YOUNG people from schools and youth clubs in the North-East are being invited to enter teams for an outdoor adventure competition. The 2005 Kielder Challenge is for young people with and without disabilities. It has 200 team places available but these
THE BUDDHA BOX by Lillian Too (Thorsons/Element, £14.99) A WONDERFUL way to open the path to enlightenment by introducing the reader to the most important and well-known Buddhist deities. The box contains 45 illustrated cards presenting each Buddha along
THE latest controversy surrounding Manchester United and England footballer Wayne Rooney illustrates much of what is wrong with professional football today. The Premiership may well be the most exciting league in Europe. This season's title race has all
A CONFIDENT Julio Arca believes Sunderland have only delayed the inevitable by failing to climb into the Championship's top two. The exciting left-sided South American claims there is every chance that the Black Cats can force their way into the automatic
A NORTH-EAST company played Santa Claus to a local hospice over Christmas. Teesside Hospice Foundation provides day care for up to 16 people a day, from Mondays to Thursdays, at the Edward Guy Day Centre, in Middlesbrough, and on Fridays at Brotton Hospital
SPRING-HEELED Strong Resolve (1.55) has all of the attributes required to win today's Welsh Grand National at Chepstow. The 22 fences in the near four-mile slog take some serious jumping, but it is precisely in that department where I believe Lucinda
WORK has begun on an extra-care housing development for elderly residents. The demolition of sheltered accommodation at Sycamore Close, in Bainbridge, Wensleydale, will allow for the construction of 40 self-contained flats and a day-care centre. The development
THE future of a festive landmark in Chester-le-Street has been secured after a volunteer stepped in to take over from a man who is hanging up his ladder after bringing Christmas cheer to a generation of children. Each festive season since 1987, John Davison
STUDENTS on Teesside have been served up some good advice on the business of tennis. More than 40 A-level business students at Bede College in Billingham met Premier Tennis League director Mike Dixon to find out about opportunities in the industry. The
A TRAFFIC calming scheme in Richmond is helping to slow vehicles down, according to officials. Graham Cressey, a North Yorkshire County Council officer said the speed hump and new signs at Quarry Road had slowed traffic down by four to nine miles per
THE SEVEN BASIC PLOTS: Why We Tell Stories by Christopher Booker (Continuum, £25) IF your household is anything like ours, there are terrific ongoing arguments about what's worth watching on TV and what's rubbish. I'm talking about movies, soaps and drama
CARDIAC patients have been given a hearty buffet with a healthy twist. Catering and hospitality students from New College Durham served up a low-fat feast at the University Hospital of North Durham. The menu included mouth-watering snacks like potato
A SELF-CONFESSED former couch potato is about to set off on a unique challenge - walking 711 miles in the back of a lorry. Rory Coleman plans to walk from Newquay to Newcastle in 36 hours, piling up the steps on a treadmill in the back of an articulated
WORK has started on the region's first luxury environmentally-friendly holiday lodges. Ten 'eco' homes are being built near Richmond, North Yorkshire, on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The lodges are made from sustainable timber, insulated
A £60,000 piano is to make its debut at a New Year's Day concert at Scarborough's Spa Grand Hall, thanks to the generosity of an anonymous music lover. A donation of several thousand pounds has been given towards the purchase of the Boesendorfer piano
THE ANCESTOR'S TALE: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Time by Richard Dawkins (Weidenfeld, £25) IT IS a field of study that has plodded along with steady deliberation as experts have delved into the origins of man. But the world of paleontology has taken leaps
A NORTH-EAST bus company has appointed a team to monitor footage from security cameras in its vehicles. Go North-East, which operates many services in County Durham, Wearside and Tyneside, has fitted cameras to 300 of its buses. Those inside the vehicles
A SCHOOL nurse who has come face-to-face with a grizzly bear and braved sub-zero temperatures in the Arctic is leaving the North-East for a new life. Sister Hazel Nevin has left Barnard Castle School, in County Durham, where she was nurse for the past
PLANS to build nearly 400 homes in and around Stockton will be debated in the new year. The separate housing schemes are planned for the Parkfield Road and High Newham Road areas of Stockton as well as Ingleby Barwick, Eaglescliffe and Wolviston. Many
A NORTH academic has been given a leading award for her work on the global spread of English. Dr Janina Brutt-Griffler, of York University's department of educational studies, has been honoured by the Modern Language Association (MLA) of America. About
A CONFIDENT Julio Arca believes Sunderland have only delayed the inevitable by failing to climb into the Championship's top two. The exciting left-sided South American claims there is every chance that the Black Cats can force their way into the automatic
DARLINGTON boss David Hodgson believes victory at Shrewsbury this afternoon will provide his side with the perfect pick-me-up. Just 48 hours after Quakers produced arguably their worst performance of the season against Rochdale, Hodgson is seeking the
A DESPONDENT Shay Given last night admitted that Newcastle's players deserved the criticism that was thrown their way in the wake of Sunday's 2-2 draw at Blackburn. The Magpies twice took the lead at Ewood Park but, on both occasions, a catalogue of defensive
YOUNG people from schools and youth clubs in the North-East are being invited to enter teams for an outdoor adventure competition. The 2005 Kielder Challenge is for young people with and without disabilities. It has 200 team places available but these
The Final Quest (ITV1) My Shakespeare (C4) LET'S hope the makers keep their word and The Final Quest means this really is the last of the teenage antics of Dave, Ronno and Charlie. Enough is enough. These nostalgic antics of three lads trying to get their
A DESPONDENT Shay Given last night admitted that Newcastle's players deserved the criticism that was thrown their way in the wake of Sunday's 2-2 draw at Blackburn. The Magpies twice took the lead at Ewood Park but, on both occasions, a catalogue of defensive
As Northern Echo Sport turns the spotlight on the North-East sportsmen who are set to make their mark in 2005, chief sports writer Scott Wilson talks to Middlesbrough defender Tony McMahon. Like most young men in the country, Tony McMahon likes nothing
Aid agencies have launched a massive humanitarian relief effort in Asia after catastrophic sea surges killed thousands following an ocean bed earthquake. Governments have also moved to help the millions of people who have been left homeless after a series
MORE than 100 young people from around the region have joined forces to produce a calendar for the coming year. Children worked with community-based artists to produce the calendar on the theme of Belonging To My Community. Among the groups which took
FAITHFUL followers of these columns during 2004 will have divined that the names of Mr John Briggs and his American wife Lynn appear with comprehensive regularity. They are our Internet research team, unpaid but neither unwilling nor unappreciated. Usually
When Christmas is a distant memory and all the gift wrap has been thrown away, the best present carers can give children is a listening ear. Sarah French reports on training that's helping the childcare professionals of the future learn that children
Walkers will celebrate the 40th anniversary of one of the country's most famous long-distance trails in 2005. The Pennine Way stretches 268 miles from the Derbyshire Peaks to the Scottish Borders. The route cuts through some of the most scenic countryside
LAW AND ORDER I AGREE wholeheartedly with Mr Tate (HAS, Dec 20) regarding proposed new laws for householders. It should be a fundamental right for any decent law-abiding person to defend their homes and loved ones from miscreants, who have no conscience
PLANS to construct two flats on the site of a house destroyed by fire are likely to be turned down. Planning chiefs have urged Chester-le-Street District Council's planning committee meeting on January 10 to reject the proposals for the two-bedroomed
TAXPAYERS in Hartlepool may be facing a six per cent increase in their council tax for the second year running. Hartlepool Borough Council's finance officers have advised councillors that a 5.9 per cent increase may be needed. That could lead to the authority
A POOR Ofsted report for a Teesside school is to be discussed at a council meeting. The school inspector's report said Jesmond Road Primary School in Hartlepool had serious weaknesses. It will be considered by Councillor Cath Hill, cabinet member for
WOMEN'S football teams from across the region shook off the festive excesses to compete in the first Christmas Cup competition in Durham yesterday. Nine teams, featuring some of the top female footballers in the region, took part in the six-a-side tournament
MORE vehicles have been brought in to clear snow and ice from North Yorkshire roads. Ten new gritters and snow ploughs have been bought, which brings the number of vehicles to more than 100. North Yorkshire County Council said it had the largest fleet
A COUNCIL'S programme to bring its houses up to national standards will take an important step forward in the new year. Tenants of Chester-le-Street District Council will be asked to decide on the future management and ownership of the council-owned properties
AN MP has given his support to staff at his local hospital as they improve cleanliness following criticism by inspectors. Reviewing procedures at Malton Hospital, the Audit Commission found shortcomings in infection control measures. A number of improvements
THREE young brothers lost their mother weeks before her sister also died. The children's plight touched a secret Santa so much that she showered the grieving boys with Christmas presents. Sheona and Terri Rafferty's mother, Linda, 48, who now cares for
5.30am on Saturday morning and Darlington town centre is filthy. Discarded burgers, drinks cartons, half-eaten chips and pizza boxes flow down from High Row to Northgate, swirl round outside MacDonalds and blow up to the doors of Marks & Spencer Skinnergate
THREE paddling pools may be closed permanently because of health and safety issues. Last year, the council-owned pools at Harrogate's Valley Gardens, Bebra Gardens, Knaresborough, and Borrage Green, Ripon, were temporarily closed by Harrogate Borough
WORK to encourage the natural regeneration of a well-known Teesside wood has begun. Foresters have started to fell many of the thin, young coniferous species and some dead and dying trees at Tilery Wood, part of Wynyard Woodland Park, north of Stockton
FAMOUS faces will take their hats off to raise awareness of mental health issues at an exhibition on Teesside. Judi Dench, Hugh Grant, Ewan McGregor, Victoria Beckham, the band Coldplay and Cherie Blair are among those featuring in photographs in the
NEWLY-qualified staff at a Teesside hospital are celebrating after picking up honours for being the best students on their course. The radiology division at The James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, will benefit with the two radiographers
A TWO-year-old boy, who has spent most of his life in a bubble, has been told he can come home for good. Nathan Goldsmith had been confined to the sterile bubble unit of a hospital children's ward. The youngster, from East Herrington, Wearside, was born
The Final Quest (ITV1) My Shakespeare (C4) LET'S hope the makers keep their word and The Final Quest means this really is the last of the teenage antics of Dave, Ronno and Charlie. Enough is enough. These nostalgic antics of three lads trying to get their
A BUSINESS is tasting sweet success after achieving a coveted quality standard. The Little Chocolate Shop, in Leyburn, has been awarded an Investors in People award. From small beginnings in a basement, the shop now has five employees plus additional
A NEW book by a North Yorkshire man tells the story of a courageous Second World War gunner. Author Philip Turner, of Topcliffe, recounts the experiences of Allen Clifford, now 81, in his book, One of Butch's Boys. Mr Clifford, of Aldborough St John,
A NORTH-EAST medical worker told yesterday how she was scuba diving off the Maldives when the tsunami passed over her head. Borsha Sarker, who lives in Low Coniscliffe on the outskirts of Darlington, was about 20 metres down on what had been a normal
PLANS to build nearly 400 homes in and around Stockton will be debated in the new year. The separate housing schemes are planned for the Parkfield Road and High Newham Road areas of Stockton as well as Ingleby Barwick, Eaglescliffe and Wolviston. Many
STEVE McCLAREN yesterday backed the FA's plans to introduce a winter break to English football. Germany, Italy, Spain and France all enjoy a mid-season break around the Festive season and the first winter break in England is planned for the 2005/06 season
A RARE medal awarded to a Second World War nurse has gone on show at an award-winning museum. The Royal Red Cross Medal was given to Mary Louisa Thompson for her time in the Territorial Army Nursing Service in North Africa. Tommy, as she was known, was
A RARE medal awarded to a Second World War nurse has gone on show at an award-winning museum. The Royal Red Cross Medal was given to Mary Louisa Thompson for her time in the Territorial Army Nursing Service in North Africa. Tommy, as she was known, was
SCORES of bodies were piled along the flood-ravaged coasts of Asia last night as the death toll from the tsunami terror headed towards 25,000. Relief agencies, soldiers and consular staff from across the world joined the hunt for the missing as health
ENERGY company npower has introduced measures to help protect vulnerable homeowners from bogus callers. The firm's Priority Services Register encourages North-East customers to create a memorable password that npower workers will use when calling at homes
HEALTH chiefs are reminding people in the area to get a flu jab. Durham, Chester-le-Street, Derwentside, Easington, Dur-ham Dales and Sedgefield Primary Care Trusts are urging vulnerable residents to cut the risk of flu by visiting their GP for a free
A GROUP of Christians are planning a pilgrimage from the North-East to the island of Iona in the spring. Dr Gavin Wakefield, a tutor at Cranmer Hall Theological College, Durham, and his wife, the Reverend Fran Wakefield, will lead pilgrims to the remote
SCORES of bodies were piled along the flood-ravaged coasts of Asia last night as the death toll from the tsunami terror headed towards 25,000. Relief agencies, soldiers and consular staff from across the world joined the hunt for the missing as health
NEALE Cooper knows Hartlepool United have earned the respect of Bristol City. Now they have to ensure it means something. Pool are at Ashton Gate today, the scene of last season's last-gasp play-off agony for Cooper. Pool were leading going into the last
A MOTHER spent more than £200 on a motorised scooter for her son for Christmas - and then found out it was illegal for him to ride it in a public place. Lisa Abel, 37, from Darlington, bought the £220 petrol-powered vehicle for son Kieran Jackson, 15,
THE SONG OF THE GLADIATOR by Paul Doherty (Headline, £10.99) CONSTANTINE may be Emperor of Rome, but rifts in the new Christian religion threaten his power and Rome itself as it bakes in the heat of one of the sultriest summers. A peace conference between
A GOOD hearty walk is as much a feature of Christmas as mince pies, turkey and presents. Even if you're the most reluctant of walkers at any other time of the year, when the holiday season approaches, you're likely to find yourself donning wellies and
A RECORD number of huntsmen and women gathered in the North-East yesterday for the last Boxing Day meeting before the hunting ban comes into force. Hunting with hounds will become illegal in England and Wales on February 18, but defiant campaigners vowed
