Archive
-
Date
Window on to a songbird's world
LAST week was such a busy one. I had a list of jobs to plough through before the weekend, but found myself using a whole morning cutting out simple shapes from coloured paper and sticking them to my office windows. It was a small thud on the door that
-
Date
Magic moments of a showcase whirl
IT has been a bit of a hectic week this week. I have been zipping up and down the region visiting horticultural shows, hotels and May Day events. My world has been filled with herbs, Hostas and home-cooked food. Memorable moments range from the sheer
-
Date
Hot tubs and nettle soup
WHAT were you doing last Thursday evening? I bet you weren't doing the same as me. I was sitting in a hot tub in the garden, watching the stars and a big swollen moon gliding serenely across the clear night sky. The air was mild, and bore on it
-
Date
Green for go on the cabbage front
IT IS a time of great celebration. The swallows have arrived, the daffodils are out at last, the Gardeners' World Magazine is incredibly heavy, and I have made it into the poly tunnel. I have started sowing the seeds that will turn into the plants
-
Date
The Bell who's good at ringing the changes
MR Martin Bell, battlefront broadcaster and white-charged former MP, was guest speaker at the NorthEast Press Awards on Saturday evening. He was most impressive, the insistence that he and ITN colleague Sandy Gall had countenances like a relief map
-
Date
Don't lose your bottle with words
THOUGH something of which Lord Reith would doubtless have disapproved, BBC3 is screening a comedy programme called Tittybangbang - described by the Radio Times as "disturbingly funny" and by the Financial Times as "wilfully repellent". The characters
-
Date
Anorakism - a sign of the times?
THE patron saint of journalists and writers is St Francis de Sales, a 17th century Bishop of Geneva who once famously remarked that more flies were attracted to a spoonful of honey than to a barrel full of vinegar. That the circulation department sounds
-
Date
Singing the praises of the saveloy
MR Alex Kapranos, lead singer of the Glaswegian band Franz Ferdinand, may never have expected to appear in one of these columns nor we, indeed, to have embraced him. Saveloys are to blame. We've been chewing on them these past few weeks, wondering
-
Date
Wandering the Wilds of Wanney
THE No. 1 bus from Darlington to Tow Law sets out in much the same way as the Children of Israel may have accompanied Moses into the wilderness - that is to say, with considerable trepidation. "It's the one which goes through the Wilds of Wanney, "
-
Date
Mmmmmmother 's pride
MOTHERING Sunday passed in filial fashion. The younger bairn sent a jolly card from Cardiff, where presently he practises the Noble Art, his brother cajoled his ailing motor car - a kick start, probably - northwards from Leeds. Mother's pride, she
-
Date
Why I'm pleased McClaren's got the job
AS the debate goes on over whether Steve McClaren is the right man to manage England, here's my tuppence worth. I don't know if the Boro manager is better qualified for the job than Scolari, Allardyce, or Curbishley. All I can say is that, in my experience
-
Date
Forgotten something, Mr Clarke?
WHEN Charles Clarke found himself in a spot of bother over his scandalous failure to deport dangerous foreign criminals at the end of their prison sentences, it reminded me of my one and only meeting with the Home Secretary. It was a few years ago,
-
Date
Making the case for anonymity
IT is not uncommon for editors to receive desperate calls from people due to appear before courts, pleading for their names not to be published. I once took such a call from a NorthEast family doctor who had been caught kerb-crawling. It would ruin
-
Date
Surprised by a cheeky little lapdancer
THE book on my bedside table at the moment happens to be The Insider - the diaries of former tabloid editor Piers Morgan, who was famously sacked from The Mirror over the hoax pictures of British soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners. And perhaps it was
-
Date
Mondays will never be the same
IT is one of the duties of an editor to say goodbye to members of staff from time to time. Sometimes, it is a cause for celebration. Mostly, it is done with sadness. Life at The Northern Echo has been made more fun over the past 29 years by the presence
-
Date
Redressing the balance
IN the age of the ASBO, the accusation that newspapers give young people a bad name flies across editors' desks with increasing regularity. The common perception is that the yobs, a tiny minority of young people, get more than their fair share of headlines
-
Date
Foresters Arms, Carlton-in-Coverdale
Mike and Claire Chambers have fulfilled their dream of running an inn in the country. But for the moment, their business hasn't quite taken off. MIKE and Claire Chambers were British Airways cabin crew, between them 30 years before the massed, until
-
Date
McCoys' Rooftop Restaurant, Baltic Arts Centre, Gateshead
There's more than a touch of the jitters as the column samples the high life in the Baltic Centre's rooftop restaurant. A NUMBER which is by no means as cushy as most readers appear to suppose rose last week - rose, it might be said, in a glasssided
-
Date
Oldfields, Claypath, Durham
The column charts the progress of restaurateur Bill Oldfield in his quest to put more eateries on the North-East map. BILL Oldfield may become the best known gentleman of that name since the former assistant chief constable of West Yorkshire, he who
-
Date
Brewery Tap, Cameron's heritage centre, Hartlepool
The column taps into the delights of a brewery-based bistro in Hartlepool - where the twofor-one meal offer is a real deal. ANYTHING that turns you on, Ronnie Chambers writes enthusiastically about the Brewery Tap at the Cameron's heritage centre in
-
Date
Borge Restaurant, Stockton on Tees
In response to customer requests, Fash has banned the ash at his restaurant in Stockton a year ahead of the coming smoking restrictions. HER e-mail dated January 4 - some things take a little longer - Julie Bee wrote about Borge restaurant in Stockton
-
Date
The Wensleydale Heifer, West Witton
The column and friends enjoyed a hearty meal at the Wensleydale Heifer though the hotel's gratuity system rather stuck in the craw. THE last time we were in the Wensleydale Heifer, the lady of the house recalled, the elder bairn had phoned to say he'd
-
Date
Hairy moment for a novice carrot buyer
MUMS only have one pair of hands. They tell us so all the time to underline how busy they are. But, over the past six weeks, my wife hasn't even had one pair of hands. She's had to go through life singlehanded after a shoulder operation left her
-
Date
Out to crack the egg hunt clues
THE Easter egg hunt has been a family tradition since they were toddlers. Every year, on Easter Sunday morning, we devise a little treasure hunt in the garden which guides our four children to their chocolate eggs. This year, I spent most of Saturday
-
Date
Notes from a small village
JUST as the old man was in London, holding his first press conference as England football manager, there were some boys in Steve McClaren's garden kicking a ball about. As his voice came over the car radio on Thursday afternoon, their voices echoed
-
Date
What's the name of your game?
'MAC-NIFICENT. . . Mac from the dead. . .Macca's crackers." Surnames are a gift to sports headline writers. These witty efforts appeared yesterday morning, inspired by the name of the Middlesbrough manager, Steve McClaren. This season, Durham's cricketers
-
Date
Duchess of York's Daughter - Mother and baby "doing well"
THIS was the front page headline in The Northern Echo exactly 80 years ago today announcing the Royal birth. The paper was very pleased with itself. The "strong wee babe" had been born at 2.40am the previous morning; the news had been announced officially
-
Date
Our big, black airborne neighbours
TO YOU, Easter probably means yellow spring chicks and cutsey likkle bunnies. But in our house it means rooks, black and highly dangerous. We live beneath a rookery which, with spring springing, has burst into a cacophonous commotion of new life. For
-
Date
The end of the tragic line
'I'LL show you the chap who was my driver for two-and-a-half years, " said Major Ian English. The green grass beneath his feet was neatly striped and springy; the white headstones in front of him were straight and clean; the rims of his eyes were red
-
Date
FIFA World Cup
Publisher: Electronic Arts Formats: PS2, Xbox, GameCube, Ninteno DS, PSP Price: £39.99 Family friendly? 12+ WAYNE Rooney may be injured, leaving a nation in mourning, but at least the magic of video games
-
Date
Pac-Man World 3
Publisher: Namco Formats: PS2 Price: £29.99 Family friendly? Yes IT'S a quarter of a century since the gaming world was hooked by a little yellow blob being chased around a 2-D maze by a bunch of ghosts.
-
Date
Echo Night : Beyond
Publisher: Nobilis Formats: PS2 Price: £19.99 Family friendly? 12+ IT'S the year 2044. Space travel has long since ceased to be an exciting - and dangerous - occupation. Four decades into the future, the moon
-
Date
Rainbow Islands Revolution
Publisher: Rising Star Games Formats: Nintendo DS Price: £29.99 Family friendly? Yes AHH, Rainbow Islands. This classic platform adventure endeared itself to an entire generation 20 years ago with its carefully
-
Date
Rampage : Total Destruction
Publisher: Midway Formats: PS2 Price: £14.99 Family friendly? 12+ GIANT monsters laying waste to impressive cityscapes, incredible scenes of devastation, hidden power-ups and shallow gameplay - this has to
-
Date
Sonic Riders
Publisher: SegaFormats: PS2, Xbox, Gamecube Price: £39.99 Family friendly? Yes SONIC Riders isn't an easy game. There's no tutorial and no hand-holding. You will undoubtedly fail to achieve anything meaningful
-
Date
Ice Age 2 : The Meltdown
Publisher: VivendiFormats: PS2, Xbox, PC, Game Cube, DS, GBA Price: £17.99 Family friendly? 7+ IN the cinema, Ice Age came and went without making the kind of splash produced by Toy Story, Shrek or even The
-
Date
Animal Crossing : Wild World
Publisher: NintendoFormats: Nintendo DS Price: £24.99 Family friendly? 7+ INTERACTIVE art collecting hardly sounds like a recipe for gaming nirvana in these bloodthirsty days of marauding zombies and first-person
-
Date
Donkey work
Palm Sunday became Farm Sunday as the congregation of St Gregory, Bedale, decamped to the farmyard with several Jesuses and a donkey called Dusty. RESOLUTELY ignoring the old show business adage about never working with children and animals - not to
-
Date
The little school of Scargill
An Easter Day service at the classroom-turnedchurch in Scargill provided memories of former school ma'ams. MOST won't have heard of Scargill, save for artful Arthur. Scargill Castle, they probably imagine, is another name for Barnsley. How wrong
-
Date
By George! We're well prepared
A St George's Day service puts past and present into perspective for Scouts in Bishop Auckland. IT'S St George's Day, the bairns who are to take part in the Scouts' re-enactment of the Golden Legend lined up either side of the pathway to St Paul's
-
Date
Top of the cops
Wild sex, chimps and award ceremonies top the list of the best UK TV exports, but they also prove that, as far as viewers are comncerned, crime does pay. MICHAEL Jackson was on top in the 2003 list. Gillette World Sport, a round-up of global action
-
Date
Downstairs upstairs
Pauline Collins made her name below stairs as maidservant Sarah in Upstairs, Downstairs. Her latest TV role finds her climbing the social ladder to play a woman who is very definitely an "upstairs" person - Queen Victoria. She features as the monarch
-
Date
Way back when boasts were sexy
THAT glossy US soap Dynasty has a lot to answer for - shoulder pads, a revival in Joan Collins' career and Howards' Way. Whoever thought that a family sailing soap about water not oil, and set under the cloudy skies of the British coast would be successful
-
Date
Biker grove
DAVE Myers spent several years in Darlington working as a make-up artist on the Michael Elphick BBC1 newspaper drama Harry. He returns to the town next week, only this time as someone known for appearing in front of, not behind, the camera. He and
-
Date
On the Street where you die
Weatherfield is a dangerous place to live. And an even more dangerous place to die. Natural causes isn't a phrase found on the death certificate of residents. Those famous cobbles are running with blood, thanks to the likes of Katy, the wench with
-
Date
Life after Sex
After winning awards and legions of fans for her role as Carrie Bradshaw in Sex And The City, Sarah Jessica Parker says she's finding life a bit scary but, with her latest film out next week, enjoyable too. EVEN with 20 years in the business behind
-
Date
Behind the mask
And the winner isn't... Davina McCall. She's one person guaranteed to go home empty-handed from The British Academy Television Awards this weekend. As the host of the ceremony at London's Grosvenor House, McCall will be back in the spotlight following
-
Date
A parish that's keeping the faith
The tiny community of Stanwick is determined to keep its beautiful - but now too large - church as a holy place. THOUGH the great fire of York Minster was getting on 50 miles from the hamlet of Stanwick St John, they felt the heat there, an' all. Just
-
Date
High and handsome
Barry Nelson heads north of the border for a city break that's capital in every sense of the word. FANCY a weekend away in a bustling, exciting world city with plenty to see and do, which is only a few hours away from the North-East by train? If
-
Date
Close for comfort
After a hard day's shopping in Newcastle, Close House Country Club provides the perfect retreat to recharge the batteries, as Lindsay Jennings discovers. IT'S the attention to detail which counts in a good hotel. I knew when I spotted a card by the
-
Date
Hyperactive pupils to take part in clinic's experiment
A PIONEERING clinic for hyperactive children is to carry out a major experiment involving a North-East school. If it succeeds, it could provide hope for thousands of children who are put on controversial amphatemine-based drugs, such as Ritalin.
-
Date
Game on
West Ham fan Ray Winstone portrays the ugly side of the beautiful game - and that's not just in his use of the f-word - in his latest TV drama as a Premiership football manager. He talks to Steve Pratt about locker room language and baring his not-so-hairy
-
Date
Paedophile won't be jailed, law chief rules
THE Attorney General has declined to allow the courts the chance to jail a paedophile who abused a seven-year-old girl. Lord Goldsmith QC, the Government's most senior lawyer, has concluded his investigation into the case of Anthony Lindus. The
-
Date
MPs call on Prime Minister to name leaving date after Clarke is sacked
LABOUR MPs last night called on Tony Blair to set a firm date for leaving No 10 in the wake of the party's local election drubbing and the dramatic sacking of Home Secretary Charles Clarke. Backbenchers queued up to insist only a timetable for handing
-
Date
A stalwart and a survivor - Hilary remains at the heart of New Labour
Following yesterday's Cabinet reshuffle, one of the North-East's political heavyweights, Hilary Armstrong, retained a high-profile role at the heart of New Labour. Bessie Robinson looks at her rise to power and her new role as Minister for Social Exclusion
-
Date
Child porn doctor may be blacklisted nationwide
A HEALTH trust has applied to have a family doctor blacklisted from working with the NHS nationwide after he was jailed for child pornography. Dr Riccardo Benci, a GP with Sedgefield Primary Care Trust (PCT), in County Durham, was sentenced to 15 months
-
Date
Pictures reveal extent of injuries caused during raid
CLEVELAND Police may face legal action after Stephen Whenary was badly beaten by officers who burst into his bathroom. The pictures of his injuries reveal the extent of the violent confrontation that took place when police responded to reports of an
-
Date
Why was this man beaten by police?
A CHIEF constable last night promised an inquiry after an innocent man was left with extensive injuries following a beating by police officers. Stephen Whenary was so badly injured by police officers who burst into a bathroom that he needed 13 weeks
-
Date
Licence to stay open later for takeaway
A LICENCE was granted yesterday allowing a late-night takeaway restaurant to remain open until 3am three times a week. Yummy Bites, in ground- floor premises in Neville Street, off North Road, in Durham city centre, is a 20-seat cafe with hot takeaway
-
Date
Two youths sought in home blaze
A BLAZE in an east Durham former nursing home is being treated as arson it was revealed yesterday. Scenes of crime officers confirmed that the fire, which badly damaged the Craig Ellachie complex, in Thorpe Road, Easington Village, on Tuesday, is believed
-
Date
No more care homes will be closed, pledges new leader
DURHAM County Council's new leader has pledged to keep open all the elderly people's homes earmarked for closure under controversial plans that cost his predecessor his job. Former miner Albert Nugent, from Seaham, was yesterday formally elected to the
-
Date
Seven are shown the door in Pool reshuffle
SEVEN players were released by Hartlepool United yesterday as planning for League Two football next season started. While the club has yet to appoint a permanent manager, fresh professional deals have also been offered to seven. A further eight have made
-
Date
Lehmann and White enjoy game of family fortunes
Brothers-in-law Darren Lehmann and Craig White joined forces in a record-breaking stand against Kent at Canterbury yesterday after Yorkshre had slumped to 34 for four on the opening day of the Liverpool Victoria Championship match. The pair amassed 229
-
Date
UEFA Cup Diary
SOME three hours before kick-off in the Philips Stadion, there were no fans but plenty of Middlesbrough flags already draping the perimeter fence. Of course the stadium only came to life when both sets of passionate supporters filled the arena as the
-
Date
Manufacturer picks region for UK base
A US manufacturer of laboratory instruments for the pharmaceutical industry has chosen to locate its European office in the region. MatriCal Inc has opened an office at Northminster Business Park, in York. The launch of MatriCal EU Limited will create
-
Date
Tributes to historian who told story of Dales
A PROMINENT Yorkshire Dales artist and historian who was praised by royalty died yesterday, aged 100. Marie Hartley, of Askrigg, in Wensleydale, was awarded an MBE for her efforts to record the history of the Dales. Working with friends Ella Pontefract
-
Date
Man cultivated cannabis in back bedroom
A CONCERTED cannabis cultivating business was uncovered when police raided a house, a court was told. Officers found 64 young cannabis plants growing in the back bedroom of the house, in Seaham, County Durham. They also recovered a bin liner containing
-
Date
McClaren stands proud as he bids sad farewell
HIS five-year Teeside tenure might have had a disastrous denouement, but Steve McClaren last night insisted he would leave Middlesbrough with his head held high despite his side's four-goal UEFA Cup final humiliation at the hands of a rampant Sevilla.
-
Date
Boateng left to rue the missed opportunities
Middlesbrough midfielder George Boateng rued the chances his side missed as they were beaten 4-0 by Sevilla in the UEFA Cup final tonight. The Teessiders fell behind to a first-half header from Luis Fabiano and were denied an equaliser in the second period
-
Date
Guilty of murdering boy in arson attack on home
IN a heartbreaking letter written days before his murder, schoolboy Dean Pike told God: "I am very happy with all the people in the world that don't go around killing other people for no reason." The letter, released by Dean's mother on the day his killers
-
Date
Dean Pike's killers jailed for life
The killers of an 11-year-old schoolboy burned to death in his own home have been jailed for life. Dean Pike's badly burned body was found by firefighters on the upstairs landing of his home - which no longer had stairs due to the 1000 degree (centigrade
-
Date
Public invited to comment on plans to close hospital
PEOPLE in north Durham are being invited to public meetings to discuss the proposed closure of a community hospital. Health chiefs are planning to shut South Moor Hospital, in Stanley, and want to hear the views of patients. The hospital, which is nearly
-
Date
MP's plea over cash for brittle bone care
BISHOP Auckland MP Helen Goodman has launched a campaign to raise awareness of osteoporosis among local people and press for better medical services for patients. The fragile bone disease is a major health concern that affects millions of people, and
-
Date
A high note
TWO musical ensembles from a North-East school have been chosen to play at a national festival later this year. The recorder group and the chamber orchestra at Yarm Preparatory School have been invited to perform at the National Festival of Music for
-
Date
Event to provide a break and say thanks to carers
CARERS in east Durham have been invited to take a well-earned rest at an event aimed at giving them some much-needed support. As part of National Carers Week, June 13 to 19, Easington Carers Collaborative is holding a celebration event for carers on Wednesday
-
Date
New home for council workers
THE sale of a landmark warehouse which is to be the base for several hundred council staff has been completed. The former Hugh Mackays Carpet factory on Meadowfield Industrial Estate, in Durham City, is to get a new lease of life after being sold to Durham
-
Date
Newcastle angered by LMA's tough stance
CONFIRMATION Newcastle will appoint Glenn Roeder as their new manager next week has been overshadowed by the row that has broken out between the club and the league manager's association. The anger at the decision almost boiled over last night with the
-
Date
Public can vote on art for exhibition
PEOPLE are being given an opportunity to help select which items will feature in a new exhibition on Teesside. Called The People's Choice, it will run at Hartlepool Art Gallery, from August 12 to September 17, and will showcase a range of paintings from
-
Date
A man who's made to measure for the job
THE Venerable Stephen Conway, Archdeacon of Durham and at 6ft 6ins very high church indeed, has been appointed Anglican Bishop of Ramsbury. This week he has been in Rome, not seeking to cross the divide but because it is the only place in the world -
-
Date
Sevilla put the lights out on Boro's shining dream of European stardom
EINDHOVEN is known as the 'City of Light' thanks to its long association with electric company Philips and its museum that houses the world's first light bulb. Last night, in the city's Philips Stadion, the lights finally went out on Steve McClaren's
-
Date
Warning over thefts from sheds
HOUSEHOLDERS and gardeners across Sedgefield borough are being urged to secure their garden and allotment sheds to protect their belongings. With summer fast approaching, Sedgefield Community Safety Partnership is urging residents to tighten security
-
Date
Flower queen and her attendants await their horse-drawn carriage
FIVE schoolgirls have been selected to take centre stage at Sedgefield Medieval Fair next weekend. Bethan Lindsay, a pupil at Hardwick Primary School, in Sedgefield, has been crowned flower queen for the fair, on Saturday, May 20. The ten-year-old said
-
Date
Young people to produce magazine
A MAGAZINE published by young people for young people is to hit the streets later this year. Titled Yo-Yo, the publication will be written and edited by youngsters in Stockton, with support from Stockton Borough Council and the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund
-
Date
Improvements for toilets to cost £174,000
MORE than £170,000 is being spent improving toilet facilities in Cleveland. The £174,000 Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council will improve the public facilities in Saltburn, Marske and Guisborough. Disabled facilities will be installed at the Saltburn
-
Date
News in brief
REDCAR Operatic Society is putting on a musical extravaganza. The show, called Step Into a Musical World, features songs from the likes of Cole Porter, Queen and The Phantom of the Opera. The production will be held at Middlesbrough Theatre from Monday
-
Date
Woman killed as police chase carjacker
A car jacker caused a scene of horror today as he ploughed into a mum and her friend as they pushed two baby boys in a buggy across a busy road. Police were in pursuit of the silver Honda Civic, which was taken from its driver by an armed man. The car
-
Date
Hunt for gang after raid at jewellers
RAIDERS escaped with gems worth more than £200,000 after breaking into a jewellers' shop in the region. The gang struck at the goldsmiths shop on James Street, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, at about 9.25pm on Tuesday. Officers arrived at the scene after
-
Date
Man is cleared of raping boy while on holiday
A man was cleared yesterday of raping a schoolboy on holiday at a seaside hotel. The 12-year-old from County Durham was due to be cross- examined over a TV link when the jury was told that the Crown was offering no evidence after overnight legal discussions
-
Date
Boro's dream of glory in tatters as Sevilla outclass the comeback kings
THE self-proclaimed 'Small Town in Europe' last night etched their name on the continental football map. But it will be as UEFA Cup finalists, rather than UEFA Cup winners, that Middlesbrough will now be forever associated. For a club fighting liquidation
-
Date
Caldwell's international aims
SUNDERLAND'S Steve Caldwell is desperate to play in Japan's Kirin Cup which starts today, as he bids to stake his claim for a permanent place in the Scotland side. The centre-back was given the all-clear to travel to the Far East for the competition despite
-
Date
Bogus caller initiative gets cash boost
A TOWN'S bid to rid its streets of bogus callers has been given a cash boost. The new initiative in Shildon has been designed to help the more vulnerable members of society recognise bogus callers and make sure that they don't fall victim to con men.
-
Date
Boro's dream of glory in tatters as Sevilla outclass the comeback kings
THE self-proclaimed 'Small Town in Europe' last night etched their name on the continental football map. But it will be as UEFA Cup finalists, rather than UEFA Cup winners, that Middlesbrough will now be forever associated. For a club fighting liquidation
-
Date
Woman dies in massive gas blast
AN elderly woman died and her husband was seriously injured when their home was ripped apart by a gas blast as they made a breakfast time cup of tea. The explosion left a scene of devastation, with masonry crashing down across a 300-yard radius. Moira
-
Date
Adventurous spirit
THERE is a fine line between bravery and stupidity and, in the eyes of most footballing experts, Sven-Goran Eriksson crossed it on Monday. Naming the untried Theo Walcott in his 23-man World Cup squad was either a moment of madness or a stroke of genius
-
Date
Guilty of murdering boy in arson attack on home
IN a heartbreaking letter written days before his murder, schoolboy Dean Pike told God: "I am very happy with all the people in the world that don't go around killing other people for no reason." The letter, released by Dean's mother on the day his killers
-
Date
Everything left in Empress' favour
A low draw and the ability to race up with the pace are the requirements over both sprint distances at Chester's left-turning track when the ground is good or faster. Empress Jain, a really speedy sort who is housed in stall one, looks sure to make a
-
Date
Boro's dream ends in tears
HEARTBROKEN Middlesbrough fans applauded their valiant heroes as they fell at their final hurdle to European glory last night. They continued to chant and applaud for their heroes as they collapsed broken-hearted on the pitch following Seville's 4-0 victory
-
Date
Wind in the sails of Tall Ships bid
A BID to bring the next Tall Ships Race to the North-East has been submitted by council chiefs. Hartlepool Borough Council officials could find out as early as next month whether they have been successful in their ambitious attempt. Newcastle City Council
-
Date
Sheep expert who attended markets - even in wheelchair
TRIBUTES have been paid to a sheep expert who was so keen that he was allowed out of hospital once a week in a wheelchair to attend his local mart. Harold Stoddart, who has died aged 64, spent years travelling to markets across the North from his farm
-
Date
'The day I found my wings'
Gliders can reach speeds of 180mph, travel over 1,000 km in a day and reach heights of almost 40,000 feet - little wonder gliding is considered the ultimate free flying experience. Lindsay Jennings has a taste of the high life. I'VE put on my parachute
-
Date
A TASTE OF THE CONTINENT AS VISITING TRADERS SET UP STALLS
TRADERS from across Europe brought a continental feel to a Teesside town's market. Stalls selling crepes, olives, bread, sweets and leather goods plied their trade alongside Stockton's traditional High Street market yesterday. The traders are in Stockton
-
Date
Helicopter medics to fly 12hrs a day
MORE lives could be saved after a rapid response air ambulance team extended its flying hours. Yorkshire Air Ambulance is to become one of the first rescue teams to fly 12 hours a day. The extension will run from May 1 to September 3, with crews on call
-
Date
Work under way on trust's £34m retirement housing
WORK has started on a £34m retirement village in a Teesside town. The Hartfields extra care retirement community, in Hartlepool, is one of the country's biggest developments specifically for older people. It will have 214 apartments and 28 bungalows,
-
Date
Dishing the dirt on filthy streets
A NORTH-EAST council says that it is cleaning up its act after its dirty streets saw it ranked at the bottom of a newly-published environmental survey. The survey of the region's local authority lands and highways by the Audit Commission covers the year
-
Date
Dishing the dirt on filthy streets
A NORTH-EAST council says that it is cleaning up its act after its dirty streets saw it ranked at the bottom of a newly-published environmental survey. The survey of the region's local authority lands and highways by the Audit Commission covers the year
-
Date
The gloves are off for payback time
IT was a mystery. When we got in from our night out, there were two new pairs of yellow rubber kitchen gloves strewn across the floor. "Those boys have been up to something" I thought, but couldn't quite work out what. This was our first full evening
-
Date
Fast bowler's speedy exit to see delivery of baby girl
FAST bowler Steve Harmison is used to speedy deliveries, but a delivery of a different kind has put his return to the cricket pitch on hold. The Durham and England star was due to turn out for the county yesterday in the Championship clash at the Riverside
-
Date
Maher the rock on which Durham base their hopes
IN A contest in which both sides have the words Northern Rock printed on their shirts, Durham looked like earning modest returns on the investment made by Jimmy Maher until Phil Mustard and Ottis Gibson capitalised in the evening. From 119 for one against
-
Date
Free show on social history
THE social history of a community will be told in photographs and music. Northern Heritage Slideshows is presenting its latest production, the Brandon and Byshottles Parish Archive, at Clayport Library, in Durham City, at 2pm on Saturday, May 20. The
-
Date
Shearer hints testimonial won't be a farewell party
ALAN Shearer last night revealed the news all Newcastle United fans were desperate to hear - he's in talks with chairman Freddy Shepherd about staying at St James' Park next season. Shearer had initially ruled himself out of extending his stay at the
-
Date
Silence at the end of a great adventure
THERE were tears at the final whistle as the pubs and clubs across Teesside fell silent. But credit goes to the thousands of fans who never stopped cheering the Boro until the frantic final five minutes. Every pub was filled to the brim as Boro fans who
-
Date
11/05/06
LIFEBOAT MEMORIES: IT was clearly a great disappointment to the crew and supporters of the Teesmouth lifeboat when told of the station's closure. A recent picture of the station and the boat brought back memories. In the late Seventies, I was director
-
Date
£2m investment to bring jobs
AN engineering group in the North-East is investing £2m in technological improvements, creating 30 jobs, and expects turnover to break through the £10m mark. Responsive Engineering Group, based in the Team Valley, Gateshead, is investing in all four of
-
Date
Fashion firm back on track after blaze
AN online retailer whose distribution warehouse was damaged by the Buncefield fuel depot blast showed its business was back on track yesterday. ASOS, which supplies fashion items for 18 to 34-year-olds similar to those worn by stars such as Kate Moss,
-
Date
Farmer who starred in "It's too long a winter" dies
Brian Bainbridge, a farmer and gamekeeper who featured in the original television programme which made Hannah Hauxwell famous, has died at the age of 80. He was filmed working in deep snow around his farm at Birkdale in Upper Teesdale, Co Durham, and
-
Date
Cost of borrowing predicted to rise
HIGHER borrowing costs appear to be on the cards after the Bank of England predicted inflation would hit its two per cent target in the next couple of years. The forecast was contained in the bank's quarterly inflation report, which recognised that the
-
Date
Mayor salutes TA soldiers
ONE of the Territorial Army's biggest recruitment drives got under way yesterday. Middlesbrough mayor Ray Mallon made a passionate plea at the campaign launch to boost the number of volunteers in the North-East. The former police chief said victory in
-
Date
Petition over job fears at Remploy
WORKERS at Remploy have launched a petition over fears it may cut jobs or close down one of its North-East sites. The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) is reviewing how Remploy operates after a report by the National Audit Office recognised that some
-
Date
John North: A man who's made to measure for the job
A tall order faced a new Anglican bishop when he had to go all the way to Rome to find clothes which will fit him for his new office. THE Venerable Stephen Conway, Archdeacon of Durham and at 6ft 6ins very high church indeed, has been appointed Anglican
-
Date
Millions of pounds handed to churches
HISTORIC places of worship are to have millions of pounds invested in them to stop their deterioration. A nationwide campaign was launched at Middlesbrough's St Columba's Church to highlight the £118m shortfall in the annual repair bill for England's
-
Date
Thinking of what might have been
Chris Lloyd reports from Eindhoven on the end of a dream for Middlesbrough fans. CES is dancing in his red and white Boro shirt. All around him, the white and red colours of Sevilla are jigging, leaping, cavorting - wildly, madly. The music is pumping
-
Date
Health club wins award for smoke-free policy
A HEALTH club in north Durham has won a national award for its no-smoking policy. Bannatyne's Health Club, based at Durham Cricket Club's Riverside Ground, in Chester-le-Street, has been presented with a National Clean Air Award. The award, an initiative
-
Date
Petition over job fears at Remploy
WORKERS at Remploy have launched a petition over fears it may cut jobs or close down one of its North-East sites. The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) is reviewing how Remploy operates after a report by the National Audit Office recognised that some
-
Date
Killers without shred of remorse
TWO men will today be jailed for life for the murder of a schoolboy. Dean Pike died when a fireball engulfed his home in Mordey Close, Sunderland in the early hours of June 24, last year. The 11-year-old had moved to the house with his mother, Janine
-
Date
Diana award for students
STUDENTS who have made an invaluable contribution to the running of their school have received a national accolade for their efforts. Six members of the school council at Longfield School, in Darlington, have been given the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial
-
Date
Demolition starts for regeneration scheme
WORK is to start next week on the demolition of two buildings in a Teesside town centre. Forum House, a derelict block of flats in East Precinct, Billingham, and La Ronde, a former nightclub in Rothbury Street, are being bulldozed in a regeneration scheme
-
Date
Tolerance, the mark of a civilised society
THE woman on the bus was looking out at one of those new housing estates that are springing up everywhere these days. "It's all the refugees coming over here," she said to her companion. "Thousands of them. They want somewhere to live." Well, that's a
-
Date
Cafe 'better used since smoking ban'
A SUPERMARKET says sales and customers in its cafe have increased significantly since smoking was banned. Morrison's, in Morton Park, Darlington, has reported a rise in people using its cafe since the change to smoking laws on January 30. Smoking was
-
Date
Let's fly flag and be proud of our heritage
A WOMAN is hoping to be able to fly the national flag in her local village. Cynthia Ball has asked Middleton St George Parish Council if a flagpole showing the England flag can be erected somewhere in the village. She said: "I think there should be a
-
Date
Advice boost for jobseekers
JOBSEEKERS will benefit from the opening of two one-stop advice centres. A Jobcentre Plus office will open in St Cuthbert's Road, Peterlee, on Friday, and on Friday, May 19, a similar service will be introduced at Barnfield Road, Spennymoor. Jobcentre
-
Date
Refuge says thanks for firm's gifts
STAFF at a Darlington women's refuge have thanked a recruitment company which has donated presents to victims of domestic violence. Two of the staff at Darlington and District Women's Refuge collected gifts for the women from recruitment consultants Manpower
-
Date
Funding agreed for Northgate
SENIOR councillors have approved a £200,000 scheme to improve the condition of a historic, but rundown, street. Darlington Borough Council's cabinet yesterday agreed to release funding for the second year of the Northgate Partnership Scheme, which provides
-
Date
Rope firm ties up first export deal
A SPECIALIST rope manufacturer has netted its first export order. Nationwide Splicing and Rope Services has supplied the Bharati Shipyard, in India, with £8,000 worth of netting, which will be used on Indian oil rig supply ships. The Gateshead company
-
Date
Boro's dream ends in tears
HEARTBROKEN Middlesbrough fans applauded their valiant heroes as they fell at their final hurdle to European glory last night. They continued to chant and applaud for their heroes as they collapsed broken-hearted on the pitch following Seville's 4-0 victory
-
Date
Guilty of murdering boy in arson attack on family home
IN a heartbreaking letter written days before his murder, schoolboy Dean Pike told God: "I am very happy with all the people in the world that don't go around killing other people for no reason." The letter, released by Dean's mother on the day his killers
-
Date
Turning Eindhoven red and white
'THEY say it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience," said Jimmy Dunbar from Normanby, Middlesbrough, plastic glass in hand, Boro shirt over his head to keep the searing sun off. "But it's not. It's a once-in-a-million years." A corner of orange Holland turned
-
Date
Comment from The Northern Echo: Fans' heads can still be held high
THE disappointment will be hard to take for Middlesbrough supporters as they arrive back from their great European adventure today. But when they have time to reflect properly on their team's achievement in reaching the Uefa Cup final in Eindhoven, they
-
Date
Theives steal life saving equipment from ambulance
SNEAK thieves stole life saving equipment from the back of an ambulance that was answering a 999 emergency call. While the paramedic crew were treating a patient at Eddison Way in Hemlington, Middlesbrough, someone climbed aboard and stole potentially
-
Date
Thieves strike rugby club for second time
POLICE are appealing for information about the theft of recently acquired lighting equipment from a town sports club. A portable floodlight and generator were stolen from Newton Aycliffe Rugby Club, Moore Lane, overnight on Monday, April 24. The thief
-
Date
Conservatives go online to boost local elections hopes
THE Conservative Party is planning to use the latest on-line technology in an attempt to improve its representation on two County Durham councils in next year's local elections. The party hopes to reach beyond its traditional membership in Darlington
-
Date
Witness plea after man stabbed in street
A 22-YEAR-OLD man is recovering in hospital after being stabbed in a North-East street yesterday. The attack happened at about 9.45am in Wharrier Street, Byker, Newcastle, after a car pulled up alongside the man. The attacker's car was a black Volkswagen
-
Date
Samaritan woke woman - who then fell off cliff
A WOMAN had a narrow escape when she fell asleep on a clifftop - then fell over the edge as a good Samaritan went to help her. The well-meaning passer-by went to check whether she was alright and woke her up. But the slumbering woman got such a shock
-
Date
Six in custody over death fall
DETECTIVES investigating a murder were last night continuing to question six people after a man died after falling 40ft down stars in a block of flats. The 53-year-old was found with serious head injuries at the bottom of the stairwell in Fawdon Park
