A NEW president has been appointed to the Yorkshire Drystone Walling Guild. Bill Cowling, who is also preparing to take over as Director of the Great Yorkshire Show after this year's event, is hoping to encourage more people, particularly women into making
A WORLD-famous carpet maker has been rescued from administration, creating 120 jobs. Hugh Mackay has supplied carpets to business, homes and buildings across the world, including the Sage Gateshead, the US Treasury Department, in Washington DC, and the
MULTI-million pound building projects will compete with a bandstand, a tea room, a Gothic mansion and a tree house for the North-East's Building of the Year award. The North-East Renaissance awards, an annual celebration of the built environment in the
IMMIGRATION: BOB Jarratt (HAS, Mar 4) says my reassurances could have come from the Home Office. As I stated, the statistics I used did come from the Home Office. Other facts and figures I have used came from the Office for National Statistics. These
MIDDLESBROUGH'S Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink is looking forward to catching up with a few old friends over the next couple of weeks - even if it means making them unhappy. Boro face a two-legged UEFA Cup affair with Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon, giving
Extraordinary Families (C4) Banned In The UK (C4) ACCORDING to his wife, Alexander Spencer was "everything you could want in a man". She spoke of the twinkle in his eye and their happy family life. "He was perfect really," she said. All very nice until
Extraordinary Families (C4); Banned In The UK (C4): ACCORDING to his wife, Alexander Spencer was "everything you could want in a man". She spoke of the twinkle in his eye and their happy family life. "He was perfect really," she said. All very nice until
A POLICE chief yesterday defended her decision to spend an estimated £500,000 on cars for her senior officers. North Yorkshire chief constable Della Cannings hit back at her critics and said the vehicles were essential for a modern force covering a rural
THE North-East is poised for a share of £10bn in science funding over the next three years, the Government said yesterday. Biotechnology, nanotechnology and research-led companies will be at the receiving end of the billions being spent on research to
JONJO O'NEILL'S horses are emerging from the doldrums, which should ensure Canon Barney (3.25) gives his supporters a great run for their money in the stamina-sapping Devon National at Exeter. O'Neill's powerful team were struck down by a debilitating
Law firm Dickinson Dees has received a national accolade from one of the UK's largest business and construction groups. The Newcastle firm's construction and engineering group won the title of Carillion's Legal Adviser of the Year. It is the second consecutive
Architects Dewjoc's has appointed three directors. IAN LANCASTLE-SMITH and STEVE BAKER will be based at the Newcastle office, and STEPHEN DAY will be in Stockton, taking the total number of directors of the practice to 11. The company, one of the North-East's
A DOG walker suffered a five-inch cut to his face after being slashed in a day-time robbery. Police said the 51-year-old man was left very shaken after he was set upon by two men in Castle Hill, Richmond, just before 9am last Wednesday. Sgt Mick Rookes
A decision on the future of the East Coast mainline railway franchise will be announced very shortly, Transport Secretary Alistair Darlinghas announced. The issue was raised at Commons question time by York MP Hugh Bayley who said: ''There is no doubt
MORE than 90 years ago, William Henry Barker left his home to fight for King and Country in South Africa. Now his descendants have given the medals he won in the Boer War to The Green Howards Regimental Museum, in Richmond, North Yorkshire. Private Barker
FOR a chamber orchestra to take on the grand sweep of a Sibelius score would, on the face of it, be a gamble; and even more so his one-movement seventh symphony. But for the Northern Sinfonia, performing at The Sage Gateshead, it was a risk that paid
A babysitter has been convicted of murdering a neighbour's two-year-old son by banging his head against a banister. Teesside Crown Court heard Suzanne Holdsworth, 34, snapped while minding Kyle Fisher at her home in Millpool Close, Hartlepool, in July
STAFF sacked from a North-East call centre last week will be paid for the next six months, it was announced yesterday. Last Wednesday, banking group Abbey announced it was closing its contact centre in Gateshead, making 235 people redundant. Unions dubbed
Had a car known as the Black Prince proved a success, a small North-East town could have become the hub of the British motor industry and not Coventry. Jim McTaggart looks back at what might have been. IT was called the Black Prince - and it was businessman
AN investigation has been launched into the death of an alleged rapist at a North-East prison. Walter Smith was found hanged in his cell at Holme House Prison, Stockton, at the weekend. He had been on remand, charged with rape, sexual assault, affray,
Three people arrested for suspected drug offences following the death of a 15-year-old boy at party have been released on police bail. Two youths, aged 14, and 19, and a 25-year-old man were arrested by officers investigating the death of 15-year-old
TRIBUTES have been paid to a former Northern Echo journalist who has died from cancer. Lynda Cleasby, 50, began her career in Darlington before she moved to the Western Daily Press, in Bristol, and then to public relations. She died in hospital in Kent
POLICE are investigating after hunt supporters attempted to hold up a steam train carrying an anti-hunting MP at the weekend. Protestors on horseback tried to hijack the train carrying Scarborough and Whitby Labour MP Lawrie Quinn on the North Yorkshire
A MAN punched a young woman when she resisted his advance in a nightclub, a court was told. John Tallentire threw a single blow, breaking the 24-year-old victim's nose, after earlier dancing and kissing her once, late on a Saturday night, last June. Durham
Sewing Machinist Supervisor, exceeds NMW, 40hpw. Must have previous experience., Must also have industrial sewing machinist experience of sewing three piece suites using variety of fabrics and leathers. Ref: DAE 43692. Telesales Representative, £4.85ph
When Nick Nelson and bride-to-be Caroline Bowman set their wedding date for April 8, they never dreamed they would be sharing it with not one, but two high-profile couples - Charles and Camilla and Ken and Deirdre. But at least a Queen will be attending
School escort, £5ph, 10-17hrs pw Mon-Fri mornings and afternoons, required to escort children three to 15 years on and off vehicles and supervising on route, some children may have special needs. Successful applicant will provide enhanced disclosure at
A DINNER lady who started her job only expecting to work for a few weeks has just celebrated 25 years service. Nancy Barber was presented with a bouquet of flowers from staff and pupils at Sherriff Hutton Primary School at an assembly to mark her anniversary
MEDICAL experts have been called in to a North-East young offenders' institution following an outbreak of mumps. Two prisoners at the Castington institute, near Morpeth, in Northumberland, came down with the virus last week and are being treated in the
THREE North-East hospitals are among the ten best-performing health trusts when it comes to fighting the MRSA superbug. Yesterday, the Government said hospitals have reached the turning point in the battle to reduce potentially deadly MRSA infections.
A £60m power station poised to put the region at the centre of the renewable energy industry will create more than 400 jobs and safeguard several hundred more, it was announced yesterday. SembCorp Utilities UK will build one of the UK's largest biomass
JONJO O'NEILL'S horses are emerging from the doldrums, which should ensure Canon Barney (3.25) gives his supporters a great run for their money in the stamina-sapping Devon National at Exeter. O'Neill's powerful team were struck down by a debilitating
My three-year-old suffers from frequent colds and coughs. Is this normal? I worry that these illnesses may develop into something more serious. How do I take care of her when she is poorly and how do I know when to ask for help? ILLNESS is a natural and
Though the feat was remarkable, much sadness overshadowed Gretna's promotion to the Scottish second division on Saturday. Ian Dalgleish, devoted to the club for almost 60 years and chairman throughout a memorable decade in the Northern League, died suddenly
Liam Lawrence has been ordered to carry on playing and leave the pressure and weight of expectation on his manager's shoulders. The Sunderland midfielder did make his boss's job a little easier on Friday, when he nodded home from close range - after Marcus
PUBLIC meetings are being held this month to explain a review of the Friarage Hospital, Northallerton. Local people are worried that it could be about to suffer a cut in services, despite a £21m redevelopment project now under way. Bosses at South Tees
Wilfred Thesiger, A Life in Pictures by Alexander Maitland (HarperCollins, £30): GAZING out from the glossy dust jacket, his eyes seem transfixed on the next horizon. Despite his gnarled features, soiled Arab dress, unshaven face and camel stick, he cuts
DRUGS including cannabis and Ecstasy were available at a party attended by a schoolboy who was later found dead in a nearby field. Two teenagers, aged 14 and 19, and a 25-year-old man have been arrested on suspicion of possession and supply of drugs as
DAVE PICKARD has been appointed head of housing management services for Tristar Homes, in Stockton. He has worked in the housing sector for 23 years. Mr Pickard, 43, was formerly area manager with the William Sutton Housing Association, in York. Before
PUPILS from Teesside Prep School in Eaglescliffe won several classes at the Darlington Music Festival. The choir won the 13 and under class, gaining 88 marks and a distinction, while the school's Rowling Chamber Ensemble won the Junior Music Making class
BULLDOZERS have moved into a housing estate to pull down homes condemned as unsafe due to structural defects. Phase one of the demolition of 120 houses on the St Andrews estate, in Bishop Auckland, began yesterday. Wear Valley District Council and contractors
BUS passengers in and around Durham will soon benefit from a new fleet of easy-access vehicles. Arriva, which operates the bulk of the services in the city and the surrounding area, is spending £3m on 27 sophisticated new buses, and refurbishing 27 others
AN alleged rapist threatened to put up naked photographs of his victim at a football match unless she continued to submit to sex with him, a court heard. Newcastle Crown Court heard John Gibson, 41, made posters on his computer showing the woman without
CENTENARIAN Emma Brown does not let her age get in the way of leading a full and active life. Mrs Brown, of Blackhall Colliery, who is the great niece of the legendary County Durham miners' leader Peter Lee, is still a keen bowls player and is getting
SCHOOLchildren sprung into action yesterday to start raising funds to kit out their classrooms with better computers. Pupils at Ferryhill Station Primary School took part in a sponsored bounce to start a cash crusade aimed at improving IT resources in
MORE than 4,000 possible areas of contaminated land have been identified across the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire. Now each of them is to be individually assessed to discover whether they contain any potential health risk for people. The survey
A FORMER factory worker has made a radical career change after being made redundant - by getting a job in customer service. Richard Laws, 55, of Wingate, had spent 26 years on the factory floor, at Lin Pac Plastics. But now, with the help of Easington
A SUPER spy is helping to boost a campaign to maintain the daily choral tradition in Ripon Cathedral. Fundraisers at the North Yorkshire minster have secured Dame Stella Rimington, the first woman to become Director General of MI5, to speak at a fundraising
A TEESSIDE nurse has become the first in the country to be appointed to the Heart Rhythm UK Council. Jayne Mudd, a cardiac rhythm management nurse practitioner at James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, hopes her appointment will help raise
GOVERNMENT chief whip and North-West Durham MP Hilary Armstrong visited the Grove Training Nursery, in Consett, to take part in a graduation ceremony. Ms Armstrong presented City and Guilds qualifications and National Proficiency Test Certificates to
A DRUG dealer who confessed to his crime was jailed for two-and-a-half years yesterday. Karl Dales told police he had been selling heroin to friends for two months on behalf of his supplier. Teesside Crown Court heard that Dales, 24, had stopped dealing
Had a car known as the Black Prince proved a success, a small North-East town could have become the hub of the British motor industry and not Coventry. Jim McTaggart looks back at what might have been. IT was called the Black Prince - and it was businessman
PEOPLE are invited to have their say about a scheme to make Darlington more pedestrian-friendly. The Living Streets project, run by Darlington Borough Council, is holding a series of meetings and street surveys to gather residents' opinions and concerns
People living in Darlington are setting up a group aimed at spreading the healthy eating message. A luncheon club is being formed by people living in the Bank Top area of the town, following the success of an eating initiative called Hands on Health.
SHOWTIME: Marske and New Marske Pensioners and Friends are holding an afternoon of entertainment next Tuesday in the Cheshire Home, Redcar Road, Marske. Dave Foster will entertain between 2pm to 4pm. Entrance is £1.50 including refreshments. For details
Chef YON GRECH, left, has been appointed by PP Training to oversee one of its catering divisions. Mr Grech, from South Shields, South Tyneside, will manage the catering at The Premier Business Centre, a conference and corporate training facility in Jarrow
YOUNGSTERS got to grips with the first signs of spring in Darlington yesterday. An exploration table was set up for children at the town hall's Kids and Co Nursery, allowing them to study a range of seasonal items. As part of an ongoing topic of studying
A CHURCH is opening a £50,000 extension next month as part of a project to help vulnerable and elderly people. St John's Church, in Neasham Road, Darlington, has renovated its vestry and kitchen to house a lunch club for people in the Bank Top area. The
YOUNGSTERS were experiencing the challenges of the construction industry at an event today. Year six pupils from Hartlepool primary schools - including Eldon Grove, Hart, Kingsley and Rift House - were taking part in projects organised by the Construction
A COUNCIL is claiming success in the first stage of a consultation on the future of Billingham town centre. Stockton Borough Council said hundreds of residents had given their views on £24m plans to refurbish The Forum shopping and leisure complex. Researchers
MEDICAL experts have been called in to a North-East young offenders' institution following an outbreak of mumps. Two prisoners at the Castington institute, near Morpeth, in Northumberland, came down with the virus last week and are being treated in the
A TEAM of Northallerton hairdressers is celebrating after picking up two major awards. Saks earned the accolades at the company's national awards ceremony, held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London. The Northallerton team picked up the L'Oreal Salon
YOUNG actors have been performing a play set in medieval Japan. Pupils at Queen Mary's School, Topcliffe, staged Samurai as part of a celebration of youth drama led by the National Theatre. Critics from the National were there to assess the performance
A COUNCIL is seeking views from residents, voluntary organisations and carers on the future of community mental health Sunderland City Council social services and co-ordination review committee chairman, Councillor Norma Wright, said: "We would really
CARD fraud losses in the region reached £27m last year despite advances in security, figures released today reveal. In the North-East, £6.8m was stolen using fake debit and credit cards in 2004, while in Yorkshire and Humberside card losses hit £20.2m
CONSERVATION issues across England's largest county have been given a fillip with the appointment of a new countryside officer. Sue Bragg is the first of four area-based countryside officers who will be appointed in North Yorkshire to provide a basic
A £60m power station poised to put the region at the centre of the renewable energy industry will create more than 400 jobs and safeguard several hundred more, it was announced yesterday. SembCorp Utilities UK will build one of the UK's largest biomass
After a ten-year absence, the Big One returns, larger than life, to the column. SAVE for the jokes at the foot of the column, it must be getting on ten years since the bairns made an appearance hereabouts. They're now almost as old as the jokes are. Last
THE £2bn buyout of a US defence company could provide a jobs boost for the North-East. BAE Systems has announced the purchase of United Defense Industries (UDI) for £2.01bn. It gives a UK company a foothold in the lucrative US armoured car market for
SUPPORTERS of Darlington FC will get a kick out of the half-time entertainment at the Quakers' next home game. A fans' penalty shoot-out competition comes to a conclusion at Saturday's match against Yeovil Town at the club's Williamson Motors Stadium.
BUSINESSES collectively owed around £1m by a troubled tourist railway have been called to a creditors meeting next week. Since Weardale Railway went into voluntary administration in December, accountant PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) has been working on
DRUGS including cannabis and Ecstasy were available at a party attended by a schoolboy who was later found dead in a nearby field. Two teenagers, aged 14 and 19, and a 25-year-old man have been arrested on suspicion of possession and supply of drugs as
SCHOOLchildrenhave proved they have a talent for town planning after constructing their own community using toy building bricks. Pupils from Crakehall Primary School used about 7,000 bricks to build the model town in their school hall. Each of the school's
IT was called the Black Prince - and it was businessman Ernest Naisby's hope that it would transform the fortunes of the North-East town that built it. The project to build the sports car was launched in 1919 in Barnard Castle, County Durham, a town suffering
Shares in the London Stock Exchange (LSE) slumped yesterday after Deutsche Berse abandoned its £1.35bn takeover proposal and fears grew that a rival suitor may walk away. The decision by the Berse to bow to a shareholder rebellion gives Paris exchange
HIGHWAY chiefs have criticised thieves who are risking lives by stealing drain covers and road signs. North Yorkshire County Council said the theft of metal street furniture for scrap was costing taxpayers thousands every year. In the latest incident,
After a ten-year absence, the Big One returns, larger than life, to the column. SAVE for the jokes at the foot of the column, it must be getting on ten years since the bairns made an appearance hereabouts. They're now almost as old as the jokes are. Last
COLIN GARBUTT has been appointed regeneration director at the Newcastle office of project management and construction consultants Hall and Partners. He has more than 37 years' experience of the housing sector and will lead the regeneration team. He joins
COUPLES planning a wedding will find everything they need to make their day special at an event on Sunday. Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland, County Durham is the setting for The Northern Echo's Spring Bride and Groom exhibition. Stalls will feature bridalwear
A DEFIANT Lee Bowyer has insisted that Newcastle will have nothing to fear when they enter one of European football's most hostile arenas on Thursday night. The Magpies, who boast a 100 per cent record on continental soil this season, will fly out to
CAMERAS will soon be checking up to a million cars a day on routes in and out of England's biggest county. Cameras are being introduced and police chiefs in North Yorkshire say they will be a leading weapon in the fight against travelling criminals. Twelve
A MEAT trader who fiddled benefits after his business was hit by the foot-and-mouth crisis and BSE, was spared jail yesterday. Disabled Clifford Atkinson went out of business with debts of £24,000. Teesside Crown Court heard that Atkinson, 57, had qualified
PENSIONERS in the region could save hundreds of pounds from their council tax bills by applying for benefits. Council Tax Benefits Minister Chris Pond is urging pensioners not to miss out on the chance to save £400 a year when local authorities send bills
GEORGE REYNOLDS, the former chairman of Darlington Football Club, has been ordered to pay £36,000 damages to a journalist who wanted to ghost-write his autobiography. The 68-year-old businessman was sued by veteran sports writer John Sadler, who planned
WE live in a world in which more care than ever before has to be taken to avoid causing offence. Nursery rhymes have been rewritten for schools, and words like 'blacklist' and 'blackspot' have become politically incorrect because of their negative connotations
A PAIR of rare ospreys have gone on show to the public, marking a first for the UK. The pair, called Trout and Salmon, are the star attractions at the Birds of Prey Centre at Sion Hill Hall, near Thirsk, North Yorkshire. They were imported from a breeder
The Stockton office of North-East construction company Lovell has promoted DAVID McPARTLIN to the position of contracts manager and CHRIS PALLISTER to partnering manager. Both have been with the company for four years and have experience in the construction
A NEW drop-in clinic for parents will be launched in Catterick Garrison tomorrow. It will be held at Darlington College's Catterick building every Wednesday from 10am-11.30am. Health visitor Wendy Pedley said: "The idea is to hold the weekly clinics in
HOUSING charity Norcare has been voted one of Britain's best employers. The Newcastle organisation was ranked 33rd in the The Sunday Times 100 Best Small Companies to Work For list. The group has 76 staff and a pool of volunteers. Eighty per cent of staff
THE estranged father of nurse Shelley Whitfield has said her death has robbed him of the chance to heal their long-running rift. Stuart Whitfield last night spoke of his anguish at being unable to say goodbye to the daughter he last spoke to four years
HARTLEPOOL United could have been going into tonight's game at Hull with automatic promotion at stake. But after back-to-back defeats, Pool's hopes are as good as over and Neale Cooper's side now need the points to reach the play-offs. Hull and Luton
A WORLD-famous carpet maker has been rescued from administration, creating 120 jobs. Hugh Mackay has supplied carpets to business, homes and buildings across the world, including the Sage Gateshead, the US Treasury Department, in Washington DC, and the
AN agriculture graduate has joined the North-East region of the National Farmers' Union (NFU) on work placement. ROWENA HAMMON has joined the NFU for the next three months as part of a year-long graduate trainee placement that will see her carrying out
A company making electric vehicles is helping to put milk floats back on Britain's streets. Smiths Electric Vehicles (SEV) has signed a single- source supply agreement with a national dairy, which wishes to remain anonymous. The value of the contract
Liam Lawrence has been ordered to carry on playing and leave the pressure and weight of expectation on his manager's shoulders. The Sunderland midfielder did make his boss's job a little easier on Friday, when he nodded home from close range - after Marcus
Richmond Ice Cream, in North Yorkshire, has appointed AMANDA MAJER as customer marketing manager. She will manage the company's brand business and develop business opportunities. She will also help to increase sales of ice cream brands that include Fab
The Government last night played down calls to consider teaching black boys in separate classes to help them improve their school grades. Trevor Phillips, chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality, said such a radical option may be the only way to
England summoned Iain Balshaw from the international wilderness for Saturday's RBS 6 Nations clash against Italy, almost a year to the day after his last Test match appearance. The Leeds full-back replaces skipper Jason Robinson, who had a thumb operation
THE inventors of a wind turbine system and software to keep commercial websites problem-free were honoured yesterday. Evolving Generation, based in Crook, County Durham, has created a generator for wind turbines that can reduce the cost of generating
HEALTH chiefs came under renewed fire yesterday over plans to close a North-East hospital unit for cancer sufferers. The in-patient haematology unit at Darlington Memorial Hospital was opened in the late 1980s after campaigners raised almost £300,000.
DEFENDER David McGurk is delighted to be back in Darlington manager David Hodgson's first-team plans and hopes his recent re-emergence is more than just a brief appearance. McGurk has spent the majority of the season on the periphery of Hodgson's thoughts
MORE than 90 years ago, William Henry Barker left his home to fight for King and Country in South Africa. Now his descendants have given the medals he won in the Boer War to The Green Howards Regimental Museum, in Richmond, North Yorkshire. Private Barker
AN expert in the ancient history of vase decoration is to explain the skill at a public talk this week. Dr Oliver Dickinson, a reader in classics and ancient history at Durham University, will speak on Greek vase painting in a free lecture at 7pm tomorrow
SO Blair's government has bailed out the failing BBC and guaranteed the TV licence until 2016. This is a tax and if you possess a TV set you are paying it. It is a coercive tax accompanied by threatening messages on screen to tell you that you will be
THE Queen may have decided not to attend the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla. But a Queen will be present at the marriage of one couple on the same day. Nick Nelson and Caroline Bowman, of Darlington, will be married at the town's Blackwell Grange
She was the golden girl of morning television but Anne Diamond went on to lose a son to cot death, see the collapse of her marriage and the loss of her figure. Lindsay Jennings looks at the girl next door who became a household name. ANNE Diamond sat
ORGANISERS of a special film night in Northallerton this week are hoping for a colourful response from the audience. Hambleton Forum is playing host to a special red nose night on Friday, as the centre turns into a cinema. And as part of a new initiative
NOT too many years ago, almost every comedian worth their weight was a master of the one-liner. Even comic intellectuals like Woody Allen punctuated their acts with quick-fire gags. These days, the pun has taken a bit of a nose-dive, as stand-up comedy
A MAN accused of showing an unhealthy interest in a girl of ten is alleged to have indecently touched her when helping her out of wet clothing. Harry Devine, 54, the former Easington District Council member for the village of Wingate, County Durham, is
A NORTH-EAST beer festival which begins this week will have a record number of beers to sample. Organisers of the Darlington Beer Festival, the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra), are promising 48 ales - plus cider and imported beer. Ale is coming from a number
A BANNED driver was yesterday jailed for 26 months after he was involved in two chases with police patrol cars within a few months. Gary Davison sped away in a Ford Escort when he was seen by an officer, in Murton, County Durham, a month before the latest
PARENTS were encouraged to take care not to expose their children to the dangers of passive smoking at a family day yesterday. The event took place at the SureStart Redhill Centre, in Stockton, and coincided with National No Smoking Day and World Book
DRUGS including cannabis and Ecstasy were available at a party attended by a schoolboy who was later found dead in a nearby field. Two teenagers, aged 14 and 19, and a 25-year-old man have been arrested on suspicion of possession and supply of drugs as
A WOMAN who has plagued a village with her extreme behaviour has been made subject of an anti-social behaviour order for three years. Bishop Auckland Magistrates heard yesterday how Stacey Ord, 19, of Village Farm, West Cornforth, made life unpleasant
PUBLIC transport will be in the spotlight when community groups meet later this week. Wear Valley residents are invited to have their say on the issue at a Community Network forum at the Durham Dales Centre, Stanhope, on Thursday at 6pm. The Durham County
Author Benita Brown may be known for her gritty Northern sagas, but as she tells Women's Editor Lindsay Jennings, it's a long way from her literary beginnings - writing the popular photo-story scripts for Jackie magazine. The Captain's Daughters (Headline
THE inventors of a wind turbine system and software to keep commercial websites problem-free were honoured yesterday. Evolving Generation, based in Crook, County Durham, has created a generator for wind turbines that can reduce the cost of generating
A driver on the 45A bus travelling on the Great North Road, opposite Old Brunton Lane, in the Gosforth area of Newcastle, at about 9.50pm on Saturday was robbed of his takings by two passengers. The driver suffered an arm injury during the robbery. The
A WEBSITE urging a north Durham community to go smoke free will be launched tomorrow. The Smoke Free Derwentside website, the first of its kind in the North-East, will be unveiled on No Smoking Day, by logo competition winner Karl Pitt, aged nine, at
A MAN who carried out a drunken assault on a lodger at his home was yesterday jailed for three years. John Cooke, 36, used a pointed wooden stick, a claw hammer and a plank of wood in the ten-minute attack. Durham Crown Court heard that Cooke saw red
A HOST of celebrities have supported a Teesside town's bid for Fair Trade status. TV stars including Chris Tarrant and Jack Osbourne have sent personal messages of encouragement to the team aiming to see Hartlepool crowned as a Fair Trade town. Fair Trade
Gisborough Priory Project is organising an event to clean and sort through archaeology finds on Sunday, March 20, from 1pm to 4pm. Anyone interested can meet at Guisborough Parish Hall. Tea and coffee available. For details, contact Martin Smith on (01642
Howden-le-Wear community centre is hosting a number of events. A keep-fit class is held on Mondays from 7pm to 8pm while a table-top sale is being held on Saturday, from 10am until noon. The centre is also hoping to start tai chi classes during the day
THE biggest college in the North-East could be hit by further strike action. About 400 lecturers and managers at Newcastle College are ready to walk out next Tuesday and Wednesday in a dispute over pay and conditions. A strike last Tuesday left the college
THE owner of a care home that was saved from closure is travelling to Westminster with an 8,000-signature petition to lobby the Goverment over its funding of elderly care. Barry Parvin, who owns the Graceland Care Home in Guisborough, will join a group
CONTROVERIAL plans to build new hangars at a North Yorkshire airfield have won the support of a local business leader. The chief executive of the York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, Len Cruddas, said good air links were vital for York's future
