CLYDE WIJNHARD watched from the stands as Darlington suffered a penalty shoot-out defeat at the hands of Mansfield Town in the first round of the LDV Vans Trophy last night. Wijnhard is close to agreeing terms and will hold further talks with manager
Ever since Cathy Come Home, he has been both one of our most critically acclaimed and most politically aware film directors, and now he's drumming up support for the Respect party. Nick Morrison catches up with Ken Loach on the campaign trail. For someone
A Thing Called Love (BBC1) Boys will be boys when it comes to love and sex. One minute they're saying that love is "the light that never goes out" and the next bonking some girl they've picked up in a bar half-an-hour previously. A Thing Called Love,
EMBARRASSED police have carried out a security review after thieves broke into Darlington's main police station. The cheeky raiders smashed a window and got into a storeroom where they grabbed several video tapes. Now police - who only last week announced
THE self-effacing reader who prefers simply to be known as That Bloody Woman, recalls how a friend, about to enter wedlock almost 40 years ago, was told by an elderly aunt that she wanted to give her some important advice on married life. The bride-to-be
Plans to remove the late victorian street design from Darlington's High Row are proving controversial. Echo Memories discovers how High Row came to have a unique three-tiered face. Darlington had been like it for a millennium or two. On top of a slope
POLICE said last night they were confident of bringing the killer of PC Keith Blakelock to justice - 19 years after he was hacked to death with a machete. The Sunderland-born, 40-year-old policeman was murdered during the Broadwater Farm riot, in north
A COLONY of great crested newts has been moved to a new home ahead of a potential development scheme on their old stamping ground. A licence was granted for removal of the protected species to a newly-established nature reserve in Ripon, near a proposed
FOUR tourists tried to cheer up passers-by yesterday with a strange town centre picnic. The women, in fancy dress, waved and smiled at people in Scar Top, outside the tourist office in Barnard Castle. One of the women, Sally Hartley, had fallen and damaged
A DRIED-up pond could soon be home to a rare breed of newt. A Woodland Trust project to re-establish the habitat at Vigo Woods, near Chester-le-Street, has been given £13,000 by the County Durham Environmental Trust, which distributes Landfill Tax Credit
YOUTHS are being warned to stop throwing missiles at passing traffic before their dangerous games lead to a serious accident. In the last week, there have been 22 incidents of youths throwing items at moving traffic reported to police in the south Durham
THE downward trend in business confidence over the past few months has come to an end, indicating a more positive outlook for Darlington firms. The business index for August, compiled by Clive Owen & Co business advisors, reveals an upturn in confidence
A DEVELOPER hopes to build almost 300 new homes on a controversial site next to one of County Durham's most famous country halls. Barratt Developments is seeking planning permission to erect 298 houses near the ancestral home of folk hero Bobby Shafto
LAST week I presented the hunting issue through John Masefield's thrilling poem Reynard The Fox, written, as he explained, as "an attempt to understand the mind of a shy, wild animal when sorely beset''. Now here are some of my own thoughts: 1. If foxhunting
THE self-effacing reader who prefers simply to be known as That Bloody Woman, recalls how a friend, about to enter wedlock almost 40 years ago, was told by an elderly aunt that she wanted to give her some important advice on married life. The bride-to-be
VOLUNTEERS are appealing for help as they aim to give youth club facilities a much-needed makeover. A group of young jobseekers from across Derwentside plans to revamp a disused room at the YMCA, in Parliament Street, Consett. The transformed room will
FREE taster sessions to help older people get to grips with the Internet will be held in north Durham next month. The Silver Surfers Festival, run by charity Age Concern Derwentside, aims to show older people the benefits that technology can bring to
A FIRST festival of seafood was launched this week. Seafood culinary dishes will be available at venues across at the north and south sides of the mouth of the River Tees from Friday. Hoteliers, chefs and food experts from across the Hartlepool and Redcar
A MAN whose drinking habits led to him being branded a community nuisance was yesterday placed on a six-month curfew by magistrates. Paul Edward Simpson, 35, of Brandlings Road, in Peterlee, east Durham, admitted making a hoax 999 call, breaching a community
COUNTRYSIDE images and a storm have captured the votes of judges in the Great North Photography Competition. The winner in the adult category was Michael Wintersgill with his photo of a foggy Roseberry Topping, taken from Ryston Bank, east Cleveland.
A HEALTH care authority marked its first full year of providing services in north Durham yesterday. Derwentside Primary Care Trust launched its annual report for the 2003/4 financial year at a board meeting in Dipton Community Centre, near Stanley. The
COUNCIL tax dodgers now face being served with bankruptcy notices if they refuse to pay their bills. Ryedale District Council is launching a new campaign targeting hard-core non-payers. The area is in the top 25 per cent in the country for collection
A SCHEME run by a children's charity to support young carers is appealing for volunteers. The Barnardo's Young Carers project works with youngsters who care for sick or disabled relatives in the Derwentside and Easington areas. The project needs volunteers
A VOLUNTEER is to receive a thank-you for the 20 years of help and support she has provided to a hospital chapel. Elsie Ainsworth, 63, from Thornaby will be singled out for praise during a presentation as part of a thanksgiving service during the harvest
SUMMER is coming to an end for the Moorsbus. The last weekday services of the Moorsbus Network run tomorrow, having operated every day since June 1. Sunday services continue to the end of October. The buses provide an easy way for visitors to get around
TANNI Grey-Thompson, who has become Britain's most successful Paralympian, is to be offered the Freedom of the Borough. The wheelchair athlete, from Redcar, east Cleveland, who was born with spina bifida, will be offered the award by Redcar and Cleveland
HUNDREDS of mourners filled a church for the funeral of a toddler killed in a road accident. Demi Schwec was hit by a car as she walked with her cousin and a friend in High Street, Loftus, east Cleveland, on September 16. Demi, who was two years and five
Michael Vaughan will lead England on their controversial one-day tour of Zimbabwe as well as in South Africa after agreeing not to take an extended break. But his Yorkshire colleague, Anthony McGrath, has not been included in either party. The Bradford-born
A MAN arrested for the killing of a North-East student intends to plead guilty to her murder and attempted rape, a court heard yesterday. Former soldier Michael Robinson, 29, was arrested in February after a four year police search for 23-year-old Sara
BOSSES at ship repair specialist A&P Tyne said the next few weeks could be crucial in the fight to save jobs at the company following a decision to mothball its yard in Wallsend, North Tyneside. The company said redundancies were inevitable after
IT was not Iraq that Tony Blair wanted to talk about yesterday when he addressed the Labour Party Conference for the final time before he seeks a third term at a General Election next year. He wanted to concentrate on domestic issues - the ten home-based
A NORTH-EAST man has been charged with the murder of his adoptive parents following a long-running mystery into their deaths in Australia. Pam and Bill Weightman who originate from the Birtley area, near Chester-le-Street, died in the wreckage of their
Sunderland's four-game winning run came crashing to a halt last night at Bramall Lane in a game that will be remembered for a controversial double sending off. Wirral referee Mike Dean followed up his triple red card show at the Hawthorns in the game
DIMI Konstantopoulos was the hero as Hartlepool United won a thrilling penalty shoot-out over Hull City last night. The giant Greek goalkeeper kept out two Hull spot-kicks and, with Pool converting four efforts, won a place in round two of the LDV Vans
THE future of one of the region's oldest football clubs was in jeopardy last night after part of the pitch sank only hours before a cup clash. Investigations are now under way to find out how the ten metre wide depression, which is up to a metre deep,
Wayne Rooney launched himself into the footballing stratosphere with a debut hat-trick at Old Trafford. On this evidence, Sir Alex Ferguson would have made a wise investment if he had spent the next two years' transfer budget on the 18-year-old, instead
Fathers 4 Justice campaigner Jason Hatch is back on the protest trail just days after writing a letter of apology to the Queen for his stunt at Buckingham Palace. The 33-year-old Batman protester and colleague David Pyke, 43, have scaled a historic ship
DETECTIVES have ended their investigation of a drugs related death, an inquest heard yesterday. Michael Peart, 20, was found dead at a friend's house in Easington, County Durham in April. The Hartlepool coroner heard that police opened an investigation
EMBARRASSED police have carried out a security review after thieves broke into Darlington's main police station. The cheeky raiders smashed a window and got into a storeroom where they grabbed several video tapes. Now police - who only last week announced
BRITAIN'S newest heritage railway is helping prisoners get their lives back on the right lines. Two women inmates at Durham's Low Newton prison are determined to turn their backs on crime after being given jobs at Weardale Railway, in County Durham. Claire
A PRESSURE group acting for small businesses says rises in the minimum wage will have a negative effect. The Forum of Private Business (FPB) called an increase of 35p, due to be introduced at the end of this week, a shameless piece of electioneering.
CONTEMPORARY art enthusiasts will be able to find out more about the latest developments in the art world tomorrow through a lecture. Caroline Worthington, York Museums Trust's curator of fine art, will give a talk at York St Mary's gallery, starting
FRANCK QUEUDRUE once had fruit thrown at him playing in the UEFA Cup and tomorrow, more than four years after his last away day in the competition, the French full-back has warned Middlesbrough to watch out for the European atmosphere. During Queudrue's
A DEFIANT Tony Blair accepted for the first time yesterday that Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction - but refused to apologise for going to war. In his speech to the Labour Party conference in Brighton - on a day that two more British soldiers
THE last of three public events designed to help shape the future of a market town takes place this weekend. Two consultation sessions organised by Thirsk Regeneration Initiative have already been held and on Saturday, people will get the chance to discuss
POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a gang of youths caused £1,000 of damage to a property in Bishop Auckland. A group of boys and girls, all in their early teens, were seen kicking a newly-fitted roller garage door at the rear of Richardson's dance
RESIDENTS and traders are invited to a public meeting this week to help decide how their town centre will look in the future. People in Spennymoor will be consulted over plans for artwork and landscaping of the town as part of a regeneration scheme. A
A YOUNGSTER has presented the proceeds of an eight-mile sponsored walk to his school. Six-year-old Matthew Sage took part in the Great North Walk in July and raised £258 for Cockton Hill Primary School. Matthew was determined to complete the challenge
POLICE arrested a man after being called to an incident in a Teesdale pub. Police were called after a man claimed he had been punched at the Royal Oak, in Staindrop, on Friday night. The man, who was in a drunken state, became abusive and uncooperative
CAMPAIGNERS fighting the proposed regional assembly for the North-East have failed in a legal challenge against the Government over a controversial information leaflet. The High Court has rejected an application by North East No, the group set up by Sunderland
POLICE are urging people to check security on garages and sheds after burglars targeted several outbuildings last week. Pigeons worth £1,000 escaped when an allotment shed, on Tennyson Terrace, in Crook, was damaged between 5pm and 11.10pm on Friday.
A GROWING healthcare company has appointed two clinical psychologists and injected some international experience into its team. Deborah Roberts and Shawn Mosher have joined staff at Castlebeck, which has its head office in Darlington. The company provides
PEOPLE in Hartlepool are being offered an opportunity to prove how much they care for the town. Elections are being held later this week to fill resident representative vacancies on Hartlepool Borough Council's Central and South Neighbourhood Consultative
FIREFIGHTERS rescued a 13-year-old boy who got stuck on the roof of a house. The boy clambered on to the roof of the terraced house at Middleton Walk, in Oxbridge, Stockton, on Monday night to get a flip flop, which had been thrown up there. The teenager
THREE councillors have called for a rethink on a controversial policy for collecting rubbish from isolated rural properties. Hambleton District councillors David Webster, John Prest and John Coulson want waste collections from the homes of more than 900
INITIATIVES to tackle the fear of crime, anti-social behaviour and the general state of North Ormesby have received vital funding. The Tees Valley Housing Group scheme (TVHG), aimed at improving the future of the area, has received £600,000 from Government
LYNDA RAMSDEN'S Favour (5.40) has the power to do punters a good turn by winning the Renault Kangoo at Newcastle this afternoon. Having failed to prevail so far this season, Favour falls into the "under-achiever" bracket. But there's still a few weeks
POLICE are encouraging 16-year-olds to get behind the wheel of a car as part of a safe driving initiative. Only 20 places are left on the Megadrive course, designed to give young people a background knowledge of driving before they take to the road. About
A BUSY doctors' practice is planning to move to new premises and to take the village pharmacy with it. Queens Road Surgery, in Queens Road, Blackhill, Consett, is in advanced negotiations with the NHS to buy part of the nearby former Shotley Bridge Hospital
PRIMARY school pupils have benefited from some worldly-wise advice and reminiscences from a mature group of visitors this week. The first Grab a Grandparent event is proving a success at Framwellgate Moor Primary School, in Durham. Instead of inviting
THE granddaughter of Peter Lee, the man who gave his name to an east Durham town, was guest of honour yesterday at a book launch. Win Colman travelled to the region for the launch of a book about the 50-year history of Peterlee. Memories of Peterlee contains
POLICE in Peterlee have warned residents to be on their guard after a woman was duped into handing over money for a bogus digital television offer. Scores of leaflets advertising offers for BskyB were circulated on Monday morning to houses across the
YOUNGSTERS and their parents are being urged to leave the car behind and walk to school next week. Stockton Borough Council's road safety team has drafted in the support of mascot Arnie the Armadillo to encourage pupils and parents to walk to school as
COMMUNITY groups in an east Durham town that focus on improving the health of their members could earn a cash boost. Peterlee Health Forum is given money each year by Easington Primary Care Trust to give out community health development grants to groups
AN ORGANIC beer has been developed to celebrate the second anniversary of Pinchinthorpe Hall's Farmers' Markets. The hall's own organic micro-brewery, the North Yorkshire Brewing Company, has produced the special blend, called The Farmer's Tipple, which
NORTHERN Foods last night said 300 North Yorkshire factory jobs were safe as it made 1,000 workers redundant elsewhere. A spokesman for the group said its top-performing frozen foods factory in Leeming Bar was safe from closure. Yesterday, Northern Foods
Fast food company McDonald's saw profits at its 770 company-owned UK restaurants fall by 71 per cent to £23.6m last year. The group said the fall was entirely due to a restructuring of its financial set-up, but said that it had also experienced a challenging
BOSSES at ship repair specialist A&P Tyne said the next few weeks could be crucial in the fight to save jobs at the company following a decision to mothball its yard in Wallsend, North Tyneside. The company said redundancies were inevitable after
UK tour operator Thomson Holidays and rival company Cosmos are reviewing the role of resort reps. Both companies could decide to scrap them for late-booking holidays and also for certain tours. A Thomson spokeswoman said yesterday: "We are looking at
MOTORISTS were bracing themselves for further increases in fuel costs last night after crude oil prices went above $50 a barrel for the first time. The latest increase in New York left industry experts contemplating another one or two pence on a litre
THE boyfriend of murdered British backpacker Caroline Stuttle yesterday told of their last telephone conversation shortly before she was allegedly hurled 30ft to her death from a bridge in Australia. Ian Douglas Previte, 32, denies the murder and robbery
REGIONAL ASSEMBLY: The details of the poll of businesses (Echo, Sept 27) reveal that the conclusions drawn should have been much more open to doubt than the dramatic front page headlines suggested. Not only was the survey confined to one organisation,
HOORAY for Susan Freestone. She's the head teacher of an independent school who has decided to bring back rugby onto the curriculum, just when many other schools are dropping it because it is too dangerous. "There are risks in everything we do in life
THE self-effacing reader who prefers simply to be known as That Bloody Woman, recalls how a friend, about to enter wedlock almost 40 years ago, was told by an elderly aunt that she wanted to give her some important advice on married life. The bride-to-be
THE big guns from the Liberal Democrats and the Labour party headed to Hartlepool for the last day of the campaign. Charles Kennedy, leader of the Liberal Democrats, made his fourth appearance in the town. A few streets away, Margaret Beckett, a long-standing
A Thing Called Love (BBC1) - Boys will be boys when it comes to love and sex. One minute they're saying that love is "the light that never goes out" and the next bonking some girl they've picked up in a bar half-an-hour previously. A Thing Called Love
Sunderland's four-game winning run came crashing to a halt last night at Bramall Lane in a game that will be remembered for a controversial double sending off. Wirral referee Mike Dean followed up his triple red card show at the Hawthorns in the game
THE family of a North-East man who vanished in Greece after watching the Olympic Games has scotched claims that he has disappeared to avoid debts. Melvyn Gamblin's sister-in-law, Jo, said yesterday that a report in a national newspaper suggesting Mr Gamblin
HOORAY for Susan Freestone. She's the head teacher of an independent school who has decided to bring back rugby onto the curriculum, just when many other schools are dropping it because it is too dangerous. "There are risks in everything we do in life
GRAEME Souness is confident of being able to call upon his most opinionated weapon as Newcastle aim to reach the second round of the UEFA Cup in Israel tomorrow night. The United boss has spent the first two weeks of his St James' Park reign getting to
