Archive
-
Date
Jobs to go at Glaxo
HUNDREDS of jobs are to go at the Glaxo pharmaecuticals plant in Barnard Castle. GlaxoSmithKline is planning to cut more than 1,000 jobs in the UK after a global review of its manufacturing business. Unions were told that the site at Speke in Liverpool
-
Date
Stars make grand stage entrance for Du Maurier classic
PAST and present soap stars have kicked off a North-East theatre's summer repertory season. Daphne Du Maurier's classic drama Rebecca is the first of four productions at Darlington's Civic Theatre over the next month. Rebecca stars former Eastender Michael
-
Date
My two sons were victims of these rats. Now one is dead
A HANDSOME 23-year-old with a well-paid sales job is not what most would consider as prime prey for drug dealers. The sudden realisation shocked his father, Ken, who had to confront the fact that his outwardly respectable eldest son was on the downward
-
Date
Dream car auction
A WOMAN has landed her dream car and given a charity a cash boost. Emma Frew, 27, of Ashbrooke, Sunderland, paid £3,900 for a 1970 American specification E-type Jaguar in a Tyneside auction. Emma, who has always wanted a Jag, bid in person at the sale
-
Date
New leads in death inquiry
POLICE investigating the murder of a Teesside youth have received a flurry of calls following an emotional appeal by his mother. Officers are today following up several new leads supplied by people living in Grangetown who saw or heard about the stabbing
-
Date
Council's new trees strategy is unveiled
PROPOSALS to raise awareness of the importance of trees and maintain Darlington's arboreal stock has taken a step closer to implementation. Darlington Borough Council's cabinet was presented with a copy of the area's new tree strategy yesterday, and now
-
Date
Action pledge from new minister cuts little ice
THE new Energy Minister has pledged to do all he can to help sick and dying miners in the North-East receive their compensation. Brian Wilson, who replaces Peter Hain as Industry and Energy Minister, said he will make the miners' compensation issue his
-
Date
Concern at plight of young homeless
HOMELESSNESS among young people in North Yorkshire is running many times higher than simple statistics suggest, claims a new study. About 920 young people become homeless each year across the county's seven district authorities, compared to only 21 suggested
-
Date
Counting on another good maths fair
THE ninth annual North-East Maths Fair will take place this weekend. This year's event, which is larger than ever, will include performances and workshops by international juggling group, the Gandinis. Children and adults will be able to sample a huge
-
Date
Colin Woods - Janus
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
-
Date
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
-
Date
We would not be amused by cancellation of this funfair
WHEN police and council officials voiced doubts about the future of a County Durham town's funfair, it looked as though the days of dodgems, bingo and hoopla stalls were numbered. But the event has received an amazing royal reprieve thanks to Queen Victoria
-
Date
Julie wastes no time in securing employment
SPEEDY employment was only a phone call away for Julie Kassim when she contacted recruitment consultancy Contract Commercial Services. The 21-year-old made the call to the company, which supplies skilled secretarial, clerical and administrative staff,
-
Date
New hospital reopens diabetic clinic
A NEW hospital which closed down a diabetic clinic on the day it opened because of staff shortages has resumed the specialist service. Diabetics were outraged when the University Hospital of North Durham closed a regular Friday clinic two months ago.
-
Date
Black Cats seek more women players
THE most successful women's football team in the North-East is looking for new black cats to wear the famous red and white stripes. Sunderland AFC Women wants new players to strengthen their team for next season. This season they finished seventh in the
-
Date
Conmen's victim taken to hospital
A 91-YEAR-OLD woman was so distressed at being duped by conmen that she had to be rushed to hospital. While recounting her ordeal to detectives, the pensioner, from east Durham, became ill. Last night she was still receiving treatment at the University
-
Date
'I'll jump' terror on flight to the sun
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
-
Date
Big Brother zone makes troubled estate the most watched in country
A problem hit housing estate will be transformed into a real Big Brother zone with the installation of 64 closed-circuit television cameras. The most spied upon estate in the country will be monitored at a CCTV control room to counter a range of problems
-
Date
Boy's transplant luck
Desperately-ill schoolboy Alex Robson has been saved by a seven million-to- one bone marrow transplant. Alex, 12, was struck down as a toddler with a rare condition which normally affects the elderly. He was put at the top of a worldwide search for the
-
Date
Passenger tells court of her indecent assault ordeal
A distraught young woman told a court yesterday how she was groped by a stranger at a bus station in daylight. The woman, who cannot be named, said she was grabbed by Roman Adamajtys, 41, as she waited at a bus stop at the station in Jarrow, on May 22
-
Date
Carers demand their needs are met
A DOCUMENT by carers, demanding that their needs are addressed, was launched in Stockton yesterday. Consulting Carers includes the views of carers' groups in the area on how they would like to be consulted on issues that concern them. The document was
-
Date
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
-
Date
Britain at risk of 'new BSE' warns professor
Britain could be hit by another BSE-like crisis unless the Government introduces fundamental reforms to policy-making, a leading professor warned today. Professor Hugh Pennington, a microbiology expert, said the Government had not yet learned the lessons
-
Date
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
-
Date
Fire campaign aims to protect elderly
FIREFIGHTERS have launched a campaign to protect elderly people from perils of fire. During the next three months, they hope to ensure that every elderly person in the Thirsk area has a smoke alarm fitted and working in their home. The campaign has been
-
Date
Groups get cash boost
THREE groups gain from community leisure chest awards agreed yesterday. Although a report is to be sent to Darlington Borough Council's ratification committee, the council's cabinet agreed the awards for Music For Darlington, the Quakers Running Club
-
Date
Fostering group gets funds for expansion
AN organisation which provides specialist foster placements for children and young people in the North-East has received a funding boost. Team Fostering North East, a newly established not-for-profit organisation, has secured funding to expand, thanks
-
Date
Open more hours
A NORTH-EAST library is taking the unusual step of opening seven days a week. Family learning facilities and Internet access are due to be made available in Hartlepool's central library on Sundays. The move aims to provide opportunities for families as
-
Date
Football club to appeal against academy decision
SUNDERLAND AFC is to appeal against refusal of planning permission for its proposed £10m-plus training academy. The club won outline planning permission for the overall development within 65-acres of Whitburn Moor Farm, north of Sunderland, from the then
-
Date
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
-
Date
Medieval site to become ball pitch
COUNCILLORS are expected to approve plans to convert a former medieval settlement into a sports pitch. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's planning committee will decide the fate of the Lazenby play area, in Lazenby High Street, following a site visit
-
Date
Building of homes on -green' may go ahead despite objections
CONTROVERSIAL plans to build pensioners' homes on an unofficial village green could win permission despite residents' opposition. Durham City councillors will be recommended on Wednesday to approve the Durham Aged Mineworkers Homes Association's proposals
-
Date
Touring corridors of power proves attractive proposition
PUBLIC tours of a town hall could become a regular feature. About 120 people responded to an open door invitation to tour Middlesbrough Council's corridors of power - its council chamber and civic suite. The tours, which left at 20-minute intervals, were
-
Date
Car dealership celebrates top title
AN outstanding all-round business performance has won Alexanders Saab the Saab national dealer of the year award. The family-owned dealership, in Thornaby, Teesside, has been on the same site for the past 52 years, representing the Saab marque for the
-
Date
Clarke set to enter race
Kenneth Clarke today declared he's set to confront Michael Portillo in a fight to become the next Tory leader. The former Chancellor said he'd like to take over as party chief and rule as Prime Minister one day. But the arch pro-European said he wouldn't
-
Date
Owners who allow horses to stray will pay price
HORSE owners who let their animals graze next to busy roads could soon have them impounded and have to pay at least £1,000 to get them back. A new specialist service employed by Durham County Council has set a July 1 deadline for clearing strays and tethered
-
Date
Drive to improve service to vulnerable
A FIVE-YEAR programme is being prepared to improve the quality of life and independence for vulnerable people in Darlington. Darlington Borough Council's Supporting People Programme, to be launched in 2003, aims to improve choice of accommodation and
-
Date
Women encouraged to join fire brigade
Women will be urged to take up a challenge when they attend an awareness-raising event on job opportunities for females with Cleveland Fire Brigade tomorrow. The session is organised by Cleveland Fire Brigade in partnership with Stockton Sixth Form College
-
Date
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
-
Date
Red tape affects court staff life-savers
COURT staff who have been trained as life-savers have been told they must not help heart attack victims if it happens outside their workplace. People who work in County Durham's six magistrates' courts have been trained to use defibrillators to resuscitate
-
Date
Thieves snatch oak sculptures
TWO 7ft gateway features at a nature reserve were stolen in an overnight raid. The entrance to Drinkfield Marsh, in Darlington, had been sculpted from oak by artist Lee Brewster and installed recently, at a cost of about £1,750. But between 5pm on Monday
-
Date
Sports group to meet needs of customers
THE organisation behind an area's sports halls and swimming pools has launched a system to gauge what its customers really want. Tees Valley Leisure, which runs Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's leisure facilities, has introduced a new management
-
Date
Engineering a powerful partnership
A TYNESIDE engineering company has been appointed to lead a huge upgrade of the electrical power distribution system in the North-East. PB Power, which is based on Newcastle Business Park, has been appointed owner's engineer by Northern Electric Distribution
-
Date
The best days of our lives...
THE youth club song was to the tune of Much Binding in the Marsh. "Fun" rhymed with "bun" and probably related to it, the chorus was replete with Tiddley-om-poms. They were the days of innocence and of Syd Phillips and his Band, of washing mangles, Johnny
-
Date
Children top agenda for week
CHILDREN will be taking over County Hall tomorrow as Durham County Council hosts an event for National Childminding Week. The fun day is for the 685 registered childminders in County Durham and the children they care for. Activities include a children's
-
Date
Children get to the root of the problem
CHILDREN have been turning over new leaves in an unusual rescue operation. Pupils from two Middlesbrough schools - Ayresome Junior and Rosewood Primary - have been helping to save colonies of endangered wet meadow plants which were in the path of a housing
-
Date
Dream home turning into a nightmare over land feud
WITH its idyllic setting in an apparently peaceful County Durham backwater, the cottage chosen by Sue and Richard Evans should have been the perfect rural retreat. Instead their dream home has turned into a nightmare and they and other residents are facing
-
Date
Putting our skills first
IT was a year which started so optimistically for the North-East economy. Nissan's decision to build the next Micra at Sunderland safeguarded hundreds of jobs and underlined the world-class credentials of the region's workforce. But for every step forward
-
Date
Here's your chance to get dealers on the run
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
-
Date
Call for inquiry into crisis
TRADING standards officers are calling for a public inquiry into the foot-and-mouth epidemic which has wrought havoc in the countryside. The move has been accompanied by criticism of the way the Government has handled the crisis. Stuart Pudney, head of
-
Date
North-East firms rewarded for their Spirit of Innovation
PLASTICS company Peratech has won a top prize in this year's Spirit of Innovation Awards. At a ceremony at Brandling House, Newcastle Racecourse, last night, the Darlington business was presented with the best small company award by Malcolm Craig, managing
-
Date
Sports centre bid is rejected
COUNCILLORS have spoken of their dismay at the rejection of a National Lottery bid for a new community sports centre. South Tyneside Council said it was considering its options after Sport England's decision not to offer £3.5m towards the cost of the
-
Date
Comment from The Northern Echo - Why it's right to squeal
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
-
Date
Euro grant to help boost employment
STOCKTON Borough Council's social services department has been awarded a grant from the European Social Fund for an employment support project to help disadvantaged people improve their job prospects. The project will initially work with 110 clients and
-
Date
Market place spruce-up gets under way
WORK to transform a dales market place has started with a £54,000 scheme to bury unsightly telephone and electricity cables underground. English Heritage has pledged £300,000 to revitalise the centre of Wolsingham during the next three years, and other
-
Date
Extra staff hoped to solve casualty waits
AN NHS trust with a history of long waits in casualty has announced a long-awaited expansion of medical and nursing staff. An extra consultant, staff grade doctor and seven specialist nurses have joined staff running the University Hospital of North Durham's
-
Date
Ex-minister backs grant aid reforms
A FORMER minister has voiced support for the campaign to scrap controversial Government spending rules which mean the North-East loses out by millions of pounds to Scotland. Joyce Quin, the Gateshead East and Washington West MP, who on Monday resigned
-
Date
Director admits cash deception
A COMPANY director has narrowly escaped jail after she and her husband spent thousands of pounds of investors' money. Jean Mattimo, 59, and her husband, Anthony, ploughed hundreds of thousands of pounds into the upkeep of the Park Head Hotel, at New Coundon
-
Date
Head start for Portillo as knives come out
Michael Portillo yesterday tried to steal a march on his rivals for the Tory crown by declaring his candidacy and announcing the backing of two-thirds of the shadow cabinet. He promised huge changes to the Conservative Party after two "catastrophic" election
-
Date
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
-
Date
'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
-
Date
Community artists' talent on parade
TALENTED community artists have interpreted the Durham landscape in sight and sound for a display at the Bishop Auckland Discovery Centre. The exhibition rounds off a successful Year of the Artist project for the Jack Drum group, which got 1,000 people
-
Date
School bullying victim seeks Tony Blair's help
COURAGEOUS schoolgirl Joanne Geldart is pleading for a meeting with Tony Blair to discuss the plight of bully victims. The County Durham pupil, who has suffered at the hands of school bullies, said she wants to speak up for the schoolchildren who are
-
Date
Hear All Sides
Letters from The Northern Echo 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
-
Date
Parents called to school after meningitis tragedy
PARENTS have been called to a North-East school after a five-year-old girl died from meningitis. Laura Pickard, a pupil at Bader Primary School, Thornaby, died on Tuesday morning. Parents of Laura's fellow-pupils were sent letters advising them of what
-
Date
Boost for children's sports
schoolchildren are to benefit from a cash boost from the Sport Lottery Fund. Derek Casey, chief executive of Sport England, will hand over a £114,000 cheque to Tyne and Wear Sport at the Tyne and Wear Youth Games, in Gateshead, on Saturday. The cheque
-
Date
Lampard seals Blues switch
Frank Lampard today joined Chelsea for £11 million. The dynamic West Ham midfielder, 22, was unveiled at a Press conference at Stamford Bridge this afternoon. The England ace is criss-crossing London to join the Blues hours after Glenn Roeder, 45, became
-
Date
Lottery cash supports small organisations
A CLUTCH of organisations have won a Lottery windfall. Community groups, projects and schemes in Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Stockton and east Cleveland are sharing £67,889 from the National Lottery Awards for All programme. One of the recipients is Hall
-
Date
Grieving mother in tearful plea to find son's killers
THE mother of a murdered teenager has revealed the harrowing effect his death has had on the family. Michelle Bircham, whose 19-year-old son Wayne was stabbed to death in Grangetown, Teesside, on Sunday, faced the media at Redcar police station yesterday
-
Date
Future of village pub is put on hold
THE future of a village's only pub, which has split its 100-strong community, has been put on hold. Planning officers had recommended that councillors give the go ahead for closure of The Countryman Inn at Winksley, near Ripon, and for it to be turned
-
Date
More buses belt up
HUNDREDS more children are to get greater protection on the way to and from school in the wake of a Northern Echo campaign. Two more local authorities in the North-East have revealed they are pressing ahead with plans to switch to seatbelt-only vehicles
-
Date
Woman rescued from blaze in bungalow
A DISABLED woman and her husband were rushed to hospital after fire gutted their Billingham bungalow. The fire broke out at 10.10pm on Tuesday at the house, in Low Grange Avenue. The adjoining houses were evacuated overnight because of fears that the
-
Date
Protests block plans for hot food takeaway
RESIDENTS' concerns prompted councillors to reject plans to convert a shop into a hot food takeaway in Darlington. Members of Darlington Borough Council's planning applications committee received four letters of objection to the plan for 124-126 Gladstone
-
Date
Art students reveal all
COLLEGE students will display their artwork at an end of year show. The public will be able to view work by Redcar and Cleveland College art students today and tomorrow from 10am until 4pm. The show's participants are from a variety of courses including
-
Date
Area on right road for booming economy
THE economic development team at South Tyneside Council have taken to the road to promote the borough's latest business directory. A record number of firms is included in the relaunched directory, with more high-tech ventures choosing to establish themselves
-
Date
Don't let the dealers get away with evil trade
UNITE against drug dealers by joining The Northern Echo's Rat on a Rat campaign. If you know someone who is peddling in this evil trade, pick up the phone and call Crime-stoppers on 0800 555111. You do not have to give your name, and your information
-
Date
Books - Loving and hating the Bay
Shells and Bright Stones: A Biography of Leo Walmsley, edited by Nona Stead (Smith Settle, pb, £13) LEO Walmsley turned his varied and eventful life into a series of novels. Highly acclaimed on publication, they are now, it has to be said, down a literary
-
Date
Cruise star's inspirational medium
A MEDIUM who inspired cruise ship singer Jayne McDonald to television stardom is coming to the region. Yorkshire-based hairdresser Stephen Holbrook is bringing his nationwide tour to the region next month. Mr Holbrook, who is described as Britain's most
-
Date
The day Barney caught a cold
IT was once said that if you walked down any street or lane in Barnard Castle that you would bump into someone who worked at the Glaxo pharmaceutical site in the town, or at least someone who knew somebody else who worked there. That, sadly, is no longer
-
Date
Dales firm on eco mission
A COMPANY in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales could soon be having a worldwide effect on the environment. Ecoscape Applied Ecologists, in Muker, Swaledale, has won an award from the Department of Trade and Industry for a study into the possibility of
-
Date
Corruption could kill warns Botham
Ian Botham today warned that cricket corruption must be stamped out now - or someone will be killed. The England legend said a player or umpire risks being murdered as match-fixing and cheating threatens the once noble game to its knees. Botham also claimed
-
Date
Youngsters weave magic to produce textile art
AN unusual combination of organic materials and coloured plastic bags has created a visual feast for visitors to a gallery. Year eight pupils from Harrogate Grammar School spent a month working with textile artist Sue Lawty at the town's Mercer Gallery
-
Date
Troubled store announces more jobs lost
DEPARTMENT-store Uptons has announced another 40 job losses in Teesside. Workers at Stockton's Castlegate Centre branch have been handed redundancy notices. Shop workers' union Usdaw is issuing advice packs to Uptons workers and advising them on finding
-
Date
New schools could be built
DOZENS of Church of England secondary schools could be built in the region as part of the Government's drive to improve standards in education. A report out today recommended that the Church spearhead a £25m campaign to help fund an increase in primary
-
Date
St Michael and all angels
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
-
Date
Children's Sunflower grows to raise awareness of charity
A GIANT sunflower has burst into bloom in Durham Cathedral in aid of a hospice. The giant sunflower bouquet was created by more than 2,000 children from the Durham City area for St Cuthbert's Hospice. The project, which is part of the National Hospice
-
Date
Glimmer of hope for Dales farmers
RESTRICTIONS on a dale's farms are on the verge of being lifted as foot-and-mouth tests have so far proved negative. The move will make it easier for farmers to get a better price for their livestock - and will also see rural businesses benefit from a
-
Date
Ex-Vaux workers planning reunion
EX-BREWERY workers will raise a glass and reminisce over their years of service for the former Vaux company. Nearly two years after the closure of the city centre plant with the loss of up to 600 jobs, ending more than 160 years of brewing in Sunderland
-
Date
The best days of our lives
THE youth club song was to the tune of Much Binding in the Marsh. "Fun" rhymed with "bun" and probably related to it, the chorus was replete with Tiddley-om-poms. They were the days of innocence and of Syd Phillips and his Band, of washing mangles, Johnny
