Archive

  • Murder victim's family hit back at armed patrols claim

    RESIDENTS on an estate where a man was murdered with a samurai sword yesterday scoffed at claims that he patrolled his neighbourhood wearing a balaclava and carrying a baseball bat. They told a very different story to the one painted of Robert Dunne at

  • Cash crisis no distraction for players, Thornton

    SEAN THORNTON has warned the rest of the First Division that new-boys Sunderland will not be affected by the club's current financial plight. The Black Cats stars are expected to agree to a wage deferral plan in the next few days after talks between the

  • Home comforts

    'I KNEW Queen Victoria. I used to say to her 'Vicky, come home and have a cup of tea'," said my exasperated wife as the question of history, and our age, intrigued the children this week. It was all the fault of TV's newest mad professor Garry Lavin who

  • Bid to stop hotel becoming a pub

    RESIDENTS of a Newcastle suburb face an anxious wait to find out if their High Court bid to stop a hotel being turned into a pub has been successful. Homeowners from Jesmond today went to London's High Court to support their bid to block Ultimate Leisure

  • Scheme will help autistic children

    AN innovative training programme has been developed for parents with autistic children. The EarlyBird programme uses group training sessions to help parents with pre-school children assist their development. It is funded by the Government and run by Middlesbrough

  • Pupils reap rewards for attending school

    YOUNGSTERS have been rewarded for achieving top attendance at school. The Schools Tackling Absence and Rewarding Success programme (Stars), which is run by Stockton Borough Council's education social work service, held an award ceremony for children who

  • Tugging at the heartstrings

    Where The Heart Is (ITV1); A French Affair (C4) - Should you find your mind straying during Where The Heart Is, you might usefully spend the time ticking off the essentials of Sunday night feelgood TV as they crop up. There's the nice scenery. The second

  • Illegal drinking den is shut down after police win order

    MAGISTRATES have called time on an illegal drinking den on Teesside. Police have been involved in a cat and mouse game with the owner of the unlicensed Steampacket at St Hilda's, Middlesbrough, for years. A squad of 12 Cleveland Police officers swooped

  • School scoops four awards

    A SCHOOL has celebrated winning four awards in six months. Marley Hill Primary School, in Sunniside, Gateshead, which has 120 pupils, won the Government's Basic Skills Award, an Environmental Challenge, a School of Achievement Award and a Healthy School

  • Parade to celebrate history of hospitals

    A procession will be held to celebrate the history of three Middlesbrough hospitals and to mark the start of a new era in health care. NHS staff, past and present, will walk from Middlesbrough General Hospital, the North Riding Infirmary and the neuro-rehabilitation

  • Patient donates mining picture

    PATIENTS can rekindle their memories of the reign of King Coal when they visit the doctor. Bowburn Surgery, which was opened last September by Sunderland's ace striker Kevin Phillips, has been given a picture of a mining scene by a grateful patient. The

  • Bid to secure funding for landmark hall

    A LAST attempt is to be made to stave off a looming financial crisis which could cripple efforts to save a Harrogate landmark from decay. A month ago, it seemed the bid to restore the Royal Hall was well on course; Yorkshire Forward was understood to

  • Are we entitled to a rent rebate?

    QMy husband has Disability Living Allowance plus Incapacity Benefit of £72.15 a week. My State Pension is £64.40 a week and I have a private pension of £38.69 a month. Our savings are £12,500. Can we get a rebate on our rent of £260.58 a month and council

  • Ant's agony

    Adam Ant: The Madness Of Prince Charming (Channel 4) - THE media had a field day when Stuart Goddard - better known as 1980s pop icon Adam Ant - was detained for his own protection in a mental ward last year, after a violent incident in a London pub.

  • Pupils have ticket to ride on new service

    CHILDREN have helped launch a village bus service. Year one children from William Cassidi CE Primary School, in Stillington, near Stockton, caught the village bus to the nearby Castle Eden Walkway Country Park for a picnic on Thursday. The 567 bus provides

  • Club among the trophies at national tournament

    MARTIAL art students won 23 trophies when they took part in a national competition. The 21 pupils, aged between nine and 42, from Redcar, were competing in the national championships of the World Tang Soo Do Association, which promotes the 3,000-year-old

  • Police launch campaign to stop tired people driving

    SLEEPY motorists pose more danger for road users than drink-drivers, police have warned. Durham Police traffic officers are keen to drive home the message that tiredness at the wheel can kill. Sleepy drivers are said to be responsible for more road accidents

  • Police officer gears up for 140-mile ride

    A POLICE officer is preparing for a gruelling 16-hour charity bike ride. PC Lee Proctor, an officer with the territorial support group in Sunderland, hopes to raise hundreds of pounds when he attempts the coast-to-coast cycle challenge in one sitting.

  • Quakers ready for test

    Darlington continue their preparations for the new season at Durham City today and manager Mick Tait is predicting another tough test as his side look to preserve their 100 per cent record in pre-season. Quakers opened with a 2-1 win at Bishop Auckland

  • Silksworth's Tate hoping for double bonus

    With both sides on equal points - only four behind leaders Murton - today's clash between Silksworth and Castle Eden is of crucial importance in the race for the championship. Silksworth have hit form in recent weeks, but captain David Tate is not getting

  • Hitting the high

    Orlando Bloom well remembers his first encounter with pirates. "When I was a kid, pirate movies used to be on TV on Sunday afternoons. You'd come in from the garden and see Errol Flynn," recalls the British actor best known for playing archer Legolas

  • Selectors place their faith in Gough

    England's selectors have placed their faith in Darren Gough's rebuilt knee after naming the Yorkshireman in the 12-man squad for the first npower Test against South Africa. His inclusion for next week's Edgbaston encounter, the opener of a five-match

  • Home comforts

    'I KNEW Queen Victoria. I used to say to her 'Vicky, come home and have a cup of tea'," said my exasperated wife as the question of history, and our age, intrigued the children this week. It was all the fault of TV's newest mad professor Garry Lavin who

  • A rose-tinted experience

    Dave Horsley and family visit the Pink Granite Coast of Brittany where the strange and beautiful landscape leaves a lasting impression PILED chaotically and impossibly on top of each other, the reddish boulders that give the Cote de Granit Rose its name

  • Call centre jobs -will go to low wage economies'

    AS many as 100,000 UK call centre jobs could be lost by the end of 2008, according to a new report. Key Note, a market intelligence company, said the trend of companies moving work to low-wage economies such as India would continue. The Communication

  • Durham's derby delight

    THE fearlessness of Phil Mustard and the gladiatorial instincts of Shoaib Akhtar settled a riveting Riverside derby in Durham's favour yesterday, giving them their first championship double. After their 167-run win at Headingley, Durham won by three wickets

  • Tinkler shines for Pool

    NEALE Cooper has only been in control of Hartlepool United for two games - but he has already earmarked Mark Tinkler as one of his major players. Pool's pre-season games in Holland ended yesterday with an entertaining 3-3 draw with Heerenveen. Marco Gabbiadini's

  • Boy, 7, dies in swimming pool accident on holiday

    A seven-year-old schoolboy has died in a swimming pool at the start of a family holiday in Tenerife. Benjamin Waters had just arrived at the Canary Island's popular Playa de Las Americas resort with his parents and older brother, Jordan, when tragedy

  • mothercare back on its feet

    MOTHERCARE has announced signs of a trading recovery saying that like-for-like sales pushed ahead 3.4 per cent on a year earlier. The performance comes after the company posted annual losses of £24.8m in its previous financial year. Chief executive Ben

  • No headpine

    AT the age when most little girls were playing with dolls, four-year-old Chloe Hanslip was playing the violin at London's Purcell Room. "My group was doing a concert and I had two solo pieces," she says matter-of-factly. By the age of ten, she had played

  • Ex-PoW camp set to star in TV series

    A FORMER North-East prisoner of war camp will feature in a television series to be broadcast next month. Harperley PoW Camp, near Wolsingham, County Durham, was built in 1943 to house nearly 1,000 Italian and German low-risk prisoners. The camp, which

  • Bishops aim to make three the magic number

    Although they have beaten championship contenders Guisborough and Redcar in their last two games, Bishop Auckland insist they have their feet firmly on the ground. They have now moved into fifth position and cricket coordinator Paul Furby, who captained

  • Sherwin leaves Norton

    Norton and Sherwin Campbell have parted company without the West Indian Test star facing a single ball for the Teessiders. Three weeks ago they trumpeted his signature as a major coup and expected to make his debut against Chester-le-Street at Ropery

  • The lure of lawns in summer

    THERE can't be many things nicer than being able to take a mug of coffee for a wander around the garden at the start of what looks set to be a hot steamy day (apart, maybe, from taking a cool glass of white wine round in the evening after work). This

  • The lure of lawns in summer

    THERE can't be many things nicer than being able to take a mug of coffee for a wander around the garden at the start of what looks set to be a hot steamy day (apart, maybe, from taking a cool glass of white wine round in the evening after work). This

  • Hitting the high seas again

    Once a Saturday afternoon staple, pirate films have foundered on the rocks in recent years. But, with the release next month of Johnny Depp's latest movie, audiences are rediscovering the buried treasure of the swashbuckler. Film Writer Steve Pratt reports

  • Concern grows for missing 62-year-old

    FEARS are growing for a pensioner who hasn't been seen for eight weeks. Police have handed out leaflets to more than 100 residents and businesses in Ryedale in the hope of tracing the 62-year-old who suffers from depression. Christopher John Hanby was

  • Concert tribute to music teacher

    A VILLAGE music teacher finished on a high note when he retired yesterday. Martyn Coates, 55, has left Hurworth Primary School, near Darlington, after 18 years, to concentrate on his hobbies, including fly fishing and do-it-yourself. Pupils and parents

  • Waitress artists add a dash of Italy

    VISITORS to a Darlington cafe can now enjoy a view of the Italian countryside as they sip their coffee. Art students Nicola Strickland, 22, and Emma Nunn, 19, who work part-time as waitresses at Wades Coffee House, in Post House Wynd, have created a mural

  • Heads call it a day

    CHILDREN in Ferryhill have said goodbye to two of the town's longest-serving headteachers. John Hepplewhite and John Denham are both retiring after long careers in teaching. Mr Hepplewhite, who comes from Ferryhill, is stepping down after 30 years as

  • Youngsters focus on drugs awareness

    PUPILS from a Ferryhill school have been working with youngsters on a drugs awareness programme. Volunteers from Ferryhill Comprehensive School have been visiting feeder schools as part of a peer-led drugs education project. The Out There Project encourages

  • Cricket players targeted by thief

    AN audacious thief may have mingled with cricketers before stealing cash and personal belongings from their dressing room during a game. Police believe a stranger at Crook's Dawson Street ground on Tuesday night may have rifled through the pockets of

  • Secretary stepping down

    THERE was a champagne send-off for retiring secretary June Hunter yesterday after 30 years at the same school. During a farewell service, children and parents at Stephenson Way Primary School, in Newton Aycliffe, surprised Mrs Hunter with a present of

  • Contest for budding TV stars

    YOUNGSTERS with stars in their eyes can win the chance to work in television with a new competition. Teenage support service Connexions Tees Valley is running the Making It contest with Bell Media for people aged 13 to 19. Entrants have to produce a short

  • Juninho tips Conceicao to become a Riverside hit

    JUNINHO last night insisted that Middlesbrough target Flavio Conceicao would be a Premiership powerhouse. Boro were yesterday trying to track down Brazilian Conceicao to discuss personal terms after agreeing a one-year loan deal with Real Madrid. Real

  • Jake fails to see humour in specs advert

    A DARLINGTON schoolboy has written to a national opticians chain to say he is unimpressed with its latest television advertisement. Jake Thompson, 12, says his classmates at Hurworth Comprehensive School kept chanting: "You should have gone to Specsavers

  • Rail museum seeking volunteers

    A WIDE range of artwork went on public display yesterday, as museum bosses appealed for more support. The exhibition in the refurbished west wing of Darlington Railway Centre and Museum was opened by the Mayor, Councillor Ron Lewis. It features four displays

  • Are we entitled to a rent rebate?

    QMy husband has Disability Living Allowance plus Incapacity Benefit of £72.15 a week. My State Pension is £64.40 a week and I have a private pension of £38.69 a month. Our savings are £12,500. Can we get a rebate on our rent of £260.58 a month and council

  • Jake fails to see humour in specs advert

    A DARLINGTON schoolboy has written to a national opticians chain to say he is unimpressed with its latest television advertisement. Jake Thompson, 12, says his classmates at Hurworth Comprehensive School kept chanting: "You should have gone to Specsavers

  • Cheers as shipyard marks turnaround

    NORTH-East shipyard Swan Hunter marked a turnaround in its fortunes yesterday when the first ship made there in a decade was launched into the River Tyne. Hundreds of workers at the Wallsend yard cheered as Largs Bay, a 16,160-tonne troop carrier, was

  • Concern as North's historic sites face 'spiral of decline'

    English Heritage has published its Register for Buildings at Risk. Alex Mott looks at the state of some of the North-East's most historic sites. A HIGH proportion of the region's historic buildings are at risk from decay and neglect because of a North-South

  • Rail museum seeking volunteers

    A WIDE range of artwork went on public display yesterday, as museum bosses appealed for more support. The exhibition in the refurbished west wing of Darlington Railway Centre and Museum was opened by the Mayor, Councillor Ron Lewis. It features four displays

  • Time to come clean

    I CAUGHT my wife scrubbing furiously at the skirting boards in the bathroom the other day before she admitted: "It's all the fault of those women on How Clean Is Your House? (C4, Wednesday)." Those women are, of course, the dreadfully direct "it's for

  • Women's charity race

    HUNDREDS of women will be pulling on their running shoes and stepping out for charity tomorrow. More than 900 entrants are taking part in the female-only Cancer Research UK Race for Life, at Herrington Country Park, Sunderland, Cancer survivor Lesley

  • Police bid to reduce the fear of crime

    POLICE have said they need to tackle the fear of crime in North Yorkshire, following the release of crime figures. Despite the county having one of the lowest rates of crime nationwide, research suggests that people's perceived fear of crime needs to

  • Police check off-licences

    YOUNGSTERS will be sent into off-licences in Derwentside this summer to buy alcohol illegally, as part of a police crackdown on sales to under-age drinkers. The teenagers, aged 13 to 15, will visit shops in the Stanley area, under police supervision.

  • Reynolds faces investigation over company's £4.7m debts

    GEORGE Reynolds is to appear in court to face a public examination after one of his businesses went into liquidation with debts of £4.7m. Mr Reynolds, who is chairman of Darlington Football Club, will appear at the town's county court on September 22.

  • Bus tours to bring energy efficiency

    AN efficiency drive takes to the roads in the Yorkshire Dales next week to increase awareness of sustainable energy sources. Staff from the North Yorkshire Energy Efficiency Advice Centre will be on board an Energy Bus, visiting market towns with information

  • Bishops aim to make three the magic number

    Although they have beaten championship contenders Guisborough and Redcar in their last two games, Bishop Auckland insist they have their feet firmly on the ground. They have now moved into fifth position and cricket coordinator Paul Furby, who captained

  • Screen stars of the future can win work

    YOUNGSTERS with stars in their eyes can win the chance to work in television with a new competition. Teenage support service Connexions Tees Valley is running the Making It contest with Bell Media for 13 to 19-year-olds. Entrants have to produce a short

  • Debt still worry as more aim for degree

    THE number of degree course applications to the region's universities has risen year-on-year - despite continuing fears about student debt. All six universities in the North-East and North Yorkshire showed increases in the number of degree course applications

  • Motorists warned of tax disc seizures

    MOTORISTS have been warned to ensure their car is taxed or risk a hefty bill under a clamp down which has netted 25 road fund dodgers in two days. The joint operation involving police traffic officers and officials of the Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency

  • Wardens launch crackdown on litter and dog fouling

    LITTERBUGS and dog foulers in Durham face a crackdown by a new team of environmental wardens. The trio will tour the district in distinctive environmentally-friendly vehicles to keep an eye on litter blackspots. People who drop rubbish or let their dog

  • Paradise rediscovered, but still below par

    The Eustace Bros (BBC1): WHAT'S in a name? Quite a lot if you're trying to relaunch a series that failed to capture viewers' imagination the first time around. Paradise Heights fell between two stools as a comedy-drama, being neither funny nor dramatic

  • Mothercare back on its feet

    MOTHERCARE has announced signs of a trading recovery saying that like-for-like sales pushed ahead 3.4 per cent on a year earlier. The performance comes after the company posted annual losses of £24.8m in its previous financial year. Chief executive Ben

  • Finance provides the main interest

    Financial stocks will provide the main interest next week as Legal and General and Alliance and Leicester are among companies due to report figures. Business information provider Reuters is likely to say that gloomy conditions have continued to take their

  • Shepherd eyes the Far East market

    NEWCASTLE chairman Freddy Shepherd believes David Beckham's departure from Manchester United spells the end for the Premiership champions' commercial monopoly in the Far East. Shepherd leads the Magpies to Malaysia tomorrow on a mission to muscle in on

  • Mother flies the nest and rents it to her son

    FOR one mother the endless days of washing, tidying and cooking for her grown-up son became too much and she decided it was time for her to fly the nest. Now Janet Mitchell lives happily in her own one-bedroom flat in North Yorkshire, while her son Matthew

  • Teenager admits rape claim was false

    A TEENAGER could face prosecution after admitting making a false claim of rape. The 18-year-old told police she was raped near the bandstand in North Lodge Park, Darlington, after leaving the Mardis Gras nightclub in the early hours of April 26. A 20-

  • Umar brought in to boost Leadgate bid

    Leadgate, who won the Division A2 championship at a canter last season, are too near the bottom of the table for comfort so have moved quickly to replace professional Sean Ackermann. They have turned to Pakistani Zahid Umar, who will turn-out in the home

  • Call centre jobs 'will go to low wage economies'

    AS many as 100,000 UK call centre jobs could be lost by the end of 2008, according to a new report. Key Note, a market intelligence company, said the trend of companies moving work to low-wage economies such as India would continue. The Communication

  • Concern as North's historic sites face -spiral of decline'

    A HIGH proportion of the region's historic buildings are at risk from decay and neglect because of a North-South divide in prosperity, it has been claimed. English Heritage warned yesterday that fewer buildings and monuments in the North-East and North

  • At Your Service

    HUGH Lindsay was four, the little girl by his side perhaps eight, when they strolled past the local Catholic priest, contentedly smoking his pipe outside the church. "One day you'll be a priest like that," said the little girl. "No I won't," said the

  • Fearful road safety groups told of error

    A SLIP of the pen is being blamed for sparking a storm over apparent plans to scrap road safety groups. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council denies plans to axe five voluntary grassroots safety watchdogs in east Cleveland. Councillor Glyn Nightingale,

  • Brothers get nine years for raping girl, 13

    TWO teenagers who raped a 13-year-old girl out walking her dog were yesterday jailed for nine years each. Judge Peter Fox described the attack as the most degrading Teesside Crown Court had heard as he lifted the ban on identifying brothers Gavin and

  • Silksworth's Tate hoping for double bonus

    With both sides on equal points - only four behind leaders Murton - today's clash between Silksworth and Castle Eden is of crucial importance in the race for the championship. Silksworth have hit form in recent weeks, but captain David Tate is not getting

  • McAteer has mission to succeed at Sunderland

    ACCORDING to Jason McAteer, his value to Sunderland cannot solely be based on his performances in a red and white shirt. Instead, McAteer claims his dressing room influence will make him a crucial figure during the Black Cats' forthcoming Nationwide League

  • Durham's derby delight

    THE fearlessness of Phil Mustard and the gladiatorial instincts of Shoaib Akhtar settled a riveting Riverside derby in Durham's favour yesterday, giving them their first championship double. After their 167-run win at Headingley, Durham won by three wickets

  • Champion misses Cardiff meeting

    NEWLY-CROWNED English Schools 400m hurdles intermediate boys champion Craig Crawford-Glanville misses today's big schools international in Cardiff because of a pre-booked family holiday. But his place goes to Washington schoolmate Lewis Robson, who won

  • Couple search for missing bridesmaid

    LOVING couple Maureen and Jack Taylor have turned sleuth to make their Golden Wedding anniversary celebrations complete. They will be attending a thanksgiving mass for their 50-years of marriage and have booked premises for a special knees up. Nancy Weatherall

  • Mayor issues rallying call to build on successful scheme

    THE Mayor of Richmond has urged people who want to improve the town to attend a public meeting later this month to decide what action to take next. Councillor Stuart Parson's Richmond Pride initiative has already achieved a number of successes. Monthly

  • The spice is right

    Inspired by seeing Diana Ross on a black and white television, singer Peppercorn is finally seeing the success she's fought for after ten years in the music business. Wil Marlow meets her. BY rights, Peppercorn should be very famous. But after nearly

  • Trust to benefit from sell-off

    CHARITABLE causes will benefit by £10m following a decision by car dealer Sir Peter Vardy to sell two million of his shares in the Reg Vardy motor group. The continuing success of the business has recently led to calls for greater access to shares in

  • When moving causes mayhem

    Your Life In Their Vans (BBC1) - AS moving house is acknowledged as one of the most stressful things you can do, it's strange that anyone would add to the bad time by having a TV film crew around to capture every crisis. The narrator maintained a relentlessly

  • Secrets or lies? - the hidden truths of military deaths

    Casualties Of Peace (Channel 4) - The Minstry of Defence declined to comment on accusations made in this documentary about some of the 2,000 British soldiers who've died on duty in non-combat situations in the armed forces over the past 12 years. Frankly

  • Fifty years on and still following the faith

    Bishop Hugh Lindsay is among five priests celebrating their golden jubilee at St Mary's Cathedral, in Newcastle, today. HUGH Lindsay was four, the little girl by his side perhaps eight, when they strolled past the local Catholic priest, contentedly smoking

  • 19/07/03

    EUROPE: G PARKIN (HAS, Jul 16) asks if we have a government in London and expresses dismay over joining the Common Market in 1973. The answer is yes; we do have a government and we also have a Parliament. However, the politicians we elect and send to

  • Dying to be on telly

    A few years ago a comedy-drama about undertakers would have been a dead loss, but now death is not so much a dying business for TV producers In the week before ITV1 begins a new fly-on-the-chapel-of-rest-wall series about undertakers, the American comedy-drama

  • Too-slow cyclist, 58, is stopped by police

    WEARY security guard David Lambert was pulled over by police - for cycling too slowly. Mr Lambert, 58, had just finished an eight-hour shift and was struggling to get up a hill on his way home when a police patrol car pulled alongside him. He listened

  • Bus changes posing threat to hotel jobs

    JOBS could be put at risk by changes to a bus service that is used by workers to a travel to a country hotel, it has been warned. The number 12 service operated by Go Northern previously allowed employees at Walworth Castle, on the outskirts of Darlington

  • Husband and wife step down

    A HUSBAND and wife have stepped down from their roles as headteacher and deputy headteacher at a Darlington school. Richard and Susan Wilde, who have worked at North Road Primary School for more than 20 years, said goodbye to pupils and staff yesterday

  • Teenager admits

    A TEENAGER could face prosecution after admitting making a false claim of rape. The 18-year-old told police she was raped near the bandstand in North Lodge Park, Darlington, after leaving the Mardis Gras nightclub in the early hours of April 26. A 20-

  • Time for the fullest inquiry

    POTENTIALLY the political repercussions of the death of Ministry of Defence scientist David Kelly can create the sternest test this Government will face. It adds a new twist to the crisis over the justification of the war against Iraq. A Government with

  • In the pink in Brittany

    PILED chaotically and impossibly on top of each other, the reddish boulders that give the Cote de Granit Rose its name are almost worth the trip to Brittany's north-west coastline on their own. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the Pink Granite Coast

  • Bus changes posing threat to hotel jobs

    JOBS could be put at risk by changes to a bus service that is used by workers to a travel to a country hotel, it has been warned. The number 12 service operated by Go Northern previously allowed employees at Walworth Castle, on the outskirts of Darlington

  • Husband and wife step down

    A HUSBAND and wife have stepped down from their roles as headteacher and deputy headteacher at a Darlington school. Richard and Susan Wilde, who have worked at North Road Primary School for more than 20 years, said goodbye to pupils and staff yesterday

  • Teachers retire after 50 years

    END of term yesterday had a special significance for two teachers from a North Yorkshire primary school. Ann Aisbitt and Yvonne Sanderson were saying goodbye to pupils at Wavell Infants School in Catterick Garrison for the last time. Both are retiring

  • £1,000 reward after store fire

    A reward has been offered by a supermarket chain for information about a suspected arson attack that gutted one of its stores. Costcutter will pay up to £1,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the fire at

  • Summer fair shows support for school

    PARENTS and members of a community have shown their support for a closure-threatened infants school after a summer fair raised £1,400 for new facilities. St Oswald's Church of England Infant and Nursery, in Church Street, Durham, is among 23 schools considered

  • Police found man hanged

    A MAN killed himself at his Ferryhill home after he and his wife separated, an inquest heard yesterday. Shaun Francis Doyle, 52, was found hanging from a loft hatch by police who were called to his home, in Watt Street, by neighbours concerned about his

  • Anniversary celebration of old and new

    GENERATIONS of former pupils and staff visited their old school as it celebrated its 125th anniversary. Ferryhill Station Primary School has held a series of events to mark its anniversary milestone. The school held an open day yesterday for anyone who

  • Education chiefs respond to pupils' plea for school visit

    EDUCATION chiefs have responded to pleas by pupils to visit their school, which could be in line for closure. Aycliffe Village Primary School is one of 23 being considered for possible closure by Durham County Council in a £300m education shake-up. Although

  • Dying to be on telly

    A few years ago a comedy-drama about undertakers would have been a dead loss, but now death is not so much a dying business for TV producers In the week before ITV1 begins a new fly-on-the-chapel-of-rest-wall series about undertakers, the American comedy-drama

  • Learning library cash boost

    A LIBRARY which lend toys and equipment to people with special needs is celebrating a cash windfall. The Learning Library, in Spennymoor, will use a £750 award from the Freemasons of Durham County to buy more equipment. The grant is the third the library

  • Evenwood's tall order

    Evenwood have the opportunity to pull further away from the chasing clubs when they visit Etherley this afternoon. Second-top Tudhoe have a free day and victory would see Evenwood 27 points ahead, even if Willington also win their game against Mainsforth

  • Me and my wicked suburban fantasy

    The news that marriage is only half as popular now as it was for the Victorians because women are delaying the 'crunch' moment should have sent me dancing and singing into the arms of my fellow female friends who are too busy being sassy to bother with

  • Radio station aims for full-time licence

    A TEMPORARY radio station hopes to get a permanent commercial licence in Durham. Durham FM completed the second of its two-month long trial broadcasts last night. The station, backed by Radio Investments Ltd, operators of Sunderland's Sun FM and Alpha

  • The crybaby who craves attention

    Inside The Mind Of Paul Gascoigne (Channel 4) ; Darien: Disaster In Paradise (BBC2) - The outlook was not good - the narrator wondered: "How close is Paul Gascoigne to complete mental breakdown?". After watching the programme, Gazza might well have been

  • Police appeal to help find missing man

    DETECTIVES hunting a missing Scottish man believe he may be in the North-East. David Barbour, 71, from the Strathclyde area, has been reported missing from home. His blue Proton car was this week found abandoned on a track at the bottom of the car park