East actor Sammy Johnson. Tim Healy and his wife Denise Welch have taken delivery of the first of 100 posters which will appear throughout the Tyne and Wear Metro system

  • Snowboarding collison proves fatal

    TEENAGER Jack Robertson was recovering in an Italian hospital last night after being seriously hurt in a skiing accident. The 14-year-old suffered fractures of the skull and vertebrae after colliding with a friend as he enjoyed the last day of his holiday

  • Unseasonal design work

    YOUNG people took shelter from the cold at the weekend to jazz up their summer wardrobes. A T-shirt design workshop was held at the Darlington Art's Centre in Vane Terrace on Saturday. Children over 12 were invited to take part in the workshop. All the

  • Charity call to daredevil volunteers

    VOLUNTEERS are needed to take part in some daredevil charity challenges. The Calvert Trust Kielder is offering people the chance to tackle raging rapids or jump from a plane at 10,000ft. The Northumberland-based trust organises adventure holidays in the

  • Church Scout group leaders step down

    A COUPLE who have dedicated years to the Scout movement are retiring. Terry and Wendy Beer, of Darlington, will leave their posts with the groups at St Mark's with St Paul's Church, North Road, in May. Mr Beer is Group Scout Leader at the church and runs

  • Attempt to make area youth capital

    A MEETING to establish the North-East as a youth capital of Europe is taking place in Durham this month. Culture North-East will launch Action North-East Generating European Links, or The Angel Project, at Durham Town Hall, next Tuesday. Aimed at establishing

  • Gertie puts pedigree to the test

    SHE may only be a youngster, but Gertie, a German short-haired pointer, is fast proving herself a pup to be reckoned with in the dog-show world. She already has three show wins under her collar and is now through to the final of her most important event

  • New faces sworn in on the Bench

    NEW magistrates from across County Durham will be sworn in next week. The 17 magistrates will take the judicial oath and oath of allegiance at Durham Crown Court, on Thursday, January 17. Of them, eight are from Durham City and the surrounding area, three

  • City may lose bid

    PLANS to bring an historic clipper back to the River Wear appear to have been dashed. Sunderland Maritime Heritage has long campaigned to have the City of Adelaide, which was used to carry emigrants from Wearside to South Australia, restored to its original

  • Community rallies to help brain-damaged girl

    A GIRL left badly brain-damaged by a car accident has prompted an urgent fundraising campaign. Chloe Shepherd, eight, was known in her neighbourhood as the little girl who would stop and say hello to everyone. But tragedy struck as she crossed a road

  • Chaplaincy appeals for volunteers

    THE hospital chaplaincy in Darlington is looking for recruits to visit patients. The chaplaincy offers support to staff, visitors, relatives and patients at Darlington Memorial Hospital. The four chaplains at the hospital are funded by South Durham Health

  • Tribunal winner tells of victory

    THE North-East football club employee who won a tribunal after being sacked for her affair with a married director has spoken about her victory. Helen Coverdale, who could win £20,000 from Darlington FC for unfair dismissal, spoke to a national newspaper

  • Washday blues for naval associations banner

    IT is annoying enough when your whites turn blue in the wash - but when it is a parade standard worth several hundred pounds it poses more of a problem. Wet conditions come with the territory for the Royal Navy, so members of the Spennymoor and Ferryhill