Archive

  • Big changes are planned on Tyneside, says Jenas

    A REFLECTIVE Jermaine Jenas last night predicted a "summer of upheaval" as Newcastle boss Graeme Souness tries to fashion a squad that can restore the club to its former glories. Souness refused to be drawn on his summer plans in the wake of Sunday's

  • Car-death toddler was from North-East

    A TODDLER who died when she and her mother were hit by a car in Northern Ireland were originally from Darlington, it emerged yesterday. Sixteen-month-old Aisling Marie Nic-Suibhre was struck as her mother pushed her pram along the street where they lived

  • Region's oldest amateur football club faces closure

    ONE of the region's oldest amateur football clubs is facing closure after failing to get ownership of its ground. Evenwood Town AFC, in County Durham, has said it may have to close by the end of the month after the transferral of the trusteeship of its

  • Wilkinson ready for a battle

    Fit-again Jonny Wilkinson is ready to battle it out with Welsh Grand Slam hero Stephen Jones for the British and Irish Lions number 10 shirt. Wilkinson has acknowledged that being the drop-goal hero of England's 2003 World Cup final triumph does not give

  • Public has role in NHS

    A PATIENT watchdog has appealed for people to get involved in their local NHS. The Patient and Public Involvement Forum was set up to work alongside the County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. People are urged to get involved, starting

  • Livestock

    DARLINGTON. Thurs. Forward: 1,054 head of stock comprising 430 prime cattle inc 142 young bulls, 624 prime sheep inc 88 cull ewes. Cattle: steers med to 127.5p, av 110.4p; heavy to 144.5p, av 113.5p; heifers med to 130.5p, av 116.9p; heavy to 147.5p,

  • Children's books

    SIBERIA by Ann Halam (Orion, £8.99): TO many adults, the word 'Siberia' conjures up visions of a Soviet era Arctic prison camp. It is indeed in a frozen prison camp that this story unfolds - though not in the past but in a grim future. An environmental

  • Family's torment at mum's treatment

    THE nightmare experience of a North-East family has highlighted the dilemma faced by doctors and families when it comes to deciding whether to withhold treatment. When her 60-year-old mother suffered a stroke Fiona Robinson, from Darlington, was told

  • Jarvis' filly set for a Charm offensive

    Summer Charm, who looked an unlucky loser last week, is fancied to make amends in the Blue Diamond Night On 16 June Handicap over a mile and a half at Beverley this afternoon. William Jarvis' filly showed improved form on artificial surfaces this winter

  • Noffke in as Durham ring changes

    AS Durham sit proudly at the top of both second divisions the slight change in personnel begins today with the arrival of Queensland seamer Ashley Noffke. He will be followed at the weekend by New Zealander Nathan Astle, who coach Martyn Moxon hopes will

  • Council vow after probe on contracts

    A COUNCIL boss has vowed "not to sweep anything under the carpet" after his authority was criticised for the way it handed out contracts. Charles Anderson, of Teesdale District Council, has said a full investigation will be carried out into the tendering

  • Hodgson sets his deadline

    DAVID HODGSON has set a deadline of the end of the May for Darlington's out-of-contract players to resolve their futures at the Williamson Motors Stadium. Hodgson has 14 are mulling over one-year deals, offered last Wednesday - the same day eight were

  • LSH wins deal with Nexus

    THE Newcastle branch of property consultant Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH) has won a three-year contract with public transport group Nexus. LSH will advise Nexus, which operates the Tyne and Wear Metro rail network, on sales and acquisitions, as well as

  • Plea after bank closes

    A LOCAL authority is to send representatives to meet bank officials to discuss the closure of one of its branches. Last week, the Australian owners of Yorkshire Bank and Clydesdale Bank announced it was closing 100 UK branches. The Barnard Castle branch

  • Merger is supported

    A SECOND council has endorsed a decision by two development agencies to merge. Teesdale District Council's corporate strategy committee yesterday backed the merger between Teesdale Enterprise Agency and the Wear Valley Development Company. Wear Valley

  • Take some tips

    Darlington Borough Council's countryside team will be giving advice on map reading next weekend. The lesson will take the form of a five-and-a-half-mile walk around the town on Sunday, starting at 10am at Barmpton Lane, in Barmpton village. For details

  • Mayor says farewell through charity donations

    THE outgoing Mayor of Darlington said goodbye with a party last night. Councillor Roderick Francis, whose term of office ends on Thursday, invited representatives of community groups from across the town to the event on the Firthmoor estate. The farewell

  • Campaigners push for early start on revamp of church

    A CAMPAIGN to make a town centre church more accessible to the community is gathering pace. Ferryhill Methodist Church wants to raise £210,000 to redesign the worship room, improve disabled services, create a kitchen and install a large glass front door

  • Gallery arson attack

    WORKS of art are believed to have survived a suspected arson attack in a building housing a gallery. But Sunderland University officials are carrying out an inventory of the photographic archive, some of which may have suffered smoke damage in the fire

  • Communities work to preserve their mining heritage

    A COMMUNITY arts project has united generations and increased awareness of the heritage in a former mining village. Villagers of all ages from Coundon and Leeholme have worked together on The Creative Coundon - Forging a Future project, based at St Joseph's

  • Communities work to preserve their mining heritage

    A COMMUNITY arts project has united generations and increased awareness of the heritage in a former mining village. Villagers of all ages from Coundon and Leeholme have worked together on The Creative Coundon - Forging a Future project, based at St Joseph's

  • Woman dies after crash on N-E road

    A WOMAN involved in a three-vehicle car accident on the southbound A19 last week has died. Lynn Elizabeth Hunter, 48, of Langley Road, North Shields, North Tyneside, suffered severe head injuries following the collision a mile north of Dalton Lodge, in

  • Rock band releases new single

    NORTH-EAST rock singer and guitarist Pete Shoulder is releasing a limited edition single next week. The 21-year-old from Waldridge Fell, near Chester-le-Street, County Durham, and his band Winterville, will release Shotgun Smile on the Toxxic label on

  • Council vow after probe on contracts

    A COUNCIL boss has vowed "not to sweep anything under the carpet" after his authority was criticised for the way it handed out contracts. Charles Anderson, of Teesdale District Council, has said a full investigation will be carried out into the tendering

  • Fundraisers to help equip hospital ward

    A fundraising drive to provide a new hospital ward with vital equipment is being held this summer. The Friends of Malton Hospital are organising a raffle with a top prize of £1,000, and runners-up prizes of £500 and £250. The money raised will go towards

  • Bigger venue for summer festival

    MORE people then ever will be able to attend a popular rhythm and blues festival this summer. The third Barnard Castle Rhythm and Blues Festival is to take place on the Demesnes fields in the town, on Sunday, May 29. In previous years, the festival was

  • Hope to ban teen from bus station

    EFFORTS are to be made to prevent a teenage nuisance from hanging around a town's bus station. The aim is to bar 19-year-old Lee Peacock from visiting the station, in Consett, County Durham, after he admitted taking part in an assault there one evening

  • University plan facing criticism from lecturer

    A UNIVERSITY'S plans to double in size have been criticised as selfish and unimaginative by one of its own academics. Biology lecturer Dr Richard Firn has added his voice to the controversy over plans to expand York University. He said staff were not

  • Woman admits hitting victim

    A YOUNG woman admitted landing a punch which split her victim's lip in a confrontation on a city centre street. Emma Louise Moderate, 23, pleaded guilty yesterday at Durham Crown Court to a charge of assault causing actual bodily harm. It stems from an

  • Woman tells jurors she was scared to reveal 'rape secret'

    A WOMAN yesterday told a court about a string of sex attacks which she claimed a pensioner committed against her over two decades. Brian Leslie Paylor, of Middleton St George, near Darlington, denies four charges of sexual assault spanning from 1977 to

  • Farmers urged to watch out

    POLICE in Teesdale have advised people in rural areas to be wary of door-to-door salesmen. The advice comes after reports of two men selling power tools from a Transit-style van to farmers in Teesdale. Acting Sergeant Mick Urwin, of Barnard Castle police

  • Plea to anglers to preserve swans

    ANGLERS are being urged not to fish at a pond in Hartlepool to help protect swans. The appeal has been issued by council chiefs who fear that discarded hooks and fishing lines pose a serious threat to the birds. It follows their decision to call in Environment

  • Shanghai dignitary cements alliance with the North-East

    ONE of China's most powerful decision-makers arrived in the region yesterday to strengthen links with the North-East. Yan Junqi, vice-mayor of Shanghai, signed a friendship agreement with regional development agency One NorthEast to support the exchange

  • Gary's walk aims to help sufferers

    A WALKER raising money for sufferers of a rare skin condition is travelling through the region this week. Gary Blair is trekking from his home in Somerset to Alnwick, in Northumberland, to raise money for the epidermolysis bullosa (EB) charity DebRa.

  • Comment from The Northern Echo: Enlightened compassion

    SIXTY years after the end of the Second World War and more than 80 years after the end of the First World War, Britain has still failed to correct a tragic injustice. How can the country continue to refuse to pardon the young men who were executed as

  • Crime figures show decline

    NORTHUMBRIA Police says its crackdown on criminal damage, part of Chief Constable Mike Craik's pledge to give "total policing'' is working. In April, the number of incidents declined by 744 from the same month a year ago. The month-long Wipeout Criminal

  • Free support

    A BUSINESS support team is holding free workshops. Sedgefield Borough Business Service is inviting anyone thinking about starting their own business or existing businesspeople looking for extra support. To find out more about the sessions or support available

  • Free support

    A BUSINESS support team is holding free workshops. Sedgefield Borough Business Service is inviting anyone thinking about starting their own business or existing businesspeople looking for extra support. To find out more about the sessions or support available

  • Metro halted

    SERVICES on part of the Tyne and Wear Metro rail network were brought to a halt during rush hour yesterday afternoon after a car hit a road bridge over the line. The accident took place between Bede and Jarrow stations, in South Tyneside.

  • Maggie May not

    TONIGHT'S Rod Stewart concert at the Metro Radio Arena, in Newcastle, was cancelled yesterday after the singer contracted a throat infection. The concert will now take place on Saturday, and all tickets remain valid for the re-scheduled date.

  • Airwave time in Teesdale for a pop chart newcomer

    A VOLUNTEER community radio station presenter has interviewed the singer of a top 20 band. Radio Teesdale presenter Colin Robinson interviewed Paul Smith, lead singer with Newcastle-based band Maximo Park, for his indie and local music show, The Undercurrent

  • it all adds up for mathematical maestro

    YOUNG maths wizard Jenna Cave has proved more than a match for older students. The 14-year-old, a pupil at Durham Johnston School, achieved a gold certificate in the Intermediate Maths Challenge, aimed at sixth-formers. Only three entrants beat her score

  • Doctor accused of two more murders

    A FAMILY doctor accused of murdering a patient appeared at court yesterday charged with two more killings. Dr Howard Martin, 71, is charged with murdering 74-year-old cancer sufferer Harry Gittins, of Newton Aycliffe, County Durham. Yesterday, he appeared

  • Teens splash out in triathlon

    TEESSIDE teenagers made a splash yesterday as they competed in Hartlepool's first Aquathlon Championships. The event saw teams of five, representing the town's secondary schools, swim at the Mill House Leisure Centre before completing a running circuit

  • Football club threatens to quit league

    BRANDON United is to quit the Albany Northern League unless it can attract more volunteers to help assure its future. The County Durham club is run by a handful of veterans in their 50s, 60s and 70s, who say it can only move forward if younger people

  • Tables stolen from library

    THIEVES have stolen two wooden tables from Saltburn Library's community garden. They appear to have been lifted over the wall that surrounds the picturesque courtyard garden. Librarian Maggie Doyle said: "Everyone's absolutely appalled. Sadly, I think

  • Camera-in-a-van to improve security at restored park

    TOWN hall bosses are to be put in the picture about bad behaviour in a prestige park. A park ranger's van covering Middlesbrough's 70-acre Albert Park has been equipped with CCTV cameras to detect crime and deter yobs. Batteries of static cameras already

  • Group angry over dropped kerb issue

    A NEWLY resurfaced road that was completed weeks behind schedule is to be dug-up after complaints from wheelchair users. Campaign group Disability Action in Richmondshire has criticised county council contractors for failing to build dropped kerbs at

  • 60 homes a year needed

    MORE than 60 affordable homes need to be built in Richmondshire every year, a survey has found. The Richmondshire Council housing needs study found the district needs at least 60 new low-cost houses every year for five years to meet demand from local

  • Doctor accused of two more murders

    A FAMILY doctor accused of murdering a patient appeared at court yesterday charged with two more killings. Dr Howard Martin, 71, is charged with murdering 74-year-old cancer sufferer Harry Gittins, of Newton Aycliffe, County Durham. Yesterday, he appeared

  • Police on the trail after Echo report

    A HERBAL doctor who fled to China after he was charged with a sex offence on a patient may have been found thanks to The Northern Echo. A reader tipped off police as to his wherabouts after a report earlier this month told how Dr Gu Zu Sun had failed

  • Venue switch for band event

    BRASS bands from across the North-East will appear at a museum this summer in a free event. It is the first time Bowes Museum, in Barnard Castle, County Durham, has hosted the annual Teesdale Brass Band contest. Bands from across the region have been

  • Showcase scheme backed

    A PLANNED showcase development has been given a vote of confidence. Middlesbrough Council has renewed planning consent for the first phase of the £500m Middlehaven redevelopment at Middlesbrough. Initial outline approval was given in 1999, but that five-year

  • PD Ports predicts steady growth

    PORTS and shipping group PD Ports expects to grow steadily in the next few years thanks to developments in the region. The Middlesbrough company, whose PD Teesport site is the UK's second largest port by volume, reported pre-tax profits of £7.7m earned

  • McClaren secures his man as Yakubu signs

    AIYEGBENI YAKUBU completed a medical at Rockliffe Park yesterday with the Portsmouth striker agreeing to become a Middlesbrough player on July 1. Boro are today awaiting the results of routine scans carried out in Darlington yesterday but, with no complications

  • Public say in environment

    OFFICIALS have come up with a new approach to safeguard the plants and animals in a district of North Yorkshire. A biodiversity action plan has been drawn up for the Ryedale area and the public is invited to have a say about its contents. Local countryside

  • Togetherness the key for united Hartlepool

    SPIRIT and unity goes a long way in football and Hartlepool United's caretaker boss Martin Scott has no doubt his squad has it in abundance. Scott takes his squad to Tranmere tonight with a two goal advantage from the first-leg of the League One play-off

  • Andrew Payle

    ANDREW PLAYLE has swapped the paradise island of Bermuda to work at Dickinson Dees, in Newcastle. Having spent the past two years with Appleby Spurling Hunter, in Bermuda, he decided to hang up his beach towel and head for Tyneside. The 36-year-old joins

  • Designer supports centre opening

    ONE of the designers behind Bob the Builder will help open a business centre today. Curtis Jobling, a production designer on the Bafta-winning TV animation, returns to Middlesbrough to help launch the University of Teesside's graduate business incubation

  • Academy declines to speak on reports

    A SCHOOL plagued by problems is declining to comment on reports that it has been failed by Ofsted inspectors. According to The Independent newspaper yesterday, management at the Unity City Academy, in Middlesbrough, have received a damning draft report

  • Seven new associates

    QUANTITY surveying consultancy the NAP Partnership has appointed seven associates. The move comes three months after the partnership, based in Middlesbrough, acquired Hyams and Brownlee, in Stockton. Managing Partner Graham Walker said: "NAP Partnership

  • A uniform approach to yob rule

    IF you were a convicted yob and had to do community service, it would surely be a pleasure to be kitted out with a nice new uniform. I can't understand why there's all this talk about "humiliation". Part of the punishment for anti-social behaviour ought

  • 'Royal Ascot security will not hit security elsewhere'

    POLICE have pledged that the huge security operation for the region's biggest sporting occasion this year will not affect cover elsewhere. Royal Ascot is coming to York next month and hundreds of officers will be involved in policing the five-day event

  • Sharon Griffiths Meets.... Circus trainer Kitty Roberts

    THERE is still something magical about a circus - the big top, the flags fluttering, the animals, clowns, and the high wire acts. Whenever the long procession of wagons moves into a town it still brings an air of excitement with it. But keeping the show

  • Tribute paid to renowned teacher

    A FORMER headmistress and drama teacher has died, aged 96. Nan Woodwark, of The Ghyll, Richmond, was born in Hurworth, near Darlington, but took her teaching qualification in speech and drama in 1941 at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She

  • Party time for N-E centre

    A SUCCESSFUL museum built around one of the region's favourite landmarks celebrates its coming of age this week. The giant water wheel at Killhope became a symbol for the region's industrial heritage as soon as it was restored and rebuilt at the North

  • Man arrested over violence at match

    A MAN has been arrested in a dawn raid by police investigating football violence. The 20-year-old, from Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, was taken for questioning by police yesterday. Eleven other people from West and South Yorkshire were arrested

  • The woman who drove her husband into the grave

    The work of Edward Kienholz introduced a generation of artists to the use of installation in contemporary art. Michelle Hedger speaks to his widow Nancy on the opening day of one of Baltic's largest ever exhibitions. SHOCKING, provocative, and at times

  • A life without art or pictures

    How Art Made The World (BBC2); New Tricks (BBC1): DR Nigel Spivey asks a lot of big questions in How Art Made The World. "What if we couldn't understand images?", "How do you come up with the idea in the first place?" and a short, but sweet "But why?"

  • Promise to find jobs for townsfolk

    COUNCIL bosses in Darlington have unveiled a scheme designed to create jobs in some of the town's most deprived areas. The borough council's Targeted Assisted Employment project is offering opportunities for employers and job-seekers in the Bank Top,

  • Report predicts 'marked' slowdown in economic growth

    ECONOMIC growth will slow markedly with a worsening impact on manufacturers, a report predicted yesterday. The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) reduced its growth forecast for the year from 2.5 per cent to 2.4 per cent and highlighted the acute risks

  • Ifty Yasin and Anthony Philips

    TWO graduate recruits have been taken on by house builder Barratt. The graduate trainnee scheme has already attracted more than 50 young people to fast-track career paths in sales, construction, technical, finance and land departments. The two latest

  • The railway that's never run out of steam

    MEMORIES OF THE WENSLEYDALE RAILWAY by Tony Eaton (ReCall Publications, 50 Turker Lane, Northallerton, DL6 1QA, 01609 774439, £12.95). GEORGE Catchpole, an engine driver on the Wensleydale Railway, sometimes made an unscheduled halt. Usually it was when

  • Job Search: Vacancies

    Shop Assistant. £4.85 ph, 16 hpw. Must be 18+. Experience preferred, serving customers in chip shop. Ref: SPE 14384. Plater/Fabricator. £7.65 ph, 41 hpw. Experience is essential, manufacturing steel structures. Ref: SPE 4387. Programmes Administration

  • Drunken lodger beat disabled landlord to death, court told

    A HOMELESS man taken in as a lodger by a wheelchair-bound multiple sclerosis sufferer battered him to death on the day he moved in. Keith Jones, who suffers from an anti-social behaviour disorder, killed Robert Henry Carter in a drunken rage at Mr Carter's

  • Well worth the wait

    Following in the luke-warm footsteps of our sister paper, we have nothing but praise for the fare at the Frenchgate Hotel in Richmond. THE editor of the Darlington and Stockton Times is a gentle, well bred soul who - amid all those other things - frequently

  • Cricket stars give their support to hospice bid

    A £1.3m appeal to build a ten-bed in-patient unit at a hospice received support from two sporting stars yesterday. Durham county cricketers Dale Benkenstein and Gareth Breese joined the Dean of Durham, the Very Reverend Michael Sadgrove, in cutting the

  • Sale plea from animal charity

    CONTRIBUTIONS are needed for a week-long charity sale. The RSPCA is opening a store in Skinnergate, Darlington, on Monday, and is appealing for items to sell. Staff say they are particularly keen for donations of bric-a-brac and ornaments. Vanessa Robinson

  • Mothers help care campaign

    MOTHERS and babies have been helping health officials to promote breastfeeding in Darlington. Mothers volunteered to man an information stand in the Cornmill Centre, extolling the virtues of breastfeeding. They were joined by staff from Darlington Primary

  • Pedal power is the way forward

    TRANSPORT chiefs are hoping a scheme designed to encourage more people to get on their bike will build on a successful weekend. More than 20 people took to the saddle on Sunday for Darlington Borough Council's second guided cycle ride, as part of its

  • College encourages more adults to learn

    A COLLEGE is promoting adult learning opportunities as part of a national initiative. Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, in Darlington, will be running a series of activities connected to Adult Learners' Week. On Monday, the college will have an information

  • Attacker jailed for four years

    ROBBERS lured a taxi driver into a trap by ordering a cab in the early hours of the morning on a housing estate. On arrival at the address, the 34-year-old cabbie was struck over the head with a wooden hammer shaft by the would-be passenger, dragged from

  • Campaigners push for early start on revamp of church

    A CAMPAIGN to make a town centre church more accessible to the community is gathering pace. Ferryhill Methodist Church wants to raise £210,000 to redesign the worship room, improve disabled services, create a kitchen and install a large glass front door

  • Were you an evacuee?

    THE memories of people evacuated to North Yorkshire during the Second World War are being sought for an exhibition. Middlesbrough's Dorman Museum and Ryedale Folk Museum at Hutton-le-Hole have been awarded £20,000 by the Home Front Recall scheme to pay

  • Parking plan for auction site as part of £10m development

    AN auction mart site could be used to ease parking problems as part of a £10m redevelopment scheme in Ripon. Dozens of parking spaces will be lost in the centre of Ripon when work starts on the multi-million pound scheme for shops, housing and parking

  • College's talent is in full bloom

    STAFF and students at Askham Bryan College's floristry department have had a double celebration. The college, near York, won a gold medal at the Harrogate Spring Flower Show, and lecturer Libby Rowley Bell has won the highest UK qualification in floristry

  • Rotary backs appeal for insulin pumps

    BISHOP Auckland Rotary Club is supporting a doctor's appeal to buy insulin pumps for young diabetic patients. The club will donate proceeds from a charity dinner later this month to Dr Bill Lamb's Run 500 Miles Appeal. The dinner, at the Park Head Hotel

  • Speed warning for bikers

    THE latest weapon against speeding motorcyclists has been unveiled. Police and fire officers used two new speed matrix signs on roads in the Yorkshire Dales with poor motorcycle accident records at the weekend. The boards measure how fast a biker is travelling

  • Cracking code aids police to fight underage drinking

    CORNER shops and off-licences selling alcohol to underage drinkers can now be traced by police "code-breakers". North Durham licensing officer Sergeant Tim Robson has turned code-cracker in his latest attempt to stem the problem of anti-social drunken

  • Bigger venue for summer festival

    MORE people then ever will be able to attend a popular rhythm and blues festival this summer. The third Barnard Castle Rhythm and Blues Festival is to take place on the Demesnes fields in the town, on Sunday, May 29. In previous years, the festival was

  • Promise to find jobs for townsfolk

    COUNCIL bosses in Darlington have unveiled a scheme designed to create jobs in some of the town's most deprived areas. The borough council's Targeted Assisted Employment project is offering opportunities for employers and job-seekers in the Bank Top,

  • Jarvis' filly set for a Charm offensive

    Summer Charm, who looked an unlucky loser last week, is fancied to make amends in the Blue Diamond Night On 16 June Handicap over a mile and a half at Beverley this afternoon. William Jarvis' filly showed improved form on artificial surfaces this winter

  • Farmers urged to watch out

    POLICE in Teesdale have advised people in rural areas to be wary of door-to-door salesmen. The advice comes after reports of two men selling power tools from a Transit-style van to farmers in Teesdale. Acting Sergeant Mick Urwin, of Barnard Castle police

  • Rural areas are left without advice service after cutback

    A SCHEME providing debt advice for people living in rural areas has been axed because of a lack of funding. The rural outreach service run by Hambleton Citizens' Advice Bureau (CAB) ceased to operate last week. The service has suffered a series of cutbacks

  • Competitors show they have the write stuff

    WORDSMITHS from Hartlepool have been presented with prizes for winning a writing competition. The contest was based on the theme Why I Am Proud of Hartlepool. The brief was for entrants to submit a hand-written piece of between 50 and 100 words, placing

  • Prison warning over assault

    A MAN was yesterday warned he could be jailed after he admitted a serious charge of violence. Gavin Kerr, 27, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent during a hearing at Newcastle Crown Court. The charge relates to an incident in January

  • Bigger venue for blues gig

    MORE people then ever will be able to attend a popular rhythm and blues festival this summer. The third Barnard Castle Rhythm and Blues Festival is to take place on the Demesnes fields in the town, on Sunday, May 29. In previous years, the festival was

  • Law firm's senior partner chosen as society president

    ANDREW HOYLE, senior partner at law firm Watson Burton, has been appointed this year's president of the Newcastle Law Society. He said: "This is a tremendous honour. Having spent my entire career practising law in the North-East, I am delighted to be

  • Designer supports centre opening

    ONE of the designers behind Bob the Builder will help open a business centre today. Curtis Jobling, a production designer on the Bafta-winning TV animation, returns to Middlesbrough to help launch the University of Teesside's graduate business incubation

  • Airwave time in Teesdale for a pop chart newcomer

    A VOLUNTEER community radio station presenter has interviewed the singer of a top 20 band. Radio Teesdale presenter Colin Robinson interviewed Paul Smith, lead singer with Newcastle-based band Maximo Park, for his indie and local music show, The Undercurrent

  • Residents' group gets quarters rent fee

    A RESIDENTS' association has a rent-free home, thanks to Chester-le-Street District Council. The Lilac House Tenant and Resident Association, on the Holly Crescent estate, Sacriston, has moved into a six-bedroomed house in Lilac Avenue that was officially

  • MMP secures £1.8m deal

    CONSTRUCTION company MMP has secured a £1.8m contract to design and build retail and leisure facilities in Seaham, County Durham. The project will be completed in October. The development will comprise 10,000sq ft of retail units, a convenience store

  • Care home backed by planning officers

    A CARE home with 72 bedrooms has been approved by planning officers in north Durham, despite fears about parking problems. Derwentside District Council gave planning permission for a Gary Lewis Care Centre, in Wear Road, Stanley, last year, but the company

  • Street warden service earns national award

    STREET wardens in Middlesbrough have earned themselves a badge of distinction. The 72 members have achieved the Warden Quality Standard, a national award from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, for their high level of performance. The service received

  • Dancers join professional company

    YOUNG dancers from Northallerton will perform with a professional company when it visits later this month. The Northallerton Youth Dance Group will take part in the Events in Time production, with Leeds dance company M and Em. The company will perform

  • Swimmers secure win in final race

    A SWIMMING team had to wait until the last race of a gala to win a trophy they lost last year. The Thirsk White Horse team competed against the Isle of Man Southern team at the third contest between the clubs. The link-up was forged in 2003, when Isle

  • Venue switch for band event

    BRASS bands from across the North-East will appear at a museum this summer in a free event. It is the first time Bowes Museum, in Barnard Castle, County Durham, has hosted the annual Teesdale Brass Band contest. Bands from across the region have been

  • Museums seek wartime memories

    THE recollections of people evacuated from Middlesbrough to North Yorkshire during the Second World War are being sought for an exhibition. Middlesbrough's Dorman Museum and Ryedale Folk Museum, at Hutton-le-Hole, have been awarded £20,000 by the Home

  • Russian pianist to give masterclass

    RUSSIAN pianist Dmitry Rachmanov is giving a masterclass for promising local piano students, prior to giving a concert on Teesside. A former student of the world-famous Julliard School in New York, Dr Rachmanov has offered to give one-to-one tuition to

  • Assaults may be linked to burglary

    POLICE believe an assault on two men and their car could be linked to a house burglary. Witnesses to the incidents, which happened in the area of Coniston Grove shops, at Acklam, Middlesbrough, last Friday, between 11.30am and 11.45am, are being urged

  • Eating Owt: Well worth the wait

    Following in the luke-warm footsteps of our sister paper, we have nothing but praise for the fare at the Frenchgate Hotel in Richmond. THE editor of the Darlington and Stockton Times is a gentle, well bred soul who - amid all those other things - frequently

  • Britons spend £4,000 on homework

    BRITONS have spent about £58bn on home improvements in the past 12 months, according to a study. Research conducted by Direct Line Loans found that 81 per cent of the UK's 17 million homeowners spent an average of more than £4,000 each on their properties

  • Torment of taking treatment decision

    THE nightmare experience of a North-East family has highlighted the dilemma faced by doctors and families when it comes to deciding whether to withhold treatment. When her 60-year-old mother suffered a stroke Fiona Robinson, from Darlington, was told

  • He came, he sawed, he conquered

    CHAINSAW sculptor Mick Burns is taking an attraction to another dimension by creating huge wood sculptures that can talk. The York Mazes launched three years ago at Ox Close Farm, Heslington, North Yorkshire, and has opened each summer since. In what

  • Job Search: Vacancies

    Head chef. Northallerton, 42.5hrs pw, 5 days over 7, between 8.30am and 10pm, must have experience running kitchen, City and Guilds 3 or 7063 is preferred but not essential. Ref: NAL 2159. Customer service coordinator. Thirsk, 40hrs pw 9am to 5pm Mon-Fri

  • University scientists go on the run in the name of research

    CANCER scientists are swapping their test tubes for trainers as they get ready for an event to help fund their work. A team of 15 researchers and laboratory staff from Durham University will take part in the 5km women-only Race for Life, organised by

  • Take a look, Macmillan nurses say

    THE work of Macmillan Cancer Relief is the focus of a public information day tomorrow. It will take place at the Scotch Corner Hotel where Macmillan nurses will talk about their work and how it has developed. Pam Thorne, Macmillan nurse team leader, said

  • £1m to develop sports college

    A SCHOOL which earlier this year was awarded specialist status as a sports college is looking forward to cash injections totalling £1m. The money is heading for Lady Lumley's School, at Pickering, for upgrades to the building and new sporting facilities

  • The spies who went into the cold

    In an explosive book, Annie Machon, a former M15 officer and girlfriend of ex-spy David Shayler reveals the sinister side of the intelligence services, including plots to murder. She talks to Sarah Foster about Colonel Gaddafi, David Kelly - and Diana

  • Charlie's final journey

    WHEN 90-year-old Charlie Bullock dies, he plans to be dropped off at the crematorium onboard his Number 61 bus. The retired bus driver bought the vehicle from his former bosses at United Automobile Services 26 years ago. Everything is in place to ensure

  • More to come from Boro, insists hero Schwarzer

    LAST action hero Mark Schwarzer has delivered a defiant message to Middlesbrough's supporters by insisting the club will smash more records after claiming a back-to-back place in the UEFA Cup. Up until this season Boro had never tasted competitive football

  • Fresh twist in bid to scrap 'Ghost Ships'

    THE planned scrapping of a rusting "Ghost Ship" fleet took a fresh twist last night. Environment Agency officials said there was too little detail in Hartlepool firm Able UK's proposals and, as a result, it could not give its backing. Able, which has

  • Gallery arson attack

    WORKS of art are believed to have survived a suspected arson attack in a building housing a gallery. But Sunderland University officials are carrying out an inventory of the photographic archive, some of which may have suffered smoke damage in the fire

  • Rail operator sees profits steam ahead in first quarter

    PROFITS at inter-city rail operator Great North Eastern Railway (GNER) soared by nearly a third in the first three months of this year, it emerged yesterday. GNER's parent company Sea Containers said earnings from the rail division climbed to $14.2 (£7.7m

  • Teachers back from their travels

    Eleven teachers from the Bedale area have returned from an educational field trip of their own - thousands of miles away in Africa. They travelled to Abuja in Nigeria, where they discovered a very different and diverse culture, where class sizes can sometimes

  • Party time for N-E centre

    A SUCCESSFUL museum built around one of the region's favourite landmarks celebrates its coming of age this week. The giant water wheel at Killhope became a symbol for the region's industrial heritage as soon as it was restored and rebuilt at the North

  • Doctor's family win right to stay

    THE family of a South African stroke specialist were yesterday given special permission to stay in Britain after a successful campaign to stop them being deported. Dr Akif Gani, 36, has worked for 11 years in Newcastle, where he has specialised in treating

  • 17/05/05

    WIND FARMS IN reply to J Routledge's comments (HAS, May 9). 1. The wind farm option has been proved to be the least efficient and to produce the most expensive form of renewable energy available to us at this time. Statistically, the wind blows in the

  • Court told schoolboys concocted story

    A group of 12-year-olds concocted a classroom attack to disgrace a teacher of 32 years experience, a court heard yesterday. A pupil gave evidence that Ron Harbottle, 56, grabbed him by the neck, pushed him four or five times against the wall, a slapped

  • Give us a repeat, asks Scott

    ADAM BOYD has been urged to repeat his first leg heroics to ensure Hartlepool United reach a play-off final for the first time. The call from Pool's caretaker boss Martin Scott, ahead of tonight's trip to Prenton Park, arrived at the same time as Tranmere

  • Future of motorbike event is secured

    A GOVERNMENT climb-down means the immediate future of one of the world oldest motorsport events is safe. New regulations on land use meant organisers of the Scott Trial, an off-road motorcycle competition held in Swaledale, North Yorkshire, since 1914

  • 13-year-old joyrider locked up by courts

    A MOTHER yesterday expressed relief that her 13-year-old son has been locked up for joyriding. The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, became one of Britain's youngest joyriders in 2003, when he was 11. Yesterday, he was jailed for six months

  • Redcar gets a hard time from the man at The Times

    Whoever else may like to be beside the seaside, Redcar and The Times racing correspondent would clearly not be good holiday companions. Two summers ago, Alan Lee wrote a column describing the sea front as "a tasteless cocktail of seedy bingo clubs, rock

  • Job Search: Vacancies

    Care assistant. £4.85-£5.00 ph, 16-40 hpw, 5 evening shifts from 7. Previous experience preferred but not essential as training can be given. Duties will be the general care of people with physical and learning disabilities which will include dealing

  • Debt advice service cut

    A SCHEME providing debt advice for people living in rural areas has been shut down because of a lack of funding. The outreach service run by Hambleton Citizens' Advice Bureau ceased to operate last week, after suffering a series of cutbacks since August