EIGHTEEN new ambulance service vehicles have taken to the roads of North Yorkshire. The vehicles are a mixture of emergency ambulances and rapid response vehicles. Some are replacements and others are additions to the Yorkshire Ambulance Service fleet
A SCHOOL has unveiled a series of new facilities that should benefit both its pupils and the wider community. Sunnydale Community College, in Shildon, County Durham, has ploughed almost £500,000 into upgrading its dining, computing, music and sporting
A NORTH Yorkshire nursery is top of the class after winning approval from Government education officials. Darlington College at Catterick childcare centre was praised in all key areas following an official report by the Government education watchdog
Former Tottenham defender Luke Young spoilt Juande Ramos' first game as a Premier League manager as Middlesbrough claimed a deserved point at the Riverside Stadium. Darren Bent put the visitors ahead against the run of play after 35 minutes with a low
Darlington were left stunned at Edgar Street as Hereford United inflicted Quakers' only second league defeat of the season, but the number of goals they conceded was as a big a shock, if not bigger, than losing. Until Saturday Dave Penney's side
Newcastle's unbeaten home record was torn to shreds as Portsmouth claimed a fourth successive away victory with a stunning first-half salvo at St James Park. The visitors struck three times in as many minutes to establish a 3-0 lead within 11 minutes
PLANS to bring back a Royal British Legion branch are being backed by councillors and residents. The old legion branch at the Victoria Club on Colliery Road in Willington, County Durham, folded in 2003 when two of its elderly leaders died and it did
A strike of quality by Antony Sweeney secured an away victory for Hartlepool United at Millwall. Sweeney shot into the top of the net from 25 yards in the opening stages of the half as Pools won away from Victoria Park for the third time this season.
PLANS have been unveiled for a new £2.75m health centre in the region. P+HS Architects has submitted a planning application to replace the Eaglescliffe Medical Practice with a new purpose-built facility. Joe Biggs, director at P+HS Architects, said
PEOPLE interested in their family's past will have an opportunity to delve into their ancestry at Crown Street Library, in Darlington, on November 17. The Northumberland and Durham Family History Society is holding an event called Who Do You Think
DOG owners who do not clear up after their pets are being targeted in a month-long campaign. Darlington Borough Council's Environmental Wardens and Dog Wardens are increasing patrols this month to try to catch irresponsible dog owners. There is
A YOUNG family of homeless hounds are looking for caring new owners after they were found in Darlington in September. Since they were discovered, in the Lingfield area, the brown and black Saluki-Lurcher cross puppies and their mother have been
CHILDREN'S lives were put in danger when a manhole cover was stolen from a Darlington school on Thursday. The removal of a full-sized cover exposed a 4ft drop on a main route into St Augustine's RC Primary School, which has about 250 pupils.
A FORMER councillor has hit out at the "double standards" being used by his local authority in the construction of a controversial road. Darlington Borough Council has said that, despite the Eastern Transport Corridor being seven feet higher
OFFENDERS have been paying the community back for their crimes by helping transform one of Darlington's parks. The Friends of Eastbourne Park approached the Probation Service to see if they could help with renovating the area. A group of low-risk
A YOUTH vandalised the cars of council staff and set off a fire extinguisher in a council building, before smashing its windows, after a teenage girl told him to, a court heard yesterday. The 13-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons
A TEENAGER has been ordered to spend 12 hours working for the community after dropping a cigarette butt. Jamie Roy Marriott, 18, was given the unconventional sentence after he told the bench at Darlington Youth Court yesterday he was unemployed
FOUR hair stylists have helped launch an effort to raise at least £1,000 for breast cancer research. They wore bright pink outfits as they began collecting cash in the Saks salon in Barnard Castle, County Durham. Their boss, Simon Folkes, arranged
A BROTHER and sister have been banned from keeping animals for five years after abandoning two terrier-type dogs for three days. Michelle Melles, 24, of Wood View, Spennymoor, and her brother, Darryl Melles, 18, of Wordsworth Road, Chilton, admitted
A COUNCIL is to privatise its housing and construction services. Sedgefield Borough Council's cabinet has agreed a five-year partnership with social housing repairs and maintenance firm Mears Limited. Chief executive Brian Allen said the move
WHERE was the first self-service shop in Teesdale? Neil Turner tells me it was at Stainton Camp in the Fifties, when it was a busy army base. The store was run by the NAAFI and was about the same size as the present Co-op in Barnard Castle.
POLICE are appealing for help from the public in combating an apparent increase in anti-social behaviour. Operation Fosston City 2007 has been looking at problems in and around Church Road, Trimdon. Police and residents have concerns about the
THE Heighington Village bonfire will be held on Monday, at 6.30pm. Competitions will be held for the best Guy Fawkes and the best Halloween lantern with judging taking place at 7pm. Rubbish can be left in the designated area on West Green from
OFFENDERS have been paying the community back for their crimes by helping transform one of Darlington's parks. The Friends of Eastbourne Park approached the Probation Service to see if they could help with renovating the area. A group of low-risk
A HEROIC former police sergeant who has died aged 73 has been praised as the finest type of officer that anyone could wish to meet. Joe Vallack once risked his life tackling an armed gunman, but he was known for a warm smile and gentle manner
YORKSHIRE has become the first county in the UK to pilot a scheme to tackle the problem of unemployed and under-trained teenagers. The Regional Learners' Panel was launched yesterday and will include members aged 19 to 89. The panel aims to provide
FOUR blood donors have been honoured after helping to save 900 hospital patients. The group, from the Northallerton area, were among 47 donors given a crystal award for their efforts at a ceremony to pay tribute to donors from across Teesside
A ONE-STOP shop offering advice and guidance to teenagers on a range of issues has opened in a town centre. The Connexions @ YMCA centre is open two days a week to young people aged 13 to 19 who want information and support with education, careers
GRAPHICS students got their first taste of the world of business when they designed logos for local companies. The designs, by year ten pupils at St Francis Xavier School, Richmond, will now feature on the firms' letterheads, brochures and other
A TEENAGER has thrown, leapt and run his way to glory after he was crowned Yorkshire pentathlon champion. Josh Bentley, 13, of Harrogate Grammar School, won the Yorkshire Championships, staged recently in Barnsley. He completed the 80m hurdles
CHURCHGOERS' plans to avoid parking problems near a chapel have been hit by safety concerns. Plans have been drawn up to create an eight-space car park on land near Our Lady of Mount Grace Chapel, Osmotherley. The plans were submitted by Father
A CARER'S association in Thirsk is marking its 15th anniversary with a party for members. The Thirsk Carers Support group is part of the Thirsk, Sowerby and District Community Care Association service. It began in Thirsk Town Hall with a few volunteers
A COUNCILLOR who fears that slippery pigeon excrement could cause an accident wants the birds culled. Pigeons are drawn to Thirsk market place daily by food dropped on the ground and left in bins. As a result, they perch in the market square
POLICE have appealed for information after graffiti was spraypainted on the wall of a church. It is believed St Joseph's Catholic Church, in Durham Road, Ushaw Moor, Durham, was targeted overnight on Friday. PC Liam Padget said the culprit had
ANYONE affected by lung cancer is invited to a support group meeting. North Durham Lung Cancer Support Group will meet at 1pm on Thursday, at North Road Methodist church hall, Durham City. Carolyn Wyatt, Macmillan organiser, said: "Our aim is
A HEALTHY living centre in Easington Colliery will be opened on Monday. The centre is in the former waterworks building, in Paradise Lane, and has had a £75,000 facelift. Lady Ann Calman, chairwoman of County Durham Primary Care Trust, is one
FOUR prison officers have raised £2,400 for a hospice by cycling coast to coast. The men, who all work at Frankland Prison, in Brasside, Durham, biked the 143-mile route from Whitehaven to Sunderland over three days in early September. They raised
NEW offices for social care teams in County Durham were opened yesterday. The building, on Greencroft Industrial Park, in Annfield Plain, near Stanley, will be the base for Durham County Council social care staff working with people in the Consett
A DRIVER who stole Newcastle United merchandise he was supposed to deliver cost his company a £250,000 contract with the football club. Douglas McIntosh, 41, forged customers' signatures and sold their goods to a market trader to get money for
NOW that Halloween is over, people are being urged to make sure their pumpkins don't turn into a horror story. Instead of ditching pumpkin lanterns in the rubbish, people are encouraged to add them to their compost bin, so they don't end up in
THE third annual Future Business Magnates competition got underway in Durham yesterday. Year eight pupils from nine schools in north Durham are taking part in the challenge to come up with the best money-making scheme. Teams of between eight and
A HOODED thief snatched a pensioner's handbag when he rode up behind her on his bike. The 77-year-old woman was walking along Highfield Road, Middlesbrough, when the youth grabbed her bag. The victim, who has not been named, but is from Guisborough
SKATERS can take to a rink in Saltburn, later this month. The artificial ice surface will be in the town's Station Square on Saturday and Sunday, November 24 and 25. It will be open to the public from 10am to 8pm, on Saturday, and from 10am to
MANY food outlets in Middlesbrough are stars, according to inspectors. Middlesbrough Council's community protection food safety officials have reviewed the first six months of the Food Hygiene Star Awards for every business in town serving food
THE drive to promote Hartlepool as a Fairtrade town has received a boost. The cafe in the People's Centre, a community building in Raby Road, has decided to switch to Fairtrade brands of tea and coffee, and other products, wherever possible.
A GROUP dedicated to brightening a seaside town has won approval to build a community bandstand, despite concerns about the loss of one of the area's most prized possessions. Planning officers recommended the scheme in Redcar be refused on the
SOME of the country's top children's authors will visit Middlesbrough as part of the Northern Children's Book Festival. More than 40 of the most popular children's writers, poets, illustrators and storytellers will be in the town, from Monday to
A FOREST event will turn night into day by marking Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. A drop-in workshop to make lamps out of willow and tissue paper, and a fleet of small paper boats will take place in Guisborough Forest on Sunday, November
DANCERS have been given a stay of execution for their much-loved base while plans continue for a modern building. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council last night said it was committed to moving out of the Sixties-built James Finegan Hall, in Eston
A MAN has been honoured for his courage and quick-thinking. Gerald Osborne, from Middlesbrough, was presented with an award from St John Ambulance at a ceremony at Darlington Town Hall on Thursday. Mr Osborne, 52, was praised for helping victims
MIKE CATT is convinced Brian Ashton must remain part of the England set-up - but questioned his suitability for the role of head coach. And Catt has advised against considering South Africa's World Cup winning coach Jake White should any vacancy
NORTHERN Women's Road Relay champions Chester-le- Street switch surfaces as they try to improve on last year's silver- medal winning performance in this afternoon's National Cross Country Relay Championships at Mansfield. But the Cestrians will
Darlington will discover whether they have improved since the first match when they entertain Westoe in North One. The visitors won 32-8 when the sides met in an EDF National Trophy qualifier and after scoring three tries from driving mauls in
Darlington Mowden Park visit Bradford and Bingley, the team they leapfrogged into fourth place in National Three North last week. They are again without back row men Phil Dawson and Peter Browne, who both played for the Newcastle Development XV
Blaydon visit Cambridge, who are one point below them in National Two, and there is relief all round that winger Cameron Johnston is expected to recover from last Saturday's injury. The Scot suffered a fractured vertebra when he was spear tackled
TOM May is determined to erase a costly blunder from his memory as he continues in his new role at full back for Newcastle Falcons in tonight's EDF Energy Cup tie at home to Newport Gwent Dragons. Normally a winger, May has scored four tries in
JUSTIN Rose and Padraig Harrington will go head-to-head for the second time in three days at Valderrama today - but with one big difference from their opening round duel. With the European Order of Merit title up for grabs Rose now leads the field
PAUL Collingwood's captaincy of England's one-day side has been given Adam Gilchrist's unconditional seal of approval. Australia's vice-captain, perhaps the greatest player ever to combine wicket-keeping with batting in the game's history, revealed
PLANETARIUM (1.05) really could have his rivals seeing stars if, as expected, he delivers a knockout punch in Newmarket's Zetland Stakes. Trainer Mark Johnston nearly always targets the extreme twoyear- old test having won it before with the likes
ACES FOUR (3.30) takes his first step on the trail towards next year's Cheltenham Gold Cup by lining up for this afternoon's Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby. Ferdy Murphy's stable-star won many admirers when pounding a high-class field into submission
Is the academy system flawed? According to the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Rafael Benitez and Trevor Brooking it is, but Sunderland Academy manager Ged McNamee is a firm advocate. Chief Football Writer Paul Fraser spoke to the man behind Sunderland's
TODAY'S meeting between Arsenal and Manchester United looks set to be cracker with both teams playing sublime attacking football this term. The potential for a classic is huge. Even at such an early stage of the season, this one can be billed
ARSENE Wenger maintains today's top of the table clash between Arsenal and Manchester United at Emirates Stadium should be just about the battle for supremacy on the pitch rather than stoking up old rivalries. For a long time, a meeting between
ROB Purdie returns to Hereford United today with Darlington for the first time since leaving the club where he made his Mr Versatile' name during five years at Edgar Street. He was a regular for most of his time at Hereford after manager Graham
ROY Keane has already identified the "three or four" players he will attempt to sign when the transfer window re-opens in January. The Sunderland manager is keen to bolster his squad and chairman Niall Quinn has already pledged to make further
TOTTENHAM boss Juande Ramos wants to ensure Dimitar Berbatov is part of the long-term future at White Hart Lane. Berbatov was subject to interest from Manchester United in the summer after his impressive rookie season in the Barclays Premier League
DONG-GOOK LEE has been banned from playing for his country for a year, a decision that could have huge consequences for his Middlesbrough career. The Korean Football Association have ruled that the Boro striker can't play for South Korea for
MIDO will be a particularly frustrated spectator at the Riverside this afternoon. The Egyptian striker, signed from Tottenham for £6m in the summer, will cut a brooding figure on the sidelines as a groin injury prevents him from playing against
AS Newcastle United prepare to head into a run of five fixtures that potentially could make or break their season, manager Sam Allardyce has claimed: "We're ahead of schedule." After the visit of Portsmouth today, the Magpies face Sunderland,
BRADLEY Saunders will have to settle for a superb bronze medal in the World Amateur Championships in Chicago after falling just short at the semi-final stage last night. The Sedgefield light-welterweight had already confounded expectations by
BRITISH Airways (BA) said yesterday that pre-tax profits soared by more than a quarter to £593m in the first six months of its financial year. The profit increase comes despite rising costs of fuel, which the group said will cost it a record £2bn
THE new chairman of Northern Rock has conceded that jobs may be lost as a sale of the troubled lender looks "increasingly likely". Bryan Sanderson revealed that the bank is now almost £20m in debt to the Bank of England, a figure that could rise
Steve Pratt makes a flying visit to the Biarritz of the North to follow the rich and famous aboard aviation's most iconic masterpiece UNTIL now, the nearest I ever got to flying Concorde was interviewing David Frost. The presenter and producer was
Brian Conley says he can't wait to host Darlington Civic's old-style' 100th anniversary celebration TV and musical star Brian Conley is positive he must have performed at Darlington Civic Theatre in the past he just can't remember when. "I'm sure
"She's gone, says Sophie Thompson, seemingly pleased that child-abusing psycho Stella fell to her death on her wedding day in EastEnders. Shed spent the previous months terrorising, both mentally and physically, the young son of fiance Phil Mitchell
The tireless fundraising efforts of a few individuals have come to fruition with the opening of the new Coxhoe Methodist church building HOWEVER stultifying the sermon, how sultry the day or how agreeable the lunch, there was never much chance, they
THE question of whether Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair should resign is not an easy one. We understand the strength of feelings expressed by those who consider he bears the ultimate responsibility for the terrible chain of events
Quiet and unassuming, Robert Redford is everything you don't expect a top movie star to be. He talks to Steve Pratt about his latest film about the Iraq war and the importance of having a moustache WITH his Hollywood heart-throb looks and long list
WITHIN the North-East there is a deep and long history, historic buildings, numerous castles and Roman ruins, some of which are steeped in genuine legends and folklore. There are cities, towns and villages which have produced people both famous
SOME time ago, HAS correspondent Hugh Pender seemed to insinuate that England and the Government could not manage without Scottish talent. Some talent. It seems they have none. No policies and ideas of their own, so Gordon Brown steals other parties
COULD the RSPCA answer some questions about badgers to a confused cattle farmer? 1. Frontline vets and farmers all want a cull. Are they all stupid, or do they know something? 2. Closed herds get bovine TB. Why? 3. Our fathers and grandfathers
THE shambolic state of immigration control is symbolic of the missing ingredient in public services in general. People in charge are not able to manage their areas of responsibility effectively. They do not know what is happening at ground level
IT was sad to read about the Nelson family's decision to stop organising the annual fundraising walk around Frosterley, County Durham, after 20 years (Echo, some editions, Oct 27). The Nelsons, in addition to organising the walk, also arrange the
WELCOME back to Greenwich Mean Time, or "Universal Time", all those who over the summer departed from this, our natural and highly prestigious time zone. Before becoming embroiled in an argument over when we should get up, may I suggest that is
IT seems the public will be allowed to choose the site for the new North Tees Hospital. The Government no doubt hopes everyone will be so grateful they will forget about assurances that existing hospitals were safe and wouldn't be closing. The
OH, the anguish of my sorrow and the bitter tears I shed When I read the awful message that my darling son was dead "Presum'd killed," said the letter, but I could not read it through For my heart was nearly broken when I realised it was true.
WAR veterans have recorded their memories ahead of Remembrance Day for a unique project by The Northern Echo. Seven veterans from the region who served during the Second World War and later conflicts have been interviewed. Every day from Monday
GOOD causes from across the region could win vital help as part of a competition launched by The Northern Echo and building company Rok today. The Rok Community Challenge is an initiative that aims to reward the work of voluntary and community
A SERIES of events is being held in memory of a family stabbed to death in their home a year ago. Yemi Sobo, 41, his sister, Liz, 36, and her children, Abigail, 12, and Steven, five, were stabbed to death at their home in Kenton, Newcastle. A man
A DECISION by North-East health bosses to start using a new drug to help smokers to quit ahead of most of the rest of the country is paying off. Officials in County Durham and Darlington say that the recently approved drug Champix has increased
TRIBUTES have been paid to two men who died in a crash on the A1 on Sunday. David Couper Wishart, 49, and Paul Lawrence Robertson, 29, both of Fife, in Scotland, were riding a motorised tricycle northbound at Leeming, North Yorkshire, when they
RAILWAY volunteers are helping fellow enthusiasts badly hit by flooding by giving them some of their profits to get back on track. The North York Moors Railway (NYMR) is donating two thirds of its profits from this weekend to the Severn Valley
CHRISTMAS has come early for one family, who started setting out their decorations a week before Halloween. The Priddles, from Darlington, decked their home with tinsel, lights, novelty reindeer and life-sized Santas as an early gift for daughter
WHEN Paula Gilbert, Neil Jex and the three boys set off to visit relatives, they had every reason to be looking forward to the future. The couple had just become engaged, and Miss Gilbert had celebrated her 29th birthday two days earlier. She
MACAULEY GILBERT is nine years old today. Sadly, he has no mother to organise his party and no brothers to celebrate with. Yesterday, when he should have been looking forward to a day of fun and laughter, he was taken to court where the driver who killed
WITH three potential right-backs ruled out of Monday's game at Manchester City, Roy Keane is considering handing 18-year-old novice Michael Kay a daunting debut at the City of Manchester Stadium. Greg Halford and Paul McShane are both suspended while
WHEN Gareth Southgate turns towards the Tottenham dug-out this afternoon, he could be forgiven for thinking, 'There but for the grace of God go I'. Or, perhaps more pertinently, 'There but for the wisdom of Steve Gibson'. Ten days ago, Spurs chairman
MICHAEL OWEN last night warned off potential suitors planning a new year move for his services by reiterating a desire to prove himself at Newcastle United. With former England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson keen to take Owen to Manchester City, uncertainty
LANGUAGE barriers may have been a problem at Newcastle United since the summer, but manager Sam Allardyce claims Nicky Butt has helped to ensure the spirit within the dressing room is rising by the week. Last weekend's defeat at Reading could have had
NO POLICE action is to be taken following the death of a North-East pensioner. Devastated over the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decision, Hayley and Owen Doyle last night spoke for the first time since their 61-year-old mother, Wendy, died after being
WITH his athletic frame, Dickson Etuhu could quite easily have been a track and field star long before he finally became a Premier League footballer. That is why the energetic Sunderland midfielder remains indebted to Manchester City, where he returns
THE son of a murder victim who plundered thousands of pounds from the bank account of a mentally ill man will have to pay back only a fraction of what he took. A judge ruled yesterday that Kevin Hogg, 20, no longer had much of the money he stole while
England Test captain Michael Vaughan believes Andrew Flintoff is in the ''last chance saloon'' as far as his England career is concerned after undergoing a fourth ankle operation. Flintoff has embarked on another rehabilitation programme and is convinced
TRUANCY rates at Darlington schools have reduced faster than the national average, council reports have revealed. Official figures for the last academic year show that the number of pupils missing classes at town schools has fallen by 1.4 per cent.
Joe Calzaghe is plotting a path to world domination via his local supermarket as the hours tick down towards his world super-middleweight title unification clash with Mikkel Kessler in Cardiff tomorrow morning. Having endured his customary struggle to
HOUSES have been raided in the first criminal investigation into boiler-room scams. Police in County Durham and North Yorkshire joined forces with the Financial Services Authority (FSA) to search properties thought to have been used to run or support
THE WIDOW of a North-East veteran has welcomed a coroner's finding that her husband's service in the first Gulf War played a part in his death. Sandra Kozak spoke out after coroner David Mitford last night recorded a verdict of natural causes, to which
