Archive
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Protestors fail to block chicken farm
RESIDENTS, anglers and rural campaigners have failed in their bid to prevent a chicken farming unit being built in a village near Darlington. Members of Darlington Borough Council's planning applications committee yesterday granted permission for a third
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Four-star delight for new hotel
A COUNTRY hotel which only opened for business two months ago has been awarded one of the Automobile Association's highest accolades. Swinton Park, a 209-bedroom hotel near Masham, North Yorkshire, has been awarded four AA stars for the quality of its
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Waste paper recycling scheme to be launched
RECYCLING company Foreman Waste Management is piloting a doorstep collection scheme in parts of the Wear Valley district next week. The company aims to collect 2.2kg of newspaper and magazines every fortnight from each household taking part. That will
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Chance to be queen for day
A COMMUNITY has launched the search for its own royalty as it prepares for its carnival celebrations. Woodhouse Close Residents Association, in Bishop Auckland, is holding a disco tomorrow night, from 6pm to 8pm, at the Auckland Youth and Community Centre
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Professor wins teaching prize
A NORTH-East professor has won a national teaching prize and recognition as one of the UK's leading lecturers. Professor Ben Knights, a professor of English and Cultural Studies at the University of Teesside, Middlesbrough, has won a National Teaching
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Air gun amnesty hailed major success
A NORTH-EAST police force is hailing an air guns amnesty as a major success after more than 40 weapons were handed in during the last fortnight. Special collection bins for the surrender of weapons were housed in the reception of police stations in the
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Go-ahead for care in homes
SOCIAL services has given the go-ahead to an experimental project to help people get care while staying out of hospital. The scheme to provide intermediate care beds at three council-run elderly people's homes in York has been endorsed for three months
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Return of Portillo
WHEN Michael Portillo announced that he would stand for the Tory leadership, it marked the completion of one of the most brazen about-turns in recent political history. Before he was unceremoniously ejected from the Commons by Enfield's voters in the
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'I'll jump' terror
HOLIDAYMAKERS suffered a terrifying ordeal when a crazed passenger threatened to open the doors of a jumbo jet at 37,000 feet and jump out, a court heard yesterday. Abusive David McCallum, 29, was on a packed flight to Tenerife when he had a violent argument
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Alleyne ensures it's no fun festival for Durham
THE good news is that festival cricket is alive and well. The bad news for Durham is that so is Mark Alleyne. Last winter's England A captain made only 409 championship runs at 17.78 last summer, but is clearly back in top form on the evidence of yesterday's
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Bank boss takes it on the chin for hospice funds
SLAPSTICK comedy was the order of the day when bank staff decided to raise cash for their local hospice. Two members of the management team at Halifax's Darlington branch volunteered for the job of "target" to be hit in the face with custard pies in aid
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Reid snaps up 'new Stam' Baki
Sunderland have swooped for a teenager dubbed the "new Jaap Stam" - Dutch-born defender Baki Mercimek, writes JACK LESLIE. Mercimek, 18, yesterday completed a Bosman-deal move from HFC Haarlem by signing a five-year contract with the Black Cats. He said
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Expert team to improve pitches
LEISURE chiefs in Darlington have teamed up with Middlesbrough Football Club to improve playing fields in the borough. As part of a new strategy, Darlington Borough Council has been discussing the latest techniques for maintaining outdoor surfaces. It
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Young rally fan died after car hit crowd
A YOUNG motor sports fan was killed when a high-speed rally car flew out of control and hit him, an inquest heard yesterday. Schoolboy Marc Taylor, 11, died at the scene after a Vauxhall Nova somersaulted through the air, careering into him and a group
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Urns turn clock back to Victorian times
HARROGATE Civic Society is turning the clock back to Victorian times in a bid to enhance the town's international floral reputation. It plans to provide floral urns at points in the town centre. Members of the society have led the way by digging into
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Lottery windfall aids community groups
EIGHTEEN community groups in County Durham are sharing £57,239 distributed by the National Lottery Awards for All scheme. The scheme gives funding of between £500 and £5,000 to smaller groups that work to improve life in their communities. Wingate and
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Peer pressure and outdated privilege
REGARDLESS of the size and direction of the swing in tomorrow's General Election, two dozen MPs from the last Parliament will take seats in the new one. And they will have gained them without any of the distasteful antics required in the month-long thrash
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Boy ill after dramatic river rescue
A 15-year-old boy is in a stable condition in hospital after a daredevil prank went horribly wrong last night. The teenager from Benwell was among a group of children, most of whom were teenagers, who climbed onto steel girders underneath the Scotswood
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Community association celebrates third award
CHESTER-le-Street Community Association is celebrating after winning a top award for community centres. Its building, in Newcastle Bank, scooped the premier award in the Durham County Federation of Community Organisations' centre of the year competition
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Mind's site takes pick of month prize
A WEBSITE created by Darlington Mind has been named the first Pick of the Month under The Northern Echo's CommuniGate project. Under the CommuniGate scheme, non-profit-making groups can promote themselves for free on the Internet through The Northern
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The bitter irony of vaccination
THE word vaccine comes from vacca, the Latin for cow. I learned this the other day from an article in the current National Trust magazine. Its subject is a history of milkmaids. The first smallpox vaccine was developed from the scabs on dairymaids who
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Talented community puts its skills on display
A CHURCH has provided the showcase for works of art created by a dales community. St Philips and St James' Church, Tow Law, was filled with a variety of art work created by the Weardale villagers at the weekend. The standard of work amazed everyone involved
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'I'm lucky to be alive' says fall woman
A WOMAN who survived a 300ft fall down a mountain says that she is lucky to be alive. Beryl Hunt, 59, from Redcar, east Cleveland, is reported to be "comfortable and improving" in Carlisle's Cumberland Infirmary, where she was taken suffering from a broken
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Have a ball while helping children with learning difficulties
A CHARITY is inviting people to have a ball and help improve facilities for children with learning difficulties. The Children's Hope Foundation is backing a fundraising drive to pay for a new hydrother-apy pool at Sunningdale School, in Springwell, Sunderland
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Legions march again at fort
A visitor attraction on Tyneside, is celebrating its first birthday this weekend. As part of the celebrations planned at Segedunum Roman Fort, at Wallsend, soldiers in battle armour will demonstrate the might of the Roman army. Members of the Ermine Street
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Former mining villages bid for £7m
TWO former mining communities could be in line for a £7m cash boost. Hetton and Murton, in east Durham, is one of eight areas invited to submit proposals to the European Commission for grant support from the Urban II programme. The proposed scheme, Connecting
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University gears up for summer
MORE people will have the chance to sample higher education during a university's summer programme. The University of Teesside, is holding a range of courses throughout June, July and August. People wanting to find out more about what is on offer are
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Swimming star Hannah's in the right lane for her double challenge
SWIMMING starlet Hannah Creelman is on a double mission at the North Yorkshire pool where her love of the sport began. The Northallerton teenager is spending the next two weeks on work experience at Thirsk swimming pool, where she will be passing on tips
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Food firm says thank you for saving bacon
MANAGERS at a Catterick firm have said a big thank-you to the North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue service after a crew saved their bacon. Last month, warehouse chief Graham Hill found a blaze had started behind the Northern Select Foods premises, on the village
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Disease hits cycle festival
ACCESS restrictions still in place in rural areas around Darlington have led to a reduced field of events in an annual cycling festival. The closure of some rights of way have led to four rides in the Darlington Cycling Festival 2001 being cancelled -
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Have a ball while helping children with learning difficulties
A CHARITY is inviting people to have a ball and help improve facilities for children with learning difficulties. The Children's Hope Foundation is backing a fundraising drive to pay for a new hydrother-apy pool at Sunningdale School, in Springwell, Sunderland
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Police ask cricket fans to play it cool
POLICE are expecting heavy traffic on the roads this weekend when thousands of cricket fans head towards the Riverside in Chester-le-Street for the clash between Australia and Pakistan. Eighty police officers and special constables will be on duty on
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Opera and Italian food . . . all for charity
SUPERMARKET staff swapped check-outs for cornettos to promote their forthcoming charity night yesterday. Management and staff at Safeway, in Ingleby Barwick, near Middlesborough, are holding an Italian evening, featuring the Opera Nova singers, next Wednesday
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Concern over teenager mounts
FEARS are growing for a teenager who walked out of her mother's house in County Durham two weeks ago. Kirsty Richardson, originally from Nottingham, recently moved to her mother's home Kimblesworth, near Chester-le-Street. It is thought the 14-year-old
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ITV company tunes into cost-cutting programme
ITV broadcaster Granada, which owns Yorkshire Tyne Tees has unveiled plans to cut costs after falling advertising revenues helped send the group into the red. Granada wants £20m worth of savings from a restructuring of the business after unveiling a downbeat
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Special needs group boosted
CHILDREN at a special needs pre-school group are exploring sights and sounds with the help of a large range of new toys. Youngsters up to the age of four have been visiting Bishop Auckland health centre since February, where they enjoy the stimulation
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Why it's right
IN recent weeks, we have reported the tragic consequences of young people taking drugs. There will also be a need for education to warn children of the perils and, thankfully, the majority heed the warnings. No effort must be spared in extending and improving
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Closing soon: a piece of history near you
JOHN LAYFIELD and his wife will soon be able to enjoy a film at his local cinema. Going to the pictures on anything like a regular basis will be a novel experience for him. While his skill has helped generations laugh and cry at dramas being played out
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Steve's rare witch project
IN centuries gone by, it was the darkest and most sinister way of pulling in the crowds - and now the gruesome spectacle of the witch trial is back. There was a time when suffering from warts or owning a black cat brought charges of conspiring with the
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'My vision for the health service'
'IT'S good to be back - with a renewed mandate for investment and reform in the NHS and with a very clear instruction from the British people to deliver real improvements within the NHS. At the General Election there was a clear choice on offer: between
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Here's your chance to get the dealers
TORMENTED residents in a drug-blighted town are today being urged to Rat on a Rat - to drive out drug dealers. The Northern Echo has teamed up with police in Chester-le-Street to encourage local people to expose dealers who are destroying the lives of
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Eighteen groups share £57,000 from Lottery
EIGHTEEN community groups across County Durham are sharing £57,239 given by the National Lottery Awards for All scheme. The scheme gives funding of between £500 and £5,000 to smaller groups that work to improve life in their communities. Wingate and District
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Doh! Homer is brought to book
Cartoon character Homer Simpson's catchphrase has made it into the updated online edition of the Oxford English Dictionary published today. "Doh" is now an official word of the English language. Chief Editor John Simpson said: "My job is the perfect excuse
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Champions League thriller for Miller?
LEADING Norwegian outfit Brann Bergen are desperately trying to offer Tommy Miller a crack at the Champions League. The Eliteserien club take part in the qualifiers for the lucrative European competition next month and hope to have the free-scoring Hartlepool
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Shah form down to Aussie touch
england can thank Australia for putting the finishing touches to Owais Shah's great potential and allowing him to become the find of the NatWest Triangular tournament. Middlesex batsman Shah has been regarded as one of the great hopes in the English game
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Racing
DAVID LODER is fancied to make it nine juvenile winners from only ten runners this season with Dubai Destination (2.10) at Newbury today. Loder's triumphant return from a dismal two-year spell in France has been sensational as the Godolphin-owned two-year-olds
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Capriati: an example to us all
Forget the Prozac. Forget the self pity. Just think of Jennifer Capriati. If ever there was a great example of the power of positive thinking, she's the one. At 14, she was a tennis superstar, touring the adult circuit and earning millions in prize money
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Increase in reported cases of domestic violence is 'good'
REPORTED incidents of domestic violence have rocketed in Derwentside during the past year. More than 370 complaints of violence have come to the notice of Consett and Stanley police so far this year, compared to 510 for the whole of last year. Officers
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Fears for theatre after £2m bid fails
HARROGATE Theatre's bid for a £2m cash boost from the National Lottery has been snubbed, throwing a £3m restoration plan into doubt. Almost five years ago, the theatre faced closure with falling audience numbers. But now it is on a firm financial footing
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Still getting a kick from great moment
WHAT were you doing when Ian Porterfield scored? It's a key question for thousands of Sunderland football club supporters, who remember the moment Porterfield scored the goal that clinched the 1973 FA Cup Final as one of the greatest football moments
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Council chief's 25% pay rise blasted as 'appalling'
A LOCAL authority in the North-East has approved a 25 per cent pay increase for its chief executive, putting him on a higher wage than Government ministers. At a special meeting of Middlesbrough Borough Council's cabinet yesterday, councillors agreed
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Special brew is a success for student
A STUDENT is brewing up a successful future after taking up an intensive course at the University of Sunderland. Canadian operations manager Andrew Kohnen decided to embark upon the course with leading Sunderland brewing consultancy Brewlab after a recommendation
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Community centre may receive boost
A COMMUNITY centre will be granted £45,000 to establish a new community training scheme - if it can find match funding from elsewhere. Leading members of the Leadgate Community Tea Room, in Leadgate, near Consett, have their fingers crossed that other
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Joining forces for site protest
HUNDREDS of people are expected to march through a town centre before attending a protest concert against a mass foot-and-mouth burial site. Residents campaigning for the closure of the Inkerman burial site at Tow Law, County Durham, will be joined by
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'Disease will not hit clothing company jobs'
A NORTH-EAST outdoor clothing company is fighting back against foot-and-mouth. The disease is being blamed for a £40m slump in the outdoor pursuits clothing and equipment market, but Wearside company Berghaus is working hard to keep sales up. A survey
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Town centre bus ban hitting trade, say angry shopkeepers
TRADERS claim that a town centre ban on buses is killing off businesses. Jobs may go if sales, which have already slumped by 25 per cent, do not pick up in Newport Road, Middlesbrough, say shopkeepers. The closure of a road as part of an experimental
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£10m bid launched to gain extra cash for local schools
A BID to attract £10m of Government and private sector investment for school improvement in Darlington will be submitted later this year. Darlington Borough Council has appointed consultants Deloitte and Touche to help to produce an initial bid to unlock
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Ailing shipbuilding industry ready to rise from its decline
THE ship building and repair industry on the Tyne and the Tees is a sunrise industry, not a sunset one. That was the message to delegates from the Shipbuilders and Shiprepairers' Association (SSA) at a conference in Newcastle yesterday. The event brought
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Letters
TOMORROW'S PEOPLE COMPETING in the Vendee Globe single-handed yacht race was the most challenging and rewarding experience of my life. I was fortunate enough to see my dream turn into a reality. And I believe all young people should be given the encouragement
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Football hero is guest of honour at opening of £5m leisure complex
THE region's newest leisure complex was opened with a splash yesterday by ex-footballer Trevor Brooking. The opening of the £5m centre is the culmination of an 18-month building programme, which not only gives Teesside one of the region's most up-to-date
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Sacking law welcomed
A TEESSIDE MP has welcomed Government moves to make it harder for firms to lay off staff without first consulting them. Ashok Kumar, MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, last night welcomed the news that the Government has committed the UK to
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Laser appeal success spurs new project
A BID to raise £35,000 to provide a hospital with an eye laser has been so successful it has sparked a more ambitious project. This week is National Diabetes Week and work has just begun on securing a second major piece of specialist eye equipment for
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Special needs group boosted
CHILDREN at a special needs pre-school group are exploring sights and sounds with the help of a large range of new toys. Youngsters up to the age of four have been visiting Bishop Auckland health centre since February, where they enjoy the stimulation
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Alternative routes advised
MOTORISTS are being advised to find alternative routes following the start of road maintenance work in Monkwearmouth. The roadworks started in Church Street North yesterday, and include the reconstruction of footpaths and carriageway strengthening. The
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Time to tackle the mail mountain
Dear All, These columns have become one-way traffic, which is to say that readers write and I fail to reply. It is neither ingratitude nor inertia, rather the consuming demand of completing six multi-faceted columns each week - a task ironically made
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Earlier knife attack on murder victim
MURDER victim Wayne Bircham was the victim of a determined knife attack just five days before he was killed, it has been revealed. The 19-year-old drug addict, of no fixed address, refused to cooperate with detectives following the first attack, in which
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New role for Blind Date contestant
A NORTH-EAST public relations consultancy has added a Blind Date contestant to its team. Lynx PR has appointed 25-year-old Abigail Billi as an account manager at its office on Doxford International Business Park, near Sunderland. Ms Billi appeared on
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Joy as arts projects scoop nearly £5m in funding
THE bosses of three major North-East arts projects were jumping for joy last night after just under £5m of Lottery cash backing was announced. But Northern Arts, the Newcastle agency which handles cash bids to The Arts Council of England, expressed disappointment
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Dogged protest against the 'time bomb' fears of animal burial site
STANDING with placards in hand outside a mass foot-and- mouth burial site has become a daily routine to people living in the closely-knit community of Tow Law. The residents have fought against the use of the former open- cast mine site for the disposal
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Wedding dress focus of festival
A WEDDING dress that was worn by the bride at Yorkshire's wedding of the year forms the centrepiece of a flower festival this week. The recent general election meant some reorganisation for the Hon Simon Howard, 45, and 33-year-old Marks and Spencer heiress
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Students protest over rent increases
MORE than 150 students took part in a rally yesterday to protest about rent increases. Earlier this year, the Durham University approved a £270 rise for undergraduates next year and further increases are expected during the following four years. Managers
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Work on stream put back a year
AN environmental improvement scheme for a Newton Aycliffe stream has been put back a year. Great Aycliffe Town Council has delayed the start of work on Woodham Burn, which runs through the centre of town, until August next year. The delay will give the
