Tour de France and Olympic cycling hero Bradley Wiggins was crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year on Sunday night. The 32-year-old was presented with the trophy by the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge, who was making her first public appearance
THE Government has admitted it may not sign off on part of a multi-billion pound contract which would bring train building back to the region, it was reported on Sunday. Hitachi has already received a £4.5bn order to supply 596 carriages to the
Fifteen-year-old paralympic swimmer Josef Craig, from Jarrow, South Tyneside, has won the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year award. Earlier this month Josef, who won the 400 metres freestyle at the Paralympics in summer, was also the joint
COVERT cameras put up to capture crooks who have been stealing Christmas trees have themselves been stolen – twice. The Forestry Commission had noticed several seven-foot Norway Spruces had vanished from a plantation in Hamsterley Forest in County
This weekend, the Lindisfarne Gospels Community Choir made its festive debut at The Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle, County Durham. Lizzie Anderson reports. AS I walked towards the grand entrance of the Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle this afternoon
FIVE-year-old Zachary Sewell was this evening (Sunday) given the honour of lighting the Christmas tree at Durham Cathedral. The service started with carols performed by the cathedral choir around the tree, which this year is a locally grown Norwegian
A SENIOR manager from the Post Office will go ‘back to the floor’ in a North-East branch on Monday (December 17). Chief executive Paula Vennells will be at the branch in Crown Street, Darlington, to give staff a helping hand in the manic final
PAUL Nicholson will face Robert Thornton in the second round of the PDC World Darts Championship after cruising past Dutchman Co Stompe in his opening game at Alexandra Palace. Nicholson, who has spent most of his life living in Newcastle despite
GROUPS looking to improve and protect playing fields across the region can access a share of £2m of Sport England funding. Sport England has launched the latest round of its Protecting Playing Fields fund to help enhance local playing fields or
NEWCASTLE Falcons booked their place in the quarter-finals of the British & Irish Cup this afternoon with a 93-0 trouncing of Welsh club Newport. Falcons ran riot at Kingston Park to rack up their 15th straight victory in all competitions this
CHECKS carried out on vehicles as part of a campaign to promote safe winter driving found that a significant proportion had dangerously defective tyres. The Cleveland Road Safety Partnership has revealed that 12 out of 89 vehicles inspected had
A former British Army doctor failed to protect detainees and acted dishonestly after the death of Iraqi prisoner Baha Mousa, medical watchdogs ruled today. Dr Derek Keilloh, appearing before the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS), denied
VILLAGERS who were told they would be made financially responsible for their local church have had the weight lifted from their shoulders in time for Christmas. Home-owners in Felixkirk, Boltby and Sutton-under-Whitestonecliffe were told in October
DOGGY PADDLE: People can take part in a New Year’s Day dip at Saltburn to raise money for the Saltburn Animal Rescue Association at 11am. Everyone is welcome to come along and join in the fun to raise money to keep the charity up and running. Anyone
STATE BALLET: The Russian State Ballet and Orchestra of Siberia will perform at Darlington Civic Theatre, from January 31 to February 3. Tickets are priced from £26 to £33, with discounts available. For more information and to book, call 01325-486555
OLYMPIAN asylum seeker Weynay Ghebresilasie, who is hoping to start a new life in the North-East after fleeing his African homeland, has got off to a flying start. The 18-year-old steeplechaser was one of four Eritrean athletes who failed to return
A MAN who wrote a book about his love of cannabis has been named as the man shot in a pub car park. Colin Ferry, who penned 'The Cannabis Man', was shot outside the Wheatsheaf pub on Whitley Road, in Benton, North Tyneside on Friday night (December
A CAR-JACKER was traced when a mobile phone left in the vehicle was used as a tracking device, a court heard. Marilyn Kirby had to leap out of her husband's van when Andrew Parr climbed in the driver's side and started to pull away. Teesside
A CONGREGATION in the North-East is this evening, Sunday December 16, taking part in a world record attempt for the most people singing the same Christmas carols at the same time. For fifteen minutes, from 7pm, St Margaret’s Church, on Crossgate
A public meeting for people in Delves Lane to discuss concerns about crime with police officers is being held at Helen McArdle Care Home, Greenways Court, on December 19, from 6pm-7pm. The meeting will be attended by a representative from the neighbourhood
ART students from around the region will be able to receive some free expert advice to help them to get into university. Cleveland College of Arts and Design (CCAD) is hosting a Portfolio Advice Day at mima art gallery in Middlesbrough on Wednesday
A mother who went to pick her daughter up so they could spend Christmas together has been left devastated after she found her dead at her home. Lian Mackie, 27, of Langley Park, County Durham, suffered a massive heart attack when she was just a
A MOTORIST died when his car left the road and ploughed into a tree earlier today (Sunday, December 16). The man, believed to be in his 60s and from Stockton-on-Tees, was pronounced dead at the scene by a doctor from the Great North Air Ambulance
FAKE bidders have sabotaged an online auction for a James Brown doll - made famous by sports presenter Jeff Stelling - which has cost charities thousands of pounds. Stephen Akers-Belcher, chairman of Hartlepool Borough Council, was left "frustrated
Car fire: A Northallerton fire crew had to deal with a car fire at the town’s station at about 3pm on Saturday. The blaze was confined to the engine compartment and was extinguished using one hose reel.
BUSINESSES from across the region received acknowledgements of their support for the Butterwick Hospice this week. Corporate Supporters were presented with certificates at a business breakfast meeting at the Hospice in Stockton by the Chief Executive
A FEMALE motorist was left suspended upside-down in her car after it left the road and overturned in icy conditions this morning. Her male companion was able to get out of the car after the accident at around 8.45am today, December 16, however
YOUNG gymnasts have shown off their skills at an annual inter-school competition. The Sedgefield School Sport Partnership Annual Gymnastics Festivals attracted more than 400 gymnasts from 20 schools. The event took place at the South Durham
SANTA had a special trip down the River Tees when he was aboard the Tees Wheely Boat which had been decked out as a sleigh. The specially converted boat is designed to help disabled people enjoy trips down the river. Volunteers transformed
ONE of two anglers swept into the sea while fishing at Blackhall Rocks has died in hospital. The 33-year-old man, from Peterlee, County Durham, was rescued after getting into trouble while fishing with his father-in-law. He died at James Cook
Puppy saved: A playful puppy that managed to get its head stuck between the railings of a metal gate on Watermill Lane, North Stainley, near Ripon, was rescued by firefighters at around 11am today, December 16. They used hydraulic spreaders to free
A THEATRE company has got the go-ahead to stage a major community play after securing £25,000 lottery grant funding. It will be performed at various outdoor venues across the Yorkshire Dales next summer. North Country Theatre, based in Richmond
PROBE OVER: Police have concluded their investigation into an alleged sex attack of a young woman on Loftus Bank, east Cleveland, on Friday, December 7 and there is no further action to be taken. RELATIVES PLEA: The bereavement team at James Cook
A RESTAURANTEUR who lost £1m after investing in a former steelworks site has vowed to repay his customers who paid deposits for Christmas meals. Gianfranco Fanelli, 54, said the closure of Giovanni’s restaurant in Consett, County Durham, has left
MORE than 130 joggers dusted off their trainers for the first in a series of weekly runs around a Darlington park. The inaugural Darlington Park Run was held in South Park, on Saturday (December 15). It is part of a national campaign aimed
YOUNG people are raising money to take part in an international music festival for the first time. Consett YMCA has been attending the Csango Festival in Hungary for years, but this August is the first time it will have taken part. Children
A TEAM of money saving experts has visited a deprived part of east Durham to give residents important information and advice about saving money and energy. Representatives from East Durham Homes, the Credit Union and the Illegal Money Lending Team
ANGRY residents fear a fatality as a long-term water leak has caused an ice sheet on a busy town centre road. When temperatures plunge, the water freezes on St Mary’s Grove, Tudhoe, near Spennymoor - where the leak has been bubbling through the
COMEDY fans bagged an early Christmas present when pub singer ‘Gervaise’ from BBC sitcom Hebburn hit the stage for a surprise unannounced special guest appearance at two local comedy club shows. Sell-out crowds at Stockton’s Catch 22 at ARC on
A CHRISTMAS tree festival with a real community spirit attracted dozens of visitors and helped boost a church’s coffers. The event, held over the weekend at St Columba’s Church, in Clifton Road, Darlington, featured a range of Christmas trees,
THE lucky winners of a wedding competition met with a cake specialist at the weekend, to discuss the requirements for their forthcoming nuptials. Zoe Coleman and Brett Barraclough, 22 and 23 respectively, from Darlington, were victorious in The
COMMUNITY activists will be asking the new Police and Crime Commissioner to outline his vision to tackle crime in their area tomorrow. (Monday, December 17). Ron Hogg, who represents the County Durham area, is attending the meeting of the East
The refurbishement of a village hall's toilets has been completed thanks to a £6,640 donation. The scheme to upgrade Woodland village hall has being running for several years. Banks Renewables, of Bishop Auckland, made the donation allowing
COUNCILLORS will meet this week to discuss plans for a controversial housing development in north Durham. Outline plans have been submitted to build up to 168 residential dwellings on land west of Castlefields at Bournmoor, near Chester-le-Street
A VETERAN’S group which holds repatriation ceremonies for British troops killed in Afghanistan has received a special award from the Chairman of Durham County Council. Councillor Linda Marshall awarded a Chairman’s Medal to Sedgefield Village Veterans
THE broad acres of Yorkshire have added another jewel to their crown – by beating off some of the world’s most exotic locations to take a global travel award for the third time. Tourism agency Welcome to Yorkshire held off competition from India
THE Christmas feeling descended on Stockton High Street when the reindeer parade made its way through the town centre today (Sunday, December 16). The parade based on the theme of ‘All I want for Christmas’ culminated in a performance of music,
DOZENS of Christmas shoppers have added their names to a burgeoning campaign to keep 480 civil service jobs in a North-East town. The Department for Education (DfE) has plans to transfer the jobs from Mowden Hall, in Darlington, to Newcastle.
Dog rescued: Firefighters rescued a small white dog that had got stuck on the edge of the Foreshore Road viaduct in Scarborough at 12.40pm on Saturday. They took the animal back to the station and from there it was collected by an animal charity and
NORTHERN Echo editor Peter Barron received a celebrity ‘good luck’ message before a book-signing event at the weekend. Mr Barron sold more than 50 copies of his book, Fartin’ Martin Sidebottom, in the signing at the Waterstone’s store, in Darlington
THE latest generation of a well-known retail and equestrian dynasty was on hand to help officially open a new café and bistro. Charlie Barker, who is just eight months old, turned up on a pony at his family’s flagship department store in Northallerton
COMMUNITY WEBSITE: Residents are being asked to help support the Spennymoor community website www.gospenny.com. The site was launched earlier this year by Spennymoor Area Action Partnership to promote venues and activities in the area. Groups and residents
A MAN on the run for drugs offences was arrested on Sunday evening after his girlfriend was found stabbed. Michael Bennison, 28, was arrested in the Huntington area of York at 7pm after a two-day manhunt. Police earlier warned that the fugitive
TWO youths tried to rob a female motorist after one of them lay down in the middle of the road forcing her to stop. As soon as she pulled up a second man appeared and opened the car door and demanded the driver’s bag. The 55-year-old was driving
FOOTBALL fans were given the chance to have a health check before watching Middlesbrough play at the weekend. And Boro player Rhys Williams was on the health bus at the Riverside Stadium to encourage more people to get a check over. The scheme
POLICE WARNING: Motorists are being warned to be careful when defrosting cars during the winter weather. Durham Constabulary is encouraging people not to leave car engines running when clearing ice in case thieves take advantage to steal the car.
A CHARITY has the following message for people feeling under pressure this Christmas – be it emotional, financial or physical: help is at hand. Volunteers from The Samaritans took to the streets of Darlington on Saturday (December 15), to remind
The building used to film the hit TV series Byker Grove is to be transformed into an Islamic school. Council planning chiefs have given the go-ahead to plans to convert Bishop's Palace into a fee-paying faith school. The BAHR Academy will cater
A RARE violin made by a well known Italian instrument maker has sold for £3,200 at auction. It was made by Aristide Cavalli in 1923 and sold at Addisons of Barnard Castle’s Winter Fine Art and Antiques Sale on December 8. The violin attracted
STATE BALLET: The Russian State Ballet and Orchestra of Siberia will perform at Darlington Civic Theatre, from January 31 to February 3. Tickets are priced from £26 to £33, with discounts available. For more information and to book, call 01325-486555
Police are investigating an allegation of racist abuse after Manchester City star Aleksandar Kolarov became involved in a heated exchange with a spectator at St James' Park. Northumbria Police confirmed they had received a complaint in the wake
A PLAN to build Britain's first large scale US-style retirement village has been rejected. However, developer Javid Majid intends to appeal the decision by Stockton Borough Council not to allow the £100m village to be built at Mount Leven, between
A PENSIONER suffered facial injuries when two burglars targeted her home on Friday night. The 70-year-old woman was taken to The University Hospital for North Tees for treatment. The pair had entered her home on Darlington Lane, Stockton, at
ANGRY residents have claimed controversial plans to allow a petrol station to sell alcohol will damage a conservation area and lead to increased crime. The Total UK filling station, in Grange Road, Darlington, has applied for a licence to trade
A HOUSING project which helps the homeless in Bishop Auckland is celebrating its tenth anniversary. Four Housing Group set up Teesdale House in 2002 to act as a much needed refuge for homeless youngsters. It was developed in partnership with
Shildon’s patience paid off when they became the fifth EBAC Northern League club into the last 32 of the FA Carlsberg Vase after beating Parkgate 3-1 at Dean Street on Saturday. The Railwaymen trailed to an early goal, and it looked as if they
