Archive
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Healthy patients 'blocked' in beds
HUNDREDS of patients who are well enough to go home will have to spend Christmas in hospital because of "bed blocking". A month ago, The Northern Echo carried out a survey which showed that 228 patients were awaiting discharge from seven hospital trusts
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Teen has amazing recovery after bike accident
A teenager who was left paralysed after an horrific accident on his BMX bike, has astounded doctors by returning home for the festive season. Experts had feared that 14-year-old Gavin Wilson would never be able to breathe without the aid of a ventilator
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Goal-hero Claudio predicts happy Christmas
AMERICAN midfield star Claudio Reyna believes his home debut match-winner will be the start of a merry Christmas for Sunderland. The 28-year-old midfielder, whose £4.5m transfer from Glasgow Rangers equalled the club record, delighted home fans in the
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Leaders Newcastle stun Leeds
IT WAS a week when Newcastle United's Premiership title credentials were put to the test. According to most watchers games at Highbury and Elland Road would surely see Bobby Robson's pretenders to the throne find the going just that little bit too tough
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Father hopes travellers find message in daughter's death
The father of an apparently healthy woman who died on a long-haul flight heading home to the North-East for Christmas hopes it sends a message to other travellers. Regular flyer Alayne Wake, 28, died from deep-vein thrombosis (dvt), the condition commonly
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Doctors protest at clinic closures
DOCTORS are crying foul after fast-track clinics for orthopaedic patients were axed. GPs believe that concerns about meeting waiting list targets may be behind the cancellation of two clinics - but hospital bosses say the move is about ensuring equal
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Shearer pays tribute to hard-working Dyer
NEWCASTLE skipper Alan Shearer hailed a super show from Kieron Dyer, with the captain immediately paying tribute to the hard work the England international has put in on the training ground over the past few months. Dyer was getting back somewhere near
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What's hot and what's not
WHAT'S HOT: GRAND DAME: Good old Joan Collins is set to walk up the aisle again. The 68-year-old actress is going to marry Percy Gibson, who is 32 years her junior. Looking like a woman less than half her age, Joan has said this marriage will last, unlike
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Groups aim to help farmers through hard times
WHAT now for the region's farmers? Hit hard by the BSE outbreak and then crippled by the foot-and-mouth epidemic, the future seems bleak. But despite the despair, some organisations are determined to pick up the pieces and give the region's agricultural
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Father's hope of air tragedy message
THE father of a woman who died on a long-haul flight heading home to the North-East for Christmas hopes the tragedy sends a message to others. Regular flyer Alayne Wake, 28, died from deep vein thrombosis (DVT), the condition commonly called economy class
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Concern grows for missing teen
Police today expressed concern about the well-being of a teenager who disappeared in severe weather conditions after a Christmas party on Friday night. Brian Slater, 19, was wearing just jeans and a shirt when he was caught in bitter cold and heavy snow
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A new home for the New Year is Bobby's wish
A LOVABLE dog needs a good home for the New Year. Bobby, a two-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier, is being looked after at the National Canine Defence League, in Darlington. Staff at the kennels are hoping they can find him an owner who is active, as
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Snow fails to muffle jingling tills
THE ominous-looking clouds which brought blizzard conditions to much of the region on Saturday may make a limited return on Christmas Day. A spokesman for PA WeatherCentre said there was a 90 per cent chance of snowfall on Christmas Day - with Scotland
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Compensation paid after police dog mauls bystanders
THREE revellers savaged by a police dog have been awarded tens of thousands of pounds compensation after their ordeal was captured on closed-circuit television (CCTV). Helen Tomlinson, 31, Ian Collins and Stephen Bendall, both 40, were all bitten by police
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Coment from The Northern Echo - More peace on earth ...
CHRISTMAS is not only a time for celebration. It is also a time for reflection on what has been, and what the future may hold. We will reflect with sadness; the dateline September 11, 2001, etched in our minds as it will be in perpetuity. The events on
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Little hero who kept his cool and saved his gran
A QUICK-THINKING four-year-old is being hailed a hero for saving his grandmother's life. Adam Courtley, from Tudhoe, County Durham, came to the rescue when his diabetic grandmother was taken ill while looking after him last Wednesday. Yvonne Foreman had
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Family time for Denise and baby Louis
ACTRESS Denise Welch is looking forward to her first Christmas with son Louis. The former Coronation Street star was devastated when Louis was born with a rare bowel condition which meant his body could not absorb food. Now, just months later, he has
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Seeing is believing for theatre's prize-winning couple
A COUPLE who thought their prize draw win was a practical joke were still pinching themselves when they made the trip to collect their new car at the weekend. Robert and Sandra Kreutzer-Brett bought the winning ticket in the Richmond Georgian Theatre
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Oscar winner is seminar star
AN Oscar winner will be bringing a touch of Hollywood glamour to Middlesbrough early next year when he attends the University of Teesside's international animation conference. Phil Tippet, who has twice been an Academy Award winner for his work on blockbusters
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Pub regulars seek out lost traditions
A LANDLADY has rediscovered some of the traditions of a North-East Christmas thanks to regulars at her pub. Sam Kidd, of the Old Farmhouse, near Darlington, was determined to turn her back on a modern-day Christmas this year and so asked local people
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MP supports campaign against plant
A LOCAL MP has backed hundreds of families who are fighting plans for a waste recycling plant on their doorstep. Biffa Waste Services wants to build the plant on the Stephenson Industrial Estate, Washington, but residents from nearby Usworth, Sulgrave
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Shopping centre wins top award
ONE of the region's major shopping centres has been recognised with an international safety award. Gateshead's MetroCentre is one of only 40 organisations worldwide to receive a British Safety Council Sword of Honour. It is also the only shopping centre
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TV plea for tales of holiday horror
A TV company is on the lookout for anyone who has been through hell on holiday or on the roads - and wants to share their experiences with their audience. Yorkshire TV is compiling more documentaries from the "... From Hell" strain, with the two topics
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Farewell to steel firm co-founder
A Darlington businessman, described as a true gent, has died. David Herd was a former managing director of David Herd Steel, a company at Albert Hill. The 71-year-old set up the business in March 1982 with Ray White, with whom he had spent ten years working
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Police seek relatives of man struck by city taxi
POLICE were last night still trying to trace relatives of a man who died in an accident involving a taxi manoeuvring in a crowded city centre. Scots-born Dennis Gillespie suffered head injuries in the late-night accident and was confirmed dead on arrival
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Zoe into final with Christmas wish song
POP Idol hopeful Zoe Birkett will be enjoying an extra special Christmas after making it through to the final of the hit show. The 16-year-old from Darlington wowed the judges on Saturday night's programme with her rendition of Mariah Carey's All I Want
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ICI agrees terms on sale of shares
CHEMICAL company ICI has agreed final terms for the sale of its remaining 30 per cent shareholding in Huntsman International Holdings - its former commodities division. The arrangement could mean that ICI will have to wait well into 2003 for the money
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Hear All SIdes - Letters
NEW LABOUR IN 1997, Tony Blair came to power, boldly declaring that New Labour would clean up politics and return trust to the people. Now, (with Parliament hounding out of office Elizabeth Filkin, having appointed her as Commissioner for Standards in
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Midday Quaker call-off
TOMMY Taylor had no complaints over the postponement of Saturday's match with Cheltenham - despite the referee waiting until almost midday to call the game off. Feethams was covered in snow, and as soon as it began to fall around 9am the game never had
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Police fear stolen computers have gone to foreign market
Powerful computer equipment taken in a raid on a North-East university science complex may have been stolen to order for a foreign market. Information taken in the raid on Durham University's science site may already have gone abroad, police confirmed
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Police seeking accident victim's relatives
Police were on Sunday still trying to trace relatives of a man who died in an accident involving a taxi manoeuvring in a crowded city centre. Scots-born Dennis Gillespie suffered head injuries in the late night accident and was confirmed dead on arrival
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Blizzards bring roads misery
BLIZZARDS created a picturesque winter wonderland for delighted youngsters over the weekend. But the heavy falls of snow which hit much of the region caused havoc for both motorists and the hordes of Christmas shoppers who ventured out. Highways departments
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Special Christmas for Zoe
Pop Idol hopeful Zoe Birkett will be enjoying an extra special Christmas after making it through to the final of the hit show. The 16-year-old from Darlington wowed the judges on Saturday night's programme with her rendition of Mariah Carey's All I Want
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'Mr Country' gallops back on to the airwaves
THE voice of country music in the North-East returns to the airwaves tomorrow for a Christmas Day special. Veteran broadcaster Brian Clough, a photographer with The Northern Echo by day, is a country music enthusiast in his spare time. Following a three-year
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Falcons wait on Bath tie
NEWCASTLE Falcons could have to wait until late in the season to play their home match against Bath, which it was hoped would attract a record Kingston Park crowd yesterday. It was decided on Saturday to stop Bath travelling and a midweek date may have
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Campaign to cut down on festive waste
NORTH-EAST families enjoying the seasonal activities of eating, drinking and giving gifts will create more than 150,000 tonnes of festive rubbish this Christmas. Campaigners have revealed that even though most of it could be recycled, almost 90 per cent
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Stamps for charity appeal
Members of the charity Court Endeavour of The Foresters are collecting used postage stamps for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. The charity is asking people to take the stamps off envelopes and take them to three collection points in the North-East
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Reyna strike lights up turgid Everton affair
SUNDERLAND manager Peter Reid admitted afterwards he didn't think a goal would come in this festive famine - but new boy Claudio Reyna spared his blushes with a scrambled match-winner. Until then most of the fans in the 48,013 crowd must have wished that
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Farming success story with free-range turkey venture
A FARM family is sick of the sight of turkey, after rearing and preparing 280 of the birds free range for North-East dinner plates this year. However, Martin and Judith Dryden will still tuck into turkey tomorrow, enjoying the fruits of their labours
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It's not so cool for cats on 70s night
UNLUCKY black cat Pheobe created some really bad karma for owners David and Kate Mallender just as they were leaving for a fancy dress Christmas party. For the hippy-style couple - resplendent in wigs, flares and platform shoes - were hardly clad in the
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Why men from the ministry wrote in a special clause . . .
IT is time for sighs of relief all round. Fears that Christmas could be missing one of its essentials have been proved groundless. Santa is definitely on his way. Foot-and-mouth disease may have caused misery for millions this year, but Father Christmas
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Lapland trip thrills youngsters
A group of special needs youngters flew to Lapland at the weekend to meet Santa in his Arctic Circle grotto. Katie Relton went with them to witness their sheer delight TEMPERATURES may have plunged as low as minus 32 but it was all part of an amazing
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Appeal for witnesses to village accident
POLICE are hoping the public will be able to help with an investigation into a road accident in Catterick Village, North Yorkshire. A green Ford Focus collided with a Vauxhall Zafira parked on the High Street near Mowbray Road at 8.20pm on Friday, December
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With this rink, I thee wed
MINUTES after getting married, Barry and Michelle Waines were skating on thin ice. Process operator Barry, 31, and Michelle posed for photographs on a temporary open air ice rink, just yards from Middlesbrough Registry Office where they tied the knot.
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Red faces over council 'lock-in'
THREE embarrassed planners who went to view a potential housing site at an old brewery maltings ended up locked inside. A planning committee visit had been arranged to view the site at Langthorpe, Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire. But after spending some
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Tony, you're one of the hunkiest
A BUS driver from the region has been voted one of Britain's hunkiest husbands. Dad Tony Balmer, of Darlington, is to become a calendar pin-up after being voted a hunk by readers of Best magazine. The 40-year-old, who was nominated for the competition
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Killer's 'lenient' sentence appealed
A FAMILY whose lives were shattered following the death of a young father could be given a New Year boost in their quest for a more severe punishment. Paul Simpson, 33, from Darlington, died after he was punched in the street and fell, hitting his head
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Rain stops England enjoying Indian summer
England always knew their best chance of bowling out India twice in a Test would be to transport the British weather halfway across the world but its very arrival stymied their progress. The gloomy cloud cover added a different dimension to the tourists
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Familiar faces in new era
FAMILIAR faces are among the line-up of new health bosses in the region. Ken Jarrold, chief executive at County Durham and Darlington Health Authority, is the chief executive designate at the new County Durham and Tees Valley Strategic Health Authority
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Youngsters vote Santa a star turn
Every year the busiest man on the planet takes time out from preparing for the big night to ask youngsters what they want for Christmas. We've visited sites across the region to assess Santa's performance * THREE-YEAR-OLD Dean Bainbridge was delighted
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New chapter in reading fun
CHRISTMAS came early for 200 North-East youngsters who were given free books as part of a drive to promote literacy. Year seven pupils at Easington Community School, east Durham, received the first of three books each from the Reading is Fundamental in
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Search of intercepted cargo ship is likely to take weeks
THE cargo ship seized by anti-terrorist police following a tip-off is likely to remain off the Isle of Wight for the foreseeable future, the Metropolitan Police said yesterday. It would be a number of weeks before the detailed examination of the MV Nisha
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No links yet over bodies in suitcases
DETECTIVES investigating North Yorkshire's body-in-a-suitcase mystery have yet to confirm whether they will be interviewing a man arrested in connection with a similar discovery in Hampshire. The remains of a small, slightly-built Oriental woman, who
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Travellers keep region's airports busy
Sunseekers and travellers heading home for Christmas are keeping the region's two main airports busy over the festive season. Newcastle Airport is expecting 66,000 passengers through its doors over the next two weeks and says it will be business as usual
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Mayor's protest over river sewage fears
A MAYOR is urging residents to protest over plans to pump raw sewage into a river during an emergency. The Mayor of Ripon, North Yorkshire, Councillor David Harrison, has asked people living alongside the city's River Skell to oppose an application by
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News in brief
Man injured in brawl A MAN will spend Christmas in hospital after suffering serious facial injuries in a weekend brawl. Surgeons at Middlesbrough General Hospital operated on the 20-year-old man, from Bishop Auckland, County Durham, who had his jaw, cheekbone
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The miracle that God gives us
In his Christmas message, the Bishop of Durham, the Right Reverend Michael Turnbull, says that, this festive season, we should think about what it means to be human A YOUNG boy desperately wanted a BMX bicycle and was praying hard for it. His mother tried
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Burning Questions - The history of Admiral Benbow
I HAVE recently re-read Treasure Island and wondered if you could tell me who was Admiral Benbow, after whom the inn belonging to Jim Hawkins' mother was named. - Ken Orton, Ferryhill Station. JOHN Benbow was the son of a Shropshire tanner and was born
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Kick-off time "disappoints" Black Cats chief
AN ENFORCED kick-off time switch due to a cup-day football fixture clash has met with an angry response from one of the North-East's major clubs. The 3rd Round draw for the FA and Scottish cups, made earlier this month, saw all three senior clubs in the
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It's Christmas as usual
IMAGINE what Christmas would be like if you suddenly won millions of pounds. Many would probably swap the stresses of preparing Christmas dinner for eating out, buy friends and family expensive gifts, and abandon the cold English weather for a warmer
