Archive

  • Celebrations to launch healthy living centre

    VILLAGERS have had their first look around a £1m arts centre. The former Co-op store in Dipton, near Stanley, has been turned into The Store, the new home of theatre company Cap-a-Pie. It is billed as a healthy living centre for young people. Cap-a-Pie

  • Lawson is Tykes' surprise package

    Yorkshire sprang a surprise by naming 18-year-old Liversedge born leg-spinner, Mark Lawson, in their squad for tomorrow's Frizzell Championship match against Essex at Chelmsford. Leg-spinners are a rare breed in Yorkshire and the only regular one in the

  • Staff shine in safety award scheme

    EMPLOYEES at a North-East factory have struck gold in a national awards scheme recognising manufacturers with the highest standards in occupational health and safety. For the second year in succession, 3M Aycliffe, in County Durham, has been presented

  • Jazz and folk concerts

    SALTBURN Community and Arts Association has lined up two very different concerts in the community hall at the weekend. Karolos Mavrogenis and Curve will be first up, providing an evening of jazz on Friday. The concert starts at 7.30pm . On Sunday, the

  • Half-term fun for youngsters

    THERE is a fun-packed half-term week ahead for youngsters at Hartlepool's Central Library. Today, between 10am and noon, and 1pm and 3pm, a team from the Percy Play Initiative will be at the library, in York Road. They will help children create imaginary

  • Families seek 500-year-old treasures

    FAMILIES had a chance to uncover a piece of history when they took part in an archaeological excavation at Stewart Park over the Bank Holiday break. Onlookers were given their own trowel and brush to dig deep into the bygone history of the East Marton

  • Crowds treated to music spectacle

    SUN-KISSED music-lovers were served a treat yesterday when some of the best up-and-coming British and US bands turned on the style at a Bank Holiday event. Tens of thousands of people took the opportunity to watch the Middlesbrough Music Live event with

  • Trust is praised as unit ready to re-open

    AN announcement that Guisborough Maternity Unit will re-open at the end of next month has been welcomed by Middlesbrough South MP Ashok Kumar. The unit closed in November last year while hospital bosses attempted to fill the 15 full-time vacancies needed

  • Volunteers trained to save lives as scheme is launched

    A TOWN'S residents are to benefit from the lifesaving skills of ten volunteers. The First Responder scheme, which will be launched in Middleham today, has trained the volunteers in emergency medical techniques. They have been provided with a defibrillator

  • Pupils help party to go with a bang

    Pupils have built a huge rocket as part of a Creative Arts Week to celebrate the school's 50th anniversary next month. Last year, Harry Dack Infant School, in Loftus, earned the Leading Aspect award, during its Creative Arts Week, along with eight other

  • Post office to be opened in village hall

    A COMMUNITY that lost both its post offices within months is to open a new one - in the village hall. The 4,000 residents of Craghead, near Stanley, County Durham, have been without a post office for three months. This summer, Craghead Area Partnership

  • School sums up its success

    LAURENCE Jackson School, in Guisborough, has won the learn2work Tees Valley Maths Challenge 2004. With heats in each of the Tees Valley districts, year nine pupils from secondary schools in each area took part in challenges and activities relating to

  • Father takes his protest to the top

    A FATHER-OF-THREE has vowed to stay strapped to Sunderland's Wearmouth Bridge for 14 days. The 33-year-old, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, is protesting against a decision affecting his children in the family courts. "Throughout this country

  • Youths warned about house fires

    Youths are being warned they are putting lives at danger by deliberately starting fires in unoccupied houses. The warning has come from station officer Tony Suggitt, from Grangetown Fire Station, after 15 firefighters spent more than three hours fighting

  • Coward staged

    NOEL COWARD's classic comedy drama Blythe Spirit will be performed at Darlington Civic Theatre, from Tuesday, June 15, until Sunday, June 20, at 7.30pm each night. Tickets are from £9.50 to £14.50, available on (01325) 486555. Published: 01/06/2004

  • Comment: Part of foreign field may be forever Tim

    IT would be typical of Tim Henman if, after all these years of frenetic failure at Wimbledon, he made his maiden Grand Slam appearance in the one arena where he can play virtually unnoticed. There is no Henman Hill at Roland Garros. There isn't even a

  • Magic of the Moors

    WHEN does a trail become a trial? Usually when you find yourself out of your depth, miles from anywhere, at a point where little or no help can be obtained. I have long held the belief that the Forestry Commission were the leaders in providing information

  • Hero Shoaib takes the sting out of Scorpions

    MIRACLES happen when Shoaib Akhtar plays for Durham, and when he reduced Derbyshire to 19 for six yesterday one of the lowest totals in the history of one-day cricket was on the cards. The last-wicket stand finally doubled the visitors' score to 82 and

  • One in nine socially active gay men test HIV positive

    A third of gay men with HIV do not know they are infected, research reveals today. The growing number of homosexual men having unprotected sex while not knowing their HIV status represents a serious public health concern, researchers said. Their study

  • Rural work on show

    SUCCESSFUL food firms and community groups joined forces with their local authority at an event showcasing the achievements of remote and rural areas. The Deeply Rural event at the Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes, was organised by Richmondshire District

  • Terry give DLI 'Horrible History' treatment

    WARTS-AND-ALL stories of life for ordinary soldiers serving in a famous North-East regiment was launched by a best-selling local author yesterday. Terry Deary, famous for his offbeat Horrible History books, has given his own quirky treatment to 20 stories

  • China hot air crash pair fly back to the North

    A COUPLE who were badly injured in a hot air balloon crash in China have arrived back in the North-East. David and Hazel Yeadon were flown first-class from Hong Kong to Heathrow and then taken to Teesside Airport by air ambulance on Sunday. Yesterday,

  • Blowing whistle on father and son

    Michael Oliver, 19, has been named the youngest assistant referee in the Football League's 115-year history - just weeks after his 41-year-old father Clive was appointed to the League middle. They also become the first father and son ever to be on the

  • Thai to die for

    The column enjoys a Sunday lunch fit for a Cornsay collier and samples Eastern delights at Bishop Auckland's newest restaurant. THE Deerness Valley railway was neither very long nor very grand, not in the bad old days, anyway. It steamed five-and-a-half

  • Theatre wins award for its restoration project

    THEATRE staff are celebrating the news that their building has won a national award. The £1.4m restoration of the Georgian Theatre Royal in Richmond has won it the Building Conservation Award from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. It won praise

  • Enchantment in mood to triumph

    FIRM ground holds no fears for Enchantment, who has travels all the way from Chepstow in south Wales to try her luck at Redcar this afternoon. With £15,000 up for grabs, the Constant Security Sprint Handicap has attracted some pretty smart three-year-old

  • Fighting on the Kitchen Front

    In The Wartime Kitchen, a collection of books published to mark the 60th anniversary of D-Day on Sunday, Marguerite Patten recalls how housewives learned to make the most of food rationing. She talks to Sarah Foster. "WHEN you come home tired and cold

  • D-Day remembered: Thirst for adventure led to the Paras

    AT about half-past midnight on D-Day, Lance Corporal George Price stepped out of the belly of a Stirling bomber and into the moonlight of the Normandy skies. He was first out, and on his right, the RAF was giving the German defences around Ouistreham

  • Medieval bad backs discussed

    THE theory that back and knee ailments proved troublesome to our medieval ancestors will be aired at a talk in Durham at the weekend. Research student Sarah Groves will present a free illustrated talk at the Old Fulling Mill Museum, on the banks of the

  • Eating Owt

    THE Deerness Valley railway was neither very long nor very grand, not in the bad old days, anyway. It steamed five-and-a-half miles westwards from Durham City, pausing only at Ushaw Moor before reaching Waterhouses and deciding that it had run out of

  • 01/06/04

    METAL DETECTORISTS: ONCE again, after a fairly lengthy period of silence, I notice there has been adverse publicity on TV regarding thieves plundering fields with metal detectors during the hours of darkness. The proportion of metal detectors breaking

  • Crime blitz gets results

    CRIMINALS are under increasing pressure across North Yorkshire as a county-wide police crackdown continues to yield spectacular results. Crime rates have fallen, detection rates have increased and more offenders are being brought to justice as the Operation

  • Big date looms for dancers

    A TEAM of dancers from the North-East is heading to London to perform at the Royal Albert Hall this weekend. The youngsters who are part of the Youth Moves group for four to 16-year-olds all come from Darlington and Bishop Auckland, County Durham. They

  • £1.1m village school opens

    A NEW £1.1m village school has been opened. Richmond MP William Hague officially opened the school at Middleton Tyas, near Richmond. Head teacher John Ridley said: "We have got everything we didn't have at the old school. Two years ago the education service

  • Man died after losing control of vehicle

    An engineering entrepreneur died after his Range Rover crashed in treacherous conditions just yards from his home, an inquest heard today. David Brown, 78, was thrown out of the window after losing control of the vehicle in heavy snow on a private road

  • Men arrested following murder

    Two men were arrested following the murder of a man in a seaside town. Police were called to a disturbance at a residential tower block in a quiet corner of Whitley Bay on Monday night. A 43-year-old, who is not thought to have lived there, was found

  • Stock car racetrack to host finals

    A RACE circuit will host an important stock car competition in the 50th anniversary year of the sport. It was 50 years ago, at the now demolished White City stadium, in London, that stock car racing made its debut in the UK. This year, Barford Raceway

  • D-Day remembered: Grandstand view of assault

    PREPARING for one of the most historic days of the Second World War held little fear for Stan Robinson - he felt lucky. Leading Seaman Robinson had cheated death when his minesweeper was sunk because he was in hospital recovering from sea-sickness. And

  • Job Search: Vacancies

    Home care worker, £4.74ph, 16hrs pw, must be 18 plus to work in community caring for people in their own homes. Ref: DAE 39698. Sales advisor, £10,000pa, 40hrs pw 9am to 5pm Mon-Fri, must have experience in business-to-business sales, full driving licence

  • Crier Marjorie takes on world

    A TOWN crier will pit her skills against global rivals in the coming weeks. Chester-le-Street's town crier, Marjorie Dodds, is preparing for a busy month ahead as she takes part in world invitational and British championships. She has received a call-up

  • Parents' anger as killer is released

    THE parents of a woman killed by her boyfriend have called for stiffer sentences for teenagers after he was locked up for less than three years. Billy Clifton, 20, walked free from a young offenders' institution at the end of last month, after serving

  • Crowds treated to music spectacle

    SUN-KISSED music-lovers were served a treat yesterday when some of the best up-and-coming British and US bands turned on the style at a Bank Holiday event. Tens of thousands of people took the opportunity to watch the Middlesbrough Music Live event with

  • Hands off Beattie, Magpies told

    SOUTHAMPTON manager Paul Sturrock has told Newcastle to forget about trying to sign England international James Beattie. Beattie is one of a number of strikers identified by the Magpies as a long-term replacement for Alan Shearer, who will retire from

  • D-Day remembered: Glider troops played crucial role

    JUST after midnight on June 6, 1944, six platoons of British troops, sitting silently in their gliders, swooped low over the Normandy countryside and braced themselves for the roughest landing of their lives. They were the first Allied soldiers to land

  • Popcorn and DVDs herald return of cinema to dale

    TIME was when the dale was alive to the likes of The Jolson Story, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and the Three Stooges. Cinemagoers in Weardale, County Durham, were spoilt for choice. There were big screens at the town halls in Stanhope and St John's Chapel

  • 'Hospital did not let me say bye to my sick mother'

    A GRIEVING woman says hospital staff denied her the chance to say goodbye to her sick mother in a row over visiting hours. Dawn Tinkler, 39, made the 100-mile trip from Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, to the University Hospital of North Durham, in Durham

  • All aboard for the Starlight Express

    Members of the cast race around on roller skates and the audience wears 3D spectacles. The musical, Starlight Express is coming to the North-East. Viv Hardwick previews the show that's certainly not Shakespeare. FROM a starting point of "insanity on skates

  • School club activities

    AN out-of-school club at a Newton Aycliffe school is offering a wide range of activities for members. The Smile Club at Greenfield Community and Arts Centre includes a parent and toddler group, messy play and open play sessions. There are also places

  • Plans to create team ministry unveiled

    CHURCH members in Sedgefield, Bishop Middleham and Trimdon have received copies of proposals for creation of a single parish team ministry. The team area would be called the Benefice of Upper Skerne and the parish churches involved would be St Edmund's

  • Working out cost to set up parish council

    A STEERING committee seeking to create a parish council for Aycliffe Village is to present estimates on what it will cost. A public meeting for villagers is to be held in Aycliffe Village Primary School on Wednesday, June 9, at 7pm. Committee member Bill

  • Threatened playing field wins reprieve

    A POPULAR children's playground scheduled for closure has won a reprieve. The Armoury Field play area, in Willington, was one of several identified by Wear Valley District Council for possible closure. The authority said it could not afford to inspect

  • Rachel's creation is new image for trust

    A DARLINGTON schoolgirl's winning design for a website has netted her £50 in vouchers. Ten-year-old Rachel Rissetto has produced the latest design for the website of Darlington Primary Care Trust, which will see the existing penguin design making way

  • Traffic chaos as horse box overturns

    AN overturned horse box brought traffic to a standstill on the A1(M) in the North-East yesterday. The trailer, containing two horses, was being towed by a Land Rover Discovery to the Northumberland County Show, at Corbridge. It overturned on the northbound

  • Access All Areas: Magic of the Moors

    WHEN does a trail become a trial? Usually when you find yourself out of your depth, miles from anywhere, at a point where little or no help can be obtained. I have long held the belief that the Forestry Commission were the leaders in providing information

  • Pupils learn job skills

    A CELEBRATION evening was staged to mark the success of a scheme linking a technical college with neighbouring schools. The course has seen New College Durham working with 12 schools in mid-Durham, with pupils visiting on a weekly basis. As part of a

  • Police search for digger owner

    Police are searching for the owner of a £10,000 digger - which really did fall of the back of a lorry. The small orange Kubota digger was found at the side of the road after the truck carrying it was involved in a minor accident. Police were called to

  • Student flat plan for city eyesore

    A FORMER drugs den in the heart of Middlesbrough is to be turned into student flats and shops. Plans to turn Teesside House, on Borough Road, into student accommodation with shops on the ground floor have received planning consent from the local authority

  • Group sees regeneration first hand

    A NUMBER of regeneration schemes came under the scrutiny of the Housing Corporation during a visit from some of the organisation's most senior figures. The corporation is responsible for investing public cash in housing associations. A delegation visited

  • Community can enjoy the fruits of youngsters' labour

    THE wraps are to come off a garden that will help the community enjoy fresh produce grown on the doorstep. An allotment, created on an overgrown patch of land by teenagers, will be opened by Houghton and Washington MP Fraser Kemp, on Friday, at 10.45am

  • U-turn call on student car ban

    DURHAM residents are calling on student leaders to do a U-turn and back proposed tough rules on car use. The city's university was considering a ban on students keeping cars unless they needed them to get to lectures or to part-time jobs. The move, proposed

  • Sharon Griffiths meets... Kathleen Hollingworth

    BEN Hollingworth was 22 years old, a handsome lad with an engaging grin, a country boy, a gamekeeper on Lord Peel's estate in Swaledale. One day he drove his Land Rover up onto the moors and shot himself. There'd been no warning, no clue, nothing to indicate

  • Electronic archive for war dead files

    STORIES and records relating to Britain's war dead are to be preserved on computer. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which holds the documentation, has awarded a £1.6m contract to the national Stationery Office to fund the new archive. It will

  • Heading into the third age

    THE University of the Third Age (U3A), a national organisation which helps retired people develop their interests, is setting up in Stokesley. An initial meeting will be held at Stokesley Masonic Hall, on June 16, then the U3A will meet each Wednesday

  • Shopping centre's food cheque for teenagers' trip

    YOUNGSTERS from former pit villages around Durham are looking forward to an action-packed weekend in a forest. The Task (Tremendous, Active, Social Kommittee) Group, supported by Education in the Community's Mid-Durham Projects Team, has organised a trip

  • Family seeks backing for farmworker's home

    A FARMING family has asked for permission to build a home for their son so he can be available to help in times of emergency. Jean Pearson has written a two-page letter to planners, urging them to allow construction of the farmworker's home. After two

  • Pictures will boost soldiers' trust fund

    AN Army officer has launched his first photographic exhibition to raise cash for a Gurkha soldiers' charity. Major Ade Clewlow, who heads 246 Gurkha Signal Squadron at Imphal Barracks, York, recently returned from a language course in Nepal. While there

  • Eriksson pondering

    SVEN-GORAN Eriksson was last night deliberating a Euro 2004 reprieve for Frank Lampard as he insisted he had never once considered dropping Paul Scholes from the England side. Lampard had feared being left on the sidelines after the England coach announced

  • Toilet block earmarked for flats

    A DISUSED toilet block is the latest prime site in a city centre to be earmarked for housing. The derelict, vandal-hit block, near Monk Bar car park, off Lord Mayor's Walk, York, was sold by City of York Council after it closed and became a haunt for

  • Magic of the Moors

    WHEN does a trail become a trial? Usually when you find yourself out of your depth, miles from anywhere, at a point where little or no help can be obtained. I have long held the belief that the Forestry Commission were the leaders in providing information

  • Comment from The Northern Echo: Plumbing the TV depths

    WE don't wish to sound fuddy-duddy. We don't wish to be considered prudish. We are certainly not applying to join the Moral Majority. But, politely and quietly, we ask: what is happening to the television programmes that are beamed into our homes every

  • Police investigate baby's death

    An investigation is underway after a two-month-old baby was found dead in his cot. Jake William Sayers, who was born on March 28, was found dead at home in Elm Terrace, Catchgate, near Stanley, County Durham, on Friday, May 28. He was certified dead on

  • Fifth festival promises fun on wheels

    MOTORBIKERS and cyclists from around the UK will converge on the North-East next month. The fifth annual Ridewell event will take place on Sunday, July 18, at Preston Hall and Museum, Yarm Road, Stockton, from 10am. The event, organised by Cleveland Police

  • Cheerful centenarians celebrate with a smile

    THEY may attribute their longevity to different things, but whatever the cause it certainly works for two centenarians celebrating birthdays yesterday. At 107, teetotal Lillian Bell, of Darlington, puts her great age down to not drinking or smoking. Florence

  • Job Search: Vacancies

    Valeter/site maintenance, £4.61ph, 39hrs pw, 8.30am to 5.30pm, Mon-Fri. Experience preferred although not essential as training given. Ref: DUR 40453. Site maintenance, 39hrs pw, 9am to 5pm, Mon-Sat. Required for cleaning and presentation of used car

  • Vaughan boost for England

    ENGLAND captain Michael Vaughan was able to pronounce himself fit for the second Test at Headingley on Thursday after scoring a solid 32 off 62 balls for Yorkshire Phoenix in their 59 run victory over Scottish Saltires in Edinburgh yesterday. Vaughan

  • Petrol prices could soar

    The cost of petrol at the pump could soar to record levels if attacks on Saudi Arabia succeed in disrupting oil flows from the world's largest crude oil exporter, analysts say. "If that happens then the price could be anything, anything," said Jose Blanco

  • Pompey tighten Yakubu hold

    PORTSMOUTH have underlined their determination to hold on to Middlesbrough transfer target Ayegbeni Yakubu by offering Maccabi Haifa £3m for their 50 per cent share in the striker. The Israeli side are due half of any future transfer fee as part of last

  • Post office to be opened in village hall

    A COMMUNITY that lost both its post offices within months is to open a new one - in the village hall. The 4,000 residents of Craghead, near Stanley, County Durham, have been without a post office for three months. This summer, Craghead Area Partnership

  • D-Day remembered: Upbeat reports about fighting

    THE Northern Echo's headline for Wednesday, June 7, 1944, was upbeat -"Invasion of France going well". Other headlines were similarly positive: "Our landings successful - Official"; "Casualties far few than expected"; and "600 warships crossed unmolested

  • Popcorn and DVDs herald return of cinema to dale

    TIME was when the dale was alive to the likes of The Jolson Story, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and the Three Stooges. Cinemagoers in Weardale, County Durham, were spoilt for choice. There were big screens at the town halls in Stanhope and St John's Chapel

  • Pompey tighten Yakubu hold

    PORTSMOUTH have underlined their determination to hold on to Middlesbrough transfer target Ayegbeni Yakubu by offering Maccabi Haifa £3m for their 50 per cent share in the striker. The Israeli side are due half of any future transfer fee as part of last

  • It's enough to make you a junk food junkie

    It was only a matter of time. Not content to tell us how much (actually how little) we should drink and how much (not at all) we should smoke, the Government now tells us what we shouldn't eat. It makes me want to devour double fish and chips washed down

  • Eating Owt: Thai to die for

    The column enjoys a Sunday lunch fit for a Cornsay collier and samples Eastern delights at Bishop Auckland's newest restaurant. THE Deerness Valley railway was neither very long nor very grand, not in the bad old days, anyway. It steamed five-and-a-half

  • Parents' anger as killer is released

    THE parents of a woman killed by her boyfriend have called for stiffer sentences for teenagers after he was locked up for less than three years. Billy Clifton, 20, walked free from a young offenders' institution at the end of last month, after serving

  • Jazz musician Jeff planning college show

    A JAZZ musician who played with members of the Rat Pack will give a concert this month. Jeff Tower, who worked with Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr, will return with his band to visit long-time friend Garry Firth, the head

  • Another load of Bad Brother

    Big Brother (C4): THE lunatics have taken over the asylum. After last year's Big Brother was judged by one and all to be boring and tedious, the makers have had to have a radical rethink to boost ratings. What they've done shows they're as mad as the

  • Simon in contention for strongman title

    TWENTY-ONE stone postman Simon Morton is hoping to retain his title as the strongest man in the North-East. He qualified for the final again by winning a heat in impressive style yesterday at a steam fair at Streatlam Park, Barnard Castle, County Durham

  • Black Cats looking to snap up kittens

    MICK McCarthy will put his faith in youth next season as Sunderland look to improve on this year's third-place showing and win promotion to the Premiership. The Black Cats boss underlined his determination to reduce the average age of his side by axing

  • Man critical after fall from rollercoaster

    A fairground worker is clinging to life after plunging from a giant rollercoaster. The man fell from Wall's Magnum Force earlier today at the Flamingo Land zoo and theme park near Pickering, North Yorks. He was taken by air ambulance from the scene to

  • Man fights for life after late-night assault

    A man is fighting for his life after he was attacked in a late-night assault. The 38-year-old, from Houghton-le-Spring, Tyne and Wear, was attacked as he made his way down Front Street in the nearby village of Fencehouses. He suffered serious head injuries

  • Oil price rise fears as envoy warns of more Saudi attacks

    FEARS were growing last night that the terrorist killings in Saudi Arabia might have a knock-on effect on the global economy by sparking further rises in oil prices. Analysts said prices could climb this week as the killing of at least 22 civilians in

  • Enchantment in mood to triumph

    FIRM ground holds no fears for Enchantment, who has travels all the way from Chepstow in south Wales to try her luck at Redcar this afternoon. With £15,000 up for grabs, the Constant Security Sprint Handicap has attracted some pretty smart three-year-old

  • Safe sex plea as disease builds up drug-resistance

    A SENIOR North-East doctor has urged people to use condoms amid signs that a sexually transmitted disease is becoming resistant to drugs. The safe sex warning from Dr Abayomi Opaneye, consultant in genito-urinary medicine at James Cook University Hospital

  • All aboard for the Starlight Express

    Members of the cast race around on roller skates and the audience weras 3D spectacles. The musical, Starlight Express is coming to the North-East. Viv Hardwick previews the show that's certainly not Shakespeare. FROM a starting point of "insanity on skates

  • Popcorn and DVDs herald return of cinema to dale

    TIME was when the dale was alive to the likes of The Jolson Story, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and the Three Stooges. Cinemagoers in Weardale, County Durham, were spoilt for choice. There were big screens at the town halls in Stanhope and St John's Chapel

  • North-East Cricket Review: In-form Ditta the difference

    SALTBURN did their Darlington Building Society NYSD Premier League Premier Division championship hopes no harm at all when they inflicted a first defeat of the season on equally fancied Bishop Auckland. Bishops' total of 232-4 looked at least defendable

  • D-Day remembered: Normandy maps reprinted

    A NORTH-EAST company is publishing two 1944 maps of Normandy, that were top secret at the time, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of D-Day. One of the maps features the Pegasus and Horsa Bridges area and the other is of Omaha Beach. They are published

  • Retailer to close 60 outlets after sale

    THE new bosses of curtains and bedding retailer Rosebys will close 60 stores after buying the business for £51m. There are 17 stores across the North-East and North Yorkshire, but no details were available last night as to which will go. Rosebys' new

  • D-Day remembered: The vital task of clearing explosives

    THE importance of minesweepers in the battle to win the Second World War is often overlooked. But Darlington sailor John Barron is determined their roles before, during and after D-Day should be remembered. Mr Barron served on HMS Loyalty during the conflict

  • Landlord's £7,000 bill after lengthy dispute over energy

    A PUB landlord is facing a £7,000 power bill after an 18-month row with his energy supplier. Eddie Hall, 44, is celebrating after finally resolving the dispute with Business Energy, the corporate division of British Gas. Problems began when Business Energy

  • Rescued from sea - by garden hose

    A 13-YEAR-OLD boy and a 43-year-old man were rescued from the sea yesterday by members of the public using a garden hose. Coastguards believe the man went into the water to save the teenager, who slipped on rocks at Cresswell, near Ashington, Northumberland

  • Jazz and folk concerts

    SALTBURN Community and Arts Association has lined up two very different concerts in the community hall at the weekend. Karolos Mavrogenis and Curve will be first up, providing an evening of jazz on Friday. The concert starts at 7.30pm . On Sunday, the

  • Men due in court after gun incident at fair

    TWO men are due to appear in court this morning charged with offences relating to an alleged shooting incident at a North-East horse fair. Armed police descended on the annual Seagrave Horse Fair, in west Durham, early on Sunday after receiving reports

  • Job Search: Vacancies

    Senior administrator, North-allerton. £15,041 to £16,391pa pro rata, 18.5hrs pw, between 9am and 5pm, Mon-Fri. Must be able to use Microsoft Office packages. Ref: NOE 22038. Retail security officer, North-allerton. £5,85 to £6.35ph, 40hrs pw, 5 days over

  • Stock car racetrack to host finals

    A RACE circuit will host an important stock car competition in the 50th anniversary year of the sport. It was 50 years ago, at the now demolished White City stadium, in London, that stock car racing made its debut in the UK. This year, Barford Raceway

  • Teenagers lead project

    A GROUP of teenagers are leading the way in a bid to provide a youth centre for their home town. They have been gathering information for a feasibility study which will be unveiled later this summer. The 18-strong group - from Northallerton College, the

  • Volunteers to showcase their work

    VOLUNTEERS are to take part in an event to show how their efforts help to improve life for many people in their community. Men and women who do unpaid work for a number of organisations will join forces for the event in Witham Hall, Barnard Castle, tomorrow

  • Scrufts show success

    A FUN dog show raised about £1,000 for charity yesterday. The Scrufts event at Walworth Castle, near Darlington, saw 30 dogs and their owners taking part in a variety of fun classes, including the dog with the waggiest tail, a fun obedience class and

  • 'England soccer squad' take honours at town meet event

    CONTESTANTS dressed as England manager Sven Goran Erikson, his partner Nancy and 11 footballers, won a prize as the group causing most fun in a carnival procession. The parts were played by postman John Emerson, his wife Jean and a team of friends in

  • Girls show soccer talent

    GIRLS from a Darlington school have proved themselves just as talented as the boys when it comes to football. The girls from Whinfield Junior School recently scooped a trophy double. They beat off competition from across the town to win the Darlington

  • Church planning £50,000 extension

    A CHURCH is planning a £50,000 extension as part of a project to help vulnerable elderly people. St John's Church, in Neasham Road, Darlington, wants to transform its vestry to house a lunch club for people in need of support in the Bank Top area. The

  • Sporting youngsters praised

    THE sporting achievements of youngsters in Sedgefield borough have been recognised. Councillor John Robinson, Sedgefield Borough Council's cabinet member for leisure services, met some of the borough's top young sports stars to hear of their accomplishments

  • Buzzy day planned as part of bee hunt

    VOLUNTEERS are needed to help survey the state of the North-East bumblebee population during an event at a nature reserve. Durham Wildlife Trust will stage Bumblebee Saturday at its Rainton Meadows headquarters, near Houghton-le-Spring, on June 19. The

  • Walker preparing for Great Wall test

    COUNCIL worker Colin Cartwright is preparing to visit one of the wonders of the world - but his trip will be far from a holiday. The Darlington Borough Council finance officer will be trekking along a 100km stretch of the Great Wall of China to raise

  • Traffic chaos as horse box overturns

    AN overturned horse box brought traffic to a standstill on the A1(M) in the North-East yesterday. The trailer, containing two horses, was being towed by a Land Rover Discovery to the Northumberland County Show, at Corbridge. It overturned on the northbound

  • Nurses' ideas in line for award

    IDEAS by nurses that are re-shaping the care of patients and meeting the needs of carers in Darlington have been put forward for national awards. Nursing staff working with patients have devised the initiatives that address the issues they encounter and

  • Poll forms due

    BALLOT papers for the forthcoming European Parliamentary and local council elections should arrive at homes this week after printing problems caused delays in Gateshead, Newcastle and North and South Tyneside.

  • Carnival a huge hit as crowds enjoy the sun

    THOUSANDS of people flocked to a North Yorkshire market town to celebrate its annual carnival yesterday. The 112th Richmond Meet was hailed a great success after a packed town centre enjoyed the Bank Holiday weather. Eight painted trucks, some of which

  • Apprentices prove they are a cut above the rest

    TEENAGE apprentices Gemma Carrick and Stephanie Ball are proving they can cut it in the world of hairdressing. The pair work at Giggi's Hair and Beauty Salon, in Durham City, under the tutelage of hairdresser Giggi Campoli. Stephanie, 17, from Ferryhill

  • Labour wins backing from sir John

    SUPPORT for neighbouring Labour councils came from an unlikely source yesterday. Sir John Hall, knighted for his achievements during Margaret Thatcher's era of Conservative dominance, backed the ruling Labour Party's bid to be re-elected in Newcastle

  • TV review

    Big Brother (C4) THE lunatics have taken over the asylum. After last year's Big Brother was judged by one and all to be boring and tedious, the makers have had to have a radical rethink to boost ratings. What they've done shows they're as mad as the people