Archive
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Expert puts building in tune with workers
THE owner of a Teesside building has called in an expert to ensure it is offering prospective tenants ideal working conditions for their businesses. The Chinese art of Feng Shui is becoming a popular way to help achieve a harmonious and healthy working
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News In Brief
Diana trip will boost charity: A trip is being organised to Althorpe, Northamptonshire, where the Princess of Wales is buried. The visit includes two nights bed and breakfast and return coach travel, as well as trips to Oxford and Warwick. Tickets cost
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Church looks back on 150 years of change
A church is gearing up for its 150th anniversary next year. The foundation stone of North Road Methodist Church, Durham City, was laid on May 4, 1853, and 15 months later, on August 13, 1854, it was officially opened. Built in the Victorian classical
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Chamber chief to step down this year
THE chief executive of the North-East Chamber of Commerce (NECC) is stepping down at the end of the year. Michael Bird, former president of the Tyne and Wear chamber, leaves at Christmas. He joined the NECC shortly after its formation in January 1995
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Blind land speed record sparks row
A ROW has broken out after the blind land speed record set by a former policeman who lost his sight in a high-speed crash was taken from him by a sighted driver wearing a blindfold. Disabled groups have hit out at the Guinness Book of Records' decision
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Protest over arson attacks
FREQUENT arson attacks in an area of Darlington could force businesses to move out, it has been claimed. Trevor Barnes, who rents a car compound, is so concerned about the number of fires in the Green Street area of the town that he has vowed to move
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Police to test Big Brother boxes
BLACK box data recorders could soon be road-tested by one of the region's police forces. County Durham Police are considering putting black boxes in 12 of its panda cars in Darlington as part of a national experiment. The aim is to improve public and
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Prison opens pioneering
A PIONEERING learning facility is about to open in a Durham prison. After securing £20,000 from the County Durham Learning and Skills Council, Low Newton Prison became the first in the country to introduce the Learning Prison scheme. It involves the prison
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Five youth hostels to be kept afloat by timely cash boost
FIVE youth hostels in North Yorkshire are in line for a major cash boost to fund urgently-needed repairs, it has been announced. The Youth Hostels Association (YHA) has secured a total of £250,000 from the Government's Countryside Access Recovery Fund
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Cameras on roads lead to 27% reduction in accidents
SPEED cameras across Teesside have led to a 27 per cent reduction in the number of road accidents over the past two years, figures released yesterday revealed. According to the Cleveland Safety Camera Partnership, fatal crashes are down by 17 per cent
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Dog saved by his flippered friends
IT is a story which would not look out of place in a Walt Disney film - but it seems to be one of the most remarkable animal rescues ever to take place. A frightened dog, suffering from a bleeding head wound, had made it half way to shore across the fast
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Nursery welcomes a famous neighbour
A NEWLY opened nursery in Trimdon Village has received a visit from its most famous neighbour - Prime Minister Tony Blair. Little Tykes, based in Trimdon House, is aimed primarily at single parents who are having difficulty in finding affordable childcare
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Jail for man in river prank tragedy despite mum's plea
A MOTHER'S mercy plea for a man who admitted causing her son's death in a river accident failed to stop him being jailed yesterday. Engineer Sean Robinson, 35, was sentenced to four years following the death of lifelong friend Mark Smith. Mr Smith, 29
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Lions club's efforts in aid of new minibus
DARLINGTON and District Youth and Community Association have a new minibus, thanks to the fundraising efforts of the Darlington Lions Club. Lions president Jeff Kemp presented Mick Moat, Darlington Borough Council's community education co-ordinator, with
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Troubled past of theatre row firm
A BUSINESSMAN whose theatre management company left a trail of creditors in its wake has a history of troubled ventures. Michael Power, joint director of The Entertainment Team (Durham) Ltd, was entrusted with the running of Durham's Gala Theatre by city
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Hear All Sides
GALA THEATRE: DURHAM City MP, Gerry Steinberg's call (Echo, June 13) for an investigation into the financial crisis surrounding the Gala Theatre is to be welcomed. However, at the same time, council tax payers would like to be reassured how the overspend
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High hopes for Grandera
GLOBE-TROTTING Grandera (3.45) has the class to claim the £250,000 Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot today. For sure it's a decent enough prize on offer, but there are much bigger bucks to be made abroad these days and this afternoon's pot is relatively
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Vital community contribution of volunteers in the spotlight
THE work of people who give up their time to help others has been highlighted during National Volunteers Week. Volunteers come from a wide range of backgrounds and do a variety of different jobs to benefit both individuals and the community. Some of those
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Former Boro skipper Pearson a big fan of Juninho
A STAR man performance from Juninho and an England win - that's former Middlesbrough skipper Nigel Pearson's fervent hope as Sven-Goran Eriksson's men prepare to face Brazil on Friday. Pearson, now an up-and-coming FA coach, was Boro's defensive cornerstone
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Work nears on bridge replacement
WORK is expected to start on a £1.5m replacement bridge at in South Shields in August. South Tyneside Council has secured funding to build a re-aligned bridge over the railway line at Green Lane. The existing bridge, owned by Railtrack, is subject to
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News In Brief
Thousands of music fans are expected to descend on Dalby Forest near Pickering on Saturday as Yorkshire's biggest wood becomes a rock venue for top band Pulp. The concert is part of the Forestry Commission's Music in the Forest tour and will be followed
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Injury-ravaged Durham hoping to repeat Bristol heroics
DURHAM will call on their memory of last season's shock victory at Bristol in the C & G Trophy fourth round as they go for a repeat against Gloucestershire today. It will be an even bigger upset this time as Paul Collingwood is still not fit, and
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Advice on holiday insurance
LEADING insurance brokers BIB are urging holidaymakers from Darlington to read the small print before buying their travel cover. The warning follows several cases where tourists have had accidents while taking part in daredevil activities, only to find
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TV technicians in drunken row at bar
TWO television technicians appeared in court yesterday after a drunken row. Daniel Foster, 22, and Paul Mann, 27, had been installing ITV digital at the Tapas Bar in Darlington when the incident happened on March 19. Darlington magistrates were told that
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Charity celebrates tenth anniversary
A CHARITY has celebrated its tenth anniversary with a party for volunteers and friends. The Durham Dales Family Link has been supporting families throughout County Durham and surrounding areas for ten years. Project leader Pauline Fox has been running
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Teenage driver sent down again
A TEENAGER'S appalling driving record brought him a second spell behind bars in two days yesterday. Derek Ainslie, 18, was sent to a young offenders' institution for three months by Harrogate magistrates after admitting to dangerous driving, driving while
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Names to keep the North-East on the map
THE faithful would wish to know that the Rev Richard Thomson is resigning as priest-in charge of Piddlehentride with Plush, Alton Pancras with Piddlehinton and of Milborne St Andrew with Dewlish. He is instead to be a school chaplain in Wiltshire, which
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Region's air passengers face strike chaos
Air travellers across the region are facing chaos as air traffic controllers across Europe went on strike today. The are objecting to an EU plan to put the continent's air space under international controls. Thousands of passengers had their travel plans
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If you love your children, let them fly
ALAN Stuttle is a remarkable man. Two months ago, his daughter Caroline was killed while backpacking in Australia. She either fell or was pushed off a bridge during a robbery in Bundaberg, north Queensland. Now his son is off to New Zealand - with his
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Names to keep the North-East on the map
THE faithful would wish to know that the Rev Richard Thomson is resigning as priest-in charge of Piddlehentride with Plush, Alton Pancras with Piddlehinton and of Milborne St Andrew with Dewlish. He is instead to be a school chaplain in Wiltshire, which
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£4m relocation for controversial school
A CONTROVERSIAL special school is in line to be closed and relocated in a new £4m building. Durham County Council education chiefs feel the 19th Century premises which accommodate Windlestone Hall School, near Rushyford, County Durham, are unsuitable
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The crusader in the skies
With a brief to raise millions of pounds to keep the Great North Air Ambulance in the skies, Grahame Pickering has his work cut out. LINDSAY JENNINGS meets a man with a mission. TO SAY that Grahame Pickering lives and breathes his role as head of the
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Housing development to be demolished
Council officials have confirmed that a £1m housing development, built only eight years ago, is to be demolished following repeated attacks by arsonists as young as five. The 20-home Agecroft Gardens development in the Whinney Banks area of Middlesbrough
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Offshore project's jobs in pipeline
ENERGY and construction minister Brian Wilson has provided a boost for the region's offshore industry. Mr Wilson was in Middlesbrough to confirm that KYE's fabrication yard on the Tees would provide materials for a new gas pipeline in the Irish Sea, creating
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Annual meeting
The Redcar and Cleveland Citizens Advice Bureau will hold its annual meeting on Thursday, June 27 at 7pm in The Middleton Lecutre Theatre at the Pursglove Centre, Guisborough.
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Off-duty officers investigated
Police investigating an incident in which a man was left fighting for his life after he was punched have interviewed three off-duty officers, a force spokesman said today. Tool fitter Graeme McMillan, 43, of Kingston Park, Newcastle, was struck outside
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Manufacturing pay awards low
Pay deals in engineering and manufacturing firms remain at a "historically low level", according to new figures from the Engineering Employers' Federation (EEF). For the three months to the end of May, the average settlement was 2.1 per cent, the same
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Airport seeks private sector help
THE region's second largest airport is to branch out into the private sector in a bid to secure crucial future investment. Teesside Airport has revealed that it plans to invite proposals from potential private partners to drive forward its long-term development
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Festival drawing world class performers
WORLD class performers from around the world will be converging on the North-East next month. They will be taking part in the 15th Stockton International Riverside Festival, which this year will be in two distinct parts. There will be an opening weekend
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Music shop striking the right note
MUSICIAN and instrument repairer George Gladstone's business has gone from strength-to-strength since he opened his shop in Darlington. He has even received a visit from influential company directors. Mr Gladstone, 44, from South Shields, has been repairing
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Child abuse hearing set to begin
MPs look set to hear about a controversial investigation into child abuse in the North-East when a Government inquiry gets underway tomorrow. Claire Curtis-Thomas, MP for Crosby, near Liverpool is expected to severely criticise the controversial methods
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Dog recovering afer being rescued by seal
An exhausted dog who was nudged to shore by a "guardian angel" seal after almost drowning in a fast-flowing river was last night recovering from its ordeal. The dramatic rescue happened just before 6pm last night beneath Newport Bridge, Middlesbrough,
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Gang who picked on elderly should suffer
A gang of travelling burglars who targeted old people in their homes were today jailed by a judge who said that they must expect to suffer for preying on the elderly. The victims of the three men and a woman included a man of 91 and a woman who suffered
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Inflation fall eases interest rate fears
INFLATION fell sharply last month to its lowest since November, reducing the chances of an imminent rise in interest rates. Underlying inflation fell from the 2.3 per cent recorded in April to 1.8 per cent in May, figures from the Office for National
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Party supports campaign to save refugee family
A political party has thrown its weight behind a campaign to stop a family of Macedonian refugees being deported from the UK. Teesside Green Party has written to the Home Office to urge it to reconsider its decision to send the Dimitrievski family, who
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Top marks for RAF's Graeme
A FORMER maintenance technician has made a flying start in his new career with the Royal Air Force. Graeme Matthew Sams, of West Auckland, near Bishop Auckland, passed out from recruit training with top marks. The 22-year-old was named as the recruit
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Prison worker's 'sex aids joke'
A PRISON worker accused of sexually harassing a typist also disgusted another female prison worker with a joke telephone request for sex aids for women prisoners, a tribunal heard. Typist Rebecca Byrne has told the hearing in Newcastle that Durham Prison
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Community service for storing stolen cars
A MAN who stored two stolen cars avoided a jail sentence yesterday after a judge warned he could have gone to prison for 18 months. Shaun Lance was sentenced to 80 hours community service and placed on a two-year community rehabilitation order at Teesside
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Poor counsel, Mrs Blair
CHERIE Blair, like every other person in the United Kingdom, is entitled to her opinions. But as Prime Minister's wife, she needs to be careful when she makes her views public. For her to comment in public on the situation in the Middle East at this particular
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Cash boost to aid historic quarter
A Heritage Lottery cash boost of £750,000 has been secured for some of a town's most historic buildings. Middlesbrough Council and Middlesbrough Town Centre Company will use the money to fund a scheme of improvements in buildings around Queen's Square
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Rivaldo snubs Sir Bobby's bid for his services
LAZIO yesterday emerged as suitors for Rivaldo as he delivered a massive snub to Newcastle United boss Sir Bobby Robson. United were forced to accept defeat in their audacious attempt to lure the Brazil star away from Barcelona. The attraction of playing
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Anger as Cherie talks of 'no hope' bombers
Prime Minister Tony Blair's wife Cherie issued a public apology last night for any offence she had caused after saying that young Palestinians had "no hope but to blow themselves up". Her remarks - coming as they did on the day that the latest suicide
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Keeping a firm grip is a bear essential
YOUNGSTERS helped launch a celebration of childhood with a teddy bear's picnic yesterday. The Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership also enlisted the help of Early Bird - the partnership's 7ft mascot - to mount a treasure hunt in Mowbray Park
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Pupils get insight into performance artistry
CHILDREN at three schools are receiving visits from a performance artist this week. Robin Ellwood, from Darlington, visited Reid Street Primary School in the town yesterday, and will go on to visit Hurworth Comprehensive School and Greenfield Comprehensive
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Relaunch of safe and friendly pavilion project goes down a treat
MIDDLESBROUGH'S speaker councillor Ken Hall visited a "priceless community" project yesterday. Councillor Hall relaunched the Pavilion Project, which provides a safe and friendly environment for sports, play and arts activities for the under 14s in North
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From homespun to Hollywood
TRICIA Stewart can barely believe how her life has changed over the past three years. Her idea to produce an alternative calendar featuring ladies from the local women's institute, naked but for strategically placed teapots, cider presses and easels,
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'Sleeping' on the jobs helps good causes
CALL centre staff were encouraged to let their thoughts drift to bedtime as part of a fundraising day. Workers at the LE Group's Sunderland base, at Doxford Park, were urged to come to work in their pyjamas and slippers to raise money for a number of
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Mental health unit views sought
WEAR Valley residents have their first chance to comment on a new £7m mental health unit when an information roadshow opens tomorrow. It will be housed in the maternity unit at Bishop Auckland General Hospital and will have 52 beds and 30 day places for
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Seeboard sold to London Electricity in £1.4bn deal
ENERGY supplier Seeboard is to being sold for £1.39bn. American Electric Power (AEP), the US owner of the Crawley group, is selling the business to London Electricity. The deal involves London Electricity paying AEP £670m in cash and assume debt of about
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Support group's special day
A CHARITY has celebrated its tenth anniversary with a special party for volunteers and friends. Durham Dales Family Link has been supporting communities throughout County Durham and surrounding areas for ten years. Project leader Pauline Fox has been
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If you love your children, let them fly
ALAN Stuttle is a remarkable man. Two months ago, his daughter Caroline was killed while backpacking in Australia. She either fell or was pushed off a bridge during a robbery in Bundaberg, north Queensland. Now his son is off to New Zealand - with his
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Man found hanged after argument
A man hanged himself after an argument with his partner, an inquest heard yesterday. Geoffrey Ashton, 34, was found hanging by a rope from a beam in his garage in Oxford Road, Middlesbrough, on November 19 last year. Two days earlier police had been called
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Further success in war against drugs
POLICE in Middlesbrough are celebrating further success in their fight against drugs with nine people arrested in the past week. Seven raids took place in the town with nine people arrested for drugs supply offences. One of these was dealt with for a
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The process that breaches the peace
PEACE is a good thing. It gets everybody's vote. And so too, most probably, does peace's much younger cousin, the "peace process". The best known "peace processes" are those in the Middle East and Northern Ireland. And what do we get? In the Middle East
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Serial arsonist strikes again
A SERIAL arsonist who has left a multi-million pound trail of destruction in his wake has struck again. Police have confirmed that the fire-raiser, already thought to be behind six attacks across Northumberland and Tyne and Wear in the past year, is believed
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Music shop striking the right note
MUSICIAN and instrument repairer George Gladstone's business has gone from strength-to-strength since he opened his shop in Darlington. He has even received a visit from influential company directors. Mr Gladstone, 44, from South Shields, has been repairing
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News In Brief
'Hacked off' boss's letter: The chairman of postal group Consignia sparked a row with union leaders yesterday after writing to workers saying that union officials and managers were struggling to find time for pay talks. "They must all be in the Costa
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Retired people tackle computer course
A GROUP of 60 retired people, many of whom left school early, have successfully tackled a new challenge at a university computing course. Members of the Houghton-le-Spring Cameo Club took a half-day version of Sunderland University's Computing for Beginners
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Business In Brief
Whitbread's good start: Whitbread reported an encouraging start to its financial year after sales grew across nearly all its businesses. Trading in the first quarter was slightly ahead of expectations. Whitbread's Travel Inn business achieved annual like-for-like
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Newman boosts appeal
VETERAN Hollywood star Paul Newman's culinary skills have provided a major boost to a hospice appeal. Supermarket chain Asda has teamed up with the Butch Cassidy actor to support Yorkshire-based children's hospice Martin House. All after-tax sales from
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Whitby set for Endeavour's return
They may have been centuries apart but Captain James Cook's legendary ship, Endeavour, and its modern-day replica undoubtedly share a common spirit of adventure and discovery. It is 234 years since the original vessel set sail for the unchartered waters
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School blaze was arson
A BLAZE at a primary school, which damaged a storage area, is being treated as arson, investigators have said. Two appliances from York fire station attended a small blaze at a garage at Hempland Primary School, in Whitby Avenue, on Monday night. The
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Leisure groups take cash boosts in stride
GRANTS totalling more than £82,000 have been handed out to leisure groups over the past 12 months. Twenty five sports organisations, play areas and village halls have benefited from the Hambleton District Council grants schemes. Another six groups unable
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Former pub at hub of community again
A FORMER pub has been transformed as part of a huge project that has seen a former mining community build its own one-stop shop. This week, years of hard work came to fruition as the Dene Valley Community Partnership opened the doors of what will become
