A STUDENT has left university after claiming she was victimised for posing topless for a national newspaper. Mother-of-two Louise Wilkinson, 24, said she had been told to stay away from her midwifery course at Teesside University and study at home after
THE MP whose U-turn helped Tony Blair win the student tuition fees vote cancelled a talk last night because of a planned protest. Nick Brown, Labour MP for Newcastle East and Wallsend, went from hero to villain for thousands of students when he voted
A FAMILY from the region could be the first to endure a new reality experiment. However, in contrast to the I'm a Celebrity contestants who had to face the creepy-crawlies of the Australian jungle, the family will be filmed at home, and their every move
IT has been pretty hairy driving around the local roads these last few weeks. It's not that I am a nervous driver. I am actually quite confident behind the wheel and I am quite used to using the small twisting roads. Having been brought up in the countryside
A RUGBY player who suffered horrific eye injuries in a clash with an opponent has been told assault charges have been dropped - on the eve of a return match. The Crown Prosecution (CPS) said there was insufficient evidence to charge Paul Sheldon with
LOCAL people are being asked to help shape the future of a nature reserve. Darlington Borough Council's Countryside Team wants local people to join its Geneva Wood Local Nature Reserve Steering Group. The nature reserve is one of Darlington's wooded areas
A VIDEO store assistant gritted his teeth and had his legs waxed for charity yesterday. Jamie Colclough, 20, who works at the Blockbusters store in Darlington's North Road had his legs waxed by Christine Blakeburn, of Beauty at the Top, to raise money
FOUR months after having an operation to remove a cancerous prostate, a determined North-East man has completed a 220-mile charity cycle ride. Dai Hayward, of Darlington, tackled the coast-to-coast challenge to raise money for research efforts into treatment
SPENNYMOOR Leisure Centre's Lifestyle Fitness Suite is to celebrate six years in operation. The public are invited to join in the celebrations at the suite on Saturday, February 28. Anyone who attends the event could win a month's free membership with
BUILDING work on an extension that will provide more office space at Staindrop Comprehensive School is due to begin shortly. The school has been given permission to build an extension to the main office, which will nearly double the amount of space available
A ROMANTIC couple who have been married for almost three decades could land a dream holiday to Mauritius in a national television contest. The story of Ron and Elizabeth Springthorpe's marriage touched colleagues at the Asda store in Spennymoor, who nominated
YOUNG artists are looking forward to making history when their work takes centre stage at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Children from Thornhill Primary School, in Shildon, have spent eight days working with resident artist Frances Connolly to create a
A TEENAGER did a 180-degree handbrake turn in the middle of a road and caused two accidents, a court heard yesterday. The 17-year-old, from Darlington, then sped away from the scene in the town at high speed, leaving one car damaged and a driver with
ELDERLY people in east Durham have another chance to ask about Pension Credit. A series of advice sessions are to be held in the Murton area as part of the "Pick it up, it's yours'' campaign. Pension Credit replaces the Minimum Income Guarantee providing
A COMPULSIVE overspender who stole more than £6,000 from her partner during the breakdown of their relationship walked free from court yesterday. Karen Warren, 37, used 18 of Alan Widdowfield's cheques which he had left behind while he was working off-shore
A VIOLENT drunk was saved from jail yesterday by the actions of his neighbours. Teesside Crown Court heard that police were regularly called to Paul Reader's home to deal with his drunken outbursts. Reader, 38, who had a Rottweiler, was arrested twice
A NEW Government scheme to collect dead animals from farmers has been criticised after a couple received a legal bill for more than £1,400. Alistair Nicholson, 61 and his wife Elizabeth, 60, who run Stud Farm at Littlethorpe, near Ripon, were taken to
A MAN walked into the path of a bus without looking, an inquest heard yesterday. Horrified passengers on the Arriva single decker told an inquest held in Middlesbrough that 62-year-old David Horlick had continuously looked in the opposite direction to
POLICE are looking for a 15-year-old girl who has been missing for nine days. Natalia Michela Angela Jones is from Litchfield, Staffordshire, but is believed to be living in the Stockton area. She was last seen at her home at about 5pm on Thursday, February
MORE than 80 youths were detained last night as police launched an unprecedented clampdown on anti-social behaviour. In a show of strength, police chiefs deployed aircraft, horses and a dog to round up suspected troublemakers. The clampdown by Cleveland
IT was hats off and hats on yesterday for hundreds of recruits embarking on a career in the Army. More than 400 junior soldiers took part in their first parade at the Army Foundation College, in Harrogate, in front of hundreds of relatives and friends
A GROUP of cadets has received an award after four years of hard work. Four cadets from Cleveland Army Cadet Force (ACF) were awarded Four-Star Certificates by Sir Paul Nicholson, the Lord Lieutenant of Durham, at a ceremony this week. The award is the
A DURHAM wildlife haven will be improved today. The 40-acre Pelaw Wood, in Gilesgate, will be worked on by its friends group, who hope to have it designated a nature reserve. The friends, Durham Countryside Rangers and locals will spend the day repairing
A GROUP of young football players have taken the first steps to becoming coaches. Ten members of Consett YMCA Junior FC have been presented with certificates by Durham County Councillor Clive Robson after they completed the Football Association Level
A POLICE officer who has spent his career making the roads a safer place has been officially recognised for his dedication. PC Brian Rogers has been presented with a special award marking his nomination by North Yorkshire force for the Police Review Lifetime
TODDLERS at a nursery took part in a nationwide Chatterbox Challenge, yesterday. Youngsters arrived at Ouston Community Nursery in fancy dress, ready for a sponsored sing and storytelling. They raised money for the charity I CAN, which provides therapy
VOLUNTEERS at a Cancer Research UK shop in Redcar have celebrated raising £1.2m since it opened 20 years ago. Many of the 25 volunteers who work at the branch at 78 High Street, have been affected by cancer personally or through loved-ones, and give their
Everyone likes a good deal, but many of us are too shy to haggle. A new TV programme tests the skills of those who aren't. Steve Pratt reports. TELEVISION presenter Sam Ross knows a bargain when she sees one. "My skirt was £2, jumper £5 and shoes £24.95
A FARMER'S plan to upgrade his diversification enterprise of bottling spring water in the shadow of the famous White Horse at Kilburn, has won the backing of planners despite parish council concerns. North York Moors National Park Authority's planning
MYSTERY businessman Ted Forster said last night he was prepared to pay £16.5m to gain control of Darlington Football Club. His was the only firm bid on the table at 5pm yesterday - the deadline set by administrators for offers to be made to take over
UNBEATEN King Revo (2.55) has the class to maintain his 100 per cent record in today's Victor Ludorum Juvenile Hurdle at Haydock. King Revo didn't pull up any trees when running on the Flat in 2003, but now he's been switched to jumps the strapping gelding
THE owner of PD Teesport is planning to sell the business for £500m. Japanese bank Nikko is hoping it can offload the operation after turning its fortunes around. The ports business, which operates ports on the Tees and in Hartlepool, is Britain's second
THE hugely successful show Godspell is coming to North Yorkshire. The show is being staged by members of Northallerton's New Life Baptist Church from March 22 to 27. The cast will be made up of people of all ages using a variety of staging techniques,
A NORTH-EAST gangster has had assets worth hundreds of thousands of pounds frozen by the High Court. Paul Ashton, 42, of Thursby Gardens, Gateshead, and Robert Webber, of Abbey Road, Sadberge, near Darlington, were each jailed for 18 years in 1998, for
IT is a reproduction of one of the aircraft that was used to attack Germany, but aviation enthusiasts always want to go one better. The Halifax known as Friday the 13th is the pride of the Yorkshire Air Museum, at Elvington, near York, and was painstakingly
THE American Oscars are still the main course. But the British Film Academy Awards are making progress. Once the pudding, they're now the starter. Occasionally, the British Oscars ceremony has achieved publicity for the wrong reasons. Remember when guests
IT has been pretty hairy driving around the local roads these last few weeks. It's not that I am a nervous driver. I am actually quite confident behind the wheel and I am quite used to using the small twisting roads. Having been brought up in the countryside
TOMMY MILLER has his sights set on following in the international footsteps of a former Ipswich Town colleague. Shotton-born Miller received his first senior Scotland squad call-up on Thursday and is likely to play a part in the friendly with Wales in
MICK McCarthy will hope his childhood memories don't come flooding back when the Sunderland crowd pay tribute to Bob Stokoe today. The Barnsley-born Sunderland boss was a Leeds fan back in 1973 when Stokoe had his finest hour as a manager. On that May
MORE than 80 youths were detained last night as police launched an unprecedented clampdown on anti-social behaviour. In a show of strength, police chiefs deployed aircraft, horses and a dog to round up suspected troublemakers. The clampdown by Cleveland
NEWCASTLE Falcons are to pitch new signing Daryl Lilley straight into the team for tomorrow's Zurich Premiership match at home to Leeds Tykes, which kicks off at 1.30. The former All Blacks triallist will be on the wing as Rob Andrew rings the changes
PRODUCTION workers at a North-East factory are standing defiant as they battle for better pay. It is the first time in the 24 year history of Schott Industrial Glass, Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, that workers have voted to strike. About 200 members
A NORTH-East widow in her 70s who posed nude except for a strategically-placed heart for a charity calendar has attracted a Valentine admirer from 200 miles away. Sylvia Whitehall, Miss February in her slimming club's calendar, produced in aid of a breast
SHARES in Manchester United climbed to a three-year high yesterday following a renewed bout of takeover speculation. The latest rise came after reports said US sports tycoon Malcolm Glazer had instructed Commerzbank to examine the possibility of a bid
BILLINGHAM chilling 'em. The older and wiser wear top coat and then some, the younger and otherwise stroll to Mass in T-shirts, as if on the Costa del Catholicism. A cold wind blows, for all that. Twenty years ago the Roman Catholic churches of Billingham
A LIFELONG Quakers fan put his best foot forward yesterday to raise money for the cash-strapped club. Ted Harris, 65, completed a seven-mile walk from Darlington Football Club's Reynolds Arena to Croft and back. En route, he visited Middlesbrough Football
AN English teacher who dedicated almost 40 years researching English place names, has had his work published just over a year after his death. Victor Watts made it his life's work compiling a guide to the name of every hamlet, village, town and city in
BELIEF is the key to Third Division survival according to Darlington manager David Hodgson. Hodgson has warned his players that without it the Reynolds Arena could be swapping Hull for Halifax next season, and the reality of Conference football. In the
Horden manager Eddie Freeman is looking for five wins to avoid relegation, beginning today against third bottom Chester-le-Street. Horden have slipped to sixth bottom after a good start, but their ground improvements have forced them to play most matches
IT'S the stuff of legend -a butcher's son from the Yorkshire Dales becomes a wartime hero and is killed at the climax of one of the RAF's most daring exploits. The story is stirring, moving, and true, and for decades the people Alan Broadley helped to
On part two of his look at the career of Darlington skipper Neil Maddison, Chris Lloyd discovers how cup fever gripped the midfielder in his Boro days before he eventually made an emotional move back home. JUST round the corner from Neil Maddison's house
PARENTS: IT IS appalling that not only can parents like the Holdens from Teesdale remove their children from school for five months, which is half the academic year (Echo, Feb 7), but also The Northern Echo gives publicity to such irresponsibility. The
A NORTH-EAST museum has been awarded £147,000 to enable it to buy its land and buildings. The Cleveland Mining Museum, formally the Tom Leonard Mining Museum, in Skinningrove, east Cleveland, tells the history of ironstone mining in the region. The grant
STRIKER Eifion Williams yesterday put pen to paper on a new contract at Hartlepool United. Williams is in a rich vein of form, netting six times in his last nine games, including one in last week's 2-2 draw at Barnsley. Pool are back in South Yorkshire
WORKERS who thought their jobs had been saved were made redundant yesterday. The 69 staff at frozen food factory Country Style Food, in Stockton, were told to leave the plant yesterday morning. Country Style Food, based in Leeds, bought the factory last
PLANS to fight crime may have been wiped out by an £8m "black hole" in the budget of beleaguered Cleveland Police, it was revealed last night. Only weeks ago the Government approved plans for three police stations as part of a £20m initiative to regenerate
DEPRESSED, dissatisfied and a downright droopy-drawers, but never dangerous. That was the verdict on Peter Davison as Davies The Last Detective (ITV1, last night). The former Doctor Who probably got the job because his surname also starts with a D and
EFFORTS to refurbish a community hall have been boosted with the award of a £5,000 grant. Members of the Mainsforth and District Community Association are celebrating the decision by the County Durham Foundation to award the money to help efforts to breathe
PRIMARY school pupils stayed silent for 15 minutes to help a cancer charity. The Macmillan Cancer charity is a cause close to the hearts of children and staff at St John's Primary School, in Shildon, because it came to the aid of a teacher who lost her
CHILDREN of all ages thrilled audiences with their dancing talents at a festival yesterday. About 270 children from schools in Bishop Auckland and the surrounding area donned colourful costumes for the dancing bonanza at King James I Community College
THREE businesses that have breathed new life into their tired and dilapidated buildings have won Civic Pride awards. Adjoining electrical and hairdressing businesses in Fore Bondgate, Bishop Auckland, and Peggotty's the Bakers, in Wolsingham, are silver
A SCHOOL has been allowed to keep two rare trees as a reminder of an important environmental project it took part in. Dodmire Infant School was one of several in Darlington that were asked to look after a number of fledgling black poplar trees until they
A 15-YEAR-OLD youth was locked-up yesterday after he admitted burgling a house twice and returning to steal the occupant's car. Darlington Youth Court imposed a 12-month Detention and Training Order (DTO) after hearing how the Darlington teenager twice
A YOUTH service will be hosting the North-East Regional Youth Assembly for the first time today. The assembly meets every six to eight weeks to discuss issues affecting young people, such as the reclassification of cannabis. It is an outlet for young
MONKEYING around with an artist has paid dividends for pupils at a Derwentside school. Year two pupils at Shotley Infants School, in Shotley Bridge, near Consett, spent a week working with Chinese artist Chun Chao Chiu. The end result is a much larger-than-life
THE Duke of Northumberland discovered more about where his family came from when he visited the birthplace of the first man to bear the title. The first Duke was born in 1712 on what is now Northallerton's High Street. The listed building is now part
PLANS to fight crime may have been wiped out by an £8m "black hole" in the budget of beleaguered Cleveland Police, it was revealed last night. Only weeks ago the Government approved plans for three police stations as part of a £20m initiative to regenerate
A THREATENED community fund which has supplied vital cash for a wide range of projects has been saved from extinction. North Yorkshire County Council has stepped in to save the county's Small Project Fund, which has been operating successfully for a number
YOUNG arsonists have been burning bushes and hedges across a Teesside estate for more than four weeks. The arsonists, thought to be teenagers, have been using flammable liquids to start fires in gardens across the Hartburn estate in Stockton. A police
TWO County Durham students will be making the headlines this summer when they jet off to the US to join a school for journalists. Alastair Knapper, from Durham, and Adam Wilson, from Washington, both 20, have beaten competition from around the world to
PLANS to breathe new life into east Cleveland and attract more tourists to the area will be discussed next week. A strategy has been drawn-up to help boost visitor numbers and create further economic benefit for the area. The plans have been revealed
TUTORS from Stockton made an impact when they took part in a learning trip to Spain. The educational training visit was organised by Stockton Borough Council's adult education service, and 12 tutors, including one from Stockton Riverside College, took
A VILLAGE is to become pedestrian-friendly thanks to a £250,000 makeover. Work will start in New Brancepeth on Monday to establish Durham County Council's second home zone - an area designated to give people priority over cars. The village's unsurfaced
A FORMER stately home, run and maintained by the county council for the last 30 years, will go on the market today. North Yorkshire County Council inherited Grantley Hall from the old West Riding authority when local government boundaries were redrawn
A BUILDING boss vowed not to shave until an exclusive five-star hotel was complete, but is now losing face after an eight-month delay. Brian McGurk is fuming at the setbacks holding up the opening of the £28m Tyneside Hilton Hotel, because every day that
THE site of the execution of a Roman Catholic saint and four other martyrs is to be remembered in a housing development. Outline planning permission has been granted to builders Barratt for a residential development, a hotel and restaurant, on land alongside
THE American Oscars are still the main course. But the British Film Academy Awards are making progress. Once the pudding, they're now the starter. Occasionally, the British Oscars ceremony has achieved publicity for the wrong reasons. Remember when guests
She is responsible for one of our most celebrated love poems, but until her appearance in the list of Greatest Black Britons, few were aware of her origins. Chris Lloyd looks at the strange live - and even stranger love - of Elizabeth Barrett Browning
STAFF at the Durham branch of Saks had been shortlisted in several categories at the hair and beauty company's national awards and two of the staff came first in their category. Kristie Taylor won Skilled Therapist of the Year and Julie Hardwick won Stylist
Wolviston have suffered a double whammy with the news that their Metcalfe Park ground has been vandalised and two leading players have left the club. "The pitch has been completely wrecked and we have been forced to switch our game to Birtley Town. We
MICK McCarthy has stoked the FA Cup fires ahead of today's fifth round showdown at the Stadium of Light by insisting that Premier League high-flyers Birmingham are the underdogs. Despite there being 17 places between the sides, the manager of Nationwide
SUNDERLAND skipper George McCartney hopes to bury the memory of relegation when his team take on Birmingham this afternoon, writes Adam Muray. Steve Bruce's side beat the Wearsiders 2-0 at St Andrews last term, a result that put the final nail in the
CHRIS Turner has revealed his Sheffield Wednesday formula for success - turn the club into a mirror image of Hartlepool United. Since swopping Victoria Park for Hillsborough, Turner has endured a rough time. The Owls were relegated last season and now
Q Our joint State Pensions are £142.09 a week and my weekly works pension is £33.20. My wife has a monthly private annuity of £72.65 and my Disability Living Allowance is £15.15 a week. Can we get any help with our rent to a private landlord of £400 a
THE Junco Partners will perform in the Bistro at Newcastle Opera House on Saturday, February 28, from 7.30pm. Tickets cost £7.50 from the box office, on 0191-232 0899. Published: 14/02/2004
DETECTIVES have arrested a man over the murder of a North-East student. Finnish-born Sara Cameron was found dead in a field near her home in Earsdon, North Tyneside, on the morning of Good Friday, April 21, 2000. She had been strangled. The Northumbria
Q Our joint State Pensions are £142.09 a week and my weekly works pension is £33.20. My wife has a monthly private annuity of £72.65 and my Disability Living Allowance is £15.15 a week. Can we get any help with our rent to a private landlord of £400 a
DETECTIVES have arrested a man over the murder of a North-East student. Finnish-born Sara Cameron was found dead in a field near her home in Earsdon, North Tyneside, on the morning of Good Friday, April 21, 2000. She had been strangled. The Northumbria
A TRIATHLON website has been awarded a prize by The Northern Echo. The British Triathlon Association Northern Region website at www.communigate.co.uk/ne/northeastregionbta has been selected as the Pick of the Month site. It started in November, and site
THE world's first machine gun will go on show in Durham next month. Weapons expert Martin Pegler will give an illustrated talk at the Durham Light Infantry Museum and Durham Art Gallery on Saturday, March 6, with a Maxim machine gun. Dubbed the Queen
WE should look on the bright side. A Six Nations Championship without Jonny Wilkinson will at least create a more level playing field. It also gives someone else the chance to emerge as a superstar. Will it be Frederic Michalak, who was threatening to
MYSTERY businessman Ted Forster said last night he was prepared to pay £16.5m to gain control of Darlington Football Club. His was the only firm bid on the table at 5pm yesterday - the deadline set by administrators for offers to be made to take over
HOW mad is the world of football? As the campaign continues to save lowly Darlington Football Club from extinction, an extraordinary global game of poker is being played to win control of Manchester United. John Magnier and JP McManus, a pair of Irish
HARRY POTTER books have been banned from a school library over concerns they include witchcraft themes. Staff at the £20m King's Academy school, in Coulby Newham, Middlesbrough, felt some of the themes were unsuitable for pupils. Although youngsters are
A ROADSHOW aimed at shaping the way tourism is delivered in the region is reassuring business about the future of the industry. The tourism tour organised by regional agency One NorthEast is visiting 12 locations. Tourist businesses are encouraged to
THE list of bidders for Telegraph newspapers has grown after it emerged a private equity company made an offer ahead of Thursday's deadline. Candover joined Express Newspapers owner Richard Desmond and stockbrokers Collins Stewart as declared bidders
A COMPONENTS manufacturer that cut 120 jobs last year is now recruiting staff. LG Philips, on the Belmont Industrial Estate, in Durham, has recruited 100 workers, taking the payroll back to 850 as it prepares to meet Europe-wide demand for television
A DOUBLE-KILLER used a Second World War bayonet that used to belong to his father to repeatedly stab a prostitute to death. Teesside Crown Court heard that George Leighers was given the weapon by his brother, Ludvic, following the death of their father
STRIKER Eifion Williams yesterday put pen to paper on a new contract at Hartlepool United. Williams is in a rich vein of form, netting six times in his last nine games, including one in last week's 2-2 draw at Barnsley. Pool are back in South Yorkshire
THE row between a North-East duke and the Government over one of the country's most important Renaissance art treasures has been resolved. The National Gallery and The Duke of Northumberland yesterday announced they have finally agreed the sale of Madonna
