THREE youngsters were stars of the stage when they appeared in a musical. Joyce Wilkinson, 13, Scarlett Fletcher, five, and Daneille Murdoch, six, starred in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, Whistle Down The Wind. The performers attend Yarm and Darlington
A group of market traders who have become known as the Metric Martyrs this morning lost their High Court battle for the legal right to trade in pounds and ounces. Lord Justice Laws, sitting with Mr Justice Crane, this morning rejected their claim that
A MAN whose enthusiasm for brass band music has rubbed off on his family has received a national award. Brian Henderson, 49, who formed Ebor Brass Band 22 years ago, has been awarded a diploma of honour by the London Worshipful Company of Musicians for
Campaigners fighting to clear the name of blind killer Yvonne Sleightholme are preparing to seek a Royal Pardon - and are being backed by her prison chaplains, it has emerged. The chaplains believe there is a real chance that Sleightholme, who was convicted
A MOTHER who believes her son became autistic because of the controversial MMR vaccine has called on the Prime Minister to give parents the choice of single jabs for their children. Mandy Brunskill, of Clifton Moor, York, said nine-year-old Liam was diagnosed
David Kelly was the key in Darlington's defeat on Saturday as he scored twice and was consistently instrumental in Mansfield's best attacks. But it's fair to say his tumble under the challenge of Adam Reed when earning his side a penalty was a touch over
TEMPORARY workers at a North-East recruitment agency are being told to smile more often. Recruitment specialists LMR, based in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, believe people who smile a lot are more successful in their jobs. And they say bosses who like
AN international football competition to find stars of the future came to Darlington at the weekend. Hundreds of Asda customers showed off their skills as they took part in The Fox Kids Cup. The store has teamed up with Fox Kids and Wagon Wheels to find
Yorkshire Water's £500,000 waste water treatment plant in the Heartbeat village of Goathland, on the North York Moors, is due to be completed in about six weeks. A spokesman said it was part of the company's £400m River Care five-year investment programme
Premiership title chasers Newcastle United are bringing a multi-million pound line-up to lowly Bishop Auckland FC next week as a favour to a former player. While Shearer, Bellamy and co carry the hopes of Magpies fans to glamorous grounds like Old Trafford
NORTH Yorkshire schools are being urged to put forward ideas to boost their sporting facilities and cash in on a £3.4m handout. The county has been granted the provisional allocation through the New Opportunities for PE and Sport Programme, with the aim
A SCHEME to cut truancy and permanent exclusions from schools in County Durham has been recognised by a European award. Durham County Council's Impact Project was chosen for a European Award 2002. Minister for Europe Peter Hain singled it out for the
POLICE are to step up security to prevent clashes between rival fans at tomorrow night's North-East football derby between Darlington and Hartlepool United. Extra officers will be drafted in as part of plans for a strong police presence to contain any
AN actor from the North-East was celebrating this week after a film he appeared in was nominated for an Oscar. Jeremy Swift, 43, originally from Stockton, played a footman alongside Richard E Grant in the murder mystery movie, Gosford Park. The 43-year-old
PLANS for a village centre development will be put on display this week. The plans for the development of Shiney Row centre, the roundabout and sunken pedestrian walkways, will be displayed at the community library, in Chester Road, today and tomorrow
SHOPPERS will have a bigger opportunity to help animals when a new RSPCA charity shop opens in Durham today. The shop, in High Street, Langley Moor, will replace the RSPCA Durham and District branch's shop in the same road. The shop is twice the size
AN ANNUAL series of road races in which women raise cash for cancer research will include two new events this year. Race for Life events take place across the North-East and the rest of the UK to raise cash for Cancer Research UK, the new charity formed
A CATTLE market which closed during the foot-and- mouth epidemic will not be reopening today as planned. Darlington Farmers' Auction Mart officials had hoped to hold their first sale since it closed a year ago. But because of delays by the Government,
A NEW partnership is leading to the creation of a public arts project in Middlesbrough. Cleveland Arts is working with Marchday, which owns the Centre North-East block, in Albert Road, to commission an artist who is able to illuminate the 18-storey glass-faced
A DELEGATION of workers from a doomed cement factory is preparing to travel to France in a last-ditch bid to save their jobs. Weardale councillor John Shuttleworth is to lead a group of 20 workers to the Paris headquarters of Lafarge, parent company of
PLANS to demolish a disused factory in the middle of a Ferryhill housing estate have been welcomed by residents. Sedgefield Borough Council is negotiating to buy the former Praxis textiles factory in the Dean Bank area. The factory closed almost two years
Sign up for fun run Youngsters are being encouraged to sign up for a fun run, starting from Richmond swimming pool on Sunday, March 17. The two-mile course, along the tracks and footpaths by the River Swale, passes Easby Abbey and returns to Richmond.
KING KEV blew a kiss to the fans on his return to St James' Park last night, but his home-coming did not go as planned as his Manchester City side were knocked out of the FA Cup by Newcastle. Following the match, the quarter final draw paired the Magpies
TRUSTEES of 19th Century hall say its turnover has soared from £3,000 to £20,000 in its first year since it was redeveloped. Pickering Memorial Hall, a former cornmill and Grade 2 listed building, had been in a run-down state for several years before
COMMUNITY groups in North Yorkshire have shared a National Lottery windfall of more than £50,000. Dozens of organisations are celebrating after the cash hand-outs from the Lottery's Awards for All scheme. More than £16,000 was awarded to five groups in
RESIDENTS who have been fighting plans for a waste recycling plant were celebrating after they were withdrawn. Biffa Waste Services, which wanted to build on the Stephenson Industrial Estate, Washington, pulled out after being told landowners English
Two police constables have been booted out of the force after a street brawl with two Asian taxi drivers. Police constables Andrew and Duncan Simpson were hauled before a court charged with affray after they fought a pitched battle with two taxi drivers
An inquest opened today into the deaths of two girls who died after they were swept away in a fast-flowing stream while on a school trip. Assistant North Yorkshire coroner John Sleightholme swore in a jury at Harrogate Magistrates Court and told them
FORMER Tory leader William Hague may have been beheaded, but at least he's fared better than poor old Gazza. For the Geordie joker had that famous grin wiped from his face after being melted down once he had lost his England place. The former Newcastle
AN energy watchdog has warned consumers in a North-East town to beware of unscrupulous sales agents operating in the area. Energywatch North East, the gas and electricity consumer watchdog, launched its Stop Now campaign at the start of the month. Complaints
A NORTH-EAST radio station is aiming to raise thousands of pounds for the Prince's Trust with a 38,000-ticket concert at the Gateshead Stadium on June 29. Galaxy 105-106 is promising a star-studded line-up and celebrity presenters for the Out There event
A PRIVATE health care company has announced plans to open a permanent clinic in the North-East offering separate vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella. Direct Health 2000, a London firm, is hoping to open the centre in the heart of Health Secretary
HOSPITAL managers have apologised to the family of a pensioner who lay dead for more than five hours while his distraught relatives were repeatedly assured he had not been admitted as a patient. The frantic family, who spent hours roaming the streets
Overseas trips for students TWO students from Darlington's Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College are busy fundraising to do voluntary work overseas in their gap year. Laura Howard, 17, from Darlington, will spend time with the Project Trust in South Africa
A BUSINESSMAN was beaten over the head with a baseball bat and robbed of his laptop computer and money at the weekend. A police spokesman said the victim, who has not been named, arrived at his home in Tweed Lane, South Stanley, at 7.30pm on Saturday,
THE Queen's golden jubilee is being celebrated in style by Women's Institute members in Witton-le-Wear. The 40 members of the Women's Institute group in the village, near Bishop Auckland, have paid £500 for a bench to serve as a permanent tribute to the
A LONG-RUNNING industrial dispute ended yesterday when employees voted to return to work. Workers at the Caterpillar plant, in Peterlee, County Durham, called off their action at a mass meeting in the face of increasingly hardline tactics from management
SIXTY years after prisoners of war were locked away on a secluded North-East hillside, an enterprising couple are hoping they can attract willing guests to spend some time there. Lisa and James McLeod want to turn Harperley Camp, in County Durham, into
GETTING fired up for a derby game shouldn't be a problem. But if Hartlepool United needed a slight gee-up it may have came at Bootham Crescent on Saturday. Pool went down to a Lee Nogan goal in a game they should have had wrapped up before half-time.
VOLUNTEERS aiming to improve facilities for village youngsters are pinning their hopes on winning grant aid. Committee members at Beckett recreation club, in Nawton, near Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire, have applied to National Lottery chiefs for £15,000
LABOUR members made an informal approach to controversial former detective Ray Mallon about standing as the party's candidate for mayor of Middlesbrough, it emerged last night. Senior local figures are understood to have contacted the detective at the
ELDERLY people have been warned to be on their guard after bogus callers tried to trick their way into homes. A pensioner called police after a man tried to bluff his way into her home in Carr Lane, York, recently. He claimed to be from the city council
DANGEROUS roads across the region have been named and shamed as some of the worst in Europe by a damning report. Drivers are dicing with death every day on some of the busiest routes throughout the North-East and North Yorkshire, the AA motoring organisation
TEENAGERS in a remote area of the North York Moors are being given cash help towards a youth project. Project X has been launched by parents and residents at Hackness, near Scarborough, in an attempt to benefit young people living in a string of isolated
A FORMER headteacher, who celebrates his 74th birthday today, is backing his old school's campaign to raise £25,000 in just over a week. Austin Brooks was the first headteacher of Longfield Comprehensive School, in Darlington, and worked there for more
THE future of a crime-busting spy camera system has become clearer after council chiefs announced plans to take over the successful scheme. Senior figures at Hambleton District Council want the authority's staff to have control over the monitoring of
BLAYDON followed their best performance of the season against Dudley Kingswinford with a poor display in a 19-10 defeat at Tynedale. Centre Jonny Golightly was among those who failed to recapture the previous week's form and there was no improvement when
LITTLE Melissa Morris barely flinches as a nurse injects her with a needle containing the rubella single vaccine. The two-year-old, from Darlington, is completely unaware of the controversy surrounding this moment and of the difficult decision that has
A GROUP of youngsters who saw a teenage girl only minutes before she was sexually assaulted could hold crucial evidence, police said yesterday. The 19-year-old was attacked near Westwood College, Scarborough, in the early hours of Friday morning. Detectives
PLANS to create an airport car park for more than 500 vehicles have met opposition. Cenargo, in Eaglescliffe, near Stockton, has applied to Stockton Borough Council for planning permission to create the secure car park for holidaymakers to use when flying
Golden Jubilee Sometime this year, A ceremony shall occur, Coronation time's long gone, We're now 50 years well on. All this time the Queen has reigned, Yet always worked and always gained. So now at this time we give her our thanks, We hand her a golden
MARTHA Mason was joined by a dozen grand-nephews and nieces from across the country as she celebrated her 100th birthday yesterday. Martha, of Brockwell Court Nursing Home, in Consett, was born in Beamish and married in Stanley. In the 1920s she moved
UP to a dozen energy-efficient homes look set to replace a row of old cottages and their adjoining paddock. Members of Hambleton District Council's development control committee have given the go-ahead to an application by Harewood Housing Society for
A GROUP of slimmers are celebrating the successful change of their company's name. The Slimfit Club was re-launched as Changes at the start of the year. To celebrate the name change, the founder members of the group stripped off and posed for an advertisement
FORMER University of Teesside student Doug Hewitson has graduated into the "perfect job" helping rural businesses recover from the foot-and-mouth crisis - thanks to an innovative work placement scheme. Bridges and Routes aims to retain graduates in the
HELP the Aged has donated £1,000 to a campaign to buy a special camera to help people with diabetes. An appeal by the South Durham Health Care Trust is hoping to raise £60,000 to buy a retinal photography system. The camera will make is easier to screen
A NEW community classroom is proving popular with students of all ages. The classroom, at Darlington's Eastbourne Comprehensive School's learning centre, is being run in partnership with Darlington College of Technology. It offers learning and courses
POLICE are treating as suspicious the cause of a fire which destroyed the living room of a house. The blaze ripped through the end-of-terrace house in Henderson Street, Darlington, early on Saturday morning. Two fire engines from Darlington and a third
MIDDLESBROUGH goal-hero Ugo Ehiogu believes finding the net more often will force him back into Sven Goran Eriksson's England plans. The 29-year-old centre-back, who scored his first of the season in Boro's 1-0 FA Cup success over Blackburn Rovers on
FIVE years ago Middlesbrough reached the FA Cup final when many fans thought their name was on the prestigious trophy - but dejection followed with defeat to Chelsea. This morning, after having time to reflect on events at the Riverside on Saturday, those
A nursing home that caused controversy when it was closed is back on the market for £245,000. Durham County Council was criticised of selling Holmfield House in Crook 'on the cheap' when it was sold for £68,000 at auction in Manchester and then put on
TEMPERS have flared in a confrontation between fishermen and their industry leaders over plans for new bylaws on fishing off the Yorkshire coast. Fred Normandale, chairman of Scarborough Inshore Fishermen's Society, demanded more trawlermen were appointed
A NEW shopping development in Stockton has been criticised for taking business away from the High Street. The Wellington Square complex, hailed as being the catalyst to revitalise Stockton's town centre, has left one part of town centre littered with
A DESIGN for an art train which it is hoped will make art more accessible to everyone could spell success for a North-East man. Kong Hoang, 22, of Marlsford Grove, Middlesbrough, who is studying interior design at the Hull School of Architecture, is one
REFUSE collectors employed by a North-East council have scooped up another top accolade after Government watchdogs found the service was the best they had seen. The Audit Commission's Best Value Service gave Gateshead Borough Council's combined refuse
Blaze hits block of flats A FIRE started by an unattended chip pan resulted in a block of flats being evacuated. Ten fire appliances and 45 firefighters were involved at the height of the blaze, at 4.15pm on Saturday, on the seventh floor of a 16-storey
There's a £25,000 bonus for any horse that wins the Collins Stewart National Spirit Hurdle over two and a half miles at Fontwell today then goes on to be placed in the stayers' hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. Although there's a disappointing turn-out
A store is hoping to turn unwanted jewellery into cash in aid of a national charity. Peterlee's new Asda superstore, in east Durham, is appealing for customers to take in any items of jewellery they do not want, in aid of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution
A NEW scheme in Hartlepool aimed at pensioners who often injure themselves on slippery surfaces and going up and down stairs is proving to be so popular that there is a waiting list. Staff from Endeavour Repaircare carry out safety checks when they carry
WEAR Valley swimmers will help to raise money for cancer charities next month. The pool at Woodhouse Close Leisure Complex, in Bishop Auckland, is one of 500 across the UK taking part in the BT Swimathon, from March 21 to 24. To enter, log on to the website
A MASTER plan is being drawn up to provide the framework for improving a deprived area of Newton Aycliffe. The West Ward area is ranked among the worst five per cent in England under a deprivation index. Sedgefield Borough Council is to commission a study
PLANS to erect a mobile phone mast look likely to be approved, despite the concerns of parents. BT Cellnet has applied to Stockton Borough Council for permission to site the 12.5m pole on the grass verge in Greens Lane, Hartburn, Stockton. A number of
POLICE are searching for a modern-day George Formby, after recovering a ukulele during a raid on a house. The mother-of pearl instrument was found in a property in Middlesbrough, along with a violin and thousands of pounds worth of gold jewellery. Police
PROPOSALS for a landfill site near a Ryedale village to be converted into a gas-powered electricity station have been unveiled. Methane gas from the dump at Thornton-le-Dale, near Pickering, could potentially generate electricity for the next 25 years
THE hit musical Cabaret is coming to Darlington's Art Centre. Darlington Operatic Youth Theatre will be performing the show from Wednesday, February 27, to Saturday, March 2. It is the third show to be staged by the youth theatre, which consists of 11
EDUCATION chiefs have warned they are prepared to take increasing numbers of parents to court if they fail to send their children to school. The tough reminder from education authority Durham County Council came after the mother of a ten-year-old pupil
EDUCATION chiefs have warned that they are prepared to take increasing numbers of parents to court if they fail to send their children to school. The tough reminder from Durham County Council's education authority came after the mother of a ten-year-old
A PRACTICAL joke has turned a North-East man into an overnight singing sensation with a growing army of fans. As a bit of joke, John Davies and Joe Smyth decided to put amateur crooner Fintan O'Rourke on a website, called MP3.com. The website, which allows
A MUSICAL concert is to be held at a North-East museum this month. The Music at the Bowes concert will be held at the Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, in County Durham, on February 24, and will feature choral music by Edinburgh's Cadenza mixed voice choir
AN initiative to improve services for older people in Darlington is to be officially launched this month. The Growing Older in Darlington strategy was set up after a year-long consultation exercise involving more than 500 people aged over 50. The public
A FAN of the Royal family has discovered a sketch she made of Princess Margaret as a child. Gladys Tomlinson, from Darlington, decided to make a sketch of the princess after she saw a picture of her in The Northern Echo, in 1935. The 84-year-old has made
China's orphanages are struggling to cope with millions of abandoned children. Women's Editor CHRISTEN PEARS meets a North-East mother who adopted a Chinese orphan. SITTING on the floor, watching a Sooty video together, Suzanna and Catherine Wallis seem
MORE than 600 nursery school places could be created in the most deprived areas of County Durham. Durham County Council is getting £3.7m from the Government's Neighbourhood Nurseries Initiative, which aims to help people and groups set up nurseries in
Q: I remember the severe winter of 1963. Is it true that it froze every night for three months? - LD Wilson. A: I have spoken to the meteorological office and, while they have not been able to confirm the details of your memory with precision, the winter
CAMPAIGNERS fighting to save imperial measurements will today learn the long-awaited outcome of a High Court battle waged by the so-called metric martyrs. Five market traders who faced legal action will find out whether they have the right to ditch the
WITH players being forced to play out of position in a patched-up side picked from the remaining fit members of the squad, Darlington's trip to promotion-chasing Mansfield was always going to be tough and so it proved. Although Quakers displayed plenty
A SERVICE which would enable vulnerable patients to monitor their health at home is to be launched. Sedgefield Borough Council is hoping to work in partnership with Yorkshire company Tunstall to provide the community telemedicine initiative. The scheme
THE volcano that is Cleveland Police erupted again over the weekend showering the landscape with clouds of dust and accusations but, once more, shedding no light whatsoever. The Observer newspaper printed incredibly detailed allegations against former
A MASTER plan is being drawn up to provide the framework for improving a deprived area of Newton Aycliffe. The West Ward area is ranked among the worst five per cent in England under a deprivation index. Sedgefield Borough Council is to commission a study
MIDDLESBROUGH manager Steve McClaren is reassessing his options after Muzzy Izzet rejected a £6m move to the Riverside. Izzet told McClaren on Friday night that he had chosen to stay at Filbert Street, despite a bumper pay rise on offer for the midfielder
IT is a traditional picture of rural charm sheep peacefully nibbling grass on moorland roadside verges. But a more sinister side to the woollies of the Durham Dales has been revealed - as ruthless killers. A sharp-eyed ornithologist has discovered that
AN innovative service for drug and alcohol addicts in the Sedgefield area has been relaunched. The High Street Project offers health advice and support for people abusing drugs and alcohol. It includes counselling and detox services, a needle exchange
THE wishes of generations of people have come true as part of the £1.4m redevelopment of a park. Builders restoring Blackhill Park, in Consett, County Durham, have repaired the park's famous wishing stone, which has been broken in two for years. Now the
FORMER Commonwealth Games marathon bronze medallist Mark Hudspith anchored Morpeth Harriers to a hat-trick of victories in the Royal Signals North-East Road Relay Championships. He then set himself the target of qualifying for one of this summer's major
SUNDERLAND manager Peter Reid is casting a worldwide net for new players - but he has also acted quickly to tie down two of his young stars. Goalkeeper Michael Ingham and defender George McCartney, who were called up by Northern Ireland for last week's
A girl whose birthday was ruined by burglars has been given a party to remember. Scott and Victoria Hillary, of Mister Twister, of Consett, offered to put on the special occasion free after reading of nine-year-old Bethany Quinn's plight. Bethany, of
UNION leaders have called on the Government to give an extra £45m to One NorthEast to help tackle the North-South divide. In a 40-page document published today, urging the Chancellor to unveil a £990m package of measures in the Budget to boost industry
THESE days, women have it all - or so we are led to believe. Nicola Horlick was held up as a shining example and nicknamed superwoman for the way she managed to combine her high-flying career in the City with bringing up a young family. But, according
PLANS to expand a seaside resort's conservation area will be discussed today. Hartlepool Borough Council's policy scrutiny forum will consider proposals to alter the boundaries of the Seaton Carew Conservation Area. The expansion, if approved, will lead
KEVIN KEEGAN returned to Newcastle and gave Bobby Robson the type of fright he can do without at the age of 69 as ten-man Manchester City took the Magpies all the way in a nail-biting FA Cup fifth-round tie at St. James' Park. The prodigal Keegan did
A TINY dales community, steeped in the history of Methodism, has been paying a musical tribute to the founder of the religion, John Wesley. This year sees the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the first visit by Wesley to Upper Weardale, in County
A NEW shopping development in Stockton has been criticised for taking business away from the High Street. The Wellington Square complex, hailed as being the catalyst to revitalise Stockton's town centre, has left one part of town centre littered with
CLEVELAND POLICE THE shenanigans at Cleveland Police beggar belief. The comings and goings would be turned off by a disbelieving audience if they were part of a soap opera. They could not even be portrayed as a pantomime for children. They would not believe
VISITORS from all over the region took the chance yesterday for a peek at one of its hidden gems. Members of Greatham in Bloom and the village's Hospital of God, near Hartlepool, joined forces to give visitors the chance to see the thousands of snowdrops
PLANS for siting a giant commemorative cross have been given the go-ahead by the North York Moors National Park Authority - but only on the casting vote of its chairman, Philip Shaw. The cross is due to be erected in memory of the late Cardinal Basil
THE father of a deaf charity worker, jailed in India for possession of drugs, fears his son could die in prison after reports that his health was declining seriously. Ian Stillman, who ran a support group for deaf people in the country for 25 years, is
STUDENTS at the Hartlepool College of Further Education were honoured during the annual celebration of achievement evening. Hartlepool MP Peter Mandelson was guest of honour at the ceremony, which recognised academic achievement and outstanding contribution
PLANS to extend a cemetery and create a woodland burial site on Teesside look likely to be approved. Councillors on Stockton Borough Council's planning committee meet on Friday to discuss the plans for Thornaby Cemetery. It is proposed to extend the existing
A VIOLENT period of history was brought back to life at the weekend as the Vikings returned to the region. In east Cleveland, visitors to the Kirkleatham Old Hall Museum, Redcar, were invited to step back in time as re-enactment group Anmod Dracan demonstrated
Restrictions are to be introduced at the gateway to a world heritage site, despite traders' objections. Following consultations with residents and businesses, Durham County Council has announced plans to introduce a £2 access charge in Saddler Street,
THERE was no elation, not even relief for Kevan Oliphant when he landed a tricky conversion with the last kick of the game to heap more agony on his old teammates on Saturday. "I don't know what to feel," said the Mowden Park player-coach after his kick
NURSING home staff who won their company's monthly raffle are handing the £500 prize to charity. Employees at the Westminster Home, High Grange Avenue, Billingham, have chosen the Huntingdon's Disease Association and Breast Cancer Care to receive £250
SIXTY years after prisoners of war were locked away on a secluded North-East hillside, an enterprising couple are hoping they can attract willing guests to spend some time there. Lisa and James McLeod want to turn Harperley Camp, in County Durham, into
Learn lesson of school run POLICE will this week highlight the risks associated with dropping-off children at school. Operation Travelwise will focus on a number of schools in Gateshead, Sunderland and Washington. Police officers will be outside the schools
DURHAM City Council is launching a scheme to find out what people think of its services. A people's panel, called Viewpoint, is being set up to give officials a clearer idea of community needs. Panel members will answer questionnaires and will be kept
