Archive
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Awards recognise pupils' progress
CHILDREN at a south-west Durham school celebrated their first three years of secondary learning with a prize-giving assembly yesterday. The year nine pupils at Staindrop Comprehensive School all received their SAT certificates for Key Stage Three. Headteacher
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Waste site due to be upgraded
AN upgrading of Darlington's civic amenity site could be given the go-ahead next year. A review of the facility, off Whessoe Road, has recommended a series of changes. Council officials were concerned about traffic building up around the site, its tired
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Heritage with a Thread of Iron
A BOOK detailing the proud steel-making heritage of Consett has been reprinted in time for Christmas. Thread of Iron looks at the history of Consett and Shotley Bridge over 2,000 years, from iron production after the Roman conquest, to the famous German
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Ferreting and fishing for cash
A TRIP by Shildon Ferret and Fishing Club raised more than £100 for charity. Steve Stacey, 40, who regularly goes out fishing and shooting with the group, presented Councillor Garry Huntington, leader of Shildon Town Council, with a cheque for £107. The
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Grant aid for villages initiative
FORMER mining villages are celebrating an early Christmas present. Dene Valley Community Partnership has been given a grant of almost £2,000 towards the salaries of three part-time staff. The partnership, which supports former colliery settlements near
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Youngsters help sick children
CUBS and Beavers have raised more than £100 to help families of sick children. The young members of the 2nd Bishop Auckland Scout Troop collected £120 to donate to Bishop Auckland General Hospital's children's ward. The money will be used to purchase
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Medieval building may be turned into homes
A MEDIEVAL listed building in Witton-le-Wear could be transformed into flats and houses if plans are approved this week. Developers want to convert The Tower Hotel, in the west end of the village, near Bishop Auckland, into 13 apartments and houses. A
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Big day for award scheme youngsters
NINE youngsters were presented with Duke of Edinburgh bronze awards by the Mayor of Redcar and Cleveland, Councillor Norah Cooney, yesterday. The children, from Kirk-leatham Hall School, which caters for children with learning or physical difficulties
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Old specs aid developing countries
THOUSANDS of pairs of glasses are on their way to Africa, thanks to the generosity of shoppers in Darlington. Specsavers' opticians, on High Row, has been collecting unwanted specs for the Vision Aid Overseas charity, which sends them on to developing
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Cheese gifts for Pensioners
THREE cheesemakers have donated their products to the Chelsea Pensioners as part of this year's Ceremony of Christmas Cheeses. The Dairy Council's annual Christmas ceremony, at the Royal Hospital, in Chelsea, featured cheese from across North Yorkshire
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Lollies handed out to calm drinkers
LICENCEES in east Cleveland are being encouraged to give punters lollipops at closing time in a scheme to try to prevent drunken street brawls. Police have warned they are clamping down on drunkeness near pubs and clubs in east Cleveland and have ordered
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Jason proves he is a retail achiever
A Middlesbrough teenager has been named the top Retail Achiever at a Celebration of Learning Awards 2003. Jason White, 18, won the £1,000 top prize, which was sponsored by Savers and organised by the Learning and Skills Council Tees Valley and Connexions
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Group asks for feedback on £3m scheme to create park
PLANS to build a park for Guisborough will be unveiled at the town's biggest market on Saturday. The Gisborough Priory Project expects the development to cost about £3m and will apply for funding, including money from the National Lottery, to create gardens
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Education review call
A REVIEW of primary education is to be carried out in Darlington, at the request of the director of education. Geoff Pennington has written to the chairman of the council's lifelong learning scrutiny committee, Coun Cyndi Hughes, asking if the committee
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Festive pupils take the stage
ALIEN spacecraft, Santa and Mary and Joseph have all featured in a school's Christmas plays. Traditional nativity plays and modern Christmas tales have been performed side by side by children at Bournmoor Primary, near Chester-le-Street. Infants performed
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Fans dig deep for Quakers
DARLINGTON manager David Hodgson has thanked fans who launched a scheme to help the club's fight against relegation. With finances tight at the Reynolds Arena, the Darlington Supporters' Trust has joined forces with the Supporters' Club to launch The
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Truants found shopping with parents
COUNCIL officers in Darlington collared 80 children who should have been in school on a one-day operation to track down truants. Many of them were shopping with parents in the town centre on Friday when they should have been in lessons. Last year, hundreds
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Comment from The Northern Echo: Reappraising cot death law
THERE can be no more heinous crime than the murder of your own children. It is impossible to imagine the scale of the ordeal endured by Angela Cannings after being charged with, and then convicted of killing her two baby sons. Thankfully, that torment
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Stirling effort
Once Rachel Stirling was frustrated and aggressive about references to her looking like her famous mother Diana Rigg. Now Steve Pratt finds the Tipping The Velvet actress very proud of following in dame fortune's footsteps. EVEN if journalists didn't
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Vardy set to become largest car dealership in Europe
THE Reg Vardy Group is on course to become Europe's biggest car dealership after recording record half-year profits. Strong growth in its agency sales helped the firm sell nearly 95,000 cars in the first six months. The latter half of the financial year
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Madge out to prove she is a runaway success
TOM GEORGE sends his improving young mare Madge Carroll (1.00) to Huntingdon this afternoon in the hope of following up her runaway Folkestone success. On Monday last week Madge Carroll hammered her hapless rivals by virtue of a faultless round of jumping
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11/12/03
MIDDLE EAST: JOHN Young (HAS, Dec 6) is incorrect in believing that 'certain Arab states are still at war with Israel'. Israel was declared an independent state in May 1948. It is true that between 1948 and 1973 a state of war did exist largely because
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Battle for national finals
MORE than 500 youngsters battled to be the best at a massive swimming gala this weekend. Swimming clubs from throughout the region descended on Woodhouse Close Leisure Centre, Bishop Auckland, for the big open event, which was hosted by Wear Valley Amateur
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Players strip off for charity
RUGBY players have got their kit off to boost funds for children's charities in the North-East. Clems Pirates, of Durham, are also embarking on a ten-day tour of South Africa in May next year where they will play against teams from small communities.
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Thieves attack driver
OPPORTUNIST thieves stole a man's car during a road rage incident at the weekend. The 40-year-old victim had been travelling through Bishop Auckland on Friday night when he and another driver stepped out of their vehicles to exchange words. Three members
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Scale version of aircraft reinforces museum's hope for real thing
A MUSEUM has vowed to continue its fight to secure the future of a piece of aviation history, even though it already has a scale model of the same aircraft. The sole remaining Blackburn Beverley is among aircraft that have been on show at the Army Transport
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A tear-jerker and a stomach-churner
MacIntyre's Millions (five): Bodysnatchers (BBC1): DONAL MacIntyre found himself in an impossible position while undercover to expose the illegal trade in rare animals and birds. The lives of the very creatures he'd come to save were jeopardised as his
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British Airways makes its return to the top flight
BRITISH Airways was last night given clearance to return to the top flight of the London stock market. The restoration of the airline as a blue-chip company was confirmed following a quarterly review by the FTSE Equity Indices Committee. It was a day
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A different angle on road safety
Hard-pressed motorists, fed up with the Government's love of speed cameras, have found an unlikely champion. Nigel Burton asks Durham's Chief Constable why he won't be following the Whitehall line. YOU probably know the feeling. One minute you're driving
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Police chief hits back over cameras
A NORTH-EAST police chief hit back last night after a Government minister attacked his force's policy of shunning fixed speed cameras. And Chief Constable Paul Garvin vowed that Durham would remain the last place in Britain to have no static cameras.
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Funding to find special constables after half drop out
POLICE chiefs in the region have been handed £276,000 to halt a 52 per cent fall in the number of special constables. Forces across the North-East have lost 645 volunteer officers in the six years since Tony Blair came to power, according to new figures
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Gran At Large: The sad fact of stranger danger
THE shopping centre had a special activity for half-term, a sort of cross between trampolining and bungee jumping. It was a relentlessly wet day and there were children queuing up to be strapped into the harnesses. The grandson and I had been banished
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Hotel's £4m spa extension
A HOTEL is to build a health spa and bedroom wing in a £4m develoment. Plans to convert a redundant coach house, stable block and agricultural buildings into a spa at the Hardwick Hall Hotel, Sedgefield, look likely to get the go-ahead from Sedgefield
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What people think of the mini Budget
Tax breaks for thousands of sports clubs will be worth between £1,000 and £3,000 to a typical amateur organisation. Britain's 100,000 clubs will be entitled to 80 per cent rates relief and will also benefit from the doubling of the threshold at which
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Banking group hit by record fines
BANKING group Abbey National received a record fine for failing to maintain effective procedures against money laundering. The £2m penalty imposed by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) was accompanied by a further £320,000 fine for separate systems
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Fletcher's wary approach
England coach Duncan Fletcher has defended the cautious selection policy for the second Test at the Asgiriya Stadium, claiming it was the best combination to win. The tourists' line-up included some surprise choices, not least of which was to go in with
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Side By Side By Sondheim: Harrogate Studio
DINNER-theatre remains rare in this country mostly, I suspect, because of the lack of plays that make a suitable accompaniment to all the eating, drinking and being merry. In Side By Side By Sondheim, director Hannah Chissick has found the perfect theatrical
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800 movers and shakers feature in North guide
THE ultimate guide to the region's movers and shakers will be given away free in tomorrow's edition of The Northern Echo. Northern People 2004 is a 96-page biographical guide to more than 800 of the North's most prominent people. Readers can use it to
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'Murder could not be foreseen'
AN investigation into the care of a teenage mental patient, who battered a student to death in Hartlepool, has concluded that it would have been impossible to predict the murder. But the independent inquiry panel criticised shortcomings in the way care
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Coaching course is a success
TWENTY women and girls have graduated from the County Durham's first women-only football coaching course. The sessions were organised by Derwentside Leisure with Durham FA and took place in Stanley Youth Centre. Sports development officer Colin McBride
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Focus on company's medals dilemma
A PHOTOGRAPH is the only memento a North-East firm has of a piece of its heritage. The treasured picture held by chairman Donald Fothergill is the nearest he has got to holding historic export medals stolen during a break in at the offices of lift manufacturers
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Madge out to prove she is a runaway success
TOM GEORGE sends his improving young mare Madge Carroll (1.00) to Huntingdon this afternoon in the hope of following up her runaway Folkestone success. On Monday last week Madge Carroll hammered her hapless rivals by virtue of a faultless round of jumping
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Mayor visiting Dubai to help regeneration plan
A NORTH-EAST mayor flew to the Middle East to build links with a rich Arab state as part of plans to regenerate part of the North-East. Middlesbrough's Mayor, Ray Mallon, has taken a team to Dubai to meet Arab sheikhs, princes and businessmen. Mr Mallon
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New law leads to fatal crash
A NEW law banning drivers from using mobile phones has led to a fatal road crash. Margaret Constance Mullings, 80, of Alderside Crescent, Lanchester, died when her husband's car ran into the back of a parked council van. The van driver had pulled over
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Chilling thrills
Lynne McGranger boasts of snow wherever she goes... so York be warned as the soap star lines up to bewitch panto fans at the city's Opera House. Steve Pratt reports. AUSSIE soap star Lynne McGranger has no worries about leaving behind the warm summer
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Skating ban for Cinders
ACTRESS Kirsti McDonagh will be skating on thin ice if she goes on the rink outside the theatre where she is taking the lead role in the popular panto, Cinderella. Kirsti, 17, of Blyth, who is performing at Durham City's Gala Theatre, said: "It's in my
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Gran At Large
THE shopping centre had a special activity for half-term, a sort of cross between trampolining and bungee jumping. It was a relentlessly wet day and there were children queuing up to be strapped into the harnesses. The grandson and I had been banished
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Weetabix posts rise in profits
Breakfast cereal producer Weetabix posted a 14 per cent rise in full-year profits ahead of its proposed takeover by a US private equity group. The manufacturer, based in Northampton, said trading in its shares would cease on January 29, which would mark
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Region's brave youngsters get national award
THREE of the region's bravest children were given awards at a star-studded ceremony yesterday. The Woman's Own Children of Courage awards, which are in their 30th year, honour children who have shown bravery in the face of adversity and illness. Twelve
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Police keep £34,000
DURHAM Police has achieved its first forfeiture under recent legislation to restrict the circulation of potential 'dirty' money. The force reached a settlement to keep half of the sum of £68,500 seized from a businessman's home earlier this year. Although
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Elvis will be back in the building
A hit show will be returning to the Gala Theatre, in Durham, next month. Rockin' on Heavens Door features tributes to Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochrane and will be at the theatre on January 8, 9 and 10. Last summer, the show was
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Bird smuggler takes case to High Court
A WORLD-reknowned parrot breeder jailed for smuggling rare birds into the UK three years ago has taken his case to the High Court. Harry Sissen has maintained his innocence since his home was raided by Custom and Excise officials in May 1998. A total
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Brown spends - but borrows £37 billion
CHANCELLOR Gordon Brown has pledged extra spending on children, councils and the war on terrorism - but warned public finances are set to plunge £37bn into the red. In his annual pre-Budget report, Mr Brown told the Commons that the UK would have to borrow
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Town crier joins book buskers
CHESTER-LE-STREET'S town crier swapped the traditional scroll for a copy of Pride and Prejudice, when she took part in The Big Read. Marjorie Dodds took to the streets of Newcastle to 'busk a book,' recently, under Grey's Monument. Passers-by stopped
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Charity box stolen
RESIDENTS are being warned to look out for bogus charity workers after thieves stole a collection box. Crooks took a bag of 200 pin badges worth about £30 and an empty collection tin from a table in the entrance to Asda in Front Street, Stanley, on Thursday
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Rocket drawings stay in the North
A COLLECTION of detailed drawings of the Rocket locomotive will stay in the region. The drawings were among a selection of railway-related items sold at a Christmas sale at Anderson and Garland auctioneers, in Newcastle. They were bought for £4,140 by
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Cable firms merger expected sooner rather than later
CABLE firms ntl and Telewest could be on course to merge before the end of 2005. Such a move would save the companies £229m a year, according to analysts UBS Warburg. Speculation in the industry has been rife for years that the debt-ridden pair will form
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Pupils shun idea of vote at 16
PUPILS had the chance to quiz their MP when she dropped in for a visit. North West Durham MP Hilary Armstrong met Year 9 pupils at St Bede's RC Comprehensive School in Lanchester. The pupils told the Government Chief Whip that they did not want the voting
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Officer stabbed in arm
A POLICE officer was stabbed in the arm when he tackled a robber at an off-licence. The officer, who was with a colleague, was responding to a 999 call about an ongoing raid at the Wine Cellar store in Cleadon, near Sunderland, at 9.50pm on Tuesday. Two
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Author to open school library
Children's author Anne Fine is to open a technology library. The County Durham writer, whose book Madame Doubtfire went on to become a cinema hit as Mrs Doubtfire, starring Robin Williams, will visit The Hermitage School, in Chester-le-Street, next month
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Family upset at report delay
THE family of a North-East soldier have criticised the delay of a report into changes the Army should make following his death. Geoff and Diane Gray's son, Geoff, of Seaham, County Durham, was killed by two bullet wounds at Deepcut barracks, in September
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Sporting clubs may forge link for new future
TWO sporting clubs are hoping to join forces to gain the upgraded facilities they need to secure their future. Last week, Harrogate Rugby Club, which is riding high in Division Two of the national league, heard a planning inspector rule against its bid
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Helpers make a grotto for Santa
SANTA'S helpers have been busy making him a cosy home from home. Volunteers have chipped in to create a grotto in the foyer of Bowburn Community Centre, near Durham. Despite his hectic schedule, Father Christmas will be at the Durham Road centre every
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Innocent: the mother jailed for killing sons
TRAGIC mother Angela Cannings walked to freedom yesterday - innocent of murdering her two baby sons and determined to be "mummy" to her surviving daughter. Her release by three appeal court judges from a life sentence came amid continuing doubt about
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Scheme to earmark graves for green burials rejected
A scheme to earmark 1,000 graves for green burials at a North Yorkshire nature reserve has been rejected by councillors. Members of Harrogate Borough Council planning committee overwhelmingly rejected the scheme at Gertrude's Pasture, Scotton, near Knaresborough
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I listened to the voice inside me
ACTOR, writer, musician and photographer Viggo Mortensen had no idea what he was letting himself in for when signed up to replace British actor Stuart Townsend as Aragon in The Lord Of The Rings screen trilogy. "The shoot was meant to last about a year
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King of the rings
The quest to complete the Lord of the Rings trilogy is finally over as The Return Of The King opens next week. Liv Taylor, Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen and Andy Serkis reflect on the ring cycle and the effect on their careers. Steve Pratt reports. LIV
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Pupils spell out a charity bonus
PUPILS at a Darlington school have been brushing up their spelling skills to raise money for charity. Boys at Hurworth House Junior School learnt from a list of 50 spellings and asked friends and family to sponsor them for each word correctly spelt. The
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Villagers pondering dog fouling problem
PEOPLE tired of dogs fouling a footpath say they are at a loss about how to tackle the situation. The problem of dog fouling in Middleton St George, near Darlington, has been present for a few years and despite a campaign to resolve it, local people say
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Sign removal order angers taxi driver
A TAXI driver is angry at being told to remove a sign on his cab that reads "Don't Drink & Drive...Use a Taxi". Rory Stein, an independent taxi driver operating in Darlington, fixed the words to the side of his seven-seater taxi almost three months
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Martin S-platt
YOU'D think by now that anyone with the surname Platt would steer clear of travelling by car. Gail the hamster and her brood, you may recall, narrowly avoided a watery grave after Tricky Dicky, the Weatherfield serial killer, drove them into a canal.
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Poorer areas to be given a voice
PEOPLE in the most disadvantaged areas of Darlington are being given a say on how to regenerate their neighbourhoods. Consultant Martin Woods has been employed by Darlington Borough Council as part of its neighbourhood renewal strategy. He will draw up
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Star visits soccer school
AN England footballer gave young players a thrill when he turned up to their training sessions. Newcastle United player Jermaine Jenas visited Stockton to take part in a Brazilian soccer school game. The Stockton branch is one of 400 Brazilian soccer
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£1m needed to improve area
ALMOST £1m is needed to improve links between a city's main railway station and one of its most popular areas. A report for Newcastle City Council said that routes from land behind Newcastle Central Station to the Quayside were inhospitable in places.
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City study will look back at 1,000 years
THE largest study of Sunderland's history is being researched in a £440,000 project by historians at the city's university. The research is being undertaken as part of the Victoria County History of England (VCH) series, which was established in 1899.
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Hodgson praise for Pearson
Darlington midfielder Gary Pearson still has an important role to play despite starting just one game under new boss David Hodgson. That's according to the manager himself, who last night paid tribute to the tough-tackling 27-year-old. "Gary's attitude
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Man suffers serious injuries after crash
A MAN has been left with serious head and leg injuries after a car crash. Andrew Ainsworth, 26, from Ryedal Avenue, in Redcar, Teesside, was injured when the dark blue Citroen Xantia car he was driving was involved in a collision with a silver Vauxhall
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British Airways makes its return to the top flight
BRITISH Airways was last night given clearance to return to the top flight of the London stock market. The restoration of the airline as a blue-chip company was confirmed following a quarterly review by the FTSE Equity Indices Committee. It was a day
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Grassroots: Yarm and Eaglescliffe
TEAM HELP: Eaglescliffe Elementis Junior Football's under 16s team have been given a new strip by Yarm shop Browns Alternative Flooring. The club was founded two years ago and has risen from the fifth division to the third. Elementis Limited has provided
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Police want to quiz man over double murder
POLICE investigating a double murder yesterday named a man who they believe could hold the key to their inquiry. They want to trace 42-year-old Paul Marshall, a tenant of the York bedsit where Kevin Mulgrew, 38, and Daniel Wall, 27, were found battered
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Fears that town centre library may be moved are allayed
FEARS that a library could be about to move from its town centre site have been quash-ed. Councillors in Harrogate had voiced concern that the library, in Victoria Avenue, could be moved out of the town centre so that it could be extended more fully.
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Police identify murder victim's 'bullies'
POLICE say they have identified alleged bullies who tormented paedophile Arnold Hartley, known as Robbie. Mr Hartley, 73, died in the early hours of November 29 after being attacked at his home in Queen Street, Redcar, east Cleveland. Information given
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Pupils help create the perfect school rooms in design project
CHILDREN, teachers and parents all have designs on making the most of their school. Linthorpe Junior School, Middlesbrough, is hosting an exhibition on innovative ways of making the best use of school display areas. The project has been developed by design
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Players strip off for charity
RUGBY players have got their kit off to boost funds for children's charities in the North-East. Clems Pirates, of Durham, are also embarking on a ten-day tour of South Africa in May next year where they will play against teams from small communities.
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Region's businesses rejoice as red tape cut
THE Chancellor's pre-Budget report pledge to slash red tape brought the loudest cheer from the region's business community. Bureaucracy is the biggest scourge of modern business and so Gordon Brown promising to tackle 147 business regulations was a move
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Seven held in multi-million fraud probe
SEVEN people have been arrested in a series of dawn raids as part of a multi-million fraud investigation by Cleveland Police and the Serious Fraud Office. More than 30 officers from Cleveland, Thames Valley, Kent and the City of London Police took part
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Homes planned for former hotel
A MEDIEVAL grade II listed building in a Wear Valley village could be transformed into flats and houses if plans are approved this week. Developers want to convert The Tower Hotel, in the west end of Witton-le-Wear, into 13 apartments and houses. A viewing
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Shoppers to be hit by Metro strike
SHOPPERS face Christmas chaos with two strikes planned on the Tyne and Wear Metro, after a breakdown in talks. A 24-hour strike will be staged from 9pm tomorrow, and a 48-hour strike from 9pm on Wednesday. Members of three unions are in dispute with train
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Invista opens £4m area control centre
A £4m control centre has been opened at Invista's Nylon Intermediates facility at Wilton, near Redcar. The north area control centre houses the technology to control the operation of the firm's nitric acid plant, which provides feedstock for the manufacture
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Fears for disabled girl after bid fails
A SEVERELY disabled five-year-old girl was last night believed to be back in her home country of Yemen after her teachers failed to win an 11th-hour reprieve on her deportation. Miaad Garwash, who is deaf, blind, cannot speak, and cannot walk, was a pupil
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Connie' 99th birthday turns into her 100th after century-old mix-up
A PENSIONER got a unique birthday surprise this week -she found out she was actually 100 as her own 99th party was about to start. Connie Cummins believed she was celebrating her 99th birthday and told everyone at the Oak Mount day centre, in Northallerton
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Airport renamed - now battle begins
TEESSIDE Airport bosses admitted last night they were facing a major battle to win over the public after the controversial name change to Durham Tees Valley was finally agreed. The airport's six local authority shareholders took only 15 minutes to sanction
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Kind Alice's charity cut
A TEENAGER has presented a cheque for more than £1,000 to a cancer charity with the toddler who inspired her to do a sponsored head shave. Sporting her new short hair-do, 17-year-old Alice Reid, of Darlington, handed pver a cheque for £1,371 to Cancer
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Weardake Wolverine spotted
FOR years, it was the legendary Durham Puma which stayed one step ahead of wildlife buffs eager to prove its existence. But now, experts are in a flap over sightings of a new mystery beast - the Weardale Wolverine. Exotic wildlife research organisation
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TV review
MacIntyre's Millions (five) Bodysnatchers (BBC1) DONAL MacIntyre found himself in an impossible position while undercover to expose the illegal trade in rare animals and birds. The lives of the very creatures he'd come to save were jeopardised as his
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Sales from the riverbank
PART of a North-East office complex housing the Government's National Savings agency is for sale. But an assurance was given yesterday that the marketing of 28,500sq ft of office accommodation at Milburngate House, Durham City, will not signal the run-down
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Village gets new centre
WORK begins this Friday on a long-awaited new community centre for a former mining village. The building, in Grange Villa, near Chester-le-Street, was made possible when residents secured funding for the £470,000 project after raising £22,000 themselves
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Plans to create 'eco school'
STAFF and pupils who have struggled for years with outdated facilities will soon be enjoying learning in a modern £3m 'eco school.' The old buildings at Pelton Community Primary, near Chester-le-Street, were put up more than 100 years ago and are in desperate
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Villagers bid for cash to improve hall
VILLAGERS are launching a bid to find funding to bring their meeting place into the 21st Century. Middridge Village Hall, between Shildon and Newton Aycliffe, is in need of a complete refurbishment and villagers are hoping that bids to the National Lottery
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Cash deal boosts Bobby's war chest
SIR BOBBY Robson will be given the financial muscle to bolster his squad next month after Newcastle United landed a £25m cash windfall. Yesterday's announcement of a new kit deal with adidas is ideally timed with the mid-season transfer window opening
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Lean Christmas for region's businesses
FIRMS in the North-East may be in for a lean Christmas, according to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). It has warned companies they face the double whammy of having invoice payments disrupted by staff holidays and routine mail delayed because
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Cable firms merger expected sooner rather than later
CABLE firms ntl and Telewest could be on course to merge before the end of 2005. Such a move would save the companies £229m a year, according to analysts UBS Warburg. Speculation in the industry has been rife for years that the debt-ridden pair will form
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Officials silent on death claims
THE family of a North soldier were last night awaiting a report into claims that he was killed by friendly fire. Military chiefs are declining to comment on reports that the inquiry has already concluded that Royal Marine Christopher Maddison was killed
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Unions losing fight to save jobs
UNION bosses were last night close to admitting defeat in their battle to save hundreds of call centre jobs. The Communication Workers Union said it was pessimistic that it could prevent the National Rail Enquiries Service (NRES) from joining the drain
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Jobs relocation report delayed
A PLAN to shift 20,000 civil servants out of London to boost economic growth in the North has been delayed after they refused to move. Chancellor Gordon Brown announced yesterday that the long-awaited report by the Lyons Review had been put back from
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Facelift for town centre
A FACELIFT for the centre of Chester-le-Street will leave townsfolk 'surprised' at the result, a council official has pledged. Work begins next year on the £2m regeneration, making Chester-le-Street the first of six towns in County Durham to benefit from
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Hodgson praise for Pearson
Darlington midfielder Gary Pearson still has an important role to play despite starting just one game under new boss David Hodgson. That's according to the manager himself, who last night paid tribute to the tough-tackling 27-year-old. "Gary's attitude
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Church marks 50th birthday
A CATHOLIC community is preparing to mark the 50th birthday of its church after refurbishing the building. St Teresa's, in James Street, Annfield Plain, opened on December 17, 1953, with cash raised by residents who had previously travelled to worship
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Laying the ghosts of Christmas pasts
THE children were enjoying another little history lesson, about life in the Dark Ages, when I was a girl. "Tell us again, mum, was television really in black and white, with nothing on during the day, no videos to watch or anything?" "That's right. And
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John North: Roy on Tees, the reprise
An "authorised bootleg" CD of Roy Orbison live at Stockton's Fiesta Club prompts memories of the revered venue. MR Ian Luck, a wandering minstrel of the column's acquaintance, has looked in with an oxymoron - that is to say a CD described as an "authorised
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Handel in cathedral
A seasonal treat is in store for music lovers with a presentation of Handel's Messiah in Durham Cathedral this Saturday. It will be performed by the Cathedral Choir, The Cathedral Consort of Singers and instrumentalists of Durham Baroque, conducted by
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Consumers prepare to pay more for water
WATER industry watchdog Ofwat has finally given its official blessing for Northumbrian Water to increase its bills. The move allows the Pity Me, Durham-based business to pump up prices £21 to £233 from April next year. * Full story, see tomorrow's Business
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Ghost vessels will remain in North-East yard over winter
FOUR ships at the centre of a legal row will remain at a dockyard throughout the winter while a bid for new licences is made to allow dismantling work to be carried out. Environmental campaigners fear it could take up to ten months for Able UK to win
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Board to steer troubled Gala
A MANAGING board is being set up to steer Durham's Gala Theatre out of troubled financial waters. Durham City Council is carrying out a review of how the theatre is run, following losses of £446,000 in the past seven months, £12,000 more than was budgeted
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Ship returns to birthplace
ONE of the Royal Navy's largest ships is returning to its birthplace in the North-East this week. Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel Fort George will berth at the Tyne Bulk Terminal, Jarrow, for a five-day visit to Tyneside. RFA Fort George was built at the
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Cottage hospital's £120,000 upgrade
A 12-BED cottage hospital in Easingwold is in line for a £120,000 revamp thanks to the support of a friends organisation founded to help improve facilities. The Selby and York Primary Care Trust and the Friends of St Monica's Hospital have joined forces
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Website in a glass of its own
A website featuring the latest designs and research into glass was launched yesterday by a North-East university. Gateway to Glass, unveiled at the University of Sunderland, contains galleries of British and international artists' work, as well as information
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Thieves steal from disabled shopper
A THEFT from a disabled woman has prompted police to warn Christmas shoppers to be on their guard. The 50-year-old, from Brandon, was sitting on a Motorbility scooter in a lift at the Prince Bishops car park, Durham City, when her purse was stolen from
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Cuba's got happy feet
Steve Pratt talks to Cuba Gooding Jnr about the claims he's made poor choices after winning an Oscar for Jerry Maguire. YOU have to wait until the final credits roll to see Cuba Gooding Jnr's most surprising work in his new film The Fighting Temptations
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Diggers move in as £470,000 village centre nears reality
WORK begins tomorrow on a long-awaited new community centre for a deprived former mining village. The building, in Grange Villa, near Chester-le-Street, was made possible when residents secured funding for the £470,000 project after raising £22,000 themselves
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Goldilocks and the Three Bears: Darlington Civic Theatre
LET'S get the negatives out of the way quickly: the songs were a bit dull and the storyline was so vague it was almost non-existent. But that really doesn't matter because what people want from pantomime is sparkly costumes, smiling faces, awful jokes
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300 homes blacked out by arsonists
THREE hundred homes near the region's biggest shopping centre were left without power after vandals set an electricity sub station alight. Properties around Gates-head's MetroCentre were plunged into darkness by an arson attack on Tuesday. Five youths
