Archive

  • Petite Symphony, The Northern Sinfonia, The Sage Gateshead

    The Northern Sinfonia’s latest chamber recital at The Sage Gateshead gave players in the wind section the chance to indulge in some of the richest music written for their instruments. The varied programme took its title from Gounod’s Petite Symphony

  • Police plan to remove illegal encampment in Bishop Auckland

    POLICE have issued a stark warning that they will close down an illegal camp next to a river in Bishop Auckland. Two Romany caravans and about half a dozen horses were moved on to Durham County Council-owned grassland alongside the River Wear on

  • Lord Lieutenant to open new business in Bishop Auckland

    THE Lord Lieutenant of County Durham Sue Snowdon will officially open Trudi’s Bakers, on Newgate Street, Bishop Auckland, on Saturday, April 6. Owner Trudi Stamp has been inspired to set-up her own business after being made redundant when Peters

  • Emergency crews deal with five fires alongside railway line

    FIREFIGHTERS have dealt with a handful of track-side blazes along the York to Scarborough railway line. The fires are believed to have been caused by a steam train igniting trackside vegetation and a total of five incidents were dealt with throughout

  • Vital three points for Marske in relegation fight

    Marske United moved four points away from the ENL First division relegation zone with a single goal victory over second placed West Auckland at Mount Pleasant last night. Marske gave four teenagers their debuts, but they rose to the occasion and

  • An answer that had to be given

    It has been suggested that the furore over Paolo Di Canio becoming Sunderland manager is merely the work of political opportunists and the media. Today's passionate open letter to Di Canio, written by the Dean of Durham, The Very Reverend Michael

  • Residents fears over digester plan

    CONCERNS have been raised by residents opposed the creation of an facility to process farm crops in north Durham. Hallwick Energy has submitted plans to Durham County Council to create the anaerobic digester on land near the Thomas Swann chemical

  • Fans warned of loan shark dangers

    FOOTBALL fans have been warned about the dangers of loan sharks. Representatives from the England Illegal Money Lending Team joined supporters of Gateshead at their match against Southport, which was played at Hartlepool FC's Victoria Park ground

  • Darlington school to be twinned with one in India

    DARLINGTON pupils will get a taste of the exotic when their school is twinned with one in India. St Aidan’s Church of England Academy will take part in a major school twinning project set up to boost global education. Pupils and staff will

  • Di Canio's fascist denial convinces some, not all

    PAOLO Di Canio made a desperate attempt to end the furore over his political views tonight (Wednesday, April 3), saying he is not a racist and does not support the ideology of fascism. But while his comments, in a statement issued on the Sunderland

  • Couples reflect on more than a century of married life

    TWO couples came together to celebrate a combined 110 years of marriage, and were presented with flowers to mark their respective golden and diamond wedding anniversaries. The commemorations were held on Wednesday (April 3) for golden couple John

  • Crown court date for teen facing sexual assault charges

    A TEENAGER was remanded in custody and committed to Teesside Crown Court on two charges of sexual assault on a child. Ian Graham Pritchard, 19, appeared by videolink from Holme House Prison, Stockton, at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates Court. A

  • Hat lady raises funds for brain tumour charity

    A NORTHALLERTON ‘hat lady’ has raised £80 for Brain Tumour Research after a fashion show on Wear a Hat Day on Thursday, March 28. Nicky Sadler, who runs Get Ahead Hats in Welbury, near Northallerton, held a fashion show, demonstration and talk

  • £300 fine for pub hit by food poisoning outbreak

    A PUB at the centre of salmonella outbreak that saw more than 30 people fall ill, including six who were hospitalised, has been hit with a £300 fine. Philip Armstrong, who runs the Copper Beech, in Darlington, appeared before magistrates in the

  • Cafe owners celebrate 1st birthday in business

    A RICHMOND bistro has celebrated its first year in business with a special menu and after dinner speakers. Sisters-in-law Vicky and Sam Booth opened Frenchgate 29 on March 31 last year, and the business has proved a big hit with customers.

  • Arson attack on part-time police station

    POLICE have appealed for witnesses following an arson attack on a small part-time police station this morning. Emergency services were alerted by a member of the public after a wheelie bin was set alight and pushed against the door of the entrance

  • New date for stand-up Sean Lock

    Comedian Sean Lock has added an extra date at Middlesbrough Town Hall. The team captain on Channel 4’s 8 Out of 10 Cats and a regular on the BBC’s QI will be performing “Purple Van Man” on Tuesday, July 23, as well as his original booking on Sunday

  • Tributes paid to teenager killed in road collision

    THE devastated family of a teenage boy have paid an emotional tribute to a ‘fun loving’ young man who was fatally injured following a collision with a car. Tom Brown, 16, was involved in the incident at 10.45pm on Monday (April 1). He was taken

  • Singing success for young stars

    TWO talented singers from a north Durham youth club are celebrating after success in a regional singing competition. Emily Boscher, 13, was the intermediate and overall winner of the Cleveland and Durham Youth Association contest with ten-year-old

  • Historic items stolen during burglary

    A GOLD Nobel Peace Prize medal and lock of hair from 18th Century naval hero Admiral Lord Collingwood are among a £150,000 haul of valuables stolen from a historic North-East civic building. The haul includes the 1934 gold medal awarded to Labour

  • Quiz night

    QUIZ NIGHT: A fundraising quiz night for St Leonard’s Church in Sandhutton, near Thirsk, will take place at the Kings Arms pub on Sunday, April 14 at 7.30pm. Entry is £5 per person, and includes a Kings Arms supper.

  • Crown court date for man facing 20 charges

    A SPENNYMOOR man facing 20 charges, including burglary and assaulting the police, has been committed to Durham Crown Court to face trial.  Michael Thomas Collier, 33, of Moorside, appeared via videolink from Holme House Prison, in Stockton, at

  • Ellie’s idea to be turned into book character

    A GIRL’S monstrous idea has made her the winner of a competition to create a character in a children’s book series. Ellie Tweddle, 11, of Polam Hall School, Darlington, won the competition, in which youngsters were asked to think of characters

  • Comedy hotspots double up with laughter

    COMEDIANS are having the last laugh by performing at two different venues on the same night. Big Mouth Comedy Club at Middlesbrough Town Hall and Saltburn’s Brass Neck Comedy Club will both be hosting stand-ups Ian Moors and Quincy on Saturday

  • Guided walk taking in landmark bridge and nearby countryside

    A GUIDED walk is staged tomorrow (Thursday April 4) taking in the world’s oldest surviving single arch railway bridge, plus other built and natural landmarks. Countryside ranger Mike Munro leads the seven-and-a-half mile trek from the Causey Arch

  • Home plan

    A PROPOSAL to replace a derelict cottage with a family home has been submitted to council planners. Durham County Council has received a planning application to demolish 11 Railway Terrace, on the green at West Cornforth, and build a new three-bedroom

  • Anger growing over Durham school shake-up

    THE Government has been accused of ‘playing with the ashes before the funeral’, after handing the classrooms of a struggling comprehensive to a new free school – before lessons have even finished. Before Durham County Council last month confirmed

  • Burglary at Spennymoor compound

    BURGLARS who raided a Spennymoor compound stole fuel from vans parked at the site. At some time over the Easter weekend thieves forced their way through a metal perimeter fence at the Premier Traffic Management site, on Tudhoe Industrial Estate

  • Dream of becoming a vet could be dashed due to tuition fees

    A TEESSIDE girl who wants to be a vet is making a last ditch appeal for sponsorship and donations so she can go to university. Amy Sayers, 22, from Billingham, has received an unconditional offer from Bristol University to study veterinary science

  • Book fairs for Palestine

    THE Pemberton Rooms, on Palace Green, Durham City, will be the venue for book fairs on April 5, 6, 12 and 13m, from 10am to 4pm each day. Books of all types will be available, many for 50p. Entry is free. All proceeds will go to the Durham Palestine

  • School to double in size

    A PLAN to nearly double the size of a primary school in an area short of school places has been submitted to Stockton Borough Council. St Francis of Assisi C of E School, in Ingleby Barwick, wants to build a two-storey extension to the side of

  • MS Society branch holds awareness event

    A SUPPORT group will hold an awareness day later this month (Tuesday, April 30). The North Durham branch of the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society is staging the event at Clayport library, on Millennium Place, Durham City, on Tuesday, April 30, from

  • Ancient abbey goes green

    A World Heritage Site is embracing green technology to ensure its thousands of visitors can stay warm. Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, near Ripon, is installing an energy-saving ground source heat pump to provide warmth for the visitor centre

  • Man missing without medication

    CONCERNS are growing for a man who has not been seen for a week and may be without his medication. Police are keen to trace the whereabouts of Colyn Waite (CORRECT) who has been missing from his home in Shildon, County Durham, since last Wednesday

  • Mr Franchise Viagra

    DWAYNE JOHNSON, alias the wrestler known as The Rock, is a handy man to have around in an emergency. If you’ve got a film franchise that needs boosting to improve its performance at the box office, then he’s the man for you. He’s already done it

  • Museum marks 40th anniversary of tramway

    AN OPEN AIR attraction is marking the 40th anniversary of its tramway with a four-day celebration from tomorrow (Thursday, April 4). A four-tram service will be working on the one-and-a-half-mile tramway at Beamish Museum, near Stanley, County

  • Chance to bake doggy treats

    CHILDREN can give make their pets a delicious gift at a special workshop on Friday. The Kids K9 Cookery Class, hosted by Dogs Trust Darlington, will give youngsters the chance to make tasty treats for their dogs and those at the rehoming centre

  • Exam results in county schools continue to improve

    NEW figures show that test and exam results in County Durham schools are continuing to improve. The new statistic - which will be presented to Durham County Council's cabinet next week - show pupils' performance in Key Stage Two tests and in GCSE

  • Cash boost for credit union as welfare changes take effect

    COUNCIL bosses have invested £50,000 in a credit union ahead of a predicted rise in demand for its services in the wake of changes to the benefits system. Darlington Credit Union (DCU) has thanked Darlington Borough Council for the contribution

  • Computer upgrade

    A SCHOOL has donated computing equipment it no longer uses to a drop-in centre. The Ferryhill E-Café opened a new computer suite using kit donated and installed by Ferryhill Business and Enterprise College. The facility will enable the venue

  • Joan’s happy landing

    DALLAS got all the publicity but there are those who found its spin-off Knots Landing more to their taste. And now it’s coming back – not like Dallas in a new series, but re-runs of the original show. Coincidentally, star Joan Van Ark has just

  • Arthur Henderson: a Labour pioneer

    ARTHUR HENDERSON'S Nobel Peace Prize has been stolen from the Guild Hall in Newcastle. Henderson is one of my heroes: the Barnard Castle MP and Darlington mayor who became the first member of the Labour Party to sit in a British Cabinet. In 1998

  • Teesside biofuels plant: A short but troubled history

    Biofuels producer Ensus is taking its Teesside plant offline due to a poor wheat harvest and rising energy costs for the third time in the three years since its launch. Here is the history of the plant • Opened as Europe's biggest bioethanol plant

  • Couple acting suspiciously hunted by police

    SUSPECT COUPLE: Cleveland Police are appealing for information in connection with the occupants of a black saloon car which was believed to have been in Calverley Road in Middlesbrough at around 7pm on Tuesday. The male driver and female occupant are

  • ADV PIC Songs from stage and screen

    GLAMOUR will be hitting the stage of the Forum in Northallerton from April 24 to 27. Northallerton Musical Theatre Company will be performing "Music from Stage and Screen,” a non-stop show combining the magic of the musical and the thrills of the

  • Council feedback using "smiley" faces

    IMAGES of smiley faces are to be used to allow people to show how they feel about their council’s services. Hambleton District Council has introduced a system providing a quick and easy way of leaving feedback whenever they contact the council

  • Theatre group to perform Guys and Dolls

    STAGE PLAY: The Wear Valley Musical Theatre Company is to present Guys and Dolls at Shildon Civic Hall from Tuesday, 16, to Saturday, 20, April. It starts at 7.15pm with tickets £9 for adults, £5 for children aged 14-years and under. Tickets can be

  • Dance fans prepare for Latin festival

    PREPARATIONS are underway for one of the biggest Latin dance festivals in the country. Dancers from across the region are getting ready to bring their South American inspired moves to the North-East for the fifth annual Teesside Latin Dance Festival

  • Crowds hail troops in homecoming parade

    CROWDS turned out to show their support for a regiment whose base has been axed as more than 400 of its soldiers returned from a six-month tour in Afghanistan. The troops from Ripon-based 21 Engineer Regiment honoured the memory of two comrades

  • Di Canio must renounce fascism - Dean of Durham

    A LEADING churchman whose Jewish mother fled Nazi Germany as a teenager has called on Paolo Di Canio to renounce fascism, saying the new Sunderland boss’ politics were “deeply troubling”. The Very Reverend Michael Sadgrove, the Dean of Durham,

  • Sedgefield veterans honour UK's latest Afghanistan casualty

    SEDEFIELD Village Veterans, of County Durham, will hold a service on the green in Sedgefield at 10.45am tomorrow (Thursday, April 4) to coincide with the repatriation of Lance Corporal Jamie Webb, from 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment, who died on

  • Newton Aycliffe police appeal for help to trace stolen bike

    NEWTON Aycliffe police are appealing for help to trace a red Apollo mountain bike that was stolen from outside of Mccolls newsagents, Oakfield, at around 2.40pm on Monday, April 1. The bike has a 24 inch frame, 36 gears, front suspension and a silver

  • Appeal to donate Easter Eggs to local groups proves a success

    GENEROUS residents donated Easter Eggs to an appeal to provide goodies to local groups over the bank holiday. Co-operative Funeralcare, in Shildon, collected the eggs and donated them to several groups including the Women’s Refuge, Darlington,

  • Fun day at Hamsteels

    A VILLAGE housing estate will host a family fun day later this week (Friday, April 5). The Hamsteels Estate Activity Day will be held on the large estate, in Esh Winning, on Friday, April 5, from 11am. There will be games, competitions and

  • Every Little Helps pledge from retail giant to local causes

    HUNDREDS of thousands of items have been donated to needy children and worthy causes across Teesside by Tesco’s Teesport depot in less than a year. Stock which cannot be sold in its supermarkets such as out-of-date annuals and electrical goods

  • Easter egg competition raises funds for autistic charity

    A CHARITY for autistic children has received a financial boost thanks an Easter egg decorating competition. Almost 500 votes were cast on social network site Facebook in the contest organised by telecommunications firm Odyssey Systems and it has

  • Healthwatch Darlington appeal for volunteers

    HEALTHWATCH VOLUNTEERS: Healthwatch Darlington, a social enterprise working to give people a say in their health and social care, are seeking volunteers. Anyone interested in putting themselves forward as a candidate for the organisation’s Chair or

  • Je t’aime for a laugh

    THERE’S no need to worry, Kristin Scott Thomas assures me, as she’s getting offered roles she wants. “Well, I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t want to do it. Because I’ve learned my lesson. But do I get a lot of offers? Yes,” she says. It’s not a question

  • Residents encouraged to join green scheme

    RESIDENTS are being offered grants to help them brighten up their community. Durham County Council is encouraging local groups to get involved with The Royal Horticultural Society’s It’s Your Neighbourhood campaign. The campaign is aimed at

  • Profile of Nobel Peace Prize winner Arthur Henderson

    BORN in Glasgow in 1863, Arthur Henderson was the illegitimate son of a domestic servant but went on to be a pioneering figure in British politics. His family moved to Newcastle when he was nine and he went on to work as an iron moulder and became

  • Darlington Elim Pentecostal Church to hold spring sale

    The Elim Pentecostal Church, in Bowman Street, Darlington, will hold a spring sale with stalls, live music, and refreshments on Saturday, April 13 from 10am to 1pm and entry is free. For more information call 01325-466270. CHARITY NIGHT: Holy

  • City of culture

    AMSTERDAM in the middle of winter might not be the enticing prospect that it is in the spring – no tulips, for a start – but there are plenty of things to do and see in this most cosmopolitan of European cities. This year, there are extra reasons

  • Close encounters

    YOU know you have truly arrived as a leading hotel and golf destination when Lee Westwood promotes your name on an international stage, when your list of celebrity members includes Ant and Dec… and when Alan Shearer helps out as a porter. The name

  • Six figure sum to be spent on playing surfaces

    Two artificial grass pitches in the North-East are set to be overhauled thanks to £650,000 of National Lottery funding from Sport England. Durham University will get the lions share of the funding - £500,000 - which will help to pay for the installation

  • Flying higher

    Bioshock Infinite,  Platform: PS3, £34.99  IT’S time to take to the skies and revel in the world of Columbia. Here, up in the clouds, Bioshock hits even dizzier gaming heights than its two predecessors, which had already cemented the series as

  • Pulmonaria passion

    ACOLLEAGUE of mine celebrated her birthday last week, and one of the gifts she received was a book by a well-known gardener talking about her favourite plants. As a gardener myself, I often get asked what my favourite plant is, and the answer very

  • Nobel Peace Prize stolen in Newcastle

    A NOBEL Peace Prize awarded to a former County Durham MP is among items stolen in a Newcastle burglary, police revealed today. The break-in took place at the Lord Mayor's Mansion House in Fernwood Road, Jesmond overnight between Monday and Tuesday

  • Nominations sought for area action partnership vacancy

    A LOCAL resident seeking to help their community is being sought to fill a vacancy on Durham County Council area action partnership. A space has arisen on the Three Town’s Area Action Partnership which covers the Willington, Crook and Tow Law area

  • Soapwatch

    WHO’S that woman in the dock at Walford Magistrates’ Court? It can’t be, surely it can’t be. But it is. Oh, the shame of it – pensioner Dot Branning up before the judge in EastEnders (BBC1). What can she have done? Laundering money, perhaps

  • Scott & Bailey (ITV1, 9pm)

    WHEN they first appeared on the crime scene, it was easy to dub Scott & Bailey as the North-West’s answer to Cagney and Lacey, but they’ve been around long enough now to be considered in their own right as they juggle complicated personal lives

  • Hidden Killers of the Victorian Home (BBC4, 9pm)

    DESPITE the prevalence of strict rules concerning health and safety these days, most accidents still occur in the home. So imagine how dangerous households were before the advent of such regulations. In the Victorian era, early labour-saving gadgets

  • Coast (BBC2, 8pm)

    YOU would have thought that the Coast team would have pretty much exhausted all the tales there are to tell about our nation’s shoreline; that, after one or two circumnavigations, they would have seen, and reported upon, all there is to see. But they

  • Rotary club seeks donations of bikes to help African projects

    A CHARITY wants donations of bicycles to give to community groups working in Africa. The Rotary Club of Crook is seeking unwanted bikes of any model, size or condition. The bikes will be repaired so that they can be given to local and international

  • Major cash boost for North-East enterprise zone

    A LOW carbon enterprise zone beside Nissan in Sunderland will go ahead thanks to an EU cash injection, paving the way for new jobs and investment. The North East Local Enterprise Partnership's enterprise zone - known as the A19 Ultra Low Carbon

  • New life for old ladders

    DUSTY old stepladders and vintage Pepsi crates might not seem the most obvious things to brighten up a garden, but add some terracotta pots and a bit of creative thinking and it could be given a new lease of life. Helen Hindle is an expert at thinking

  • £250,000 will finance fresh recruitment

    A CASH injection of £250,000 will help a North-East software company to recruit more staff. SocialRel8, based in Middlesbrough, has received £100,000 from the Finance for Business North-East Proof of Concept Fund, managed by Northstar Ventures,

  • Memories of "Griff"

    MY family and I were saddened by the death of actor Richard Griffiths (Echo, Mar 30). In his teens Griff, as he was known, was on his first drama course under Ken Parkin at Stockton/Billingham Technical College. He became friendly with my family

  • Weather Fronts

    IT is amazing to think that this time a year ago we were basking in summer temperatures. Back then I asked why we are enjoying summertime temperatures in March and April? I wondered what explanation – if any–- the experts at the Metrological

  • Scotland

    PRIME Minster David Cameron recently agreed with other European leaders that spending in the EU should be cut. That decision means that there will be a 32 per cent reduction in the UK’s structural funds which are intended to attract investment

  • Boat Race

    ON Easter Sunday I enjoyed a real sporting treat. I recorded the University Boat Race from the BBC’s copious selection of sporting events and later played it back at fast speed. It was riveting stuff. VJ Connor, Bishop Auckland.

  • Grand National

    IN support of concerns expressed by Edward Halliday (HAS, Mar 19) about horse racing. I, too, am worried about the welfare of horses entered in this year’s Grand national. I was on patting terms with one of the National’s bygone winners, Hello

  • Sunderland FC

    DAVID MILIBAND’S resignation will be no great loss to Sunderland AFC (Echo, Apr 1). He was parachuted into a safe Labour seat here in the first place, and after giving up his seat, this is too much like a convenient excuse to sever all ties with

  • IDS

    WE heard it from Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s when she told hard-up students to live off porridge and water. Now it is the turn of the Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith to dish out the gruel. In a recent radio interview he insisted

  • Cricket club struggles to cope with drainage problems

    A POPULAR cricket club is struggling to cope after being blighted with drainage problems. Last summer, several games had to be called off when the field at Cockerton Cricket Club became severely waterlogged as a result of heavy rains and poor drainage

  • Palestine

    KEV McSTRAVICK is under the misapprehension that the reason for the appalling death toll among Palestinian civilians in the conflict with Israel is that “Palestinian terrorists hide behind their children” (HAS, Mar 29). The fact is that the Israelis

  • Student sculpture designers praised for their work

    A SCULPTURE that marked the 450th anniversary of Prior Pursglove College has been praised for its outstanding design. The winning creation was the brainchild of students Sammy Jackson and Heather Green, both from Redcar. The 9ft sculpture,

  • Bye-bye baking, now sewing’s the thing

    Self-confessed Bake Off addict Claudia Winkleman is overjoyed to be presenting its new offshoot, The Great British Sewing Bee. So put down your wooden spoons, says Kate Whiting – it’s all about needles and thread now CLAUDIA WINKLEMAN is tired.

  • Silence in Ambridge is golden

    THE Archers is to have a new editor for the first time in 22 years. Vanessa Whitburn’s retirement has prompted a wave of speculation over possible new story lines. I’m tempted to submit a long-cherished idea of my own. Cue theme music: Tum-titum, ti-tum

  • Has tide turned against otters?

    Regarded as one of the great conservation successes, otters have made a return in areas where once they were extinct. But their comeback hasn’t been welcomed by everyone, as Stuart Arnold reports WHO wouldn’t admire an otter? These beautiful

  • Ensus takes Teesside biofuels plant offline

    BIOFUELS producer Ensus is taking its Teesside plant offline due to a poor wheat harvest and rising energy costs. It is the latest setback from the plant, Europe's biggest ethanol facility, which started operations in February 2010 but shut for

  • Takeover speculation boosts Vodafone

    SPECULATION over a potential $245bn (£161bn) break-up bid for Vodafone helped propel the mobile phone company higher yesterday in buoyant trading on the FTSE 100 Index. Vodafone was one of the biggest risers on the top tier, closing up nearly three

  • Gold for Silver Tree in school football contest

    A VILLAGE primary school has triumphed in a citywide football competition. The Durham City School Sport Partnership (SSP) section of the County Cup for girls in years five and six was won by Silver Tree Primary, in Ushaw Moor. The event was

  • Upgrading the A1

    HOPES that the Government will finally give the go-ahead for an upgrade the of the A1 north of Newcastle appeared to be fading last night. The Chancellor has already revived a plan to upgrade the dual carriageway between Leeming Bar and Barton,

  • England call for sidelined Tremlett

    SURREY paceman Chris Tremlett has been included in England’s 30-man Performance Squad for the 2013 summer international season, although batsman James Taylor is a notable omission. Tremlett has not played a Test since January 2012 against Pakistan

  • National in sight for Imperial hope

    THE prospect of decent ground at Aintree for Saturday’s John Smith’s Grand National has convinced Imperial Commander’s owners to aim for gold. Trainer Nigel Twiston- Davies’ 12-year-old, winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2010, had the Betfred

  • Some painful Portuguese memories for Shearer

    For the second time in eight years, Newcastle United touched down in the Portuguese capital Lisbon yesterday with hopes of European glory strong. Chief football writer Paul Fraser explains how Alan Shearer wants to see the class of 2013 go one better

  • Watching Brief

    ONE of the stars of Vera, the ITV detective series set and filmed in the North-East, is back directing a feature film. David Leon plays Sergeant Joe Ashworth, sidekick to Brenda Blethyn’s Vera in the series. Now he’s writer and director of Orthodox

  • Shearer dreaming of Amsterdam finale for Magpies

    FOR the second time in eight years, Newcastle United touched down in the Portuguese capital Lisbon yesterday with hopes of European glory strong. Chief football writer Paul Fraser explains how Alan Shearer wants to see the class of 2013 go one better

  • Rugby club to host charity fashion show

    RUGBY players have swapped conversions for the catwalk to promote a charity fashion show. Darlington Mowden Park rugby club is hosting the event at The Northern Echo Arena on Friday, April 12, to raise funds for the Tiny Lives and Sick Children

  • Sissoko wary of Benfica threat to Newcastle

    NEWCASTLE UNITED may be heading in to a quarter-final test with Benfica in the Europa League tomorrow night, but January buy Moussa Sissoko is not willing to think this could be the Premier League club's year just yet. It is 44 years since Newcastle

  • Emirates wrap up deal with Tyne & Wear Metro

    ONE of the world’s fastest growing airlines has announced a year-long sponsorship of the Tyne and Wear Metro. Emirates' deal demonstrates the airline’s continued support for the North-East. Launching next month, the advertising campaign will display

  • Jail term for acid-threat shop robber

    A ROBBER threatened to burn shop staff with acid before fleeing with cigarettes and cash from the terrified workers. Christopher Bowlt, 30, forced his way into the store in disguise and demanded his loot should be put into a carrier bag. He

  • Funeral home signs up to pacemaker recycling initiative

    A FUNERAL parlour is helping solve the often overlooked problem of what to do with pacemakers removed from bodies prior to cremation. In proof that death is no barrier to going green, Barthram Funeral Service in Northallerton, North Yorkshire,