MORE than £90,000 has been raised for a North-East hospice since it launched its annual golf tournament a decade ago. The running total was boosted by the tenth annual Butterwick Golf Classic Tournament, which attracted a strong field of teams
DURHAM County Council has recently launched its #BeTheReason September recruitment campaign and is inviting people with the patience, understanding and space to offer a child in care a stable home to get in touch. Fostering is like no other job
AT THE same time as campaigning to boost the number of foster carers, Durham is also pressing its case as one of the best places in the country to pursue a career as a social worker. The county council is promoting careers in children’s social
A campaign to recruit more foster carers is being launched in County Durham. Peter Barron finds out why it is such an important and rewarding step to take... ELEVEN years ago, as a sevenyear-old little girl growing up in a disturbing environment
A 64-YEAR-OLD woman is critically ill after an incident at a house. At 5am on Saturday, police received a report that a woman at an address on Hollybush Avenue in Ingleby Barwick had suffered a serious head injury. "The woman, who is 64 years
IT would be hard to conjure up a greater contrast than the two career paths “Steel” Johnson has chosen in his extraordinary life. The first was heroically serving his country, initially as an Army infantryman, then as a Royal Marine Commando, witnessing
JACK ROSS took responsibility for Sunderland losing their unbeaten start to the season when they were beaten by Burton Albion. Having avoided defeat in the first seven league fixtures, the Black Cats lost limply at the Pirelli Stadium, the damage
NORWICH manager Daniel Farke was pleased to see a plan come to fruition as his side beat Middlesbrough 1-0 at Carrow Road to end the visitors' unbeaten start to the Championship season. Former Boro star Pollock arrives to save Synners
LAST week’s Memories introduced our second CineSecrets video which is available on the Echo’s website. Each month, the North-East Film Archive is producing a digitised clip from a forgotten old film for us – the second is from Downstream in Durham,
THE 15th annual tournament of the Bishop Auckland Star Cycling and Touring Club appeared to pass off satisfactorily on June 24, 1908, after it had been postponed from the previous week due to wet weather. “There was a large attendance of the public
RAFA BENITEZ insists Newcastle United will get the results to climb out of trouble after their winless start to the Premier League season extended to five matches. The Magpies were left to rue two goals from Granit Xhaka and Mesut Ozil in ten second
VILLAGERS turned out in force today to celebrate their annual country fair. Hurworth Country Fair attracted a big crowd, with proceeds split between Hurworth Community Association and St Teresa's Hospice. With early sunshine helping to swell
A TEENAGER from County Durham was the top scorer with his Team GB side at a water polo championships in Belarus. John Pratt, of Coxhoe, played with the Great British U19s squad LEN U19 Men’s Water Polo Championship in Minsk this month. The 19
6:09pm Matthew Bates admitted: “I felt we were unlucky not to win. First-half, I keep saying it, we should have had them
THREE casualties were taken to hospital, two by air ambulance, following a serious collision which led to a lengthy closure on the A1 in the North-East. The accident, on a stretch of the Morpeth bypass, in Northumberland, was reported at about
4:53pm This is now Newcastle's joint worst Premier League start after five games, they have lost four and drawn one.
7:00pm Afteer the match Jack Ross shouldered the blame for the defeat, saying: “The first half was way below the standards
A COUNCIL has thanked residents for bringing 'eyesore' yards to its attention. Residents in Gibbon Street, Bishop Auckland, say rubbish and flytipping has been proved unsightly at two properties in the street since it was first spotted in early
A NEW shop is hoping to regenerate a town centre and boost trade in the area. The Sweet Boutique, in Bishop Auckland, is launching today and was inspired after its owners Val Elcoat and Karen Walton met volunteering at Kynren Eleven Arches.
ST Oswald's Mother's Union is holding a coffee morning with raffle and bring and buy sale, including cakes and books, at Sowerby Parochial Hall, near Thirsk, on Tuesday, September 18 from 10am until 11.30am.
A TRAIN travelling at 61mph missed a car by seconds on a level crossing following a signaller’s error of judgement - and a failure to pass on instructions, a report has revealed. The signaller gave the car driver permission to cross the York-Malton
A HOMELESS man who was attacked with red paint days before being found dead in a cemetery has been formally identified. Michael Cash, 32, was discovered in Eston Cemetery, Middlesbrough, on Wednesday. His death is not being treated as suspicious
A 29-YEAR-OLD from Bishop Auckland has celebrated his formal commissioning as a Royal Navy Officer. Sub Lieutenant Mark Pollard originally joined the Royal Navy as a Rating in 2006. Selected for promotion to the Office Corps, he was one of the
THE beast from the east and blistering summer temperatures have failed to faze growers in the world-famous giant vegetable competition at Harrogate Autumn Flower Show. The show, which runs from September 14 to 16, is celebrating yet another record
FOUR opera soloists are joining together to give a special concert in aid of a charity providing dance lessons for children with special needs. September Song will feature Graeme Danby, bass and compère; Valerie Reid, mezzo soprano; Sarah Fox,
A YORKSHIRE Dales village is set to host an international conference for handhooking rug makers in October. The international group of rug makers are meeting for a four-day celebration of the ancient craft, as part of The International Guild of
DARLINGTON enjoyed a much-needed and morale-boosting win last week with an understrength team, so travel to Southport today in good heart and bolstered by the return of several players. Striker Reece Styche, who was on international duty with Gibraltar
SIRIUS Minerals marked another major milestone in the development of its £3.5bn polyhalite mine near Whitby with the unveiling of its new Vertical Shaft Sinking Machine. The machine will hollow out a 360m deep shaft that will allow the company to
ORGANISATIONS responsible for public spaces are being encouraged to apply for funding to help make their areas smoke free. North Yorkshire County Council has reopened its Smokefree Places Fund which was launched last October as part of its work
THIRSK-based charity Rural Arts is hosting a free event day for the over 60s to celebrate its project Art On Your Doorstep. The scheme provides participatory arts activities for older people around Thirsk through art cafés, artist home visits and
THE BBC’s topical debate programme Question Time is heading north to County Durham this month. Guests from the worlds of politics and media will be at Bishop Auckland Town Hall to answer questions posed by members of the public on Thursday, September
MARTIN BRAITHWAITE has told Tony Pulis that he wants to stay at Middlesbrough for the rest of the season and help secure promotion to the Premier League. Braithwaite and his representatives tried to engineer a move to Spain before the overseas
Clarification THE published date for a fundraising event in aid of Luke Bell was advertised as taking place next Saturday when the event actually takes place on Sunday, September 23 between 11am and 4pm. Anyone wanting to make a donation should
RESIDENTS are being urged to book now for free electric blanket safety tests ahead of winter. Despite more than 12 years of testing electric blankets, unsafe blankets are still being discovered in use by Darlington residents. On average this popular
EXCEPTIONAL businesses in Hambleton are celebrating after being awarded in a district council scheme. Nine Hambleton businesses were honoured for being the top in the district for everything from championing apprentices to providing the best customer
VIDEO assistant referee (VAR) will be trialled at St James’ Park for the first time this afternoon when Arsenal head to Tyneside, with Rafa Benitez believing the technology is a step in the right direction. Today’s game is one of five 3pm Premier
JON McLaughlin knows all about playing at the Pirelli Stadium, he spent three years there before heading north of the border to join Scotland. This afternoon he will return there between the posts wearing a Sunderland shirt, knowing exactly what
THE Post Office has apologised after rural residents were left without the service for more than a month. Villagers in Ingleton, Teesdale, were left frustrated when the mobile service failed to show up in August. Veteran Grant Davies said he
AMID the most positive of openings to the new season, Hartlepool United won’t be changing a thing. Outlook, mentality, training, preparation under Matthew Bates will remain the same. Bates has confidence in his methods, happy his outlook – different
Some may have walked, others cycled, all or bits of the 140-mile Coast-to-Coast route from Whitehaven to Tynemouth. Many will understand how formidable it is. With the promised reward of a medal and a T-shirt for finishing under 38 hours – “and
A PROJECT has been given £12m to help 10,000 young people find work and education. DurhamWorks, a scheme led by Durham County Council, works with local employers to help young people, aged between 16 and 24, find work. There are currently almost
I NEVER met Yvonne Rowe, but reading the tributes that flooded in following her death aged 81 in the hospice she helped to found, it is clear she was a remarkable woman. Not many people leave behind the kind of legacy that she has for their home town
THE Woodland Trust is holding an event to tell people about its plans to create a native woodland on the outskirts of Durham. The organisation wants to plant the trees on land near Brasside Pond, between Brasside and Belmont and wants to get feedback
AN act of retribution by a domestic violence sufferer almost landed her behind bars for publicly identifying the victims of two sex offences. Shortly after Catherine Dunn-Wilson’s partner was arrested for an alleged physical assault on her, in
THE family of a young mother are demanding answers over why she collapsed and died suddenly just three weeks after giving birth. Bethany Barker, 20, had been discharged from hospital just five days before her death, after being admitted with pneumonia
A NEW Accountable Officer has been appointed for NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) across Durham and Tees Valley. Dr Neil O’Brien has been chosen to head a joint leadership and management team to oversee NHS North Durham CCG, NHS Durham Dales
NEWS in brief from around South Durham Shopping trip THE next Witton Park Community Bus shopping trip will be held on Tuesday, September 18 with pick ups from 11am and returning at 2pm. To book a place call Stan Thexton on 07854-566816. The
CHEAP, cheerful and edgy, the Polish city of Krakow now rivals Amsterdam in popularity. Stephen White recommends what to see and do there Deliciously eclectic: the Surf 'n' Turf served at Mavericks Restaurant THE party is in full swing
TECHNICALLY, autumn doesn't start for another couple of weeks, but if you're going by the sartorial calendar then it's well and truly here already. The summer collections have long since been cleared from shop floors and the first drops of the
INSECTS are having a boom time, so cast a net or two to keep them at bay GARDENERS all over the UK have been enjoying a very productive - and at times, very challenging - year in the garden. I don’t think the watering cans have been busier since
NANCY Revell's novels about the women who kept Sunderland's shipyards working during the war have proved a hit with readers and resulted in a lasting tribute to their courage Shipyard welder Florence Collard WHEN Sunday Times bestselling
THE Circle sees players communicate via a social media platform - and it's a battle to be voted the most popular. Georgia Humphreys finds out more from the presenters WHEN Big Brother hit our screens back in 2000, no one had seen anything quite
FORMER EastEnders star Rita Simons explains why it was important to her that her role in The Krays: Dead Man Walking was as far removed from Roxy Mitchell as possible RITA SIMONS believes in the law of attraction. Her first film project since she
AS San Antonio celebrates its 300th anniversary, Richard Jones enjoys picture perfect prairies in the Lone Star State MY heart started pounding as Breaker and I prepared to negotiate another precarious rocky descent. But the energetic pinto gelding
POLICE investigating a barn fire at a farm near Masham that caused £8,000 of damage are appealing for two men to come forward. The fire followed a large party held at a holiday cottage at Kilgram Farm in Jervaulx in the early hours of Sunday, September
BOSSES at a children's theatre have promised a bumper line-up of entertainment over the coming months. The Hullabaloo, a dedicated theatre for children and their families, opened its doors in December last year and has since welcomed over 15 000
SEPTEMBER 15 1649: Titus Oates, English Anglican priest and fabricator of the "Popish Plot" in 1678, was born. 1830: At the official opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, Britain's first railway fatality occurred when MP William Huskisson
Free cinema VOLUNTEER-run cinema the Ritz in Thirsk is offering film fans a chance to watch a film for free on Sunday, September 30 as part of National Lottery Cinema Day. Audience members simply need to show a Lotto ticket for draws between September
A BUILDING society has announced its plans to offer more services in a town severely hit by bank closures. Stokesley has seen its branches of Barclays, HSBC and Nat West close in recent years. It is one of just many rural towns in North Yorkshire
A BICYCLE stunt team, Vikings and ponies will be on display in a village this weekend as an annual fair returns for another year. The eighth Hurworth Country Fair will take place at Hurworth Grange on Saturday between 10.30am and 4pm. Organisers
A GROUP working to protect red squirrels is launching a new project to bring them back to parts of the North-East. Northeast Red Squirrels (NeRS) has been given £59,900 from the National Lottery for its project to bring the endangered animal back
SQUABBLING between NHS services and a police force over dealing with people at crisis point is causing “more harm than can be measured”, a meeting has heard. North Yorkshire County councillors expressed exasperation after hearing from both the
A DIGNIFIED and humble charity worker who sparked a movement in palliative care has been nursed to a peaceful end, aged 81, by the hospice she helped found. Staff at St Teresa’s Hospice, Darlington, said they’d had the privilege of caring for Yvonne
SOME of the North-East’s world-leading scientists will be seeking to inspire people during a series of talks of topics ranging from the Big Bang to driverless cars. Durham University is holding its Saturday Morning Science programme again this year
A GROUP of Dale women have bared all for charity by creating their own naked calendar. The Weardale Calendar Girls 2019 project started out as a ‘dare’ in a pub in Stanhope with hairdresser and businesswoman Jackie Brown. Mrs Brown, a cancer
AN AMATEUR theatre society’s latest show is a production by one of Britain’s best-loved playwrights. Durham Dramatic Society is putting on People, by Alan Bennett for a seven-day run this month. The show is on at the City Theatre, in Back Silver
THERE are some things in life that former PR man and current Countdown presenter Nick Hewer can't stand – and reality TV is one of them. "I watched a bit of Celebrity Big Brother the other day. Do you know something? I would prefer to eat my leg
A HEALTH and wellbeing charity based in Newton Aycliffe will host a coffee morning as part of a national cancer charity campaign. The Pioneering Care Partnership (PCP) is inviting people to take part in the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning in aid
JACK ROSS knows more about the attacking threat posed by Aiden McGeady than any of his fellow League One managers – because he has first-hand experience of trying to mark the Sunderland winger. McGeady returned to training after a four-month lay-off
MICHAEL Palin might have a lengthy showbiz career under his belt - but there's plenty more to come, the 75-year-old tells Gemma Dunn MICHAEL PALIN may have travelled around the world in 80 days - but his latest journey is set to be his most "revealing
INCREASING numbers of homeowners are avoiding the expense - plus the physical and emotional upheaval - of moving house, by staying put and renovating instead. In fact, the number of people choosing to do this has risen fivefold since 2013, according
DESIGNERS have revealed their new decor schemes for autumn and winter. Gabrielle Fagan selects her three favourites AUTUMN is the time of year when nature changes its colours, and thanks to the new home collections, it's easy to ring the changes
BOB Elsey is one of a dying breed of conservators, applying intricate skills to heritage projects across the country. He talks to Heather Barron about his latest labour of love in County Durham EMERGING from the grime of nearly two centuries, the
THE Ocean Film Festival World Tour is back, bringing an evening of inspirational ocean-themed films to more than 35 locations across the UK and Ireland in September and October. The films feature seafaring adventurers rowing treacherous oceans,
TODAY’S students face tons of challenges that their parent’s generation didn’t. Not for them the life of two hours of lectures a week getting in the way of non-stop drinking and partying. Modern students face huge student loans, expensive housing
CHERRY Healey, 37, investigates the impact and rise of plastic surgery in a new, telling docuseries, Sex, Knives And Liposuction. The TV presenter and single mum of two tells Georgia Humphreys more Is Sex, Knives and Liposuction the most challenging
Celebrities always have something to say. Here is this week's quotes round-up H "If people go 'Oh, you know, he's that hunky thing', then it undermines that actually I'm an actor, and I'm trying really hard to be good at it." Bodyguard star
ELLA Walker chats to Jerusalem-born chef Yotam Ottolenghi about his latest cookbook - quite a step away from the usual Ottolenghi vibe YOTAM Ottolenghi is taking a very, very different tack with his latest cookbook - and he knows it. It's called
OLYMPIC diver Tom Daley speaks to Gabrielle Fagan about being a new dad, how he hopes to parent and his wellbeing secrets DIVING star Tom Daley had two long-cherished dreams: Becoming a father and winning Olympic gold. In June, Daley, 24, and his
CRAZY Rich Asians is the first Hollywood film in 25 years with a majority Asian-American cast and it's already made more than 160 million dollars at the global box office. Star Gemma Chan talks to Laura Harding THERE is an old Chinese song that
WE have a wonderful weekend of Flat racing to look forward to on both sides of the Irish Sea, but we begin in South Yorkshire and the oldest classic in the world - the William Hill-sponsored St Leger. The unbeaten filly Lah Ti Dar (3.35) has won
