QUAKERS boss George Reynolds is to visit young offenders to encourage them to steer clear of crime. The former safecracker will visit Deerbolt Young Offenders' Institution, in Barnard Castle, County Durham, to talk to prisoners about improving their numeracy
A father jailed for killing his baby daughter in an alleged episode of 'shaken baby syndrome' today won the right to challenge his conviction after a ruling in London's appeal Court. Mark Cordice, 29, received a three-month sentence at York Crown Court
COUPLES celebrating their golden wedding anniversaries this year are invited to a special cathedral service. Fifty years of wedded bliss will be marked at the service of blessing and thanksgiving at Ripon Cathedral, North Yorkshire, on Sunday, June 16
NEW research to be published in the spring is expected to highlight the hit-and-miss approach to drugs enforcement by police. The research, by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, which concentrates on possession of cannabis, will show that punishment varies
PUPILS at a Darlington school have been praised for their excellent behaviour. An Ofsted report for Harrowgate Hill Junior School, praised the way the pupils conducted themselves both inside and outside lessons. The report stated: "Pupils at Harrowgate
For 23 minutes it was game on. January 26 was going to be a date to put in your diaries because Darlington v Newcastle was a reality - and then Quakers threw away a 2-0 lead to allow Peterborough to earn a replay. Eighteen months ago Peterborough spoiled
HOSPICE Staff and volunteers have thanked everyone who put a dedication on its Trees of Life. The Butterwick Hospice, based in Stockton, put trees in the town's Castlegate Shopping Centre, Safeway, Savacentre and Big W and asked people to pay a small
ALMOST a year after he was extradited from Britain, a former Teesside pizza bar manager is still being held without charge in a Swiss prison. Lawyers have filed an application with a judge for the early release from custody of Majid El Hamri who managed
GATESHEAD Borough Council is looking for a member of the community to help maintain the high standards of the borough's councillors. In 1999, Gateshead council established a standards committee to ensure that residents have confidence in the way the authority
FRUSTRATED train passengers were given a glimmer of hope yesterday with a multi-billion pound investment plan for the crumbling rail network. The Strategic Rail Authority's (SRA) £67bn ten-year plan could see an end to commuter misery with major projects
THE parents of a man who murdered his fiancee after a week-long binge on amphetamine and cocaine told last night how drugs turned their son into a killer. Electrician Anthony Hilton was jailed for life yesterday at Teesside Crown Court after admitting
DARLINGTON manager Tommy Taylor last night backed his strikers to set up a dream FA Cup tie with Newcastle United. Giant forward Barry Conlon returns from a four-match suspension for tonight's third round clash with Peterborough United, and will rekindle
Compass gets Chevron deal CATERING giant Compass has served up the industry's biggest contract with a deal to feed staff working for energy firm ChevronTexaco. The group said the ten-year agreement for its subsidiary Eurest Support Services would initially
ABOUT 270 jobs are under threat at kitchen equipment firm Aga Foodservice as it prepares to reshuffle its manufacturing business. The group is considering pulling out of production of eye-level and slot-in gas cookers at its plant in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
A couple left upset after being issued with a £30 parking ticket are to get their money back - from a drivers' champion who intervened to prove they had not parked illegally. The bill will be footed by Bill Robson, 73, from Ripon, North Yorkshire, who
THE way in which a local authority dealt with the effects of floods in a tiny village has won it a nomination for a national award. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council has been nominated in the community initiative category of the Local Government Chronicle
SUNDERLAND'S bid to sign Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke could hinge on the defending Premiership champions' move for flamboyant Paolo Di Canio from West Ham. Wearside boss Peter Reid is desperate to increase his firepower after a seventh away
Insurance company BiB has teamed up with Darlington Business Club to launch a discount booklet. It is available to local businesses seeking suppliers and services, and is full of offers and incentives provided by business club members. BiB Ltd is celebrating
RESIDENTS are being invited to find out more about the future ownership and management of council housing in Hartlepool at three meetings in the town this week. Presentations are to be made to the council's north, central and south neighbourhood forums
A LONG-RUNNING campaign for a new community hall looks likely to be successful after council officials backed the project. Community leaders in Hutton Rudby, near Northallerton, were dealt a blow last year when Hambleton District Council officers indicated
THE festive boom on the high street has been reflected by sizzling sales figures from Sainsbury's and clothing retailers Gus and Ted Baker. The blistering pace set last week by a host of companies was matched by all three in further proof of the spending
THOUSANDS of jobs could be at risk in the car industry because of a row involving Land Rover and a firm of accountants acting as receivers for an insolvent company which produces chassis. Land Rover is in dispute with auditors KPMG who are acting for
A FATHER who snatched his son and fled to Turkey has been arrested. Murat Algin kidnapped his three-year-old son, Adam, from estranged wife Marie and escaped to Istanbul last July. Mrs Algin, 27, won back her son in a landmark legal judgement. Adam was
DETECTIVES have revealed a new North Yorkshire link in the case of a missing Korean student. Officers also confirmed yesterday that they are linking the disappearance of In Hea Song, 22, with the killing of Hyo Jung Jin, whose remains were discovered
TWO beaches on the east Cleveland and North Yorkshire border are cleaner and tidier thanks to the weekend efforts of volunteers. Clean-ups of Runswick Bay and Staithes beaches were organised by the North Yorkshire and Cleveland Heritage Coast group as
SHOPS in Darlington enjoyed their most successful Christmas trading, according to a new report. The Town Centre Forum has revealed that, on average, both national and independent stores in Darlington experienced a 20 per cent increase in trade during
ACCIDENT chiefs are continuing to investigate a chemical leak at a Newton Aycliffe factory. The incident, which happened at about 8pm on Monday, January 7, at Great Lakes Manufacturing (UK) Ltd, on Newton Aycliffe Industrial Estate, involved bromine,
SHE had never been so happy. Nikki Impett met Anthony Hilton at a barbecue and they fell deeply in love. She had told family and friends they would marry this year. However, 19 months on and 31-year-old Hilton is beginning a life sentence for the murder
A QUARRY near a Teesdale village could reopen after remaining dormant for more than a century. Lingberry Quarry, near Stainton, Barnard Castle, has remained closed for 102 years, after the original owner closed the site. However, members of Teesdale District
A WOMAN became an emergency midwife when she helped to deliver her granddaughter on a living-room sofa. Eileen Moore was horrified when she realised her daughter, Tracy Hughes, was about to give birth at her home in Trimdon Grange, County Durham. But,
THE family of a holidaymaker who died in a Greek hospital, have thanked the public for an "excellent" response to a demonstration. Christopher Rochester, 24, of Chester-le-Street, died after a balcony fall while visiting his brother in Rhodes 18 months
PEOPLE in the North-East who do not have access to the Internet could soon be surfing the information superhighway, thanks to more than £800,000 in grants. The £867,146 boost, announced by the New Opportunities Fund today, will boost Internet access at
AN award-winning brass band is appealing for musicians to come forward to help it compete. Ferryhill Town Band has lost the services of two cornet players, through illness and work commitments. With contests in Spennymoor at the beginning of February
MORE details about the jobs below are available from the Employment Service Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Butcher, Stanhope, 45hrs pw, must be experienced in all aspects of trade. Ref: CRK 5558. Chef, Middridge, £5.50ph, 39hrs pw split shifts, experience
MORE details about the jobs below are available from the Employment Service Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Bakery supervisor, Yarm, £4.12 rising to £4.41ph, 38hrs pw, experience in similar role preferred, food handling and basic hygiene certificate an advantage
NAVAL support and maritime services company Isherwoods has won a multi-million pound contract to supply ship management systems for the next generation of amphibious assault craft. The contract is likely to boost employment at the North Shields operation
VALUABLE archaeological finds and other items of Chinese art have been permanently retained in a prestige collection in the North-East. Durham University's Oriental Museum faced losing many objects which had been on loan for more than 30 years when they
MORE details about the jobs below are available from the Employment Service Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Plumber/gas fitter, Consett, £17,000pa dep on exp, 40hrs pw Mon-Fri, must be fully qualified ACOPs 1-15 and experienced in all types of domestic work
A RENOVATION scheme is currently under way at a university chapel. This term, students at Durham University's Cranmer Hall and St John's Hall, which make up St John's College, are using Hatfield College Chapel, as work is undertaken at St John's own chapel
HUNDREDS of dead seagulls have been washed up on the North-East coast in the past few days. Most small stretches of beach in Hartlepool were said to be covered with dead birds at the weekend. The incident, the second of its kind in two months, has baffled
A GROUP has been appointed by Chester-le-Street District Council to ensure its members are truly independent. Three district councillors, a retired minister and a police chief superintendent are included in the standards committee selected by the North-East
A LIFEBOATMAN has hit out at thieves who put lives at risk by stealing equipment from Hartlepool lifeboat. The 50ft boat was burgled between Sunday evening and yesterday morning, leaving it without vital equipment, worth £3,000, to make it seaworthy.
I HOPE my boss doesn't go after the Canterbury job and leave me in the lurch. The Bishop of London - my bishop - is a highly intelligent, pastorally-gifted, witty traditionalist. And he didn't tell me to say that. Richard Chartres is one of the few old-style
THE vast majority of footpaths and bridleways in the Yorkshire Dales will be open to the public again by the weekend. Only two per cent of the paths will remain closed, as farms complete their clean-ups in the wake of the foot-and-mouth epidemic. But,
A TRAINING package is in place to help people on Tyneside make the most of opportunities in the region's booming call centre industry. The training programme, called 2-4-2, is backed by the European Social Fund and aims to create a ready workforce to
Party nights are lined up Organisers of the Friday night music nights at The Beamish Mary at No Place, near Stanley reckon their February programme will prove a hit. On February 1 world party night with music from around the globe will be free, February
POLICE have renewed appeals for help to identify a body found in the River Skerne, Darlington. Despite inquiries, the identity of the man, discovered last Thursday, is still unknown. He is described as white, about 50 years old, clean-shaven, with grey
VILLAGERS of all ages have joined forces to create a lasting tribute to their community - in the form of a textile parish map. The people of Scruton, near Leeming Bar, were awarded £4,000 from the National Lottery under the Millennium Awards for All scheme
Mobile cricket pavilion stays A CARAVAN which doubles as a cricket pavilion is expected to remain in place after councillors meet to discuss its future this week. The cricket club at South Kilvington, near Thirsk, has made a retrospective application
A LOCAL authority has been fined £12,000 after admitting a breach in health and safety regulations which led to workers being exposed to asbestos. A long-running court case brought against Durham County Council by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
A PROBLEM solving solution by a team of workers at Komatsu UK has swept the board at the Japanese parent company's annual quality circle awards, for the first time in the competition's history. Teams of employees at Komatsu plants around the world, including
A SURVEY showing London primary school headteachers salaries breaking the £60,000 barrier has prompted a teachers' union to call for better wages in the North-East. The 17th annual round-up by Education Data Surveys (EDS) reveals several primary schools
A TINY uplands village once relied on a fountain for its water supply. But with the passage of time, what used to help slake the thirst of the people of Easington, east Cleveland, has become a source of sadness. The old structure has fallen into neglect
The Strategic Rail Authority yesterday published its long-awaited blueprint for the railways. But will it be enough to win over frustrated passengers? SINCE the railways were privatised in 1995, passenger numbers have increased by up to 30 per cent. Train
COUNCIL house tenants in Stockton borough are being urged to have their say on the future of their home. Together with the Homes For The Future Tenants Group, Stockton Borough Council has secured a place on the Government's Arms Length Housing Management
THIS Government has shown itself to be adept at regurgitating old announcements and dressing them up as something new. It is a skill put to use yesterday in the ten year strategy mapped out for our railways. The investment programme consists of a wish
JUSTICE will be done if Khan Kicker (1.45) gets his head in front at Carlisle this afternoon. Ferdy Murphy's six-year-old didn't exactly have the race at his mercy at Ayr last month. But he was still hard on the steel when rapping the third last flight
A PLAY performed on Teesside is being kept in the family. Amateur actor Steve Chis-holm is playing stage husband to his teenage daughter. Mr Chisholm, a member of the Middlesbrough Little Theatre Company, sees no problem being "married" to 19-year-old
A HEAVILY pregnant young woman has told of how she has suffered from depression since her thumb was almost severed in a work accident. Christina Walling, 20, told of her ordeal outside Derwentside Magistrates' Court, Consett, where her employers, Ravendale
AWARD-winning musician Guy Johnston will launch a new season of Sunday concerts next month. The cellist, winner of the BBC Young Musician of the Year 2000 title, will be performing the first of this year's Harrogate International Festival's Sunday Series
RARELY do people in the North-East have the chance to see a derby with a difference. And if Darlington overcome Peterborough in the FA Cup Third Round tonight, that is exactly what will happen. By overcoming Barry Fry's men, Third Division Quakers will
A professor leading an inquiry into the foot-and-mouth outbreak in Northumbria criticised the Government and the Army last night for refusing to attend. Northumberland County Council is hosting a five-day investigation into the spread of the virus and
A DEALER in hard drugs was beginning a six-year prison sentence last night, after a successful police swoop. Drugs, with a street value of £53,000, were recovered after officers put Operation Goya into action last June, arresting 37-year-old Thomas Davidson
MIDDLESBROUGH manager Steve McClaren is hoping to get the go-ahead from chairman Steve Gibson to make a major transfer breakthrough. McClaren, who tonight faces his biggest game as Boro boss when Wimbledon visit for an FA Cup third-round replay, is anxious
A MEETING is to take place later this week in an attempt to build bridges between a local authority and a small group of travellers in east Cleveland. The travellers have set up an illegal site at Warrenby, near Redcar, even though there is an official
POLICE chiefs in the North-East warned last night that council tax bills will have to rise in a bid to fund their cash-strapped forces. The pensions bill for retired officers has outstripped the amount being contributed by serving officers leaving a financial
A MAN arrested after a nightclub brawl in which a man's ear was allegedly bitten off has been jailed. Lyndon McRae was jailed for six months for his part in the brawl, although his bother, John, was cleared. John McRae, 33, was arrested after closed-circuit
TRADING standards bosses in Hartlepool are warning businesses to be on their guard against cold callers after a businessman was duped. A local businessman received an unsolicited telephone call from a company which claimed the machine his firm was using
A RESCUE team member has told how it saved a frightened 56-year-old woman lost late at night in a County Durham village. The Teesdale and Weardale Search and Rescue team spent five hours searching for the Alzheimer's disease patient in Langley Park, near
A City watchdog has proposed a series of radical reforms to the way financial products are sold in a bid to give people on low incomes better access to advice. The Financial Services Authority is suggesting the current system of selling products through
MIDDLE EAST I NEVER dreamed there would be a time I would agree with and defend Hugh Pender, one time staunch supporter of our hypocritical, posturing Prime Minister, destroyer of Great Britain. However, Hugh Pender is correct regarding the Israel/Palestine
THE UK's recession-hit manufacturing sector has been dealt another blow after official figures revealed a decline in output in November. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that factory output had shrunk by 0.7 per cent during November, bringing
MIDDLESBROUGH manager Steve McClaren can now look forward to an FA Cup Fourth Round clash with his old employers after overcoming First Division Wimbledon at the second time of asking on Tuesday night. And with another below par performance in front of
PLANS to grant a public entertainment licence to a pub in Hartlepool look set to go ahead despite objections from neighbouring residents. Members of Hartlepool Borough Council's planning and licensing panel will meet on Thursday to discuss the licence
A WOMAN who helped a pub landlord learn more about the area where his premises is situated has been rewarded with a free meal. Gillen Wilson, from Darlington Library, responded to Stuart Mann's appeal for historical information and photographs relating
HUNDREDS of patients were treated with unsterilised instruments by a chiropodist, a disciplinary inquiry heard yesterday. Kevin White, who worked for York Health Authority, was caught by a manager investigating his failure to make home visits. The 43-
A NEW framework to develop services for youngsters is being drawn up by County Durham and Darlington Health Authority. The development is a partnership between children and young people, health services, local authority and voluntary organisations. The
NEW COURSES: Bishop Auckland College in the Community has is offering new courses at Howden-le- Wear Community Centre. A class in aromatherapy and reflexology starts tomorrow, at 1pm, and a painting and drawing course at 6pm. A course called Are Computers
Quad bike theft at farm Thieves made off with a valuable haul from a garage at Tanners's Hall Farm, near Crook, between Saturday evening and Sunday morning. Among the stolen items was a red Honda 4x4 TRx400 quad bike, worth £2,500; a £1,550 industrial
THERE is no mention of Harry Potter or hint of wizardry in J R Rowling's new book, written on Teesside. Even so the work could be poised to be a bestseller spelling out its own formulae on how to be a top school manager. It's author, Nunthorpe School
SINGING sensation Zoe Birkett has turned down a date with the son of one of the world's richest men. But despite refusing to have dinner with the son of the Sultan of Brunei, Pop Idol finalist, Zoe, 16, has agreed to write to him. The teenage royal, whose
THE lives of two former nursery workers were ruined by a report which accused them of being members of a paedophile ring, a High Court judge was told yesterday. Adrienne Page QC, for Christopher Lillie and Dawn Reed, said the report was published more
BUS drivers in east Cleveland are to be given a direct line to the local police following a series of unprovoked attacks. Last weekend, Leven Valley Coaches temporarily withdrew late night services from Guisborough to east Cleveland, following a drunken
NORTHUMBRIA Police are giving students a helping hand with their marks, in a pilot scheme which could be extended nationally. The marks in question are those placed on students' personal property so that it can be recovered more easily in case of theft
FUEL poverty will be top of the agenda when Chester-le-Street Civic Centre hosts an energy advise clinic later this month. The town's district council and Tees and Durham Energy Efficiency Advice Centre have joined forces to provide the talking shop.
A SECOND person was being interviewed by police last night following an accident involving a stolen car which left an innocent motorist seriously injured. The 33-year-old man, who has not been named, remain-ed in a critical condition in Newcastle General
SEDGEFIELD Borough Council has welcomed a succession of companies to the new £2.8m Shildon Business Centre, the latest example of the council's commitment to investing in business facilities in the borough. Twenty-two businesses that have opened, relocated
FRONT-line health care providers across North Yorkshire are expected to be given their biggest cash boost next week. Overall, health organisations in the county will receive more than £50m of extra funding for the next financial year. That represents
The parents of three young women killed by a drink driver travelled to London today to press for a new 'driver homicide' charge. In August 2000 the women were killed when drink-driver Allan Jackson ploughed into them while fleeing police in Huddersfield
A FLAGSHIP theatre has been forced to cancel two of its main launch events due to a lack of interest. Despite attracting chart-topping boy bands Westlife and A1, Durham's new Gala Theatre has failed to sell enough tickets for marquee performances featuring
A supermarket has taken a verbal battering from a chip shop owner who claims the launch of his new business was ruined. David Pyle, of Charlotte's fish and chop and restaurant in Regency Mews, Northallerton, said bosses of the neighbouring Tesco store
THOUGH by no means superlative, the column has on many occasions been asked to act as best man. More second best really, or best they can do in the circumstances. Grooms have ranged from Mr George Reynolds - when he had nowt, or at least when a work top
There are two football clubs in Norman Wilkinson's life and both, he says euphemistically, are "struggling a bit." Double jeopardy, in truth, both teeter perilously close to the edge. One is York City, where Norman remains all-time leading scorer with
THE cost of getting married in the North-East is rising at more than twice the rate of inflation, but it is still one of the cheapest areas in the country. The average wedding in the North-East now costs £11,946, which is £3,700 less on average than couples
A NORTH-East swimming sensation will be the youngest to have ever represented Britain in the sport's World Cup series this week. But her achievement coincides with a high-level discussion on the country's lack of competition-size pools. Stephanie Proud
RESIDENTS are being asked for their views on plans for development of a former pit site. An exhibition of plans for the 35-hectare former Vane Tempest Colliery site, on the Durham coast, in Seaham, is being held at Rock House Community Centre, Tempest
THE past will be coming alive at a special event in Richmond, early next month. Yorkshire Archaeological Society is teaming up with the Richmond and District Civic Society for a joint lecture. The subject will be Richmond Castle, and the speakers will
A SCHEME run by children's charity Barnardo's to give support to young carers is appealing for volunteers to help carry out its work. Derwentside Young Carers project works with young people who are caring for sick or disabled relatives. Last year, it
POLICE are hunting two teenagers who carried out a "despicable" bag snatch after pushing their way into the home of an elderly couple. Detectives yesterday appealed for information following the incident in Trimdon Station, County Durham, on Sunday evening
A PACKAGE of drop-in sessions for parents and toddlers was launched in Redcar yesterday. It has been set up by the new Sure Start scheme for west Redcar and events began at Redcar Youth and Community Centre, in Ayton Drive, with an arts and crafts session
A PROJECT kicks off tonight to capture match-day images during the last months at Darlington Football Club's Feethams ground. Members of Darlington Supporters' Trust and local photographers have been waiting to start a photo project to mark the end of
