THE first patients from North Durham to be offered a shorter wait for treatment at Bishop Auckland as part of a controversial hospital merger have voted with their feet. Managers at County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said 49 of 50
LIBERAL Democrats say they are hoping to seize on weaknesses in Labour policy and mount a challenge as a more efficient opposition than the Tories. Outlining his group's pledges to the people of Darlington, local Liberal Democrat chairman Brian Fiske
Four independent councillors are standing across Darlington. John Hoodless, 60, who is an independent candidate for the Harrowgate Hill ward, said: "Harrowgate Hill has not had a community centre or youth club all the time I have lived here, unlike Red
EVERYONE knows about Dere Street, the Roman road that crosses the Tees at Piercebridge. It runs straight from Catterick to Bishop Auckland, and then passes through such give-away places as Binchester, Lanchester and Ebchester. Fewer people know of Rykeneild
CONSERVATIVES in Darlington are pledging to bring council tax levels under control and end town hall secrecy if they are elected. The Tories, who hold 15 seats on the borough council, say that council tax has increased by 45 per cent in the four years
AN initiative to develop an arts network across Richmondshire has been awarded a £30,000 grant by the National Lottery. AiR was launched at the Middleham Key Centre in February, although the idea behind the group dates back to last year. Its primary objective
RESIDENTS are being given the chance to help shape the future of a seaside town. Hartlepool Borough Council has been working with the Seaton Carew Renewal Advisory Group to produce a tourism strategy, aimed at driving the resort forward. It is currently
A GARAGE worker has been rewarded for his work after notching up 30 years of loyal service. Barry Appleby, 45, from New Herrington, near Sunderland, was 17 when he started as an apprentice technician at Jennings Ford's Carrville branch, in Durham. At
A COMMUNITY transport provider is to expand its services after receiving a £43,500 grant. Peterlee charity Communicare received the money from the Countryside Agency, enabling it to lease two, 16-seater minibuses. They are available for people living
ROYAL advisors have inspected one of the region's Grade I-listed buildings. The Sir William Turner Almshouses at Kirk-leatham, near Redcar have been nominated for the Prince of Wales National Almshouse Association (NAA) Award. The building has recently
A TOP-SECURITY prisoner has blown his chances of early parole by threatening to kill a guard and his family. Keith Pringle, 33, was jailed for 15 years in 1992 after holding his ex-girlfriend, Leanne Rees, at gunpoint in her Darlington home for 48 hours
'NOW is not the time for a quiet life," said Tony Blair on Monday, formally announcing the end of the second Gulf War and marking the return to domestic politics. And there is no noisier place to start than the hullabaloo of tomorrow's local elections
POETS, actors and world-class musicians have been named in the line-up for this year's Ripon International Festival. With performances including a Beethoven symphony, African drum music and puppetry displays, the event offers something for all tastes.
A PENSIONER was left hospitalised after he was attacked in his home by three men posing as council workers. The 71-year-old was left with hip and leg injuries after being held in a headlock when he tried to escape from his house to raise the alarm. He
MOBILE phone operator Orange has made a healthy start to the year with revenues up 370,000 euros (£256,285) across the group. The interim results were heralded as good news for the region's 5,000-plus employees, who handled 7.8 million of the 11.3 million
A READING group aimed at promoting poetry to adults and encouraging them back into their local libraries is being launched tomorrow at 2pm at Middlesbrough's Berwick Hills Library. There will be a poetry reading from Darlington writer Marilyn Longstaff
NEWCASTLE United's French star Laurent Robert believes the Magpies possess the strength in depth to ensure qualification for next season's Champions League - despite the loss of their talismanic skipper Alan Shearer. It was confirmed yesterday that Shearer
KEVIN DARLEY'S season took time before taking off but the former champion jockey has now picked up momentum and he's well worth following at Ascot today partnering Spanish John (2.40) in the Group 3 Sagaro Stakes over two miles. Darley rode the USA-bred
Like many Pools fans, I had a premonition last summer that the game at Rushden and Diamonds this coming Saturday was going to be of special significance. When the fixtures came out, it seemed almost pre-destined that the meeting of two of the strongest
A PENSIONER who could be forced out of his home after 50 years under plans to redevelop an estate took his fight to a public inquiry yesterday. Retired miner Tom Bamburgh, 75, moved into Seaham's Parkside Estate in 1939, and has lived in his current house
A TRAVELLING showman told a court yesterday how his fairground ride had been given a clean bill of health just months before three teenagers were injured in an accident. Gilbert Findlay Jnr, 34, who has denied failing to discharge a duty to ensure the
If you asked any professional speaker for a top ten of venues in Britain, it's likely that the Great Room at Le Meridien Grosvenor House in London would top many lists. Like the rest of this unique hotel, the Great Room is steeped in history. Hanging
SOMETHING for nothing! There - that got your attention, didn't it? So I suppose we shouldn't be too hard on Cherie Blair who, when offered a little something from a trendy Melbourne shop, managed to grab armfuls of goods worth over £2,000. In an extraordinary
A MOTORIST who indecently exposed himself is being sought by Darlington police. The dark-haired man, in his late 30s, was reported after two incidents on Monday. At 4pm, a 16-year-old girl was walking along Jedburgh Drive when a red Peugeot car pulled
A PUB landlord was taken to hospital after a barmaid's husband knocked him to the floor, a court heard yesterday. David Pointon, landlord of the Glittering Star pub, in Darlington town centre, was left with a dislocated shoulder after the attack by Michael
SEVEN staff from a vehicle rental business in Darlington are aiming to scale the highest peaks in Britain in 24 hours for charity. The team of seven information technology (IT) specialists in the Northgate Plc IT team have 24 hours to climb Ben Nevis,
BUSINESS confidence, employee numbers and turnover all increased in Darlington last month, for the first time in two years, the business index shows. The index, compiled by Clive Owen & Co, chartered accountants and business advisors, in Darlington
AN ART student is to show a collection of his work at the Darlington Art Shop. Jon Stasiak, of Cockerton, Darlington, is in the final year of an art degree at Huddersfield University. It will be the former Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College student's
VOLUNTEERS from a North-East bank have donated their time to companies in the region in return for charity gifts. Members of the Barclays Corporate Team Tees organised the job-help scheme to raise money for Hartlepool Hospice. Vivien Patterson, a corporate
PUPILS from Ferryhill Station Primary School have been brushing up on their knowledge of recycling. The children have been taking part in a project run by Groundwork East Durham and Foreman Recycling, of Spennymoor. Groundwork project officer Stephen
A PLANNED housing estate, which would double the size of a village, has the potential to be among the best in the UK, councillors have been told. When they were first revealed last month, Persimmon Homes' plans for 200 homes on land off Gatherley Road
SOMETHING for nothing! There - that got your attention, didn't it? So I suppose we shouldn't be too hard on Cherie Blair who, when offered a little something from a trendy Melbourne shop, managed to grab armfuls of goods worth over £2,000. In an extraordinary
WHOEVER it was first observed that today's news is tomorrow's fish and chip wrapping had clearly been reading these columns. So does 67-year-old Harry Bailey. "I turn to the stars first and then your stuff," he says. A couple of weeks ago, three words
RESIDENTS who say their lives are being ruined by vandals and drug addicts are urging their local council to take more action. For the past 20 years, residents living in and near Alliance Street and Hind Street, Stockton, have watched the area deteriorate
WAR AGAINST IRAQ: ANYONE who read John Pilger's exposZ of the Bush/Blair relationship can be left in no doubt that Mr Blair misled Parliament and the British people. His clinical demolition of the justification for the war was a classic piece of journalism
POLICE and health chiefs have joined forces for a scheme intended to give greater protection to vulnerable adults. The safeguards have been drawn up for people in Darlington who potentially face physical and mental abuse. Local authorities already have
THE justification for allowing two overseas players per county will be put to the test at Riverside today with the clash between two South Africans. Paceman Dewald Pretorius makes his championship debut for Durham and will be locking horns with the exciting
While the region is still the capital of animal cruelty, some cases do have a happy ending, as Lindsay Jennings discovers CASES of torture, starvation and abandonment continue to bolster the region's shameful record of animal cruelty, according to RSPCA
SUNDERLAND'S Thomas Sorensen has confirmed he has no intention of plying his trade in the Nationwide League next season. The Danish goalkeeper, who returned to the Black Cats' starting XI in Saturday's 1-0 derby defeat, made it clear to manager Mick McCarthy
CONTROVERSIAL plans to give Corus management "achievable" bonuses came under fire at the company's annual meeting. The firm's remuneration committee put forward proposals for salary-enhancing payments that were not wholly linked to the company registering
HUNDREDS of workers were told yesterday they are to lose their jobs, weeks after their company went into administrative receivership. About 300 jobs are to go at the Brandons turkey processing plant at Dalton, near Thirsk, North Yorkshire, which is to
I can understand why Tony Blair wants the French involved in the peace process in Iraq even though they were vehemently against the idea of war but I have just come back from Paris and it seemed to me that the French and the English will never be comfortable
THE first patients from North Durham to be offered the chance to have faster treatment at Bishop Auckland as part of a controversial hospital merger have voted with their feet. Bosses at County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said 49 out
With Toronto in the global headlines over the Sars outbreaks, Fran Caygill, a nurse originally from Teesside and now living in the Canadian city, gives her perspective on the epidemic which is causing panic in some parts of the world WE'VE been dealing
HEALTH bosses have praised the performance of NHS trusts after substantial improvements in waiting times. All hospital trusts within the Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Strategic Health Authority area achieved the March 31 targets for no patient to wait
STEELWORKERS on Teesside had feared the worst, not because they are naturally pessimistic people but because years of experience have made them realistic. When the announcement was made to the City at breakfast time yesterday, the news was a little more
THE British National Party has pledged to campaign for a better deal for taxi drivers in the town. They also want Darlington's towns and cemeteries tidied up, with stricter treatment for those who vandalise them. The party also wants to keep taxes low
AN initiative aimed at removing unsightly graffiti and making Hartlepool a cleaner town is to be launched. An anti-graffiti squad is to take to the streets following a successful bid by Hartlepool Borough Council officers for European funding. The scheme
LABOUR group leader Councillor John Williams has outlined his party's pledges to the people of Darlington. He says: "Darlington has the lowest council tax in the North-East. But it is not just the lowest council tax in the region, it is value for money
A WOMAN with a history of mental illness killed herself with a massive overdose of painkillers, an inquest heard yesterday. Jessica Sullivan, 52, suffered acute liver failure after she swallowed about 80 paracetamol tablets at her home in Allendale Road
YOUNGSTERS at schools across Teesside were yesterday rewarded for their ideas to improve the dull image of water in an art and literacy competition. The pupils, aged nine to 11, produced stories, poems and artwork for the competition, which was run by
A DOCTORS' surgery has been recognised for its efforts to cater for youngsters after enlisting the help of local teenagers. Brandon Lane Surgery, in Durham, recently received an Investing in Children award. It recognised the efforts of a youth worker
YOUNGSTERS are to be introduced to the world of opera by a team of experts. English Touring Opera (ETO) is bringing its Bat Dances workshops to schools in York until Friday. A team made up of a musician, dancer and designer will visit schools for a day's
A STATE-of-the-art projector is ready to roll the latest films at Durham's Gala Theatre. The theatre begins a new role as a single-screen cinema showing the latest Hollywood blockbusters tomorrow. Durham City Council, owner of the £14m venue, has invested
INTERNATIONAL engineering services company Amec has won a £15m contract to design and construct the second phase of Newcastle's Citygate development. The contract, awarded by Hanro Group, follows the successful delivery by Amec of the £11m first phase
WHOEVER it was first observed that today's news is tomorrow's fish and chip wrapping had clearly been reading these columns. So does 67-year-old Harry Bailey. "I turn to the stars first and then your stuff," he says. A couple of weeks ago, three words
CIGARETTE maker British American Tobacco (BAT) warned it faced a challenging year in 2003 and said pre-tax profits had been flat in the first quarter. The Lucky Strike-to-Dunhill group said operating profit was one per cent lower at £612m, reflecting
THE battle against voter apathy is being won by local authorities which have adopted postal ballots for this year's elections. Councils taking part in the Government's pilot scheme on postal voting are noting record responses to the new system. In some
AN amateur footballer was fined £1,000 for attacking an opponent after being sent off. The case has prompted a judge to tell sportsmen and women they will not escape court punishment if they break the law - on or off the pitch. The warning was given when
FOOTBALL STRIP: WHILST I agree with George Reynolds that a predominantly white shirt is not particularly inspiring, I think that tradition in football is very important. This would have been an ideal opportunity to revive Darlington's original colours
THE fate of 2,200 Teesside steelworkers lies in the hands of a volatile exchange rate, according to one academic. Corus's announcement yesterday that it was concentrating on making "flat products" in Port Talbot, Wales, and "long products" in Scunthorpe
Tabloid Tales (BBC1); Ampleforth - My Teacher's A Monk (ITV1); A happy celebrity! This is sickening," Mirror editor Piers Morgan commented on hearing from Victoria Beckham about her lovely life. "Oh, piss off!," joshed Posh. I'd have told Morgan to get
£1.4m project will create 'bigger, better and more beautiful' Georgian CHAMPAGNE corks were popping at one of the region's most historic theatres yesterday - despite the latest setback to mar its ambitious redevelopment plans. Chairman of the trustees
MIKE NEWELL last night insisted Hartlepool United's players are focused on their championship dream. Pool have seen a 14-point lead drift away in recent weeks, but know a win at Rushden on Saturday would see them crowned Division Three champions. And
A TEENAGER said yesterday that all he wanted for his 18th birthday was a cuddle and kiss from his missing mother. John Jnr Swift told his family his dream present would be to see his mother, Jacqueline, walk through the front door again. Mrs Swift, from
THE Bishop of Knaresborough died yesterday, at the age of 67. The Right Reverend Frank Weston, who was due to retire at the end of May, suffered a stroke and died at St James' Hospital in Leeds. His wife, Penelope, known as Poppy, and members of his family
A private North-East ambulance service has been forced into liquidation by the foot-and-mouth crisis. Medical Response Team (UK) Limited, based at Aycliffe industrial estate in Newton Aycliffe, was made the subject of a compulsory winding up order at
A RICHMOND museum is hoping someone will be able to bring Dad's Army to life for children from schools across the area. The Air Raid Patrol wardens played an important role in the defence of the home front in the 1940s as well as in the 1970s comedy series
A North-East MP who campaigned for tighter laws on rogue holiday companies has welcomed a Government crackdown on the firms. North Durham MP Kevan Jones launched a parliamentary debate on holiday clubs after several of his constituents paid out thousands
MEMBERS of the public are being asked to help beat the vandals plaguing a Ferryhill park. The town's King George V playing field is undergoing a big redevelopment. Phase two of the scheme, costing £80,000, is well underway and includes provision of new
A STUDENT who drove her car while drunk admitted to magistrates yesterday that she was too scared to tell her parents. Katie Nevison, 19, pleaded guilty to drink-driving at South Durham Magistrates' Court in Darlington. Ciaran Grogan, prosecuting, said
Darlington chairman George Reynolds last night stood firm over next season's home shirt - and insisted the radical new design had received the backing of the club's fans. The Quakers' chief revealed that several drafts had been drawn up by kit manufacturers
Police yesterday won a court order banning a town's most persistent prostitute from the streets. Bernadette Isherwood, 33, works the streets of Middlesbrough as a blonde, brunette and redhead wearing long wigs over her dark hair. She has even propositioned
STEELWORKERS in the North-East were handed a two-year stay of execution last night by owner Corus in its battle to turn around colossal debts. The Anglo-Dutch firm dropped a bombshell yesterday when it announced the Redcar plant would stop supplying steel
POLICE made six arrests before travellers left their encampment on school fields. More than 40 caravans left for Northumberland after spending almost two weeks on land next to Belmont School, in Durham. The travellers left behind tonnes of building rubble
A FOUR-LEGGED farm team have proved you really can teach old dogs new tricks and save the family business into the bargain. After foot-and-mouth hit their idyllic Teesdale hillside two years ago, farmers Marcus and Mandy Bainbridge found inspiration for
Vicki Jones's beaming face said it all for her family, when the young leukaemia sufferer finally made it to EuroDisney. The Jones family have now returned home from her trip to EuroDisney, in France, after a holiday of a life-time provided for the five-year-old
