A FUNDRAISING campaign has been launched to help pay for a youngster to have reconstructive surgery. Tommy Leech, who was born without outer ears or canals, has already undergone surgery to attach a bone-anchored hearing aid - but his active sports life
TRIBUTES have been paid to a stalwart councillor whose knowledge and dedication earned him the respect of all his colleagues, even political adversaries. Councillor Jim Wayman died at the age of 75 on Saturday, two days after he and wife Mavis' 49th
A MAN has been charged with counterfeiting following a police investigation into a suspected £50,000 fake bank notes operation. Detectives who searched a house in Institute Street, Oakenshaw, last summer, have charged a 49-year-old man with 14 offences
LOCAL authorities across the North-East and North Yorkshire are set to buck the national trend over council tax rises next year. A survey by the Local Government Association (LGA), based on more than 100 draft budgets published by councils, revealed
A VAN driver trapped in his van after a road smash with a lorry on the A19 in North Yorkshire has died. The 19-year-old, from Peterborough, suffered serious head injuries in the accident near Thirsk. He was flown to the James Cook Hospital, Middlesborough
TWO men who admitted conspiring to prevent the lawful burial of a baby boy yesterday won the go-ahead to challenge their sentences. Former funeral directors Mark Eshelby and Graeme Skidmore pleaded guilty at York Crown Court last June to a charge of
WE all know about Sweeney Todd thanks to many and varied accounts of his life - the barber who gave customers a very close shave and disposed of the bodies by baking them in pies. Stephen Sondheim took such a seemingly-unlikely subject and fashioned
MPs tonight bowed to the Prime Minister's call for restraint and accepted a below-inflation pay award of 1.9 per cent. Just a day after thousands of police officers marched through London in protest at their pay rise, the Commons backed, without a vote
A bouncing violin backing may just land another number one for the 28-year-Swedish singer, who cracked the UK charts with With Every Heartbeat last year. The performer born Robin Miriam Carlsson is finally gaining the international career she's
Continuing the theme of singer-songwriters, proper ones, this track is an absolute delight from the 19-year-old Londoner. It's a pity that the poor girl has been saddled with the "next Amy Winehouse" tag.
Yet another compilation which is supposed to the very best of female singer songwriters, but Dusty Springfield's The Look Of Love was actually penned by Burt Bacharach so I'm not sure if this is any more than 2 CDs of off-the-peg items. Even the
I suppose I've retained an interest in the US band because of its At The Drive-In origins, but this project based on a nightmare Ouija board experience is as close to a confused mess as you'll hear from a cultured prog-rock outfit.
A 50-year career is beckoning, as 60s star Pete Langford talks to Viv Hardwick about the highs and lows of touring ONE of the more sobering challenges of being 60s stars aged 60-plus is the knowledge that the long and winding road of touring cannot
THAT boundary between folk music and country music becomes even more blurred and ill-defined this coming week, courtesy of those nice people at The Sage Gateshead. Many folk fans, myself included, have a soft spot for country music, though I suspect
MORE than 100 shopworkers are facing redundancy after supermarket chain Waitrose announced it is to close its loss-making store in Durham City later this year. The company has operated the former Safeway store in The Gates Shopping Centre for just over
WHAT'S ON Saturday, saxophonists Simon Spillett and Alan Barnes, Darlington Arts Centre, 01325-486555. CD REVIEWS Arnie Somogyi's Ambulance/Accident and Insurgency (Linn AKD306) One of the most enjoyable and stimulating concerts I attended last
Gretchen Peters: Burnt Toast And Offerings (Curb) MENTION the song Independence Day and the majority of country fans think of Martina McBride's hit, but it's the Grammy-winning writer behind the song, Getchen Peters, who appears tonight at the Sage
WHAT'S ON The Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, conducted by Marek Janowski,t The Sage Gateshead, 7.30pm tonight. The programme features Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique. Box office: 0191-443 4661. REVIEWS Sibelius: The Complete Music for Voice
A PRIMARY school is to close - despite passionate pleas from the community it serves. Councillors today confirmed Hamsteels Primary School in Esh Winning, County Durham, will not reopen after the summer holidays. Instead, the 61 pupils must go to Esh
A TEENAGER has died in hospital after her car crashed into a tree on Teesside. The accident happened when Caroline White's Fiat Punto left the carriageway on the westbound lane of A689 Bell Vue Way in Hartlepool. The 18-year-old was cut from the vehicle
A FORMER events manager at a university students' union appeared before magistrates today charged with stealing more than £16,000. Vaughan Smith, the 42-year-old former marketing and events manager at Durham University's students' union, is alleged to
PETER Hain today insisted he had been left with no alternative but to resign from the Cabinet over his donations blunders. The former Work and Pensions Secretary said he realised he had to stand down as soon as the Electoral Commission called in Scotland
A TEACHER has been suspended for six months - for serious misconduct. A hearing of the professional conduct committee of the General Teaching Council found David Freeney's actions brought the reputation and standing of his profession into disrepute
Steve Pratt finds out that X Factor contestant Rowetta feels she's achieved all her goals, despite failing to clinch the lucrative recording contract in the ITV1 talent show ROWETTA didn't win The X Factor TV talent show, but still achieved her ambition
Ben Falk finds out from Charlize Theron how a crafty smoke led to her less-thanglamorous role as a downtrodden detective WHO would have thought it? A stunning, leggy, blonde former model is now one of the most respected character actresses
Steve Pratt goes beneath the crust of Sweeney Todd to reveal the background on the making of a musical with a blood-spattered 18 certificate WHEN Richard D Zanuck ran one of the major Hollywood studios, 20th Century Fox, he greenlit one of the
Steve Pratt discovers how 20-year-old Vicky Jewson raised £1.4m to make a film which puts an original spin on the legend of Lady Godiva THE day after completing her A-level exams, Vicky Jewson sat down and wrote her first feature film. Three years
Gemma Quade talks to stand-up comic Alan Carr who reveals that his romantic life is improving... if only women didn't keep asking him out "You're the first person I've spoken to today so I sound all butch - you are the lucky one," giggles camp comedian
FRENCH bank Societe Generale today said it had become the victim of a major fraud case after a rogue trader cost it £3.7bn. France's second biggest bank said that it discovered one of its traders had set up secretive positions in 2007 and early this
1 (1) 3:10 To Yuma 2 (2) I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry 3 (8) Rush Hour 3 4 (-) Transformers 5 (10) The Bourne Ultimatum 6 (-) The Simpsons Movie 7 (7) 1408 8 (6) Knocked Up 9 (-) Shrek The Third 10 (-) Pirates Of The Caribbean - At
WELL, that was a lot of fuss about a boring character. When Vera Duckworth died, she was featured in the Guardian, the Daily Mail, the Sun, the Scotsman, the Irish Independent, and, of course, The Northern Echo. Her "obituary" featured on the
THE Great North Air Ambulance made its first landing in the centre of Darlington after a woman pedestrian was involved in a road accident. The helicopter was scrambled to the incident at 1.45pm on Tuesday in McMullen Road, Darlington, as cover
A NEW programme is being piloted in Darlington next month to tackle the growing problem of childhood obesity. The Junior One Life programme aims to help parents in Darlington of children, aged between eight and 11, who are concerned about their
PHOTOGRAPHS taken by children to change perceptions of their area have been used in a calendar. Youngsters from Darlington's Pupil Referral Unit and Corporation Road Primary School spent four weeks taking pictures for the Positive Images. During
FOOTPATH SAGA RE the continuing footpath controversy involving resident Gary Orpen who is threatening to sue Hurworth Parish Council and the village's community association over vandalism to his property. Mr Orpen says the area being discussed
TRIBUTES were paid yesterday to a man who became one of the North-East's first male nurses and then qualified as a priest so that he could conduct services for housebound people. The Reverend Bob Jackson, who trained as a state enrolled nurse
DRAMA group known for its hard-hitting performances is staging an award-winning show about racism this month. Bishop Auckland Theatre Hooligans (Bath), based at King James I Community Arts College, will perform Behind My Eyes at the Eden Theatre
VILLAGERS cheered as plans to build 55 homes on land used as allotments for more than 100 years were rejected by councillors yesterday. Wear Valley District Council's development control committee turned down Wimpey's application to build on 1.7
PRIMARY schoolchildren and their parents are being encouraged to take part in a scheme to boost health and cut back on congestion. Cleves Cross Primary School, in Ferryhill, has started a "park-and-stride" walking bus project. Pupils who wish
TRIBUTES were paid yesterday to a man who became one of the North-East's first male nurses and then qualified as a priest so that he could conduct services for housebound people. The Reverend Bob Jackson, who trained as a state enrolled nurse
A COMMUNITY has banded together to turn an area of wasteland into open space for use by local people. Volunteers at Gayles, near Richmond, have cleared nettles, brambles and junk, including metal sheets, building rubble and rusting wheelbarrows
CATERING students cooked up a treat for youngsters - to give themselves a taste of working life. The 15 students, who are studying for CGCSE hospitality and catering at Northallerton College, planned, prepared and served a buffet to children
COUNCIL tax bills in England look set to rise by 4 per cent this year and will cost the average household £1,145. The Local Government Association (LGA) said the increase, which is based on more than 100 draft budgets published by councils, was in line
FIREFIGHTERS who rescued elderly people from flooded flats were guests at a party to celebrate the residents' return to their sheltered housing complex. The emergency services personnel were greeted with a round of applause as they arrived at
THE Shrove Tuesday pancake race at Bedale has been cancelled for the second successive year after organisers found it would cost hundreds of pounds to make traffic management arrangements. The event, staged between the market cross and St Gregory's
CHILDREN will soon be swapping their classroom for a neighbouring beauty spot. Pupils from St Godric's Primary School, in Wheatley Hill, are looking forward to the spring and summer when they will be provided with outdoor lessons at Gore Burn
A DRUG addict used stolen prescriptions in a bid to acquire painkillers and tranquilisers from chemists. Kevin David James, 26, presented forged prescriptions in Durham City at the Sainsbury's chemist's counter and at a Co-op pharmacy, and obtained
PARENTS and pupils held an 11th hour protest last night at a school earmarked to close. Councillors are to meet today to decide the future of Hamsteels Primary School, in Esh Winning. They have issued statutory notices, and today's meeting could
COUNCILLORS have agreed to create a multi-million pound sports centre - but capped the amount of public money that can be used. Members of Derwentside District Council agreed to spend no more than £10m on the facilities, to be built on the former
HEALTHY eating was on the agenda for pupils who were learning the dos and don'ts of packed lunches. Redcar and Borough Cleveland Council's school catering service visited New Marske Primary School to deliver a Ready Steady Lunchbox workshop.
A COUNCIL is clamping down on hot food takeaways as a way to clean up high streets. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council is drawing up a policy to try to curb the wave of such businesses moving into empty shops. Cabinet members this week agreed
POLICE officers are taking to two wheels in their fight against crime thanks to a gift from their landlord. Newtown's Community Resource Centre's (NCRC) management and staff have given the officers, who are based in the building, a top-of-the-range
REWARDS are being offered to anyone providing police with information on vandals. Officers will be working with Crimestoppers over the coming weeks to bring more people to justice for criminal damage in Stockton, Thornaby, Billingham and Yarm.
WAVES of energy and enthusiasm crash on the bow of the SS American and engulf the audience, as this stunningly athletic and expertly choreographed production of Anything Goes sets sail. The Cole Porter jazz musical, which has undergone a number
Help! I've Got a High Maintenance Wife! (five, 10pm); A Boy Called Alex (C4, 9pm) I LOVE it when men describe their wife as "high maintenance". Or even "low maintenance". It's like they're referring to a car, or a lawnmower. I thought men should
MY wardrobe is under attack from all sides. I've mentioned before how my wife's burgeoning collection of clothes has led to her commandeering half of my wardrobe. More and more of her garments are spreading, like the creeping death, from her
Far from lording it up during his gap year, one young student from Richmond finds teaching in Ghana hugely rewarding FOR reasons without need of explanation, the North-East has precious few Conservative clubs. Those which defy political gravity seem
RE the proposed removal of the statues of the third Marquis of Londonderry on horseback and Neptune from Durham Market Place (Echo, Jan 18). The "man on the horse" or "the horse with no tongue" - as the Londonderry statue is known - is as famous
CAN footballers such as Manchester United's Rio Ferdinand and others explain why they behave like idiots when a goal is scored, setting a bad example for the game? N Tate, Darlington.
ALL those who disagree with the introduction of ID cards ignore the fact that this is the only way to check the numbers of illegal immigrants coming to Britain, or those who already are here. And, yes, we do know that cards can possibly be wangled
THANK you, Peter Mullen, for the insightful and thought-provoking article on the abolition of the blasphemy laws (Echo, Jan 15). When you think about the points raised, it is true that, generally, this country has changed beyond recognition in
EVERY day we look in despair at Kenya falling apart along tribal lines, Iraq along religious and tribal lines and Mugabe doing the same to his country. We talk as if we cannot understand their intolerance. Yet still the calls for the UK and Europe
HOW much longer can we allow the Labour Party to run our county and our country? The shocking mismanagement of our public services deteriorates by the day. How can one government department have more than 300 laptops stolen in just four years?
WHILE perpetrators tend to be young men and women, violence is not confined to a single age group. It is a disease that must be eradicated, if that is possible. We hear reports that for the most serious of crimes, the courts will often consider
I AGREE with every word of Tom Copper's letter about failing schools (HAS, Jan 21). Pupils of such schools are being thrown on the scrapheap before they've even left school. Many will leave poorly educated, semi-illiterate, and with poor employment
RE your letter about winter fuel payments (HAS, Jan 22). As a pensioner, I wonder why people seem to begrudge us what little we do get. There are a lot of pensioners who fought in the war and without them where would we be? I started work at 15
MPS should pack away their hairshirts and vote themselves a proper pay rise today, ignoring the inevitable bad headlines. But, in return, MPs must find a way to trigger a Commons vote that would force Gordon Brown to also give police officers the
The 201 Field Hospital, from the Territorial Army, returned from a three-month tour of Afghanistan this week. In the first of two articles, Owen Amos sees them return home to Fenham Barracks, Newcastle AT first glance, it's like a wedding reception.
WE have no argument with the Government's general policy on public sector pay restraint as a means of keeping a lid on inflation. That kind of prudent approach served Gordon Brown well as Chancellor and was seen as one of his key strengths when
A MANUFACTURING firm in the North-East has completed almost £300,000 worth of overseas orders following a successful trade visit to Spain. Newcastle-based CMP Products, which manufacturers industrial cable glands, has delivered its goods to
BLUE chip shares plunged back into the red yesterday as the stock market's short-lived rally came to an end amid lingering concerns of a recession on both sides of the Atlantic. The FTSE 100 Index closed down 130.8 points at 5609.3 - a two per
SPORTS Direct International yesterday unveiled a cut-price deal to restore its holding in Wilson rackets firm Amer Sports Corporation. The Sports World retailer has paid £36m for a 4.96 per cent stake in Amer, just two months after netting £116.2m
A RECRUITMENT group in the region has changed hands and new boss Gary Watson plans to double the size of the business within the next five years. Mr Watson, managing director of Newcastle-based Newgroup, has set himself the target of increasing
WINNERS from an awards night for the process industries have donated all their prize money to help local schools. A total of £6,000 was donated following the announcement of this year's winners at the North East Process Industry Cluster (Nepic
THE region's fast-growing energy sector looks set to benefit from extensive European Commission proposals to help combat climate change. The commission yesterday agreed plans to cut carbon emissions across Europe by 20 per cent - compared with
ENGLAND captain Phil Vickery accepts the World Cup finalists' recent RBS 6 Nations Championship record is not good''. Vickery's men launch their title bid against Wales at Twickenham on Saturday week, having last lifted Six Nations silverware
JOE Calzaghe turned up the heat for his battle against Bernard Hopkins when he accused his American opponent of being an idiot'' for making a racial slur recently. Hopkins has been reported as saying: I'll never let a white boy beat me. Never
AIR Force One can seal his place in the line-up for the Royal & SunAlliance Chase at the Cheltenham Festival with victory at Fontwell. Charlie Mann has always thought the world of this sixyear- old and it became apparent why when he only finished
ANA Ivanovic admitted preparation was the key to her first career victory over Venus Williams which took her into the semifinal of the Australian Open. World number three Ivanovic, who became the second of three Serbs into the semi-finals at Melbourne
ENGLAND'S selectors have missed a golden opportunity to make the ultimate team change and end Michael Vaughan's reign as Test captain, according to two Australian cricketing legends. Former skipper Mark Taylor and Geoff Lawson believe Paul Collingwood
WITH the transfer window due to close in seven days, clubs up and down the country are preparing to splash the cash. But with the transfer system having evolved into an intricate game of cat and mouse, it can be difficult to know your "hands-off
Everton 0 Chelsea 1 JOE COLE'S decisive second-half strike broke Everton's hearts and sent Chelsea to their third Carling Cup final in four years. The holders out-played the Merseysiders, who just could not find a way to cancel out Chelsea's one-goal
RICHIE Foran is enjoying his football more than ever and reckons Darlington's team spirit is contributing towards their promotion charge. The experienced Irishman, Darlington's match-winner at Mansfield Town last Saturday, joined in November from
JUST 24 hours after making his first signing of the transfer window, Danny Wilson yesterday put four of his Hartlepool United players up for transfer. After Alan Thompson arrived on loan from Leeds United, Antony Sweeney, Ian Moore, Ali Gibb and
DIMITAR Berbatov looks set to remain at Tottenham until at least the end of the season after vowing to fire the club to Carling Cup glory next month. The 26-year-old's agent suggested at the start of the January transfer window that he would
SUNDERLAND made their fourth signing of the month last night when striker Rade Prica completed a £2m move from Danish club Aalborg AB, writes SCOTT WILSON. Prica, a 27-year-old Sweden international, has signed a threeand- a-half-year deal at the
A NORTH-EAST baby has become the youngest in the world to survive thanks to an artificial heart. Louisa Jane McGregor-Smith, from Marton Grove, Middlesbrough, was only three months old and hours away from death due to heart failure when she was
OLYMPIC champion Dame Kelly Holmes visited a school in the region yesterday to motivate more teenage girls to go for gold. She met girls from the Sedgefield School Sport Partnership as part of the Norwich Union Girls- Active scheme. Last year,
ONE of the country's busiest roads has been officially reopened after 20 months of highly complex work finally came to an end. The replacement of the Surtees Bridge on the A66 near Stockton, which carries traffic over the River Tees, has been
A RAPIST policeman continues to pose a serious risk to women, a judge ruled yesterday. Former Middlesbrough PC John Blott, who was convicted of rape in 1998, was applying to alter the conditions of his interim Sexual Offences Prevention Order,
A COMPANY director is facing jail after he was convicted of causing the death by dangerous driving of a six-year-old boy ten years after his own son died in a horrific accident.Brian Hopkinson will be sentenced next month after a jury yesterday returned
A CARE home matron and her staff posed as CIA agents to scare a paranoid resident in a campaign of vicious practical jokes, a hearing was told yesterday.Maureen Sheikh, 58, also formed a mock jazz band with staff and banged pots and pans to upset a mentally-ill
A CAMPAIGN has been launched to raise £750,000 for a new hospice building in the region.The Northern Echo and Butterwick Hospice yesterday launched the Put Your Foot In It campaign, which calls on businesses and individuals to help raise much-needed money
POLICE took a deadly skip wagon off the road yesterday after it was found to have 19 loose wheel nuts, as officers targeted heavy goods and commercial vehicles.The skip lorry, which could have lost two wheels and caused a serious accident at any time,
BRITAIN'S most notorious child killer has been secretly moved to a North-East prison.Soham murderer Ian Huntley was taken out of Wakefield Prison, in West Yorkshire, as 700 other inmates had lunch.His new home is Frankland, a top security prison on the
A CAMPAIGN for justice by the mother of a murder victim reaches a milestone this week with a conference to be addressed by leading law and order figures.Theresa Cave, whose teenage son, Chris, was stabbed to death, has organised the meeting to bring pressure
A RAPIST who imprisoned his victim for nine hours was locked up indefinitely yesterday.Kenneth Yorke was told by a judge that he will be released only when Parole Board officials are convinced he is no longer a danger to the public.The 49-year-old dragged
THE brother of the man accused of killing Jenny Nicholl told how he attempted suicide after he was blamed for the teenager's disappearance.Robert Hodgson said he took a cocktail of alcohol and painkillers ten days after the 19-year-old was last seen by
MIDDLESBROUGH are hoping to sign Afonso Alves within the next 48 hours after a Dutch FA tribunal last night ruled that the Heerenveen striker had not signed a legally binding contract with AZ Alkmaar. After a week of intensive legal discussions, the Dutch
IT might not be as celebrated as the 'Golden Generation' that spawned the likes of David Beckham, Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes, but Phil Bardsley is hoping that Manchester United's 'Class of 2003' will help to secure Sunderland's Premier League status.
Emmanuel Adebayor has apologised for his bust-up with Arsenal team-mate Nicklas Bendtner during the Carling Cup semi-final defeat at Tottenham. Arsene Wenger's young Gunners were on the receiving end of a 5-1 drubbing at the hands of their arch-rivals
World number one Roger Federer is unfazed by Novak Djokovic's claim that he is beatable at this year's Australian Open. The pair will meet in a hotly-anticipated semi-final tomorrow night in what is expected to be one of the matches of the tournament.
NEWCASTLE are ready to launch a £7m bid to sign Middlesbrough defender Jonathan Woodgate for a second time.And while Boro boss Gareth Southgate is loath to lose the England international after brokering his permanent transfer from Real Madrid last summer
A SERIAL sex offender was behind bars last night for a string of attacks that brought terror to a neighbourhood.Michael Carney struck five times in as many months at a park near his Teesside home and on fields close to a school.On each occasion, the married
THE company that lost the franchise to run train services on the East Coast main line between the North-East and London saw a drop in passenger satisfaction in its last days, according to a survey. Independent rail watchdog Passenger Focus yesterday
MIDDLESBROUGH Football Club's policy of nurturing local talent instead of poaching foreign teenagers has won an unlikely fan - Iain Duncan Smith. The former Tory leader today attacked the giants of the Premiership for grabbing promising youngsters from
