Archive

  • Report calls for firms to give updates

    LARGE companies should have to report on their social and environmental policy performance, according to a report. The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) argues that the move would improve business practice. Government proposals will require

  • Smokey's fire message

    TEENAGER Lisa Powell is helping youngsters to understand the perils of fire. The 13-year-old has teamed up with Smokey the Dragon to spearhead the North Yorkshire fire service's community safety programme. Smokey is the main character on an interactive

  • Conservation team helping unemployed

    A CONSERVATION organisation is helping unemployed people develop skills in a scheme that is also helping increase the number of trees in the region. Acorn Woodlands, run through Bishop-Auckland-based Groundwork West Durham, takes people employed by the

  • 02/12/03

    TUITION FEES: NOW we have a Bill to introduce top-up fees for university students I await with bated breath to see if David Milliband, a Minister of Education, puts his principles before his ambition and resigns from this discredited Government. When

  • Laminate flooring backlash begins

    Not many companies can claim to have had their products in Buckingham Palace, a Las Vegas casino and German brothel. Hugh Mackay Carpets has done just that, as Business Correspondent Jonathan Jones finds out. IT conjures up quite a picture to imagine

  • A lesson in life management

    Rebecca Morgan manages to run a successful business while bringing up five children. She talks to Women's Editor Christen Pears about juggling work and family life. REBECCA Morgan lives in an old stone house in an idyllic spot by the river in the village

  • Comment from The Northern Echo: The shape of things to come

    LOW turn-outs at council elections are a cause for concern. While apathy may be the principal cause, confusion may be another. Ordinary members of the public can find it difficult to engage in local politics when they are faced with the riddle of why

  • News in brief

    Warning issued to the elderly ELDERLY people are being warned to be on their guard following two burglaries. The break-ins happened on Friday night in the Hambleton Place area of Thirsk, but nothing appears to have been taken in either incident. Both

  • Revamped police station opens in dale

    WEARDALE'S last surviving police station was reopened yesterday. A deal between police and Stanhope Community Association saved the 130-year-old Stanhope police station and answered fears that the force was leaving the dale. The association bought the

  • Agricultural show to move on after 120 years

    AN agricultural show that has been staged in the same village for more than 120 years is to move to a new location nearly ten miles away. Organisers of the Eggleston Show, in Teesdale, say they need to transfer the event to Streatlam Farm, near Barnard

  • Football club official aids charity

    A FOOTBALL club official took part in a 25-mile bike ride to raise money for charity. Peter Denton, of Ferryhill Athletic FC, raised £150 for Mayor of Ferryhill Doreen Greenwell's chosen charity, Rosebank School. That figure was topped up to £200 by the

  • Canon is named as town's new bishop

    THE new Bishop of Knaresborough was named yesterday at a ceremony timed to coincide with an announcement made at 10 Downing Street. Canon James Bell, the director of mission in the Ripon and Leeds diocese, takes over from the Right Reverend Frank Weston

  • Village show moves after 120 years

    AN agricultural show that has been held in the same village for more than 120 years is to move to a new location nearly ten miles away. Organisers of the Eggleston Show, in Teesdale, say they need to transfer the event to Streatlam Farm, near Barnard

  • Artists help in town squares revamp project

    WORK is under way to transform two grassed areas on Hartlepool's Headland. The improvements are being made to the Regent and Beaconsfield Squares as part of a £300,000 project. The work ranges from new railings, walls and footpaths to artwork and better

  • Smile from Rose as she celebrates a century of abstinence

    Abstinence could be a recipe for longevity, if Rose Ann Morton is anything to go by. Mrs Morton, a resident at Shoreline nursing home, in Redcar, celebrated her 100th birthday yesterday with staff and residents who threw her a party. She put the secret

  • Archbishop opens school

    A PRIMARY school was officially opened yesterday by the Archbishop of York. St Francis of Assisi Church of England School, at Ingleby Barwick, opened its doors in February to 71 pupils. There are now 117 on the roll and it is expected to reach its 210

  • Help make children smile

    SHOPPERS in Billingham are asked to buy an extra gift this Christmas to help bring a smile to children's faces. The Asda store is supporting the Children North-East Christmas Gift Appeal. Staff at the store will be collecting gifts from customers for

  • Look at what the Romans did for us...

    Coal mining was carried out near the old farming village of Brandon in the 1830s when records describe a man raising coal from a mine using a whim-gin operated by a bull. However the area was largely agricultural and there was no major colliery. Things

  • Pub footballer offered chance to play in Italy

    Part-time footballer Jonathan Dunn is dreaming of glory after being plucked from a lowly pub team to play in Italy's top league. The 20-year-old midfielder is rubbing shoulders with Serie A stars, and has former Sunderland player Tore Andre Flo to thank

  • Community groups get funds from Lottery

    SEVEN community groups across County Durham are to benefit from more than £600,000 of National Lottery grants. In total, 24 community groups in the North-East have been awarded £2.2m in the latest round of grants from the Community Fund. The largest grant

  • Plea for expert help to put station revival on track

    A COUNCIL will be asked to delay some of its statutory duties tonight to allow a project to revive a former railway station to receive expert help. The Richmondshire Building Preservation Trust wants to prevent Richmond's former railway station from falling

  • County could disappear under local authority shake-up plan

    THE name County Durham could disappear under proposals for the future of local government in the North-East. The Boundary Committee yesterday released recommended options for a system of unitary authorities for the county. The current two-tier system

  • Showcase concert promotes region's talent

    THE cream of the region's budding pop talent comes together for a showcase concert this weekend. Dozens of youngsters hoping to be the next big thing are taking part in the event, held at the Lamplight Arts Centre in Stanley, County Durham. The Christmas

  • Cafe staff provide boost for hospice

    A HOSPICE will benefit from more than £275 in funds thanks to staff at Darlington's Cafe Gulp. Eight members of staff at the cafe in Priestgate, including owner Les Mooney and manager Paul Mansfield, completed the Darlington 10km run to raise the money

  • Businessman opens up land for free parking

    MILLIONAIRE businessman Duncan Bannatyne is offering free car parking in Darlington after seeing queues of Christmas shoppers struggling to find spaces. The entrepreneur said he was driving through the town at the weekend and saw that most of the car

  • Company has waste at top of its agenda

    Former Commando John Foreman has proved the truth of the old saying 'where there's muck, there's brass' by building a successful waste recycling business. Jonathan Jones reports. THE Northern Echo you are reading today could be the same one you read last

  • Ex-Magpies hero in Hall of Fame

    ANOTHER Newcastle United hero will be immortalised in concrete today. Toon Army favourite Philippe Albert will add his boot prints to the United Hall of Fame at St James' Metro Station, in Newcastle. The Belgian international, who played for the club

  • Driver hurt while talking to police

    A DRIVER is recovering after being knocked down while he was talking to police, following an earlier road collision. Thomas Langford, 49, of Dunston, Gateshead, was pinned to the central reservation of the A1 Western Bypass after a car failed to notice

  • Acclaimed band to mark anniversary

    ONE of the world's most highly acclaimed brass bands is helping North-East youngsters celebrate an anniversary. Yorkshire Building Society Brass Band, the European and British Open champions, will be playing at the Empire Theatre, Front Street, Consett

  • Renowned artist at craft fair

    PEOPLE had a chance to catch up with the bear necessities of life amid the pre-Christmas rush. Artist Michael Quinlyn-Nixon took his work to a craft fair at the headquarters of Durham County Cricket Club, in Chester-le-Street. Mr Quinlyn-Nixon, from Consett

  • Tricky ride for children in need

    TWO school friends have put their circus skills to good use by going on a sponsored unicycle ride. Alex McAulay, 13, of Skeeby, near Richmond, and Jason Ayre, 12, of Richmond raised £170 for Children in Need when they unicycled 4.4 miles from the town's

  • ITE wins training assessment contract

    TTE Consulting, a subsidiary of the TTE Management and Technical Training Group, has won a contract to become the sole provider of independent training assessment for the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB). This is the first time

  • Vandals strike again

    THE council is furious after vandals put public toilets out of action. More than £600 damage was caused to Bedale's public toilets in the latest in a spate of attacks which has already cost Hambleton District Council almost £1,000. The latest attack has

  • Solenoid firm opens new factory

    Redundancy-hit solenoid manufacturer Mechetronics has marked a more positive chapter in recent history by officially opening a brand new factory in South Church, near Bishop Auckland. The company had been leasing its old base but has invested £500,000

  • Eating Owt: Digging it at the Hack and Spade

    The food at the Hack and Spade is still excellent though grate expectations where somewhat dampened by the inn crowd. WHASHTON has about 15 houses, a pub and a history. Not only was there a murder there 20 years ago, but a chapter of George Reynolds's

  • Consolidation was part of the solution to trade competition

    Fourteen months ago, Reg Vardy plc established a stanalone parts distribution centre to serve the trade and 16 of its dealerships and bodyshops in the North-East. Parts Solution has recorded its first million-pound month and is going from strength to

  • Experts expect bank to hold rates

    THE economy has received a triple boost from figures showing upturns in lending, service sector confidence and manufacturing. Mortgage lending continued its strong run during October, with a record £25.28bn advanced, the Bank of England said. Prospects

  • Team is chosen to design college

    A TEAM of designers has been selected to draw up plans for a college on a North-East university campus, to meet fears that students have nowhere to live. Architects Gotch, Saunders and Surridge (GSS), a 120-year-old Northamptonshire firm, has won the

  • Insurance firm shifts jobs to India

    The country's biggest insurance firm, Aviva, today announced plans to shift 2,350 UK jobs to India. The company, which trades as Norwich Union, will move 2,000 backroom jobs and 350 call centre posts. Norwich Union employs more than 4,000 workers in North

  • Empty desks a sign of success for the Honeyman's workforce

    A business that supports companies all over the world opens at new premises on Friday, a move that promises a brighter future for Teesdale. David Roberts reports. THE empty desks at the new £750,000 premises of the Honeyman Group, on Barnard Castle's

  • Helping people back into workplace

    PEOPLE looking for work are being urged to contact a trust which could help them find their ideal job. The Morrison Trust operates a job brokering service to help those in receipt of health- related benefits find work. Kevin Watson, 40, of Thompson Street

  • Villain of landlords becomes their ally

    A company once seen as the pub landlord's arch enemy has just launched a device that it says will transform its image into the barman's friend. Tony Kerney reports. BRULINES acquired its reputation as the Big Brother of the brewing world during the early

  • Too busy to save the world? - then how about saving money?

    MOST small businesses would probably say they were too busy doing the essentials to worry about saving the world. However, mention that it could increase their profitability and ears would certainly prick up. Energy efficiency is not as glamourous as

  • Sofa retailer sees improvement in orders

    SOFA retailer DFS gave investors some seasonal cheer after announcing a turnaround in orders in recent weeks. The group said the market had shown slight signs of a pick-up since October, when it reported its full-year results. The upturn in orders, which

  • It wasn't murder but I'm to blame

    Ian Huntley choked back tears yesterday as he told his Old Bailey trial that he accepted he was responsible for the deaths of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman - but denied it was murder. He said he was ashamed at what he had done, and admitted deliberately

  • How Crook drew crowds of 100,000

    Backtrack briefs... While the Tyne and Wear Metro decanted thousands at Kingston Park, the column carried on to Callerton - Newcastle Blue Star v Ashington and in the footsteps, it transpired, of yet another celebrity. Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Tweedy

  • How Crook drew crowds of 100,000

    IT was a two-week magic carpet ride, the most improbable passage to India since Neddy Seagoon pitched up in Darjeeling. They were just journeymen footballers, most of them, Northern League lads and a few pros kicking round the lower divisions. Yet for

  • Lord all the way

    FREE-WHEELING front-runner Lord Of The Hill (1.10) possesses both the speed and jumping accuracy to dominate his rivals at Hereford today. Heather Dalton's habitual pace-setter loves to bowl along in front, tactics that have already helped him pick up

  • Collett told he faces fight to oust Price from Quakers side

    Darlington manager David Hodgson last night welcomed goalkeeper Andy Collett's return to training, but warned he faces a fight to retain his place in the side. The former Middlesbrough and Bristol Rovers keeper has not played since suffering a punctured

  • Appeal to secretive callers over death

    THE man leading the investigation into the death of schoolboy Ian Gourley yesterday appealed for a growing number of anonymous callers to come forward. Detective Superintendent Harry Stephenson said he had been delighted with the response to public appeals

  • Body found in sea identified

    A BODY found in the North Sea at the weekend is that of a hospital patient who went missing more than three weeks ago. A member of staff from Darlington Memorial Hospital has identified the body as being that of John Pedelty, 59, who walked out of the

  • TV review

    A walk on the weird side Little Britain (BBC2) IF YOU don't like this latest radio-to-TV transfer, narrator Tom Baker suggests an easy way to make your feelings known. Look at the names in the production team scrolled on the screen at the end, he says

  • Company has waste at top of its agenda

    THE Northern Echo you are reading today could be the same one you read last week - only the news is different. Thanks to Foreman Recycling, of Spennymoor, County Durham, old copies of The Northern Echo, alongside other newspapers, are recycled into the

  • Villain of landlords becomes their ally

    BRULINES acquired its reputation as the Big Brother of the brewing world during the early 1990s, when it developed the Edis system - a gizmo that remotely monitored the amount of beer sold in Britain's pubs and was designed to cut down on the endemic

  • Project to help blind in rural areas

    THOUSANDS of people are set to benefit from a major new outreach project to help the blind and partially-sighted. A two-year scheme is being launched by Action for Blind People to take practical support out to those living in North Yorkshire's isolated

  • Yorkshire sign Harvey to boost new boss Byas

    David Byas was yesterday confirmed as Yorkshire's new Director of Cricket, and his first big task when he takes up the appointment on January 1 will be to decide how to restructure the coaching. The former captain, who led Yorkshire to their first Championship

  • Hundreds of young people support world aids day

    YOUNG people from the region supported World Aids Day yesterday by taking part in a range of events. A thousand balloons were released in Durham Market Place to mark the day, while in Sedgefield members of youth groups and projects took part in an art

  • Murder suspect in tears at victim's deathbed

    Murder suspect Christina Button stood in tears around the hospital death-bed of the husband she is accused of killing, a court heard today. Her brother in law, a physician Dr Vishal Kaushik, 37, said she was emotional and looked lost at George Button's

  • Youngsters on song

    NORTH-EAST children have joined thousands from across the country to take part in the World's Biggest Sing. The event was organised by Young Voices, who hoped to raise thousands of pounds for children and young people with cancer. Pupils from County Durham

  • Million-to-one form of brain disease killed scaffolder

    AN inquest heard how a scaffolder died of the brain disease CJD. The inquest, in Middlesbrough, was told that the chances of catching the disease were a million to one. However, doctors said Malcolm Irving died of the natural form of Creutz-feldt-Jacob

  • Appeal for help after raid on shop

    POLICE are hunting up to four men thought to have been involved in a robbery in a general dealer's and off-licence shop. At about 6.30pm on Sunday, two men wearing woollen masks burst into the shop in The Avenue, Seaham, County Durham, where one of the

  • Taxing inheritance issues that can be made simpler

    INHERITANCE Tax (IHT) begins to be paid on an estate valued at more than £255,000. This is the individual's personal exemption. That figure must also allow for recent lifetime gifts. This used to seem a large sum, but for many people, the rising values

  • Pub footballer offered chance to play in Italy

    Part-time footballer Jonathan Dunn is dreaming of glory after being plucked from a lowly pub team to play in Italy's top league. The 20-year-old midfielder is rubbing shoulders with Serie A stars, and has former Sunderland player Tore Andre Flo to thank

  • Couple remain steadfast despite campaign of terror

    A FAMILY last night refused to be driven out of their North-East home by racists who are waging a campaign of terror against them. Gordon Dalgleish Haines and his wife, Julie, 42, who is of mixed race, have been subjected to months of abuse by members

  • Job Search: Vacancies

    Waiting staff, Sadberge, 5pm to 11pm four nights. Must have good customer service skills, experience essential. Ref: DAE 36918. Machine shop foreman/manager, Darlington, £20,000 to £25,000pa, 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.Must be time-served. Experience

  • Plea over pervert killing snubbed

    Police have met a "wall of silence" after a convicted paedophile was battered to death in his home. Murder squad detectives yesterday appealed for the public to "put their prejudices to one side" in a bid to catch the killer of pervert Arnold Hartley.

  • Digging it at the Hack and Spade

    The food at the Hack and Spade is still excellent though grate expectations where somewhat dampened by the inn crowd. WHASHTON has about 15 houses, a pub and a history. Not only was there a murder there 20 years ago, but a chapter of George Reynolds's

  • We must be more image conscious

    LIFE is all about image. It is there wherever you look. From our nation's senior politicians trying to project their better sides, down to the scantily clad men or women extolling the virtues of product x over product y, everything is about perception

  • The Christmas bonus - what are the rules?

    IT is normal for many employers to pay a Christmas bonus to staff, typically in the final pay packet before Christmas. Generous employers will normally pay such bonuses purely on a goodwill basis rather than because there is any contractual right requiring

  • Boundary plan leads to rifts

    PROPOSALS announced by the Boundary Committee for the future of local government in North Yorkshire have led to a split in opinion. One option is for one unitary authority to replace the current county council and six district councils. Arthur Barker,

  • Surveyors lead scheme for elderly people

    QUANTITY surveyors and cost consultancy firm Henry Riley is leading the way in partnership working following a recent contract to provide housing for elderly people in the North-East. Under the new Project Partnering Contract (PPC 2000) arrangement, Henry

  • Royal carpet company's stripping yarns

    ROYAL carpet maker Hugh Mackay has proved it can give clients exactly what they want - even if they are the owners of a German brothel. The company, based in Meadowfield, on the outskirts of Durham City, has produced carpet for rock star Liam Gallagher

  • Buyer snaps up junk art exhibit

    OLD-FASHIONED artist Fred Horsman exhibited a crushed drinks can at a gallery to prove modern art was rubbish. But the 75-year-old was stunned when an art enthusiast bought the piece of junk he found in the street for £20. Retired dentist Mr Horsman,

  • A walk on the weird side

    Little Britain (BBC2): IF YOU don't like this latest radio-to-TV transfer, narrator Tom Baker suggests an easy way to make your feelings known. Look at the names in the production team scrolled on the screen at the end, he says, and if you haven't liked

  • No whip, but great heels...

    Lisa Riley spent two days in bed with nothing on but stockings for her lastest role, she tells Steve Pratt. But now it's time to dress up for panto... FORMER Emmerdale actress and You've Been Framed presenter Lisa Riley hopes her latest TV drama role

  • Youngsters prepare for cathedral concert

    A SCHOOL choir is getting ready for its biggest day of the year. Members of the choir at Hardwick Primary School, Sedgefield, are practising hard for the annual appearance at Durham Cathedral. The school has taken part in the fundraising event for the

  • Band plans village music treat

    FISHBURN'S award-winning brass band has organised a full week of music for villagers. The band has decided to stage the free concerts to mark the 30th anniversary of the closure of Fishburn Colliery. Band members will be playing during a service at St

  • Hundreds of young people support world aids day

    YOUNG people from the region supported World Aids Day yesterday by taking part in a range of events. A thousand balloons were released in Durham Market Place to mark the day, while in Sedgefield members of youth groups and projects took part in an art

  • Helping fight the menace of off-road bikers

    POLICE in Derwentside have scrambled into action to tackle the menace of off-road motorcycles on public rights of way. Officers have taken delivery of two Yamaha WR 250cc machines for use across the district, thanks to £45,000 from the Derwentside Local

  • Teen tearaway threatened young and old

    A TEENAGE girl who terrorised a community has been given a five-year anti-social behaviour order (Asbo) to keep her under control. Chantelle Robinson, 13, took part in a five-month campaign of abuse attacking children as young as seven and elderly neighbours

  • Donations cut cost of park pavilion revamp

    A £42,000 scheme to refurbish a park pavilion only cost a council £15,000 - thanks to benefactors. Final approval for the works at Ripon Spa Gardens pavilion, which is owned by Harrogate Borough Council, has been given by cabinet member for leisure Councillor

  • energy firm brings festive fun to classroom

    PUPILS at a Northallerton primary school have been taking part in a day of festive learning with Santa and a team from energy company npower. The npower staff put on Power Day, a series of workshops tailored to different power themes, for youngsters at

  • Pop star provides a lessons break

    A GROUP of youngsters took a break from lessons yesterday when a pop star performed specially for them. The year seven pupils at Ian Ramsay School, in Stockton, spent some of the afternoon listening to Javine perform three of her songs. The youngsters

  • No whip, but grerat heels

    FORMER Emmerdale actress and You've Been Framed presenter Lisa Riley hopes her latest TV drama role will banish people's preconceptions of her once and for all. Her character Rebecca was introduced in the second series of Kay Mellor's drama Fat Friends

  • Partnership secures work

    LOVELL Partnerships has won more than £8m of work from two of the region's biggest housing groups. Lovells, of Yarm Road, Stockton, is in the middle of a £5m contract for Tristar Homes, in Stockton, modernising 400 properties on the Roseworth Estate.

  • Man pinned under car for 11 hours after crash

    A MAN in his twenties spent 11 hours in the cold and rain with his arm pinned beneath his car after an accident late on Sunday night. It is not known why the black Peugeot 306 car left the A168 near Thirsk, North Yorkshire, at about midnight and went

  • News in brief: Roof blaze

    A blaze at the Guisborough Education Development Centre, in Wilton Lane, Guisborough, caused 20 per cent fire damage to the roof and damage to a dormer window, yesterday. VIP visitor: New German consul for the North of England, Ingo Radcke, is visiting

  • Childminder turns redhead to help charity

    A KIND-HEARTED Darlington childminder has raised more than £200 for BBC Television's Children In Need charity appeal by dyeing his hair bright red. Mark Todhunter, 35, of Lunedale Road, Mowden, became a redhead to raise money for the charity and draw

  • Pupils aid Children in Need

    STUDENTS at Hurworth Maths and Computing College raised almost £750 for BBC Television's Children in Need charity appeal after staging a variety of fundraising events. Year ten pupil Laura Usher raised £135 after persuading her mother to make a Pudsey

  • Pet chihuahua dies as masked raiders struggle with man

    A FAMILY is mourning the death of a pet that was crushed to death when burglars tried to break into their home. The chihuahua dog died when its owner, a 59-year-old man, fell on top of the animal during the struggle. The man answered a knock at the door

  • The essence of life is that it's not perfect

    KILL a child because you don't like the colour of its eyes. Throw a young woman over the cliff because the scent of her perfume gets up your nose... You must think I've gone mad today. But it's not I who am mad: consider rather those who prescribe abortion

  • City Lofts prepares for market floatation

    RESIDENTIAL, office and leisure developer City Lofts plans to float on the Alternative Investment Market (Aim) before the end of the year. The Harrogate developer of apartments, offices, shops and restaurants, carries out most of its work on brownfield

  • Spotlight on youngsters as school prepares for music show

    YOUNG singers and dancers will be in the spotlight at a concert next week. Year Six pupils from Bloemfontein Primary School, in Craghead, near Stanley, are taking part in Forging the Future, an arts education initiative involving schools across Chester-le-Street

  • Mayor sees his clean-up operation swing into action

    A CLEAN-UP project masterminded by Hartlepool Mayor Stuart Drummond is under way. Every month Operation Clean Sweep, a joint partnership between Hartlepool Borough Council, Cleveland Police and the fire brigade, will descend on a different area of Hartlepool

  • Appeal after horse box and car collide

    POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a crash involving a horse box and a car. The accident happened on Sunday at 4.25pm on the A64 dual carriageway at Barton Hall, between Malton and York. A rigid horse box crossed the eastbound carriageway from the

  • Born with just a little difference

    As a church curate wins permission to challenge the refusal of police to prosecute doctors who carried out a late abortion on a woman who did not want a baby with a clft lip and palate, Barry Nelson talks to North-East families affected by the condition

  • Let me escape from St James' - Viana

    UNHAPPY Hugo Viana is facing the wrath of Sir Bobby Robson after revealing he would go anywhere to escape his misery with Newcastle United. The Portuguese starlet, on the bench for Saturday's 1-1 draw at Wolves, was only spared demotion to reserve-team

  • Fresh criticism as vessels hit stormy waters

    THE last of four rusting former US Navy ships to arrive in the North-East was last night delayed by bad weather as the deal to scrap the fleet faced fresh criticism. The 14,500-tonne Compass Island was due to dock at Able UK's Graythorp base, near Hartlepool

  • Body found in search for missing man

    HOPES of finding a missing North-East man are fading after a body was found in the North Sea. Police are yet to formally identify the man's body but friends of John Pedelty fear the worst. The body was spotted in the sea near Redcar, east Cleveland, on

  • Energy group gives its backing to wildlife projects

    EDF Energy, formerly London Electricity, has been working with Durham Wildlife Trust (DWT) to develop a range of conservation projects. The company, which employs more than 1,000 people in Sunderland, initially sponsored Wildlife Watch, the trust's junior

  • Collett told he faces fight to oust Price from Quakers side

    Darlington manager David Hodgson last night welcomed goalkeeper Andy Collett's return to training, but warned he faces a fight to retain his place in the side. The former Middlesbrough and Bristol Rovers keeper has not played since suffering a punctured

  • Lord all the way

    FREE-WHEELING front-runner Lord Of The Hill (1.10) possesses both the speed and jumping accuracy to dominate his rivals at Hereford today. Heather Dalton's habitual pace-setter loves to bowl along in front, tactics that have already helped him pick up

  • Too busy to save the world? - then how about saving money?

    MOST small businesses would probably say they were too busy doing the essentials to worry about saving the world. However, mention that it could increase their profitability and ears would certainly prick up. Energy efficiency is not as glamourous as

  • Stockdale eyes up a move

    WEST HAM have extended the loan of Middlesbrough right-back Robbie Stockdale for a second month as the Scottish international eyes a permanent move to Upton Park. Stockdale has fallen down the pecking order at the Riverside following the arrival of Danny

  • Pool owe it to McCarthy

    HARTLEPOOL United can thank Mick McCarthy after Australian striker Joel Porter made an instant impression at Victoria Park. Porter made his mark in Saturday's 2-0 win over Swindon, which lifted Pool into fifth spot in the table, winning an early penalty

  • Miller is called up

    FORMER Hartlepool United favourite Tommy Miller last night received his first international call-up, writes Nick Loughlin. The Ipswich Town midfielder, who started his career at Victoria Park and moved to Portman Road for £750,000 in the summer of 2001

  • Murdered pensioner picked on by locals

    A murdered pensioner was a victim, preyed on by local people - well before his activities as a paedophile came to light, say police. Detective Superintendent Brian Dunn, the man leading the hunt for the killers of convicted pervert Arnold Hartley said

  • US decision to drop steel tariffs 'all but set in stone'

    THE US may be about to drop its tariffs on imported steel to head off a trade war with the European Union. Such a decision may have a big effect on the future of Corus' Teesside Cast Products division. The division has been told that semi-finished slab

  • Warning over instant cash loans

    A WARNING has been issued to householders about doorstep cold callers offering cash loans. It is feared that people might be tempted to take advantage, particularly close to Christmas. Complaints reported to North Yorkshire County Council's trading standards

  • Richmond Foods in bid for the top spot

    ICE Cream maker Richmond Foods has vowed to become the market leader after reporting a 28 per cent rise in profits and another leap in sales. The business, at Leeming Bar, North Yorkshire, has reaped the benefits of its £9.9m acquisition of Nestle's UK

  • TV film may help cemetery death inquiry

    DETECTIVES investigating the death of a 65-year-old man have been studying closed-circuit TV footage of the night he died. The body of John Gibson was found in Dean Road Cemetery, in Scarborough, at 8.30pm last Thursday. He died from stab wounds, and

  • Team is chosen to design college

    A TEAM of designers has been selected to draw up plans for a college on a North-East university campus, to meet fears that students have nowhere to live. Architects Gotch, Saunders and Surridge (GSS), a 120-year-old Northamptonshire firm, has won the

  • Mayor sees his clean-up operation swing into action

    A CLEAN-UP project masterminded by Hartlepool Mayor Stuart Drummond is under way. Every month Operation Clean Sweep, a joint partnership between Hartlepool Borough Council, Cleveland Police and the fire brigade, will descend on a different area of Hartlepool

  • Film guru marks region's growth

    THE organisation spearheading the growth of the region's film industry has won national recognition. Lord Puttnam has presented Newcastle-based Northern Film and Media (NFM) with Skillset Approved Regional Partner status. The accolade is given for commitment

  • £1.6m project is completed

    CONSTRUCTION company York House has completed a £1.6m 40-bed extension at a residential nursing home. The company, which is based in Richmond, North Yorkshire, has worked in partnership with the Donisthorpe Hall Charitable Trust on the extension at Silver

  • Records expected to fall as festive season begins

    THE advent calendars have been opened, and the festive season is under way. Christmas shoppers are out in force in what is expected to be another December retailing record. It is not the season to be jolly at Austin Reed, however. The clothing retailer