DURHAM coach Martyn Moxon yesterday pleaded for patience as he pursues what he remains convinced is a very bright future for the club. In his second season with Durham after quitting Yorkshire, Moxon has reached the halfway stage with his team propping
Q With benefits my rent is reduced to £26.25 a week and my council tax to £26 a month. I have Disability Living Allowance (DLA) of £215.90 a month, Incapacity Benefit of £80.45 a week, a monthly works pension of £114.27 and £2,500 in savings. As two of
A SECOND phase of works to improve parking and ease traffic congestion on a Hartlepool estate has been given the go-ahead. More grass verges are to be converted into vehicle bays in Clavering Road to tackle long-running problems posed by roadside parking
FIRMS are helping open a new chapter in learning for little ones. Businesses and local organisations are sponsoring the making of story sacks for nursery and reception children at Saltburn Infants School. Nursery teacher Jen Leaver said: "They are absolutely
THOUSANDS of visitors are expected to flock to Redcar Rugby Club tomorrow for the Corus Teesside gala. The event, now in its 26th year, will feature an aerobatic stunt plane show, a riverside gymnastics display team, and a float procession created by
EXPERTS have confirmed what hayfever sufferers have known for weeks - that the region is under a sustained attack from high pollen levels. According to the UK National Pollen Network, the region has experienced virtually no relief since the beginning
TEAMS of potential engineers have taken part in a challenge to design and build model bridges from straw. Pupils aged 11 and 12 years from schools in Stanley, gathered at Tanfield Comprehensive School, to take part in the event organised by the County
A TRANSPORT scheme has taken a leaf out of the Italians' book by employing a fleet of mopeds to combat rural isolation. The cheap and cheerful choice of transport for most Europeans, the moped is now the centre piece of an innovative scheme to increase
THE NORTH-EAST'S newest film company held its world premiere at Newcastle's Opera House for a movie which cost just £1,500 to make. Making Tea For The Mob is a 12-minute short by FNA Films, the region's latest film-making collective, which operates on
JOHN Kennedy has scooped £1,000 for Gatehead's Deckham Community Centre after being rewarded at the WHSmith Chief Executive's Community Awards in London. Mr Kennedy, who works for WHSmith News, received the accolade for volunteer work with the centre,
LONGSTANDING friendship has inspired school staff to join a national fundraising event in aid of Cancer Research UK. When the national Race for Life visits Darlington's South Park on July 14, a group of 21 teachers and parents from St Charles RC Primary
A PRIMARY school in Darlington has been presented with two sports kits after entering a national competition. The Ariel Stains and Science Schools Programme challenged youngsters to design the best washing tablet. The entry by year six at Holy Family
AFTER the Party in the Palace comes a Northern extravaganza - the Party in the Park. For the first time, the gates of Ripley Castle near Harrogate, North Yorkshire, the home of Sir Thomas Ingilby, are being thrown open to thousands of young pop fans.
New Age Kurling is coming to Stanley. The Rotary Club of Stanley has been awarded £3,500 from the Neighbourhood Renewal Community Chest to buy 16 sets of New Age Kurling stones. The game, which unlike ice curling can be played on any solid floor, can
Life-sized puppets have been helping to launch a summer of fun. The puppets were made from recycled materials and animated by pupils from the primary school at Thornton-le-Dale, near Pickering, North Yorkshire. Puppet-making is one of a wide range of
TWO tour operators have announced they will be flying to more destinations from the region. From next summer, Thomas Cook Tour Operations, which also runs jmc and Sunset, is offering holidays to Dalaman, Turkey, from Tees-side Airport. From next winter
A DISEASED ash tree in the grounds of a school is being given a new lease of life as a piece of sculpture. The tree, at Thornton-le-Dale village school, is to become the focal point of a story-telling area after David Gross a sculpture from Seaham, County
A FORMER public toilet in a moorland village has been reopened following a campaign by villagers, a Women's Institute (WI), and a pub landlord. The toilet, adjoining the Mitre Tavern at Glaisdale, in the North York Moors National Park, has been closed
THE drive for cash to pay for a new skate park in Richmond is off the mark with an £8,000 grant from the district's community safety team. The organisation has dipped into a budget set aside to help cover the cost of initiatives that could stop young
David Harker diplomatically did not want to talk about Headingley, yet it was impossible not to compare and contrast the Riverside with the beleaguered Leeds venue. "Headingley was unfortunate but we don't pay too much attention to the other grounds,"
TRAINEE accountant Steven Hepples just failed to complete a hat-trick of AAA national 5,000m titles after finding himself in a race against the clock before the championships began. The reigning North Yorkshire and South Durham Harrier League champion
DARLINGTON police have been asked to take action after reports of prostitution and drugs use in the town centre. Taxi drivers have found people taking drugs in public lavatories in the Market Square, and some drivers have been asked to take fares to two
EDUCATION on the North Yorkshire coast has received a boost with the news that two leading schools have been granted specialist status. Whitby Community College and Scalby School, in Scarborough, have been named technology colleges. Their success will
A ROW has broken out in a North-East village over plans to build a bigger incinerator for burning animal carcasses. Some residents claim the furnace would create excessive noise, smell and traffic in the village of Charltons, near Guisborough. But Ted
THERE'S been a gas leak in our street this week. It's made sensational viewing and, having interviewed numerous shell-shocked eye-witnesses, I can now reveal how the drama unfolded. First, some men turned up and created a tiny pile of soil by digging
BRITAIN'S biggest nerd could be used to promote a job-starved North-East dale in the wake of a cement works closure. An unpublished consultant's report drawn up for a task force looking for ways of reviving beautiful Weardale, in County Durham, refers
HARTLEPOOL United's annual celebrity-am welcomes football and entertainment stars from across the country tomorrow. The competition has swapped venues this year from Seaton Carew to Hartlepool Golf Club and starts at 10am, with the final pairs teeing
Left-back Alex Higgans will arrive for a trial with Darlington on Monday and should feature in Quakers' first friendly of the summer against North Shields 24 hours later. The 20-year-old left-back was released by Queens Park Rangers last November where
Norton, who upset the form book in a big way when they defeated Chester-le-Street last weekend, aim to produce another winning performance today against third-top Gateshead Fell and move off the bottom of the table in the process. It was a struggle for
SCHOOL governors and teachers across the region breathed a sigh of relief last night after two former pupils who claimed their lives were made hell by bullies failed in their attempt to win damages. Caroline Newby and Jamie Bright, now both 20, suffered
LONGSTANDING friendship has inspired school staff to join a national fundraising event in aid of Cancer Research UK. When the national Race for Life visits Darlington's South Park on July 14, a group of 21 teachers and parents from St Charles RC Primary
A BIZARRE memento of Captain Cook may have been discovered. Relatives of the explorer might be DNA tested to find out if a 220-year-old arrow is made from the adventurer's bone. Generations of schoolchildren have been taught that Cook, born at Marton,
A TALENTED young athlete will compete against youngsters a year older than herself after storming to victory in three qualifying competitions. Ashley Maddison will take part in the year nine discus event at the All-England School Athletics Championships
A CHILDREN'S club is being set up at the Darlington Railway Museum and Centre, in a bid to boost visitor numbers. Staff at the museum hope the weekend activities for children will encourage more people to visit the attraction. A grant of £8,850 has been
HE'S still standing after all these years and Sir Elton John's army of fans has no intention of letting the sun go down on pop's most productive career. From youngsters barely aware of the words to his last hit single, I Want Love, to fans whose memories
An amateur golfer bagged a hole-in-one twice in three days after throwing away his glasses. Peter Davies, 50, has worn specs for 40 years and for 25 years has been a frustrated golfer. But just days after returning to the golf course following laser surgery
A FOUR-LEGGED friend has been specially trained to save its disabled owner's life. Anton has been nicknamed "Wonderdog" by his owner, Carol Goodman, who lives in sheltered accommodation in Darlington. Miss Goodman, who is in her 60s, relies on her electric
A PRIMARY school teacher faces a possible prison sentence after admitting downloading child pornography on his home computer. Martin Andre Pauc's career is in ruins after his arrest late last year when police investigators found images under such headings
A FORMER headteacher of St Francis Xavier RC school in Richmond will become a permanent deacon in the Roman Catholic Church today. The ordination, the first at the town's St Joseph and St Francis Xavier church for many years, is the culmination of a three-year
A NORTH-EAST car dealership has come to the rescue of a champion long jumper who has had his own car stolen. Chris Tomlinson, 20, from Teesside, is Britain's number one long jumper and the country's Commonwealth Games gold medal hope. Earlier this year
NEW initiatives for the North-East Ambulance Service NHS Trust have helped it maintain Government targets on answering emergency calls. The service managed to answer 75 per cent of all life threatening calls last year within eight minutes. Among initiatives
A 12-year-old boy died hours after canoeing with school friends on an organised activity centre outing. James Todd was discovered on his bunk in a dormitory at the outdoor activities centre in Northumberland, on the final day of the two-day residental
THE headmaster of one of the North-East's leading schools has condemned Government education proposals as "a national disgrace". David Dunn, of Yarm School, near Stockton, spoke out strongly against the Government's Green Paper during the lower school's
I WOULD suggest to Peter Mullen (Echo, July 2) that racism is not hard to define. It means prejudice or hostility towards someone because of their skin colour or ethnic origin. It can manifest itself as conscious or unconscious discrimination, verbal
THE only correspondence parents used to have with schools was the note excusing little Johnny from PE. In today's litigious climate, schools are as likely to receive a legal writ in their correspondence from Johnny's mother and father, seeking damages
TV producers are looking for people from in the North-East to take part in a BBC Choice programme called Diners. The show features people having dinner in a London restaurant while their conversation is recorded. Researcher Ryan Elterman said: "We are
A POSTMAN helped himself to money and vouchers from mail which he failed to deliver. Post Office investigators found thousands of items at Andrew Hinton's home during inquiries after customer complaints about undelivered greetings cards. Durham Crown
POLICE are trying to trace the driver of a car who ran off after it crashed into a house early yesterday. The BMW 528 smashed into the property in Bowes Close, Spennymoor, at about 1am. Serious damage was done to the front porch and garage of the home
Willy Russell's play One For The Road will be the final show of Darlington Civic Theatre's summer repertory season, running from Tuesday to Saturday, at 7.30pm. Ticket are available from the box office on (01325) 486555.
The shortage of nurses in the North-East is being fuelled by a lack of university places, MPs have heard. Redcar MP Vera Baird urged the Government to put more money into the system to allow Teesside University to offer more training places. She said
RESIDENTS of Eston are being reassured that a new £1.2m Aldi store in the town centre will go ahead despite a two-year delay. The supermarket chain has been given outline planning permission by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council for the store in The
TWO of the biggest rock bands in the world during the 1980s and 1990s will share the bill at a concert in the region. Blondie and INXS will perform at the Telewest Arena, Newcastle, on Monday, December 9. It will be the first time Australian rockers INXS
Even by Formula One's standards this season has been devoid of real thrills. So how has the Class of '02 fared? NIGEL BURTON on the winners and losers... FERRARI The best driver, the best car and the best engine add up to one thing: total domination.
With 40 points up for grabs from the double weekend programme, Peterlee will be hoping to wrestle the leadership from Murton. "We are enjoying our most successful season in 30 years and are within striking distance," enthused Peterlee secretary Roy Simpson
GEORDIE Pop Idol finalist Aaron Bayley has left hundreds of adoring schoolchildren devastated after pulling out of a North-East show days before the big event. The former train driver didn't even take the time out to tell fans himself that he will not
The woman behind The Tube and Byker Gove is coming back to her roots to help boost TV talent in the North-East. As Ethel Merman appears on the TV screen singing There's No Business Like Show Business, Andrea Wonfor freshens up her lipstick and leaves
I ALWAYS remember one particular lecture from my student days. It was one of those role-playing, brainstorming type of lessons. Normally I hated these as I was painfully shy and introverted in my younger days (I always did the illustrations for group
BENFICA midfielder Luis Miguel has admitted he would love to play under Bobby Robson at Newcastle - and link up with his mate Hugo Viana. The Magpies are eyeing £4m-rated Miguel, even though Benfica insist he is not for sale. Viana, signed a fortnight
DARRYLL HOLLAND'S bank balance could be considerably swollen following this visit to Haydock, where he has choice rides aboard Mellow Park and Takamaka Bay in the two most valuable contests on the card, the Lancashire Oaks and the Old Newton Cup. Mellow
I ALWAYS remember one particular lecture from my student days. It was one of those role-playing, brainstorming type of lessons. Normally I hated these as I was painfully shy and introverted in my younger days (I always did the illustrations for group
TWO young heroin abusers preyed on shoppers in a hand-bag-snatching spree to feed their habit. David Oxley and Martin Charlotte left a trail of shaken and injured women, one aged 79 and two in their fifties, in neighbouring villages in little more than
The woman behind The Tube and Byker Gove is coming back to her roots to help boost TV talent in the North-East. As Ethel Merman appears on the TV screen singing There's No Business Like Show Business, Andrea Wonfor freshens up her lipstick and leaves
IPSWICH chairman David Sheepshanks has rejected suggestions that Middlesbrough are tracking Matt Holland. The £10m-rated Republic of Ireland international is among a number of midfielders linked with a move to the Riverside. Relegated Ipswich are aiming
POLICE are hunting a gunman who shot one cat dead and injured another. Both animals were shot at close range on a Teesside housing estate. One attack, described by a local vet as an execution, resulted in the death of a cat which was hit in the back of
VISITORS to the Museum of Hartlepool are being given the chance to explore the magic of Aboriginal Art. About 30 paintings and prints by Aboriginal artists including Jimmy Pike will be on display at the museum at the town's Historic Quay from today until
George Lucas used it to shoot the latest Star Wars epic but it's just as useful to amateur film-makers. Steve Pratt finds out why director Mike Figgis is championing the new digital technology. TWO years ago, film-maker Mike Figgis returned to Newcastle
A TRADITIONAL country show in County Durham shares its 50th anniversary with the Queen's Golden Jubilee this year. This weekend's Lanchester Show will carry on the recent mood of celebration witnessed at the culmination of the jubilee festivities. Following
New Age Kurling is coming to Stanley. The Rotary Club of Stanley has been awarded £3,500 from the Neighbourhood Renewal Community Chest to buy 16 sets of New Age Kurling stones. The game, which unlike ice curling can be played on any solid floor, can
POLICE suspect a missing teenager from Scotland could have returned to his roots on Teesside. Kyle Sherlock, 13, is missing from the Thornhill area of Dumfries. Officers from Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary said he was last seen there at about 8pm
AFTER 28 years in the RAF, Warrant Officer Bob Hutchinson has carried out the last inspection of his base in style. Administrative wing personnel at RAF Leeming ensured his return to Civvy Street was one to remember. WO Hutchinson, who has served twice
A GROUP of children have being getting involved in a big housing development in Darlington. The 11-year-old pupils from Mount Pleasant School were invited to visit the West Park development site, in Faverdale, as part of a creative art project. The school
A HEROIN addict who burgled two homes in an hour was jailed for four years yesterday. Jamie Marshall, 22, sneaked into neighbouring houses in Coundon and stole money and bank cards, Shaun Dodds, prosecuting, told Teesside Crown Court. Marshall, of Railway
TWO new centres which help youngsters excel at the arts come under the expert eye of dancer Wayne Sleep when he visits Hartlepool next week. On Monday, the world famous ballet dancer will be at the City Learning Centre in Raby Road to put local dance
MORE young people than ever in the region are being helped by The Prince's Trust. The fast-growing charity has announced its third successive record year with £4m going to thousands of needy young people in cash and support. Nine programmes, for 14 to
A COLLEGE lecturer is to have her photographic work published in a book. Pat Maycroft, who teaches photography at Darlington College of Technology, has taken 30 photographs for her book, Northern Grit. They are accompanied by poems by Vane Women, a Darlington
AN emerging pop star has rejected the chance to perform with Brit award winners Blue in front of a crowd of thousands so that she can play in a small North-East town. Rebekka Gayle, who has already supported singers including Ronan Keating and Beverley
FORMER midwives in North Yorkshire are being encouraged to return to the profession to solve a recruitment crisis in the maternity service. The Return to Midwifery programme, for former midwives whose registration has lapsed, starts at York University's
HARROGATE'S Stray hosts a day of family entertainment this weekend to commemorate the Queen's Golden Jubilee. The town's Lions Club usually arranges a carnival to coincide with Father's Day while the borough council stages an annual Party in the Park
PARTS of Wensleydale need more affordable housing, according to a survey by the local authority and the Rural Housing Trust. The parishes of Askrigg, Bainbridge and Low Abbotside are considered to require the most help following the research carried out
Serena Williams has beaten her sister Venus to claim her first Wimbledon title. Defending champion Venus was beaten 7-6(4) 6-3 by younger sister Serena in the first final between sisters at the All England Club since 1884. The first set went to a tie-break
AN inquiry was under way last night after a widow claimed that her 81-year-old dying husband was denied privacy so other patients could watch the World Cup. Jill Calvert lodged a formal complaint against the Friarage Hospital, in Northallerton, North
PROSTITUTES who blighted a North-East town for generations have turned their attentions to a neighbouring community. Police in Middlesbrough have been tackling the problem of prostitutes and kerb crawlers for years but, after a recent blitz on offenders
Darlington RA, who have struggled for more years than anyone cares to remember, visit Normanby Hall this afternoon with skipper David Eckels rallying his side on. "Keep up the form you have shown in the last six weeks and we can finish in the top half
Maybe he should be rechristened Tim-Nice-But-Slim - because that just about sums up Henman's hopes of ever winning Wimbledon. For a short time yesterday he raged against the dying of his Wimbledon light, trying gamely to stay in touch with Lleyton Hewitt
A HEROIN addict who burgled two homes in an hour was jailed for four years yesterday. Jamie Marshall, 22, sneaked into neighbouring houses in Coundon and stole money and bank cards, Shaun Dodds, prosecuting, told Teesside Crown Court. Marshall, of Railway
OPPOSITION councillors have called for a rethink on Sedgefield Borough Council's spending policies after a review of its funds. Liberal Democrat members said the authority could put its money to better use, highlighting items which they feel cost the
CHILDREN from seven schools cheered up rain- soaked shoppers yesterday when they added the rhythmic samba beat to a colourful carnival parade. A morning downpour failed to dampen the spirits of the dozens of youngsters who danced and sang their way through
A £15,000 grant has enabled a group which promotes living skills for people with disabilities to employ a full-time support worker. Trevor Todd, 40, started working for the Options Disability Initiative on a voluntary basis at the start of the year. Mr
BUSINESS leaders in the North-East are calling for an early start on the construction of an additional Tyne tunnel. The Department of Transport is considering plans for a second tunnel, which has been lodged with the Government. Normal planning rules
A POORLY little girl's dream came true when fundraisers sent her on a fairy tale family holiday. Three-year-old Katie-Leigh Tones enjoyed a trip to Disneyland Paris, last week and met all her favourite characters. The youngster's battle with cancer, for
A LEISURE company is cashing in on the North-East tourism boom this summer thanks to a renovation of cruise ship Island Scene. North Shields-based Tyne Leisure Line is also busy with an intensive training programme through regional enterprise agency Entrust
Police found a self-loading pistol with nine cartridges in a bag also containing the drug Ecstasy when they stopped a car being driven by an ex-convict in Sunderland. Paul Walker admitted possessing a prohibited firearm, possessing a firearm when prohibited
POLICE have warned North Yorkshire residents to be on their guard after bogus officials conned their way into an elderly woman's home and stole £200. A man knocked on the door of a house in Scorton, near Richmond, claiming to be working for a water company
THE doors have been opened for expanding trade and commerce links with one of the fastest growing markets in the world. A delegation from the regional development agency Yorkshire Forward has been forging new links with commercial interests in the Chinese
NEARLY 1,000 homes are to be built in the Tees Valley over the next five years. The Tees Valley Housing Group (TVHG) yesterday announced plans to invest £75m into the area. The company, which incorporates Tees Valley Trust, Tees Valley Homes and the Banks
A DRIVER is recovering in hospital after he swerved to avoid a fox and his car hit a tree. The 46-year-old from Wearside, who has not been named by police, told officers he lost control of his Vauxhall Astra as he tried to avoid the animal he encountered
THE biggest event on a community's calendar returns this summer after missing a year due to the foot-and-mouth crisis. The annual Steam Engine and Fair Organ Rally at Masham, North Yorkshire, normally attracts thousands of people from across the UK -
THE Government has begun proceedings to wind up several holiday clubs, some with links to County Durham, following investigations by the Department of Trade and Industry. Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Patricia Hewitt, has presented petitions
A PENSIONER has received an award for a fact-finding mission she undertook in North America examining the images of pensioners. Shirley Ellis, 65, from Hartlepool, helped to form the campaigning Retired Resource Network in the town, in an attempt to dispel
THE bullying case at Teesside County Court raises many questions and provokes many fears. We have known for years that, as society becomes increasingly litigious, teachers - like doctors - are more likely to find themselves on the receiving end of legal
HEALTH workers who anger residents by parking in streets around Bishop Auckland's new general hospital will have their car numbers logged by hospital officials. Protestors living in homes around the £67m development are furious that hospital workers and
HEROIN was for sale at two adjoining houses in a street where one dealer poached his neighbour's customers, a court was told yesterday. Two undercover police officers targeting a Redcar house faced efforts to tempt them away by a dealer next door, said
A GROUP of youngsters have put their artistic talents to good use and designed a walkway for their international garden. The youngsters from St Patrick's School, Thornaby, Teesside, including those above, worked with a group of parents to design the mosaic
Two firefighters were slightly hurt when their fire engine collided with a lorry while answering an emergency call yesterday. A police spokesman said the appliance from Highandenhold, near Stanley, County Durham, collided with a lorry carrying paint on
CHILDREN jumped into action to raise money for a national charity and help buy sports equipment for their school. Pupils at St Andrew's Primary School, South Church, near Bishop Auckland, took part in a sponsored skip in aid of the British Heart Foundation
THE family of a young woman who has not been home for several weeks has urged her to make contact. Gemma Louise Patterson is understood to have been in the Middlesbrough area in early June, but since then has failed to get in touch with her family in
Whatever the weather, it's going to be an Indian summer this year as East meets West in the cinema with a flurry of Bollywood blockbusters. Film Writer Steve Pratt reports. Come rain or shine, Bollywood's answer to Tom Cruise and a former Miss World are
A YOUNGSTER from Billingham celebrated winning a national award with Cherie Blair. Jon-Paul Rowden, from St Michael's RC School, Billingham, won Best Prime Minister in the Citizenship Foundation's Youth Parliament Competition. The school swept the board
MAJOR demolition work will signal the start in the next few weeks of a £10m shopping development in the centre of Scarborough. The former YMCA and HC Chapman auction room, in North Street, are to be pulled down, along with the KwikSave store, Quids Inn
YOUNGSTERS took part in a dress rehearsal for their end-of-term play yesterday. About 25 children from Bowesfield and St Cuthbert's Primary schools in Stockton came together to perform Robin Hood. They will stage the play at Bowesfield School, Northcote
With the fixtures moving into the second half of the programme today, there is everything to play for, with no side establishing themselves as favourites. Burnmoor remain the only unbeaten side and they travel to Hetton Lyons, who lie 17 points behind
A BROTHER and sister from Middlesbrough and a 69-year-old Stockton athlete have been chosen to carry the Queen's Golden Jubilee Baton in the North-East today. Teenage sprinters John and Laura Baines, from Ormesby, will run with the baton through the centre
Leaders Evenwood have an early opportunity to avenge the heavy defeat inflicted by Crook Town in the semi final of the League Cup on Wednesday night when the sides are again in action this afternoon. Andy Coe was Crook's matchwinner when he crashed seven
ENGINEERING firm Cleveland Bridge has won a £60m-plus contract to carry out works on the M1 over a three-year period. The contract means job security for the 400 staff who work at its Darlington base and the creation of at least 50 more jobs at the site
