VILLAGE halls in the Darlington borough could close because the council has decided to withdraw funding. Grants have been given annually to village halls since before Darlington Borough Council became a unitary authority. The money, from the council's
THE disgraced farmer at the centre of last year's £8bn foot-and-mouth crisis will be allowed to keep £50,000 Government compensation, it was confirmed last night. Bobby Waugh was banned from keeping farm animals for 15 years by a court yesterday and was
A FORMER council leader picked up a 4ft drain rod to fend off a masked robber wielding a machete, a court was told this week. Eric Turner arrived at his family-run sub-post office in Hamsterley Colliery, near Consett, to find two masked men threatening
IT is a schmaltzy story worthy of 1940s Hollywood, but unlike those silver-screen feel-good tales, this one is completely true. It originally looked like a tear-jerker when Odo the gibbon was abandoned by his mother just moments after his birth earlier
A PENSIONER has had his jaw broken by a bogus policeman. The victim was given a severe beating when he tried to stop the conman and an accomplice entering his home in Normanby, near Middlesbrough, in the early hours of yesterday, said Cleveland Police
THE first of a new wave of Spanish GPs arrive in the region on Monday as part of an NHS recruitment drive. The influx of foreign GPs follows agreement between the British and Spanish governments to increase the NHS medical workforce. It follows a recruitment
Esh Winning face a critical test of their The Readers Durham County League championship credentials when they host table-topping Evenwood this afternoon. Victory for Esh is essential if they are to close in on their rivals and a repeat of the form they
TRAINING matters may have to go before a council's new scrutiny committee in future in the wake of a controversy over an adventure training trip for 11 senior executives. Richmondshire District Council has had to fend off criticism since it emerged that
A PROJECT to install large steel artworks at five major recreation sites has been launched by the Great North Forest. The Greenheart project aims to celebrate the sites' transformation from previously derelict land into new green gateways to the countryside
That nothing is certain in cricket was vividly illustrated on Thursday night when leaders Guisborough and second-top Saltburn crashed out of the prestigious Kerridge Cup. Today, the pair lick their wounds while victors Normanby Hall and Marske are jubilant
PERSONNEL from the police dog section at RAF Leeming have been doing their bit to help some of their less fortunate canine friends. They have become the proud sponsors of a new puppy pen at the Jerry Green Dog Sanctuary, near Thirsk. The section donated
A VILLAGE'S pit banner is due to make its first appearance at the Durham Miners' Gala in 63 years. Privately-owned Browney Colliery, near Durham City, closed in 1938, but the lodge banner was paraded at the Big Meeting the year after. The banner is now
A PROJECT to install large steel artworks at five major recreation sites has been launched by the Great North Forest. The Greenheart project aims to celebrate the sites' transformation from previously derelict land into new green gateways to the countryside
YEARS of tramping tourists, pilgrims and the occasional vampire dog have taken their toll on one of the most recognisable landmarks in the region. Restoration is now required on the 199 Church Stairs at Whitby, leading from the harbourside to St Mary's
Darren Gough will end his four-month injury nightmare by making a dramatic return for England at his home ground of Headingley on Tuesday. Gough is in line to face Sri Lanka in Leeds in England's third NatWest Series one-day international after proving
TWO men who fled half way across the world to avoid prison were finally both jailed for two years yesterday. Anthony Breslin, 24, and Paul Brady, 23, returned from Australia after their 12 months' working trip and surrendered to Cleveland Police. A judge
A £600,000 town square which symbolised the rebirth of a rundown railway community has earned a planning award. The square in Shildon is the centrepiece of a £17m regeneration programme led by Sedgefield Borough Council. Council leader Brian Stephens
YOUNGSTERS at Eldon Lane Primary School have won a Healthy Schools Award. Staff at the school have been working closely with Wear Valley District Council's Healthy Schools co-ordinator, Lynn Wilson, to achieve the award, which was recently presented to
THE Northern Echo's Job Fair 2002 was a huge success yesterday, providing hundreds of people with career opportunities and advice. The exhibition, which has been running for eight years, was held for the first time at Blackwell Grange Hotel, Grange Road
MELANIE Fordham has been appointed director of commissioning and performance with Sedgefield Primary Care Trust. Mrs Fordham joined the NHS in 1984 and has worked in south Durham for eight years, most recently as director of planning and commissioning
SCHOOL SHOW: An audience of 200 enjoyed a performance of Stan The Man by year five pupils at Crook Primary School on Wednesday. Children taking part were: Nathan Clement, Jacob Orris, Stephen Amos, Louise Abbott, Alice Holden, Emma Toogood, Joseph Addison
LABOUR'S three-seat majority on Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council remains unchanged after a by-election. Liberal Democrat Bill Goodwill has been elected to the seat in the St Germain's ward, Marske, by just 12 votes. Mr Goodwill polled 599 votes in
Police have warned of expected traffic delays at Newcastle Racecourse, Gosforth today and tomorrow. Delays on the A1 and A1056 Sandy Lane area, could have a knock-on effect to the A1 north and south, Brunton Park, Wide Open and Gosforth area, both before
IT is clear to everyone that the company operating the Gala Theatre failed to deliver on its contract. The city council will take all available steps to pursue money owed to it. The council is examining every aspect of the business it has inherited, from
A STRUGGLING co-operative society has agreed a merger with one of the most successful independent groups in the country. Stanhope and Weardale Co-operative Society, in County Durham, which was founded in 1865, has agreed to merge with the Penrith Co-op
A YOUNG people's charity has helped two women set up businesses in the same street. Dianne Pearson, 29, and Sarah Emery, 19, have found their niches thanks to the business start-up programme of The Prince's Trust, which helps more than 400 young North-East
AN annual triathlon is on course for another success. Organisers are confident all 250 places on this year's North Yorkshire Police event, in Ripon, will be taken by the time competitors line up for the start at the city's racecourse on Saturday, July
THE brother of a man killed as part of a sick "game" is to make a radio appeal for the killer's sentence to be lengthened. Father-of-two Paul Simpson died last year after being punched in the face which caused him to fall backwards and hit his head on
RICHMOND Castle will double as a stage tomorrow night when the Norman ruin becomes an imposing backdrop for a performance of Shakespeare's As You Like It, which features Andrew Crabb and Morag Brownlie as Orlando and Rosalind. Theatre Set Up promises
RICHMOND residents are being offered a glimpse behind the scenes of the town's Freemasons lodge this weekend. Lennox Lodge holds its first open day today and tomorrow, with public tours of the historic building from 9.30am. Masons will also be available
PEOPLE living in the Redcar area are falling prey to unscrupulous offers of benefit advice. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's community legal service partnership has discovered that some individuals and agencies are offering an advice service to
COUNCIL house tenants in Stockton are being given the chance to make a difference. Tristar Homes, Stockton Borough Council's new arm's-length management company responsible for the maintenance and management of its 14,000 council housing stock, is launching
A GROUP from Redcar and Cleveland has been flying the flag in Germany. The borough's twinning association has visited its twin town of Troisdorf to bear the gift of a banner. Troisdorf has five other twin towns and wanted a flag from each one to adorn
A HOTEL is preparing to celebrate all things American on July 4. Seaham Hall Hotel has extended an invitation to everyone to help it mark American Independence Day. The festivities will be held between 7.30pm and 11pm when food and drink from the US will
THE blooming health of former pit sites has provided inspiration for a flowerbed competition. Chester-le-Street District Council has submitted an entry to a national flower show for councils. Entitled Sunset on our Mining Past, it is designed to reflect
A TOWN is to celebrate its heritage with a cast of hundreds, including 250 schoolchildren, a pop idol finalist and a little help from Dr Who. A day-long festival has been planned for Chester-le-Street next Saturday, to promote the town's heritage. It
A NEW director has been appointed to two health bodies to oversee their financial management. John Anderson is to be director of finance and commissioning for Derwentside Primary Care Trust and Durham and Chester-le-Street Primary Care Trust. He will
A VERY public row has flared between three of North Durham's most senior Labour figures after an MP called for the abolition of two local authorities within his constituency. MP Kevan Jones described Derwentside District Council as being "about as popular
OUTWARDLY they look nothing special. You could easily walk straight past without a clue as to what lies beyond the mirrored glass shop window. The restrictions on sex shops are many and stringently enforced. A store selling pornographic material must
A sparkling double century from Darren Lehmann against Sussex at Arundel yesterday led Yorkshire out of a crisis and into a potentially match-winning situation. Yorkshire knew that they needed a big innings from their captain if they were to turn the
THE official rail passengers' watchdog for the North-East has condemned the quality of local rail services in the region. It told MPs that a lack of staff, trains and other facilities has made services unreliable and punctuality poor. The regional Rail
A SERIES of highways schemes in North Yorkshire have been given a provisional go-ahead and could now be carried out over the next eight years. However, three long-awaited bypass schemes have been dropped from the schedule because of fears that funding
EARLIER this season Newcastle-bound Armagnac had more noughts against his name than a David Beckman pay cheque, but now the four-year-old is beginning to find the target, a decent prize beckons in the £30,000 the Tote Scoop6 Northern Sprint. Since trainer
PROVIDED the rain stays away, long-distance raider Zibeline (3.20) is worth an each-way punt in this afternoon's Foster's Lager Northumberland Plate. "He's a good horse as long as the ground is reasonably fast," said trainer Rod Millman from his Devon
A MOTHER was jailed yesterday for poisoning her baby with potentially lethal amounts of salt. Rebecca Graham, 20, who admitted cruelty to a child, made her newborn girl ill for at least three months while doctors struggled to discover what was wrong.
STUDENTS Sam Kennedy, 16, and 17-year-olds Sam Prior, Matthew Barlow and Emma Gallon, of Prior Pursglove College, Guisborough, have been invited to perform at the Royal Festival Hall, London, next month. They make up the Priory Ensemble and one of two
A HOTEL is preparing to celebrate all things American on July 4. Seaham Hall Hotel has extended an invitation to everyone to help it mark American Independence Day. The festivities will be held between 7.30pm and 11pm when food and drink from the US will
St Joseph's Roman Catholic church in Stanley, ministered to by only three priests in 100 years, has celebrated its centenary with an overflowing service. STANLEY is much changed since the days of men and mines and municipal middens. For one thing, the
As the number of soap episodes increases, so does the pressure on the stars. Now some are feeling the strain and are finding that soapland can be an unhealthy place to be. BEING a soap star, like cigarettes, can damage your health. As TV executives increasingly
Turkey have claimed third place after beating co-hosts South Korea 3-1 in Daegu. Hakan Sukur's goal after just 11 seconds will go down in the history books as the fastest ever goal in the World Cup finals. The Parma striker, whose place was under threat
As the number of soap episodes increases, so does the pressure on the stars. Now some are feeling the strain and are finding that soapland can be an unhealthy place to be. BEING a soap star, like cigarettes, can damage your health. As TV executives increasingly
NORTH-EAST Big Brother contestant Jonny Regan survived the latest eviction from the Channel 4 house last night. Viewers had to choose between the 29-year-old firefighter from Trimdon, County Durham, and Sophie Pritchard, a 25-year-old recruitment consultant
THE former wife of racehorse owner David Cecil watched in horror as her dog was shot dead at her doorstep by a farmer who claimed it had attacked his sheep, a court heard. Vanessa Cecil said she was left numb with shock when Raymond Flintoft blasted her
HUNDREDS of scarecrows will be among the crowds heading to Croft on Tees, near Darlington this weekend for St Peter's Festival. The third annual scarecrow exhibition is the highlight of the two-day event, at St Peter's Church. Scarecrows of all shapes
A BODY recovered from the River Tees yesterday afternoon has been confirmed as that of 18-year-old Christopher Shaw. His body was seen by a passer-by near the Millennium Bridge, in Stockton - only several hundred yards from where he was last seen alive
NORTH-East Lottery players are being urged to check their tickets after it emerged that a jackpot of £711,607 had not been claimed. The winning ticket was bought in the Sunderland area almost a month ago. It bears all six numbers drawn in the Saturday
It's the closest relationship in nature - the love between a mother and child. So what could cause a mother to poison and risk the very life of her new-born baby? Chris Webber reports. A MOTHER hears her baby cry, cry with a desperate pain and gnawing
A SICK dog, who has failed to live up to his name, is desperate for a new home. Lucky, a border collie-cross, has had problems all his life. He was abandoned by his original owners and then ended up with a family who decided they could not look after
A NORTH-East factory will be boosted by a £90m order to provide engines for Spanish planes, it was revealed yesterday. Rolls Royce has announced that it has won the order for three planes flown by the national airline Iberia. It will supply Trent 500
A TEENAGER who has not let autism hold him back has been chosen as a runner for the Queen's Jubilee Baton Relay. Andrew Watson, who attends Beaumont Hill Technology College, in Darlington, was nominated for the honour because he has overcome his difficulties
A BUST of the Roman emperor Hadrian has taken pride of place at the famous wall which bears his name. He ordered the building of the wall when he visited Britain in AD122. Now his likeness can be seen at Chesters Roman Fort on Hadrian's Wall, near Chollerford
DURHAM University chancellor Sir Peter Ustinov was presented with a prize-winning photograph of himself yesterday. Sir Peter, who was at Durham Cathedral for the university's final summer graduation ceremonies, received the gift from Mike Urwin, photographer
A MOTORCYCLIST missing from home for two days was found dead in a ditch by a country lane early yesterday. Kevin Dixon's body was found near his machine in the ditch by Moor Lane, near York, between the villages of Murton and Stockton-on-the-Forest, at
It's a bit of a milestone for our benefits expert John Gordon this week. His 250th advice column is below. Mr Gordon worked for the Department of Social Security in the North-East for 35 years. For the past five years he has advised readers of The Northern
SCORES of North Yorkshire villages, struggling to raise cash to renovate community halls, have been dealt a blow. A budget of just £70,000 has been earmarked by the county council to provide grant aid for this year, but the amount being sought is £319,439
A NEW man is taking over the reins of the police in the Hambleton area of North Yorkshire. Chief Inspector Tim Madgwick is to become the Hambleton district coordinator from the end of July, taking over from Chief Inspector Gary Clarke, who is to become
BUDDING fashion designers have been given a chance to show off their designs on the catwalk at the region's top agricultural event, the Great Yorkshire Show. Models from the Louise Morton Model Agency will be stepping out in garments created by students
A DISQUALIFIED driver who police caught driving three times avoided jail yesterday for the sake of his young family. The fiancee and nine-month-old baby of scaffolder Tony Carter, of Middlesbrough, would lose their home if he was sent to prison, said
WARNINGS have been issued to caravan owners after a spate of thefts. Crook Police said five caravans have been stolen from the area this month. Sergeant Billy Hugill said: "We are asking people to be extra vigilant and keep an eye out for suspicious characters
JOBLESS Geordie Adam Brown has just received a Government grant to make it in his chosen profession - as a wrestler. In perhaps the most unusual career change ever organised by the local JobCentre, the 23-year-old has now quit his native North-East to
LIBERAL Democrats have hit back after being criticised for speculating about the future of Darlington College of Technology. The party has recently distributed questionnaires to people living near the college's Cleveland Avenue campus suggesting plans
A GREAT-GREAT grandmother will celebrate her 100th birthday surrounded by her family today. Elizabeth Elmes will celebrate at a tea party with her daughter, Mary Sowerby, and son-in-law Frank, grandson Charles Simpson and great-grandchildren, at Castle
BRESCIA are attempting to lure Paul Ince back to Italy as the former England midfielder prepares to quit Middlesbrough. The Serie A side want the Boro skipper to take over the mantle of Spanish star Josep Guardiola, who is bound for rivals Roma. Ince
IT would be easy to make Bobby Waugh the scapegoat for last year's foot-and-mouth epidemic. His Northumberland farm was one of the first sites to be infected, and the pigs were reared in appalling conditions. There would not be an outcry had the judge
Burnmoor apporoach the halfway stage in the season as the only unbeaten side. They entertain Boldon today without the services of yet another main strike bowler. Several weeks ago Des Beach was sidelined and still remains unfit. Today the Moors are minus
WHAT could be the final death knell for railway manufacturing in York was sounded yesterday with the announcement that Thrall Europa is to close down. At its height, the industry was the biggest employer in the city, with thousands working at the old
A COUNCIL-RUN sheltered housing complex has been relaunched following an extensive refurbishment. Residents of Oak Tree Court, Colburn, now have homes decorated to their own tastes, as well as new kitchens and private bathrooms. The opening ceremony was
A THOUGHT-PROVOKING exhibition in Hartlepool will turn the spotlight on the horrors of religious intolerance over the ages. Called Loss of Face, it uses photographs to show how the images of saints and angels on medieval artwork were later defaced because
SKIPPER Jon Lewis yesterday insisted that his young players must heed the lessons of the biggest defeat in Durham's first-class history. All out for 215 in their second innings at Worcester, they lost by an innings and 308 runs to erase from the record
A POLICE officer from the Durham force was appearing in court this Friday after an alleged assault on a drinker outside a Newcastle pub. DC John Beresford, who is based in the Derwentside division, was among three off-duty Durham officers interviewed
THE region's new spinal injuries unit is finally open to patients. Built at a cost of £6m, the North Of England Spinal Cord Injuries Centre at the James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, has unrivalled facilities. Asked where the most modern
Demolition expert Blaster Bates will talk about his experiences at Darlington's Arts Centre on Wednesday, at 8pm. Tickets are available on (01325) 486555. ROSY OUTLOOK: Nancy Wells will demonstrate how to exhibit roses at Sedgefield Garden Society's meeting
A MAYOR donned sunglasses to show his support for a national campaign. Councillor Peter Gibson, the City of Sunderland's mayor, put on his shades to advertise the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association's Shades for a Day campaign. The national campaign
A TRIO of young musicians have returned to their roots for a concert at Middlesbrough Theatre. The performance by the Fenice Trio, formed in 1998 by pianist Stephen Ridley, of Redcar, cellist Martin Johnson, of Yarm, and violinist David Spencer, of Guisborough
I WOKE in the middle of the night. I was panicking. It was Sunday tomorrow and I hadn't cut the front lawn. I hadn't weeded the dandelions from between the cobbles in the path. I hadn't cut down the dead daffodil stems yet. There was couch grass creeping
OH, deer! Now you see them, now you don't. That is the problem for visitors to Stewart Park, Middlesbrough, trying to catch a glimpse of two newly-born fallow fawns. The two bambis have been driven by instinct and their protective parents to hide in the
OFFICIALS say a new scheme that allows disabled people to buy private care is proving popular. More than 120 social services clients have taken advantage of Direct Payments introduced by Durham County Council in January. Under the scheme, the council
STUDENTS Sam Kennedy, 16, and 17-year-olds Sam Prior, Matthew Barlow and Emma Gallon, of Prior Pursglove College, Guisborough, have been invited to perform at the Royal Festival Hall, London, next month. They make up the Priory Ensemble and one of two
ITEMS including jewellery, textiles, art and chocolate will be on sale during a city's summer festival. Durham Town Hall will be the venue for the City of Durham Summer Festival 2002, from 9.30am to 5.30pm, next weekend. Eurocrafts (Northumbria) will
A NEW east Durham police station has opened its doors for business. The Seaham station is the base for 50 officers working in and around the town and is situated next to the roundabout linking The Graham Way, The Avenue and New Strangford Road. It became
A COUNCIL has defended its nature-friendly approach to the upkeep of churchyards and cemeteries, which has angered many families. Wear Valley District Council has adopted a "sympathetic to wildlife" approach to churchyard maintenance in a bid to create
Demolition expert Blaster Bates will talk about his experiences at Darlington's Arts Centre on Wednesday, at 8pm. Tickets are available on (01325) 486555. ROSY OUTLOOK: Nancy Wells will demonstrate how to exhibit roses at Sedgefield Garden Society's meeting
A CAMPAIGN is to be launch-ed to tackle a spiralling homeless problem on Teesside. One charity claims the number of people sleeping rough and asking its help is already in the hundreds and rising. The Teesside Homeless Action Group said between 240 and
Their paths to the top have been unconventional - even downright bizarre. One was vilified by his people simply for not picking a 36-year-old striker. The other replaced a man who was tainted by accusations of taking cocaine, then had to survive his country's
A DRUNKEN care worker who went berserk on a packed holiday jet forcing the pilot to make an unscheduled landing was jailed for four months yesterday. Charlotte Davies, 31, who downed rum and Ribena to combat her dread of flying, lashed out at her boyfriend
ART experts have been enlisted by police to help to track down an oil painting of a mystery woman worth thousands of pounds. The painting, titled Portrait of a Lady, was one of several items stolen from a large detached house on the outskirts of Tanfield
NEWCASTLE United last night offered an olive branch to Olivier Bernard and issued a "hands off'' warning to rival clubs after a Premier League tribunal blocked the Frenchman's move to West Ham. Bernard had signed a pre-contract with the Hammers and vowed
I WOKE in the middle of the night. I was panicking. It was Sunday tomorrow and I hadn't cut the front lawn. I hadn't weeded the dandelions from between the cobbles in the path. I hadn't cut down the dead daffodil stems yet. There was couch grass creeping
Philadelphia suffered a double whammy this week when they were refused permission to register Simon Brown as a Durham contracted player and wicketkeeper Phil Empson sustained a fractured thumb. Brown made it known a couple of weeks ago that he would like
