THE fight to save a school from closure almost descended into chaos tonight when more than 1,500 people turned up to challenge the decision. Tempers frayed as hundreds of people faced being turned away from the meeting to keep open the doors of St Peter's
New loan signing Roy O'Donovan was pitched in for an instant Hartlepool United debut, hours after signing from Sunderland. The Irishman arrived from Sunderland until the end of the season and replaced Denis Behan in the starting line-up. HARTLEPOOL
DRUG addicts have been warned to be vigilant after it has emerged dealers could be selling potentially dangerous animal medication as illegal substances. Police have issued the caution after £150 worth of dog worming and dog flea tablets were
Cheryl Cole has announced she's splitting from footballer husband Ashley. The question is: how much prominence should the story get in The Northern Echo? I believe our readers have an expectation that celebrity gossip stories should
A DAY care centre manager kept the door firmly shut on a secret new service for clients. Nicola Harrison hid a sensory room from clients at the Portland Day Centre, in Willington, until today’s official opening by Durham County Council chairman Brian
A HOSPICE has brought the clock forward on a fundraising walk that raises thousands of pounds for patients. The Butterwick Hospice at Bishop Auckland is inviting supporters on its first six-mile Twilight Walk starting from Bishop Auckland College on
A HOSPICE has brought the clock forward on a fundraising walk that raises thousands of pounds for patients. The Butterwick Hospice at Bishop Auckland is inviting supporters on its first six-mile Twilight Walk starting from Bishop Auckland College on
ORGANISERS of one of the major theatrical events of the year are looking for more male actors. A play titled Who’s the Daddy - based on the Nativity story - is one of ten productions which will make up the Durham Mysteries, a revival of the medieval
POLICE hunting a rapist who attacked a teenage girl have renewed their appeal for help from the public. Detectives have issued an e-fit likeness of the attacker in the hope that someone recognises him. The man struck last Saturday, attacking
POLICE hunting a rapist who attacked a teenage girl have renewed their appeal for help from the public. Detectives have issued an e-fit likeness of the attacker in the hope that someone recognises him. The man struck last Saturday, attacking an 18-year-old
A COOKERY demonstration, messy play and a children's entertainer were part of the fun when a new facility for village youngsters was officially opened. Sacriston Children's Centre is the latest in a series of Sure Start schemes that have been launched
CAMPAIGNERS fighting plans to site an academy on playing fields will get the chance to put their case at an independent inquiry. A barrister specialising in village green law will chair a hearing into claims by the Consett Green Spaces Group that land
A LONG-SERVING senior councillor is to step down as leader of a district council in May, after being appointed to two regional committees. Arthur Barker, leader of Hambleton District Council for the past seven years, announced his decision at a meeting
A NEW exhibition highlighting the beauty of Swaledale will be held at the Dales Countryside Museum, in Hawes. Based on a collection of photographs, watercolours and drawings by writer and photographer David Morgan Rees, the exhibition is centred on
A FITNESS trainer has started a series of special weekly boot camps designed to help people get fit while raising money for charity. Fast Blast Boot Camps, run by trainer Debbie Jukes, will hold Burn the Fat and Help Haiti boot camps, which will raise
A GROUP of safety experts held an informal meeting to provide advice and support to shoppers. The Richmond Safer Session was held at the Co-op, in Richmond, with representatives from the Richmondshire Community Safety Partnership, which included the
THE group responsible for the Neighbourhood Watch scheme in Richmondshire have been named among the best in the country. The Richmond Border Watch group, which is supported by the Richmondshire Community Safety Partnership, is one of 40 watch schemes
THREE men have braved the pain barrier by having their legs waxed to raise funds for a farming group. The charity male leg wax was held at the Arden Arms, in Atley Hill, near South Cowton where two members of Catterick Young Farmers had their legs waxed
THE organisers of a silent art auction that has brought together a range of work by local artists and media personalities have hailed the event as a huge success. The Wall to Wall auction has welcomed more than 1,000 visitors a day to The Station, in
A GROUP of young farmers are giving up their Sunday to shovel manure in a bid to raise funds for their group. The Catterick Young Farmers are running a charity muck chuck that will see them travel through villages around Richmondshire on Sunday
A WOMAN rescued by lifeboat crews from the sea at Redcar was today said to be in a critical condition in hospital. She was seen to walk towards the water near the cinema, just before 4pm on Monday, before being knocked down by a wave. Police said she
TOWN councillors have agreed to fund the maintenance of new lighting to help combat anti-social behaviour in Shildon’s Hackworth Park. Members of the Shildon Youth Council highlighted problems with underage drinking, minor damage, litter, and fear of
THE fourth and final part of the New Tyne Crossing was lowered into place beneath the Tyne today, completing the under-river link of the new vehicle tunnel. The new tunnel will link the A19 between East Howdon and Jarrow. Today the fourth
CHARITY fundraisers aiming to wipe out polio in Africa gave a £1 donation to Thirsk Rotary Club to wear purple for the day. Rotary International runs a polio immunisation Thanks for Life programme and to help boost the scheme’s coffers it ran
A COLLECTION of award winning photographs showing the beauty of the region’s national parks is going on show. The North York Moors National Park Authority is hosting a display of the winners and runners-up from the Landscape Photographer of the Year
A PUB which was once crowned the best in its county has been named the best in its town. The Crown, in Manfield, near Darlington, won the county category and overall pub of the year competition run by Darlington Campaign for Real Ale. Members of the
SCORES of Nepalese children and their parents took part in a sporting festival designed to forge links with the community. More than 80 members of the Nepalese community attended a sports taster session at Risedale Sports and Community College
A WOMAN who was spared jail for her third act of drunken violence was told by a judge: “Next time, don’t expect the same mercy.” Mother-of-three Claire Jeffrey was given a suspended prison sentence for attacking an innocent drinker in a town centre pub
A TEXTILES student shared his dreams of high couture with the region’s leading entrepreneurs at an expo designed to promote enterprise. Northallerton College student Thomas Wickens took to the stage at Venturefest Yorkshire 2010, a business conference
A STUDENT has revealed her star quality as she strives to become a make-up artist to the Hollywood A List. Darlington College student Leander Somers was recently rewarded for her efforts after studying not just one course but two - and also
TERRY BROWN is trying to find information about two families from Darlington. He is researching the family history of William Henry Stephens and Frances Hope, who were Mr Brown's great-great-great grandparents. Mr Stephens was a sailor prior to becoming
RESIDENTS have complained about a new telegraph pole erected on a village green. Complaints were made at Sadberge Parish Council about the pole, which was installed by BT, in late February. Villagers at the latest parish council meeting said the new
TONIGHT'S reserves game between Sunderland and Liverpool has been postponed because of a frozen pitch. The pitch at the Eppleton Colliery Welfare Ground in Hetton was deemed unplayable at an 11am pitch inspection. The game will now be rescheduled and
FIVE young people have started work for social landlord Cestria Housing under a Government job creation scheme. The Chester-le-Street-based social landlord has taken on Charlotte Lancaster ,20, of Bournmoor as a customer services assistant, Louise
A 'loosely' acoustic night at the Georgian theatre in Stockton proved to be a big hit with fans as Darlington band The Hyads, Sarah Proctor and The 'acoustic' Who took to the stage in a very well presented and situated venue. Local girl Sarah Proctor
A MAN accused of murdering two young jockeys who died in a fire at a flat was told today he could face further charges. Peter Brown, 37, of School Croft, Brotherton, North Yorkshire, appeared at Leeds Crown Court charged with the murders of
THE daughters of a taxi driver who died last week have paid tribute to their father, who was once part of a thriving family-run bus company in West Auckland. Fred Lockey, 59, whose grandfather founded Lockey’s Buses in 1927, died at his
Roy O'Donovan has moved to Hartlepool United on loan from Sunderland - and the striker is expected to make his debut this evening. Pools face Carlisle at Victoria Park and the Irishman should start after signing a deal until the end of the
BRAVE, innovative and breaking new ground with a disturbing, high=pitched Benjamin Britten-style Gothic opera using Australian Finegan Kruckemeyer’s words and Oxford lecturer Martyn Harry’s haunting music. This should be the production which
Amy Waddell, from Upper Teesdale, is spending six months in south-east Liberia as the communications intern for Merlin, the international medical aid agency. In the third of her dispatches, she explores a country that has gold at its fingertips
THERE’S nothing like an issue-led chavette drama about smack and that to bring a grin to this grouch. Think your life is bad? Clock a load of this. Open Clasp is touring Rattle and Roll for the next month or so. Written by Catriona McHugh,
THE headlines of most TV news channels last Friday were about golfer Tiger Woods apologising for his infidelities and saying he will be back playing again, but does not know when. Surely there are more important issues in our country and, indeed
TODAY'S query comes from a lady who has been searching for information about Thornbeck House in Darlington which into the 1920s was a private school. As it is off Carmel Road and near Thornbeck Hill, she wonders if were built by Echo Memories'
On Expenses (BBC4, 9pm) BRIAN COX has played historical characters before but they’ve usually been dead. In BBC4’s On Expenses, though, he’s playing someone very real and very alive – former Speaker of the House of Commons, Michael Martin. The
The accent’s on French cuisine as the column stays on dry land for a spot of gastronomic Channel hopping. ON the night that the report into the Eurostar fiasco offered very good reasons never again to leave dear old Blighty – or at least not
SO, Councillor Carol Woods thinks that Durham County Council should bequeath Durham City’s historic treasures to the city for ever (HAS, Feb 20). It seems she has forgotten about the £900,000 taken by her and the Liberal Democrats to refurbish
ON Saturday I visited Thirsk for the first time since parking charges were introduced by Hambleton District Council. First, I found that disabled drivers could only park free in designated spaces. There were three spaces in a large, long-stay
IN response to Keith Dewison’s letter, “Give us a vote” (HAS, Feb 16), I can confirm, following the introducition of new legislation, Stockton Borough Council has agreed that it will consult its residents on the two options available for its executive
THE mothballing of the Corus steel plant at Redcar is a bitter blow to this area – but I can’t for the life of me understand why people are so surprised. It was something waiting to happen since denationalisation and privatisation by the Thatcher government
DID you enjoy Pastor Tiger Woods’ prayer meeting, widely reported as his “Apology in Full”? It reminded me of one of those nauseating, hand-wringing, teary-eyeballed confessions by some telly-evangelist caught out with either his hand in someone
WHILE agreeing with DS Meek’s letter, “Stop Tesco” (HAS, Feb 18), regarding the impact that a proposed Tesco Extra store in Sacriston, County Durham, will have on a large number of the existing businesses, it is an unfortunate consequence of living
ON the day the Cabinet met in Durham City and BBC Question Time came from Middlesbrough and on the eve of the Corus plant closure you would have thought there would have been a Cabinet minister on the panel or at least one of the local Labour MPs
IN current political thinking, when a citizen reaches old age he/she switches from being an asset to a liability. No matter the taxes extracted over a working lifetime and even into retirement or that you have paid National Insurance, which was
For the first time, a regional museum is showing its medieval and Viking treasures at the British Museum. Steve Pratt discovers the story of England’s capital of the North and unearths an unusual recipient of a Blue Peter badge. THE gallery
This evening's Darlington match at home to Notts County has been postponed. Overnight freezing temperatures cast the game into doubt and an inspection by the match offical was held at 11am. Quakers already faced a fixture backlog having
BY his own admission, Gordon Brown gets angry. He even throws newspapers on the floor. That’s hardly surprising or unusual. We all get angry from time to time and Mr Brown happens to have one of the most stressful jobs imaginable. But how angry
CONSTRUCTION of four new community fire stations in County Durham is one step closer following outline planning approval from Durham County Council. The last piece of the jigsaw was complete when the secretary of state confirmed the go-ahead
THREE cheers for Barclays. The boys in blue produced outstanding results last week, giving a huge lift to the soaring stock market. The group announced record profits, lower impairments and a big increase to the dividend. That they did so, without
SPORTS Direct has threatened to vote against a recovery plan at rival Blacks Leisure now it has acquired 28 per cent of the outdoor retailer’s shares. The sports retailer, controlled by Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley, has been locked in
ALTHOUGH the divorce rate in general is falling, for one age group the trend is upwards, and perhaps surprisingly it is people over 60. I recently met someone in her late 50s whose ignorance of the financial implications of divorce settlements
OCCUPIERS in the UK benefited from an 8% fall in average occupancy costs in 2009, according to DTZ’s latest global occupancy costs survey. The greatest cost savings in the UK were seen in Bristol, London City, London West End and Glasgow, where
VICO Properties Plc has appointed King Sturge as joint agent to work alongside BNP Paribas Real Estate in the marketing of its flagship Sunderland City Centre office development. City Green, located next to the Park Lane transport interchange
AN energy business set up three years ago with a £10,000 grant is looking to reach a turnover of £110m in the next year. Clean Energy Capital (CEC) was set up in 2007 by Northumbria University graduate Sean O’Connor and has since secured tens
TWO non-profit organisations have joined forces to turn parts of the UK into renewable energy microgeneration hot spots. North-East company Community Energy Solutions (CES) and Renewables East have completed a tendering process for suppliers
Three months ago, the East Coast Main Line service returned to public control. Business Editor Owen McAteer spoke to the woman in charge of getting it back on track. HOPEFULLY it will be third time lucky for the region’s major rail connection
ONE of the country’s leading green energy developers has celebrated its third anniversary. Community Renewable Energy (CoRE), a social enterprise, helps communities set up renewable energy systems from wind turbines to solar panels. In Teesdale
ORGANISATIONS are being given the opportunity to find out how they can help the North-East to produce green renewable energy. They are being offered a one-day course in Newcastle on Wednesday, March 17, delivered by Community Renewable Energy
A 23-year-old man from the North-East was in a critical condition with serious head injuries today after he was swept away by an avalanche. He was among a party of four fell-walkers from the region thought to have triggered the incident on
A TRAINING charity for the oil, gas and energy sector has promoted two staff members to executive positions. Middlesbrough-based TTE Technical Training Group has promoted Sara Marshall to commercial business director and Andy Buckworth to strategic
A STUDY is being launched to investigate the role played by the region’s universities in economic development. The report is being compiled in response to a request by Business Secretary Lord Mandelson, for a report on how the country’s universities
A NORTH-EAST firm is helping drive the uptake of electric vehicles in Germany. Smith Electric Vehicles (SEV), part of the Tanfield group, based in Washington, Wearside, is to provide ten electric vans to Ford of Europe for German trials. Smith
THE UK is a scientific powerhouse whose technological leadership and innovative thinking has helped create one of the most effective and dynamic environments for R&D (research and development) in the world. And as we emerge from recession into
A TECHNOLOGY company is continuing its remarkable success story after being commissioned to develop a new type of electronic “skin” for robots. Peratech’s tie-up with the famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in the US, follows
MANAGEMENT at the Lake District National Park have turned to a North-East IT specialist for help in boosting efficiency and reducing their environmental impact by the equivalent of planting 600 trees. Experts from Gateshead-based ITPS have spent
A COMPUTER firm is helping schoolchildren in the region brush up on their IT skills at home while also working to save the planet into the bargain. Express IT, based in County Durham, is taking redundant computers from companies, local schools
THE chief executive of Northern Rock said there was no rush to sell the “good bank” created by the institution’s split. Following its division into two parts last month, Northern Rock would not comment on any sale process. Yesterday, chief executive
HUNDREDS of would-be entrepreneurs were yesterday given inspiration to start their own business. The Chance to Change conference urged people to change their lives by starting their own ventures, and saw some of the region’s leading entrepreneurs
A NEW events company which is organising the biggest baby roadshow outside of London has seen such success ahead of the event it can already plan for 2011. Ruby Red Events is organising the North-East Baby Roadshow in July, and has already secured
A £5M conference centre has opened with help from a regional law firm. The Xcel Centre, in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, opened after three years in development. It has a capacity of more than 1,000 people, and includes exhibition space and a
MINCOFFS has appointed a new trainee solicitor. Hayley Anderson, 25, graduated from Leeds University in 2006, completed the Legal Practice Course in 2007 and worked as a paralegal in insolvency litigation at a firm in Leeds. She joined Mincoffs
A NORTH-EAST law firm has helped to ensure the region becomes home to a £25m green energy factory, which will make the world’s biggest turbine blades and could create 3,000 jobs. Prime Minister Gordon Brown last week unveiled plans for the Neptune
A CAMPAIGN for a cut in VAT on property repairs to safeguard construction jobs is making a final push for support. The Repairing Britain campaign, funded and headed by building firm Rok, is calling on the Government to reduce VAT on property repairs
IT’S been a few years since I spoke to a careers advisor about what I’d like to be when I grow up. But I know that at 15, faced with the prospect of what to do with the rest of my life, I hadn’t a clue. I knew I wanted to make money and be able
A VILLAGE pub has been bought and reopened in a deal overseen by a Darlington firm. Jill and Paul Jackson fulfilled their dream of buying the Vane Arms in Long Newton, near Stockton, reopening the 100-year-old pub after it was closed for two-and-a-half
SIXTY-FOUR North-East office jobs have been saved after a deal was struck to save a driving group placed into administration. Red Driving School and Red Instructor Training has been bought by private equity firm Kelso Place, which has previously
IN the current economic climate many companies and individuals are turning to the court process to recover outstanding debts. However, once a judgement has been awarded some may be unsure as to the options available to enforce their judgement.
PENTOMINIUM can continue trainer Mark Johnston’s remarkable run in the Bet Multiples - Betdaq Median Auction Maiden Stakes at Lingfield. The Middleham maestro has begun 2010 in unbelievable form and his strike-rate since the turn of the year
IT’S 20 years on Sunday since Colin Milburn, one of the bright burning meteors of post-war English cricket, fell to earth in a pub car park. The man they called the Burnopfield Basher was just 48. He was a wonderful cricketer, a delightful and
ANDY MURRAY brushed aside a spirited challenge from Igor Kunitsyn to book his place in the second round of the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships. The third seed, playing his first match since the Australian Open final, beat the Russian qualifier
SALE fly-half Charlie Hodgson has been called into the England squad following concerns over the fitness of Jonny Wilkinson ahead of Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations showdown with Ireland. Wilkinson is suffering from ‘‘muscle tightness’’, but there was
A SERIES of crashes in training have prompted bobsled officials to make changes to problematic sections of the Whistler Sliding Center track. Four-man bobsleds from Croatia and Latvia crashed during training yesterday, following a number of crashes
YORKSHIRE have pulled off a coup with the capture of South African maestro Herschelle Gibbs as their Twenty20 specialist. The 35-year-old batsman will arrive in time for the first Friends Provident 20-over game with Durham on June 10, and will
Ian Poulter is up to fifth in the world rankings after achieving the first US Tour victory of his career with a 3&2 victory over Paul Casey in the final of the WGC-Accenture Match Play in Arizona on Sunday. Lee Westwood is fourth with Casey in
DIEGO MARADONA has challenged Newcastle United defender Fabricio Coloccini to prove he deserves to be back in the Argentina squad ahead of this summer’s World Cup squad. Despite his impressive displays for the Magpies in the Championship this
HARTLEPOOL UNITED tonight face two former players who have both scored against their former club this season. They can scarcely afford to let either Matty Robson or Darryl Duffy cause more harm this evening. Pools meet Carlisle at Victoria Park
SUNDERLAND might not be in the position owner Ellis Short would want in the Premier League, but summer signing Lorik Cana has outlined the squad’s desperation to improve on an increasingly worrying situation. Cana was satisfied with the work-rate
Darlington suffered a demoralising defeat on Saturday, but they cannot afford to feel sorry for themselves. That’s the message from winger Nathan Mulligan ahead of this evening’s home game with Notts County. Mulligan says Quakers should
GORDON STRACHAN has attempted to put Middlesbrough’s push for a play-off place back on track by targeting Peterborough United’s attacking midfielder George Boyd. The London Road club expect Boro to make a move for their 12-goal forward this week
FAMILY and friends of a gifted banker, who leapt to his death from a rooftop restaurant, have set up a memorial trust in his name. Oxford graduate Anjool Malde jumped 80ft from the roof terrace of upmarket restaurant Coq d’Argent, in London
A FIERCE dispute over who owns a city’s priceless historic treasures has become “a bugger’s muddle”, according to the crown court judge asked to sort it out. Judge Richard Lowden was asked to advise warring members of Durham’s Charter Trust,
A NORTH-EAST astronaut returned safely to Earth yesterday, marking the successful end of a mission to the International Space Station. Dr Nicholas Patrick, from Saltburn, east Cleveland, and five colleagues touched down in the space shuttle
RESIDENTS in Darlington will find out this week if a proposed council tax freeze is finalised as planned. A full meeting of Darlington Borough Council is held on Thursday, February 25, when members vote on next year's budget. The Labour-led
LONDON will escape a controversial Tory cull that will throw key infrastructure projects in the North into chaos, it was revealed yesterday. The capital alone will retain key cross-council powers for housing, transport and business investment
AN inquest into the deaths of three patients of Dr Howard Martin heard that serious concerns had been raised about the GP years before they died. Complaints about Dr Howard Martin included an allegation that he used diamorphine to help people
REAL ale lovers are in for a treat with the return of Middlesbrough’s Beer Festival. The event has been revived to raise funds for Teesside Hospice. More than 1,000 people are expected to fill the Crypt, in Middlesbrough Town Hall, over the
THE restoration of a landmark North-East railway station has won an award from local conservationists. The Victorian-built station in Durham City, on the East Coast Main Line, underwent a £2.5m revamp. The work included a travel centre
A WIDOWER whose body was found in a burnt-out caravan on remote farmland died alone on the day before his 84th birthday, an inquest heard. Experts believe the blaze that killed Derek Robson, in Appleton Wiske, near Northallerton, North Yorkshire
A FORMER soldier found guilty of a notorious murder says he expects to die in prison despite an investigation over a possible miscarriage of justice. The case of martial arts expert Tony Bottrill is being reviewed by trainee lawyers from the
THE number of roads being gritted in the region was drastically reduced last night after the North-East’s biggest council admitted it had under two days’ salt supplies remaining. With stocks down to 1,690 tonnes and only one small delivery expected
YOUNG drummers have been given a masterclass by some of the best in the industry. Students at the Northern School of Contemporary Music, at The Forum music centre, in Darlington, welcomed some of the country’s most respected drummers for
A CONTROVERSIAL security firm has expanded its service and last night began patrolling a new area. Up to six Sparta Streetsafe wardens will patrol the West End of Darlington every night. The uniformed patrols will cover the Mowden, Hummersknott
A PENSIONER has described how she fought to stop a robber taking her handbag as he repeatedly punched her in the face and smashed her head against a wall. Christina Kirkup, 67, was determined not to let her bag go, because it was the last gift
AFTER standing empty for two years, the only spirits to be found at the George and Dragon were those of long-gone drinkers. Once the focal point of the North Yorkshire village of Hudswell, the watering hole is little more than a shell.
TWO climbers from the region were seriously injured after being swept 750ft by an avalanche in the Lake District. The pair, from Redcar, were among a group of four who had been climbing St Sunday Crag, Patterdale, near Penrith, Cumbria, yesterday
A MAN had to be freed by firefighters after getting his hand impaled on a gatepost. The incident happened around 7pm on Monday night in Sanderson Road, Jesmond, Newcastle. A spokesman for Tyne and Wear fire and rescue said the man, in his 20s, was impaled
