Archive

  • Tyne-Tees derby ends all square

    Newcastle v Middlesbrough AN uninspiring 110th Tyne-Tees league derby ended in a bore draw. The was were very few chances in a game which was dominated by both team's defences. There was little to choose between both sides but if anything the home

  • Pools extend lead at the top of League Two

    HARTLEPOOL United extended their advantage at the summit of League Two to five points, with their seventh victory in a row. Pools saw off Hereford 3-2 at Victoria Park, thanks to Eifion Williams' 25 yard drive giving Danny Wilson's side an advantage

  • Performers roll back the musical years

    AUDIENCES were taken on a nostalgic trip down memory lane, with two performances of the musical show Rolling Back the Years. Presented by Timeless Theatre Productions, the show, at Hartlepool's Town Hall Theatre, was packed with favourites from the Forties

  • Celebrating 100 years of Scouting

    SCOUTS have taken part in activities to celebrate 100 years of the movement. The 1st Barton Scout Group spent a weekend at Thornthwaite scout activity centre, near Ripon. A total of 36 scouts and five leaders took part. Jane Davenport, group leader, said

  • Bidding fond farewell to Old Faithful

    ONE of the longest serving workers at the Friarage Hospital has retired after 35 years service. A porter's vehicle, affectionately known as Old Faithful, has long been a familiar sight at the Northallerton hospital. The Crompton electricar was used to

  • Drifting into Pool

    US singing sensations The Drifters will make their first visit to Hartlepool later this month. With 52 years behind them, they are the longest-running pop group in history, and will appear at the Town Hall Theatre next Saturday. They will be performing

  • Charity looking for equipment

    A CHARITY which provides opportunities for people with learning disabilities is appealing for donations of gardening tools. Chopsticks is holding a coffee morning and sale in Northallerton Town Hall from 9.30am to noon on Wednesday, March 28. Fundraiser

  • Exhibition of drawings to open

    AN exhibition of artwork submitted for the UK's leading award for drawing goes on show next week. The Jerwood Drawing Prize is the largest and longest-running annual open exhibition dedicated to drawing in the country. An exhibition of 47 works selected

  • £700,000 call centre receives approval despite opposition

    COUNCILLORS in Stockton have agreed to spend more than £700,000 on setting up a call centre, despite protests by opposition groups. Stockton Borough Council is to put £733,000 over the next three years into the new access service. The initiative was

  • Antique collection given to museum

    THE long-term future of a Ryedale museum has been secured with a donation of more than 10,000 antiques. Keen collectors Edward and Richard Harrison have given the antiques to the Ryedale Folk Museum. The brothers, from Kirkbymoorside, near Pickering,

  • Three years for selling drugs to policeman

    TWO men who supplied an undercover policeman with crack cocaine have been jailed for three years. A court heard that teenager Jacob Mains started selling the drugs to pay off a debt to ruthless Teesside dealers. Wayne Narey - described in court as a career

  • Wardens to tackle pupils who litter - with £50 spot fines

    SCHOOLCHILDREN who drop litter in the street during their lunch break will face spot fines of £50 in a crackdown due to start next week. Council wardens in Durham City plan to issue fixed-penalty notices if they see pupils dropping litter, which will

  • Council tax to rise 3.9 per cent

    STOCKTON Borough Council has approved a package of improvements to services, despite setting a below-average rise in council tax for the coming year. Councillors have set an overall budget of £131,375,973 for 2007-8, a 3.9 per cent increase, keeping

  • Help for Chernobyl children

    CLEVELAND Fire Brigade's Prince's Trust Team has been raising funds to take young victims of a nuclear disaster out for a day. Twelve children from Chernobyl are visiting the UK for a month on a trip organised by the Teesside link of the Chernobyl Children's

  • Villagers angry they have been left out of the cash

    HUNDREDS of thousands of pounds will be spent improving two areas of Wear Valley. But residents of one village are angry because they say they have been ignored. Wear Valley District Council has earmarked £362,000 of section 106 agreement money - donated

  • Teenage burglar avoids jail sentence

    A TEENAGE burglar avoided jail yesterday despite committing other similar offences. The 14-year-old boy from Darlington, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced for burglary at Darlington Magistrates' Court yesterday. He pleaded guilty to

  • Donation for woodland

    A DONATION of £5,000 will be used to improve wooded areas in and around Richmond. The money has been given to the Richmond Swale Valley Community Initiative (RSVCI) by construction company Carillion-Enterprise. It will be put towards a habitat study

  • National wins for town's Thai boxers

    BIG hitters at a Thai boxing club have landed national titles for their Shildon club. Reece McAllister and Sam Mitchell won championship belts for the Phoenix Thai Boxing Club, based at Shildon's Sunnydale Leisure Centre. Reece, 15, won a rematch UKMF

  • Teesdale Talk

    Maurice Collinson told an amusing tale about Jim Douglas, the jovial policeman who patrolled the streets of Middleton in Teesdale in the Thirties, as mentioned here last week. "He was always cheerful and became really popular with everyone in the village

  • School proves it is special at opening

    PROUD pupils welcomed visitors to their new £6.3m school for its formal opening yesterday. The Oaks School, in Spennymoor, which caters for about 220 children with special needs - was opened by Durham County Council chairman Ernie Foster. The secondary

  • YMCA takes over vacant shop for recycling

    A VACANT shop will be being used by the YMCA for a recycling project. Last month, the former Partners shop in Horsemarket, Barnard Castle, was sold by its local owners to a Manchester firm. Until the new owners find permanent tenants, they are letting

  • In marathon for multiple sclerosis charity

    TWO students will tackle their first marathon when they join thousands of runners who will pound through the streets of London. Tom Hood and Ella Braillard, both 21 and studying at Durham University, will take part in the London Marathon on Sunday, April

  • Skip loads of waste dumped illegally to build flood barrier

    SKIP loads of waste were dumped on open land to create a flood barrier before a house was built at the site, a court heard. But the accumulated rubble, including plastic and timber, tipped at the Organics, in Burnhope, breached waste control regulations

  • Drunk attacked man and gran

    A YOUNG drunk launched an attack on a friend and then on the man's grandmother when she tried to intervene to stop the violence. Daniel Caffrey, 21, punched and kicked the friend of 15 years who crossed Hamilton Street, in Horden, to speak to him, on

  • Drug den closed after raid by police

    A DRUG den in Darlington has been closed by police. Residents of Bartlett Street, off Corporation Road, hope life will return to normal after months of anti-social behaviour. The "crack house" closure at 44 Bartlett Street is the second to be made in

  • School proves it is special at official opening

    PROUD pupils welcomed visitors to their new £6.3m school for its formal opening yesterday. The Oaks School, in Spennymoor, which caters for about 220 children with special needs - was opened by Durham County Council chairman Ernie Foster. The secondary

  • Residents suffer road rage after 'chaotic' work

    A TRAFFIC system installed in a village only three weeks ago has been branded a "chaotic farce" by residents. They say the system of speed bumps, traffic islands and pinch points around Middleton St George has ruined the village. They are also angry that

  • Ponies saved as allotments set on fire

    TWO ponies were led to safety last night after their stables were set alight. The ponies, Holly, 22, and Nell, 13, were led to safety as the fire brigade prevented the flames from spreading to nearby derelict buildings in Hundens Lane allotments, Darlington

  • Back on track

    LAST December my wife badgered me to submit my latest story, Icarus Fell, to The Northern Echo's New Novelist of the Year competition. Begrudgingly, I did. After that, work was rather busy and I didn't get back to the story for a while. When I

  • Nuclear power

    MAY I respond to John Routledge's comments (HAS, Feb 28) on my letter (HAS, Feb 22). With regard to nuclear power, I remain sitting on the fence. I merely wished to object to columnist Peter Mullen's glib statement that nuclear power is safe,

  • Carers praised

    I WOULD like to thank the staff of the accident and emergency department of Darlington Memorial Hospital following my accident on January 16, at 2.10pm at Cockerton, Darlington, near the pedestrian lights close to Somerfields store. The ambulance

  • Afghanistan

    IT is no secret that the insurgency in Afghanistan is fuelled by drugmoney. Nor should it be any surprise, given the troubled history and deprived cultural background of those involved, that the easy availability of drug-money has such a destructive

  • John Armstrong

    RE the death of Councillor John Armstrong (Echo, Feb 20). John used to call at my parents' house in the 1950s on his insurance round and spent hours talking politics with my father. Looking back, John must have been in his late 20s-early 30s during

  • Haematology Unit

    PLANS to relocate the inpatient haematology unit at Darlington Memorial Hospital to Bishop Auckland General Hospital should be of great concern to the public. It is recognised there is a need to centralise the inpatient service to reduce clinical

  • Faces change but familiar challenges remain

    The media circus returned to Headingley Carnegie this week - in numbers not seen since the days of Geoff Boycott - for the announcement that Darren Gough was coming back to Yorkshire as captain, writes DAVID WARNER. Other than Freddie Flintoff being dragged

  • Benitez hopes football will be the only talking point

    Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez called for respect between players as the shadow of the Carling Cup final hangs over another showdown between two of the big four in the English game. The fall-out from the disgraceful scenes when Chelsea clashed with

  • Championship corners the thrill-a-minute market

    ACCORDING to Sky Television, the Premiership is the greatest league in the world. If it's excitement you're after, however, it's not even the greatest league in England. While the top-flight limps to a tedious and predictable conclusion, the Championship

  • Southgate on a double mission at St James' Park

    GARETH SOUTHGATE last night recited a familiar phrase used by Kevin Keegan as Middlesbrough look to record their first double over the Magpies in 16 years.Not since 1991 have Boro followed up an early season victory over Newcastle with a similar result

  • Keane: We'll cause Baggies more trouble than Boro

    AFTER watching West Bromwich Albion's FA Cup exit to Middlesbrough in midweek, a satisfied Roy Keane feels Sunderland will pose a far greater threat to that offered by their North-East counterparts. Keane was an interested observer at The Hawthorns on

  • Supreme Prince a golden prospect to be crowned

    It would be a remarkable comeback story if Supreme Prince could land the Grade Three VC Casino.com Gold Cup Handicap Chase at Newbury today. The Philip Hobbs-trained gelding, who won the two-and-a-half-mile race in 2005, was due to be retired at the end

  • Sorry to see Moxon go

    DURHAM are sorry to see Martyn Moxon go as no-one connected with the club has a bad word to say about him on a personal level, writes tim wellock. As they fall back, however, on the traditional philosophy of accentuating the positive and continuing to

  • Pack mentality is the main ingredient in Falcons' rise

    BAY OF PLENTY lock Mark Sorenson has hailed the unity in the Newcastle pack as they gear up for today's Guinness Premiership trip to London Irish. The Falcons forwards have come to the fore in recent outings against Bristol and Wasps and the New Zealander

  • Ashton inspires injured Hodgson

    Sidelined England fly-half Charlie Hodgson claims the chance to play under Brian Ashton has given him an extra incentive to get fit for the World Cup. England arguably played their most attractive rugby while Ashton was backs coach under Clive Woodward

  • New-look defence the rock on which Penney can build

    DARLINGTON'S unexpected re-emergence as League Two promotion contenders has prompted Dave Penney to highlight the major role his new-look defence has played in their sudden upturn in fortunes. When Darlington last tasted a league defeat, at home to Shrewsbury

  • Woodgate sure Magpies made a big mistake

    JONATHAN WOODGATE last night claimed Newcastle United's inability to persuade him to turn down a move to Middlesbrough in favour of a return to St James' Park in the summer had backfired on his former club.On the eve of the 119th Tyne-Tees derby, Magpies

  • Given the watcher has visions of happy end to season

    AFTER barely suffering an injury in his first nine seasons as a Newcastle player, Shay Given has suddenly spent more than three months of the current campaign on the sidelines. So it would be ironic if the most stressful season of his life also turned

  • McGrath renews his Tykes allegiance

    Bradford-born, Anthony McGrath, has resolved his differences with Yorkshire and will not be quitting his native county after all. The mediation process with the England and Wales Cricket Board, which was due to start yesterday, was scrapped after the

  • Window heritage hinges on windfall

    RARE hinged stained-glass windows at a North-East church are to be restored using an £81,000 grant. The rich, vibrantly coloured glass in Holy Cross Church, at Ryton, near Gateshead, will soon shine even more brightly after the work is carried out. English

  • 'We are not reducing services to patients'

    THE boss of an under-fire hospitals trust in the region has defended his record and rejected claims that services are being cut. The comments by John Saxby, chief executive of County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals Foundation Trust, came on the

  • 'Bonnie and Clyde' behind bars again

    A COUPLE who went on the run after being arrested for drug dealing were back behind bars last night after a nationwide hunt ended in the Republic of Ireland. James Campbell and Mandy Guy - dubbed Bonnie and Clyde when their disappearance was featured

  • A victory for clear justice

    WE welcome the announcement that the inquest into the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales, and Dodi al Fayed is to be held in front of a jury. It is not because we subscribe to the wild conspiracy theories that Diana and Dodi were the victims of state

  • Steelmaker's donation to preserve archives

    FORMER British Steel company Corus is to donate £60,000 over the next three years to preserve its archives for future generations. Corus, which was recently acquired by Indian steelmaker Tata, has already donated £20,000 towards the project, which is

  • Teenager admits attacking builder

    A YOUNG thug has been locked up for hitting a defenceless man with a bottle. Security footage captured the assault when a gang of 30 youths struck the victim with the bottle and a plank of wood. The 16-year-old from Middlesbrough, who cannot be named

  • The day the clocks stopped

    ARTHUR Rodgers was there, 92 years ago, when time stopped. "I do remember this," he says. "It was near Christmas. There was a lady running away with a cat under one arm and a Christmas cake under the other. I've never forgotten that." Time stopped shortly

  • Inquiry into burial of empty coffin

    A BABY'S coffin may have been buried empty and the child's body cremated alongside that of an elderly woman, it has emerged. Police in York are investigating two funerals conducted by the city's Co-operative Funeral Home in 1998. Sources alleged that

  • MP calls for rotting former minesweeper to be removed

    A NORTH-EAST MP who is demanding that a rotting ship is removed from the region has vowed to take his fight to the Secretary of State for Defence. Frank Cook, MP for Stockton North, has been campaigning for months to have the former Navy minesweeper,

  • Skipper predicts success for England and Fletcher

    England captain Michael Vaughan believes a successful World Cup will release much of the pressure which has built up on head coach Duncan Fletcher since the Ashes defeat. A 5-0 whitewash in the Test series resulted in Fletcher coming in for heavy criticism

  • Fragile market's confidence test

    THE London market's fragile confidence will be tested next week, as another clutch of major companies are due to post results. HSBC will be the last of the "big five" banks to post results next week, with analysts expecting the company to add £11.56bn

  • Supermarket workers assured lack of pay is 'temporary glitch'

    WORKERS at supermarket chain Kwik Save, who have gone several days without pay, were last night assured the situation is a "temporary glitch" in the wake of its recent buy-out. Scores of employees at the 30 Kwik Save stores across the region are understood

  • Instructor had sex with 15-year-old cadets

    AN Army cadet instructor progressed from giving lifts home to having sex with two teenage recruits. Former full-time soldier Gary Trevor Dakers was yesterday jailed for two years after a court heard he had sex with the 15-year-old girls in his car and

  • Guilt led pervert, 74, to attempt suicide

    A PENSIONER who was so ashamed of sex offences he committed 30 years ago that he tried to hang himself has been jailed for seven years. Frank Pratt, 74, confessed to police who found him hanging at his home. He said he had made many suicide attempts in

  • Champs need a victory

    DEFENDING champions Sunderland must finish ahead of Division One leaders Wallsend in the penultimate Start Fitness North-East Harrier fixture at Chester-le-Street this afternoon to maintain their hopes of retaining the Sisterton Trophy for a ninth consecutive

  • 'I'm more than a sex symbol'

    He's one of Britain's foremost chefs, appearing regularly on TV, and is as famous for his looks as for his cooking. Women's Editor Sarah Foster meets Jean-Christophe Novelli. I MUST admit I'm slightly fazed by meeting Jean-Christophe Novelli. His reputation

  • No hope for dessert maker as machinery up for sale

    A FACTORY which closed its doors last month, after plunging into administration for the third time in three years, appears to be doomed to permanent closure after the plant's machinery was put up for sale. Although hopes remained high that a buyer could

  • Man cleared of police killing guilty of fraud

    A MAN who had a life sentence for murdering a police officer quashed has admitted claiming more than £3,700 in benefits while working. Philip English, now 29, was freed from prison in 1997, four years after being convicted of the murder of Sergeant Bob

  • Retired businessman will 'leave legacy' for academy

    A RETIRED businessman who is to sponsor an academy in the North-East has spoken for the first time about how he wants to "leave a legacy" when he is gone. David Crossland and his wife Anne, who founded travel company Airtours, are to provide up to £2m

  • Victory charge 'just like watching Brazil' for Wilson

    MANAGER Danny Wilson is a disciple of footballing legend Pele's 'beautiful game' philosophy - but do Hartlepool United play like Brazil? Pools are on a run of 18 games unbeaten, 16 of them wins, and there has certainly been a change in the club's philosophy

  • Bank denies rumours of call centre closure

    A BANK that axed almost 1,000 jobs in Newcastle when it out-sourced work to India denied claims yesterday that it was reversing its decision. Lloyds TSB closed its Newcastle call centre in 2004, with the loss of 968 jobs, and transferred work to a contact

  • Quinn targeting Black Cats' disillusioned supporters

    A YEAR after joining Sunderland as a player in 1997, Niall Quinn was part of a huge marketing exercise aimed at drumming up support to fill the Stadium of Light after a move from the club's spiritual home, Roker Park. A decade later, as club chairman,

  • Tall storeys

    Comedian Sean Lock is on a tour of six cities in three days. Only this isn't the usual stand-up tour as he's not actually setting foot on a stage. He's spreading the word about 15 Storeys High, a project he calls a labour of love but this was an affair

  • The last Rant

    When Primitive and Wesleyan finally united in 1932, Britain had 14,000 Methodist churches. Today, there are 6,000 and they're closing at the rate of 100 a year. Last Sunday, 100 years and two days after the opening service, the chapel at Dipton became

  • Equal pay victory is a council tax timebomb

    A LANDMARK equal pay case that has awarded 25 low-paid female workers almost £100,000 could pave the way for thousands more North-East council staff to sue their employers.There were claims last night that any resulting action could cost one North-East