STRIKER Chris Senior confessed his Darlington future is on line ahead of Quakers' visit to Crawley tomorrow. The 29-year-old striker moved last summer from Altrincham and signed a one-year deal, with the club having the option of extending his contract
Stokesley moved six points away from the relegation zone with a crucial 2-0 home win over Norton last night. They took the lead after 38 minutes when Karl Liley beat two men and set up David Wells to drive the ball home, and after Jamie Owens twice went
Northern Dare's demanding winter season might actually be construed as a positive in the Core Oil And Gas Ltd Handicap at Musselburgh. Richard Fahey's seven-year-old has raced seven times since December, winning once at Lingfield a couple of months ago
Brian Meehan's Lady Of The Desert is likely to start off her campaign in the Duke of York Blue Square Stakes on May 11. Second in two Group One events last season, she found her niche once returned to sprinting distances. Lady Of The Desert won the
Mark Johnston has warned Bikini Babe may not be at the peak of her powers for her seasonal comeback in the williamhill.com Magnolia Stakes at Kempton on Saturday. The daughter of Montjeu ran a number of notable races in defeat during 2010, going down
The Family Justice Review published an interim report today. It’s 232 pages long and responses are required to the consultation questionnaire by 23rd June. Buried deep in the report is the recognition that grandparents can have an important role to
A CHILD had to have a toilet seat removed from his head by firefighters. A spokesman for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said that the child and his mother attended Ripon fire station around 11am today. Metal snippers were used to remove the small seat
Darlington are advising fans which areas of Wembley will be available for their FA Trophy Final, ahead of tickets going on sale on Friday. Quakers take on Mansfield Town at Wembley on Saturday, May 7 (3pm kick-off), with tickets priced £30 adults and
SCHOOL friends today joined family members and other relations at the funeral of a teenage boy killed trying to cross a road. Brandon Nugent died from injuries suffered in the collision with an Audi A3 car on the A690, near Durham, on Monday March 21
AN accident at a Darlington roundabout has led to traffic delays. Police are directing traffic on the Haughton Road throughabout after the incident which took place at around 5.30pm this evening. An ambulance is also in attendance. It is believed a
DURHAM are determined to revive their County Championship ambitions this season under the new coaching team of Mowden Park's Pete Taylor and Billingham's Chris Hyndman. Blaydon player-coach Tom Rock is also keen to be involved, along with a much larger
A CITY’S economy got a much-needed shot in the arm today, as a major new store opened with the creation of nearly 60 jobs. Home and garden retailer Wilkinson opened its new 19,000sq ft store in The Gates shopping centre, in Durham, filling a retail
A CLAMPDOWN on allotment bonfires in Hartlepool has been launched amid health concerns. Council officials are working with Cleveland Fire Brigade and Cleveland Police to raise awareness of the problems created by the fires. They are warning plotholders
A SIXTH form offering 300 places is to be built at a new Catholic school. Pupils at Trinity Catholic College, in Middlesbrough, will be able to continue their education post-16 by studying A-levels at the new facility. Students at neighbouring St Mary's
SHOPPERS at Saltburn Farmers' Market could find themselves enjoying free entry to over 300 historic homes and gardens across the country - when the National Trust makes a special guest appearance at the second Market of the year. Market organiser Lorna
A NATURE reserve worker is swapping the safety of a local park for the heady heights of Peru to raise money for charity. Terry Douthwaite is set to pull on his walking boots to trek along the Salkantay Inca trail from September 24 to October 3 in aid
A SHADOW minister visited a seaside town to help the Labour party launch their local election campaign. Maria Eagle, the shadow secretary of state for transport, called into Redcar as part of a whistle stop tour of the region. She met up with Redcar
FORMER England captain Bryan Robson says he is winning his battle with throat cancer. The ex-Middlesbrough boss has had treatment to remove a tumour but said he would make a full recovery. The 54-year-old, from Chester-le-Street, County Durham, who
The Coventry Building Society today gave a clear indication it was interested in buying Northern Rock. In a statement the UK's third largest building society, which almost doubled its profits last year, said: "Coventry Building Society’s commitment to
Stars: Ben Barnes, Robert Sheehan, Martin McCann, Pete Postlethwaite, Krysten Ritter, Peter Serafinowicz Runnning time: 113 mins Rating: **** The true-ish story of two Irish brothers, Neil (Barnes) and Ivan (Sheehan) struggling in the
Stars: Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chong, Carla Gugino, Oscar Isaac, Jon Hamm Running time: 109 mins Rating: *** Zack Snyder pushed the boundaries between fantasy and reality. Now he goes even further in
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright Running time: 93 mins Rating: **** SPEED with a spot of time travel. Groundhog Day without the bombs. Put your mind to it and you can find all manner of derivatives
Tim Vine discusses with Viv Hardwick how he talks to himself in public in order to learn his touring comedy acts. TIM Vine admits he no longer bothers to count how many one-liners he packs into each show, but the prince of puns pays a heavy price
Valerie Gergiev, conducting the Mariinsky Orchestra, presents the third title in his Shostakovich cycle. The Third and Tenth are considered among his most enigmatic. These visceral readings come highly recommended and follow equally commendable
MY musical wanderings this week have taken me to Germany, where the enthusiasm for British and Celtic folk music seems undiminished since I first toured here almost 30 years ago. Venues like Cafe Phoenix in Lauffen and Ars Musica in Munich are
This new liturgical work by the Latvian composer Erik Esenvalds features an interlocking mosaic of texts from the gospels, from Byzantine and Roman liturgies, and from the Old Testament. Conductor Stephen Layton is joined by the Polyphony and Britten
Pianist Steven Osborne presents brilliant readings of some of the most important piano music of the early 20th Century. A leading exponent of Ravel, Osborne is best placed to play these shimmering Gallic scores. Highly recommended.
An impressive introduction to this Swiss piano trio with Vallon on piano, Patrice Moret bass and Samuel Rohrer drums. As usual these days the emphasis is on group interaction with inspiration ranging from Turkish and Bulgarian songs to Iceland
Trumpeter Eick has been heard on previous albums by Iro Haarla and Manu Katche and has won several prestigious awards. On this, his second ECM disc, the core group is a quintet with two drummers but for contrast there are also two trio pieces
This is a beautiful album by the Finnish composer, pianist and harpist with a compelling sense of organization and structure. Trumpeter Mathias Eick and saxophonist Trygve Seim are beautifully matched, their instruments blending or interweaving
JOSH Kelley is living the good life. His wife is actress Katherine Heigel and the pair have adopted a daughter, Naleigh. Kelley’s younger brother, Charles, is a member of the highly successfull Lady Antebellum trio. Tipped as one of the 11 top
THE extraordinary true tale of North-East miners inspired by art is coming to Darlington. The Pitmen Painters, by Newcastle playwright Lee Hall and the city's Live Theatre, is destined to attract sell-out numbers at the town's Civic Theatre
Fast forward 35 years and while The Undertones are no longer teenagers, they are certainly still getting their kicks. Matt Westcott talks to bassist Michael Bradley ahead of the band’s anniversary tour. THE dulcet Northern Irish tones coming down
THE world comes crashing down on the Masoods in East- Enders (BBC1) when Tamwar and Afia sneak off and get married. Then they have the engagement party, which is a topsy-turvy way of doing things. First, the wedding in EastEnders (BBC1). A small-scale
YOU can spend the night at home with Larry Grayson (as long as you don’t forget to “shut that door”) or see high jinks in the street at the 1928 Durham Miners’ Gala. Then again, you might like to learn how to cut back and lay a hedge with the aid
The comedian puts into words the things he finds amusing – happy in the knowledge that his audiences are seeing the funny side too. Steve Pratt reports. WHEN David Spikey switched careers from working in a medical laboratory to comedy, he was following
Bradley Cooper tells Steve Pratt how he discovered a bloodlust for success as he took on the leading role in his latest movie. WHAT was in the blood, Bradley? That red stuff you start licking and sucking off the floor in your new film Limitless? It
DRIVERS across the North-East and North Yorkshire are being warned to take extra care on the region's roads today due to high winds. The Met Office is forecasting gales for parts of the North-East and Yorkshire and the Humber. South
MARJORIE MILLING is trying to find a couple who she met at the final farewell reunion of a school. She met the couple, Mr and Mrs Gibson, at a reunion of Close House Primary School, in Spennymoor, in 2006, following the closure of the school after 94
THIS morning's Echo Memories proves beyond reasonable doubt that the Beatles stayed at the Eden Arms in Rushyford on the night of November 22, 1963 - the night after they'd famously played the Globe Theatre at Stockton. The night, also,
WHAT IS IT? The Elan was a front drive Lotus at a time when the company was best known for the mid-engined Esprit. It looked good – in an Eighties kind of way – and handled sweetly. WHEN WAS IT MADE? Launched in 1989 the Elan was on sale until 1994
ONE of the newest talents to emerge on the British music scene wowed a sell-out audience at The Sage. Singer/songwriter Rumer brought an intensity to the packed venue that had people glued to their seats for the 75-minute show, which was only
THE newly-formed Children’s Touring Partnership has picked a winner with David Wood’s play of Michelle Magorian’s novel about a London evacuee who finds a new life in the country. The play was performed on a cleverly-designed set to an audience
Crimewatch (BBC1, 9pm) Three in a Bed (C4, 8pm) The Blasters (Five, 8pm) REMEMBER, don’t have nightmares – Nick Ross’ famous sign-off from Crimewatch helped it become a national institution. Now, Kirsty Young is the show’s current presenter and
POLICE are hunting for the couple who stole a laptop computer worth £400 from a retail park store. Police have released CCTV images of the pair after they entered the Currys/PCWorld outlet, on Darlington's Yarm Road retail park, last Friday, at 5.40pm
A SMALL-SCALE wind turbine on farmland near a village is being recommended to be given approval. Alastair Mackenzie has applied to erect a 20-metre high turbine at Newton Grange Farm, near Sadberge. His proposals would provide electricity
A BAKERY with 30 shops in the North-East has gone into administration after being hit by rising wheat prices. The P&A Partnership has been appointed administrators of the Woodhead Bakery, based in Scarborough. The family business, founded 74
A MAN was taken in by police for amedical assessment after a rooftop protest yesterday. Police were called to Hillside Road, Darlington, at noon, following reports that a man had climbed onto a garage between Hillside Road and Woodvale Road. Police
THE London market was kept afloat by mining firms yesterday after the owner of Currys and PC World issued a profits warning triggering declines among retailers. FTSE 250 firm Dixons Retail saw shares plunge 18 per cent as it revealed sales declines
LEADING North-East business figures have joined a national group of employers calling for the introduction of high-speed rail in Britain. Despite no plans as yet to extend the network beyond Leeds, Ken McMeikan, the chief executive of Newcastlebased
AN entrepreneur from the North-East has been inspired by her daughter to set up a gifts business. Claire Ramshaw, from Thornley, County Durham, has joined the growing number of entrants in the Northern Echo’s If We Can, You Can challenge. Her
I TEND to agree with those headteachers who argue that we shouldn’t take children out of school during term time unless it’s for a very good reason. I get the point that heading off on holiday when they should be working gives youngsters the
EMERSON Muschamp Bainbridge, as last week’s column noted, was a farmer’s son from Eastgate, in Weardale, who at 13 was apprenticed to a Newcastle draper and who co-founded what became the famous Bainbridge’s store, now part of the John Lewis group
The first Butlin’s holiday camp opened 75 years ago next month. A new book warms to the Redcoats. BILLY Butlin was born in South Africa in 1899, moved to England and then to Canada, lied about his age to become a bugler in the Canadian army and
THE headline for the front page of Monday’s Northern Echo was “Millions lost down the drain” referring to the illegal collecting of scrap metal by unscrupulous so-called recyclers. I live in Carrville and we have a delivery lane at the
ONCE again we see a Left Wing march in London descend into violence and chaos. The usual attacks on local buildings, landmarks and statues are becoming far too common. If it was the BNP or any other Right Wing group the march would be banned and
THE Winter fuel payment “top up” rate of £50 for people over 60 and £100 for those over 80 is to be scrapped, but there was no mention of this in the Budget. Even Deputy PM Nick Clegg had a memory lapse on a recent BBC phone-in replying he knew
LABOUR’S disorganised Flexible New Deal scheme will end in the summer – but will it just be replaced by a scheme identical to the last one? If the Government want to learn from past mistakes they really want to take a long hard look at the failures
WERE other readers as disgusted as I was by VJ Connor’s vile letter (HAS, March 24) gloating over the plight of the Japanese tsunami victims? They got their just desserts – so he seems to be saying – because of Japanese atrocities during the Second
CHRIS HUHNE, the Energy Secretary, believes that Britain can meet its carbon reduction targets without nuclear power by investing heavily in renewables and carbon capture and storage (CCS). But CCS is unproven and, even if it is feasible, it will
I HAVE just written as follows to Durham County Council: “I’m very much a supporter of DCC. “However, I must strongly criticise the proposed policy of insisting taxi firms must now paint their taxis white. “I’ve no particular view on the other
SATURDAY’S Hear All Sides attracted several letters about the conflict in Libya, two of which appeared to be just another excuse to beat up the Government. With the action over Libya, I’m still at the stage of asking why? Why interfere in any
TERRACES could return to Premiership football grounds, if you believe some newspaper reports – but I don’t think the stories stand up to scrutiny. Hopes – or fears, depending on your view – were sparked by a meeting between the Sports Minister Hugh
THE recent confirmation that Hitachi is to build a new generation of express trains in County Durham was a wonderful example of the power of working together for the common good. Today’s announcement that the historic Zurbaran paintings are to remain
Dr Robert McManners, chairman of Bishop Auckland Civic Society and a leader of the campaign, tells of the importance of the Zurbarans in their home in Auckland Castle. IT is a great relief to report the wonderful news that the set of Zurbaran paintings
AFTER watching Danny Welbeck make his England debut in Tuesday’s friendly with Ghana, Sunderland boss Steve Bruce has reiterated his desire to keep the striker at the club beyond his loan deal. The Manchester United forward has impressed on Wearside
Darlington head to league leaders Crawley on Saturday with manager Mark Cooper expecting to field another experimental line-up. Tuesday's win at Grimsby Town saw Cooper make four personnel changes and ditch the midfield diamond formation that
James DeGale insists there is no chance of him making up with bitter rival George Groves once he has knocked him out in May's super-middleweight showdown in London. DeGale is putting his British title on the line to fight Commonwealth champion
Richard Fahey enjoyed a brilliant campaign in 2010 but remains confident the best is yet to come. Wootton Bassett gave the Malton trainer his first Group One triumph when rounding off his juvenile campaign with victory in France, while the
ASAMOAH GYAN will resume training on Wearside tomorrow, with Steve Bruce intent on demanding Sunderland's £13m striker reproduces his Wembley wonder-show on a consistent basis in the Premier League. Gyan has scored ten times for the Black
A CAT lover is fuming after council workers disposed of her dead pet without trying to trace its owners. Rachel O’Connor’s cat, Loki, was knocked down and killed close to her home, in High Street, Carrville, near Durham City, on Friday, February
POLICE will today urge church leaders to help them lobby the Government to change laws regulating scrap yards in an effort to combat metal thefts, which now account for one in 12 crimes. And as the drive to stamp out metal theft gathers pace
HE might have been born in South America and spent nearly a decade playing his football in mainland Europe, but Fabricio Coloccini now feels like a defender made for England. After a dreadfully slow start to life on Tyneside after a £10m move
John Quinn did not need to consult with his new owner Dr Marwan Koukash to find out the next target for Kiama Bay after he won the feature race on the opening day of the new Flat season at Catterick. The five-year-old was a first runner in
Danny Coyne has told Tony Mowbray he wants to carry on goalkeeping in to his 40s after declaring himself fit for Middlesbrough's relegation run-in. Coyne has endured an injury-wrecked second season at the Riverside Stadium and he could face
THE leader of the North- East’s biggest council has launched an impassioned defence of his record, as his authority starts cutting £125m from its budget. Labour-controlled Durham County Council faces £125m of cuts over the next four years, with
A DRAMA teacher was yesterday found guilty of grooming a 13-year-old female pupil for sex. Caroline French, 38, was on trial at Preston Crown Court, accused of targeting the pupil while teaching at a Blackpool secondary school. French
A TEES Valley technology firm has netted a Spanish hat-trick which is set to create and safeguard North-East jobs. The latest success for Middlesbrough-based Unasys is a £1m support contract to work on one of the biggest construction projects
POLICE were last night questioning a man arrested after an armed siege lasting more than eight hours. The stand-off in the normally quiet cul-de-sac started when a man facing eviction allegedly threatened bailiffs and police officers with a
HUNDREDS of arts organisations have lost their funding in what have been described as “a series of painful decisions”. Only half of applications made to the Arts Council have been successful. From 1,333 applications, 695 were approved, with total
A FIVE-YEAR-OLD girl’s prosthetic hands have been fitted with groundbreaking technology, providing her with a much improved grip. Tilly Lockey underwent life-saving surgery after contracting a deadly form of meningitis when she was 15 months
THREE inspirational people from the North-East last night received national recognition for their work to change children’s lives. The trio – a young boy who campaigns against knife and gun crime, a woman who trawls the streets to keep youngsters
Shildon manager Gary Forrest said that his team’s performance was their poorest of the season after lost 1-0 at home to Billingham Synthonia. Forrest admits that Shildon’s title hopes have now disappeared after also losing at Ashington last
Friendship will go out of the window when Stokesley take on Norton tonight at Broughton Road. Stokesley are battling to avoid the third relegation place against West Allotment, and following Allotment’s 0-0 draw with Bishop Auckland on Wednesday night
TWO wealthy financiers have teamed up to save the Zurbarans and potentially turn Auckland Castle into a major heritage tourist attraction, The Northern Echo can reveal. Evangelical christian Jonathan Ruffer has agreed to buy the Zurbarans for Auckland
