THOUSANDS of children have been learning about farming and the countryside this week. Children from 90 primary schools travelled to the Yorkshire Agricultural Society's countryside days, held at the Great Yorkshire Showground, in Harrogate. The event
A lyricist is looking for sponsorship after being invited to take part in the New York International Music Festival, in Madison Square Gardens, in November. Sunderland-born Graham Jevon, also known as rapper GeJay, won the chance to perform in the US
THE victims of a wartime bombing raid, which rocked a small mining community, were finally given official recognition at the weekend. More than 62 years after the event, a sculpted memorial stone was unveiled bearing the names of the eight people who
A COLOURFUL solution has been devised to keep hordes of flies from bugging lollipop ladies and men. Six crossing patrol wardens in Darlington have been issued with orange jackets and hats instead of the standard yellow uniform, to deter insects from attacking
AN award-winning photographer is celebrating her success by putting her favourite charity in the frame. Liz Laidler, of Weardale Studios, in Stanhope, County Durham, was recently given an Award of Excellence at the Master Photographers Association's annual
A GLASS centre has created a;n exhibition to celebrate Architecture Week. The National Glass Centre, in Sunderland, will stage the Future Revealed exhibition in its Mezzanine Gallery. The exhibition opens tomorrow and will run until Sunday, June 27. Future
THE new railway museum in Shildon is expected to attract 60,000 visitors a year - but it does not just want to be about railways. It wants to include the people of Shildon. It wants to be about how they lived and played, as well as how they worked. The
Clocks, bottles, gates and bibles - Echo Memories' postbag has, as always, been bulging "Behold this hand Observe the motion's tip Man's precious hours Away like these do slip" IT is a warning to us all, but before we get on to that there is just about
Echo Memories turns its gaze from heavenly bodies to the comfort of the South Park tea pavilion, its lost putting green and the crumbling aviaries. THE transit of Venus across the face of the Sun last week went almost unobserved in the Darlington district
GRANDAD'S nearly 80, he had a heart attack not long ago, and he fought in the war. So he shouldn't have to put up with what he went through on the night of the ballet... Hannah - still my baby girl - had been chosen to dance with the English Youth Ballet
A WOMAN died after giving birth to twins when the amniotic fluid surrounding the babies got into her bloodstream, an inquest heard. It is an extremely rare complication and Durham Coroner Andrew Tweddle said there were only six other recorded cases worldwide
MARK JOHNSTON holds a strong hand for this afternoon's Group 1 Ascot Gold Cup with both Royal Rebel and Darasim worthy of support. Johnston has won the UK's most prestigious staying Flat race three times over the past nine years. Double Trigger's memorable
STUDENTS have been creating waves with the launch of a new radio station. New College Durham media production students' live radio show, Fram 107, is broadcasting within a ten-mile radius of Durham City until this Friday. Up to 40 first and second year
THOUSANDS of spectators lined the banks of the River Wear at the weekend as the sun shone on one of the country's oldest rowing festivals. More than 250 crews took part in races during the 170th Durham Regatta. An added attraction was an array of vintage
FAST-IMPROVING sprinter Bridgewater Boys showed his rivals a clean pair of heels when landing the Norman Wells Memorial Trophy at Ripon last night. Rider Royston French was initially content to bide his time in mid-division. However, when he did ask his
SCIENTISTS have defended their plans to clone human embryos as research watchdogs consider whether or not they should be allowed to go ahead. A licence application from Newcastle University was on the agenda at yesterday's meeting of the Human Fertilisation
A NEW cycle route could bring hundreds of thousands of pounds to the region's economy. A presentation to inform businesses about the Walney Island to Wear (W2W) cycle route was held at the Jersey Farm Hotel, Barnard Castle, earlier this week, and heard
Brussels has made a promise it may not be able to keep in pledging £575 million of Euro-aid to Durham and Tees Valley, the government has claimed. Ministers turned up the heat on the European Commission in the row over the extension of Objective One funding
POLICE in Darlington have written to 1,200 motorists who have left items on display in their cars, warning of thieves. The Home Office told police in 2000 that car crime in Darlington had to be cut by 30pc by 2005. But figures for last year show that
A MAN was jailed yesterday for an attack on an ambulance crew. Husband and wife paramedics Julie and Christopher Allan, who were based at Coulby Newham ambulance station, in east Cleveland, were attacked by a drunken wedding guest when they went to the
THREE nurseries in Darlington are among fundraisers joining a nationwide tea party to help support hospices across the country. The Kids & Co Nursery staff and parents will be hosting tea parties and other events at the three Darlington branches tomorrow
A FORTHCOMING Darlington Borough Council by-election could be decided by postal voting following the success of the system used in local elections last year. The by-election in the borough's North Road ward has been brought about by the resignation of
CAR criminals in Darlington are being advised by police not to bother breaking into vehicles as part of a campaign. Police are issuing motorists with yellow stickers to place in their cars which inform thieves that all valuables have been removed. They
A FLAGSHIP £3m bus station is to become the first in the region to be solar powered. Energy Minister Stephen Timms confirmed £140,000 of Government cash will go towards installing photovoltaic panels in the roof of the new bus station for Stanley. They
The Real Flying Saucers - Stranger Than Fiction (Ch5) IF, like me, you were expecting an investigation into little green men and alien abductions, you would have been disappointed by this very serious documentary. From the start, we were told that flying
The head of Sport England has criticised the Government for failing to give sports and leisure facilities the priority they deserve. Roger Draper, chief executive of Sport England, was speaking exclusively to The Northern Echo a week after the launch
TRIBUTES have been paid to an airman who fell to his death in a parachuting accident at the weekend. Investigations are under way as to how Andrew Wilson, of St Helen Auckland, near Bishop Auckland, died after the jump at the Peterlee Parachute Centre
More than 400 young people in the North-East who were branded difficult pupils have celebrated turning their school lives around. The xl Celebration Day at the Puma Tennis Centre, Sunderland, marked the achievements of pupils, some considered at risk
TWO football fans from the North-East were given suspended prison sentences last night following riots in Portugal during Euro 2004. Peter Barmick, 37, from Thornaby, Teesside, was handed a nine-month sentence, suspended for three years, while John Jackson
SOME of Europe's top skaters and bike riders will be performing stunts at an annual show. The Northern Urban SK8 Challenge will be held at the Great Aycliffe Show on Saturday and Sunday. The show will also feature a competition for the region's top riders
VETERANS have unveiled their new standard ahead of an emotional parade next week. The Consett branch of the Royal British Legion is replacing its 50-year-old standard with an exact replica that is lighter and easier to carry. The old banner's last duty
TYLER the terrier is facing a long, hot summer after losing her coat. The RSPCA is searching for the owners of the hairless Yorkshire Terrier, which was found wandering the streets. She has been wearing a babygrow to protect her from the sun while her
COACH Sven-Goran Eriksson has backed Paul Scholes to be his midfield diamond when England face Switzerland in Coimbra this evening. Eriksson looks set to revert to a diamond formation as England aim to bounce back from Saturday's painful defeat at the
FIREFIGHTERS faced a desperate race against time to save a rare moorland habitat this week. About 1,000sq m of Waldridge Fell, near Chester-le-Street, was on fire for two days. The first firefighters, who were on the scene at around 2.45pm on Monday,
COUNTY Durham groups that cater for older people have been invited to a free performance of traditional Russian music. Musicians from County Durham's twin city of Kostroma are to perform at the Gala Theatre, Durham City, before an invited audience, on
ONE of the region's most recognisable landmarks has been recreated out of Meccano for an exhibition this weekend. A version of Antony Gormley's Angel of the North, with a 52-inch wingspan, has been built out of the children's construction kit for a display
A SPECIALIST health food company that chose the North-East for its UK headquarters has doubled the size of its operation and is creating more jobs. Thanks to a grant from City of Sunderland Council, FM Foods, which specialises in the health food sector
A facility to benefit children across Hartlepool will be launched on Monday. The toy library and arts and craft shop is based in a unit on the town's Usworth Road Industrial Estate. Nearly £20,000 has been ploughed into the scheme, run by Hartlepool Families
THE Queen Mary 2 will be spotted in the region next month. The largest and most expensive passenger ship ever built will be visable from the shore on Monday, July 12, as it heads from Edinburgh to the Norwegian coast. Weather permitting, it will be seen
A TEAM of health staff who help patients get equipment to cope with their illnesses has won an award. The NHS home equipment loan department, in Spennymoor, has been presented with Durham and Chester-le-Street Primary Care Trust's first primary care staff
A Lidl store is to open in Thornaby town centre. Work on the store, near Mitchell Square, is scheduled to begin in the middle of next year and it should be open for business in summer 2006. It is the first of many new store openings to be expected as
A HUGE amount of the region's countryside will be conserved and enhanced by a five-year management plan backed by the Countryside Agency. Protecting beautiful scenery from the thousands of visitors it attracts is one of the aims of the strategy backed
A COMMUNITY website for Sedgefield and the surrounding area has been launched. Sedgefield Development Partnership Limited opened its website, www.sedgefieldweb.co.uk, in the village's Ceddesfeld Hall. The site, which covers the villages of Sedgefield,
ORGANISERS of a town fair got more than they bargained for when their small event attracted more than 6,000 visitors. Between 1,000 and 1,500 spectators and two dozen charitable organisations were expected to attend Guisborough's first town fair. But,
POLICE are studying closed circuit television film in a bid to track down youths who taunted Ripon's hornblower during the city's ancient nightly ceremony. Despite a barrage of anti-social behaviour, stand-in hornblower Mark Sidwell ensured that the traditional
Craig Fairbrass has gone from TV and movie tough guy roles to laugher as one of the stars of Outside Edge at Darlington's Civic Theatre. The former EastEnder also tells Viv Hardwick that he turned down a role in rival soap Coronation Street in the past
AN entrepreneur is hoping to make his fortune after drawing inspiration from the National Lottery. Len Preston designed a picture frame with a difference, using the National Lottery draw machines used by Camelot. The managing director of Team Valley Picture
A TOWN crier from County Durham has been competing in an international contest. Chester-le-Street's Marjorie Dodds has spent the week at the second Lord Mayor of Chester's Invitational World Town Crier Tournament. On Saturday, she took part in the first
HORTICULTURAL event organisers can tap into funds to help with running shows, a local authority has announced. Durham City Council said traditional horticultural and craft shows were an important part of the cultural heritage of the area. Although it
THE head of an transport firm that failed with total debts estimated at about £107,000 has given an undertaking not to play any part in company management for six years. Steven John Garrett, of Windsor Terrace, Murton, near Seaham, gave the undertaking
North-East pupils swept the board in a national food safety competition. Reef Pearson and Aoife Smith, of Harlow Green Infant School, Gateshead, won first prize in the under-sevens category of the National Food Safety Week schools poster competition,
VILLAGERS are asking a local authority to help maintain a County Durham cemetery that contains war graves. St Paul's churchyard, in Quarrington Hill, has become so overgrown with weeds that residents are volunteering to tidy it up themselves. Villager
AMATEUR radio clubs from around the region are preparing to take up residence at various museums this weekend as part of an international event. Clubs from the UK, America, India, Canada, Sweden and South Africa are taking part in International Museums
A GIRL told a court yesterday that she got into a punch-up over a T-shirt. Teesside Crown Court heard that Simone Gibson, 25, was wearing only her underwear and a black T-shirt in the street at 3am after a night out with a friend. She was approached by
A FLUFFY dalmation handed out warnings to dog owners about fouling yesterday. Councillor Barry Coppinger, executive Middlesbrough Council member for community safety, said it was a "thoughtless minority'' who left a mess on the town's streets. "These
TWO cyclists are taking to the saddle to tackle a coast-to-coast cycle ride from St Bees Head to Robin Hood's Bay to raise funds for the children's ward at Northallerton's Friarage Hospital. Dave Reynolds and Anne Ley, both from near Catterick, are starting
A FREE ten-week course in Bollywood dancing is running in Hartlepool. Launched as part of a multi-cultural arts event and funded by New Deal for Communities, the course is being held at The People's Centre until mid-July. The dance group will perform
AN MP has given a home composting scheme a boost by ordering a compost bin for his home in Stockton. Frank Cook, MP for Stockton North, was in attendance during Environment Minister Elliot Morley's recent visit to the borough, and was so impressed with
A HOSPICE is planning a £2.5m expansion to boost care for terminally ill people in rural north Durham. Willowburn Hospice has been overshadowed by the threat of closure for more than five years. The service is based in the former Maiden Law Hospital,
WORK is due to begin on the Brotton Neighbourhood Renewal Assessment which will decide the future of the area. Surveyors for Fordham Research are contacting 150 households - a third of homes in the study area - from Monday to carry out the survey. The
HEALTH workers are leading by example and swapping the car journey to work for a cycle ride. Staff at Derwentside and Durham and Chester-le-Street Primary Care Trusts are saddling up in support of National Bike Week, which runs until Saturday. Staff taking
A lyricist is looking for sponsorship after being invited to take part in the New York International Music Festival, in Madison Square Gardens, in November. Sunderland-born Graham Jevon, also known as rapper GeJay, won the chance to perform in the US
THOUSANDS of children and their families will take part in a European health and fitness camp in County Durham next month. The camp will see children from east Durham team up with youngsters from Hungary, Ireland, Wales, and the North-West of England
A GROUP of young footballers is calling on dog owners to be more responsible. Members of the Killinghall Nomads under-tens and under-11s play on the Hydro playing fields, Harrogate, which has a dog fouling problem Recent patrols by dog control officers
A SHY schoolboy who raced against time and tide to save his step-father and younger sister from drowning has been praised for his bravery. Cut off by a racing incoming tide, their backs against a sheer 250ft high wall of cliffs, escape would have been
TWO popular bands have given their support to a cancer charity by pledging to appear at a fundraising concert. Folk group The Fettlers folk group, headed by Stewart McFarlane, and a jazz outfit, the Swale Valley Stompers, will appear at Rudby Hall, Hutton
The region's knowledge-driven economy has been given a £10.5m financial helping hand. North-East universities and partnership projects in the region were awarded the money from the Higher Education Innovation Fund. It is the second time that HEIF grants
Dental practice group Oasis Healthcare yesterday announced profits of £1.2m, but said a shortage of dentists was hampering its ability to increase sales. The group, which has surgeries across the UK, including 12 in the North-East and North Yorkshire,
A FLAGSHIP £3m bus station is to become the first in the region to be solar powered. Energy Minister Stephen Timms confirmed £140,000 of Government cash will go towards installing photovoltaic panels in the roof of the new bus station for Stanley. They
MARK JOHNSTON holds a strong hand for this afternoon's Group 1 Ascot Gold Cup with both Royal Rebel and Darasim worthy of support. Johnston has won the UK's most prestigious staying Flat race three times over the past nine years. Double Trigger's memorable
AN increased number of heart attack patients are receiving clot-busting drugs soon after arriving at North-East hospitals, figures revealed yesterday. A survey of North-East hospitals showed that in the first three months of this year, virtually all centres
A DRAMA group is taking advantage of the warm June evenings with a lively production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Members of Stars - St Augustine's Repertory Society - say the story of young lovers, teenage defiance and magic is as fascinating
YOUNG anglers are being warned to be more careful with their lines for fear swans in a park get strangled. Berwick Swan and Wildlife Trust volunteer Linda Charlton believes it is only a matter of time before one of the birds gets caught in a loop. She
GRANDAD'S nearly 80, he had a heart attack not long ago, and he fought in the war. So he shouldn't have to put up with what he went through on the night of the ballet... Hannah - still my baby girl - had been chosen to dance with the English Youth Ballet
UK FILM 1 (1) Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban 2 (2) The Day After Tomorrow 3 (3) Troy 4 (-) Connie And Carla 5 (4) Van Helsing 6 (5) Hum Tum 7 (-) Dev 8 (6) Bad Education 9 (9) Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed 10 (10) The Football Factory UK
ONCE again England's participation in an international football tournament is dominated by reports of the activities of drunken yobs and hooligans. We do not condone the loutish behaviour of any individuals. However, the most recent incidents surrounding
Echo Memories turns its gaze from heavenly bodies to the comfort of the South Park tea pavilion, its lost putting green and the crumbling aviaries. THE transit of Venus across the face of the Sun last week went almost unobserved in the Darlington district
THE arrival of North Eastern Railway 0-8-0 steam locomotive No 901 was a low-key affair. Strapped to the back of a low-loader lorry, the black loco was delivered to its new County Durham home on Tuesday evening. Even as it moved slowly towards Locomotion
Ambulance response times could be affected by industrial action started by paramedics today in a dispute over meal breaks. Around 450 Unison members who work for the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) agreed to ban overtime after it was announced that
A NEW life-saving service was launched this week to reduce the number of people killed or injured in house fires. As part of a nationwide drive to make people more aware of fire safety measures and escape routes within the home, County Durham and Darlington
AFTER bringing up five daughters and helping out with her ten grandchildren, pensioner Doreen Kett has become one of the country's first Childcare Champions. The energetic 70-year-old is one of six people receiving the award from Chancellor of the Exchequer
TRIBUTES have been paid to a motorbike fanatic who was killed while riding with friends during an annual biking holiday abroad. Karl Andrew Sinclair, of Toronto, near Bishop Auckland, was knocked off his motorbike in a head-on collision while travelling
Steve Pratt talks to the creative minds behind a musical celebration of Haiti which almost upstaged itself by the overthrow of President Aristide and flash floods. FOR stage producer Jan Ryan, a trip of Haiti proved a life-changing experience. She and
YOUNG ambassadors for the nations of the world will bring the atmosphere of the Olympics to County Durham next week. More than 800 seven-year-olds from primary schools in the Wear Valley will take part in the mini-Olympics at Durham University's Maiden
The work of GCSE and A-level art students from Polam Hall School, Darlington, has been on display before being marked this month. The exhibition followed an event last month when parents could view the work, and were treated to music, dance and drama
AN Oscar winning North-East director may pay a tribute to a former art teacher by buying one of his paintings. Ridley Scott, whose films include Alien, Gladiator, Hannibal and Black Hawk Down, spotted a picture by Stephen Crowther on television and wrote
A PLANNED multi million pound art gallery "will propel Middlesbrough into the arts spotlight". The comment was made yesterday by a spokesman for the Arts Council England North-East and independent architecture promoters Northern Architecture. Middlesbrough
Minister bids to stir interest Local Government Minister Nick Raynsford will be at the Crown Hotel, The Esplanade, Scarborough, on Monday, June 28, to chair a meeting aimed at stimulating debate about an elected regional assembly for Yorkshire and the
If Switzerland are going to upset England in today's Group B clash they are going to have to achieve something only one of their countrymen has ever done in the European Championships - score a goal. The penalty scored by Kubilay Turkyilmaz in the 1-1
YOUNGSTERS from across the region are attempting to become record breakers in a road safety campaign. This week, 50 pupils from Breckon Hill School, in Middlesbrough, and 75 from Springfield School, in Darlington, took part in a nationwide attempt to
A RARE recent professional theatre outing for Noel Coward's classic comedy produced a full house and a definite sense of the spirit being willing, even if the supporting flesh grows a little weaker each year. The first of Ian Dickens Productions' summer
ESTATE agent Countrywide last night dismissed fears of a housing market crash, but warned of the dampening effect of interest rate rises. The group, which has 875 UK offices including the Bairstow Eves and Mann and Company chains, told investors in a
A FORMER north Durham residential home once mooted as a hostel for asylum seekers may re-open. Hustledown House, in Wear Road, Stanley, has been empty for six years. Residents say it is an eyesore and a magnet for anti-social behaviour. It was once a
A 51-year-old man who glassed another pub drinker has failed to get a reduction in his jail term. Peter Fothergill, of Upper Church Street, Spennymoor, County Durham, was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison at Teesside Crown Court last December
PARENTS have protested at what they say was an unbelievably slow response time to a 999 call when a playgroup assistant was savaged by a dog in front of several children. They say police officers turned up almost 26 hours later - and then said such matters
CLASHES between England fans and riot police are sadly familiar scenes at world footballing events. But there was nothing familiar to the devastated families back home watching the news from Portugal. "He's a very quiet lad. He's not the sort of person
AS British troops landed on French beaches on D-Day, Joan Hepburn received a telegram from fiance Jack Stannard saying simply, "Arrange wedding". He sent it from Liverpool as his troopship arrived from Egypt - and after a great rush they were married
THE region's four police forces last night sought to distance themselves from the threat of legal action by race watchdog the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE). The CRE said earlier this week that following an investigation it had found that 14 police
A COLOURFUL solution has been devised to keep hordes of flies from bugging lollipop ladies and men. Six crossing patrol wardens in Darlington have been issued with orange jackets and hats instead of the standard yellow uniform, to deter insects from attacking
A team of Newcastle-based scientists has lodged the first request to clone a human embryo, whch could lead to a revolution in how we treat many conditions. Barry Nelson weighs up the pro and cons. NANCY Reagan's unexpected U-turn on stem cell research
TEN people alleged to have been involved in the supply of hard drugs went before a court yesterday. Nine men and a woman appeared at Durham Crown Court charged with conspiracy to supply class A drugs. They were all arrested in a series of raids by police
THERE'S nothing that folk in Soapland like more than an excuse to let down their hair and have a jolly good knees-ups, especially in Albert Square. So roll up, roll up, for all the fun of the fair as Bridge Street Market celebrates its centenary by setting
A DOG that keeps being ignored by potential owners is desperately in need of a home. But staff at the Dog's Trust refuge at Sadberge, near Darlington, say that his weak legs, skin problems caused by a previous flea infestation, and cauliflower ears resulting
A TEAM of junior swimmers are preparing to make a splash in national championships this weekend. The boys mixed relay squad from St Margaret's Church of England Primary School, Neville's Cross, will travel to Sheffield, where they will compete with youngsters
THE earnings gap between the affluent South and the poorer North has widened, according to the latest figures. Under the Labour Government, workers in London have seen their pay packets grow at more than three times the rate of those in the North-East
Being written out of EastEnders as suffering single mum Lisa has prompted Lucy Benjamin to look at work offers that don't involve pantomime. She tells Steve Pratt that York Theatre Royal's The Pocket Dream was the first stage role that really appealed
THE Government today came under renewed fire over its policy on manufacturing. Union leader Tony Woodley warned that Britain risks becoming a manufacturing-free country within a generation unless measures are taken to boost industry. The general secretary
Specialist printer Wyndeham Press sounded a note of cautious optimism last night, despite seeing annual profits fall by nearly a third. The group, which prints Marie Claire, What Car, GQ and Construction News, reported no major improvement in trading
HUNDREDS of people took to the streets of Newton Aycliffe for this year's road race. Peterlee runner Terry Wall, of Morpeth Harriers, led the field of 250 entrants to win the Aycliffe 10km race for the second consecutive year. He completed the race in
PLANS for a recreation centre at a Teesdale caravan site were deferred yesterday for a site visit by councillors. Planning officers had recommended approval for the centre at Cragwood Caravan Site, Ramshaw. Local councillor Raymond Gibson said: "There
VILLAGERS have been granted an Appeal Court hearing in their fight to prevent a waste transfer station being operated near to their homes. Residents of Stainton Grove, near Barnard Castle, also say they will appeal against a decision for retrospective
Ann Swain was often caned and forced to wear a dunce's cap at her primary school. Now, aged 73, she is starting an Open University course. Mrs Swain could barely read or write because of dyslexia until five years ago, when she joined Leap, the adult education
POLICE who approached a vehicle that appeared to have broken down found drugs on the occupant, a court heard. Darren Carl Eddy, of Price Avenue, Bishop Auckland, admitted possessing amphetamines when he appeared before magistrates in Newton Aycliffe yesterday
A MAN admitted making racially aggravated remarks to a police officer after he was stopped on suspicion of drink-driving. Leslie Thompson, 40, of Chaytor Terrace, Fishburn admitted several offences at the Newton Aycliffe Magistrates' Court hearing yesterday
NATIONAL Insect Week is coming to a nature reserve on Saturday when two special walks take place. The Swale and Ure Washlands Project is holding the butterfly, moth, dragonfly and damselfly walks at the Mar-field nature reserve, near Masham. The walks
TRANSCO staff have won a gold award after raising tens of thousands of pounds for charities. The UK's learning disability charity Mencap presented the award to gas pipeline workers for topping the £50,000 fundraising mark. The cash comes from Transco's
ALLIANCE and Leicester is to close 46 branches because of the increasing popularity of Internet and telephone banking, it emerged last night. More than 300 staff, including 111 full-time workers, will be affected by the closures, which will take effect
A CHARITY that brings the arts to rural areas has won a £20,000 grant to develop a community centre of excellence. Rural Arts will now be able to transform its base at the Old Courthouse, Thirsk, into a home for community art projects and activities.
A NEW life-saving service was launched this week to reduce the number of people killed or injured in house fires. As part of a nationwide drive to make people more aware of fire safety measures and escape routes within the home, County Durham and Darlington
A FATHER-OF-TWO is planning a 1,000-mile bike ride to raise cash for a women's refuge in Darlington. Mark Matthews, 41, of Middlesbrough, is in training for a two-week ride from Land's End to John O'Groats at the end of August. He hopes to raise a minimum
A MOTHER-of-four broke down as she described how her husband was shot by a hitman in a family feud. Tracy Creswell wept as she told a jury at Newcastle Crown Court how her injured husband, Stan, had come into the kitchen of their home, in Clydesdale Street
WORKERS at one of the North-East's biggest car plants, which is facing closure, are demanding union recognition. Employees at Calsonic Kansei in Shildon, County Durham, say they want union representatives at their side as the company decides whether or
AN advice service has been launched to offer support to a town's young people. Children's welfare charity Barnardo's is launching the service in Middlesbrough. The Middlesbrough Independence Network (Min) will support vulnerable young people aged 16 and
A woman who became close friends with airman Andrew Mynarski has only now learnt of his death - 60 years after his heroic sacrifice. Kate Bowman reports. LILIAN Ritchie immediately recognised the wartime snap of Andrew Mynarski staring back at her from
THE dramatic scenery of the Lake District provided a perfect backdrop for children taking part in a music, acting and play-writing event. Five youngsters from Blackfyne Community School, in Consett, were selected to join in the drama residential on the
A GLASS centre has created a;n exhibition to celebrate Architecture Week. The National Glass Centre, in Sunderland, will stage the Future Revealed exhibition in its Mezzanine Gallery. The exhibition opens tomorrow and will run until Sunday, June 27. Future
UNEMPLOYMENT in the region fell to 5.2 per cent in the first three months of the year, figures showed yesterday. The number of people claiming benefits is now the lowest since 1975. There are 61,000 people unemployed in the region - 12,000 fewer than
Michael Vaughan shed his England sweater yesterday, put on a Yorkshire one and marched out to play a dazzling innings at Old Trafford which helped defeat Lancashire by three wickets and take his side through to the semi-finals of the Cheltenham and Gloucester
DETECTIVES suspect that £500,000 seized from George Reynolds' car was money laundered from Darlington Football Club, a court heard yesterday. The cash was recovered by police after they swooped on a vehicle carrying the former Quakers chairman, his cousin
A FUNDRAISING appeal to buy a town's public land has been given a boost by an organic food company, which has signed up as a sponsor. Farmaround Organic has promised to donate ten per cent of all sales generated in Richmond to the open spaces appeal being
EUROPE: ONE can hardly talk about any haste in formulating the content of the EU constitution when the initiative to call a convention to discuss and decide on its content was taken in 2000 and the work continued with over 100 representatives for two
ANTI-SOCIAL behaviour orders were imposed on two boys by Durham magistrates. Michael Cuthbert, 15, and Brian Gillespie, 16, of Sherburn Road Estate, Durham, were involved in a string of nuisance incidents over several months, including repeatedly trespassing
PARALYMPIC medal winner Tanni Grey-Thompson was guided through a sports session by secondary school pupils yesterday. She met youngsters from Roseberry Sports and Community College, Chester-le-Street, who have all taken a Sports Leader Award. The British
AN inquiry into a radioactive leak at Hartlepool's nuclear power plant has been started with investigators concentrating on preventing any future incidents. The examination by British Energy, follows a leak of almost 440 gallons of contaminated water
The Real Flying Saucers - Stranger Than Fiction (Ch5): IF, like me, you were expecting an investigation into little green men and alien abductions, you would have been disappointed by this very serious documentary. From the start, we were told that flying
HAVING heard reports of Dirty Dusting since it was first produced at the Customs House, South Shields, in 2003, I was delighted to have the opportunity to see it for myself. Written by two local lads, Ed Waugh and Trevor Wood, and featuring local actors
FIVE years ago, Lynda Corner stood proudly on the steps of No 10 Downing Street with members of her cub pack from Harrogate for a special photo opportunity. It was the crowning moment of a trip to London for Mrs Corner and her cub scouts after police
THE first thing I noticed when I arrived in Northern Ireland for a fleeting visit last weekend was the fact there were no England flags fluttering from car windows. This was not what I expected. When we heard a huge cheer from a nearby pub as we left
CHILDREN are sporting new caps in a bid to protect themselves from the sun during playtimes at school. The youngsters from Witton- le-Wear Primary School have been given the caps with their school logo by the parents and teachers association. They have
COUNTY Durham groups that cater for older people have been invited to a free performance of traditional Russian music. Musicians from County Durham's twin city of Kostroma are to perform at the Gala Theatre, Durham City, for an invited audience on Friday
A NEW five-year management strategy will help to protect and enhance the countryside drawing visitors to the North Pennine hills. Wear Valley District Council is one of nine local authorities committed to a blueprint outlining future policy for the Area
Darlington's 100th closed-circuit television security camera is to be installed this month. A pole has been erected in North Lodge Park and the camera will be positioned on top of it in the next two weeks, said a Darlington Borough Council spokesman.
When director Kevin Smith put Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez into another film as husband and wife he never realised what might happen next. Steve Pratt talks to Smith as he found himself doing publicity without the benefit of 'Bennifer'. CASTING real
TRIBUTES have been paid to a father and son who died in a car crash at the weekend. Shaun Gellatly, 28, and his father Malcolm, or Mally, 48, were said to be 'more like best mates'. They died in the early hours of Sunday morning when the Rover in which
EVERYONE hoped that solicitor Sally Clark could begin her life again when she walked free on January 29, 2003, following her successful appeal against her convictions of murdering her two baby sons. She had spent three years and 81 days in prison, and
FRance goalkeeper Fabien Barthez has urged his team-mates to forget all about the epic victory over England and turn their attention to beating Croatia. Barthez, with playmaker Zinedine Zidane, was one of the heroes of the match at the Stadium of Light
