Archive
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Ticking off for United
NEWCASTLE United were last night told their controversial Champions' League ticket policy could ultimately cost them their place in European football's most prestigious club competition. Newcastle's Champions' League odyssey has been played out in front
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Doors open for village residents
A HOUSING scheme which aims to keep people living in a Weardale village has been officially opened. The Wesley View development in Wolsingham has been built to offer more affordable housing in the village which has seen property prices hit an all-time
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Ban on pony parades may breach fair's royal charter
A LAWYER acting for gipsies banned by police from running their ponies along a market town's high street at the end of an annual fair, says continuing the ban next year could be in breach of a royal charter. Tradition has it that King John granted a charter
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Pupils clear way for garden
TEENAGERS are transforming part of a hospice grounds for a school project teaching them to care about their community. A group of Year 10 and 11 pupils from King James 1 Community College are spending a day a week tidying up an overgrown corner beside
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Tait's faith in youth paying dividends
AN air of optimism has been sweeping through the corridors of Feethams this week. Caretaker boss Mick Tait has instilled some much-needed confidence into a resurgent Quakers side now hungry for success. Tait's decision to opt for a youthful central midfield
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Young poets published
THE best poems written by Darlington schoolchildren for a national contest have been published. The Poetry Odyssey competition attracted more than 50,000 entries throughout the country. Judges sifted through the entries from Darlington and have selected
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Juve reserves can resist Dynamo charge
IF Newcastle United fear Juventus will scupper their Champions' League dreams by fielding a weakened team against Dynamo Kiev next month, they need only ask Arsene Wenger about the rich seam of footballing talent at Marcello Lippi's disposal. Needing
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Police given more powers to deal with drunken gangs
ROWDY gangs of youths drinking in parks and gardens around a market town could have their drink confiscated in future. Council chiefs have agreed to impose restrictions in parts of Richmond, giving police the power to intervene if anti-social behaviour
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Children are good as gold
A SCHOOL has launched a reward scheme with a difference, by awarding their young pirates gold coins for good behaviour. Pirates of old may have used more unscrupulous methods to acquire hoards of gold, but children at Woodlea Primary School are filling
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Celebrity collection up for auction
FROM Tony Blair's autograph to Bet Lynch's earrings, a collection of dozens of pieces of celebrity memorabilia are to be auctioned off next week. Sheila Thornton, from New Brancepeth, has spent the last nine months building up a collection of 40 photographs
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Showbiz family
WHEN Joseph Hall donned a judge's wig and trod the boards in Gilbert and Sullivan's Trial by Jury in 1919, he had no idea he was starting an amateur opera tradition which would last five generations. But almost 100 years later, his great-great-great nephew
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Abuse guidelines are welcomed
TEACHERS who claim their lives were wrecked by false allegations of child abuse last night welcomed strict new guidelines to stop further "miscarriages of justice". The influential Home Affairs Select Committee said innocent people's lives had been ruined
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Panto cancelled after rising damp discovered at venue
A POPULAR pantomime has been cancelled after rising damp was discovered in the venue. Consett Citizens' Choir yesterday pulled out of its January production of Mother Goose at the town's Empire Theatre, because repairs to the building have overrun and
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Home protestors win first round
CAMPAIGNERS fighting the planned closure of a residential home have won their battle to secure a High Court injunction against a local authority. Relatives of residents at Stoneleigh, in Barnard Castle, County Durham, are celebrating what they believe
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Forum hosts festive fashion show
Bishop Auckland Town Centre Forum will hold a Christmas fashion show at St John's RC Comprehensive School, Woodhouse Lane, next Wednesday. Doors open at 6.30pm, with the show starting at 7.30pm. Tickets, costing £2.50, are available from Marks and Spencer
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Ready to meet 53-minute target
A car parts plant that puts the North-East ahead of the rest of Europe opens next week. The £4m Magna Kansei assembly site opens on the Pattinson North industrial estate in Washington on Monday, bringing 80 jobs to the region. The first factory of its
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The spectre of the one-in-a-million risk
As 24 patients are being contacted on Teesside amid fears that surgical instruments used on a patient with CJD may have spread the incurable brain disease, Health Correspondent Barry Nelson presents a question and answer guide to the current crisis. Q
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Rugby player may face life ban
A RUGBY player who allegedly shoved a referee to the ground will never play for his club again and could face a life ban from the sport. Club bosses at West Hartlepool Tech yesterday said forward Chris Ward has been suspended indefinitely for pushing
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MoD nature reserve opens
AN award-winning field centre was officially opened yesterday in the Ministry of Defence's first local nature reserve. Field Marshall Sir John Chapple unveiled a replica of an ancient stone to mark the completion of the Foxglove Covert field centre in
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Ex-caretaker guilty of assaults on children
A former caretaker was found guilty yesterday of the chloroform rapes of two children. John Sanderson, 35, who attacked the two boys at a teachers' centre in Darlington, where he worked for two years, was impassive when the jury brought in their verdicts
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Mayor issues poster warning
POLICEMAN turned Mayor Ray Mallon is urging residents to be wary of a knock on the door. The former head of Middlesbrough CID, now Mayor of Middlesbrough, is launching the distribution of 60,000 posters urging people to be on their guard against opening
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Court told of cannabis farmer
A JOBLESS man set up in business as a cannabis farmer after four years on the dole, a court hear yesterday. Police were tipped off about Peter Stabler's skunk cannabis farm and when they turned up with a search warrant he told them: "There's nothing in
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Two days old but Beth's already made history
Beth Allison's birth - at three minutes past midnight on Tuesday - has made medical history. Beth, who was born at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary, became the first baby in the country to be given an NHS "lifelong" identification number. The nine-digit
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Honour for ex-mayor
Heinrich Meyers, a former burgermeister of Hamminkeln, in Germany, who died last Christmas, has posthumously been made an honorary Burgess of Sedgefield. The announcement was made by Sedgefield Mayor Ian Sutherland when he presented a framed scroll to
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Gala premiere heralds end of cinema era
A cinema will hold one final premiere before it closes its doors at the end of next month. The charity screening at the Odeon in Newcastle will feature the latest James Bond adventure, Die Another Day. The cinema has held premieres for all the 007 movies
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Getting in the spirit
A NORTH-East brewery has entered into the spirit of Halloween with a ghostly grog. Cauldron Ale, produced by Camerons Brewery, in Hartlepool, is available this week's Wetherspoon's Halloween Beer Festival. The new brew is now on sale at The King Johns
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'White elephant' that became model seat of learning
The closure of Darlington's College of Technology will bring the curtain down on more than a century of history. Julia Breen reports. WHEN Education Minister the Duke of Devonshire opened Darlington's first college of technology in 1897, it was labelled
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Priya has vision of travel to aid healthcare overseas
A DURHAM optometrist is flying to Uganda to provide eyecare to some of the poorest people in the world. Priya Almani, 23, is flying out today as part of a team of six organised by the UK charity Vision Aid Overseas. For two weeks the team will give free
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'Treasure' may be a little potty
A chance find has shed light on the very personal habits of 16th Century monks. A half-buried German drinking vessel uncovered at Rievaulx Abbey has sent archaeologists scurrying for the lavatory at the North Yorkshire ruin, near Helmsley. They are hoping
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News in brief: Pupils go potty about Harry
SECONDARY school pupils from Stockton will be taking part in a Harry Potter theme day on Friday. Grangefield School will turn into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with pupils able to wear Harry Potter-style clothes. Lessons will be based around
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Comment: Educationally a good move
DARLINGTON College of Technology's proposed move to a new £27m centre has the potential to be one of the most important developments in the town for a generation. With 15,000 students from across the region, and more than 500 staff, the college's future
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Christopher ends his apprenticeship years
A COUNTY Durham company is celebrating after another of its trainees successfully completed an apprenticeship. Christopher Parkin, 20, from Heighington, near Darlington, has completed a four-year apprenticeship in fabrication and welding at Aycliffe Fabrications
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Bus awards
A bus service taking shoppers to the Gateshead MetroCentre is in line for a national industry award. Go North East's X66 service from Gateshead to the shopping centre has been shortlisted for most innovative service award at the ExpoCoach event in Birmingham
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Gallery founder wins award
A DURHAM business school graduate who co-founded an art gallery on the Internet as part of his studies has won an award. Greg Dunne, one of the founder directors of the Northern Heart Gallery, has won joint first prize in the postgraduate category at
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Poppy honour just day too late
WITH his dying breath, leukaemia sufferer Ernest Hancock told his mother he was determined to get out of hospital in time to help with the Poppy Appeal. A dedicated fundraiser despite being mentally handicapped, his death came the day he was due to be
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Archaeologists dig deep to reveal park's secrets
A SEARCH for clues about an important historic landscape is about to start. Archaeologists from Durham County Council are to dig into the past at Hardwick Park, near Sedgefield, to find out how the Grade II* English Heritage listed landscape was originally
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Mongrel Meg in search of new home
A DOG, which had its sight restored thanks to the generous readers of The Northern Echo, is looking for a new home. Loveable mongrel Meg touched the hearts of the region when it was revealed she needed a pioneering operation to remove cataracts from both
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Survey identifies areas of concern
VANDALISM and the lack of child care provision are two of the key concerns for residents of Scarborough. People in Eastfield identified these two factors during recent Quality of Life Surveys. European Funding of approximately £420,000 has been allocated
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Lottery hands out £1.5m for childcare places
THOUSANDS of childcare places will be created across the North-East, thanks to a huge Lottery boost. The New Opportunities Fund is ploughing £1,490,661 into the region's pre-school and after-school clubs. The money will also be used to set up weekend
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Anniversary performance
AN amateur dramatics company is celebrating its 60th anniversary by performing a play set in the era it was first formed. The Northallerton-based Allerton Players are staging the play And A Nightingale Sang, by C P Taylor, set in Newcastle during the
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News in brief: Bureau offers advice to all
Durham Citizens' Advice Bureau is holding sessions on Monday at Ludworth Community Centre, between 11am and noon, and Bowburn Homeside Communal Hall, from 12.30pm to 1.30pm. On Tuesday, a session will be held at Bearpark Community House, between 1.30pm
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Geordie food 'exports' a success
BUTCHER Patrick Loughlin is proof that North-East produce is popular across the world. Since setting up a website to sell his produce he has shipped traditional Geordie fayre all over the world. The family-run butcher's business operates shops in Chester-le-Street
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Bonfire Night warning
TRADING standards bosses are urging people in North Yorkshire to take care on Bonfire Night. There was a 40 per cent rise in firework-related accidents in the UK last year. This year, the agency responsible for policing consumer issues is hoping common
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Parents angered by lack of play areas in village
ANGRY parents say their children are having to cross a busy road to get to their only remaining village play area. Aycliffe Village suffers from a shortage of play areas and people say the situation has been made worse in recent months by the addition
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Notes from Planet Zog
Welcome to Sharon Griffiths's new fortnightly column Notes From Planet Zog... or an alphabetical guide on how to survive with teenage sons.. A IS for ADOLESCENCE... and also for ATTITUDE which tends to go with it. If your boys are still young then you
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Helen takes head role for trust
A FORMER North-East hospice manager has been appointed to a key healthcare role in County Durham. Helen Tucker is the new head nurse and director of operational services and clinical governance for Derwentside Primary Care Trust (PCT). Mrs Tucker joins
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Hospital fundraisers hit £60,000 eye camera target
A LIFE-SAVING piece of hospital equipment has been installed in Darlington Memorial Hospital after fundraisers collected thousands of pounds. The £60,000 digital retinal camera was bought for the hospital as part of the Save Our Sight appeal, which was
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Town clerk repeats golf victory
GOLF novice Jamie Corrigan has successfully defended the national golf title he won last year. Mr Corrigan, executive officer of Ferryhill Town Council, could not believe it when he won the Society of Local Council Clerks' annual conference competition
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Farne Islands swim succeeds
A TEACHER and a former paratrooper yesterday swam from the Northumberland coast to the Farne Islands. Sol Walker, a teacher at St Leonard's RC School in Durham, and Stuart Dowding swam from Seahouses to the islands. According to local legend, nobody has
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Xcellsyz finds a home in the North
A leading biotech company specialising in drug development has announced a £1.5m deal to set up home in the North-East and create 20 jobs. The deal ensures that Xcellsyz Limited will establish laboratories and offices in Newcastle's International Centre
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Hunting for ghosts
NOVICE ghost hunter Jonathan Tatham will spend a sleepless Halloween night in a hotel to try to solve the mystery of a spooky bedroom. The 18-year-old is preparing for his debut ghost hunt in the Swallow Eden Arms Hotel, Rushyford, near Newton Aycliffe
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Pioneer asks the public for funding
A LEADING doctor, who made UK medical history, is appealing to the people of the North-East to help him treat more adult leukaemia patients. Professor Stephen Proctor carried out Britain's first adult bone marrow transplant using blood from a baby's umbilical
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Nicola wins lovely jubbly prize draw
EVERYTHING was cushty for a Stanley woman who won a Del Boy-style three-wheeler yellow van. Nicola McCluskey, 26, from South Stanley, won the lovely jubbly motor in a free prize draw to celebrate the opening of a new indoor market in Stanley. She cannot
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Recycling scheme funding delayed
A MAJOR recycling programme due to start in November has been put back until January, because of a delay in Government funding. Every household in West Durham is to get a collection box for recycling. But a three-month delay in the £700,000 grant from
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Free Bonfire Night tickets
THOUSANDS of free tickets are being distributed to an organised firework display, to ensure a safe November 5. A total of 10,000 tickets are being given away - a maximum of five per person - in the run up to the Redcar and Cleveland Council display, on
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Location of £12m school agreed
ANOTHER step towards building a £12m school in east Cleveland has been taken. Councillors agreed in principle that a Freebrough Community College should be built at Skelton, and not Brotton or Loftus. However, the executive committee, the council's most
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Firm wins fridge recycling orders
A FIRM from the North-East is helping businesses scale the fridge mountain with one of the UK's first fully approved recycling units. Designed to deal with the thousands of large chiller cabinets and freezer units disposed of each year by supermarkets
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Angling club in stormy waters
RESIDENTS are appealing to councillors to throw out plans for the extension of an angling club. People living in Witton Park in Bishop Auckland, will take their protests to a meeting of Wear Valley District Council's Development Control Committee tonight
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Mother demands answers after son's death in prison
THE mother of the fourth prisoner this month to be found hanged in Durham's prisons has called for an inquiry. Jason Mackin was found in his cell in the hospital wing of Durham Prison on Saturday. The 28-year-old father-of-two from Wigan, Lancashire,
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Business dream comes true
A MOTHER-of-two has realised her dream of setting up her own beauty salon with the help of a mentor from The Princes Trust. Caroline Mason, 30, from Pelton, trained as a beautician and held several part-time jobs, including three years working in a customer
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Threads of honour
AN embroiderer who has returned to Chester-le-Street after working at Hampton Court Palace is to return to London to be made a Freeman of the city. Tracy Franklin, 34, spent 14 years working for the Royal School of Needlework in London. Now she lives
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Nicola wins lovely jubbly prize draw
EVERYTHING was cushty for a Stanley woman who won a Del Boy-style three-wheeler yellow van. Nicola McCluskey, 26, from South Stanley, won the lovely jubbly motor in a free prize draw to celebrate the opening of a new indoor market in Stanley. She cannot
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Stay-away fans dismay Turner
HARTLEPOOL United have kept their part of the bargain - now Chris Turner wants the town to do the same. Tuesday's win over Bristol Rovers stretched Pool's lead at the top of Division Three to five points, but was watched by Pool's lowest home gate of
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Governors veto school route plan
A SAFER route to school project has hit the rails because governors have refused to support it. Plans for the scheme at Byerley Park Primary School in Newton Aycliffe first took shape at a public meeting more than a year ago. After much discussion and
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Celebrity collection up for auction
FROM Tony Blair's autograph to Bet Lynch's earrings, a collection of dozens of pieces of celebrity memorabilia are to be auctioned off next week. Sheila Thornton, from New Brancepeth, has spent the last nine months building up a collection of 40 photographs
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Bali terror blast victim's body flown home
THE BODY of a man killed in the Bali bomb blast has been flown back home. Ian Findley, from West Pelton, near Chester-le-Street, was one of more than 30 Britons who died in the blast which ripped apart the Sari Club. Last week he was formally identified
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Advertiser colleague mourned
A RESPECTED and popular member of The Advertiser staff has died after a lengthy illness. Valerie Morley, of Teesdale Avenue, Darlington, died last Wednesday of a brain tumour. Colleagues in the special features department, of which she was deputy editor
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Fireworks spectacular
PREPARATIONS are under way for two bonfires and firework extravaganzas to ensure Guy Fawke's Night goes with a bang. Wear Valley District Council, in association with Bishop Auckland Rugby Club, will hold its annual display one day early - on Monday,
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Call for inquiry into jail death
THE mother of the fourth prisoner this month found hanged in Durham's prisons has called for an inquiry. Father-of-two Jason Mackin was found hanging in his cell in the hospital wing of Durham Prison on Saturday afternoon. The 28-year-old, from Wigan,
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School takes top award
Deerness Compehensive School in Durham is one of four County Durham schools to have won a high ranking quality award for its out-of- school activities. The school received the Quality in Study Support Award. The award is graded emerging, established and
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Poppy appeal hopes to raise record amount
THE Royal British Legion's Poppy Appeal was launched in Darlington last Wednesday - and a record target has been set. The town branch raised more than £36,000 with its last appeal, but is hoping to hit the £40,000 mark this time. The campaign was launched
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Nicola wins lovely jubbly prize draw
EVERYTHING was cushty for a Stanley woman who won a Del Boy-style three-wheeler yellow van. Nicola McCluskey, 26, from South Stanley, won the lovely jubbly motor in a free prize draw to celebrate the opening of a new indoor market in Stanley. She cannot
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College bid boosted by pop star's gift
A LEADING pop star has struck a chord with pupils at a rural comprehensive school by backing their bid to become a performing arts college. The Tyneside-born half of the Pet Shop Boys Neil Tennant has agreed to become patron of the venture if Wolsingham
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Climber needs sponsors' help
A SPEECH therapist is appealing for help in her race against time to raise money for a charity expedition to Africa. Jennifer Bell from Chester-le-Street is to climb Africa's highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro, in February next year to raise money for
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Hospital hits camera target
A LIFE-SAVING piece of hospital equipment has been installed in Darlington Memorial Hospital after fundraisers collected thousands of pounds. The £60,000 digital retinal camera was bought for the hospital as part of the Save Our Sight appeal which was
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Toddlers' treat time
YOUNGSTERS were getting into the Halloween spirit at Darlington Town Hall on Monday as they got ready to party. A group of children, all aged two to five-year-old were busy making traditional pumpkins ahead of today's spooky event at the Kids and Co Nursery
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Town brought into focus
PEOPLE in Bishop Auckland have been rediscovering their town through a photography project. Photographer Louise Taylor thought up the idea that saw people responding to an advertisement. Those interested attended a session at the Discovery Centre, in
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Call for inquiry into jail death
THE mother of the fourth prisoner this month found hanged in Durham's prisons has called for an inquiry. Father-of-two Jason Mackin was found hanging in his cell in the hospital wing of Durham Prison on Saturday afternoon. The 28-year-old, from Wigan,
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Residents not amused by arcade plan
PLANS for a new amusement arcade to be opened in Darlington are set to be given the go-ahead - despite serious fears about the effect on youngsters. Residents of Cockerton have raised numerous concerns about the potential impact of proposals to open the
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Rescuers take to rock 'n' roll
THE Swaledale Fell Rescue Organisation will, be getting used to a different kind of rock from this evening. The charity's headquarters in Catterick Garrison will be hosting classes in rock and roll from 7.15pm this evening. Anyone who would like to book
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Councillors' worries allayed over £4.8m hospital revamp
FEARS that a £4.8m scheme to improve a rural community hospital could lead to it being used as an overspill for Darlington Memorial Hospital have been dismissed by health chiefs. Members of Teesdale District Council raised concerns yesterday that the
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Goffy's gift is just the ticket after train hitch
STARSTRUCK Jody Molden thought she was on track to meet her pop idol Robbie Williams at an exclusive show. But Jody's dreams ended when the train carrying her to the gig had to stop halfway to London because of bad weather. Jody and her steelworker husband
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From Russia with wings
ONE of the biggest cargo aircraft in the world landed in the North-East yesterday to collect an exceptionally large and unusual shipment. The Antonov-124, which is capable of carrying a load of up to 120 tonnes, turned heads when it landed at Newcastle
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Funding changes fuel rural anxiety
RURAL areas in the region may lose out on Government cash in favour of cities, a councillor has warned. Ossie Hedley, of Teesdale District Council, in County Durham, was speaking after plans were announced to change the way funding is allocated to rural
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Search goes on
Police said last night they were optimistic about finding a missing teenager with psychiatric problems, despite a fruitless search yesterday. Craig Foreman, 19, has been missing from his home in Medomsley, near Consett, County Durham, since Saturday morning
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Culture title bid makes shortlist
THE North-East took a step closer to hosting the European Capital of Culture 2008 with the announcement that the Newcastle and Gateshead entry had been shortlisted for the prize. The decision, revealed by Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell at 8.30am yesterday
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Ingham is answer to keeper crisis
MICHAEL Ingham last night told Howard Wilkinson he is the answer to Sunderland's goalkeeping crisis, writes Steven Baker. With Thomas Sorensen and Thomas Myhre both absent through injury, Jurgen Macho will start Sunday's relegation battle at Charlton
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Hannah immortalised during important day at the clinic
At only seven months old, Hannah Dreghorn is already a VIB (very important baby). Despite the fact she needed help in reaching it, the tot helped unveil the opening plaque bearing her name at a new health clinic in Framwellgate Moor, County Durham. Hannah
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Planners reject pub scheme
PLANNERS have ruled that a landmark pub which has been closed and boarded up cannot be converted into housing. The outline planning application to turn the Bay Horse Inn at Burnt Yates into a housing scheme was refused by Ripon area planning committee
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Waste station debate
A BID to build a waste transfer station will be debated on Tuesday evening. Yorwaste - which manages recycling and waste management for North Yorkshire County Council - is hoping for permission to set up a recycling base on an industrial estate in Brompton-on-Swale
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Canvassing conmen are targeting the elderly
UNSCRUPULOUS conmen are duping council house tenants into paying for non-existent repairs. Stockton Borough Council's trading standards officers are warning residents to beware of doorstep canvassers claiming to be associated with the authority or the
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Fortune teller's prediction stands strong after 50 years
A COUPLE who met and married three weeks after a fortune teller predicted it have celebrated their Golden Wedding anniversary. It was love at first sight for Jean and Tom Hindson when they first met each other in a hotel in Stanley, County Durham. Mrs
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Coronary care nurses are team of year
A GROUP of nurses have been crowned Trust Team of the Year. The team from the coronary care unit of Middlesbrough's James Cook University Hospital won the title for innovative work that ensures heart attack sufferers are treated quickly and safely. This
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Adult students overcome 'learning gremlins' in tests
TWENTY-three adult learners in County Durham determined to overcome their literacy and numeracy gremlins have succeeded in new national tests. Some areas of Durham have the highest rate in Europe for poor literacy and numeracy and tackling the problem
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Exhibition in memory of lecturer
AN ART exhibition is being held at a university this week in memory of a lecturer who died from cancer. Sunderland-born artist Michael Holland, who was head of painting at Northumberland University, in Newcastle, between 1991 and 1993, died earlier this
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Lucky escape for Keith
A STARTLED householder has told how a van careered out of control and crashed into his back garden. Keith Smith was in the garden in Church Close, Thornaby, when the van veered across the road, down an embankment and slammed into his garden wall, yards
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News in brief: Prescott to rule on lights
A SCHEME to illuminate the top of Ripon's Victorian clock tower with high-powered lighting has been backed by planners. Councillors voted unanimously to support the application by Harrogate Borough Council to light up the top of the tower at the junction
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Council representatives in court over beck death
Representatives of a local authority charged with breaching health and safety regulations after the deaths of two girls during a school trip appeared in court today. Leeds City Council is facing two charges of breaching Health and Safety at Work Regulations
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News in brief: Echo expands weather news
THE NORTHERN ECHO has launched an expanded weather forecast service online. The new service includes major centres between Newcastle and York, and from Whitby across to Carlisle and Kendal. It features five-day predictions and is updated each morning.
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News in brief: Bureau offers advice to all
Durham Citizens' Advice Bureau is holding sessions on Monday at Ludworth Community Centre, between 11am and noon, and Bowburn Homeside Communal Hall, from 12.30pm to 1.30pm. On Tuesday, a session will be held at Bearpark Community House, between 1.30pm
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Chance to win X-type Jaguar offers hope to all in charity draw
THE use of a top-of-the-range sports car for the weekend will be one of the things up for auction at a Christmas charity ball next month. The Children's Hope Foundation, which looks after youngsters with special needs, is holding its Little Angels Christmas
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Recycling scheme funding delayed
A MAJOR recycling programme due to start in November has been put back until January, because of a delay in Government funding. Every household in West Durham is to get a collection box for recycling. But a three-month delay in the £700,000 grant from
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Town clerk repeats golf victory
GOLF novice Jamie Corrigan has successfully defended the national golf title he won last year. Mr Corrigan, executive officer of Ferryhill Town Council, could not believe it when he won the Society of Local Council Clerks' annual conference competition
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Last Night's TV: Faking It (C4), Babyfather (BBC2)
You can fool some of the people some of the time... HALFWAY through training Matt Davies's hope of fooling people into thinking he was a stunt man seemed as likely as Angus Deayton presenting Have I Got News For You on Friday. Matt is an insurance man
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News in brief: Amusement arcade refused
AN application to change the use of the Take a Break Caf in Cockerton, Darlington, into a 30-machine amusement arcade, has been rejected by Darlington Borough Council's planning committee. Officers had recommended approval of the scheme, which drew 67
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Residents voice opposition to police station
RESIDENTS who fear that police may be able to cop an eyeful of their everyday life have complained to Middlesbrough planners. Ted Johnston, 64, and his neighbours in King Street, South Bank, say a proposed police station on the former Oak Leaf pub car
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Former prisoner died from overdose
A 25-YEAR-OLD man died from a drug overdose only two days after being released from prison, an inquest heard yesterday. Andrew David Middlemiss served six weeks of a four-month sentence for theft at Holme House Prison, Stockton. He was released on Friday
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Has Jimmy grown the county's biggest pumpkin?
WHEN it comes to growing pumpkins, few can beat Jimmy Reid. The 81-year-old former demolition man has a UK growers title under his belt and is a regular at shows in North Yorkshire. But Mr Reid also seems set to scare off the competition in York today
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Police warning over firework vandalism
POLICE are urging youths to stop dangerous use of fireworks before someone is seriously injured or killed. Officers in Bishop Auckland say it is remarkable that no one has been hurt after missiles were put through the letterboxes of at least two homes
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Festive blitz on litter
A CAMPAIGN aimed at ridding Darlington of litter louts is to be stepped up in the run-up to Christmas. Several known problem areas in both the town centre and on residential estates will be targeted in the crackdown unveiled by the environmental health
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Hear All Sides: Washington Sniper
EMERGING from the case of the Washington sniper, reports show that, in 2000, more than 28,000 Americans were killed by firearms and that, since 1980, more than half a million Americans have been killed by guns. That is more than were killed during the
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Tell me ghoul, are you gruesome tonight?
PUB staff will get in the spirit of Halloween tonight by dressing up in spooky costumes. It will be party time at the O'Neill's Irish bar in Claypath, Durham, and customers are being urged to take part by donning their own ghoulish outfits. During the
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St John honours officers
FOUR police officers are to be honoured for their repeated efforts to save the life of an elderly man who collapsed in the street. Sergeant Dave Kirton, and PCs Mark Jagodinski, Stuart Dawson and Kevin Wilson, of Darlington police, are to receive framed
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News in brief: Bureau offers advice to all
Durham Citizens' Advice Bureau is holding sessions on Monday at Ludworth Community Centre, between 11am and noon, and Bowburn Homeside Communal Hall, from 12.30pm to 1.30pm. On Tuesday, a session will be held at Bearpark Community House, between 1.30pm
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Help needed in finding attackers
POLICE are appealing for help in catching a group of men who attacked two brothers outside their parents' house. The men, aged 37 and 31, were attacked in Harrison Close, Peterlee, at 11.15pm on Friday. Police say a group of men, possibly six, attacked
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News in brief: Pupils go potty about Harry
SECONDARY school pupils from Stockton will be taking part in a Harry Potter theme day on Friday. Grangefield School will turn into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with pupils able to wear Harry Potter-style clothes. Lessons will be based around
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Richmond revival praised
MOVES to revitalise Richmond town centre were praised by the Yorkshire and Humber Euro MP when he visited today. Timothy Kirkhope spent the morning touring the town and meeting retailers and leading figures behind the planned revival. He was the guest
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It's life mum, but not as we know it
A IS for ADOLESCENCE... and also for ATTITUDE which tends to go with it. If your boys are still young then you probably think Harry Enfield's Kevin is a joke. Ha! Enjoy the laugh while you can, because, boy, are you in for a shock. The really big shock
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John North: Sallying forth in the face of fire and brimstone
A newly-wed Salvation Army couple was threatened with eternal damnation for daring to fly on a Sunday... a very memorable way to start a honeymoon. IT was the first day of Ken and Kathy Smith's honeymoon, and not at all the wedding reception which the
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Community centre under threat
VILLAGERS have been issued with a 'use it or lose it' ultimatum by the small band of volunteers who run their community centre. Without a pub or a school and with only one shop in Toronto, near Bishop Auckland, the centre is the only place for residents
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Boateng may face music alone
GEORGE Boateng was last night left as the only player facing disciplinary action for his involvement in the 'Rumble at the Riverside' after the Middlesbrough midfielder cleared Nick Barmby of racism. While Boateng is almost certain to be charged with
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Harry Hooly can jump to it on perfect going
PERFECT jumping ground has ensured competitive fields at Sedgefield this afternoon, where Harry Hooly (1.40) looks good to claim the Amateur Riders' Handicap Hurdle. Borders-based trainer Harriet Graham has done a good job on Harry Hooly, who in his younger
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Restoration efforts still waiting for start date
DISCUSSIONS are ongoing about how £3.4m will be spent to restore a Darlington park to its former glory. Visitors to the Victorian South Park were delighted when it was awarded a heritage lottery grant after being neglected for years. But work has not
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Curtain rises on theatre festival
THE country's only festival of children's theatre is coming to Durham City's Gala Theatre this weekend. The £14m venue will host Take Off 2002 from Saturday to Wednesday, November 2-6. Take Off, started nine years ago by Darlington-based CTC Theatre,
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Spate of vehicle thefts
POLICE have promised action after a spate of vehicle thefts in the Stanley and Consett areas last weekend. Thieves struck 15 times in four nights, stealing four motorbikes, two cars and a van. Crooks also stole property from a further five vehicles and
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Speed rues paying the penalty for shaky start
GARY Speed last night cast a rueful look over Newcastle United's nightmare start to the Champions League and insisted: We deserve to be in the second round. As Alan Shearer admitted the penalty that saw off Dynamo Kiev on Tuesday could prove to be the
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Choir forced to cancel pantomime
A POPULAR pantomime has been cancelled after rising damp was discovered at its venue. Consett Citizens' Choir has pulled out of its January production of Mother Goose at the town's Empire Theatre, because repairs to the building have overrun and it will
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'Pick up - or pay up'
STRINGENT measures have been introduced by a council to crack down on dog fouling and litter dropping. Chester-le-Street District Council will be introducing fixed penalty fines of £50 next year for litterbugs and dog walkers who fail to clear up after
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Roll up to pick town crier
RESIDENTS are to help pick their future town crier in a public contest. Chester-le-Street District Council and the town's traders' association have been looking for someone with a 'thunderous, yet articulate voice,' to spread news of events in the town
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Stop this shameless exploitation of men
BUXOM women bursting out of bras on advertising hoardings or scantily clad and draped across shiny bonnets in showrooms have been trying to sell cars for as long as I can remember. From Jayne Mansfield stretched across a Ford in the Fifties to ballerina
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Reptile charity faces cash crisis
THE country's only reptile rescue charity has stopped admitting animals to its sanctuary because of a cash crisis. The County Durham-based Reptile Trust has made its education officer redundant and its seven staff have received no pay for two months as
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Call for inquiry into jail death
THE mother of the fourth prisoner this month found hanged in Durham's prisons has called for an inquiry. Father-of-two Jason Mackin was found hanging in his cell in the hospital wing of Durham Prison on Saturday afternoon. The 28-year-old, from Wigan,
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Patients' CJD risk anger
A Darlington relative of a patient who may have been accidentally infected with an incurable brain disease last night hit out at the NHS for keeping them in the dark. She spoke out after it was revealed that 24 people who had brain surgery at Middlesbrough
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Pupils' souvenir of 50 golden years
PUPILS at neighbouring village schools in County Durham have added their own permanent reminder of parish celebrations to mark the Queen's Golden Jubilee A 2003 calendar produced by Esh Parish Council features the art work of youngsters at three local
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New rail museum to offer free admission
VISITORS to a new £8m railway museum which is due to open in 2004 will enjoy free entry thanks to a cash windfall for the project. The proposed new Shildon Railway Village will be able to offer free admission for at least three years as it has been awarded
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Football club faces brewery loan demandt
A VILLAGE football club has accused a major national brewery of using bullying tactics to force it to pay back almost £4,000. Officials of non-league Willington AFC were shocked to receive a demand for payment of £3,795 from solicitors acting for Interbrew
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Celebrity collection up for auction
FROM Tony Blair's autograph to Bet Lynch's earrings, a collection of dozens of pieces of celebrity memorabilia are to be auctioned off next week. Sheila Thornton, from New Brancepeth, has spent the last nine months building up a collection of 40 photographs
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Pupils bring history lessons to life
HISTORY students brought the past to life last week with a four-day project backed by English Heritage. Year seven pupils from Wolsingham School and Community College lived like kings and queens for a couple of hours when they toured Warkworth Castle,
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College unveils historic £27m move across town
Darlington College of Technology has unveiled plans to move to a modern complex in a multi-million pound deal. The college, which has 15,000 full and part-time students from across the region and employs 500 staff, is planning to spend £27m on a new site
