Archive

  • Tree of Life blossoms into cash for hospice

    A HOSPICE has raised more than £2,000 thanks to a Christmas tree with a difference. Instead of trinkets and lights, relatives hung paper baubles in memory of departed family members. The baubles, which each carried someone's name, were hung on the Teesside

  • Wilks overcomes brake problem to claim points at Monte Carlo

    GUY Wilks made the most of a bad situation to grab two precious points at the end of the Monte Carlo Rally. Darlington driver Wilks, competing in the Junior World Rally Championship, crashed out in his Suzuki Ignis on Saturday, day two of the arduous

  • In-spiring plan

    A YORK church spire could house a mobile phone mast in a deal that could secure the building's future. T-Mobile (UK) wants to install three antennae in the tower of 19th Century St Lawrence's Church, in Lawrence Street. The listed building was saved from

  • Dog lover wins appeal over kennels

    A DOG lover has won his appeal against a council enforcement notice requiring him to stop using a stable building as kennels. Kevin Knox of Barrons Way, Burnhope, near Stanley, had appealed against a decision by Derwentside District Council, which went

  • Oxbridge for Amy

    A TEESSIDE teenager has been given a conditional offer to study law at Cambridge. Amy Kirkbride, an 18-year-old student at Stockton Sixth Form College, has been offered a place to study law at St Catherine's College if she gets straight As in three A-level

  • Vandals leave children's play area unprotected from train line

    VANDALS have torn down part of a fence separating a children's play area from a railway line. The play facility, on the Oakfield Lodge estate, off Brinkburn Road, Darlington, was completed last August. Councillor Bryan Thistlethwaite said it had become

  • Hospital job for volunteer

    FORMER hospital helper David Dunn is backing a nationwide campaign to recruit more volunteers into the health sector. Mr Dunn, 20, from Sunderland, was the first person in Britain to come through a Government-backed volunteer challenge scheme. After nine

  • Councillor calls on residents to help hit recycling targets

    RESIDENTS are being urged to recycle their rubbish, rather than throwing it out. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council is splitting its area into four zones for a new recycling scheme. Collections across east Cleveland will alternate, with one week for

  • Appeal to trace school friends

    Joseph Feltis of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, is trying to trace classmates who attended Harelaw Secondary School, Annfield Plain, Stanley, from 1963 to 1966. They included Colin Haslam, Malcolm Hanratty, Alan Goddard, Gloria Blewitt, Thomas Walton and

  • Unit deals with asbestos blaze

    Firefighters had to call for specialist back-up to tackle a blaze in a disused farm shed because the building was made with asbestos. Appliances from Bishop Auckland and Barnard Castle were called to a chicken farm, in Bleak Terrace, Cockfield, on Saturday

  • Unit deals with asbestos blaze

    Firefighters had to call for specialist back-up to tackle a blaze in a disused farm shed because the building was made with asbestos. Appliances from Bishop Auckland and Barnard Castle were called to a chicken farm, in Bleak Terrace, Cockfield, on Saturday

  • Authority 'blazing a trail' to deal with unruly pupils

    A COUNCIL has been praised for leading the way in providing guidelines for teachers who need to physically intervene with disruptive pupils. A full meeting of Darlington Borough Council this Thursday will discuss the council's new "restrictive physical

  • Petty officer's accolade for service

    A NORTH-EAST sailor has been presented with a medal for 15 years service with the Royal Navy. Petty Officer (Weapon Systems) Neil Watson, 33, from Darlington, was given his award by Lady Sandra Robertson, wife of Lord George Robertson, former Secretary

  • Brand will promote region's vibrancy

    A MARKETING agency geared at making the North-East a prime tourist and conference attraction has unveiled a new brand. Newcastle Gateshead Initiative (NGI) has launched 2005 Alive, the banner under which events will be hosted. A year of festivals and

  • New leader needed for health trust

    A HEALTH trust is looking for a replacement for its chairman, who will step down next month. David Becker, who has led Langbaurgh Primary Care Trust since it was established nearly three years ago, will retire at the end of next month. The trust is looking

  • Shopping centre responds to survey with ban on smoking

    A SHOPPING centre in a north Durham market town will become the latest smoke-free zone from today after a majority of shoppers voted in favour of the ban. Of the 500 people that responded to a survey, 81 per cent said they were in favour of a smoking

  • Wooden doors held back flames at Allerton Castle

    Thick wooden doors held back the flames saving historic rooms as fire ripped through Allerton Castle, it emerged yesterday. Around a third of the eighteenth century building near Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, was destroyed in the blaze early on Saturday

  • Residents sceptical about bid to enhance their park

    A ROW broke out at a public meeting aimed at getting people on board a project to improve a Darlington park. Local ward councillors called the meeting on Saturday morning to try to get residents to join a Friends of North Park scheme. But angry residents

  • Tool library

    Branksome Tool Library in Darlington is urging people to use its services. Membership of the library, which is at the estate's community centre, in Eggleston View, is £1. It opens on Tuesdays, from 10am to noon, and on Thursdays, from noon to 2pm. Call

  • Criticism over plan to demolish pub for housing

    PLANS to demolish a pub and replace it with housing have come under criticism from residents and planning chiefs. Planning officers are recommending that an application for the Causey Arch Inn, at Marley Hill, near Stanley, is rejected by Derwentside

  • Parents dig in to turn school plans into reality

    A COMMUNITY proved it was in a class of its own, stepping into the breach when a school found it lacked the cash to translate drawing board plans into reality. Parents, grandparents, friends, teachers and children reported for work at the weekend at Preston

  • Villagers battle to keep officer

    A GROUP of moorland villages is battling to keep a project officer who has helped them produce ideas to improve their quality of life. Margaret Farey has worked with residents of 16 remote communities in the North Yorkshire Moors National Park, including

  • School wins place in high achiever guide

    A school will be highlighted as a high achiever by education watchdog Ofsted. Bedale High School is to be included in the High Achieving Schools guide, after receiving outstanding reviews in inspections. The school also recorded a 99 per cent pass rate

  • Training system 'could do better'

    EDUCATIONALISTS have called for a better deal for young people. The comments follow a survey by North Yorkshire County Council's education department into vocational training and education for people aged 14 to 19. Hugh Williamson, council head of scrunity

  • Spending cash an art for council

    TOWN councillors in Kirkbymoorside are seeking ideas for £600 to be spent on an artistic venture. The money is 50 per cent of the amount left from the former Ryedale Festival Society Arts Trust. Suggestions include buying instruments for Kirkbymoorside

  • Theatre hosts rat pack party

    The sounds of Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jnr and Frank Sinatra will feature in The Rat Pack Party, at Durham City's Gala Theatre, on Monday and Tuesday, next week, at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £14.50, concessions £12.50, and are available from the box office

  • FA Vase: Roofing through to last 16

    Giantkillers Jarrow Roofing swept into the last 16 of the FA Vase with a shock 3-0 home win over Deal Town. Roofing disposed of competition favourites Cammell Laird two rounds ago, and on Saturday they hit three second half goals to put the recent finalists

  • Deal promises to make it easier to contact councils

    A MULTI-MILLION pound deal has been struck to transform the way residents access council services. North Yorkshire County Council and Hambleton District Council have signed a £7.4m contract with York technology provider Agilisys. The deal will result

  • Deal will aid credit union expansion

    A CREDIT union hopes to reach more low-income savers through a deal with a housing company. Wearside First was launched in 2003 to help people who cannot get bank accounts and to provide loans below the commercial rate of interest. The union hopes it

  • Television presenter battles her fears at racecourse

    BLUE Peter's newest presenter visited North Yorkshire in an attempt to conquer her fear of horse riding. New face Zoe Salmon, above, went to York Racecourse for a crash-course in riding, with her efforts being recorded for a forthcoming episode of the

  • News in brief

    Traffic accident: Three people were hurt, including one person cut free by firefighters, following a two-car collision on Apple Orchard Bank, Skelton, east Cleveland, on Saturday night. All three were taken to hospital and the road was closed for several

  • Driver's victory over tyre damage

    A DRIVER'S victory over thorns that burst his tyres could lead the way for motorists across the country to seek compensation from highway authorities. Steve Crow threatened legal action when he suffered two flat tyres as a result of trimmings left on

  • Call for action after miners compensation firm criticised

    THE minister responsible for coal health claims, Nigel Griffiths, has been advised to dump the company that handles compensation claims on behalf of former miners. Senior civil servants in the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) have recommended that

  • Disembarking from the love boat

    Singer Jane McDonald tells Steve Pratt why she is glad to see the back of her husband after the breakdown of her much publicised romance. JANE McDonald, the singer who found fame through the BBC reality show The Cruise, has a message to deliver: "I'm

  • Fire-ravaged castle to rise from ashes

    A STATELY home badly damaged by fire at the weekend will be restored to its former glory, says the building's millionaire owner. About a third of Allerton Castle, near Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, was destroyed in the blaze early on Saturday. More

  • Woman prosecuted for driving while holding an apple

    A nursery nurse who was stopped because she was holding an apple while driving was fined today following a prosecution which her solicitor described as ''nonsensical''. He also criticised Northumbria Police and the Crown Prosecution Service for ordering

  • Shirt sales up

    SALES of Middlesbrough football shirts have already overtaken last year's sales. There has been a 62 per cent rise in sales since 2001/2002. The team's successes in the Premiership and Uefa Cup are thought responsible.

  • Reprieve for closure-threat club after game postponed

    A TOWN football club threatened with closure was given a reprieve when the game it feared would be its last was called off at the weekend. Fans who turned up for Spennymoor United's home game on Saturday, knowing it could be the last one played by the

  • Meeting arranged over future of brewery site

    SUPERMARKET company Tesco will tonight be questioned by members of a North-East city's business community over controversial plans for a prime site. The former Vaux brewery site in Sunderland has been dormant for more than five years and has been set

  • Where the patients take second place

    Casualty (BBC1): THIS isn't a good day for Charlie to have a hangover. The morning after the night before, he admits that he overdid it last night at his birthday celebrations. "What was in that punch? It was the off-licence equivalent of a weapon of

  • Training partly cause of rise in police complaints

    A POLICE force has dismissed figures which show that complaints against officers have doubled. North Yorkshire Police recorded 89 allegations in the three months leading up to December 31, compared with 46 for the same period in 2003. Police chiefs said

  • UniBond League: Bishops earn Leek trip

    A last minute goal from Mark Sheeran helped Bishop Auckland come from behind to win at Kendal in the Presidents Cup on Saturday - but they have an even longer trip to make tonight. Bishops' reward for their victory is a game at Leek Town in Staffordshire

  • Gunner suspected in Magpies mystery

    TRAINS of thought and all that, the column a couple of weeks back noted that pre-war LNER steam engines were named after Sunderland, Middlesbrough and even Darlington football clubs but not, curiously, after Newcastle United. We were mistaken. Now it

  • Pupils test fruity fish

    A GROUP of primary pupils pupils is among the first in the North East to try a tasty way of improving classroom skills. Loftus Junior School has chosen 34 youngsters to test a fruit flavoured fish-oil supplement - eye q smooth - every day for three months

  • Writing contest judges are revealed

    THE judges have been announced for the national short story competition run through The Northern Echo. Also backed by Orange and Darlington Arts Centre, the competition is organised by Inscribe Media Limited, based in Darlington. All the judges live in

  • Johnson Lords it at Haydock

    Lord Transcend made amends for a crashing fall at Wetherby over Christmas with an impressive victory in the Peter Marsh Chase at Haydock Park on Saturday. Howard Johnson's grey went off a hot favourite for the Rowland Meyrick Chase at the West Yorkshire

  • North worst for cancer

    CANCER patients in the North are dying needlessly because of long waits for treatment, a report is expected to reveal this week. MPs on the Commons public accounts committee have found that sufferers in the North stand less chance of getting life-saving

  • How can I forgive?

    On Thursday, the world will mark the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Nick Morrison talks to a survivor of the camp that claimed more than a million lives. HARRY'S hut was close enough to the road that, as he lay in bed, he could hear

  • Vandals hit police car

    A POLICE officer had the window of his patrol car smashed by vandals - while he was interviewing a householder whose own window had been broken. The officer was attending a house in Severn Way, on Darlington's Skerne Park estate, when the thugs struck

  • Competition for places keeps Convery on his toes

    MARK CONVERY may have the unenviable task of competing for the same attacking role as Craig Hignett, but the Darlington midfielder has vowed to take his chance when he gets it. Convery has been left frustrated by the limited amount of first-team chances

  • Start your day at the Point of Origin

    POINT OF ORIGIN seems a good place to start for punters seeking to make a profit at Southwell today. The career of Chris Bealby's eight-year-old appeared to be on the rocks after being pulled up four times in succession during 2004. It was an ignominious

  • Wearside League: RA take advantage of rivals' cup exploits

    Darlington RA extended their lead at the top of the table to six points although Stokesley SC, who were on cup duty, have a game in hand on their rivals. Manager Dave Woodcock anticipated a difficult match at Ryhope CW who are fifth from top. And when

  • Comment from The Northern Echo: Grinding along far too slowly

    BACK in early November 2003, The Northern Echo said in this very column: "It would be a fitting tribute to Julie Hogg and her family if they were among the first to see justice achieved as a result of this particular reform." We were referring to the

  • Magpies lurch towards new crisis

    NEWCASTLE United's rocky season took a further lurch last night with star striker Craig Bellamy apparently refusing to play out of position. Rather than play on the right side of midfield, as requested by his manager, Graeme Souness, a disconsolate-looking

  • Win number five sees Blaydon leapfrog Mowden

    Blaydon made it five wins in a row with an excellent 21-5 away victory at North East rivals Darlington Mowden Park - who ironically suffered their fifth defeat on the bounce. Blaydon haven't lost a game since skipper David Guthrie returned from injury

  • Campaigner seeks strong Newcastle to boost region

    ONLY a successful Newcastle can bring prosperity to the North-East after last year's resounding rejection of an elected assembly, according to a key devolution supporter. Lord Haskins said a thriving 'city-region' based on the North-East's capital was

  • Disembarking from the love boat

    Singer Jane McDonald tells Steve Pratt why she is glad to see the back of her husband after the breakdown of her much publicised romance. JANE McDonald, the singer who found fame through the BBC reality show The Cruise, has a message to deliver: "I'm

  • Store looks to local speciality

    A TOWN centre supermarket is offering small businesses a chance to put their goods on the shelves of a multi-national store. Asda in Spennymoor wants local enterprises to suggest products they believe shoppers would like to be able to buy as part of their

  • Super Stewart cuts the Blades down to size

    THE talk was of how Sunderland's top scorer Stephen Elliott was going to put the Blades to the sword. But it was strike partner Marcus Stewart who delivered the cutting edge and dealt a blow to Sheffield United's promotion bid in the process. The Republic

  • Tinnion watching a different game as Pool march on

    IT'S a manager's prerogative to back his team, to talk them up whatever the circumstances. But surely Bristol City's Brian Tinnion was taking things a bit too far at Victoria Park on Saturday. After his side had taken part - and played their part - in

  • Mind games do the trick for Hodgson's 'headless chickens'

    Step aside Paul McKenna and Derren Brown because there's a new mind games expert in town: David Hodgson, master of mind control and subliminal persuasion. Often credited with being a great motivator of players, on Saturday Hodgson used his apparent new-found

  • Open verdict on mystery cliff death

    HOW a woman came to fall to her death from a 400ft cliff may never be known, an inquest has heard. The semi-naked body of 28-year-old care assistant Anthea Calvert was found at the foot of Huntcliff, Saltburn, one Sunday, last August. There were no signs

  • Brand will promote region's vibrancy

    A MARKETING agency geared at making the North-East a prime tourist and conference attraction has unveiled a new brand. Newcastle Gateshead Initiative (NGI) has launched 2005 Alive, the banner under which events will be hosted. A year of festivals and

  • Candlelit vigil to protest at health bill

    A DEMONSTRATION has been planned against proposed changes to the law on the treatment of people with mental health problems. Members of mental health support group Mind fear the draft Mental Health Bill will water down current patient safeguards against

  • Old meets new in city photography group's latest exhibition

    PAST and present images of a North-East city are the subject of a free exhibition. Visitors to Monkwearmouth Station Museum, in North Bridge Street, Sunderland, can see images of the city as depicted by Sunderland Photographic Association. Almost 370

  • Have these dogs had their day?

    IT IS all banter and barking as feeding time gets underway at Liz Hall's kennels. On the long worktop sit 30 stainless steel bowls filled with individually measured portions of food mix and brown bread. Steven Bishop, 36, who looks after the day-to-day

  • Dads join children for Chinese celebration

    A GROUP of fathers joined their children at the weekend to stage a colourful celebration of the Chinese New Year. Chester-le-Street's Dads Aloud, which highlights the importance of fathers as role models and offers them the chance to spend more time with

  • Plea after man falls from scooter

    Police are appealing for help after a scooter rider telephoned his wife to say he had an accident, but did not know where he was, or what had occurred. After the phone call, the rider's wife traced his journey from work and found her husband. However,

  • Store looks to local speciality

    A TOWN centre supermarket is offering small businesses a chance to put their goods on the shelves of a multi-national store. Asda in Spennymoor wants local enterprises to suggest products they believe shoppers would like to be able to buy as part of their

  • Proposals to close schools in favour of £7.9m building

    FALLING classroom rolls and spiralling maintenance costs could force the closure of three primary schools in a Teesside town. If proposals are agreed, Brambles, Caldicotes and Thorntree primary schools, in Middlesbrough, would close and a new £7.9m, 630

  • Education spending cuts claim is denied

    AN education authority is denying opposition claims that its spending on schools is to be cut. The opposition Labour group on Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council is calling on the council's ruling Tory, LibDem and Independent coalition to reaffirm its

  • 'Recovery charge is insult'

    A man charged more than £100 for the privilege of having his stolen and burnt out scooter returned to him has said the police have added insult to injury. The grey Piaggio scooter was taken last December after thieves broke into the garage at Ken Lavery's

  • Nurses appointed to aid school health

    TWO new nurses have been appointed at a Teesdale school to look after the health needs of pupils and staff. Clare Rose and Louise Errington replace Sister Hazel Nevin at Barnard Castle School, giving the school medical cover six days a week. Sister Nevin

  • Dangerous junction could be altered in bid to save lives

    A DANGEROUS junction on a village road which claimed the lives of two young people could be altered after calls to make it safer. Durham County Council is considering banning drivers from making a right turn from the busy A689 dual carriageway on to Stockton

  • Musician in hospital after allergic reaction

    NORTH-EAST rock musician Barry Hyde has recovered after he suffered an allergic reaction to homeopathic medicine he took to help him cope with his band's busy schedule. Mr Hyde, of Sunderland band The Futureheads, returned to the region from London to

  • Successful trampoline team sets high standards in competition

    CHILDREN from a Derwentside sports club are jumping for joy after taking part in a trampolining contest at Washington Leisure Centre. Seven members of the Louisa All-Stars Trampoline Club, in Stanley, came away with trophies from the northern region graded

  • Parties name election hopefuls

    TWO nominations have been received for a by-election to be held in north Durham next month. Stephen Barr has been named as the Labour Party candidate and Sean Kilkenny as the Liberal Democrat candidate for the Pelton Fell ward of Chester-le-Street District

  • Artist's journey of discovery brings him to city musum

    AN artist who takes to the road in a mobile studio arrived in the North-East at the weekend to open an exhibition which places the focus on landscapes and battlefields. Robert Perry's latest exhibition, which was unveiled at the DLI Museum and Durham

  • Sven's Downing pledge

    ENGLAND boss Sven Goran Eriksson has confirmed he plans to give Middlesbrough winger Stewart Downing his England debut in the friendly against Holland next month. The 20-year-old, who just a year ago was farmed out to Sunderland on loan, has proved a

  • Old meets new in city photography group's latest exhibition

    PAST and present images of a North-East city are the subject of a free exhibition. Visitors to Monkwearmouth Station Museum, in North Bridge Street, Sunderland, can see images of the city as depicted by Sunderland Photographic Association. Almost 370

  • Shopping centre responds to survey with ban on smoking

    A SHOPPING centre in a north Durham market town will become the latest smoke-free zone from today after a majority of shoppers voted in favour of the ban. Of the 500 people that responded to a survey, 81 per cent said they were in favour of a smoking

  • 1895 mining villages map reprinted

    TWO North mining villages can be seen as they were more than 100 years ago after the publication of a map. Tantobie and Hobson, near Burnopfield, County Durham, are featured in the reprint of an 1895 map by Alan Godfrey Maps, of Leadgate, Consett. The

  • Concern after industrial fuel offered for sale

    OFFICIALS are warning that an industrial solid fuel being sold to householders could damage fires and boilers. Environmental health officers at Durham County Council are concerned after reports that people with solid fuel fires are being offered Burnwell

  • Have the dogs had their day?

    As the ban on hunting with hounds is challenged in the High Court this week, Women's Editor Lindsay Jennings speaks to hare coursing trainer Liz Hall at her kennels in Middleham. IT IS all banter and barking as feeding time gets underway at Liz Hall's

  • Taking steps to success

    A GRADUATE is taking her first steps to success with a new business venture. State-registered chiropodist Laura McNamee will be caring for feet at the Podology clinic in Saltburn. The 24-year-old, from Skelton, is offering a full range of medical treatments

  • Pantomine proves its popularity

    THEATRE bosses are celebrating after pantomime ticket sales topped 50,000. York Theatre Royal's production of Sleeping Beauty has now sold the equivalent of almost 60 sell-out shows. Damian Cruden, the theatre's artistic director, said: "The fact that

  • On TV

    Casualty (BBC1) THIS isn't a good day for Charlie to have a hangover. The morning after the night before, he admits that he overdid it last night at his birthday celebrations. "What was in that punch? It was the off-licence equivalent of a weapon of mass

  • Nelson eyes the top spots

    MICKY Nelson last night insisted that Hartlepool United can make the automatic promotion places. Pool have gone ten games without defeat - eight in League One and two in the FA Cup - and, with leaders Luton and second-placed Hull both dropping points

  • 'Guiding light' of children's soccer academy dies aged 44

    A MAN whose vision helped create an academy of football excellence for youngsters in a deprived Northern dale has died after a long battle against illness. Mike Cavender, 44, was shortly to undergo a heart and lung transplant. He died peacefully at his

  • Wife's anguish at sex attacks on girls

    THE wife of a councillor jailed for sexually assaulting young girls has spoken for the first time. Olga Zabotkina, a Russian-born interpreter, married Leslie Sheppard ten years ago but has yet to decide if she will stand by him. The 48-year-old was not

  • Charity comes under watchdog's gaze

    A NORTH-EAST charity is being investigated by a national watchdog. Rod Jones, who runs Convoy Aid Romania, has been told the organisation is the subject of a inquiry by the Charity Commission. The commission has set the organisation, which operates from

  • Playwright to give talk

    PEOPLE can hear one of the North-East's favourite playwrights talk about his forgotten plays this week. The Prison Plays were inspired by Tom Hadaway's time as the first writer-in-residence at Durham Prison in 1986. They were rescued from obscurity by

  • Donations to help family fight Greek medic's appeal

    People's generosity has overwhelmed the family fighting to secure the convictions of Greek doctors for their son's death. The parents of Christopher Rochester, 24. of Chester-le-Street, County Durham, who died in hospital on Rhodes after a balcony fall

  • Quilt to raise lifeboat cash

    A GROUP of embroiderers hopes to have a fundraising appeal all sewn up. Five women are stitching an unusual quilt to raise cash for the Redcar Lifeboat fund. The friends, who developed their skills at Askham Bryan College, Guisborough, are featuring local

  • 24/01/05

    POLITICS: NOW that the election campaign is more or less under way, the furore over the Blair-Brown story will soon die away. Mrs Thatcher battled with a few Chancellors and she was in power for almost 18 years. Tension, even disagreements between prime

  • Boss hopes Webster avoids trip to treatment room

    Darlington will discover today if Adrian Webster's name must be added to the already lengthy sick list after the midfielder was substituted shortly after half-time on Saturday. He took a knock in the first half but continued after treatment, only to break

  • Agency seeks return of cash

    DEVELOPMENT agency One North-East is trying to claw back money given to a troubled manufacturing firm that was alleged to have employed illegal immigrants. The regional development agency is in talks with administrators PricewaterhouseCooper, the company

  • Former BBC chief to attend seminar

    GREG DYKE will use a business event in the North-East to lift the lid on the events surrounding his resignation as director-general of the BBC last year. The former BBC boss will be in Middlesbrough to help local businesses with leadership and corporate

  • Move to avoid schools strike

    A GOVERNMENT arbitration service may be brought in to try to head off a threat of strikes at primary schools across East Cleveland. Unions say school cooks have been given a 40 per cent pay rise while facing a 30 per cent reduction in work hours. Non-teaching

  • Solder facing Court Martial over attack claims

    A soldier is facing a Court Martial over claims he attacked another squaddie over Iraq abuse photos. Lance Corporal Adam Richardson is to appear in court over allegations that he assaulted Fusilier Gary Bartlam. Bartlam was questioned by police military

  • Harriers are made to fight

    MORPETH Harriers were made to fight all the way for their fourth consecutive Sherman Cup victory at Temple Park, South Shields. The Northumbrians battled toe-to-toe with Sunderland Harriers who held the lead until the final event, when the defending champions

  • Families urged to think green

    HOUSEHOLDERS are being urged to think recycle their waste rather than junk it. A brochure is being delivered to homes covered by Redcar and Cleveland Council, highlighting plans to deliver green-waste wheeled bins to about 48,000 homes with gardens. Collections

  • Experience may prove invaluable in Quakers' push for promotion

    CRAIG HIGNETT believes Darlington's promotion veterans can play a key role in their quest for League Two honours. In winning promotion four times - twice with Middlesbrough and once with Blackburn and Crewe - Hignett has enjoyed moving up a division before

  • Radio One DJ to appear at N-E nightclub

    RADIO One's Judge Jules is playing in the North-East on Friday. He is appearing at Foundation Nightclub, in Melbourne Street, Newcastle. The DJ said: "Ask any performing artist, whether they're comedian band member or DJ, and they'll tell you that the

  • Artist's journey of discovery brings him to city museum

    AN artist who takes to the road in a mobile studio arrived in the North-East at the weekend to open an exhibition which places the focus on landscapes and battlefields. Robert Perry's latest exhibition, which was unveiled at the DLI Museum and Durham

  • Red tape puts quest for justice on hold

    NEW laws that could bring fresh hope to families of murder victims have still not come into effect more than a year after Parliament voted to scrap the so-called "double jeopardy" rule. In November 2003, MPs and the House of Lords voted to abolish the

  • The power of a flat-pack professional

    I knew I had turned the corner with my fear of DIY a few weekends ago when I assembled my first ever piece of Ikea furniture. I had initially looked at the bits and pieces that I was supposed to arrange into a TV table with suspicion and feared it would

  • Ambulances are handed over

    CREWS have had a large say in the design of new ambulances to be used in the North. The Tees East and North Yorkshire Ambulance Service has taken delivery of the first three of a consignment of 3,000cc Mercedes ambulances. They will work out of Middlesbrough

  • Balde poised for move

    STEVE McClaren is expected to tie up a deal this week to bring Celtic star Bobo Balde to the Riverside. If the Boro boss gets his way then the 29-year-old Guinean centre-back may link up with his new team-mates in Spain in the next few days. The Teessiders

  • Goal hero has dig at old club

    MATCHWINNER Marcus Stewart turned up the heat in an already white-hot promotion race when he admitted he had no soft spot for his former club Ipswich and says he hopes they lose all of their remaining fixtures. The 32-year-old striker, who netted his

  • 'Who wants 24hr drinking?'

    PEOPLE in Darlington are largely against the Government's plans for 24-hour drinking, according to the town's Tory prospective parliamentary candidate. Anthony Frieze spent Saturday afternoon in High Row canvassing shoppers' opinions on the subject. He

  • Auditions for Forum ballet still go ahead

    A LONDON ballet school has been inundated with calls following the immediate closure of a North-East theatre. High winds which damaged the roof of the Billingham Forum's theatre, on Teesside, forced the cancellation of all 41 spring productions until

  • 'Petulant' Bellamy on the way out of St James'

    CRAIG Bellamy's Newcastle career is all but over today after his latest run-in with boss Graeme Souness saw him axed from yesterday's 1-0 defeat at Arsenal. The Wales international, who has courted controversy throughout his three-and-a-half-year stay

  • Golf ban in public parks is debated

    A TOWN is planning to ban golf in parks and recreation grounds after damage to property and safety fears. Complaints about golfers using public spaces in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, to practice their swing have led the borough council to look at introducing

  • Dead soldier's father to challenge inquiry ruling

    THE father of a Red Cap killed by an Iraqi mob will meet members of a board of inquiry to contest its findings that the deaths could not have been prevented. John Miller's son, Simon, a 21-year-old corporal, was one of six military police officers killed

  • Things get worse for Souness

    GRAEME Souness must wonder what on earth can go wrong next. On paper, a 1-0 defeat at Arsenal does not represent too much of a disaster but, in the weird and wonderful world of Newcastle United, what happens on the pitch is merely a sideshow to the circus

  • Race attack victim's anger at reduced sentence

    THE English victim of a racist assault by Welsh thugs says he is angered that one of his attackers will not be jailed. Derek Morgan, 45, avoided prison after his involvement in the attack, in which Allan Collins was left permanently disfigured. Morgan

  • Graeme Storm's European Tour Diary

    Graeme Storm has made his long-awaited return to the European Tour after a three year exile and the Hartlepool golfer will be keeping the region informed of his experiences across the globe by writing in his weekly column in The Northern Echo. Keep up

  • Town rallies round to raise cash for Greek legal battle

    SILENCE is golden for a family facing a race against time in their fight for justice for their dead son. A sponsored silence by a friend of holiday death victim Christopher Rochester may have raised as much as £400 towards his parents' legal expenses

  • Red tape hinders quest for justice

    NEW laws that could bring fresh hope to families of murder victims have still not come into effect more than a year after Parliament voted to scrap the so-called "double jeopardy" rule. In November 2003, MPs and the House of Lords voted to abolish the

  • Agency seeks return of cash

    DEVELOPMENT agency One North-East is trying to claw back money given to a troubled manufacturing firm that was alleged to have employed illegal immigrants. The regional development agency is in talks with administrators PricewaterhouseCooper, the company

  • Town's library service among best in the UK

    A TOWN'S libraries are among the best in the country, a survey shows. A Government department has given Hartlepool library service an "excellent" rating, putting it in the top 15 per cent of towns in the UK. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport

  • Angler who died in storm named

    An angler who died after being swept into the icy North Sea was yesterday named as 41-year-old Stewart Simpson. He was fishing at the exposed South Gare, near Redcar, on Sunday afternoon in gale force conditions when it is understood he was dragged into