Archive
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Sporting slant for half-term
YOUNGSTERS can keep busy during the next half-term holiday - by continuing to attend school. The five secondary schools in Stockton will hold half-term Xplore activities for youngsters aged eight to 16, organised by Stockton Borough Council's sports development
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A gem of a sale
PARENTS hope to raise funds for a school and community centre by holding a jewellery and accessory evening. Designer Jessie Bellamy, who travels to India for jewellery products, will take her wares to Layfield Primary School, in Everingham Road, Yarm,
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Breast cancer drug victory to save 1,000 lives a year
WOMEN with early stage breast cancer are to be tested to see if they are suitable for treatment with a new life-saving drug. The Government decision was welcomed by Barbara Clark, a nurse who won a fight with her local authority to be prescribed Herceptin
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Emre promises Souness he will face Wigan
INJURY-PLAGUED midfielder Emre has assured Newcastle officials he will put club before country by restricting his involvement in Turkey's crucial World Cup qualifier with Albania, writes Scott Wilson. The former Inter Milan playmaker has not kicked a
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Leadership bid falters for lacklustre favourite
CONSERVATIVE leadership favourite David Davis yesterday failed to win over waverers with his key conference speech. Rivals David Cameron and Ken Clarke had raised the stakes with powerful platform addresses in Blackpool. But the Shadow Home Secretary,
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Lincoln green with envy as Bishops lift trophy
A NORTH-EAST riding club is celebrating being first past the post in a national competition. The Bishops Riding Club rural riders team, which draws enthusiasts from across County Durham and Tyneside, were triumphant in the Riding Club Championships in
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Baby rabbits thrown off clifftop
Baby rabbits have been used as golf balls as yobs used clubs to launch them from a clifftop. The yobs used sticks as clubs and the rabbits as balls to fire the young creatures to their deaths. Three teenagers were seen arriving at the top of the cliff
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Pressure grows for port backing
PRESSURE was mounting last night on ministers after the North-East Assembly said it was fully behind Teesport's plans to bring 7,000 jobs to the region. The unelected regional assembly, set up in 1999 by the Government to strengthen policy making in the
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Increase in cancer among the young
THE number of young people in the North with cancer has risen by a quarter since the 1960s, but patients are much more likely to survive. Researchers at Newcastle University also found that young men were 20 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with cancer
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Spending slowdown? Not round here...
FURNITURE retailer Land of Leather showed yesterday it was beating the slowdown in UK spending after a strong sales performance over the past six months. The group, which has 68 stores across the UK, including in Darlington, Durham and Stockton, said
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Electric van ready to take on the world
A BATTERY-powered van that could revolutionise deliveries in city centres was unveiled yesterday. Smiths Electric Vehicles (SEV), a market leader in its field, has created a zero- emission, light commercial vehicle, which could compete or even out-perform
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Website's a winner for town nursery
A CHILDREN'S nursery in Spennymoor has won a prize for its lively and informative website. The Rainbow Nursery, in Middlestone Moor, was runner-up in a national competition organised by Nursery World magazine to find the best websites. The 72-place nursery
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Narrow escape from pub blast
A PUB landlady and a friend miraculously escaped injury when a gas blast blew out the front of a bar seconds after they fled the premises yesterday. Firefighters were called to a blaze at Colliery Tavern pub, in Keir Hardie Way, Southwick, Sunderland,
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Proposal to open top arts venue
A QUALITY venue aimed at developing the arts in the Sedgefield borough could be created in a leisure centre. Sedgefield Borough Council is exploring the possibility of converting part of Spennymoor Leisure Centre into an arts resource. It is hoped the
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Doctor's appeal gets boost
A DOCTOR who wants to buy insulin pumps for all the young diabetes patients in his care is close to raising £100,000. Dr Bill Lamb, a hospital consultant from Bishop Auckland, has run 3,700 miles for his campaign and collected donations from dozens of
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Back by demand
PUBLIC demand has led to the repeat of an exhibition of Second World War relics. The exhibition will be staged in Barnard Castle Methodist Church next Thursday, from 10.30am to 2pm, following its success at Middleton-in-Teesdale. Lunches, consisting of
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Former shipyard worker wins asbestos claim with union help
A FORMER shipyard worker has won substantial compensation for an asbestos-related disease after initially being told he did not have a claim. Joseph Cassidy, of South Shields, South Tyneside, was originally told by a claims handling firm that there was
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Early birds capture the best gifts
SHOPPERS in Crook can pick up Christmas present ideas at an event this weekend. Crook Community Partnership has organised an early Christmas shopping event. Nine shops will be represented at the evening, to be held at St Catherine's Community Centre.
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Belle's incredible journey ends thanks to micro-chip
When Belle the puppy disappeared five months ago, her owners thought they would never see her again. But the little Jack Russell Terrier was found after a 310-mile trek when she was handed into an animal rescue centre. Now she is back home, a bit bigger
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Plugging gap in reading habits
PUPILS at a North-East school use thumbprints to borrow books from their new hi-tech library - and then sit back to read the book in a comfortable bath. Youngsters at Tanfield Lea Junior School in Tanfield Lea, Stanley, County Durham, press their thumb
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City stumps up for trees
A city council is to contribute £1.6m towards the restoration of a number of parks. Newcastle City Council has earmarked the funds for work at the Ouseburn Parks, Jesmond Dene, Heaton Park, Paddy Freeman's and Armstrong Park. The money will make up the
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Princess Anne to appear at advert launch
THE Princess Royal will be the guest of honour at the launch of a cinema commercial about mental illness among children and their families. Pupils from the Thornhill Business and Enterprise School, in Sunderland, acted in the commercial, which will be
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Pioneering approach for foster children
THE Scarborough and Ryedale areas have been selected for a revolutionary fostering scheme. Fostering Change aims to bring positive changes to the lives of youngsters aged ten to 16 who are in care and have complex needs. The scheme, which has its origins
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Facelift for forests on moorland
BIG changes planned in thousands of acres of North Yorkshire forests will see planting of native woodlands and the building of wildlife habitat networks. Brian Walker, senior officer with the Forestry Commission, said some planting has already started
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Residents quizzed over force merger
NORTH Yorkshire Police have published a questionnaire inviting public comments on potential mergers. Home Secretary Charles Clarke has backed plans to amalgamate smaller forces to produce large strategic forces. North Yorkshire have until the end of October
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Arriva heads to Italy
TRANSPORT group Arriva yesterday said it had bought 80 per cent of an Italian bus operator. The Sunderland-based plc initially announced it had bought the majority of the SAVDA Group for £9.4m three months ago. It has the option to buy the remaining 20
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Council supports centre with £9,000
A PARISH council is digging into its coffers to stump up £9,000 to back a popular one-stop-shop community office in the heart of its town. The office, created in Masham's former police station, next to the Market Place, will be receiving the funding in
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New in brief
The power of health for all: A DURHAM leisure centre is to host a health information and advice day later this month. Durham City Council is staging the event, called Power of Health, on Tuesday, October 18, at Meadowfield Leisure Centre, between 9.30am
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Plan for disc parking in town centre
PLANS to introduce disc parking in Easingwold town centre have been unveiled. Hambleton District Council has put forward the plans for a two-hour parking limit in Market Place and parts of Long Street. The scheme is connected to a £160,000 package of
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Church appeals for more bell ringers
AN East Cleveland church is ringing the changes. The bells of St Mark's Church, at Marske-by-the-Sea, have had a service and a call is being made for new bell ringers. Bell ringing classes have been organised for adults and youngsters over 12. Tuition
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50 new jobs at repair centre
ROYAL Bank of Scotland (RBS) is creating more than 50 jobs in the region with the opening of a car repair centre. The company's insurance arm will open the 18,500sq ft accident repair centre at Teesway, North Tees Industrial Estate, in Stockton, in January
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John North: Prize catch for the king of scoops
SPY hunter Chapman Pincher, among the 20th century's greatest journalists, is making an altogether more improbable bid for the headlines. At the age of 91, he has caught a 20lb 5oz rainbow trout - the one that didn't get away - reckoned the heaviest ever
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Interest rates on hold
The Bank of England has decided to keep UK interest rates on hold at 4.5 per cent for the second month running at the end of its two-day meeting. However, analysts are split on what the next move will be, with some predicting a rate cut next month while
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Graffiti art project brightens skatepark
YOUNGSTERS have been given a chance to express themselves through an organised graffiti art project. The teenagers, aged 13 to 18, worked with staff from Resettlement and Aftercare Provision (Rap), a national initiative, to bring some colour to Hartlepool's
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Dramatic wins for theatres
SOME of the region's best amateur dramatics producers, actors and companies have been honoured at an awards ceremony. Sedgefield Players Drama Festival of One Act Plays was held over five nights in Sedgefield Parish Hall, County Durham, to celebrate its
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Lottery winners across the region
NEARLY £3m in grants has been awarded to community groups across the North-East in the latest round of awards by the Big Lottery Fund. Among the largest grants announced yesterday was £122,000 to the Derwentside Alzheimer's Society, in County Durham,
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Sunbather's death was due to natural causes
POLICE investigating reports of a peeping tom spying on a woman sunbather discovered that the woman was dead. Neighbours became concerned about Lorraine Ali, 45, after they saw a man watching her through the garden fence as she appeared to sunbathe at
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Plugging gap in reading habits
PUPILS at a North-East school use thumbprints to borrow books from their new hi-tech library - and then sit back to read the book in a comfortable bath. Youngsters at Tanfield Lea Junior School in Tanfield Lea, Stanley, County Durham, press their thumb
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College lifts 106-year-old ban on men
A group of male students has become the first to take their places at a previously all-female college. Durham University's last single sex college has welcomed its intake of men after bowing to overwhelming demand in the modern era. Twenty years after
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New Archbishop relishes challenge that lies ahead
THE new Archbishop of York formally took up his post last night after a centuries-old ceremony. Dr John Sentamu, who is Britain's first black Archbishop, was confirmed in the role at St Mary-le-Bow Church, in Cheapside, London. The ancient process was
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Building company offers debts deal
A NORTH-EAST building company has gone into voluntary administration with debts of more than £800,000. But creditors of Hyperion Project Management, of Durham, are being asked to agree to a rescue package. Insolvency practitioners acting for the company
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Cathedral may replace pews with chairs
A CATHEDRAL congregation is being consulted on plans to replace hard wooden pews with comfortable chairs. The move is being considered by church leaders at Ripon Cathedral. The cathedral's advisory committee has agreed to remove the pews - provided the
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Falcons planning cracker of a night
NEWCASTLE Falcons are planning a big night when they entertain London Irish in the Guinness Premiership on Friday, November 11, writes Tim Wellock. It includes the biggest cash giveaway at a club rugby match, with one lucky punter walking away with £5,000
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What does Labour stand for?
So that's what they mean by 'respect' - that grotesque manhandling of an elderly man out into the streets because he dared mutter a word of protest against the Iraq war. This is the Government that's supposed to represent the poor, the old, the disadvantaged
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Mystery bug forces school to close
A PRIMARY school was forced to close yesterday after more than 80 children and seven staff fell sick with a mystery bug. All of those who became unwell at Blackhall Colliery Primary School, in County Durham, were suffering from vomiting. Last night, a
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Youngsters in blazing coach drama on their way to Mass
NINE children were treated in hospital for smoke inhalation and shock after their school coach burst into flames yesterday. All the youngsters on the coach and the four teachers with them, from Hartlepool's English Martyrs School, escaped unhurt as the
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Youngsters can try a slam dunk
YOUNGSTERS will get the opportunity to try their hand at basketball with two new courses on Teesside. Hartlepool Borough Council's sports development team is joining with the Hartlepool Hornets basketball club to bring the sport to children. A course
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Poet will share her Oriental adventure
NATIONAL Poetry Day is marked with an appearance by Ruth Padel in the North-East today. The chairwoman of the Poetry Society will be speaking at an event held as part of the Durham Literature Festival, at the Gala Theatre. A renowned poet, journalist
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Things are looking up - Williams
DARREN Williams admits Hartlepool United are enjoying their mini-break with a smile on their faces. Pool won at Bristol City last weekend and don't play again until they visit Nottingham Forest a week on Saturday after this weekend's game with Gillingham
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Plea from mother on Jenny's birthday
THE mother of missing Jenny Nicholl will today wish her daughter happy birthday - and make a public appeal for her to come home. Ann Nicholl will unveil two 8ft banners on her daughter's 20th birthday as part of a series of fresh attempts to find out
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Police launch crackdown on market day purse thieves
POLICE yesterday launched a major campaign to beat thieves targeting market day shoppers. In the past four months, there have been 25 purse thefts reported in Northallerton. Officers say the problem is not unique to the town -- but have launched a major
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06/10/05
HOWDEN ALLOTMENTS: AFTER visiting the allotments in Howden, near Crook, I was very distressed to see what has become of what I would class as natural heritage. Every year in the North-East, normal working class people from one year to the next prepare
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Dad At Large
WHEN you're a dad, stains come with the territory. They're an occupational hazard. You can always tell a new dad by the telltale throw-up stain on his shoulder. It is the stamp of fatherhood, the mark of a new man. And the stains keep on coming as the
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'I'm just the story teller'
It was his failure to get a Green Card that prompted Bernard Cornwell to write his first novel, but his historical thrillers have sold more than 20 million copies. He tells Nick Morrison how he got started - and what he makes of the TV adaptations of
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Flying in the face of the ban
TONY Blair's local hunt plans to use a bird of prey to get around the ban on hunting with dogs when the season starts next month. South Durham Hunt, based in the Prime Minister's Sedgefield constituency, in County Durham, is one of about 30 in the country
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On TV last night
T-Rex: A Dinosaur in Hollywood (BBC1) HE was, we were told, a combination of shapes and features never seen in one body before. No, they weren't talking about Frankenstein's monster or even Robbie Coltrane. The subject was Tyrannosaurus Rex, the dinosaur
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Moynihan vows to keep politics out of Games
Former Tory sports minister Lord Moynihan promised to put political rivalries aside after winning the election to become new chairman of the British Olympic Association. Moynihan beat ex-Olympic hurdler David Hemery by 28 votes to 15 to take over one
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Cheerio Pet, 1,000 jobs in Canada
MORE than 1,000 skilled workers from the North-East are wanted to work on the construction of a multi-billion dollar oil processing plant - in Alberta, Canada. It means hundreds of workers could be saying Auf Wiedersehen Pet to their loved ones - following
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Waiting times longest in UK
A DAMNING report into North-East sexual health facilities suggests the region could be losing the battle against disease. Fewer than one in three patients going to genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinics in the North-East are seen within 48 hours, according
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Comment from The Northern Echo: Offer hope, not delays
OUR front page headline on Tuesday posed the question: "Why are women still denied cancer drug?" It followed revelations of continuing delays over providing breast cancer victims with the lifesaving drug Herceptin. Barbara Clark, from Somerset, had brought
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Turbo charged with bringing home cash
TURBO (2.20) probably only has to stand up to open his account over hurdles at Worcester this afternoon. The Terry Mills-trained one-time useful Flat performer has now turned his attention to the National Hunt arena, where plenty of success awaits judged
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Cuts could hit North-East
JOBS at a Newcastle office could be under threat after Aon, the world's second-largest insurance broker, announced it was to axe 750 positions in the UK over the next two years. The US-based firm, which employs 6,800 workers in the UK, said its specialty
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Dawn raids strike at heart of drug-dealing community
Drug dealers across Darlington have been targeted in a series of dawn raids. Reporter Deborah Johnson joined officers during a raid yesterday. IT was just before 6am and not yet light. The streets of Darlington were deserted and there was an eerie silence
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Show of brass for charity
A GALA concert is being held to launch a Brass Band Aid charity CD. The Witham Hall, in Barnard Castle, is to hold the concert on Saturday, October 15, at which Barnard Castle Town Band will join forces with Stanhope Silver Band. The concert will launch
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Poems for arts sake
A POET in residence has been appointed to help create public art to complement a town centre improvement scheme. Ira Lightman will work with people in Spennymoor to write poems that will feature in a permanent piece of art in the town centre. The project
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Call for referendum on plan to bulldoze 1,500 homes
CAMPAIGNERS fighting to save a neighbourhood from the bulldozer are calling for a town-wide referendum. Middlesbrough Council is being challenged to conduct the poll by the residents' action group, Middlesbrough for Positive Regeneration. The protestors
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£9.2m to renew neighbourhoods
SOME of the more deprived areas of Teesside are to benefit from a large cash windfall. A total of £9.2m of Government Neighbourhood Renewal Funding (NRF) will be go to areas across Hartlepool, including the Headland, West View, Central Estate, Dyke House
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Youngsters have the write stuff
FIVE aspiring authors have been named regional winners of a creative writing competition. More than 2,000 children from across the region, aged from eight to ten, entered the Write Here, Write Now competition run by the Department for Education and Skills
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Gearing up for 50th birthday party
THE largest secondary school in Darlington is pressing ahead with its anniversary celebrations. The former Darlington Girls' High School was opened by the Duke of Edinburgh in November 1955, after moving to Edinburgh Drive from Cleveland Avenue. It was
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Army hopefuls will hear it from the 'lads'
THE Army careers information office has recruited two new sergeants to the Darlington office. The appointments are part of the ongoing recruitment drive to attract the youngsters to join the Army. Brian Simpson, 38, and Tim Cadwallader, 36, will be taking
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Call if you know of an empty house
EMPTY and derelict houses are to be tackled to improve Teesside neighbourhoods. There are estimated to be 1,600 empty private homes around Stockton and, as part of Action on Empty Homes Week next week, the borough council wants to bring as many back into
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Watching out for fair trade
CONSUMER watchdogs in Darlington have welcomed the launch of a scheme helping people identify businesses that are committed to good customer service. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has launched a consumer codes approval scheme. Businesses that sign
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Fun day marks an opening
AN education centre which is part of a £4m scheme to restore a park to its former Victorian glory will open this weekend. The building, which includes a large classroom, store rooms and toilets, will be used by schools and community groups, who want to
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Church marks 150th birthday
THE parish church of St Helen's and All Saints, Wykeham, is celebrating its 150th anniversary on Sunday. The event will be marked with a special service at which the Bishop of Whitby, the Rt Rev Robert Ladds, will be the preacher. The church is unique
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Town council gets ready for rare by-election
THE market town of Malton is to have its first town council by-election for several years. The election was prompted by the resignation of Councillor Sue Norman last month. Ten electors said they wanted a full election rather than the existing town councillors
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Landlady praises locals' grand effort
A PUB landlady has thanked regulars who helped raise £1,000 for Macmillan Cancer Relief. Helen Cousins, who runs the Haynes Arms, at Kirby Sigston, near Northallerton, said the support from the community had been "huge". She has been running a fundraising
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School Closure Debate: More protests promised in schools fight
CAMPAIGNERS opposing the closure of Hurworth School have vowed to step up their efforts after proposals for a £25m privately-sponsored city academy in Darlington were unveiled. Protestors fighting to retain the school in its rural location yesterday held
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Skills boost for social servies staff
MORE than 50 members of North Yorkshire social services staff are celebrating after gaining nationally recognised qualifications. Many of the workers help people in their homes, day centres or residential establishments. They have received awards to improve
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Police launch crackdown on market day purse thieves
POLICE yesterday launched a major campaign to beat thieves targeting market day shoppers. In the past four months, there have been 25 purse thefts reported in Northallerton. Officers say the problem is not unique to the town -- but have launched a major
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From Portuguese to Chichewa for Catherine
TALENTED Catherine Goodman is hoping to keep her cool when she competes in a national language skills competition next month. The ten-year-old, from Red House School, in Norton, has reached the final of the Junior Language Challenge 2005. In London next
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Pupils hear villagers' wartime memories
A VILLAGE'S pensioners stepped back in time when they visited their local school to talk to pupils about wartime memories. Pittington Primary School marked the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War on Tuesday, with a tea for residents over
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College lifts 106-year-old ban on men
A group of male students has become the first to take their places at a previously all-female college. Durham University's last single sex college has welcomed its intake of men after bowing to overwhelming demand in the modern era. Twenty years after
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Council in U-turn over village green
A COUNCIL has made a U-turn over its decision to grant village green status to a piece of land earmarked for development by a house builder. Durham County Council has announced it will not contest a judicial review sought by Strathmore Homes over the
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Plea from mother on Jenny's birthday
THE mother of missing Jenny Nicholl will today wish her daughter happy birthday - and make a public appeal for her to come home. Ann Nicholl will unveil two 8ft banners on her daughter's 20th birthday as part of a series of fresh attempts to find out
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Belle's incredible journey ends thanks to micro-chip
When Belle the puppy disappeared five months ago, her owners thought they would never see her again. But the little Jack Russell Terrier was found after a 310-mile trek when she was handed into an animal rescue centre. Now she is back home, a bit bigger
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Testing backs light therapy healing
NORTH-EAST doctors are claiming a world first after independent research proved the healing power of infrared light therapy. The County Durham medics believe that their invention could have far-reaching implications for the way many diseases are treated
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McCarthy puts turn-around down to experience
MICK McCarthy last night admitted he had been aware of the clamour for change as Sunderland lost their first five games of the season, but claimed his wealth of experience had prevented him from making a bad situation worse. Saddled with the memory of
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All-round game should be Murray's ticket to success
The Northern Echo's Chief Sports Writer Scott Wilson casts his eye over the big sporting issues of the week in his new column. Today's spotlight falls on teenage tennis sensation Andrew Murray. GIVEN that he has won 24 successive finals and already claimed
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Drink-drive death youth jailed for five years
A high-speed hit-and-run driver who killed two talented musicians while drunk behind the wheel was taken to view one of his victim's bodies to make him appreciate what he had done. Kyle Barthram's BMW poughed into Joseph Scurfield and Keith Morris as
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Singers join forces to help hospice
HUNDREDS of people are lending their voices to support a hospice. More than 500 young singers and musicians from across Hartlepool and the surrounding area are taking part in a ten-hour music marathon this weekend to raise funds for the Hartlepool and
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Breast cancer drug victory to save 1,000 lives a year
WOMEN with early stage breast cancer are to be tested to see if they are suitable for treatment with a new life-saving drug. The Government decision was welcomed by Barbara Clark, a nurse who won a fight with her local authority to be prescribed Herceptin
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A stain on the character
WHEN you're a dad, stains come with the territory. They're an occupational hazard. You can always tell a new dad by the telltale throw-up stain on his shoulder. It is the stamp of fatherhood, the mark of a new man. And the stains keep on coming as the
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Home is where the heart is for new recruit Stamp
PHIL STAMP has revealed his decision to choose Darlington ahead of the chance to play at a higher level was motivated by the prospect of performing back in the North-East. The 29-year-old signed a three-month deal with Quakers on Tuesday despite interest
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Oil prices blamed as bus fares rise
BUS fare rises in the North-East have been blamed on global oil prices. The increases have been introduced this week - with some fares as much as 30p higher. Bus companies Go North-East and Arriva blame the decision on petrol prices that followed the
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Inquiry into care of mental health patient who murdered prostitute
AN independent inquiry has been launched into the handling of a mental health patient who killed a prostitute. The investigation has been welcomed by the parents of Sarah Coughlan, who are desperate to discover why the convicted killer was free to murder
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Call for referendum on plan to bulldoze 1,500 homes
CAMPAIGNERS fighting to save a neighbourhood from the bulldozer are calling for a town-wide referendum. Middlesbrough Council is being challenged to conduct the poll by the residents' action group, Middlesbrough for Positive Regeneration. The protestors
