A PETITION in favour of tighter laws over the sale of airguns has been presented to Gateshead Council. The petition, presented by members of the local Labour Party, was drawn up after a local girl was blinded in one eye in November. Several other such
AMATEUR and professional artists are displaying their work together at an exhibition on the North Yorkshire coast. The East Coast Open exhibition has been launched at Scarborough Art Gallery, with more than 300 works on display. Guest selectors Mary Butler
WHILE Newcastle Falcons will unleash Scotland flanker Andy Mower at home to Wasps tomorrow, the visitors have had to abandon similar plans for Lawrence Dallaglio. It was hoped the former England captain would be ready to make his comeback after knee surgery
A RARE chance to join the elite ranks of the Blue Badge tourist guides has arisen - for the first time in eight years. A year-long course is to be held by the Yorkshire Tourist Board leading to a qualification sought by tour operators and group visit
A NORTH-East firm's £1.2m factory expansion was officially opened by the Prime Minister Tony Blair on a visit to the region yesterday. Shower and bath firm Roman Ltd will create 52 jobs with the extension to its premises on the Aycliffe Industrial Park
HARRISON Render Systems based in Darlington has been the subject of a successful management buyout. Managing director Russ Rowntree and operations director Peter Coatsworth led the buyout from parent company Harrison Brothers Steeplejacks Limited. Harrison
PEOPLE in east Cleveland might not have to pay to have old fridges removed - despite growing mountains of old kitchen appliances in other parts of the country. Earlier this week, The Northern Echo reported how councils across the North-East and North
FOODlovers could be in for a treat this year with plans for two restaurants to open in Northallerton. Plans have been submitted to Hambleton District Council for a restaurant in an empty building next to High Street hairdresser's Scissory. The former
RESEARCHERS in the region are to take part in a £1m international project to help sufferers of Parkinson's disease. One of the aims will be to develop a walkman-sized device which will aid movement by providing suitable prompts, or cues. Scientists from
WHEN Newcastle United travel to Peterborough United tomorrow there is one player in particular who would love to see an FA Cup upset more than most. Posh midfielder Jon Cullen is a Sunderland fan and he admits that it would make his day to see his side
THE last roof tile was put in place yesterday at a community hospital being built in Sedgefield. The final ridge tile on the Sedgefield Community Hospital was laid yesterday by occupational therapist, Angela Bannister. She has worked at Sedgefield Hospital
POLICE chiefs and front line officers across the region closed ranks last night against plans for a new breed of civilian patrol officer. The measure, a key part of Home Secretary David Blunkett's police reform Bill, could see community support officers
A MOTHER relived the horror of finding her 21-year-old son hanging, at an inquest yesterday. Geraldine Pierce found Stephen Pierce hanging from a washing line at the family home in Bollington Road, Middlesbrough. Because he was always crying wolf, and
THE morning after the many splendoured day before, the new Bishop of Jarrow walked down the drive and started work in earnest. It was the Rt Rev John Pritchard's first day at the face, as probably they used to say in Boldon Colliery, a chance - if only
THE morning after the many splendoured day before, the new Bishop of Jarrow walked down the drive and started work in earnest. It was the Rt Rev John Pritchard's first day at the face, as probably they used to say in Boldon Colliery, a chance - if only
THOUSANDS of North-East commuters are facing further misery after a dramatic escalation in the regional rail strike last night. First, staff at stations said they would be balloting for industrial action in a new row over pay with Arriva Trains Northern
A FORMER police chief inspector has died at the age of 81. Bob Young, of Newcastle Road, Chester-le-Street, died on Monday in Willow Burn Hospice, in Lanchester, after a long battle with prostate cancer. Described as "an officer of the old school" by
NEWCASTLE manager Bobby Robson has revealed how much he is relishing his first managerial meeting with Peterborough's ebullient boss Barry Fry. "There is going to be some fun on the touchline," predicted Robson, who believes the romance of the FA Cup
A TEENAGER appeared in court yesterday accused of the murder of a homeless man. The 17-year-old, from South Shields, is alleged to have killed loner Richard Jones, in the early hours of New Year's Day. A reveller returning home from New Year celebrations
Pop Idol hosts Ant and Dec have signed up to be part of a star-studded spectacular in memory of actor Sammy (Ronnie) Johnson. Ant and Dec will be flying back to their Geordie roots following the live showing of Pop Idol on February 3 - and will be joined
A SENIOR member of the European Parliament is expected to repeat allegations that the Americans are using a base in the region to spy on European companies when he visits next week. The primary role of the high-tech facilities at Menwith Hill, in North
RURAL communities across the North-East and North Yorkshire were thrown a £2.5m lifeline by the Government yesterday to pay for better bus services. Under the Rural Bus Challenge, 58 projects across England are to receive financial backing totalling £20m
A NEWTON Aycliffe soldier was among more than 100 competitors in an Army judo championships. Mick Miles, 26, of 261 Signal Squadron, competed in the Army's novice and intermediate judo competition at the Army School of Physical Training, in Aldershot.
THE Darlington Partnership is backing the borough council's budget plans. The partnership, which represents the private and public sector in the town, is lending its support to the council, in conjunction with the Association of North East Councils, in
A SCOUT leader who ran a Darlington troop for 52 years has died - leaving a farewell message for the pack. Frank "Skip" Beadle died peacefully, surrounded by his family at his home in Yoredale Avenue, on Monday, after a battle against cancer. The 8th
FROM a bouncing baby to a superstar, Pop Idol sensation Zoe Birkett started performing before she could talk. Teenager Zoe, from Darlington, had star potential from a very young age and will make her mark on the pop world if, as expected, she storms into
A VETERAN of the Falklands War, who has spent the past few months helping to train Government troops in Sierra Leone, Africa, has taken a top Army post in the region. Brigadier Bill Moore will command 19 Mechanised Brigade, which has regiments based at
HEALTH Secretary Alan Milburn took to a spinning machine yesterday to promote the benefits of keeping fit. The Darlington MP was visiting Bannatyne's Health Club, in Darlington. He toured the £3m club to see the health and fitness choices it has to offer
YOU could have knocked John Jones down with a feather when he discovered someone had stolen the doors to a mortuary. And the service manager responsible for cemeteries was yesterday described as "astounded" to be re-united with two 19th Century mortuary
The UK amateur premiere of Hotbed Hotel will be staged at Chester-le-Street Community Centre, Newcastle Bank, from Tuesday, February 19, to Saturday, February 23. Playwright Michael Parker chose the Chester-le-Street Theatre Group for the debut. For details
A MAN threatened to slit a policeman's throat with a broken bottle and then chewed on pieces of smashed glass, a court heard yesterday. Paul King, of North Road, Loftus, admitted a charge of affray at Teesside Crown Court. Paul Newcombe, prosecuting,
A mystery involving one of the region's best known artists has had a happy outcome. A circus painting donated by artist Sheila Mackie in 1958, to the children's library in her home town of Chester-le-Street, has finally been returned to her. And the highly-regarded
PENSIONERS will be dancing to new sounds at their tea dance thanks to a grant from a bank's charity arm. The Silver Courts tea dance, held in the Silver Courts communal hall in Brandon, has been given £100 by Barclays' Club Grant Fund. The group will
The old industries may have long gone, but Teesside is now reinventing itself as a home for creative technology. Nick Morrison finds out how cartoons can be a serious business. AFTER years of admiring his work, Shaun Featherstone finally managed to meet
AN INQUEST was held last night into the death of one of Teesside's last "iron men". Lawrence Barker, 90, of Stmp Cross, Guisborough, was an ironstone miner for 51 years - 42 spent underground. A Middlesbrough inquest established that while he had silicosis
Letters from The Northern Echo BLUE CIRCLE I WAS dismayed to learn of the proposed closure of the Weardale cement works (Echo, Jan 24). As the last clerk of Weardale Rural District Council, I am only too aware of the tremendous effort put in by the council
RESIDENTS have raised £500 to give an east Durham village surgery an asthma machine. The new equipment at the Caradoc Surgery, in Wingate, can detect asthma and lung damage caused by the condition, as well as show whether any damage is reversible. It
A QUARTER of small firms in the North-East claim road congestion has a serious impact upon their business - leading to lost man-hours and increased costs, according to the Small Business Watch survey by Yellow Pages. More than 80 per cent of companies
MIDDLESBROUGH boss Steve McClaren today faces a battle on two fronts with Manchester United - trying to beat them without more than half a team and talk them into a deal for Dwight Yorke. McClaren has seven players out of the FA Cup fourth-round clash
BENEFITS offices and JobCentres across the North-East are set to close for two days next week when thousands of civil servants stage a 48-hour strike. Claimants and job seekers will find offices closed on Monday and Tuesday in the latest strike by members
PUB landlord Graham Ford is inviting drinkers to take a beery trip round the country. The Beamish Mary Inn, at No Place, near Stanley, County Durham, is holding its annual beer festival this weekend and the 31 brews on offer are from the regions of England
A ROBBER who targeted vulnerable women was jailed for five years yesterday. Drug addict Iain Park, 28, of Shap Close, Washington, Wearside, committed three offences over six days last December. At Teesside Crown Court, he admitted one charge of robbery
A VILLAGE has been rocked by an anonymous poster campaign attacking newly-appointed community safety wardens. The posters have been found at several locations in Carlin How, east Cleveland, targeting wardens who began patrolling the village at the beginning
A LIFEBOAT station which has experienced its busiest year believes the figures are nothing to worry about. Official statistics from the Royal National Lifeboat Institute are not released until early April, but figures from Redcar Lifeboat Station show
A REWARD has been offered as concern mounts for a cool character who helped brighten a village pub over Christmas. Licensee Karen Dixon and staff at The Smith's Arms are baffled over the whereabouts of a baby snowman figure which disappeared from the
PLANNING officers have backed plans for a supported housing scheme, despite strong opposition from people living near the site. The DePaul Trust wants to build three flats on the site of a former ice-cream factory in Bishop Auckland, where young people
KITTY Flanagan is the first to admit she didn't quite get the idea of stand-up comedy straight away. She never frequented comedy clubs in her home town of Sydney, and made only the briefest of reconnaissance missions before her first time on stage, so
A NEW recruit has joined Stockton's battle against fuel poverty. Jane Hyman, 31, has been appointed information officer for Stockton's Warm Zone project, which is a Government initiative, in conjunction with Transco and Stockton Borough Council, to reduce
THE Government has given its backing to the latest efforts to restore the levels of salmon and trout in one of North Yorkshire's top fishing rivers. The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has confirmed a new Environment Agency bylaw
THE idea seemed simple enough. The team behind the Great North Run would use its expertise to stage a similiar mass participation event in Ethiopia, a country whose runners had suppported the world's biggest half-marathon from the start. Sports presenter
HAVING strongly recommended readers of this column to put their hard-earned cash on Lord Noelie at 33-1 for Newbury's Hennessy Gold Cup in November, it was desperately disappointing when the horse finished just out of the money in fourth spot. It's no
HARTLEPOOL United put on a five-star show to sink Rushden and Diamonds at Victoria Park. Pool triumphed 5-1 - with new recruit James Coppinger scoring the last goal and starring in their biggest win of the season. Gordon Watson opened the scoring with
A CHARITY bike ride which raised thousands of pounds has saved the future of a centre for people suffering with multiple sclerosis. The bike ride does not have a specific title but has been organised for the past four years by Paul Mackintosh and Chris
A BANDSTAND project for Northallerton has been given a new lease of life. Lawyers for Northallerton Town Council have cleared the town's millennium committee to site the £80,000 stand on the Applegarth, behind High Street. The development was planned
MOTORCYCLISTS using protected sands at South Gare, Redcar, have been warned they could be banned, lose their licences and be prosecuted as part of a crackdown. The area is protected by English Nature as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a Special
Having recovered from the disappointment of missing out on a cup clash with Newcastle by drawing at Cheltenham in midweek, Darlington must pick up at least a point against high-flying Luton today to stay clear of the relegation dogfight. Injury and suspension
MARK Robinson last night welcomed 'the happiest man in football' back to Victoria Park. Hartlepool United's left-back is delighted Newcastle's James Coppinger has signed a loan deal to return to Pool, because he will be reunited with one of his closest
THE creator of the Angel of the North will be among artists presenting their work at an exhibition at the Bowes Museum next month. Antony Gormley will join eight other internationally-renowned artists who have created works for the At Home with Art exhibition
THE mild weather that we have recently enjoyed has encouraged many of us to think about gardening. It is unwise to do much outside, for we could get quite severe weather soon which would scupper everything, but it is possible to be selective and start
THE flamboyant businessman once hailed as the saviour of Darlington Football Club appeared in court yesterday charged with managing a company while bankrupt. Reg Brealey was seen as the man who could take the Quakers to the top of the premiership when
A WEARSIDE butcher is returning to his roots to take over as shop manager. Stuart Wood started work 26 years ago as a Saturday boy at Dickson's, in Blandford Street, Sunderland. He moved on to join the family firm's Houghton-le-Spring branch, where he
MIDDLESBROUGH South and East Cleveland MP Ashok Kumar has become a regular contributor to The Northern Echo's sister paper. Like Redcar MP Vera Baird, Dr Kumar will be writing a monthly column for the East Cleveland Advertiser. The paper was launched
A UNION official has criticised a college principal's high salary as out of proportion. A survey published in the Times Educational Supplement ranks Ian Prescott, principal of the recently-amalgamated East Durham and Houghall College, the 14th highest
A MOBILE advice service for rural communities is being set up after being suggested by a dales farmer. From Friday, February 1, a rural mobile advisory service, funded by County Durham and Darlington Health Authority, will be available to people living
A NATURE lover is calling for an area of wet scrubland to be protected, days before the first phase of a multi-million pound regeneration scheme is due to be announced for the site. Bryan Moore has written to Middlesbrough Council leader Councillor Ken
IT'S a bit rich for the Prime Minister to accuse the Conservatives of denigrating public services. We recall, after all, a speech by him just two-and-a-half years ago, in which he said: "People in the public sector are more rooted in the concept that
BRAVE Alex Herbert's first public appearance since undergoing a bone marrow transplant was to help raise awareness of the hospital and medical staff who saved his life. The four-year-old spent eight weeks in Newcastle General Hospital's bubble unit after
A RETIRED firefighter whose family has been affected by cancer is trying to drum up money for charity. Paul Archer will attempt to play the drums for 12 hours in aid of the Cancer Research Campaign. Mr Archer, 46, from Darlington, will be joined by a
PLANNING officers have backed plans for a supported housing scheme, despite strong opposition from people living near the site. The DePaul Trust wants to build three flats on the site of a former ice-cream factory in Bishop Auckland, where young people
A PARTNERSHIP to tackle crime in the Sedgefield borough has received a boost by being awarded charitable status. The Sedgefield Partnership Assisting in the Reduction of Crime (Sparc) will now be able to access more funds to help set up crime-fighting
A NEW display shows the history and archaeology of the Tees Valley through aerial photographs. The exhibition, at Stockton's Green Dragon Museum, is made up of a number of large aerial pictures of the local landscape, and shows how these can be read to
PRIME Minister Tony Blair visited Crook yesterday. The Sedgefield MP opened a residential care unit for elderly people, which has been hailed as the future of care for the elderly and was built with public and private finance. During his tour of Southfield
AN NHS hospital praised by the Prime Minister as a shining example of Britain's public services was plunged into a row over standards last night as it emerged a boy with a broken collarbone had been sent home without an x-ray. Tony Blair's attempt to
PEOPLE are being asked for their opinions on a scheme to improve safety on one of Darlington's main roads. Darlington Borough Council is working to create a Corridor of Certainty scheme In Yarm Road. The idea behind the scheme is to improve accessibility
Durham City manager Brian Honour has appealed for North-East football fans to turn out in force to help his side into the last 16 of the FA Carlsberg Vase today. City stage a fourth-round replay against Dereham Town, and Honour wants as many fans as possible
BRITAIN'S economy grew at its slowest rate in nearly three years in the last quarter year - but managed to avoid grinding to a halt, figures showed yesterday. Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed the economy grew 0.2 per cent in the
The frayed nerves of investors in the telecoms sector will be further tested next week as Vodafone and Orange update subscriber numbers. Quarterly figures from a mixture of blue-chips should add to an interesting week. Chip designer Arm Holdings' final
A quick-thinking five-year-old saved his father's life when he dialled 999 after he fell into a diabetic coma. Ben Rogers called for an ambulance after his father blacked out because his sugar levels had dropped to a dangerously low level. Thanks to the
The railway signalbox at East Boldon, South Tyneside, has been dismantled because it is no longer needed. Redevelopment of the Newcastle to Sunderland line to accommodate the extension of the Tyneside Metro system to Sunderland has made it surplus to
A TEAM of girls has won a primary school competition aimed at encouraging children to get involved in engineering. The team of four from Gurney Pease Primary School, Darlington, beat the school's boys team to win the 8th annual egg race held at Hurworth
HARTLEPOOL MP Peter Mandelson yesterday joined the board of the newly-formed Tees Valley Urban Regeneration Company. The former minister was one of seven new appointments, including Middlesbrough Football Club chairman Steve Gibson. The company was formed
SIXTY years of perfect chemistry has been marked by Teesside couple Alan and Kathleen Kendall. Mr Kendall, 81, who was a pharmacist for 60 years, met his bride-to-be at Frizinghall Methodist Sunday School in Bradford, where they were teenage youth workers
A 21-YEAR-OLD man has been charged with theft following a handbag snatch on Teesside. A woman was loading shopping into her car at Coulby Newham shops, near Middlesbrough, when a man grabbed her handbag and ran off. Passers-by caught the man, recovered
A MAN from Gateshead has been charged with robbery following a raid on a Consett travel agents this week. The 34-year-old was held at Consett police station for questioning and was due to appear before Peterlee magistrates this morning. Shortly before
TEENAGE table tennis players from County Durham are preparing to put opponents from the rest of the country in a spin. Under-16 girls and boys from Greencroft School, in Annfield Plain, rattled up the points to win their sections of the English Schools
A MAN was being questioned by police last night after a stand-off during which he threatened to harm himself in the loft of his North-East home. The man, in his mid-thirties, was arrested by officers several hours after they arrived at the house in Horden
TWO late goals earned Middlesbrough a place in round five of the FA Cup - at the expense of favourites Manchester United. After a lifeless first-half, Boro improved after the break and took the honours in the closing stages after stifling the Premiership
A country road shortcut that has been disrupted for a year following a landslip is due to reopen. Durham County Council highways officials hope the first vehicles will use the C12a at Cocken Bank next week following £200,000 worth of engineering works
YOUNGSTERS are helping to save a rare native tree on the North York Moors as part of a conservation initiative. Primary school children from Lealholm, Castleton, Danby and Botton, have joined together to help the national park celebrate its 50th anniversary
A LONG-AWAITED road scheme could begin next year following a successful bid for Government cash. Durham County Council has submitted a planning application for the £6.2m A688 Wheatley Hill to Bowburn link road. The road would run from a proposed new roundabout
A MEMBER of the Bank of England's influential Monetary Policy Committee returned to the capital this week after a fact-finding mission to the North-East. But while Kate Barker will take back to the Bank first-hand some of the hopes and fears gleaned from
THE idea seemed simple enough. The team behind the Great North Run would use its expertise to stage a similiar mass participation event in Ethiopia, a country whose runners had suppported the world's biggest half-marathon from the start. Sports presenter
