Archive
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Man rescued from fire.
A 50 YEAR old man was rescued by the fire brigade from his upstairs flat this evening. All of the emergency services attended. The man was transferred to the Memorial Hospital with a suspected wrist fracture, sustained while trying to escape from
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Police arrest man after woman dies
POLICE in Shildon investigating a woman's death have arrested a man tonight. The woman died in Bishop Auckland General Hospital this evening after being taken there by ambulance from Shildon earlier in the day. Hospital staff concerned
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Inquest: Young bride died in honeymoon car crash
A YOUNG bride died in a car crash while on her honeymoon, an inquest heard. Ruth Elizabeth Ward, 24, from Hawes in North Yorkshire, was killed in Kamloops, Canada, last August. Her 27-year-old husband Stephen, a TV and audio technician who was driving
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Warning after man rescued from chip pan blaze
FIRE fighters tonight issued a fresh safety warning over the dangers of chip pans after pulling a man from a blaze in his Darlington home. The 60-year-old was rescued from his first floor flat in Cloverfield, in the Whinfield area of Darlington
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Man facing jail over police station petrol bomb
A MAN is facing jail after he was found guilty of petrol-bombing a police station after his two sons were arrested. Stephen Rowbotham claimed the crude home-made device had been constructed so it would not catch fire or explode. He told
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Speaker announces expenses reforms
COMMONS Speaker Michael Martin, tonight announced that a "robust" set of measures had been agreed to reform the allowances system. Mr Martin, who announced he is to step down on June 21 earlier today, spoke to a packed House of Commons.
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151 jobs go as glass factory closes
A TOWN hit hard by the economic downturn suffered another body-blow tonight as 151 County Durham glass workers lost their jobs. German flat glass manufacturer Schott said that its Newton Aycliffe plant was making significant losses and it had
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All three North-East games to be shown live on TV
ALL three of Sunday's relegation deciders involving North-East teams will be shown live on television. Sky Sports will show Newcastle's away game at Aston Villa (SS1) and Sunderland's home match with Chelsea (SS3 via red button), along with Hull City's
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Cricket chiefs Test match pledge
DURHAM cricket chiefs hope to bring more Test matches to Chester-le-Street despite lower than expected crowds for England and West Indies. The £45m-worth of planned improvements to the Riverside, which will take permanent seating up to 20,000, are
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Garden Jobs
■ Sow seeds of biennial flowers like honesty and Canterbury bells, which can be transplanted to their flowering position later in the year ■ Raise new plants of deciduous azalea, magnolia and other shrubs by layering low-growing shoots of young
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Ask The Experts: Reviving wooden garden bench
My unpainted wooden garden bench has been outside all winter and is now looking worse for wear. What can I do to revive it? Clean the bench with a stiff-bristled brush then sand it all over. Remove the sanding dust with a cloth dipped in white
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How to treat wet rot in wooden windows
NOW’S a good time to inspect your home’s windows for damage sustained during winter. That way you can address any problems when the weather’s nice. If you have wooden windows, easily remedied problems like cracks and chipped paint are common
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Best of the Bunch: Dwarf Phlox
THESE pretty low-growing plants provide rockeries and scree beds with plenty of colour at this time of year thanks to their pink, blue and white flowers which tumble over walls or create flat carpets of blooms. They are easy to grow and will last
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Credit crunch gardens
THE credit crunch has affected some sponsors of this year’s Chelsea Flower Show, with the number of main show gardens being reduced from a bumper crop of 22 last year to 13 this year. That hasn’t put award-winning garden designer Sarah Eberle
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Police appeal after suspected sex attack
POLICE are appealing for information after a woman was allegedly subjected to a serious sexual assault and held against her will. The alleged incident took place between the early hours of Thursday, May 14, and Friday, May 15, in the Woodlands Terrace
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Bag campaign reaches landmark
A CAMPAIGN to reduce the use of disposable bags in Barnard Castle has reached its first milestone. Just a month after the launch of the Barney Bag the 1000th bag has been sold. The bag project was launched in March and 19 distributors, 17 shops and
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Financial advice for council tenants
THE housing company that manages Wear Valley’s 4,500 council homes is launching a campaign to help tenants on low incomes manage their money. The Dale and Valley Homes initiative called Pocket Sense aims to help tenants manage their cash, stay out of
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Council officer takes national title
A COUNCIL official has been congratulated after picking up a national accolade. Darlington's superintendent registrar Anthony Hall was named the country’s registrar of the year at the annual Local Authority Coordinators of Regulatory Services
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Online guide looking to uncover local secrets
AN online insider guide into Darlington’s best kept secrets is looking for contributions. Nominations for Darlington’s best pubs and shops, the top sites for natural beauty, and tastiest restaurants are wanted for bus company Arriva's internet-based
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Grandmother wins car in national raffle
A GRANDMOTHER has given her granddaughter a car she scooped in a national raffle. Ellen Corbett, from Kirk Merrington, near Spennymoor, bought the winning ticket to win a Ford Ka, triumphing over hundreds of others across the country. The raffle,
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Best of local produce made easy to find
FOOD lovers can find some of the best fresh produce the region has to offer with a new guide published by North Yorkshire County Council. The Fall in Love with Local Food guide is full of information about where to find the best locally produced meat
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No mountain high enough for fundraising teachers
TEACHERS are hoping to inspire their pupils with their attempt to complete the Three Peaks Challenge. The nine staff members from Macmillan Academy in Middlesbrough are aiming to climb Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Mount Snowdon to raise money for the
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Takeaway closed for filthy conditions
A FILTHY take-away has been shut down after mice droppings were found on pizza boxes. Environmental Health Officers visited Pizza Pazza on Albert Road in Middlesbrough on Saturday evening and saw a member of staff smoking in the kitchen. The officers
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Cannabis farm discovered in Hartlepool
POLICE have uncovered a cannabis farm at a Hartlepool house following a tip-off from a member of the public. Around £50,000 worth of the drug was discovered when officers raided the house in Wynyard Road. Officers found 160 mature plants, each worth
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Apprentice applications flood in
THE chance to start an apprenticeship has left Redcar and Cleveland Council inundated with hundreds of applications for 12 posts. A total of 315 applicants, all aged 16-24, have applied in the 18 days from the advertising being placed to the closing
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Adult learners honoured at Bishop Auckland College
A COLLEGE principal who is retiring next year presided at one of her favourite events for the final time. Joanna Tait led the celebrations of success at Bishop Auckland College’s Adult Learners’ Awards, where three women won the top individual prizes
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Boxing show success
HUNDREDS of people enjoyed a boxing club’s sports dinner and show and helped raise money towards a trip to the Mecca of Boxing. Spennymoor Boxing Academy took on a combined Army and North-East Select team at the event, watched by a 500 capacity crowd
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Youth club's opening hours extended
EXTRA youth provisions are being offered in Shildon after requests from young people in the town. The opening hours at Shildon Youth Club, based at Shildon People’s Centre, have been extended from four to five evenings a week, and Sunday afternoons.
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Businessman jailed for £2.5m fraud of North-East firm
A BUSINESSMAN who nearly destroyed a North-East based company following a £2.5m fraud has been jailed for seven years. Douglas Brown, 61, was managing director of Palmer UK, in Hartlepool, when he obtained money transfers by deception over an 11-year
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Magpies lose appeal over Bassong's red card
RELEGATION-threatened Newcastle have lost their appeal against Sebastien Bassong's dismissal on Saturday. The 22-year-old Frenchman was shown a straight red card by referee Howard Webb after tangling with Fulham striker Diomansy Kamara.
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Anniversary concert in Thirsk
A CHORISTERS group celebrating its 40th birthday is to perform a concert of music by composers marking an anniversary this year too. The North Yorkshire Chorus is to celebrate the landmark with a concert at St Mary’s Church, in Thirsk. Music by classical
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Sunday league footballer jailed over stamp
A SUNDAY league footballer was jailed for four months today for stamping on an opponent as he lay injured on the ground. Hard-man midfielder Mark Ward, 23, sent teenager Jonathan Carroll flying in a tackle, stamped on his broken ankle and gave him a
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Brian collects the first silverware of the speedway season
Redcar Bears Co-Promoter and Team Manager Brian Havelock should be the inspiration for his charges as the Redcar Bears race the Newcastle Diamonds in a crucial Premier Trophy fixture at the South Tees Motorsport Park on Thursday evening at 7.30pm. The
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Appeal after attack on centre
POLICE are appealing for help tracing a young man alleged to have smashed the glass of a shopping centre door. The man, in his early 20s, was captured on CCTV kicking the glass doors at The Gates Shopping Centre, in Durham City, shortly after 8pm on
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Post Office campaign comes to Durham
TRADE unionists fighting the proposed privatisation of the Royal Mail will be seeking support in Durham City on Monday (may25). Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) will be in the city’s market Place from 8.30am to noon with a 20ft-high
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Fun day looks to yesteryear
A FAMILY fun day looking at the past will be held in Chester-le-Street next weekend (SatJune6) Chester West and Central Community Project will hold the event at Bullion Hall , Bullion Lane, on Saturday June 6 from 11am to 3pm. Outreach and support
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Lawson seals second victory
NORTH Yorkshire racer Robert Lawson continued his progress in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship at Donington Park over the weekend, securing his second Pro-Am1 Class victory of the season. On a weekend which saw the majority of track action affected
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Vaulkhard has best outing yet
NORTH-East Touring Car driver Harry Vaulkhard had his best outing to date at the weekend, taking a well-earned fifth place finish after twice starting from the front row of the grid at Donington Park. Tynesider Vaulkhard, 23, showed his mettle in qualifying
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Play project set for half term
THE Hambleton and Richmondshire Play Ranger Project comes to the Yorkshire Dales for half term, starting on Monday, May 25 in Reeth, near Richmond, until Saturday, May 30. Children and parents can make kites, mud pies and petal perfume, build dens and
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Pupils start the day with a bounce
YOUNGSTERS have been starting the day with a spring in their step thanks to a breakfast club with a difference. Pupils at Thirsk School have been going to the breakfast trampolining club once a week before school to get in some extra practice- and the
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Magical show for kids of all ages
The Wizard of Castle Magic will be performed at the Hambleton Forum, in Northallerton, on Thursday, May 28, at 1.30pm by the Magic Carpet Theatre Company. Based on the traditional Sorcerer’s Apprentice story, the play is suitable for children
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Volunteers rebuld Dales bridge
VOLUNTEERS have been doing their bit to preserve a traditional stone footbridge in the Yorkshire Dales. They joined National Park Authority rangers to strip down the damaged arch on Usha Gap Bridge near Thwaite and rebuild it. Access ranger Ian Broadwith
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EXCLUSIVE: Colin Todd to be appointed Darlington manager
COLIN Todd is to be officially unveiled as Darlington's new manager before the end of the week. The Northern Echo can exclusively reveal that Todd, who has previously managed Middlesbrough and Bolton, has agreed to succeed Dave Penney as Quakers
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Police aim to catch rogue traders
SUSPECT work vans will be stopped and their credentials checked in a bid to catch rogue traders on Wednesday. Police, trading standards officers, and representatives from HM Revenue & Customs and the Vehicle and Operators Services Agency will conduct
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History of Stokesley clock-making
A NEW exhibition looking at the history of clock-making in Stokesley has opened. The show, which runs until May 27 at the town’s library, follows the recent publication of Stokesley's Clockmakers: Clockmaking in a North Yorkshire Market Town. Northallerton-based
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Churches near cash target for youth worker
CHURCHGOERS who joined forces to raise funds to help and support local youths have almost hit their target - three months before their deadline. Over the last eight months, the churches of Mashamshire and Middleham have been busy fund-raising in order
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Newcastle hopeful Owen will play against Villa
NEWCASTLE are hoping Michael Owen will be fit enough to feature in Sunday's must-win relegation clash at Aston Villa. Owen missed last weekend's 1-0 defeat to Fulham after sustaining a groin injury in training, but could be ready to play some
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Isuzu Rodeo 3.0 Denver Max Le Sport
WHEN you consider it, making a Sport edition of a truck which has a top speed of just 109mph might seem a little strange. After all, a 0-60mph time of almost 11 seconds isn’t exactly going to set the world alight. But leaving a trail of smoking
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Top headteachers honoured by Ofsted
THREE headteachers from County Durham were honoured at an event celebrating the country's top schools. Elizabeth Ivil from Oakley Cross Primary School in West Auckland, her husband Barrie Ivil from Ludworth Primary School in Durham, and Nick Birbeck
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Renault Laguna Coupe V6 GT
IT MAY be the prettiest car Renault has produced in decades, but the svelte Laguna Coupe has it all to do. French sports cars have never sold well beyond their home country. The current class champion, the BMW 3-Series, sold more than 25,000
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The Noisettes, Newcastle O2 Academy
THE Noisettes are a quirky indie rock band hailing from London, and they first achieved commercial success and nationwide recognition with the second single from their second album, Don’t Stop The Rhythm. The faded sounds of opening track Wild
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Otis Gibbs/Sarah MacDougall, Jumpin’ Hot Club@Live Theatre, Newcastle
GREETED by an enthusiastic crowd, Swedish/Canadian pop, folk country act Sarah MacDougall lived up to all expectations. The audience enjoyed the carefully-spun fare of this engaging performer, who was aided by Weissenborn guitar genius, Tim
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Fight or flight
Helicopter Warfare (five, 8pm); Holiday Showdown (ITV1, 9pm) AS a child, Tom Baca fell in love with a programme on TV called Whirlybirds, a US series about helicopter pilots. “I thought that would be a good thing to do when I grew up,” he says.
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Knives, short stories by Wendy Robertson (Iron Press, £8)
LOCAL author Wendy Robertson’s latest literary offering is a collection of short stories inspired by the dark side of life she experienced as writer in residence at Low Newton prison in Durham City. There’s the young burglar who falls through
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May 19th, 2009
THE GURKHAS In the shadows of the Himalayas Is a country named Nepal Home of the famous Gurkhas Still allied with the British Army Still ready to give their all. Now in our multi-cultured society Where refugees and illegal immigrants Come here
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Missing the bait
For the first time the column goes hungry after 13 gruelling miles round Grassholme Reservoir. FISHING is reckoned to be Britain’s biggest participant sport. I only tried it once, seeking sharks off Maryport with the lads from the Joiners Arms
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The English Pleasure Garden 1660- 1860 by Sarah Jane Downing (Shire Library, £5.99)
ARGUABLY the forerunners of today’s public parks, Pleasure Gardens, laid out with walks that attracted fashionable strollers, who could also enjoy art or music in specially-built galleries and pavilions, began as an exuberant response to the return
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Goodbye Mr Speaker
The Speaker of the House of Commons, Michael Martin, is going to resign this afternoon. It is a step which had to be taken if the Commons is to begin the process of repairing the terrible damage that has been caused by the MPs' expenses scandal. As
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The Faber Book Of Gardens edited by Philip Robinson (Faber, £12.99)
THE special twist of this anthology of garden writing – prose and verse – is its division into historical periods. Thus its offerings run from Genesis recording the creation of the garden of Eden, to an alarm over the death of bees in a recently
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Death On The Ice by Robert Ryan (Headline Review, £12.99)
ANOTHER tale of heroism that’s been told many times: Scott in Antarctica, 1912. But the story of the ill-fated mission to the South Pole is here presented as a novel – and very effective too. Situations, thoughts and conversations are invented
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Ladybird, ladybird
Maxine Gordon discovers why jewellery is a first love for North Yorkshire artisan Annabel Everett. POTS of jam and marmalade fill a worktop in Annabel Everett’s openplan kitchen. The 38-year-old is excited that she’s been able to make jam successfully
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Lifeboat Heroes by Edward Wake-Walker (Haynes Publishing £19.99)
IT’S been done before, but lifeboats will forever exert a strong spell. A former PR director for the RNLI for 16 years, the author deals principally with a dozen or so heroic rescues. The fact that none is closer to the North-East than off
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Controversial Speaker announces he is stepping down
MICHAEL Martin today announced he will step down as Commons Speaker on June 21, to preserve unity among MPs in the wake of the Westminster expenses scandal. Mr Martin told MPs: "In order that unity can be maintained, I have decided to relinquish
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HAS contributors
HAVING read some of Christopher Wardell’s efforts in HAS recently, I am amazed to see that M Stainsby considers that he has a “brilliant sense of humour” (HAS, May 16). His comments border on the fatuous, and I find his use of the word “dude”
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Shepherd: Owner to blame for Magpies' woes
FORMER Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd insists Mike Ashley is solely to blame for the club's relegation plight and urged the current regime to stop whingeing. Shepherd sold the club to Ashley nearly two years ago having himself suffered
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MPs' expenses
THERE will always be people “playing the system” who must be caught and dealt with according to their merits. Even information lines have been set up for the public to report the likes of one-parent families working a couple of hours here and
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Greedy MPs: go for their soft spot...
WE were on holiday in Portugal when the story broke about MPs’ expenses, so there was plenty of time to drool over the lurid reports of the scandal in the papers. By the way, I remember years ago holidaying in Spain and Portugal and in those days
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Gurkha settlement rights
EMOTIONAL pleas by posh totty may get the magnificent Gurkha soldiers more freedoms to settle in Britain, but beware – liberal-minded people of conscience would invite every needy, hard done-by person into our country. Open the door wider for
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Point of order
IT was a case of half a step forward, one step back, on this morning's Headline Game on TFM Radio... Yesterday's game was about two employees being sacked at Yellowstone Park in America for urinating in Old Faithful, an historic geyser. Our headline
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Speaker fights another day
Michael Martin isn’t the first Speaker of the Commons to come under fire. Steve Pratt finds out that previous holders of the post have been beheaded, murdered and sacked. THE Labour MP who suggested in the House of Commons yesterday that there had
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Figurehead must go
THE veteran MP for Middlesbrough, Stuart Bell, put it into context by saying there had “never been in the history of our land such an attack on the Speaker”. The fact that MPs are lining up to call for the figurehead of the House of Commons to
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Tentative signs of a financial recovery
THE rampant bull market of the past ten weeks stalled in the early part of last week, on the natural realisation that the rate of recovery in the stock market had been exceeding the rate of recovery of the economy. A number of factors led to
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Lloyds Banking Group offering discount shares to raise £4bn
THE part-nationalised Lloyds Banking Group yesterday launched plans to raise £4bn from investors. The bank wants to raise the funds to convert the £4bn in preference shares owned by the Government into ordinary shares. The taxpayer owns 43.4
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Investors facing dilemma as savings rate offers little cheer
“SELL in May and go away” is a familiar axiom for shareholders. But this year, small investors who regard equities as an escape from rock-bottom savings rates paid by banks and building societies face a real dilemma. Since the start of March,
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Mears makes a move
KING Sturge has let a 23,500 sq ft industrial unit at Aycliffe Business Park in Newton Aycliffe to Mears Ltd. The unit is one of several properties that have been upgraded on the estate following a substantial investment programme by new managers
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Property ‘best value to buy for a decade’
THE first quarter of 2009 saw UK commercial property transaction yields reach their highest levels for a decade, reflecting continuing falling capital values, with foreign investors taking advantage of low prices and a weak £sterling. The average
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Ravenhill the first to leave troubled Quakers
DARLINGTON midfielder Ricky Ravenhill is set to leave the club. The 28-year-old has agreed a two-year deal with Notts County and will sign once he has finalised his departure from the Quakers. Magpies boss Ian McParland said: "To attract someone of
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Believe in the football tooth fairy?
All the North-East’s Premier League football teams have flirted perilously close to relegation this season, with at least one club certain for the drop. With possible redundancies to follow, Business Editor Owen McAteer looks at why anyone would take
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David Coppock: Time running out to win recognition
TIME is running out for the region’s heroes of export to win recognition for their efforts as the deadline approaches for the North-East Exporters Awards 2009. Companies and individuals have until Friday, May 29 to submit nominations for the
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Clients to get IT accounts support
A TELECOMMUNICATIONS company is offering its clients an additional service after teaming up with a North-East software group. Cornerstone Business Solutions (CBS), based in Thornaby, near Stockton, has teamed up with Newcastle based Sage to offer
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Highlighting media training
ONE of the country’s biggest independent media production companies, Endemol, has teamed up with Teesside University to deliver a high-level production skills training programme. The maker of Big Brother, Total Wipeout, Deal or No Deal and Gok
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Debate to focus on microdiagnostics
NETPark Net, in conjunction with the Electronics KTN, is holding a debate on the opportunities offered by microdiagnostics and how they are revolutionising healthcare. Professor Jon Cooper, Wolfson chairman in bioengineering in the department of
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Lab to help fight computer fraud
A NEW facility could help hundreds of companies fight back against digital fraud. The new Digital Forensics Lab, at Gateshead College, aims to train firms’ IT staff with skills needed to track criminal activity and implement preventative measures
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Lap dancing financial woe
A LAP-DANCING club owner has gone into administration. Gateshead-based Lookchart Limited is a subsidury of Tuxedo Princess owner Absolute Leisure, which went into administration 11 days ago. Lookchart, which operates lap dancing bars and nightclubs
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Following in her father’s footsteps
THE daughter of one of the industry’s leading public relations experts is following in her father’s footsteps. Charlotte Green, 23, has been appointed as the new account executive at public relations and branding specialist Bradley O’Mahoney
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Hobby is now a thriving business
A HOME accessories company, which started life as a former police sergeant’s hobby, is beating the recession after signing up scores of new stockists in the past month. Pins and Ribbons, in Eaglescliffe, near Yarm, has signed-up 45 UK stockists
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‘Cash for bangers scheme is good news’
BUSINESS Secretary Lord Mandelson yesterday hailed the “cash for bangers” carscrappage scheme as good news for all those working in the car industry, a major employer in the North-East. The Cabinet Minister said he hoped buyers would take advantage
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Shower company design accolade
A NORTH-East shower company has received a design award. Roman Limited, based at Newton Aycliffe, near Darlington, has been awarded the Kitchens, Bedrooms and Bathrooms Magazine Readers’ Design Award for 2009. The Roman Shield Wetroom System
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Company completes generators project
AN engineering company has completed a project worth more than £1m and creating eight jobs. A team of 20 specialists from the Stockton-based MCE Group have spent 18 months designing, constructing and testing three offshore generators for a
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Bag full of ideas to help hospice
STAFF at a leading North-East law firm raised more than £2,000 for a hospice by filling charity bags. Staff at Dickinson Dees offices in Tees Valley, York and Newcastle raised the money for St Oswald’s Hospice, in Gosforth, near Newcastle, by filling
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Firm provides advice as health centre opens
A LAW firm has helped the North-East become one of the first areas in the country to open pioneering health centres. Property healthcare experts at Newcastle-based Ward Hadaway have advised NHS trusts on four “walk-in” health facilities on Teesside
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Val Hutchinson : How to leave something for loved ones
MANY people who are in business now, or who are already retired having run successful companies, may be looking for ways of passing on any accumulated wealth to provide for future generations. Often this has been by way of a trust, since the thought
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Chris Beaumont : Wise words particularly appropriate
“The measure of a man is not what you do in times of comfort, but what you do in controversy and challenge” – Martin Luther King. WISE words, and particularly appropriate at present, equally applicable to employees, employers, business organisations
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Market delisting solution
LAWYERS came up with an innovative solution when a construction company decided to delist from the Stock Exchange. Tees Valley and Newcastlebased Mincoff Jacksons assisted North-East property development and construction company Metnor Group
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Aerospace workers take industrial action
AEROSPACE workers took the first of two planned days of industrial action yesterday. About 80 GMB union members at CAV Aerospace, in Consett, County Durham, were striking over changes in a shift payment system and, it said, the transfer of work
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Polar adventurer to share his experiences
LITTLE over a week after completing a gruelling Arctic trek a modern-day adventurer will be in the North-East this week explaining how his polar adventures can translate to the demands of the business world. Pen Hadow will address delegates at
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Reducing energy bills
THE economic downturn is having a positive impact on the environment, new research has shown. The findings by Yorkshire Bank reveal 73 per cent of people in the North-East and 82 per cent of people in Yorkshire are taking positive steps to reduce
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Green-focus firm gets cash for expansion
AN environmentally- focused engineering firm has received £600,000 of investment to help it expand. AAG Swepco, based in Billingham, near Stockton, provides integrated renewable, engineering and facilities management services to the public and private
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News in brief: Boots cutting wholesale jobs
HIGH street chemists Alliance Boots is to cut about 200 UK pharmaceutical wholesaling jobs as part of its move to slash the division’s global workforce by ten per cent. The beauty and healthcare group said 1,500 jobs would be lost during the
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Deal is sealed with shredding specialist
A WASTE management firm has bought a business specialising in the eco-friendly shredding of sensitive information. Durham-based Premier Waste Management has acquired Shredderman, a North-East-based specialist in data destruction and recycling.
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Merger completed by eco-friendly company
AN eco-friendly company has completed a merger that could double its turnover. Ethical Superstore, established by Vic Morgan and Andy Redfern in 2003, has joined forces with Green Dot Guides, trading as Natural Collection, which was set up in
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Chemical plant closure condemned by ex-boss
THE former managing director of a Teesside chemical plant has launched a scathing attack on its owners, describing the decision to close it as “industrial vandalism”. Bruce Norman, who was managing director at Elementis Chromium, in Urlay Nook
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Izaaj in pole position to break his maiden tag
IZAAJ will never get a better opportunity with which to break his maiden than at Yarmouth. The Godolphin inmate was not unfancied for his racecourse introduction at Newmarke but just appeared to find everything happening a little too quickly over
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Cardiff pitch problems
GLAMORGAN director of cricket Matthew Maynard insists the county will provide a pitch fit for the Ashes despite seeing his side penalised for poor playing conditions at Cardiff last week. An ECB pitch panel was convened after the umpires reported
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Yorkshire humbled
YORKSHIRE’S hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages of the Friends Provident Trophy were extinguished by Sussex yesterday, although Michael Vaughan recorded his second half-century of the Group C campaign. Yorkshire, needing to win their
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Durham youngsters take centre stage for England
IN the last five seasons, Durham have produced more cricketers for England than any other county. After yesterday’s play at Riverside, they’ve also produced the best three substitute fielders too. Four years on from Gary Pratt’s heroics against
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Magpies in bid to overturn Bassong’s red card
NEWCASTLE UNITED will learn today whether their desperate attempt to have Sebastien Bassong available for Sunday’s relegation decider with Aston Villa has been successful. Despite manager Alan Shearer’s knee-jerk admission that the centre-back
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Strauss is delighted with start
A JUBILANT Andrew Strauss last night described England’s emphatic victory at Riverside as the perfect warm-up to this summer’s Ashes series with Australia. England claimed seven West Indian wickets in a little over two hours yesterday to secure
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Downing facing up to six months on the sidelines
MIDDLESBROUGH’S Stewart Downing is lined up to undergo surgery on Friday in a bid to avoid spending the next six months on the sidelines. Downing’s worst fears were realised yesterday when a scan revealed he fractured his right foot during the
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Short not put off by a Pompey horror show
ELLIS SHORT is poised to complete his takeover of Sunderland despite being at Fratton Park last night to see Ricky Sbragia’s side fail to guarantee their Premier League survival. Short sat in the Portsmouth director’s box beside Sunderland chairman
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Rallying call to support Christian Aid walkers
RAMBLERS still have time to sign up for a walk between two North- East churches. The 12-mile Bede’s Way Walk, from St Peter’s Church, in Wearmouth, Sunderland, to St Paul’s Church, Jarrow, will raise money for Christian Aid. Places are
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Grant for farmers’ market
THE future of a farmers’ market has been given a boost in the form of a £3,100 grant. Middleton Plus, which holds monthly markets in Middleton-in-Teesdale, near Barnard Castle, County Durham, received the money from the Gannett Foundation,
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Steam engine restoration is unveiled
A STEAM engine saved from the scrapheap half a century ago has gone on display at the museum where it received a facelift. Great Northern Railways’ saddle tank engine has been restored to its original colours at Locomotion: The National Railway
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MP flies to Italy for talks over Corus
A NORTH-EAST MP will fly to Italy this week for talks with the leader of a steel consortium in an attempt to save 3,000 jobs. The livelihoods of 2,000 workers and a further 1,000 contractors at the Corus site in Redcar, east Cleveland, were put
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Priest jailed for indecent assaults
A RESPECTED Roman Catholic churchman carried out sex assaults on boys in his younger days, a court heard. Father David Taylor was yesterday jailed for twoand- a-half years for offences committed while serving as youth chaplain for the Roman
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Candidate fears reprisals over Gurkha slur leaflet
A FAR-RIGHT candidate in the forthcoming European elections has said he fears reprisals following newspaper reports over alleged slurs against Gurkhas. Adam Walker, who is standing for the BNP, has made a complaint to the police after an election
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Factory staff aid troubled club with game
STAFF at a factory have helped to raise thousands of pounds for a cash-strapped football club. Footballers at Amec held a charity football match at The Northern Echo Darlington Arena to raise funds for the Quakers. Thirty players took
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Father petrol-bombed police station in protest
A FURIOUS father petrolbombed a police station to protest against the arrest of his two sons and his own antisocial behaviour order, a court heard yesterday. Stephen Rowbotham is said to have hurled the makeshift incendiary device into the reception
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Air ambulance crew’s workload doubles
A SURGE in demand for the region’s air ambulance service has left the charity in desperate need of funds. The helicopters run by the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) were called out 154 times last month, compared to 75 times for April
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Speaker refuses to resign
A DEFIANT Michael Martin was last night fighting for his position as Commons Speaker in the face of an extraordinary wave of anger over his handling of the MPs’ expenses scandal. In unprecedented scenes in the Commons, a series of MPs rose to
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Scrutiny begins of MPs’ receipts
THE Northern Echo will begin examining expenses receipts submitted by some of the region’s MPs today – even though some MPs have delayed publication. Labour MPs Roberta Blackman- Woods (Durham City) and Phil Wilson (Sedgefield) have agreed to
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Suicide-bid attempted robber is spared prison
A WOMAN who brought chaos to the East Coast Main Line at Christmas, with an on-track suicide bid after trying to rob a schoolgirl, has been spared prison. Rachel Baines was told by a judge that she would have been jailed for two years had she
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Golden boot glory of young football ace
A YOUNG footballer’s goalscoring feats have shattered records at his age level in a North-East league. Russell Bradley’s 92-goal season with Easington Colliery AFC’s under-nines team has landed him the Russell Foster League’s equivalent of
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Scientists develop prostate cancer test
A THREE-MINUTE test could help diagnose prostate cancer, the most common cancer in men in the UK, according to North-East scientists. Researchers from Durham University have developed the test by using light energy to measure the level of citrate
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Murder accused found hanged
A MAN accused of stabbing to death a mother-of-two has killed himself in his prison cell. Nigel McLean is believed to have hanged himself with a bed sheet in Durham Prison, where he was being held on remand. He was charged with the murder
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Club's spending was in excess of league rules
ACCOUNTANTS warned of the threat of liquidation at Darlington Football Club less than three months before it was placed into administration, The Northern Echo can reveal today. Club accounts for the 2006-7 financial year also show that the club
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Family calls for change over care home fall death
THE family of an elderly woman who died after a fall at a care home want to see a change in policy after staff failed to give her medical aid. Rosemary Millard, 95, of Catterick Garrison, died after she suffered a fractured hip at the North Yorkshire
