Archive

  • Parents face fines for truant children

    CHILDREN in the North-East who play truant could land their parents with an on-the-spot fine from next month. Local education authorities (LEAs) across the region will be able to issue penalty notices under the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 if school

  • Grape expectations

    CRYSTAL waters, clear blue skies and the scent of sage and rosemary drifting on the gentle breeze. To most people, this is the stuff of fantasies, an impossible dream, but for Susan and Peter Close, it's just everyday life. In 2000, they bought Chateau

  • Car ban opponents awaiting application

    OPPONENTS of a controversial scheme to pedestrianise a North-East town centre are expecting fresh developments in the new year. A pedestrian heart is to be created in Darlington, at a cost of £6.5m, in a project which council bosses insist will revitalise

  • Bridge club wins website award

    HAMSTERLEY Bridge Club has been named as The Northern Echo CommuniGate Pick of the Month website for December. The website, which was designed by club member Norman Scott, was described as an eye-catching and useful resource. Mr Scott designed the website

  • Souness misses Speed

    GRAEME Souness last night highlighted the loss of veteran midfielder Gary Speed as a major factor in Newcastle's current slump. The embattled United boss leads his side into action against reigning champions Arsenal tonight looking to end a run of six

  • Frankie the ferret comes in from the cold

    A RUNAWAY ferret is in safe hands after seeking shelter from the wintry weather. Frankie, as he has been named, was handed in to the National Animal Sanctuary Support League (NASSL), in Sadberge, near Darlington, on Monday. He was found by Dennis Hanky

  • 'Ditch the gym and get out more'

    MILLIONS of people will already be making a silent promise to themselves to work off the excesses of the festive season as it begins to show around their waistlines. Water company bosses are trying to encourage them to forget the gym - and head out into

  • Bus driver hopes to see photos on TV

    A DARLINGTON bus driver is hoping some of his wildlife photos will appear on television. Gil Laverick has spent 18 months building up a portfolio of his photographic work, which centres on wildlife and nature scenes. He has submitted some of his work

  • School to build on merger success

    A CONTROVERSIAL merger of two popular Darlington schools has gone smoothly - according to the headteacher. Pupils have completed the first term at Whinfield Primary School, formed when Whinfield Junior and Whinfield Infant schools closed last summer.

  • 'Here's how you have helped us'

    MARATHON man David Dodd has visited the hospice that will benefit from his fundraising efforts. The Darlington Building Society general manager raised £5,200 for the town's St Teresa's Hospice by completing 13 half-marathons. The proceeds from his athletic

  • Miracle baby celebration

    A COUPLE have celebrated their first Christmas with their miracle baby. Brave mother Kimberly Anderson, 22, who fought a long double cancer battle, astounded medical experts when she gave birth to a healthy son on January 22, this year. She had been told

  • Cinema hits back at claims of disorder

    A CINEMA manager has hit back at accusations that he has not helped police deal with crime and disorder. Steven Allison, who runs the UCI cinema at the MetroCentre, Gateshead, defended his application to keep the screens running until 3am. Police Chief

  • Dogs may be dumped

    AN animal charity is bracing itself for the annual influx of unwanted dogs given as Christmas presents. So far, no unwanted dogs have been handed in to National Animal Sanctuary Support League (NASSL), in Sadberge, near Darlington, but there are fears

  • Prices rise by sea

    A NORTH-EAST seaside town has recorded one of the biggest increase in house prices in the country in 2004. Figures from the Halifax place Saltburn, east Cleveland, fourth in the top ten of house price increases. The average price there last year was £77,452

  • Hospital trust cash boost to attract jobless

    ABOUT £100,000 of extra money has been awarded to a North Yorkshire health trust to help attract more unemployed people into the NHS. The York Hospitals NHS Trust was successful in a recent bid to join the Employability Scheme, funded by the regional

  • Efforts pay off for barn owl volunteers

    BARN owls are becoming a more common in part of North Yorkshire thanks to a scheme designed to build them a home. The Vale of Pickering Barn Owl Conservation Network is a voluntary scheme which had been putting up nesting boxes for the owls for 17 years

  • Views sought over tax rise proposal

    A COUNCIL tax rise of 9p per week has been recommended by councillors in Ryedale. The district council's policy and resources committee has suggested the rise, which would take the total levied by the council to £3.02 per week for a Band D property. In

  • Call for action over foul smells

    RESIDENTS who have been plagued by foul smells from a nearby beck have appealed for help from the Environment Agency. People living in Drybourne Avenue, Shildon, have had problems with the small stream that runs through the bottom of their gardens for

  • Sites open for tree and card recycling

    DARLINGTON residents are urged to look beyond the seasonal festivities and make plans to recycle their Christmas trees and cards. Tree collection points will be operating from January 5 to 14. The trees will be collected and chipped. Cards can be recycled

  • Training plan for councillors agreed

    A council has signalled its commitment to training its councillors by signing the North-East Regional Charter for Elected Member Development. Chester-le-Street District Council is the first to sign up to the charter, which has been developed by the North-East

  • Chance to join Tall Ship race

    A TEAM of about 50 young North-Easterners are being offered the chance of a lifetime to take centre stage in what promises to be one of the region's biggest events of 2005. The Tall Ships Race comes to the region in July, with 100 of the world's most

  • Santa trips on track for next year

    THOUSANDS of youngsters enjoyed Santa's visit to a multi-million railway museum so much that plans for next year's festivities are already under way. All 3,500 tickets for Locomotion: National Railway Museum's Santa Special were snapped up within days

  • Fiona takes up role with health trust

    PATIENTS are being given a say on the future of health services in Darlington. Darlington Primary Care Trust has appointed Fiona Anderson as its new public partnerships facilitator. She will be responsible for ensuring the health service responds to people's

  • Fiona takes up role with health trust

    PATIENTS are being given a say on the future of health services in Darlington. Darlington Primary Care Trust has appointed Fiona Anderson as its new public partnerships facilitator. She will be responsible for ensuring the health service responds to people's

  • Students angry as college cancels pottery classes

    A part-time pottery students have spoken of their anger and dismay at a college's decision to axe their classes. More than 50 potters have been left in the lurch after New College Durham said that it was withdrawing the facilities in the new year for

  • Simon successful in bid for primary care trust position

    A NEW man is now in charge of health care in the Hambleton and Richmondshire area. Simon Kirk has been appointed as chief executive of the local primary care trust (PCT), succeeding Chris Long, who moved to Hull. Staff and representatives from partner

  • Pupils ring up prizes for top charity effort

    A SCHOOL with only 94 pupils carried out a charity effort that proved to be the best in the country. Pupils at St Mary's CE Primary School, Bolton-on-Swale, near Richmond, took part in the Fones4Schools recycling campaign. They showed they had a real

  • 29/12/04

    EVOLUTION: I agree in part with what David Neil has to say (HAS, Dec 22). However, I must question how he came to the conclusion that the creationist theory has more credibility than Darwin's theory of evolution. I believe that when students are first

  • Councillor calls for road to be gritted

    A PARISH councillor has hit out at his local highway authority for not gritting a busy road near a school. Councillor Tony Mayhew, from Dene Valley Parish Council, claims that the road between Auckland Park, near Bishop Auckland, and Dene Valley Primary

  • Paralympian shares love of poetry

    PARALYMPIC gold medal winner Tanni Grey Thompson is turning to poetry, to raise money for charity. She will share her favourite poetry and prose and reminiscences with an audience at the Sir William Turner almshouses at Kirkleatham, Redcar, on January

  • Swimmer number 10,000

    YOUNG Brandon Slee has become the 10,000th student to enrol for a popular Learn to Swim Programme. Brandon, aged six, of Ryhope, Sunderland, has just graduated from the first stage of his swimming course at the city's Crowtree Leisure Centre. He can now

  • Back to work for crash victim who feared she was paralysed

    A WOMAN who feared she might be paralysed for life following a car crash, is back at work thanks to a scheme designed to help those with ill health get into the office. Health visitor Elaine Cotterill lost all feeling in her legs after her car was hit

  • Just one more time then, pet

    Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (BBC1); Constantine: The King Who Lost His Throne (five); Sobhraj: The Hippie Killer (five): MOXEY remains calm in the face of bloodthirsty, machete-wielding insurgents storming the British Embassy in central Africa. "Now they're

  • Police arrests up 17%

    NEW Home Office figures show that criminals are more likely to be arrested if they are breaking the law in North Yorkshire. The county's police have recorded the country's largest increase in arrests, according to statistics published last week. The national

  • Signs good for advice centre

    EXPANSION plans have led to new appointments at the Signpost advice and information centre in Crook. A restructuring programme agreed by the board has seen trustees becoming directors, with manager Malcolm Chatham taking on the twin roles of chief executive

  • Unions to hold strike ballot

    UNION chiefs in the region are to hold a preliminary ballot over strike action across public services. Public service union Unison will ask its biggest branch in the North-East to vote on whether industrial action should be taken over reforms to the pension

  • Prices rise by sea

    A NORTH-EAST seaside town has recorded one of the biggest increase in house prices in the country in 2004. Figures from the Halifax place Saltburn, east Cleveland, fourth in the top ten of house price increases. The average price there last year was £77,452

  • Breakthrough for 'Bandit Murder' pair

    TWO men jailed for life for a North-East gangland killing 37 years ago have won the right to have their case re-examined. Michael Luvaglio and Dennis Stafford are now hoping it will be referred to the Court of Appeal where they will seek to have their

  • Jonny is poised for a start

    AFTER three appearances from the bench, Jonny Wilkinson looks certain to make his first start for Newcastle Falcons on Sunday since recovering from his bicep injury. The Falcons are also hoping that the England captain's showdown with his deputy in the

  • 1,000 children helped to stay within the law

    A COUNCIL has helped almost 1,000 young people keep on the right side of the law this year. Darlington Borough Council's early intervention team has worked with 956 youths in 2004 and claims it has an 88 to 90 per cent rate of success in stopping offending

  • Pupils help to pioneer bright idea

    A PILOT scheme which aims to keep youngsters safe while crossing the road in the dark or in dull weather has been launched in Ferryhill. All 220 pupils at Dean Bank Primary School have been given a reflective wristband by local police officers. Beat officer

  • Mother backing herself to lose 5st

    TIRED of her long-term weight problem, Melanie Linsley is backing herself to shed the pounds. Mrs Linsley, 37, from Newcastle, developed an underactive thyroid five years ago and her weight has fluctuated ever since. Now, the mother-of-one - a vegetarian

  • Church to have 'marriage window'

    A stained glass "marriage window" is being designed to look down on couples as they walk from a village church following their weddings. It is to be fitted in the west porch of St Michael and All Angels Parish Church, in Barningham, near Barnard Castle

  • Charity couple hit by ill health

    A COUPLE who set up a charity to support people with learning and physical disabilities are stepping back from their work because of ill health. Wilf and Phyllis Ward started the Wilf Ward Family Trust in 1986 and opened Isabella Court, a respite care

  • Friends and family say goodbye to popular young man

    Dozens of coloured balloons were released outside a Teesdale church yesterday to celebrate the life of a popular teenage boy. There was standing room only at Cockfield Methodist Church today as friends and family gathered to pay their respects to 14-year-old

  • Meeting for rail friends

    THE Friends of Darlington (North Road Station) Railway Museum meet on Thursday, January 6, at 7.15pm when they welcome speaker Leslie McAllister who will talk about 40 Years of the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland. The meeting will take place at

  • Dante defies Benrajah

    LOCAL hero Forest Dante received by far the biggest cheer of the afternoon from a bumper crowd at Catterick yesterday when he battled on bravely to record a fourth course success. Trained only four miles from the track as the crow flies by his owner,

  • Airport accident inquiry launched

    AN investigation has been launched after a baggage handler crashed his truck into a plane at a North-East airport. The incident happened on Monday as 140 passengers were about to leave on the 6.45am bmi baby flight from Durham Tees Valley Airport to London

  • Determined Wilks plots route to rallying's summit

    THE phrase 'great British hope' is an oft-used but seldom warranted title. More often than not it's attached to some up-and-comer who hit a few good balls in the early rounds one summer's morn at SW19, only to be seen next trying and failing to teach

  • Frankie the ferret comes in from the cold

    A RUNAWAY ferret is in safe hands after seeking shelter from the wintry weather. Frankie, as he has been named, was handed in to the National Animal Sanctuary Support League (NASSL), in Sadberge, near Darlington, on Monday. He was found by Dennis Hanky

  • A Job at Christmas gives Boro a boost

    JOSEPH JOB was the Middlesbrough hero yesterday with a 90-second double to send a record 34,836 Riverside crowd home delighted with a win - and delirious with their side's efforts over 2004. A 128-year wait for silverware was ended with the Carling Cup

  • Exposing a dishonoured tradition

    No doubt provoking the usual mixture of mirth and indignation, leavened with a dash or two of genuine admiration, the New Year Honours appear at the weekend. No-one will view them with a more jaundiced eye than former Prime Minster John Major. Remember

  • Death toll hits 50,000 - and it could double

    THE death toll from the Asian tidal waves - currently 50,000 and rising by the hour - could double because of the risk of disease, the World Health Organisation warned last night. Meanwhile, aid officials described the tsunami horror as one of the world's

  • Crisis railway staff paid

    RAILWAY bosses facing a cash crisis secured enough funds to pay their staff in time for Christmas. After two days of solid talks major funding partners at Weardale Railway Ltd managed to come up with a package that ensured all 34 workers got paid on Christmas

  • Hotline set up in bid to trap fly tippers

    A HOTLINE has been set up to allow the speedy reporting of the activities of illegal fly tippers in County Durham. The dedicated phone line has been launched for the use of anyone who witnesses unscrupulous operators illegally dumping waste and rubbish

  • How the leftovers can be vital for birds

    WATER bosses are offering a way to feed the birds this winter - and stop drains getting blocked at the same time. Cleaning up after the festive excess is never the most welcome task and a lot of leftovers end up being poured down the kitchen sink. But

  • Council bids to keep wardens

    COUNCIL bosses are searching their budget in a bid to save an award-winning warden scheme. Government funding for the Wear Valley Warden Scheme in Bishop Auckland runs out in March leaving residents fearing for the future of a vital service they have

  • Susan and Peter's grape expectations

    2004 has been a year for television programmes following Britons moving abroad in search of a better quality of life. Sarah Foster talks to a couple from the North-East who are living their dream after buying a vineyard in France. CRYSTAL waters, clear

  • Cinema hits back at claims of disorder

    A CINEMA manager has hit back at accusations that he has not helped police deal with crime and disorder. Steven Allison, who runs the UCI cinema at the MetroCentre, Gateshead, defended his application to keep the screens running until 3am. Police Chief

  • A Bristol blank is fine for Pool boss Cooper

    WHILE memories of Hartlepool United's previous visit to Bristol City will remain for years to come, their emotional return to the south west yesterday will take far less time to forget. Back in May, it was at Ashton Gate where Pool were so cruelly denied

  • Transit set to make amends

    TRANSIT (2.05) travels to Musselburgh this afternoon in the hope of bagging the feature race at the Scottish track, the £25,000 totetrifecta Handicap Hurdle. The riding tactics employed by Dean Gallagher aboard Transit last time out at Cheltenham were

  • After 40 years, instrument strikes a chord with Joan

    AFTER 40 years, retired teacher Joan Turnbull has been reunited with the old harmonium she first played as a young Sunday school girl. The reunion happened after the small wooden organ was discovered in a cupboard under the stairs at the Methodist chapel

  • Stewart ends drought with injury time winner

    MARCUS STEWART has waited almost four months for a goal but he struck an injury time winner to fire Sunderland into the top two and show Nottingham Forest how it should be done. In an incredible topsy-turvy encounter at the City Ground, Forest missed

  • On the trail of Pennine memories

    ORGANISERS of celebrations to mark next year's 40th anniversary of the Pennine Way are encouraging walkers to reminisce about the famous trail. The route from Edale, in the Peak District, to Kirk Yetholm, in the Scottish Borders, became the first long

  • England fight back with opening stand of 273

    England openers Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Strauss produced a record-breaking stand to thwart South Africa's ambitions in the second Test. Resuming 163 behind on 30 without loss, the pair chose the third day at Durban to launch an aggressive counter-attack

  • At home with nature

    WORK has started on the region's first luxury environmentally-friendly holiday lodges. Ten so-called "ecohomes" are being built near Richmond, North Yorkshire, on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The lodges are made from sustainable timber

  • Shop swap is a fair trade

    A COLLEGE is removing all vending machines from school premises to encourage healthy eating and promote fair trade. Harrogate Ladies' College has three snack machines for juniors, and one for the sixth form. All four will be removed and replaced with

  • Transit set to make amends

    TRANSIT (2.05) travels to Musselburgh this afternoon in the hope of bagging the feature race at the Scottish track, the £25,000 totetrifecta Handicap Hurdle. The riding tactics employed by Dean Gallagher aboard Transit last time out at Cheltenham were

  • Jonny is poised for a start

    AFTER three appearances from the bench, Jonny Wilkinson looks certain to make his first start for Newcastle Falcons on Sunday since recovering from his bicep injury. The Falcons are also hoping that the England captain's showdown with his deputy in the

  • Missing man's car found at foot of cliff

    POLICE searching for a missing man have found the remains of his car at the bottom of a cliff. Gareth Cuthbert disappeared from Saltburn early on Christmas Day wearing a white sweatshirt, jeans and trainers. He was thought to have been driving a red VW

  • Five-star double for 'superloo'

    AN award-winning public lavatory has won yet another national honour. The only 'superloo' in the Hambleton district has been crowned as a five-star facility in the National Loo of the Year awards for the second year running. The loo, on the Applegarth

  • Players step out in new kits

    YOUNG football players will be stepping out on to the pitch in the new year with new strips. Auckland Youth and Community Centre's football team, which is setting up a friendly league against other teams in the area, were given the kits by Bishop Auckland

  • Action call on problem of rubbish skips

    TWO councillors are to meet highway chiefs next month to urge a tougher stance on skip firms flouting highway rules. Harrogate borough councillors David Simister and Fred Willis have received complaints from residents about overflowing and unlit skips

  • Grit this dangerous road, says councillor

    A PARISH councillor has hit out at his local highway authority for not gritting a busy road near a school. Councillor Tony Mayhew, from Dene Valley Parish Council, claims that the road between Auckland Park, near Bishop Auckland, and Dene Valley Primary

  • ON TV last night...

    Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (BBC1) Constantine: The King Who Lost His Throne (five) Sobhraj: The Hippie Killer (five) MOXEY remains calm in the face of bloodthirsty, machete-wielding insurgents storming the British Embassy in central Africa. "Now they're throwing

  • After 40 years, instrument strikes a chord with Joan

    AFTER 40 years, retired teacher Joan Turnbull has been reunited with the old harmonium she first played as a young Sunday school girl. The reunion happened after the small wooden organ was discovered in a cupboard under the stairs at the Methodist chapel

  • Mother backing herself to lose 5st

    TIRED of her long-term weight problem, Melanie Linsley is backing herself to shed the pounds. Mrs Linsley, 37, from Newcastle, developed an underactive thyroid five years ago and her weight has fluctuated ever since. Now, the mother-of-one - a vegetarian

  • Singers hit right notes for charity

    A CHOIR that performs in Victorian dress has hit its target of raising £1,000 for charity. The Harp Singers, of Wensleydale, sang carols in a dozen places in the three-week lead-up to Christmas to raise the money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association

  • Housing scheme turned down amid fears for future

    COUNCILLORS have unanimously rejected a greenfield site housing development amid fears it could set a precedent for more homes in the countryside. Members of a Ripon area planning committee of Harrogate Borough Council voted against the application to

  • Santa trips on track for next year

    THOUSANDS of youngsters enjoyed Santa's visit to a multi-million railway museum so much that plans for next year's festivities are already under way. All 3,500 tickets for Locomotion: National Railway Museum's Santa Special were snapped up within days

  • Mayor's campaign to warn of spiked drinks menace

    A CIVIC official has launched an awareness campaign highlighting the dangers of drinks being spiked - even in smaller communities. The Mayor of Ripon, Councillor Stuart Martin, has link-ed up with North Yorkshire Police and Harrogate District Alcohol

  • Headteacher's surprise party

    A HEADTEACHER who left a school for a final time to retire has been given a suprise farewell party. More than 200 people, including family, friends and colleagues packed into the Demi Club in Consett to celebrate the career of Ted Young. Mr Young, 58,

  • First steps taken in £52m town revamp

    A makeover has been ordered for scores of a town's older houses. Homes in Middlesbrough's Bell Street area are to benefit from the facelift. The improvement area includes houses in Ayresome Green Lane, Ayresome Grange Road and Bell Street. They have been

  • Joy as station is reopened

    A VILLAGE in the Yorkshire Dales has had the best Christmas present it could wish for - the reopening of its railway station. Finghall is the fifth station to re-open on the 17-mile Wensleydale Railway line, which was relaunched last year. The station

  • Award for saleswoman

    A STOCKTON woman has won her boss's congratulations for high cosmetics sales figures. Christine Hughff, from Stockton, won second place for top branch sales with Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Cosmetics - out of 10,000 sales staff. She was presented with

  • Fears over dumped dogs

    AN animal charity is bracing itself for the annual influx of unwanted dogs given as Christmas presents. So far, no unwanted dogs have been handed in to National Animal Sanctuary Support League (NASSL), in Sadberge, near Darlington, but there are fears

  • College is on the move

    NEW Year will ring in the changes for a university college on Teesside. Stockton Riverside College is to relocate its technology and pre-vocational centres to specially-adapted premises early next year. Between January and April, curriculum provision

  • Winner's delight over car prize

    A BUSINESSWOMAN'S firm has been given a corporate image boost after she won a luxury German sports car. Jill Davison, who with her partner Ade Swift, has set up A and J Mortgage Services in Chester-le-Street, won the BMW 318 Compact Sports from the financial

  • Hospital trust cash boost to attract jobless

    ABOUT £100,000 of extra money has been awarded to a North Yorkshire health trust to help attract more unemployed people into the NHS. The York Hospitals NHS Trust was successful in a recent bid to join the Employability Scheme, funded by the regional

  • Caravan plan wins temporary backing

    A FIRM which has found it difficult to recruit local workers has been told it can keep a caravan for two employees on its industrial site for a year. RE Duffield and Sons, whose timber yard is based at Melmerby village, near Ripon, applied to a Ripon

  • Children send goats to Sudan

    KIND-HEARTED children shelved plans to exchange Christmas cards so they can present goats and chickens to a village in Sudan. Now the idea, from the Oxfam Unwrapped campaign, has snowballed so much, that the school is hoping to provide enough cash for

  • Bus driver targets spot on TV show

    A BUS driver is hoping some of his wildlife photos will appear on national television. Gil Laverick has spent 18 months building up a portfolio of his work, which centres on wildlife and scenes in nature. He is now keeping his fingers crossed that some

  • Death toll rises by the hour

    THE death toll from the Asian tidal waves - currently 50,000 and rising by the hour - could double because of the risk of disease, the World Health Organisation warned last night. Meanwhile, aid officials described the tsunami horror as one of the world's

  • N-E survivors tell of terror as holidays turned to hell

    SURVIVORS from the region last night described the aftermath of the tsunami in South-East Asia as a holocaust,with bodies floating in and out of the sea. In Thailand, volunteers dragged scores of corpses from beaches, inland pools and hotels. But in Sri

  • Villagers are challenged to raise a ton

    VILLAGERS have been challenged to raise a ton to help a church repair programme. St James' Church, Coundon, near Bishop Auckland, will launch its Ton Up Challenge in the new year as it continues to raise money for its Under The Roof Appeal. So far volunteers

  • Music festival widens net

    A FESTIVAL of music and speech has opened its doors to more participants. The 95th Wensleydale Tournament of Speech and Song, which takes place in March, will be open to all, rather than to those within 25 miles of Leyburn. The closing date for entries

  • Fan brings London bus north

    The days of the eye-catching Routemaster double-decker bus in London are numbered. After decades of work in the capital the unmistakeable red bus is to retire next year. But one bus at least has a future in North Yorkshire, thanks to Brian Jennings. Mr

  • Starter firms get cash lift

    TWO Darlington businesses have received £10,000 from a council-run scheme to help them get off the ground. The Falchion Fund is a loan scheme dedicated to new and existing businesses which employ up to 250 people. It aims to support the creation of jobs

  • No Gay Meadow frolics as Quakers are thumped

    Darlington were still bearing gifts as their disastrous Christmas continued with their third consecutive defeat yesterday. Ten days ago Darlington were as high as fifth, but instead of consolidating their place in the play-off zone three defeats have

  • Jenas relishing the chance to shine against Vieira

    JERMAINE Jenas is confident of overshadowing Patrick Vieira tonight - because the Newcastle skipper has been taking television tips from his Arsenal counterpart. Ever since he emerged on the scene as a fresh-faced teenager, Jenas' languid style and action-packed

  • 12,000 find work thanks to hotline

    JOB-SEEKERS in the region are being urged to use a scheme which has helped 12,000 people find work this year. Jobseeker Direct helped people in the area find work in the region through its JobCentre Plus scheme. The scheme adds 10,000 vacancies a day

  • Comment from The Northern Echo: Reaching out to help

    IT is impossible to comprehend the scale of the destruction and tragedy left by the tidal waves which struck south Asia. This is the world's biggest natural disaster of modern times. Already it is estimated that 50,000 men, women and children have lost

  • Singers hit right notes for charity

    A CHOIR that performs in Victorian dress has hit its target of raising £1,000 for charity. The Harp Singers, of Wensleydale, sang carols in a dozen places in the three-week lead-up to Christmas to raise the money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association

  • Craig queues all night for a bit of luxury

    THE boss of a furniture chain has praised the stamina of a man who slept under the stars ahead of the Boxing Day sale. The pavement was Craig Holt's pillow as he camped outside the Middlesbrough branch of Barker and Stonehouse on Christmas night to ensure

  • Deflated Hodgson is furious

    Devastated David Hodgson was almost lost for words after watching Darlington suffer their worst defeat in over a year. Quakers were thumped 4-0 by a Shrewsbury side who were second bottom, hadn't scored four goals in their previous four games combined

  • At home with nature

    WORK has started on the region's first luxury environmentally-friendly holiday lodges. Ten so-called "ecohomes" are being built near Richmond, North Yorkshire, on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The lodges are made from sustainable timber

  • McCarthy ready for a fight to stay in promotion contention

    MICK McCARTHY has warned his Sunderland squad to learn to deal with more of the same if the Black Cats are to stay in the automatic promotion spots for the rest of the season. Sunderland were lucky to escape with their third win in five Championship matches

  • Another poor run

    IF NEWCASTLE fail to beat Arsenal at St James' Park tonight it will be seven games without a win at home, writes Will Scott. Ruud Gullit was boss the last time United went six games without a victory on home soil. Gullit took Newcastle to the FA Cup final

  • The Lifeblood Appeal

    As part of The Northern Echo's Lifeblood campaign, which aims to encourage people to give blood, here are details of forthcoming donor sessions in the region TOMORROW * Methodist Church, High Street, Stokesley, 2.30pm-7pm Friday * Methodist Church Hall

  • Political parties sign up to use database for election

    A DATABASE, tested by the Labour party in this year's Hartlepool by-election, is to be used across the country at the next General Election. Marketing firm Mosaic has complied a profile of every postcode in Britain and this information has reportedly

  • Souness gets first signing

    NEWCASTLE officials were last night completing the signing of Chelsea full-back Celestine Babayaro. The Nigeria international spent yesterday undergoing a medical at St James' Park and, with personal terms also understood to have been agreed, Babayaro

  • Horror as pet is mauled by dog

    A WOMAN has told of her horror as she was forced to stand by and watch her pet savaged by another dog. Helen Marshall said that her Jack Russell dog Missy was lucky to be alive after the pet was attacked by a Staffordshire Bull Terrier while walking on

  • McClaren hails Boro's biggest victory to date

    A DELIGHTED Steve McClaren labelled Middlesbrough's win over Norwich among the club's 'biggest of the season' as the Teessiders ensured they go into 2005 in fifth spot in the Premiership. Two Joseph Job goals in the space of 90 second half seconds were

  • Welcome cash boost for learning library

    A CHARITY that lends specialist equipment and toys to people with disabilities and special needs is celebrating a cash windfall from Gannett, the Advertiser's parent company. The Learning Library, in Spennymoor, was launched in 1986 to support families

  • Holidaymakers left grounded as crew take their seats

    A dream trip to New York failed to get off the ground after a group of holidaymakers lost their seats to the crew. The two couples, from Teesside, were told their seats had been given to the crew from another flight. They were offered an alternative flight

  • North's top entrepreneurs

    TWO of the region's businessmen have been voted in the top ten entrepreneurs in the country. Paul Harrison, 33, who co-owns North Yorkshire housebuilders Harron Homes, is the youngest person on business magazine Management Today's list of the UK's most

  • A life-changing experience

    OVER the years, Anthony Quinn has read scores of self-help books to satisfy his curiosity and interest in what makes people tick. But many of the books, sold worldwide, left him feeling that there was one key ingredient lacking - an interaction between

  • Chance to join Tall Ship race

    A TEAM of about 50 young North-Easterners are being offered the chance of a lifetime to take centre stage in what promises to be one of the region's biggest events of 2005. The Tall Ships Race comes to the region in July, with 100 of the world's most

  • Memorial to popular teacher

    PRIMARY school youngsters have unveiled a lasting memorial to their headteacher who died earlier this year from cancer. Children at Willington Primary School wanted to do something to remember Maggie Griffiths, who has been an inspiration to them in their