FEARS that Darlington could lose three of their talented youngsters having been selected for a high profile trial associated to Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy have been quelled.At the end of the season Josh Heaton, Luke Trotman and Joe Wheatley will
THROUGHOUT the past 27 years, I’ve done my best to be a cool dad. I really have. I’m acutely aware that dads are often embarrassing, whether it’s their clothes, the things they say, their dancing, or their choice of music. So, in contrast to
WHEN you think of footballers, more specifically those at the top end of the footballing pyramid, you don’t tend to think of them wearing aprons, cracking eggs and baking cakes on a day off – and enjoying it. Ryan Shotton and George Friend are not your
THE Saturday before last, with gulls screaming and oyster catchers piping, we took part in the Saltburn beach clean, along with about 130 others. We selected the stones and the sands beside the beck, and at first, it looked fairly clean. But then
A TEENAGER has been arrested after fleeing from police and crashing a suspected stolen vehicle. The 16-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and burglary after officers spotted the Vauxhall Zafira jumping a red light at Cockton
ANOTHER big name has been announced for a headline show in North Yorkshire. Chart topping rock band Texas will perform at Scarborough Open Air Theatre this summer. The Scottish band – who have sold more than 40 million albums in a brilliant
A CAFE and pizza restaurant were among the premises targeted in a spate of burglaries overnight in Norton. Cleveland Police are appealing for witnesses following the break-ins on the High Street, Newlands Avenue and Cleveland Avenue overnight on
Regrout tired tiles to freshen the look of the littlest room in the house. Fancy tackling the job yourself? Follow Chloe Kent’s step-by-step guide NOTHING puts a downer on the start of the day like stepping into the shower - and locking eyes with
PAT McCormack has vowed to put on a show for the fans when the British Lionhearts take on the Croatian Knights in the World Series of Boxing at Gateshead Leisure Centre on Friday night.The match is the first time a WSB event has been held in the North-East
She may not have mellowed - but Ruby Wax is happier, calmer and knows when to hit the breaks. She talks to Hannah Stephenson about rage, marriage and avoiding burn-out Always outspoken, frequently blunt, Ruby Wax made her name in the UK through
THE opening of a fifth unit at a secure children’s home in County Durham is expected to save a council almost £900,000 in the next year.Aycliffe Secure Centre, in Newton Aycliffe, recently opened the doors of its fifth accommodation facility.According
A MAN has been arrested after two ounces of Class A drugs were found in the bedroom of a property in a County Durham village. The 28-year-old was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply and was taken into custody on Wednesday
A MAN was arrested by police following the discovery of a cannabis farm in a rural County Durham village. Officers found a number of cannabis plants when they attended the property on Elwick View, in Trimdon Station, at around 9.50pm on Tuesday
A CITY shopping centre has revealed a tasty addition to its retail offering, with the news that a luxury chocolate brand is opening a new store.Hotel Chocolat, which has stores across the UK and Europe will open doors at The Bridges, in Sunderland, on
AN INAUGURAL festival celebrating all things from the Emerald Isle will take place in the North-East next month thanks to a newly formed Teesside Irish Society. A host of events will be held venues in Stockton, Darlington and Middlesbrough to coincide
A GREAT-grandmother has been rescued from a "fireball" crash after her car ploughed into the side of a house. Ursula Scott, 75, said she felt lucky to be alive after the accident in Cambridge Road, Linthorpe, Middlesbrough. Mrs Scott, of nearby
THE comic and occasionally rude treatment of British prime ministers by political cartoonists over the centuries is to be explored by speaker Tony Daniels in “From Walpole’s bottom to Theresa’s shoes” as part of the Stokesley Society’s continuing winter
STAFF from a retirement village enjoyed a belated Christmas party with a Hawaiian twist.More than 100 employees from Middleton Lodge swapped thoughts of crisp winter weather for sunnier climes when they donned Hawaiian themed outfits to sip cocktails
AUDITIONS are to be held next month for parts in the 2018 York Mystery Plays, which will be performed on pageant wagons in the city’s streets later this year. They will be staged at various spots across the city centre, in line with medieval custom
THE latest costs for policing the continuing anti-fracking protests in North Yorkshire have been published - and they are the lowest yet. The figures released by the county's police and crime commissioner Julia Mulligan show the protests at Kirby
A SUSPECT has been arrested after a gunman held up a store before making off with a lottery machine. Police were called to J&H Local in Tempest Street in Silksworth, Sunderland, after reports of an armed robbery at 9.10am yesterday. A man
TWO human traffickers who were jailed for bringing migrant workers into the country and putting them to work for less than minimum wage have been ordered to pay more than £15,000 to vulnerable victims. Robert Dolinski and Andrezej Laskowski were
LOCALLY produced Paul Dummett is targeting being a permanent fixture of the Newcastle United defence for years to come after signing a new contract with the club he supported as a boy.The 26-year-old left-back, who was born in Newcastle, has been a key
“THAT was a lie, wasn’t it?” We have here, the worst sort of closed question. “Well, quite” and here, the worst sort of evasive answer ensuring no one can accuse the speaker of libel. It has to be acknowledged that we, as a species, do moral
FURTHER to the article (Echo, Feb 13), we get sick and tired or reading and hearing about the huge profits and extortionate rates that the ‘Big Six’ energy supply companies are imposing on the British public. All that is done to try curtail this
WELL done Harry Ellison, the chairman of Cockton Hill Working Men’s Club, for scoring a victory in a David versus Goliath battle with Yorkshire Gas and Power (Echo, Feb 13). This kind of behaviour could increase markedly when we all have ‘smart
JUST recently we have had four very controversial incidents that have made me put pen to paper concerning the ass of our judicial system. You have the monster Jon Venables (involved in the abduction and killing of James Bulger in 1993), two chances
TWO men have been arrested in connection with Wednesday's cash machine explosion. A 34-year-old man was arrested in Leeds on Wednesday afternoon while a 33-year-old man was arrested in Darlington this afternoon. Both men are from the Bradford
AUDIENCES have been promised a "rip-roaring" comedy as the latest performance from the Highlights Rural Touring Scheme makes its way to a Teesdale village next week.Gonzo Moose Theatre Company will present The Thing That Came Over From There
Flossie Mainwaring-Taylor follows in the footsteps of Beatrix Potter to discover the Lakes IT’S not every day you can say you are standing within the same four walls where one of the world’s best-selling, best-loved children’s authors edited a
Black Panther is Marvel’s first black hero to get his own standalone film. Stars Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira and Michael B Jordan tell Laura Harding why it’s about time LUPITA Nyong'o's karaoke song of choice is You Oughta Know by Alanis Morissette
While Anna Friel’s performance as tortured character Marcella left viewers enthralled, the actress tells Georgia Humphreys the second series promises to push boundaries even further ANNA Friel is recalling how she almost turned down the opportunity
A CHAIN of Darlington youth clubs are launching with the hope of becoming a positive outlet for youngsters.YMCA Tees Valley have been successful in receiving grant funding to create four new youth clubs in the town.Red Hall will be the first community
Malcolm Warne pops to the local for a tricky review assignment. Would a friendship be at risk? THIS is potentially a particularly tricky assignment. Good friends invite us to review their local pub - and when I say local, about 50 yards away
Newcastle's first ever international film festival is heading this way, and will be opened by Get Carter director Mike Hodges FILM director Mike Hodges will be back in the region ?this spring for a special screening of the classic Get Carter. Hodges
BILL KENWRIGHT’S production of the international smash hit musical Blood Brothers is coming to Darlington Hippodrome from Tuesday to Saturday, February 20 to 24 . Considered ‘One of the best musicals ever written’ (Sunday Times), Blood Brothers
Darlington’s Ellis Corrie is ready to hit the ring again.Last year Corrie made the transition from international Muay Thai champion to professional boxing, enjoying a successful home debut over David Zubrzycki at the Dolphin Centre. It was a tough first
Following a sensational run in November 2017, Olivier, Tony and Grammy Award-Winning Beautiful – the Carole King Musical returns to the North-East in early March. Beautiful – tells the inspiring true story of King’s remarkable rise to stardom,
WAR HORSE, the multi-award winning stage drama that has been seen by an estimated seven million people worldwide, has returned to the Sunderland Empire as part of its 10th Anniversary UK Tour - four years after it sold out the venue for a three-week
Certificate: 15 Running Time: 123 mins Star Rating: 4/5 MEXICAN filmmaker Guillermo del Toro recaptures the visual splendour and simmering menace of his Oscar-winning 2006 fantasy Pan's Labyrinth with a swoon-inducing reimagining of the
Paloma Faith scored her first number one album with 2017’s The Architect. The London-born songstress tells Joe Nerssessian about the record’s political nature and receiving death threats online It's a bright January morning in south-east London
FAMILY troubles are at the centre of pretty much everything this week, starting with the Connor clan (Coronation Street, ITV). Aidan and Carla have their respective procedures, and their father Johnny upsets Jenny by saying he can't possibly leave
Peppa Pig and friends are back in a brand new live show, Peppa Pig’s Adventure – the perfect show for the youngest audiences. And we have a family ticket to be won by one lucky reader when the show visits Darlington Hippodrome on the weekend of
WASHINGTON-BASED based Simpson Group has been bought in a management buyout that will see the family founders hand over the reins of the £11m turnover business. The print company was formed in 1972 by Bill Simpson and now employs more than 100
BOYZONE are to celebrate 25-years of the band with a performance at York Racecourse this summer. The popular nineties boyband are the second of three music acts to be named for the 2018 season, and will play on Music Showcase Saturday, July 28.
THE Prince of Wales is in the region today visiting St John's College at Durham University and Durham Cathedral before heading to Barnard Castle. In spite of the cold, hundreds of people had gathered to meet the next in line to the throne at Palace
MOUNTAIN rescuers who were out enjoying a leisurely ski were drafted in to help stranded vehicles on Buttertubs Pass in the Yorkshire Dales. The Swaledale Mountain Rescue Team was called in by the police following reports that a number of vehicles
A PLUMBING supplies firm is eyeing new jobs as it expands to meet continued demand. JTM Plumbing, an online business selling thousands of products every month, has bought a 2.2-acre plot of land on Darlington’s Faverdale Industrial Estate.
THE Prince of Wales is visiting the region today. Prince Charles, who last visited County Durham in 2012, is in Durham this morning before visiting Barnard Castle later in the day. Update: Prince Charles in Durham He is due to unveil
POLICE have agreed to carry out an impact assessment of parking round their new Northallerton headquarters after angry residents claimed their lives were being blighted and put at risk. Over 150 residents packed a public meeting with police representatives
A PUB which shut down despite a long community campaign to save it, then was gutted by fire could be pulled down and replaced with a shop and takeaway.Plans to redevelop derelict pub and hotel The Aclet, in Bishop Auckland, have been submitted to Durham
FIRE believed to be caused by the electrics of a cannabis farm tore through the lofts of four houses in a terraced street. Emergency services were called to Prospect Terrace, in New Kyo, near Stanley, just after 7pm on Tuesday night. Three
A CASH machine has been blown up in Darlington. Thieves targeted a free standing cash machine near the Heron Foods store in the Cockerton Green area of the town in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Following the explosion one witness described
SIMON VALLILY says he will be taking the same kind of form which saw him strike Commonwealth Games boxing gold into the ring with him on Saturday night when he challenges for the English cruiserweight title on the undercard of the George Groves-Chris
FORMER Newcastle United coach Mark Lawrenson thinks Rafael Benitez’s team will still struggle to score goals in the relegation run-in despite landing Algerian striker Islam Slimani. Benitez spent last month trying to bolster his attacking ranks
A NIGHTCLUB remained closed on Wednesday night out of respect for a student who died in a crush a week earlier. Olivia Burt suffered fatal head injuries during a crowd surge as people queued to get into the packed Missoula nightclub, in Durham,
ANGER is continuing to mount over the handling of the closure of an historic Dales attraction. The North of England Civic Trust (NECT) confirmed last month that Gayle Mill in Wensleydale will not be opening for the 2018 season due to vital work
DURHAM County Cricket Club has secured international cricket for the next five years. After weeks of deliberation by the ECB panel, the club was told that Emirates Riverside had secured major international cricket fixtures until 2024, but the proposal
INTERNATIONAL experts in maths difficulties have been helping teachers get to grips with the issues some children face with numbers.Richmond School and Sixth Form College played host to a regional workshop to help primary and secondary colleagues address
A STUDY has revealed almost 18,000 children in the North-East with a parent working in the public sector are now living in poverty.Analysis published by the TUC on Thursday shows the region has seen 4,000 more children fall into poverty since 2010, an
AN showcase spanning a range of media will be launched at a Newton Aycliffe art gallery next month. Greenfield Arts, based at Greenfield Community College, is inviting members of the public to attend the preview of its annual Open Art Exhibition
A CONMAN who left businesses on the verge of bankruptcy and people penniless and homeless was branded “dangerous and devious” as he was jailed for seven years. Alan Willis was told at Teesside Crown Court that he had left in his wake a trail of
NEIL WARNOCK hopes to be handing out the lessons in his 'old school' scrap with Tony Pulis.The Cardiff manager is predicting an open encounter on Saturday as two of British football's most experienced managers prepare to go head to head for
YOUNGSTERS have been encouraged to feel the force in an initiative inspired by UK astronaut Tim Peake.Students from Northallerton School and Sixth Form College were given a taste of science, ranging from Newton’s theories to space travel, in a project
A HIGH-flying team of young footballers has received a further boost thanks to sponsorship from a Thirsk kitchen-fitting company.S&D Installations have swooped in to offer Thirsk Falcons’ Under 8s blues team an away kit sponsorship deal.The youngsters
RAFA BENITEZ is convinced loan signing Islam Slimani represents value for money despite being set to cost Newcastle at least £200,000 per game.The Algerian international is yet to make his debut after sitting out the last two matches with a thigh injury
VICTIMS of crime can have confidence that Durham Constabulary will take their report seriously, independent inspectors have concluded.Durham has been rated Good in the latest Crime Data Integrity inspection, one of only five forces in the country to achieve
A MAN who choked his on-off partner and dragged her by the hair has been spared immediate jail. Judge Tony Briggs said Gareth Metcalfe had already served the equivalent of an eight month jail sentence while on remand in custody. The judge also
A COUPLE who bought a corner of a farmer’s field to plant an orchard have been refused permission to change its use. Mr and Mrs Maclure, from Coxhoe, had already put up a fence and removed an ancient hedge as part of the development. They made
NEW affordable homes have been given the go-ahead despite the threat of a legal challenge.The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) has granted full planning permission for the construction of five new, affordable houses in Bainbridge aimed
HOMELESS people will be encouraged to take up sports and exercise in an effort to boost the well-being of vulnerable Darlington residents.A pioneering project has been launched in a bid to help those struggling with low income, chaotic lifestyles, homelessness
PLANS for a major retail development in Durham city have been resurrected after being put on ice. Dragon Lane LLP, a joint venture involving Kier Property Developments and the landowner, has put forward fresh plans to redevelop the site opposite
A KEEN hiker is preparing for sponsored walk along the Great Wall of China to raise money for a suicide prevention charity.Jordan Reay, 22, is flying out to the Far East in May and in aid of the If You Care Share Foundation, which supports the families
A MAJOR exhibition concentrating on the work of a renowned fashion photographer is coming to the North-East.The Bowes Museum, in Barnard Castle, will host CATWALKING: Fashion through the Lens of Chris Moore, from July 2018.The show will present original
HUNDREDS of free children’s books will be up for grabs at a Middlesbrough shopping centre tomorrow.Hillstreet Centre has teamed up with the National Literacy Trust Hub in Middlesbrough to host the ‘Pop-Up Story Shop’ in its latest attempt to encourage
A FORMER headteacher has received an MBE for his outstanding work in supporting children of military families. Grahame Shepherd, who was headteacher at Le Cateau Primary School in Catterick Garrison for 17 years, has received his accolade from the Prince
A PLEA has been issued to all dog walkers to keep leads on in the countryside in order to cut down the number of sheep attacks.According to research by SheepWatch UK about 15,000 sheep are killed each year by pet dogs - ten times more than previously
AMBITIOUS plans have been announced to ignite young minds through the creation of a £5m interactive engineering gallery.The National Railway Museum in York hopes the “Wonderlab” gallery will inspire youngsters to get hands-on and invent their own solutions
A LIFELONG football fan who enjoyed a whirlwind career as his beloved club’s doctor has died, aged 86. Dr Keith Beveridge was already a well-known figure in his home community of Sedgefield when he was appointed Newcastle United’s doctor in 1981
A SPORTS student who aims for a professional cricket career has netted funds to play in South Africa. Alex McGrath was awarded £500 by the Durham County Cricket Club Trust Fund, managed by County Durham Community Foundation, to go to Cape Town in March
A MORE positive approach is a key factor in Darlington’s mini revival, a change of tact that has succeeded in securing three wins in a row and seen Dave Syers twice get on the scoresheet.The midfielder has netted in two of Quakers’ recent wins, playing
A LONG-standing construction company have been shortlisted for a national award.Randall Orchard Construction of Richmond are in the running for an award from the National Federation of Builders (NFB). The organisation celebrates the high-quality work
A FAMILY-owned brewery has unveiled a new look to its award-winning visitor centre. Black Sheep Brewery in Masham has revealed an updated bar with a craft keg beer wall and a revamped seating and lounge area. New tables, chairs and sofas have been fitted
