The North East | Archive | 2001 | December

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Stories for 19 December 2001

Consett,Stanley,Chester Le Street News

Rebecca has an early taste of panto stardom

A SIX year-old star is treading the boards as the youngest cast member in a pantomime.  more...

Review lies ahead for police force

A REVIEW that could lead to changes in the structure of Durham Police is due to start in the New Year.  more...

Darlington,Newton Aycliffe,Sedgefield,Barnard Castle News

Darlington News in Brief

TIMBER THEFT: Several lengths of timber measuring 2.4 metres and worth £115 were stolen from Packing Industries, in Beaumont Way, Newton Aycliffe, at the weekend.  more...

Dog club launches Crufts fundraiser

A DOG training club has produced an ambitious plan to help raise money for a trip to Crufts.  more...

Ombudsman raps council over grants

SEDGEFIELD Borough Council has been criticised for its handling of a grant application.  more...

Counselling centre seeks volunteers

A GROUP which offers help to victims of rape is looking for volunteers.   more...

Elderly sign up to Lifeline link

A RECORD number of elderly people living alone are now linked to a service which can help them during an emergency.  more...

Giving Tree Appeal creates a flood of generosity

THE fifth annual Giving Tree Appeal has been the most successful ever.  more...

Home wanted for puppies

TWO puppies, nicknamed Little and Large, are looking for homes.  more...

Anger over rotting deer carcass dumped in street

A ROTTING deer carcass dumped in a back yard has been making life unpleasant for residents of a Chilton street for two days.  more...

Durham,Darlington,Teesside,Tyneside,Wearside,Wear Valley,Sedgefield,Northallerton,Newton Aycliffe,Th News

Support for Zoe is growing

The people of Darlington are getting right behind their very own pop idol.  more...

Durham,Darlington,Teesside,Tyneside,Wearside,Wear Valley,Sedgefield,Northallerton,Newton Aycliffe,We News

Care worker jailed for sexual abuse

A senior residential care worker who groomed boys before sexually abusing them and took one victim on trips to Africa has today been jailed for nine years.  more...

Durham,East Durham News

Man choked to death at lunch

A MAN died after choking on his lunch, a coroner was told yesterday   more...

Durham newws in Brief

SWEET WRITES: Calligraphy and sugar flower courses will be held from next month in Barley Mow village hall. Enrolment is from 9am to 5pm on January 15 and between 6pm and 8pm on January 16.  more...

Pupils giving to the needy

POLAM Hall pupils are continuing with a festive tradition that has been going on at the school since 1901.  more...

Success for festive market

A CHRISTMAS market proved such a success that officials in Ferryhill are hoping to make it an annual event.  more...

Couple's light show just grows and glows

ROBIN and Carol French have been decorating their home with festive lights every Christmas for the past 20 years.  more...

Youngsters' lucky escape from blaze

A TEENAGER and four children are lucky to be alive after fire broke out in a bedroom.  more...

Pensioners homes plan approved

A CONTROVERSIAL plan to close old people's homes and build new accommodation for pensioners is going ahead.   more...

Police hunt mugger

A MAN was punched several times in the face by a mugger who grabbed a nylon zip folder he was carrying.  more...

Durham,The North East News

Police to investigate death of child

Police have launched an inquiry after a four-year-old girl tragically fell to her death from the bedroom window of her home.  more...

East Cleveland News

Santa pays a visit to police HQ

VISITORS to Cleveland Police's headquarters in Middlesbrough are being held up to ransom this week - but it's all for a good cause.  more...

East Cleveland news in Brief

CHRISTMAS CREATIONS: Guisborough Forest and Walkway Centre, at Pinchinthorpe, will hold a craft session making Christmas decorations on Sunday from 1pm until 3pm. Admission is £2. Places must be booked on (01287) 631132.  more...

Buggy driving test for parents

AN initiative to teach young parents with baby buggies road safety skills is being piloted in the North-East.  more...

Sewage plans opened to public

PEOPLE in an east Cleveland seaside town have been given the chance to see plans for a controversial sewage plant.  more...

Disabled groups join employment three-year plan

DISABLED groups and individuals in Redcar and Cleveland are being invited to have their say on a three-year plan to help and support disabled people into employment.  more...

Local artists put work on display in exhibition at Gallery

THE work of local artists is on display at the Billingham Arts Centre until the end of January.  more...

Figures on mental health shock MP

A NORTH-EAST MP has revealed figures on the levels of mental illness among schoolchildren.  more...

Newton Aycliffe,Bedale,Bishop Auckland,Barnard Castle,Darlington,Durham,East Durham,East Cleveland,H Sport

Former Boro favourite Juninho put up for sale

FORMER Middlesbrough favourite Juninho is up for grabs again - but Boro are likely to be priced out of the market for the £5m-rated Brazilian.  more...

Robson revels in victory

NEWCASTLE United manager Bobby Robson last night admitted it felt 'great' to be top of the Premiership table.  more...

Murray puts the freeze on season ticket costs

SUNDERLAND are to freeze season ticket prices next season - even though admission revenue at the Stadium of Light only covers two thirds of the spiralling bill for players' wages.  more...

Easy debut for gamble Magnus

EUROPEAN record jumps purchase Magnus makes his much-awaited British debut in the Relkeel Hurdle at Newbury this afternoon.  more...

Hoodoo is history as Magpies go top

WHAT a way to do it. Newcastle United ended their London jinx last night at the 30th time of asking, and in doing so took over at the top of the Premiership table.  more...

Chilli exit sparks Taylor search

Tommy Taylor was last night beginning another striker hunt after Cambridge recalled Dan Chillingworth - just hours into his second month on loan.  more...

Northallerton,Richmond,Hawes,Bedale News

Campaigners with a script for success

LAST year, or even earlier this year, it may have seemed the small team given the task of raising £1.1m to cover the cost of restoring a theatre had bitten off more than it could chew.  more...

North Yorkshire news in Brief

Walkers not out of woods  more...

Fishing quotas to be slashed

FISHERIES ministers have agreed deep cuts in quotas in a bid to conserve stocks.  more...

Damaged bridge closed

A BRIDGE has been closed after a driver crashed into its structure, dislodging a nine-metre length of parapet and stone wall.  more...

Illuminations attract villagers

WHEN it comes to keeping the children entertained at Christmas, Christine and Raymond Beadle have a bigger job on their hands than most.  more...

Walkers catered for by centres

NATIONAL park chiefs have promised staff will be available to keep the public up to date on where they can walk, cycle and ride in the Yorkshire Dales, over the Christmas break.  more...

King of light entertainment

NEIGHBOURS think Geoff Joyce is the king of light entertainment.  more...

£30m cash injection for region's schools

AN injection of more than £30m to improve school buildings throughout the region was announced yesterday.  more...

Show back on the road to success

PREPARATIONS are well under way for the return of the biggest event in the north's agricultural calendar.  more...

Teesside News

Students will stop pupils going off rails

STUDENTS are being paid to curb bad behaviour among schoolchildren on trains.   more...

Government cash to fund transport interchange for town

MORE than £300,000 of Government cash is being used to change the face of public transport in Hartlepool.  more...

Teesside news in Brief

Incentive for fit resolutions   more...

Road flood chaos as crane hits main

FLOODS of water gushed down Ormesby Bank, Middlesbrough, during rush-hour traffic yesterday morning after a water main was hit by a crane.  more...

Refugee is given three years after slashing man's face

A KURDISH refugee who slashed a man's face with a Stanley knife was last night beginning a three-year jail sentence.  more...

Garage ablaze twice in 24-hours

FIREFIGHTERS were called out twice in 24 hours to a blaze at the same Teesside garage in what is believed to be a double arson attack.  more...

Region boosted by Awards For All

NORTH-East communities have been granted a near-£500,000 boost with the announcement of the latest Awards For All Lottery hand-outs.  more...

Teesside,The North East News

Road closed due to chemical spill

Three men were taken to North Tees Hospital in Stockton today after a tanker leaked sulphuric acid onto the A19.  more...

The North East Features

Let's all be honest about our MMR

LET us remind ourselves of what this is all about. Measles, mumps and rubella are diseases of childhood. But they are not childish illnesses. They can have serious complications - including meningitis, brain damage, deafness, sterility, miscarriage and birth defects. Before MMR there were 76,000 cases of measles a year, many complications and 16 deaths a year. Since 1992, there have been no deaths in this country from measles.  more...

Has Mr Bubbley lost his bottle?

THE final column before Christmas, and firstly a bum note on the carol sheet from Teesdale District Council.  more...

Hear All Sides

Letters from The Northern Echo  more...

The modern Conquistador

As the NHS seeks to recruit doctors from abroad to solve staff shortages, Health Correspondant Barry Nelson speaks to a Spanish surgeon making her home in the region.  more...

The lights of the world

THE Christmas star, begetter of the lights that have brightened perhaps every Christmas since the first, was white and steady. It was as serene a presence over troubled old Earth as the moon herself.  more...

Comment from The Northern Echo - No justice in this Formula

ONE of the priorities of this Government has been the creation a socio-economic climate to foster equal opportunity and justice.  more...

The North East News

Note of dismay as N-E rail icon is ousted by reformer

HISTORIANS and railway buffs have reacted with dismay to the news that a North-East icon is to be removed from an English banknote.  more...

PM joins tributes to former council officer

PRIME Minister Tony Blair was among those who paid tribute yesterday to a former council boss described as "one of life's true gentlemen".  more...

Support grows for TV hopeful

SUPPORT is growing for Zoe Birkett's campaign to become the UK's latest pop idol.  more...

Taxpayers suffer as the South cleans up

COUNCIL tax payers in the North-East could be hit in the pocket again as figures reveal more Government cash is siphoned off to the affluent South.  more...

Go-ahead for cattle markets to reopen

CATTLE markets in the region are to reopen in February, a year after they were closed to help contain the spread of foot-and-mouth disease.  more...

Curtain up on theatre's new era

AN increased Lottery grant has helped secure the future of one of the region's theatrical gems after a campaign backed by The Northern Echo.  more...

KitKat points the finger at 'unfair' sales survey

KITKAT bosses have stuck two fingers up at new figures which say the popular chocolate is no longer Britain's favourite.  more...

Boyfriend faces murder charge

THE boyfriend of a woman who died in a house fire more than 16 months ago has been charged by police in connection with her death.  more...

Awards aim to show positive side of youth

THE achievements of young people in Darlington will be celebrated at an awards ceremony next year.  more...

New bid to deter shops fraud

POLICE and retailers backed a scheme which will help shops across Darlington deter fraudsters last night.  more...

Planning OK keeps brewery deal alive

A LIFELINE was given to brewery workers in the North-East yesterday as hopes remain high that a takeover will happen in the New Year.  more...

Engineers back bridges system

A SYSTEM pioneered in the region for prioritising railway bridge repairs in the wake of the Selby disaster could be adopted nationally.  more...

The North East,Echobusiness Business

Training package proves to be just the job

Packaging firm Kama Europe has its training needs wrapped up thanks to help from the Automotive Sector Strategic Alliance (Assa).  more...

Engineering new opportunities

TTE Management and Technical Training is aiming to get more girls to consider a career in engineering through a series of information days.  more...

Brighter future in store as Littlewoods increases its sales

RETAILER Littlewoods said its recovery was "well under way" as it showed it had cut its half-year losses and increased sales.  more...

Electronics firm to shut Scottish plant

ELECTRONICS company NEC is closing one of its plants with the loss of more than 1,000 jobs.  more...

£1.6m deal sparks Fireman Sam move

CHILDREN'S character Fireman Sam has moved house in a deal worth up to £1.6m.  more...

What a difference a year makes

LET'S look at some companies whose prospects looked interesting 12 months ago.  more...

Moves to cushion Airbus job losses

FEARS of huge job losses at aircraft manufacturer Airbus are over-pessimistic, a Government minister has said.  more...

Tyneside News

Tree card tops for Christmas

AN award-winning North-East printing firm has designed an innovative executive desktop Christmas tree.  more...

Survey of spending figures boosts centre

Christmas shoppers are digging deeper into their pockets during trips to a major North-East centre, according to a survey.  more...

Newcastle news in Brief

Three masked robbers burst into a Gateshead newsagent, tied up the owner and made off with cash and cigarettes early yesterday. Anyone with information about the raid, at Barrs Newsagents, is asked to call police on 0191-454 7555.  more...

Cash boost for indian music centre

GURUKUL, a North-East Indian classical music centre, has been awarded a Northern Arts Lottery grant of £31,480 to help develop and expand its artistic programme in the region.  more...

Tyneside,The North East News

'I'm no gold digger,' says Heather

Sir Paul McCartney's fiance Heather Mills today denied she was a gold digger, saying the star's fortune would only have been appealing if he was much richer.  more...

Regugee becomes MD in health service

A refugee has become the first asylum-seeking doctor to join the region's Health Service.  more...

Wear Valley,Bishop Auckland News

Artistic touch

FOUR artists have been given the task of producing ideas for street furniture in Newgate Street in Bishop Auckland.   more...

Pledge to fight supported housing plan for youngsters

PEOPLE have vowed to fight plans for supervised housing in their community.  more...

Teenagers questioned over heritage vandalism

FIVE teenagers have been arrested by police investigating damage to a piece of North-East railway heritage.  more...

Rescue team hunting for new recruits

Teesdale and Weardale Search and Rescue Team is looking for recruits with basic hillcraft skills.  more...

Wear Valley news in Brief

Thieves snatch leather suite  more...

Theft man may get drugs treatment

A MAN who stole money from his vulnerable housemate is to be considered for a drug treatment and testing order, a court heard yesterday.  more...

Wearside News

Blessed is the actor who is hooked on the north-east

PANTOMIME stars lined up to promote their show in swashbuckling style yesterday.   more...

  
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