PATIENT Andy Welsh has a rare chance to shine in a Sunderland shirt this afternoon and manager Mick McCarthy has told the young winger to avoid becoming downhearted on Wearside. Since making the £15,000 move from League One strugglers Stockport at the
A RESURGENT Titus Bramble last night praised Newcastle boss Graeme Souness for restoring his battered confidence after his howler in Heerenveen had threatened to derail the club's UEFA Cup campaign. Since making a £5m move to Tyneside in July 2002, Bramble
A KILLER who stabbed his girlfriend 70 times then spent four hours in the blood-soaked house concocting a cover story was yesterday jailed for life. So severe were the injuries inflicted on mother-of-two Susan Carr that her mother could identify her only
PEOPLE who are already living with a wind farm near their homes fear that a plan for 13 more turbines will dominate their landscape. Wear Valley District Council has received a planning application for the turbines in Tow Law, County Durham, on land used
A CONSTRUCTION group helping to pioneer new building methods has started a training division to help combat a skills shortage in the industry. MMP, which moved from Bishop Auckland to Newton Aycliffe, both County Durham, and expanded its workforce by
MARK Proctor believes the impressive midweek win over Swansea City will count for nothing if Darlington return to the North-East pointless tonight. Quakers take on Leyton Orient at Brisbane Road this afternoon, four days after beating the high-flying
A KILLER who stabbed his girlfriend 70 times then spent four hours in the blood-soaked house concocting a cover story was yesterday jailed for life. So severe were the injuries inflicted on mother-of-two Susan Carr that her mother could identify her only
WEIGHT watchers are to serve up a healthy breakfast to help raise money for Cancer Research UK. Members of the Weight Watchers class at Washington Leisure Centre are taking part in the cancer charity's Britain's Biggest Breakfast event. Mandie Barnett
A FIREfighter's latest mercy dash took him thousands of miles from the station where he is based. Thornaby-based Andy Laing answered a summons for help from a remote community in Uganda, Africa. An electrician by trade, the 44-year-old father-of-two was
EXPERIENCED captain Gareth Southgate believes teenage UEFA Cup goal king James Morrison has the perfect attitude to star on the European stage for years to come - with Middlesbrough. Despite being 18, he doesn't celebrate his 19th birthday until May,
AN Austrian football fan has been banned from attending football matches in the UK after he was caught making racist chants at Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium. Grazer AK supporter Martin Robier was heard making monkey chants when Boro striker Jimmy
A CAMPAIGN to stop developers building a wind farm in part of the North-East countryside has begun. Residents of Kiln Pit Hill and Unthank, on the Northumberland-County Durham border, fear the proposed eight turbines will be more than a blot on the landscape
Mention the Dordogne, Loire Valley or Provence and any seasoned traveller's eyebrows will raise in recognition. But say you have just come back from Franche-Comt and it is greeted by a furrowed brow followed by "France where?". It is one of the lesser
Twelve months ago Middlesbrough closed for the day as the town's population left the North-East for the Millenium Stadium and the final of the Carling Cup. Paul Fraser and Scott Wilson spoke to six personalities for whom the day will live long in the
LIFEBOAT stations along the east coast had one of their busiest times last year despite the wet summer. New statistics from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) rescued an average of 21 people every day around the UK and the Republic of Ireland
ALAN SHEARER believes Laurent Robert could hold the key to the Magpies skipper reaching Jackie Milburn's 200 goal target - if Graeme Souness keeps on picking the Frenchman. The Newcastle skipper has backed Robert to stay in the starting XI so long as
NEWCASTLE prop James Isaacson is convinced there will be no hangover from last week's thrashing at Leicester when the Falcons entertain Gloucester tomorrow. The 25-year-old Durham School product starts at loose head in preference to joint captain Ian
EDUCATION chiefs have defended school dinners as they brace themselves for a roasting by TV chef Jamie Oliver. Outspoken television cook and restaurateur Jamie last week launched a TV series highlighting the shortcomings of school dinners. On Wednesday
BEST of both worlds, some would say, the service upon which today's column reports had been preceded a few days earlier by lunch - working lunch, understand - with the Vicar and his new lieutenant. Richard Wallace is priest of St Mary's, in Cockerton,
SOME of the North-East's leading footballers are joining the trend for colourful wristbands to show their support for an anti-bullying drive. Members of the Sunderland squad are backing Tackle It, a scheme aimed at providing young people with education
THE Ministry of Defence was accused of secrecy last night when it emerged the bill for a troubled Swan Hunter shipbuilding contract has gone up for a second time. The cost of constructing two auxiliary landing ships has risen by a further £3m to £235m
A SCHOOLBOY from Durham is representing England under-18s in a fencing competition this weekend. James Mitchell, a pupil at Durham School, is a member of Laszlo's Fencing Club and recently competed in the British Youth Championships. He took eighth place
A £40M plan to deal with a maintenance backlog is being drawn up by a Teesside council. Officers at Hartlepool Borough Council are working on a ten-year strategy to repair, upgrade and maintain public buildings and roads. More than £3m is needed just
EXTRA trains will be running on Monday to take the strain of extra commuters using the Metro in Newcastle when the High Level Bridge closes. Metro operator Nexus will boost the frequency of trains at peak times by increasing its 14 trains to a maximum
As Hollywood prepares for its annual awards night tomorrow, Steve Pratt finds that the British have been taking Oscar home since the ceremony began over 70 years ago. British actress Sophie Okonedo was sitting with her mother on a bench in a London art
A cheque from fundraising will help a hospital buy a physiotherapy bicycle. The £2,400 was presented to East Cleveland Hospital, in Brotton, by Saltburn Rotary Club at Saltburn golf club on Wednesday. The money was raised through events held over the
A PARISH council has appealed to the Charity Commission to help it solve a land row. Dene Valley Parish Council says that land in Auckland Park, where 40 houses are to be built, was left in trust to residents by the Miners' Welfare Commission. The council
CHILDREN who were evacuated to one of the North-East's best-known stately homes are being asked to help tell the building's story. During the Second World War, pupils from Newcastle's Church High School were evacuated to Alnwick Castle, now better known
A TEENAGER who slashed a delivery driver with a knife and then stole his van has been sentenced to two years custody by Newcastle Crown Court. The 16-year-old was one of four people charged in connection with the incident. It happened in Ravenswood Square
A MAN caught red-handed by police with a mix of hard drugs at his flat was yesterday jailed for four years. Shane Mawson, 23, was also growing cannabis at the time of the police raid, Durham Crown Court was told. Ros Scott-Bell, prosecuting, said officers
Time is running out for people to comment on a three-year strategy to tackle crime. The Safer Communities Partnership North Yorkshire Moors and Coast aims to cut crime by 17.5 per cent. The deadline for comments - by calling (01723) 232326 or at www.safermoorsandcoast.org.uk
A MAN survived after jumping from a bridge into an icy river in the early hours of yesterday. Emergency crews located the man, who was wearing a lifebelt, clinging to a post underneath the Tyne Bridge. It took 30 minutes before he was hauled from the
PEOPLE will have the chance to have their say during a series of Police and Community Safety Consultative Forum meetings in Hartlepool. The meetings are on Wednesday, at Throston Community Centre, on Thursday, at Belle Vue Community and Sports Centre,
AN MP went on the beat in her constituency last night. Stockton South MP and graduate of the Parliamentary Police Scheme, Dari Taylor, joined special constable Carl Simpson on patrol. The Labour MP, who is an honorary police officer, patrolled the streets
As soaps become more sexually explicit they're also pushing the boundaries over violence. But are viewers being turned off by their ever more ludicrous storylines? Another week, another murder. Being a character in a soap is getting more dangerous than
A COMMUNITY radio station is inviting people to a talk from a local radio expert. Brian Lister, who has worked for Alpha FM, Sun FM, TFM, Metro Radio and the BBC, will give a talk to members of Radio Teesdale this month. Mr Lister is advising a number
DESPITE the sudden drop in temperature, there was a warm welcome at Locomotion for Bonniface Sagbohan and Olga Kokode from Councillor Marie Predki, the Mayor of Sedgefield Borough. THE cold was soon forgotten when two visitors to the region enjoyed their
DEVELOPERS behind Darlington's £60m West Park community village have hit back at criticism of new street names. References to a famous 18th Century farming family has angered Archdeacon Newton parish council because it says the place where the street
A PENSIONER is appealing for people in Darlington to help him find some lost paintings he completed more than 50 years ago. Jim Johnson, 84, who lives off North Road, painted them in the 1940s and had completely forgotten about them until he discovered
THE region breathed a sign of relief yesterday as the worst of the wintry weather blew away, roads cleared and schools re-opened. However, as snow melted, the Environment Agency issued four flood watch notices across the area. Only four schools in the
A VILLAGE war memorial could soon be in line for a major facelift. Shotton Colliery parish council is hoping to carry out the work, and it is asking local residents to help provide information on the cenotaph's past. The war memorial, which dominates
Durham City have delayed naming their new manager - because of the number of applicants. City parted company with Billy Cruddas a fortnight ago and gave senior player John Watson the job in a caretaker capacity, as coach Dickie Ord also stood down. Club
THE only council on Teesside with a full election looming this year looks certain to set the lowest tax increase in the area. Stockton Borough Council's cabinet has agreed to recommend an increase of 3.9 per cent, a percentage point below the national
HEALTH worker and Sunday School teacher Christine Martin has taken her beliefs one step further - by qualifying as a lay preacher. Mrs Martin is the Northallerton-based secretary of the North-East Sector Community Mental Health Team and has also been
A PEDESTRIAN killed in a two-car accident on Thursday evening was named by police yesterday . He was 58-year-old Barrie Kemp-Stuart, of no fixed abode. Mr Kemp-Stuart, who was originally from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, was hit by one of the cars as he
A firm of planning consultants is suggesting that a town's auction mart site should be allocated for housing development. The firm has put forward the idea towards a planning blueprint for Masham, near Ripon. Harrogate Borough Council invited views on
STEVE McClaren has admitted Middlesbrough are having to cut out the frills as they continue to battle on two different fronts despite an injury crisis that refuses to go away. McClaren is still without five senior players ahead of tomorrow's Premiership
AS the experienced head in the Sunderland camp, captain Gary Breen has been encouraged by manager Mick McCarthy to air his views, good or bad, to the rest of the squad. And Breen is not the only man to have taken to clearing his grievances with team-mates
FOOD contaminated by the banned dye Sudan 1 was still on sale in the North-East last night despite the setting of a deadline and the threat of prosecution by safety watchdogs. One store on Teesside, where The Northern Echo's reporters bought banned snacks
It was a seemingly innocent remark - but it cost a young woman her life at the hands of a killer and it left two teenagers without a mother.Tony Kearney reports. As Susan Carr and Peter Killeen got into a taxi for a night out, she joked with the driver
COUNCIL bosses were yesterday granted a court order to evict travellers who set up camp on one of the region's premier business developments. Darlington Borough Council secured the eviction order at the town's magistrates' court as part of its efforts
THE horrors that awaited Allied prisoners-of-war in the Far East are being highlighted in a former British prisoner-of-war camp. Eden Camp, at Old Malton, North Yorkshire, held German and Italian prisoners during the Second World War and its huts now
COVERAGE of our snow-blown week has implied criticism that some teachers have not been especially keen to jump out of bed and fight their way through drifts and along icy roads to get into school. This has caused schools to close unnecessarily. Children
TRIBAL VENTURE'S long trek from Wensleydale to Kempton should not be in vain if expected he plays a leading role in the £100,000 Racing Post Chase. With such a strong line-up for the sought-after three-mile contest, only a buffoon would be foolish to
THE CANCELLATION of today's penultimate DP Furniture Express North-East Harrier League sets up a grandstand finish to the cross country season. But defending senior men's team champions Sunderland will have to wait to see if their bid to win the Sisterton
A BLAST furnace producer has secured a £1m contract to supply equipment to the Chinese steel industry. VAI UK is to supply Maanshan, China's fifth largest steelmaker, with two gas cleaning plants. A gas cleaning plant takes hot and dirty gas from the
MORE than 180 jobs have been saved at the world's biggest place mat manufacturer. The jobs were saved by a management buyout at Pimpernel International, in Consett, County Durham. The tableware group was placed in receivership on Tuesday and sold the
Q I am a widow, 79, with a State Pension of £101.18 a week and my late husband's works pension of £86.65 a month. Am I due any Pension Credit and, if so, would I have to pay any council tax as I do not pay any at present? A You can claim Pension Credit
RITCHIE Humphreys will be part of the Hartlepool United reunion squad today. Pool go to bottom-placed Stockport looking for promotion points - and if that causes more misery for their former boss Chris Turner, no-one will mind. Turner recently took over
TIME is running out to buy tickets for a night of musical entertainment at a fundraising event in Middlesbrough. The Macmillan Cancer Relief Charity Concert will take place on Saturday, March 5, at Middlesbrough Town Hall. Pianist Barbara White, who made
Durham City have delayed naming their new manager - because of the number of applicants. City parted company with Billy Cruddas a fortnight ago and gave senior player John Watson the job in a caretaker capacity, as coach Dickie Ord also stood down. Club
'WHAT a cheek," said my wife as I unveiled her evening's entertainment as a pre-recorded programme dedicated to her. That's right, Grumpy Old Women (ITV1, Friday). But at least she knew I was joking. The Christmas special of this reply to the popular
DETAILS of concerts by Northallerton Male Voice Choir have been announced. The first will be at the village hall in Scruton on April 9, at 7.30pm, when the choir will perform a diverse programme of choral works. The second will be at the Hambleton Forum
A FINAL masterplan of a multi-million pound regeneration project will be put before councillors in a few months' time. More than 2,000 people visited a week-long exhibition by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council outlining the future of the town. An analysis
Forty-five students from Stockton Sixth Form College are taking part in a three-day trip to London. Sociology students will visit Harrow public school to see the own golf course and Olympic size swimming pool. They will also visit Bow Street Magistrates
RITCHIE Humphreys will be part of the Hartlepool United reunion squad today. Pool go to bottom-placed Stockport looking for promotion points - and if that causes more misery for their former boss Chris Turner, no-one will mind. Turner recently took over
The Government is to meet half the costs of policing the recent Labour Party Spring Conference, it was revealed last night. The Home Office is to give Northumbria Police - which spent nearly £3m on security - £1.44m to cover the additional expenditure
A DECORATED war hero is to receive recognition in his home town - 87 years after his death. Second Lieutenant Walter Hall served with distinction throughout the First World War. The man who, in civilian life, worked as a reporter on a newspaper in his
FOOD contaminated by the banned dye Sudan 1 was still on sale in the North-East last night despite the setting of a deadline and the threat of prosecution by safety watchdogs. One store on Teesside, where The Northern Echo's reporters bought banned snacks
PREPARATIONS are well under way for a popular annual music festival in the region. The third Barnard Castle Rhythm and Blues Festival will take place at the Red Well Inn in May. This year, the organisers of the festival had hoped to stage it in a different
MARK Proctor believes the impressive midweek win over Swansea City will count for nothing if Darlington return to the North-East pointless tonight. Quakers take on Leyton Orient at Brisbane Road this afternoon, four days after beating the high-flying
A KIDS club has been praised for its innovative website. Billingham Kids Club, near Stockton, has been chosen as The Northern Echo's Pick Of The Month and has received a digital camera as a prize. Nearly 2,200 community groups have websites on the Echo's
LEISURE group Rank prepared to bring the curtain down on a 60-year relationship with the film industry yesterday by announcing the separation of its Deluxe unit. The company, which made hundreds of films, including the Carry On series, said it was in
A TEACHER has got used to being asked the same question every day by his pupils. But their curiosity will be satisfied next Saturday, when ICT and music teacher Ed Blaney, from Seaham, County Durham, appears on Stars in Their Eyes. And when he emerges
THE number of operations cancelled at the last-minute in NHS hospitals increased by nearly 2,500 at the end of last year, figures revealed today. But they show that patients in the North-East were less likely to have operations cancelled at short notice
TONY BLAIR is facing a Cabinet split over plans to ban smoking in pubs. Commons Leader Peter Hain has signalled a possible U-turn on the controversial plan to ban smoking in public houses that serve food. Mr Hain said that smokers' rooms would be allowed
EXPERIENCED captain Gareth Southgate believes teenage UEFA Cup goal king James Morrison has the perfect attitude to star on the European stage for years to come - with Middlesbrough. Despite being 18, he doesn't celebrate his 19th birthday until May,
IT emerged this week that Lance Corporal Thomas "Topper" Brown, one of 136 heroes from Teesdale who received bravery awards during World War I, was involved in more gallantry than he was credited with in the recent past. He was listed as gaining a Mention
IT is encouraging that Tony Blair has indicated that he might be able to compromise on opposition demands for judges to be given a greater role in the Government's controversial detention plans. The Prime Minister insists he is neither being arrogant
PARTY-GOERS will have their eyes on the heavens when they meet in a North-East forest next month. Telescopes will be trained on Saturn and other celestial features when the Forestry Commission stages a star party in Hamsterley Forest, County Durham, on
WORK has begun on a £150,000 project to turn a popular forest into an international mountain biking centre. New cycling trails are being constructed in Hamsterley Forest, Teesdale, in a bid to help the North-East compete with Scotland and Wales in the
ELDERLY people who pay for heating rather than having it included in their rent are twice as likely to become seriously ill during winter, according to research. The study by the University of Teesside says that financial pressure on elderly people to
ONE of the region's universities has appointed its first ever professor of film and TV. Richard Woolley, 57, is a film-maker and screenwriter with a background in experimental and art-house movies, mainstream screenwriting, and fringe theatre. Currently
A BUS station is to be given £11m by the Government to invest in new facilities. The facelift for Newcastle's Eldon Square bus station will improve access, security and create a more user-friendly environment for passengers. Transport Minister Charlotte
A TEESDALE man has succeeded in being elected on to his local town council at his fourth attempt. Following an election held on Thursday for the west ward of Barnard Castle Town Council, Tony Cooke, a retired electro-mechanical engineer, beat the only
DESPITE the sudden drop in temperature, there was a warm welcome at Locomotion for Bonniface Sagbohan and Olga Kokode from Councillor Marie Predki, the Mayor of Sedgefield Borough. THE cold was soon forgotten when two visitors to the region enjoyed their
A PROJECT is running in Derwentside that aims to encourage young people to become more enterprising. Established at Enterprise Place on Tanfield Industrial Estate, it provides an environment where young people are encouraged to think more creatively and
SEDGEFIELD residents can look ahead to a colourful spring after planting 2,000 bluebell bulbs. The Sedgefield in Bloom Committee organised the planting by groups from the town, including Cubs and Brownies. Gardeners from the borough and town councils
Work to improve major highways in the region gets under way tomorrow. The project will see the closure of a stretch of Ryhope Street, Sunderland, between Burdon Lane and Shaftesbury Avenue, for three consecutive Sundays, between 8am and 6pm. Alternative
A FIVE-A-SIDE football competition for teams whose age adds up to 290 is just one event in a drive to get older residents of Teesside fit. The March for Older People campaign began with a volleyball session for pensioners at Newport, Middlesbrough, yesterday
COUNTY council bosses are celebrating after being presented with a nationally-recognised training and development award. North Yorkshire County Council has been presented with Investors in People status, a national quality kitemark which links the training
COUNCIL house tenants in a rural County Durham district have had their rent increased. Teesdale District Council has increased the rent on its housing stock by an average of 3.86 per cent. The council is restructuring its rents to remove the difference
SPORTING stars of the future will get the best start to their careers thanks to a flagship games area created at a North Yorkshire school. Derelict tennis courts have been transformed into a multi-use sports facility at Granby High School, in Harrogate
JANUARY proved a mild month, with temperatures well above average, according to meteorological readings taken at Durham University Observatory. The average air temperatures for January, 5.5C, was the ninth highest since 1850, and the warmest since 1989
The Government is to meet half the costs of policing the recent Labour Party Spring Conference, it was revealed last night. The Home Office is to give Northumbria Police - which spent nearly £3m on security - £1.44m to cover the additional expenditure
DESPITE their age difference, these two neighbours are really good friends. Vera Beer, 66, and Lucy Leith, 18, have formed a bond since Mrs Beer moved into Bowman Street, Darlington, seven years ago. Lucy has helped Mrs Beer around the house since she
PENSIONERS and disabled people are being urged to sign up to a programme designed to give them more peace of mind. Hambleton Citizens Advice Bureau wants them to say yes to a scheme offering free gas safety checks, emergency heating in power cuts and
A "compulsive spender" said to have plotted her husband's murder in an attempt to clear her mounting debts will take her legal battle for freedom to the Appeal Court next week. Christina Button, 33, was jailed for life in December last year alongside
DURHAM could be without new skipper Michael Hussey for the coming season, after Australia's selectors revealed the left-hander is in the frame for a place in the Ashes squad. Allan Border and former Durham skipper David Boon confirmed Hussey is being
COUNCIL house tenants in a rural County Durham district have had their rent increased. Teesdale District Council has increased the rent on its housing stock by an average of 3.86 per cent. The council is restructuring its rents to remove the difference
STAFF at a Bishop Auckland opticians are setting their sights sky high as they prepare for a fundraising parachute jump. Eileen Wren, Nicola Ebden and Jon O'Neil, who all work at Specsavers in Bishop Auckland, take to the skies next month to support Guide
PLANS to invest £100,000 in security measures at bus shelters in villages near Darlington have been welcomed. The borough council has secured the money through the Government's Rural Bus Challenge to install closed-circuit television cameras, lighting
A POLICE crackteam set up to tackle a hardcore of troublesome teenagers causing mayhem in Darlington, is already starting to see success. The StreetSafe team, made up of a sergeant and four constables, has been targeting a group of 50 youths who orchestrate
SCHOOLCHILDREN from across Darlington have made a song and dance about an innovative arts project. The Red Feb scheme has involved more than 3,000 pupils from 28 of the town's schools taking part in sessions with local artists. The artists visited schools
A FLOOR manager at McDonald's in Consett has won the company's regional Employee of the Year award Lynn Reed, who works at the Pond Court Business Park, beat competition from more than 6,100 staff in North-East and Yorkshire to win the honour Ms Reed,
TONY BLAIR is facing a Cabinet split over plans to ban smoking in pubs. Commons Leader Peter Hain has signalled a possible U-turn on the controversial plan to ban smoking in public houses that serve food. Mr Hain said that smokers' rooms would be allowed
THREE local authorities have announced their part of County Durham's council tax bill and all claim they have kept rises to a minimum. At Durham City Council, a spokesman confirmed that the proposed increase would be 2.75 per cent - which will mean residents
A COMMUNITY radio station is inviting people to a talk from a local radio expert. Brian Lister, who has worked for Alpha FM, Sun FM, TFM, Metro Radio and the BBC, will give a talk to members of Radio Teesdale this month. Mr Lister is advising a number
STAFF at a Bishop Auckland opticians are setting their sights sky high as they prepare for a fundraising parachute jump. Eileen Wren, Nicola Ebden and Jon O'Neil, who all work at Specsavers in Bishop Auckland, take to the skies next month to support Guide
PREPARATIONS are well under way for a popular annual music festival in the region. The third Barnard Castle Rhythm and Blues Festival will take place at the Red Well Inn in May. This year, the organisers of the festival had hoped to stage it in a different
RESIDENTS of a suburb in Consett are angry because a council has agreed that five 100-year-old beech trees can be felled. Derwenside District Council has authorised the removal of the trees in Birch Grove because they are causing subsidence to a nearby
A RESEARCH team which hopes to transform the education of thousands of children with learning difficulties got down to work yesterday after winning almost £400,000 to complete their work. Earlier this week, the joint team from Durham University's school
A TOWN manager has issued a rallying call to businesses to help raise £50,000 for a series of events and festivals. Geraint Williams says he wants to drive Northallerton forward and has warned business leaders not to get complacent about the health of
THE entries are starting to arrive for the national short story competition run through The Northern Echo. Also backed by Orange and Darlington Arts Centre, the competition is organised by Darlington-based Inscribe Media Limited. There are two categories
Through new community centres, St Mary's, in Cockerton, is spreading its net wide. BEST of both worlds, some would say, the service upon which today's column reports had been preceded a few days earlier by lunch - working lunch, understand - with the
TWO disgraced North-East soldiers were jailed and thrown out of the Army with a fellow serviceman last night for their roles in a prisoner abuse scandal at an aid camp in Iraq. The shamed men from the 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers were
UPLIFTING: WE read of wars, we read of distressing disasters, we read of crime, long hospital waiting lists, accidents, cancer-causing dye in food, and unjust situations that make us feel helpless and angry. And then I turn to Page 4 (Echo, Feb 19) with
