Archive

  • Cycle park open after four-year cash drive

    YOUNG mountain bikers, BMX riders and in-line skaters are in seventh heaven in a County Durham village. Following a four-year fund-raising drive, the £306,000 Coxhoe Skatepark and Cycling Area has opened next to the district sports centre, in Linden Grove

  • News in brief: Two hurt in pub disturbance

    TWO men were taken to hospital following a disturbance in a village pub at the weekend. A 37-year-old man has been charged with assault and a public order offence after an incident at the King's Head, in Cockfield, near Barnard Castle, on Saturday night

  • Building on success

    A CONSTRUCTION firm is celebrating after two of its apprentices won awards in the regional heats of a national competition. Joinery apprentice Steven Spoor and plastering apprentice Martin Horner, of MMP Group, in Bishop Auckland, both won their categories

  • Cricket is a hit with pupils

    A SCHOOL cricket team has been teaching the finer points of the game to children at a local primary school. Year four pupils at Startforth Morritt Primary School, in Teesdale, were invited to take part in coaching sessions at nearby Barnard Castle School

  • Students give advice on sports

    SPORTING students will provide coaching for children from primary schools during a fun afternoon tomorrow. About 140 children from five schools will receive coaching from Team Durham - the organisation that includes some of Durham University's top sportsmen

  • Non-Fiction

    LETTER FROM AMERICA by Alistair Cooke (Penguin, £8.99): FOR close on six decades, Alistair Cooke's Letter from America gave a penetrating insight into the changing social and political landscape of his adopted country. This book carries a collection from

  • Alcohol-free zones proposed to target unruly behaviour

    TIME is to be called on booze-fuelled antics with plans to designate parts of central Middlesbrough an alcohol- free zone. There are proposals to make drinking in the street a criminal offence - with a maximum fine of £500 for anyone who keeps drinking

  • Man injured in street

    A 42-year-old man was treated in hospital for a head wound following an incident that led to four people being arrested. The injured man was taken to Darlington Memorial Hospital and detained overnight following the fracas at the junction of Dawson Road

  • Teen's sentence 'means people can live in peace'

    A TEENAGER has been sentenced to three months in a young offenders' institution for twice breaching his anti-social behaviour order. Scott David Wood, of Canterbury Road, Redcar, received three months for each of the breaches, which he admitted. He was

  • Historic home goes on market

    THE former home of a famous composer is up for sale in an exclusive area of Harrogate. Birkholt, in Duchy Road,was the home of English composer Gerald Finzi from 1915 to 1922, when he moved to London. His five-bedroomed former home is on the market through

  • Police launch patrols to cut high road toll on Fridays

    POLICE are launching a high-profile road-safety campaign to reduce the number of people hurt in accidents - especially on Fridays. Statistics show that on average every Friday, 13 people are injured in accidents in North Yorkshire. That's more than on

  • Former England captain opens artificial turf sport pitch

    SPORT-MAD youngsters from Eaglescliffe can now take advantage of new artificial turf and community facilities which have been officially opened by a top hockey player. Gavin Featherstone, who has captained England at all levels, is a double Olympic coach

  • 'Last chance' for drink-drive teen

    A TEENAGER has been told he will never be allowed to work with vehicles, unless he is prepared to abide by the law. Mark Kendall, 18, was given a last chance to go straight when he appeared before Harrogate magistrates yesterday, when he admitted driving

  • Dinwiddie dreams of Walker Cup call

    ROB DINWIDDIE hopes his maiden major amateur success has gone a long way towards convincing Walker Cup selectors he should be given an opportunity to fulfil a dream. The Barnard Castle golfer cruised to a three shot victory on Sunday night to become Scottish

  • Public feedback leading review

    A HEALTH trust yesterday outlined the work it has done following a large-scale public consultation. Hundreds of people told Craven, Harrogate and Rural District Primary Care Trust (PCT) what they wanted from their local hospitals and GPs at the end of

  • Church's roof fund off to a good start

    A CHURCH'S fundraising drive to replace its roof and carry out urgently-needed repairs to the building has got off to a promising start. Members of Consett Methodist Church, in Station Road, need to raise £50,000 to replace the roof and the boiler, and

  • Council will not tender for advisor over homes transfer

    A LOCAL authority that hopes to transfer all of its council houses to a housing association has agreed to appoint agents to assist with negotiations. However, Teesdale District Council will not tender for the legal advisors and consultants, it will hire

  • Mayor's assurance to town's swimmers

    HARTLEPOOL Mayor Stuart Drummond has insisted that the council is committed to providing top-quality swimming facilities, despite recently closing a pool. The Rossmere pool was shut down by in February this year amid protests from local residents and

  • New powers awarded to community wardens

    COMMUNITY wardens have vowed to get tough after being granted new police powers. Stockton Borough Council has increased its force of community wardens to 38. The expanded force, which also includes four enforcement officers, will now be able to confiscate

  • Crackdown continues against fine defaulters

    FINE dodgers have been targeted in a series of early morning raids. Teams of court officials, backed by police, brought more than 30 fine defaulters to book. Following the raids last week, more than £1,000 was recovered in immediate payments, with three

  • Store's staff stage raffles to raise cash for hospice

    GENEROUS staff and customers at a branch of Superdrug have helped raise money for St Cuthbert's Hospice, in Durham. The branch in Chester-le-Street has raffled three hampers of food to raise cash for the cause. Earlier this year, St Cuthbert's launched

  • Vandals trash playgroup's garden

    VANDALS have destroyed a playgroup gardening project. Children and parents from Brooklyn Playgroup, in Langton Road, Norton, in Ryedale arrived last week to find smashed glass, plants ripped out and planters stolen. The playgroup's 35 youngsters, aged

  • Rise in costs puts pressure on industry

    MANUFACTURERS were under pressure last month, after raw material costs rose and the price of goods fell. Factory gate prices fell by 0.2 per cent between April and last month, compared with a rise of 0.7 per cent the previous month. It surprised analysts

  • John Parkinson

    JOHN PARKINSON, managing director of Metnor Property Group, has been appointed as a main board director to Newcastle parent company Metnor Group plc. Mr Parkinson, previously chief executive of the Newcastle Falcons Rugby Club, joined Metnor last year

  • Technology firms take centre stage

    TECHNOLOGY companies will outnumber traditional industries in the region at an awards ceremony this year. Technology companies make up 26.5 per cent of the region's entries in the Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, organised by accountancy firm Ernst and

  • Majestic year for wine retailer

    WINE retailer Majestic yesterday toasted the changing tastes of British consumers, as it announced a 24 per cent rise in annual profits. The wine warehouse chain attributed its success to the trend for people to "trade up" to more expensive bottles. It

  • 14/06/05

    ON THE BUSES: I AGREE with M Stephenson regarding Darlington's Mowden 30 and 31 bus service, (HAS, May 27). Last Thursday I waited for the 10am in Nunnery Lane. It arrived a quarter of an hour late and then broke down. On Friday morning I again tried

  • Chubby's gags help delay-hit travellers

    FOUL-MOUTHED comedian Roy "Chubby" Brown calmed angry travellers with a squeaky clean performance. The funnyman was among a group of passengers held up for 20 minutes on a bus carrying them from the aircraft to the terminal at Newcastle International

  • Police heard man setting up drugs deal

    A DRUG supplier has been jailed for three-and-a-half years after police heard his cousin setting up a deal on his mobile phone as they walked past their car. Driver Wayne Coates, 34, had the windows of his Vauxhall Vectra down as passenger Kevin Smith

  • New home for fox cub who suffered brush with death

    A FOX cub which had a tragic start to life is causing a big stir in a North village. Sammy - named after glamour model Samantha Fox - was barely alive when found by animal lover Stefan Morrall and his brother-in-law, Paul Webster, underneath the body

  • A Midsummer Night's Dream, Ripley Castle

    THE setting and - on press night, at least - the weather were perfect for this promenade production of Shakespeare's magical play. Spirite Productions, the company behind this outdoor staging, is a relatively new outfit, but has done wonders assembling

  • On TV

    Martha And Me (BBC2) The Woman With The Remarkable Body (five) MARTHA Stewart made a fortune peddling homespun tips for gracious living to American housewives, making her richer than the Queen, Madonna and Delia Smith put together. She's the sort of person

  • Charity riders check out scenery

    GLORIOUS sunshine shone on about 200 pub landlords, regulars and staff who took part in a charity bike ride. A few wore fancy dress for the North Riding Dales Licensed Victuallers' Association event in Wensleydale. The cyclists set off from Hawes at 10.30am

  • Teenage motoring menace locked up

    A TEENAGE motoring menace was yesterday sentenced to more than a year-and-a-half behind bars for a string of driving offences. But a judge told Martin Wilson that he expects he will be back on the streets within nine months because jails are too full.

  • Moves to stop home violence

    PROBATION chiefs are launching a new scheme to tackle domestic abuse across North Yorkshire. The Integrated Domestic Abuse Programme is a group scheme, approved by the Home Office, for convicted offenders which focuses on concepts like control and misuse

  • Fire guts plastic factory

    A COLUMN of thick black smoke was visible for more than 30 miles last night after a fierce blaze gutted a plastics factory. Neighbouring factories on the Aycliffe Trading Estate at Newton Aycliffe, near Darlington, were evacuated as firefighters fought

  • Driver who killed friend faces jail

    A DRIVER is facing years behind bars for a crash in which his friend was killed. Stephen Park, 24, was yesterday warned by a judge to prepare for a substantial prison term when he returns to court on Friday to be sentenced. Park admitted causing the death

  • Czar role to go to town's top head

    AN education 'czar' is to be appointed to drive up flagging standards in Darlington schools. The proposal would see a super-head working with headteachers of the town's secondary schools in the first experiment of its kind. The plan is to place top-performing

  • Jackson innocent

    MICHAEL JACKSON was last night declared innocent of all charges in his trial for child molestation. Jackson had been accused of molesting 13-year-old Gavin Arvizo - but was acquitted of all ten charges he faced, including lesser charges of giving alcohol

  • Firefighters battle to stop blaze at plastics factory

    A COLUMN of thick black smoke was visible for more than 30 miles last night after a fierce blaze gutted a plastics factory. Neighbouring factories on the Aycliffe Trading Estate at Newton Aycliffe, near Darlington, were evacuated as firefighters fought

  • Job Search: Vacancies

    Laundry assistant, £5.23 ph, 40 hpw. No experience necessary. Duties involve washing and ironing clothes and bed linen for independent hospital. Ref: 44838. Nursery nurses, £5-£5.50 ph, 37.5 hpw. Must have NVQ level 2 and level 3 would be preferable.

  • 13/06/05

    EUROPEAN MATTERS: SOME of The Northern Echo HAS correspondents seem to adopt the same head-in-the-sand views of the European elite rulers. Their condescending remarks about lack of understanding, negativity, emotions rule logic and narrow issues, suggesting

  • Should we still get our money back?

    Just weeks after two "No" votes to its new constitution, the EU has been plunged into a row over its finances and the UK's budget rebate. Nick Morrison looks at the rights and wrongs of the dispute - and what it means for the EU's future. IT was one of

  • Contract wins for Capita Symonds

    A CONSULTANCY is creating jobs in the region after winning a number of multi-million pound contracts. Capita Symonds, in Durham, is taking on six staff. It already employs 15 workers at its offices on the Belmont Business Park and plans to at least double

  • Job Search: Vacancies

    Van driver, Thirsk, £6.20ph, 40hrs pw between 8.30am and 5pm Mon-Fri, required to deliver bathroom suites in North of England. Experience preferred, driving licence essential. Ref: NAL 2442. Receptionist/sales clerk, Thirsk, 37.5hrs pw 8.30am to 5.30pm

  • Why Atti still needs 'mummy milk' at the age of four

    The nutritional benefits of breast milk are widely known, but at what age does breast stop being best for your child? Women's Editor Lindsay Jennings speaks to a mum-of-three who has breastfed her children up to the age of five. STANDING in the middle

  • Westwood ready to head back home

    CHRIS Westwood's six-year association with Hartlepool United will come to an end this summer when he should join League One rivals Walsall. Despite his love for the Victoria Park club, the 28-year-old defender is heading for a move back to his Midlands

  • New twist in bid to solve mystery of missing man

    THE search for a man missing from his North-East home for more than three years took a new twist yesterday when police teams began searching areas near his former home. Specialist search teams, including dog units and experts brought in from other force

  • Senior officials setting the pace

    SENIOR officials are leading from the front in the battle to improve health in a North-East town. The chief executive of Darlington Primary Care Trust, Colin Morris, is in training for the Sherwoods Chevrolet Darlington 10k Road Run, along with finance

  • Stuart Lough and Leanne Embleton

    ACCOUNTANCY firm Clive Owen and Company has appointed two new team members at its Durham offices. STUART LOUGH and LEANNE EMBLETON are part-qualified and have joined the office at Aykley Heads. Mr Lough previously worked as an accounts assistant at another

  • Valerie Stevenson, Jayne Richards, Alexandra Weston

    THREE associates have been appointed at York commercial law firm Denison Till. They are VALERIE STEVENSON, who joined the corporate department's transaction team last year from national law firm Addleshaws, in Leeds. JAYNE RICHARDS joined the commercial

  • Game makers score maximum points in US

    VIDEO games designers in the region are in talks about multi-million pound deals for new products after a successful trade mission to the US, writes Dan Jenkins. Atomic Planet, which employs 40 staff in Middlesbrough, was one of five North-East firms

  • Raising a glass to park's new arrivals

    PROPERTY developers are celebrating the completion of the penultimate phase of a business park. Miller Construction has handed over an office block on the Gosforth Business Park to Rokeby Developments. The park is home to BT, Parkdean Holidays, Greens

  • Glen Callander

    * Bibby Financial Services has appointed GLEN CALLANDER as head of sales for the North-East. Since joining Bibby's North-East operation two years ago Glen, has achieved rapid promotion. He was previously business development manager for the company.

  • Eating Owt: Seduction at the seaside

    The food was fine at the the Ship Inn, but the column found its carnal claims a little hard to swallow. IF you don't remember last Wednesday, if you don't remember how blue the sky and how rich the promise, then it really has been too long a winter. It

  • Plea to missing pregnant teenager

    THE family of a heavily pregnant teenager, who police believe may have run off with her boyfriend, last night pleaded for her to come home. Nicola Vanghi, who is due to give birth in the next fortnight, has not been seen for more than two weeks. The 16

  • Fire HQ hopes dashed

    FIRE chiefs have rejected calls to build a new regional fire control room in North Yorkshire. Members of the county council's Richmondshire Area Committee wrote to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service asking it to consider building the new Yorkshire

  • Dinwiddie dreams of Walker Cup call

    ROB DINWIDDIE hopes his maiden major amateur success has gone a long way towards convincing Walker Cup selectors he should be given an opportunity to fulfil a dream. The Barnard Castle golfer cruised to a three shot victory on Sunday night to become Scottish

  • Fete boosts charity's big appeal

    A charity has held its biggest fundraising event of the year. Chopsticks held a garden fete at Northdale Horticulture, in Northallerton, on Saturday. Attractions included cream teas, a bouncy castle, inflatable slide, plus a raffle and plant sale. Money

  • School Closure Debate

    MEMO TO MR BLAIR: I AM devastated to hear that Hurworth School may close. Both myself and husband received a high standard of education at Hurworth School. We have our own children now and have specifically moved back to Hurworth, so that our children

  • Disney dress-up day aids charity

    SHOPWORKERS dressed up as Disney characters last weekend as part of a charity fundraiser. Staff at the Outfit Store, on Teesside Park, donned fancy dress on Saturday. Store manager Darren Booth said: "We've had some fantastic costumes and some of the

  • Alan Purvis

    METROMAIL Limited, part of the Saga Group, has appointed ALAN PURVIS as managing director. Former technical director Mr Purvis, who has been with the company for ten years, replaces John Poland, who is retiring in August. Mr Purvis joined MetroMail as

  • Steelmaker confirms 75 job losses

    STEELMAKER Corus last night confirmed it was cutting 75 jobs as part of an overhaul of the company. The bloom casting operation at Teesside Cast Products (TCP), in Redcar, east Cleveland, will be phased out by the end of the year. Production will be moved

  • Appeal to couple over assault on girls

    POLICE are appealing for an elderly couple who may have witnessed an assault on three girls to come forward. The girls - two aged 13 and one aged 14 - were in Appleby, in Cumbria, on the afternoon of Sunday, June 5. The three girls were said to have been

  • £1.8m Stead in no mood for relegation battle

    SUNDERLAND new boy Jon Stead last night praised the Black Cats' Premiership credentials and insisted he was not leaving Blackburn to become embroiled in a battle against the drop. Stead became Mick McCarthy's third summer signing yesterday when he put

  • Louise Kelly, Alistair Groves, John Devine and Simon Scougall

    LAW firm Watson Burton has announced four senior promotions. LOUISE KELLY and ALISTAIR GROVES have been appointed as partners, and JOHN DEVINE and SIMON SCOUGALL as associates. Ms Kelly joined Watson Burton's property department as an associate three

  • Digital support scheme's double celebration

    A SCHEME offering businesses access to the latest digital research and expertise is celebrating its first anniversary. Codeworks Nitro, a collaboration between Sunderland, Newcastle, Northumbria and Teesside universities, helps digital companies in the

  • Contract wins for Capita Symonds

    A CONSULTANCY is creating jobs in the region after winning a number of multi-million pound contracts. Capita Symonds, in Durham, is taking on six staff. It already employs 15 workers at its offices on the Belmont Business Park and plans to at least double

  • Police issue warning to local crooks

    A TOWN'S criminals are being warned that they are in for a long, hard summer. Chief Inspector Gary Stephenson says Cleveland Police promise law breakers in Middlesbrough: "We will not be taking a summer break.'' He was commenting as the total of criminals

  • Warning after spate

    HOUSEHOLDERS are being urged to be on their guard following a series of burglaries. Gardening equipment has been stolen in a number of break-ins at sheds in the Haswell area of County Durham in the past few weeks. In the early hours of Sunday, a significant

  • French treat for pupils' parents

    GIRLS at an independent school have put on a display for parents after getting a taste of life on the other side of the Channel. Pupils from Polam Hall School, in Darlington, welcomed mothers and fathers to an evening to show off what they had learned

  • Texting can lead to better health

    YOUNG people across Sedgefield can ask questions and get advice on health issues at the touch of a mobile telephone keypad. A mobile phone text service has been launched by Sedgefield Primary Care Trust (PCT) to put youngsters, mainly 11 to 18-years-old

  • Signs are good for warm welcome

    VISITORS to Newton Aycliffe will be given a warm welcome after a landmark entrance was formally opened yesterday. The town's well-known Blue Bridge, over St Cuthbert's Way, has been given a fresh lick of paint in the familiar hue sponsored by local maintenance

  • Burglar caught by print on loo

    A BURGLAR linked to a raid after leaving his shoeprint on a toilet was jailed for three years yesterday. Gary Flemming, 26, left the imprint of his trainer on the seat as he climbed through the bathroom window during a daylight raid on a house in Washington

  • Disney dress-up day aids charity

    SHOPWORKERS dressed up as Disney characters last weekend as part of a charity fundraiser. Staff at the Outfit Store, on Teesside Park, donned fancy dress on Saturday. Store manager Darren Booth said: "We've had some fantastic costumes and some of the

  • Addict caught prowling property is spared prison

    A DRUG-USER who was found wandering around a housing complex for the elderly in the early hours of Christmas Day has been spared jail. Police were told there was a burglar on the prowl and found Ian McMenamin in the Middlesbrough town centre property

  • Return to school - at age 93 - to open classroom

    PENSIONER Harold Marshall has been back to primary school - 82 years after he left. The 93-year-old was a special guest at Ainderby Steeple C of E Primary School near Northallerton, to open a new classroom. Mr Marshall, a retired farmer, who lives in

  • £680m to keep schools open all hours

    SCHOOLS across the country will be able to open all year round thanks to £680m funding from the Government. Local education authorities have been given the money to develop extended schools, offering childcare from 8am to 6pm, with a variety of activities

  • Villagers celebrate end of war anniversary

    VILLAGERS in neighbouring communities are staging events to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. Backed by the Big Lottery Fund, the West Rainton and Leamside Community Partnership has co-ordinated a seven-month programme

  • Student's DVD helps teachers to improve

    AN educational DVD to help teachers of special needs pupils has been produced by a student at a Darlington college. Leyanne Pennington, 19, who is studying for a BTEC national diploma in media moving image at Darlington College of Technology, has been

  • Charity the winner at golf tournament

    CHARITY was the winner when an annual golf competition was staged at a Durham golf club. The Mount Oswald Ladies Open Golf Competition, held at Mount Oswald Golf Club, in aid of Macmillan Nurses, was again a success, raising £1,300 for the nursing service

  • Villagers get ready for judges

    Scores of volunteers are helping to brighten up neighbouring east Durham villages of Horden and Easington Colliery ready for Northumbria in Bloom judges. Co-ordinated by the Acumen Community Enterprise Development Trust, villagers are carrying out litter

  • Courses teach Japanese art and culture

    PLACES are still available for a series of Japanese art and craft courses being held throughout July. The courses, lasting between one hour and a day, will take place at the Dales Countryside Museum, in Hawes, between July 3 and 28. The courses complement

  • Game makers score maximum points in US

    VIDEO games designers in the region are in talks about multi-million pound deals for new products after a successful trade mission to the US, writes Dan Jenkins. Atomic Planet, which employs 40 staff in Middlesbrough, was one of five North-East firms

  • Rare glimpse of genius can prove the highlight

    SPORT has always loved a showman. From the artistry of Ali to the brashness of Best, the true superstars have always performed with a flourish. Skill is to be admired, but the ability to adorn it with a theatrical bent ensures long-lasting adoration.

  • Entering the relaxation zone

    They have already transformed their ancestral home into a luxury hotel, Now the Cunliffe-Listers have added a spa. Women's Editor Lindsay Jennings reports. THERE was a great deal of work to do when Swinton Park at Masham came back into the Cunliffe-Lister

  • Quirks of a domestic queen

    Martha And Me (BBC2); The Woman With The Remarkable Body (five): MARTHA Stewart made a fortune peddling homespun tips for gracious living to American housewives, making her richer than the Queen, Madonna and Delia Smith put together. She's the sort of

  • Boro target Rocha ready for Premiership move

    MIDDLESBROUGH target Ricardo Rocha has increased the chances of a move to the Premiership this summer by claiming he does not receive the credit he deserves in Portugal. Boro are on the look out for a new centre-back and it is understood the £3m-rated

  • Forrest is new Shildon boss

    Shildon have appointed Garry Forrest as their new manager following the resignation of Kenny Lindoe last month, writes Ray Simpson. Forrest was in charge of Wearside League club Coxhoe Athletic last season, and was recently linked with a possible move

  • Red Devils' new supremo keeps everyone guessing

    Malcolm Glazer is keeping the football world waiting as to whether he has passed the 90 per cent threshold needed for complete ownership of Manchester United. Shareholders had until 3pm yesterday to accept the Glazer family's 300p a share offer, although

  • Seduction at the seaside

    The food was fine at the the Ship Inn, but the column found its carnal claims a little hard to swallow. IF you don't remember last Wednesday, if you don't remember how blue the sky and how rich the promise, then it really has been too long a winter. It

  • Crew is facing sternest challenge

    THE crew behind the North Atlantic rowing attempt have encountered huge waves on the most challenging day they have faced. Nigel Morris and George Rock, of Ingleby Barwick, near Stockton, along with fellow crew members Steve Dawson and Rob Munslow, have

  • Determination the key for Dale

    DALE Benkenstein's determination that Durham's brilliant start to the season will not wane during his captaincy tenure saw them widen their lead to six points at the top of totesport League second division yesterday. In a match reduced to 39 overs-a-side

  • Stars to visit N-E for film premiere

    AN array of screen and sporting stars including David Beckham will attend the premiere of football film Goal! in the North-East. Organisers are confident that the Real Madrid and England star, who puts in a cameo appearance in the film, will be among

  • De Vere Golf

    Rub shoulders with golfing greats at The De Vere Northumberland Seniors Classic. The region's biggest seniors championship golf tournament is returning to De Vere Slaley Hall later this month and we've teamed up with the European Seniors Tour and De Vere

  • Plumber who conned pensioner avoids jail

    A PLUMBER who conned a pensioner out of £1,000 received a suspended jail sentence yesterday and was ordered to pay £4,000 costs. Paul Golding took two £500 cheques from 86-year-old Norah Whittaker, telling her that she needed a new central heating boiler

  • 'My latest role as a writer'

    She became a housebold name playing James Herriot's wife in the TV series All Creatures Great and Small, but now it's her best-selling books everyone wants to talk about. Carol Drinkwater tells Nick Morrison about her love for writing - and her encounters

  • Jason Wainwright

    JASON WAINWRIGHT has joined commercial law firm Robert Muckle as a property partner after spending five years as in-house lawyer with transport group Arriva, based in Sunderland. He will be taking on the group management role for the property services

  • Group's tribute to friend

    A GROUP of musicians have paid tribute to a colleague - by raising money to help others in his name. The Atlantic Soul Messengers, of Richmond, held a concert in memory of trumpeter Andy Tyrer, who died of cancer earlier this year. Andy, who was 41, had

  • Best plan is to wait for Rakti

    BARRING accidents Rakti (4.20) seems certain to clinch the £250,000 Queen Anne Stakes, easily the most valuable race on day one of Royal Ascot at York. There's an authoritative school of thought currently promoting the theory that Rakti is the top miler

  • Hodgson misses out on Larkin

    DARLINGTON manager David Hodgson will this morning reassess his list of summer targets after missing out on Colin Larkin yesterday. The Mansfield Town striker has instead opted for a move to Chesterfield, putting pen-to-paper on a two-year deal at Saltergate

  • Eating Owt: Seduction at the seaside

    IF you don't remember last Wednesday, if you don't remember how blue the sky and how rich the promise, then it really has been too long a winter. It was the sort of morning upon which the Mole, who (it will be remembered) had been wallpapering, said "

  • Hospital arsonist gets jail sentence

    A former Army tank driver has been sentenced to life in prison for setting fire to a hospital ward. Ninety patients had to be evacuated from the medical admissions ward at York District Hospital after Stephan Yeoman started the blaze. Yeoman, 57, set

  • Magpies cup winner dies

    Former Newcastle United player Tommy Walker, who starred in the club's golden era of the 1950s, has died. He was 81 and passed away on Monday night at a nursing home in Manchester after a short illness, Newcastle United said. Tommy is survived by his

  • Jackson innocent

    MICHAEL JACKSON was last night declared innocent of all charges in his trial for child molestation. Jackson had been accused of molesting 13-year-old Gavin Arvizo - but was acquitted of all ten charges he faced, including lesser charges of giving alcohol

  • Job Search: Vacancies

    General factory operative, Stanley, £6.58 to £13.16ph, two-weekly rota, temporary until Christmas, to assist in manufacture of refrigerated and curtain-sided trailers, must have experience of hand and air tool, power tools, read basic diagrams and measure

  • Determination the key for Dale

    DALE Benkenstein's determination that Durham's brilliant start to the season will not wane during his captaincy tenure saw them widen their lead to six points at the top of totesport League second division yesterday. In a match reduced to 39 overs-a-side

  • N-E hardest hit by house price slump

    THE North-East suffered the UK's worst slump in annual house price inflation during April, and house prices continued to fall last month, it emerged yesterday. The latest housing survey by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) found the number

  • Talks over academies sponsorship backing

    A NORTH-EAST council is considering giving approval to three privately sponsored academies. And yesterday motor magnate Sir Peter Vardy declared his willingness to invest £6m in backing the venture. But Sunderland City Council made it clear it is also

  • Comment from The Northern Echo: Free...but a life sentence

    MICHAEL Jackson has been declared an innocent man. But he has paid a heavy price in the process. After one of the most bizarre court cases in living memory, the law sees the pop superstar as not guilty of child molestation. But the damage to Jackson's

  • A summer of bread and circuses

    It was a shock last Friday seeing my first baseball cap and hearing the first gormless ringtones in nearly a fortnight. They were part of the rude awakening at Faro airport after our gloriously civilised holiday in the countryside of southern Portugal

  • Schoolchildren chalk up lessons in science and design

    PUPILS at Darlington schools began enjoying a week of lessons dedicated to science, design and technology yesterday. The week has been organised to celebrate the achievements of children at Abbey Junior and Infants' schools in the subjects. Parents and

  • All rise for Ward Hadaway's high-fliers

    LAW firm Ward Hadaway has announced 14 promotions - the largest number since 1988. Eight associates have been invited to join the partnership and six solicitors have been promoted to associate positions. Of the new partners, two specialise in litigation

  • Tribute to Scout leaders

    A SCOUT group in County Durham has opened a copse and conservation site in memory of two former leaders who died of cancer last year. The Heighington Baden Powell Scouts planted the copse in a corner of the village playing field in memory of Andrew Muckley

  • Magpies eyeing double deal

    NEWCASTLE are hopeful of completing a £10.5m double deal for both Scott Parker and Emre Belozoglu in the next 48 hours. Magpies officials will hold talks with the two midfielders later today but, while the Parker deal is understood to be past the post

  • Indesatchel has the credentials

    INDESATCHEL (3.45) possesses the sort of rock-solid credentials required to win the sought-after and highly prestigious St James's Palace Stakes. Although nine runners have been declared for the Royal Ascot at York one-mile feature, Sheikh Mohammed's

  • Court recorder quotes the Bard

    A CROWN court recorder quoted Shakespeare when sentencing a teenager who threatened a woman over the repayment of a £90 loan. David Aaron Smith smashed a window at the woman's family home, in Shildon, County Durham, as she still owed him the final £30

  • 'We want to give more pupils a chance to get good results'

    As the school closure debate rolls on, The Northern Echo asks Darlington Borough Council key questions on the proposals to close Hurworth and Eastbourne schools and build a £20m school on the outskirts of Darlington. Q Why close Hurworth School when it

  • Annual meeting

    Willington Football Club hold its annual meeting tonight, at 7.30pm, in the social club. All supporters are requested to attend.