Archive
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Terry reveals his Darlington disappointment
A deeply disappointed Paul Terry has spoken of his surprise and frustration at being suddenly released by Darlington last week. And he has revealed that, being so settled in the North-East, he was considering moving to the area after finishing
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Sidebottom sidelined for Yorkshire
Ryan Sidebottom is set to miss Yorkshire's return to Friends Life t20 action following this weekend's County Championship match at Durham. White Rose captain Andrew Gale has revealed that Sidebottom has been battling against a knee problem. With England
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Mustard too hot for Notts as Durham win with ease
DURHAM threatened to squander a scintillating start in last night's Friends Life t20 match at home to group leaders Nottinghamshire. But the visitors suffered an even greater wobble and lost by 33 runs. While Phil Mustard's brilliant 75 provided the
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Sheffield success for Jackson and Lowe
Jo Jackson and Lizzie Simmonds both qualified for next month's World Championships in Shanghai but Fran Halsall found herself being pipped by Jemma Lowe on the first night of finals at the British Gas ASA National Championships in Sheffield. Jackson,
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REPEATING THE NOT SO FUN THINGS IN LIFE
Little Girl has been sitting exams for a variety of GCSE modules this month. I suspect the prospect of re-sits may be preying on her mind though, as tonight she advised me that there is a new group on Facebook called, “I Enjoy Exams SO Much I usually
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Homes evacuated after gas cylinder blaze
A NUMBER of homes were evacuated in Redcar tonight following a fire involving a propane gas cylinder. Police threw a 200 metre safety cordon around the burning cylinder in Kendal Grove as firefighters used water jets to cool it down.
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Lifeboat rescues exhausted windsurfer
AN exhausted 60-year-old windsurfer had to be rescued this afternoon Redcar by Redcar lifeboat volunteers. The alarm was raised just after 3pm when a member of the public saw the man in difficulties in Coatham Bay, west of the lifeboat station
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Bodybuilder blamed Moat for hidden shotgun, court told
A BODYBUILDING friend of Raoul Moat tried to blame the dead killer after police found a sawn-off shotgun in his garden. Richard Reay, 24, was from a good family but fell in with a bad crowd, Newcastle Crown Court heard. The well-paid rigger was jailed
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Soloists to perform at concert
LOCAL soloists are to take part alongside a military band in a musical performance this weekend. Val MacConachie and 16-year-old Danielle Rippon are to perform with the Heavy Cavalry and Cambrai band in ‘Footlights' in Darlington this Saturday. The
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Students win awards
TWO students have won awards to help them study at university. Tom Chappell and Sam Jones, students at Darlington's Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, - have won bursaries of 1000 per term for each of the three years they will study Engineering at university
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Project to improve historic park
A PROJECT to breathe new life into an under used town centre park with a historical name has been completed. Workers have carried out work in Tittybottle Park, in Bishop Auckland, to make it a place for residents to use again. Based on Cockton Hill
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Golf tournament puts town on map
A COUNTY Durham golf course hopes to put itself back on the map after being chosen to host a tournament. The North East and North West Professional Golf Association (PGA) will hold their Pro Am Golf Tournament at Bishop Auckland Golf Club on Friday,
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Community groups need more helpers
MEMBERS of a community cinema, youth club and luncheon group are appealing for volunteers to keep their services going. The three community projects in Wear Valley fear they could be forced to close or reduce their services. The Stanley
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Plans welcomed to demolish homes
A SOCIAL landlord has unveiled plans to demolish a ‘problem’ block of flats. Teesdale Housing will knock down part of the Red Houses estate in Etherley, near Bishop Auckland, though funding is not yet in place to build on the site after the demolition
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lucky escape for pet pooch
The beef-flavoured tablets are particularly tasty to dogs and only one tablet is normally taken in a twenty-four hour period. Overdoses of even two to three tablets can cause severe health problems including ulceration of the stomach, kidney and liver
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Youngsters new £300 play equipment boost
YOUNGSTERS are enjoying fun play times thanks to a £300 grant which has allowed them to buy new toys. Cockton Hill Infant School Playgroup, Bishop Auckland, has bought the toys to help children learn and develop as they play. The money was given by
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Cable workers jobs saved after agreement with creditors
A NORTH-East cable company, that laid off more than 120 workers in May, expects to save the jobs of its remaining employees after its creditors agreed to a plan to save the business. A meeting of creditors for AEI Cables, based at Birtley, County Durham
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A centre fit for heroes
Help For Heroes was a campaign which struck a chord with millions of people. Moved by the courage of our soldiers, who were putting their lives on the line in Afghanistan, the public wanted to show its support. All kinds of ways of raising
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Villagers' joy at planning vote
VILLAGERS have hailed a victory for common sense, after a decision on a £7m housing scheme was postponed. Durham County Council’s central and east Durham area planning committee voted to defer Hellens Group’s bid to build 47 new homes on The Limes estate
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Burgling bride-to-be let off curfew to go on hen night
A JUDGE waived a burgling bride-to-be's curfew today - so she can go on her hen night. Nichola Crombie's barrister also won a concession from Judge David Wood, sitting at Newcastle Crown Court, to allow her to stay out late on her wedding night on June
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Youngsters explore nature
YOUNGSTERS in Stockton have been discovering nature by taking part in a special project. The year five pupils from Rosebrook Primary School, in Stockton, spent Monday working with sound artist Dominic Nelson-Ashley to carry out an audio exploration
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Regeneration grants up for grabs
OFFICIALS are struggling to give away money designed to give an area of a town centre a facelift. Hartlepool Borough Council originally earmarked £200,000 for the refurbishment of vacant business properties in York Road, Hartlepool. But less than
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Spaces available for craft market
A craft market will take place in Parish Gardens, in Stockton, between 10am and 4pm on Saturday. It will feature wood-turned objects, handcrafted textiles, hand-made jewellery and household furnishings. A limited number of spaces are available for
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Vintage vehicles put on a show
A FIRE engine and vintage car rally takes place in Preston Park, Eaglescliffe, Stockton, from 11am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday, June 25 and 26. Fire engines, classic cars and vans, motorcycles, military vehicles and bikes will be on show, alongside
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Success for new-look library
A REVAMPED library is celebrating its first anniversary after attracting more than 75,000 visitors over the past year. The Library@South Bank, run by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, has become a major focal point for the community since opening
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Two new courses starting in Byers Green
TWO new courses are starting at Byers Green village hall. A soft furnishings course starts on Friday, from 1.30pm to 3.30pm, and a holistic healing course starts on Tuesday, June 21, from 1pm to 3pm. Sessions run weekly. For information, or to enrol
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Teachers to strike over pay
TEACHERS today overwhelmingly backed a national walkout in a row over pensions. Members of both the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) voted in favour of strike action, in protest at the changes the Government
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Donations Needed!
Teesside Hospice is appealing for fantastic clothing, furniture and bric-a-brac for its 13 Charity Shops based in the Teesside region. The Charity Shops including Acklam Road, Marske, Eston and Coulby Newham stock a range of good quality clothing,
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TOM BLENKINSOP TAKES FIGHT TO EDL
Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland Labour MP, Tom Blenkinsop, today (June 14th 2011) tabled an Early Day Motion condemning the English Defence League and demanding they leave Middlesbrough. Tom said, "The EDL is simply disgusting. They could use
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Woman left paralysed after spilt drink row
A YOUNG woman has been left paralysed after a row over a spilt drink. Claire Hilton suffered a broken back and neck after falling against a dry stone wall outside a pub 200 yards from her South Tyneside home. The mother-of-one is alleged to have been
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Pendulum, O2 Academy, Newcastle
PENDULUM created an electric atmosphere at the O2 Academy, with bass so loud that you could feel it in your chest, and a light display that matched the highenergy music. Doors opened at seven, but the band did not take to the stage until after
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A reborn Luther
Luther (BBC1, 9pm) True Stories: The Pipe (More4, 10pm) Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields (C4, 11.05pm) America’s Got Talent (ITV2, 9pm) IDRIS ELBA’S detective drama Luther didn’t please everyone first time round, but it’s back for a four-part series
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Journey/Foreigner/Styx: Live, MetroRadio Arena, Newcastle
WE may be in the middle of a recession, but the lure of seeing three of America’s finest exponents of Melodic Rock for little more than £40 was hard to resist. Styx were first up. Their irresistible vocal harmonies gained them the reputation
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Jackson impresses with Shanghai the target
OLYMPIC bronze medallist Jo Jackson launched her bid to qualify for next month's World Championships in Shanghai with an impressive heat swim to progress quickest to tonight's 200metres freestyle final at the British Gas ASA National Championships in
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Man who lied to Moat case police jailed for 15 months
A MAN who lied to police hunting shotgun maniac Raoul Moat and tried to hide a van he had used has been jailed for 15 months. Scott Raisbeck, 31, also removed crucial evidence from the Ford Transit he had lent to Moat's accomplice, Karl Ness, and stored
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Work starts on new bungalows
WORK has started to build nine new bungalows as part of a village regeneration. The £950,000 housing project will create homes for rent, owned and managed by Durham Aged Mineworkers’ Association, and is the first of three house-building projects planned
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The bank that always says yes
ONE factor in the current tough business climate is that small enterprises seeking funds for expansion are still finding it difficult to obtain bank funding. A potential solution to this could be for them to adopt a Small Self-Administered Scheme
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Cop in line for bravery award
A POLICEMAN who put his own life on the line to save a man from being crushed to death has been nominated for a national bravery award. PC John O’Malley was dealing with n accident in heavy snow at Staxton Hill, near Scarborough when a gritter lost control
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Caught in a crab market
FIRSTLY, my apology to those looking forward to a cruising travelogue, as the QE2 in this regard is the rather less nautical pseudonym for Quantitative Easing (QE). QE is shorthand for governments printing money in order to boost liquidity in
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Market report
THE FTSE 100 Index was up 7.7 points at 5773.5 after a rally in banking shares helped counter ongoing worries over the eurozone debt crisis. At one stage it was up 26 points after a strong opening on the US market, which was led higher after
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Consultation on plans for telephone box
BUSINESS leaders are to be consulted on whether to save a traditional red telephone box in a market town from the axe. BT wants to remove the kiosk in Bedale Market Place, as it is deemed as having very low usage. The telephone company has offered Bedale
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Minimum order cut pays off as wine firm plans expansion
THE UK’s largest wine warehouse chain has said that it wants to double in size as it announced a rise in profits. AIM-listed Majestic Wine yesterday reported profits before tax of £20.3m for the year to March, a 26.6 per cent increase on £16m
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Opening the gate to a variety of offerings in city centre shopping
A CITY centre shopping facility has created almost 100 jobs after taking on new retailers and increasing parking facilities in recent months. The Gates shopping centre, in Durham City, said that it had rented six units in only nine months, as
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Popcorn firm to move from kitchen table
A FAST-GROWING County Durham popcorn business is moving off the kitchen table and into a dedicated production facility as it looks to bag the lunchtime market. The fledgling Consett Popcorn Company, started by Catherine and Richard Furze, from
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Off-roaders targeted in police crackdown
A DRIVE to curb the menace of off-road bikers has proved a success to improve the lives of pedestrians and other residents in affected areas. Warning notices were issued to more than a dozen people during a single day as the attempted crackdown on off-road
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‘Exciting times’ as colleges merge
THE merger of two agricultural colleges will result in a combined total of 7,500 students studying land-based courses. Askham Bryan College, York, takes over the running of further education courses at Newton Rigg, Penrith, from the University
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Helping to make the right choices
THE Government has published a White Paper which aims to increase food production while improving the natural environment. The Natural Choice is the first White Paper on the natural environment for 20 years. It acknowledges the vital role farmers
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Police seeking cyclist after collision with car
POLICE are trying to trace a cyclist whose bike was involved in a collision with a car in Bishop Auckland. The incident occurred in Wear Chare, which is the road leading down to the river from the Market Place, in the town, on Friday, June 10, at about
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Care of uplands put in jeopardy
CENTURIES of upland management is in jeopardy, according to the Tenant Farmers’ Association (TFA). Ken Lumley, North-East regional chairman of the TFA, said the marginalisation of farming was damaging the landscape and biodiversity of the uplands
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Experts help with green housing
EXPERTS at a North-East law firm helped to bring a green housing development to the Tees Valley. Property and public sector lawyers from Ward Hadaway advised Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council on the procurement of a developer for an Eco Village
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Taking steps to avoid home fees
FEARS that estates are passing into the hands of care home operators has prompted a Tees Valley law firm to remind people how to avoid losing their life savings. Elderly couples and their families are finding that a basic will is unlikely to prevent
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MP bids to crack down on rogue landlords
A BILL to crack down on rogue private landlords who make residents' lives a misery will be presented to parliament by a North-East MP today. Phil Wilson, the Sedgefield MP, will urge ministers to create a compulsory register of all landlords
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What a blooming good idea
A YORK farmer is seeking others to help breathe new life into the British flower industry. Gill Hodgson, of Field House Farm, Everingham, was shocked to find that only ten per cent of flowers sold in the UK are sourced from this country – most
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Daddy cool
As we prepare to spoil our dads on Father’s Day this weekend, Jonathan Preston tells how he helped deliver his youngest son at home when his wife’s labour lasted just half an hour. WE’D hoped to have our third baby at home after having a relaxing
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Dressing children as sex objects
TO say the least, our society has a rather confused attitude towards raising children. On the one hand, we are so puritanical that we forbid parents to take photographs of the school nativity play and children’s sports day in case these fall into
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Chance to take tea with two authors
BOOKWORMS are invited to an afternoon tea event, with appearances from two authors, to mark the first-ever national reading group day. Castle Hill book shop, in Richmond, is hosting the event at the Zetland Centre, at 3pm, on Saturday, June 25. Emma
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Final preparations for county show
ORGANISERS of the region’s biggest agricultural shows are hopeful for record-breaking crowds for the event on Sunday. Some of the team behind the North Yorkshire County Show, to be held at South Otterington, near Northallerton, yesterday took a break
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Council to consult on parking enforcement changes
MAJOR changes look set to be on the way for the manner in which parking offences are handled across England’s biggest county. And it could mean a tougher time for those who flout the restrictions while making it easier for others to park easily and safely
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Market place
HEAVEN help us, here comes the annual tennis fest that is Wimbledon. The time of year when the 80 per cent of UK sporting fans, especially those without Sky, are subjected to blanket coverage of a sport in which we have no interest whatsoever.
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Spare us this torture
HEAVEN help us, here comes the annual tennis fest that is Wimbledon. The time of year when the 80 per cent of UK sporting fans, especially those without Sky, are subjected to blanket coverage of a sport in which we have no interest whatsoever.
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Training
ARMY veterans are to train the jobless for work by instilling discipline and giving motivation exercises as part of the Government’s new work programme. If this is the best Employment Minister Chris Grayling can come up we might as well all hang
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Food glorious food
THE quality of food served to patients by NHS hospitals is in the limelight again with chef James Martin taking up the cause for improvement. The solution is not difficult: charge patients a nominal amount – say £1 per day – towards their food
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Feedback helps to shape plans
A COMMUNITY association will use public feedback to shape its proposed plans. The Firthmoor and District Association charity held a get together at the estate community centre to receive feedback from its users. The association asked for how it
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Dirty Darlington
I HAVE recently spent a week in Darlington. Having been born and bred in the town, but having left in the early Eighties, I must say I was very disappointed with the state of the old girl. I can’t think of any other town I have visited which was
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British broadcasts
I OFTEN wonder if the BBC’s news is for the British public. The recent Arab Spring in the Middle East has led the BBC to concentrate on this region, even neglecting Afghanistan and Libya where British forces are in active combat. Even the news
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Pupils stride out to show health value of walking
CHILDREN from a primary school will take part in an event tomorrow to promote road safety and the benefits of walking. Pupils at High Coniscliffe Primary School, Darlington, will form a giant walking bus to support national charity Brake. The
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Wind farms
THE Renewable Energy Foundation (REF) is a charity which publishes information on the renewable sector. Wind farm developers are paid up to ten times the wholesale cost for their electricity. Larger wind farms come under the complex renewables
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Dry fowl
REGARDING recent letters referring to the lack of wildfowl at Hardwick Park (HAS, June 11) it is not only Hardwick that is becoming devoid of birds but the majority of North-East lakes, ponds and water ways. Lorraine Mortimer refers to predation
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Windy weather
IT has been very windy and breezy in the North-East recently. Even when the sunshine is out, there does seem to be quite a breeze. Some people say this could be down to the ozone layer, while others believe that it’s down to the number of wind
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Time to get it right
WE appreciate political leaders who listen, so David Cameron is to be applauded for taking heed of the deeprooted concerns over plans to reform the NHS. An independent panel of experts, under the banner of the NHS Future Forum, has recommended
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Parking mad
IN defence of the £32m taken in hospital parking charges, a spokesman rather smugly declared that all of this money was invested in the NHS. This may well be so, but it is still another stealth tax, although one that is extracted only from the
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Feeling better?
Today the Government is expected to reveal its revised proposals for the future of the NHS. Health Editor Barry Nelson considers what is likely to change. IT wasn’t just trade unionists who objected when Health Secretary Andrew Lansley’s proposed
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Police exonerated over probe into two-year-old's death
AN independent investigation has cleared police of failing to adequately investigate a toddler's death for which his babysitter was convicted and then cleared of murder. Suzanne Holdsworth's partner, Lee Spencer, made 27 complaints about how Cleveland
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Last ditch plan to rescue historic Ushaw College
CATHOLIC leaders have hailed plans to rescue an historic college, announced just days before its 200-year-old seminary is set to close. St Cuthbert's Seminary, at Ushaw College, near Durham City, will cease training priests later this month
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Gale bemoans lack of genuine big hitter
Captain Andrew Gale believes Yorkshire may have to do it the unconventional way if they are to go on and win this summer’s t20 competition. Gale has bemoaned the lack of a genuine big hitter in his squad following a patchy start to their campaign
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Firm targets offshore wind for growth
A DEEP sea cable laying firm is planning a serious move into the regions fast growing offshore wind sector, following new investment. The new funding for CTC Marine Projects follows a restructuring of its parent company, Trico Marine Services, which
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"Necessary" increase in housebuilding could help construction firms
PLANNING authorities need to help increase the low delivery rates of new housing in the North-East to help the regions economic growth, it was claimed. Figures released yesterday by the North East Chamber of Commerce (NECC) and town planning and economics
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Now Clara really is the Belle of the ball
A UNIVERSITY student who combines brains and beauty has been named Miss Durham 2011. Clara Belle, 23, won the seventh annual contest at Sedgefield Racecourse, in County Durham. Miss Belle, from Durham City, has just finished an American history
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Keys handed over for new Teesside University campus in Darlington
THE region's newest university has declared itself open for business. Yesterday, the keys to the new Teesside University campus in Darlington were handed over by the contractors to the vice chancellor. Civic leaders in the town spoke
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Photographer admits threatening partner's ex-husband
A PHOTOGRAPHER who gained notoriety for his inept coverage of weddings yesterday admitted a public order offence after threatening a former client whose wife he ran off with. Clayton Bennett grabbed his wife's ex-husband Mark Fry in the town
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Grandmother walks 1,200 miles into record books
A GRANDMOTHER has become the oldest woman ever to be officially recorded as having walked the length of Britain. Seventy-two-year-old Frances Tennant, from Darlington, made the 1,200-mile trek from Land's End, in Cornwall, to John O'Groats,
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Health chiefs admit man's hospital discharge contributed to his death
A GRIEVING mother has vowed to continue her fight for justice, after NHS bosses admitted her son's premature release from hospital contributed to his agonising death. Edith Blacklock said the admission over the death of her 32-year-old son
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Cash to help groups adapt to Big Society
MORE than £4.5m has been handed out to charities in the region at risk from the Government's spending cuts. A total of 51 groups from the North-East and North Yorkshire have received money from the Transition Fund. The funding is designed
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Changes to NHS 'revolution' appears to win support
SWEEPING changes that pull the plug on the government's NHS 'revolution' appeared to have finally won the backing of health professionals last night - and of coalition MPs. Clinicians and NHS managers gave a warm welcome to a hastily written
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Caravan site rejects holidaymaker with caravan popular with travellers
A HOLIDAY-MAKER has hit out after being refused entry to a site because he owns a caravan popular with travellers. Businessman Thomas Newby was hoping to stay with his family at Otterington Park caravan site, near Northallerton, North Yorkshire
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'Belittled' rail pioneer quits
A VOLUNTEER who led the renovation of a town's railway station has quit after accusing rail chiefs of belittling his efforts. Michael O'Neill was one of the founders of the Bishop Auckland Station Trust(BAST)in 2009 but last night said he was
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Former Darlington star signs for Crook.
Crook are hoping that former Darlington midfielder Richard Hodgson can make a big difference to their Second Division campaign. Hodgson, who started his football career at Sunderland, made 99 appearances for Quakers between 2000 and 2003 scoring 6 goals
