The Durham Challenge Cup tie between West Auckland and Spennymoor was abandoned after just five minutes because of floodlight failure last night. The lights went off three times before the match even kicked off, and so the referee stated that should
ED Miliband today said that "the door is open" for his brother David to join the Labour front benches. Speculation in Westminster that the former foreign secretary and South Shields MP may be preparing the way for a return to frontline politics
A MAN has gone on trial accused of a catalogue of sickening sex crimes against women - one of which involves his pet rottweiler. The jury in the case of Sean Johnstone was warned they would hear "unusually unpleasant" details even by crown court
COUNCILS could be left providing only the services they are obliged to by law, the leader of one authority facing further multi-million pound cuts has warned. As Durham County Council announced its cutbacks look set to top £200m by 2018, neighbouring
AN MP spoke of how "angry" she was about cuts at one North-East council that are now expected to reach £100m over the next three years. Catherine McKinnell (Lab; Newcastle North) led a Commons debate sparked by fury over reductions planned by cash-starved
A TOWERING former miner has been immortalised in art – thanks to his unusually big hands. Ninety-two-year-old Don Spark boasts a super-sized span due to his large frame – he still stands 6’3” tall and wears size 12 shoes – and a lifetime of hard
THE much discussed ‘fiscal cliff’ has been dominating the thoughts of investment professionals for the past few months. As transpired, the cliff was postponed rather than avoided, leading to big stock market gains so early into 2013, writes Anthony
LONE parents and the disabled will be hit hardest by real-terms cuts to benefits, ministers admitted tonight (January 8) - as the controversial measure cleared its first hurdle. Single mothers and fathers will lose £5-a-week, an official 'impact
AN outline for a new economic and social plan for the North-East has been unveiled, embracing self-help, community strengthening and mutual ownership. A manifesto has been launched by the people behind the January Declaration on Poverty and Inequality
DEPARTMENT store chain Debenhams reported its best-ever December today (January 8) after increasing discounting in the run up to the festive season in a bid to attract price-conscious consumers. The group, which has 155 UK stores and 73 overseas
A HEARTFELT speech by a charity worker has led to 113 poor Indians receiving life-changing surgery. John Roughley, area co-ordinator for The Leprosy Mission in the North East, gave a talk on the charity’s work to the Rotary Club of Durham in August
A TEAM of volunteers have been helping to secure the future of mountain biking at Dalby Forest. The forest near Pickering, North Yorkshire, is looking for volunteers to help maintain the 3,440 hectare off-road trail network. An eager band of
DURHAM County Council’s consultation on how playgrounds should be distributed across the county in future closes on Monday (January 14). A further consultation will be held before any decisions are made. To take part, visit durham.gov.uk/consultations
A MAN was jailed for three years after a court heard how he tried to take advantage of a “vulnerable” young woman he encountered late at night. Hugh Raymond Frederick Holmes approached the woman, who was trying to locate her boyfriend after an
WORK on a £300,000 scheme of improvements in part of Barnard Castle is due to begin next week. The project will see the Scar Top area remodelled to preserve the existing open spaces and seating as well as re-establishing views to the Tees.
NEWTON Aycliffe school pupils experienced the life and culture of Berlin when they paid an educational visit to the city. Forty-five pupils from Woodham Academy visited Germany’s capital late last year and embraced the opportunity to practise their
BIRTHDAY POOL: Scarborough’s Indoor Pool has turned 40 years old - marking more than 7.5 million visits over four decades. Since opening on January 8, 1973 the pool in Ryndle Crescent has enabled thousands of children to learn to swim, increasing from
HIGHLIGHTS and hairspray were out in force as a national hairstyle collection was launched in Darlington. The new Desire Collection, created by Saks, was exclusively unveiled at the company’s flagship salon in Blackwellgate, in Darlington, and
YORK SMASH: A woman was taken to hospital with head injuries today, (Tuesday Jan 8) following a two-car smash on York’s outer ring road near Copmanthorpe. The accident involved a white Hyundai and a blue VW Polo, and happened at 2.40pm. It resulted
EXPERTS are gathering in York later this month to try and solve the mystery of a sapphire ring found near the city. The ring, which is the second earliest example of the use of sapphire ever found in the country, has baffled archaeology experts
DAVID Meyler has completed his move from Sunderland to Hull City for an undisclosed fee, which is understood to be around £1.5m. The Republic of Ireland international has spent the last month on loan with the Tigers, and has now penned a three-and-a-half
A DEMOLITION worker’s experience of knocking down the ‘Get Carter’ car park has inspired him to write his first novel. Robert Lilly Brewis, who helped demolish the Gateshead multi-storey car park immortalised in the 1971 hit crime film Get Carter
A couple from Washington won £1m through the EuroMillions Millionaire Raffle on Christmas Day. They are planning to reveal their plans for the future Mercure Newcastle George Washington Golf and Spa in High Usworth tomorrow. (Wednesday January 9)
A MANUFACTURING company in Newton Aycliffe has raised £7,000 for a cancer care and support charity. Tallent Automotive named Macmillan Cancer Support as its chosen charity for 2012 and, for the last 12 months, staff have donated money from their
A MODEL who was raped and stabbed shortly after starting a new life in the sun has returned to a Spanish holiday island to see her attacker in court. Cheryl Maddison, now 25, of Murton, County Durham, was stabbed in the chest and left to die in
VAN FIRE: Fire crews from Malton and Huntington attended a camper van on fire in Cram, a village near Malton, just before 7pm on Monday (January 7). No one was hurt and the blaze was quickly dealt with. HISTORY STREET: York Castle Museum’s recently
A spare room needn’t be a wasted space or a dumping ground for clutter. Gabrielle Fagan sources great buys and expert tips for creating a room fit for any house guest THE kids might be running around the house, and friends and relatives popping
A VINTAGE fair is building on its successes and launching two new events in the region. Organisers of the Stockton Chic Vintage Fair, which is now in its third year, have launched two new events in Croft, near Darlington, Beamish, near Newcastle
A RUGBY team is looking for new players to bolster its ranks for the coming season. Durham Tigers Rugby League Club is about to start pre-season in the run up to the new North East Rugby League season which starts in March. The club is keen
VINTAGE FAIR: A vintage fair will be held on the first Tuesday of each month from April until December in Richmond Town Hall. Chic Vintique events will feature antiques, collectables, vintage and retro items, jewellery, crafts, books and gifts. Doors
As College House, a Grade II-listed property in Masham, North Yorkshire, goes on the market, Ruth Addicott reveals its extraordinary story WHEN Clayton Moore began restoring College House, he had no idea it formed part of a puzzle that had stumped
PRISONER ATTACKED: Steven Avis, 19, has been charged with assaulting Aguinaldo Neto at Deerbolt Young Offenders Institute, at Startforth near Barnard Castle. Avis, now at Doncaster Young Offenders Institute, is said to have carried out the attack in
A RECOVERY truck taken from the owner’s yard came to a halt after a short chase when it crashed into a newsagent’s shop, a court heard. The Iveco truck was left at the compound outside Denhamfields Garage, in Ferryhill Station, County Durham, on
Saint Aiden’s Wind Orchestra will be playing for the first time in Masham Town Hall on January 17, 2013 starting at 7.30pm. The concert is in aid of St. Michael’s Hospice, Harrogate and Masham Branch of Cancer Research. Tickets available on the night
THE FAMILY of a man murdered days after he appeared in court charged with child abduction have spoken about their loss. John Roberts, 32, was found dead inside his home in Park Terrace, Gateshead, on Sunday December 16. A post mortem showed he
A TWO per cent council tax rise – coupled with £4.4m of cuts – moved a step closer in Redcar and Cleveland today. The spending plans for 2013 to 2014 were approved at the Labour-controlled council’s cabinet meeting and have just one more hurdle
A SPECIAL inquiry is underway following reports of a rise in sexually transmitted infections and a high teenage pregnancy rate in a North-East town. The issue of sexual health in Hartlepool, which has a teen pregnancy rate higher than the English
NEW paving work will start later this month as the next phase of redevelopment gets underway to improve Billingham town centre. From Monday, January 14, the market will be moved from its usual location to the area outside Billingham Forum and B
THE country’s biggest art competition has been launched by Middlesbrough’s leading art gallery and a Teesside charity. Tens of thousands of artists are expected to enter the ‘Love Where You Live’ competition run by mima and the Middlesbrough and
A MAJOR new drugs trial being launched in the region will mean North-East leukaemia patients will be among the first to try new treatments. Scientists and doctors at Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Newcastle University will be working
A NURSING union has praised North-East GPs for opening their surgeries at weekends to help the NHS cope with winter pressures. Estephania Dunn, operational manager with the Royal College of Nursing's Northern Region, said the move by NHS North
EMOTIONS ran high as campaigners packed a meeting to hear councillors vote to close the Kids and Co nursery service. Coun Cyndi Hughes fought back tears as she told Darlington Borough Council’s cabinet meeting it was “with a heavy heart” that she
HUNDREDS of youngsters showed off their talents in front of a sell-out audience at an annual music festival. Every senior pupil at Durham School and children from various other schools took part in the concert at The Sage, Gateshead, in front of
NETWORK Rail (NR) has set out what it called the biggest investment in infrastructure since the Victorian era including £240m to clear bottlenecks on the East Coast Mainline. Its £37.5bn five year spending plans from 2014 also included £77m worth
A BENEFITS cheat who claimed more than £2,000 while still in work has appeared in court. Martin Kemp, of Oakdene Avenue, Darlington, picked up jobseekers allowance and housing benefit and council tax benefit payments worth about £2,300 over a two-year
A HOMELESS man who slept in a hotel cupboard after stealing food and drink has been given a community order. Stephen Wicks, 51, walked into the Kings Head Hotel, in Darlington, on December 28 after he was forced to leave home. He had been
A BEAUTY firm has brought a touch of North-East glamour to celebrities including Pamela Anderson after securing a deal to supply popular ITV reality show Dancing on Ice with hair extensions. Stockton-based Additional Lengths, which manufacturers
MORE than 200 businesses across the North York Moors have signed up to form a network to boost tourism and support each other. The aim is to encourage more visitors to the National Park and the Howardian Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
TOURIST spots in the North-East and North Yorkshire have topped an online poll conducted by one of the world's largest travel websites. TripAdvisor compiled results from more than 1.1m traveller feedback forms of the most highly recommended World
THE owner of a North Yorkshire plant hire firm which employs almost 50 people has come to an agreement with planning inspectors after months of uncertainty over the company's future. Giles Potter, from Catton, near Thirsk, appealed against an enforcement
TITANIC EVENT: A railway museum will hold an exhibition of costumes, documents and survivor testimonies from the Titanic. Head of Steam – Darlington Railway Museum is hosting a presentation by The History Wardrobe on the ship which sank on April 15
UNWANTED GIFTS: Teesside charity Daisy Chain is appealing for people to donate their unwanted Christmas gifts to help families with children on the autism spectrum. The Norton-based charity says these can help the charity throughout the year as
A THEME park will create 35 jobs after plans to build a £5m woodland holiday complex were approved. Bosses at Lightwater Valley, near Ripon, said staff working at the 106-chalet development would be paid a total of £800,000 in wages and the local
CLEVELAND Fire Brigade has issued a rallying call encouraging wannabe firefighters to join them. The brigade is recruiting part-time firefighters to join crews across Teesside in a quest to better help protect the area and local communities.
A UNIVERSITY drama group is in rehearsals for a production of Fame. Members of Durham University Light Opera Group (Dulog) will stage the hit musical at the Gala Theatre, in Durham City, from Tuesday, January 22, until Saturday, January 26.
A UNION is warning that plans to shake-up ambulance services will jeopardise patient care. The Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, which covers 6,000 square miles, recently announced plans to change the way it operates in a bid to balance its
A HEALTH roadshow stopped off at a Darlington business park to help keep its workers in the loop about local NHS services. The Darlington Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) teamed up with Lingfield Point Business Park and the Darlington Involvement
SPEED reduction campaigners in Darlington are urging councillors to continue their support for 20mph zones, after it was revealed the town is one of only 12 to have such a policy. Following a survey of 75 local authorities by The Independent newspaper
A COLLEGE is holding a careers event to help young people choose their future profession. Darlington College is hosting an open event next Tuesday (January 15), which will include practical activities, visits around the workshops and a chance to
A MAN caught growing cannabis in his bedroom has been given a community order. Ryan Love, 18, of Humber Place, Darlington, had 16 plants in his bedroom and dried cannabis cuttings in a cupboard when police raided the property on December 20.
A MAN who allowed his dog to savage a fox before boasting of the attack online has been banned from keeping animals for four years. Albert Campbell, 21, set his Staffordshire Bull terrier-type dog on the fox and watched as it killed the animal
A CRANE manufacturer is gearing up to stay ahead of competitors by investing it its North-East plant following increased international demand. Liebherr is to create a 600m sq extension to its Sunderland plant which will enable it to build its maritime
STUDENTS helped to polish a community group's studies with a pamper day to celebrate the end of their course. Darlington College beauty students were drafted in to mark the end of a confidence course run by Darlington Borough Council’s family learning
HOUSEBUILDER Persimmon reported further growth in revenues today as the firm announced North region boss Jeff Fairburn would take the top job in April. Mike Farley, who has chief executive since April 2006 and has 30 years’ service, is stepping
SUNDERLAND defender Blair Adams has extended his loan spell with League One side Coventry City. The South Shields-born Academy of Light graduate moved to the Ricoh Arena last November and will now stay with the club until January 16. Adams
THIRSK and Malton MP Anne McIntosh has called on Health Minister Dr Dan Poulter to carry out an urgent review of the funding formula which gives people across the county £200 less in health funding than most areas of Britain. Health providers in
A RESTRAINING order has been imposed on a former mayor. John Hinchcliffe, 75, of Newgate, Barnard Castle, County Durham, pleaded not guilty to a charge of harrasment without violence at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates Court today (Tuesday, January
THREE long-serving volunteers have notched up almost 40 years of combined service at a charity cafe in Darlington. Brenda Burnside, Pat Elliott and Sylvia Porter-Merry have been diligently waiting on tables and helping customers at Age UK’s cafe
POLICE are appealing for witnesses to an attack in which a 39-year-old man from Northallerton had his jaw broken. He was assaulted at about half past midnight on Saturday, December 22 after a Christmas night out in the town. The victim was
PLAY DAY: A special event is being held to help groups get the best out of play areas across Hambleton district. The Hambleton Play Partnership is hosting play factor, which will provide tips and advice on how to make play spaces exciting and challenging
NINETEEN chemical workers are jubilant after starting their new year with a million pound lottery win. The syndicate of Teesside-based workers scooped the jackpot in the EuroMillions Millionaire raffle draw held on New Year’s Day, each receiving
A RAPE suspect told a woman he would "have his way" whether she was awake or not as she tried to sleep after a party, a court heard today. Leon Love "wasn't prepared to give up" and targeted another guest after his sexual advances were rebuffed
A MAN who works to keep his estate free of litter has hit out at the council for ignoring his repeated requests for help to tackle the problem and called for a reduction in his council tax as he is ‘doing the council’s job for them’. David Glew
THE cost of employment tribunal claims to the region’s cash-strapped councils is revealed today by The Northern Echo with some admitting such claims are placing an increasing strain on their budgets. The Echo contacted several local authorities
A COUNCIL is warning tenants of the dangers of attempting to repair their own gas appliances. Durham City Homes, the department in charge of public housing at Durham County Council, is hoping recent episodes of Coronation Street will help raise
POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a bus window was smashed, injuring two passengers. The incident happened when the bus was travelling along West Denton Way in West Denton, Newcastle at about 7.10pm yesterday (Monday, January 7). As
A DANCE group from Hartlepool are competing in a satellite TV talent show. Ruff Diamond, a street crew consisting of six boys aged between 17 and 21, are a group of friends who have been dancing together since 2008. They dream of being a world-class
CASH has been stolen from a fruit machine in a Crook pub. The burglary occurred at the Coach and Horses public house on Addison Street between 11.30pm on December 31 and 9am on January 3. An alarm is believed to have sounded when the thieves
THE second 16-year-old arrested in connected with the murder of a father-of-two days before Christmas appeared at Newcastle Crown Court today (Tuesday, January 8). The youth, from the Stanley area of County Durham, who cannot be identified for
Iceland is opening a new store on Scott Street in Stanley, on January 30. The store will create 24 jobs for shop staff. GET FIT: Kick Boxercise classes are held at the Louisa Centre in Stanley every Sunday from 10.30am-11.30am. Sessions cost £3.70
A MYSTERY surrounding the inspiration for Downton Abbey has deepened after its creator denied claims it had been based on a North Yorkshire country mansion. As the stars of the hit TV costume drama prepare to produce a fourth series, its writer
POLICE want a raunchy sports bar featuring scantily-clad waitresses and topless barmen closed down. Boxers, which opened at the heart of sleepy Durham City last summer, is facing claims of under-age drinking, drug-taking and public lewdness.
PRIMARY school pupils have transformed a disused allotment into a bountiful vegetable patch thanks to a £10,000 grant. Fishburn Primary School in Fishburn, near Sedgefield, received the funding for its Get Dirty Whilst Growing project that has
MEMORIAL FUND: A charity night in aid of the Chester-le-Street War Memorial Group will be held at the Market Tavern, in Chester-le-Street, from 7.30pm to late on Saturday, January 19. The group is aiming to raise £60,000 for a new war memorial in the
Darlington Yoga Group return for the new year with a session led by Susan Lodge on Saturday, January 12, at All Saint’s Church, in Ravensdale Road, Darlington. The session takes place between 10 am and 12.30pm. Call 01325-356126 for details. CRICKET
A New Year crackdown on anti-social behaviour and neighbourhood nuisances is starting in east Durham this week. Irresponsible dog owners, flytippers and speeding motorists are among those being targeted during the initiative. Durham County
AN inquest into the death of a baby boy shaken to death by his mother’s partner was closed today (December 8). Richard Morgan, formerly of Owen Terrace, Tantobie, Stanley, County Durham, was convicted of the manslaughter of 13-month-old Slater
A COFFEE morning is being held at Haughton Green Methodist Church this Saturday, January 12, between 10am and 11am. There will be bring and buy stalls and cake stalls. Admission is free and all are welcome.
PARENTS are being given the chance to brush up on their education skills with two courses due to start later this month. The 10-week courses, delivered by the Workers Education Association for parents in the Chester-le-Street area, are designed
Scotland's national poet, or Makar, will be appearing at Barningham Village Hall on Friday 1st March. Liz writes no-nonsense fast-paced poetry and monologues, rooted in commonplace realities, whether these are the chapels or doctors’ surgeries’
BUSINESSES in North Yorkshire have been criticised for failing to meet fire safety regulations. Fire risk company Safety Management figures show between April 2011 and March last year, 1,416 of the businesses which were inspected by officers from North
THE Monday Patchwork and Quilting Club meets in St Cuthbert’s Church Hall, in Darlington, from 10am to 1pm, on alternate weeks. The next meeting will be on January 21. There will be a tutor at the meeting on Monday, February 4. New members are welcome
Two local history talks are to be held in Dalton and Gayles village hall, following a survey of local residents needs, undertaken during 2012. The first “The Great Grazing Country of the Children” will be on Friday 18 January 2013 by local historian
A THOROUGH clean of court custody facilities in the North-East has been ordered after criticism from inspectors. The inspection by HM Inspectorate of Prisons of four crown courts and 12 magistrates courts revealed concerns about poor cell conditions
POLICE want to speak to this man who drove off from Parkhead Services, in Coundon, on Friday, November 30, at about 2am after telling the assistant he was unable to pay for £20 worth of unleaded petrol. The yellow/gold Rover 25 was displaying stolen
AN acclaimed artist who was part of the team behind an Emmy awardwinning television series is designing artwork for a North-East music centre. Derek Cowie, who worked on set design for the BBC’s multiple Emmy award-winning Little Dorrit as well
IF you want to know more about life, the universe and everything, Dara O’Briain and Brian Cox have just the show for you. Since 2011, their week-long strand Stargazing Live has become an annual fixture in January. They kick things off with
THE North East Shadow Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has begun the new year with mixed views on the current interest rate ahead of the Bank of England’s own MPC announcement on Thursday. A partnership between chartered accountants and business
WHILE many count the cost of Christmas calorific excess, All You Can Eat spotlights competitive over-eaters who indulge themselves in super-sized food challenges whenever the mood takes them. It’s a craze that began in the US, but competitive eating
WHEN Death in Paradise was first shown, it focused on a strait-laced policeman who was confronted by a situation he didn’t feel comfortable with. In this case it was a secondment to a Caribbean island whose residents are rather more laid back than
FIRST aired last year, The Undateables sounded as though it would poke fun at those less fortunate. What we were faced with, though, was a heart-warming and uplifting series that highlighted that while some people aren’t as able as others, everybody
A MULTI-MILLION pound investment to help with the expansion of the North-East’s growing low carbon vehicle sector has been made by creating a centre of excellence. Gateshead College is to create an International Centre for Low Carbon Vehicle Development
AN art group set up to promote positive mental health and wellbeing in County Durham is staging its first exhibition. The heART of Friendship will showcase the work of more than 30 talented amateur artists, who all attend the Colour your Life Arts
SUPERMARKET chain Morrisons admitted its Christmas sales were below par after feeling the heat from rivals. The UK’s fourth-biggest grocer, which employs about 130,000 staff at 455 stores in the UK, reported a 2.5 per cent decline in like-for-like
CAR sales hit a four-year-high last year as about two million new cars were sold in the UK. The 5.3 per cent increase on 2011 was the biggest since 2001, with sales of new vehicles boosted by strong consumer demand, said the Society of Motor Manufacturers
A SOLDIER attached to a North Yorkshire-based regiment in Afghanistan has been killed in an apparent "green-on-blue" attack. The soldier, from 28 Engineer Regiment, was shot dead by a suspected member of the Afghan National Army (ANA) yesterday
A NORTH-EAST council has been named as one of the highest earning local authorities for parking charges in the country. According to a report by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), Newcastle Council made £6.2m from parking fees in 2011/12
RUBBING shoulders with Diana Dors, partying at the birthplace of British rock and roll, and grappling with an over-excited kitten on Egyptian television; Seymour Borlant knows there’s no business like showbusiness. Standing among the shelves of
A WOMAN who went missing last week has returned home safe and well. Sheralee Dodsworth was last seen at her home on Lillie Terrace in Trimdon Grange, near Sedgefield, County Durham, on the morning of Thursday, January 3. Her husband Keith raised
STRICTLY Come Dancing champion Chris Hollins is back with another hourlong helping of the Who Do You Think You Are-style show Find My Past. “I’ve always been fascinated by social history, always wanted to know why we are the way we are and always
A MAN is attempting to change the traditional method of reading for a system he believes is faster and easier – ZigZag speed reading. Ebenezer Bean – real name Bernard Crewdson – from Maunby, North Yorkshire, has written 12 books since 1999 in
NEW Year’s Day 2013. As if to prove that nothing really changes, nor now is ever likely to, the headline was written before the story was. For the morning after the nightmare before, for a pub that not only sells canine beer, but roast beef lunch
IT annoyed me to read the article (Echo, Jan 4) in which Councillor Neil Foster was pictured grinning smugly in a photo taken in the newly-refurbished Dun Cow Lane, near Durham Cathedral. Durham County Council has just spent £163,000 to carry out
I RECALL, as a child, being fascinated by a council tanker suctioning the road grids using a wide bore pipe. After sucking up the silt and debris it flushed each grid with clear water. The women of the street would warn children to stay clear or
IN the UK we have people who earn more than £50,000 a year having their child benefits cut. These people will have worked hard to get where they are today. Is it not about time there were cuts to the benefits that are paid to unmarried women
ROB MEGGS (HAS, Jan 5) strikes an important note about the way the Government demonise the poor. It would appear that everything to do with our economic woes lies with the poor. They are the fall guys – no matter how much the rich milk the
I HAVE just read an article about impending changes to the benefits system. Apparently, a single person will not be able to claim more than £350 per week and a family no more than £500 per week. Well, it’s no wonder these people don’t want
THE Government’s back-to-work schemes have been a prickly issue for decades. The Youth Training Scheme, Youth Opportunity Programme, Flexible New Deal and the current Work Programme have all proved controversial. By far the most constructive
CAN someone explain why, as an island surrounded by water, Britain does not use the sea to generate electricity? I agree it would be expensive to operate as we have left it too late to start building waterdriven turbines, but it would have worked
IN the early 1950s my three younger brothers and I were taken by the NSPCC into local authority care. Although I didn’t know it at the time, I was to spend the remainder of my childhood in children’s homes. There was a considerable stigma attached
IAM rather sorry to be away from my old job as a rector in the City of London. I miss the gladding crowd, the swift exchange of ideas, life in which the elastic has not snapped. And most of all I miss my cronies. But semi-retirement in a leafy suburb
MUSICIANS will raise the roof at a charity event in memory of a teenager who bravely fought leukaemia. Darlington schoolboy Harvey Gaydon was just 16 when he lost his battle with the disease in 2011. The youngster underwent a bone marrow transplant
BY a curious twist of fate, Bryan Talbot’s wife Mary was my linguistics lecturer at Sunderland University, but it was after graduating that I first came across his work in the fascinating Alice in Sunderland. The hefty tome provides a pictorial
TEN houses left standing on a partly demolished estate could be knocked down and nearly 80 homes built on the site, under plans to be considered by councillors. Rowan Court and The Oaks were listed for demolition under a Masterplan for Esh Winning
IF Middlesbrough’s extensive injury list brought a positive with it this week, it was the emergence of yet more young talent seemingly destined for the first team stage. Over the last 14-and-a-half years the success of the club’s academy system
THE first point that should be made about the coalition Government being midway through its term of office is the most obvious: Messrs Cameron and Clegg are still there, they are still together. They joined forces after an inconclusive election
NEW problems with the restoration of the iconic loco Flying Scotsman could bring the troubled project to a halt, according to an industry journal. The cost of getting the famous engine back in steam has already more than trebled to around £2.7m
Yorkshire County Cricket Club celebrate their 150th birthday today. Formed on January 8, 1863 at the Adelphi Hotel in Sheffield, the club have gone onto become outright county champions on a record 30 occasions, as well as winning five one-day
NEWCASTLE United are hoping the club's French connection will be the key to landing striker Loic Remy from Marseille this month. Magpies manager Alan Pardew has stepped up his pursuit of Ajax youngster Jody Lukoki in the last 24 hours, but Remy
FOR John Hughes, moving from Scotland to manage in English football was a challenge he couldn't resist - although he admits its come at an emotional and financial cost. Appointed Hartlepool United manager in November, Hughes spent his playing and
SUNDERLAND are hoping to make France Under-21 international Alfred N'Diaye their first January signing within the next 48 hours. Black Cats officials have agreed a fee of around £3m with their counterparts at Turkish club Bursaspor and are ready to begin
COUNCILLORS will meet this evening (Tuesday, January 8) to decide on the future of two nurseries in Darlington. The Kids and Co nurseries at Northwood and Borough Road could shut by August, along with the Flexi Childcare Service, if councillors
WITH the launch of the third instalment in the Grandville series and the short listing of a book co-written with his wife (the first graphic novel to be up for a Costa Award), graphic novelist Bryan Talbot tells Duncan Leatherdale how comic books are
A BENEFITS cheat who claimed more than £80,000 for a crippling back injury was secretly working as a fitness instructor at a North-East leisure centre. Alan Lawson received £88,008 in benefits over eight years after suffering a back injury that
DAMAGE to a bridge which has split a village in two was caused by extreme wet weather and not as the result of maintenance work carried out months earlier, according to council officials. Part of the bridge at Ovington, near Barnard Castle, County
BISHOP Auckland MP Helen Goodman is holding a series of constituency surgeries over the next few weeks to speak to residents. The Labour Party politician, who has represented the area since 2005, is willing to offer advice and help to anyone within
A SIX-YEAR-OLD girl watched in horror as her pet chihuahua was mauled to death by a boxer as its owner looked on. Evie Honeyman was walking her dog, Rolo, near her home in Tawney Road, Eston, near Middlesbrough, with gran Winifred Honeyman when
MAREK Reichman is a former graduate of Teesside Polytechnic who is responsible for some of the most beautiful cars in the world as design director with Aston Martin. Formerly with Rover, BMW and Ford, he was involved in the design of the Rolls
HOLLY Samos is probably best known for her time as the Formula One Pit Lane Reporter for BBC Radio 5 Live. Others might remember Holly as the ‘voice of reason’ and ‘Holly hot lips’ on the Chris Evans Breakfast Show at BBC Radio One and Virgin Radio
