Archive
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An Englishman with foreign flair
Playwright Howard Barker may be a Brit, but his work has a distinctly European bent, as Steve Pratt finds out. IT'S rare for a contemporary writer to have a theatre company devoted exclusively to performing their work. But Howard Barker doesn't fit the
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George Ditchburn
FORMER policeman George Ditchburn, from Teesside, has been appointed business development manager for Northern Aviation, an air charter company based at Durham Tees Valley Airport. Durham-born Mr Ditchburn, who now lives in Billingham, served in the Army
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Garry takes the reins at society
Business advisor GARRY ELLIOTT has taken over as chairman of the 1,900-member Tyne and Wear Society of Chartered Accountants. Mr Elliott, 44, who lives in Hartlepool, is a partner at Baker Tilly, in Newcastle. Born in Easington, he attended Hartlepool
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Trust puts its faith in Ian
A STUNT rider is making a business out of his hobby thanks to The Prince's Trust. Mountain biker Ian Drummond, from Houghton-le-Spring, near Sunderland, has set up Tawt. As well as offering his skills to help promote events, the agency can call on 44
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Job Search: Vacancies
Gardener, seasonal September to October 2005, required for private households and contract work, experience preferred but not essential as training provided. Ref: BAJ 5745. Materials scheduler/dispatch, required for running of small distribution company
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Awards for best in staff training
AN award has been launched to celebrate businesses that invest in staff training. North-East companies are being urged to enter the Learning and Skills Council Award for Skills and Workforce Development, run in partnership with the North-East Chamber
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Flash floods sweep across region
THE region was yesterday counting the cost of the storms that brought chaos to the North-East and North Yorkshire at the weekend. Insurers predict the damage could run into tens of millions of pounds, but for people caught up in the violent storms, the
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Irish cricket eyes were smiling back in the summer of 69
Observing Leinster Cricket Club in traction at Shildon Railway, our last column suggested that Irish cricket "used to be a bit of a joke." Not in 1969 it wasn't, ripostes Martin Birtle in Billingham. July 2 1969 was the day that Ireland played the mighty
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Bedraggled but alive - residents recover in the wake of the deluge
IT came from nowhere and disappeared almost as fast as it arrived. But the devastation the water left in its wake will take months to clear. About 30 days' worth of rain - around three inches - fell in just two hours, and turned beautiful landscapes and
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The shape of things to come?
EXTREME weather conditions like those seen at the weekend could become more frequent, experts have warned. And, they say, climate change could mean even more violent weather changes take place in the future. Recent flash floods in Boscastle, in Cornwall
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Hugo Douglass
DIGITAL marketing company Green Media has appointed HUGO DOUGLASS as senior account manager as part of an expansion programme. The 24-year-old, from Jesmond, Newcastle, will work with clients to push their websites into prime positions on Internet search
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Irish cricket eyes were smiling back in the summer of 69
Observing Leinster Cricket Club in traction at Shildon Railway, our last column suggested that Irish cricket "used to be a bit of a joke." Not in 1969 it wasn't, ripostes Martin Birtle in Billingham. July 2 1969 was the day that Ireland played the mighty
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£90m contracts underpins hundreds of North jobs
A CONSTRUCTION company has landed contracts worth more than £90m, underpinning hundreds of North-East jobs. Lumsden & Carroll, the civil engineering arm of the Durham-based Esh Group, has secured two long-term contracts for Northumbrian Water, on
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Royal seal of approval for North's ambassador
The head of the agency charged with bringing prosperity back to the region has received the royal seal of approval. HRH Prince Charles will today name One NorthEast chairman Margaret Fay as his ambassador for the North-East. She receives the accolade
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Celebrity knitters prove a pearl of a PR boost
A CELEBRITY craze for knitting has sent sales soaring by 30 per cent at a North-East business. Multi-national textiles group Coats Crafts, which has its UK design, marketing and distribution operations in Darlington, has taken advantage of the knitting
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Welcome return for new area director
ROK property solutions has appointed area director MITCHELL SMITH to its North-East team. He will lead two teams based on Tyneside and in the Tees Valley, and returns to his native North-East after several years away from the region. The 40 year-old former
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Youngsters show off their sporting prowess
HUNDREDS of young sportsmen and women put their talent and skills to the test at the weekend in the Partnership Youth Games 2005. Students from across the region took part in a variety of sports, including athletics, curling, football, basketball, rugby
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APS vision sitting pretty
TECHNOLOGY developed in the region could change the global cosmetics industry. APS Vision, in Sunderland, has created a machine that can check the packaging on cosmetics products quicker than a human inspector. The system, named Genesius, after the patron
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AT planning flotation
A COMMUNICATIONS group has announced plans to float on the stock market. AT Communications is seeking a listing on the Alternative Investment Market, to fund growth. It plans to raise £3m from the listing, which it estimates will value the company at
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'The Dutch are pining for our furniture'
A FURNITURE importer is turning the tables to export products from the region. Simply Dutch, in Leeming Bar, near Northallerton, North Yorkshire, has been importing fine oak furniture from Holland for a decade. With the company's vehicles travelling to
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Flash floods cause havoc
A FIVE-FOOT wall of water tore through villages as flash floods caused havoc. Damage running into millions of pounds was caused as a torrential thunderstorm caused the River Rye to burst its banks. A major clean-up operation was in full swing yesterday
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Did the Chinese Shanghai Rover's negotiating team?
DID a team of negotiators really sign away the MG Rover family silver after a boozy late night drinking session? That was certainly the impression given on ITV's Tonight With Trevor MacDonald. Peter Stevens, an MGR director and the man brought in to "
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Teamwork produces results
A GOOD example of the potential offered by industrial areas is The Whinnies, right, now a Darlington Borough Council nature reserve. Sections of The Whinnies, a long, thin stretch of land between the A67 and the railway line at Middleton St George, near
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Comment from The Northern Echo: Partial ban not good enough
WE welcome the way society is moving towards minimising the dangers of passive smoking. We just wish progress could be made more quickly. In places like Middlesbrough, where one person dies each day from a smoking-related illness, the public health benefits
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Rowing For The Record: Day 20, Milestone keeps enthusiasm high in challenge
THE crew behind the North Atlantic rowing attempt have reached an important landmark. Nigel Morris and George Rock, of Ingleby Barwick, near Stockton, along with fellow crew members Steve Dawson and Rob Munslow, are celbrating after passing the halfway
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The employers who are more equal than others
FORGET political correctness, the Equality North East awards are about celebrating those organisations who go the extra mile in recruiting and retaining people from all walks of life. Based in the Pinetree Centre at Birtley, near Chester-le-Street, County
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Big Tick for companies' work in the community
Two County Durham companies will find out next month if they have won a national award for their work in the community. Deputy Business Editor Dan Jenkins takes a look. THE Esh Group, a construction company based in Durham, and Newton Aycliffe manufacturer
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Tina Gibb and Lindsey Dobson
BEDALE's Apt Human Resourcing has appointed TINA GIBB and LINDSEY DOBSON as personal assistant and recruitment consultant respectively. Ms Gibb, from Bedale, is PA to the managing director. Ms Dobson, from Middlesbrough, joins the team of seven as a consultant
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Battle to save forum featured on film
FILM-MAKER Louise Hamill will see her work in lights this week after she made a documentary about the fight to save a popular theatre from demolition. She was given the opportunity to make a 15-minute film after she was awarded a £500 bursary from Northern
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Are your tot's tantrums written in the stars?
If you wonder why your daughter cries more than your first child or why your baby sleeps more than his friends, the answer could lie in the stars. Women's Editor Lindsay Jennings reports. FRIVOLOUS and scatty, mentally alert Gemini girls need plenty of
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21/06/05
SUCH A MESS: In September 1939, three weeks after war was declared, my family moved to a new house in South Terrace, Darlington. South Terrace runs the length of the road past the cricket field. We were there for all the war years and many years after
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Smoking ban 'will widen health divide'
MINISTERS admitted yesterday that allowing smoking to continue in non-food pubs will widen the North-South health divide, with many more deaths in poorer communities. Up to 200 pubgoers a year will die because demands for a complete smoking ban in all
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Supplies distributed in flood-hit areas
Supplies are being distributed in North Yorkshire following flash flooding which hit the region this weekend. Food and water, along with baby food and nappies have been flown to the worst affected villages by Northumbria Police who also helped in Sunday's
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Disgraced doctor spared jail
A DOCTOR who forged prescriptions after becoming hooked on powerful painkilling drugs has been spared jail - and could eventually return to work. Dr Robin Wade used his position as a family GP in Darlington to dupe chemists across the town into handing
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A midsummer's dream turned reality at last
A £700,000 regeneration scheme to help restore a North-East beauty spot to its former glory has been completed. To mark the improvements at Crimdon Park and Dene, County Durham, a series of events have been organised - ranging from Shakespeare to a brass
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Harmison issues plea
Steve Harmison will resist any attempts by England's hierarchy to hide him from Australia's view as both sides try and claim a crucial advantage in the build-up to the Ashes series. The 26-year-old Durham fast bowler has been earmarked as the key player
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'Gunman led revenge attack'
A gunman's "thirst for revenge" led him to plot a deadly attack on a gangland rival that left an innocent pensioner dead and a young man fighting for his life, a court was told yesterday. Fred Fowler was enjoying a pint and chatting to friends when he
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Agility tips the balance our way
CONSULTANTS based at the region's flagship technology park have reported successes worth millions of pounds and hundreds of jobs. Durham University's Institute for Agility and Digital Enterprise Technology (IADET), which started out at Durham University
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Rural phones go cashless
RURAL payphones across North Yorkshire are set to become 'cashless' in a compromise which means hundreds of public telephones will no longer be axed. BT had planned to remove more than 200 payphones in the county. But now it only wants to get rid of 11
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Abused past of teacher's rapist, 12
A BOY who raped his teacher may have carried out the attack after suffering physical abuse himself, an independent report has concluded. The youngster was 12 when he attacked his teacher during a one-to-one tutorial in County Durham last November, before
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Air ambulance is back in the sky
A KEY part of the region's air ambulance fleet will return to the skies later this year after charity bosses overcame a funding crisis. The Great North Air Ambulance service had to ground two helicopters earlier this year, leaving just one based at Durham
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MP 'ensures nuclear waste avoids port'
AN MP last night said she had won an assurance that her coastal constituency would not be used as a port for shipping nuclear waste. Redcar MP Vera Baird wrote to Nirex, the company which manages the UK's intermediate-level radioactive waste, after the
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Joel and Tanni lead field as sports achievements are recognised
DAME Tanni Grey-Thompson and Teesside teenager Joel Fitzpatrick carried off two of the leading trophies at the third North-East Disability Sports Achievement Awards. Sponsored by npower, the ceremony was held yesterday at the Riverside Suite at Durham
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Big Ticks for firms with a conscience
TWO companies with a social conscience are in line for a national award. Construction company the Esh Group, and the Newton Aycliffe site of manufacturer 3M UK, both in County Durham, are shortlisted for the national Business in the Community (BITC) Awards
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Flying Scotsman to be star of £1.4m exhibition
THE long and distinguished history of the Flying Scotsman is to be brought to life in a £1.4m interactive exhibition. Visitors to the National Railway Museum, in York, will be able to explore the technology behind the legendary locomotive and find out
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Outcast Thornton in demand
LEEDS and Crystal Palace are heading a list of Championship clubs who have shown an interest in transfer-listed Sean Thornton, but the Sunderland midfielder is also pondering a surprise offer to resurrect his career in Spain. Thornton, who made 20 appearances
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Heather Beresford
HEATHER BERESFORD has been appointed marketing assistant at North-East investment management company Wise Speke, part of Brewin Dolphin Securities. Her appointment is to raise the profile of the company in the region, which now employs 300 people at its
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Counting the cost of flash flood damage
THOUSANDS of homes were last night still without power as the effect of Sunday's freak storms continued to wreak havoc across the region. Insurers last night warned the cost of the storm damage could run into tens of millions of pounds, and the aftermath
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Knitters are suddenly not so sheepish
Knitting has been staging acome back. Business Editor Julia Breen speaks to Stephen Sheard, of Coats Crafts, the man credited with making knitting trendy again. KNITTING, like plastic headscarves, support stockings and brown tartan slippers, has long
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Move to create more parking
WORK will start on creating 160 more parking spaces in Darlington town centre. From Saturday, Darlington Borough Council will be operating the East Street car park, which was previously run by the NCP. The council will start work on another level and
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Medal wins for special stars
SPORTY youngsters have returned to Darlington from a tournament with a clutch of honours. Pupils from Hummersknott School and Language College and Beaumont Hill School enjoyed success at the regional youth games in Hartlepool at the weekend. The children
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Awards salute efforts of local volunteers
A STANLEY youth group and a Shotton Colliery woman are among the winners of the regional round of the Nationwide Building Society's National Awards for Voluntary Endeavour. Organised by Nationwide in association with the National Council for Voluntary
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Assaulted man may have been hit by car
A MAN who received a serious head injury in an alleged assault may also have been struck by a passing car, police said last night. The injured man, 43, needed hospital treatment for a gash on his head following the incident in Crook at 7pm on Sunday night
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New haven for wildlife
VOLUNTEERS have helped to create a wildlife habitat. Nature-lovers and schoolchildren planted reedbeds and wildflowers in Gaunless Valley, between Ramshaw and West Auckland, on Saturday. Volunteers worked during the afternoon as part of the Environment
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Workshop to make mats
THE skills of contemporary mat-making will be outlined at a day-long workshop being staged by experts. Gilesgate Community Association, in Durham, is offering the free course, suitable for people with some experience or complete novices. All necessary
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£730,000 to expand the town's tip
COUNCIL bosses are to press ahead with the expansion of a waste recycling centre in Darlington. An ecological survey of the Drinkfield civic amenity site, in Whessoe Road, has been completed and no evidence has been found of great crested newts in the
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Pupils reach out to help their counterparts in Uganda
A SCHOOL'S headteacher last night praised pupils for working hard to help less fortunate youngsters in Africa. Pupils at Redcar Community College raised £800 through various sponsorship events to help school children in Uganda. The local Round Table was
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Learning Italian style
STUDENTS were treated to an overseas lesson with an Italian twist. Redcar and Cleveland College set up the trip for its special needs youngsters to tour Italy's top spots. Twenty pupils visited attractions such as the Shroud of Turin, and Verona. They
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Heroes and villains who made history
MAO: THE UNKNOWN STORY by Jung Chang and Jon Halliday (Jonathan Cape, £25): THERE is no question about it - Mao Tse-Tung was an evil man. Just how wicked has been reinforced by a compelling new biography, which sheds light on dark corners hitherto unseen
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GP to talk about health in regional prisons
A LEADING GP who works within the region's prisons will be the guest speaker at a charity's annual meeting next month. Durham and Chester-le-Street Alzheimer's Society will meet at Chester-le-Street Civic Centre at 7pm on Tuesday, July 5. Dr Brian Docherty
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Safety checks to be carried out at explosion allotments
RESIDENTS evacuated after arsonists caused a gas cylinder to explode on allotments have welcomed plans for safety inspections by firefighters. The detailed inspections are to be carried out on council-run allotments in Hartlepool following an increasing
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£90m contracts underpins hundreds of North jobs
A CONSTRUCTION company has landed contracts worth more than £90m, underpinning hundreds of North-East jobs. Lumsden & Carroll, the civil engineering arm of the Durham-based Esh Group, has secured two long-term contracts for Northumbrian Water, on
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Police and council unite to stamp out vandals' attacks
VANDALS are staging a concerted campaign against houses and cars in a North-east town with almost an incident a day being reported to police. Over the last six weeks or so, there have been about 30 reports of criminal damage in the west of Chester-le-Street
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Northern Way to bridge the divide
BUSINESS leaders have given a cautious welcome to plans to bridge the North-South divide. Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott was on Tyneside yesterday to unveil The Northern Way - the growth strategy the Government hopes will address the productivity
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Benches dedicated in memory of villagers
A CEREMONY has been held to dedicate benches in memory of three former residents of a parish. Esh Parish Council installed the seats in tribute to former residents Doreen Cummings and Norah and Norman Gowland. The benches have been dedicated by parish
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Judges cast eye over top museum
A NORTH-EAST museum was again under the spotlight from judges this weekend as it looked to scoop a major award. Locomotion: the National Railway Museum in Shildon, County Durham, was visited by two judges from the European Museum of the Year selection
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New ships launched to keep River Tyne clean
ONE of the region's best-known rivers is to look a lot cleaner after the launch yesterday of two vessels to remove debris. The Clean Tyne project has spent £262,000 buying two boats to patrol the river and keep the waterway tidy - The Clearwater, which
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Summer activities ready for children
PARENTS on Teesside are being urged to register their young children for a play scheme this summer. The Hartlepool Borough Council project will held on weekdays, from Monday, July 25, to Friday, August 19. It is open to children aged five to 11. The play
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Church plan for extension dealt blow
The church council at a Nidderdale church has been dealt a planning blow by Harrogate Borough Council. Planning chiefs have refused an extension to the existing church and its curtilage. An application was submitted on behalf of Holy Trinity Church, Main
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Birthday church looks to the past
A NORTH Yorkshire church celebrates its centenary next month with a trip down memory lane and a series of services. St Mark's Church, in Leeds Road, Harrogate, is staging an exhibition of events past and present from July 23 to 30. The church will be
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Iayn experiences working life at museum
TEENAGER Iayn Hall has been discovering what life is like behind the scenes at a museum. The 14-year-old has been taking part in a two-week work experience programme at the Green Howards regimental museum, in Richmond. A pupil at Risedale School, Hipswell
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Flying Scotsman to be star of £1.4m exhibition
THE long and distinguished history of the Flying Scotsman is to be brought to life in a £1.4m interactive exhibition. Visitors to the National Railway Museum, in York, will be able to explore the technology behind the legendary locomotive and find out
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Mobile IT can benefit everyone
While travelling by train to London last week it struck me just how much people rely on mobile communications for personal and business use these days. A teenager was listening to loud music on his MP3 player - a good use of mobile technology for him,
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Can Corus make return to City's Centre Court?
The word bounce-backability has officially been adopted by the dictionaries. For some companies, this could be used to describe their recovery hopes, having made it over the net and into the FTSE 100, only to be smashed cross court and into the lower
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Is this the new face of love?
Does this man look like someone you'd want mentoring your child? Perhaps not, yet as part of his mission to rid the world of hatred, he's helped hundreds of troubled teens. Sarah Foster meets the man who calls himself The Scary Guy. THE teenage boy is
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Doorstep sellers not working for council
CONSUMER watchdogs are urging residents to be vigilant if cold-callers offer to provide loft insulation. Hartlepool Trading Standards team is investigating reports that some residents have signed up with a company to have loft insulation or cavity wall
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Stephanie climbs into driving seat
AN entrepreneur who re-trained after leaving school with no qualifications has won a national accolade. Stephanie Pedley had no qualifications. After joining a taxi company in South Tyneside she realised the route to success lay in returning to college
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Graham Fitzgerald
THE 760-member Teesside Society of Chartered Accountants (TSCA) has a new chairman. GRAHAM FITZGERALD, client partner at Vantis, in Middlesbrough, takes over from Darlington's Lorna Christie. Mr Fitzgerald, 32, went to Acklam Sixth Form College and Northumbria
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Job Search: Vacancies
Domestic, Northallerton, £4.85ph, 25hrs pw 5 days over 7 between 8am and 2.30pm, must have cleaning experience and able to relate to elderly. Ref: NAL 2531. Line managers, Northallerton, £8 to £12phs, 40hrs pw, must be experienced in high risk manufacturing
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Website gives advice to entrepreneurs
A WEBSITE to help create more entrepreneurs has been launched. Business Creation will give people access to details of events organised by support organisations, as well as factsheets and tips on how to start a business. Edward Smith, of Business Link
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Job Search: Vacancies
Motor mechanic, Chester-le-Street, £9ph, 44hrs pw 8.30am to 5pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am to 12.30pm Sat. Experience and MOT qualification essential, will be trained on air-conditioning equipment. Ref: CHM 18079. Cook, Haswell Plough, 24hrs pw 6-10pm Mon-Sat. Must
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Sheep urine buses fuelled publicity stunt
THE idea that a North-East engine manufacturer was experimenting with sheep urine in an attempt to help the environment seemed, quite simply, baa-king mad. But Darlington-based Cummins' unusual efforts to reduce harmful emissions of nitrous oxide from
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Cryfield can have the bookies in tears
COUNT on Cryfield (4.15) to land this afternoon's Peter Moore Memorial Handicap at Beverley. Racehorses are very often creatures of habit, so from a punting point of view it's heart-warming to recall that Cryfield won at the course around this time of
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Industry urged to protect habitats
BUSINESSES in the region are being urged to do more to encourage wildflowers on their sites. Open spaces around factories, chemical plants and office blocks are often valuable wildflower sites because they are relatively undisturbed by humans. The same
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How an ear piercing nearly killed my girl
Little Romeo Beckham may be leading the way for increasingly younger children to have their ears pierced, but as one mum tells Women's Editor Linday Jennings, her daughter's insistence on following the trend nearly killed her. WHEN Abbie Golightly returned
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Why we can't begin to move on
It's almost two years since his son was killed in Iraq, but John Miller is still waiting to hear from Tony Blair. He tells Nick Morrison why he's finding it hard to face the future. IN the corner of John Miller's living room is a glass cabinet filled
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Send-off for special athletes
A TEAM of athletes heading to the British championships were given an official send-off at a civic reception yesterday. The team of 28 athletes, all of whom have learning disabilities, are heading to Glasgow for the Special Olympics Great Britain National
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Counting the cost of flash floods
THOUSANDS of homes were last night still without power as the effect of Sunday's freak storms continued to wreak havoc across the region. Insurers warned the cost of the storm damage could run into tens of millions of pounds, and the aftermath could take
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Children enter a hammock house of horror
A MUSEUM dedicated to the explorations of an 18th Century sea captain are to become a hammock house of horror. Seventeen children will spend a scary sleepover at Middlesbrough's Captain Cook Birthplace Museum, where staff really have arranged for things
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Hannah Duncan
HANNAH DUNCAN has joined leisure management company Vimac Leisure as its marketing manager. Her role involves designing promotional material to co-ordinate Vimac's launches and events. As a marketing graduate from the University of Northumbria, Ms Duncan
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'Hanged prisoner had been on suicide watch for a year'
A PRISONER who was found hanging in her cell shortly after being transferred to Durham Prison had been on 24-hour suicide watch for more than a year, an inquest heard yesterday. During her time in London's Holloway Prison, Susan Stevens, 48, was one of
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Charities to call for an end to poverty
A COALITION of groups and charities will join together this week to raise awareness about world poverty in the run-up to the G8 summit. Campaigners will descend on the market town of Guisborough, in east Cleveland, on Thursday, where they will wrap the
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Missing mother fails to return
THE mother of three children left at home while she went on a fortnight's holiday to Turkey has still not returned to England. Kelly Ann Piggford, of Kempton Court, Red Hall, Darlington, is expected to remain in Turkey for another week. Miss Piggford,
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Charity calls for protection of sites
In April, Business Eco reported on an effective way in which developers can preserve wildflower sites and the insects that rely on them. The charity Butterfly Conservation urged developers across the region to back a scheme to protect the dingy skipper
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Bypass opening heralds way for other improvement work
THE opening of a bypass yesterday paves the way for a project transforming the heart of a community. Residents of Chilton, in County Durham, have waited a lifetime for the £9.1m road, which was first planned before the Second World War. The 2.3km road
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Businesses are recognised
FOUR other North-East organisations will receive Big Ticks in the North-East Awards for Excellence today. Durham-based Northumbrian Water won double honours - the Shields Environmental Award, for its work at Wear Valley Treatment Works; and the Bupa Healthy
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Companies warned about their obligations
English Nature has repeated its warning to businesses that own land containing protected species about upholding their legal obligations. Following the prosecution of a North Yorkshire company for damaging moorland, the Government's wildlife advisor is
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Wedding day church theft 'not unusual'
DESPERATE drug addicts are regularly targeting churches in their quest for stolen goods in order to get a quick fix. A Teesside priest has spoken out about the lengths criminals will go to after his church was targeted on Saturday during a wedding ceremony
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Service Network announces board appointments
SERVICE Network, an organisation which supports the region's professional and business service sector, has announced the appointment of a new board. Three executives have been recruited and three members re-appointed. In addition, MERYL DODD will continue
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Man dies under tractor
A tractor driver has died after it is thought to have run him over. An inquest has been opened and adjourned by the North Yorkshire East Coroner, Michael Oakley on Ian Millward 54 of Burniston near Scarborough, who died after the accident at Scalby Lodge
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Plan to sell assets faces fierce protest
BUSINESS leaders say if councillors decide to sell council assets to pay for new offices it would be a 'premature and ill-informed' move. Members of Richmond Business and Tourism Association (RBTA) have spoken out before a Richmondshire District Council
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Teen terror kicked out of home
A teen terror dubbed the real life Vicky Pollard has been booted out of her home. Last night her long-suffering neighbours told how they were subjected to an 18-month error campaign by the unrepentant yob. Kerry Mclaughlin was evicted from her Wallsend
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Fancy a new job?
MORE details about the jobs below are available from Jobseeker Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Motor mechanic, Chester-le-Street, £9ph, 44hrs pw 8.30am to 5pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am to 12.30pm Sat. Experience and MOT qualification essential, will be trained on air-conditioning
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Is this the face of love?
THE teenage boy is slumped in a chair, eyes downcast, as he formulates an answer. The man to his right, a human canvass of tattoos, has just asked him to name his greatest wish. He looks up and, oblivious to the journalist and the TV men, engages the
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On Safari with Sir Bob
Geldof in Africa (BBC1); Time Team Special: Britain's Lost Roman Circus (C4): JUST before the 1997 general election, Paul Daniels was reported to have said that if Labour won he would consider leaving the country. The uncharitable response is that we
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On TV
Geldof in Africa (BBC1) Time Team Special: Britain's Lost Roman Circus (C4) JUST before the 1997 general election, Paul Daniels was reported to have said that if Labour won he would consider leaving the country. The uncharitable response is that we have
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College gets bike buzz
The green travel team at North Yorkshire County Council has presented Northallerton College with a bicycle and trailer for assistant site manager Daniel Ford to carry items around the college and nip into town. It was presented by the county's travel
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A window on the world
John Dean talks to a Darlington man celebrating 50 years in business. FEW businessmen can have seen more changes in their working lives than Darlington builder Bill Stenson. Born in Ovington, North Yorkshire, the son of a stonemason, Mr Stenson has worked
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An Englishman with foreign flair
Playwright Howard Barker may be a Brit, but his work has a distinctly European bent, as Steve Pratt finds out. IT'S rare for a contemporary writer to have a theatre company devoted exclusively to performing their work. But Howard Barker doesn't fit the
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Janice Marsh and Kathryn Timm
The North-East Business and Innovation Centre (BIC), in Sunderland, has made two appointments following the introduction of a new purchasing system. JANICE MARSH, 44, has been appointed finance assistant and will be responsible for processing purchase
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Concern for flightless missing swan
POLICE officers have flown into action to trace a missing swan with noble connections. The flightless Polish White Mute, owned by Lord Gisborough, has not been seen since June 15. It was spotted wandering around the Bow Street area of Guisborough, near
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Council defends unpopular decision to merge two schools
SCHOOL CLOSURE DEBATE: AN under-fire council boss last night stood by the controversial announcement that one of the country's top-performing schools was to be moved out of its village location. Margaret Asquith, children's services director at Darlington
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Fiction: Blood and guts galore
THE COWS COME HOME by Paul Chambers (UPSO, £9.99, also available from Waterstones and Amazon. Contact UPSO, 5 Stirling Road, Castleham Business Park, St Leonard's-on-Sea, East Sussex TN38 9NW): THIS tale is of a Gateshead-born lad on his wayward and often
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Westwood heads for pastures new
NEW Hartlepool United boss Martin Scott last night received the news he didn't want to hear, when Chris Westwood confirmed he is leaving Victoria Park, writes Nick Loughlin. Westwood is planning a return to his native midlands and, despite making it his
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TyneWear Partnership says farewell, and thanks, to Oldershaw
THE man behind two major urban regeneration projects in the region is moving on. Chris Oldershaw, is stepping down as executive director of TyneWear Partnership (TWP), to take up a similar role in Gloucestershire. Mr Oldershaw led the Stockton City Challenge
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Summer show ready to bloom
COUNCIL gardeners are forging ahead with their summer planting programme, despite recent unseasonal weather. Richmondshire District Council has taken delivery of more than 11,000 bedding plants. Staff are now busy preparing 15 sites across the district
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Crisis talks over burnt-out factory
BOSSES of a packaging company whose North-East plant was destroyed by fire will hold crisis talks with council officers today. Sedgefield Borough Council leaders have pledged to back Northern Packaging Distributors as it fights back after a blaze ripped
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Confidence is key to job hunt
THE category for Voluntary Organisations was sponsored by The Northern Echo and the award was designed by Jane Charles. The winner was Renew North East, a registered charity based in Felling, Gateshead, that works to improve the employment prospects of
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Council urges community to back fair trade
FRESH efforts are being made to help Darlington become a Fairtrade town. The Fairtrade initiative is designed to ensure that farmers in developing countries get a fair price for goods such as tea, coffee, sugar, bananas and cocoa. Last year, Darlington
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Watch out Bertie, Bond scarecrow is licensed to trill
BIRDS have been staying well away from Croft, near Darlington, after is staged its annual scarecrow weekend. More than 30 scarecrows, made by village residents, were put on display to raise funds for the village hall association. The event, in its fifth
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Watch out Bertie, Bond scarecrow is licensed to trill
BIRDS have been staying well away from Croft, near Darlington, after is staged its annual scarecrow weekend. More than 30 scarecrows, made by village residents, were put on display to raise funds for the village hall association. The event, in its fifth
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Jail for burglar who preyed on students
A PROLIFIC burglar who preyed on student property was caught after police waited for him to collect stolen goods. Durham Crown Court heard that items taken in a break-in at student digs in Lawson Terrace, in the city, were left in a hold-all in an outhouse
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Fifty years of twinning
A TOWN'S twinning exchange has reached a 50-year landmark. And anyone who has been involved in youth exchanges between Middlesbrough and Oberhausen, Germany, over the past half century is invited to attend an evening of reminiscences at Acklam Library
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From prison to the promised land - ex-gangster tells it straight
WITH his skinhead haircut, 6ft 4in frame and a background as an ex-London gangster, John Pridmore may not appear to be a good influence on children. But the ex-drug dealer, bouncer and debt collector was at St John's RC Comprehensive School in Bishop
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Capping fear spells delay for cheap bus fare scheme
PLANS to introduce cheap bus travel for teenagers could be delayed because of the potential capping of a council's tax bills, officers have warned. Hambleton District Council wants to let 14 to 16-year-olds use buses at a discounted rate on routes in
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Figo gets a wage warning
NEWCASTLE officials will hold further talks with Luis Figo later this week, but have warned the Real Madrid midfielder he will have to drop his wage demands if he is to spend next season at St James' Park. Figo has offered his services to a number of
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Theatre group gave its best performance yet at national awards
MEMBERS of a team of performers who share their skills with other children have been presented with an award. The Jackass Theatre Group, from Crook, was hailed as the region's Millennium Volunteer of the Year in the arts category at a ceremony in London
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Night of vandalism will cost thousands
THOUSANDS of pounds of repairs will have to be made to seven parked cars damaged by vandals. The vandals shattered windows and dented bodywork on five cars, a pick-up truck and motorcycle in and around Barnard Castle. Two of the cars were in the grounds
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Resort's bus station undergoes facelift
IMPROVEMENTS to a popular seaside resort have now been completed. The first phase of work around Seaton Carew's art deco bus station has seen the road widened and resurfaced and the area made more accessible and attractive to potential investors. Behind
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Three Peaks run to battle cancer
NIECE Joanne Atkinson's recovery from cancer was the summit of her Uncle Barry's hopes. Just to prove it, her 58-year-old relative is going to climb Britain's three highest peaks - at a run. Grandfather Barry Warrington from Marton, near Middlesbrough
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Warning sends stock reeling
FILM studio Pinewood Shepperton lost a fifth of its value after issuing a profits warning to investors. The group, which last year attracted blockbuster productions including Batman Begins, said it expected to report interim operating profits of about
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Servicing deal set at £600,000
AN engineering firm has been awarded a £600,000 contract to service all the gas appliances in council homes in Chester-le-Street. The contract to maintain appliances in the district's 4,500 council homes is the first major contract in the region to be
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Police probe two stabbing attacks in city
TWO men have been injured in separate stabbing incidents in the same city in the space of three hours. At about 11.20pm on Saturday, an 18-year-old from the Farringdon area of Sunderland was discovered in Anglesey Road with knife injuries to his leg and
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Pupils enjoy the challenge of technology
PUPILS from 20 schools across Durham rose to a technology challenge set at the county's new education development centre. Staff from Durham's information Technology service, which operates from the centre in Enterprise Way, Spennymoor, organised the three-day
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Railway artist is coming home
Eric Thompson is going back to his roots as he celebrates 25 years as an artist. Mr Thompson, 57, has chosen Locomotion: National Railway Museum, in Shildon, for an anniversary exhibition this weekend. He will display some of his work from the past 25
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Rubbish builds up as waste row reaches another week
A STAND-OFF between a council and villagers over a new waste collection scheme has resulted in a four-week build up of rubbish. Residents in the Copeland Road and Edith Terrace areas of West Auckland have been told by Wear Valley District Council to leave
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Former garage to get facelift
Planning officials have given the go-ahead for a garage to be turned into a beauty salon at Hell Wath Cottage, Hell Wath, Ripon. Harrogate Borough Council officials approved the scheme which involves changing use of a garage, removing its doors and installing
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Boro make their move
EMANUEL POGATETZ should become the latest addition to the Middlesbrough playing staff by the end of the week -but the chances of him being joined by Stephen Appiah are dwindling. Having already spent £7.5m on striker Aiyegbeni Yakubu, Steve McClaren is
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'Doctor who cheated to feed his habit is exception to the rule'
Health service bosses moved to reassure patients last night after a GP was fined £3,000 for prescribing drugs to feed his addiction. Robin Wade, a family GP, wrote prescriptions for himself at the Moorlands Surgery in Willow Road, Darlington, using a
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Air safety fears over pond birds
A bid to retain a pond on a country estate near Ripon has been rejected because it poses a threat to air safety. Refusing the application by Mountgarret Estates, planners said the pond would provide an ideal habitat for bird species, in particular feral
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Awards go to companies helping the disadvantaged and minority groups
For the first time, business across the region have been honoured for creating truly equal opportunities at work. Deputy Business Editor Dan Jenkins reports from the inaugural Equality North East awards. TRAINING PROVIDER: THIS category was sponsored
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Guilty, or not guilty of unfair dismissal?
Without doubt, the biggest news story last week was the verdict in the Michael Jackson trial. More than a year after charges were first laid, he was cleared on all ten of the serious counts he faced. An employer faced with a worker who is to be prosecuted
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Hot air versus free speech
HelmsleY - flash floods - global warming. That was the sequence of words that leapt out of the radio yesterday morning. I've driven over that bridge in Helmsley scores of times on my way to Rievaulx Abbey, calling in first at The Black Swan where they
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Quakers line up a double swoop
After seeing a deal for winger Sam Aiston fall through Darlington hope to make their first signings of the summer after lining up a double swoop, writes Craig Stoddart. A pair of strikers are in Quakers' sights with Matthew Tipton and Simon Johnson, with
