Archive

  • The man with mission

    With one school already under his belt, another opening next month, and more on the wish list, Sir Peter Vardy is creating his own education empire. Nick Morrison looks at how a car salesman is stirring up controversy in the classroom. A SIGN outside

  • New season, same old Shearer

    ALAN SHEARER, so often the scourge of Leeds, salvaged a first-day point for Newcastle with a finish that bore further testimony to his legendary predatory prowess. The Magpies' skipper opened the scoring at Elland Road in the 19th minute with a penalty

  • Marina can strike again

    LAST week's 20-1 winning nap selection, Marinas Charm (7.35), has a tremendous chance of following up under a 3lb penalty at Windsor this evening in the OKI Colour Printer Handicap. While being suitably humble as well as has hugely grateful for such long-priced

  • We'll get it right, Reynolds pledges

    DARLINGTON Football Club chairman George Reynolds last night vowed to resolve teething troubles which emerged at the opening of his multi-million pound stadium. Fans turned out in force for the first game at the Reynolds Arena - describing the stadium

  • Wood gives Tykes hope of avoiding relegation

    Yorkshire Phoenix overcame both Worcestershire Royals and the tantrums of South African fast bowler Nantie Hayward to win the bottom of the table clash in Division One of the National League at Scarborough yesterday. It was Yorkshire's third consecutive

  • Racial attack gang hunted by police

    A PALESTINIAN man was beaten up and knocked unconscious by thugs in a racially motivated attack. Cleveland Police said the 28-year-old's jaw was broken in three places and he also lost a tooth. He was asked by one of the gang of four if he was a refugee

  • Farmer's kitchen recipe for saving tadpole population

    A NORTH-EAST farmer has found the recipe to conservation success - by adding wire netting and a colander to a frying pan full of dripping. When Paul Coppen moved to White Close Hill Farm, in Gilmonby, near Barnard Castle, County Durham, in 1975, he noticed

  • Strange happenings in suburbia

    Witness: Maidens Of The Lost Ark (C4): THE residents of Number 18 Albany Road, Bedford, are blissfully unaware that they may be evicted to make room for the property's intended occupant - Jesus. The house, nicknamed The Ark, has been refurbished with

  • Thirlwell promises hard work

    IN the absence of a "magic wand", Paul Thirlwell last night promised Sunderland would dig deep rather than mope about as a place in footballing infamy beckons. Defeat at Preston North End this Saturday would see Sunderland match Darwen's record for the

  • Nayef looks good bet for York repeat

    Nominating bankers or best bets at any of the major meetings is never as easy as it sounds. Racing over three days at York this week will be of the highest quality, but that does not necessarily mean it will be a favourites' benefit. Having said that,

  • Risks cost us dear, Juninho

    MIDDLESBROUGH were last night warned to stop taking risks by their creative spark Juninho. The little Brazilian was part of the Boro side that lost 3-2 to relegation favourites Fulham on Saturday. Boro boss Steve McClaren opted for the negative approach

  • TV review

    Witness: Maidens Of The Lost Ark (C4) THE residents of Number 18 Albany Road, Bedford, are blissfully unaware that they may be evicted to make room for the property's intended occupant - Jesus. The house, nicknamed The Ark, has been refurbished with new

  • Classroom chic that needn't cost the earth

    With the new term just around the corner, Women's Editor Christen Pears finds the best places to buy school uniforms. THE holidays are almost over and it's time to start thinking about going back to school, but buying a new uniform need not be an expensive

  • Sure-fire Shaw strikes to claim seaside win

    Darlington Building Society NYSD Premier League Premier Division: Saltburn won both matches to close in on Guisborough, who were held to a draw on Saturday before convincingly defeating Marske in yesterday's programme. After struggling to claim a draw

  • Advice group given funding lifeline

    A CHARITY has handed an advice service a funding lifeline. The future of Durham Citizens' Advice Bureau (CAB) had been in doubt unless it secured more funding to meet rising accommodation costs following its move to new premises in the Durham City Council-owned

  • Plea for clues to stabbing

    A MAN is fighting for his life after being stabbed. The victim, who has not been named, was last night in a stable condition at Middlesbrough General Hospital, where he was admitted at the weekend. Police are looking for three assailants who escaped from

  • Shop has finger on the film button

    A SMALL shop has got it all sewn up when it comes to providing buttons for big blockbuster movies. Hollywood film directors knew they could rely on Duttons for Buttons, in Harrogate, for supplies for their latest work Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse

  • Nurse ropes her friends into charity abseil

    AN award-winning nurse is hoping to inspire others to take part in a charity abseil. Jayne Unwin, from Ingleby Barwick, was named the Marie Curie Nurse of the Year and was asked to spend the year as an ambassador for the charity. Part of her job was to

  • Royal banker may open N-E branch

    ROYAL banker Coutts could open a North-East branch to cater for the region's growing number of millionaires. The 310-year-old bank, traditionally associated with the Royal Family and the landed gentry, is looking to expand out of London. Now part of NatWest

  • Murton maintain lead

    Durham Coast League: Murton maintained their 25-point lead at the top when they had almost 100 runs in hand of Bill Quay. Runs flowed for the leaders when they batted first and the formidable total of 276-5 was achieved before the declaration was applied

  • Accommodation sought

    A FESTIVAL has found itself with an accommodation crisis over plans for an anniversary event. Billingham International Folklore Festival will celebrate its 40th anniversary next year, with the cream of national dance groups expected to be invited to perform

  • Tait - No excuses for pathetic performance

    Dejected Darlington manager Mick Tait has told his players there are no excuses after Saturday's disappointing defeat at the hands of Kidderminster Harriers. Quakers remain bottom of Division Three after second-half strikes from Danny Williams and substitute

  • Half-empty Stadium holds few fears for Millwall men

    HOW apposite that Sunderland, who expected to turn the Stadium of Light into a ground where opponents fear to tread, should have the notion dispelled by Millwall. For while The New Den might not hold the same menace as their old Cold Blow Lane venue,

  • Collingwood ready for Durham return

    PAUL Collingwood will be back in the Durham first team on Wednesday for the championship match against Hampshire at Riverside. After making the game's top score of 79 in the second team's innings win against Warwickshire at Seaton Carew last week, he

  • Student 'glassed' during exam celebration

    A STUDENT out celebrating his A-level results nearly lost an eye when a drinker threw a beer glass in his face. The 18-year-old, who is not being named, had been out drinking with other students in Darlington town centre on Thursday evening to celebrate

  • Summer overcrowding puts animal centre in crisis

    A NORTH-EAST animal rehoming centre is at crisis point after being overcrowded with unwanted dogs during the summer holidays. The National Canine Defence League (NCDL), at Sadberge, near Darlington, has more than 120 dogs that are desperate for new homes

  • Soldier awarded NVQ as part of his training

    A YOUNG soldier has met a top general only six months into his training. James Stewart, of the 1st Battalion King's Regiment, became the 2000th soldier to earn an NVQ after studying at Darlington College, at Catterick. The 17-year-old received a certificate

  • Talks continue in bid to avert city bus strike

    HOPES are rising that a potentially crippling bus strike can be avoided when talks take place today. Discussions at the end of last week between union bosses and the management of First buses, in York, were described as productive. The sides are due to

  • Simon carries the standard

    LOLLIPOP man Simon Wood carried the standard for his gender at a competition to find the best crossing patrol in the country. Mr Wood, from Harrogate, was the only male to reach the finals of the Golden Jubilee Lollipop Person Competition. He helps youngsters

  • Singer's plans for student housing likely to fall flat

    An opera singer's plans to create accommodation for her students has hit the wrong note with planners. The singer, who teaches music students in a property at Ripon, wants to build student lodgings nearby. But planner officers have recommended refusal

  • Tickets on sale for floral attraction

    A small flower show held 82 years ago in Harrogate has blossomed into one of the country's major floral events. The town hosted the first North of England Horticultural Society's flower show in 1921, and now it is part of the Harrogate Autumn Flower Show

  • Lifeguard row after boy, eight, drowns

    LIFEGUARDS had been withdrawn from a North-East beach where an eight-year-old boy lost his life at the weekend because they were too expensive, it emerged last night. Jordan Moon, from Hartlepool, was playing with a friend on the shore at the packed seaside

  • Youngsters work magic in forest

    DEEP in the forest a group of children worked their magic to bring the woodland to life yesterday. A series of plays was performed by children in Hamsterley Forest to mark the completion of an out-of-school scheme. More than 50 youngsters from Teesdale

  • Youngsters work magic in forest

    DEEP in the forest a group of children worked their magic to bring the woodland to life yesterday. A series of plays was performed by children in Hamsterley Forest to mark the completion of an out-of-school scheme. More than 50 youngsters from Teesdale

  • Danny stars in charity cricket game

    DESPITE lining up alongside a team of television stars, a Bishop Auckland teenager was the star of a charity cricket match. Sports fan Danny Burek won the admiration of the crowd that turned out to see actors from television soap opera Emmerdale play

  • Decision imminent on homes proposals

    PLANS to build more than 200 houses next to the ancestral home of folk hero Bobby Shafto will go before councillors this week. If it is given the go-ahead, the scheme could signal the start of a larger residential development which will include a country

  • Demolition urged to remove estate's eyesore derelict flats

    PEOPLE living on a Darlington estate are calling for maggot-infested, derelict flats to be demolished. People living in Lascelles Park say three boarded-up blocks of flats pose a serious health hazard and are attracting arsonists and drug takers. A woman

  • Council to review policy on traders

    COUNCILLORS will meet this week to review their licensed traders policy. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's licensing committee chairman, Councillor Mike Findley, said: "There is a bit of concern about numbers because of the size of the pedestrian

  • Fight homes plans, residents urged

    Community leaders are urging residents to fight plans to build blocks of flats. Egglescliffe Parish Council was behind a leaflet drop at the weekend, urging thousands of households to make their voices heard. This follows a failed appeal to Deputy Prime

  • Neil just keeps on running

    fundraiser Neil Bygate is training for the Great North Run - his ninth in as many years. The 42-year-old, from Carlton Minniott near Thirsk, North Yorkshire, is running up to 20 miles a week to prepare for the half-marathon. Although his best time in

  • Rowing relay will aid charity funds

    A FOOTBALL team is hoping to raise money for a children's charity with a 24-hour rowing machine relay. Fighting Cocks Football Club, from Middleton St George, near Darlington, are holding the event in aid of the TFM/ Magic Radio Make a Child Smile campaign

  • Drink-related crime rises, figures show

    ALCOHOL-RELATED crime in Middlesbrough has increased, figures reveal. Offences in pubs and clubs across the town rose by 46.1 per cent last year, compared with 2001. Police are concerned that the rise can be set against an increase in overall crime across

  • 'Fires are putting lives in danger'

    A FIRE chief has said it is only a matter of time before a child becomes trapped while playing in houses awaiting demolition. The warning came from Cleveland Fire Brigade Station Officer Tony Suggitt, whose watch dealt with a blaze in three empty houses

  • Motorists risk £50 fine for throwing rubbish from cars

    A COUNCIL is to take action to stop motorists throwing their rubbish into the streets. "We're getting sick and tired of irresponsible behaviour by some motorists who seem to think the borough is nothing more than a huge litter bin," said Redcar and Cleveland

  • Mayor leads the way to attract new volunteers

    THE Mayor of Durham is backing a campaign to encourage more people to take up volunteering. Ray Gibbon, the Liberal Democrat councillor for Witton Gilbert, will be at the first open evening held by the recently established Durham Volunteer Bureau. The

  • News in brief: Changes to surgery times

    Middlesbrough councillor Joan McTigue has cancelled surgeries at the Beechwood Youth and Community Centre. However, she will continue to hold surgeries at the Gleneagles Community Centre on the first Saturday of the month and at the Sutton Centre on Collins

  • Wood gives Tykes hope of avoiding relegation

    Yorkshire Phoenix overcame both Worcestershire Royals and the tantrums of South African fast bowler Nantie Hayward to win the bottom of the table clash in Division One of the National League at Scarborough yesterday. It was Yorkshire's third consecutive

  • News in brief: New centre for disabled

    A centre where people with disabilities can get training has opened in Birtley, near Gateshead. Set up in Durham Road by Shaw IT training and the Northern Pinetree Trust, it can cater for up to eight people at a time. The centre is aimed at disabled people

  • Army cadets learn the secrets of teamwork

    More than 400 children have been given survival training at the Army's training area at Otterburn, Northumberland. Members of the Cleveland Army Cadet Force learnt how to build makeshift, lean-to shelters, called bashas, in the woods and cook Army compo

  • Dinning out on theri long service...

    DINNER ladies with a total of almost 700 years' service between them have been treated - to lunch. Scolarest, the company that serves dinners in County Durham schools, took the 25 workers to Durham City's Bistro 21 restaurant. Each of the women has completed

  • Dog-walkers needed to help elderly

    DOG-walkers are urgently needed in the region to help ill and elderly people look after their pets. The Cinnamon Trust charity has a severe shortage of volunteers in the North-East and needs animal lovers to help out. The trust is the national charity

  • Tackling a current debate

    Q Why don't birds get electrocuted when they settle on overhead power lines. Also why do tennis court nets sag in the middle? Is this not breaking the rules? - G Gregg, Ferryhill. A If a bird lands on the live wire of an electric overhead cable it will

  • Appeal in hunt for armed robbers

    POLICE are investigating a link between three armed robberies that were carried out within two days of each other. Detectives in Darlington believe the same two men could be responsible for the offences last week. On Friday, the BP garage, in Haughton

  • School suffers damage in arson strike

    POLICE are investigating a school blaze. Computers, equipment and books were destroyed in the fire, which was started in the secretary's office at Brambles Primary School, Middlesbrough. There was 20 per cent fire damage to the room and 80 per cent smoke

  • Quakers fluff their lines

    This wasn't in the script. Or was it? Scored one, conceded six. Darlington's League record after just two games already makes painful reading with the club firmly rooted to the bottom of the Football League after Saturday's 2-0 defeat at the hands of

  • 18/08/03

    SIMEON HOPE: FOLLOWING another conviction for County Durham supply teacher Simeon Hope (Echo, Aug 12), I find it disturbing that this particularly dangerous individual was released only 18 months into his two-year sentence. The criminal justice system

  • Undaunted British soldiers battle on in bandit country

    BRITISH troops in Iraq have vowed they will not be intimidated by lawless bandits thought to be responsible for two deaths in the Basra area over the past few days. For 48 hours after the attack in which 29-year-old Queen's Lancashire Regiment officer

  • Praise for chairman 'but time to buy'

    THE most eager of fans queuing outside the South Stand turnstiles an hour before kick-off held high hopes for the future after their big day finally arrived. Steve Carvey, who attended the match with nine-year-old son Harry and his friend James Donald

  • Cyclists on their bikes to boost cancer charity funds

    PEDAL power may have given a leading cancer charity a £12,000 boost to its fight against the disease. Yesterday, 185 cyclists of all ages and abilities took part in Cancer Research UK's Cycle for Life, following a 15-mile route through the countryside

  • England scent win as wickets tumble

    England's attack produced a stirring fightback to leave the third npower Test hanging in the balance after a thrilling fourth day at Trent Bridge. Dismissed for 118 - their lowest Test total on home soil since slumping to 110 all out against South Africa

  • Kites take to the air for festival

    THE skies above the Teesdale countryside were full of some of the world's biggest and most unusual kites at the weekend. People of all ages flocked from across the region to the hillside above High Force, near Bowlees, for the impressive display of traditional

  • Yorkshire Diary

    They were crying in their beer at Cooney's Crescent Hotel in Scarborough on Friday and Saturday and grown men wearing Yorkshire caps were gloomily tramping the seafront for lack of something better to do. The annihilation of Yorkshire inside two days

  • Lifeguard row after boy drowns

    LIFEGUARDS had been withdrawn from a North-East beach where an eight-year-old boy lost his life at the weekend because they were too expensive, it emerged last night. Jordan Moon, from Hartlepool, was playing with a friend on the shore at the packed seaside

  • Comment: Too high a price to pay

    THE lifeguards are so important. What will happen if someone gets into difficulty now? Money shouldn't matter when lives are at risk.' They were the words of a Hartlepool resident, quoted in The Northern Echo two years ago when it was announced that lifeguards

  • Two short of a 'doughnut' record

    A MOTORCYCLE stunt rider missed out on a world record yesterday. Dave Coates, from Darlington, was attempting to set a new standard for the number of "doughnuts'' performed in a minute at the ninth Bikewise event held at Durham Police's headquarters.

  • Make way for the jet-set babies

    IT DOESN'T take long for a new parent to realise that their delightful bundle of joy is going to change their life forever. Out are the boozy nights on the town, the shopping sprees on a whim and the trips to the cinema. Instead, life becomes one big

  • County wants one authority for region

    A COUNTY council has put its case for a single authority if a proposed regional assembly gets the go-ahead. One tier of local government in County Durham will have to be scrapped if a regional assembly is approved. The Government wants the current mix

  • Push for switch on jobs boosted

    A CAMPAIGN to persuade the Government to boost the North-East economy by switching jobs to the region has received a big lift. Capita, which has the teachers' pensions agency contract for Mowden Hall, in Darlington, has given the town a glowing report

  • Airshow organisers expecting big crowd

    SOME of the world's most famous aircraft will be appearing at the Yorkshire Airshow over the Bank Holiday weekend. The line-up for next Sunday and Monday's event, at Elvington, near York, has been strengthened with several extra vintage jets, plus the

  • Time running out to get free IT training

    TIME is running out for community venues to take an advantage of an offer of free computer training for their users. Village halls, community centres and libraries can sign up to the scheme run by The Northern Echo's Communigate programme. Communigate

  • Roberts brothers combine for RA

    Wearside League: Brothers Andrew and Stephen Roberts plundered five goals leading Darlington RA to an emphatic victory at Jarrow. Jarrow, unbeaten in their first two games, just could not cope with the pair as Andrew rifled four goals and Stephen one.

  • Roadshow gives boost to young cricketers

    BUDDING young cricketers have reaped the benefit of a scheme designed to improve their skills. Durham County Cricket Club has helped 500 youngsters with its roadshow, which toured Northumberland and County Durham, taking quality coaching into the community

  • Man denies murder charges

    An alleged gunman in a rugby club car park shooting told a court today that he was not alarmed when he heard police were looking for him - because he knew he was innocent. Dean Rye, 33, said he knew he could prove that he and friend Anthony Dewing, 20

  • 'Disadvantaged youngsters locked out of jobs'

    MORE should be done to prevent the North-East's disadvantaged youngsters from being "locked out" of the jobs market and education system, the Prince's Trust said last night. A report published by the trust this week shows that too many socially-excluded

  • News in brief: Pool closes for essential work

    ONE of North Yorkshire's swimming pools is to be closed for a fortnight for essential maintenance work and to remove asbestos from the building. The Edmund Wilson Pool, in York, will be closed from today until the end of the month. New gym equipment will

  • News in brief: Museum hosts crafts festival

    Killhope Lead Mining Museum, in Weardale, will be holding coracle-making demonstrations, workshops in woodland crafts and building bird and bat boxes, and many other woodland activities on Sunday and next Monday, from 10.30am to 5pm. For details telephone

  • Factory worker sabotaged products

    A WORKER at a doomed North-East cigarette factory has been disciplined after he committed an act of sabotage. The man, who is not being named, deliberately damaged cigarette packets at British American Tobacco's Rothmans plant, in Darlington. It is believed

  • Feethams legend hails new stadium

    AFTER taking the acclaim of the Darlington fans on an emotion-packed afternoon to mark the last game at Feethams, Quakers legend Ron Greener was unsure over his feelings about the move to pastures new. "I don't know whether I'm looking forward to it or

  • Bone marrow clinic opens

    POTENTIAL donors will be able to attend a bone marrow clinic in the region tomorrow. The Anthony Nolan Trust is holding a session at the education centre, James Cook University hospital, Middlesbrough, between 5.30pm and 9pm. Last week more than 100 people

  • News in brief: Moors stretch 'contaminated'

    THE site of a former North-East chemical weapons depot has been contaminated, it was claimed last night. A leaked Ministry of Defence report has revealed that Bowes Moor, near Barnard Castle, County Durham, is contaminated with mustard gas, phosgene and

  • Push for switch on jobs boosted

    A CAMPAIGN to persuade the Government to boost the North-East economy by switching jobs to the region has received a big lift. Capita, which has the teachers' pensions agency contract for Mowden Hall, in Darlington, has given the town a glowing report

  • Bus service laid on for shoppers

    A FREE bus service is helping people to do their weekly shop while their local supermarket is renovated. Tesco has set up a service to its superstore in Billingham, while building work is carried out on the old Savacentre store in Stockton. Tony Watson

  • Hospice joy over cash from Friends

    A CASH-strapped hospice has landed a £5,610 windfall. Teesside Hospice, in Middlesbrough, which needs £2,600 each day to maintain its services, has been remembered by the League of Friends of Middlesbrough General and West Lane Hospitals, which wound-up

  • Jet ski championship date

    High power excitement is promised when heats for the British Jet Ski Championships are held at the Tees Barrage on the River Tees over the bank holiday weekend. The event, for the Tees Trophy Challenge, will be broadcast on Sky TV.

  • Simon carries the standard

    LOLLIPOP man Simon Wood carried the standard for his gender at a competition to find the best crossing patrol in the country. Mr Wood, from Harrogate, was the only male to reach the finals of the Golden Jubilee Lollipop Person Competition. He helps youngsters

  • Ready to face art gallery challenge

    A FORMER art student has returned to the town where she studied as curator of fine art. Middlesbrough Council said Judith Winter will play a key role in the development of Middlesbrough's art gallery. The holder of a postgraduate degree in sculpture,

  • Party falls flat in arena that has Quakers fans drooling

    It has taken years to transform an unassuming patch of land into a football stadium worthy of comparison with anything in the country. Quakers supporter Ray Crisp was among the first through the turnstiles... NO sooner had a very dapper-looking George

  • Pub quiz teams join fundraising efforts

    A SEARCH to find the brainiest pub or club in Billingham will be held next month as part of a challenge to raise money for charity. Six pubs and clubs will take part in the quiz as part of the annual Old Billingham Carnival and Garden Show. The Salutation

  • Spotlight turned on future of hall

    A range of options to secure the future of a 17th Century North Yorkshire stately home should be welcomed, according to a conservation expert. David Rhodes, conservation and design manager of Harrogate Borough Council, is asking councillors to back options

  • Mark takes role at nature reserve

    WORK to raise the profile of the Army's award-winning nature reserve at Catterick Garrison has taken a step forward. A community liaison officer is now based full-time at Foxglove Covert, with a brief to make it more accessible to schools, community groups

  • Charity issues a call for fundraising daredevils

    A CHARITY is urging as many people as possible to take a death-defying plunge - to help them move to new premises Chopsticks, of Northallerton, has already recruited 50 volunteers to tackle a 160ft bungee jump on Sunday, September 28. But the group hopes

  • News in brief: New centre for disabled

    A centre where people with disabilities can get training has opened in Birtley, near Gateshead. Set up in Durham Road by Shaw IT training and the Northern Pinetree Trust, it can cater for up to eight people at a time. The centre is aimed at disabled people

  • Fun day boosts career prospects

    VILLAGERS gathered for a day of family fun at the weekend. Haswell Community Centre was the venue for the event on Saturday. Children's entertainment included juggling, bowling, balloon modelling, face-painting, body art and a puppet show. There was also

  • Council's £163m deal to improve street lighting

    MORE than 35,000 street lights will be installed throughout Sunderland and neighbouring towns and villages. The city council has signed a 25-year £163m private finance initiative contract with Balfour Beatty. Under the agreement, 70 per cent of the area's

  • MP calls study to shut PO a 'sham'

    AN MP branded the Post Office consultation over a branch closure as a sham after leaflets announcing the decision appeared to have been printed months ago. The information booklets, containing the decision to close the Picktree Lane Post Office, in Chester-le-Street

  • Danny stars in charity cricket game

    DESPITE lining up alongside a team of television stars, a Bishop Auckland teenager was the star of a charity cricket match. Sports fan Danny Burek won the admiration of the crowd that turned out to see actors from television soap opera Emmerdale play

  • Appeal lodged against house scheme ruling

    AN appeal has been lodged with the Government after Darlington Borough Council refused planning permission for a village home. Howard Developments has appealed against the decision to the Secretary of the State for the Environment. On April 30, the council

  • Demolition urged to remove estate's eyesore derelict flats

    PEOPLE living on a Darlington estate are calling for maggot-infested, derelict flats to be demolished. People living in Lascelles Park say three boarded-up blocks of flats pose a serious health hazard and are attracting arsonists and drug takers. A woman

  • News in brief: Churchwarden stepping down

    John Bowman has stepped down as churchwarden at St James the Great Church, in Albert Hill, Darlington. Mr Bowman, who was warden for 29 years, was presented with a cheque by Father Ian Grieves, who thanked him for his hard work over the years. CARAVAN

  • Contest award for disabled gardener

    A DISABLED gardener has won the rear gardens section of the Darlington in Bloom competition at her first attempt. Sarah Taylor, 45, of Welbeck Avenue, Darlington, who has multiple sclerosis, said she was shocked but delighted by her success. Miss Taylor

  • Cream teas treat for festival visitors

    MORE than 500 free cream teas were served up to visitors at Darlington's Food Festival. The event in the Market Square was organised by Darlington Borough Council's markets section. Stallholders tempted visitors with jams, meats, game and fruit pies,

  • Letters

    SIMEON HOPE FOLLOWING another conviction for County Durham supply teacher Simeon Hope (Echo, Aug 12), I find it disturbing that this particularly dangerous individual was released only 18 months into his two-year sentence. The criminal justice system

  • News in brief: Changes to surgery times

    Middlesbrough councillor Joan McTigue has cancelled surgeries at the Beechwood Youth and Community Centre. However, she will continue to hold surgeries at the Gleneagles Community Centre on the first Saturday of the month and at the Sutton Centre on Collins

  • News in brief: New centre for disabled

    A centre where people with disabilities can get training has opened in Birtley, near Gateshead. Set up in Durham Road by Shaw IT training and the Northern Pinetree Trust, it can cater for up to eight people at a time. The centre is aimed at disabled people

  • Workers' safety record hits gold standard

    SAFETY conscious workers have won a gold award for consistently high standards. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has awarded the Billingham workforces of Lucite International and ABB Projects, Construction and Design, with gold

  • Durham Diary

    HERSCHELLE Gibbs' slate has clearly been wiped clean. When I asked former Durham chairman Bill Midgley 18 months ago if Gibbs was the South African on standby to replace Martin Love, the answer was an emphatic "no". Durham had let it be known that they

  • Army cadets learn the secrets of teamwork

    More than 400 children have been given survival training at the Army's training area at Otterburn, Northumberland. Members of the Cleveland Army Cadet Force learnt how to build makeshift, lean-to shelters, called bashas, in the woods and cook Army compo

  • Lacklustre Evenwood suffer championship hiccup

    The Readers Durham County League: Evenwood lost ground in the race for the championship and may have to defeat second-top Willington next Saturday to stay in contention. A big body blow was their failure to defeat Ushaw Moor when the scores ended identical

  • Stay-away Davis is still McClaren's best-man

    MIDDLESBROUGH target Sean Davis chose to go to a wedding instead of witnessing his possible future employers take on his current club Fulham. And the manager who is so keen to take him to the Riverside, Steve McClaren, should be relieved the 23-year-old

  • Smoke-free drive backed by businesses

    MORE businesses are joining the fight against one of Sunderland's biggest killers. Each year 630 people in the city die from smoking-related diseases and many more suffer chronic illness. But businesses are increasingly banning the habit from their premises

  • Scheme to help lone parents find work

    A CAMPAIGN to encourage lone parents to get a job is being launched in County Durham. Department of Work and Pensions staff will be at supermarkets over the next few weeks handing out leaflets on finding work. A spokesman said: "As the end of the school

  • Plans for children's home approved despite objections

    CONTROVERSIAL proposals to convert a house to care for needy children have been approved by planning chiefs. Derwentside District Council's development control committee agreed to plans for The Lilacs, in Consett Road, Castleside, near Consett, which

  • Hewison heroics puts South North on course

    Foster's ECB North-East Regional Premier League: Although Durham Academy took maximum points from Gateshead Fell, South Northumberland powered their way to another impressive victory against Chester-le-Street and are looking more and more a championship

  • Hutton hampers Wolviston title bid

    Darlington Building Society NYSD Premier League Division One: Wolviston lost ground in the race for the championship when they suffered a five-wicket defeat visiting Marton. Shivan Hutton bowled impressively in the home attack and his 24 economical overs

  • Keeping the peace inside a furnace

    Iraqi bandits are not the only enemy British troops have to fight in the Gulf, there is also the fierce heat to contend with. In the first of their daily reports from Iraq this week, Northern Echo reporter Steve Parsley and photographer Stuart Boulton

  • Helping free up PCs from paperwork

    A NEW scheme could allow police officers to get back on the street quicker after making an arrest. A new prisoner handling team will be set up at Durham city's police station as an experiment and could go nation-wide if it is successful. The eight-member

  • Comrades remember victims with VJ salute

    IT was a poignant moment when an old Second World War transporter plane flew over a memorial service to British prisoners of war. The US-built Douglas Dakota had seen service in the Far East and was used to fly home some of the British servicemen who

  • Robson saddened by Bowyer's reception

    SIR BOBBY ROBSON last night hit out at the "sad'' treatment dealt to Lee Bowyer by the Leeds United boo boys. Midfielder Bowyer was forced to run a gauntlet of hate at Elland Road as Newcastle grabbed a point in a 2-2 draw with a late equaliser from two-goal

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    A vow to review lifeguard patrols at a beach has been made after the death of an eight-year-old boy. A major rescue attempt failed to save the life of Jordan Moon, from Hartlepool, who drowned at Seaton Carew, near Hartlepool. The tragedy has led lifeboatmen

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