Archive
-
Date
What's on locally.
THE Darlington Countryside Team are inviting people to come along to Cockerbeck on 27th May. Here rangers will be on hand to encourage and help people participate in artistic activities. These are relating to wildlife in the area. The fee is £1.00
-
Date
Firecrews rescue lamb from ledge
FIRECREWS were called to rescue a lamb stuck on a quarry cliff on Monday. The incident happened at White Quarry, Newton Aycliffe shortly before 5pm. Cleveland Fire Service Rope Rescue team were called in and rescued the lamb from the
-
Date
Dizzee's delight at No.1 as North goes Bonkers for the Rascal
HIP Hop star Dizzee Rascal spoke last night of his delight after his single Bonkers hit the number one spot. The track - the 24 year-old's second independently released number one single - became the fastest selling song of the year when it topped the
-
Date
Police search after young boy reported wandering streets of Newton Aycliffe
POLICE launched a search last night after a young child was reported to have been seen walking the streets of Newton Aycliffe. The incident, which was ongoing around 9.30pm, was centred on the Garburn Place area of the town. However, police say no child
-
Date
Plea to car driver after County Durham man killed in hit-and-run
POLICE have called on a car driver to come forward after a County Durham man was killed in a hit-and-run incident. The victim, who was struck while walking in Sunderland on Sunday night, has yet to be publicly identified. However, he is understood to
-
Date
Lifeboat rescues family of seven after boating breakdown
A LIFEBOAT was needed to help rescue a family whose cruiser broke down during a Bank Holiday boating trip. After receiving an emergency call from the skipper reporting mechanical failure, Sunderland RNLI launched its inshore lifeboat, while a shore-based
-
Date
Pizza delivery man's jaw broken by gang of 20 men
A GANG of around 20 broke a pizza delivery man's jaw by stamping on his face. The 43-year-old told police his life flashed before his eyes during the brutal beating. He was attacked by the gang who also set upon his 25-year-old colleague and smashed
-
Date
Snatch attempt on ten-year-old girl mars Barnard Castle Meet
POLICE are hunting a man who it is believed attempted to snatch a ten-year-old child during a popular County Durham festival. The girl, from the Cleveland area, was said to be very distressed following the incident at The Barnard Castle Meet today.
-
Date
Hopes for crossing finally dashed
A PARISH council has admitted defeat after battling for 13 years to have a pedestrian crossing installed on a busy main road. Staindrop Parish Council had wanted Durham County Council to put a crossing on the A688 road from West Auckland to Barnard Castle
-
Date
Summer cycling sessions
Free weekly cycling sessions, suitable for all ages and abilities, are taking place between 1pm and 2.30pm on Thursdays in Jubilee Park, Spennymoor. Bikes and helmets are provided and the sessions are led by qualified cycle marshals. For further information
-
Date
Car rally returns to town
Ferryhill Town Council and Durham County Vintage Collectors Society (DCVCS) have organised a vintage car rally. It takes place at Mainsforth Sports Complex, Ferryhill, from 11am to 4.30pm, on Saturday and Sunday, June 20 and 21, and follows on from
-
Date
Furniture charity on the move
A CHARITY that helps impoverished families to furnishing their homes is itself looking for somewhere to live. County Durham Furniture Help Scheme (CDFHS) has outgrown its base in Chilton and is looking to expand. Plans to occupy the Southerne Club,
-
Date
Ladies' golf sessions start soon
A new series of golf sessions is about to be launched exclusively for ladies. Organised by Durham County Council they are aimed at women between 16 and 25, as part of the young women’s sport and active recreation programme. They run between 6 an 7pm
-
Date
Nottinghamshire v Durham (Twenty20 Cup)
DURHAM turned a stroll into a scramble before Mitch Claydon sealed a one-wicket win off the last ball in the opening Twenty20 Cup tie at Trent Bridge. With the scores level at the start of the final over, Durham had three wickets standing. But they
-
Date
Strachan resigns as Celtic manager
Gordon Strachan is thought to be among those being considered for the Sunderland vacancy after announcing he is leaving Celtic. Strachan began his four-year tenure with three consecutive Scottish league successes but his side let slip a seven-point
-
Date
Sin Alcohol…
Here’s another cracking tale from Ally Milroy, with the necessary endorsements of course! What a crew! Smurf, Hutchy, Jonna (our kid) and me on a 2 week 18-30 holiday in Tenerife. Every day on the way up from the beach we’d buy 2 crates of
-
Date
Arrest made following knife drama
A MAN was arrested after making threats with a knife in a Darlington street. Police cordoned off Wilson in Street, in the Denes area of Darlington, shortly before 11pm on Sunday night. But Inspector John Zissler, of Darlington police, said the road
-
Date
Pilot makes emergency landing
A LIGHT aircraft made an emergency landing at Newcastle Airport today - causing disruption to other flights. The pilot, who was flying alone, was forced to land the Aero Commander single-engine plane after reporting a mechanical fault. The four-seater
-
Date
Man arrested after rooftop drama
A MAN has been arrested after spending four hours on a roof top in Stanley, County Durham. The 21-year-old man climbed up there at 10am and refused to come down. The incident is understood to have arisen as a result of a domestic disagreement
-
Date
Sunderland confirm Cisse will not be staying
SUNDERLAND have announced the club will not be taking up the option to sign Djibril Cisse on a permanent basis this summer. The striker joined the Wearsiders on loan from Marseille at the start of the campaign but despite ending the season
-
Date
Boy breaks leg during moto cross event
A TWELVE-year-old boy has broken his leg during a moto cross accident. The incident happened this morning as the youngster was riding this motorbike on a track at Wooley Grange Farm, between Crook and Stanley in County Durham. The accident
-
Date
Sbragia admits to Sunderland 'nightmare'
RICKY Sbragia has admitted the closing weeks of his time in charge of Sunderland were a nightmare. Sbragia stepped down as Sunderland manager yesterday after his team narrowly escaped relegation from the Premier League. The Scot succeeded Roy Keane
-
Date
Llambias confirms midweek meeting with Shearer
NEWCASTLE owner Mike Ashley will sit down with Alan Shearer this week to thrash out the way forward after the club plummeted out of the Premier League. Yesterday's 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa dumped the Magpies into the Coca-Cola Championship after 16
-
Date
Po’Girl, Jumpin’ Hot Club @ The Cluny, Newcastle
FRONTED by Po’Girl founder member Allison Russell, the popular Canadian act opened Newcastle’s Evolution Festival with their appearance on the stage at the Cluny. Russell was joined by fellow multi-instrumentalists Awna Teixeira and Benny Sidelinger
-
Date
Live theatre
The Operation: Surgery Live (C4, 10.25pm) IMAGINE the scene: an operating theatre where open heart surgery is being carried out. A phone rings. Hopefully, it’s a Channel 4 viewer wanting to speak to the surgeon and not a wrong number for a takeaway
-
Date
Red Peter, Witham Hall, Barnard Castle
BARNARD Castle actor Gordon Duffy-McGhie had a roaring success at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe with his one-man show, Red Peter, and he is now performing it at The Prague Fringe festival. “I’ve added an extra scene, and, to make the show easier
-
Date
Presidents, princes and even a Pope
Hollywood actor James Cromwell, the man who played Farmer Hoggett in Babe, is something of a political animal offscreen, as Steve Pratt discovers. ANY actor who’s played both the first President Bush and Prince Philip must be classed as versatile
-
Date
Little Jescea: another victim of a relentless enemy
Amy Waddell, from Upper Teesdale, is spending six months in south east Liberia. She is the communications intern for Merlin, the international medical aid agency. In the first of her dispatches, she discovers the devastating reality of malaria. SUMMER
-
Date
Choice of speaker
OUT of all the MPs, how was it possible to find someone so utterly inept for the job of Speaker as Michael Martin? In view of the recent revelations it seems obvious that the people who made the appointment had ulterior motives. J Sayers, Spennymoor
-
Date
HAS contributors
COULD I point out to Christopher Wardell (HAS, May 21) that at the bottom of the Hear All Sides page is the question: Do you agree or disagree with any of the views expressed today? I have absolutely nothing against his views as such. My letter
-
Date
Petrol prices
MOVING away from MPs’ expenses, has anyone noticed the rise in petrol prices? I recently passed a Jet garage and it was £1.09p per litre. Every week I notice an extra 1p or 2p more on a litre. One word – greed. If it were France, roadblocks would
-
Date
Wear them proudly
RE your story about 87-year-old Nina MacAulay, of Drumbeg, Scotland, threatening to hand back eight medals she and her late husband won during the Second World War in disgust at the MPs’ expenses scandal (Echo, May 21). May I suggest she wears those
-
Date
Mecca memory
RE your news brief about Sadiq Khan, the Government minister responsible for community cohesion, becoming the first Western minister to make an official pilgrimage to Mecca, Islam’s holiest site, in Saudi Arabia (Echo, May 19). As a Christian, I
-
Date
Duck research bill quackers, or what?
IT is reassuring to know this Government has taken seriously the need to curb needless public expenditure in the wake of the current economic crisis. The spending of £294,027 by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to research
-
Date
Voting record
AJ Cummings is correct (HAS, May 18) that I did vote against the Freedom of Information Act applying to MPs. However, if he read my contributions to the Freedom of Information (Amendment) Act debate he would know this was because I did not want
-
Date
MPs' expenses
EURO MPs are paid much more than MPs, namely £145,000 a year, plus £36,000 office costs. Many employ their spouse. They also get a travel allowance, limousine and two chauffeurs. There is no requirement for receipts for these office or travel
-
Date
Euro elections
IT is to be hoped, in the general mood of cynicism pervading British society over MPs’ expenses, that voters will not be tempted to wash their hands over the whole political process, but will show their sense of civic duty by voting in the European
-
Date
What a lovely picture...
AS someone who has The Northern Echo delivered every day I thought it was time to move on from politics, at least what’s going on at the moment. What a pleasure it was, then, to see the picture – above – with your story, headlined “Time for a break
-
Date
BNP
ADAM Walker’s quibble about the meaning of racism leads to the absurd conclusion that discrimination or hostility towards others on the basis of race or colour is not racism unless it is accompanied by a belief in the superiority of one’s own
-
Date
A need for perspective
WE share the unprecedented public outrage over the MPs’ expenses scandal and it is right that pressure continues to be applied so that a robust and trusted system emerges from the ruins of Parliament’s reputation. However, it is also time to apply
-
Date
Keeping the faith
John Burton was Tony Blair’s agent throughout his 24 years as Sedgefield’s MP. Today, his book, looking at how religion coloured the Blair premiership, is published. He talks to Chris Lloyd about faith, socialism and his own beliefs. ON a table in
-
Date
Strauss keeping feet on the ground
ANDREW Strauss is still refusing to get carried away with England’s apparently irresistible form, after their six-wicket victory over West Indies at Bristol. The England captain was a commanding figure on a day when every decision he made seemed
-
Date
Collingwood stars with bat and ball in easy England win
PAUL Collingwood celebrated his 50th NatWest Series appearance by helping England crush West Indies at Bristol. The Durham all-rounder became the first man to reach a half-century in ten summers of such series and marked his occasion with three
-
Date
Naved cleared to play
YORKSHIRE have been given a major boost with the news that Rana Naved-ul-Hasan is available for today’s Twenty20 Cup opener against Leicestershire at Headingley. The ECB have brokered a deal with the Indian chief Lalit Modi, the man behind the
-
Date
Uncertainty over Warner
DURHAM, totesport’s 13-2 favourites for the Twenty20 Cup, will go into a tough opening match at Trent Bridge today still uncertain about the availability of Australian David Warner. He was out for a duck when Delhi Daredevils lost their Indian
-
Date
Weekend round-up
A RECORD-BREAKING 244-run opening partnership by Jake McCann and Marc Hopkinson will go into the history books of the Warmseal Durham Senior League after the Durham City pair helped themselves to their first centuries of the season. McCann, whose
-
Date
Goodchild’s hat-trick lifts Guisborough
A CAREER first hat-trick for Guisborough’s Paul Goodchild produced a double celebration as his team returned to lead the championship for the first time since they last won it three seasons ago. The Priory club’s seam bowler hit top form to
-
Date
We survived on guts, says Brown
Hull City 0 Manchester United 1 HULL boss Phil Brown led the celebrations after his side’s dramatic escape from relegation. The Tigers were beaten 1-0 by an under-strength Manchester United at the KC Stadium but clung on to their Barclays Premier
-
Date
O’Neill backs Shearer
ASTON Villa boss Martin O’Neill believes Alan Shearer is the right man to lead Newcastle back to the Premier League despite his lack of managerial experience. O’Neill said: ‘‘I know the story today is not about us and I have sympathy for Alan
-
Date
Old-boy Waite returns to Stockton to cause problems
FORMER Stockton allrounder Richard Waite pushed his former club further into the doldrums when he grabbed an impressive seven-wicket haul to keep Chester-le-Street in championship form and among four sides still unbeaten after five games. Waite
-
Date
Aston Villa 1 Newcastle United 0
Aston Villa 1Newcastle United 0 TRUST Newcastle to save the worst until last. Trust Newcastle, when everything else was going in their favour, to throw away one final chance to save their Premier League skin. Trust Newcastle, when a
-
Date
Redcar’s highlight is Totesuper 7 Zetland Gold Cup Heritage Handicap
THE Totesuper 7 Zetland Gold Cup Heritage Handicap is the highlight of Redcar’s six race card this afternoon. Her Majesty The Queen is represented in the ten furlong race with Kingdom Of Fife, who is sure to be popular after running a great race
-
Date
Today's prospects
FLIPANDO can roll back the years by clocking up another victory in the totesuper7 Zetland Gold Cup at Redcar. David Barron’s eight-year-old landed this valuable handicap in 2007, and arrives at the Cleveland venue just 1lb higher. Despite his advancing
-
Date
Button in exclusive club through Monaco victory
JENSON Button made one mistake all weekend and thankfully for him it came after he had fulfilled a boyhood dream with victory at the Monaco Grand Prix. Button was imperious in a Brawn GP car which has won in a park, the dry, the wet, and now
-
Date
Shearer ready to make demands
ALAN Shearer will discuss his future with Newcastle owner Mike Ashley this week, after admitting that yesterday’s relegation from the Premier League could result in the club following the same downward spiral as Leeds United. Damien Duff’s own
-
Date
Durham to face Kent in final
DURHAM will meet Kent at Darlington on Saturday in the final of the County Championship Plate after beating Oxfordshire 34-26 at the Blackwell Meadows ground. Mowden Park scrum half Martyn Lithgo proved a real livewire on his county debut and
-
Date
Woolford is the Iron’s hero
Scunthorpe United 3 Millwall 2 NIGEL Adkins paid tribute to Martyn Woolford who was the unlikely Wembley hero as Scunthorpe secured a return to the Championship with a dramatic 3-2 play-off final win over Millwall. The 23-year-old winger, who
-
Date
Neville earns shock recall
GARY Neville is in line to become the most-capped England full-back of alltime after being handed a surprise call-up by Fabio Capello. After spending more than two years battling injury since making his last appearance against Spain at Old
-
Date
Southgate keen for chance to make necessary changes
A DEFIANT Gareth Southgate insisted he remains “determined to see the job through” and will not walk away from Middlesbrough, despite their relegation being confirmed at Upton Park. The greatest of great escapes never looked like materialising
-
Date
Tame surrender as Boro never threaten goals needed to pull off great escape
West Ham United 2 Middlesbrough 1p DESPITE appearing inevitable for several weeks, it made the confirmation no less painful for players and fans alike. When supporters wanted Middlesbrough to fight for their Premier League futures they instead
-
Date
Quinn wants a big name, but Ricky has a job for life
RICKY SBRAGIA has been told he has “a job for life” by chairman Niall Quinn after the Scot last night announced he had stood down as Sunderland manager. Sbragia is expected to take up a player recruitment role at the club as Quinn steps up his
-
Date
Hyypia says farewell to Anfield fortress
Liverpool 3 Tottenham 1 LIVERPOOL claimed runners-up spot in the Barclays Premier League and denied Tottenham European football after a season that produced an unbeaten home league record for the first time in 21 years. Their unbeaten home
-
Date
Downturn hits the sale of Stan Laurel’s school
THE property downturn has hit the sale of comic legend Stan Laurel’s old school, which is struggling to find a buyer. The 145-year-old Laurel building at the old King James I Grammar School, in Bishop Auckland, has attracted no acceptable bids
-
Date
Sbragia quits after mission accomplished
Sunderland 2 Chelsea 3 THE Stadium of Light was rocking at 5.55pm yesterday as it became apparent that Sunderland will be the North East’s only representatives in the Premier League next season. News of Hull City’s defeat guaranteed Sunderland
-
Date
Alsatian collars robber with a phobia of dogs
A KNIFEMAN with a fear of dogs was arrested when police set an alsatian on him. Teenager Nathan Gunn was ready for a battle with police until the alsatian was drafted in. He immediately put down his two knifes and lay on the floor so he could
-
Date
Children take it in stages to try competitive sports
CHILDREN have taken part in an aquathlon to raise awareness of opportunities in paralympic sport. Pupils from schools across Darlington and the Tees Valley did a 25-metre swim followed by a 400-metre run as part of a national project organised
-
Date
Shop staff go back in time for Charlie
STAFF at a supermarket are dressing as Victorian grocers to raise money for a toddler who suffers from a rare condition. Staff at Sainsbury’s, in Framwellgate Moor, Durham City, organised the event for two-year-old Charlie Wilkinson. He has
-
Date
Museum offers free opening to tempt helpers
A POPULAR museum will open today for free to try to recruit volunteers. Cleveland Ironstone Mining Museum, at Skinningrove, east Cleveland, needs guides. The attraction is hosting Aycliffe Bus Preservation Society’s Aidensfield Bus. In addition
-
Date
Music funds will be donated to Quakers support group
MUSICIANS and football fans who have organised a concert to secure the future of their club have decided to pass on the profits to a supporters’ trust group. A group of Darlington supporters organised the second Darlo Bands for Darlo Fans event
-
Date
Stirling work for race legend
A DRIVING legend will be racing today in a rare 55- year-old car that has been restored in a North-East village. Sir Stirling Moss, 79, sent the OSCA MT4 – built by the Maserati Brothers, in Italy – to have its bodywork renovated at David Royle
-
Date
The professionals who go looking for trouble
Every weekend, recruits from Catterick Garrison descend on Darlington’s pubs and clubs. Jim Entwistle joins military and civil police officers on patrol as they take a new approach to dissipating old tensions. A GROUP of young soldiers stands in the
-
Date
Youth crime deterrent to be expanded
A PIONEERING scheme to make young offenders face up to their crimes is to be rolled out across part of the region. The Restorative Justice Programme – aimed at low-level offending by people aged ten to 17 and designed to put the needs of the victim
-
Date
Vital link in necklace record bid
AN attempt to string together the longest ever necklace was launched in the North-East over the weekend. Shami Chakrabarti, director of human rights organisation Liberty, got it under way on Saturday. She was in Lebeado, in Durham, to kick
-
Date
Grieving DJ aims to break 116-hour world record
A DISC jockey will attempt to smash a world endurance record and raise money for a charity close to his heart. Paul Blackett, 26, is aiming to DJ for five days to raise funds for Sophie’s Trust – a charity he set up in memory of his wife.
-
Date
Region basks in sunshine, but ambulance crews busy
THE region basked in sunshine yesterday, but the glorious weather prompted a busy day for the emergency services. With temperatures hitting 20C, the region’s roads were busy with people making the most of the weather. However, police and ambulance
-
Date
Ceremony honours those who died at sea
THOSE who died at sea have been honoured at a ceremony. Two commemorative plaques were unveiled following a service to remember people in Redcar and east Cleveland. The ceremony, at Redcar Cemetery, also mentioned those who continue to save
-
Date
The pain, misery and joy – a fan’s lot
All three North-East teams suffered defeats on the final day of the Premiership season, dubbed Survival Sunday, but tears shed by fans were of both joy and devastation, as one club survives and two suffer the ignominy of relegation. THE sea of black
-
Date
Charity raises cash for children across region
A CHARITY has been set up in the name of a terminally ill youngster. The Taylor Made For You Trust, named after Taylor Stallard, from Hartlepool, was launched on Saturday at a fun day to celebrate her fourth birthday. The trust will raise money
-
Date
Man free after 30 years visits parents’ graves
A MAN wrongly jailed for nearly 30 years paid an emotional visit to the North-East to his parents’ graves on his release, it has emerged. Robert Hodgson, known as Sean, was at the County Durham cemetery this month as his struggle adjusting
-
Date
Down and out
IT was billed as Survival Sunday, but it turned out to be a North-East Nightmare as Newcastle and Middlesbrough were both relegated from the Premier League on the same afternoon. Newcastle’s 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa condemned them to the Championship
