Archive

  • Almshouses host t'ai chi and yoga

    T'AI chi and yoga classes at the Sir William Turner's Almshouses have started. The classes are being held in the newly built community room at the almshouses at Kirkleatham, near Redcar. The lessons are suitable for people with a range of mobility, including

  • Hit-run PC has surgery on leg

    A POLICE officer has undergone two operations after being deliberately run down in the street. Another man was injured after a Vauxhall Astra was driven deliberately into a total of four people in two separate incidents in the early hours of Tuesday.

  • Single white superstar

    He's become the most bankable movie star in Hollywood by tackling challenging roles, but in his latest film Tom Cruise firmly discards his good guy image. Steve Pratt reports. WANTED for marriage by top Hollywood movie star: a woman who is honest and

  • The mother of all Richmonds

    A MARKET town is preparing to welcome a representative from its US namesake. Jill Emerson, from Richmond, Missouri, will arrive in Richmond, North Yorkshire, on Monday. The ambassador will bring with her a letter of greeting from her mayor, plus an invitation

  • Newcastle Comedy Festival

    A HOST of top names have been lined up for the revived Newcastle Comedy Festival, which will take place from October 1-10. Local lad made good, Ross Noble, heads an array of household names gearing up to tickle funny bones in Newcastle's Exhibition Park

  • Boy given Britain's toughest social ban

    A North-East teenager has been made the subject of Britain's toughest anti-social behaviour order yet. Fourteen-year-old Shane Preston has been banned for an unprecedented four years from entering an estate in the Darlington constituency of Labour's new

  • Title to be decided at the RA

    Guisborough will make history if they claim four points from their last game of the season against Darlington RA at Brinkburn Road today. No club has won the top division of the Darlington Building Society NYSD League for four consecutive seasons but

  • North is facing asbestos deaths timebomb

    THOUSANDS of people in the region will die from the asbestos-related lung disease mesothelioma over the next decade, it has been revealed. The statistics come in the latest Healthy and Safety Executive (HSE) statistics, which show UK deaths linked to

  • McClaren: Magpies link sign of a job well done

    MIDDLESBROUGH boss Steve McClaren's name was one of those at the forefront of Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd's mind as he searched for the new manager at St James' Park. But, with the unveiling of Graeme Souness on Tyneside due on Monday, McClaren

  • The wrinklies come in from the cold

    Old people on television are as rare as hen's teeth... unless they're playing it for laughs. Steve Pratt discovers a drama that's a welcome exception to the rule. SOMETHING unexpected is being shown in peaktime on ITV1 tomorrow. No, not a drama that doesn't

  • Hignett is just the first of many, says Hodgson

    SPOTLAND may be a far cry from the Premiership, but Craig Hignett is fully prepared for his latest chapter in the football. This time last year, the 34-year-old was rubbing shoulders with the likes of John Terry at Stamford Bridge and Steven Gerrard at

  • Speaking of history

    AN oral history of the North-East held in a museum's collection is being transferred to a digital format to ensure it is preserved for posterity. The work, which includes creating a central database for the region's spoken heritage, is being overseen

  • MP flags Stagecoach down over cancelled bus service

    DARLINGTON MP Alan Milburn is calling on a bus firm to reinstate a service axed two years ago. He is asking Stagecoach to reconsider its decision to discontinue the 25A service which ran through the Branksome area of town. The service used to run on clockwise

  • Schwarzer is seeing the best of Viduka

    MARK Schwarzer has warned Middlesbrough fans not to believe everything they read in the papers ahead of this afternoon's home game with Birmingham - especially when it comes to Mark Viduka. Viduka might have made just two appearances since his summer

  • Triathlon blamed for roads chaos

    AN annual triathlon has been accused of causing chaos for local residents. At its latest meeting, Barnard Castle Town Council heard some people were unable to get out of their homes for the duration of the Teesdale Triathlon. The race, which was held

  • New era for village partners

    A COMMUNITY partnership launched to improve one of County Durham's most deprived areas is looking to an even brighter future. Since the formation of Coundon and Leeholme Community Partnership three years ago, the group has helped transform the two villages

  • Police give £1,500 to football club

    A CHEQUE for £1,500 has been handed over to a Teesdale football club. The donation has been given by Durham Police Authority to Barnard Castle Football Club for its work with young people. The money will be used to buy trophies and medals and also for

  • Road is named in honour of alderman

    ONE of Darlington's most devoted public servants has been honoured with a new road named after him. The new spine road, which runs through the Morton Palms business park in Darlington, has been named Alderman Best Way, after Alfred Jonathan Best, who

  • Family fun promise at agricultural show

    THE last of the three agricultural shows to be held in Weardale, County Durham, takes place this weekend. Officials of the 163rd annual Stanhope Show have laid on what they describe as a feast of fun for children today and tomorrow. Among new attractions

  • Project brings pit days back to life

    LOTTERY funding is helping youngsters keep in touch with the mining roots of their community. The Creative Coundon project will be based at St Josephs's RC Primary School and will be open to all sections of the community. Although Coundon is recorded

  • Paedophile admits new offences

    A PAEDOPHILE due for release from a five-year sentence for attacks on young boys has admitted further offences against children. Alan Chater, 54, was jailed in 2001 after police searched his home in Dene View, Burnopfield, County Durham, and found a camera

  • Sayle and hearty

    Big, balding and bumptious - Alexie Sayle was once the doyen of the TV comedy and stand-up cicuit. Now he tells Viv Hardwick why he prefers the art of creating contemporary novels and book-reading tours. OLDER comedy fans will always link stand-up comic

  • Man is caught with ecstasy tablets after trip to dealer

    A MAN was caught with scores of ecstasy tablets after police responded to rowdy revellers fighting on a train. Officers were called to deal with a disturbance on a train at Darlington station at about 3am on January 9. After resolving the disorder, they

  • Rhyming fine just the ticket

    A DRIVER who forgot to buy a parking ticket sent her £30 penalty cheque to Harrogate Borough Council with a poem. Unlike most letters from drivers who have to pay parking tickets, the one from a lady from Gainsborough, in Lincolnshire, brightened the

  • Clergymen bless bridge

    TWO clergymen have performed an unusual ceremony - the blessing of a bridge. The Reverend Robert Sellers, Anglican Rector of Fountains, and the Reverend Stuart Ellis, Methodist Minister for the Kirkby Malzeard area, gave the new £370,000 bridge across

  • Celebrations as town's new ambulance station is opened

    A £500,000 purpose-built ambulance station has been officially opened. The chief executive of County Durham and Tees Valley Strategic Health Authority, Ken Jarrold, opened the station at the Fulcrum Centre, in Acklam Road, Middlesbrough. It replaces the

  • Rain can't stop Phil

    Phil Jaques made up for lost time by hitting the boundary trail when Yorkshire's Championship match against Somerset at Taunton finally got started at 5pm yesterday with only 16 overs of the day remaining. Periods of rain on a saturated ground eventually

  • McClaren: Magpies link sign of a job well done

    MIDDLESBROUGH boss Steve McClaren's name was one of those at the forefront of Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd's mind as he searched for the new manager at St James' Park. But, with the unveiling of Graeme Souness on Tyneside due on Monday, McClaren

  • Red letter day for area as centre reopens

    VILLAGERS have celebrated the reopening of their newly renovated community centre. Boosbeck Community Centre, which was built 21 years ago, reopened following a two-year struggle to find £125,000 to modernise it. Dr Ashok Kumar, MP for Middlesbrough South

  • Parky reveals Coronation Street passion

    Chat show legend Michael Parkinson revealed yesterday that it has been his lifetime's ambition to star on Coronation Street. The presenter, who moved to ITV in April, said during a This Morning show interview that appearing on the soap was his ''greatest

  • People's tribute to remember inspiring

    A thanksgiving service is planned for an inspirational headteacher who has died from cancer. Parents and governors at Willington Primary School are organising the tribute to Maggie Griffiths in the Methodist Church on September 22, from 9.30am. Originally

  • Speaking of history

    AN oral history of the North-East held in a museum's collection is being transferred to a digital format to ensure it is preserved for posterity. The work, which includes creating a central database for the region's spoken heritage, is being overseen

  • Waste plan will go on public show

    A MODIFIED plan outlining how County Durham will deal with its waste for the next 12 years will go on show on Monday. Durham County Council is obliged to draw up a local waste plan, showing how it proposes to cope with waste generated in the county up

  • Runners back student's charity plea

    TEENAGERS are putting their running shoes on to raise thousands of pounds for charity this month. About 63 students at Durham Sixth Form Centre have signed up for the Great North Run, which will take place on Sunday, September 26. All are collecting sponsorship

  • Forest will be haven for wildlife

    A FOREST on the edge of a National Park is to become 1,140-acre wildlife haven. Silton Forest, near Thirsk, North Yorkshire, will have more than 250 acres of woodland felled next year to create a more open, bird-friendly habitat. The Forestry Commission

  • Football club prepares to throw open its doors

    RESURGENT Darlington Football Club throws its doors open to the public tomorrow - as part of its efforts to work with the community. The Quakers are hosting an open day at the Williamson Motors Stadium, starting at 10am, with a range of activities lined

  • Hignett back where it all started

    SPOTLAND may be a far cry from the Premiership, but Craig Hignett is fully prepared for his latest chapter in the football. This time last year, the 34-year-old was rubbing shoulders with the likes of John Terry at Stamford Bridge and Steven Gerrard at

  • One in, one out, one in the middle

    IF St James' Park has a revolving door then it is jammed. Sir Bobby Robson has passed out of it, although the former Magpies boss enjoyed an emotional reunion with his erstwhile colleagues on the training ground yesterday. Graeme Souness is on the outside

  • Jail likely for sex assaults

    A MAN who lured a girl into the box room of his home to molest her, more than 27 years ago, was convicted yesterday of two counts of indecent assault. Melvyn Peter Clement, 63, of Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, had earlier denied the assaults. The offences

  • Whitley gets the goal bug

    SUNDERLAND midfielder Jeff Whitley is determined to transfer his international goalscoring exploits onto the club stage as his side prepare to face Gillingham this afternoon. Whitley became the first Northern Ireland player to score from open play for

  • Holiday plans blown apart as Hurricane Ivan roars in

    HURRICANE Ivan threatened to rip apart the plans of hundreds of North-East holidaymakers last night as the 160mph winds swept through the Caribbean and bore down on Florida. About 2,600 British holidaymakers in Jamaica were airlifted to safety in the

  • It's two in, two out at the RA

    Darlington RA will be without Paul Freary and Martin Brown when they attempt to close in on leaders Stokesley SC this afternoon but secretary Martyn Jackson reports that Michael Carter and Andrew Singlewood come into the plans of manager Dave Woodcock

  • In search of the robbers and barons

    BRITAIN is a most complex country, and the only way we can move into the future is by delving into the past. This week, two of the North-East's most prominent Members of Parliament have enhanced their futures by taking historic titles. Alan Milburn, MP

  • Deadline dawns for travellers to move

    TRAVELLERS camped illegally in a park have got until today to move on before they are summonsed to appear in court. Seven caravans have been parked in Springfield Park, Darlington, since the beginning of the week. Residents and park users have complained

  • Single white superstar

    WANTED for marriage by top Hollywood movie star: a woman who is honest and trustworthy with a good sense of humour and love of adventure. That's the sort of female with whom Tom Cruise, the world's most popular actor, would love to settle down. He can

  • Blair: My change of heart on assembly

    TONY Blair told for the first time last night how he has been converted to the cause of regional government. In his first newspaper interview about the historic referendum in the North-East, the Prime Minister revealed his personal conflict over the need

  • Moors parade trio at Matlock

    Spennymoor include three new signings in their squad when they go to Matlock today. After one win in five since the five-goal victory over Wakefield on the opening day of the season, Moors moved to strengthen their squad in midweek They signed midfielders

  • Ceremony honours inspirational teacher

    AN inspirational coach who has transformed the lives of many of his pupils has been named Teacher of the Year at an awards ceremony. Karl Wharton was presented with the National Council for School Sport's award at Deerness Leisure Centre, at Ushaw Moor

  • All change for Pool as Cooper lands new blood

    ALAN Pouton and Martin Woods go straight into contention for their Hartlepool United debuts this afternoon, after the pair moved to Victoria Park on loan. With his thin squad ravaged by injury, Pool boss Neale Cooper first signed Woods from Leeds, then

  • Single white superstar

    He's become the most bankable movie star in Hollywood by tackling challenging roles, but in his latest film Tom Cruise firmly discards his good guy image. Steve Pratt reports. WANTED for marriage by top Hollywood movie star: a woman who is honest and

  • Holiday plans blown apart as Hurricane Ivan roars in

    HURRICANE Ivan threatened to rip apart the plans of hundreds of North-East holidaymakers last night as the 160mph winds swept through the Caribbean and bore down on Florida. About 2,600 British holidaymakers in Jamaica were airlifted to safety in the

  • Blair is besieged by hunt backers

    THE Prime Minister's North-East home was besieged by hundreds of hunt supporters, who staged a noisy protest outside his home yesterday. Tony Blair, who was inside the house, agreed to speak to some of the demonstrators, who were voicing their anger over

  • Brawling soldiers spared prison to serve in Iraq

    BRAWLING squaddies were spared jail yesterday so they could serve in Iraq. The men were captured on security TV as they took part in a late-night street attack on another soldier, in Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire. They would have faced being kicked

  • Healthy tips for students on offer

    MEDICAL workers will promote a healthier lifestyle to students starting college next week. Staff from the health promotions service at Derwentside Primary Care Trust (PCT) will be at the fresher's fair at Derwentside College, Consett, on Tuesday. The

  • Durham named as North's best uni

    DURHAM University has been ranked as the region's top university in a new guide. It not only takes the honours in the North-East, but it has also been shortlisted for the Sunday Times University of the Year. Durham is the biggest riser in the publication's

  • Mums and toddlers ready for big day

    YOUNGSTERS have been having fun test-driving toys in preparation for the World's Biggest Coffee Morning. The annual nationwide event will raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Relief on Friday, September 24, from 9.30am to noon. George Turton, who deals in

  • Hotel revamp is good news for Murmansk

    A HOTEL refurbishment in the region is helping villagers living in the Arctic circle to keep warm. The Feversham Arms Hotel, in Helmsley, has handed piles of blankets to charity supporter John Shackelton. He will be passing them on to people in the Murmansk

  • Go-ahead for houses 'astounds' applicant

    WORK is under way on the first homes to be built in a Yorkshire Dales village for more than a century. The two semi-detached properties are in Castle Bolton, Wensleydale. Residents believe the last houses to go up in the village were built in the 19th

  • Public to have say on policing policy

    A SERIES of public meetings are being held throughout Cleveland to give people the chance to shape the future of policing in the area. The forums will be hosted by Chief Constable Sean Price, Police Authority chairman Ted Cox and local district commanders

  • Chance to serve on residents' forums

    PEOPLE in Hartlepool are being reminded not to miss the chance to get more involved in how their town is run. Elections will take place next week to choose resident representatives to serve on the town's North, Central and South Neighbourhood Consultative

  • Bid to end scandal of tiny payouts to sick ex-miners

    SICK and crippled former miners are about to be guaranteed a minimum level of compensation to end the scandal of offers as low as £17. The Government is expected to announce within weeks that it has struck a deal with claimants and their solicitors to

  • Fears that crime will rise if cycling route gets approval

    CRITICS of a planned £130,000 cycle route linking Middlesbrough and South Lackenby say it will increase anti-social behaviour. The 6.5k route, said to be a "missing link" in the National Cycle Network, will connect schools and community facilities in

  • I'm not worried about any pressure, McCarthy

    MICK McCarthy is confident that his job will not be on the line when Sunderland look to kickstart their season at Gillingham's Priestfield Stadium this afternoon. The Black Cats are firmly entrenched in the bottom half of the Championship table after

  • Daft exercise

    AFTER another frantic working day - followed by a dash to Middlesbrough to visit a friend in hospital - my wife and I collapsed in front of the television with an instant Chinese meal to be confronted with Fat Nation - The Big Challenge (BBC1, Thursday

  • Former foot-and-mouth burial site now wildlife haven

    A NORTH-EAST fell which was once witness to the horrors of foot-and-mouth disease when it became a burial site for thousands of cattle has been transformed into a haven for wildlife. Durham Wildlife Trust yesterday added County Durham's Hedleyhope Fell

  • N-E firm will help build a second Atlantis in Dubai

    A BILLION dollar project to build the world's largest hotel in Dubai will be overseen by a company from the region. K Home International, based in Thornaby, on Teesside, hopes to recruit 50 workers from the North-East to work on the project, which will

  • The wrinklies come in from the cold

    Old people on television are as rare as hen's teeth... unless they're playing it for laughs. Steve Pratt discovers a drama that's a welcome exception to the rule. SOMETHING unexpected is being shown in peaktime on ITV1 tomorrow. No, not a drama that doesn't

  • Boss Perry to stay at Bedlington

    Bedlington joint manager Keith Perry won't be following in the footsteps of his brother and leaving Welfare Park. Club chairman David Perry quit in midweek, and there was speculation that David Perry, joint manager for nearly a decade, would follow. But

  • Jail likely for sex assaults

    A MAN who lured a girl into the box room of his home to molest her, more than 27 years ago, was convicted yesterday of two counts of indecent assault. Melvyn Peter Clement, 63, of Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, had earlier denied the assaults. The offences

  • Blair: My change of heart on assembly

    TONY Blair told for the first time last night how he has been converted to the cause of regional government. In his first newspaper interview about the historic referendum in the North-East, the Prime Minister revealed his personal conflict over the need

  • Bond due for a return on his investment

    LEADING independent owner Reg Bond puts plenty of his hard-earned cash in the game and he deserves reward by picking up this afternoon's £70,000 Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes on St Leger Day at Doncaster. North Yorkshire-based Reg, boss of Marshal Tyres

  • 'It is time to start thinking big'

    THE region was last night urged to get behind an economic vision that could see investment from the Middle East transform the Tees Valley. Following a visit by representatives of Dubai-based Emaar Properties to the region, Middlesbrough Mayor Ray Mallon

  • Punch gets Innspired

    PUNCH Taverns pub chain refused to rule out job losses following yesterday's £335m takeover of the Innspired pub group. Community pub chain Innspired, which own 60 pubs in the North-East, including 34 in the Newcastle area, was bought yesterday. Punch

  • Hit-run PC has surgery on leg

    A POLICE officer has undergone two operations after being deliberately run down in the street. Another man was injured after a Vauxhall Astra was driven deliberately into a total of four people in two separate incidents in the early hours of Tuesday.

  • Triathlon blamed for roads chaos

    AN annual triathlon has been accused of causing chaos for local residents. At its latest meeting, Barnard Castle Town Council heard some people were unable to get out of their homes for the duration of the Teesdale Triathlon. The race, which was held

  • Tribute to architect

    PATIENTS at a County Durham community hospital have dedicated a new sun lounge to the architect who inspired its creation. Robert Niven died from cancer a few months after seeing the Weardale Community Hospital, which he designed, open in 2002. His widow

  • Call goes out to keen snappers

    A PHOTOGRAPHIC competition to capture the spirit of County Durham has been launched. Durham County Council is looking for images which sum up life in the county for its 2005 calendar. Marketing officer Andrew Dean said: "We want people in County Durham

  • Nature challenges

    PEOPLE living in Darlington are being offered the chance to be at one with nature this weekend. The borough council has arranged countryside events in the town for both today and tomorrow. Participants will be asked to clear an overgrown area at the Whinnies

  • Tips to bring in cash

    AN easy-to-read guide for organisations looking for extra cash has been launched in Darlington. It explains the jargon and outlines the benefits of applying for external funding. The guide advises how to look for various sources of financial support and

  • Garden firm to close doors

    A RURAL family business is set to close after more than 30 years in business. Dick Lawson Ltd, a garden machinery depot, has been an integral part of the village of High Coniscliffe, near Darlington, since 1968. But the firm will cease trading on October

  • Council waste plan is unveiled

    A MODIFIED plan outlining how Durham will deal with its waste for the next 12 years will go on show on Monday. Durham County Council is obliged to draw up a waste plan, showing how it proposes to cope with waste in the county until 2016. After a public

  • Horden seek winning run

    Horden are hoping to advance in another cup competition when they go to Darwen in the first qualifying round of the FA Vase, writes Ray Simpson. Horden sprang a surprise by beating AFC Telford in the FA Cup last week, and are optimistic today after seeing

  • Arsonists blamed for house fire

    A FIRE which damaged a house was probably caused by arsonists, firefighters said last night. The fire started in the floor boards of the house in Wilton Avenue, Dormanstown, near Redcar, east Cleveland, yesterday. There was fire damage to the floor and

  • Loft stolen hours after it is built

    A PIGEON fancier was devastated when thieves stole his home-made bird loft - the day he finished it. John Corrigan spent a month working on the 18ft wooden structure, which cost him more than £300. Mr Corrigan, 51, of Rumbyhill Lane, Crook, County Durham

  • Concern grows for missing girl

    POLICE are concerned for the welfare of a teenager who has been missing since Wednesday. Melissa Cox, 14, from Newcastle, has not been seen since she left Talbot House School, in the city, at 4pm. Although she has gone missing previously from her home

  • All change for Pool as Cooper lands new blood

    ALAN Pouton and Martin Woods go straight into contention for their Hartlepool United debuts this afternoon, after the pair moved to Victoria Park on loan. With his thin squad ravaged by injury, Pool boss Neale Cooper first signed Woods from Leeds, then

  • Durham named as North's best uni

    DURHAM University has been ranked as the region's top university in a new guide. It not only takes the honours in the North-East, but it has also been shortlisted for the Sunday Times University of the Year. Durham is the biggest riser in the publication's

  • Rob to launch Himalayan trek

    A MAN who lost a close friend to leukaemia has spent three months getting fit ahead of an expedition to Mount Everest that will start tomorrow. Rob Claydon, 35, from Consett, will spend eight days trekking in the Himalayas on an expedition in which he

  • Approval given for scheme to replace schools

    PUPILS are closer to benefiting from a £150m boost for education after councillors approved new schools. The money was made available to fund six schemes in Redcar and Cleveland, including three new secondary schools and two primary schools and the refurbishment

  • Rotary club walks to aid local charities

    ABOUT 100 people are expected to take part in three walks in Farndale tomorrow organised by Redcar Rotary Club. Organiser Peter Gleghorn, of Marske, said most walkers had registered, but that any latecomers could be registered at the Lion Inn, Blakey

  • Spotlight falls on urban culture

    CHAMPION skaters and some of the best of the region's music talent will be staging a free celebration of urban culture this weekend. Extreme Event, sponsored by Newcastle Building Society, is part of the Hotbed 2004 programme and will staged at Newcastle's

  • Gruelling hike no match for fundraisers

    MORE than 60 walkers travelled north from Cambridgeshire to pit themselves against the gruelling Lyke Wake Walk. And their endurance hike across the North York Moors helped raise £50,000 for the special care charity Break, which takes the less able on

  • Man involved in affray

    A MAN who got caught up in an alcohol-fuelled town centre disturbance has been fined more than £500. Paul Mail, 27, was fined £250 and ordered to pay £263 court costs after he admitted being involved in an affray in Northallerton on August 31 last year

  • Council targets for affordable homes are still being missed

    COUNCILLORS have said there would be no knee-jerk reaction to figures showing that an authority is failing to meet its targets on affordable housing. Hambleton District Council is not meeting its target as none of the homes granted planning permission

  • Sayle and hearty

    Big, balding and bumptious - Alexie Sayle was once the doyen of the TV comedy and stand-up cicuit. Now he tells Viv Hardwick why he prefers the art of creating contemporary novels and book-reading tours. OLDER comedy fans will always link stand-up comic

  • Exhibition details cliff-face cemetery

    AN exhibition detailing the history of an unusual cemetery will go on display today. Hillside Cemetery, in Houghton-le-Spring, County Durham, has graves carved into limestone cliffs of a former quarry. The site, which celebrates the 150th anniversary

  • Ramblers planning walk

    CHESTER-LE-STREET Ramblers' Association has organised a walk around Dipton Mill, near Hexham, Northumberland, led by Kath Nixon, on Sunday, September 19. Meet at Chester-le-Street Civic Centre at 9.30am. To take part, call 0191-487 3905.

  • Newcastle Comedy Festival

    A HOST of top names have been lined up for the revived Newcastle Comedy Festival, which will take place from October 1-10. Local lad made good, Ross Noble, heads an array of household names gearing up to tickle funny bones in Newcastle's Exhibition Park

  • Police plea as crash toddler still critical

    A TODDLER remained in a critical condition in hospital last night after being involved in an accident with a car as she walked along a street. The two-year-old, from Loftus, east Cleveland, was knocked unconscious in the accident involving a Honda Civic

  • Church festival goes global

    THE countries of the world will be depicted in a flower festival at a parish church. St Patrick's Church, in Dipton, near Stanley, County Durham, will hold a flower festival on the theme of countries of the world, from 1pm to 6pm on Saturday, September

  • Two injured in road crash

    TWO people were injured in an accident on the A1(M) near Durham Service Station, at Bowburn, yesterday morning. A female driver had to be cut from the wreckage by fire crews after her car was involved in a collision with a van shortly before 10.15am.

  • Boost for revamped flower show

    THE first Durham Horticultural and Craft Show has attracted more entries than expected. The event will be held at County Hall, Durham, from 9am to 5pm today and from 10am to 1.30pm tomorrow. The 30-year-old event, previously known as the Annual Autumn

  • N-E firm will help build a second Atlantis in Dubai

    A BILLION dollar project to build the world's largest hotel in Dubai will be overseen by a company from the region. K Home International, based in Thornaby, on Teesside, hopes to recruit 50 workers from the North-East to work on the project, which will

  • I'm not worried about any pressure, McCarthy

    MICK McCarthy is confident that his job will not be on the line when Sunderland look to kickstart their season at Gillingham's Priestfield Stadium this afternoon. The Black Cats are firmly entrenched in the bottom half of the Championship table after

  • Boy given Britain's toughest social ban

    A North-East teenager has been made the subject of Britain's toughest anti-social behaviour order yet. Fourteen-year-old Shane Preston has been banned for an unprecedented four years from entering an estate in the Darlington constituency of Labour's new

  • Deadline dawns for travellers to move

    TRAVELLERS camped illegally in a park have got until today to move on before they are summonsed to appear in court. Seven caravans have been parked in Springfield Park, Darlington, since the beginning of the week. Residents and park users have complained

  • A sceptic converted to the cause

    In his first newspaper interview on regional government, Prime Minister Tony Blair explains in an exclusive interview with Political Editor Chris Lloyd his conversion to the cause, what benefits a regional assembly might bring his constitituents in Durham

  • Durham in pitch battle as the Foxes run amok

    DURHAM are not happy about their Riverside pitches, but the playing surfaces don't seem to hold any gremlins for the opposition once they come to terms with how slow they are. All the Leicestershire top five passed 40 yesterday as the Foxes ran amok,

  • Blair is besieged by hunt backers

    THE Prime Minister's North-East home was besieged by hundreds of hunt supporters, who staged a noisy protest outside his home yesterday. Tony Blair, who was inside the house, agreed to speak to some of the demonstrators, who were voicing their anger over

  • Man jailed for causing fatal bus crash

    A FORMER fire hero was jailed for five-and-a-half years yesterday for causing a man's death by drunkenly grabbing the wheel of a bus. James Christopher Glenton was once hailed a hero after rescuing a neighbour from a burning house. But Mr Justice Holland

  • Patients take to the catwalk to give hospice funds a boost

    CANCER patients will take part in a fashion show next week. The nine former and present patients will be models in the charity show, at Ushaw Moor Catholic Club, near Durham City, at 7.30pm on Wednesday. They will be joined by compere and drag queen Kitty

  • For Your Benefit: Why were we turned down?

    Q I read that you could claim Pension Credit if your income was as high as £211 a week. My wife and I, who are 63 and 64 respectively, have a weekly income of £182.70, yet I was turned down when I claimed. Why so? A Guarantee credit generally brings a

  • Children to get a healthier education

    TENS of thousands of youngsters are to get free fruit and vegetables at school in a bid to promote healthy eating and tackle obesity. Every child aged from four to six will be eligible under the Government's £77m National School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme

  • 11/09/04

    ANDREW MYNARSKI: I POSSESS a copy of the wartime history of the Canadian 410 Squadron, in which are the signatures of many of those who attended their 40th reunion at Middleton St George. My youngest son was landlord of the Oak Tree Inn, which stands

  • Comment from The Northern Echo: Teamwork is the key

    IN his interview with The Northern Echo today, Tony Blair talks about the potential benefits of regional government in terms of economic development. He says it is absurd not to recognise that different parts of the region are intimately linked when it

  • MP attacks disability funding cuts

    AN MP has added her voice to criticism of Government cuts in funding for a disability support charity. The Wilf Ward Family Trust, based in Pickering, receives funding from the nationwide Supporting People programme. Last week, the Government announced