A FORMER pupil has earned himself the top Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme prize. Michael Almond, from South Kilvington, near Thirsk, was among 800 young people from all over Britain attending the Gold award presentation at St James' Palace, London. Each
Office raid - man remanded A 34-YEAR-OLD man appeared before magistrates in Peterlee, east Durham, on Saturday, accused of robbing a travel agency. Stephen Walton, of Sheriff Hill, Gateshead, was remanded in custody pending an appearance at Crown Court
TALIBAN PRISONERS HERE we go again. Lefties pandering to the terrorists. Poor lads locked up for the petty crime of destabilising the world! Where were the do-gooders when the same men were persecuting their own people and totally humiliating the women
A SCHOOL band has extended its audience to America after selling its first compact disc on the Internet. The band from Tudhoe Grange Comprehensive School, Spennymoor, recently went on-line with a website created by former member Paul Marshall. It coincided
A GROUP of teachers are spending their half-term break looking at the educational system in South Africa. The nine teachers from Darlington want to study the links between primary and secondary schools and how pupils move between the two. The visit has
MEMBERS of the public could have a greater say in admissions to and exclusions from schools in the east Cleveland area, under a new initiative. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council is seeking people interested in serving on panels which hear appeals against
A HEADteacher suspended pending police inquiries into poison pen letter allegations has been reinstated by popular demand. Alan Smith, 53, has returned to his desk at Mill Hill Primary School, in Doxford Park, Sunderland, while police continue to investigate
ALMOST £1m is to be spent on refurbishing kitchens in 500 council houses in the Stockton area over the next six months. Hundreds of tenants in Albany, Billingham, Roseworth and Thornaby will have new units, tiling and electrical improvements fitted in
ALMOST £1m is to be spent on refurbishing kitchens in 500 council houses in the Stockton area over the next six months. Hundreds of tenants in Albany, Billingham, Roseworth and Thornaby will have new units, tiling and electrical improvements fitted in
DARLINGTON College of Technology has secured a third successive Charter Mark award, becoming one of seven colleges nationwide to have achieved the feat. The award highlights the college's strengths in working with the community, businesses and individuals
A PRIVATE collection of North-East pottery goes under the hammer today. Most of the 34 pieces, including jugs and plaques, were made in Sunderland early in the 19th Century. Mainly pink lustre domestic ware, many feature engravings of Wearmouth Bridge
A MUSICAL tradition spanning more than half a century took its final bow in front of an emotional audience at the weekend. Music lovers from across the North-East gathered to say a final farewell to Cockfield Methodist Male Voice Choir, which has been
A new headteacher has been appointed at Greencroft Comprehensive School, in Annfield Plain. Chris Espiner has been given the position after taking over as acting headteacher in November 2000. Last year, the school achieved its best GCSE results. Now,
IMMEDIATELY after savouring what he hopes will prove the first of many moments of glory, Mark Sheeran soon swapped his forward position in favour of being a sweeper. But the 19-year-old super-sub hadn't decided to partner Craig Liddle in the back four
ITINERANT ice hockey enthusiasts have offered to share in the management of a municipal rink if repairs are made to bring it back into use. Teams which previously played home games at Sunderland's Crowtree Leisure Centre, travel to use the rink at either
AN endless stream of beagles leapt out of the back of the van and put their noses to the muddy grass, trying to catch the scent of hare. Nearby, a group of men and women chattered with excitement, while the hostess took round a tray bearing glasses of
EFFORTS are under way to save an aquatic animal which appears to be heading towards extinction in the North-East. One of the biggest threats to the native white-clawed crayfish is the arrival in the region of the American Signal crayfish, which may have
CALL it fate. Call it bad luck. Call it what you want. But thousands of North-East TV viewers gave a collective moan as the results of Saturday night's Pop Idol voting were announced. The North-East's very own Zoe Birkett was voted off the show, having
A CAMPAIGN for a village to get a parish council has suffered a setback. Residents of Norton have been campaigning for more than a year to have a greater say in local decision-making, and handed a petition to Stockton Borough Council, in December. But
A NEWSPAPER delivery girl was pounced on and dragged screaming into an alley by a suspected sex attacker this morning. And the traumatised teenage victim was only saved by a middle-aged couple who saw the struggle and ran to help. Police are now hunting
A PIECE of history has been preserved in a community resource centre which is due to open in Bishop Auckland later this year. The Four Clocks Project is scheduled to open at the end of April, in a former Wesleyan Methodist Church, in Newgate Street, once
DETECTIVES will today continue to search for the source of drugs believed to have caused the death of a young North-East reveller at the weekend. Michael Curtis, 27, died in hospital an hour after two police officers found him unconscious outside Monty's
THE mother of a schoolboy, who was knocked down on a busy road as he left school, is calling for action to make the street safer for pedestrians. Richard Chappell, 14, from Millfields, Aycliffe Village, was in collision with a van as he crossed the road
High winds have caused chaos across the north east of England. Police and fire crews have been called to a number of weather-related incidents on the roads with trees being uprooted and high-sided vehicles overturned. Police in North Yorkshire are advising
A chess tournament attracted enthusiasts from all over the country at the weekend. The 21st Redcar Open Chess Congress was held in east Cleveland, with MPs Ashok Kumar and Vera Baird having a go at the game. Disabled people, including Stan Lovell of Redcar
POLICE in Darlington are putting the brakes on bike thieves with the aid of tiny data chips. The initiative was launched at the weekend in the Skerne Park area, and gave residents the chance to get their bikes chipped. Bikes tagged with the chips are
The public are being warned to keep away from the crumbling ruins of a 700-year-old North Yorkshire castle following recent falls of stone. Neville Castle at Kirkbymoorside, which is owned by the town council, is suffering from falling masonry as a result
THE company which prints the Yellow Pages hosts a seminar on environmental management early next month. R R Donnelly will welcome Yortek members to a Managing Today briefing at its plant at Flaxby, near Knaresborough, on Tuesday, February 5. The organisation
INCREASED funding has been made available allowing the four police forces of the North-East and North Yorkshire to modernise equipment and vehicles. Durham, Cleveland, Northumbria and North Yorkshire forces are to receive a total of £5.059m grant aid,
MILLIONS of bachelors around the world could soon be thanking a 22-year-old from the region for a new household appliance which goes on show at the Ideal Home Show in the spring. Nicola Simpson's invention heats food just as quickly as a microwave. However
TWO teenagers have been arrested following an attack which left a Bishop Auckland man with a broken arm. A 14-year-old girl and a 17-year-old youth were questioned at Bishop Auckland police station yesterday and bailed until Thursday. Officers want to
A Northern League football club has outlined its latest development plans. Durham City AFC has re-submitted plans to develop an indoor Soccarena and function room alongside its New Ferens Park ground, on the Belmont Industrial Estate. The revised proposals
Zoe BIRKETT'S success has inspired the makers of Monopoly to create a board game based on her home town of Darlington. Bosses at International Monopoly Moguls have been so impressed with the 16-year-old's performances on the ITV show, that they have designed
AN information evening about adoption is being held in Hartlepool this week. Stockton Borough Council's child placement team will be staging the event at Springs Health Club, Harbour Walk, on Thursday, between 6.30pm and 8.30pm. The itinerary includes
ROAD accidents claimed the lives of six people in the North-East, including four in North Yorkshire, at the weekend. One woman was also seriously injured in the head-on collision between a Ford Escort and a Peugeot 306, on the B1224 York to Wetherby road
A TASK force set up to ease the impact of crippling job cuts on a dales economy has revealed that an announcement on its findings is imminent. Although the task force is not giving details of the announcement, the news has been described as "positive"
A MOBILE advice service for rural communities is being set up after being suggested by a dales farmer. From Friday, a rural mobile advisory service, funded by County Durham and Darlington Health Authority, will be available to people living in villages
THE Friends of Sedgefield Hardwick Country Park group is launching a book on the park, which is the subject of a regeneration scheme. The 44-page illustrated book has been made funded with a grant from Durham County Historic Libraries. Friends' chairman
A GROUP of teachers are spending their half-term break looking at the educational system in South Africa. The nine teachers from Darlington want to study the links between primary and secondary schools and how pupils move between the two. The visit has
A COMMUNITY centre could become North Yorkshire's newest arts venue. Hambleton Community Centre, owned by the district council, is undergoing a £400,000 refurbishment programme during the summer. On Thursday, councillors told officers to carry out talks
TRADERS and shoppers face more disruption as another section of the newly-created market place project in Ripon city centre is dug up. Contractors have ripped up traffic lights, paving stones and footpath sets to widen the road on the market corner, between
Pregnant mother Lesley Purvis fears her unborn child may fall victim to a curse that hangs over her family. A rare and sometimes fatal condition has already hit nine close relatives, being responsible for the deaths of four and affecting the health of
Police hunt for bag snatcher Police are appealing for witnesses after a young woman had her handbag snatched at Bishop Auckland Bus Station. The woman was standing opposite Berties Clothing, near Stand A in the bus station, at 6.10pm on Saturday, when
NORTH-EAST football fans have been paid thousands of pounds in damages after an elite police squad stormed through a pub as they enjoyed a drink after a match. Wearing riot gear and face masks, the officers of the Greater Manchester Tactical Aid Unit
A CAMPAIGN for a village to get a parish council has suffered a setback. Residents of Norton have been campaigning for more than a year to have a greater say in local decision-making, and handed a petition to Stockton Borough Council, in December. But
Purpose-built apartments, a hydrotheraphy pool and a television in every room. It sounds like a holiday resort but, in fact, it's a pet hotel. CHRISTEN PEARS reports THE first thing you notice as you pull up outside the Triple A Pet Resort isn't the barking
A BABY showered in glass when youths threw a metal bolt through a window was still suffering from shock last night. Seven-month-old Declan Evans was on the floor of his babysitter's home in Cadogan Street, North Ormesby, Middlesbrough, on Thursday night
WHEN your team is a goal behind and the leading scorer limps off to be replaced by a 19-year-old with a total of no goals in three substitute appearances, it's only natural to be sceptical about the chances of salvaging a point. But Mark Sheeran may well
FANS of disappointed North-East Pop Idol Zoe Birkett insisted last night: "You may have been beaten but you're still a star to us." Millions of Pop Idol viewers tuned in at the weekend to see 16-year-old Zoe become the latest contestant to be voted out
A recruiting offensive is being mounted in a town which usually proves a rich source of forces personnel. The Army is opening a temporary office in Consett, staffed by local recruiters who can answer questions about life in the forces. It opens for a
IMAGES of the excluded and unwanted people in our midst are the subject of a powerful new exhibition in the region. World-renowned photo-journalist Nick Danziger spent two years in the mid-1990s among Britain's most marginalised people. The exhibition
THE story of a cuddly toy favourite down the decades is being celebrated by a North-East expert. Joanne McDonald has marked the centenary of the teddy bear by producing a commemorative book detailing its history. As the owner of a shop devoted to the
What's hot... SEXY UNDIES: Underwear is no longer something practical that you wear until it goes grey before you replace it. Ann Summers and Knickerbox stores around the country had a record Christmas period with millions of pounds been spent on something
EFFORTS to recruit more people into the nursing profession are being stepped up, with an information afternoon at the Friarage Hospital, Northallerton. Visitors will be given up-to-date information on York University's three-year diploma with the choice
The Budgie Geordie bought a budgerigar Guaranteed to talk, But all it did was sit on its perch And squawk, squawk, squawk. By the end of a day or two The noise was driving him crazy, For all it looked like a nice little thing He was told it was probably
GALE force winds destroyed a vicar's grave when a decorative stone cross fell from a North Yorkshire church. The Reverend William Cassidi's grave is in a prominent position next to St James' church, in Thorpe Thewles, where he was vicar for 41 years until
THE man they call Chariots added yet another dramatic twist to his list of legendary feats to sink Newcastle Falcons yesterday. Martin Offiah, the third highest try-scorer in Rugby League history, scored with his first touch of the ball in the 79th minute
A NORTH-EAST union leader last night warned rail bosses not to adopt tough strike-breaking tactics. Stan Herschel, regional organiser of the Rail Maritime and Transport Union (RMT), spoke out yesterday after moves by an operator in the south to recruit
PUPILS from Wear Valley schools gathered for the launch of their own mini-Commonwealth Games. Government Chief Whip Hilary Armstrong attended a ceremony on Friday at Crook Civic Centre where 42 children - representatives from every primary, secondary
The film Monsoon Wedding was almost X-rayed out of existence by airport security, but the damage turned out to be a blessing in disguise director Mira Nair tells STEVE PRATT THE call that director Mira Nair received on the last day of shooting her feature
IN A move which will have even the most hardened of bureaucrats scratching their heads, a council has slapped a compulsory purchase order on its own land. Chester-le-Street District Council has decided to "buy" thousands of square metres of its land to
A youngster is beginning to make a name for herself among geologists, winning recognition in a national competition for the second time. Leigh Tate, of Middlesbrough, is only ten, but the former runner-up in the Rockwatch challenge went one better to
THE two-year-old son of a North-East footballer choked to death just hours after his father celebrated an FA Cup triumph. Middlesbrough and former England defender Colin Cooper's son, Finlay, choked on the small toy - or toy part - at Saturday tea-time
A FAMILIAR face to the region's viewers won a television industry award at the weekend, on the eve of achieving a broadcasting landmark. Mike Neville, anchorman for Tyne Tees Television's North-East Tonight, is about to clock up 40 years' continuous daily
PUPILS from Wear Valley schools gathered for the launch of their own mini-Commonwealth Games. Government Chief Whip Hilary Armstrong attended a ceremony on Friday at Crook Civic Centre where 42 children - representatives from every primary, secondary
A FORUM for older people in Darlington is to relaunch to improve the way it fights for its members' needs. A meeting next month will see the Darlington Older People's Forum close, but it will be immediately followed by the adoption of a new constitution
THE mother of a schoolboy, who was knocked down on a busy road as he left school, is calling for action to make the street safer for pedestrians. Richard Chappell, 14, from Millfields, Aycliffe Village, was in collision with a van as he crossed the road
A PIECE of history has been preserved in a community resource centre which is due to open in Bishop Auckland later this year. The Four Clocks Project is scheduled to open at the end of April, in a former Wesleyan Methodist Church, in Newgate Street, once
MAPS dating back hundreds of year can now be viewed online thanks to a new venture in County Durham. Pictures in Print, a joint project by Durham University, Durham County Council and Durham Cathedral, is bringing collections held by all three to a worldwide
THE NORTH-EAST was battening down the hatches last night as weathermen predicted a day of high winds. But hundreds of homeowners near York were able to breathe a sigh of relief after dangerous river levels began to subside. A Met Office spokesman said
THIS particular ball may be over for Zoe Birkett - but the fairytale remains very much alive. Zoe, the 16-year-old from Darlington, has to get used to no longer being part of the weekly Pop Idol ritual which has become such a national obsession with television
A FORUM for older people in Darlington is to relaunch to improve the way it fights for its members' needs. A meeting next month will see the Darlington Older People's Forum close, but it will be immediately followed by the adoption of a new constitution
NEWCASTLE skipper Alan Shearer last night launched a passionate defence of the FA Cup and declared: "It's nonsense to say it has lost its romance.'' Shearer's side were given a scare by Second Division Peterborough in a classic David v Goliath battle
ALAN SHEARER rescued Newcastle yet again just when it looked like plucky Peterborough were about to write another infamous chapter in the Magpies' chequered FA Cup history. Skipper Shearer converted a disputed 83rd-minute penalty to restore his side's
MINUTES after leaving a Saturday night Mass, an 86-year-old widow was killed and her daughter critically injured in a head-on smash, which also claimed the life of a 20-year-old driver. The neighbouring communities of Ferryhill and Chilton, in County
HOPES were growing last night of a rescue deal for Blue Circle's North-East cement works. A mystery businessman is understood to have put together a consortium interested in buying the works, in Eastgate, Weardale, from French conglomerate Lafarge. Exploratory
HARTLEPOOL bookmaker John Joyce will have to pay out over £1,000 after West Hartlepool recorded their second win of the season on Saturday. They won 14-12 at home to Whitchurch and some of the players will be collecting from Joyce, who had offered 6-1
Police hunt bike thief A 13-YEAR-OLD paperboy was forced to hand over his bike to a 16-year-old thief in Middlesbrough, on Friday. The 16-year-old was 5ft 9in and wore a white cap, a long white coat and bright green trousers. He threatened the paperboy
A county council is set to take on English Heritage in a battle to widen a flood-damaged 18th Century bridge, which has been shut down for 15 months. North Yorkshire County Council has been trying to persuade English Heritage to drop its environmental
AS far as debuts go, James Coppinger couldn't ask for more. Almost two years ago he moved to Hartlepool on loan, netting his first goal minutes after appearing as a debutant substitute at Barnet. On Saturday, things were even better second time around
THE gates to the entrance of the bus shelter were unlocked as usual yesterday and a jubilant Mel Bird was once again holding court inside. Accompanied by his two dogs, the educated man-of-the-road declared victory over authority, in the form of Leyburn
FORMER colleagues of Scout leader Frank Beadle have paid tribute to the man they knew as Skip. The 76-year-old died peacefully at his home in Yoredale Avenue, Darlington, after a battle against cancer. A Scout enthusiast, Mr Beadle was admired by colleagues
THE "man from the Pearl" has proved a real diamond to clients in more than three decades working his patch. Marshall Deveaux has called it a day 33 years after he began selling Pearl Insurance policies to the people of Chester-le-Street. He estimates
A council tenant has won the right to stay in his home, despite using it as a cannabis farm. The landmark ruling by a county court judge means that David McElwee has escaped eviction, even though he breached the terms of occupation. South Tyneside Borough
MILLIONS of bachelors around the world could soon be thanking a 22-year-old from the region for a new household appliance which goes on show at the Ideal Home Show in the spring. Nicola Simpson's invention heats food just as quickly as a microwave. However
Church parishes are being merged in North Yorkshire by both the Church of England and Catholic dioceses to help combat a shortage of clergy. The Catholic Bishop of Middlesbrough, the Right Reverend John Crowley, whose area stretches from Teesside to the
A CHURCH has won planning permission for an extension. Hambleton District Council's development control committee has approved a scheme for an extension to All Saints, in East Cowton, near Northallerton. The Grade II listed building will be extended to
Countryside help needed THE hunt is on for people willing to help with conservation projects in the Yorkshire Dales. Woodland management and footpath restoration work is planned in the Nidderdale area in the run-up to spring and the area's Countryside
SANDRA Summerbell and her daughter, Emily, are celebrating buying their own home, thanks to a Government funding scheme. They got a Homebuy grant from the Three Rivers Housing Group to buy a property in Durham. The money, given to the group by the Housing
MAPS dating back hundreds of year can now be viewed online thanks to a new venture in County Durham. Pictures in Print, a joint project between Durham University, Durham County Council and Durham Cathedral, is bringing the collections held by all three
CAN you tell me why, years ago, the letter 's' was replaced by the letter 'f'. - W Sewell, Bishop Auckland. THE English alphabet was originally written in ancient Anglo-Saxon runes where the 's' resembled something between the 's' and a 'z' of today.
A 17-year-old youth appeared in court at the weekend accused of wounding an eight-week-old baby with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. The teenager, from Morpeth, Northumberland, was remanded in custody until February 1 by Northumberland magistrates
A charity is appealing for people who received a new mobile phone for Christmas to donate their old ones and raise much-needed funds. The Hartlepool and District Hospice has teamed up with the Mobile Phone Recycling Appeal to boost funds. Every year,
SHOPKEEPERS are counting the cost of a spree by vandals who left a trail of broken windows in the centre of Bishop Auckland at the weekend. Six shops in Newgate Street were targeted early on Saturday, including Marks and Spencer, Morton's Fish and Chips
A ROTTING block of council flats where thousands of pounds needs to be spent on repair and refurbishment is set to be sold to a housing association which wants to build more homes in its grounds. Grove House, in Harrogate Road, Ripon - part of the city's
STAFF and pupils were celebrating at an east Cleveland school after it was praised in an inspectors' report. The Ofsted survey, of St Peter's Church of England Primary School, Brotton, described it as a good school, which was continuing to improve. "It
NO Place was the place to be at the weekend for anyone with a taste for real ale. The 11th Beamish Mary Inn Beer Festival attracted drinkers from across the globe to the village in north-west Durham. Customers sampling the 31 ales on offer at the former
MIDDLESBROUGH striker Andy Campbell has revealed he could sense an FA Cup shock when he entered the field as a second half substitute against Manchester United. Boro scored two goals in the last five minutes against the Premiership champions at the Riverside
FOR Dwight Yorke and Diego Forlan in particular, the Riverside Stadium proved a cold and forbidding place. The booing that emanated from a section of home fans when Middlesbrough target Yorke made a substitute appearance ten minutes from time, was surely
FLEDGLING footballers got a real kick from a competition staged for players in the under-nines bracket yesterday. Sixteen teams of eager youngsters took part in the first Durham County Football Club seven-a-side tournament. The event saw up to four games
A FORUM for older people in Darlington is to relaunch to improve the way it fights for its members' needs. A meeting next month will see the Darlington Older People's Forum close, but it will be immediately followed by the adoption of a new constitution
