SCHOOLCHILDREN braved the cold yesterday to join huntsmen for the 80th anniversary of an annual meet. Bedale Hunt, based at Little Fencote, near Bedale, North Yorkshire, has been meeting at Aysgarth School for the past 80 years. Yesterday, pupils mingled
River Cottage Road Trip (C4) Natural World: Flying With Condors (BBC2) The Hurricane That Drowned New Orleans (five) WHILE David Attenborough watches wildlife, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall kills it. Having slaughtered everything edible around his Dorset
TRADITIONAL lions and dragons will lead the celebrations at a North-East university to welcome in the Chinese New Year. The Year of the Dog begins on January 30 and Chinese students at the University of Sunderland, along with members of the Chinese Students
SCIENTISTS in Newcastle have made a breakthrough in the battle against cancer. The team, led by Dr Nicola Curtin and based at Newcastle University, has discovered the mechanism by which a new class of drugs disable the cancer cells' inbuilt defences.
MARK Tinkler believes happy memories from the FA Cup can help Hartlepool United into round three at the weekend. Pool meet Conference side Tamworth at Victoria Park, with a place in Sunday's draw up for grabs, as Pool strive to reach round three of the
THE country's first "super garrison" is expected to be created in the region. An estimated £1bn could be invested in Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, over the next 20 years, the Army confirmed yesterday. That figure, which is subject to funding approvals
THE story of the heroism of a Second World War airman - and how his courage was recognised by The Northern Echo's Forgotten Hero appeal - is to be told on DVD. The Wartime Memories Project has announced the DVD, which charts the campaign to honour Pilot
ROTARY clubs have raised £40,000 to help farmers hit by flash floods. The money, which is being used to renew fences and walls washed away in the June 19 flood, came in response to an appeal by the president of the Malton and Norton club, Les Chapman.
COUNCIL chiefs have agreed to release more than £56,000 to allow a games area scheme on a Darlington estate to go ahead. The borough council's cabinet approved the "cashback" deal for the Firthmoor Community Association this week. In 2001, the Firthmoor
A young offender hit a fellow inmate over the head with a mallet, a court heard today. Lee Fenwick, 19, of Haggerston Terrace, Jarrow, hit Jamie Richard Robinson over the head during a woodwork class. Fenwick was serving a 21 month sentence for wounding
DURHAM is hoping that thousands of visitors from all parts of the country will visit this weekend for the city's ninth Christmas Festival. The festival, on Saturday and Sunday, coincides with the launch of the city's park- and-ride scheme. With drivers
A RAFT of recommendations have been put forward to improve access to a housing association. Members of Stockton Borough Council's housing and community safety select committee have suggested 39 ways of improving access to Tristar Services, including enhancing
A PROJECT set up to learn about the mining history of a Teesdale village has been completed. To celebrate the success of the Evenwood Drama and Arts Project Group, members have created their version of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. The group researched
FIFTY youngsters have visited an RAF base as part of a project to reduce anti-social behaviour. The group, aged eight to 19 was given a tour of RAF Linton on Ouse, near York, and took turns in the base's flight simulator. They also spent time learning
DAIRY firm Arla Foods has posted results in line with revised expectations after an earlier warning that rising oil prices would hit profits. The UK's largest supplier of butter and milk, which has a dairy processing plant in Northallerton, said strong
SOFTWARE firm Sage said it was recruiting another 100 employees at its North-East base after revealing its new financial year had started well. The company also reported a 13 per cent rise in annual pre-tax profit to £205.4m over the past year. The Newcastle-based
THE public is being urged to demonstrate the strength of their feelings on major changes to the way that health services are provided. North Yorkshire County Council's scrutiny of health committee is to discuss a review of the NHS acute services in Hartlepool
A TEESDALE amateur dramatic group has made its annual champagne prize draw. The winner of the draw was Aileen Little, from Darlington, who won a bottle of champagne sponsored by solicitors firm Tilly, Bailey and Irvine (TBI). The competition is run in
A TEESDALE amateur dramatic group has made its annual champagne prize draw. The winner of the draw was Aileen Little, from Darlington, who won a bottle of champagne sponsored by solicitors firm Tilly, Bailey and Irvine (TBI). The competition is run in
A DELEGATION of holiday staff from Belgium will visit the tourism capital of the North next week. The group is made up of high-level marketing staff from VisitBritain Brussels who promote York to the Belgian market. This is the first time the team has
AN education authority has been congratulated by the Government for surpassing school attendance targets. Stockton Borough Council was applauded after secondary and primary school pupils in the town attended school for 93.64 per cent of the time last
HUNDREDS of youngsters will bring the magic of Christmas to venues across County Durham with a series of concerts starting tonight. Children aged nine to 18 will be performing in shows by Durham County Council's Music Support Service, based in Bishop
A TOP children's author has given her backing to a charity that helps children in the developing world. Anne Fine, who lives in Barnard Castle, County Durham, is encouraging people to make their present-buying more ethical this year. Ms Fine, who was
TRADITIONAL lions and dragons will lead the celebrations at a North-East university to welcome in the Chinese New Year. The Year of the Dog begins on January 30 and Chinese students at the University of Sunderland, along with members of the Chinese Students
THOUSANDS of pupils across the Tees Valley are taking part in a touring nativity play this Christmas. Are We Nearly There Yet, the musical, was launched last night in Eston, but will visit a number of venues across the area. The performances will feature
A CHARITY night held in memory of a popular local boy has raised more than £1,000 for young diabetes sufferers. The event held at Evenwood Workingmen's Club in memory of nine-year-old Peter Buckle, who died in May, was attended by more than 200 people
TAXI drivers in Darlington warned last night that they could stage another strike in the run-up to Christmas. A meeting was held with more than 50 members and supporters of Darlington Hackney/Private Hire Association this week, following strike action
A MAN who vowed to take revenge on his former girlfriend in hate letters sent from prison scarred her for life on the day he was released. In a series of letters Michael Forster, 31, warned Julie Anne Brown, 35, he would never forgive her for starting
A CAF which offers training to people with learning disabilities celebrated its first anniversary yesterday. The Railway Cafe, at the Darlington Railway Museum, is run by the borough council's adult services department. The manager and four staff help
A HOSPITAL trust is launching a recruitment campaign. More than 10,000 people have already signed up to the scheme at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust. Posters and banners are being put up around the town featuring Stephanie Davis, who is the
YOUNG mother who battled with anorexia and depression died suddenly with her baby in her arms, an inquest has heard. The body of Amelia Amanda Dixon was found at her home in Cocken Road, Stockton, on June 21 by her friend, Josephine Conlon. She was found
THE outdoor products division of Electrolux, which makes the Flymo lawnmower range, has advertised 50 jobs. The work at the Flymo factory, in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, comes two weeks after Electrolux announced it was shedding at least 50 jobs at
RICHMOND School is in line for a £19m investment that will see all secondary age children taught on one site in the town. North Yorkshire County Council has earmarked the school to receive up to £19.2m from the latter stage of the Government's Building
HUNDREDS of youngsters will bring the magic of Christmas to venues across County Durham with a series of concerts starting tonight. Children aged from nine to 18 will be performing at the shows staged by Durham County Council's Music Support Service,
A NETWORKING club is expanding, with more staff and new premises. Bridge Club, a company which builds links between owner managers and business service providers, was set up by Caroline Theobald in 2000. Its membership has grown to 280 but Ms Theobald
Hundreds of weapons have been handed in to police following a two week amnesty. Sean Price, Chief Constable of Cleveland, says he is pleased with the harvest of more than 400 arms including 382 bladed weapons, more than 500 rounds of mixed ammunition,
THOUSANDS of potentially lethal black market cigarettes have been seized in drugs raids. Officers acting on information targeted three addresses and uncovered a haul of drugs including 25,000 contraband cigarettes. Cleveland Police last night warned people
FREE tickets are being offered for a school pantomime, thanks to a landowner and six companies who have paid for them. They have given donations covering the price of more than 200 tickets, which will be handed out before the show at the school at Staindrop
FAIRIES, cowboys and policewomen took to the streets of Shildon to raise money in memory of a good friend they lost to breast cancer earlier this year. The group of up to 27 friends wanted to do something to celebrate the life of Jacqueline Simpson as
THE case for Teesport is increasingly becoming a no-brainer. Teesport's owners want to invest £300m in a new deep water container terminal. They will not do it, though, if their plans are to be sunk by a Government ports strategy that favours the expansion
MORE than £5bn of potential investment in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries could be threatened if the Government does not allow Teesport to expand, industry leaders warned last night. The warning came as owner PD Ports revealed it was being
A TEACHER yesterday denied groping a schoolgirl and said he was completely devastated when he heard the allegations. Tutor Joseph Kerr told Teesside Crown Court he had never stroked the girl's bottom or made sexual remarks about her body. The 43-year-old
NEWSPAPERS group Trinity Mirror has started announcing redundancies across its regional papers as part of a cost-cutting drive, it emerged yesterday. While the group would not disclose exactly how many cutbacks it was making in the North-East until consultation
FRAUDSTERS conned their way into a pensioner's home, to steal £200 in cash by posing as fishmongers. The men wore straw hats and white overalls when they called at a house in Birchington Avenue, Grangetown, Middlesbrough. They talked their way into the
IT was bitterly cold and the air cut to the bone with ice-like intensity, but the atmosphere in York Minster yesterday was far from freezing. The warmth was tangible as the clergy of the Church of England's Northern Province embraced their new archbishop
TRAIN companies have rejected claims that they have cut back on cheap fares for Christmas. Passenger user groups have claimed train companies are exploiting high demand for rail travel over the Christmas period. They say anyone who has yet to book rail
A lab technician caused a full-scale alert today when he dropped a tray of chemicals outside a classroom. The minor spillage involved small bottles of standard school laboratory liquids, such as sulphuric acid. He was about to clean up the mess during
SO the European Union is a "political project"? At least, that's the view of the people who oppose Wear Valley District Council's right to fly the EU flag outside the Civic Centre in Crook. Well, yes, it probably is. In the same sort of way as the union
AFTER blasting his players in the aftermath of Saturday's defeat to Birmingham, Mick McCarthy was in no mood to repeat his critical comments following last night's 2-0 reverse to Liverpool. The Black Cats boss labelled his side "gutless and embarrassing
LOCAL hero Forest Dante added a few more members to an ever-growing fan club by notching a remarkable fifth course success at his beloved Catterick yesterday. Trained only a few miles from the track as the crow flies by permit holder Fred Kirby, the 5
Stephen Harmison's bowling reminds Mohammad Yousuf of West Indies greats Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh - but it was not good enough yesterday to take the Pakistani's wicket as he moved to within sight of his 14th Test century. Yousuf once again chose
DARLINGTON have been rocked by the news that Sam Russell and David Duke will not play again this year. Manager David Hodgson's worst fears were realised yesterday when the pair were ruled out for up to six weeks. Russell has suffered a hairline fracture
EXTREMES of ground and distance suit Villair (2.20), a marathon specialist with his sights set on victory in Market Rasen's Willingham Woods Handicap Chase. Charlie Mann's near veteran stays all day and with plenty of rain around it's going to be like
Architect Joseph Paxton's creative vision in 1851 inspired the construction of Crystal Palace in Sydenham. At the Riverside Stadium last night, Szilard Nemeth had his own designs on booking Middlesbrough's place in the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup
THE North-East and North Yorkshire are leading the way in social care services, with councils rated either "good" or "excellent" in a report published today. The Performance Ratings for Social Services in England 2005 - commonly referred to as the Star
The transport minister Karen Buck today praised highways chiefs for their courage and vision in opening one of the country's biggest park-and-ride schemes. Mr Buck, who arrived half an hour late due to a delayed train, performed the official opening of
HOW times have changed on the sports desk... The conversation used to be rather limited. They were in their own testosterone-charged little world of fixtures, tactics, injury scares and transfer speculation. But a baby boom has put a stop to that. I don't
Architect Joseph Paxton's creative vision in 1851 inspired the construction of Crystal Palace in Sydenham. At the Riverside Stadium last night, Szilard Nemeth had his own designs on booking Middlesbrough's place in the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup
The fourth book of Durham Biographies pays tribute to the mostly deserving dead - and brings to light some strange facts. A TOAST today to John William Cameron, known to nineteenth century contemporaries as The Colonel but to subsequent generations of
Sunderland University students Sarah Urban, Andy Mayo and Paul Elliot have won bronze at the BBC Radio 1 Student radio Awards. The three work at the university's student radio station Utopia FM. Sarah won her award in the news and talk category for a
HUNDREDS of youngsters will bring the magic of Christmas to venues across County Durham with a series of concerts starting tonight. Children aged from nine to 18 will be performing at the shows staged by Durham County Council's Music Support Service,
A 10KM women's race could be held in Sunderland next summer. Nova International, organiser of the internationally popular half-marathon The Great North Run, intends to hold the event in June for 5,000 runners. The company, led by Brendan Foster, hopes
A WRITTEN history of a village has been transformed into a mini television production. The pictorial history of Lanchester was compiled some time ago by Eric Burns. But after he had a collection of his family pictures turned into a DVD documentary by
A £1.9m housing scheme offering elderly people the chance to live independently is being officially opened tomorrow. Oban Court, in Whinbush Way, Darlington, has been refurbished and modernised to become part of the borough's extra-care housing scheme
MOVES for a "kiss-and-make-up" meeting between a mayor and a neighbouring council are to be blocked. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's Labour group wants Middlesbrough Mayor Ray Mallon to be invited to a bridge-building meeting following a fall-out
THOUSANDS of schoolchildren are taking part in a touring nativity play this Christmas. Are We Nearly There Yet, the musical, was launched last night in Eston, near Middlesbrough, but will visit a number of venues across the Tees Valley. The performances
A HEALTH trust yesterday announced plans to ban people from smoking anywhere on its premises. Patients will also be asked not to smoke when health staff visit them at home. Hambleton and Richmondshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) formally approved the decision
A BREWERY has been signed up by a pub chain to provide a limited edition beer. Rooster's Brewery, in Knaresborough, has produced an opera-themed ale for Market Town Taverns, which runs nine bars across Yorkshire, including the Tithe Bar in Northallerton
ENTHUSIASTS celebrated an anniversary in style by getting on their bikes. There was a 30-minute guided cycle ride, taking in eight bridges around Middlesbrough, to mark the third birthday on Tuesday of the Middlesbrough Cycle Centre. It remains the only
PUPILS have shown themselves to be smart at running their own businesses after taking part in a franchise course at a comprehensive school. They have all obtained good results following the Young Enterprise project at the school, in Staindrop. Under the
POLICE in Bishop Auckland are appealing for help to trace an elderly motorist who was involved in a car accident two weeks ago. At about 12.30pm, on Thursday November 17, a man was knocked off his bicycle by a car at the junction between Copeland Road
COUNCILLORS have welcomed plans to make Darlington a more breastfeeding-friendly town. The borough council's cabinet this week considered the findings of a study into the issue and pledged to act upon the recommendations. The authority was one of nine
LIFE gets better each year for the Moss-Carbert quads. The four Darlington youngsters - Hannah, Jonpaul, Simon and Adam - have celebrated their ninth birthdays and are all becoming stars in their own right. Brave Hannah, who has cerebral palsy, won an
YOUNGSTERS greeted Princess Anne with cheers as she arrived at a North-East water treatment works yesterday. The Princess Royal was in the region to visit Northumbrian Water's Wear Valley Water Treatment Works at Wearhead. She also went to Cummins engineering
REGIONAL development agency One NorthEast has agreed to put £9.8m into plans to create one of the world's leading stem cell research institutes in the area. It will allow the North-East to compete on the world stage and is further evidence of the region's
Christingle service: On Sunday, at Yarm Parish Church of St Mary Magdalene, there will be a Christingle service at 6pm. Many youth groups will take part. Proceeds go to the Children's Society. On Sunday, holy communion will be at 8am and a family service
PENSIONS: THE proposal to raise the state retirement age ignores the fact that few people in employment even manage to reach the age of 65 these days. Most are eased or shot out of employment well before that, with little hope of further gainful employment
A SICK toddler will be a step closer to pioneering treatment in the US with a fundraising night. People with disabilities from the Havelock Day Centre, in Hartlepool, are holding the evening of entertainment tonight in aid of one-year-old Olivia Jane
IN death, as in life, George Best is changing the face of British football. After a mixed response to the minute's silence held to commemorate his passing on Saturday, most of Sunday's games were preceded by a minute of applause. So successful was the
A MANUFACTURER which is shedding half its workforce could get financial help from regional development agency One NorthEast. Elementis Chromium, in Eaglescliffe, Teesside, announced last month it was making more than half of its 230 workforce redundant
Police joined forces with the fire service in North Yorkshire today to launch this year's Christmas drink driving campaign. Officers are planning a series of static checks across the county, while fire fighters are going on the road with the mangled wreckage
DAIRY firm Arla Foods has posted results in line with revised expectations after an earlier warning that rising oil prices would hit profits. The UK's largest supplier of butter and milk, which has a dairy processing plant in Northallerton, said strong
Daniel Sewell has beaten all the odds after being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. At 21-months, he is learning to speak after doctors were forced to remove a large part of his tongue and replace it with tissue from his stomach. His parents, Alison
A GAS engineer has been cleared of sexually assaulting a woman in the spare bedroom of a friend's house. A jury at Durham Crown Court took nearly four hours to find Adrian Hedley not guilty of sexually assaulting the 27-year-old complainant. After failing
REGIONAL development agency One NorthEast has agreed to put £9.8m into plans to create one of the world's leading stem cell research institutes in the area. It will allow the North-East to compete on the world stage and is further evidence of the region's
A LEADING surgeon who quashed a patient's complaint against disgraced gynaecologist Richard Neale told a tribunal he felt the General Medical Council (GMC) "did not need to be bothered" with another case. Professor James Drife argued that the extra case
It is already Europe's largest Army garrison and if the Ministry of Defence gets its way it is about to get a whole lot bigger. Plans revealed yesterday to further develop Catterick Garrison, home to about 18,400 people, including military personnel,
AFTER leaving the Stadium of Light last night, Liverpool midfielder Harry Kewell headed home to watch his wife, Sheree, in the jungle. For more than 30,000 Sunderland fans, her plight is starkly similar to theirs. Forget about being a celebrity, for them
SOFTWARE firm Sage said it was recruiting another 100 employees at its North-East base after revealing its new financial year had started well. The company also reported a 13 per cent rise in annual pre-tax profit to £205.4m over the past year. The Newcastle-based
LOCAL hero Forest Dante added a few more members to an ever-growing fan club by notching a remarkable fifth course success at his beloved Catterick yesterday. Trained only a few miles from the track as the crow flies by permit holder Fred Kirby, the 5
SERIAL killer Mark Hobson was told yesterday he will die behind bars after losing an appeal against his whole-life sentence. The families of his victims spoke of their relief at the ruling, announced by the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Phillips, at the Court
TEESPORT owner PD Ports is to be sold to a consortium of investors for £246m, it revealed yesterday. Middlesbrough-based PD confirmed it had accepted an offer from a new company called Endeavour Ports, which was set up by the investors for the acquisition
NEWCASTLE UNITED last night bade farewell to any hopes they had of winning the trophy many believe offers their most realistic chance of ending 36 years without silverware - with only themselves to blame. With just three minutes remaining David Connolly
It is already Europe's largest Army garrison and if the Ministry of Defence gets its way it is about to get a whole lot bigger. Plans revealed yesterday to further develop Catterick Garrison, home to about 18,400 people, including military personnel,
A MURDER trial jury has been told that a retired doctor's decision not to give evidence in his trial should not point to his guilt. Howard Martin's barrister yesterday defended the former GP's decision not to go into the witness box at Teesside Crown
BULLIED squaddies will be able to report the abuse to an independent investigator following the scandals at Deepcut and Catterick, it will be announced today. The Ministry of Defence will unveil a Bill promising that a civilian from outside the Army chain
HOW times have changed on the sports desk... The conversation used to be rather limited. They were in their own testosterone-charged little world of fixtures, tactics, injury scares and transfer speculation. But a baby boom has put a stop to that. I don't
BELEAGURED Graeme Souness last night reacted to the calls for him to be sacked from disillusioned Newcastle United supporters by insisting: "I can understand their frustrations." Nearly 5,000 Magpies supporters made the trip to Lancashire in the hope
