The North East | Archive | 2005 | January

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Stories for 20 January 2005

Consett,Stanley,Chester Le Street News

Landlord faces stout test

FOR years landlord Graham Ford has been pouring other people's beers but soon he will be serving - and tasting - his own.  more...

Tickets for fans' dinner go on sale

TICKETS are available for the ever-popular Sportsman's Dinner staged by Sunderland football fans from in and around Chester-le-Street.  more...

Receptionists pass their test of care

RECEPTIONISTS from GP practices across North Durham were rewarded yesterday after completing an intensive training course.  more...

Almshouses tale revived

An appeal has been made for any old photographs, documents and memories of a village's former almshouses.  more...

Computer firm raises tsunami aid

A North-East computer business is to donate all the money from its regular PC check-ups to the Asian tsunami appeal.  more...

Darlington,Newton Aycliffe,Sedgefield,Barnard Castle News

Parents of truants facing £100 fines

A LETTER detailing recent changes in the law to help tackle poor attendance in school has been issued to parents in Darlington.  more...

Faverdale gets more housing

PLANNING chiefs yesterday gave approval for the latest phase of a £60m development.  more...

Students raise awareness of world poverty

STUDENTS at a Darlington school are supporting a national campaign to raise awareness of world poverty.  more...

Approval to fell trees

COUNCILLORS have granted permission for six trees to be felled in a Darlington cul-de-sac .  more...

£2m walk-in medical care centre opens to the public

A NEW era of healthcare will be launched in Darlington tomorrow with the opening of a £2m walk-in centre.  more...

Durham,East Durham News

Chippy frying high after scooping national award

A fish and chip shop which attracts customers from across the region has been recognised with a significant accolade.  more...

Park gates shut to deter vandals

GATES to a restored public park are being locked late in the afternoon in a bid to keep out vandals.  more...

Concern over city's 15-year housing plan

A FORMAL objection has been raised over plans to limit the number of houses built in Durham City over the next 15 years.  more...

Tributes paid to former mayoress

TRIBUTES were paid yesterday to one of Durham's best known and most highly respected residents.  more...

Firms act to protect water vole

Two County Durham companies have come to the rescue of the endangered water vole.  more...

Scheme to 're-awake' park

THE renovation of a North-East country park's historic buildings has started as part of a multi-million pound scheme to re-awake the Grade II-listed site.  more...

East Cleveland News

Mystery remains over cliff plunge

THE circumstances surrounding how a woman fell 400ft to her death from a cliff may never be known, an inquest has heard.  more...

Hope that eye q will boost youngsters' IQ

A HANDFUL of pupils are to try out a fish oil supplement to see if it helps them to learn.  more...

Have your say on tax

REDCAR and Cleveland Borough Council is asking residents for their view on council tax levels for next year.  more...

Northallerton,Richmond,Hawes News

Future of squash club is assured

THE future of a squash club has been secured.  more...

Performer leaps on to village stage

A PERFORMER nicknamed the Bolton Bullfrog will be appearing in a North Yorkshire village hall later this month.  more...

Concert to help victims of tsunami

FIVE arts groups will be performing at a concert to help victims of the tsunami in South-East Asia.  more...

Trust honours dedicated staff

HEALTH workers have been rewarded for their dedication and loyalty at a prize-giving ceremony.  more...

Scheme aims to breathe life into empty homes

A Government initiative is helping to bring properties which have been standing empty back into use throughout the Harrogate district.  more...

Business site to help job recovery

BULLDOZERS have started work on a project designed to kick-start economic growth in a town hit by job losses.  more...

CABs help claimants gain £2m in benefits

THE Citizens' Advice Bureau (CAB) in North Yorkshire has helped hundreds of residents to claim additional benefits worth a total of more than £2m.  more...

Council tops list for recycling waste

GREEN-thinking householders have helped their local authority emerge as one of the best in the North for recycling waste.  more...

Teesside News

Antiques dealer David selected to host TV show

A NORTH-EAST antiques dealer is to become the next David Dickinson after he was selected to present a television gameshow.  more...

Visitor milestone reached

A NORTH-EAST museum is celebrating a record number of visitors this year,  more...

18-year-old man is pulled from house blaze by neighbours

FIRE services have praised the actions of neighbours who saved an 18-year-old man from a house fire in Thornaby.   more...

MP collects signatures for EU protest

MORE than 300 people in an area of Stockton have signed a national petition to help Africa's Aids victims.  more...

Rewarded with an extra day off

COUNCIL employees may be given an extra day off after the authority performed well in a national assessment.  more...

Meal deception

MAZAR Khan, 35, of South Terrace, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to obtaining a £70 meal at a restaurant with someone else's cheque and bank card and obstructing a police officer in his duty last November.  more...

The North East Advertiser

Civic smoking ban call

DerwentsideDistrict Council is being urged to ban smoking in public places.  more...

Facing the music and ready to dance

AUDIENCES are guaranteed a foot-tapping time at a village operatic society's annual show.  more...

Student fundraisers offer grants to local causes

STUDENT fundraisers are inviting community organisations in the Durham area to apply for small grants to help with their work.  more...

Students hurt as bus hits barrier

AN investigation is under way after a bus collided with a barrier at a bus station.   more...

Local groups press for a base

PLANS to give Consett its first community centre have taken a step forward after a pilot project was approved.  more...

Nursing career beckons

A NEW drive to recruit young people into nursing is training its first cadets to work among two rural communities.  more...

Sculptor's home assignment

A SCULPTOR is returning to his home town of Darlington to create a work of art at a new business park.   more...

Councillor jailed after sex attacks

A SENIOR Durham City councillor has been jailed for two years after being convicted of a string of sex attacks on young girls.  more...

Council settles up in row over burst tyres

THE thorny issue of two burst tyres has resulted in a Darlington man winning a compensation claim against the borough council.   more...

Darlington - Firms in high-tech net

THREE companies created by University of Durham academics are thrivingin a business unit in Sedgefield.  more...

Licensing law litter warning

HUNDREDS of pubs, clubs and off-licences across Darlington are being warned that they must control the amount of litter coming from their premises.  more...

Fundraising events held around district

CHILDREN at Consett Junior School raised £325 for victims of the Boxing Day tsunami disaster in south-east Asia.   more...

Bill honoured in front of friends

A MAN who has spent years helping to revive a North-East community collected his MBE in his hometown.  more...

Pupils celebrate top marks

A SCHOOL is celebrating after turning around its fortunes to receive top marks from Government inspectors.  more...

New master plan could bring town out of the doldrums

A NEW master plan for Bishop Auckland could see major new developments on town centre sites.  more...

The village banner makes a come back

THE Durham Miners' Gala has gone from being a dying event in the Nineties to a spectacle that attracts people in the sort of numbers it enjoyed when the county still had working pits.   more...

Airbus project secures jobs

A DERWENTSIDE engineering company is helping the world's biggest passenger aircraft take flight.  more...

Hunt for driver who dumped rabbits

SIX rabbits could have died in the recent freeze after they were thrown from a car.  more...

New plan for housing

A FRESH plan to build homes on a controversial greenbelt site has been made, taking the number of proposed houses to more than 800.  more...

Sportsman cleared of robbery

AN ice hockey player unhappy at the charge for a taxi journey has been cleared of robbing the female driver.   more...

You write

Car park city: I live near The Sands, and I now look out over five car parks. They are disruptive, hideous, noisy and smelly.  more...

Bid to improve disabled access

TOWN centre managers are working with their local authority and other partners in a huge effort to make Bishop Auckland's streets and shops more accessible to the disabled.  more...

Man wielded sword in armed siege

A SAMURAI sword-wielding man threatened to kill himself when armed officers surrounded his home during a six-hour siege on New Year's Day.  more...

Windfall for outdoor site

AN outdoor adventure centre popular with Darlington youngsters is celebrating a £107,000 windfall.  more...

The North East Business

Barratt profits are not hit by slowdown

NORTH-EAST housebuilder Barratt Developments said the slowdown in house prices was continuing - despite it forecasting its 13th record half-year of profits in a row.  more...

Sirius doubles its target for turnover

LAND-RECLAIMING company Sirius has more than doubled its target turnover in its first year of trading and is set to recruit more staff.  more...

Best-seller Jamie helps WHSmith to progress

TROUBLED retailer WHSmith said its recovery programme was on track after a substantial improvement in profits.   more...

Vimac Leisure nets top fish restaurant

NORTH-East leisure group Vimac Leisure has reeled in a famous fish restaurant in a multi-million pound acquisition.  more...

Barratt profits are not hit by slowdown

NORTH-EAST housebuilder Barratt Developments said the slowdown in house prices was continuing - despite it forecasting its 13th record half-year of profits in a row.  more...

Call for better skills as region's jobless levels rise

THE North-East jobless total rose for the eleventh month in a row last month - prompting calls for better skills in the region.  more...

Historic stores get new owner

MORE than a hundred jobs in the region were at risk last night as Merchant Retail announced it was selling two historic department stores.  more...

The North East Entertainment

Love strikes

NEVER judge a builder by the length of his trowel. Rovers barmaid Shelley discovers this to her cost in Coronation Street (ITV1) when Charlie the builder with the bulging toolbox turns nasty.  more...

Performer leaps on to village stage

A PERFORMER nicknamed the Bolton Bullfrog will be appearing in a North Yorkshire village hall later this month.  more...

Church concert

A CONCERT featuring the Teesside Male Voice Apollo Choir will be staged at Neville Parade Methodist Church, Newton Aycliffe, on Saturday, February 5, at 7.30pm.   more...

Museum wins national award

A North-East visitor attraction has won an award.  more...

Concert to help victims of tsunami

FIVE arts groups will be performing at a concert to help victims of the tsunami in South-East Asia.  more...

Hollywood star congratulates film festival

HOLLYWOOD star Jeff Bridges has sent a message to the organisers of the second Sunderland Film Festival.  more...

Norwegian fame for cameraman Simon

STUDENT cameraman Simon Weightman found himself in the Prime Minister's home working on a project that would gain him national recognition -in Norway.  more...

Trench feat

It's the French Film that's been judged as unFrench. Steve Pratt talks to the stars of A very Long Engagement and the director as Audrey Tautou's World War One love epic follow-up to Amelie reaches UK Cinemas.  more...

Fantastic Foxx

Steve Pratt discovers how Jamie Foxx managed to find the music of the legendary blues performer Ray Charles and listens to the emerging actor's own experiences of racism.  more...

Top Ten To Rent

UK DVD/VIDEO RENTAL: 1 (2) Walking Tall  more...

Portrait of the sofa sovereigns

The Truth About Richard And Judy (five): HAS Fred the former This Mornng weatherman been nobbled? I reckon someone has been round to his house and forecast he'd be hit by a stormy front if he spilled the beans.  more...

Reborn Tony and the solo life

Viv Hardwick talks to Tony Hadley about his forthcoming nationwide tour and why he believes that Spandau Ballet could never hit the comeback trail like so many other 1980s acts.  more...

Theatre finance no longer a concern, says audit official

A THEATRE that has been at the centre of controversy since it opened three years ago has stabilised, according to an audit official.  more...

Heroic airman remembered in school mural

AN airman who died to save residents of a North-East town has been immortalised in a mural at a school which bears his name.  more...

Mr Miss-fortune

Viv Hardwick talks to Sir Cameron Mackintosh about how he decided to trust Sunderland's Empire Theatre with Miss Saigon after years of fear about bringing shows to Wearside. The co-creator of some of the world's best-known shows reveals he's keen to bring more musicals to the North-East.  more...

Antiques dealer David selected to host TV show

A NORTH-EAST antiques dealer is to become the next David Dickinson after he was selected to present a television gameshow.  more...

In for the kill

Jemma Redgrave reflects on the price of motherhood as she plays a woman trying to protect her son from a serial killer dad. Steve Pratt reports on the latest series of dramas starring the 40-year-old Redgrave dynasty member.  more...

Visitor milestone reached

A NORTH-EAST museum is celebrating a record number of visitors this year,  more...

Portrait of the sofa sovereigns

The Truth About Richard And Judy (five): HAS Fred the former This Mornng weatherman been nobbled? I reckon someone has been round to his house and forecast he'd be hit by a stormy front if he spilled the beans.  more...

Exhibition makes a game out of history

A FASCINATING exhibition from the British Museum featuring the history of board games is on its way to the North-East.  more...

The North East Features

Comment from The Northern Echo: Images that lost the battle

THE allegations of abuse inflicted on Iraqi civilians involve a tiny minority of the British Army.  more...

On TV

The Truth About Richard   more...

Gran At Large

{MY baby's going to be baby Jesus," announced Jonah just before the New Year. These days, he speaks with an air of great authority, no matter what he's saying.   more...

Why teachers should have protection

WHEN a 12-year-old, appearing at Teesside Crown Court this week, admitted raping his teacher in an horrific and shocking attack, his identity, rightly, was not revealed.   more...

Almost 80, and still spoiling for a fight

MENTALLY still in overdrive, physically decelerating a little, former Bishop of Durham, the Rt Rev David Jenkins, will be 80 next Wednesday.  more...

Coats, canaries and potato puffs

When George W Bush takes the oath of office today, he will be taking part in a ceremony which has changed dramatically since the inauguration of the first president, George Washington. Nick Morrison looks at the closest thing the United States has to a coronation.  more...

20/01/05

ECONOMY: YOUR correspondent (HAS, Jan 15), who gives a glowing report on our situation, is making bubbles in the air.  more...

Gran At Large: When your brother is baby Jesus

"MY baby's going to be baby Jesus," announced Jonah just before the New Year. These days, he speaks with an air of great authority, no matter what he's saying.   more...

The North East Leisure

When your brither is baby Jesus

"MY baby's going to be baby Jesus," announced Jonah just before the New Year. These days, he speaks with an air of great authority, no matter what he's saying.   more...

The North East News

Children raise cash for victims of bullying

YOUNG people in County Durham are fundraising to help victims of bullying.   more...

Club's future put in doubt

THE future of a football club has been thrown into doubt following the decision of its owner to withdraw his financial support.   more...

Reynolds accused of being 'evasive' over autobiography

A JUDGE has delayed her ruling in the case of George Reynolds, who is being sued by a veteran journalist who says he reneged on a deal to ghost-write the life story of the former Darlington FC chairman.  more...

Vision of the future for urban wasteland

PLANS were unveiled yesterday to transform an urban wasteland into a waterfront playground, creating more than 2,500 jobs.  more...

Priced out of village where he was born

HOUSE hunting in the Yorkshire Dales is a disheartening task, says first-time buyer Jonathan Robinson.  more...

Police had £25m but raised tax by 76pc

A POLICE authority responsible for the largest council tax rise in the country has been heavily criticised for having £25m in its bank accounts.  more...

Final piece in the jigsaw to bring town out of wilderness

IT WAS an image that captured the sense of economic desolation felt across the North-East during the bleak 1980s.  more...

Vice raids women to be deported

SEVEN Thai women arrested in a series of vice raids in the North-East are facing deportation, it was confirmed last night.  more...

These boots were made for walkies

A POLICE force is believed to be the first in the UK to issue its dogs with safety boots.  more...

Radical move to halt Dales exodus

RADICAL plans reserving new housing in the Yorkshire Dales for local people were approved yesterday.   more...

Focus on town's access for disabled

TOWN centre managers have launched an initiative to make its streets and shops more accessible to disabled people.  more...

Court hears of alleged threat to teen

A COURT heard a teenager describe how she was allegedly approached by a councillor and offered money for sex.  more...

Students' moving account of Auschwitz visit

TWO North-East sixth-formers are to give a first-hand account of their visit to Auschwitz to mark the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the death camp.  more...

Scale of gulf in learning is highlighted

STUDENTS from affluent neighbourhoods are still up to six times more likely to go into higher education than those from poorer areas, a study has concluded.  more...

Norwegian fame for cameraman Simon

STUDENT cameraman Simon Weightman found himself in the Prime Minister's home working on a project that would gain him national recognition -in Norway.  more...

All change for mum turned bus driver

A WOMAN has described how her life changed when she attended a bus company's driver recruitment day.  more...

Vice raids women to be deported

SEVEN Thai women arrested in a series of vice raids in the North-East are facing deportation, it was confirmed last night.  more...

Blair's disgust at Iraq images

TONY Blair has expressed his disgust at the "shocking, appalling" images of Iraqis allegedly being forced to simulate sex acts and being bound and threatened by British soldiers.  more...

Shearer game could give charity £2m break

SPECULATION has been mounting over plans to hold a testimonial match for Alan Shearer, which could make as much as £2m for charity.  more...

Veterans get cash to celebrate war efforts

THOUSANDS of pounds have been awarded to North-East veterans to celebrate their role in the Second World War.  more...

£10m showground plan

MILLIONS of pounds are to be spent to transform the home of the Great Yorkshire Show into the northern centre of excellence for the world of agriculture.  more...

Blue Circle demolition to start next month

ONE of Europe's biggest demolition firms has revealed details of how it will go about demolishing a defunct North-East cement works.  more...

Search for football cup launched

FOOTBALL bosses are asking former players and club officials to search their attics for a missing trophy.  more...

It's Yorkie City

IT could have been the Smarties Stadium or the Aero Arena, but York City Football Club has settled on Kit Kat Crescent as the new name of its ground.  more...

Attempted murder trial nears an end

THE jury in the trial of a man accused of slashing the throat of a neighbour he suspected of burgling his home will retire to consider its verdict today.  more...

Infertility boss calls for rules to be relaxed

THE region's leading infertility expert has called for "discriminatory" IVF treatment rules to be relaxed.  more...

Lie detector tests for mine claimants were suggested

LIE detector tests were recommended for former miners when only 0.2 per cent of compensation claims were feared to be fraudalent, the Government has said.  more...

Drink-driver took ambulance from emergency scene

A DRINK-DRIVER who stole an ambulance from the scene of an emergency was spared jail yesterday.  more...

The North East Sport

Schwarzer commits to 'ambitious' Boro

MARK Schwarzer last night highlighted Middlesbrough's "ambition" as the primary factor in his decision to sign a new three-year deal with the club.  more...

Comment: Keeper held the aces in contract wrangle

FAMED for making saves, the last eight months have proved that Mark Schwarzer is equally adept at making savings.  more...

Baltacha stays put after win

Elena Baltacha had to change her flight home for the fifth time after continuing her superb run at the Australian Open.  more...

We're underdogs says Cats skipper

BEN CHRISTENSEN believes Sunderland head to the Riverside Stadium as underdogs in their fourth round FA Youth Cup clash against holders Middlesbrough, despite recording a comprehensive victory against them earlier last month.  more...

Midfielder Faye added to Souness' hit-list

NEWCASTLE United are ready to make a move for Portsmouth midfielder Amdy Faye, according to the player's agent.  more...

McCarthy welcomes Thornton's frustration

MICK McCARTHY admitted he was delighted Sean Thornton was disappointed to be left out of Sunderland's side to face Derby at the weekend.  more...

Winger's pledge to Quakers

Neil Wainwright has declared his intention to stay at Darlington beyond this season, as long as he's offered a new contract.  more...

Boyd's strike keeps Pool marching on

The magic of the FA Cup! A freezing January night in Boston, with a far from glamour tie up for grabs.  more...

Bates hopes Cup run will boost his Boro chances

MATTHEW Bates is hoping to follow in Tony McMahon's footsteps by using FA Youth Cup glory as the springboard to the Middlesbrough first team.  more...

Quito has class to put nightmare behind him

SOUTHWELL stages the most valuable race of the day in which Quito (3.40) bids to wipe away the misery of a wasted journey to Wolverhampton a fortnight ago.  more...

The North East, News

Fishy tale laid to rest

The urban myth about a giant pike believed to have killed more than 100 ducklings appears to have been laid to rest.  more...

Youths who filmed dying man branded as monsters

Five youths who laughed as they shot film footage of a dying man were branded "monsters" by a judge.  more...

Life on line for engineer as tree falls

A telephone engineer's life was on the line for nearly an hour when a wind weakened tree fell on him while he worked up a 20 ft telegraph pole.  more...

The North East,Darlington,Newton Aycliffe News

Town bosses unified as controversial pedestrian plan is debated

Business chiefs in Darlington have put on a show of unity over contentious plans for a £6.5m "pedestrian heart" in the town centre.  more...

The North East,Durham,East Durham News

Electricity cut off as high winds hit North-East

Electricity was cut off to thousands of homes in the North-East this morning as high winds returned to batter the region.  more...

The North East,Teesside News

Region plans for super fire control centre

Fears over a possible terrorist attack could prove key to the location of a new super fire control centre for the North-East, The Northern Echo has learnt.  more...

Pensioner dies after wheelchair topples out of taxi

An 85-year-old man died after his electric wheelchair toppled out of the back of a Dial-A-Ride taxi-bus outside his local supermarket.  more...

The North East,Tyneside News

Burglar spared jail

A burglar who raided the home of a "devotee to high-quality, high-tech equipment" and took over £3,000 worth of property was spared jail yesterday.  more...

Tyneside News

£7,000 trip to Hawaii

A MAYOR has hit out after teachers went to Hawaii on a trip funded by the taxpayer.  more...

Approval given for £36m college move

DETAILED planning consent has been granted to create a £36m college campus in the North-East.  more...

Lecture on earthquakes

ONE of Britain's leading popular scientists will give a free public lecture in the North-East today.  more...

Drink-driver took ambulance from emergency scene

A DRINK-DRIVER who stole an ambulance from the scene of an emergency was spared jail yesterday.  more...

Wear Valley,Bishop Auckland News

Antiques dealer David selected to host TV show

A NORTH-EAST antiques dealer is to become the next David Dickinson after he was selected to present a television gameshow.  more...

Visitor milestone reached

A NORTH-EAST museum is celebrating a record number of visitors this year,  more...

Santa's belated call with cash gift for hospital

A HOSPITAL baby unit is looking forward to buying specialist equipment thanks to the fundraising efforts of one man.  more...

Approval to start work on £1.3m school sports hall

A SCHOOL has been given approval to build a £1.3m sports hall.  more...

Focus on town's access for disabled

TOWN centre managers have launched an initiative to make its streets and shops more accessible to disabled people.  more...

Children raise cash for victims of bullying

YOUNG people in County Durham are fundraising to help victims of bullying.   more...

Church concert

A CONCERT featuring the Teesside Male Voice Apollo Choir will be staged at Neville Parade Methodist Church, Newton Aycliffe, on Saturday, February 5, at 7.30pm.   more...

Public meeting to discuss school merger

PLANS to merge a junior and infant school in Bishop Auckland are to be discussed at a public meeting next month.  more...

Dale resident dies aged 101

FRIENDS and family are mourning one of Teesdale's oldest residents.  more...

Wearside News

Tickets for fans' dinner go on sale

TICKETS are available for the ever-popular Sportsman's Dinner staged by Sunderland football fans from in and around Chester-le-Street.  more...

  
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