THE Green Howards regiment marched though the streets at the weekend to mark their return from six months in Afghanistan. The Freedom March started near the Dorman Museum, in Middlesbrough, and was led by the Tyne Tees Regiment Band and the Green Howards
ELDERLY residents in the Spennymoor area were given a winter health MOT when they visited the town's leisure centre. Sedgefield Primary Care Trust (PCT) invited patients aged 65 and over to have a free flu vaccination and a blood pressure check. Staff
YOUNG footballers are celebrating after their club was awarded the FA Charter Standard. The accolade has been given to Ferryhill Town Youths' Football Club, after months of hard work by volunteers. To gain the award, 11 volunteers were sent on courses
VANDALS have caused £500 of damage to a new Darlington community centre. Youths pulled down drainpipes at the £1.4m Maidendale House, which only opened in Burnside Road, Firthmoor, in May. Bill Cook, who is chairman of the estate's community partnership
MOTHER-of-three Jeanette Thompson has won a slimming award after amazing fellow dieters and shedding more than 6st in just a year. The 37-year-old, from Peabody Street, Darlington, joined a slimming club at Darlington Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club
A LEEK show is to close after 38 years because of a lack of interest from young gardeners. Organisers have decided to end the show after years of growing prize leeks for the event, at the workingmen's club in Rookhope. Club officials said the decision
CHILDREN as young as ten have been caught on security cameras setting fire to a park on a Darlington estate. Firthmoor community leaders say the youngsters are putting their lives at risk by lighting the fires in Alderman Crooks Park. Peter Bowerbank,
A CAT lover is refusing to move from her North Yorkshire caravan home with her 28 feline friends. Pauline Sandiman, 56, has been ordered to remove her caravan and sheds near South Moor Farm, Snainton, where she has lived without planning permission for
HEALTH chiefs in County Durham have produced a guide to a healthy Sunday lunch. It was produced by Durham Dales Primary Care Trust and County Durham and Darlington Priority Services NHS Trust. It says that Sunday lunch is an excellent time for families
A WOMAN and her husband who won more than £2m on the National Lottery have opened a pub in memory of her late father. Ashlie Chapman and husband, John, have turned a derelict club in their home town of Easington, east Durham, into Cliffy's. The couple
A DRIVER suffered multiple injuries after his car collided with a JCB digger and burst into flames. The crash happened at 7.40am on Saturday, on the A167 road, near the Pity Me roundabout, Durham City. The Peugeot 106 and the JCB were both travelling
A NEW learning tool designed to help children with dyslexia has been distributed to every school in North Yorkshire. North Yorkshire County Council's Education Service has launched a Dyslexia Handbook to raise awareness of the condition, which affects
GENEROUS shoppers helped make a charity fundraising event a success at the weekend. Firefighters from Blue Watch, in Durham, joined retained firefighters for a sponsored car wash in aid of the Fire Service National Benevolent Fund. The 14-strong team
DISABLED visitors to the Bellamy Pavilion at Kirkleatham Museum, Redcar, will be able to enjoy a more user-friendly experience after it secured £85,000 to modernise its facilities. The cash will be used to install electronically operated doors, better
HOUSING Hartlepool has joined forces with two companies to carry out improvements to thousands of homes across the town. The not-for-profit organisation, which took over the running of council housing earlier this year, has entered into a strategic partnership
YOUNGSTERS from across the borough of Stockton will find out how local authorities operate when they take part in Local Democracy Week. From today until Friday, a group of young people from Bede Sixth Form College will shadow councillors to see how the
THE complicated criminal justice system is being opened up in an attempt to give the public better awareness of how it works. Cleveland Criminal Justice Board (CCJB) has launched its Inside Justice Week with two guides designed to help victims and witnesses
YOUNG people are on the verge of building a brighter future thanks to a new project. A minimum of 20 jobs will be created through the Fit for Employment project with students from Stockton gaining hands-on experience of the construction industry. The
A WOMAN who was rescued by helicopter after falling on to rocks has been reunited with the four community safety wardens who helped save her. The team were delivering leaflets in Skinningrove, east Cleveland, when Julie Pereira fell during a day out looking
A FOOTBALL team of tradesmen fed up with their cramped changing rooms are planning to build themselves new facilities. For years, players at Pelton Royal and Ancient Order of Buffaloes FC have had to put up with a small shack and showers that only work
THE Prime Minister yesterday provoked fresh controversy over the war with a "special Iraq Honours list". Tony Blair's plans to reward civil servants for their work are revealed in a Whitehall memo leaked to a Sunday newspaper. Officials who worked on
BUILDING four town houses and a bungalow on a major route into Ripon would set a dangerous precedent, according to the city council. The council has opposed the proposed development by The Sullivan Group, which was seeking approval of the scheme at 54
A CHEF has claimed first prize in the Great Yorkshire Cookery Competition. Nigel Robinson, a freelance chef in the Harrogate area, won the professional section of the competition, which took place at Harvey Nichols Restaurant, in Leeds. Mr Robinson won
NEALE Cooper must fear he is back to square one. Hartlepool United went down to their fifth away defeat of the season on Friday night, losing 3-0 at Luton. And the Pool boss cut an angry and frustrated figure at the final whistle. Cooper is without three
RESIDENTS fighting plans for a five-metre high wall near their homes have won a temporary reprieve. Developers Bowey Homes and Dunelm Castle Homes are building a housing estate on the former Murray Park greyhound stadium in Stanley, north Durham. As reported
THE Darlington clubs continued to climb away from the foot of National Three North as Mowden Park won 35-20 at home to Bedford Athletic and their neighbours drew 25-25 at Dudley Kingswinford. Full back Iain Dixon scored a hat-trick for Mowden, who also
HUNDREDS of villagers claim they have lost out after a bus company reduced services to their area. Rural communities across north Durham have launched campaigns demanding that the buses are reinstated. New routes introduced in August by operator Go North-East
VISITORS to a national park will have the chance to see live video footage from inside bird nests. A flagpole will be erected at the site on Sutton Bank, in the North York Moors National Park, to enable the videoing to take place. The project goes before
PHOTOGRAPHER Joe Cornish realised a dream with the launch of a gallery dedicated to his work. To mark the opening, he unveiled the second in a series of limited editions, a picture of the Millennium Bridge over the Tyne at sunset. More than 200 guests
Grieving parents last night paid tribute to their ten-year-old son and teenage daughter who died in an horrific car crash at the weekend. Lee Anderson was a front seat passenger in a Citroen Saxo being driven by his 19-year-old sister Jenna, when it was
Midsomer Murders (ITV1) OKAY, I confess. I might have dropped off in the middle of Midsomer Murders, but it didn't seem to make much difference. I was awake for the denouement and it still made as much sense as a speech by someone speaking in a foreign
A LEADING department store is believed to be in talks to take over the running of the troubled North-East retail site. The move could prove to be a massive jobs boost for Hartlepool in the build up to Christmas after discount designer outlet Jacksons
TYNESIDER Ryan McLeod began his cross country season with a brilliant junior men's victory in the opening Reebok Cross Challenge at Falkirk. The 19-year-old son of former Olympic Games 10,000m silver medallist Mike McLeod was seventh overall in the main
PUB owners are to appeal after they were ordered to take down a marquee used for family functions. Jim O'Connor, owner of The Board Inn, at Hill Top, Esh, near Durham, built an overflow car park, children's play area and beer garden without seeking planning
WALES captain Gary Speed will be England's biggest fan over the next 12 months. By topping their qualifying group, the 'Auld Enemy' could open the door to the World Cup finals. Saturday's 2-0 defeat means that Wales have picked up just two points from
With the likes of Arcalis, Inglis Drever and Chivalry, to name just a few, Howard Johnson and millionaire owner Graham Wylie have made a sizeable impression both on the Flat and over jumps in the last 12 months. And the pair can strike again with the
A driver who killed a pensioner while "showing off" behind the wheel was jailed for six years yesterday. Keith Caulfield's Peugeot 205 demolished a bus stop in Tyne Avenue, Leadgate, County Durham where 68-year-old Norman Hope was waiting to visit his
HUNDREDS of villagers claim they have lost out after a bus company reduced services to their area. Rural communities across north Durham have launched campaigns demanding that the buses are reinstated. New routes introduced in August by operator Go North-East
VILLAGERS are putting the finishing touches to a performance to celebrate the mining heritage of their community. The Davey Lamp Players were formed earlier this year in Craghead, near Stanley, north Durham, its members tasked with writing and performing
A TEN-YEAR-OLD boy and his teenage sister died in an horrific three-car crash. And in another weekend accident, a 21-year-old woman was killed on a notorious stretch of North-East road. The boy was a front seat passenger in a Citroen Saxo being driven
THE brother and sister killed in an horrific three-car crash in County Durham over the weekend have been named by police. Nineteen-year-old Jenna Louise Armstrong, from Annfield Plain, and her 10-year-old brother Lee, from Ouston, died in the accident
Bishop Auckland manager Brian Honour quit immediately after his team's 3-1 home defeat by Wakefield-Emley, saying: "I can't take the club any further." Bishops have won just twice in league and cup this season, and Honour said: "Two wins so far this season
AMBITIOUS bosses at Darlington Football Club are hoping to arrange a lucrative sponsorship deal with fast-food chain McDonald's, The Northern Echo can reveal. And football legend Kenny Dalglish could have a key role in the efforts to secure what would
SMOKING: I WAS interested to read the letter about smoking in public places from Peter Cardy of Macmillan Cancer Relief. As he notes, the BMA estimates that 1,000 people die every year as a result of passive smoking. In addition, more than three million
YOUNG bookworms and their parents have enjoyed a party aimed at promoting the benefits of reading. More than 20 pre-school children from Catchgate Nursery, near Stanley, County Durham, and their parents took part in Bookstart, in Annfield Plain library
FIRE service chiefs could face major budget problems next year after a long-awaited Government ruling went against them. The County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service was told earlier this year that it would not have its spending capped for
TWO new live music events are taking place at a North Yorkshire pub. On Thursday, November 4, Leeds-based band, Four Day Hombre, will appear at the Lion Inn, Blakey Ridge, at 9pm. On Thursday, November 18, Ed Tudor-Pole will appear at the same venue with
THE head of one of the region's leading transport operators has joined calls for a directly-elected assembly for the North-East. Mike Parker, director general of Nexus, said he welcomes proposals for an assembly as contributing to a better and more strategic
THE Tees, East and North Yorkshire Ambulance Service (Tenyas) has appointed a new medical director. Dr Irving Cobden trained in Newcastle and Leeds before becoming a consultant physician with an interest in gastroenterology at North Tyneside Hospitals
NEW childcare facilities will be formally launched in a North-East village this week. A 26-place nursery unit, will be opened at Collierley Primary School, Dipton, near Stanley, County Durham, tomorrow. The £125,000 site was developed by Durham County
VILLAGERS turned out in force at the weekend for a festival that is nearly 1,000 years old. Houghton Feast, held each October since the 1100s in Houghton-le-Spring, County Durham, began on Friday. The celebrations are thought to have begun in the early
FIREfighters had a lucky escape when the ceiling of an arson-hit pub collapsed showering them in debris. They were investigating the cause of the blaze when part of the first-floor ceiling at the Old Moor pub, in Light Pipe Hall Road, Stockton, caved
AN MP is urging pensioners to take advantage of a scheme to help them financially. Hugh Bayley, MP for the City of York, said more pensioners than ever were claiming Pension Credit, but that more needed to sign up. In York, more than 4,000 pensioner households
Darlington's win yesterday came courtesy of some fluid attacking and two excellent pieces of finishing but Quakers' fourth victory of the season was built on another sound performance from the dependable defence, writes Craig Stoddart. The result ensures
THE head of one of the region's leading transport operators has joined calls for a directly-elected assembly for the North-East. Mike Parker, director general of Nexus, said he welcomes proposals for an assembly as contributing to a better and more strategic
A POLITICIAN has criticised a student drinks promotion she says is dangerous and could lead to city centre violence. Yates's Wine Lodge, in North Road, Durham, has launched a student card that entitles holders to 25 per cent off drinks and the right to
OLDER people joined a day of activities to prove you can still have fun no matter how old you are. Using Jenny Joseph's poem, The Warning, as the theme for the day, staff from Age concern County Durham, Durham Dales Primary Care Trust and Durham County
POLICE are urging people to put identifying marks on their valuables, after recovering five unmarked games consoles. Officers in Darlington recovered four PlayStations and one Xbox, which are believed to have been stolen, on Thursday, but cannot return
A PRINTING company in Darlington is donating £2,000 to an annual awards scheme. Mawers Talbot Print has agreed to co-sponsor the arts achiever award, one of 14 celebration of learning awards, designed to recognise and reward the achievements of young
AN organisation for businesses is hoping to attract more members following a relaunch this month. The Richmond Business and Tourism Association (RBTA) was created in 1999 from the former Chamber of Trade. One of its aims is to recognise the increasingly
A DARLINGTON couple who celebrated their golden wedding at the weekend asked family and friends to help a local charity rather than buy them gifts. Fred and Janet Garlick, both 70, of Edgecombe Drive, appealed for donations for Darlington Association
HEALTH chiefs in County Durham have produced a guide to a healthy Sunday lunch. It was produced by Durham Dales Primary Care Trust and County Durham and Darlington Priority Services NHS Trust. It says that Sunday lunch is an excellent time for families
MORE than 120 homes are planned on the site of a former council estate. Taylor Woodrow Developments will build 127 houses on land at Ewehurst Road, Flint Hill, near Stanley, County Durham. Derwentside District Council's development control committee has
RENOWNED photographer Joe Cornish realised a dream with the launch of a new gallery dedicated to his landscape work. To mark the opening, he unveiled the second in a series of special limited editions, a dramatic picture of the Millennium Bridge over
A CLEAN-UP operation is taking place in South Bank along alleys where rubbish has been fly-tipped. Two fines have been issued and a daily clean-up is being carried out as part of the operation, organised by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's community
RESIDENTS are standing firm against council plans to bulldoze their homes. Some people living in the demolition threatened community of St Hilda's, in Middlesbrough, are refusing to allow council surveyors into their homes to carry out property valuations
A CAMPAIGN to remember a Second World War hero has been warmly welcomed by the daughter of an airman he died trying to save. Colleen Bacon, of Toronto, Canada, is backing The Northern Echo's appeal to have a £40,000 statue of Pilot Officer Andrew Mynarski
STUDENTS have been given hands-on advice about marketing. The GCSE travel and tourism students, from Teesdale Comprehensive School, visited the Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, to look at services, products and promotional techniques. The students devised
CHILDREN as young as ten have been caught on security cameras setting fire to a park on a Darlington estate. Firthmoor community leaders say the youngsters are putting their lives at risk by lighting the fires in Alderman Crooks Park. Peter Bowerbank,
OLDER people joined a day of activities to prove you can still have fun no matter how old you are. Using Jenny Joseph's poem, The Warning, as the theme for the day, staff from Age concern County Durham, Durham Dales Primary Care Trust and Durham County
A WOMAN is appealing for the safe return of her dogs after they were stolen from a farm. Margaret Thompson, from Frosterley, had just moved her two dogs to her family's farm in Wolsingham. The pedigree saluki and a lurcher were last seen by a friend when
A NORTH Yorkshire authority has promised it will take a tough stance against benefit fraud. So far this year, Hambleton District Council has taken action in ten cases where claimants have not advised the authority of their true circumstances. A Thirsk
Canadian Second World War air gunner Pat Brophy never spoke to his three children about the terrible night in 1944 when his best friend, Andrew Mynarski, died trying to save his life. His daughter, Colleen Bacon, told Sam Strangeways how she pieced together
VILLAGERS turned out in force at the weekend for a festival that is nearly 1,000 years old. Houghton Feast, held each October since the 1100s in Houghton-le-Spring, County Durham, began on Friday. The celebrations are thought to have begun in the early
THE Arc in Stockton opened its doors on Saturday to let people see for themselves what the centre has to offer. The building, in Dovecot Street, consists of three floors with theatres, a cinema, exhibition spaces, a dance studio, meeting rooms, a cafe
PROPOSALS for a £300m development that could create hundreds of jobs have been submitted. The scheme is earmarked for the 90-acre former Grove Cranes site at Pallion, in Sunderland, which has stood empty since the company closed six years ago. Under the
PLANS to create two consulting rooms in a temporary portable cabin behind a doctor's surgery are likely to be approved by councillors. Chester-le-Street District Council's planning committee will today consider the plans for Middle Chare Surgery, in Middle
PLANS to demolish a former ambulance station and build 14 flats on the site will be discussed by councillors today . Meadowcroft Homes has applied to build in Clarence Avenue, in Chester-le-Street. There would be two blocks, one three-storey, the other
PUB owners are to appeal after they were ordered to take down a marquee used for family functions. Jim O'Connor, owner of The Board Inn, at Hill Top, Esh, near Durham, built an overflow car park, children's play area and beer garden without seeking planning
Former Emmerdale actress Helen Weir is returning to her roots to appear at Harrogate Theatre in Ibsen's Ghosts. She talks to Steve Pratt about motherhood and making the most of her career. IT'S fitting that Helen Weir's debut on stage at Harrogate Theatre
A EURO MP is backing villagers in the fight to keep their only public telephone. The kiosk in Browney Village, near Durham, is one of eight across the district that could be closed under plans by BT to disconnect 664 of the region's 4,121 payphones. The
A COUNCIL has pledged to wage high-profile publicity campaigns against anti-social youths after a court ruling. Darlington Borough Council has already delivered leaflets to hundreds of homes on the Skerne Park estate about Shane Preston, the 14-year-old
Police chiefs are to replace a noisy spotter plane after the constant drone left a pensioner cowering in a cupboard wearing earmuffs. Pensioner John Oxley, who suffers from tinnitus - a constant ringing in his ears - has told of his relief that the aircraft
A LEADING department store is believed to be in talks to take over the running of the troubled North-East retail site. The move could prove to be a massive jobs boost for Hartlepool in the build up to Christmas after discount designer outlet Jacksons
DAVID Beckham spent most of last week predicting that playing against Wales would be the closest England came to facing Premiership opposition and, at Old Trafford, the Real Madrid midfielder was proved right. It wasn't that Mark Hughes' men displayed
A CHARITY runner will be taking part for the second successive year in Scotland's celebrated Loch Ness Marathon - without leaving the North-East. David Welsh, 41, will cover the distance on a treadmill at Springs health club, Sunderland, to raise money
Detectives investigating the "sickening" murder of an innocent 14-year-old schoolgirl were last night questioning a suspect in connection with the shooting. Officers made an arrest following the death of Danielle Beccan, who was gunned down just yards
AMANDA Redman had no idea what she would find when she went on a dangerous journey into her own family's fraught past, uncovering an emotional story of traumatic upheavals, passionate affairs, long-lost relatives, wife-beating, drunkenness and illegitimacy
REMEMBER me? That was Ian Clark's message to Darlington manager David Hodgson after the substitute came off the bench to earn his side a much-deserved win at Oxford United yesterday. Quakers may be turning many League Two heads with their recent spate
Former Emmerdale actress Helen Weir is returning to her roots to appear at Harrogate Theatre in Ibsen's Ghosts. She talks to Steve Pratt about motherhood and making the most of her career. IT'S fitting that Helen Weir's debut on stage at Harrogate Theatre
NORTH-EAST troublemakers under the age of 16 will be marched home by police under a new scheme. Officers in Loftus, east Cleveland, say gangs gathering on the streets to cause harassment, alarm and intimidation will be moved on Young people who do not
NICKY Butt last night tipped England to finish top of their World Cup qualifying group after claiming: "The win over Wales means we're right on track." Saturday's 2-0 success at Old Trafford leaves England one point clear of Poland at the top of Group
Bishop Auckland manager Brian Honour quit immediately after his team's 3-1 home defeat by Wakefield-Emley, saying: "I can't take the club any further." Bishops have won just twice in league and cup this season, and Honour said: "Two wins so far this season
CAMPAIGNERS against drug rape are urging women to be on their guard while out socialising as National Personal Safety Day gets under way today. Graham Rhodes, chief executive of The Roofie Foundation, Britain's only specialised drug rape agency, based
THE commanding officer of one of the region's regiments said farewell to his troops after leading them on a city march. Lieutenant Colonel Stuart MacRostie, of 2 Signal Regiment, led 100 soldiers through the streets on Saturday to mark their Freedom of
The best thing I saw in London last week was a heap of bananas in Trafalgar Square, masquerading as a work of art. The artist, Doug Fishbone, had turned up in the dead of night in a big truck with 30,000 bananas and 20 friends to erect the fruit sculpture
Andy Toman has denied he has returned as Peterlee manager following their 5-0 defeat at Billingham Synthonia on Saturday. The former Hartlepool and Darlington midfielder, who quit a fortnight ago, organised a team for the crisis-hit club. But he said:
Wolviston left it late before clinching victory over Shotton Comrades in the Sunderland Shipowners' Cup on Saturday. The tie was deep into injury time when Ian Bishop was up-ended in the box and Andy Steel converted the penalty. After equalising early
STUDENT backpackers are being given advice by former SAS soldiers to avoid accidents while travelling abroad. The initiative is being supported by Marjorie Marks-Stuttle, the mother of backpacker Caroline Stuttle, from York, who was killed in Australia
REMEMBER me? That was Ian Clark's message to Darlington manager David Hodgson after the substitute came off the bench to earn his side a much-deserved win at Oxford United yesterday. Quakers may be turning many League Two heads with their recent spate
Midsomer Murders (ITV1): OKAY, I confess. I might have dropped off in the middle of Midsomer Murders, but it didn't seem to make much difference. I was awake for the denouement and it still made as much sense as a speech by someone speaking in a foreign
A POLITICIAN has criticised a student drinks promotion she says is dangerous and could lead to city centre violence. Yates's Wine Lodge, in North Road, Durham, has launched a student card that entitles holders to 25 per cent off drinks and the right to
PROPOSALS for a £300m development that could create hundreds of jobs have been submitted. The scheme is earmarked for the 90-acre former Grove Cranes site at Pallion, in Sunderland, which has stood empty since the company closed six years ago. Under the
ANTI-SOCIAL behaviour has been identified by all the political parties as a key issue in the run-up to the General Election. So it is no surprise that we are seeing moves designed to illustrate that yobbish behaviour will not be tolerated. From midnight
Andy Toman has denied he has returned as Peterlee manager following their 5-0 defeat at Billingham Synthonia on Saturday. The former Hartlepool and Darlington midfielder, who quit a fortnight ago, organised a team for the crisis-hit club. But he said:
GOVERNMENT minister Nigel Griffiths faces a tough grilling when he meets concerned coalfields MPs tomorrow. The Coal Health Minister has been criticised by MPs, who fear that proposals to speed up compensation for pitmen will restrict the right to a full
