Archive
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Electric blanket causes bungalow blaze
A FAULTY electric blanket has been blamed for a fire in the bedroom of a bungalow in a North Yorkshire village this evening. Fire engines from Richmond, Darlington and Barnard Castle attended the blaze in Forcett, near Richmond, at just after 8pm. The
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Man's body pulled from river
POLICE have today recovered a body from a North-East river. A Northumbria Police search team located the body of a man in the River Derwent near Rowlands Gill, Gateshead, at just after 12.30pm. Officers are trying to establish the identity of the dead
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Cockerton community correspondent
WARD SURGERIES: Cockerton West ward surgeries are held on the second Wednesday and second Thursday of each month. The next one is on Wednesday, in Mount Pleasant Children's Centre, from 10am to 11am. On Thursday, the surgery will be held in Cockerton
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Making promises to repair church roof
FUNDRAISERS are preparing for a final push as they close in on the £84,000 target needed to repair a church roof. The organisers of Guisborough Methodist Church's Raising the Roof appeal are holding an auction of promises to help them achieve their goal
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Cafe culture helps pupils with French
PUPILS have said bonjour to their new headteacher during a French language evening. Forty-seven students from years five and six at Polam Hall School, in Darlington, have been on a four-day visit to Paris to soak up French culture, as well as hone
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Adoption service improves
AN adoption service has improved since its last report and is now rated as good. Darlington Borough Council's Adoption Service improved on its satisfactory rating when it underwent an Ofsted inspection last month. The Ofsted report noted that
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Son's bet comes up trumps for mum
A CHARITY run by a retired schoolteacher received a welcome, if a little unusual, bonus this week. Helen Jones' son, David, called to tell her he had a donation to make to School Aid India after winning £900 through free bets through his job
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Dancing shoes at the ready for carnival parade
THE streets of Darlington will become a riot of Brazilian colour and music when a samba teacher joins the Community Carnival parade. The 29th Darlington Community Carnival will take place on Saturday, June 25, from 11am to 5pm, in Stanhope Park.
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Shoppers terrified by attack in town centre
A MAN had his head smashed into a bus during a "savage attack" which brought a busy town centre to a standstill. Three men are said to have attacked two men for about ten minutes outside Waterstone's book store, in Prebend Row, Darlington, at about
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Future of Tall Trees rests on homes plan
PLANS for more than 140 houses and apartments next to a popular hotel in Yarm are being recommended for approval. Javed Majid, owner of the Tall Trees Hotel where the development will take place, has applied to Stockton Borough Council for outline planning
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Have a say on area proposals
RESIDENTS in Stockton are being invited to have their say on regeneration proposals tomorrow. Plans for the Swainby Road area have been drawn up thanks to funding from the Homes and Community Agency. So far, 73 properties have been demolished in Swainby
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Carers' groups in advert campaign
CARERS are taking part in an advertising campaign to raise awareness of the issues they face. Carers' organisations in the Tees Valley have come together for the first time to identify more carers living in Darlington, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland
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Poetic catharsis
Barnard Castle writer Emma Guyll describes the people and places and childhood influences that inspired her to put pen to paper. ONE of my earliest memories is of my father, who is a quiet, deeply intelligent and introspective man, reading
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Police name mother-of-two killed in A19 crash
A WOMAN who died after her car collided with a lorry on a busy North-East road has been named. Mother-of-two Margaret Clay, of South Hetton, County Durham, was travelling with her 15-year-old daughter Laura in a black Vauxhall Corsa when they
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Heads you win
THIS month has seen the opening of a new hair salon in Darlington town centre. Contemporary Salon has renovated a vacated unit, creating six jobs and with ambitious plans for expansion. The salon interior reflects its name, with cool grey tiles,
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'Mirrored palace' scheme wins over planners
CONTROVERSIAL plans to build a ‘mirrored palace’, which neighbours claim threaten a burial ground and priory, have won the backing of council officials. Durham County Council planners are recommending councillors approve the Bremner family’
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Great goals
A touring health and fitness scheme is giving youngsters a sporting chance. Health Editor Barry Nelson explains. A FOOTBALLING legend is helping pupils to learn how they can improve their health and achieve their goals – sporting or not. An innovative
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It’s all about the boobs
New online clothing range Pepperberry specialises in making beautiful garments for busty ladies. IT’S a well-known fact that bust sizes are getting bigger and for those of us who are well endowed on top, it is notoriously hard to find great
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ENTREPRENUR LAUNCHES UNIQUE BUSINESS AWARDS TO FIND THE NEXT TOP DOG IN BUSINESS
A North East entrepreneur is launching a ground breaking startup business awards to celebrate the success of new enterprises in the region. Frustrated by the lack of business awards tailored specifically for startup companies, Managing Director of
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Escape clause
Injustice (ITV1, 9pm, until Friday) JAMES PUREFOY is happy to get back to the present day after a run of period dramas from the TV series Rome to Terence Rattigan’s play Flare Path on stage. “I didn’t want to hold a sword any more, I
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Raid on jewellery shop
POLICE are appealing for help tracing a man who made a failed attempt to break into a jewellers’ shop. The suspect, who was in his mid 20s, tried to smash the front window of the David Summerfield jewellers in Front Street, Chester-le-Street to steal
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Tyneside street named hippest in country
Tyneside has fought its portrayal by MTV show Geordie Shore by winning a national award for a culture-packed street. South Shore Road in Gateshead, which boasts the Baltic art gallery, and the Sage music venue was named Britain's hippest street
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Grouse numbers on the up in Dales
RESEARCH has revealed the future is finally looking better for a rare game bird - although it is still suffering mixed fortunes in the north of England. Black grouse suffered a devastating decline in their population last year - but the beleaguered
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Chance to delve into your family's history
PEOPLE who want to delve into their family histories are being offered expert tips on how to go about it. Family history skills events, led by experienced family history tutor Jackie Depelle, will be held at the County Records Office, in Northallerton
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City Diary
RETAILERS have enjoyed a springtime boost from favourable weather, but Halfords and the Argos and Homebase owner Home Retail Group are expected to say trading conditions remain tough when they update the market this week. Halfords will report
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Matt’s review engineers first medal win
A NORTH-EAST engineer has become the inaugural winner of a national award from the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE). Matt Taylor, who works for civil engineering firm Atkins’ Stockton office, is the first winner of ICE’s Jean Venables Medal
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Growth driven by exports
MANUFACTURING in the North-East has expanded in five consecutive quarters, according to research revealed today. The research by manufacturers’ organisation EEF and financial services firm BDO showed that the continuing growth in the region was
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The Ayrton formula
Formula One champion Ayrton Senna’s life is celebrated in a new film from award-winning director Asif Kapadia. He tells Steve Pratt about falling in love with his subject and an unusual approach to making the documentary. AWARD-WINNING director
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Too big to collapse?
THE real losers in the ongoing financial crisis at Southern Cross are the 31,000 residents in its 750 care homes. Although the Darlington-based group has been grappling with falling income, rising rents and higher costs for some time, the Government
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Park Authority chairman leaves post
A PARK Authority has bid farewell to its chairman of five years. John Fletcher stood down last month after 18 years as a member of the North York Moors National Park Authority. A new chair will be elected at a full meeting on June 27
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Villagers don fancy dress for carnival
THERE was a carnival atmosphere in a Teesdale village this weekend. Dozens of villagers donned fancy dress as part of Mickleton Carnival on Saturday, where entertainment included a fancy dress parade, stalls and displays by the Teesdale Flyball team.
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Week Three: Keep right on the edge of what you feel is comfortable
Three weeks remain before the redspottedhanky.com Sunderland City 10k gets underway. Last week’s training blog stepped up the intensity and providing limbs are feeling free and easy again after those sessions, it’s more of the same this week
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Thirsk cyclists to race from Lands End to John O Groats
THREE friends will set off on their bikes this week to travel 915 miles across the UK. Ian Watkinson, 32, Chris Brown MBE, 59, and Tony Ault, 60, all from the Thirsk area, will begin their journey from Lands End in Cornwall to John O Groats
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Improvements completed at cricket club
A CRICKET club bowled over by help to improve its grounds opened the facility to its supporters and council officials yesterday. Hunwick Cricket Club was officially handed the lease for its grounds by Councillor Dennis Morgan, the chairman of Durham
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Climate
JIM ALLAN (HAS, June 2) upbraids the world’s politicians who accept the overwhelming scientific opinion that current and imminent climate change is a threat, that it is man-made and that we should switch to cleaner fuels. If we do nothing then
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Ring my bell
I REMEMBER some years ago reading advice given to tourists visiting Yorkshire. It counselled against becoming over familiar. It went on to say that it was not wise to make assumptions – even if a resident appeared to smile it could simply be a
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A unique vision for Stockton town centre
R HARBRON’S view of Stockton Council’s prospectus for regenerating Stockton town centre (HAS, June 31) uses inappropriate and emotive phrases such as “shrink”, “destroy” and “downgrade” to jump to conclusions about plans for the town’s historic
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Labour
REFERRING to Jim Tague’s letter (HAS, June 1), he mentions that due to the Labour government, ten per cent of manufacturing jobs were lost in County Durham between 1998 and 2005. He must have a very short memory – or a selective memory. Like many
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Durham City
I HAD reason to visit Lloyds TSB in Durham Market Place. I am an amputee and, therefore, need a wheelchair. I felt humiliated when my daughter informed me that I could not do my transaction as I was unable to get to the counter because there was
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Cuts
CUTBACKS – the very word fills me with dread knowing how much Durham County Council’s proposed cutbacks in respite services, such as Dene Lodge, in Ferryhill, will affect users and carers as well as job losses of much valued and compassionate staff
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Paws for thought
WHILE I admire Mark Waters for doing the walk of 190 miles for a cancer charity (Echo, May 31), I don’t agree with taking Maddie, his cocker spaniel, along too. A horse couldn’t do it, never mind a dog. Maureen Brighten, Darlington.
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A great performance
I WOULD like to thank the staff at the town hall in Bishop Auckland. I had my purse stolen last Tuesday and it had tickets in it for the film The King’s Speech. When I explained everything to them, they were so kind and helpful and we saw the film
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Mobile menaces
I KEEP seeing idiots who persist in using a mobile phone while driving – utter stupidity. Surely there must be a way of stopping people using their phones in this way? I feel certain car manufacturers could fit a device whereby as soon as the
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NORTH YORKSHIRE: news in brief
CHARITY RIDE: A former army medic who served in Afghanistan has raised almost £4,000 by taking part in a charity bike ride between Helmsley and Filey. Ivan Doherty, 46, from Romanby, who is also a paramedic, took part in the ride to help raise funds
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Union offices
REGARDING the use of taxpayers’ money for union functions and office facilities (HAS, May 31). The Labour Party received £2,882,765 in the first quarter of 2011, of which £2,507,372, or over 85 per cent, was provided by the unions. If they can
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Pattern request
DOES anyone have any toys and dolls’ clothes knitting or crochet patterns they don’t use anymore? My daughter is learning to knit and crochet and we are finding any of these patterns very difficult to come across. Mrs J Fisher, 1 Hillcrest, Thirsk
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Jobs
THE latest figures showing a steady increase in unemployment levels amongst the over-50s are a real cause for concern. The financial impact of unemployment is apparent, as older people struggle to survive and some are forced to retire before they
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Recession
A STAGNATING economy shows the UK has seen not a seen a single seed of growth in over six months. Clearly something is not working. When there was an energy crisis in the mid-Seventies, there was an old Tory saying: “Switch off something now.”
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Ireland
IF you look through the history books you will find numerous examples when, during the Middle Ages, the English openly protested against atrocities committed against the Irish. Surviving accounts from soldiers who fought under Oliver Cromwell
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Four-year-old Halyard looks a pick at Windsor
HALYARD can prove the pick of a rather humdrum day of action by landing the Mercers Law Handicap at Windsor. The four-year-old does not boast a prolific wins-to-runs ratio but two victories in ten starts is not too bad and he looks a horse
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French ace Pour Moi dashes royal dream of Derby glory
IT was not the result the majority of the British nation wanted to see as the Queen’s Carlton House simply failed to match the blistering speed of French interloper Pour Moi in the Investec Derby. Thousands flocked to Epsom Downs – including the
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Durham’s victory hopes hit by rain
DURHAM’S hopes of recording their first Twenty 20 win of the season against the only team who finished below them in their group last year were ruined by rain at Worcester yesterday. It was a repeat of Worcestershire’s visit to Chester-le-Street
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Tykes get Twenty20 spanking on Trent
YORKSHIRE captain Andrew Gale claimed this year’s Friends Life Twenty20 was coming at the perfect time for his side following their difficult start to the 2011 season. After losing against the Nottinghamshire Outlaws to make it two defeats out
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Shildon sign seven as rebuilding job starts.
Shildon manager Gary Forrest has signed the league's top scorer as he rebuilds his team for next season. Forrest has signed Warren Byrne for the second time, on this occasion from Newton Aycliffe for whom he scored 44 league goals last season
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Words of comfort from boss after Bent’s nightmare
DARREN Bent is confident his glaring miss will not see him dropped from the England side, despite it denying them a crucial victory over Switzerland. Aston Villa striker Bent blazed over the crossbar with the goal gaping as England drew 2-2 to
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Capello’s tired response to yet another listless performance by his England team
England 2 Switzerland 2 THE question was straightforward enough: “Fabio, why should the Football Association let you remain England manager for another year?” The answer was unconvincing. “It is a question for the chairman. It is my job. I am
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Newcastle closing in on deal for Gervinho
NEWCASTLE United last night took a step closer to securing the services of Lille wide man Gervinho. The winger’s agent made it known to the French press at the weekend that he will be negotiating a deal, which will eventually see him link up
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How others see us
DAVID and Barbara Mawer have just returned from holiday in Capetown, South Africa, and were delighted to find an article about Darlington's local history in the Cape Argus newspaper. It is about the Backhouse family, in particular James the
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Steering wheels stolen in spate of unusual thefts
POLICE are warning car owners to be on their guard after a spate of unusual thefts. Six cars were targeted in Harrogate and Knaresborough, in North Yorkshire, on Saturday night, with the thieves making off with items including steering wheels, air bags
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Relegated Esh sign nine
Esh Winning manager Andrew Soppitt has wasted no time in starting a clearout at Waterhouses. Esh were in the relegation zone for the vast majority of last season, and Soppitt, who was appointed in March, is drastically changing the squad with nine new
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Hide is lasting memorial to to club's founding chairman
A TRIBUTE has been unveiled in memory of a birdwatching pioneer. Phil Stead, the first chairman of Teesmouth Bird Club, also served on the bird record committees for Durham, Yorkshire and Northumberland. He died in 2005 aged 74.
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Security group in covert operation
A PRIVATE security firm has launched covert surveillance to catch burglars. Sparta Burglar Watch was launched earlier this month by former boxer “Fearless” Francis Jones, who has attracted national attention since he set up Sparta Security
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Call for rethink on tourist office plan
A COUNCIL has come under renewed fire over its plans to close a flagship tourist office, with industry leaders speaking out in protest. Durham City’s Tourist Information Centre (TIC), is expected to close within months, as part of a Durham
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Festival fans see 100 acts
THOUSANDS of music lovers enjoyed more than 100 acts at a festival yesterday. Indie idols Feeder, New Yorkers The Fun Lovin’ Criminals, chart-topping rapper Chipmunk and up-and-coming rapper Example took to the stage at Intro, in Middlesbrough
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Growing expertise secures contract for social housing provider
A SOCIAL housing provider has become the first to be awarded a contract to carry out work for a fellow organisation using a North-East procurement scheme. Redcar based Coast & Country has won a £350,000 contract to carry out improvement work to former
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NECC wants private sector voice heard in enterprise zone plan
THE private sector has offered a cautious welcome to the proposed Tees Valley enterprise zone, which aims to create 30,000 jobs over the next 25 years. The region's local enterprise partnership (LEP) has worked closely with local authority
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Fairground attraction
With the biggest social event on the travelling community’s calendar in full swing, Helen Smithson headed to Appleby, in Cumbria, to experience all the fun of the horse fair. THE overwhelming smell of horses, combined with well-trodden grass,
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Eco day hailed a success
ORGANISERS of a fun-filled day of environmental activities have hailed the event a big success. About 3,000 people visited the Altogether Greener event, in Millennium Place, Durham City, on Saturday. Mary Readman, from Durham County
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James plans to cycle the world in three years
A JOB centre worker is planning to cycle round the world. James Hirst, who works as a personal advisor in Darlington, is planning a 25,000-mileplus ride, which could take him three years. The 24-year-old will leave his home, in Carrville
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Survivors pay tribute to sacrifice of airmen
MORE than 150 people braved the cold to honour the sacrifice made by airmen during the Second World War. The Middleton St George Memorial Association held its annual event on Saturday outside the St George Hotel at Durham Tees Valley Airport
