Archive
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Retailers reveal mixed fortunes
There were mixed fortunes for High Street retailers across a number of divisions. Tough conditions in the clothing sector experienced by M&S were mirrored by Matalan, which reported a five per cent fall in sales. Laura Ashley, which overhauled its
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Funding help for North-East bus services
BUS services in the North-East have received a £2.9m boost in an attempt to help tackle urban deprivation and social exclusion. The money has been awarded by the Urban Bus Challenge, which is aimed at helping with the regeneration of deprived urban areas
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Dad At Large: Caught in a web of intrigue
IF I'd known what I was marrying into, I might have changed my mind. It all started when my wife's long lost cousin came to visit over Christmas. They'd lost touch as children but managed to regain contact thanks to the Internet and thought it would be
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Research link to Ecstasy and memory loss
PEOPLE who take Ecstasy are at risk of impairing their long-term memory, according to North-East research. Scientists said those who also took cannabis faced a "double whammy" of suffering short-term memory loss. An international survey co-ordinated from
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Fire tragedy children were killed unlawfully
A VERDICT of unlawful killing has been returned on two children found dead in a burning car with their mother. The bodies of Nabeala Hussain, 23, and her children - three-year-old Danial Parvez and 22-month-old daughter Salia - were found in the family
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Sacked workers press for payout
WORKERS made redundant with a text message believe they are in line for a payout from their former employer. Nearly 150 people at the Washington, Tyne and Wear offices of The Accident Group lost their jobs when the personal injury specialist crashed last
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Crisis deepens as Quakers' future cannot be guaranteed
THE crisis engulfing Darlington Football Club deepened last night after administrators admitted they could not guarantee the Quakers would see out the rest of the season. Football League bosses were understood to be deeply concerned by the uncertainty
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Textiles on display
AN exhibition of hand-made textiles from the Gujarat province of India has gone on display in Durham. The collection of Gujarati textiles belongs to Kanchan Malde, whose mother was a skilled embroiderer and made many of the hangings that have gone on
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Pupils face lunchtime shop ban
Pupils at Haughton Community School in Darlington, have been banned from Asda at lunchtimes after many complaints about the litter they left behind. Insp Sue Collingwood, of Dar*ington Police, said: "There used to be a trail of litter from the car park
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Choir's poignant reminder of the Holocaust
YOUNG performers began preparing yesterday for an emotive event planned for the town later this month. Pupils from Eastbourne School, in Darlington, will host a ceremony at the town's Dolphin Centre on January 27 in recognition of national Holocaust Memorial
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Choir's poignant reminder of the Holocaust
YOUNG performers began preparing yesterday for an emotive event planned for the town later this month. Pupils from Eastbourne School, in Darlington, will host a ceremony at the town's Dolphin Centre on January 27 in recognition of national Holocaust Memorial
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Award for equality
HEALTH bosses received an award for commitment to equal opportunities for people with disabilities. The Primary Care Trusts of Derwentside, Durham and Chester-le-Street and Easington have won Two Tick Positive About Disabled People awards from Jobcentre
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Speeding fines returned to drivers
THOUSANDS of pounds in speeding fines have been wiped out after two incidents on the same stretch of carriageway. Northumbria Police have been forced to pay back almost £7,000 in fines after issuing tickets with the wrong date. A prankster also caused
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Search for date
DARLINGTON will discover today the date for their rescheduled match with Northampton Town, writes CRAIG STODDART. Quakers are hoping to rearrange the game, postponed following the Cobblers' 2-1 win over Rotherham in the FA Cup third round replay on Tuesday
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Why the Americans love a bum deal
Drastic Plastic (five); Pissed On The Job (C4): "IN part two, how to lose your labia and get a new vagina". The Drastic Plastic documentary about extreme plastic surgery left nothing to the imagination as women underwent surgery to achieve their idea
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County plans a 5pc rise in tax
DURHAM County Council says residents can expect a council tax increase of about five per cent in April. The Labour-run authority says it is trying to heed Government calls for low single figure rises. The county is responsible for major services such
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What new mums really don't want to see
A TRAINEE midwife from the North-East, who has already spent £16,000 on cosmetic surgery in pursuit of the perfect body, is ignoring medical advice and travelling to the States for a further breast enhancement. But if she won't listen to the experts,
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Union officials criticise Samsung
Union officials pointed out today that Samsung has received tens of millions of pounds in grants to locate in the North-East. Responding to the Samsung plant slosure, Davey Hall, regional official of Amicus, said: ''This announcement highlights the crisis
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New To Rent
Basic (15) Stars: John Travolta, Samuel L Jackson, Connie Nielsen, Brian Van Holt, Giovanni Ribisi. DRILL instructor Sergeant Nathan West (Jackson) is the scourge of his US army base located close to Panama. In an attempt to toughen the latest intake,
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Geneva, Newcastle Playhouse
WE begin with a lecture on mountaineering. A woman standing in front of a screen on which are projected pictures of people and mountains as she recounts their remarkable stories. Then, after 20 minutes or so, a blackout. The screen rises and we might
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Dixons announces new stores in North-East
Electronics group Dixons helped lift some of the jobs gloom hanging over the North-East yesterday when it announced plans for six new stores. The company said it planned to invest £5m in the North-East as part of an on-going expansion programme. Dixons
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Now hear this!
Steve Pratt talks to actor/director Christopher Guest about his latest musical mickey-take. IN person, Christopher Guest doesn't struck you as a funny man. He's quiet and thoughtful, quite the opposite of comics like Robin Williams who take an interview
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Pretty as a picture
Steve Pratt chats to the 'next best thing' in movies, 19-year-old Scarlett Johansson and discovers how she decided to take on the servant girl who inspired the artist Vermeer without actually reading the best-selling book on which the film is based. There
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Hit-and-run death driver behind bars
A HIT-AND-RUN driver was last night beginning a seven- year jail sentence after killing an 86-year-old grandmother and seriously injuring two of her family. Dominic Gavin Huggett, 34, went on the run from police for eight days following the crash, which
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Hospital reaps benefit of farmers' generosity
A HOSPITAL ward has received a welcome tonic after young farmers raised money in memory of a colleague. The Staindrop branch of the Young Farmers' Club, County Durham, presented the neurosurgical ward of James Cook Hospital, Middlesbrough, with a cheque
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Airline marks service anniversary
A COUPLE from the North-East helped low-cost airline Ryanair celebrate a milestone yesterday. Ryanair marked the first anniversary of its service from Newcastle Airport to Dublin, which has seen 120,000 North-East passengers travel to the Emerald Isle
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Community leaders sign up to help save the Quakers
COMMUNITY leaders joined the fight to save Darlington Football Club yesterday. Darlington Supporters' Trust, which has Government-backing, has launched an appeal aimed at keeping the club afloat. The trust hopes to raise £250,000 by the end of March,
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Has the sun just set on the 'new Industrial Revolution'?
'It is a moveable feast ... it will be the most dazzling industrial complex." With those words, Dr John Bridge heralded the arrival of Samsung, the Korean company with grand plans to transform Wynyard into an "electronic city" that would create 3,200
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School's green power target
A DARLINGTON school could see solar panels or wind energy providing power after it won £25,000 of funding to develop environmental projects. Branksome School won the funding from the Department for Education and Skills to develop the scheme, which is
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Park bridge is damaged by vandals
VANDALS pushed a heavy coping stone from a pillar on top of one of Darlington's most distinctive bridges into the River Skerne. They also twisted scaffolding poles put up around Polam Bridge, in Victoria Embankment. Dog-walkers in nearby South Park said
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Pit medal starts family search
A MEMENTO of the area's worse pit disaster has resurfaced and tells the story of a hero. Brenda Hutchinson, 74, wanted to find out more information about a medal given to her grandfather, who was one of the rescuers in the 1909 West Stanley Burns Pit
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Taking tough stance against dog owners
DOG walkers could soon be banned from taking their pets across village fields amid growing concern about fouling. A minority of dog owners who fail to clean up after their animals while walking across the playing fields in Middleton St George have prompted
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Family appeals for man to return home
THE family of a man who went missing eight days ago have appealed for him to call home. Andrew Robert Thomas, 54, from Eaglescliffe, was last seen on Tuesday, January 6. Now his mother and stepfather, Rosemary and Dennis Cook, have issued an appeal. Speaking
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Call for entrants in awards contest
PEOPLE who have embarked on projects to improve the environment in County Durham are being urged to enter a competition. The County Durham Environment Award, which recognises projects from wildlife gardens to building restoration, is open to schools,
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Extra £1m for housing revamp
THE Government has allocated an extra £1m to be spent on housing in the Wear Valley area. Housing bosses at Wear Valley District Council say that the cash boost will go a long way to helping the authority meet government guidelines laid down in the Decent
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Police officer recognised thief in shop
AN off-duty policewoman spotted a regular offender stealing clothes from a high street shop, a court was told yesterday. PC Angela Turnbull had dealt with Jason Hoggarth for four or five years and became suspicious when she saw another man give him a
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Innovation brings video promotion to small business
A group of small businesses have been seeing and hearing for themselves about a development in video technology. PhotoMotion is the brain child of Dave Foster, managing director of Derwentside's Northpoint Multimedia. It uses still photography, video
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Mother and daughter join Guides trip to Mexico
A MOTHER and daughter who jointly run a Brownie pack aim to become world ambassadors for the Guides. April Martin and her 20-year-old daughter Gemma, from Ripon, run the city's 2nd Brownie Pack and have been selected to join other members of the North
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Pupils prepare to tell secrets on television
YOUNGSTERS will be turning back the clock later this month when they are filmed by the BBC. Pupils from Lambton Primary School, in Washington, Wearside, will feature in CBBC's Crush programme, which is being filmed on Wednesday at Lumley Castle, Chester-le-Street
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Northgate reveals leap in profits
VAN rental firm Northgate has its sights set on opening its 100th UK depot during the next few years after raising more than £16m in working capital. Darlington's only plc, which operates from 71 sites, also hopes to further establish its operations in
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Council cutbacks put return of popular festival in doubt
THE rebirth of a popular family festival is in jeopardy, after it became the latest casualty in a series of council budget cuts. The Allensford Festival, which in the past has attracted thousands of visitors, was due to return to the events calendar in
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children join pageant to celebrate town's smoke-filled past
A POET has written a pageant for the residents of Middlesbrough based on their nickname. Smoggy has long been a name levelled at residents of Middlesbrough. The term has its roots in a comment made by Edward, Prince of Wales, the future Edward VII, when
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Shoppers help cancer care
SHOPPERS at Gateshead's MetroCentre have given a cancer charity a boost. For ten days before Christmas, volunteers from Marie Curie Cancer Care ran a gift-wrapping service at the centre and raised £1,815.85. The money will be given to the Marie Curie
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Childcare centre in need of young users
STAFF at a children's centre have a problem - there are no youngsters to look after. Kids Choice out-of-hours care centre opened three weeks ago in Leadgate, near Consett, and has 30 places. But so far it has only two children on its books. Owner Jane
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Team wins prize for bouncers study
A STUDY about the role of pub bouncers in the modern nightlife scene has won a North-East research team a national award. Durham University criminologist Professor Dick Hobbs led the investigation into the pub and club policing role of door staff. The
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15/01/04
DARLINGTON FOOTBALL CLUB: THE letter in support of George Reynolds (HAS, Jan 8) comments on the supporters' calls of "Show us your scarf" made four years ago when the club was being carried on a crest of soon-to-be-broken promises. He promised Premiership
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Blow as Samsung closes its N-E plant
KOREAN electronics company Samsung will deliver a devastating blow to the regional economy today with the closure of its North-East plant and 420 job losses. The company - second only to Nissan as the region's best-known inward investor - has decided
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Get on course to learn
ADULTS across Darlington can enjoy new opportunities as enrolment for adult education gets into full swing. Subjects on offer include basic pottery, creative textiles, computer courses, painting and German. Courses usually run for eight weeks and many
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Pool eye new face
NEALE Cooper yesterday hinted he could have a new face in his squad ahead of Saturday's trip to Tranmere Rovers, writes Nick Loughlin. The Hartlepool United boss watched his reserve side beat Boston United 3-1 at Victoria Park - with Matty Robson and
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Son pays tribute to long-serving policeman
tribute was paid this week to a long-serving member of the force who died on Sunday, aged 86. Jim Best was a police cadet for two years before embarking on 32-years service as an officer with the old County Durham force. Mr Best also served with the Merchant
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'Britain's competition king' shares the secrets of success
A NORTH-EAST man believes he could be Britain's competition king after scooping more than 450 prizes. John Taggart, 49, has won prizes worth nearly £50,000. He has won two top-of-the-range cars, two years' supply of beer, seven bikes, two washing machines
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TV review
Why the Americans love a bum deal Drastic Plastic (five) Pissed On The Job (C4) IN part two, how to lose your labia and get a new vagina". The Drastic Plastic documentary about extreme plastic surgery left nothing to the imagination as women underwent
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Still super at 64
Terence Brady is famous as the actor/scriptwriter picked out as the superman whom aristocrat Charlotte Bingham thought was worth marrying. Vivi Hardwick talks to one half of one of British television's best-known husband-and-wife-team. THE queen of romantic
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Centres of excellence planned to revive science teaching skills
TWO centres of excellence are to open in the region to spearhead a national drive to revive science teaching skills in the area. The Department for Education and Skills (DFES) is launching a £51m network of nine Science Learning Centres to offer high-quality
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County plans a 5pc rise in tax
DURHAM County Council says residents can expect a council tax increase of about five per cent in April. The Labour-run authority says it is trying to heed Government calls for low single figure rises. The county is responsible for major services such
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Paedophiles arrested in North-East
MORE than 80 suspected paedophiles have been arrested in the North-East as part of a worldwide crackdown on Internet child pornography. Their names were among thousands discovered as part of Operation Ore after their names were passed to the FBI when
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Quakers seek early date for Cobblers fixture
DARLINGTON will discover today the date for their rescheduled match with Northampton Town. Quakers are hoping to rearrange the game, postponed following the Cobblers 2-1 win over Rotherham in the FA Cup third round replay on Tuesday night, for January
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Award for equality
HEALTH bosses received an award for commitment to equal opportunities for people with disabilities. The Primary Care Trusts of Derwentside, Durham and Chester-le-Street and Easington have won Two Tick Positive About Disabled People awards from Jobcentre
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Photographer captures Northern landscapes
A PHOTOGRAPHER who left his job to concentrate on his hobby is making a success of recording the region's landscapes. Jim Gibson, 53, of Peartree Terrace, Holmside, near Durham, started taking photographs 15 years ago to record views he saw when he was
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Jobs axed in insurance shake-up
A LEADING insurance company has axed its North-East sales team as part of a nationwide shake-up. Axa Insurance announced 700 job cuts across the country, including 50 at the group's regional branch in Darlington. All 300 staff at the Darlington office
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Works on NHS upgrade starts
A TECHNOLOGICAL revolution is set to transform health services in Darlington as part of a £250,000 investment programme. Darlington Primary Care Trust has just taken delivery of the first pieces of equipment, designed to help to bring the NHS into the
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Smokers helped to kick the habit
HEALTH workers are hoping to help more people than ever to keep their New Year's resolutions to quit cigarettes. The smoking cessation service run by Derwentside Primary Care Trust, has been operating for three years out of the YMCA building in Parliament
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Top-ten college helps town reach lofty heights
NORTH-East schools performed well in the latest Government league tables - with Darlington's A-level results putting the town second out of England's 150 Local Education Authorities. Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, in Darlington, was among the top
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John North: Hail fellow, well Met
ON the 50th anniversary of television weather forecasting, and echoing Samuel Johnson's belief that when two Englishmen meet the weather will be conversation's first topic, we have been down south somewhere for a chinwag with Jack Scott. Once among television's
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Hail fellow...
ON the 50th anniversary of television weather forecasting, and echoing Samuel Johnson's belief that when two Englishmen meet the weather will be conversation's first topic, we have been down south somewhere for a chinwag with Jack Scott. Once among television's
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Pup takeover creates job losses
MORE than 100 jobs are set go as a result of the £1.19bn takeover of North-East pubs company Pubmaster. Hartlepool-based Pubmaster was taken over by rival Punch Taverns in December. The deal made Punch the biggest pubs company in the country but last
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Reynolds steps down
GEORGE REYNOLDS quit as chairman of crisis-hit Darlington Football Club on Monday, ending a most extraordinary chapter in the Quakers' 120-year history. The 67-year-old severed all ties with the club, resigning as chairman and a director, after a torrid
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The high price of top up fees
According to Tony Blair, his authority will be "on the line" when MPs vote on university top-up fees later this month. But what's it all about? Nick Morrison looks at the issue which could topple a prime minister. AS Confucius may have said, there are
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Patients' group founder tells of more victims
SIX years after patients of disgraced surgeon Richard Neale formed an action group, new victims are still coming forward. Sheila Wright-Hogeland, founder of the group based in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, revealed that injured women are still seeking
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Caught in a web of intriegue
IF I'd known what I was marrying into, I might have changed my mind. It all started when my wife's long lost cousin came to visit over Christmas. They'd lost touch as children but managed to regain contact thanks to the Internet and thought it would be
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Group ready to link up heritage trail
PLANS to bring a town's hidden history to light have been unveiled. Chester-le-Street Heritage Group, the district council and other organisations have been working for months to develop a heritage trail through the town. In Saxon times, Chester-le-Street
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Young runner on course to fulfil her Olympic dream
YOUNG runner Dyllan Pickavance-Clarke has her sights firmly set on Olympic glory after winning her latest title. And members of her club, the Blackhill Bounders in Derwentside, hope her victory in the Great North Winter Run will inspire other people to
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Fulham up the ante as Blues enter Saha chase
Fulham last night slapped a prohibitive £18m price tag on the head of Louis Saha as Chelsea joined Manchester United in the chase for the French forward. The Cottagers insist reports their star striker is poised to join United for £9.8m are without foundation
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Hi success
Tim Harding was a social work student who couldn't dance, but ended up as the central member of an all-singing, all-dancing Australian family show. Steve Pratt talks to Tim about TV success which has now become a stage show. TIM Harding knew he wanted
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Pupils prepare to tell secrets on television
YOUNGSTERS will be turning back the clock later this month when they are filmed by the BBC. Pupils from Lambton Primary School, in Washington, Wearside, will feature in CBBC's Crush programme, which is being filmed on Wednesday at Lumley Castle, Chester-le-Street
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Stars fail to set tills ringing at M&S
POP stars Emma Bunton, Will Young and Star Trek actor Patrick Stewart failed to put the "magic and sparkle" into a disappointing Christmas for Marks & Spencer. High Street stalwart M&S broke with tradition this year by advertising on television
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Gospels plea by heritage group
A GROUP is appealing for help in its bid to buy a copy of the Lindisfarne Gospels for the manuscript's spiritual home. Chester-le-Street Heritage Group, County Durham, has already raised £4,000 of the £7,000 it needs to buy a copy of the gospels, after
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Railway 'chicken' game fatal for teenager
A TEENAGER was run over by a train when his lone game of 'chicken' on a railway track fatally misfired. Stephen Douglas was driving a passenger train which needed a quarter of a mile distance to stop, when, on rounding a curve, he saw 19-year-old Ben
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Views wanted at music gigs
A FUSION of rock, rap and classical sounds will feature in a performance which is designed to appeal to all musical tastes. Some of North Yorkshire's most talented musicians will come together to perform on Saturday as part of a series of consultation
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Museums make shortlist in national competition
TWO North-East museum projects have made the shortlist for Britain's biggest arts prize. The Museum of Antiquities for Reticulum and Tyne & Wear Museums for Pontis are both in the running for the Gulbenkian Prize for Museum of the Year. Pontis, the
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Garde Bien looks a good bet
FERDY MURPHY'S powerful stable looks well worth following over the coming weeks as his horses start to strike top form. Under such circumstances there's no time to waste in executing the master plan and this afternoon the genial Irish handler has targeted
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Oscar home - thanks to Echo reader
A FAMILY has been reunited with its pet dog, thanks to an appeal in The Northern Echo. Oscar, a ten-month-old Jack Russell dog, went missing from Selgarth Farm, Middleton Tyas, near Richmond, North Yorkshire, more than a week ago. The distraught White
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Wrestlers take up the challenge
SOME of the biggest names in American-style wrestling are to stage an electrifying night of action in Derwentside next week. UK wrestling promoter WZW will stage the WZW Aftermath show at The Trades nightclub in Consett on Monday. Topping the bill will
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Moves to tackle gangs problem
GANGS of youths have been blamed for intimidating people and causing nuisance in a village. The problem reached a head last week when the convenience store at Middleton St George, near Darlington, was forced to shut because of rowdy youths outside. Councillors
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Guided walk
Voluntary countryside rangers Janet and Steven Hutchinson will lead an eight-and-a-half-mile walk on Saturday. Walkers are asked to meet at St Michael and All Angels Church, south of the A691 at Witton Gilbert, at 10am. The walk costs £2, concessions
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Sisters give hospital £2,160 thank you gift
TWO sisters who have undergone major surgery yesterday showed their appreciation for the hospital where they received treatment. Wendy Risborough and Kim Hebdon presented the renal unit of the James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, with a cheque
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Views wanted at music gigs
A FUSION of rock, rap and classical sounds will feature in a performance which is designed to appeal to all musical tastes. Some of North Yorkshire's most talented musicians will come together to perform on Saturday as part of a series of consultation
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Sports centre rescue bid fails
RESIDENTS have failed in their bid to save a popular sports centre from closure. Richmondshire councillors have voted to continue with plans to close the Richmond Sports Centre in April. Senior members say the move will save the authority an estimated
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Passenger escapes injury on bus attacked by gang
POLICE are investigating after a gang of youths broke a bus window narrowly missing a passenger. The man was the only passenger on the Arriva bus at the Safeway stop, in Ingleby Barwick, at about 8pm on Tuesday, when it was attacked by four youths. They
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Bar to open in spring
A DURHAM landmark is due to start its new life as a riverside nightspot in the spring. Brown's Boathouse, on the banks of the River Wear near Elvet Bridge, is scheduled to open in March as Chase, the city's latest watering hole. Work has been going on
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Shedding light on alleyway crime problem
A PLAN suggested by residents to improve dark alleyways in an effort to help combat crime is to go ahead. Support from the Home Office's Anti-Social Behaviour Unit and the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund is helping residents of Dean Bank, Ferryhill, to fight
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Funeral of hospital secretary
HUNDREDS of people packed a Malton church for the funeral of a hospital medical secretary. Joanna Rookes, 35, died when she was involved in an accident while unpacking cases from her car near her Malton home. Donations left at St Leonard's Catholic Church
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Community champion's second award
A COMMUNITY champion has been honoured for her work with Neighbourhood Watch for the second time. Dorothy Bowman, from Newton Aycliffe, has been highly commended in the national Neighbourhood Watch awards for a successive year. Mrs Bowman, also the town's
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Councils launch campaign over regional shake-up
DISTRICT councils in County Durham have joined forces to launch a campaign to "keep local government local". The Local Choice - Local Voice campaign is being led by Derwentside, Easington, Sedgefield borough, Teesdale and Wear Valley district councils
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Airline marks service anniversary
A COUPLE from the North-East helped low-cost airline Ryanair celebrate a milestone yesterday. Ryanair marked the first anniversary of its service from Newcastle Airport to Dublin, which has seen 120,000 North-East passengers travel to the Emerald Isle
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People rally to preserve pasture land
CONTROVERSY over the future of council-owned land in Richmond could be settled at a meeting next week. Government guidelines have obliged local authorities to examine their assets and sell what they do not need. It was feared sale boards could go up over
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Quiz contestants share honours
CLUED-UP contestants shared the honours when charity Age Concern posed quiz questions at a health roadshow touring Shildon, Newton Aycliffe and Ferryhill. Seven joint winners earned Woolworth's gift vouchers in the Message in a Bottle competition. Winners
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Cathedral setting for choral work
A Cathedral will provide the setting for a musical masterpiece at the end of this month. Durham Choral Society will be performing at the city's cathedral on Saturday, January 31. The society will present The Dream of Gerontius by Elgar, his interpretation
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Force records crime crackdown success
POLICE arrested 98 known criminals in a pre-Christmas crackdown. During the three-week Operation Bullseye, police in County Durham carried out 60 raids and seized weapons, including shotguns, rifle and handgun ammunition, drugs worth several thousand
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Inquest to open into death of pensioner
A PENSIONER has died while carrying out work at his home. Police said William John Bell, 79, of Tweed Terrace, Stanley, appeared to have fallen off a ladder on Tuesday. He was taken to the University Hospital of North Dur-ham, in Durham, but was declared
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Dragon joins in Chinese New Year celebrations
A DRAGON the size of a bus will form the focal point of children's celebrations to mark Chinese New Year this weekend. Artist Lip Lee and the Junior Fiends of Leazes Park, in Newcastle, will mark the Chinese New Year by building a 50ft-long Chinese dragon
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Insomnia kept man from completing sentence, court told
A 20-YEAR-OLD was unable to carry out community punishment work because he suffers from insomnia, a court heard yesterday. Christopher Parker, of Howard Street, Hartlepool, appeared at the town's magistrates' court charged with breaching his community
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Photographer captures Northern landscapes
A PHOTOGRAPHER who left his job to concentrate on his hobby is making a success of recording the region's landscapes. Jim Gibson, 53, of Peartree Terrace, Holmside, near Durham, started taking photographs 15 years ago to record views he saw when he was
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Samsung comfirms plant closure
Korean electronics giant Samsung is to close a microwave factory in the UK with the loss of 425 jobs, it was confirmed today. The plant in Billingham, Teesside, which also produces computer monitors, will close in April. Deputy managing director John
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£200 fine for leaving dogs in car during hot weather
A WOMAN who left two huskies in the back of her car for up to two hours in soaring temperatures has been found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to the animals. Katherine Warbrook, 55, from Askrigg, near Leyburn, North Yorkshire, appeared at Northallerton
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Residents angered by plans to shut 'dangerous' footpath
PEOPLE in Saltburn have been angered by possible plans to close part of the Cleveland Way. The section of footpath, which has been in existence since Victorian times, starts at the top of Saltburn Bank and leads via the Spa Hotel car park to the second
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Comment from The Northern Echo: Sun sets on a dubious policy
OUR region has a long-standing reputation in putting down the welcome mat for overseas investors. Foreign firms seeking easy access to UK and British markets have been offered incentives to come here to replace jobs lost with the decline of traditional
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Family shock as car hits conservatory
WAREHOUSEMAN Chris Baggott returned from work to find a car embedded in his conservatory. A Proton had gone out of control and crashed through the back garden fence of his house in Brackenbeds Close, Pelton. Mr Baggott said: "The conservatory is wiped
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North-East may get elected assembly - poll
A POLL today suggests the North-East will get its elected assembly, but the government faces a tough fight to persuade voters in Yorkshire and Humberside. The survey found that 48 per cent of North-East voters support the idea of a "mini-parliament",
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Cornet player to be guest soloist
ONE of Britain's leading brass band musicians is being given star billing at a celebrity concert. Cornet player Ian Porthouse, a member of the world famous Fairey Brass Band, from Lancashire, will be the guest soloist at a concert being staged by Stanhope
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Minor ailments to be treated at pharmacy
A TRAILBLAZING scheme will make pharmacists the first point of call for some patients from the Derwentside area suffering from minor ailments, it has been announced. A new scheme called Pharmacy First has been developed by Derwentside Primary Care Trust
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Former ballroom to have new lease of life as offices
A HISTORIC ballroom is to be transformed into luxury offices in a £1.1m scheme to boost a North-East business park. The Beehive Ballroom, in Darlington, the scene of many dances in the 1950s and 1960s, will provide modern office accommodation under a
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'Labour has done nothing for manufacturing'
MANUFACTURING jobs in the North-East are being lost at the rate of 20 a week, according to the latest Government figures. A total of 1,000 jobs have been lost in the sector in the past 12 months, and 39,000 have gone since Labour came to power in 1997
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News in brief: Funding help for groups
VOLUNTARY groups and organisations based in Guisborough and its surrounding villages are being invited to apply for grants. Applications to the Small Grants Fund from the Guisborough Market Town Initiative must be completed and returned by January 31.
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Pages of recycling
YOUNGSTERS are being encouraged to recycle Yellow Pages to raise money for their schools. Schools in the Sedgefield Borough Council area are taking part in the national recycling scheme, Yellow Woods Challenge. The scheme, organised by the council and
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School pilots wind power
A DARLINGTON school could use solar panels or wind energy to provide power to the classrooms after it won £25,000 of funding to develop various environmental projects. Branksome School won the funding from the Department for Education and Skills to develop
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Tickets cry high for Justin
SUCH is the demand for Justin Timberlake tickets that virtually all 20,000 seats went at the rate of 14 per second for his appearances at the Telewest Arena Newcastle next week. Incredibly, there are still a few limited view tickets available for the
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Author opens new library
A WORLD-famous North-East author has officially opened a school's state-of-the-art technology library. The writer Anne Fine, who penned Madame Doubtfire, which went on to become a cinema hit as Mrs Doubtfire, starring Robin Williams, visited The Hermitage
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County plans a 5pc rise in tax
DURHAM County Council says residents can expect a council tax increase of about five per cent in April. The Labour-run authority says it is trying to heed Government calls for low single figure rises. The county is responsible for major services such
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Garde Bien looks a good bet
FERDY MURPHY'S powerful stable looks well worth following over the coming weeks as his horses start to strike top form. Under such circumstances there's no time to waste in executing the master plan and this afternoon the genial Irish handler has targeted
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Snow causes travel chaos
Drivers across the region are being warned to travel only if necessary as police begin to close some high level routes due to heavy snow. North Yorkshire Police closed the B6265 Pateley Bridge to Grassington road in the Yorkshire Dales, and the A170 Sutton
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Horse laughs
OF all the people in Soapland, Fiz must have been one of the unlikeliest candidates to find herself in a love triangle. There are further surprises in store for this piggy in the middle, as suitors Tyrone and Kirk play at being Romeo to win back their
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Woman hurt in vicious racist attack
A VICIOUS racial attack on a woman in a pub has left her needing a metal plate in her face. Victoria Scott, 56, from Chester-le-Street, was in the town's Red Lion pub on December 23 when she was brutally assaulted. She was left with injuries so severe
