AFTER years of battling with her sexual identity, Paula Ryder is finally living life as a woman. But after a High Court judge this week denied a wish to have her birth certificate changed to reflect her "real" identity, she has vowed to continue her fight
SKATERS can look forward to the smoothest of surfaces as workers move in to install the latest in ice rink technology. The Ice Arena, part of the Billingham Forum leisure complex, will close for four weeks from tomorrow to allow work on the rink to be
THERE'S still time for runners to sign up for the national Race for Life to raise money for Cancer Research UK. For the first time, a race is being held in Darlington and there are plenty of places left for women who want to be sponsored to run the 5km
AN eight-year-old girl was taken to hospital with a broken thigh bone after being hit by a car. Police believe the girl stepped into the path of a Fiat Punto travelling along Overdale Road, near the junction with Sandringham Road, Park End, Middlesbrough
TWO men who took the law into their own hands to drive out two women they suspected of being heroin users were locked up for 12 months. Stephen Whitfield, 20, and Anthony Short, 19, were among a group of men who terrified two young women living in Fishburn
Competitors are invited to take part in a golf day in aid of a North-East charity. The Calvert Trust has provided activity holidays for disabled people at Kielder Water, Northumberland, for 21 years. Its fifth annual golf day will be staged at the Matfen
PLANS to boycott controversial American-made ambulances could cripple the North-East's 999 service. Half of the 110-strong fleet used by the North-East Ambulance Service could be taken off the road if a threat by the Unison trade union is carried out.
A MOTHER-OF-THREE who swindled nearly £16,000 in income support has been jailed. Melanie Nicholson pleaded poverty but secretly owned one property and part-owned two more which housed paying tenants. The 29-year-old received £15,892 in benefits between
ONE of the region's highest-profile local politicians was in prison last night after being refused bail by magistrates in the city he once led. Rod Hills, 55, appeared before magistrates in York on charges, including blackmail and soliciting women for
Esh Winning will have an eye on the leadership when they visit bottom-of-the-table Shildon this afternoon. They are odds on favourites to win after Shildon were bowled out for just 22 at Sedgefield last Sunday, a result which means they have lost all
A road safety campaigner whose son was killed in an accident five years ago has hailed as a "great success" measures to cut accidents on the A61 in North Yorkshire. County councillor Richard Thomas lost his 30-year-old son Charles in a motorbike accident
THE Hollywood blockbuster Spiderman is continuing to cast its web over local authorities in the region. Scarborough, in North Yorkshire, has become the latest council to reclassify the hit movie for a local cinema. The Hollywood Plaza has asked the borough
Dan Jenkins leaves his clubs at home when he visits a world-famous golfing shrine for a weekend break with a difference. GOLFING widows will know the perils of going on holiday with a loved one who is a slave to the game. Unless you have even the slightest
Saltburn secretary Jonathan Bond reckons that Normanby Hall's victory on the third Saturday of the season was the catalyst for a successful winning sequence which has propelled the Seasiders into joint pole position. "We were certainly brought down to
Top club Burnmoor meet basement side Durham City this afternoon. The leaders are the only unbeaten side in the league and on current form should be too strong for a City side who have been dismissed for less than 100 in each of their last two matches.
Norton will aim to take a good haul of points from their game with Sunderland today in a bid to move off the bottom of the table. To date, they have managed just one win in nine attempts and it will not be easy for them to double their success rate since
A study of Britain's wealth by postcode published this week put Middlesbrough's Newport Road bottom of the natinal league for annual household earnings. So just how bad is the area? Sarah Foster pays a visit. AT THE top of one side of Newport Road stands
PLANS to rejuvenate one of the most degraded pieces of land in the region, and attract otters back to within a stone's throw of a major arterial route, have moved forward. A major wildlife survey was launched, giving a clearer picture of the state of
AN expert based in the North-East has come up with a simple guide to avoid potentially dangerous sunburn. Too many people are not putting on enough sunscreen - about a third of the amount needed - before sunbathing, says Professor Brian Diffey of Newcastle
An inquest was opened and adjourned yesterday into the death of a 35-year-old unemployed labourer. Colin Fulton was found dead at his home in West Dyke Road, Redcar, east Cleveland, on Tuesday. His brother David, 29, of Grange Close, Grangetown, gave
WORKERS enjoying their lunch were treated to a surprise performance on the theme of kissing when the first of nine pieces of street furniture planned for the Grainger Town area of Newcastle was unveiled in the city's Grey Street yesterday. The "kiss"
FOUR people appeared at crown court yesterday, accused of involvement in the supply of Ecstasy at a County Durham nightspot. Donna Dorritt, Mark Wilson, Alan Metcalfe and Jonathan Stewart are charged with conspiracy to supply the class A drug at the Trades
POLICE are hoping to trace a Good Samaritan who stopped to help at the scene of an accident in which a motorcyclist died. A man driving a blue Ford Escort, with two children in the back, assisted after the collision between a yellow Suzuki motorcycle
AN arts centre has stepped back in time to present an exhibition reflecting the 1950s. The display at the Discovery Centre, at Seaton Holme, Easington Village, east Durham, is open until June 23. Organised to co-incide with the Queen's Golden Jubilee,
THE five-year-old Moss-Carbert quads will become television stars next week when they feature in a series about babies who have beaten the odds. Simon, Johnpaul, Adam and Hannah, who were born three months prematurely, will appear in the half-hour programme
BAD drivers will be offered the chance to retrain under a scheme to be introduced across County Durham. People convicted of careless driving will be able to volunteer for instruction to try to prevent them having accidents in the future. Those who agree
AN open lecture is being held as part of a drive to raise the profile of Freemasonry. To coincide with Freemasonry in the Community Week, the Universities Lodge of Durham is organising an open lecture at the Durham University Business School, Durham,
STAFF working for beleaguered Consignia have accused managers of heavy- handed tactics in their desperate drive to cut costs. The Northern Echo has learnt that postal workers have been threatened with the sack for delivering unstamped mail for colleagues
ONE of the largest ever gatherings of Rover vehicles in the region takes place next weekend. As many as 250 Rovers of all ages and models will be on display at the Beamish All Rover Rally, on Saturday and Sunday, June 29 and 30, including early Rover
A BELLRINGER will set out in a self-built plane to ring church and town hall bells in Britain's furthermost corners. David Barraclough will embark on the mission at 8am next Saturday when he will ring a quarter peal of Plain Bob Major on the bells at
A FORTNIGHT or so after Her Majesty, Kelloe Methodist Church marks its Golden Jubilee this weekend. Before it does, a necessary note on pronunciation. Kelloe is one of several Co Durham villages - and Prudhoe, across the Northumbrian water - which ends
Frankie Muniz has survived the tricky transition from child star to adult roles and now he's off to the big time. But he still remains a little lad who doesn't look his age. Steve Pratt reports. THE history of child stars in Hollywood is not a proud one
DURHAM will consider reinstating Andrew Pratt to his role as a pinch-hitting opener for tomorrow's National League match against Yorkshire at the Riverside. That's one of the few options available to skipper Jon Lewis as he tries to find a way out of
THE flags are coming down. The shirts are coming off. The players are coming home. And still the tears are falling. Last night, goalkeeper David Seaman was clearly choked as he apologised for his fumbling part in England's downfall. "I want to say sorry
South Korea have became the first Asian side ever to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup after they beat Spain 5-3 on penalties in Gwanju. Gus Hiddink's side face Germany next having added the Spaniards to their impressive list of World Cup scalps,
A BUSINESSMAN who has built up a 180-outlet business in just ten years has been rewarded for his entrepreneurship. David Charlton, chairman of The Officers Club chain of budget mens' clothing shops, clinched the consumer services entrepreneur title in
AN 18th Century country estate is shutting its gates to the public because the owners are fed up with the attitude of rude visitors. Bavington Hall and its 15-acre grounds, once the home of the famous Shafto family in Northumberland, was opened for tours
So, it was too soon for England, after all. Deep down, we all knew the metamorphosis from World Cup down-and-outs to lifting the game's greatest prize in 20 months was impossible. Sven-Goran Eriksson may be a gifted coach with the knack of transforming
A DOCTOR who kept working despite being suspended by the General Medical Council avoided jail yesterday. Teesside Crown Court had heard Dr Michael Donnelly, 53, was escorted from Holme House Prison, in Stockton, when the authorities learnt he had been
A FORMER sub post office master short of money because his hours had been cut "borrowed" money from his employers until he had taken almost £10,000, a court heard yesterday. John Wildsmith admitted at Teesside Crown Court theft of £9,440 from Borrowby
A couple are facing charges in connection with thefts from branches of the Market Cross chain of jewellers in the region. David Stephenson, 27, of Halifax, was remanded in custody until next Thursday when he appeared before Richmond magistrates, North
Leaders Murton will be without professional Calvin Stephenson when they meet bottom-of-the-table Houghton this afternoon. A family commitment means he will miss his first game since joining the club from Crook Town. Stephenson has been a huge success
Tickets for the maiden voyage of ''the longest, widest, tallest, most expensive cruise ship'' ever built have gone on sale. Cunard's spectacular new flagship, Queen Mary 2, sails out of Southampton on January 12, 2004 for a 14-night crossing to Fort Lauderdale
A NORTH-EAST bank manager is on his way to New York as a reward for outstanding business performance. Gary Lumby, who is based in Sedgefield, was promoted to divisional business manager at Yorkshire Bank at the beginning of the year. He is off to the
A REUNION of old school friends is to be held in the region. Former members of Eastbourne Secondary Modern School, Darlington, will get together next Saturday to celebrate their 50th birthdays. The event is being organised by former pupils Anne Boyd and
THE flags were flying, the band was playing and the crowds lining the quayside were cheering as we sailed into Whitby Harbour. The welcome, of course, was not for those of us aboard the BBC-chartered cruise boat Regal Lady. We were basking in the reflected
KENNY Craddock, a former member of North-East rock legends Lindisfarne, has died in a road accident in Portugal. Mr Craddock, 52, was a member of the Newcastle band between 1973 and 1975. The line-up was formed following the break-up of the original chart-topping
ONLY 21 months ago, England was managerless and had a solitary point from the first two games of the World Cup qualifiers. To qualify for the tournament after such a dreadful start was an outstanding achievement. To defeat Germany 5-1 in Munich on the
A MAN and woman yesterday admitted being involved in knifepoint raids at a housing office and village post office on the same day. Stephen Kenneth Ambler, 23, and 34-year-old Kay Thompson who appeared before Durham Crown Court, both pleaded guilty to
THE LURE of the Champions' League and the chance to play under Sir Bobby Robson persuaded Hugo Viana to sign for Newcastle United. The Portuguese wonder boy, who has joined United from Sporting Lisbon for £8.4m on a five-year deal, is excited by the prospect
ACOUSTICS at a new country park amphitheatre will be tested by a woman who helped to design the facility. Herrington Country Park, in the shadow of Penshaw Monument, near Sunderland, will be officially opened when it becomes the new venue for Durham County
British director Michael Radford let the actors decide the subject majtter for his latest movie. They opted for the seedy world of stripping, he tells Steve Pratt. GIVEN the choice, it's strange that actresses should decide to make a movie about strippers
WE are repeatedly told that British culture and its national flags are racist, yet during the World Cup we have seen countless people of differing races, creeds, cultures and colours in England and Japan openly embracing British culture and flags. Rather
THE Press family (a.k.a. the Press Gang) descended upon our favourite restaurant last week. We were supposed to be celebrating my brothers' birthday. The only trouble was that my brother wasn't there. Well, he was, physically, but he seemed to have undergone
What does the name Peter Bonetti mean to you? Do you know him as the goalkeeper who stayed loyal to Chelsea, making 600 league appearances for the Stamford Bridge club? Or is he the man who was solely responsible for England's exit from the World Cup
