Spennymoor Town dropped points in a game for only the second time this season when they were held to a 1-1 draw at Sunderland RCA last night. Former RCA midfielder Joe Walton gave Moors the lead, when he scored from the rebound after RCA keeper
A HIGH-FLYING young scientist who led a team of pupils that designed, built and raced an electric car has won a much sought after engineering apprenticeship with Siemens. Theo Brace, 16, a former pupil at Red House School in Stockton, won his place
SUPPORTING SCIENCE: Industry has joined forces with the academic world to support the work of some of the North-Easts most promising young scientists. Four Newcastle University students are currently benefiting from a scheme set up by pharmaceutical
FINING parents as a punishment for their children's behaviour could lead to the disintegration of already fragile family units, a North-East academic has warned. Dr Raymond Arthur, a reader in the School of Social Sciences and Law at Teesside University
COST-cutting plans to outsource taxpayer-owned theatres, museums, libraries and leisure centres are being resurrected, although with much lower savings than originally hoped. Durham County Council chiefs had calculated placing dozens of leisure and
AMBITIOUS plans to bring the former home of Darlington Football Club back to life have tonight (Tuesday, November 6) been given the backing of the Borough Council. The 25,000-seater stadium has lain dormant since the Quakers quit earlier this year
Final Score: Nottingham Forest 0 Middlesbrough 0 NO RECORDS were broken, but Middlesbrough remain firmly in the mix at the top end of the Championship after extending their unbeaten run to eight matches at the City Ground last night. In a game
It was worthwhile being guest speaker at a Stockton Borough Council conference this morning - in more ways than I expected. As well as being part of an interesting discussion on social media, I came across a story which will be on our front page
JONATHAN WOODGATE is missing at the City Ground as Middlesbrough look to extend their winning run to seven matches in all competitions. In the absence of the Boro captain, who is nursing an ongoing hamstring problem, Seb Hines will deputise again
SECOND-RATE road, rail and air links are stifling North-East business growth, reckons a former Transport Minister who is set to produce a bold new economic blueprint for the region. Following last week's fact-finding mission to the region Lord Andrew
A SCHOOLGIRL, who impressed a celebrity chef with her inventive meatball recipe, has earned a place in a regional cook-off. Emily Bloomer, of Middridge, near Shildon, County Durham, is one of 50 youngsters who will compete in the North-East heat
BOOKMAKERS tonight (Tuesday, November 6) suspended betting on the Bishop of Durham becoming the next Archbishop of Canterbury. Justin Welby has long been one of the front-runners for the Lambeth Palace post despite saying he had "neither the experience
A COUNTY Durham pupil, who impressed a celebrity chef with her inventive meatball recipe, has earned a place in a regional cook-off. Emily Bloomer, of Middridge, near Newton Aycliffe, is one of 50 youngsters who will compete in the North-East heat
TWO heroin addicts targeted a vulnerable man they “befriended” when they called at his home after midnight. Rachael Simpson and Alan Pepper both received 12 month prison sentences after a court heard how they left following the unscheduled visit
A SCHEME to help improve the footpaths in a market town has been funded by a £44,300 donation form a local county councillor. Durham County Council workmen are currently carrying out work on the pavement and kerbing in the Rosedale area of Spennymoor
A DARLINGTON man charged with sexual assault and assault by beating has been remanded in custody after breaching his bail. Christopher Philip Turner, of the Hawthorns, is accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl, assault by beating, criminal
A WOMAN, who pretended to be a police officer to rent a flat for herself and her children, has received a conditional discharge. Anita Persand, 29, of Cambridge Court, Bishop Auckland, admitted posing as a police officer and committing fraud at
A COMPANY boss who withheld details of a pension plan when his business went bust came close to being jailed yesterday. Judge Peter Bowers told John Hillhouse, 60, that he had deliberately avoided giving his creditors cash from the £20,000 fund
A MAN crushed to death by a three-ton anchor should not have been working in the area, an inquest was told today (Tuesday, November 6). Safety manager Joseph Atkinson conducted his own investigation into the death of Kevin Watson at Middlesbrough
A CASH-STRAPPED council has been forced to flog a historic carriage belonging to the Lord Mayor of Newcastle. The 19th century carriage has been used by Lord Mayors in Newcastle for more than 100 years on special occasions. But as the city
SECURITY firm G4S appeared to have bounced back from its embarrassing Olympic debacle after announcing solid growth today. The company failed to provide all of its contracted 10,400 guards, forcing the Government to draft in military personnel
House fire: Fire crews were called to a property in Sowerby Crescent, Stokesley, at about 10.30am this morning (Tuesday, November 6) when smoke was seen coming from a bedroom. They used breathing apparatus and a hose reel to extinguish the fire.
A LINE-UP of laughs in on the menu at the next comedy night organised by Northallerton Round Table. Comics Zack Stevens, Pete Emmett and Mick Monroe will be in action at the Hambleton Forum on November 23. The annual comedy night is now in
TWO men have appeared at court charged with making indecent images of children. Simon Cater, 42, of Damson Court, Darlington, and David Elliott, 44, of The Sycamores, in Park Road, Newcastle, are each charged with 16 counts of making indecent images
NEW car sales last month rose by 12.1 per cent compared to the same month last year, with the Ford Fiesta retaining its long held title as the UK’s most popular car. October saw 151,252 new cars registered, bringing the year-to-date total to 1,771,861
A MAN kicked a police officer in the head and shouted and swore at him in a County Durham pub, a court heard. David Anthony Howe, 44, admits he used threatening and abusive words, resisted arrest and assaulted a police officer at the Kings Head
CHANGES to a council tax discount scheme in Darlington could see landlords out of pocket, but may help fill empty homes in the town. Darlington Council’s cabinet approved plans this evening (November 6) to reduce the length of time that homeowners
PRIMARY school pupils in Sedgefield will be putting their entrepreneurial skills to good use at a traditional Christmas fair. Youngsters at Sedgefield Hardwick Primary are pulling out all the stops to organise a festive treat for the whole community
MORE than 60 people have pledged to help a County Durham library secure additional opening hours. Last week, Sedgefield residents attended a meeting at the Parish Hall to express their concerns over Durham County Council’s decision to slash the
A NORTH-EAST maternity team has won a national award after giving exceptional care to a mother-to-be and her baby son. Katherine Smith, from Brandon, County Durham, believes that one-year-old Dominick Joseph Griffiths-Smith owes his life to her
THE death of a man in a car crash more than a decade after he survived a knife attack as a teenager was "tragically ironic", an inquest has heard. Ashley Murray, 27, was more than twice the drink-drive limit when he lost control of his Porsche
THE ORGANISERS of a major fireworks display have apologised after delays meant many families with young children had to leave before it had started. The Gunpowder Plod (correct) event in York was the first bonfire night event on the city’s Knavesmire
A MAN has been warned he faces jail after he admitted possessing nearly 150 indecent photographs of children. Peter Lloyd, 38, of Woodlands Terrace, Darlington, pleaded guilty at Teesside Crown Court to 16 charges of making indecent images of children
A NORTH Yorkshire confectionery company has scooped the top award in its field. Leeming Bar-based R&R Ice Cream was named as the nation’s best ice cream maker at the Food Manufacturing Excellence Awards 2012. Europe’s largest own-label
A SNEAK burglar took handbags from under the noses of two oblivious householders. Ricky Alan Burdess was high on valium when he crept into properties near his mother’s home in Peterlee, County Durham, early on the evening of Saturday October 6.
SCHOOLCHILDREN are being put in danger because parents are parking illegally outside a primary school, a councillor has warned. Councillor Gerald Lee said motorists were flouting strict traffic orders outside Heighington CE Primary School and posing
A LAST ditch appeal to stop schools in North Yorkshire losing up to £7m in funding is being made to MP’s. Angry county councillors are travelling to meet MP’s tomorrow (Wednesday, November 7) to press the Department for Education for flexibility
AN INITIATIVE designed to help children discover the fascination of wildlife on their doorstep has been launched. The Explorer Club has been set up by the North York Moors National Park Authority. It aims to introduce primary school children
NEARLY £1.8m pounds is being paid out to 4,800 members of the North Yorkshire Credit Union which went bust last week, and it has been revealed the county council will have to write off £200,000. The Financial Services Compensation Scheme is paying
CHRISTMAS CONCERT: Stanhope Silver Band will present a Brassy Christmas concert at Etherley Methodist Church, in Etherley, near Bishop Auckland, on Wednesday, December 12. The evening will feature virtuoso soloists Jim Stretton and Iain Jackson. Light
FOUR gravestones were damaged when a piece of equipment went out of control while being used in a cemetery. Workers were resurfacing the main drive of Larpool Lane cemetery in Whitby when the machine they were using jumped into gear and collided
A PUB manager has called last orders after giving up the fight against low supermarket alcohol prices and a lack of footfall in Darlington Market Square. Ann Labourn ran Hogarth’s on Bakerhouse Hill for almost four years and said the venue was
A FAMILY-RUN skip hire company found guilty of illegally dumping waste has been accused of further serious environmental breaches. Albert Hill Skip Hire, in Darlington, and two members of its management team, face charges of storing rubbish without
Places remain on the Darlington Supporters Club coach for Saturday's game at West Auckland Town. Although there is opposition among Quakers fans to West Auckland doubling admission prices and many will boycott the fixture, the supporters club say they
TRIBUTES have been paid to an electrician who died after his car crashed into an ambulance which had stopped to attend to another road accident. Jonathan Burke, 21, was taken to Sunderland Royal Infirmary on Sunday following a collision on the
THE following cases were heard at Darlington Magistrates’ Court today (Tuesday, November 6): Andrew Scott, 26, of Lisle Road, Newton Aycliffe, admitted driving while above the alcohol limit. He was stopped at about midnight on October 28 after
A TERRITORIAL row between Asian super-economies Japan and China has seen car maker Nissan dramatically cut its full year profit forecast by 20 per cent. The Japanese manufacturer, which employs almost 6,000 North-East workers, now expects to make
FAMILIES in the Darlington and Stockton areas could be enjoying warmer homes in time for winter thanks to the launch of a new scheme. Fuel poverty organisation GoWarm specialises in making homes more affordable to heat, and is now offering free
Brian Foster, a manager for learning disability day services at Durham County Council, has been shortlisted for the Dignity in Care honour at the Great North East Care Awards. The council’s Community Floating Support team has been shortlisted for the
A DIAMOND encrusted watch worth thousands of pounds has been stolen in a house burglary. The men’s Rolex watch, which is gold with diamonds on its face, was taken from a house in Bearpark, County Durham, between 9am and 3.30pm on Monday (November
BUSINESSES throughout Hambleton are being encouraged to consider entering the export market. The district council is hosting a special workshop later this month for companies ready to develop international markets for their products. The “Are
Janet Dowsett will give concerts of popular music on the Wurlitzer organ in the New Victoria Centre, High Street, Howden-le-Wear, County Durham, on November 17 and 18. The events are being organised by the North East Theatre Association. November 17
A DRINK-DRIVER is facing prison after admitting responsibility for a crash in which a soldier was killed. Christopher James Howson, from Billingham, will be sentenced at Teesside Crown Court in the New Year. The 24-year-old appeared in court
The Durham Singers’ performance of Mozart’s great unfinished Requiem at Durham Cathedral was nothing short of a complete success. With an audience packed into the nave for the much-antipicated concert, the singers and the Durham Singers Ensemble
A CELEBRATION event will take place in Durham Cathedral on November 21, during which recovery champions will talk candidly about their experiences of drug and alcohol addiction and how treatment programmes have helped them to turn their lives around
A FORMER addict is tackling 29 years of substance misuse with the help of a pioneering new health care unit. Reformed drug and alcohol user Kenny Andrew, who began drinking at the age of eight, has celebrated his graduation after completing the
AS the government prepares to introduce new qualifications to tackle a shortage of engineers, Business Editor Andy Richardson looks at an acclaimed County Durham training centre which has been producing skilled workers for 45 years. WWII fighter
THE North East Shadow Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has delivered a unanimous decision to maintain the current interest rate and hold further Quantitative Easing (QE), ahead of the Bank of England’s own MPC announcement on Thursday. A partnership
THE trial of double murder suspect James Allen took a unexpected turn this morning when he dispensed with the services of barrister. The jury at Newcastle Crown Court was told Mr Allen no longer wanted to be represented by John Bromley-Davenport
PATIENTS, carers and stakeholders have been learning how their views will shape the future of the new improved NHS. North Durham Commissioning Group (CCG) recently set out its key aims to improve the health and wellbeing of its 240,000 residents
I WAS one of 13 staff from the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) on duty at the Olympics, but there were around 180 representatives from ambulance services across the country. Together with members of the London Ambulance Service (LAS), we were –
MYTH: It’s a tax on the poor. FACT: It’s not a tax and it doesn’t target the poor – it targets cheap, strong alcohol traditionally drunk by those who need the most help. Evidence shows that people on lower incomes are more likely to abstain or
IN THE North-East you can buy two litres of cider for less than £2 and some lagers are cheaper than bottled water. In fact, the average British pocket money will buy enough alcohol to drink more than twice a man’s weekly recommended limit – with change
ALCOHOL impacts on so many parts of our lives and the costs to society can be seen in so many places. Across County Durham and Darlington there has been a commitment made by organisations including the police, local authorities, the fire brigade, those
DARLINGTON’S Sports Development Team is running an Exercise after Stroke rehabilitation programme based at the town’s Eastbourne Sports Complex. The sessions consist of groupbased exercises led by Level 4 Exercise and Fitness Training After Stroke
A PILOT travel voucher scheme is being launched to help isolated residents. Age UK North Yorkshire is launching its initiative to help people who have difficulty in accessing local transport in the Richmondshire area. The scheme is not dependent
A RECOVERING addict and ex-offender has pledged to help others for the rest of his life after undergoing a life-changing experience. Alex Brewis is drawing on the lessons of his past to help and support others at the Durham Recovery and Wellbeing
VOLUNTEERS are needed to help a new community transport service to help older people in isolated areas of North Yorkshire. A grant of almost £40,000 has been awarded to launch and fund a WRVS community transport service to work across the county
THE Wensleydale Creamery at Hawes has launched a new website, to reflect its new look branding and host an online cheese shop. Visitors to the new site – wensleydale.co.uk - can also find recipes featuring the creamery’s cheeses, search for a local
A MUM-OF-TWO has become the world's best female bodybuilder after taking up training just over three years ago. Lesley Blanchard, 37, from Seaham, County Durham, is a relative newcomer to the sport but has lifted a sting of titles and now has been
CREATIVITY is coming to Redcar seafront as the first two creative companies sign up to occupy space at the £8.3m ‘Palace Hub’. Tad Web Solutions Ltd and Purple Tree Creative Productions Ltd have agreed to occupy space at the exciting new base for
GREEN-FINGERED residents have been given the thumbs up from a housing association for their gardening skills. Northallerton's Castle Close, which is made up of Broadacres Housing Association homes, enters the competition every year and this year
COUNCIL staff and politicians have raised almost £1,000 for a breast cancer charity. Durham County Council officers and members wore pink for a full council meeting in support of Breast Cancer Awareness. A cake sale was also held at Durham’s County
ACCORDING to official figures, recession is behind us, but it seems that the average UK consumer may take a little more persuasion than the gospel according to the Office of National Statistics to part with their hard earned cash. Today (November
ACCORDING to official figures, recession is behind us, but it seems that the average UK consumer may take a little more persuasion than the gospel according to the Office of National Statistics to part with their hard earned cash. Today (November
Age UK North Yorkshire is holding its annual coffee morning at Northallerton Town Hall on Wednesday, November 14, 9.30am until 12.30pm. There will be a variety of stalls and bacon butties for sale. There will also be information available. All proceeds
MORE THAN 100 Darlington families participated in a Walk to School event last month to launch a new Local Motion storybook as part of International Walk to School Month. Abbey Federation pupils and families joined the thousands of primary schoolchildren
A CANNABIS farm worth more than £17,000 has been uncovered in the region. A police officer found the haul at a property on Everett Street in Hartlepool on Wednesday. The officer had been in the area speaking to local residents about an unrelated
A NEW £2m eco surgery has been named in memory of one of its former partners. St Andrew’s Medical Practice, Spennymoor, was officially opened on October 6 as Sensier House by David Bellamy. The former surgery premises, which were completely
ONE of the North-East's most famous actors, Kevin Whately, has opened a pioneering new day centre for people with dementia. The TV star, whose mother had dementia, was guest of honour at the official opening of Dementia Cares new dementia-friendly
ALZHEIMERS HELP: Staff at Denehurst Nursing home, Ferryhill, are seeking donations of old items to help set up a memories room to aid Alzheimer sufferers. The Merrington Lane home is seeking items like ration books and old style irons to help stir
MORE than 100 students from across the region will join an MP on an organised visit to Auschwitz tomorrow (Wednesday, November 7). The Holocaust Education Trust trip will see 150 students fly to Poland tomorrow morning accompanied by Tom Blenkinsop
A PUBLIC meeting will take place tomorrow night (Wednesday, November 7) over plans to create a permanent home for a theatre company for learning disabled adults. Tony Galuidi, the manager of Earthbeat Theatre Company, is hoping to rally support
COUNTY Durham mum, Sarah Lister, is supporting this year’s regional flu vaccination campaign by urging pregnant women to protect their babies and themselves this winter. Sarah, 27, who lives with partner Simon in Newton Aycliffe, was five months
The Peterlee Memorial Methodist Church in Peterlee town centre will hold a charity market featuring a range of local charities selling gifts. The event will be staged from 10am to 2pm on Saturday, November 24. Admission is free, with refreshments available
AN EAST Durham leisure centre has launched a new 12-week training plan offering advice on health and fitness. Go Light at the Seaham Leisure Centre at the Deneside Recreation Ground, in Seaham, also encourages members achieve their goals in a fun
JOHN GODBER wrote Happy Jack in 1982, early in his playwriting career, before the Miners’ Strike of 1984. It’s proper Yorkshire and, like the famous bread, there’s nowt taken out. It comes with a broad Yorkshire accent, a funny, flat-cap mentality
SEVEN beaches in the region have failed to meet the expected standard of water cleanliness, Environment Agency tests have revealed. Although 47 out of 54 bathing waters tested in the North East and Yorkshire did meet the standards set by the European
COMEDIAN Dara O Briain has taken a lot of flack on Mock the Week, the panel show he hosts, thanks to the size of his head. Despite attracting comments along the lines of Russell Howard’s jibe “I’m going to take you to a hall of mirrors, and show
NIK WALLENDA is no stranger to heights. Then again, he comes from the legendary acrobatic family The Flying Wallendas, so why would he? The daredevil’s only concern is making sure his next death-defying stunt is higher and riskier than his last
HESTON BLUMENTHAL is back with a new series, Heston’s Fantastical Food, and once more he’ll be tapping into his childhood for inspiration. And no, that doesn’t mean he’ll be sprinkling popping candy on everything, though don’t be too surprised
WEST End star and multi-platinum selling artist Marti Pellow has joined the cast of Blood Brothers at Darlington Civic Theatre. The Wet Wet Wet frontman will star as the narrator in the critically acclaimed play written by Willy Russell. Pellow
MORE than 20 children currently awaiting adoption in Middlesbrough, figures have shown. An urgent appeal has been launched in order to help these children, and others, find new families as the demand for adoption increases throughout the country
A SON has followed his father into the restaurant business. Sam Gadd has opened Tango Burger House, on Elvet Bridge, Durham, promising customers the best burgers in town. His parents, Nigel and Deborah Gadd, own both Gadds Town House and Zen
AN “ALARMING” rise in the population of pigeons and seagulls in a North-East town is linked to an increase in food outlets and outdoor eating, experts have said. Environmental health experts in Middlesbrough warned that an unchecked growth in the
Jury hears how Marjorie Hart gave Julie Davison a pair of white trainers with velcro straps because she didn't like them. — @graemeecho 06 November 2012 Interesting morning at Stockton council's social media conference
UK Coal shareholders have backed a key stage of a rescue plan, including the change of name to Coalfield Resources. It said without shareholder support it might struggle to meet the December 31 restructuring deadline, leaving it breaching banking
ENGLAND head coach Stuart Lancaster has warned Chris Ashton about his discipline after the Saracens wing was suspended from the opening QBE autumn international against Fiji. Ashton was banned for a week after accruing three yellow cards in the
NICK Compton is hoping to take his dream of playing for England to the next level, with a Test debut in Ahmedabad. Compton’s unbeaten 64 on the final day of the tour match against Mumbai A means he won his duel with Joe Root at the Dr DY Patil
The Northern Sinfonia’s latest concert at the Sage Gateshead took its title from Mozart’s overture to the Magic Flute; a work that did not quite seem to take off under principal conductor Mario Venzago. The evening stepped up a gear when the sinfonia
LUKE BUTLER has gone a long way since his first job. As a youngster he delivered one of The Northern Echo’s sister papers, the weekly Wear Valley Advertiser, to neighbours in Spennymoor, County Durham. Now, at 29, he has a highflying role in one
TREASURY minister Sajid Javed says beer tax must keep rising even as a record number of pubs call time forever. According to Mr Javed the duty escalator is all for the good of the country (Echo, Nov 1). Then we have Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime
A WORD that has risen to prominence in the latest racial “scandal” splitting the world of football is monkey. All I can say is that if comparing someone with the word monkey is an offence, then I should be doing life for the times I have called
DAVID NEWELL, director of The Newspaper Society, asked where next for papers after the Leveson inquiry (Echo, Oct 30). He claimed that “substantially less than one per cent of newspapers” were involved in abusive practice. Operation Motorman
IT is very reassuring to hear Lord Heseltine singing from the regional funding hymn sheet (Echo, Oct 31). Lord Heseltine realises that to get economic growth moving, it is sub-regions like the Tees Valley that will provide the springboard for business
INNOVATORS with novel ideas to reduce the cost of offshore wind energy are being invited to get their ideas off the drawing board and into turbines out at sea with the launch of two competitions. The Offshore Wind Technology Innovation Needs Assessment
ANDY Murray was victorious in his first match on home soil as a grand slam champion as he fought back from a set down to defeat Tomas Berdych at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. With Novak Djokovic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga also in his round-robin
EVERYONE knows it’s a hard time to be a charity but here at the Percy Hedley Foundation we’re delighted to be in the running to secure £15,000 funding from the grant organisation, People’s Postcode Trust. As the North-East’s leading disability
I RECENTLY had the misfortune of needing to post a letter so I had to go to my local supermarket to purchase a stamp. Upon arrival at the counter I was told that they sold stamps in books of 12 only. The lady told me that the Post Office had not
I RECENTLY visited Darlington’s covered market and my favourite fishmonger but, oh dear, the buses. It does seem curious that a town with a population of more than 97,000 people doesn’t have a purpose-built bus station. After all that pedestrianfriendly
AS politicians voted on whether we should demand a freeze on payments to the European Union (Echo, Oct 31), the true nature of our relationship with the EU became clearer. It doesn’t matter if the British Government insists that it does not wish
ROBERTO Mancini lost his temper as he felt the need to defend his commitment to Manchester City ahead of this evening’s crucial meeting with Ajax. The City boss feels he deserves more respect from the media for his achievements at the club rather
AFTER caretaker manager Micky Barron labelled it an embarrassment, and midfielder Antony Sweeney admitted no manager in the world could have coached Hartlepool United to success at the weekend, the club’s chief executive turned the spotlight onto his
I AM writing to express my disgust at the story of the Tynedale Hunt’s charity calendar for the Great North Air Ambulance (Echo, Nov 2). I am not disgusted by the naked images, but by the hunt’s bloody past. I am a supporter of the Great North
STICKS and stones may break my bones, but names can never hurt me. This, however, doesn’t apply to footballers. These rough-hewn men, many of whom disguise their horny hands and hairy arms under a variety of expensive clothes and hideous tattoos
MIKE BROUGH was coming to the end of one of his regular five-a-side football sessions when he began feeling unwell. A reasonably fit 51-year-old fatherof- four, he loved playing five-a-side three times a week at the Dolphin Centre, in Darlington.
TWELVE years ago, The Northern Echo launched a campaign called “A Chance To Live” aimed at cutting the waiting times for heart bypass surgery in Britain. It followed the death at 38 of our colleague, Ian Weir, a father-of-two, who died of a second
A QUICK-THINKING father lowered his young children to safety from a first-floor bedroom as fire spread through their North-East home. Firefighters said Bryan Dougall and his family would have died had they remained in their house another ten minutes
MARK Clattenburg will not referee a match for a second weekend running as he prepares to answer accusations from Chelsea. The Football Association is investigating a complaint from Chelsea that the match official used ‘‘inappropriate language’’
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: The Marie Curie Cancer Care charity needs volunteers to work in its Spennymoor shop. The shop on Festival Walk is open 9am to 5pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sunday. The shop also needs donations of clothing and it has
A NATIONALLY-RENOWNED architect and an old local golf course are the latest additions to the exciting plans to create an international visitor centre in the North-East. Benefactor Jonathan Ruffer announced yesterday that his project has bought
BLOOD, bile and brains are promised at a new university exhibition. The Practical Art of Medicine: dissection, diagnosis and disease in the Early Modern Period is a new display at Durham University’s Wolfson Gallery, in Palace Green Library, Durham
Two top comedians will bring their shows to Middlesbrough this week. Stewart Francis will perform at Middlesbrough Town Hall on Thursday November 8 at 8pm and Jimmy Carr will appear there on Saturday November 10, also at 8pm. Tickets for Stewart
CAMPAIN MEETING: The next meeting of Campain, the self-help group for chronic pain sufferers, will be held in North Road Methodist Church Hall, in Durham City, on Tuesday, November 13 at 2pm. Members will discuss next year’s programme. All are welcome
FOUR youths have been arrested after a number of cars were damaged in one afternoon around Darlington. Police have appealed for witnesses who might have seen a white 4x4 pick up-style vehicle that was being driven erratically around the town just
A DOCTOR who was instrumental in changing the way children with diabetes are treated in the North-East has retired. Dr Bill Lamb raised about £250,000 while working as a consultant paediatrician at Bishop Auckland Hospital after growing increasingly
ALAN PARDEW will take Newcastle United to Belgium tomorrow accepting that change will be the operative word once again as he tries to juggle a Europa League campaign with life in the Premier League. While captain Fabricio Coloccini is expected
MARTIN O'NEILL will have Sunderland's players back on the training ground this morning and intends to spend the rest of the week desperately searching for a solution to the team's problems in front of goal. With back-to-back away days at Everton
TONY MOWBRAY is literally sweating on the availability of a key member of the dressing room as Middlesbrough look to extend their winning run to seven matches at the City Ground tonight. But as well as hoping skipper Jonathan Woodgate is deemed
THREE teenagers were rescued by police as they diced with death riding their BMX bikes - down the region's busiest road. Daredevil friends, Frankie Atkinson, Callum Buckton and Callum Waggett, all 13, decided to have an adventure travelling from
A SERIAL burglar broke into the home of an 80-year-old woman - only a week after his release from his previous prison sentence. It landed Scott Anthony Craig almost immediately back behind bars, as his finger print was found near the point of
A MAN who passed drugs to an inmate on a prison visit has spent three weeks behind bars himself, as a result. Martin Andrew Mawson, 31, must now also undergo an electronically-monitored overnight home curfew, as a further punishment, for the next
THE majority of private gyms in the North-East are not equipped with life-saving heart-start machines, an investigation by The Northern Echo reveals today. However, the chance of surviving a heart attack at a council-run leisure centre or gym is
COFFEE MORNING: Witton Park Methodist Chapel will be holding a coffee morning on Saturday (November 10) between 10am and noon. All cash raised will go to chapel funds.
A VILLAGE bonfire and fireworks display was marred after groups of youths descended on the event intent on causing trouble. Police say a message was posted on the social media site Facebook stating anyone wanting to fight should head along to the
COUNCIL MEETING: The next meeting of Dene Valley Parish Council will meet at Prince Bishops Primary School, Dene Valley, on Monday, November 12, at 6.30pm. BAND CONCERT: Ferryhill Town Band will perform at Bishop Auckland Methodist Church, Cockton
A TEENAGER who admitted his part in a crime spree – including an arson attack which resulted in a barn and its contents being destroyed – has avoided a spell in custody after writing to magistrates expressing his remorse. Newton Aycliffe Youth
AN outline application to build 425 homes and commercial premises on the site of a former County Durham factory has been approved. Councillors at Durham County Council county planning committee meeting today (Tuesday, November 6) agreed to the
A TOWN centre development may never get off the ground after an application to expand an out-of-town complex was given the go-ahead, it was claimed today (November 6). Developer Gentoo has been granted permission to build a number of shops and
A RETIRED race horse trainer claims he was nearly smoked out of his home after a blaze destroyed hundreds of straw bales at his farm on bonfire night. Police will be investigating the blaze at Howard Johnson’s farm but could not start their enquiries
QUESTION AND ANSWER: The four candidates bidding to become Durham's police commissioner will outline their proposals and take part in a question and answer session at the Hub, Ing Lane, Barnard Castle, on Friday, November 9, from 6pm to 8pm.
THE drive to expand apprenticeships is being "damaged" by fears of poor-quality training, MPs warn today - as the number of young people gaining places in the North-East slumps. The flagship programme - hailed by the Government as a key success
PAUL Daniels is the Middlesbrough-born magician who shot to the fame with ratings-leading shows for ITV and the BBC. Daniels was the first magician outside of the USA to be awarded the ‘Magician of the Year’ Award by the Hollywood Academy of Magical
STEPH McGovern is the Middlesbrough-born BBC Business reporter. She actually started out work at the Black and Decker factory in Spennymoor. She first appeared on TV after winning the title of Young Engineer for Britain after saving the company more
TEESSIDE comedian Roy ‘Chubby’ Brown is described as the ‘rudest and crudest’ comedian in Britain. Born in Grangetown, he has courted controversy wherever he has gone, but after decades in the business has built up a hugely loyal following among those
MARK JOHNSTON is one of Britain’s leading racehorse trainers and is based at Middleham in North Yorkshire. He became the first Flat trainer to send out more than 200 winners in a season in 2009 and then repeated the feat the following year. He
