AS you may recall from my last column, I’ve reached the conclusion that I need to embark on a New Year fitness regime. The final straw came during our recent trip to Los Angeles when I went on a funfair ride with my seven-year-old niece, Isabella
TONY PULIS has acknowledged how well new-look front-line Britt Assombalonga and Ashley Fletcher performed to help Middlesbrough climb back up to fifth in the Championship, even though he insisted he could mix things up again next weekend. Assombalonga
RELATIVES of Sir Bobby Robson have marked the tenth anniversary of the North-East cancer research centre he opened months before his death. An open day was held at the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre at the Northern Centre for Cancer
PERFECTLY calm yet utterly lost, Andrew Mawson parked his car in a layby, walked out to the middle of the viaduct, and prepared to jump to his death. For 15 minutes, he stood there, agonising about the moment he would take his own life. Then his
HOW we rated the players after Middlesbrough's win over Blackburn. Goals: 0-1: Assombalonga (19, arrived at the back post to head Fletcher’s deflected shot over the line after Mulgrew error) Referee: Darren Bond (Preston) – got the red
WHATEVER criticism has been hurled at Middlesbrough and Tony Pulis’ tactics in recent weeks, this latest away day victory in the Championship at Ewood Park has proven his squad still possesses the desire and determination to stay in the promotion picture
A CYCLIST was seriously injured while out riding between Benridge and Pigdon near Morpeth. The 63-year-old man was taken to hospital at around midday on Saturday after he was found unconscious lying in the road. His condition was described
A SCOTTISH airline has stepped in to secure two key European air routes from Newcastle to Brussels and Stavanger following news that flybmi has gone into administration. Starting on March 25, Loganair will operate the services using a 49-seat Embraer
AN 1,800-tonne boring machine which will be used to build a 23-mile tunnel from Teesside to Whitby arrived in the region at the weekend. The tunnel will be capable of transporting up to 20 million tonnes of the fertiliser polyhalite from Sirius
A WOMAN in her 90s hit a 'cowardly' burglar with her walking stick after he walked into her home late at night and demanded cash. The unknown man broke her phone so she could not contact police and took her purse, which contained a large amount
Darlington’s recent signing Sam Muggleton will be out for the rest of the season after suffering a bad injury that tainted their a goalless draw against Southport. Medical staff were worried about moving the left wing back after he suffered a dreadful
RAFA BENITEZ is in no rush to reopen transfer talks at Newcastle United until he has successfully guided the club to safety in the Premier League. Benitez will be interested in committing to new terms in the not-too-distant future provided he has
A MEMORIAL service has been held to mark the 110th anniversary of a coal mining disaster which claimed the lives of 168 men and boys. It was held on Saturday afternoon at the colliery wheel, near the site of the former Burns Pit in Stanley, where
NORSE warrior women will lead the way at an annual Viking festival as the event explores the untold stories of the women of the age. Visitors to the Jorvik Viking Festival in York will see the Shield Maidens in action during a battle recreation,
Nuneaton 0 Spennymoor 2. Spennymoor’s patience paid dividends when two goals in the last 13 minutes gave them three valuable points at Liberty Way. The league’s bottom club made themselves hard to break down and fought all the way through the
Bishop Auckland kept their promotion challenge well on course with a convincing 5-1 win over Whitley Bay at Heritage Park on Saturday. Bishops maybe didn’t hit top form, but their five-goal blast keeps them four points behind Dunston having played
A PHARMACY manager who stole and sold class C drugs from the premises has been ordered to pay back almost £40,000. A proceeds of crime hearing against Inderjit Singh Klare was held at Durham Crown Court on Friday. The 39-year-old stole boxes
CRAIG HIGNETT was quick to praise Aaron Cunningham after the Hartlepool United debutant impressed. Pools won 4-0 at Boreham Wood, their biggest away victory since 2007. Two goals each from Nicke Kabamba and Josh Hawkes earned the win, but the
THESE takeaways and food retailers in Darlington were given the lowest food safety rating in their last hygiene inspection. Out of hundreds of businesses in the town, 12 were given a score of one, and in some cases zero, on the Food Standards Agency
PLANNERS have been warned to help avoid another public outcry over the felling of mature and protected trees to make way for a development of detached homes. Green campaigners have issued the alert to Darlington Borough Council ahead of its planning
A BED and breakfast business has marked completion of its refurbishment with the unveiling of a 20ft tree sculpture. Andrea, 50 and Darren Almack, 53 of Thirsk, purchased the Linden Tree bed and breakfast in Carlton Minniot, near Thirsk in June
PEOPLE across County Durham and Darlington are urged to become Litter Heroes by joining the annual ‘Big Spring Clean’. LitterFree Durham and Darlington, Durham County Council and Darlington Borough Council want residents, community groups, schools
A SINGLE father who traded child abuse pictures with other perverts and discussed raping a five-year-old during sickening online exchanges has been handed a suspended prison sentence. Keith Richards faced prison for what his own barrister described
Kendal's calling WHEN people head for Cumbria, they tend to make a beeline for the Lake District. Hotspots like Bowness, Grasmere and Keswick are rightfully undisputed in their popularity, and beauty, but sometimes it is worth veering off the well-worn
A LONG way from lumpy beds and greasy fry-ups, modern B&Bs offer sumptuous decor and superb food. As National B&B Day approaches, we look at this history of this great British institution B&Bs are a key feature of the Great British
WE were recently asked to look out some old photographs of cinemas in and around Durham City. It sounds an easy task, and perhaps for the city it is – its purpose-built cinema history runs from the Globe of May 1913 to the Robins which closed in 2003
A MAN who sold cocaine to two callers at his home told them to be wary of “spies in the street”, not realising his ‘customers’ were undercover police officers. Durham Crown Court heard the officers were told to go to that address, in Seventh Street
THE future of an ancient annual fair on Yarm High Street is under review. Stockton's Independent Safety Advisory Group (ISAG), made up of representatives from different agencies, has asked Stockton Borough Council to 'review the feasibility of
MEMBERS of The Northern Echo camera club spent an evening taking photographs of reptiles in an experimental workshop. Small groups visited Coast to Coast Exotics, based on North Road, Darlington, to practice taking photographs of quick-moving subjects
A walk in the woods near Helmsley WALKING in woodland and forestry can often be the best thing to do in winter, particularly if the weather is not great. Here the contrast of open woodland and close forestry adds to a pleasant ½ day from Helmsley
A TEACHER who saved the life of a three-year-old girl is urging schools to take part in a special health awareness day. Frances Hammond, a secondary school PE teacher, has been appealing to secondary schools across Yorkshire to join 'Restart a
A TRAIL which connects the the region with two Yorkshire counties will celebrate 50 years since it launched with a different kind of art exhibition. The 109-mile long Cleveland Way completed in May 1969, begins in Helmsley near Thirsk in North Yorkshire
ON May 18, 1906, The Northern Echo reported: “About five o’clock last night, the whole building of the Cash Clothing Company, in Newgate Street, Bishop Auckland fell with a terrible crash, causing consternation amongst the shopkeepers in the immediate
