ENTRIES were up by at least a third in this year's Skelton and Brotton Parish Council Annual Produce Show. Money raised by an auction of exhibitors' produce went to local charities. Michael Garland won the vegetable section and was overall show winner
A WOMAN who left school at 15 is preparing for university life. Laura Dorling, 18, of Stanley, County Durham, leaves home for Bradford University in a few week's time, where she will study to become a teacher. It follows a successful NVQ course in childcare
YOUNGSTERS wanting to take part in a community sport project are being sidelined because of a lack of equipment. The football scheme, at Burnside Resource Centre, Lanchester, near Stanley, County Durham, aims to keep youngsters out of trouble. But so
POLICE have mounted a campaign targeting drivers who ignore the rules on a popular seafront. The crackdown is starting in the seafront areas of Roker and Seaburn after residents made several complaints about speeding, vehicle safety and general bad driving
THESE are stiff sentences; Monday's 20 mile sponsored walk in aid of Breast Cancer Research went blisteringly. Though the sun had his early hat on yesterday, there was to be no light leaping from the bed. Shildon lad John Robinson covered the distance
A consultation exercise is to be carried out in Richmond in an effort to ease traffic problems in the town. North Yorkshire County Council will stage an exhibition in the town from Friday, September 6, to allow local people to give their views. Leaflets
A SUPPORT group for carers is being relaunched in Shildon. The group, an outreach branch of the Princess Royal Trust Sedgefield Locality Carers Centre, opened five years ago. But in a bid to boost its profile, it is re-opening at the Garbutt Close Community
RESOUNDING victories, a devastating fire and frozen pitches are all featured in a new book about football at Feethams. Former Darlington FC players, including David Speedie, Ron Greener, Alan Walsh and Fred Barber, have contributed to Farewell to Feethams
POLICE have defended their record of cracking down on loutish youths after a town mayor claimed the problem was "beyond a joke". Andrew Robinson, the civic leader of Thirsk, said a large group of youngsters had been causing chaos in the town recently.
CHILDREN met two professional footballers yesterday as part of a summer school project. The 37 youngsters, aged 11 and 12, visited Middlesbrough's Rockcliffe Park Training Ground, Hurworth, to watch the footballers train. They also interviewed two of
A THOUSAND balloons and streamers showered down in the Cornmill Shopping Centre in Darlington yesterday to celebrate its tenth birthday. Shoppers crowded around the balcony and counted down from ten to zero before the balloons fell, to mark each year
FARM buildings near Scotch Corner could be given a new lease of life as houses if councillors support a proposed scheme. The development near the Grade II listed Sedbury Park farmhouse would see removal of modern extensions to traditional barns and their
A SCHEME to cut down on rural crime and improve countryside security in the Darlington area is undergoing a name change following a wide range of interest. The Farmwatch scheme, set up earlier this year for farmers to call each other with information
WOMEN who feel they are being given a raw deal by car mechanics are being targeted by a Darlington business. Sarah Appleyard, co-owner of the Appleyards Service Centre, wants to dispel women's fears about being taken advantage of by rogue mechanics and
FUNDING has been secured to keep a popular football scheme for youngsters running in Ferryhill. Beat officers Sergeant Brian O'Connor and PC Chris Metcalfe set the scheme up in an effort to reduce anti-social behaviour. They enlisted the help of Darlington
AN art gallery intends to put people in the picture - and it could lead to their work being displayed in the National Portrait Gallery. Harrogate Borough Council's Mercer Gallery in Swan Road is joining the search to find some of the best self-portraits
RESIDENTS of a village which has its roots in Saxon times are being given a say in the future of their community. Claire Lamb, 29, from Sherburn Village, near Durham, is carrying out a survey of village life as part of her degree in environmental management
POLICE have warned they will prosecute people who report lost mobile phones as stolen. They say false allegations of theft are wasting valuable police time in fruitless investigation, and are leading to fraudulent insurance claims. Detective Chief Inspector
THE first of five tennis festivals held across the UK will be launched in the North-East today. The Nestl Kids' Clubs Tennis Scheme, Kids' Clubs Network will be at the Puma Sunderland Tennis Centre, Silksworth Sports Complex, Silksworth, Sunderland, from
I don't believe it! According to the MORI Social Research Institute I belong to the Grumpy Generation, otherwise known as Meldrews in honour of the late, lamented Victor. Apparently 35 to 54-year-olds are exceedingly hacked off - about life, the NHS,
PLANS to combat traffic and car parking problems in two County Durham market towns have been welcomed by community leaders and residents. As part of Durham County Council's efforts to rejuvenate the Teesdale area in the wake of the foot-and-mouth crisis
RESEARCHERS in Bishop Auckland are appealing for information about traditional customs. The Discovery Centre has received a grant from the Local Heritage Initiative to prepare an exhibition about local customs which will tour County Durham. In the forthcoming
A COLLEGE is offering evening classes for adults during the coming academic year. Enrolment for classes at the Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College in Darlington is now taking place. Specialist advice and guidance sessions, when staff will be available
BUSINESSES in Wear Valley that are looking for world-wide exposure can promote themselves on a new website which launches next week. A regeneration initiative targeting the market towns of Stanhope and Crook is backing the project which is the first of
MUSICAL competitions and a other activities are being planned for a youth festival. The event will be held at Spennymoor leisure centre on Thursday, November 7, from 6pm to 9.30pm. Activities will include arts and crafts, a PlayStation contest, football
AN £80,000 skating facility will be unveiled at a former railway town this week. Youngsters living in Shildon, County Durham, have been begging councillors for their own skate park for months. Now their dream has become a reality with the final equipment
LIVE music will entertain shoppers in Spennymoor on Saturday when local pop and rock bands perform in the market place. The seven-hour event is part of a Sedgefield Borough Council initiative to promote the town and bring more people into its commercial
VILLAGERS are fighting plans to chop down a group of trees because they believe they improve a conservation area. Agents for North Yorkshire County Council want to build an access into a land-locked woodland and paddock site next to Stockton Hall Hospital
