RINGWORM knocked David Barron's stable for six earlier on this year, but now that his horses are beginning to fire Blonde Streak (2.35) is well worthy of support at York. Blonde Streak didn't do herself any favours in the Carlisle Bell last time out,
A FORMER power station worker compensated because doctors thought he had asbestosis died from natural causes, an inquest heard yesterday. Henry Graham died at South Church Nursing Home, near Bishop Auckland, as a result of lung disease. The pensioner
IF THERE was a competition for the month with the most contrasting halves, then June would be one of the contenders. The first two weeks were very warm, sunny and mostly dry, promising to be as hot as last year's flaming June. The last 14 days were just
TENNIS fans in Ferryhill are being urged to support plans to improve facilities for the sport in the town. John Forster, a member of Sedgefield Tennis Club, has approached Ferryhill Town Council with an idea to upgrade the courts in Dean Bank Park, which
TEACHERS and schools were honoured at Darlington's first education awards last night. The borough council presented accolades to teachers, teaching assistants and schools at a ceremony held in the St George Hotel, at Teesside International Airport. Nominations
FIRE juggling and rugby on unicycles are not activities usually associated with schools, but one group of North Yorkshire youngsters are preparing to put on a show combining all manner of circus skills. Thirty pupils at Richmond School are taking part
A CROWN court jury will decide if a suspected murderer is mentally fit to stand trial. Gary Taylor, 38, is accused of killing 40-year-old father-of-two Colin Johnson, who was found with his throat slashed at his home in Pickering Road, Pennywell, Sunderland
FEW business stories can have been followed so closely, and by so many people, as the takeover battle at Marks & Spencer. The high level of interest reflects the affection and respect many of us have for the retailer. M&S is not in financial trouble
DARLINGTON Mayor Councillor Roderick Francis took a trip down memory lane yesterday when he returned to his former workplace. Councillor Francis visited Lingfield Point in town to see progress on the £1m refurbishment of the Beehive Ballroom. Coun Francis
CAMPAIGNERS hoping to save the name of their village school have won only half the battle. Middleton St George school is to be replaced by a new £3m building which will also replace the school at neighbouring Sadberge. On Monday, a ballot at the school
Visitors to Berwick Hills Library, Middlesbrough, on Friday will see a display of Second World War memories. As well as the display, which has been provided by North Ormesby's Community History Group, local historian and artist Stuart MacMillan will present
Pupils at Northgate Junior School, Guisborough, were visited by the Royal Society to honour their energy project. A solar panel and a wind turbine were installed at the school and they have assessed both power sources by working out how many laps two
A GUISBOROUGH estate will be the centre of attention next week when a multi-agency taskforce embarks on a busy five-day maintenance activity programme - as well as providing entertainment for youngsters. Operation Bowl - Blitz On Wilton Lane - is a co-ordinated
FOOLS and bairns shouldn't see things half done and I'm certainly no longer a bairn, so you can draw your own conclusions. It was bad enough getting the place cleared out. Why were there green split peas in the tin labelled wheatgerm? Ye gods and little
RULES to protect threatened flights from Newcastle and Teesside to London by ring-fencing slots at Heathrow and Gatwick have been announced. The Department for Transport outlined how it planned to introduce Public Service Obligations (PSOs), to ensure
Nottingham Junior Open: Three of Durham and Cleveland's top junior squash players were in action at the weekend in the Nottingham Junior Open.This competition being in the Midlands attracts the best junior players from around the Country and proved to
Sir, - When I read the letter from Norma Clark (D&S, July 2) it was a case of deja vu. Last year, as I took my dog into the "18 acres" in Catterick Village - a totally wild area beloved by dog walkers where dogs can run free without causing any problems
FROM this newspaper 100 years ago. - Spectator writes: It is to be regretted that the Postmaster-General has not seen his way to comply with the request of the inhabitants of Dalton for the establishment of a branch post office in that village. The amount
A MOORS hotel has applied for planning permission to convert the property into flats. The owners of the Moorlands Hotel, in Castleton High Street, have submitted an application to the North York Moors National Park for a change of use and to extend the
Castle Eden under 13's played Seaham Park at the weekend in a Durham Coast League game. Seaham Park batted first and put on a good score for Castle Eden to chase with 120 runs for five wickets in the 20 overs game. However Castle Eden won the match without
Durham & District League: Leeholme strengthened their top place in the First Division after they won by six points with an 81 shots to 69 victory over their hosts at Pelton Fell. The rink scores (with Pelton Fell names first) were S. Thompson 17J.
SHE lost nothing in her first defeat, Attraction, the double Guineas winner and best of her generation. Tuesday saw the Duke of Roxburghe's homebred Efisio filly tackle older rivals for the first time in her ninth race, the Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket
A GUISBOROUGH estate is set for a make-over as a taskforce moves in to clean-up the area and provide entertainment for youngsters. Operation BOWL - Blitz on Wilton Lane - will see five days of maintenance on the estate, which has been blighted by problems
A 14-YEAR-OLD Darlington student is jumping for joy after breaking a championship record. Phillip Collins, from Carmel RC Technology College, brought the Darlington Schools athletic championships' arena to a standstill when he broke the championship record
A SCHOOL band from the North-East is taking part in Europe's biggest youth music festival in London today. Lord Lawson Concert Band, from Birtley, near Chester-le-Street, will perform at the 34th National Festival of Music for Youth. They will join 10,000
SHOW jumping classes at this year's Cleveland Show, held in Stewart Park, Marton on Saturday, July 24, are open to anyone with horses and ponies. In the past, the show has held affiliated show jumping classes only for members of the British Show Jumping
CRICKET has never been so much fun at West Burton School thanks to professional coach Umar Rashid. He grew up in a cricket-mad family in Karachi and was a professional cricketer himself for many years both in Pakistan and England. Now he coaches with
CHILDREN have been awarded £5 each for their school to persuade their parents not to use the car to take them there. Youngsters from 12 East Cleveland schools have received the money from the Department for Education to help to turn their approved School
POSTAL BALLOTS: I DID not vote in the last election, for the first time in my life, and the reason is simple to understand. The voting ballot is no longer secret. The voter is identified on his or her declaration of identity by a unique bar code. This
All records were smashed during an unbelievable opening round of The Drennan Super League Northern Division staged on the lower reaches of the River Tees around Yarm. When the Tees is flowing and coloured it is now arguably one of the country' s premier
SUNDERLAND are determined to resolve Julio Arca's future quickly and end fears the South American may walk away from the club for nothing next summer. The Argentinian has just 12 months of his contract remaining before he can turn his back on the Stadium
Bad Lads Army (ITV1), The Real Bad Girls (ITV1): ANYONE who's ever said what unruly teenagers need is a dose of national service will welcome Bad Lads Army. Thirty young men, aged between 18 and 24, are the "bad lads" who've volunteered to spend a month
Marks & Spencer may have rejected the latest takeover attempt, but the future of the country's biggest retailer still hangs in the balance. Nick Morrison looks at the battle for Britain's sleeping giant. ONE has been a stalwart of the high street
A SCHOOL repair man spent his first night behind bars last night following his conviction for sex abuse charges involving two young girls. Harry Priestley was remanded in custody by a judge at Durham Crown Court after being found guilty on seven of eight
JG Taxis League: Ushaw Moor Catholic Club moved eight points clear at the top of the darts section after they only dropped one point on their visit to Willington Burn. The home side's lone score came from Micky Lee whilst Robert Milburrn, Kevin Ryans,
NEWCASTLE UNITED are clear to step up negotiations with Patrick Kluivert after Middlesbrough turned their attentions to Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink. The North-East clubs were heading into a battle for Kluivert's signature after being allowed to leave Barcelona
Two former British champions left local hopefuls to salvage the placings in the Grainger Trust two-day race meeting at Acklington. But it was Malcolm Elliott, the former Tour de France rider who celebrated his 43rd birthday last week and has made a remarkable
Yorkshire Phoenix almost achieved the impossible at Headingley last night as they chased Leicestershire Foxes mammoth score of 221 for three, the highest ever recorded in Twenty20 cricket. They appeared down and out at 143 for three in 16 overs which
Former Hartlepool United midfielder Tommy Widdrington will make a Victoria Park return with Macclesfield. Widdrington helped Pool to promotion in 2003 before being released. He was recently appointed captain at Moss Rose under boss Brian Horton. Pool's
Carmel enjoyed three consecutive days of athletic excellence when they enjoyed success in three separate athletic competitions. Firstly, in the Darlington Schools Championships they won 17 cups and shields out of a possible 20 including the George Clarke
A COASTGUARD is set to run from Whitby to Saltburn to raise funds for his local school. Skinningrove Coastguard's deputy station officer, Paul Waugh, will run the 20-mile route along the Cleveland Way on Saturday to raise money for Skelton Primary School
A Bogey competition is probably the toughest form of golf and Sunday saw a large entry with excellent scoring requiring card countbacks to decide the winner between Richard Hewison and Ian Smith who both finished on plus five. Congratulations to Richard
Thursday's prices Grainfarmers, Thorp Arch. - Wheat: July £72; Aug £63; Sept £64. Barley: July £64; Aug £58; Sept £59. Oilseed rape: July no price; Aug £145; Sept £147. GrainCo, Tyne Dock. - Wheat: July £74; Aug £61; Sept £63. Barley: July £57; Aug £57
A LITTLE star has scored a hat-trick at the very start of the show season. Harland Primrose, known as Popple, won the Mountain and Moorland lead rein at the North Yorkshire Show, was first and champion at Malton Show and was first and reserve champion
CONSUMER watchdogs in Darlington are warning traders about a fraud based on the Data Protection Act. The warning follows a spate of complaints about collectors' letters, requesting payment for registration. Only certain businesses holding clients' personal
A COMPETITION has been launched to find a community's brightest and best-kept gardens. Consett North Partnership, the group charged with helping regenerate the northern ward of the town, has organised the first Consett In Bloom contest. Dorothy Oxley,
RESIDENTS on a housing estate are relieved after a drug dealer was jailed for four years this week. Parents on the Lakes Estate, in Redcar, complained that Michael Singh was peddling heroin and told police they wanted him locked up. Officers increased
Cleveland and North Yorkshire League: Great Smeaton did what no other club has done this season. That is to beat the current league champions, Oak Lodge. Great Smeaton were led by scores of 23 from Mike Foster and Gordon Carvey. The final result was 168
A MASTER craftsman will be showing off his joinery skills and giving people the chance to win a hand-made cask of beer at the Great Yorkshire Show next week. Jonathan Manby works as the master cooper at the Theakston brewery in Masham, crafting wooden
ELECTRICAL retailer Dixons is to boost its European portfolio by acquiring a controlling stake in a Greek chain. The group has agreed to buy 38.7 per cent of electrical specialist P Kotsovolos for £36m, bringing its total holding in the company to 52.3
Sir, - At the beginning of this year I wrote to the D&S asking for views about the Black Swan crossing on the A19 following the death of a close relative, Moira Gray, and family friend, Tony Elton, at the crossing last August, only five minutes after
BOSSES at a Darlington school have defended themselves against criticism over a decision to sever an arrangement with the local council. An e-mail that has been leaked to all councillors in the town shows that Darlington Borough Council officials were
Bad Lads Army (ITV1) The Real Bad Girls (ITV1) ANYONE who's ever said what unruly teenagers need is a dose of national service will welcome Bad Lads Army. Thirty young men, aged between 18 and 24, are the "bad lads" who've volunteered to spend a month
MIDDLESBROUGH BEARS travel to Scotland on Sunday to face the Ashfield Giants at Glasgow's Saracen Park in Possilpark. And the son of a former Middlesbrough rider is set to make his debut against his hometown team. Adam McKinna, 16, is the son of Kenny
The Inaugural AGM of the Richmond & Catterick Darts League will be held on Friday 16th July at the Board Inn, Richmond. All interested teams, old & new, must be represented at the Roll Call, which takes place at 8.30 pm. Flyfishing: Another brown
THE annual charity match in memory of Steven White will be played once again this Sunday at Darlington RA. Haughton FC, who play in The Northern Echo Invitation Sunday League, will be taking on Darlington RFC for the right to get their hands on the Steven
GIRLS: Hundreds of female footballers from across the North-East had to overcome unseasonal climatic conditions as well as the opposition at the weekend. The fourth annual Durham FA and Durham Police Girls' Seven-a-Side tournament is usually played out
A WENSLEYDALE mill is to feature in the second series of the BBC's popular Restoration programme. Viewers will be able to vote for vital restoration work to be carried out on the eighteenth century Gayle Mill, near Hawes. Funding has been raised to convert
DENTISTS going private are putting pressure on others in Darlington to close their books to NHS patients. Uncertainty about what will happen in April, when the Government hands over the funding and running of NHS dental services to primary care trusts
A TRADITIONAL African snack made with pure Yorkshire beef - that's what I call food fusion. Gary Quinn is from Yorkshire. Thomo Leteane is from Botswana. Together they run Bare Earth, a company producing biltong - Africa's favourite snack. Biltong actually
Earlier starters had the best of the playing conditions. Midway through the afternoon the course was struck by a severe thunderstorm and play had to be suspended for one hour. Some players fearful of a repeat retired. But the brave who continued had difficulty
NEXT year's Barnard Castle Meet will again be held on the May bank holiday if offers of help are firmed up at the annual meeting next month. Earlier this year, the committee decided to hold the event a month later in 2005. Protesters expressed dismay
ANDY WHITE nailed his colours to the mast with a match winning batting display that proved too much for West End in the First Division. Red-hot White was unbeaten on 65 as he steered Aidan House to what was a match winning total of 149-3 as he gained
BRITAIN'S sporting summer seems to be a washout - but the way in which the different stars have handled defeat has been illuminating. David Beckham decided to dress in full Arab garb this week in order to avoid the paparazzi - or perhaps it was England
The league suffered less than most with the weather and all six games in Division A reached a conclusion. Cliffe batted 35 overs totalling only 82 at home to Haughton for whom McCarthy took three wickets for just 16 runs, Irvine two for 17 and Wilkinson
PLANS for a £150,000 swimming pool refurbishment will go before councillors next week. Ryedale District Council has identified Ryedale Pool, in Pickering, as being in need of a major overhaul. Officers have come up with plans to replace the cubicles in
A NORTHALLERTON businessman fears a planning hitch could hit his plans to revive a well-loved site in the town. Nick Fordy, managing director of the FT Construction Group, has welcomed being given the green light to convert a former maternity hospital
A TROUBLED estate is to receive a makeover next week as a multi-agency taskforce moves in to clean-up the area and provide entertainment for youngsters. Operation Bowl - Blitz On Wilton Lane - will see five days of maintenance on the Guisborough estate
AN ACTress who came back to her home town with an idea of mixing its industrial heritage with literary classics will see her dream realised next week. Shelly O'Brien has gone from a one-person theatre company to the head of a £30,000 open-air production
A FUNERAL home in Guisborough is offering a unique way of remembering loved ones. Artwork encapsulating the life of a deceased friend or relative can now be ordered through the North-Eastern and Cumbrian Co-operative Funeral Service's home in Park Lane
THE battle to transform an old railway station into a valuable community resource took a major step forward yesterday. The scheme to turn the former Richmond Station into a multi-purpose business and community centre, including a cinema, has been given
NO ONE in the beef industry should sleepwalk into being ambushed by the realities of decoupled support and its potential to seriously reduce prime cattle supplies, the National Beef Association has warned. It wants farmers to work out their production
A DARLINGTON mother has launched an on-line continental food hall specialising in products not available in supermarkets. Helen Beaumont dreamed of opening a gourmet food hall in the town but, as a mother of two babies, she needed to find a way of working
THIRSK Cricket Club could be lording it at the world's most famous ground next year. Following the visit to Thirsk by Roger Knight, chief executive of the MCC, to unveil a plaque to the founder of Lord's, Thomas Lord, who was born in Thirsk, the club
SUCKLED calf producers are seizing the opportunity to gain low maintenance, functional replacements as a Yorkshire initiative gains momentum. The Beef Improvement Group's Stabiliser crossbreed venture is on track to supply 10pc of suckler herd replacements
THE chief constable of North Yorkshire has issued a stinging reply to criticism that a reported £250,000 has been unnecessarily spent on what have been described as the perk of company cars for some of her most senior officers. Della Cannings said the
Crook League: Crook Royal Sun recorded their best win of the season when they only dropped one point to the visiting league leaders, Crook Queen's Head A to move one point behind the new joint leaders. Three teams, Crook Queen's Head A, Crook Belle Vue
CHESTER-LE-STREET TOWN youth's have been awarded for last season's efforts in the FA Youth Cup by being seeded alongside Nationwide Football League clubs for this season's adventure. The club will not be involved in the preliminary competition or the
BARNARD CASTLE. - Tues. Lim cow & twin bull calves to £900; Lim cow & bull calf to £800; Simm cow & hfr calves to £670; Lim hfr & hfr calf £840; AA cow & bull calf £620. Bulls: BB £588; Lim £570; Char £540; BA £570. Steers: Lim £740
PRIME Minister Tony Blair's constituency suffered a further manufacturing jobs blow last night as a clingfilm company shed more than half its workforce. Linpac Filmco, of Sedgefield, County Durham, told its 130 workers there would be 73 compulsory redundancies
Woodham GC: When the going gets tough - the tough get going, and there was no room for faint hearts on the weekend of 3rd & 4th July for the Ladies Club Championship. The weather conditions on both days were appalling with lashing rain and high winds
VANDALS are causing hundreds of pounds of damage by targeting school crossing patrol lights. Youths have been smashing the light bulbs in the warning equipment or tampering with the workings so that flashing lights stay on throughout the night. Redcar
A FEMALE rower from Richmond is hoping to make her last year in the sport the best by winning an Olympic gold medal. Alison Mowbray has been chosen alongside Rebecca Romero, Frances Houghton and Debbie Flood to represent Great Britain in the women's quadruple
Dawdon played two ties on successive nights and were successful in both games, writes MALCOLM PRATT. In a preliminary round match they defeated Peterlee by ten wickets when Michael Appleby took four wickets for just seven runs in four overs restricting
POLICE hunting the attacker of an 81-year-old pensioner who was left in a pool of blood have released an artist's impression of a man they want to trace. Mary Richardson, who has terminal liver cancer and Alzheimer's disease, was punched and kicked as
THE huge decline in the numbers of livestock was made clear in a hard-hitting report this week. The Country Land and Business Association underlined the warning it gave last week that cattle and sheep could disappear altogether from areas like the Dales
Junior Roundup: Whitley Bay Islanders and Cleveland Comets were in local derby action at Hillheads on Sunday for a recreational ice hockey encounter. Islanders' winning ways continued with a 7-2 victory over Comets. Islanders had the better of the early
FOLLOWING the recent poor weather, especially last Sunday when the entire premier division programme was washed out without a ball being bowled, clubs will be hoping that the sun shines at last tomorrow. Guisborough, who lead the table by nine points,
SHILDON driver Barry Johnson ended Scotsman Raymond Munro's 18-month domination of the County Saab Scottish Rally Championship by winning the Jim Clark Rievers Rally based in Kelso last weekend. The County Durham ace, driving his former Petter Solberg
Gary Wilson of Wallsend got another great boost to his confidence both for a high finish in the first Planet Premier League and for his chances of landing the International Billiards and Snooker Federation World Under 21's Championship later this month
Once one of football's most powerful figures, retired Weardale solicitor Frank Pattison finally steps down from the FA Council at its summer meeting - amid the splendours of Slaley Hall, Northumberland - this weekend. His influence, the column observed
A NORTH-EAST fashion student has won a national award for one of her designs. Emily Carter-Gibson, 18, who studies at Darlington College of Technology, took the top prize of £750 in the UK final of the Can U Cut It? competition. Forty colleges across
CHILDREN at a North-East school have used their artistic skills to help shape the future of their local community. Pupils at St Joseph's RC Primary School, in Hartlepool, were set the challenge of coming up with a model, drawing, painting or virtual design
THE Foresters recently held their third charity show in aid of the Riding for the Disabled Association's Unicorn Centre at Hemlington. The organisers said they would like to thank everybody for their support and sponsorship, which helped raise £700 for
FIRE officers are calling on youngsters to stop lighting fires in empty buildings in the South Bank area of Middlesbrough before someone is seriously injured or killed. The plea follows a number of incidents in which youngsters have started fires in boarded-up
BOWLER Steve Barnes thought his chances of notching a hat-trick had long gone after 35 years without one. But just as he was resigned to hanging up his whites without achieving the feat, like the proverbial London bus, along came two in two matches. Barnes
THIEF: DEADLY SHADOWS. Format: PC/Xbox. Publisher: Eidos. Price: £34.99 THIEF can probably lay claim to originating many of the ideas that have since become essential ingredients in the first-person adventure genre. The third game in this series, called
RINGWORM knocked David Barron's stable for six earlier on this year, but now that his horses are beginning to fire Blonde Streak (2.35) is well worthy of support at York. Blonde Streak didn't do herself any favours in the Carlisle Bell last time out,
A North-East fire brigade could face budget cuts next year after falling foul of the Government over its council tax increase. The County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service will not be capped this year for breaking the Government's order for
A FARMER ensured his beloved sheepdogs would have a good home after he died - by leaving them and his £500,000 farm to the man who used to repair his machinery. Bernard Holmes left Snowy and Blackie, together with Lime Kiln Farm, at Amotherby, near Malton
WHEAT growers have been urged to maintain top disease protection in the face of heavy rainfall across the UK this week as, if they do not, yield and quality-robbing diseases could seriously eat into profits. There was a danger that the earlier dry weather
A NEW district governor has been appointed for the 69 Rotary clubs in the North-East. Syd Howarth, of Newton Aycliffe, in County Durham, will lead the region's 2,200 members in Rotary's centenary year. The editor of the Newton Aycliffe weekly community
FORMER Thirsk School student, Victoria Smith, has not just gained a degree in embroidery, she has won a job designing for a company supplying Marks & Spencer. Victoria, 22, of Gordon House, Knayton, won several accolades while studying at Manchester
Foster's Cleveland League: The weather again wreaked havoc and in division one only one second innings was started. Norton were ten for the loss of two wickets replying to The Merlin total of 126 compiled in 37 overs. Geoff Burdon top scored with 56 and
EURO 2004 began and ended with Greece beating Portugal, so everything inbetween was a waste of time. Now we can begin to turn our attention to something much less trivial, the Olympic Games. Could it be that the Greek footballers were actually inspired
YOUNG racing driver Edwin Jowsey shrugged off a narrow escape when his car burst into flames during practice to record four victories at Snetterton in Norfolk last weekend. The youngster from Aislaby, near Whitby, had three cars entered for the weekend
RESIDENTS looked on as a crane returned the gates of a cemetery as part of the first stage of its refurbishment. People have been campaigning for about eight years to have the wall at Eston cemetery repaired and the gates locked to stop vandals. The 160
A SHEET metal fabricator is boosting productivity thanks to energy-saving measures. Tharsus, in Hebburn, South Tyneside, relied on out-dated equipment in its paint finishing process, preventing it from increasing production. South Tyneside Business Energy
Worthington CIU Summer League: Stanley Central lost their first game of the season but they did it in such style that it cost them the top spot in the Second Division with their conquerors Bearpark A taking over, two points ahead. Alan Smith, Andy Donaldson
BISHOP AUCKLAND and Spennymoor both have home ties in the first qualifying round of the FA Cup on September 18th. Bishops have a home game against fellow Premier Division side Workington, while Moors are at home to Tadcaster or Fleetwood or Alnwick from
Shildon, who reached the first round proper of the FA Cup last season and lost to Notts County, have home advantage against Garforth when they start this season's competition in the preliminary round. Peterlee have an attractive home tie against Colne
A GIFTED 19-year-old racing driver has been told he could be a championship contender for the series that spawned the likes of Formula 1 star Kimi Rikknen. Chris Dent, from Durham, has received a ringing endorsement from the team currently leading the
Two men have been arrested during a two-day Customs anti-smuggling operation in Teesport. Customs officers at Teesport, supported by officers from Customs' National Strike Force seized over 220,000 cigarettes, 53 kilograms of hand rolling tobacco and
Rain played havoc with the programme for the third successive Saturday and only two games in division one were started which were subsequently abandoned. At Belmont 34 overs were possible when Plawsworth totalled 135 for the loss of just one wicket. Ian
THE former Richmond railway station is set for a dramatic transformation after a £240,000 grant was secured from Yorkshire Forward. The grant is the first part of a comprehensive package set to be approved by funders, and paves the way for the construction
measures put in place by Durham County Council to improve the quality and delivery of services to local people have been recognised as an example of effective excellence in a national report published this week. The report, from the independent Centre
PLANS for a community school in a former east Durham mining village were yesterday given the go-ahead by Durham County Council. The council's cabinet agreed to discontinue the use of Murton Primary, Murton Jubilee Primary and Murton Nursery School, which
A pair of long-eared owls have been hatched in captivity for the first time in Britain. After seven years of patience and passion, staff have quietly encouraged adult owls Judith and Lanark to become parents. The Kielder Water Birds of Prey Centre, in
AN APPLICATION to allow 21 static caravans onto a North Yorkshire site currently used by tourers has been rejected following town council protests. Knaresborough Town Council said such a scheme would change Lido Caravan Park, in Wetherby Road, from a
WHEN John Waiting discovered how difficult it was to fly from Teesside Airport to his holiday home in Menorca, he ended up chartering his own plane. That was back in 1973 and, enterprising as he was, he had no inkling then of just how closely his own
Wheelchair Exhibition: Honours finished even after the two Wheelchair Tennis Exhibition matches played on Court 14 at the The Championships, Wimbledon on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th July, with Kevin Plowman, (Halifax, Yorskshire) and David Gardner (Wheatley
A FORMAL complaint about difficulties in getting in touch with the police via a new centralised switchboard has resulted in a response from the chief constable. Paul Garvin has invited members of Teesdale Crime Prevention Panel to the communications centre
A STUDENT is hoping to raise more than £2,000 to travel to Tanzania so she can teach English to children. Ellie Martin has already organised a host of fundraising events, including parties and band nights, and raised £600 towards the voluntary teaching
RAIL campaigners working to expand services in Wensleydale said this week that they did not see a forthcoming new attraction in a neighbouring area as a threat. The prospect of six more stations, including one at Bedale in only a few weeks' time, and
EURO 2004 began and ended with Greece beating Portugal, so everything inbetween was a waste of time. Now we can begin to turn our attention to something much less trivial, the Olympic Games. Could it be that the Greek footballers were actually inspired
DURHAM might suddenly have an embarrassment of riches for their final Twenty20 Cup game at home to Yorkshire next Thursday. England have decided to make Stephen Harmison available for that match, while it will be the first chance to see temporary overseas
POLITICIANS have made an annoying cliche out of the concept of "choice" of schools and hospitals. But any talk of choice in the dental sector deserves reaction much stronger than irritation; here it is fast becoming a choice of take it or leave it - pay
George Mann Cup: Wolsingham Mill Race topped the qualifying league to reach the semi finals when they beat Wolsingham All Stars. The Mill Race batted first and moved their score along at a rapid rate to reach 147 for 8 in their allotted twenty overs with
SAMANTHA Curry really did find that life began at 40 when she entered the British Open Croquet Championships. Not only did she capture the title, but did so against a worldwide field and achieved the triumph to coincide with her 40th birthday. Curry,
HOW do you know when driving conditions are truly dreadful? Answer: when all the drivers within sight are behaving sensibly. This was certainly the case on Sunday morning when Spectator was caught in torrential rainfall while driving on the Leeming-Catterick
A man was arrested by police after demonstrators burst into a combined court centre to carry out a sit down protest today. The man, a member of the Fathers4Justice group, managed to reached the first floor of the Teesside Crown Court building in Middlesbrough
A WOMAN has turned her four-bedroomed semi into a dormitory to house 20 children and teenagers from Africa. Kath Brotton has squeezed the 15 boys and five girls, from the slums of Kampala, into her modest-sized east Cleveland home, to support her son's
Founded by a brewery baron, refreshed and buoyant after Sport England reached the parts that other funding bodies cannot reach, Castle Eden Cricket Club is drinking to an unbeaten century. The nineties were pretty nervous, nonetheless. That's when the
A POLICE force which faced problems after the discovery of a multi-million-pound budget shortfall has turned to a neighbouring force for help. The Northern Echo has learned that Cleveland Police has drafted in a senior accountant from Durham Police on
FOOTBALL: Norton & Stockton Ancients JFC are holding their fourth junior football tournament on Sunday 18 July 2004. It is one of the largest one day junior tournaments in the North with over 160 teams attending and hopes are high that people will
Bedale & West of Yore PC. - July 22: ODE at Newfield, Mickley, PC and open classes, sae to secretary Mrs F Blaine, 7 Stoneybrough Lane, Thirsk YO7 2LS. Braes of Derwent PC. - July 11: senior horse trials at Houghall, Durham, open to non-members, novice
MOTORISTS who saw a car swerving about on a motorway and forced it to a halt to prevent an accident were commended by a court yesterday. Caroline Midgley, prosecuting, told Harrogate magistrates that Peter Nussey's black Citroen Saxo had been veering
The Durham Alliance League have lost five clubs from the end of last season and have gained four new clubs for the 2004-05 season. League Champions, Coxhoe Athletic have joined the Wearside League, Durham University have gone to play in the University
ATHLETICS stars in the making will be vying for prestigious titles today and tomorrow in the English Schools Championships, which return to the North-East after an absence of more than 30 years. The annual championships, which in the past have produced
PROGRESS on the creation of a play set in and about Richmondshire has taken a leap forward with the commissioning of one of the region's top playwrights. Mick Martin has joined the project to research and write the play which is expected to involve a
A 20-YEAR-OLD rider from Thirlby, near Thirsk, has been short-listed for the British three-day event team due to compete at this year's Young Rider European Championships. Lucy Holliday, currently in her last year as a history student at Newcastle University
EURO 2004 began and ended with Greece beating Portugal, so everything inbetween was a waste of time. Now we can begin to turn our attention to something much less trivial, the Olympic Games. Could it be that the Greek footballers were actually inspired
Sir, - While your article reporting the debate over the future of the Richmond station project (D&S, July 2) was an accurate synopsis of the business of the meeting, I felt it important to emphasise points which our trust made at the start of the
THE Government provoked a storm of protest last night when it named the day for the regional assembly referendums without answering key questions about their powers. Ministers hailed the announcement as an historic opportunity for the people of the North-East
ARABLE farmers should expect their final area aid payments to be about £13/ha less than last year's. Peter Pitchford and Frances Mordaunt, partners in Andersons, remind farmers that the crop in the field is the last to attract a subsidy payment, as the
A 57-year-old man appeared in court accused of murder today, following the discovery of a woman's body in County Durham. Peter Killeen, of Palm Terrace, Stanley, was in the dock at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates' Court facing the charge of murdering Susan
A POLICE force branded one of the worst in the country is heading for fresh controversy, it was claimed this week. Serving officers have claimed that a new way of dealing with crime will leave Cleveland Police with plummeting burglary detection rates.
THE Government provoked a storm of protest last night when it named the day for the regional assembly referendums without answering key questions about their powers. Ministers hailed the announcement as an historic opportunity for the people of the North-East
PLANS for a housing development on the edge of a small village have been approved by councillors who hope it will breathe new life into the community. The housing estate is to be built on the outskirts of Kirk Merrington, near Spennymoor, in order to
A PARTNERSHIP between elderly residents and young people has been praised for bringing together different sections of the community. Members of Growing Older Living in Darlington (Gold) joined forces with residents of Darlington Manor Residential Home
OUR lanes and fields, and even our gardens, seem to have had a particularly good crop of stinging nettles this year. The route of my morning walk, for example, now takes me through a huge patch of these plants whose height in places almost matches mine
A COURTROOM was silenced by a heartfelt plea from the mother of a teenager who died when she was thrown from the back of a motorbike. Maureen Reed's emotional statement, read to Teesside Magistrates' Court yesterday, criticised the charge of careless
THIEF: DEADLY SHADOWS. Format: PC/Xbox. Publisher: Eidos. Price: £34.99: THIEF can probably lay claim to originating many of the ideas that have since become essential ingredients in the first-person adventure genre. The third game in this series, called
WORK is under way to recreate a Victorian garden in Saltburn. More than 750 new plants are being planted to restore the original vision of the Italian Gardens in Saltburn Valley. Redcar and Cleveland Council area management department has begun the task
TONIGHT, the grey-haired figure of Peter Gibson will stand in the solemn but spectacular surrounds of York Minster and remember, 20 years on, the worst night of his life. He will not be alone. For countless others, July 9, 1984, was a disastrous day of
Coors League: Tow Law New Market A made a stunning start in their quest to repeat their Championship win of last season when they only dropped one point against the visiting Cornsay Royal Oak and so took revenge for the defeat they suffered in last season's
County Super League: Crook Town B won their top of the table home clash with Spennymoor A by two points but committed second half suicide and only managed to reach victory with a good clearance in the final frame. This win moves Crook Town B three points
ROTARIANS are planning to restore an ancient landmark near Guisborough as part of the movement's centenary celebrations worldwide. The Six Stoups were a set of marker stones by the roadside at the top of Birk Brow on the A171 outside Guisborough. The
MIDDLESBROUGH are poised to follow up the capture of Mark Viduka by pulling off another major transfer coup in the shape of Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink. The ambitious Teesside outfit finally completed the £4.5m transfer of Viduka from Leeds yesterday, confirming
Discount retailer Matalan said childrenswear and ladieswear helped its recovery gather pace as it reported an improvement in trading. In a trading update, the company said like-for-like sales in the 18 weeks to July 3 had improved by four per cent on
EURO 2004 began and ended with Greece beating Portugal, so everything inbetween was a waste of time. Now we can begin to turn our attention to something much less trivial, the Olympic Games. Could it be that the Greek footballers were actually inspired
MIDDLESBROUGH are poised to follow up the capture of Mark Viduka by pulling off another major transfer coup in the shape of Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink. The ambitious Teesside outfit finally completed the £4.5m transfer of Viduka from Leeds yesterday, confirming
Talkin Tarn held their annual regatta on Saturday and it had their largest ever entry of over 340 crews, which led to an early start and late finish for the competitors of Durham Amateur Rowing Club. The junior contingent again performed wel. There were
