Liverpool 1 Sunderland 2 Former Everton ace Brooke Chaplen scored from the penalty spot as newly-promoted Sunderland kick-started their FA Women's Super League 1 campaign by stunning champions Liverpool. England Under-23 international Beth
Shildon are up to third in the ENL Division One after they beat West Allotment 2-0 at Dean Street tonight. Shildon won the game inside the first 12 minutes. Centre half John Brackstone headed in a corner, then Paul Connor ran through on to a Billy
WITH millions of pounds at stake in one of the world's most popular television programmes, and legions of fans signing protest petitions, there was considerable pressure on BBC director general Tony Hall to find a way of avoiding having to sack Jeremy
A SILLY YouTube cartoon by the Conservatives features Alex Salmond tooting away on a recorder, while Ed Miliband leaps around like a demented Rudolf Nureyev. The terrifying message to English voters is that the former SNP leader is back, preparing
ARMED police surrounded a North-East house as part of an investigation into reports of a gun being fired in a West Yorkshire street.Officers from Durham Police attended a house on St Phillips Close, in Bishop Auckland, in County Durham, on Sunday. (March
BRIEFINGS will be held across the region to help farmers get to grips with a new payments application process.The NFU will hold a series of sessions to update members on the latest developments with the Basic Payment Scheme.Keith Wellings, common agricultural
A FLOWER arranger celebrated for his creative flair has teamed up with his local gardening club to inspire people to be artistic with home grown flowers.Adam Prest will demonstrate his floral wizardry at Sedgefield Gardening Club’s next monthly meeting
A PROJECT to help recovering cancer sufferers and plans to help a school wildlife garden are just two of the schemes to be given a share £387,457 of Big Lottery funding.Across the North-East 44 projects benefitted from the Awards for All small grants
SHUTTERS on a shop front are bringing the past to life in a former industrial town.It is 35 years since the steel industry closed in Consett, but many still have the memories it created.Marlene Boyles, who owns the former bank on the corner of Taylor
STAFF at a hospital unit which provides a range of services for children and young people are fundraising to make the centre a more welcoming and inviting place.The Specialist Children's Services team, which works with youngsters from across Hambleton
A CARAVAN site in Teesdale was partially evacuated yesterday (March 24) after gas leak fears.Firefighters from Barnard Castle and Middleton-in-Teesdale attended the Barnard Castle Camping and Caravanning Club site at Dockenflatts Lane, near Lartington
A CHARITY is setting out to make people blue next week to raise awareness of autism.The North-East Autism Society is asking families, schools, businesses and communities to dress in blue on World Autism Awareness Day, Thursday, April 2.The aim is to shine
YOUNGSTERS are being encouraged to get active this Easter by taking part in a series of sporty activities.Durham County Council has organised “four fantastic days of fun” at its leisure centres in Spennymoor and Newton Aycliffe, which are sure to get
A HORDE of colourful creatures are being auctioned ahead of a major theatrical festival.Jabberwockies of all shapes and sizes are being sold in a bid to fund workshops for young people and emerging artists in Darlington.Artists and members of the public
AITOR KARANKA expects his former team-mate, Fernando Amorebieta, to provide a timely boost to Middlesbrough’s promotion push following his arrival on loan. Amorebieta’s switch from Fulham was confirmed yesterday, with the 29-year-old centre-half
WE all like to try to get local angles on big stories but I can't help feeling the Cheddar Valley Gazette has stretched things a bit too far. "Jeremy Clarkson fired just two years after Top Gear films in Cheddar," is a headline currently on the
A SHADOW governing body has been formed at Richmond School as the school looks to move forward after recent upheaval.The body will take up the reigns from the interim executive board (IEB) which has been in place for just over a year after the previous
SIX North-East schools have been awarded prizes totalling £240,000 because of their success in boosting the achievements of disadvantaged pupils.The largest sum went to Easington Academy in east Durham which won £100,000 as a national finalist in the
A NORTH Yorkshire market town is gearing up for an influx of cyclists and runners this weekend with an annual duathlon due to be staged.The Stokesley Spring Duathlon begins and finishes in the town’s High Street on Sunday (March 29).The main race involves
AN addict who gave a batch of prescription drugs to a friend who overdosed and died has been jailed for four months.The 34-year-old victim's distraught mother spoke yesterday of her heartache and said: "This will stay with me forever."Graham
YOUNG readers in Stockton have chosen their 'book of the year' in a secret ballot.More than 500 children, aged from nine to 12, took part in the vote and chose The Last Wild by Piers Torday as Stockton Children's Book of the YearThe readers were given
THE REVIVAL of North-East train building reached a significant milestone today when the Hitachi Rail Europe factory was connected to the national rail network. In the new year, trains will begin to roll out of the £82m Newton Aycliffe plant and
CHESTER-le-Street’s popular Riverside Park has been given a spring clean.Walkways and footpaths along the riverbanks were tidied on Tuesday (March 24) by groups and volunteers from LitterFree Durham’s Big Spring Clean campaign.Students from Park View
A NORTH-East priest has been named the Church of England’s second female bishop – and completed the Church’s first husband and wife bishop team.The Reverend Canon Alison White, who studied and trained in Durham and served in Chester-le-Street, will become
A PUBLIC meeting to discuss parking issues in Staindrop is set to be held after a resident was struck by a car while standing on the pavement.The pensioner, who did not want to be named, expressed his concerns at the village’s annual parish assembly on
POLICE have spoken to four children who have admitted starting a fire at a North-East primary school at the weekend.It follows a blaze in a bin compound at Annfield Plain Infant School, near Stanley, on Saturday at teatime.Three boys, aged 12, 13 and
THE owner of a string of award-winning Indian restaurants has been charged with the manslaughter of a customer who suffered from a severe peanut allergy. In a case - believed to be one of the first of its kind - Mohammed Khalique Zaman was charged
HARTLEPOOL student Matthew Davison claimed a credible second spot from a 70-strong field at the AOC Sport Open Golf Championships.Davison, representing Hartlepool College of Further Education, was in great form over the fabulous Fairmont St Andrews resort
A COUNCIL has revealed the Tour de France generated £19.2m for a district as moves to mark the event with a mass ride across the route emerged.Harrogate Borough Council said a study had found the world's largest annual sporting event had produced unprecedented
A BODY has been found in the search for a missing North-East hiker.A major search was launched after Daniel Bennett, 43, disappeared while walking in the hills around Tyndrum, western Scotland, on Saturday (March 21).Police Scotland said a body was found
AN interim chief executive will be appointed within the next month to lead the North East LEP as the recruitment of a permanent appointment continues. The North East LEP and North East Combined Authority (NECA) have taken the decision to put a
Me and my big mouth... When a press conference was held last August to confirm that the legendary New Zealand All Blacks would be using Darlington as their training base for the 2015 Rugby World Cup, I said something a bit silly. "Darlington
A FOOD bank has been given taxpayer cash to help prevent 100 children a month from going hungry in a Teesside town.Hartlepool Borough Council has agreed to give Hartlepool Foodbank £7,800 as part of its 2015/16 budget after hearing that the charity helped
Five months after completing his treatment for testicular cancer, Jonas Gutierrez has provided his first in-depth discussion about his battle against the illness during an interview with a French television channel. Chief Sports Writer Scott Wilson
I FOUND the letter headlined “Independence day” from Bob Norton of Middlesbrough (HAS, Mar 25) very intriguing. While manifestos at national level are given a high profile, one has to question whether local manifestos are given the same priority
SINCE October, there have been a dozen or so letters and articles in The Northern Echo regarding the danger to pedestrians of allowing cycling in the centre of Darlington's pedestrian heart. The authorities – the council, the police – have always
THE political left is normally too dim to produce any coherent arguments against the so called “far right”, thus it resorts to insults, repeating the words Nazi, hate, fascist, racist, bigot etc like demented parrots. The article by Philip Buckingham
WHAT a waste of money to bury some bones. Bones are not the person – the soul is. If we believe Richard III sought Christ and found him for his salvation, and I do, then his bones have no value because some day we believers in Christ will have
WHEN my three brothers and I were taken into care it was a relief but still something of a shock. I coped better because I was the eldest and had some understanding of events. I was also preoccupied with taking care of my brothers, particularly the
TICKETS for one of the region’s biggest live music events have been released two weeks early due to unprecedented interest.Last week, The Northern Echo exclusively revealed that legendary British bands James and Razorlight will headline Hardwick Live
I HAD the bad luck to have to use the public conveniences at the bus station in Bishop Auckland the other day. I'm totally disgusted at the filthy state they are in. I think they are a health hazard to anyone who uses them. What kind of impression
THE reasons why the public are turned off by politicians is the way in which politics is portrayed as a superficial and cosmetic gimmick in many of the tabloids. It is very difficult to see beyond the headlines and, of course, David Cameron and
ON Saturday, Durham Pointers came out of hibernation to take a stall in Durham Market Place to promote our role as Durham City's mobile signposting service and to recruit more people to join us for the new season as we extend our volunteering role
MANY years ago, when I was just a wet-behind-the-ears motoring reporter, Jeremy Clarkson was still a columnist for a popular magazine called Performance Car. I’d bumped into him a few times on car launches where he enjoyed ‘big beast’ status among
NORTH Yorkshire Police has asked the BBC for its report into the 'fracas' at a hotel which led to Jeremy Clarkson being axed by the broadcaster. Clarkson - Read Motoring Editor Nigel Burton's profile of the presenter The BBC announced
RAY Mallon is kicking off his post-mayoral career by signing up to Middlesbrough Football Club Foundation. Its chairman, Steve Gibson, is unveiling the latest member of his team at a press conference this afternoon at the Riverside Stadium, describing
AN elderly woman has been knocked over by a bus in Stockton.The 79-year-old was in a collision with the vehicle on High Street, outside Debenhams, at about 9.45am this morning (Wednesday, March 25).Emergency services, including police and ambulance crews
A GOLDEN couple with family at heart will celebrate their landmark wedding anniversary with a big bash later this year.John and Helen Scott will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary tomorrow (Thursday, March 26) and will hold a party in October when
POLICE are urging residents to keep their eyes peeled following a spate of vandal attacks on cars.Over the weekend four were damaged in Gartland Road, Gillingham Road and Somerset Cottages. Sunderland. Four cars were also damaged in the Lingfield area
STUDENTS came under scrutiny from Scandinavia in an initiative expected to forge links across the North Sea.Darlington College health and social care students played host to a party of visitors from Vinstra, 40 miles north of Lillehammer.Seven students
POLICE are appealing for information after an attempt to enter the Middleton-in-Teesdale Sports and Social Club was made overnight on March 19. The intruders tried to gain entry into the fire exit of the club's function room, on Rose Terrace, between
CREATIVE youngsters embraced an Easter theme for an art competition at their school.Pupils at Stanhope Barrington CE Primary School, in Stanhope, Weardale, were invited to decorate a sweater or cake picture for the contest.It was organised by Fondant
A Danish steel contractor is bringing a mothballed factory back to life by creating a hub for the manufacture of wind turbine parts. Deputy Business Editor Steven Hugill reports JAN KJÆRSGAARD looks out of the window, taking a thoughtful pause.
A PAIR of hardy bikers are taking on a 3,000 mile challenge to raise funds for charity.Nick Devers and Graeme Church will be climb aboard their Harley Davidson motorbikes in May to ride across Europe in aid of Teesside Hospice.Mr Devers, who is an outpatient
A DRUG addict who has raided the homes of his sister and his aunt walked free from court - with a judge telling him: "This is your chance to go straight."Teesside Crown Court heard that Leslie Manning, 22, from Peterlee, County Durham, has a
MIDDLESBROUGH have completed the signing of Fernando Amorebieta on loan until the end of the season.The Venezuelan international joins Aitor Karanka's side from Fulham, with full-back James Husband going in the opposite direction on a similar deal.Amorebieta
REDCAR MP Ian Swales has joined broadcaster and journalist, Vanessa Feltz, to show his support for the Marie Curie Great Daffodil Appeal, following an event to celebrate the charity at the House of Commons.Mr Swales, who is stepping down as Liberal Democrat
The winning numbers for the Great North Air Ambulance weekly lottery for March 25, 2015 are: £200 N38674, Catterick Garrison; £100 N21837, Carlisle; £50 N25508, Corbridge; £50 N12399, Whitby; £25 N23689, Whitehaven; £25 N07233, Carlisle; £25 N44692, Carlisle
A HEADTEACHER who won national praise for improving her schools has pleaded not guilty to historic indecent assault charges on a boy. Anne Lakey, 55, from Stanley, County Durham, appeared briefly at Teesside Crown Court today, and denied seven
BOSSES at a technology firm developing a wonder substance say the company is in a good place to continue its expansion, despite reporting wider financial losses. Applied Graphene Materials (AGM) says it experienced record demand from customers
GROUNDBREAKING studies searching for life on Mars could be bolstered by work at a new laboratory at a potash mine, The Northern Echo can reveal. A research base is being built at The Boulby Underground Science Facility, at ICL Fertilizers’ site
DARLINGTON residents are being invited to contribute to a search to find the UK's most unappealing view. Snap your pictures of Darlington's ugliest views and send them to @DirectBlinds and @TheNorthernEcho on Twitter, using #worstview DirectBlinds.co.uk
A SECOND woman has been made a bishop by the Church of England. The new Bishop of Hull will be the Reverend Canon Alison White, currently priest-in-charge of Riding Mill in the Diocese of Newcastle, the Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu has announced
POLICE searching for a North-East man who disappeared while walking in Scotland have found a body. A large-scale search operation has been taking place since Daniel Bennett, a 43-year-old software developer at Durham University, was reported missing
A NORTH-EAST workwear supplier is targeting expansion across the UK after moving into a new base. MI Supplies, in Thornaby, near Stockton, aims to pick up work along the M62 corridor and the Midlands. The company has completed a switch to a
A micro-pig called Frances Bacon has been barred from a pub bar because of his habit os stealing customer’s pints of beer, scoffing their foot and head-butting them. The pig lives with owners Ian and Vicky Taylor-Ross at the Conquering Hero pub
THIS is the final resting place of a car that crashed in Peterlee last night. The driver is thought to hsve lost control of the car on Burnhope Way, Peterlee. The white Ford Focus was launched into the air after crashing through railings and
RESIDENTS are being urged to have their say on a major blueprint which will help shape the regeneration of Seaton Carew. The scheme is one of the key priorities within the Hartlepool Vision to enhance the resort’s assets of the sea, beach and promenade
MATCH REPORT Sunday 22 March 2015 Division One Grangefield Park were crowned Division One champions last weekend without playing as their nearest rivals Stockton Red Lion who required three wins from their final three games fell short when third
RONNIE MOORE has called on North-East football fans to rally round and help keep Hartlepool United in the Football League.With no Premier League or Championship programme this weekend, Pools hope their decision to drop ticket prices to £10 for their game
MICA McNEILL is on track to be Britain’s bobsleigh driver at the 2018 Winter Olympics after her first full season as a senior ended with her finishing 14th at the Senior World Championships. McNeill, who is from Consett, stepped up from the junior
NEWCASTLE UNITED are set to launch a major cull of the club’s fringe performers this summer, with up to half-a-dozen players expected to leave St James’ Park. John Carver recently confirmed a desire to make a number of additions to the playing
IT has been a case of double delight for Honor Clissold at the Delancey British National Alpine Ski Championships this week – but the Richmond teenager is hoping to leave the slopes with at least a hat-trick of medals to her name. Having claimed
THE owner of the Purple Pig in Yarm has been fined thousands of pounds after admitting eight food hygiene offences. But Som Emadi told Teesside Magistrates Court today (Tuesday, March 24) that he had been "naive" in trusting some of the managers
FOR BRAD Walker, it’s been a season of disappointment. For Hartlepool United it’s been the same.But the midfielder is back on form as Pools finally make a real fight of their situation at the bottom end of the Football League. Three wins in a week have
INSURANCE company Sunderland Marine is moving from its offices near Durham City to the Newcastle Quayside. The international marine insurance business will be relocating its 60 staff to the headquarters of sister company North of England P&I Association
THE Bobby Robson Foundation was founded by the ex-England and Newcastle manager seven years ago today. The initial fund raising target was £500,000. Today it is well on its way to reaching £10m for cancer research and treatment. IT'S Elton John
JONATHAN WOODGATE insists he is fit and ready to give Middlesbrough’s promotion charge a boost after suffering like a frustrated fan during the crushing defeat to Bournemouth. Woodgate missed out on a third consecutive appearance on Saturday when
VILLAGERS are preparing to knit a giant 'tea cosy' to cover up an unsightly BT street cabinet which recently appeared in front of a landmark building Residents of Staindrop, near Barnard Castle, were dismayed to find engineers had installed the
HARRY REDKNAPP might have labelled Sunderland as the ‘worst team in the Premier League’ but one of his former players thinks derby day can lift Wearside for the third season in a row. The Black Cats’ chances of staying in the top-flight have been
THE transformation of a mothballed North-East wind turbine parts plant is under way, The Northern Echo can reveal. Offshore Structures (Britain) Limited (OSB) has started revitalising Tag Energy Solutions’ site, in Haverton Hill, near Billingham
DCI Banks (ITV, 9pm) SUCH is the demand for quality cop shows on British TV, it's hardly surprising to learn that actress Caroline Catz is playing her fourth arresting character, Detective Inspector Morton, in Leeds-based DCI Banks having previously played
BILLIONS of pounds earmarked for the HS2 high-speed rail project will be better spent on faster routes across the North, peers suggest today. The flagship scheme - to link London and Yorkshire - may not be needed to ease overcrowding and will fail
A TEENAGER who staged a sell-out gig with a top country and western singer has raised enough money to fly himself to a scout Jamboree in Japan. As Scout fundraising events go, Patrick Hughes’ idea for getting himself to the 23rd Scouts World Jamboree
WHEN young Charlie Sprat was told he had a severe spinal condition, his dream of becoming a professional footballer looked in serious doubt. The Darlington youngster was diagnosed with scoliosis, a curvature of the spine affecting three or four
A MOTORIST had a lucky escape after a fully-loaded cement mixer overturned onto a car. The driver of the lorry, a 41-year-old man, was airlifted to James Cook Hospital following the incident beside Catterick Racecourse and the Bridge House
IN an unprecedented move all 16 further education college principals in the North-East have united to oppose a 24 per cent cut in funding for adult learning announced by the Government. They fear that thousands of people could lose the chance of
THE achievements of Darlington’s young people were celebrated at a glittering ceremony on Tuesday. Click here to see pictures of all the nominees and performers at the awards Hundreds of people packed the Civic Theatre for the 20th
POLICE have this evening released a man arrested on suspicion of murdering chef Claudia Lawrence. The man, who is in his 50s and from the York area, was arrested on Monday (March 23) morning. Police can hold suspects for up to 24 hours before
LAST WEEKEND saw Elvet Striders welcome Spring in the way they know best, by giving their all in their running endeavours! Saturday was a day of celebration at Durham parkrun as the club's most recent Couch to 5K graduates completed their first ever
ON the seventh anniversary of Sir Bobby Robson launching his appeal to fight cancer, the total now raised has broken the £8m barrier.It was on March 25 2008 that the footballing legend announced he was launching a charity to help find more effective ways
NORTH-EAST health campaigners have urged regular drinkers to wake up to the risk they are running after researchers confirmed that even moderate drinking can cause liver cancer.It follows publication by the World Cancer Research Fund of the findings of
Rivers Capital Partners, ‘The Entrepreneurs’ Fund Manager’ have been investing in growing businesses since 2010. The fund management company was founded as a joint venture by Jonathan Gold, John White and Peter Hiscocks with a vision to use their
