The North East | Archive | 2003 | December
STAFF and pupils who have struggled for years with outdated facilities will soon be enjoying learning in a modern £3m "eco school". more...
A POWER company has apologised for leaving a young family without central heating after failing to send them a key for their meter. more...
A TEENAGER has presented a cheque for more than £1,300 to a cancer charity in the company of the toddler who inspired her to stage a sponsored head shave. more...
COUNCIL officers in Darlington stopped 80 children who should have been in school during a one-day operation to track down truants. more...
MORE childcare places for pre-school children in Darlington's most disadvantaged areas will be provided by March 2006. more...
THOUSANDS of blue bags have arrived in Darlington to help residents recycle more rubbish. more...
YOUNGSTERS from two Darlington primary schools began fundraising efforts for a local hospice yesterday by singing carols in the town centre. more...
A CARE trust has signed up to a new initiative aimed at forging a closer partnership between professional health services and the voluntary sector. more...
A CHARITY is celebrating Christmas early thanks to a £4,070 donation. more...
The B1269 from South Yearby village to the A174 roundabout in Redcar is closed until December 20 to carry out road maintenance. more...
SIXTEEN students travelled to France to take part in an exchange visit. more...
A TEENAGE harpist will perform at a children's Christmas workshop on Saturday. more...
BEARS will be playing a part in Guisborough's biggest ever crafts and home-grown food market on Saturday. more...
TWO school friends have put their circus skills to good use in a sponsored unicycle ride. more...
FARMERS who are still coping with the aftermath of the foot-and-mouth crisis can now get help towards regeneration from a rural development officer. more...
COUNCIL bosses have promised there will be no let up on the campaign to stamp-out benefit fraud in Scarborough. more...
MOTHER-of-three Donna Kemp embarked on a ten-month long benefits scam so her children would not starve, a court heard yesterday. more...
THE Army is renowned for its spit and polish. more...
A LANDFILL site will be producing eco-friendly electricity by the end of the year when building work on a generation plant is finished. more...
A CANCER sufferer who set up a website to help a charity has been rewarded for his efforts by The Northern Echo. more...
A MAJOR blitz on crime and environmental problems which have blighted a housing estate has been hailed a success. more...
CHILDREN from two schools have united to perform a pantomime. more...
A PILOT scheme for free swimming for under 16s during the summer holidays has been such a success it may soon be extended to other areas. more...
SPEEDING drivers are more likely to find themselves at the wrong end of the long arm of the law. more...
AN effort to resolve the problems of the school run has been taken to the top. more...
PETER SCHOLLICK is getting used to the sweet taste of success after travelling to London to enter a competition just to test the level of the opposition. more...
A mother-of-twins helped to launch an 'e-mail to Santa' fundraising scheme for a hospital baby unit. more...
THE past has come to life in Thirsk with the publication of a book chronicling 100 years of its history. more...
Polishing 3,000 badges and buckles and 3,750 medals will be keeping Green Howards Regimental Museum volunteer Don Whitaker busy for the next two months. more...
SUPERMARKET group Morrisons was last night preparing to bid for Safeway after the planned takeover of its rival received government clearance. more...
HIGHWAY Construction Services is leading a campaign to encourage investment in people after being hailed as a model example by the industry's largest training body. more...
About 55 jobs will be created when building work starts next year on the site of a former North-East hospital. more...
UNION leaders will learn today whether workers have voted to strike for the first time in the history of Nissan's Washington plant - while company bosses remain confident a deal can be struck. more...
The Darlington branch of the Federation of Small Businesses elected a new committee at its annual meeting. more...
COMMUNICATIONS firm BT has won contracts worth more than £1.5bn to supply patient record systems to the National Health Service. more...
BASIL Brush owners Entertainment Rights had a takeover approach rejected by rivals Chorion, it was announced last night. more...
A carol concert in aid of the NSPCC will be held on Wednesday, December 17. more...
THE scariest thing for any comic must be to collapse on stage and wonder how long it takes everyone to work out that it's not part of the act. more...
IN view of the current cash crisis haunting the venue, there's a certain irony that a large sign saying Hardup Hall decorates the opening set. more...
The financial crisis that has beset Durham's Gala Theatre has sparked a party political war of words in the city. more...
THERE is something warm, familiar and very Christmassy about the Newcastle Opera House pantomime. And once more, a tried and tested cast of local celebrities take North-East families on a rollercoaster ride of colour, spectacle and fun. more...
Rudegirls (BBC2): IT'S an uncertain job reviewing TV from preview tapes. more...
FRENCH style guru Madame Genevieve Antoine Dariaux knows a thing or two about grace, poise and elegance. more...
An alarming new report shows that the party lifestyle of Britain's teenagers is destroying their health. more...
Getting back into learning after a break can be a daunting experience, especially if you have a family to look after. more...
IT'S 34 years since I last smoked a cigarette, but I can recall the taste and pleasure of smoking as if I'd just put one out. more...
WHEN the curtain comes down on the York pantomime Jack And The Beanstalk, former Emmerdale star Tonicha Jeronimo plans to give up performing to become a mum. more...
The Slug and Lettuce, on Newcastle's Quayside, boasts a comprehensive menu and a fully-clothed clientele. more...
Rudegirls (BBC2) more...
FISHING: THE report (Echo, Dec 5) that fishermen in the North Sea are being given the last chance by being forced to accept further reductions in their catch quotas is very bad news for Britain's fishing industry. more...
THROUGHOUT the sorry Ghost Ships saga we have called for clarity and careful consideration. more...
The Slug and Lettuce, on Newcastle's Quayside, boasts a comprehensive menu and a fully-clothed clientele. more...
Cook, Durham/Shotton Colliery. £4.75ph, 12hrs pw, 7.30am to 1.30pm, Sat and Sun. Must have experience cooking for large numbers. Ref: PEV 20906. more...
Cook/chef, Northallerton. £5-£5.50 ph. Tues 6-9pm; Wed, 11.30am-2.30pm; Sat, 6-9pm; Sun, 11.30am-3.30pm. Experience preferred but not essential. Ref: NOE 20354. more...
A NORTH-EAST youngster is enjoying visits to the beach, flying a kite and playing football - all the things little boys do. more...
A HARD-hitting pre-Christmas blitz on criminals was launched yesterday by police. more...
THE parking stand-off between a motorist and a council which has seen a £20,000 car trapped by a bus shelter is no closer to being resolved. more...
REVELLERS looked on calmly as a man had his ear bitten off by a former partner, a court heard yesterday. more...
Burglars broke into Darlington Football Club's old Feethams ground at the weekend, taking all the team's training and playing kit. more...
A MAJOR blitz on crime and environmental problems which have blighted a housing estate has been hailed a success. more...
A CITY'S theatre complex will survive its continuing financial crisis, a civic leader pledged last night. more...
DETECTIVES hunting the killer of 73-year-old paedophile Robbie Hartley said they were facing a shocking attitude from the local community. more...
POLICE chose a hospital mortuary to force home the message that drink-driving kills at the launch of this year's Christmas road safety campaign. more...
THE story of Durham's flagship Gala Theatre has provided as much drama as any production staged in its main auditorium in its short life span. more...
A JOINER was electrocuted as he worked on an unfinished house at a building site. more...
THE railway industry's most powerful man has delivered a stinging rebuke to claims that the North-East is the country's poor relation when it comes to funding. more...
A LANDLORD was left badly injured after he was assaulted outside his pub yesterday afternoon. more...
TRAVELLERS will have to pay more to use trains in the New Year. more...
A CONTROVERSIAL deal to dismantle former US navy ships in the North-East was plunged into serious doubt last night when a judge ruled a licence modification to allow the work was "legally flawed". more...
HOUSEHOLDERS are being warned about bogus charity collectors who are operating in the North-East. more...
DETECTIVES investigating a double murder yesterday named two men found battered to death in a bedsit. more...
The Queen posed for a team photo with England's Rugby World Cup heroes yesterday as the historic victory parade descended on Buckingham Palace. more...
AN anonymous master craftsman has donated a rocking horse to a pub for charity. more...
A NORTH-EAST regiment sent a message of support to the King of Norway, as he prepared to undergo surgery for cancer in Oslo yesterday. more...
BRITAIN appears to be experiencing a mini-baby boom nine months after it went to war with Iraq. more...
IT'S CHRISTMAS!! Yes, wherever you go you can't help but be assaulted by Noddy Holder belting out the original and best festive song. more...
A £10m rail deal that could bring 200 jobs to the region may hinge on securing a five-acre piece of waste land. more...
NEARLY two million electors in the North-East will not have to go to a polling station to vote next year, but hopes of ballots by text message or e-mail have been dashed. more...
BUYING a motorised scooter as a Christmas gift could result in traffic prosecutions, police have warned. more...
Italian goalkeeper Alessio Locatelli has joined Darlington on a week's trial. more...
DANNY MILLS has paid tribute to Steve McClaren for revitalising his career and he would not rule out making a permanent switch to Middlesbrough. more...
OVERNIGHT frost threatens to claim Sedgefield's meeting, but if the card does get the green light following this morning's 7.30 inspection it may well open the door for Celioso (1.50) to continue his love affair with the track. more...
HENRIK Larsson's agent yesterday denied reports linking the Swedish striker with a move to Newcastle United in January. more...
WHETHER or not he plays in the second Test against Sri Lanka at Kandy tomorrow, Durham's Paul Collingwood is confident he has done enough to earn a second cap. more...
COLIN HEALY very nearly missed last night's match at Coventry City with a minor toe problem, but now he is facing the prospect of a much lengthier spell on the sidelines. more...
A gathering this morning celebrates the life - and remembers the death - of Norman Sarsfield, former Mayor of Durham and one of sport's most influential figures. more...
OVERNIGHT frost threatens to claim Sedgefield's meeting, but if the card does get the green light following this morning's 7.30 inspection it may well open the door for Celioso (1.50) to continue his love affair with the track. more...
MICK McCARTHY last night called for modern day players to learn how to tackle after witnessing Youssef Safri's challenge on Sunderland's Colin Healy. more...
ELATED Ken Hodcroft last night revealed facing Sunderland in the FA Cup is a football dream he has waited six years for. more...
Italian goalkeeper Alessio Locatelli has joined Darlington on a week's trial. more...
Local drivers dominated the opening round of the ANECCC Winter Rallycross Championship at Croft Circuit, with Redcar's Adrian Horsley emerging with the series lead after a superb display in his Citroen Saxo. more...
A fisherman died despite heroic efforts to save him after his dinghy capsized. more...
A WEARDALE women's group wants to make its Christmas market an annual event. more...
A CHARITY bungee jump and a circus are among an exciting calendar of events planned for Ferryhill next year. more...
COUNCIL officers in Darlington stopped 80 children who should have been in school during a one-day operation to track down truants. more...
A FLORIST'S creative flair has won her business the top honours in an annual Christmas window decoration contest. more...
Three men have been arrested and charged with possessing drugs in the area around Barnard Castle. more...
YOUNGSTERS are making special wishes for loved ones and people across the world on an imaginative school Christmas tree. more...
MP'S VISIT: North West Durham MP and Government Chief Whip Hilary Armstrong visited North Bitchburn, near Crook, and was impressed by the community spirit. more...
NORTH-EAST storyteller Chris Bostock will tell tales this weekend as part of an exhibition of work and legends from Finland. more...
TWO centres which will give young people a better start in life were opened yesterday. more...
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