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 convention. Universities including York, Durham, Teesside, Leeds and Newcastle also attended. The event was to allow pupils from years 9 to 12 to explore different university courses as well as different career options.

SERVICE PRAISED: A Government report which compares the performance of council adoption services has praised Hartlepool Council.

A report to the council’s Children’s Services Committee on Tuesday, February 12 shows that waiting times are improving and puts the council at the top of the league table of similar-type councils across the Uk for the time taken between a child entering care and moving to his or her adoptive family.

For more information on Hartlepool council’s fostering and adoption services, contact fosterandadopt@hartlepool.gov.uk.

SPORTS SUPPORT: Financial support from the Wynyard Park Business Park is helping budding sports stars in Hartlepool achieve their potential.

The 700-acre business park on Teesside has renewed its sponsorship of the Hartlepool Sports Council fund that aims to help the town’s most talented individuals compete at the highest possible leve in ther chosen sports.

The fund is also supported financially by Hartlepool Borough Council and provides grants of up to £150, although for applicants competing nationally and internationally the limit if £300 and £500 respectively.

Application forms for grants, which are subject to conditions, are available from www.hartlepool.gov.uk/downloads/hsc-grants.

COMICS TALK: An internationally-recognised comics writer who has worked on titles including Wonder Woman and Batman will give a talk about her career at Teesside Unviersity on Wednesday (February 12) from 3.45pm.

Gail Simone, who has also written for the Simpsons, is flying in from the US to speak at this year’s Animex Comics, part of the Animex Festival at Teesside University, which is held annually and is the largest festival dedicated to animation and computer games in the UK.

She will be giving a talk called A Career in Comics, which will look at some of the successes and highlights of her time in the industry.

Animex takes place from 10-14 February and attracts hundreds of people from all over the UK and Europe. This year Teesside University will welcome names from companies including Disney, Ubisoft, Dreamworks and Marvel.

To find out more visit - http://animex.tees.ac.uk/

MEDIUM SHOW: Psychic mediums Peter Crawford and Irene Wilson will perform at the Town Hall Theatre in Hartlepool on Monday, May 19 in a clairvoyant evening to raise money for the charity fundraising appeal of Hartlepool’s ceremonial Mayor Stephen Akers-Belcher.

The charities he has chosen to support during his year in office are Macmillan Cancer Support, the Pansies Breast Cancer Support Group and the Denise Taylor Cancer Trust.

Tickets for the show are priced at £15 and available from the Town Hall theatre box office. Telephone (01429) 890000 or book on-line at www.hartlepool.gov.uk/book_it

ASDA DONATION: A donation from Asda in Portrack Lane is going towards helping residents of a supported housing scheme start the year eating healthily.

Residents at St James House, a Four Housing supported scheme, were awarded a £235 Asda gift card after the store ran a raffle to raise funds. They have decided to use the donation to launch a healthy eating programme.

St James House provides accommodation for families who are homeless or who are at risk of being made homeless.

The healthy eating sessions will take place over eight weeks and will include the sharing of nutritious recipes, weight loss advice and ideas to prepare healthy snacks for children.