Places often take their names from a description of the land. CHRIS LLOYD looks at Rise Carr and Honeypot Lane TODAY, a bog is a bog is a bog. But long, long ago a bog could have been a flatt or a holme, an ing or a haugh, a mire or a carr or a
IT'S been quite a journey for Daniel Bedingfield since he made his debut single, Gotta Get Thru This in his bedroom studio, but what a distance he has come. His style, charisma and energy haven't changed, but his mentors in the industry have certainly
BRITAIN'S largest workwear supplier has seen profits soar. Johnson Service Group achieved turnover of £364m for the year ending December 25, up 57 per cent on the previous 12 months. Pre-tax profits rose 62 per cent to £15.7m. The company bought seven
A COUPLE are hoping to bring a breath of fresh air to the greeting card market. David Rankin and Tanja Seitz have launched Scent With Love, a range of 12 scratch-and-sniff birthday cards. Aromas range from banana, liquorice and chocolate, to lavender
The North East's largest communications agency, Robson Brown, is motoring forward with its expansion plans, following the appointment of two designers from the automotive sector. JOHN HOWE, from South Shields, South Tyneside, joins the company from Reg
GOVERNMENT claims that homelessness is falling were called into question by charities and volunteer workers in the North-East last night. Statistics show the number of people in the region becoming homeless in the final quarter of last year fell by nearly
A footballer needed hospital treatment after allegedly being beaten up in a row involving a woman. Hartlepool United striker Adam Boyd is thought to have suffered cuts to his stomach and foot, and bruising to his face and legs, in the late-night attack
Some people start a small business to pay for the occasional holiday and keep a roof over their head. Others start small with big ambitions. According to Peter Knowles, his business grew by accident. In 1966, he was a baker working in London and feeling
ONE of the region's leading business organisations says the Chancellor must learn the lessons of his predecessors to avoid a return to the boom and bust era. The North East Chamber of Commerce (NECC) warned against a return to the economic disaster of
CLARE DAVIES has joined Go North East's team of bus drivers. The mother-of-three, from Washington, Wearside, has taken advantage of part-time hours offered by the company to find the right work-life balance. As a working mother, with an eldest child of
ELECTRIC vehicle manufacturer Smiths has announced its fourth major contract in three months. The company's Aerial Access division, near Stanley, County Durham, is supplying 40 vehicles to Romania in a £500,000 deal. Roy Stanley, chief executive of the
She has cycled 2,500 miles from Rome to her home in Leeds, competed in a gruelling triathlon in Florida and raised more than £1m for charity - while living with terminal cancer. The inspirational Jane Tomlinson tells Women's Editor Lindsay Jennings why
Harry Mead tackles a whole brigade of books about those who volunteered to fight for their country... and those who took a little more persuading to join the ranks. MASSACRE OF THE INNOCENTS: The Crofton Diaries edited by Gavin Roynon (Sutton, £19.99)
Two Japan fanatics are looking forward to travelling to the Far Eastern country for the first time. Jill Clay and Katie Chaplin will fly out tomorrow after saving up for a year for the trip. The pair run Vintage Kimono, a company based at Aske Hall, near
MIDDLESBROUGH'S Brazilian midfielder Doriva remains confident the Teessiders can progress to the last eight of the UEFA Cup, despite needing to overturn a 3-2 deficit in Lisbon this week. The 32-year-old is aware that Boro are likely to need to beat Sporting
Craig Liddle has conceded he may have played his last game for Darlington. The injury-plagued defender has played over 300 games for the club but appearances have been limited this season as he's battled from one problem to the next, and his chances of
THREE of Hartlepool United's injured regulars will today get the chance to prove their fitness ahead of Saturday's trip to Bradford, writes Nick Loughlin. Chris Westwood (hamstring), Mark Tinkler (calf) and Hugh Robertson (foot) have all been out of action
HUNDREDS of posts are to be lost from the region's front-line fighter base as part of cuts in the armed forces. A total of 215 service and 20 civilian posts will disappear from RAF Leeming, in North Yorkshire, over three years, as the Royal Air Force
Driver, required for school and airport contracts, must be 25 plus with clean UK driving licence, enhanced disclosure required cost met by applicant. Ref: BIS 15809. Assistant chef, must have experience and relevant qualification and food hygiene certificate
PARAMEDIC Bob Keane has been given the task of putting new impetus into a lifesaving service. The 45-year-old has been appointed community defibrillation officer to support the needs of the growing number of volunteers trained in the use of the lifesaving
DAY trippers and dog walkers were back on the beach in Scarborough yesterday, enjoying the spring sunshine and bracing sea air. They were joined by yellow-jacketed search teams, combing the beach for any sign of 13-year-old Aimee Greenwood, who was still
The story of Romeo and Juliet was made for Birmingham Royal Ballet principal dancers Molly Smolen and Tiit Helimets, who overcame the gulf of different continents and a language barrier to meet and marry. Viv Hardwick reports. THE passion of Shakespeare's
Traffic was brought to a standstill in a busy town centre yesterday as more than 200 mourners walked in a funeral procession as a tribute to a popular teenage schoolboy who is believed to have frozen to death in the snow. A police car with a blue flashing
THE parents of a boy left with severe learning difficulties after he was starved of oxygen at birth have won a £400,000 payout. Melanie and Mark Willis received the compensation at a High Court settlement in London yesterday to help pay for the care of
Greggs plc, based in Newcastle, has appointed JULIE BADDELEY as a non-executive director. Ms Baddeley, 53, is a non-executive director of the Yorkshire Building Society, Computerland UK and the Pension Client Group, at the Government's Department for
ART students have been soaking up Parisian culture during a college trip. Forty five students from Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, in Darlington, spent four days in the French capital. They spent their time sketching and viewing famous art works in
SCHOOLS that encourage more pupils and parents to walk or cycle rather than take the car can help bring more than £500,000 in extra Government cash to the county. Any school which has a travel plan signed off by Easter could benefit from a cash boost
THE Government has launched its new Environmental Stewardship Scheme. All farmers can earn money for a range of schemes designed to look after wildlife on their land. Eligible projects range from looking after hedgerows, providing habitats for birds and
NORTH-EAST construction companies are being encouraged to improve their environmental performance. Learning and Skills Council County Durham has hired the North East Centre for Environmental Science and Industry, part of Durham University, and training
The story of Romeo and Juliet was made for Birmingham Royal Ballet principal dancers Molly Smolen and Tiit Helimets, who overcame the gulf of different continents and a language barrier to meet and marry. Viv Hardwick reports. THE passion of Shakespeare's
A CHEF who left the trade to help his wife fight a life-threatening illness has opened a restaurant. Husband and wife Terry and Michelle Breen have bought the Age Bar and Kitchen restaurant, Durham City. Mr Breen, 41, was a chef at Lumley Castle, near
ABUSE allegations at Army barracks must be investigated independently following the bullying scandals at Deepcut and Catterick, a report by MPs said yesterday. The Defence Select Committee criticised Army chiefs for failing vulnerable young recruits by
TWO of regional development agency One NorthEast's centres of excellence are setting up bases in the south of the region. In the past, the agency has been critisised for basing most of its centres of excellence in or around Tyneside, with only one on
LABOUR has fired the opening salvoes in what looks likely to be a bitter battle for a key North-East constituency at the forthcoming General Election. The Liberal Democrats have declared Durham City to be their number one target at the election, expected
CREDITORS who are owed almost £1m have granted a troubled railway breathing space to get back on track. The decision to allow administrators to continue efforts to come up with a plan to save Weardale Railway from liquidation was made at a formal meeting
THERE'S no better jockey to have on your side when having a bet at Cheltenham than Tony McCoy, who is fancied to lift the feature race on day one of the Festival aboard Essex (3.15) in the Smurfit Champion Hurdle. Although Barry Geraghty was in the saddle
THE former Benny Hill girl who is standing against Tony Blair in Sedgefield at the General Election will do so as a Pensioners' Party candidate. Cherri "BlairOut" Gilham, 60, started her campaign at the beginning of the year as a one-woman anti-war protest
THE area where Kim Barrett and her children died can look peaceful and calm, but it has a grim record. Over the years, the area has claimed a number of lives. Slippery and covered in algae, the slipway from which the family were swept away makes it treacherous
The witch of Frome must not be confused with the Demon of Frome, who was Colin Herbert Dredge, but seems a pretty influential lass, nonetheless. It was halfway through last football season that Frome Town, who'd scored 31 goals away and just three at
Beaten (BBC1) A DRAMA about domestic violence sits uneasily on the daytime TV agenda among the more light-hearted items about property makeovers and holiday homes abroad. Sandwiched between Aussie soap Neighbours and CBBC, Beaten was always going to stick
THE father of a teenage girl missing since being swept into the sea on Sunday yesterday visited the spot where his son and the children's mother lost their lives. John Greenwood arrived at the North Bay, in Scarborough, shortly after rescue workers called
A HEALTH body set up to represent patients and the public is looking for members. People with an interest in the delivery of mental health services are being invited to join the Patient and Public Involvement Forum for County Durham and Darlington Priority
A TEENAGE tearaway has broken the conditions of an anti-social behaviour order less than a week after it was imposed by magistrates. Stacey Ord, 19, of Village Farm, West Cornforth, admitted throwing stones at a house window in the village on Saturday
Few businesses can have endured as much upheaval as fishing over recent times. John Dean reports on how the North-East and North Yorkshire fishing fleet is battling to survive and what is being done to help. RICHARD Brewer cannot conceal his frustration
A DARLINGTON man has lost his appeal against the borough council's refusal to allow him to build a bungalow. Robert Jones wanted to build the home in Harris Street, but planning inspector Wenda Fabian said the building would overshadow the rear garden
POLICE are hunting a 20-year-old man in connection with a stabbing at a party. His 22-year-old victim is stable in Middlesbrough's James Cook University Hospital, where he was admitted with a stab wound to the chest, but did not need surgery. A police
TRIBUTES have been paid to the manager of a Darlington estate who leaves her post at the end of this month. Sally Forth, 46, neighbourhood manager of Firthmoor, is to become anti-social behaviour co-ordinator in Hartlepool. She has overseen Firthmoor's
A FOSTER carer has been named one of the 25 winners in a national award scheme. The Believe in Me Awards are the first of their kind in England where children and young people nominate an adult who they believe has gone that extra mile to make a real
ART students have been soaking up Parisian culture during a college trip. Forty five students from Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, in Darlington, spent four days in the French capital. They spent their time sketching and viewing famous art works in
POLICE carried out simultaneous operations to target alcohol-related violence at the weekend. Officers from the Cleveland force went on patrols at 7pm on Friday and Saturday, targeting 71 premises in Eston, Grangetown, Loftus, Guisborough and Redcar.
WORK got under way yesterday on a new £500,000 performing arts centre. Digging equipment moved onto the site of the new block at Belmont School Community Arts College, Durham City, to get construction underway. The new block will house a dance studio,
PENSIONERS will shake a leg as part of a major push to keep the older population fit. Middlesbrough Council has organised a Dance Extravaganza for the over-60s on Thursday. Organiser Joanne Turnbull said: "Middlesbrough Sport and Leisure Service runs
TEENAGERS from across the North-East have been showing they are a cut above the rest. Ten colleges took part in the Association of Hairdressers and Therapists' Regional Hair and Beauty Competition at the Federation Brewery, in Gateshead, yesterday. It
JURORS in a rape trial were discharged yesterday. John Gibson, 41, was accused of raping a 28-year-old woman. The alleged victim was due to begin her fifth day of giving evidence at Newcastle Crown Court yesterday. But during legal argument, it was concluded
AN old curiosity shop is to open in Darlington town centre later this year to showcase items normally unseen by museum visitors. The display opens on Saturday in Redcar High Street, but is due to visit Darlington, in September and October. The exhibits
POLICE have warned the public that burglars have begun walking into houses through open doors. There have been more than 12 cases of thieves walking into homes in the Rimswell, Fairfield and Elm Tree areas of Stockton in the past three weeks. Often the
UNIVERSITY students are helping police put elderly and vulnerable residents on alert against doorstep confidence tricksters. The University of Teesside in Middlesbrough is training up to 40 student volunteers to work alongside Cleveland Police and community
ARCHAEOLOGICAL remains and local wildlife have combined to rule out hoped-for bypasses for two North Yorkshire towns. Road schemes for both Pickering and Helmsley have been scuppered as they would not receive funding from the Government. According to
A TEENAGER is on his way back behind bars weeks after being set free - because of his fear that he would be a victim of attacks. When Richard Hart, 19, appeared before Harrogate magistrates yesterday to plead guilty to carrying a kitchen knife with a
AN exercise group proved to be as nifty at fundraising as they are on their feet when they came to the aid of a national charity. Northallerton College Lifelong Learning Group decided to devote the proceeds of their last session to Comic Relief. Known
A PHILOSOPHER will discuss changing views of the earth at a talk this evening. Mary Midgely will be appearing at Durham University's Queen's Campus, in Stockton. Her talk, Changing Visions of The Earth, is part of the Caf Scientifique programme, a series
A SUPPORT group for people with breathing problems meets this week. The Bishop Auckland Breathe Easy group is part of a regional network of support groups. Led by specialist nurses, the group helps patients with a range of serious breathing disorders,
A TABLE tennis team of nine-year-olds has thrashed 16 schools to become champions. The 12 youngsters in teams A and B at St Joseph's RCVA Primary School, in Coundon, competed in the Bishop Auckland table tennis primary school's tournament on Thursday
A HEALTH body set up to represent patients and the public is looking for members. People with an interest in the delivery of mental health services are being invited to join the Patient and Public Involvement Forum for County Durham and Darlington Priority
THE region's first privately-run NHS treatment centre is taking shape on a business park. When the new Cobalt NHS Treatment Centre opens to patients in May it will pioneer a new type of NHS facility. Built and operated by the private sector and run by
A POLICE investigation has been launched following the death of a teenager who is thought to have stepped into the path of a fire engine responding to a 999 call. The 18-year-old man, who has not yet been named, was struck by the engine on Sunderland's
A loft conversion firm has been refused the go-ahead for a two-storey extension at a builder's yard in a rural setting, because planning officers say it would be inappropriate and visually intrusive. Truss Loft Conversions wanted to make the changes at
FOOTBALLERS as young as seven are signing no-swearing contracts after referees noticed them copying Premiership stars. Coaches started getting tough on juniors at the club that has produced stars including Alan Shearer and Peter Beardsley after they started
IT is unusual for sporting events to give rise to workplace-based personal injury claims. A case heard recently at Swindon County Court demonstrates that there is a limit to what employers can legitimately be held liable for. The case involved, bizarrely
In four months doors will close at LG Philips Displays in Durham. Dan Jenkins reports on the race against time to find jobs for its 761 workers. THE closure of any factory is a dark day, so the loss of County Dur-ham's biggest private employer was rightly
DAVID Craggs is a happy man. It is more than six months since he bought Beamish Hall, but the small army of workmen he employs has completed the first phase in its renovation. Mr Craggs purchased the medieval stately home, near Stanley, County Durham,
THE future of about 50 shop workers in the region was in doubt last night after the store chain they work for called in administrators. Administrators are to be appointed to run the Gadget Shop. The chain's executive chairman is Hartlepool-born millionaire
ANOTHER day, another Deepcut report. But still no public inquiry. The Commons Defence Select Committee report does, though, throw up some very interesting ideas. We wholly support an independent military complaints commission. In the wake of Operation
The column finds small comfort at the Village Inn, Brompton, and the convalescent Boss still less. SHE'S been bad; pretty dreadful, in truth. Once the convalescent would have been fed boiley - whatever happened to boiley? - or Sanatogen and sweet tea.
YOUNGSTERS can learn about opportunities at one of the world's largest car parts suppliers at an open evening in County Durham. ThyssenKrupp Automotive (TKA) Tallent Chassis, Newton Aycliffe's largest employer, which supplies BMW, Ford, General Motors
LEISURE group Whitbread is giving up control of its Marriott UK hotels in a deal that will raise at least £1bn over two years. Whitbread has agreed to set up a joint venture with Marriott International, the US owner of the brand, which will hold the four-star
A NORTH-EAST company is working with ecologists to encourage wildlife on its sites. Terra Nitrogen, of Billingham, Teesside, called in the Industry Nature Conservation Association (Inca), which is based at the nearby Belasis Business Park, to advise on
ALZHEIMER'S: THE National Institute of Clinical Excellence seems now to have relented regarding drugs that can be prescribed to sufferers of Alzheimer's Disease. Its initial guidance recommended that Remmyl, Aricept and Exelon should not be prescribed
Dry: A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs (Atlantic Books, £7.99): THE memoirs of a raging alcoholic forced into rehab by his employers probably doesn't sound like a barrel of laughs, but believe me, this is. Burroughs is a 25-year-old advertising executive
BILL PLENDER has been promoted to senior manager for production control at Komatsu UK, Birtley, near Chester-le-Street, County Durham. The 41-year-old, from Washington, Wearside, has worked at some of the region's top manufacturing companies, including
A FORMER councillor has denied having an interest in young girls. Harry Devine was addressing a jury at Durham Crown Court at his retrial on an indecent assault charge relating to a girl aged ten or 11. Mr Devine, a former Easington district councillor
Beaten (BBC1): A DRAMA about domestic violence sits uneasily on the daytime TV agenda among the more light-hearted items about property makeovers and holiday homes abroad. Sandwiched between Aussie soap Neighbours and CBBC, Beaten was always going to
SHE'S been bad; pretty dreadful, in truth. Once the convalescent would have been fed boiley - whatever happened to boiley? - or Sanatogen and sweet tea. Now it was haddock and chips. Feeling better for that? Like a comic cuts character in conical cap,
A CONSTRUCTION company is hoping to secure an £18m contract to replace 180,000 Sri Lankan homes destroyed by the Asian tsunami. MMP, in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, already has staff in the country building sample homes. The company uses steel frames
A NORTH-EAST motorcyclist braved snow blizzards and gale force winds on a 3,000-mile journey to raise money for tsunami victims. Jon Formstone, 29, from Norton, near Stockton, arrived back in the region at the weekend after his two-week sponsored ride
MORE than 833,000 investors in mobile phone operator O2 were expecting a windfall last night after cashing in their shares at a premium rate. O2, which has changed its corporate name from mmO2, said investors who received shares when it split from BT
THOUSANDS of patients are dying because they are not being treated in specialist units after suffering a stroke, campaigners said yesterday. A report - the National Sentinel Audit for Stroke 2004 - said specialist services for stroke patients had improved
MMP is looking to the future of construction my moving more of the building process into the factory. Julia Breen finds out more. IN the past 100 years, we have gone from horse-drawn carriages to cars, made flying commonplace, and even put a man on the
Newcastle last night put a positive spin on Jonny Wilkinson's latest injury setback. But severe doubts remain about his chances of making the Lions tour this summer. A scan yesterday confirmed that Wilkinson has suffered another medial ligament problem
A PAIR of rare ospreys have gone on show to the public, marking a first for the UK. Trout and Salmon are the star attractions at the Birds of Prey Centre at Sion Hill Hall, near Thirsk. The pair were imported from a breeder in mainland Europe and are
DEBBIE CORBETT has been appointed promotions manager at the Walkabout Bar, in Durham City. After leaving North-East company Vimac Leisure in November, she decided to return to the leisure industry after a short break.
Today in the old calendar of the Roman Empire is the Ides of March. It is a fateful day. In Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar it is the day when the emperor was assassinated by the Roman noblemen, Cassius, Brutus and the rest of the gang. Caesar was, of
The family of the mother and two children killed after being swept away by heavy seas on Sunday spoke today of the "heartbreaking tragedy". They paid tribute to Kim Barrett, 33 and Aimee and Luke Greenwood, from Spen Bank, Leeds. Aimee's body has not
A new deal has been struck between Yorkshire and Scarborough CC, which ensures that first-class cricket will remain at North Marine Road until at least 2010. Scarborough members were also told at their annual meeting that even closer ties will be forged
THREE technicians have joined Niven Architects in Darlington. Senior technician CIARAN WALSH, 33, has joined the Coniscliffe Road practice from leading Dublin architects McCrossan O'Rourke Manning. His wife, Siobhan, comes from Ushaw Moor, near Durham
FRIENDS and well-wishers have raised £10,000 to help meet initial legal costs faced by a cathedral dean to defend himself in a forthcoming church court case. It took only eight days for fundraisers to secure the five- figure sum for the Very Reverend
AN orchestra have rallied to support an asylum seeker fighting to stay in the UK. Nebez Osman arrived in the country five years ago after fleeing his native Iraq and during his battle to remain, he learned to play the violin and was invited to join Darlington
AN old curiosity shop is to open in Darlington town centre later this year to showcase items normally unseen by museum visitors. The display opens on Saturday in Redcar High Street, but is due to visit Darlington, in September and October. The exhibits
A PILOT was forced to make an emergency landing after losing power on approach to Durham Tees Valley Airport, an investigation found. The light aircraft crash-landed in a field at Ingleby Cross, near Northallerton, North Yorkshire, before hitting a hedge
A DIY chain is creating 50 jobs at a new store on the outskirts of Bishop Auckland. It is hoped that the 25,000sq ft Homebase development will be open by the end of next year. The announcement was made after the company was given planning permission for
She has cycled 2,500 miles from Rome to her home in Leeds, competed in a gruelling triathlon in Florida and raised more than £1m for charity - while living with terminal cancer. The inspirational Jane Tomlinson tells Women's Editor Lindsay Jennings why
POLICE are growing increasingly anxious for the safety of a 29-year-old man who has now been missing from home for more than two weeks. Craig Lee Manning has not made contact with family or friends since February 28. He was last seen in Redcar on March
The poisoning of a red kite in Northumberland earlier this year highlighted the use of illegal pesticides in the coutryside. John Dean looks at new proposals to protect our wildlife. THEY are the indiscriminate killers which account for dozens of wild
Kitchen porter, Northallerton, 20-40hrs pw over 7 days, must be prepared to work weekends, no experience necessary as training provided. Ref: NAL 1595. General operative, Sandhutton, Thirsk, £5.25ph, 40hrs pw Mon-Fri, must have own transport due to location
TWO of the North-East's largest law firms will help with the biggest investment programme in education for more than 50 years. Ward Hadaway and Dickinson Dees have been selected to sit on the national panel formed to support the Government's Building
TWO stalwart Labour councillors are to turn their back on the party and fight the forthcoming county council elections as independents, it has emerged. The decision by county councillors Bill Blenkinsopp and Terry Hogan comes after they failed to win
THE father of a teenage girl missing since being swept into the sea on Sunday yesterday visited the spot where his son and the children's mother lost their lives. John Greenwood arrived at the North Bay, in Scarborough, shortly after rescue workers called
BAKERY chain Greggs announced record profits yesterday but warned it would have to raise prices this year. The Tyneside group, which has more than 1,250 outlets in the UK, predicted costs of its savouries, cakes and sandwiches would rise by up to three
Q A friend of mine wants to invest in my business. He has a considerable amount of capital to bring to the table, which I'm sure will be a welcome boost to the business, but I'm not so sure that it will have a positive effect on our friendship. What do
A 20-year-old man who attacked a love rival with a metal baton on the doorstep of his home and then sent him a threatening text message, has been jailed. Michael Carrick was upset after his friend began texting his former girlfriend, who he had recently
GUY Wilks is determined to hang on to his lead in the junior world rally championship after he went top of the leader board following his victory in last weekend's Rally Mexico. The Suzuki driver led the junior class from start to finish on the North
MICK McCarthy has admitted he would be in favour of a change to the current play-off system to benefit the team finishing third, but says it is not up to him to decide how the format should change. Only three points separate Sunderland, Wigan and Ipswich
A PILOT was forced to make an emergency landing after losing power on approach to Durham Tees Valley Airport, an investigation found. The light aircraft crash-landed in a field at Ingleby Cross, near Northallerton, North Yorkshire, before hitting a hedge
TITUS Bramble last night revealed the true extent of his hernia hell as he admitted that breaking down in Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final was "the biggest blow of his career". The Newcastle centre-half faces a month on the sidelines after over-stretching
COMEDIAN Peter Kay's Red Nose single - a new version of cult 1970s song (Is This The Way To) Amarillo - is on its way to the top of the charts. The single, a collaboration between Kay and singer Tony Christie, was released yesterday and is already outselling
STUDENTS from Barnard Castle School are performing the Sound of Music this week. The musical has taken six months to produce and stars children aged eight to 18 and has been put together by teacher Paul Johnson. Mr Johnson said: "I was asked by the children
A CHARITY store celebrated the first year in their new premises yesterday. Scope, the UK disability charity, moved into a store at The Cornmill Shopping Centre, in Darlington, in March last year. Shop manager Linda Jenkinson said: "We have had a lot of
A DIY chain is creating 50 jobs at a new store on the outskirts of Bishop Auckland. It is hoped that the 25,000sq ft Homebase development will be open by the end of next year. The announcement was made after the company was given planning permission for
A VILLAGE school is to get security cameras after being targeted by vandals for the third time in recent weeks. Eight windows were smashed at Hurworth Primary School, near Darlington, over the weekend. Windows were also broken on two recent occasions.
STUDENTS from Barnard Castle School are performing the Sound of Music this week. The musical has taken six months to produce and stars children aged eight to 18 and has been put together by teacher Paul Johnson. Mr Johnson said: "I was asked by the children
A POPULAR pub is about to undergo a £170,000 conversion and change of name. The Brewsters Dunelm Ridge, at the Arnison Retail Centre on the outskirts of Durham City, is to be refurbished. It will reopen as a Brewers Fayre restaurant.
WARNING signs have been put up to ensure visitors to a Darlington nature reserve keep away from breeding birds. Council officers say Brinkburn Local Nature Reserve had a disastrous breeding season last year because of people disturbing birds roosting
FOUR teenagers have been arrested after reports of a gang fight in Peterlee town centre. It is thought some of those fighting were armed with sticks or bats. Although no one was seriously hurt, a number of windows and a parked car were damaged. Officers
THE future of transport and travel in Darlington is the focus of a conference starting today. The town is one of only three in the country to have been chosen by the Department for Transport to pilot a scheme encouraging people to consider alternative
ELECTION fever is gripping primary schoolchildren who are about to go to the polls today to elect a new member of the school council. Four candidates are contesting the election at Kelloe Primary School, near Durham City, which has been designed to be
FRIENDS of a 20-year-old woman who is suffering from cancer are rallying around to raise funds to send her on holiday. Donna Long, from Billingham, was diagnosed with bowel cancer in February this year. She is undergoing treatment, including chemotherapy
THE last Challenger II tanks to be stationed at a North Yorkshire military base left last week after their brigade was given a new role. All 58 of the battle tanks belonging to the Queen's Royal Lancers have now left Catterick Garrison. The tanks were
A MOTHERING Sunday drawing competition for youngsters attracted hundreds of entries. Durham City mayor Mary Hawgood judged the pictures submitted to the city's Prince Bishops Shopping Centre. She said: "The choice was very hard, with so many entries,
A MAN who spends weekends and holidays at his caravan is hoping to start a business on land beside it breeding millions of worms. Phil Shute, a supervisor on a Government training scheme, wants to build six worm-beds on his four-acre plot at Mickleton
AN NHS special advisor was clocked at more than twice the speed limit on a short stretch of road between two roundabouts, magistrates heard yesterday. The court heard how Charles Hugh-Jones's Audi reached 64mph covering the few hundred yards in Harrogate's
CHILDREN have been listening to some fishy tales and gobbling them, hook, line and sinker. Local storyteller Chris Bostock entertained young bookworms visiting Stockton Library at the weekend with some traditional river stories. He brought to life tales
THREE talented young tennis players have been selected for extra coaching. Nine-year-old Foster Garton, Henry Chadwick, 11, and Michael Howe, nine, all attend Kirkby and Great Broughton School, near Stokesley. They were picked from hundreds of children
PHOEBE the labrador may not know it, but she's about to go on the best walkies of her life. She's about to join pals Deborah Thompson and Ann Kershaw on a fundraising marathon along the Cleveland Way. Mrs Thompson is a health care assistant and Mrs Kershaw
A PARISH council has supported plans for an extension to a village cemetery. Gainford cemetery would be extended by 40 metres to the west. Thirty metres of the extra land would be used for burials with the additional ten metres used for interring ashes
THERE'S no better jockey to have on your side when having a bet at Cheltenham than Tony McCoy, who is fancied to lift the feature race on day one of the Festival aboard Essex (3.15) in the Smurfit Champion Hurdle. Although Barry Geraghty was in the saddle
STUDENTS last night voiced their concerns at the disruption from a building site near their halls of residence. Post-graduates at Durham University staged a demonstration over the noise levels as work proceeds on expanding Ustinov College, at Howland's
A MAN who was part of a gang of drunken revellers who looted the home of a mother-of-one has been jailed. Christopher James Robinson went into the woman's home in Lamont Grove, Hartlepool, with a group of drinkers who had been having a party next door
A MAN exposed himself to teenagers after a long drinking session, a court was told. Duncan Tait, 24, admitted exposing himself outside the Blacksmith's Arms, in Thirsk, on February 22. The 24-year-old, of Regent Mount, Harrogate, was seen outside the
THE Conservative Party has revealed its candidate to fight the seat of North Durham at the forthcoming General Election. Mark Watson, from Kimblesworth, Chester-le-Street, has been chosen to fight the seat currently held by Labour's Kevan Jones with a
A TENNIS club is considering moving to a new location after its attempt to transform its ageing home into a modern sports centre was blocked by planners. The 100-year-old Shotley Bridge and Benfieldside Tennis Club has secured funding of £800,000 to create
PLANS to sell two town centre car parks for housing have been labelled a 'joke' by angry objectors. Richmondshire District Council is proposing to sell Station Road car park and part of York Square car park in Richmond. Officers say the council needs
THE Sage Gateshead's celebration of the centenary of the birth of composer Michael Tippett was the largest in UK; and a resounding success at that. The penultimate concert in a series exploring his work proved a high water mark, with the London Symphony
BUSINESSES in the region are being encouraged to take part in a scheme to replace the UK's lost trees. The project was established by Fountains Associates, a design, print and marketing company in Etherley, near Bishop Auckland, County Durham. Fountains
'Infamy, infamy, they've all got it in for me!" These are the words that Julius Caesar did not say on his assassination on this day in 44 BC. "Et tu Brute!" was what he did say, as his friend and rival plunged the knife in. Ironically, Caesar's death
STUDENTS at a special needs school are taking part in a six-hour non-stop tandem ride to raise funds for a new school building. Pupils from Abbey Hill Special School in Stockton, Teesside will take to the track of Claireville Athletics Stadium in Middlesbrough
A DRUG dealer has been sentenced to three years in jail after he admitted possession with intent to supply cocaine. Andrew Steven Lal, of Kilburn Road, Middlesbrough, was caught with 89 one-gramme packets of the drug when police raided his home in August
Paul Vacklik, managing director of Broadmedia Technology Limited, in North Shields, North Tyneside, has been elected chairman of the Codeworks Nitro Advisory Board. Codeworks Nitro helps North-East-based small and medium-sized businesses in the digital
A Middlesbrough man who held a gun to his ex-girlfriend's head and threatened to pull the trigger was jailed for 30 months today. A court heard how Wayne Hood, 29, terrorised former partner Victoria Tyler when he travelled to Derby to visit her and their
MORE than 3,000 workers at the Nissan car plant, in Sunderland, are to be trained in how to improve the manufacturing process. The three-year scheme will see employees earn an NVQ level two in Business Improvement Techniques. The qualification assesses
