Archive
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Glass engravers displaying work
GLASS engravers will feature in an exhibition that opens today at the National Glass Centre in Sunderland. The centre, in Liberty Way, is displaying pieces produced by the Guild of Glass Engravers, selected by renowned engraver Alison Kinnaird.
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Glass engravers displaying work
GLASS engravers will feature in an exhibition that opens today at the National Glass Centre in Sunderland. The centre, in Liberty Way, is displaying pieces produced by the Guild of Glass Engravers, selected by renowned engraver Alison Kinnaird.
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Art on show
THE new headquarters of St John of God Care Services at Morton Park, Darlington, is hosting works of art by Nathan Middlemass-Dry, one of the residents helped by the charity's supported living service. Mr Middlemass-Dry has lived as a tenant of the
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Exhibits promote old skills
TEXTILE works of art have gone on display in an attempt to introduce a new generation to traditional British crafts. Black and White and Technicolour is a collection of almost 100 items by members of the Durham Guild of Spinners and Weavers, which
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Photographer's work in capturing the north to go on show
A FINE art photographer will present an exhibition of unique black and white landscape photography at a Northallerton art gallery throughout next month. But before the exhibition, which runs from June 3 until June 30, Paul Gallagher will give an informal
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Duke will watch Masonic march
A PROCESSION of more than 1,000 Freemasons, watched over by the Duke of Kent, will mark the official opening of the North-East's latest Masonic Hall tomorrow. The Beamish Museum, near Stanley, County Durham, is launching its most intriguing and fascinating
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Glimpse of the past
INDUSTRIAL engineering from the turn of the last century went on show to visitors over the bank holiday weekend. Tees Cottage Pumping Station, next to Broken Scar picnic area, in Darlington, opened to visitors on Easter Sunday and yesterday. Visitors
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Curators face mammoth task to get everything into storage
REMOVAL men often have to contend with difficult loads, but rarely anything as difficult as two Egyptian mummies, collections of snakes and insects and a hippopotamus skull. After 122 years of entertaining and educating visitors, the Hancock Museum
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Museum Meccano exhibition is out of this world
MECCANO enthusiasts displayed some of their recent creations with the well-known construction kit at a popular tourism haunt at the weekend. Visitors to Beamish Museum in County Durham were able to see the latest models produced by members of the North-East
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Museum visitors get chance to go back to age of steam
VISITORS to one of the North-East's most popular museums had the chance to travel back to the age of steam at the weekend. Beamish Museum, near Stanley, County Durham, which is dedicated to the region's industrial heritage, hosted a two-day rally of
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Museum hosts Power from Past display
A NORTH-EAST museum will be the venue for an an early 1900s technology exhibition. The regional resource centre, at Beamish Museum, County Durham, is hosting the display, which features everything from pedal power to horse power and will include bicycles
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Prime time challenge for Uma
THE script for the movie Prime, in which she plays a divorced woman who finds love with a housepainter 14 years her junior, had special resonance for Uma Thurman. She was going through the break-up of her marriage to actor Ethan Hawke, with whom she
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The mother of all romantic comedies
STEVE PRATT talks to Meryl Streep and Uma Thurman (below) about how starring roles in the romantic comedy Prime actually touched on real-time situations they were experiencing. HOLLYWOOD actress Meryl Streep admits that she's been in therapy - but
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Worth a good Flogging
BBC2's Flog It cameras rolled into Newcastle this week and presenter Paul Martin talked to Viv Hardwick about the success of the series and why he doesn't notice all the female attention. PAUL Martin has put bargain basement auction bidding on the
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When A Stranger Calls (15)
HOW was it? , " one of the ushers asked as I left the cinema. "At least it was short, " was the best reply I could muster. Director Simon West is more usually associated with helming blockbusters such as Con Air and Lara Croft Tomb Raider. Here
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Brick (15)
REVIEWERS have been wracking their brains to describe writer-director Rian Williams's fine feature debut. The O.C. does The Big Sleep, says one. Imagine Twin Peaks with dialogue by Raymond Chandler, suggests another. As you can tell, Brick isn't
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I'm staying
He isn't selling up and leaving Britain and he certainly isn't being told how to spend his own money, Sir Cliff Richard tells Viv Hardwick as he prepares to tour the UK and cut the first of two new albums. ENJOYING a cup of coffee with pop legend Sir
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Me and Myra
The Moors Murders are still the most chilling crimes in recent British history. Actresses Joanne Froggatt, from Whitby, and Maxine Peake talk to Steve Pratt about the pressure of acting out such a controversial drama. WHITBY-born Joanne Froggatt felt
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April 6, 2006
Beethoven: Andras Schiff (ECM New Series 476 3100) Listening to the second release in Schiff's complete Beethoven cycle is an absolute pleasure. This takes in the sonatas opus 10, written between 1796 and 1798 when the composer was not yet 30. This
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April 13, 2006
Serkin:Bach/Reger/Beethoven (BBC Legends 4177-2) Pianist Rudolf Serkin is captured here in recital from the Royal Festival Hall in 1973 performing Bach's Capriccio in E Major, Reger's Variations on a Theme of JS Bach and Beethoven Piano Sonatas No
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April 20, 2006
Rutter: Mass of the Children (Naxos 8.557922) John Rutter's skilful writing for adult choir, soprano and baritone soloists, orchestra, and children's choir, together with Latin Mass texts and Thomas Ken's renowned morning and evening hymns for Winchester
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April 27, 2006
Philip Glass and Steve Reich (OMM022) Philip Glass' Orange Mountain Music label presents music for two pianos by himself - six scenes from his acclaimed Les Enfants Terribles - and fellow minimalist Steve Reich's Piano Phase. Japanese musician Maki
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May 11, 2006
Rorem: The Auden Songs, The Santa Fe Songs (Black Box BBM1104) These two cycles, for solo voice and piano trio, by composer Ned Rorem display a sensitive response to words and thrilling vocal lines which mesh perfectly with the inner meaning of the
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April 13, 2006
SIXTIES country star Buck Owens, who died a couple of weeks ago, was an influence and a hero of an artist who is shortly to perform at The Sage in Gateshead. Dwight Yoakum and Owens' Streets Of Bakersfield was a Number One stateside and may be featured
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April 20, 2006
IT seems the North-East in July is the place to be for country music. A week before the annual North-East Country Festival (this year held at their new venue in Wolsingham), The Sage at Gateshead has announced its first American Music Festival from July
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April 27, 2006
Tambourine: Tift Merritt (Lost Highway Records) IF you're a BBC Radio Two listener then no doubt you will have heard of a song called Good Hearted Man from Tift Merrit. To be on the playlist along with the likes of Coldplay, James Blunt, Charlotte
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May 11, 2006
THE Midlands Music Festival on July 28-29 is an enterprising project bringing together a spectacular array of country music. Taking place at Ballinlough Castle, Athboy, Co.Meath, in Ireland it promises to be a spectacular two-day event with afternoon
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Reviews
Introducing. . . (Warner Jazz) A new mid-priced series featuring musicians recorded by Atlantic, Warner Bros, Reprise and Elektra. Among the first six are Herbie Mann, Joe Sample, Mose Allison, Billy Cobham and. . . Introducing Charles Mingus
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Reviews
John Donaldson/Music Box (Woodville WVCD110) Familiar here as a member of groups led by Alan Barnes, Norma Winstone and Don Weller it's a delight to hear the pianist leading his own trio, particularly with Oli Hayhurst on bass and master percussionist
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Reviews
Hiromi/Spiral (Telarc CD83631) This is the first time I've heard this brilliant young pianist and her trio although this is her third Telarc CD. She embraces both classical and rock influences but seems to me to have a very strong jazz sensitivity
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Reviews
Free Spirits/Conjunction (Jazz Action JA07) Free Spirits combines the diverse musical talents of saxophonist Lewis Watson and bass player Neil Harland with sitar player Dharambi Singh and tabla player Bhupinder Singh Chaggar. All four are based in
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April 13, 2006
SOME grand treats in store in the region's folk venues in the week ahead, not least a visit by Tom McConville and Pauline Cato, who will be bringing their fiddle, pipes and song arrangements to Guisborough's Globe on Friday and to Washington's Davy Lamp
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April 6, 2006
I come to you this week from the land of windmills and tulips, as The Bad Pennies and I this time venture out on tour across Europe, a long-time stomping ground for British Folk Music in all its shapes and forms. Meanwhile, I'm trying hard to keep
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April 20, 2006
FOLK music has been dealt another good hand in the "being cool" stakes this week, with the release of Bruce Springsteen's album of Pete Seeger songs, and all the high-profile shenanigans that goes with it. In America Mr Seeger is revered as a saint-like
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April 27, 2006
ONCE again folk music pours into the region in abundance this weekend, with two major events at the opposite ends of our territory, and a lot of very worthwhile club gigs to boot. Gateshead's Sage runs the full gamut of the male singer-songwriting
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May 11, 2006
PLENTY to recommend for the region's folk music enthusiasts this coming week, starting tonight with the second show at Gateshead's Sage for Christy Moore. At the Ship in Middleton near Spennymoor (not far from the old Top Hat nightclub, where I first
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March 24, 2006
SOMETIMES it's used unnecessarily, sometimes it's not used when it should be, and sometimes we use it and still get the verdict wrong. What is it? The all-seeing camera which helps officials to adjudicate in instances of hair-line decisions. The referee
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March 31, 2006
DEATH and taxes seem remote possibilities alongside the absolute certainties that a moronic motorist will get stuck in the River Wear after heavy rain and the English sprint relay team will drop, or fail to hand over, the baton. And what a surprise that
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April 14, 2006
AS the media is perceived to become ever more intrusive, sports stars, like politicians, react by becoming increasingly economical with the truth. They wouldn't like it if we accused them of being liars, but they apparently see nothing wrong in trying
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April 28, 2006
HORROR of horrors, the flags are back. It would be acceptable if those flying the red crosses from their cars had the slightest inkling that it was St George's Day last Sunday, but their sole idea of patriotism is to flaunt their support for England when
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May 5, 2006
DROPPING in by chance this week at a pub in Hurworth, not far from Middlesbrough's training complex, I heard a couple of rumours about Steve McClaren. Not being one for tittle-tattle, I took no more notice than I did when I heard the story about his
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May 12, 2006
GIVEN that four-goal fightbacks have helped to elevate Steve McClaren's profile, it would be interesting to know what he truly thinks about England going to the World Cup with one crocked striker, one halffit, one awkward beanpole unproven at the highest
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March 30, 2006
DESPITE the trauma of his previous flirtation with Tottenham Hotspur, perhaps Alan Sugar should turn to football in the search for his next apprentice. The Amstrad chief loves a hard bargain and, at the moment, no-one is bargaining harder than the
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April 6, 2006
Magnolia Lane, the meandering driveway that leads to the clubhouse at Augusta, sounds so authentically American, it should be the setting for an episode of Desperate Housewives. This week, it has provided the backdrop for some Desperate Golfers. While
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April 13, 2006
Transcript of Steve McClaren's interview with the FA's nominations panel. Venue: Soho Square. In attendance: Brian Barwick (FA chief executive), Noel White (FA international committee chairman), Dave Richards (Premier League chairman), David Dein
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April 20, 2006
MAY 1986 was a landmark month for Middlesbrough. Relegated to Division Three for the first time in their history, the club was placed into liquidation with spiralling debts approaching the £2m mark. Later that summer, the water and electricity supply
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April 27, 2006
According to BBC researchers, a majority of television viewers associate the BBC Sport brand with cutting-edge technology, such as red-button interactive services, rather than flagship shows such as Grandstand. Therefore, the flagship has been sunk.
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May 11, 2006
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
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May 4, 2006
ON Monday night, Sven-Goran Eriksson was given a glimpse of what life without Wayne Rooney is like. Stripped of their leading attacking light, Manchester United huffed and puffed their way to an unconvincing goalless draw with Middlesbrough. Given
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Eighth place leaves Storm ahead of Els and Singh
GRAEME STORM was last night plotting his assault on the money-spinning Dubai Desert Classic after finishing ahead of Ernie Els and Vijay Singh in the Qatar Masters. Storm, perfectly placed going into the weekend's play after two steady rounds, claimed
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Guest leads North-East quintet at Wynyard
TEESSIDE Golf Club's Vince Guest led the way for the North-East among a group of five golfers from the region who took massive strides towards becoming a regular fixture on the PGA Europro Tour yesterday. In one of the country's pre-qualifying events
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Hartlepool stages international
LATER this year, when the fair weather golfers have stored their clubs away for the winter, Hartlepool Golf Club will be bringing the curtain down on historic centenary celebrations by playing host to its very first international. The challenging links
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Storm fades as Fasth takes title in play-off
ANY hopes Graeme Storm had of winning the Andalucia Open de Espana disappeared yesterday when he had a nightmare final round. The Hartlepool golfer carded a 74, two over par, at the San Roque Club in what proved to be his only poor showing over the
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Ilkley Jubilee success for Smailes
STOCKTON Motor Club's Mike Smailes had another good result on Sunday's Ilkley Jubilee Rally, finishing 11th overall and sixth in class, in his fourth event of the year. The 150-mile rally took the 65-car field around some of Yorkshire's quieter lanes
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Race ace Lawson trades in his tractor
FOR someone with a need for speed, driving a tractor doesn't really do the business for Robert Lawson. So in order to get his fix, the North Yorkshire farmer takes to the track. Thanks, in part, to coming runnerup in a national competition to find
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Amanda all set for 2006 season
COUNTY Durham racing driver Amanda Whitaker is all set for the 2006 European Historic Formula 2 season which starts this weekend at Hockenheim, Germany. She will once again be driving the Chevron B34 Formula Atlantic car, owned by Oskar Christen.
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Classic cars at Croft
CROFT Circuit will once again echo to the sound of yesteryear when the Classic Sports Car Club makes their annual pilgrimage north for their race meeting tomorrow. Topping the bill will be the popular 'Swinging Sixties' series where competitors will
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Amanda off to a great start
AMANDA Whitaker made a fantastic start to her 2006 racing campaign by notching two wins out of two in the European Historic Formula 2 series at the weekend. Racing at Hockenheim, Germany, Amanda led her class from flag to finish in both races in a
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Mainsforth reward Bob - a gentleman and a slogger
Long elevated from critics' corner to clubhouse veranda, Bob Welsh was rewarded on Saturday for 80 years' service to the MCC, or Mainsforth Cricket Club as sometimes it is known. He is 90 today. It could have been even longer if they'd counted the
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Northallerton are Riding high
HAVING a break, what else, the column took itself on Tuesday evening to KitKat Crescent - North Riding Senior Cup final, York City v Northallerton. "Who are yer?" chorused the City fans of their unlikely visitors. It seemed a perfectly reasonable question
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Veterans' champ barnes insists he's not quackers
Ian Barnes, athlete extraordinary, regrets that he will be unable to defend his UK Over 70s 1500m title in July he's in a Lions Club duck race instead,Quackers? " I'm president of Darlington Lions, its a big event and I feel I should be there," says
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Brandon's desperate plea for help
ON the wondrous night that Arsenal reached the Champions League final, Brandon United held a crisis meeting to determine if they could even start next season in the Arngrove Northern League second division. The league chairman, lifelong and blood red
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Treble tilt could be last throw
STRAIGHT to the point, today's column begins with darts, with double trouble and with why the Magnet Games League isn't the attraction it was. It all led to a heated meeting last week - a board meeting, as it were, though the puns should probably stop
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Whickham's Vase glory remembered
IT'LL BE 25 years on Tuesday since a North-East team won at Wembley. Managed by the extravagantly permed Colin Richardson, Whickham of the Wearside League beat Willenhall Town 3-2 in the FA Vase final after being two down in ten minutes. The programme
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Hobson's choice was for England internationals
Thomas Hobson (1544-1631) was a Cambridge carrier who hired out horses, customers obliged to take the first in line or none at all.It ensured that all had the same chance of getting a decent mount and that none was overworked. Thus saddled, Hobsons
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The Far Corner is centre stage
DEVOURED like the first chocolate bar of Easter, a book called The Far Corner landed here in September 1994 - so long ago that a hardback was just £9.99, so wonderful that we extolled it a month before publication. The temptation was irresistible,
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Hero and heroin
Trainspotting became a critically-acclaimed play ten years ago. Scottish actor Peter Milne talks about drugs, debuts and toilet bowls. EXPECT few anoraks, horn-rimmed spectacles and well-thumbed notebooks when Trainspotting arrives at Durham's Gala
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We're seeing double
While Alan Ayckbourn is poorly, his Scarborough theatre is about to test acting fibre to the full. THE biggest two-hander in the world is about to be attempted by actors Claudia Elmhirst and Bill Champion who will be performing all the characters in
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We all do silly things
Says ex-EastEnder Leslie Grantham as he's put back in the dock for a Jeffrey Archer thriller. IF you ask Leslie Grantham questions about THAT Internet episode or his family he'll put the phone down', I was warned. But as he recently hit the headlines
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'njoying 'enry
A broken leg robbed Christopher Cazenove of his dream role of Henry Higgins in the West End. He talks to VIV HARDWICK about taking My Fair Lady on a year's tour and why it wasn't worth having singing lessons for the role. CHRISTOPHER Cazenove admits
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A perfect Coward
Simon Callow is starring as Coward and writing about Coward as he arrives on Tyneside. IT'S not 'either' writing, directing or appearing as Gary Essendine in Noel Coward's Present Laugher it's AND, " says Simon Callow correcting me with a laugh about
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Dale's cup
South Shields actor Dale Meeks is leaving Emmerdale but is taking on the World Cup in his local theatre before he goes. The actor talks to VIV HARDWICK about his new play and how his brother Philip joined the TV soap as a scriptwriter THE 40th anniversary
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Future acts
Philip Bernays is the new man in charge of putting Newcastle's Theatre Royal on the map in the 21st century. He talks to VIV HARDWICK about the fast-approaching £5.2m rebuild and what's around the corner for Tyneside's most attractive venue. FAR
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Onions brings a tear to the eye
IT WAS just as well for Middlesex that Steve Harmison is not playing in their match at Riverside as they appeared to have little stomach for the fight against Durham's four seamers, who were superbly led by Graham Onions yesterday. There were two tasty
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Big decision lies ahead for chairman Gibson
THERE were two empty seats on the plane that carried the Middlesbrough squad back to England yesterday. The first was supposed to have been taken by the club's second major trophy and the second was occupied by Steve McClaren. How chairman Steve Gibson
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That morning after feeling
Middlesbrough FC's journey in Europe was brought to an abrupt end on Wednesday night. David Roberts joined the small group of fans who gathered to welcome them back home. IN the end it was not quite the fanfare welcome they would have expected had they
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Landmark development that will end years of wrangling
IT has been hailed as a landmark development for employment and the environment, yet the Darlington Eastern Transport Corridor has spent years coming to fruition. The proposed cost of the project has more than doubled since it was first suggested. However
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Royal announces £207m profit
MORE Than insurer Royal & Sun Alliance benefited from a strong performance in the UK yesterday as it posted first-quarter figures ahead of expectations. The group, which employs 680 people in a call centre in Sunderland, said operating profits rose
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Big Jack still cuts it
JACK Charlton cut the ribbon to open the new offices of Protech Human Resourcing yesterday, watched by managing director Kevin Kinnon. A member of England's 1966 World Cup winning side, Mr Charlton was opening Protech's site, in Carliol Square, Newcastle
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Gothic band's member missing from his home since weekend
POLICE last night appealed for help in tracing a member of a Gothic horror metal band who has disappeared. Fears are growing for Simon Jones, who is known to be depressed and has not been seen since he walked out of his house at the weekend after a domestic
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Town that likes to get fruity
WHEN it comes to getting fruity, some folk in the region simply can't get enough - unlike their stodgy northern neighbours. The North Yorkshire spa town of Harrogate can boast the fourth highest consumption of fresh or dried fruit and vegetables in England
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The party girl crippled by chronic fatigue
New research suggests that 55,000 Britons are so severely affected by ME that they are either bedbound or housebound. Barry Nelson talks to one young woman whose story offers hope to other sufferers. LISETTE Grout is curled up on the sofa happily chatting
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Fraudulent funeral director targets vulnerable clients
A FRAUDULENT former funeral director has been jailed for three-and-a-half years and ordered to pay back the money he stole from his vulnerable victims. Christopher Westcott, 41, pretended to set up funeral plans for clients of his firm Cathedral Funeral
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On yer Byker
THERE'S always a family feel when, come September, the time arrives to launch a new series of the BBC's Geordie junior soap Byker Grove. The Tyneside cinema in Newcastle is hired and a couple of episodes screened for cast, relatives and friends. Then
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Ivy Creek can creep in
Ivy Creek, who has created a favourable impression when winning both his starts this year, is the fancy to keep his unbeaten record intact, despite stepping up in grade in the Cheshire Regement Dee Stakes over a mile and a quarter at Chester this afternoon
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Diamond day for Churchill's wartime driver and his love
ONE of Winston Churchill's wartime drivers and the sweetheart he met at a village dance celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary yesterday. Stan and Anne Carrick, of Maple Grove, West Cornforth, County Durham, met in 1945 at a dance at Cornforth Community
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'Smoking's not a patch on how I feel now'
More and more North-Easterners are being helped to give up smoking. Health Editor Barry Nelson talks to a former 40-a-day man who has successfully quit. MATTIE Dobbin can hardly believe it himself when he says that, until recently, he was smoking up to
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Town handed £12m to pay for traffic plan
A road project which aims to cut congestion in a North-East town is to go ahead thanks to lobbying by the town's MP. The Darlington Eastern Transport Corridor (DETC) has received more than £12m from the Government after lengthy delays to the project.
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Upbeat mood in industry as output rises
NORTH-East manufacturers are cautiously optimistic - but energy costs are continuing to bite, a member of the Bank of England's influential rate-setting committee said last night. David Walton, who sits on the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), which
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Gran was killed by car stolen from sister
A gran killed by a carjacker was mown down in her sister's stolen vehicle it emerged today. Incredibly the thief forced Diane Dalton from her Honda Civic and smashed into her sister Pamela Phinn, 48, just under a mile down the road while pursued by the
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Upbeat mood in industry as output rises
NORTH-East manufacturers are cautiously optimistic - but energy costs are continuing to bite, a member of the Bank of England's influential rate-setting committee said last night. David Walton, who sits on the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), which
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Mallon split: Our sadness at end of marriage
RAY Mallon and his wife, Carole, have separated. The couple released a statement to The Northern Echo last night to bring to an end speculation about their 27-year marriage. They insisted no third party is involved, and pleaded to be left alone by the
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Princess Anne tours hospital and jail on wirlwind visit to region
PRINCESS ANNE was in the region yesterday to visit a hospital and a young offenders' institution. She opened a new cardiac suite at Darlington Memorial Hospital, where she met staff. The £1.3m unit was paid for by local fundraising and a National Lottery
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Recapturing days when cyclists met in their hundreds
CYCLE racing is making a welcome return at a town's traditional annual festival. More than 300 cyclists have signed up to take part in events at Richmond Meet, in North Yorkshire, from May 27 to 29. The festival was started by cyclists in 1892. After
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Woman found critically injured dies
A MURDER inquiry was underway today following the death of a woman in hospital shortly after she was found critically injured in a street. The victim, who has not been identified by police, was discovered in Thomas Street, in the Blackhill area of Consett
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Luck tends to even itself out
GIVEN that four-goal fightbacks have helped to elevate Steve McClaren's profile, it would be interesting to know what he truly thinks about England going to the World Cup with one crocked striker, one half-fit, one awkward beanpole unproven at the highest
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Town handed £12m to pay for traffic plan
A road project which aims to cut congestion in Darlington is to go ahead thanks to lobbying by the town's MP. The Darlington Eastern Transport Corridor (DETC) has received more than £12m from the Government after lengthy delays to the project. The 1.8
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City spells out its thanks to Shearer in black and white
NEWCASTLE was decked out in black and white yesterday as the city paid homage to the football club's most prolific goalscorer. Newcastle United's number nine Alan Shearer attended his testimonial game against Celtic last night. All 52,000 seats were snapped
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Mallon split: Our sadness over end of marriage
RAY Mallon and his wife, Carole, have separated. The couple released a statement to The Northern Echo last night to bring to an end speculation about their 27-year marriage. They insisted no third party is involved, and pleaded to be left alone by the
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Anger as bus journey times are doubled
PASSENGERS are furious that a timetable review has doubled their journey times by increasing the length of the bus route. Thelma Padget stopped using the service after it took more than an hour to travel ten miles from Stokesley to Middlesbrough town
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Slowhand's return to home town
THE North-East's tribute to Eric Clapton will play only his second home-town gig in 21 years of covering the guitar legend's music. Mike Hall and his band, After Midnight, take their show Classic Clapton to The Gala Theatre in Durham City tonight. "I
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Campaigners win reprieve to keep public toilets open
CAMPAIGNERS were delighted yesterday after winning a reprieve for five sets of public toilets that were in danger of being closed in villages in Teesdale. Jennifer Priestley, who led a fight to keep the toilets open in Staindrop, said: "This is really
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School band flying high after RAF sponsorship deal
A CORPORAL in the RAF has won financial support for the school band he played with almost a decade ago. Corporal Steve Johnson has secured a sponsorship deal between the RAF and Tudhoe Grange School Band, which will see the youngsters wearing an impressive
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Safety message for youngsters
AN event aimed at raising awareness of safety issues among young people takes place next week. Keeping U Safe will be held at the Sure Start Randolph Centre, Evenwood, on Tuesday, between 10am and 3pm. Representatives from the fire brigade, the police
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New council leader announces cabinet
THERE are new faces in the cabinet of Durham County Council following Albert Nugent's appointment as leader to replace Ken Manton. The new ten-strong cabinet sees Brian Walker, former cabinet member for business and tourism, become deputy leader, the
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Vandal-hit centre may be shut down
A COMMUNITY centre hit by vandals is facing closure. Derrick Atlay, chairman of Orchard Park Community Centre, in Badger Paddock, Huntington, York, said the centre may have to close after windows were smashed three times in only ten days. Mr Atlay described
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Young cricketers top the table
CRICKET action took place both on the field and on the table-top at the Riverside yesterday. While Durham were getting the upper hand over Middlesex in a Liverpool Victoria County Championship four-day fixture, at their Chester-le-Street home ground,
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Councillor appointed mayor for second time
A RETIRED teacher has been appointed mayor in his adopted town for the second time. Councillor Dudley Waters took over the post of Mayor of Sedgefield from Councillor Maxine Robinson this week. He first held office in 1991, four years after joining Sedgefield
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Appeal for clues to trace missing boy
POLICE are appealing for information about the whereabouts of a teenager who has gone missing from home. Damian Davison, 14, of Silverdale Place, Newton Aycliffe, went missing an hour after arriving at his school in Durham at 9am on Tuesday, having travelled
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Respected public school teacher dies aged 93
A HIGHLY-REGARDED teacher who surprised everyone at a public school with the expert way he switched from one subject to another has died at the age of 93. Stanley Hardisty was head of geography before teaching himself biology and changing over to conduct
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Park unveils Diana benches
THREE new benches have been installed in Darlington's revamped South Park, in memory of the late Diana, Princess of Wales. The town's Residents' Panel, with the help of Darlington Building Society, raised more than £1,200 for the three benches and brass
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Seeking home for Jack
AN animal charity is searching for a new home for a greyhound named Jack. The dog was picked up as a stray in the Durham area and was taken in by the National Animal Sanctuaries Support League (NASSL), near Darlington. He is ten months old and a fawn
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Disused tennis court site may be improved
A COUNCIL may take action to improve the appearance of a privately-owned tennis court that has not been used for about 40 years. It is not known who owns the former court, in Knoll Avenue, off Coniscliffe Road. During that time, it became gradually more
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Man may be jailed over headbutting
A MAN who headbutted a pub manager after he refused to let him into a bar to celebrate his 21st birthday has been warned he may face jail. Matthew Brown of Winn Lane, Topcliffe, near Thirsk, admitted common assault at Northallerton Magistrates Court yesterday
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Celebrating a successful
RESIDENTS and council staff have celebrated a community office's first anniversary. The office in Dundas Street, Richmond, was opened a year ago by Richmondshire District Council to provide a point of contact for the public when its headquarters move
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Bandsman goes back to school
A LEADING Army bandsman returns to his North Yorkshire roots today. Major Bob Meldrum, who was appointed director of the Royal Artillery Orchestra in August last year, will be conducting a concert at Bedale High School at 7.30pm tonight. He is a former
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Anger after vandals target bandstand twice in four days
VANDALS have targeted Saltburn Bandstand twice in only four days -to the horror of the volunteers who help maintain it. In the first incident, vandals forced a lock to get inside a storage shed that is part of the bandstand. They then stole chairs and
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Complaints over increased journey time on bus
PASSENGERS have complained that a timetable review has doubled their journey times by increasing the length of a bus route. Thelma Padget stopped using the service after it took more than an hour to travel the ten miles to Middlesbrough town centre from
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Junior footballers rewarded for star quality
MORE than 300 young footballersare to attend a junior presentation on Sunday. Consett YMCA Juniors' annual presentation takes place from 11am to 4pm at the town's Empire Theatre. Officials from Consett AFC will be guests of honour at the awards, bringing
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You're doing a bloomin' wonderful job
GREEN-FINGERED volunteers moved in yesterday to provide a horticultural makeover for an elderly couple struggling to maintain their garden. Valda McRoy, 86, and her 62-year-old daughter, Joan Middlebrook, were having trouble keeping the garden neat and
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City spells out its thanks to Shearer in black and white
NEWCASTLE was decked out in black and white yesterday as the city paid homage to the football club's most prolific goalscorer. Newcastle United's number nine Alan Shearer attended his testimonial game against Celtic last night. All 52,000 seats were snapped
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Photographer's work in capturing the north to go on show
A FINE art photographer will present an exhibition of unique black and white landscape photography at a Northallerton art gallery throughout next month. But before the exhibition, which runs from June 3 until June 30, Paul Gallagher will give an informal
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Cyclists take on coast-to-coast challenge to help baby hospice
Youngsters will be going coast to coast to raise money for a baby hospice in Middlesbrough. The four young people will be embarking on a coast-to-coast bike ride from Whitehaven to Middlesbrough from May 19 to 21 May, a distance of about 150 miles. All
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Breakfast clubs for schools get £1,000
SCHOOLS in County Durham have been handed £1,000 each to help pay for healthy breakfast clubs. Durham County Council's Sure Start programme has given the money to 182 primary and secondary schools. The funding will help pay for breakfast clubs to ensure
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News in brief
THREE INJURED: THREE people have been injured after a car accident. Police are appealing for information after the collision at the A171 T-junction with the B1366 to Liverton, near Saltburn. The incident happened at about 8.10am on Wednesday when a green
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Pair admit their part in stabbing
TWO men have admitted their part in a stabbing during a row over the attentions of a young woman. George Tumilty stabbed a 17-year-old male youth once, while Leighton Hackett drove him to the scene, mounting a pavement in the process. The pair, both 21
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Escaped prisoner may have returned
A KILLER driver who went on the run from prison may have returned to the area. The family of his victim, Betty Cooper, have been told that balding Dominic Gavin Huggett has been seen on Teesside using a wig as a disguise. Huggett has been on the run since
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A fitting farewell to the Newcastle legend
THE goal king has finally abdicated. Alan Shearer bid a final fond and farewell to a prolific football career as a striker - and his adoring Geordie public - last night in an emotional testimonial fixture against SPL champions Celtic. The scenes at St
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It's Lehmann's day, but bad news for England skipper
While Yorkshire's bowlers toiled throughout a wicketless afternoon at Canterbury yesterday, Michael Vaughan ruled himself out of a comeback in next week's Roses match after admitting that he had recently suffered a slight setback in his rehabilitation
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Callum gives tips on sun dangers
A CRICKETER turned out to spread the word to children about the dangers of exposure to the sun. Callum Thorp visited children at Skerne Park Primary School, in Darlington, to talk about the damaging effects of ultraviolet rays. The star showed off his
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Comment from The Northern Echo: Intelligence is the key
NO one should take any persuading that the threat from terrorists in Britain is with us for a long time to come. We all hope that there will be no repeat of the kind of atrocity which struck London on July 7, 2005, but we know in our hearts that further
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Call to license estate agents
ALL estate agents should be licensed to show that they are qualified and competent, an ombudsman said yesterday. Stephen Carr-Smith, Ombudsman for Estate Agents, said it should be made mandatory for estate agents to be licensed before they could join
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Carjacker kills gran in high-speed chase
A GRANDMOTHER was run down and killed by an armed carjacker as she took her young grandsons for a walk in the sunshine. Pamela Phinn, in her late 40s, was pushing the children's double baby buggy, alongside her son's 28-year-old partner, when the carjacked
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Farmer linked to Hauxwell documentary dies aged 80
FARMER and gamekeeper Brian Bainbridge, who featured in the original television programme that made Hannah Hauxwell famous, has died aged 80. He was filmed working in deep snow around his farm at Birkdale, in Upper Teesdale, County Durham, and commented
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Quorn sales continue to grow
PREMIER Foods yesterday said its Quorn brand had continued to experience strong growth, despite a tough trading environment. The British foodmaker said it was experiencing a number of cost pressures, but was confident in the outlook for the full year
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Carjacker kills gran in high-speed chase
A GRANDMOTHER was run down and killed by an armed carjacker as she took her young grandsons for a walk in the sunshine. Pamela Phinn, in her late 40s, was pushing the children's double baby buggy, alongside her son's 28-year-old partner, when the carjacked
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Missed appointments cost region's hospitals £18.3m
PATIENTS who fail to turn up for hospital appointments in the region are costing the cash-strapped NHS a staggering £18m a year, figures have revealed. A total of 183,767 appointments were missed at hospitals across the North-East and North Yorkshire
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A fitting farewell to the Newcastle legend
THE goal king has finally abdicated. Alan Shearer bid a final fond and farewell to a prolific football career as a striker - and his adoring Geordie public - last night in an emotional testimonial fixture against SPL champions Celtic. The scenes at St
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Southgate remains optimistic
MIDDLESBROUGH'S failure to return to the North-East with the UEFA Cup could have longer lasting consequences, but Gareth Southgate is in no mood to start fearing the worst. Defeat to Sevilla in Eindhoven on Wednesday means there will be no European football
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A paradise for real foodies
IT'S enough to turn us all into kitchen goddesses...or gods. Cooks and Kitchens is the best cook shop in Britain. Official. Housewares Magazine said so and they should know. The shop, in Grange Road, Darlington is packed with everything any cook could
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On yer Byker
It's famous for launching many careers, including that of Ant and Dec, and for dealing with storylines on drugs, teenage pregnancy and homosexuality, but despite buoyant ratings, the BBC is to axe Byker Grove. Steve Pratt looks back at the Geordie junior
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Shoptalk: A paradise for real foodies
The column looks in on a cook-shop so well stocked it leaves little room for excuses about not eating well. IT'S enough to turn us all into kitchen goddesses...or gods. Cooks and Kitchens is the best cook shop in Britain. Official. Housewares Magazine
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Big decison lies ahead for chairman Gibson
THERE were two empty seats on the plane that carried the Middlesbrough squad back to England yesterday. The first was supposed to have been taken by the club's second major trophy and the second was occupied by Steve McClaren. How chairman Steve Gibson
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Given signs new contract
NEWCASTLE goalkeeper Shay Given has signed a new five-year contract which will keep him at St James' Park until 2011. The new deal will keep Given, named in the Premiership's team of the season, with Newcastle until he is 35. "I'm extremely delighted
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BT must pay £2.2m to injured girl
A SCHOOLGIRL who can only communicate by blinking has been awarded a six-figure compensation payout from British Telecom. Ashleigh Cowen was left severely disabled by major head injuries, suffered when a BT van hit her as she got off a school bus on May
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Mass walkout at Vauxhall
PRODUCTION at car maker Vauxhall's only UK plant was at a standstill last night when workers staged a lightning strike over fears that up to 1,000 jobs could be axed. Union leaders refused to condemn the unofficial walkout at the plant in Ellesmere Port
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12/05/06
TV LICENCES FOLLOWING your letter from J Routledge (HAS, May 5) I want to reassure readers that one of the most important considerations in the BBC's decision to switch to PayPoint to provide over-the-counter services was ease of payment. It is an unfortunate
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Southgate remains optimistic
MIDDLESBROUGH'S failure to return to the North-East with the UEFA Cup could have longer lasting consequences, but Gareth Southgate is in no mood to start fearing the worst. Defeat to Sevilla in Eindhoven on Wednesday means there will be no European football
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BOC makes steady progress
INDUSTRIAL gases group BOC said it was looking for steady progress after a strong first half. The FTSE 100-listed company, which employs about 80 people on Teesside, recently agreed to a takeover by German chemicals company Linde. Profits in the three
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Market roof replaced
WORK has started on a £130,000 project to replace the roof of Richmond's historic market hall. The roof will be retiled, glass skylights will be double glazed and gutters improved. The 15-week project is being carried out by RA Moody Brothers, of Northallerton
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Namesakes are real checkmates
TWO talented chess enthusiasts have qualified for the finals of a national competition. Daniel White and Daniel Laverick, both pupils at Framwellgate School, in Durham, have battled through to the British Land UK Chess Challenge Gigafinal, to be held
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Police warning over purse snatchers
POLICE fear a team of professional purse snatchers are operating in a busy town centre and targeting vulnerable shoppers. The warning follows a spate of pickpocket incidents in Bishop Auckland in which purses were stolen from pensioners. Most recently
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Piper provides entertainment to mark Barbara's 100th birthday
A DARLINGTON centenarian celebrated her birthday with music yesterday. The festivities for Barbara Bell, who is a resident of Eden Cottage Care Home, were opened by a Scottish piper. She was joined by friends, family and the Mayor of Darlington, Councillor
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Village is hit by spate of crimes
A SPATE of crimes, including a firearms incident, were reported in Hurworth over the past month. Police community support officer John Angus attended Hurworth Parish Council on May 9 to give his crime report. He said a fence and gate had been damaged
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MP gets close-up view of rail station refurbishment
DARLINGTON MP Alan Milburn was given an exclusive view of the town yesterday on a tour of Bank Top Station. He had been invited to explore the work being under-taken as part of an £8m refurbishment programme by Network Rail. Mr Milburn was taken up on
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'Young drug dealers named'
A YOUTH club leader has handed police a list of names of youths she says are dealing drugs in the grounds of a village community centre. Sania Dockray, who runs a youth club at Hurworth Grange on Friday evenings, said she was threatened by a teenager
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Residents get say on policing issues
RESIDENTS are being invited to have their say about policing at a meeting next week. A community neighbourhood forum will take place next Thursday, from 6pm to 9pm in the YMCA, at the rear of the police office, in Parliament Street, Consett. Acting Inspector
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Ex-pit villages look to tourism
THE former mining communities of east Durham are preparing to make the most of a rich seam of potential income. The District of Easington is hoping that the regeneration and private investment which has taken place will take the area forward into the
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Worker quits to stand for council
A SOCIAL worker is quitting his job so he can stand for the council that employs him. George Burlison, 51, a team manager with Durham County Council's Social Care and Health department, will end his 33-year career today so he can contest the Framwellgate
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Woodland walkers will help charity
WALKERS are being invited to take a stroll through the bluebells in woodlands and raise cash for a children's charity at the same time. The 15th annual guided walk around the woodlands of Durham City takes place on Sunday to raise vital funds for the
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The party girl crippled by chronic fatigue
LISETTE Grout is curled up on the sofa happily chatting about her boyfriend, her part-time social work and how her masters degree is going. The 26-year-old from Darlington enjoys going out with her boyfriend, meeting friends, driving her own car and planning
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Concerns over council newspaper
PLANS to introduce a monthly county council newspaper have been questioned by Liberal Democrat councillors. The authority's executive committee approved proposals for the publication last week. They resolved that the newspaper should be introduced from
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Call for vote on future of police
THE new Home Secretary has been asked to hold a referendum on whether North Yorkshire Police should join a Yorkshire superforce. Councillors Jim Clark and Fred Willis, who are campaigning against the merger, wrote to John Reid, saying the move is not
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Maths team triumphs in tense final
A TEAM from a Teesside girls' school has won the North-East A-Level Maths competition. Amy Dryden, Amelia Al-Qazzaz and Jenny Mace, from Teesside High School, in Eaglescliffe, beat a rival team from Yarm School by 31 points to 22 in the final. The teams
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Charities get debit boost
RESIDENTS switching payment methods for council tax have helped to raise nearly £2,000 for charity. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's mayor, Councillor Peter Spencer, has seen his civic charity funds boosted by £1,778 thanks to 1,778 people switching
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Miller is going nowhere
SUNDERLAND midfielder Tommy Miller has dismissed speculation linking him with a return to former club Ipswich and insisted he remains happy at the Stadium of Light. Miller, who left Portman Road on a free transfer last summer, remains one of the most
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Poetry and blues at library
AN evening of poetry and music will be held at a Teesside library on Monday. Whale Hill Creative Writing Group will host the event, at Grangetown Library, from 6pm to 7pm. The evening marks the culmination of a ten-week creative writing course on memories
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University praised for closing gap
A UNIVERSITY has received national recognition and praise from Cherie Blair for its efforts in reducing the pay gap between men and women. Sunderland university's equal opportunities team was shortlisted at the annual awards of campaign group Opportunity
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Statue crowning takes place
AN outdoor procession in celebration of the Virgin Mary ended with a May Queen crowning a statue of her. The annual event was organised by the local Legion of Mary at the Sacred Heart Church, in Middlesbrough. The procession of about 100 people carried
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Gail warning
A CARD from a loved one plopping on the mat on a special day is always welcome. Certainly better than what the dog next door puts through the letter box, though goodness knows how he reaches. Anyway Gail the hamster in Coronation Street (ITV1) isn't
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Fare shares
HERE in Soapland the sex lives of residents are simple enough, extending little further than sleeping with your best friend's husband/wife, your sister/brother's girlfriend/boyfriend or, in the case of Leanne Battersby, with anyone with a crease in their
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Grunt groans
HERE in Soapland we play a little game that involves pairing off the most unlikely soap couples in EastEnders (BBC1). You know, imagining chain-smoking oldie Dot Branning walking out with young blade Deano Wicks. Or queen of the launderette Pauline
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Street fight
The SSS - Soapland Social Services - are used to help children at risk. Tug-oflove youngsters are their speciality whether it's Weatherfield or Walford. The poor loves are regularly pulled this way and that as parents squabble over who should have
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A paradise for real foodies
The column looks in on a cook-shop so well stocked it leaves little room for excuses about not eating well. IT'S enough to turn us all into kitchen goddesses...or gods. Cooks and Kitchens is the best cook shop in Britain. Official. Housewares Magazine
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Parking fees - enough to make you feel sick
The column takes a look at parking charges at hospitals in the area, how they compare and how to stop them stressing you out. PLANNING a hospital visit? Going by car? Then allow an extra hour, take a pocketful of change and practise your anti-stress
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All farm shops great and small
Thinking big is delivering minor miracles for adventurous people who have set up local farm shops. THINK farm shop. Think big. The Lakeside Farm Shop is so big, it even has an upstairs with more little shops in it. And a cafe. And a play area. Originally
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By George we haven't got it!
Cry God for Harry, England and St George! Or maybe not. As St George's Day approaches, Shoptalk looks at our poor attempts to celebrate our patron saint's day. IT'S St George's Day on Sunday. Do you feel a wave of patriotic fervour overtaking you,
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Get cracking for Easter
If your child hankers after a chocolate animal this Easter, there's a veritable menagerie out there on the shelves. YOU'VE heard of Easter chicks, and the Easter bunny. But the Easter pig? The Easter teddy bear? The Easter cow? As Easter becomes
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So that's where all the money goes...
No wonder many of the baby-boomers are these days finding themselves so short of cash. MILLIONS of over 50s are almost permanently overdrawn, says new research from the price comparison company uswitch. Instead of learning how to look after their pennies
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Close encounters of the ludicrous kind
We've all had a good belly laugh at the amorous antics of John Prescott. But aren't we being just a tad hypocritical? OH, you've got to laugh. . . There is always something ludicrously comic about other people's affairs. The devil is in the detail
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Happiness is. . . a spot of housework
We're not sure whether housework really is better than sex, but there's no doubt it's a great antidote to stress. HOORAH for housework - it could be better than Valium. And I never thought I'd say that. Being one of nature's sluts - our house is not
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Be bold. Be brave. Be a busybody.
EVERY street used to have a busybody. The sort of woman - it was invariably a woman - who knew everyone's business, who knew who was sleeping with whom, who hadn't paid the rent, which teenage girls were pregnant, and even who the father was. And if
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D is for discipline
Teachers are still struggling to teach the little monsters we release from home each day. A little more help is needed from parents. WANT to see standards in state schools soaring? Easy. Just teach your children to behave. A new survey for a teachers
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Giving young drivers a chance
Passing a driving test doesn't automatically turn you into Jeremy Clarkson. It takes years of practice to master the car properly... OKAY, so when you learned to do something, could you do it perfectly straightaway? If so, you're darn sight cleverer
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The badge of a worthless society
What is the world coming to when Blue Peter Badges can be bought instead of being earned the sticky-backed plastic way? WELL, there's a real sign that society is crumbling. Forget cash for questions, payments for peerages, loans for influence - that's
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Don't write our World Cup hopes off yet
WITH all the doom and gloom about you could have been forgiven for thinking that England had already been knocked out of the 2006 World Cup. The injury to Wayne Rooney has led to the bookies changing our odds of winning from 7-1 to 10-1, and the harbingers
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Why Charles Clarke must go now
I'M sure you all recall the fanfare that accompanied new Labour's ascent to power during the 1997 election victory: "Things Can Only Get Better". Well, as he surveys the debris of a week of disaster for the party, Tony Blair might well reflect that
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Football's feelgood factor
THERE'S a passage in the film Close Encounters of the Third Kind which has stuck with me ever since I saw the movie. Discussing the possibility of extraterrestrial life, one of the characters comments that the only common language between two different
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Far too harsh a sentence, judge
BY ALL accounts, prior to last September, Rachael Victoria Phillips had led a good life. Certainly she had no previous convictions and she spent her spare time helping young people through her work as a Scout troop leader. And it was as she left
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A regional casino is not a gamble
A RECENT discussion between a local councillor and his vicar highlights one of the barriers supporters of a regional casino face. Sitting in the church hall, the clergyman told how he could never support a casino because he was vehemently opposed to
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Mr Blair must stop dithering
MY good friend Ashok Kumar certainly seems to have stirred up a hornets' nest with his article in The Northern Echo earlier this week. For those who missed it, Ashok praised the Prime Minister to the hilt but said the time had now come for him to stand
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Are these spendthrifts fit to govern?
ANYONE who goes around telling people how to live their lives must expect to face close scrutiny themselves. It's particularly true for the Government and, sadly, elements of the Labour Party seem to be falling short when the spotlight is turned on
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Sans all but my pride
I HAVE long got used to seeing policemen young enough to be my sons - but now it's the bishops! And with age develops the urge to become a spoilsport. I mean, for instance, the staff at Mansion House here in the City of London say that of all the banquets
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Is this film truly obscene?
THERE is a new film about the events of 9/11. United 93 is the story of the fourth plane - the one on which superbly courageous passengers took on the hijackers and forced the plane to crash into a field in Pennsylvania rather than into The White House
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The high price of free speech
A NICE Mr Talbot from Northallerton wrote to tell me he "always" enjoys reading this column. Letters like this go into the glass case above my pictures of Lana Turner and Freddie Flintoff. In fact both of them are housed there. I wrote straight back
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What kind of person steals from a church?
SOME thief with taste has just meticulously removed a magnificent wood carving of the lion representing St Mark from our pulpit at St Michael's in the City of London. Now right at the front there's only a hexagonal hole like a scar. It's a proper mess
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Vegetables of the human variety
IT WAS a five-minute sunlit stroll from my rectory opposite the Old Bailey to my favourite butchers on Smithfield market. Glorious, with the early morning light sparkling rainbow colours on the huge wrought iron gates which open under the arch between
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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
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Another bloody trip for the accidental tourists
THERE are three things I know are sure to happen every time we holiday abroad with the children. Firstly, we leave a trail of forgotten items in our wake. Like the line of breadcrumbs Hansel and Gretel left in the woods to mark out their path, our
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The impossible art of parents' evenings
ONCE upon a time, when the older boys still attended our little village primary school, chats with teachers about their progress were calm, cosy affairs. A handful of smiling, relaxed parents would gather in the school lobby and simply take turns to
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Now here's a sobering thought
A look at the changing face of Bishop Auckland gives the lie to talk of a burgeoning drink culture in the North-East's towns. In 1894, there were 64 hostelries in and around the town centre. Now, there are just nine WHILE worthies wail that the
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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 high office. THE Venerable Stephen Conway, Archdeacon of Durham and at 6ft 6ins very high church indeed, has been appointed
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The point of it all
County Durham artist Ian Stephenson - whose abstract paintings are now on show at the Baltic in Gateshead - had a short but eventful life and though it's sometimes difficult to see the point of his paintings, the establishment took him to its heart.
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We live in turquoise times
Today's passengers are welcome to catch any bus. . . as long as it's a certain shade of blue. Whatever happened to the multi-coloured merry-go-round of days gone by? FROM April 9, announced one of many notices stuck to the bus window, Go North-East
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From 60s to sixties
She was a flower girl, the first folk singer to sign for a major British record label, and on a musical evening in Frosterley Village Hall, still willing to give peace a chance. ON THE day that the Rolling Stones shook Shanghai, in the week that a
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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
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How to avoid a party disaster
"I'M afraid there's a problem." It's the last thing you want to hear when you're doing a last-minute check on accommodation booked for family members gathering for a celebration - in this case my mother's 90th birthday party. With a week to go to the
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Why I'm keen on red tape
IT'S A constant cry from business interests: we're being strangled by red tape. It's a cry the Government's apparently taken to heart. They're even bringing in a controversial Bill to make it easier for them to eliminate unnecessary regulation without
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Depriving our children of boredom
BOREDOM is good for children. So says a recent report. Not many children - or their parents - would find themselves in agreement with that. "I'm bored!", is the cry every parent dreads, especially as the long school holidays loom in front of them.
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Give me a terrace over new-build any day
THEY were sleeping rough in Salford last week - for the chance to buy one of 349 houses that are not even ready to move into yet. And, no, these desirable residences-to-be weren't on one of those executive housing estates that are springing up in every
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Is anyone out there listening?
''WE'VE got to listen to the people. . . to the concerns that worry them.'' Thus Gordon Brown, in the wake of Labour's thrashing in the local elections. Nothing new there, then. Mr Brown's remarks, on Radio 4's Today, came shortly after an item about
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Litter, the harbinger of spring
AS we drove to the Lake District for our annual spring break last week, my wife at one point covered her face with her hands. Shuddering, she declared: "I just can't bear to look any more." The source of her grief was the rubbish strewn along every
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Put lifetime brakes on these killer drivers
SOMEONE once said "the law is an ass". (Actually, it was Charles Dickens' creation Mr Bumble, who himself was an ass of stupendous proportion. So we'll keep quiet about who said it. ) Today the speaker would be justified in going further. The law is an
