I HAVE done a lot of crying over the holiday period. The tears have rolled freely down my face. The kitchen tissue has been ripped down to the last few sheets on the roll. It wasn't that I was upset at not getting that shiny red Audi TT in my Christmas
A LEADING training company in the region has secured government funding usually reserved for colleges. South West Durham Training has been awarded £200,000 by the Department for Education and Skills and the Learning and Skills Council. The money is in
A LEADING training company in the region has secured government funding usually reserved for colleges. South West Durham Training has been awarded £200,000 by the Department for Education and Skills and the Learning and Skills Council. The money is in
LEEDS United are playing Arsenal, barely into the second half before we've to leave hearth and hyperbole for the commissioning service for the new Rector of Hurworth. Had Elland Road so greatly overflowed they'd have been pushing tickets on the black
CHANNEL Four's Royal Institution Christmas Lectures series has paid a visit to the North-East to film a mine which is home to an international science project. Boulby Potash, Europe's deepest mine, off Boulby, in east Cleveland, accommodates a £3.1m laboratory
A SALSA club in Darlington is proving a popular venue for keen movers and lovers of the Latin dance. But organiser Issy Crocker insists there are many advantages to taking up the steps - not least to lose weight after a season of excess eating and drinking
THREE boys admitted harassing a woman, making her life such a misery she moved away from the area. A 17-year-old, a 16-year-old and a 15-year-old from Darlington, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to harrassing the woman between June
POLICE and the fire service have shared money raised at their fireworks show between eight County Durham causes. The bonfire and fireworks night at police headquarters in Durham last year, was organised by Durham Constabulary and County Durham and Darlington
A WORLD leader in painting car and telephone parts is expanding with the help of £3.1m from the Bank of Scotland. APL Technologies, which is based in Middlesbrough, is planning to step up its manufacturing operation using the grant from the bank's corporate
A MANAGER has struck it lucky and won £5,000 for charity, thanks to the new European Lottery. Steve Brown, from Bells Stores head office in Skelton, east Cleveland, never expected to walk away with a cheque after attending a European Lottery presentation
POLICE are hoping people will find a distinctive baby's pram which could hold clues to a burglary. The break-in took place between last Friday night and Saturday morning, at a house in Honister Place, Newton Aycliffe. The burglars stole a 28in widescreen
POLICE and the fire service have shared out cash raised at their fireworks show to eight County Durham causes. About 10,000 people visited the bonfire and fireworks night at police headquarters at Aykley Heads, Durham, last year. The event was organised
AN advice and information centre has up-to-date technology thanks to a BT scheme connecting communities to the worldwide web. Clients of the Signpost service, in Crook, have speedy access to a wide range of services through a computer at its new Market
DETECTIVES are appealing for information about a teenage girl who has gone missing from her home in Eaglescliffe. Lesley Ann Oliver, 14, went missing on Monday. She is 4ft 10in and has blonde, shoulder length hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing
TRADING Standards officers in Hartlepool have urged people to be vigilant if they receive unsolicited telephone calls requesting personal details. The warning comes after a complaint from a Hartlepool woman who had received a call from a man claiming
SIX people were arrested and heroin was seized after drugs raids across Teesside and east Cleveland. Stockton Drugs Unit and Stockton District Support Unit went to properties in Newbury Way and Sherburn Avenue, in the Billingham and Stockton areas, on
STAFF at the World of James Herriot centre, in Thirsk, are celebrating after winning an award. Manager Sue Dalton received the prize for best dressed shop window in the local chamber of trade's festive competition. BBC North Yorkshire presenter Sandie
YOUNGSTERS are being encouraged to recycle Yellow Pages to raise money for their schools. Schools in the Sedgefield Borough Council area are taking part in the national recycling scheme Yellow Woods Challenge. The scheme, organised by the council and
TWO community stalwarts will be given the freedom of their city at a ceremony later this month. Former Ripon mayors Doreen Spence and John Richmond have been nominated for the honour by the city council. Mrs Spence, who was awarded an MBE for services
PRIMARY school pupils from the Yarm area are taking part in a netball tournament this weekend. Teesside Preparatory and High School, in Eaglescliffe, is hosting the Invitation High Fives Netball Tournament as part of its open day today, when two home
The match of the day is at Ralph Gardner Park, where third-placed North Shields meet champions and current leaders Birtley Town. Only three points separate the pair but the Robins have two games in hand on their rivals and a better goal difference. "We
A £15,000 reward has been offered by a bank after two masked men wielding hammers stole cash from security staff. The robbers attacked two security guards as they delivered money to Barclays Bank, in Gosforth High Street, Newcastle, at 10pm on Thursday
A WOMAN who launched a savage street attack on a love rival walked free from court yesterday. Jane Carr, 33, punched and kicked Helen Finlay in the face after pouncing on her during a night out in South Shields town centre in January last year. Newcastle
USERS of a sports centre are to fight plans for its closure. Richmond Sports Centre is facing the axe from Richmondshire District Council, which said the move would save £28,500 a year. People who use the complex are planning to campaign against the proposed
A SHOP worker, who was engulfed in flames after fire tore through a County Durham furniture store on Friday, has died. Nigel Peacey, 58, of Hartlepool, was rushed to hospital in critical condition after he was caught up in the blaze at Priory Pine, in
AIR accident investigators are calling for better training for helicopter pilots after a crash which almost killed TV gardener Alan Titchmarsh. The accident could have been caused by freak storms, an air accident report has revealed. But investigators
BATTLE lines are being drawn up over plans to develop the tallest building in the North-East. The proposed 32-storey Northern Light building at the junction of the Tyne and Ouseburn rivers in Newcastle has been hailed by some as a symbol of the region's
Dunston assistant manager Perry Briggs admits that today's title clash between his third-placed side and leaders Durham is a huge game for both clubs. Dunston are seven points behind but with four games in hand, and Briggs said: "A draw will suit us more
AN international music festival that brings £1m in revenue to a town is facing an uncertain future after the local council said it could not afford a £24,000 grant. Organisers of the annual two-week festival in Harrogate were told of the funding crisis
THE painstaking restoration of one of the great British locomotives reached a crucial stage yesterday. The City of Truro is reputed to be the first steam locomotive to break the 100mph barrier and is being refurbished at the National Railway Museum, in
Darlington loan recruits Lee Matthews and Craig James look set to escape the rigours of a relegation fight after today's visit of Hull City. Quakers boss David Hodgson last night confirmed Sunderland full back James and Bristol City forward Matthews will
AN international music festival that brings £1m in revenue to a town is facing an uncertain future after the local council said it could not afford a £24,000 grant. Organisers of the annual two-week festival in Harrogate were told of the funding crisis
POSTAL rail services came to the end of the line last night, ending more than 160 years of transport history. The last Travelling Post Offices (TPOs) were this morning taken out of service and will eventually be sent to the scrapyard. All mail will in
Q I am on Statutory Sick Pay of £64.35 a week and my wife has a State Pension of £41.82. Our savings are £18,000. You recently told a reader in the same circumstances that he could get Council Tax Benefit (CTB), but I was refused because my savings are
SIR Bobby Robson claims Sir Alex Ferguson is trying to adopt his buy-young approach to football management in a bid to ensure success is sustained at Manchester United long after the Scot retires. Since Robson took charge at Newcastle United in September
HORRIFIED neighbours rushed from their homes last night to rescue a shop worker who had been turned into a fireball. The 58-year-old man was engulfed in flames as he fled a burning workshop at a County Durham furniture store. He was in Darlington Memorial
Dunston assistant manager Perry Briggs admits that today's title clash between his third-placed side and leaders Durham is a huge game for both clubs. Dunston are seven points behind but with four games in hand, and Briggs said: "A draw will suit us more
COULD this be County Durham's answer to the now world-famous Angel of the North? The Tower of Durham - a working title, admittedly - could soon be peering down on motorists using the A689 Sedgefield to Wynyard road, where it would be visible day and night
IT'S a big day for Darlington Football Club. The visitors to the Reynolds Arena are high-flying Hull City. They're near the top of the table, having spent money on players, and they will bring a couple of thousand supporters. The worry for the home supporters
THE NAMES trip off the tongue so readily: Dixon, Bould, Adams, Winterburn . . . and not forgetting Keown. For over a decade, they formed the formidable bedrock of Arsenal's trophy-winning exploits, an indefatigably defiant defensive unit. "One-nil to
HEALTH Secretary John Reid was forced on to the defensive by one of his own staff on a visit to the MetroCentre. Fiesty Maria Williams, who works for Gateshead and South Tyneside's smoking cessation service, challenged Dr Reid to introduce legislation
FOOTBALL pundits, or 'the muppets' if you listen to Sir Bobby Robson, up and down the country have dismissed Chelsea from the championship race on the back of their home defeat to Liverpool in midweek. The Premiership's big-spenders - now feared around
FITNESS centre bosses across the North-East are reducing membership prices in an effort to attract more customers intent on fighting the post- Christmas flab. Now is the best time to join a gym, as companies across the region vie for custom as many people
RUSTING US warships languishing in a North-East shipyard after an international wrangle could be returned home by May. Friends of the Earth (FoE), the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and Greenpeace met Environment Minister Elliot Morley this
NORTH-EAST supporters of under-fire cancer doctor Dr Gil Lederman said they were confident his work would continue. A question mark has been placed over his future after it was announced yesterday that he is to leave his post at a New York hospital at
Ebay, the Internet auction website, has sold some pretty strange things before but this has to be one of the most bizarre. An aircraft carrier built on Tyneside 62 years ago is up for grabs - in good condition, only three previous careful owners, full
A GANG of drug dealers who flooded a North-East town with heroin were jailed last night for a total of almost 34 years. The six-strong team from Teesside were caught after three undercover police officers opened a shop, called Bottom Dollar Discounts,
HARTLEPOOL United never cease to amaze Neale Cooper. Since his arrival in the summer, the Pool boss has been taken in by the ever-growing standards set by his players and supporters. A week after their narrow FA Cup defeat at Sunderland, Pool are back
TWO 11-year-olds from the North-East are celebrating after winning a national bridge competition. Richard Hall and Alexander Puddick, both pupils at Yarm Preparatory School, Teesside, won the National Junior Bridge Competition after taking part in the
BARGAIN hunters have helped Department store group John Lewis to a sales rise of 12.7 per cent. The group said electrical goods and womenswear were among the most popular areas during the first week of its clearance sale, which began on December 27. John
SO what could be better than half-an-hour of DIY SOS? Well an hour, of course, call it DIY SOS - Tour de Force (BBC1, Thursday) and let Nick Knowles, builder Bob Grose and the boys loose in France with Billy the electrician answering his mobile phone
Hollywood abandons reality in its top films for 2004 with cartoon madmen hell-bent on world domination, men in skirts, and the weather becoming a weapon of mass destruction. Steve Pratt looks at the coming attractions. You don't need a crystal ball to
THE absence of Jonny Wilkinson, Mark Andrews and Epi Taione means there will be more big names in the visiting line-up when Newcastle Falcons entertain Montferrand tomorrow. Although they may not all be fit, seven of the French club's squad played in
THE ways children had fun in the days before computers are being celebrated in an exhibition. The display called Toys and Games at the Museum of Hartlepool will be open until the end of next month. Staff at the museum have taken in their own childhood
A LONG-serving firefighter hung up his uniform for the final time this month as the last retained station officer in County Durham. Station Officer Dave Hodgson became a retained firefighter at Barnard Castle fire station 25 years ago. He has been station
John Hurt was the best man for the job when it came to playing real life romeo MP Alan Clark. Hurt won a glowing endorsement from Clarke's wife Jane. Steve Pratt reports. ACTOR John Hurt has never been one to shy away from controversial characters. Roles
A GLOBAL search to find a glass artist to contribute a work of art to a music centre in Gateshead has ended. Architectural glass artist Kate Maestri, based at the Oxo Tower in London, has been chosen by Gateshead Council to design a glass balustrade,
A chess club in Darlington gets started in a few weeks opening up the game to people of all ages and abilities. Plans for the club have been met with a positive response from local players keen to better their chess skills. David Bracken, of Lingfield
HARTLEPOOL United never cease to amaze Neale Cooper. Since his arrival in the summer, the Pool boss has been taken in by the ever-growing standards set by his players and supporters. A week after their narrow FA Cup defeat at Sunderland, Pool are back
TWO-thirds of the adults who took part in a survey in said they would like there to be more woodland. The survey also found that wildlife and attractive scenery were determining factors when people chose to visit a woodland. These are among the findings
FORMER soldier Ronald Burden has been honoured after more than four decades helping to save lives. The 64-year-old has been presented with the Flame of Life award by the National Blood Service (NBS) after making 102 donations since 1959. But after being
A MAN was "left for dead" on the streets of Darlington after falling victim to a vicious gang attack. Anthony Fletcher, 25, had been out drinking with his brother and a friend when they were targeted by a group of about 13 lads. The attackers allegedly
COUNCILLORS have voted to merge one of their services with another authority's in an attempt to improve care for the elderly. Members of Wear Valley District Council's housing services committee have voted in favour of merging its homeline service with
AN advice and information centre has up-to-date technology thanks to a BT scheme connecting communities to the worldwide web. Clients of the Signpost service, in Crook, have speedy access to a wide range of services through a computer at its new Market
Hollywood abandons reality in its top films for 2004 with cartoon madmen hell-bent on world domination, men in skirts, and the weather becoming a weapon of mass destruction. Steve Pratt looks at the coming attractions. You don't need a crystal ball to
YOUNGSTERS are being encouraged to recycle Yellow Pages to raise money for their schools. Schools in the Sedgefield Borough Council area are taking part in the national recycling scheme Yellow Woods Challenge. The scheme, organised by the council and
A HIGHER priority is to be given to the needs of crime victims and witnesses under a "new deal" police pledge for the new year. Durham's Deputy Chief Constable, Jon Stoddart, said the force was committed to targeting low-level, anti-social crime and disorder
CHANNEL Four's Royal Institution Christmas Lectures series has paid a visit to the North-East to film a mine which is home to an international science project. Boulby Potash, Europe's deepest mine, off Boulby, in east Cleveland, accommodates a £3.1m laboratory
THE former home of rock star David Coverdale has gone on sale in the North-East. The Whitesnake front man, who also sang with Deep Purple in the 1970s, lived at Red Gables house, in Saltburn, east Cleveland, when he was a young boy. The rock star, who
TRAFFIC WARDENS: THE handing over of more power to traffic wardens will allow the police to follow up more serious crimes. Would these be the crimes we are continually told are falling year on year? Is this not the same Government that said the downgrading
A BABY girl's blood has been flown across the Atlantic to give a North-East child his one chance of survival. Doctors launched a worldwide search for a bone marrow donor to save nine-month-old George Young, who has been given just three months to live
AN estate is to undergo a facelift as part of a £1.7m investment to regenerate part of Middlesbrough. Easterside will get children's play facilities, a refurbished library, a community garden and a landscaped car park. It is part of two-pronged approach
A BABY girl's blood has been flown across the Atlantic to give a North-East child his one chance of survival. Doctors launched a worldwide search for a bone marrow donor to save nine-month-old George Young, who has been given just three months to live
DURHAM City MP Gerry Steinberg has welcomed a decision to allow a retail development to be built in the city. The Department of the Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has approved four planning applications for retail parks on the Dragonville Industrial
PEOPLE wanting to take part in a competition to find east Durham's community pop idol are being given a final chance to enter the contest. The winner will record a CD at DRi Limited's studio in Newcastle. There will also be prizes for the runners-up.
A guided walk takes place today along a routes taken by sanctuary seekers heading for Durham Cathedral. The 11-mile walk follows a route from Witton Gilbert to Durham. Walkers are asked to meet at St Michael and All Angels Church, south of the A691, at
A MAN who brandished a kitchen knife at his partner in front of their children was jailed for two-and-a-half years yesterday. David Hagen, 40, threatened to kill Julie Naisby in front of their three-year-old and three-month-old children when their relationship
A PUB landlady is aiming to raise £10,000 for charity with six months of fundraising. Irene Boyers, who is the landlady of the Market Tavern and Black Horse pubs in Chester-le-Street, has raised thousands for charities in the past and has recently embarked
TALENTED young people have collaborated with an international artist to produce panels for their school garden. For the past eight weeks, artist Tony Hogan has been working with youngsters at Tudor Grove, Sunderland - a pupil referral unit catering for
MORE than 200 Teesside chemicals jobs are in jeopardy unless the Government clamps down on illegal international trading, a union organiser has said. Underhand tactics used by Chinese, Pakistani and Australian plastics makers must be stamped out before
TRACING our ancestors has never been an easier - or more popular - pastime. Now, thanks to a new website, www.1837online.com, information on births, deaths and marriages is available with a few clicks of a mouse. But why are we so anxious to find out
AARON HUGHES last night warned Manchester United that the Magpies won't suffer an inferiority complex when they visit Old Trafford tomorrow. The Magpies have lost their last four matches against the Red Devils, conceding 16 goals in the process. To add
Spennymoor will include new striker Justin Perry for today's home game with Harrogate Town. Manager Tony Lee has signed North-East born Perry from League of Wales side TNS. Lee said: "We need some cover up front because of the injury to Steve Preen. Hopefully
LEEDS United are playing Arsenal, barely into the second half before we've to leave hearth and hyperbole for the commissioning service for the new Rector of Hurworth. Had Elland Road so greatly overflowed they'd have been pushing tickets on the black
THE UK's biggest companies have seen the shortfall in their pension schemes halve during the past year due to rising share prices, research showed. Consultants Hewitt Bacon and Woodrow estimate that the pensions deficit faced by FTSE 100 companies has
I HAVE done a lot of crying over the holiday period. The tears have rolled freely down my face. The kitchen tissue has been ripped down to the last few sheets on the roll. It wasn't that I was upset at not getting that shiny red Audi TT in my Christmas
A REMOTE youth hostel has become the first in the country to win an environmental award from the Youth Hostel Association. Langdon Beck Youth Hostel, in Teesdale, County Durham, has been given Green Beacon designation for its innovative forms of recycling
SCOTTISH farmed salmon is so dangerous that if you eat more than one meal of it every two months you are increasing your risk of cancer. So lethal is it that US scientists recommend that girls and women of childbearing age avoid it altogether for fear
Darlington loan recruits Lee Matthews and Craig James look set to escape the rigours of a relegation fight after today's visit of Hull City. Quakers boss David Hodgson last night confirmed Sunderland full back James and Bristol City forward Matthews will
SEDGEFIELD-BORN jockey Andrew Thornton faces a nail-biting helicopter dash this afternoon in his attempt to ride the big-race winners at both Haydock and Warwick, Kingscliff and Behrajan respectively. Kingscliff (1.40) is first on stage at Haydock, where
AN exhibition of hand-made textiles from the Gujarat province of India has gone on display in Durham. The collection of Gujarati textiles belongs to Kanchan Malde, whose mother was a skilled embroiderer and made many of the hangings that are on show at
THE UK's biggest companies have seen the shortfall in their pension schemes halve during the past year due to rising share prices, research showed. Consultants Hewitt Bacon and Woodrow estimate that the pensions deficit faced by FTSE 100 companies has
It's been a particularly bad week for soap children, but then they normally get a pretty rough deal, being the victims of kidnapping, potentially-fatal diseases or tug-of-love battles. It's no wonder they grow up to be psychopaths and criminals. Soap
TRAGIC mother Debbie Briggs planned every detail of her baby daughter Jessica's first birthday party. But her biggest wish, to stay alive to watch her little girl enjoy the fun, was not to be. Mrs Briggs died from cancer in her husband John's arms only
A THIRD potential saviour has emerged for crisis-hit Darlington Football Club, it was revealed last night. As supporters threw their weight behind a bid spearheaded by local businessmen, the club's administrator confirmed he had received an approach from
I HAVE done a lot of crying over the holiday period. The tears have rolled freely down my face. The kitchen tissue has been ripped down to the last few sheets on the roll. It wasn't that I was upset at not getting that shiny red Audi TT in my Christmas
AN RAF pilot based near York is featuring in a Channel Four documentary series that starts on Monday night. Spitfire Ace tells the story of the Second World War RAF pilots who defeated the Luftwaffe to win the Battle of Britain. It also takes four young
HOME Secretary David Blunkett is the only obstacle to the return of British detainees at Guantanamo Bay, it was claimed yesterday. The solicitor for British prisoner Feroz Abbasi said an apparent softening of Washington's demands indicated it was now
STEVE McCLAREN has taken a leaf out of Sir Alex Ferguson's book of mind games to crank up the pressure on Arsenal for the first of four meetings with Middlesbrough this month. Boro manager McClaren maintains that all the onus is on the Gunners to win
AN exhibition of paintings inspired by the North-East's industrial traditions and landscapes are to go on show. The Print Room at Durham Light Infantry Museum and Durham Art Gallery, at Aykley Heads, Durham, is hosting an exhibition of work by former
LIGHT is to be used as an art form in a new exhibition. Works of art that use light as a key element in their design will be on display at Hartlepool Art Gallery from Saturday. Leading Dutch artist Judi Gor uses lasers with photographs, slides and moving
Health Secretary John Reid told people to support the Prince of Wales and "get off his back" during a visit to the North-East yesterday. Mr Reid spoke out as he and Prince Charles visited a planned new mental health facility in Ryhope, on the outskirts
NORTH-EAST athletes are likely to be out-gunned by visiting "raiders" chasing top prize money when Britain's oldest road race, the Morpeth-Newcastle, celebrates its centenary tomorrow. Over 1,200 entries have been received, including those from defending
