Archive

  • Comment from The Northern Echo: All we want is a fair deal

    ECONOMIC migration - the seemingly inexorable movement of the population to the south of England - was one of the key reasons Joel Barnett came up with his infamous funding formula 27 years ago. The then-Chief Secretary to the Treasury figured, quiet

  • The Lifeblood Appeal

    As part of The Northern Echo's Lifeblood campaign, which aims to encourage people to give blood, here are details of forthcoming donor sessions in the region: Today Community Association, Tyne Road, Stanley, 2pm-7pm South Bank Mission, Normanby Road,

  • Just what the doctor ordered for fans of BBC sci-fi series

    For fans of the cult BBC sci-fi series Dr Who, Stockton was the only place on the planet to be at the weekend. Karen Westcott went along to the country's leading convention. TIMELORDS from all over the galaxy descended on the North-East at the weekend

  • Video producer praised by Queen

    A NORTH-EAST documentary maker has been praised by the Queen for her voluntary work. Emma Parsons, 30, of Salters Avenue, Darlington, attended a reception at Buckingham Palace, held earlier this month, for people who had made a difference during the Year

  • Gardener caught fly-tipping by secret CCTV

    A landscape gardener has been handed a £500 bill after being the first person to be caught fly-tipping by secret council CCTV cameras. Paul Thompson pleaded guilty after covert cameras filmed him dumping a truck load of garden waste. Hartlepool Council

  • Information on courses

    PEOPLE wanting to start learning courses can find information at an adult learning event at Tow Law Community Centre tomorrow. The centre has become a link centre for Learn Direct courses with Durham Logistics College and is offering a range of different

  • Trio's trick is £85 treat for hospice

    A FAMILY of Halloween trick or treaters raised more than £85 for the Butterwick Hospice at Bishop Auckland. Samantha Kemp, 12, Joanne, ten, and Christopher, eight, from Chilton, visited the hospice to hand over £86.31 and thank staff for supporting their

  • Waste system is upgraded

    NORTH Yorkshire County Council is to spend £400,000 upgrading a waste disposal site at Burniston, near Scarborough. The move comes after protests from householders concerned that it could be closed by Scarborough Borough Council. Councillor Clare Wood

  • Farmer's housing battle is dealt blow

    A SIX-YEAR battle to convert a derelict farm into homes has been dealt a major blow. Former pig farmer Chris England, of Holtby, near York, has been trying to get planning permission to develop Willow Court Farm since 1999 after he gave up farming. But

  • Lighting systems are inadequate

    THOUSANDS of lighting columns on North Yorkshire's highways are "structurally unsound", according to a new report. Mike Moore, director of environmental services for North Yorkshire County Council, says in the report that up to 40 per cent of the county's

  • Public warned not to make it easy for pick-pockets

    POLICE are cracking down on sneak thieves who prey on people - particularly the elderly - as they shop in a busy town centre. Officers in Thirsk have joined forces with the local Community Safety Partnership in a campaign to educate people about the risks

  • Raiders wreck champ's title bid

    A HORSE was injured and thousands of pounds worth of equestrian equipment was stolen when a North-East showjumping champion was burgled. Raiders targeted Phillipa McKeever's stables in Houghton-le-Spring, Wearside, and took a quad bike and all of her

  • Museum to stage two new exhibitions

    TWO new exhibitions opened at a North-East museum at the weekend. The Bowes Museum, in Barnard Castle, County Durham, stages A Gardener's Labyrinth: Portraits of People, Plants and Places, on Saturday. The display has been organised by the National Portrait

  • Hopes rise for stricken railway

    HOPES are rising that a stricken tourist railway could reopen next spring - as long as creditors owed £900,000 agree. Supporters of the Weardale Railway, in County Durham, which has been in administration for nearly a year, were told at the weekend that

  • Library closes for major revamp

    A DARLINGTON library is closing for its first major refurbishment and modernisation since the 1970s. Cockerton Library will close at the end of Saturday, November 26, and reopen on Monday, January 9. During the closure, a heating system will be installed

  • Students prove it's never too late to do a bit for charity

    STUDENTS at Darlington College have proved it's never too late to raise money for charity. Health and social care course students wanted to support a national fundraiser for breast cancer research last month. But the event clashed with the college's annual

  • Hospice opens another shop

    A HOSPICE'S hopes of providing 24-hour palliative care moved a step closer at the weekend with the opening of a new charity shop. St Cuthbert's Hospice, in Durham, unveiled its sixth store, in Front Street, Sacriston, on Saturday morning, which was opened

  • Church to mark its centenary

    A DARLINGTON church will celebrate its centenary this month. The Baptist Tabernacle building, in Corporation Road, will celebrate 100 years of worship over the weekend of November 26 and 27, with a concert by gospel singer Paul Wheater on the Saturday

  • Praise for cathedral restaurant

    A WIDELY-acclaimed World Heritage site may soon have a culinary accolade to add to its roll of honour. Durham Cathedral's Undercroft restaurant has reached the final in a catering company's national awards scheme. It is among the best five venues in the

  • Keep-it-clean message

    NURSES have being spreading the word about the importance of hand hygiene. The Infection Control Nursing Service, which covers all six primary care trusts (PCTs) in Darlington and County Durham, has been taking the hygiene message around the region. "

  • Calls for rethink over plans to transfer hospital services

    FAMILIES took to the streets at the weekend to protest against the proposed closure of hospital services in the region. Families waved banners and chanted as they walked through the streets of Stockton to fight the removal of services from University

  • Pensioner hurt

    AN 85-year-old woman is seriously ill in hospital after being knocked down in a town centre. The pensioner was involved in an accident with a Ford Ka in Redcar High Street at about 1pm on Saturday. She was taken to The James Cook University Hospital,

  • It's curiouser and curiouser

    CHRISTMAS shoppers will be able to take in a little culture with the opening of a mobile museum on Teesside. The Curiosity Shop opened its doors in Middlesbrough town centre on Saturday, after eight months of touring the Tees Valley. Packed with weird

  • Milk scheme aims to keep pupils smiling

    HUNDREDS of primary school children across south Durham are being offered free fluoridated milk to try to reduce tooth decay. Seven schools in the Sedgefield area - where more than two-thirds of pupils had experienced dental disease - were targeted by

  • Pupils raise cash for earthquake victims

    PUPILS from a Darlington school have been raising funds to help alleviate suffering of the earthquake victims in Pakistan. Youngsters from Polam Hall School, in Grange Road, collected £1,626 after organising a bag pack at the town's Sainsbury's supermarket

  • Young man may be key witness in horrific rape attack

    Detectives investigating the horrific rape of a woman in a park after a night out want to speak urgently to a young man who befriended shortly before the attack. Police have stressed the man was not a suspect, but may be able to provide vital clues to

  • Buyer in talks to buy petrol station site

    ONE of Darlington's main petrol stations is up for sale, amid speculations the site may be redeveloped to make way for housing. Esso has confirmed it is in talks to sell the Kirklee service station, in front of Sainsbury's supermarket, in Victoria Road

  • Fewer street wardens - but they will have more power

    STREET wardens will be taking a tough stance on crime and anti-social behaviour in a shake-up of the service on Teesside. The number of council wardens in Stockton is to be reduced from 32 to 22 in April of next year, but they will have greater powers

  • From air crashes to stranded sheep - a man of many rescues

    A SEARCH and rescue volunteer who assisted in the grim job of searching for wreckage from the Pan Am passenger plane following the Lockerbie disaster is retiring after over 30 years service. Ian Findlay has served with Teesdale and Weardale Search and

  • Houlahan to ring the changes at Spennymoor

    SPENNYMOOR manager Ken Houlahan has promised to make changes after his promotion chasers flopped 2-0 at Ryton. Moors have dropped just two points at Brewery Field, but they have picked up only five points from six games on their travels. "We badly need

  • Odds on with Ferdy's firepower

    With the National Hunt season underway, Northern Echo Racing Correspondent Colin Woods talks to West Witton trainer Ferdy Murphy about his highly-rated crop of horses who are already making a name for themselves. NINE winners during the past three weeks

  • Bishops suffer more woe

    FA Trophy: BISHOP Auckland's problems continued when they were beaten 3-1 at home by Woodley Sports in the FA Trophy on Saturday. Bishops also missed out on some much needed prize money, and manager Brian Healy said: "We lost the game in the first 20

  • Raiders wreck champ's title bid

    A HORSE was injured and thousands of pounds worth of equestrian equipment was stolen when a North-East showjumping champion was burgled. Raiders targeted Phillipa McKeever's stables in Houghton-le-Spring, Wearside, and took a quad bike and all of her

  • Fans celebrate as football song climbs chart

    FOOTBALL supporters were celebrating last night after their single made it to number 24 in the UK chart. Poolie Pride by the Monkey Hangerz of Hartlepool was aired on the Radio 1 official chart after being on sale for only a week. Featuring Hartlepool

  • Pensioner is found garotted

    A NORTH-EAST businessman has been found garotted in his bed after flying to Pakistan to meet his estranged wife. The body of Mohammed Mirza Jacob, 70, was discovered by his nephew, who became concerned after not hearing from him. The pensioner was found

  • Artworks on theme of sexual

    A FREE art exhibition to mark World Aids Day will take place at County Hall, in Durham, on December 1. Staff from Derwentside and Durham and Chester-le-Street primary care trusts have invited young people in the area to supply pieces of art, such as sculptures

  • 'We shall never forget'

    HEADS were bowed across the region yesterday morning in honour of those who died in wartime. Thousands of people in the North-East and North Yorkshire remembered the nation's war dead as they observed the Remembrance Sunday silence at 11am. At Durham

  • Hotel wins title

    The Dean Court Hotel, in York, has been named Hotel of the Year in the local tourism bureau's annual awards. Manager David Brooks was presented with the award by BBC presenter Clare Frisby.

  • Events aim to cut ladder fall deaths

    A SERIES of events are to be held across the North-East in an attempt to reduce the number of people killed and injured in falls from ladders. The Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) Ladders Week, starting today, aims to increase awareness among employers

  • Chris is first winner of waste award

    A GREEN-thinking North-East man has become the first winner of a Tees Valley-wide recycling competition. Christopher Hawkes was presented with £50 in euros, as the winner of the Message in a Bottle competition, run by the five Tees Valley local authorities

  • Vandal floods 90-year-old's bedroom

    A 90-year-old widow woke to find her bedroom had been flooded by a vandal who passed a hosepipe through her window and left it spraying water for hours, police said today. Officers investigating described the incident as ''appalling'' and ''malicious'

  • £1m boost for North hospital

    A North-East hospital has started heavyweight investment in equipment. A six-tonne magnet was lifted into place by crane during a delicate operation at the private Newcastle Nuffield Hospital. The powerful magnet is for an advanced MRI scanner being installed

  • Booth's strike seals a cup shock for Birtley

    Birtley Town, with ambitions of joining the Arngrove Northern League, claimed the scalp of Crook Town when they met in the first round of the Durham Challenge Cup. The visitors took a 16th-minute lead as Roy Allen broke clear and it was not until the

  • Hodgson happy Keltie received marching orders

    THE last thing Clarke Keltie wanted having been sidelined for eight months was for his comeback game to turn sour. But it turned into a nightmare when he was sent off in the last minute on Saturday - only for his manager to later praise him for it. In

  • Plans to save £29m with move by council

    A LOCAL authority has revealed plans to save £29m - by moving and updating many of its offices. Officials at City of York Council say they could save the money over the next 30 years if the proposals are agreed by councillors. The authority owns or leases

  • £20m sports complex for site of former steelworks

    PLANS have been presented for a "world-class" sports centre is to be built on the former steelworks site in Consett. Project Genesis has applied to Derwentside District Council for planning permission to create the £20m facility. It will form the centrepiece

  • Park rape victim's screams ignored

    A young woman's screams for help were ignored while she was being raped in a park after a night out. The 21-year-old took a shortcut through Blackhill and Consett Park after drinking in Trades nightclub in John Street, Consett, County Durham, early yesterday

  • Bowyer court appearance delayed

    England footballer Lee Bowyer must wait until the New Year to hear whether he will face trial on a public disorder charge, a court heard today. The 28-year-old Newcastle United footballer was charged following a brawl on the pitch with team-mate Kieron

  • 'A load of fat people shouting at each other'

    When the BBC screened Jerry Springer The Opera earlier this year it was deluged with complaints. Now the original stage show is taking to the road - defying the threat of legal action. Steve Pratt reports. 'When I read about that show with 8,000 swear

  • Pool's chart progress is halted by a Brentford DJ

    ON the weekend that a group of Hartlepool United fans made the music charts, the club's hopes of moving up their own hit parade were, ironically, ended by a DJ. Dudley Campbell came to the fore as part of the Yeading team that met Newcastle in last season's

  • Kandol confident after move

    WYCOMBE Wanderers may have salvaged a share of the spoils on Saturday, but Darlington had already won one battle with their League Two rivals before a ball had even been kicked at the weekend, writes Lee Hall. Tresor Kandol could have been playing for

  • Pigeon event banned due to bird flu fears

    A prestigious racing pigeon event has been banned over fears it could spread bird flu. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has angered pigeon fanciers by stopping the North East Show of the Year - one of the biggest events in

  • 14/11/05

    PARKING METERS: HAVING parked in the disabled bay in the car park next to the Belvedere Club, Bishop Auckland, and displayed my disabled tickets, I returned after a while to find a ticket on the car demanding a £30 fine. The only sign which could be seen

  • Children make a right song and dance about gang show

    THEY were once a byword in family entertainment - but somehow the town of Northallerton was always passed by. But now, for the first time, the county town of North Yorkshire is about to stage its very first gang show. Scouts and Guides and the younger

  • Flood risk fears over plan for homes

    THE Environment Agency has objected to a controversial plan for a housing and road development on the edge of Wolsingham. The agency has already told Wear Valley District Council planners that the estate could pose a flood risk and is now looking at whether

  • Living longer than ever

    NEW life expectancy statistics have given North Yorkshire its cleanest-ever bill of health. According to the Office for National Statistics, male babies born between 2002 and 2004 in York can expect to live to the grand old age of 77.3 - four months more

  • Campign to raise awareness of ancient war

    A FUNDRAISING campaign has been launched in an attempt to kick start an annual festival marking one of North Yorkshire's ancient battles. Keith Mulhearn plans to hold the first Battle of Fulford festival in September next year to mark its 940th anniversary

  • Village post office on the move, but only next door

    A RURAL post office in a North Yorkshire village will be on the move later this month - but is not going very far. The post office at Aldbrough St John will close at its existing location at Talbot House at 12.30pm on November 24. However it will re-open

  • Crime victims give feedback on police

    CRIME victims who contact police in North Yorkshire are being called back later - to see if they are happy with the response. The move is part of a series of measures by the force to improve customer service and accessibility, outlined in a report by

  • Hand hygiene message

    NURSES have being spreading the word about the importance of hand hygiene. The Infection Control Nursing Service, which covers all six primary care trusts (PCTs) in Darlington and County Durham, has been taking the hygiene message around the region. "

  • Festive display under threat as lights fail safety checks

    A MARKET town's popular Christmas lights display is under threat after checks revealed most of its motifs did not meet safety standards. The checks carried out on Barnard Castle's Christmas lights display by Durham County Council revealed that only 13

  • £340,000 budget increase to pay for extra youth workers

    The number of youth workers in Darlington will more than double in an expansion of the town's services for young people. A £340,000 budget increase has led to the appointment of six more members of staff, who will each be dedicated to an urban area of

  • Millions spent on upgrading home heating

    MILLIONS of pounds will be spent across Darlington to improve heating systems in council houses. Darlington Borough Council is spending £700,000 each year for the next five years on improving heating systems across the borough. At the moment, work is

  • Royal date for theatre after £4.5m facelift

    THE Earl and Countess of Wessex re-opened the region's largest theatre at the weekend. Prince Edward and his wife, Sophie, officially re-opened the Sunderland Empire, which has undergone a £4.5m refurbishment, and met children performing in the hit show

  • Training boost for company

    DEDICATED workers in Derwentside are boosting their company's performance, thanks to a new training programme. About 90 per cent of staff at Schmitz Cargobull (UK), in Harelaw, have taken advantage of a series of courses and development schemes at Derwentside

  • Touching the untouchable

    As part of a mission to help women sufferers of leprsy, Leah Pattison, from County Durham, has set up a clinic in central India. In the second of a series of articles from Nagpur, Sarah Foster describes its amazing work. THE first time I visit the small

  • Events aim to cut ladder fall deaths

    A SERIES of events are to be held across the North-East in an attempt to reduce the number of people killed and injured in falls from ladders. The Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) Ladders Week, starting today, aims to increase awareness among employers

  • From air crashes to stranded sheep - a man of many rescues

    A SEARCH and rescue volunteer who assisted in the grim job of searching for wreckage from the Pan Am passenger plane following the Lockerbie disaster is retiring after over 30 years service. Ian Findlay has served with Teesdale and Weardale Search and

  • £20m sports complex for site of former steelworks

    PLANS have been presented for a "world-class" sports centre to be built on the former steelworks site in Consett. Project Genesis has applied to Derwentside District Council for planning permission to create the £20m facility. It will form the centrepiece

  • Heated debate expected over swimming pool plan

    MULTI-MILLION pound plans to build a controversial swimming pool will be discussed tonight by a specially-convened meeting of councillors. Members of Durham City Council's cabinet will be asked to choose between five options for the city's new 25-metre

  • Bassila already a big fan of Premiership

    Christian Bassila may have played only seven Premiership games in spells with West Ham and now at Sunderland, but the Frenchman is already a self-confessed fan of the English game. The midfielder is hoping to return to action against Aston Villa at the

  • £2m hall offers a sporting chance

    A RUGBY star opened a £2m school sports hall at the weekend. The hall at Wolsingham School and Community College was opened on Saturday by 19-year-old England rugby international Mathew Tait, who grew up in the village, and triple Paralympic gold medallist

  • Horse box scam victims may never recover cash

    Victims of a horse box scam, which saw a father and son flee the region with hundreds of thousands of pounds of customers' cash, admitted last night they have lost hope of recovering their money. And more than a year after Gary and Ryan Upson disappeared

  • £24,000 to form village trail

    SEDGEFIELD has been awarded a Local Heritage Initiative grant to restore its village pump and develop a heritage trail around the town. Community groups were considering ways of renovating the pump, a familiar landmark on the village green, but can expand

  • Pensioner is found garotted

    A NORTH-EAST businessman has been found garotted in his bed after flying to Pakistan to meet his estranged wife. The body of Mohammed Mirza Jacob, 70, was discovered by his nephew, who became concerned after not hearing from him. The pensioner was found

  • Hear All sides: School closure debate

    RIGHT TO PROTEST: I FELT I must write to show my support for the words of Ada Burns, the chief Executive of Darlington Borough Council (HAS Nov 5). It is totally unacceptable that anyone should have to endure bullying, intimidation or abuse (accusations

  • Police target unruly youths

    A CRACKDOWN on unruly youths is aiming to clean up the streets of Langbaurgh over the next six months. Cleveland Police is concentrating on the Lakes Estate, Redcar, South Bank and Grangetown, where they are targeting those responsible for vandalism and

  • School on shortlist for award

    A HAND hygiene pilot scheme has been shortlisted for a national health award. North Tees Primary Care Trust will discover today if it has won the National Health Service Journal award after improving facilities at Egglescliffe School, in Eaglescliffe.

  • Trust to undertake survey of wildlife

    SURVEYS are to be carried out of an area's more secretive residents. The findings of a wildlife study could surprise people living on Teesside. "It improves our own quality of life when you see other types of wildlife out and about," said Bill Ashton-Wicke

  • Funding changes 'will mean £100 rise in council tax bills'

    HOUSEHOLDERS are facing increases in their council tax bills of about £100 or drastic cuts in services because of a change in Government funding, local authority leaders warned last night. Council chiefs say the region will be shortchanged by more than

  • Mowden see the best and worst of their foreign legion

    IMPORTS have been a mixed blessing for Mowden Park in recent years, and so it proved on Saturday. For the second successive match South African fly half Johann Booysen was highly instrumental in the win, while Tanginoa Fosita and Junior Fagalilo both

  • On TV

    Child Of Mine (ITV1) Egypt: The Pharaoh And The Showman (BBC1) TESS is shopping at the supermarket with her two children. "I want Golden Wheat," says the eldest, Heather. They don't have that particular cereal, her mother tells her, so she'll have to

  • Tourism campaign is best in the world

    A CAMPAIGN using people from the region to highlight the area as a tourist attraction was voted the best in the world last night. Regional development agency One NorthEast's Passionate People, Passionate Places marketing campaign saw off competition from

  • Coffee morning

    Save the Children will hold a coffee morning at which cakes and Christmas cards will also be available. The event will be at Sunnyfield House, Westgate, Guisborough, on Thursday, November 24, from 10am to noon.

  • Guest's homework may well pay off for Ghadames

    RICHARD GUEST has done his sums and found a race at Leicester in which Ghadames (2.50) is strongly favoured by the weights. Guest's gelding last ran 177 days ago when winning a valuable chase off a mark of 120, but by reverting to the smaller obstacles

  • Women back calls for cut in toxins

    LADIES from the Women's Institute joined environmentalists in presenting a North- East MEP with a shopping basket of toxic products. Tyne and Wear South WI Federation members handed the basket to North-East Liberal Democrat MEP Fiona Hall as part of a

  • Video producer praised by Queen

    A NORTH-EAST documentary maker has been praised by the Queen for her voluntary work. Emma Parsons, 30, of Salters Avenue, Darlington, attended a reception at Buckingham Palace, held earlier this month, for people who had made a difference during the Year

  • Woman's screams for help ignored

    REVELLERS ignored a young woman's screams for help while she was being raped in a park after a night out. The 21-year-old took a shortcut through Blackhill and Consett Park after drinking in Trades nightclub in John Street, Consett, County Durham, early

  • Mowden see the best and worst of their foreign legion

    IMPORTS have been a mixed blessing for Mowden Park in recent years, and so it proved on Saturday. For the second successive match South African fly half Johann Booysen was highly instrumental in the win, while Tanginoa Fosita and Junior Fagalilo both

  • Cutting the ground from al Qaida

    NOT long before the invasion of Iraq, an intriguing comment was made about Saddam Hussein, suggesting that through his use of chemical weapons against the Marsh Arabs, mustard gas against the Kurds and through the slaughter of domestic opposition, Saddam

  • Concern over bus services reduction

    A BUS operator says it has been overwhelmed by calls from passengers worried that their services are being axed in a cutback on subsidies. Go North-East says that the vast majority of passengers will not be affected by the cuts and reductions that will

  • Family to be given soldier's legacy

    THE Northern Echo is trying to trace the family of a solider who carried a small bible while fighting in the First World War. Private Thomas George Smith, a driver with the Machine Gun Corp, was from the North-East and his bible was given to The Northern

  • High-flying Blaydon pile pressure on Nuneaton

    BLAYDON might soon be working out the mileage to Division Two clubs like Redruth and Launceston as they are only one point behind leaders Nuneaton after Saturday's 45-7 win at home to Kendal. Former Newcastle Falcons centre Martin Shaw, who joined from

  • Medic in car crash goes to rescue

    A PARAMEDIC injured in a road smash immediately went to the help of two more seriously hurt casualties at the weekend. The 34-year-old Darlington man, who has not been named, had been on a 999 call when his Ford Focus was in collision with a car containing

  • Villagers to welcome choir from Ukraine

    FAMILIES from a village in the North-East are preparing to welcome singers from Eastern Europe into their homes. Residents in Hurworth, near Darlington, are playing host to members of the Boyan Ensemble, from Ukraine, who are returning for their fourth

  • Parker hails striker Owen the best of his generation

    SCOTT PARKER has labelled Michael Owen the best English striker of his generation. The £16m signing from Real Madrid scored two late goals in Geneva on Saturday to hand England a 3-2 win over Argentina. And Parker, who himself has ambitions to be part

  • Campaign launched to cut fuel poverty

    ELDERLY people and young children in the region are at risk because of inadequate heating, say experts. Now a Warm Homes campaign has been launched with the warning that 161,850 North-East households are living in fuel poverty. The annual campaign, which

  • Keltie earns Hodgson's praise after late dismissal

    THE last thing Clarke Keltie wanted having been sidelined for eight months was for his comeback game to turn sour. But it turned into a nightmare when he was sent off in the last minute on Saturday - only for his manager to later praise him for it. In