Archive

  • First turf will be cut on new £5.9m special school

    WORK starts today on a £5.9m scheme to relocate a special school from the one-time home of a former Prime Minister. A formal turf cutting ceremony will mark the beginning of the scheme to relocate Windlestone Hall School, near Rushyford, County Durham

  • Young stars are monsters on stage

    YOUNGSTERS are taking to the stage for a spoof performance of some of Hollywood's most famous spine-tinglers. The Youth Stars section of St Augustine's Repertory Society, in Darlington, will be sending up a number of classic horror characters in the Rocky

  • Security to be assessed in schools

    A REVIEW of security is taking place in some Darlington schools following a recent spate of thefts of projection equipment. Police believe the projectors, which have been stolen from several schools during the summer holidays, are being sold cheaply to

  • Traffic calming

    A consultation exercise has found widespread support for the introduction of traffic calming in Romanby, Northallerton. Officers will recommend the measures are introduced when county councillors from the county committee for Hambleton meet next Monday

  • Mary reaches 100 and expects no fuss

    CENTENARIAN Mary Dodds did not know what all the fuss was about, as friends, family and long-lost relatives gathered for her 100th birthday celebrations. Mary was the centre of attention at a party at Durham House Residential Home, in Chester-le-Street

  • On TV

    Monarch of the Glen (BBC1) The Secret Life of Arthur Ransome (BBC2) IT'S been eight years since Monarch of the Glen first turned up on our screens. Eight years of gentle meanderings through the Scottish Highlands, punctuated every now and then by the

  • Campaign to slash the knife crime rate

    AN interactive campaign to reduce knife crime among young people has been launched. The Yorkshire Crimestoppers initiative targets teenagers aged between 13 and 16. The charity has produced posters and cards encouraging young people to visit www.gameover4knives.com

  • Town gets rocking to the rhythm and brews

    BANDS from across the world played through the night to round off this year's Darlington music and beer festival. The new line-up of 1960s band The Animals played to enthusiastic crowds on the last day of the Rhythm 'n' Brews festival. Their set included

  • Campaigners threaten legal action over pub demolition

    CAMPAIGNERS fighting to secure the future of a landmark pub are ready to demand an official investigation into the handling of the case. Residents living near the White Horse pub, in North Road, Darlington, are opposed to its demolition to make way for

  • Man survives 80ft plunge

    A MAN who fell off the top of England's highest waterfall has escaped with just a broken shoulder. Police said he is the only one ever to survive the 80-foot plunge over High Force, in County Durham, out of more than 80 people. Last night, two men involved

  • Alcohol-free zones could be created to improve villages

    AN alcohol-free zone could be created in two neighbouring villages where anti-social drunken behaviour has increased in recent months. Following a recommendation by a joint police/council anti-social behaviour group, drinking in public may soon be banned

  • Let your fingers do the walking

    A SERIES of virtual walks has been created to give hikers a taste of a walking festival from the comfort of their home. Visitors to Richmond Walking Festival's website can go on six different "walks". Surfers are able to view the countryside seen along

  • Town council threatens legal proceedings over £3,000 debt

    A TOWN council has threatened to take legal action unless it is paid £3,000 it is owed by an environmental regeneration group. Barnard Castle Town Council has written to Groundwork West Durham demanding the outstanding money is paid within seven days

  • Hunt for new TV mast site

    A NEW site is needed for Whitby's television and radio transmission mast because it is threatened by the erosion of its cliff top site. The 80ft high mast has been at the centre of controversy because of its prominent position next to Whitby Abbey and

  • Cenotaph ceremony to remember war dead

    A TEN-YEAR campaign to give Redcar a cenotaph to be proud of will culminate in a poignant lighting-up ceremony. After years of research, the names of more than 200 residents killed in conflicts from the Second World War to the Falklands are to be remembered

  • Show celebrates anniversary with farmers, sheep and ponies

    CROWDS flocked to Teesdale this weekend to mark an agricultural show's 130th anniversary. Eggleston Show celebrated its second year at its new venue at Streatlam Farm, near Barnard Castle, with more entries than the previous year and bigger crowds. Dry

  • Volunteers wanted for hospice shop

    HOSPICE supporters are seeking volunteers to staff its latest charity shop. St Cuthbert's Hospice in Durham plans to open the sixth in its network of charity shops in the village of Sacriston, near Chester-le-Street, in the autumn. But it is looking for

  • Show attendance rises with the temperature

    FINE weather and large crowds helped make an annual agricultural show a big success. More than 18,000 visitors flocked to Stokesley Show, in Stokesley, North Yorkshire, on Saturday. Attractions included the Mega Minis stunt show, hounds from the Cleveland

  • Service to mark death of Barnardo

    A service to mark the centenary of the death of the founder of the children's charity, Barnardo's, takes place in the North-East tomorrow. Barnardo's North-East is marking the death of the charity's founder, Dr Thomas Barnardo, by holding a service of

  • Council staff warned they face pay cut

    WORKERS at a North-East council have been told they face a wage cut of up to £6,000 each. Chiefs at Sunderland City Council sent out letters to all staff informing them of the move, which comes after a pay review. One in ten were told their wages would

  • Parents given fair chance to see school

    BOW School, in Durham, is staging an autumn fair and open day later this month. The fair, organised by the school's Parents and Friends Association, will provide an afternoon of fun and entertainment for the children as well as an opportunity for parents

  • Tears for a soldier son

    A HUGE show of emotion and affection was displayed at the funeral of a bright young soldier who died after a recent road accident in Germany. Craftsman Craig Atkinson, 19, was one of three soldiers killed as a result of the accident, when the Land Rover

  • Oriental feel to cultural festival

    A TASTE of the Far East came to the North-East yesterday as members of the region's Chinese community came together for a traditional cultural festival. Elvet Methodist Church, in Durham, adopted an oriental feel for the afternoon, as the setting for

  • Pioneering radio aid for blind woman

    A BLIND woman from the North-East is one of the first people in the country to listen to her favourite radio programmes on a new specially adapted DAB digital radio set. Marilyn Clenaghan, from Thornaby, Teesside, received the set from the British Wireless

  • Pressure grows on health spending

    NHS chiefs have increased the pressure on cash-strapped health bosses in the region. NHS chief executive Sir Nigel Crisp has asked senior managers at over-spending trusts to take urgent action to stop the rot. His announcement follows the publication

  • Cancer victim's positive approach

    BEING diagnosed with bowel cancer did not prevent Geoff Johnson getting on and living life to the full. A warrant officer at the infantry training centre at Catterick Garrison, and a former patient at the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton, North Yorkshire

  • Bishops bounce back

    UniBond League: Relieved Bishop Auckland came from behind to lift themselves off the bottom with a 2-1 home win over Kidsgrove. Bishops are now third bottom and in good heart ahead of their game at Goole tomorrow and their FA Cup trip to Skelmersdale

  • Teen must explain friend's death - coroner

    A coroner has told a teenager that he owes it to his late best friend to explain the circumstances of his death by gunshot wound in an isolated quarry. William Goodburn Buffey, 13, of Carlton Husthwaite, Thirsk, died in February at Quarry Bank, a disused

  • Comment from The Northern Echo: Tragic, but the run must go on

    IT is very sad indeed that the 25th anniversary of the Great North Run and Zersenay Tadesse's fastest half-marathon time ever witnessed, should be over- shadowed by four deaths. The Great North Run has been a major participation event for a quarter of

  • Service to mark death of Barnardo

    A service to mark the centenary of the death of the founder of the children's charity, Barnardo's, takes place in the North-East tomorrow. Barnardo's North-East is marking the death of the charity's founder, Dr Thomas Barnardo, by holding a service of

  • Webster cleared

    Darlington midfielder Adrian Webster insists he did not use an arm when scoring Quakers' consolation on Saturday, writes Craig Stoddart. The half-time substitute, on for the injured Anthony Peacock, struck from 12 yards shortly after Oxford United took

  • McClaren happy to settle for a point after a testing week

    STEVE McClaren took a pragmatic approach to Middlesbrough's hard-fought draw against Paul Jewell's Wigan side after the game. The Boro boss, far from being upset about dropping two points at the JJB Stadium, was thankful his side managed to come away

  • No need for any assistance as Pool's youth raise spirits

    CHOOSING a game to help raise their profile, The Samaritans certainly selected the wrong day. Hartlepool United's players wore green and white wristbands to promote the cause, while fund-raisers for the charity were at Victoria Park. But this time there

  • Battle of Britain tribute

    RAF crews marched through a North city yesterday to mark the 65th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. Airmen and women from RAF Linton-on-Ouse, in North Yorkshire, paraded through York. They were joined by veterans from the Royal Air Forces Association

  • Hey Presto for Sanders

    Presto Shinko and title-chasing rider Seb Sanders emerged victorious after a nail-biting outcome to the totesport Ayr Gold Cup. The Richard Hannon-trained 12-1 shot got home by a short head and the same from Fonthill Road and Irish raider Majestic Times

  • No big screen drama this week

    So entertaining was Darlington's previous home game that on Saturday players from both sides halted their pre-match warm-up to watch the new giant television screen showing highlights of the draw with Notts County. There is no danger of the same happening

  • Jobseekers improve odds

    JOBSEEKERS in the Tees Valley can look forward to a day at the races through a new employment scheme. As part of Pertemps Employment Zone initiative, the firm has teamed up with Redcar Racecourse and has supplied six members of staff this season. To mark

  • Charities are real winners in 25th Great North Run

    NEWS of the deaths of four competitors last night marred what appeared to have been a glorious day in the sun in the Great North Run. Stifling conditions made the race more difficult for some of the 50,000 competitors tackling the half marathon, from

  • Murder on the high Cs

    Florence Foster Jenkins was a truly dreadful singer, who famously sold out at the Carnegie Hall. National treasure Maureen Lipman tells Viv Hardwick what it's like to play the dire diva od din. BECOMING the worst singer in the world is more testing than

  • Durham renaissance continues with cup win

    DURHAM City underlined the strength of their revival with a 46-13 win at Consett in the first round of the Powergen Intermediate Cup. For much of last season Consett were one of their rivals for promotion from Durham and Northumberland Division One and

  • Tykes on the verge of moving up a league

    An unbroken eighth wicket century stand between Derbyshire's Ant Botha and Tom Lungley forced Yorkshire to put their champagne back on ice at Derby yesterday - but it should be only be a matter of time before it is brought out again today. When Derbyshire

  • North is premier class, say stars of Goal!

    THE Geordie faithful were out last night to welcome celebrities as they attended the North-East premiere of a football film about Newcastle United. Stars walked up the red carpet to cinema complex The Gate, in Newcastle, for the first regional showing

  • Owen eases the pressure on his under-fire boss

    MICHAEL OWEN helped lift the pressure on the shoulders of manager Graeme Souness at Ewood Park, and wants to make the Scot feel like he is in charge of the best club in the country. The £16m man scored his first Premiership goal since May 2004 at Blackburn

  • Four die in heat

    AN investigation was under way last night after four competitors died during the 25th Great North Run. It is the highest number of deaths in the history of the run. Ambulance officials said the only thing they could put the deaths down to was the "warm

  • There's no stopping Birtley

    Wearside League: A strong second-half performance earned Birtley Town a 4-1 win over Nissan SSC Sunderland. Tony Thirkell gave them a tenth minute lead but the Wearsiders deservedly equalised on 35 minutes through Kirk Hardy. Once Birtley got their noses

  • Lapse cost us, says Humphreys

    RITCHIE Humphreys admits Hartlepool United were left to rue five minutes of madness on Saturday. Two goals from Swansea's Lee Trundle turned the game in the visitors' favour as he cancelled out the opener from Pool's skipper. Tony Sweeney claimed an equaliser

  • When you're broken from the family tree

    Inspired by her expereinces of adoption, award-winning journalist Kate Adie has written a book about abandoned children. Lindsay Jennings reports on her views. KATE Adie's passport contains a lie. Over the years, the document of the well-travelled war

  • Scaredy Cats need to find a cure for the fear of winning

    WHILE kakorrhaphiophobia is the fear of defeat, scientists are yet to coin a phrase for the fear of winning. After everything that happened at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, perhaps they should call it 'Sunderlanditis'. Symptoms include strikers failing

  • Double promotion success as Durham coast to Riverside win

    JUBILANT Durham fans cared not a jot that they were witnessing yet another totesport shambles at Riverside yesterday as Durham duly confirmed their promotion double. By the time a Somerset side used to piling up runs at Taunton had subsided to 53 for

  • Four die in heat in Great North Run

    AN investigation was under way last night after four competitors died during the 25th Great North Run. It is the highest number of deaths in the history of the run. Ambulance officials said the only thing they could put the deaths down to was the "warm

  • Decision day over quarry extension near ancient site

    Tomorrow, councillors will vote on plans to extend a quarry near a historic site dubbed the Stonehenge of the North. Joe Willis examines the war of words that has surrounded the application. IN 3,000BC Neolithic man built three large stone circular monuments

  • Hudspith leads the way in Morpeth trio

    GREAT Britain international Ian Hudspith was the first North-East athlete home in 13th place as Morpeth Harriers supplied three of the first five regional finishers. The Tyneside teacher and former AAA half marathon champion clocked 64 mins 56 secs -

  • Moxon to start work for next season straight away

    DURHAM coach Martyn Moxon insisted that there will be no let-up in driving the club forward following promotion in the County Championship. "We have had some tough years and it's good to have had a successful season," he said amid Saturday's jubilant

  • Campaigners call a meeting

    CAMPAIGNERS fighting plans to close Hurworth School have called for a meeting with councillors. The Save Hurworth and Rural Education group (Share) has invited all Darlington Borough councillors to a meeting to look again at their proposals to merge the

  • Showcasing future film producers

    YOUNG film producers are premiering their work next week before it is entered into a national competition. Pupils from Holy Family RC, Middleton St George, North Road, Red Hall and St John's Church of England primary schools have taken part in a year-long

  • Coffee morning to raise charity funds

    A TOWN council is raising a cup to back the World's Biggest Coffee Morning event in aid of Macmillan Cancer Relief later this month. The event will be staged at Peterlee Information Centre, in Upper Yoden Way, at the Castle Dene Shopping Centre, in Peterlee

  • Taste of college

    PRIMARY school youngsters enjoyed a taste of college life last week. Year six pupils from Crook, Hartside, Hunwick, Willington, Willington, Sunnybrow, Our Lady and St Thomas and St Cuthbert primary schools took part in classes when they visited Bishop

  • Stepping up shop security

    SECURITY is to be increased at a shopping centre in Newton Aycliffe. Sedgefield Borough Council's development control committee has passed plans for a closed-circuit television camera (CCTV) for Neville Parade Shopping Centre. The camera will be adjacent

  • Agreement reached with travellers

    PARISH councillors have agreed to work with the travelling community which intends to visit a South Durham village every year in memory of a friend. The decision comes after about 400 people descended on Eldon Lane, near Bishop Auckland, last month reportedly

  • Charity cops a high-tech donation

    A CHARITY that helps other good causes with high-tech equipment has been given a big boost - by the police. North Yorkshire's boys in blue have donated a large amount of confiscated goods to the Sussex-based Computers for Charity. The donation from the

  • 'Park and ride' sparks uproar

    PARK and ride has a new meaning for fed-up residents living in one cul-de-sac in the region. For some drivers leave their cars in the street in Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire, for up to a week at a time. Ashbourne Close, which has 22 homes, has become

  • North run victims named

    The four men who died in the Great North Run were aged between 28 and 52, a coroner's office has confirmed. The youngest victim was Rueben Wilson of Leeds - Kieran Patching of Kent was 34 and David Mahaffey of York aged 43. The fourth victim was deputy

  • NHS aims to raise awareness of careers

    HEALTH officials are aiming to raise young people's awareness of careers in the NHS at an annual event this week. Clinical and Strategic Health Authority staff will hold their 2005 Job Shops event on Thursday, and will visit five secondary schools in

  • Parents must ensure places are allocated

    PARENTS of pupils in their last year of primary school are being warned to get their children's names down for a place at secondary school. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council will no longer automatically allocate a place for children due to start in

  • Top DJ pair sign-up for club residency

    MIDDLESBROUGH nightclub Hush has announced the signing of two of Manchester's finest DJs. After signing the residency deal, Galaxy's Slammin' Boys Mark Hogg and Jamie Scahill, will make the nightclub it's new Sunday home. The pair have mixed together

  • Former hospital looks set to be converted into care home

    A DERELICT hospital is set to be transformed into a large residential home for the elderly. A planning application has been submitted to convert the old Mount Maternity Hospital in Mount View, Northallerton. It is proposed that part of the 18th Century

  • Fire brigade moves to cut number of blazes in town

    FIREFIGHTERS are working with people living in Hartlepool to tackle the high level of blazes in the town by offering free home safety checks. Cleveland Fire Brigade is launching its first Fire Safety Zone scheme in partnership with Hartlepool New Deal

  • Man survives 80ft plunge

    A MAN who fell off the top of England's highest waterfall has escaped with just a broken shoulder. Police said he is the only one ever to survive the 80-foot plunge over High Force, in County Durham, out of more than 80 people. Last night, two men involved

  • 19/09/05

    PRIMARY CARE: HOW hypocritical of Darlington Borough Council and MP Alan Milburn to condemn the proposed merger of the Darlington Primary Care Trust (PCT) into a County Durham PCT body (Echo, Sept 14). They say it takes away the right of communities to

  • Rail enthusiasts mark historic occasion

    A GROUP of rail enthusiasts are to hold their next meeting on an important day in railway history. The Friends of Darlington Railway Museum have chosen Tuesday, September 27, as it coincides with the anniversary of the first steam-hauled passenger service

  • Flower show pulls in the crowds again

    A FLOWER show has pulled in a bumper attendance of 36,646. Although Harrogate's three-day Autumn Flower Show missed breaking last year's all-time record of 37,385, director Roger Brownbridge said organisers the North of England Horticultural Society were

  • NHS aim to raise awareness of careers

    HEALTH officials are aiming to raise young people's awareness of careers in the NHS at an annual event this week. Clinical and Strategic Health Authority staff will hold their 2005 Job Shops event on Thursday, and will visit five secondary schools in

  • Action group for homeless opens idyllic garden for community

    A GROUP of homeless and formerly homeless people have revamped a piece of old church land to create a garden idyll. The Teesside Homeless Action Group (THAG) developed the scheme and the volunteers knuckled down and worked for several months to transform

  • Opportunity to step out for walks in region's woodlands

    WOODLAND chiefs are inviting people to take part in a series of walks in the region. The Forestry Commission has organised several treks to look at varieties of fungi in North-East forests. They have also launched a website as part of its Activewoods

  • Paul steps up the pace

    A SUPER-FIT coastguard successfully conquered the equivalent of Mount Everest when he ran up and down Roseberry Topping a staggering 14 times. Paul Waugh decided to tackle the distinctive Cleveland landmark to raise funds for the Great North Air Ambulance

  • Houses bought to grow cannabis

    DRUG dealers are cashing in on the region's lower property prices by buying or renting houses to set up cannabis factories. About 1,500 cannabis plants with a potential value of £1.5m have been seized in police raids on eight houses across County Durham

  • Mum fears for second 'miracle' boy's life

    A MOTHER coping with the death of her two-year-old twin son is praying doctors find a way of preventing the death of her second "miracle" boy. Donna Douglass, 21, hopes that if they discover the cause of son Brandon's death they can save his twin, Bradley

  • Murder accused at son's funeral

    A young mother has attended the funeral on Tyneside of the four-month-old baby son she is accused of murdering. Alexander Gallon died in a fire in Link Road, Cowgate, on 28 August. Danielle Wails, 21, who was flanked by two prison officers, wiped away

  • Talking Point: Owen path best for Rooney

    WHEN Danish referee Kim Milton Nielsen brandished the red card at Wayne Rooney last Wednesday, the whole country, with the exception of ally Rio Ferdinand, moved quickly to condemn the player's actions. Rooney raising his hands at the match official to

  • The Lifeblood Appeal

    As part of The Northern Echo's Lifeblood campaign, which aims to encourage people to give blood, here are details of forthcoming donor sessions in the region: Today Rowlands Gill Methodist Church Hall, Strathmore Road, Rowlands Gill. 2.30pm-7pm Church

  • Lapse cost us, says Humphreys

    RITCHIE Humphreys admits Hartlepool United were left to rue five minutes of madness on Saturday. Two goals from Swansea's Lee Trundle turned the game in the visitors' favour as he cancelled out the opener from Pool's skipper. Tony Sweeney claimed an equaliser

  • Hardly home, sweet home as Quakers made to suffer

    David Hodgson thought his side had finally exorcised their home demons, until Oxford United provided them with a reality check at the weekend. Hodgson has made no secret of his frustration at Darlington's constant failure to perform in front of home fans

  • Critics given more ammunition as uninspired Boro let it slip

    MIDDLESBROUGH did little at Wigan yesterday to contradict accusations about their recent uninspiring performances. Boro put in yet another workmanlike shift but could only manage to scrape a disappointing draw at the JJB Stadium in a match they should

  • Why is it wrong to do good?

    At what point did doing a good deed become the basis for ridicule by a complete stranger? The reason I ask is that, for some time now, I have been both mystified and deeply irritated at the use of the term "do-gooder" as a term of abuse. In recent years

  • Brown downs tools for Seve Trophy

    GREENKEEPER Mark Brown will down his tools for the day on Wednesday and pick up his clubs to play alongside some of the greatest names in golf. The assistant greenkeeper at Brancepeth Castle Golf Club, near Durham, was the lucky winner of the Northern

  • Cannabis gran may face jail

    Cannabis taking gran Patricia Tabram could be facing six months in jail after police raided her home and arrested her on suspicion of cultivating the drug. Cops arrested the 66-year-old who has become famous for promoting cannabis for medicinal use and

  • Souness wins battle with Bellamy

    GIVEN that Craig Bellamy apparently had a personal vendetta against Graeme Souness planned, the Scot was the man to exact retribution at Ewood Park yesterday by eventually easing Newcastle United to that seemingly elusive first win of the season. A conciliatory

  • Students charged up for lessons in the fast lane

    SCHOOLCHILDREN from across the region have taken part in an electric car endurance race. Teams from 14 schools entered the North-East heat of the Greenpower 2005 Electric Car Series at Croft Circuit, near Darlington. Pupils were invited to build a 24-

  • Family's fresh call for base inquiry

    THE parents of a North-East soldier who died in mysterious circumstances marked the fourth anniversary of his death at the weekend. But Geoff and Diane Gray have been unable to visit their son Geoff's grave in Seaham, County Durham, because of their campaign

  • Shoulder wants to use Vase win as a catalyst

    FA Vase: Brandon are hoping their 4-3 win over Bottesford in the first qualifying round of the FA Vase will provide a lift. Brandon have yet to win a league game this season but they held on to victory in a frantic finish. Manager Alan Shoulder, who went

  • Chairman choice

    Harold Brown, a farmer from Grinton, Swaledale, has been re-elected chairman of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority's planning committee.

  • Dog show's venue declared a success

    THE region's biggest dog show ended yesterday with organisers refusing to speculate on the location of next year's event. Darlington Dog Show was held at Newby Hall, near Ripon, North Yorkshire, because the usual venue, South Park, in Darlington, is being

  • Marton clinch title on final day

    Marton swept to victory and into the Premier Division of the Darlington Building Society NYSD Premier League with an emphatic victory over Redcar in the final game of the season. Chris Lane's side required 14 points to celebrate but in the event they

  • Stay alert - Stubbs

    ALAN Stubbs has admitted that Sunderland need to start displaying a far tougher mental resolve if they are to move off the foot of the Premiership, writes Scott Wilson. The Black Cats finally picked up their first point of the season at the sixth time

  • NHS aims to raise awareness of careers

    HEALTH officials are aiming to raise young people's awareness of careers in the NHS at an annual event this week. Clinical and Strategic Health Authority staff will hold their 2005 Job Shops event on Thursday, and will visit five secondary schools in

  • Anger at Philips' Polish TV plant deal

    ANGER has greeted news that an electronics company is to develop a new production plant in Poland just months after closing a North-East factory. More than 760 workers lost their jobs when LG Philips closed its 34-year-old premises on Belmont Industrial

  • Veteran cricketer dies

    A veteran cricketer collapsed and died at the crease after running a single. Colin Shepherd, 63, was batting for Belsay Cricket Club's Second XI, on Saturday, when he collapsed between the stumps. Two of his teammates attempted to resuscitate him at the

  • When you're broken from the family tree

    KATE Adie's passport contains a lie. Over the years, the document of the well-travelled war reporter has been scrutinised by drunken militiamen and crazed revolutionaries. All were probably unaware that, instead of being born in Sunderland as it states

  • Walk on the wild side

    VOLUNTEERS from the Prince's Trust took to the streets in fancy dress to boost funds for Romanian children. The group, who are on the trust course at Stockton Riverside, embarked on a nine-and-a- half-mile walk from Bishop Auckland to Brandon to raise

  • A happy Chappy down under

    HIS timing impeccable as always, former Durham County cricketer Steve Chapman emigrates to Australia on Monday. The talented all-rounder has played and coached in Melbourne for the past nine winters. Pom and circumstance, this one's going to be different

  • Murder on the high Cs

    BECOMING the worst singer in the world is more testing than even Simon Cowell imagined... you nearly lose your voice after two performances in a day for a start. Maureen Lipman kindly agrees to an interview in just such a state to discuss her role as

  • A roaring reminder of the vintage years of motoring

    VINTAGE and classic motorcycles provided a throwback to a scene of yesteryear on rural roads round the North-East yesterday. A total of 88 machines, including cycle cars, tricycles, micro cars and motorcycles, all dating from pre-1979, set off on a 100