A new private fertility clinic which aims to treat a thousand couples a year opened its doors this week. Barry Nelson went to meet a client who doesn't know when to give up. DEANNE Jenkyns must surely be a contender for a very unenviable record. After
PEOPLE power punished the British National Party last night as North-East voters turned out in their thousands to stop far-right extremists gaining a foothold in the region. Although the BNP significantly increased its share of the vote in Sunderland
HARTLEPOOL Mayor Stuart Drummond has launched an outspoken attack on the town's MP, Peter Mandelson, accusing him of "dirty tricks" and acting like a spoilt child. Mr Drummond said the former Cabinet minister had not followed up on offers to help him
YOUNG footballers from Richmond have beaten teams from eight countries to lift the winners' trophy in a European tournament. Players from Richmond School travelled to Italy during the Easter holidays and returned with two cups after a resounding success
A NEW company marketing meat from the Dales will be officially launched this weekend. The Dales Quality Meat Company, which guarantees its beef and lamb right from "pasture to plate", is to be launched at the Dales Festival of Food and Drink, held in
A North-East soldier left severely injured when his armoured car plunged 30 feet off a mountain road in Bosnia lost his £300,000 compensation battle last night. Private John Paul Young sued the Ministry of Defence over an accident in which his vehicle
KUNG FU CHAOS. Publisher: Microsoft. Platform: Xbox. Price: £39.99 HOW many movies did kung-fu legend Bruce Lee make before his untimely death? If you are only on nodding acquaintance with the savage cinema of martial arts then your answer is likely to
Thousands of people who are deaf in one ear are missing out on effective treatment, according to experts. The Advisory Group for single-sided deafness - which includes two Newcastle-based specialists - says too many people are not receiving treatment
I AM compiling these notes after a long dry, warm and very sunny spell of spring weather, although I am aware that by the time these words appear in print, the summer-like conditions might have been replaced by cold, rain, wind or even snow. Such is the
STUDENTS are making their debut at a professional theatre with a classic musical. Durham University Light Opera Group, in association with the newly-formed Durham University Production Society, is staging Kiss Me Kate at Durham's Gala Theatre from until
A PUBLIC school has come under attack for its handling of pupils returning from the Far East, amid growing concerns about the spread of the Sars virus. Barnard Castle School was criticised by Darlington landlady Marion Harrison, who felt she had been
NEW entrants to organic egg production are being sought in Yorkshire for a scheme supplying major UK retail outlets. The specialist organic company Hi Peak Feeds, of Killamarsh near Sheffield, runs a feed-for-eggs contract with producers, using 2,000-
BOB Stokoe was an unlikely choice as Sunderland manager. After all, he had made his name at St James' Park, as a member of the famous FA Cup winning team of the 1950s. And his early managerial career was relatively low-key, at lowly Bury and Blackpool
MALCOLM CHRISTIE believes Middlesbrough boss Steve McClaren will be right to step up his search for a striker in the summer. Christie is one of a bunch of forwards at the club but McClaren is still on the look out for more - with Sunderland's Kevin Phillips
A RISE in the size of the UK breeding flock last year, along with a good lambing rate and likely lower ewe lamb retention, is forecast to lead to a supply of 13.8m head during the next season. Jane Connor, MLC senior economic analyst, said a return to
The Player (Tyne Tees); Bare Knuckle Fighter (C4); Bailiffs (BBC1) Those who think having a weekly £1 flutter on the National Lottery makes them a gambler would do well to consider the life of Casper Berry. He's an actor (as one of the original cast of
BRIDGE players from Sweden will be taking part in a competition in the region this weekend. The North-Eastern Bridge Association is hosting a friendly international fixture with Sweden on Saturday and Sunday and each country will have three teams involved
A woman falsely told police she was drugged and raped before being forcibly bathed by her attacker. As a result of Rebecca McGee's twisted tale, Hassan Kaabi spent almost a week in top security Durham Prison, knowing he could remain there for years. Newcastle
NORTH-EAST football fans will be able to attend England's next big match in the region after a surprising reprieve by the game's European bosses last night. The Football Association had been expecting to be ordered to play the Euro 2004 qualifier with
RIDERS in Stokesley and the surrounding district are invited to a meeting about bridleways and riding provision in the area. The meeting starts at 7.30 on Thursday in the Queens Head, Stokesley, where two British Horse Society liaison volunteers will
Around £2,000 worth of cannabis and heroin was recovered from a house in Middlesbrough following a drugs raid on Thursday evening. At around 5pm, officers from the District Drugs Unit and the District Support Unit acted on information from the community
THIS is not a polling station - so read a notice fixed to a house yesterday, and to 97 other premises where people can normally cast their votes. Redcar and Cleveland Council was concerned some people could have forgotten that, although a villager's home
FIRE chiefs said they were amazed by the response to an offer of free smoke alarms and advice following a blaze in Darlington. The area around Starmer Crescent was targeted by the fire brigade following a fire in a house which was not fitted with a smoke
THERE has been a number of incidents of car crime in the North Road area of Darlington in the past month. Three cars were stolen from Colarado Grove, Progress Way and Beaumont Hill on Tuesday night. Police have also reported cars being broken into at
Goalkeeper Helen Smith is barely 5ft in her stocking feet, but she'll be walking 10ft tall when she plays in an international sporting competition. Helen is one of 7,000 athletes from 162 countries taking part in a Special Olympics World Games being held
A TASTE of France can be sampled this weekend in Darlington's Market Place. Shoppers will be able to buy French wares such as roasted garlic, freshly baked croissants, cooked meat, cheese, pate and wine at 15 stalls in the outdoor market. A selections
RICHMOND Town FC's under-14 squad travel to Middlesbrough on Sunday to compete in the North Riding County cup final. They take on Marton after beating teams including Yarm Town and Northallerton on their way to the final. The match is at Teesside University
A TV weatherman has been handing out tips to Darlington pupils working on a worldwide project. Bob Johnson, a weatherman at Tyne Tees Television in Newcastle, was invited to Whinfield Junior School to share his knowledge of the weather. Pupils are working
POLICE yesterday released a photograph of Claire McDermott, the convicted killer on the run from prison. The 28-year-old, who is also known as Claire Weston, walked out of the Askham Grange Open Women's Prison, near York, on April 14, and is still at
FARMERS in the Darlington area have mounted another night time undercover operation aimed at cracking down on crime in the borough's rural areas. The operation, run in conjunction with Darlington police, took place in the early hours of yesterday morning
AN 11-year-old girl has been arrested for allegedly possessing cannabis in a drugs swoop on a North-East house. A 26-year-old woman and a man aged 25 were also held at the address in Kingston Street, Middlesbrough, on suspicion of possessing crack cocaine
AN application to create a waste material recycling centre could fall at the first hurdle after strong objections by two councils. Both Sedgefield Borough Council and Shildon Town Council are urging Durham County Council not to give the plans for the
LIFE is often stranger than fiction and the Sars epidemic is proving as terrifying as anything horror writer James Herbert could dream up. The unfolding tragedy has been an almost surreal experience for me because, seven years ago, a health expert explained
A NEW block housing 200 pension service staff was officially opened yesterday. Sir Richard Mottram, the head of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), was at Tyne View Park, in Benton, Newcastle, to open the London Pension Centre. Eventually 600
A BREAKFAST show presenter has been appointed the new manager of a radio station. Simon Grundy, who has presented the breakfast show on 103.4 Sun FM for the past five years, has taken over the management post. He has worked for many stations during his
A SMALL plaque on a house wall has been used for years to deter doorstep sellers. It reads: "No religion and no salesmen", and has turned many cold callers away before they ring the bell. It hangs outside Amanda Coates' home in Bedale and was made ten
ONE of Yorkshire's oldest residents has celebrated her 105th birthday. Retired secretary Vera Yorke can still remember the Pitman's shorthand outlines she used. Mrs Yorke, who lives at the Rockingham House nursing home in Malton, said: "I remember once
CHILDREN have created a spring scene at Chester-le-Street Library. The youngsters, above, designed and made the spring scene during two arts and crafts sessions with Chester-le-Street Sure Start. The agency for pre-school children ran a number of activities
ONE of the Army's sharpest shooters will keep an eye on visitors to a family fun day tomorrow. The Four Clocks Centre, in Newgate Street, Bishop Auckland, County Durham, will host the event, to be opened at 10am by Tyne Tees Television's Andy Kluz, to
LIBRARIES are to offer music fans the chance to hear live performances. The third Live in the Libraries series, organised by Durham County Council, will feature clarinet quartet Ensemble 4 which will be playing the B flat and the smaller and larger versions
POLICE in Sedgefield last night arrested a man in connection with a hit-and-run incident which left a farmer with multiple injuries. A 19-year-old from the Hartlepool area, suspected to have been driving the car involved, was last night being questioned
LIFE is often stranger than fiction and the Sars epidemic is proving as terrifying as anything horror writer James Herbert could dream up. The unfolding tragedy has been an almost surreal experience for me because, seven years ago, a health expert explained
THE seemingly simple tasks of talking and listening were the centre of a drama this week. Four actors visited Northgate Junior School, in Guisborough, and performed a play about the Muddle Family, who do not listen or talk to each other properly, and
THE appointment of a new head teacher was the icing on the cake for Middleton St George youngsters, who returned to their fire-ravaged primary school on Monday. Janine Gleeson, deputy head, was unable to be there for the momentous day. She was facing
THE people of Redcar are under no illusions about what it will mean if their town's steel works closed. "Close those works and this town is dead," said Redcar traffic warden and son of a steelworker Rob Scott. "It doesn't look good, but while we've a
KUNG FU CHAOS. Publisher: Microsoft. Platform: Xbox. Price: £39.99 HOW many movies did kung-fu legend Bruce Lee make before his untimely death? If you are only on nodding acquaintance with the savage cinema of martial arts then your answer is likely to
REETH was bathed in sunshine for the annual Jazz on the Swale weekend festival when internationally-known musicians topped the bill. The festival kicked off with Ivan Henderson's Scottish Ragtime Band, which played to a packed venue at the Buck Hotel,
Sir, - I am writing to thank Richmond Operatic Society for the wonderful production of Trial by Jury which was held in the Georgian Court at the town hall recently. The setting was unique - the beautifully restored Georgian Court - the music was wonderful
HARTLEPOOL United talisman Gordon Watson last night hinted tomorrow's championship showdown could be his last game for the club, writes Nick Loughlin. The striker, who has missed most of this season after suffering a broken leg in September, was back
GILESGATE is one of the oldest and longest streets in Durham. It is built along the top of a ridge and can be divided into two parts, upper Gilesgate and lower Gilesgate. Upper Gilesgate is known locally as Gilesgate bank, and was featured in last week's
AN ORGANISATION committed to promoting the interests of rural England has become so concerned about developments around a market town that it has called a public meeting. Over the past few months, the Council for the Protection of Rural England has become
Released midfielder Paul Campbell will bid his own personal farewell to Feethams tomorrow - and more significantly Darlington Football Club. The 23-year-old was told on Tuesday that the club would not be taking up its one-year option on him. And the Middlesbrough-born
DURHAM have picked four players from each of the two Darlington clubs for tomorrow's opening County Championship match against Cheshire at Macclesfield, writes Tim Wellock. Among them is Mowden Park's Kelekolio Paino, the Tongan who has played mainly
A CYCLING club for young people with disabilities has been presented with two new sets of wheels. The Gateway Wheelers provides specialist cycles and equipment for young people with disabilities and organises regular rides from Chester-le-Street and Tees
North Lodge WI: THE April meeting was presided over by the new president J Rennie who welcomed 32 members. The minutes and correspondence were dealt with by Mrs Rennie and the new secretary A Piggot. Arrangements were finalised for the Moor group meeting
A DOUBLE from jockey Nigel Tutty was the highlight of the York and Ainsty point-to-point at Easingwold last Sunday. The first leg came when the Liz Clark-trained Claire's Nomad (D Jones/York & Ainsty) took the young horses maiden, a deserved win for
Clive Hetherington speaks to Jim Montgomery about the greatest day of his career - and that save. WHEN football talk turns to great saves, Jim Montgomery's astonishing double stop in the 1973 FA Cup final always merits a mention. It ranks with Gordon
HEIGHINGTON rally driver Guy Wilks saw his dreams of winning his local British Championship event dashed yards from the finish on last weekend's Pirelli International Rally based in Gateshead. The 22-year-old works Ford Puma driver was battling for the
FOUR members of the same family have been awarded The Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal for services to Redcar Lifeboat. The members of the Cocks family were among 20 of Redcar's crew and officials to receive the medal. The family has contributed 111 years
CONFIDENT Kevin Henderson senses a steely determination within Hartlepool United camp. Pool headed off for Rushden yesterday ahead of tomorrow's title decider at Nene Park. And Henderson admitted: "It's game on for us now - we know what we want and we
ANOTHER disappointing Quakers season draws to a close tomorrow, but there should still be plenty of emotion on show at the last league game to be played at Feethams. Leyton Orient are the visitors for an otherwise meaningless encounter, but the match
Making jams and preserves began as a necessity for Lesley Kettlewell when her son was diagnosed with a severe additive allergy. But it soon grew into an award-winning business, which keeps her very busy indeed. WHILE she was talking to us, Lelsey Kettlewell
NORTHALLERTON. - Wed. Show of store & breeding cattle, 192 fwd. Prizes. - Bulls: 1 L Flintoff, Lim £538. Hfrs: 1 Miss Wilson, BB. Bullocks: 1 Miss E Wilson, BB £585. Breeding cattle: 1 Mrs M Ashbridge, Lim hfr & bull calf £780. Prices, bulls.
A GRANDMOTHER is preparing to embark on a fund-raising cycle ride to help further understanding of her grandson's rare medical disorder. June Kynoch's four-year-old grandson Charlie Whitaker suffers from diamond blackfan anaemia, which leaves him needing
EVERY mother's nightmare is to turn around in a shopping centre or crowded street and find that their young child had wandered off without a trace. The scenario, which usually prompts a frantic search, has influenced two men to set up a system of relocating
AN impromptu team proved a winning combination when a trio of youngsters tested their prowess at the recent Bedale and West of Yore minimus tetrathlon. Alastair Weymouth, aged eight, of Cumberland Farmers, Tom Carr, nine, of South Durham, and Ivo Thomas
NEWCASTLE UNITED new-boy Darren Ambrose is hoping to follow in the same footsteps as newly-crowned PFA Young Player of the Year Jermaine Jenas next season. Ambrose has not kicked a ball for the Magpies' first team since leaving Ipswich in March, as he
FAR-RIGHT extremists failed to secure any base in Darlington last night. Despite its claims that it had strong support in the town, the British National Party (BNP) candidates were soundly beaten in each of the seven wards they contested. Labour retained
DESERT Deer gave Mark Johnston his first Group win this term at Sandown's mixed meeting on Saturday, landing the Bet attheraces Mile, a Group 2 event, under a fine Kevin Darley ride. The winner now heads for the Group 1 Lockinge. Johnston is in great
AN new recycling scheme is to be tried out in Saltburn next week. The pilot scheme will recycle garden waste from households into compost for local allotments and farmland. The project will be launched next Wednesday and will involve kerbside collections
AN ANTIQUE library table commemorating Captain Cook has been sold in Australia for 420,000 Australian dollars- vastly exceeding its estimated price. The Regency ceremonial table, crafted in London about 1810, came under the hammer at Goodmans Auctioneers
A WIDESPREAD search is under way for a mother who went missing from her friend's house earlier this week. Sarah Ann Linklater, 35, has not been seen since she left her friend's home in Durham City, at 1.30pm on Monday. Her green Nissan Sunny was found
FARMWAY, the farmers' co-operative based at Piercebridge, has expanded its animal health business. As part of its strategic growth plan, the company recently acquired Hall-Shaw Farm Supplies and has embarked on a training programme to ensure all its key
AN innovative industry could create up to 200 jobs in the North-East by next year. Covelink Marine, in Staindrop, County Durham, which has designed an amphibious tourist bus, has secured a contract to build the vehicles for use in Scotland. The company's
Bobby Kerr, captain of Sunderland's FA Cup winning team, remembers 1973. Colin Tapping reports. BOBBY Kerr points to his trademark moustache. It's just a few months older than his most treasured possession - the FA Cup winners medal from 1973. It's a
AS a local young offenders' institution prepares to commemorate its 30th anniversary, one of its longest-serving officers has been taking a look back at its three decades in Teesdale. Principal officer Alan Dobie arrived at Deerbolt in Barnard Castle
A FORMER tailoress has celebrated her 100th birthday. Friends, family and local politicians have all visited Hilda Mary Close to help celebrate. Mrs Close was born and brought up in Stanley, County Durham. After leaving school, she followed in her grandfather's
Election news dominates the headlines today, and people react with surprise to the extent of Labour losses in England. But another story is hidden behind the headlines - the way we will be voting in future elections. Two councils offered e-voting for
RESTORATION of Richmond's Georgian theatre reached a milestone on Tuesday when the topping out ceremony was performed. Coun Stuart Parsons, the mayor, carried out the traditional task by helping trustees lift the final roof slate into place. The £1.5m
IT was a great decision for Middlesbrough and the North-East. Against all expectations of next month's England international being played behind closed doors at the Riverside, UEFA instead imposed a £68,000 fine on the English Football Association. We
A budget airline service in the North-East has proved a big success. The first month of Ryanair's twice-daily service from Newcastle Airport to Dublin saw more than 12,000 passengers fly on the low-cost route in the first month. Ryanair UK sales manager
ANYONE wishing to take to the skies in a hot air balloon need look no further than Weardale, where a new service was launched this week. Virgin hot air balloons began the first of a series of regular flights from Witton Castle, near Witton le Wear, yesterday
THESE are the faces of burglars who held a pensioner in a head-lock as they ransacked his home. The two thugs were part of a gang of three who raided the home of 71-year-old Alfred Hughes on Monday. Posing as council workers, the gang robbed Mr Hughes
A TASTE of France can be sampled this weekend in Darlington's Market Place. Shoppers will be able to buy French wares such as roasted garlic, freshly baked croissants, cooked meat, cheese, pate and wine at 15 stalls in the outdoor market. A selections
A fun day, featuring games, rides and stalls, will take place at Walworth Castle, near Darlington, on Monday, May 26, between 10am and 5pm. The free event, in aid of Butterwick Children's Hospice, in Stockton, will feature a car boot sale. Pitches cost
A MARKET town's recovery from the foot-and-mouth crisis has been strengthened by news this week that one of its tourist attractions has recorded its highest visitor figures ever during the past year. The Dales Countryside Museum, in Hawes, was closed
A COUNCIL has been accused of blackmail after refusing to negotiate over the location of a new library in Stokesley, which is part of a £7.2m development. North Yorkshire County Council wants to sell the town's historic Manor House, which houses the town's
A LONG-AWAITED report on Leyburn Town Council's acquisition of Thornborough Hall urges the authority to come up with a plan for the future as a matter of urgency - or face the prospect of spiralling debt. The town council bought its new headquarters from
COUNCILLORS have been accused of missing out on a "unique opportunity" to create a community woodland in Darlington. Almost £70,000 worth of land was to have been given to Tees Forest for planting in Low Skerningham, Barmpton, if permission was granted
HEALTH bosses in Hambleton and Richmondshire are celebrating hitting their targets in the first year since reorganisation. The Hambleton and Richmondshire Primary Care Trust - which employs 750 staff and has an operating budget of £87m - has kept waiting
FARMERS in the Darlington area have mounted another night time undercover operation aimed at cracking down on crime in the borough's rural areas. The operation, run in conjunction with Darlington police, took place in the early hours of yesterday morning
A TV weatherman has been handing out tips to Darlington pupils working on a worldwide project. Bob Johnson, a weatherman at Tyne Tees Television in Newcastle, was invited to Whinfield Junior school to share his knowledge and experience of the weather.
Goalkeeper Helen Smith is barely 5ft in her stocking feet, but she'll be walking 10ft tall when she plays in an international sporting competition. She is one of 7,000 athletes from 162 countries taking part in a Special Olympics World Games being held
A DIY store is proving a popular attraction for a fearless bird. Staff at the B&Q store, in Northallerton, arrive for work each day to be greeted by a cheeky robin which has made its home there. The bird is nesting among the plants and shrubs on sale
A WOMAN whose weekly whist drives have raised thousands of pounds for her local community during the past 30 years has been honoured by the local parish council. Kath Armitage has been awarded the Killinghall Award, named after the village near Harrogate
TENANTS are being warned about a possible scam involving the discounted sale of council homes. During the past few months, Durham City Council has received several complaints relating to the Right to Buy scheme, under which long-standing tenants can buy
ANYONE who fancies sitting in judgement on their family and friends should be sure to be at an auction in Leyburn this week. Padded chairs from Northallerton's magistrates court are among 800 lots to be auctioned at the antiques sale at Tennants. The
VICKI Jones's beaming face said it all for her family, when the young leukaemia-sufferer finally made it to Disneyland Paris. The Jones family have now returned home from their trip in France after a holiday of a life-time. The holiday had at one point
BNP: EILEEN Johnson (HAS, Apr 29) generalises and insults the efforts of my grandparents and others like them who served in the armed forces during the Second World War by insinuating that they would all be opposed to an anti-immigration party like the
SHEEP SHOW: More than £2,500 is prize money is on offer at the 18th annual Eastgate Sheep Show to be held on Saturday, May 31. There are classes for Swaledales, Blue-faced Leicesters and North of England mule sheep. Entries close on Saturday, May 24.
A SIX-YEAR project to regenerate a town park for children has been completed. Residents in the Hilda Park area of South Pelaw, near Chester-le-Street, were invited to celebrate the success of the project to revitalise the playing field and create a children's
A BITTER dispute over a barn conversion that has split a national park authority has prompted members to agree to relax policies that restrict the redevelopment of agricultural buildings. A couple from the hamlet of Cams Houses, in Wensleydale, were turned
CHEMOTHERAPY patients are benefiting from reduced waiting times and a better service, thanks to the expertise of the pharmacy department at Gateshead Queen Elizabeth Hospital. New staff at the Gateshead NHS Trust's pharmacy have taken on full dedicated
POLICE in Sedgefield last night arrested a man in connection with a hit-and-run incident which left a farmer with multiple injuries. A 19-year-old from the Hartlepool area, suspected to have been driving the car involved, was last night being questioned
AN OFF-DUTY prison officer who was punched in the face outside Yates's Wine Lodge, on North Road, Durham, last Tuesday, has been released from hospital and is described as comfortable. The 35-year-old man suffered serious head injuries when he fell to
A SAFETY inspector who gave a fairground ride the all-clear only weeks before it was involved in a life-threatening accident was fined £1,000 yesterday. Brian Black, 54, of West Lothian, Scotland, admitted failing to discharge his duty and carry out a
BARNARD CASTLE. - Wed. Fwd: 46 ewes & hoggs with lambs, 410 prime & cast sheep. Mule shlgs & lambs to £138; Suff shlgs & lambs to £140; Mule ewes & twins to £105. Std lambs to 184.2p av 180.2p; med lambs to 182.9p av 180.2p; lt hoggs
The Player (Tyne Tees); Bare Knuckle Fighter (C4); Bailiffs (BBC1): Those who think having a weekly £1 flutter on the National Lottery makes them a gambler would do well to consider the life of Casper Berry. He's an actor (as one of the original cast
CHESTER-le-Street's council leader performed his last engagement before retirement when he opened a new play area. Coun Malcolm Pratt opened the new crche and play area at Chester-le-Street Leisure Centre. It was his last engagement before finally standing
KIRKBY STEPHEN. - Sat. Fwd: 105 horses & ponies, 1 donkey, 259 lots of saddlery, harness & tack. All prices in gns. Coloured 6-y-o gelding 1,300; black & white 7-y-o mare 1,000; black & white 3-y-o filly, unbroken 960; black & white
FIRE officials are investigating an early morning blaze at a pub in the North-East yesterday. Two fire engines from Darlington and a fire engine from Bishop Auckland were called to the Queen's Head pub, Main Street, Gainford at about 2.50am. The pub,
A KNIGHT in shining armour has come to the rescue of an amateur dramatics group to make sure the show can go on. The Border Players in Yarm made an appeal for anyone with a suit of armour to lend it to them for their forthcoming production, the farcical
AS in both innings at Taunton last week, Durham skipper Jon Lewis found himself trying to apply some cement to crumbling foundations yesterday. The personnel might change, but as so often in the past, Durham had been demoralised by their failure to break
A THREE-storey block of luxury flats is being proposed on the site of an old tyre depot in Coniscliffe Road, Darlington. Suma Homes has submitted a planning application to demolish the depot and build 24 apartments close to the town centre. A spokesman
BARELY will the England cricketers have left one North-East Riverside next month than the footballers will descend on the other. It's a remarkable coincidence that England teams are making historic appearances in the region at two venues of the same name
Bedale & West of Yore PC. - May 26: Fun day at Thorp Perrow, starting at 11am with clear round jumping & SJ, handy ponies 12-2pm, all entries taken on the field, details 01677 460410, open to all, age limit 16. Bedale Hunt Supporters Club. - May
AN off-beat sense of humour and an eye for detail has led an artist to open a shop in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales. Graham Ashbridge - known to friends as Glock - combined his love of drawing, humour and motorbikes to begin designing cartoons which
A GROUND-BREAKING phase in British railway operation is due to open in just nine weeks' time when long awaited passenger trains begin running along part of the freight-only Wensleydale line. The first passengers are due to be carried between Leeming Bar
AN MP has asked for assurances from the Government that funding to maintain the Tom Leonard Mining Museum at Skinningrove will continue. In a Commons debate this week, Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland MP Ashok Kumar challenged ministers from the
A GROUP which collects and repairs old buses is the latest winner of the monthly competition run by The Northern Echo's Communigate community website scheme. The 500 Group collects buses to repair, restore and preserve them. To find out more log on to
NEW moves have been made to tackle diabetes, which is on the increase on Teesside. Dr Richard Rigby, a Loftus GP and executive committee member of Langbaurgh Primary Care Trust, said: "People on Teesside die younger than elsewhere in the country, mainly
THE District Auditor's report into Leyburn Town Council's purchase of Thornborough Hall makes for dull reading. Notably absent is a searing indictment of the council's supposedly abject mismanagement and incompetence, as some of the council's critics
REVISED plans to revamp a city's run-down area have moved a step forward. Durham City Council has given planning permission for the £25m redevelopment of the Walkergate car park below the city's £30m Millennium City complex that includes the £14m Gala
EAGER holidaymakers have suggested 125 destinations for the low-cost airline bmibaby when it sets up shop at Teesside Airport. The operation will start with three routes in October, out of what will be a total of eight. Earlier this month the company
CHILDREN at a North-East infants school are the stars of a new book to go on sale around the country. Dodmire Infants School, in Darlington, was approached by publishers who wanted to feature it in a geography book about the different ways children can
NORTHALLERTON Prison was this week celebrating an inspection report which praises its work with young offenders. The report says the jail is doing well in its new role as a resettlement establishment. Previous poor practice was being put right and action
ENGLAND will be expelled from Euro 2004 if hooligans ruin the Riverside Stadium's first international next month. UEFA told the Football Association last night that they would throw England out of the tournament if thugs cause any more trouble after racist
BANK on Bandari to make a winning reappearance in this afternoon's Sagitta Jockey Club Stakes at Newmarket today. The Guineas weekend kicks off with some of the more established equine stars strutting their stuff at the headquarters of Flat racing and
PRIME Minister Tony Blair yesterday promised the Government would do everything it could to help Corus workers who lose their jobs find alternative employment. Mr Blair said: ''The Department of Trade and Industry are in touch both with the company and
Sir, - I wish to point out several facts which seem to have been ignored in the letter "Shelter Points" (D&S, April 25). The main one is that the proposed site has always been considered unsafe by the county and parish councils and also by the operator
PET owners are being encouraged to give their pets gleaming teeth as part of an awareness month. Abbey Veterinary Centre, based in Durham and Chester-le-Street, and Vets4Pets, in Framwellgate Moor, Durham, are urging owners to take more interest in their
JUDGES have inspected one of the region's most important Grade I-listed buildings on behalf of Prince Charles. The 326-year-old Sir William Turner Almshouses at Kirkleatham, near Redcar, have been nominated for a Prince of Wales National Almshouse Association
THERE was a double golden anniversary celebration in Guisborough this week. Park Lane Infants' School shared its golden anniversary with the 50th year of school crossing patrol officers and a special group photograph was taken to commemorate the occasion
It's a year since the people of Hartlepool chose a man in a monkey suit to be their mayor. Nick Morrison talks to Stuart Drummond about being thrown in at the deep end - and about falling out with Peter Mandelson. BY rights, Stuart Drummond ought to be
A SIMMENTAL bull has achieved a record-breaking weight gain of 3.33kg a day on an upland farm in County Durham. Derwentwood Nighthawk is a spring 2002-born bull owned by Neil Hunter who runs the Derwentwood herd with his wife, Alison, at Woodlands Hall
Yorkshire gained an unexpected first-innings lead of 118 against Hampshire at the Rose Bowl yesterday - but their day was marred by two dropped catches at a crucial stage and an injury worry to fast bowler Chris Silverwood. After his impressive start
STEELWORKERS have been handed a two-year stay of execution by owner Corus in its battle to turn around colossal debts. The Anglo-Dutch firm dropped a bombshell on Tuesday when it announced the Redcar plant would stop supplying steel internally to other
ENGINE-MAKER Cummins last night confirmed it could have bought the doomed Sloman engineering company. Cummins said it had been in talks with receivers at Sloman, Newton Aycliffe, which is about to close with the loss of 100 jobs. But it failed to pursue
DETECTIVES investigating the rape of a teenage girl in a Darlington park are anxious to speak to late-night revellers who may hold vital clues. The 18-year-old was raped near a bandstand in North Lodge Park early on Saturday following an evening at the
MILLIONS of schoolchildren have been shepherded safely across increasingly busy roads since lollipop men and women as we know them today were introduced 50 years ago. School crossing patrols, with their distinctive poles and yellow coats, have become
by Robin Twizell RMD Agriculture OLD crop wheat prices are trading in a narrow range around the £70 ex-farm mark. New crop values have eased a bit as end users have now bought what they needed and are taking a back seat. We are competitive in the export
THE quality of bathing water at beaches across the region is to be tested by Environment Agency officials before the summer. The annual sampling programme to ensure high standards of cleanliness will cover all 56 beaches in North Yorkshire and the North-East
Clive Hetherington recalls May 5th 1973, the unforgettable day he joined Roker fans at Wembley. IT was dubbed "the impossible dream''. And for a certain nine-year-old and thousands of other fans who had watched Sunderland largely struggle for three seasons
A FARMING couple's dogged determination to survive the foot-and-mouth crisis has opened up a whole new world of business opportunities. Sheep farmers Mandy and Marcus Bainbridge, of Laverock Hall, Egglestone, first launched Colliewobbles in 2001 in a
Sir, - I would like to comment on recent letters from Coun David Walsh and Franklin Medhurst concerning the controversial proposal for an East Middlesbrough by-pass alongside the Ormesby-Middlesbrough railway line. It is ironic that when the road was
THE body of a man found lying in an alleyway off Scarborough's Foreshore Road on Sunday was yesterday named as 46-year-old Angus Haughton, who lived in nearby Eastborough. A post-mortem examination was held earlier this week, and his death is not thought
A GRATEFUL diocese said its goodbyes to the Bishop of Durham at a special service this week. The diocesan service at Durham Cathedral on Monday allowed both lay and clergy to say its fond farewells to the Right Reverend Michael Turnbull, at the end of
THE suggestion that the unmathematically-minded should not be forced to worry about the value of x or the uses of various Greek letters after the age of 14 was well-defended in interviews by Terry Bladon, teacher at Eastbourne Comprehensive School in
MOWDEN Park's Durham Senior Cup final victory over Westoe last Saturday was overshadowed by an injury to their Tongan flanker Soa Otuvaka which saw the game brought to an early conclusion. There seemed nothing out of the ordinary as Otuvaka passed the
FEARS that Teesside could be about to lose hundreds more manufacturing jobs were allayed yesterday. Paints and chemicals group ICI said that 700 jobs are to be cut worldwide during the first phase of a restructuring announced today. The company confirmed
THE family of a steeplejack killed in a chimney explosion are to hold a memorial service a year after he died. Craig Whelan, 23, died when a fireball engulfed the 150ft chimney he was helping demolish at a factory near Bolton, South Tyneside, last May
A North-East manufacturer last night threw a jobs lifeline to dozens of workers when it dramatically reduced the number of workers it plans to make redundant. Car parts company TKA Tallent, formerly Tallent Engineering, announced last month it was to
SOME things just never change. It was in 1981 that our last editor but two suggested I might tackle what he called the medieval attitude of the public utilities in expecting women to be at home all day. Mrs Editor had dutifully stayed in one morning for
A PIECE of 17th Century Italian furniture has sold for £66,000 at auction. The table cabinet, made of crocus wood inlaid with hard stone, was one of 1,469 lots on sale at Tennants Auctioneers, in Leyburn, North Yorkshire. The cabinet had been valued at
A HIGHLY unusual flower is being exhibited at an annual orchid show this weekend. The Dracula orchid will be on show at Raby Castle, near Staindrop, County Durham, for the next three days. Not only has the curious species never been seen at the Raby Castle
CAMS Houses, the Wensleydale hamlet at the centre of a furious planning row, has been included on a list of settlements where barn conversions to homes for local people may be permitted. The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority agreed to add 21 locations
AN event co-ordinator from the North-East is to organise a conference and annual meeting for the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD), being held in the region for the first time. Jill Bennison of Blue Sky Events in Durham is helping to stage
LAUGHING, excited children tucked into their burgers with gusto - their smiling mothers proudly looking on. An everyday scene perhaps, but there was a real sense of relief and genuine happiness permeating through the children's chatter. This was the moment
A GRATEFUL diocese said its goodbyes to the Bishop of Durham at a special service this week. The diocesan service at Durham Cathedral on Monday allowed both lay and clergy to say its fond farewells to the Right Reverend Michael Turnbull, at the end of
A FINANCIAL watchdog has cleared Leyburn Town of any wrong doing in the purchase of Thornborough Hall. A District Auditor's report says the sale of the large period house - formerly Richmondshire District Council offices - to the town council for £145,000
FROM this newspaper 100 year ago. - At a meeting of the South Durham and North Yorkshire Farmers' Protection Association the committee raised the question of rural education and the Education Act. They claimed there were many things worth knowing that
A FAST-FOOD restaurant is urging customers to take part in a charity challenge this weekend. The McDonald's restaurant on the A167 near Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, is taking part in the Drive-thru challenge on Saturday. For every car using its drive-through
THE boarded-up windows, charred beams and demolition warning signs at Middleton St George Primary School suggest nothing so much as a burnt-out empty shell. But on Monday morning more than 240 pupils, eight teachers and a handful of support staff started
ON the first day of the Richard Neale inquiry, officials have admitted that only about a dozen former patients will give evidence. Colin Phillips, secretary to the inquiry, said they had heard from "60 to 70" former patients, but only about a dozen were
THE inaugural Guisborough Heritage Day has been hailed a massive success. Organisers of last weekend's event say more than 1000 people visited the priory, another 1000 took part in events at Sunnyfield House and hundreds attended Guisborough Museum. Now
BARELY will the England cricketers have left one North-East Riverside next month than the footballers will descend on the other. It's a remarkable coincidence that England teams are making historic appearances in the region at two venues of the same name
KIRKLEATHAM Museum is hosting a programme of craft activities with a seaside theme for parents and children to learn and discover together. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's museums and adult education services team will run activities on three Sundays
A SHADOW hangs over next month's other big sporting event in the region. Durham's Riverside ground at Chester-le-Street stages the second Test of Zimbabwe's controversial cricket tour of England, from June 5 to 9. But pro-democracy campaigners have threatened
