NEALE Cooper revealed a number of his players have spent the Christmas period feeling under the weather. Hartlepool moved into fourth place in League One yesterday with a win over Oldham at Victoria Park. And Cooper, who takes his side to Bristol City
It was one of the most remarkable episodes of the First World War - the day when the soldiers of both sides put down their guns and swapped presents. Ninety years on, Nick Morrison looks at the 1914 Christmas Truce. IT was a bright, cloudless morning,
MANY parts of the North-East and North Yorkshire awoke to a white Christmas after overnight falls on Christmas Eve. Nationally, the heaviest snowfalls were in Northern Ireland, Scotland, north Wales and parts of north-west England. Most parts of the North-East
A CAMPAIGN to reduce the number of falls among Darlington's elderly population has been launched. Two leaflets have been produced by Darlington Primary Care Trust - one aimed at preventing people falling and the other on what to do if it happens. Specialist
YOUNGSTERS from a village school got a taste of Christmas festivities as celebrated by their Polish counterparts. Pupils from Escomb Primary School, near Bishop Auckland, were surprised to learn how festive traditions in Poland differ from their own.
A WOMAN was left with a broken shoulder and face injuries after a row in a takeaway shop. Police believe the 27-year-old woman was pushed to the floor by a man she was with in Best Kebab, Northgate, Darlington, at about midnight on Thursday evening. A
NEWCASTLE boss Graeme Souness last night branded his defenders "dopes" after their failings again robbed his side of a much-needed win at Ewood Park. Despite twice taking the lead through Kieron Dyer and Laurent Robert, the Magpies were forced to settle
THE work of a group of aspiring art under-graduates will be promoted across the North-East in the New Year. A range of contemporary paintings is featured in the display, Winds of Change, compiled by a small body of student artists from Durham. It includes
MORE than 30 workers sacrificed their Christmas dinners in a race against the clock to pull down a rail bridge over the weekend. In an operation timed to the minute, engineers demolished the Relley Bridge, which spanned the East Coast Main Line, on Christmas
BRITAIN'S most successful paralympian Tanni Grey-Thompson is to be handed the Freedom of the Borough in her home town. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council is planning to bestow the honour on the athlete in the new year. Ms Grey-Thompson will be joined
A SIXTY-year tradition of pews in Ripon Cathedral could be ended soon - but a final decision will not be taken until the congregation has been consulted. A move by the chapter to replace the pews with chairs in the nave is being actively considered, according
GOLFERS definitely had their eye on the ball when it came to raising funds for the ear, nose and throat department at the James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough. Every year, the captain of Dinsdale Spa Golf Club, in Middleton-St-George, selects
GOLFERS definitely had their eye on the ball when it came to raising funds for the ear, nose and throat department at the James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough. Every year, the captain of Dinsdale Spa Golf Club, in Middleton-St-George, selects
A SCOUT group has been given a boost towards its fundraising efforts to improve its Scout hut. The 1st Richmond Scout Group received £500 from Richmond Round Table. The group hopes to raise £30,000 towards renovations at the Ronaldshay Park facility.
ON-STREET electronic information kiosks, outlining council services, could land a North-East local authority consortium a leading award next month. Fifty of the kiosks are dotted around the region, allowing people to use touch-screen and keyboard technology
FUNDING to improve a community orchard has been welcomed by volunteers. Reeth Community Orchard Group has received £21,500 from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Living Spaces initiative. The money will be used to carry out further restoration
WHEN Graeme Souness was installed as successor to Sir Bobby Robson his brief was to raise Newcastle United's fortunes and improve their defensive record. Now they are boasting the second worst defence in the Premier League, Sports Writer Will Scott asks
SCOTSMAN John Bogie will be out to land that elusive victory when he heads the capacity field on the annual Specsavers Christmas Stages Rally at Croft Circuit tomorrow. The MG Metro 6R4 driver from Dumfries has finished runner-up on the past two occasions
A NORTH Yorkshire woman has set-up an organisation to help Christian prisoners in Egypt. The Christian Prisoners' Support Network supports foreign Christians who are serving prison sentences in the Muslim country. Jenny Hargreaves, of Richmond, formed
A HOUSING group is celebrating modernising 10,000 homes to a standard it has set itself. The Sunderland Housing Group's benchmark exceeds the Government's Decent Homes Standard - a set of measures laid down by central government for decent housing. The
A POST-CHRISTMAS bonus for Sunderland disappeared along with the turkey leftovers, as Leeds United ensured Mick McCarthy's men missed the chance to climb into the two automatic promotion spots. Defeats for Ipswich and Wigan meant that three points would
DARLINGTON manager David Hodgson has often questioned why the club has struggled to attract bigger crowds, but yesterday's shambolic defeat at the hands of Rochdale may have provided a clue or two. In future Hodgson might think twice before sending out
A BOXING Day shopper braved freezing temperatures yesterday morning to pick up the bargain of a lifetime. Derrick Noddings, 52, bought a leather suite, which should have cost almost £1,000, for only £1 at Clifton Suite and Leather Centre, in Darlington
THE Conservative party has announced its candidate to fight the next General Election in a North-East constituency. Jamie Devlin will contest the Labour-held seat of North-West Durham, held by Government Chief Whip Hilary Armstrong. Mr Devlin, 25, lives
A COUPLE had a Christmas present they are never likely to forget - the birth of twin boys. The tiny babies are an extra special miracle for their mother and father after years of heartache and IVF treatment. Despite their size and early arrival, the premature
A POLICE crackdown on shoplifting has been hailed a big success. Operation Dowse, which began in Darlington in mid-October, has recovered stolen property worth more than £1,000 and netted 57 people. It has involved high-visibility police patrols as well
THERE was ice and snow around the side of the pitch at Ewood Park yesterday but, while the temperature might have been cold, it was only Newcastle's defenders who were frozen. Rooted to the spot as Barry Ferguson's first-half free-kick sent Paul Dickov
TRIBUTES poured in yesterday following the death of one of the North-East's most celebrated war heroes. Surviving members of the Durham Light Infantry and civic leaders spoke of their affection and respect for Captain Richard Annand - the last surviving
A new year beckons, bringing with it what is sure to be a terrific 12 months of sport in the North East. In anticipation of that EchoSport is turning the spotlight on up-and-coming sports men who are set to make their mark in 2005. In our first interview
WHEN ex-miner Tom Brown reached his century on Christmas Eve, he was just as proud that his "kid" brother is only five years behind him. The only secret for longevity that Mr Brown, from Leeholme, can think of is the hard work he and his younger brother
A COURT that is deciding whether nine former US Navy ships can be scrapped in the North-East is expected to announce its decision in the new year. It had been thought that US Judge Rosemary Collyer was almost ready to deliver her verdict on the vessels
MICK McCARTHY last night admitted having the largest crowd at the Stadium of Light since April 2003 made losing to Leeds United even harder to swallow. A frustrated McCarthy called for his players to use only their third defeat in 14 games as a 'wake-up
More than 150 winter sun seekers have had their Christmas holiday plans ruined after a bungling baggage handler crashed a track into their plane fording it to be cancelled. Passengers, including two couples on their way to Las Vegas to get married, on
A POLICE sergeant who has twice been named the region's bravest bobby kept a pre-Christmas date with the Queen. Sgt Sue Robinson, a 35-year-old mother-of-two, attended a Buckingham Palace reception honouring people who have made a significant contribution
RESCUE operations were under way last night in south-east Asia after a tidal wave killed more than 11,300 and left thousands of British holidaymakers stranded. The death toll is still rising and many thousands are reported missing following the quake,
A few weeks ago, I went to a Spanish cave retreat with a friend and her mother. I didn't know what to expect and I only knew that I was frazzled and needed some time out. I had secret fears that it would resemble some austere ashram and that we'd have
BRITAIN'S most successful paralympian Tanni Grey-Thompson is to be handed the Freedom of the Borough in her home town. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council is planning to bestow the honour on the athlete in the new year. Ms Grey-Thompson will be joined
ABOUT 600 people took part in an annual Boxing Day pilgrimage that traces the steps of a group of 12th Century monks. The four-mile walk follows the footsteps of the monks who travelled from Ripon Cathedral to establish Fountains Abbey, in North Yorkshire
The Queen sent British troops in Iraq a special Christmas message and told them she was proud of their courage and commitment. The recorded radio message was thought to be the first of its kind during the Queen's 52-year reign and was in addition to her
TRAIN operator GNER has completed the final phase of its improvements to Durham railway station with the installation of two customer information screens. The screens will provide rail passengers with up-to-the minute information on running times, departures
AN 18-year-old man was threatened with a knife by a robber who stole a £750 gold bracelet and cash. The robbery happened last Tuesday at about 7.30pm in Melsham Square, Stockton. A spokeswoman for Cleveland Police said: "The victim tried to stop the attacker
A FUND supporting a North-East woman's work among Indian leprosy victims has been boosted by one of its largest single donations. Worshippers at Bishop Auckland Methodist Church donated £3,000 to the Start charity, which is run in the Indian city of Nagpur
MARTIN PIPE'S sorties to Wetherby are few and far between, but when he does despatch the likes of Well Chief (2.25) from his Somerset base the opposition had better look out. The reigning champion trainer has clearly targeted Well Chief specifically for
POLICE have named a man found dead at a house in a moorland village in the region. A spokesman for the North Yorkshire Police said Niall Webster 48, a van driver of Park View, Glaisdale, near Whitby, was found dead at his home by a police officer and
NEWCASTLE Falcons go into their mid-table battle at Leeds today still hoping to finish in the top three of the Zurich Premiership. Following their early exit from the Powergen Cup at Saracens last week, they need to finish high enough up the table to
CHARITY bosses raised a toast to pub regular Mel Athey after his athletic efforts boosted their funds. Wheelchair-user Mr Athey competed in this year's Darlington 10km road run and finished the course unaided, to raise £300 for Darlington Association
POLICE in Darlington are hunting a "hit-and-run" driver who crashed into another car and drove off. The blue Vauxhall Corsa hit a silver Renault Scenic at speed in Salters Lane South just after 3.30pm on Christmas Day. The Corsa made off towards the Springfield
POLICE last night named a 52-year-old North-East man who was knocked down and fatally injured by a car on Christmas Day. Arthur Burlison, of Twelfth Avenue, Chester-le-Street, was struck by a car on the A693 road near Chester-le-Street, said Inspector
AS the year draws to a close, uncertainty is still hanging over the future of a village's most prominent building. The landmark, former Easington Colliery Primary School, which has a Grade II listing, has stood empty since 1998. The school, which dominates
THE future of a day centre for elderly Hindu people has been assured following a grant of £43,830. The Northern Rock Foundation has donated money to the Hindu Cultural Centre, in North Ormesby. Krishnan Nath, spokesman for the centre, said a grant from
MILLIONAIRE businessman Duncan Bannatyne is considering selling his chain of fitness clubs and setting up a TV production company in the North-East. The tycoon has been told by financial advisors he is likely to get more than £100m for his Bannatyne Fitness
A FAMILY had a lucky escape on Christmas Day after arsonists set fire to a pile of rubbish at the back of their home. The blaze spread to the uPVC rear door and frame, filling rooms with toxic fumes shortly before midnight. The family of five managed
TALKS about the future of a crisis-hit private railway will continue in the New Year. Bosses from the Weardale Railway, in County Durham, will meet public funders after the holiday to try to resolve cash-flow problems which could have serious implications
New moves to restrict the amount of rubbish handled by a household waste recycling centre have been announced by Hartlepool Borough Council. A permit scheme is to be introduced that will limit the number of visits to the Burn Road site by unmarked vans
A COUNCIL has published a breakdown of financial help totalling more than £70,000 it says it has given a museum. The figures were made public by Richmondshire District Council after Richmondshire Museum bosses disputed suggestions it had received the
ON Christmas Eve, Santa's work in The Mall, Cleveland - formerly Cleveland Shopping Centre - came to an end as a prelude to his big night ahead. Since last month, he had been busy listening to lots of children who came to visit him at his grotto, with
PUPILS were invited to an open day to celebrate Stockton International Family Centre's Christmas Community Learning Event. A group of year five and year six pupils from Bowesfield Primary School volunteered to sing carols at the Richard Hind site as part
REFUSE collections in Hartlepool will be unchanged over the festive season. Council staff have agreed to work as usual on the two remaining Bank Holidays - today and January 3. In previous years, there has been a backlog of collections that has taken
A NUMBER of the region's leading tourist attractions are to stay open this week to give families a chance to blow away the cobwebs. English Heritage has announced that four of its most popular properties will open their doors. Barnard Castle, the 12th
A FLEET of covert camera cars have been deployed by detectives in Middlesbrough in a bid to trap thieves targeting vehicles in the town. Vehicles fitted with tiny cameras are being left in streets, car parks and residential areas where car thieves are
POLICE are trying to trace a man who has not been seen since the early hours of Christmas Day. Gareth Paul Cuthbert, 23, of Saltburn, who is believed to be wearing a white sweatshirt, jeans and trainers, has not been seen since 2.30am. He could be driving
PLANS to cut the speed limit and introduce traffic calming measures in Richmond have been backed by councillors. Members of Richmondshire Area Committee have voted to introduce a 20mph zone in the town. The plans also include gateway signs, speed bumps
RESIDENTS in the Pallister Park area of Middlesbrough have been warned to be on the lookout for bogus callers. A man claiming to be from Erimus Housing, which took over the management of Middlesbrough Council's housing stock, tried to con his way into
A village church that was once threatened with closure reopened on Christmas Day after a two-year renovation scheme. The church, which serves the remote village of Ravenscar on the cliff top, near Scarborough, has undergone a £200,000 development scheme
RESIDENTS are against suggested proposals for town centre car parking charges, a survey has found. A questionnaire has revealed that while the majority of people back a new parking strategy for Leyburn, disc parking is preferred to a pay and display system
GARRY Bell, a member of a well known North-East football family and a familiar Northern League player in the 1960s, has died after a fight against leukaemia. He was 63. Mr Bell was in the Whitby Town squad which reached the 1965 Amateur Cup final but
MERRY Christmas? It certainly is the season to be jolly for Hartlepool United. Yesterday's win over Oldham at Victoria Park was Pool's third victory in a row and puts them in fourth position, seven places better off than they were at the same stage last
SKI club members have switched to solar power to warm up their days on the slopes. The Weardale Ski Club, which is based high in the North Pennines at Swinhopeburn, two miles south of Westgate, is a long way from the nearest mains electricity supply and
A DEVELOPING cricket club is turning to television for inspiration in its bid to transform its grounds and clubhouse. Crook Town is appealing for volunteers to spend a weekend helping with a CricketForce makeover on April 2 and 3. The initiative combines
MOTORISTS in a pretty County Durham village are being warned to park sensibly - or face paying up. The parish council and police say dangerous parking in Heighington, near Darlington, is endangering lives, especially around the school and village shop
A NUMBER of the region's leading tourist attractions are to stay open during Christmas week to give families a chance to blow away the cobwebs. English Heritage has announced that four of its most popular properties will open their door during the coming
POLICE are hunting three robbers who carried a bank raid via a dentists' surgery. Barclay's Bank, in Four Lane Ends, Newcastle, was targeted on Christmas Eve by three masked men. The trio slipped in from the Roseborough dental surgery above at about 2pm
THE family of a teenage boy, who died from a rare genetic disorder, have paid tribute to the young man who touched the lives of everyone he met. Jon Douglas, 14, of Model Terrace, Cockfield, in Teesdale, County Durham, died in the Freeman Hospital, Newcastle
THE work of a group of aspiring art under-graduates will be promoted across the North-East in the New Year. A range of contemporary paintings is featured in the display, Winds of Change, compiled by a small body of student artists from Durham. It includes
A £10m scheme to convert a 19th Century railway engine shed into a visitor centre to commemorate Captain James Cook has suffered a setback. The company behind the venture, the Captain James Cook RN (Charity Trust, Whitby Limited) wants to put up new buildings
NORTH-EAST customs officers have made the biggest ever seizure of smuggled cigarettes at a British airport after an operation early on Christmas Day. Customs and Excise officers at Newcastle Airport seized two million cigarettes bound for the streets
TRAIN operator GNER has completed the final phase of its improvements to Durham railway station with the installation of two customer information screens. The screens will provide rail passengers with up-to-the minute information on trains times. Improvements
CYCLISTS in Middlesbrough will still be able to park their bikes in safety after an environmental charity secured further funding for its scheme. Middlesbrough Environment City (MEC) is celebrating after the Northern Rock Foundation rode to the rescue
A STATUE commissioned by The Northern Echo to commemorate a once-forgotten war hero is taking shape. Keith Maddison has been working on the 8ft sculpture since the Echo launched its £40,000 Forgotten Hero appeal in June, in memory of Canadian Second World
RICHMONDSHIRE MP William Hague has been presented with a report on the economic development of the A1 corridor area of North Yorkshire. The study was commission by the A1 Community Investment Pact (CIP) and supported by North Yorkshire County Council
CHARITY bosses raised a toast to pub regular Mel Athey after his athletic efforts boosted their funds. Wheelchair-user Mr Athey competed in this year's Darlington 10km road run and finished the course unaided, to raise £300 for Darlington Association
Few would argue that Rochdale aren't one of English football's backwater clubs. While maintaining a role in the bottom division of the Football League, they're a club who rarely enter the wider public's consciousness. They are the brussell sprouts of
DARLINGTON manager David Hodgson was quick to take the brunt of blame for yesterday's defeat against Rochdale at the Williamson Motors Stadium. Hodgson insists his decision to ignore advice from assistant manager Mark Proctor cost Quakers three points
A NUMBER of the region's leading tourist attractions are to stay open this week to give families a chance to blow away the cobwebs. English Heritage has announced that four of its most popular properties will open their doors. Barnard Castle, the 12th
WE are never slow to complain about the weather in this country. Too cold, too hot, too wet, too dry - nothing gets us down quite like the great British weather. But the next time we look at the forecast and curse our luck, we should spare a thought for
Spennymoor manager Graeme Clark reckons that this afternoon's home game with Workington will show how much the team has progressed since the start of the season. Workington come to the Brewery Field on top of the table, but they will be up against a team
England's record-breaking run of victories threatens to come to an abrupt halt in the second Test against South Africa after a dismal batting performance in their final match of a triumphant year. Having propelled themselves to No 2 in the world rankings
A PUPPY called Riva has qualified for the final of a national competition. The young Belgian shepherd dog will compete for the Pro Plan Pup of the Year title next month. Owners Jean and Colin Turnbull are hoping the 11-month old groenendael will go one
A FALL in population has led to two parts of the region seeing a large decline in unemployment claims, according to a survey. Newcastle and Easington, County Durham, have seen above-average falls in their respective claimant count levels of 71 per cent
EVERY child's favourite locomotive is about to take a break from his duties to meet his fans. Thomas the Tank Engine, who is 60 next year, will be at the National Railway Museum, in York, from February 5 to 20. For the first time, youngsters are being
The Albany Northern League: Ray Gowan starts his new job this morning when Ashington take on Whitley Bay on a day of local derbies. Gowan, one of the managerial elder statesmen in the league, surprised a few when he accepted the Northumberland club's
BLUSHING bride Julie Carmichael took the plunge for the second time in only a few days yesterday. For the 41-year-old put her honeymoon on hold to take part in the Boxing Day dip at Seaburn beach, Sunderland, which attracted up to 1,000 people from as
Darlington attracted one of the highest attendance figures in the division yesterday - but saved arguably their worst performance of the season for the same day. More than 7,000 were at the Williamson Motors Stadium, and aside from the stadium's first
MARTIN PIPE'S sorties to Wetherby are few and far between, but when he does despatch the likes of Well Chief (2.25) from his Somerset base the opposition had better look out. The reigning champion trainer has clearly targeted Well Chief specifically for
POLICE in the region say they are disappointed at the number of people caught drinking and driving in the run-up to Christmas. Between December 13 and 22, 37 drivers out of 500 who were stopped in North Yorkshire failed breath tests. A spokesman said
RESCUE operations were under way last night in south-east Asia after a tidal wave killed more than 11,300 and left thousands of British holidaymakers stranded. The death toll is still rising and many thousands are reported missing following the quake,
MIDDLESBROUGH boss Steve McClaren and his Birmingham counterpart Steve Bruce were at loggerheads last night over the decision to rule out Stan Lazaridis's own goal for offside. Not surprisingly Bruce backed the officials, insisting there was no question
Middlesbrough suffered a set back to their Champions' League aspirations yesterday when they crashed at Birmingham City. Two first half goals were enough to secure all three points for the Blues but Steve McClaren's men could point to a controversial
