AN injured kayaker was pulled from a swollen river by rescuers on Sunday evening. About 20 volunteers from Swaledale Mountain Rescue Team (SMRT) and a similar number of firefighters were involved in the rescue of a man from the River Swale at Catrake
POLICE said there were no suspicious circumstances after a body was found near a footpath. A member of the public found the hanged body of a male beside a footpath close to Hownes Gill Viaduct, Consett, County Durham, on Saturday evening. Police
A MAN reported missing from home was rushed to hospital after being found by a search dog in a gorge. Volunteers from Teesdale and Weardale Search and Mountain Rescue Team (TWSMRT) were called out to search for the middle-aged man in the Tow Law
AMANDA Lightfoot insists her next outing at the Winter Olympics cannot come quick enough after getting her Games debut up and running in the 7.5km sprint. The 27-year-old, from South Shields, placed 75th in the first women’s biathlon event of the
KATE CARPENTER takes her triumphant Team Northumbria netball team to Yorkshire Jets tomorrow convinced that a team in transition can only get better. The jubilant Kiwi masterminded a first win of the season on Saturday as Celtic Dragons were beaten
Gus Poyet will have been disappointed to see Sunderland lose 2-0 to Hull City, however his side's gameplan was in tatters with Wes Brown's straight red after just four minutes. Sunderland still have momentum on their side and remain in good fettle,
FOOTBALLERS are taking to the field in new strips after a West Auckland transport boss donated £450 to a non-league club. Frank Hudson gave the money to buy Adidas strips for Wear Valley Sunday League Division One side West Auckland Working Men
A CONSERVATIONIST claims new security measures proposed for a nature reserve on an army base could cost it newly won national status. Foxglove Covert Local Nature Reserve, at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, has just become the top site in
AMATEUR thespians showcased skills they learnt from a weekend spent with the Royal Shakespeare Company last month. Members of the Drama In The Dale group, who attended the event in Manchester, held performing arts workshops at Harehope Quarry,
HUNDREDS of people turned up to a rally in Middlesbrough at the weekend to protest against “dangerous” cutbacks at Cleveland Fire Brigade. Demonstrators met outside the Bottle of Notes sculpture, near Middlesbrough Town Hall, on Saturday to voice
A MUSEUM that documents the illustrious history of The Green Howards is looking to the future as a complete overhaul of exhibitions and redevelopment of the former church it is housed in continues. Military tradition dating back 300 years is recounted
FORMER BBC Radio 1 DJ turned politician Mike Read addressed a public meeting in the region at the weekend (Saturday, February 8). The 66-year-old, now a Magic 1458 presenter, is culture and media spokesman for the United Kingdom Independence Party
THOUSANDS of bottles, many more than a century old, were on display at a weekend fair. Antique bottles, some worth thousands of pounds, attracted many enthusiasts to Stanley Masonic Hall, County Durham, on Saturday morning (February 8). The
THE inventor of a unique car which runs on gas generated from coffee production waste has drawn a blank in his efforts to sell the recording-breaking vehicle. Martin Bacon was hoping to use proceeds from the sale of his coffee car to fund his next
STUDENTS and their families gathered to celebrate their academic achievements at a graduation ceremony. The joint Teesside University and Darlington College event took place at the university’s Darlington campus yesterday, where hundreds of undergraduates
THE SHAKE-up that axed one of the region’s jails risks a surge in suicides and assaults, the Chief Inspector of Prisons has warned. The move to build new “super-sized” prisons – which includes replacing HMP Northallerton - was criticised because
ROBERT DINWIDDIE and Graeme Storm earned their biggest cheques of the year so far with solid top 25 finishes at the Joburg Open. The North-East duo both enjoyed a solid four days to finish in tied 22nd place on 11 under par to claim 13,455 euros
AN MP marked a national literary celebration by reading with her constituents at a North-East library. Bishop Auckland MP Helen Goodman, who is the Shadow Minister for Libraries, visited Shildon Library, in County Durham, yesterday (Saturday) to
DURHAM-based children’s charity Heel and Toe will hold its annual charity golf day at Northumberland Golf Club, High Gosforth Park, Newcastle, on Friday, May 16. Entry costs £200 for a team of four. Firms can sponsor a hole for £50. For more information
A £500,000 refurbishment of a flagship arts venue is scheduled to begin later this month (February). Sunderland City Library and Arts Centre will get an improved local studies library and a new computer lounge and free wi-fi will be introduced
A POLITICIAN has attended her first constituency event since announcing her plan to battle to regain her seat as a Conservative. Anne McIntosh, Conservative MP representing until earlier this month Thirsk, Malton and Filey, attended an event at
COUNTY Durham was shown in its best possible light in Parliament last week (Tuesday, February 4). Business Durham, the business arm of Durham County Council, staged a reception at the House of Commons to showcase the county’s connections with light
A MAN and his dog were rescued from a cliff edge in Cayton Bay, Scarborough, on Friday morning after Labrador-cross Sam fell about 250 feet. The alarm was raised after Sam fell too far for his owner to safely move him himself from the coastal cliff
FIREFIGHTERS helped to rescue an injured walker this afternoon. (SUNDAY) The unnamed man suffered a leg injury while walking in Holwick, in Middleton-in-Teesdale, County Durham, at around lunchtime. Members of County Durham and Darlington Fire
A SUPERMARKET giant looks set to get the all-clear to expand into Durham city centre. Sainsbury’s wants Durham County Council’s go-ahead to convert 3 North Road, formerly the Cinnamon Indian restaurant upstairs and a Burger King downstairs, into
CAREERS CONVENTION: Local and national businesses attended a careers convention at a Teesside school on Thursday. Teesside High School had representatives from Siemens PLC, Caterpillar, South Tees NHS, the army, Navy and RAF at its annual careers
AS many as 75,000 North-East workers have been off sick for a month or more per year over the last three years, new figures suggest. Across the country, the figure was almost a million – 966,000. The Government released the statistics, covering
A LONER preoccupied with a sexual interest in children has been jailed for a total of three years and two months. Steven Gowland gathered a vast collection of indecent pictures of children, mostly downloaded from the internet, but some pseudo-images
A LARGE barn fire was still smoldering yesterday on its third night of being allowed to burn out under the supervision of firefighters. A spokeswoman for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said the blaze, which had been contained to one section of
A FAMILY ceilidh takes place in Mickleton next weekend. The event, with Compass Rose, will be held in the village hall, on Saturday, at 7pm. Tickets cost £8 for adults and £5 or £3 for children. To book, call 01833-640886 or visit Mickleton
A SWIMMING pool is appealing for Richmond residents to register for a charity fun run taking place from the venue for the second year. Richmond Swimming Pool will host a Sport Relief Mile on Sunday, March 23 at 10am, and participants will be able
A PEDESTRIAN in York was left with serious injuries after being struck by a taxi on Saturday night. Police are appealing for witnesses who saw the incident at about 12.15am on Saturday, at the junction of Boroughbridge Road and Carr Lane to come
A NEW £60,000 high ropes course has opened at an adventure centre. The Cube, a 30ft-high challenge, has been installed at Moor House Adventure Centre, run by Durham Scout County at Rainton Gate, near Durham City. Centre manager Stu Graham said
VILLAGERS are being urged to attend a parish council meeting for discussions about the A67 road closure. Officials from Darlington Borough Council have been invited to attend the Gainford and Langton Parish council meeting, next month to discuss
AN anti-racism charity has embarked on an innovative project testing the DNA of young volunteers to reveal their worldwide ancestry. Newcastle-based Show Racism the Red Card will work with schools in the North-East to compare participants’ DNA
ROWENA Hackwood will give a talk on Auckland Castle at the next meeting of the Durham-Belmont branch of the Northumberland and Durham Family History Society in Belmont Community Centre, Sunderland Road, Gilesgate, Durham, on Wednesday, February 19,
CHEQUE PRESENTATION: President of Soroptimists Richmond and Dales Elaine Walton has presented a cheque for £500 to the Friends of the Beacon, the unit for homeless veterans in Catterick Garrison. The Beacon provides specialist support to single
CONTROVERSIAL plans to build 12 holiday cabins next to a military and police training area have been rejected - much to the delight of local residents shocked at the proposals. The plans to build the log cabins at Bushby Gill, Scotton, near Catterick
TWENTY-one North-East couples have taken part in a nationwide attempt to set a new world record. The Big Promise aimed to break the world record for the number of couples renewing their wedding vows – currently 1,089, set in Ohio, USA, in 2009.
A MUSEUM is offering half term story-telling fun for all the family. The Dales Countryside Museum, in Hawes, will be visited by a witch, the Green Woman and a Tudor story-teller, all performed by Irene Lofthouse, who will bring a mix of stories
YORKSHIRE’S brewing industry has called on Parliament for support at a reception for the Yorkshire Beer and Pub Association. Representatives from breweries including Theakston’s Brewery and Black Sheep Brewery, based in Masham, attended the event
HIGHWAYS officials have admitted there is a risk of a ‘pinch point’ with a lack of parking in Darlington over the Christmas period before a new multi-storey car park is completed. Building on the multi-storey car park at Beaumont Street is due
BUDDING Billy Elliotts have a weatherproof building in which to perfect their performing arts following a £10,000 grant. Lafarge Tarmac, which operates Thrislington Quarry, provided the funding to Enter CIC, in Ferryhill, to replace ten leaking
A MAN has died in hospital almost a week after he was involved in a collision with a taxi in the early hours of the morning. Durham Police have renewed an appeal for witnesses to the collision, which happened on Victoria Road, Darlington, at the
THE family of a young man who was struck down by a brain tumour have raised more than £2,000 for charity in his honour. Matthew Greenwood, 23, was diagnosed with a very rare type of tumour last May. It was particularly difficult to treat because
Spennymoor manager Jason Ainsley thinks that any one of four teams can win the Northern League title after they drew 1-1 at second placed Shildon at Dean Street on Saturday. Both teams hoped for better than a point as Celtic Nation increased their
