Archive

  • Walton steps up to coach Falcons forwards

    NEWCASTLE Falcons have promoted former back row man Peter Walton to the role of forwards coach and have announced that they are assessing the long-term structure of their coaching set-up. It has yet to be decided what role New Zealander Ross Nesdale has

  • 'It takes nerve to keep spending when you are losing billions'

    TOYOTA is the most impatient of car manufacturers. It simply is not satisfied with second best. That's why it constantly redefines its targets and sets new standards by which it will measure success. The most recent target must have sent a chill down

  • Helping the next generation of entrepreneurs to take off

    ENTREPRENEUR is the latest buzz word, glamourised by the success of TV shows such as The Dragons' Den and The Apprentice. And while enterprise is very much in the public eye, Young Enterprise North East is focusing on delivering initiatives in schools

  • Police seek men who were in park when rape occurred

    A group of up to six men were involved in a late-night brawl in a park moments before a woman was subjected to a horrific rape, police have revealed. Detectives investigating the rape of the 21-year-old woman in Blackhill Park, at Consett, County Durham

  • Jeweller shines bright amid high street gloom

    A MARKET town jewellers is celebrating a successful first year trading having doubled its stock and added four designers to its collection. E DeWastney Jewellers, in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, specialises in modern, vintage and designer jewellery

  • Designers join forces with N-E university

    A DESIGN company has forged links with a local university to offer students practical experience. Gareth Davies launched Change Design and Development in Sunderland three months ago to provide a range of services, including branding, advertising, logo

  • Nurses in region leading the way

    NURSES across the North-East are leading the way in the development of care. An initiative was launched last year in County Durham and Tees Valley to highlight the importance of bedside manner to the 12,500 nurses who work in the area. The chief nursing

  • Tony McLean

    PRIVATE healthcare company Castlebeck has appointed TONY McLEAN as chief operating officer. He will take up his position at Darlington-based Castlebeck, which specialises in healthcare and rehabilitation services for adults with learning disabilities,

  • Asda-owner says sales are static

    Wal-Mart showed how tough the UK market was yesterday by revealing stagnating sales at Asda. As well as flat sales, Wal-Mart said the market share of the UK's second-largest grocer remained unchanged during the three months to October 31. The announcement

  • Pair visit region for Tory hustings

    THE two contenders to be Conservative leader will go head-to-head at hustings in the North-East and North Yorkshire today. David Cameron and David Davis will answer questions from Tory party members in closed sessions in Newcastle this morning and York

  • Britvic prepares for stock market flotation

    SOFT drinks group Britvic was yesterday preparing for life on the stock market after announcing plans to float with an estimated value of £800m. The maker of brands that include Robinsons and Tango ranks behind only Coca-Cola in the market for fizzy and

  • Will a cold wind blow for the vole?

    BUSINESSES, farmers and landowners are being asked to make donations to help the endangered water vole survive in upland areas of the North-East. Durham Wildlife Trust is trying to raise £30,000 for a project that would create habitats for the creatures

  • Pigeon racing fears as ban hits show

    FEARS are growing that the threat of a worldwide bird flu pandemic could have a drastic effect on one of the region's favourite sports. Yesterday, the North-East Show of the Year, one of the most prestigious events in the pigeon-racing calendar, was cancelled

  • Region hit by homeless crisis

    THE region is in the grip of a housing crisis with a big leap in the number of homeless families, new figures have revealed. There are 89,747 households waiting for a council or housing association home, compared to 73,809 when Labour came to power in

  • Postal firm delivers another warning

    PARCELS group Business Post yesterday issued its second profits warning in three months. Investors were left reeling after Business Post announced that it was not handling as many parcels as last year and its annual profits were likely to fall 20 per

  • Ward Hadaway helps organise £30m buyout

    A TEAM from North-East law firm Ward Hadaway helped lead a £30m buyout of an engineering consultancy. Entec UK Limited, one of the UK's largest environmental and engineering firms, was the subject of a management buyout (MBO) last month from Durham-based

  • Death sentences for killers of teachers from North-East

    EIGHT men have been sentenced to death in Somaliland for the murder of three foreign aid workers - including two teachers from the North-East. Seven others were given life sentences for their part in the attacks. Police said they were all Islamic radicals

  • Quakers can't afford Bridges' pay

    MICHAEL BRIDGES' wage demands could scupper any hopes Darlington have of signing the Bristol City striker. The North Shields-born 27-year-old has been told he can return to the North-East on loan, providing Darlington cover the player's salary in full

  • That elusive ingredient

    THE lady has had another birthday, and we another wedding anniversary. It's 27 years now, nuptial not natal, and still usually on speaking terms. We dined to mark the glad occasion at the Fox and Hounds in Newfield, a former mining and brick making village

  • Paul Scott

    Aspers Casino, which opened at The Gate Newcastle last week, has appointed Paul Scott as hospitality manager. Mr Scott, 38, from Wallsend, North Tyneside, was restaurant manager at Dobbies Garden Centre, in Ponteland, Northumberland, where he oversaw

  • Louise Heavisides

    The Newcastle branch of Swedish bank Handelsbanken has appointed LOUISE HEAVISIDES to provide support for the bank's account managers. The 35-year-old, from Sunderland, has several years' experience in the financial sector, having gained her Financial

  • Firms are missing out on £37m loans

    ENTREPRENEURS are being urged to make the most of a £37m fund that can be used to boost regeneration in the region. The Partnership Investment Fund said hundreds of companies, particularly in North Yorkshire, were missing out on loans and investments

  • Cafe Gulp spreads its net in the North

    THE owner of a popular cafe is planning to expand his business across the North-East despite suffering a slump in trade. Les Mooney, who runs Cafe Gulp, in Priestgate, Darlington, plans to open an outlet in Durham City early next year, creating 15 jobs

  • Council members opt for £12m pool

    COUNCILLORS last night chose their preferred option for a controversial multi-million pound swimming pool. A specially-convened meeting of city councillors in Durham City heard five options to replace the 70-year-old baths at Old Elvet with a new 25-metre

  • 12/11/05

    TERRORISM BILL THE Government argues that there is a need to strike a balance between upholding the human rights of terrorist suspects and protecting citizens from terrorist attacks. There is no such dilemma - adhering to the basic principles of human

  • Region hit by homeless crisis

    THE region is in the grip of a housing crisis with a big leap in the number of homeless families, new figures have revealed. There are 89,747 households waiting for a council or housing association home, compared to 73,809 when Labour came to power in

  • Town fixes it for Jim to receive a 'great, great honour'

    SIR Jimmy Savile spoke of his pride yesterday after being awarded the freedom of the borough of Scarborough. The 79-year-old veteran DJ and entertainer said it was a "great, great honour" to be granted the award. He has had a home in Scarborough for the

  • Views sought on academy

    EDUCATION bosses have called a fact-finding meeting to debate proposals to build an academy in Darlington. The council's lifelong learning scrutiny council will meet next Monday to discuss members' views on whether the authority should apply to the Government

  • Inspiration is close to home for student

    Art student Ryan Fovargue has come up with the winning Christmas card design - based on the new Darlington College of Technology. The 16-year-old, who is studying a two-year National Diploma, used a technique known as mono-printing to create his design

  • Volunteer awarded for her dedication

    A VOLUNTEER is being awarded for her dedicated work in the community. Pensioner Muriel Boreland is being honoured with a Year of the Volunteer Award for Inspiration. The chairwoman of the Brougham Area Residents Association, Hartlepool, will be presented

  • Concern after spate of thefts

    POLICE are warning householders to keep an eye on their garages after a spate of thefts in the Stokesley area. There have been eight recent incidents when thieves have broken into domestic garages in the area and stolen bicycles or tried to. In the cases

  • Hear All Sides: School Closure Debate

    SCHOOL CLOSURES: WHY are people arguing against a new school for Eastbourne and Hurworth? I am a parent with one child in a secondary school in Darlington and two others in primaries. I hope that all of my children will have the opportunity to learn in

  • Celebration group calls it a day

    FOUR years ago, the town of Bedale staged a six-month celebration marking the 750th anniversary of it being granted a market charter. Now the group behind the successful festival, Bedale 750, has been formally wound up. At its final meeting, chairman

  • Controversial mast plan set for approval

    PLANS for a mobile phone mast to be erected in a golf club's grounds are expected to be approved tomorrow. Vodafone has applied to Darlington Borough Council for permission to site the 24-metre mast at Blackwell Grange Golf Club, off Briar Close. The

  • Cancer danger

    YOUNG soldiers have received a warning about the dangers of mouth cancer. Lieutenant Colonel Douglas Bryant, a consultant oral and maxillofacial surgeon, gave a presentation to Army recruits at Catterick Garrison last week. The event was arranged as part

  • Residents looking forward to moving to new homes

    DEMOLITION work started on a housing estate yesterday to make way for a £4m development. Twenty-six post-war properties in Valley Road, Northallerton, are being bulldozed as part of plans to build 47 new houses and flats on the site. Bosses at Broadacres

  • Welfare rights team help claimants gets £7.5m

    DURHAM County Council's welfare rights team has helped people claim £7.5m in benefit payments they might otherwise have missed out on. The team's work also saved the council an additional £4.36m by using its expertise to fund services through the social

  • Rubbing shoulders with elite puts Pool on map

    THE shirts of all the clubs represented at the Soccerex convention in Dubai hang in the reception of the spectacular Madinat Jumeirah Hotel. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Newcastle United, Boca Juniors, Ajax, Juventus and Hartlepool United among them. "It's

  • How can we do better?

    A VILLAGE heritage centre is inviting residents to say if any changes are needed. Meet the Middletons has attracted thousands of visitors since it opened 18 months ago at Middleton-in-Teesdale, near Barnard Castle. It shows how a typical family lived

  • Work on river gauging station starts

    WORK started yesterday on building a gauging station to help the Environment Agency keep a check on the flow and level of the River Tees. A footpath was closed to the public to enable builders' vehicles to reach the site on the north bank of the river

  • From Russian with love

    If vintage glamour or the beatnik look is not your style, sprinkle a little Russian flavour in your wardrobe, says style guru Nadia Clark WELL I've just hot-footed it off the plane back from New York (get me!) and there is one trend which is taking the

  • Award for Tree Appeal

    A SOUTH Durham tree planting initiative was crowned Green Champion at the national Green Apple Awards. Tree Appeal, from Fountains Associates, in High Etherley, near Bishop Auckland, helps organisations plant native British broad-leaved trees such as

  • Community resource centre threatened by funding blow

    A CENTRE set up to help a town recover from the loss of one of its major employers is under threat following an announcement that funding could be withdrawn. Staff, volunteers and users of the Shildon Centre have been told that Durham County Council is

  • Sports lawyer has impressive track record

    LAW firm Watson Burton has appointed Mark Whitehead as associate in the corporate department. Mr Whitehead joins from rival firm Dickinson Dees, where for eight years he was a senior member of a team of lawyers specialising in IT, e-commerce, intellectual

  • Residents battling against development of green areas

    HUNDREDS of residents are launching a battle with builders over plans for a heavily-developed estate. Stockton Borough Council is considering a planning application for 19 homes on an area of dwindling green space in Ingleby Barwick. Householders are

  • Lack of volunteers threatens winter service for homeless

    A CHARITY for homeless people fears it may not be able to provide its services over the harsh winter months unless it recruits more volunteers. First Stop Darlington, in Tubwell Row, hopes to open overnight when the temperatures drop below freezing between

  • Council accused of 'stifling democracy'

    A PARISH council has been accused of stifling democracy after dropping a ten-minute public forum at the start of each monthly meeting. This evening's meeting of Pittington Parish Council, serving Low and High Pittington, near Durham, will be the first

  • Village fights to save its green

    VILLAGERS have applied for open space under threat of development by their council to be declared a village green. Durham City Council is selling off plots of land it owns to developers and using the proceeds to fund regeneration in the villages around

  • Furniture at the click of a mouse

    AN ENTRPRENEUR has set up an online buying service for her furniture and interiors store. Nicola Garrington, who has been running her furniture store Vive, in Scotswood Road, Newcastle, for four years, has set up an online service, vive direct.com The

  • A blast from the past at forum

    YOUNG performers are hoping to leave the audience shell-shocked with their production of an anti-war classic. Their stage will be transformed into the bloody battlefields of the Western Front, where thousands of British troops died in the First World

  • Mum unhappy with council job

    A COUNCIL tenant claims home improvements carried out by her landlord turned into a nightmare for her family. Single parent Victoria Morgan-Beattie, of Mowbray Road, Catterick Village, says she was told the work would take between three and four weeks

  • Trust boss looking forward to new role

    A NEW chief executive has been appointed to an NHS trust. John Lawlor will take charge of the Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust in January. He is currently deputy chief executive and executive director of service development at Calderdale and

  • Size does count in the jobs market

    A recent online survey carried out by Personnel Today magazine has confirmed what overweight people have suspected for years - that it is a handicap in the jobs market and that personnel officers and recruitment agencies are, in general, more likely to

  • Ringing the changes in 3G phone market

    We are talking telephone numbers. This is the appropriate term for describing Vodafone's first-half figures today. Turnover in the same six-month period last year was £16,800,000,000, and this is expected to have risen significantly this year. This is

  • Making the most of our hidden talents

    While the concept of embracing diversity may be fairly new to some companies, it is an idea Middlesbrough's Talent recruitment agency has been pushing for more than a decade. Jonathan Baldrey set up Talent 13 years ago to help place people from diverse

  • Market growth for cold sore remedy

    A North-East medical research company is about to tap into a multi-billion pound market with a device to help millions of people beat a common winter ailment. Sufferers across the UK are already benefiting from the hand-held gadget, Virulite CS, which

  • Ex-wife harassed by text messages

    A JILTED husband who bombarded his wife with text messages after they separated has been spared jail. But Ian Robinson, 36, was warned by a judge that he will be locked up if there is any repeat of his harassment of his former partner, Victoria. A court

  • QeeZee has success in the bag

    A company is preparing to launch a sick bag with a difference. QeeZee has developed a car sickness bag, which contains a chemical that turns to gel on contact with sick, preventing leakage and minimising odour and the danger of spillage. Managing director

  • Landowners may be liable under UK pollution laws

    The framework for environmental liability is based on the principle that the "polluter pays". However, landowners should be aware that under the contaminated land regime established by part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, a polluter is not

  • Man who befriended rape victim could have vital clues

    DETECTIVES investigating the horrific rape of a woman in a park urgently want to speak to a young man who befriended her shortly before the attack. Police have stressed the man is not a suspect, but could provide clues to the sex attack in Consett, County

  • Teenager dies on caving trip

    A 14-year-old boy has died after going missing in a cave on a school trip in the Yorkshire Dales. Joseph Lister, of Steeton, near Tadcaster was brought out of the Manchester Hole cave system in Upper Nidderdale after a search by rescuers on Monday afternoon

  • King's Revenge to break duck?

    KING'S REVENGE (1.50) makes a belated bid to kick-start his career by taking the long trip from Great Habton to Lingfield for the one-mile betdirect.co.uk Nursery. Tim Easterby's two-year-old began brightly enough in the springtime, twice finishing second

  • David Carr

    Business Link Tees Valley has appointed DAVID CARR to its team. Mr Carr's role as channel manager will involve engaging with banks, accountants, lawyers, trades unions, customs and local authorities, as well as people considering setting up in business

  • Beating Chinese industry on cost

    A Maker of high-performance coatings that undercut Chinese rivals for a £2.5m contract is hoping to win similar deals. E Wood Limited, of Northallerton, North Yorkshire, was awarded a contract to supply protective coating to line 4,200km of pipes carrying

  • Yobs 'will not force widow, 89, to move'

    AN 89-year-old widow has vowed not to be forced from her home by "cowardly" vandals who passed a hosepipe through her window and left it running overnight. The partially-sighted pensioner was left traumatised after waking to find the floor flooded and

  • Hosepipe vandals prey on widow, 89

    AN 89-year-old widow has vowed not to be forced from her home by "cowardly" vandals who passed a hosepipe through her window and left it running overnight. The partially-sighted pensioner was left traumatised after waking to find the floor flooded and

  • Furniture at the click of a mouse

    AN ENTRPRENEUR has set up an online buying service for her furniture and interiors store. Nicola Garrington, who has been running her furniture store Vive, in Scotswood Road, Newcastle, for four years, has set up an online service, vive direct.com The

  • Dunn thing for the tash force

    HOWEVER uneventful tomorrow's big FA Trophy tie between Blyth Spartans and Whitby Town, things could still get a bit hairy for Spartans manager Harry Dunn - owner of the most famous moustache in football. Eight years ago, Harry guided Whitby to victory

  • The day Tony Parry saved

    Monday morning at the Victoria Ground, January 1972. Hartlepool have lost 5-0 at Stockport County two days earlier, the chairman strides across the pitch to where manager Len Ashurst and George Herd, his trainer, are putting the team through its impoverished

  • Website a big hit with old friends

    A GRADUATE from the region has launched a website for tracking down old friends. Rob Billington, who took an IT course at Finchale Training College for disabled people after becoming blind in one eye, has founded Who-Remembers-Me.com The site has already

  • Nosworthy could keep out Wright

    AFTER spending the last three months battling back to full fitness, Stephen Wright has admitted that the form of Sunderland team-mate Nyron Nosworthy is threatening to make his spell on the sidelines even longer. Wright, who has not figured in the first

  • Rachael swaps down under for down home

    A BEAUTICIAN has chosen the North-East over Sydney to set up her own business. Having recently returned from a year travelling and working in Australia, Rachael Craggs has opened a beauty salon, The Powder Room, in Redcar, east Cleveland. The move was

  • Success - and how to make it happen

    HOW do you become a success? That simple question with the tricky answer is at the heart of a workshop being run in the region by a former Royal Navy officer. That officer is Phil Olley, now a business writer, and he returns to the region next month to

  • Family plans concert in memory of Jon, 14

    The family of a boy who died aged 14 are planning a concert to raise money for the hospital unit which battled to save his life. Jon Douglas was a popular pupil and keen footballer, whose sudden death following a three-week illness stunned his family

  • Sadistic killers' sentences 'unduly lenient'

    Two sadistic killers who wrongly accused a man of being a sexual pervert and left him disembowelled alive have had their sentences challenged as "unduly lenient". Trusting Keith Philpott, 36, who had learning difficulties, was tortured for four hours

  • Archbishop remembered

    A SPECIAL service is being held today to mark the 450th anniversary of one of the great Archbishops of York, Robert Holgate. He was Archbishop from 1545 to 1554, and the service at York Minster at 5.30pm will incorporate music and liturgy appropriate

  • Public forums on shopping area plans

    TWO public consultation events are to be held to give people a chance to find out more about plans to improve a town centre shopping area. Hartlepool Borough Council is proposing to spend more than £1m on upgrading York Road, between Park Road and the

  • Famous botanist presents community award

    MEMBERS of a residents' association have received recognition for their efforts to improve their community. The Furness, Cameron and Belk (FCB) Residents' Association, in Hartlepool, was presented with a Making a Difference Award by famous botanist Dr

  • More travellers staying in hotels

    THE number of people staying in hotels in the North-East has increased on last year. The HotelBenchmark Survey, by Deloitte, in Newcastle, found that occupancy levels in September were up from the same month last year, with rates in Cleveland reaching

  • Shipping line drops anchor at Teesport

    ONE of the world's largest shipping lines has started operating services into Teesport in a move that could bolster the port's campaign to bring 7,000 jobs to the region. As port owner PD Ports announced its half-year results yesterday, it revealed that

  • Food bug victim still fighting for life

    A MAN is fighting for his life after he was struck down by two potentially deadly food bugs. Retired driving instructor Alan Ord spent a week on a life support machine and underwent an operation to remove most of his bowel when he caught salmonella. The

  • Sex attack on woman in city cemetery

    POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a woman was sexually assaulted in a churchyard. The attack took place between 1am and 4am on Sunday morning in the cemetery at St Martin's Church, in Micklegate, York. The 36-year-old victim had been drinking in

  • Protective rottweilers hamper owner's rescue from peat bog

    A WOMAN slowly sinking into a peat bog watched in despair as her dogs held at bay a fire crew sent to rescue her. Rescuers said Linda McDermott was in a "desperate situation" after the dogs prevented her from being hauled from the mud at Waldridge Fell

  • O'Leary keen to sign Bowyer

    ASTON Villa manager David O'Leary has made Newcastle midfielder Lee Bowyer his leading transfer target as he attempts to steer his side to safety in the bottom half of the Premiership. With under-fire chairman Doug Ellis expected to make funds available

  • On TV last night

    Shakespeare Re-told: Macbeth (BBC1) Extraordinary People: The Woman With Half A Body (five) THERE were buckets of blood but few laughs in Peter Moffat's re-telling of Shakespeare's Macbeth, which turned the ambitious Scot into a celebrity chef. Joe Macbeth

  • Fresh leads in Heron murder inquiry

    DETECTIVES investigating the murder of a North-East housewife were pursuing new leads last night - more than 15 years after she was killed. Ann Heron had her throat cut as she sunbathed in the grounds of her home on the outskirts of Darlington on August

  • MS sufferer will get cannabis on prescription

    A multiple sclerosis sufferer who has used cannabis illegally to ease her pain says she is delighted she will soon be able to get the drug on prescription. Former nurse Pauline Taylor, 53, of Durham City, who has bought the drug from dealers to smoke

  • "Why I stepped aside for Depp"

    AMERICAN actor John Malkovich has no regrets about handing over the plum role of randy Restoration rake the Earl of Rochester to another actor. In fact, he suggested that Johnny Depp should star in the new film, The Libertine. After appearing as Rochester

  • Dogs forced to feed on sister after owner moved home

    WHEN Daniel Dearing moved home, he simply left his three Staffordshire bull terriers behind. But by the time the RSPCA were called, they found two of the dogs in an emaciated state - even though they had been forced to survive by eating the third, a court

  • Clean air rules lead to 50 jobs at Amec

    FIFTY jobs are being created by an engineering company after it won work worth more than £108m. A consortium, Amec and Alstom, have won the work from npower to fit new environmental technology which will help reduce sulphur emissions at a coal-fired power

  • King's Revenge to break duck on Lingfield polytrack

    KING'S REVENGE (1.50) makes a belated bid to kick-start his career by taking the long trip from Great Habton to Lingfield for the one-mile betdirect.co.uk Nursery. Tim Easterby's two-year-old began brightly enough in the springtime, twice finishing second

  • Death sentences for killers of teachers

    EIGHT men have been sentenced to death in Somaliland for the murder of three foreign aid workers - including two teachers from the North-East. Seven others were given life sentences for their part in the attacks. Police said they were all Islamic radicals

  • Trophy Centre online for success

    THE business that created Ozzy Osbourne's latest gong is gearing up for growth as it relaunches as an online company. Trophy-centre.com, which was established nearly 60 years ago as Dussart's Trophy Centre, has MTV and the BBC among its clients. It has

  • Centre to run falls clinic

    A falls clinic will be launched when a £1m centre for elderly people opens in Darlington in February. The centre, in Hundens Lane, will operate a service where people can be assessed, seek advice and talk to a nurse, physiotherapist or occupational therapist

  • On the crest of a wave

    THE lure of the surf has helped UNW accountants recruit MARK GALLIVER. The 32-year-old had been based in London since his return to the UK from Australia, and was a frequent visitor to the North-East because his girlfriend lives in Northumberland. Mr

  • Recycling centre opens

    A RECYCLING centre is to open today to deal with items of household waste. Haverton Hill Household Waste Recycling Facility will be able to take good furniture, IT equipment and electrical goods, thanks to a partnership between councils and the private

  • Student rescued from fire

    FIREFIGHTERS led a university student to safety after a kitchen fire left his flat filled with smoke. Two crews were sent to the three-storey building in Hallgarth Street, Durham, yesterday morning after he dialled 999. Bill Roberts, operations manager

  • 'My son wished he was dead'

    She launched a successful legal battle against her local authority when her son was bullied and now Liz Carnell fights daily to help other victims of bullying. She talks to Women's Editor Lindsay Jennings ahead of National Anti-Bullying Week. ON Liz Carnell's

  • Comment from The Northern Echo: Turn this cretin in

    WHOEVER used a hosepipe to flood the bedroom of a 89-year-old widow probably thought it was very funny - a bit of a prank. But the mindless act of vandalism which took place in Grange Crescent in the Marton area of Middlesbrough is not a laughing matter

  • Labourer attempted to kick drug habit in prison

    A LABOURER who sought solace in heroin when his grandmother died had done his best to kick his habit in prison, a court heard yesterday. Harrogate Magistrates' Court was told by defence lawyer Geoffrey Boothby that what Gareth Waite now needed was help

  • Children taught how to deal with bullies

    PRIMARY school children will soon discover how the football team they support can lead to bullying. Workshops will help youngsters at three schools in Redcar and Cleveland learn why supporting Manchester United or wearing a new coat can lead to unwarranted

  • Injury warning over Christmas decorations

    HARTLEPOOL Borough Council is reminding residents of the dangers of putting up festive decorations in the run-up to Christmas. Figures produced by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for National Ladder Safety Week show that the growing trend of decorating

  • Kate Adie hands her life's work over to North-East university

    RENOWNED BBC journalist Kate Adie has entrusted her life's work to a North-East University. The reporter has asked experts at the University of Sunderland to look after work that covers all aspects of her long and distinguished career - from her coverage

  • Drawing on talent to boost recycling

    CHILDREN have shown their commitment to recycling in words and pictures. Talented eight-year-olds Emily Hampshire and Mark Melia have won a competition to show how important household recycling is to the environment. The pair have each won a gift voucher

  • Sarah Crilly

    Solicitor SARAH CRILLY has joined Ward Hadaway's family law team. The 31-year-old has specialised in family law for six years with Dickinson Dees and has developed expertise in the financial aspects of family law. Her experience is boosted by an accreditation

  • Fundraising bid to start on high note

    AN appeal is to be launched for funds to carry out repairs at the second oldest Methodist chapel in Britain. The money will also be used to ensure the future of the last surviving Methodist Sunday school in Weardale, County Durham. More than £2,500 is

  • Adam Wood

    A trainee solicitor will be putting his environmental expertise into practice after being appointed by North-East law firm Blackett Hart and Pratt. ADAM WOOD has a degree in marine biology and a masters in clean technology from Newcastle University. Most

  • Website is route into town's past

    A WRITER who is passionate about her home town's history has launched a website to gather more memories of the past. Barbara Laurie has already collected thousands of photographs and stories for a series of books on Bishop Auckland. She hopes to gather

  • Cheers as all landlords ready for change in law

    THERE were cheers all round among rural publicans last night when it was revealed that all of them have beaten a deadline to get their new licences in order. Nationally, only 70 per cent of landlords have completed the paperwork, but those in the Teesdale

  • Pupils send gifts to African orphans

    ORPHANS in East Africa will enjoy a merry Christmas thanks to County Durham youngsters. Pupils at Crook Primary School will send out parcels to children in poverty-hit Tanzania tomorrow. It is part of a link scheme between the school and Mdawi primary

  • He's chest a generous fella...

    BRAVE Neil Turton had his hairy chest waxed to give a company's fundraising effort for Children in Need a flying start. Neil, from Kelloe, who works on the trade counter at builders' merchants Archibalds's head office at Dragonville, in Durham, offered

  • Kiss in pub led police oficers' injuries

    A SINGLE kiss resulted in a fight which spilled out of a pub and led to two police officers being injured, a court heard. Mark Wilson took exception to another man trying to kiss his girlfriend and began a fight with him in which a table and drinks overturned

  • Card business is write clever

    A POET who writes tailor-made verses for special occasions will be showing off her work at a craft fair tomorrow. Wheelchair-bound Helen Marley, who suffers from cerebral palsy, runs Palmtree Paradise Personal Poetry Service from her home in Medomsley

  • Family plans concert in memory of Jon, 14

    The family of a boy who died aged 14 are planning a concert to raise money for the hospital unit which battled to save his life. Jon Douglas was a popular pupil and keen footballer, whose sudden death following a three-week illness stunned his family

  • Victims of conmen give up hope of reclaiming money

    VICTIMS of a 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. More than a year after Gary and Ryan Upson disappeared, detectives

  • You just couldn't make it up

    READERS of this column will know by now that I am inclined to be satirical - especially when the full moon is about and there's an "r" in the month. But it's hard to be a satirist in a world gone mad. I mean, any nonsense I might dream up during the morning

  • 15/11/05

    CONSERVATIVES: THE next leader of the Conservative Party must be able to build a party which appeals to people in all parts of our country. He must have a vision and policies which offer real hope for changing the North-East and improving the lives of

  • Jonny return ruled out

    England head coach Andy Robinson has again ruled out an immediate Test match return for World Cup hero Jonny Wilkinson. Fly-half Charlie Hodgson is battling to be fit for England's Twickenham clash against New Zealand next Saturday after suffering a groin

  • Bettys in a stir over range of little pies

    A tea-room company has banned a caterer from naming her pies after her daughter. Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms has told Elizabeth Guy to rename her Betty Guy's Little Pies range. Mrs Guy named the children's frozen meals after her seven-year-old daughter, Betty

  • Leaders to brief MPs on sector's expansion

    ON Thursday business leaders will tell MPs of their ambition to expand the region's chemical and process sector by £4.5bn in the next five to ten years. The North-East Process Industry Cluster (Nepic) is forecasting the growth in sectors such as bioprocessing

  • England fail to build on Marcus marathon

    Marcus Trescothick almost scored a double-hundred and held two slip catches, yet was left to reflect on a difficult third day for England in the first Test against Pakistan. The stand-in captain scored approaching half his team's runs and then had a hand

  • Construction industry reaches for the sky

    FLIGHT simulator technology is being applied to the precast concrete manufacturing industry to increase efficiency, reduce waste and encourage recycling. The two-year Enterprise Simulation for Precast Concrete Operations project will improve the production

  • LED system is a shining example to the electronics sector

    POLICE cars, ambulances and fire engines could be more visible on their way to emergencies thanks to a new lighting system. South Tyneside-based Mitsumi has developed the technology in partnership with Navcomm, a department of Liverpool police, which

  • From brownfields to green - thanks to plants

    A UNIVERSITY team working to restore North-East brownfield sites using natural means has been recognised by the European Union and the British Government. The University of Teesside's Clean Environment Management Centre (Clemance) has been working on

  • Westbury is hot property

    THE housebuilding sector was in demand among investors yesterday after a takeover approach for Westbury led to hopes of further consolidation. Shares in Westbury rocketed as investors seized the first opportunity to trade its shares since the Cheltenham

  • £1.3m centre a high-tech haven for new innovation

    A £1.3M innovation centre for technology businesses will open in the region this week. The centre, owned and managed by Derwentside development agency Dida, hopes to attract businesses in technology-related sectors by offering modern offices that have

  • Schwarzer expects revenge

    MARK Schwarzer has insisted that history will not be repeating itself when Australia aim to book a place in the World Cup finals tonight. The Middlesbrough goalkeeper made a string of crucial saves on Saturday as the Socceroos lost 1-0 to Uruguay in the

  • Fly-tipping gardener is caught on covert camera

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