A RECRUITMENT agency in the North-East has seen its annual profits increase sevenfold and turnover lift by 200 per cent. Primary Asset Recruitment (PAR), based on Newcastle's Quayside, specialises in recruitment in the engineering and manufacturing sectors
GLENN Roeder is tipping the Football Association to stick with who they know and appoint Middlesbrough boss Steve McClaren as successor to Sven-Goran Eriksson. Alan Curbishley, Sam Allardyce, Stuart Pearce, Guus Hiddink, Martin O'Neill and Luiz Felipe
EQUIPMENT rental specialist Vp said last night it was on track to report strong financial results for the year. Analysts expect the North Yorkshire equipment rental firm to announce a ten per cent increase in turnover to £100m and a lift in profits to
ANYONE who needs dentures could be in for a shock this summer, according to the chairman of a national group. Tony Ward, who runs the Dental Clinic in Darlington, represents about 5,000 UK denture-makers, known as denturists. Because of changes to dental
A YOUNG mother whose one-year- old daughter has a skull deformity has criticised a decision by health bosses not to pay for a protective helmet that shapes her head as she grows. Shortly after Toni Ridley was born, she was diagnosed by doctors at Durham's
April 7, 1990 and Andrew Thornton is about to learn that he is not cut out for watching the Grand National. Durham Edition, always the bridesmaid but never the bride for Bishop Auckland trainer Arthur Stephenson, is lining up at Aintree two years after
A POPULAR police inspector has been removed from his post hours after he made controversial comments at a council meeting. Inspector Chris Reeves was praised by councillors for his honesty after he spoke about anti-social behaviour problems in Darlington
THEIR supporters might revel in the reputation of being a 'small town in Europe' but an ecstatic Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink feels Thursday's scintillating UEFA Cup win over Basle has put Middlesbrough firmly on the continent's footballing map. Despite enjoying
On the biggest day in the racing calendar, Colin Woods (Janus), The Northern Echo's racing correspondent, spoke to North Yorkshire trainer Ferdy Murphy, who has already trained winners in the Scottish and Irish Grand Nationals and is seeking a hat-trick
GLENN Roeder is tipping the Football Association to stick with who they know and appoint Middlesbrough boss Steve McClaren as successor to Sven-Goran Eriksson. Alan Curbishley, Sam Allardyce, Stuart Pearce, Guus Hiddink, Martin O'Neill and Luiz Felipe
THE cash crisis facing the NHS bit deeper yesterday, with the announcement that 200 jobs are to go at one of the region's major hospitals. The loss of the jobs at York Hospital will save £2.5m, and are part of a package of measures designed to save about
GEORGE Boateng last night hailed Massimo Maccarone's last-minute winner against Basle as "the most important goal in Middlesbrough's history". The Teessiders were just 40 seconds away from being dumped out of the UEFA Cup when the Italian swooped on a
AGE Concern Durham County's advice and information bus will visit Scarth Hall, in Staindrop, on Tuesday, between 1.30pm and 3.30pm. On Wednesday, it will be outside Charles Dickens Lodge, in Barnard Castle, from 10am to noon and later at Coth- erstone
GROUPS and individuals in Darlington must work together to provide facilities for young people in the fight against anti-social behaviour, a leading youth representative said yesterday. Kevin Nicholson said that to find an effective means to combat the
EMERGING artists are having their work showcased in an exhibition at a Darlington gallery. The Addressee Gone Away event includes pieces from up-and-coming talents, and has been arranged by the Rednile Project. Rednile is renowned for making unusual use
MARKET FORCES: ON a recent trip to Liverpool I visited a well-known market in a disused 19th century tobacco warehouse. The place was thriving with the hustle and bustle of traders and customers alike, the noise and the atmosphere was electrifying, to
PUPILS from a German sports college have arrived in the North-East for an exchange. For the 29th year, students from the VfL Rheinhausen Sports Club are visiting their friends at Framwellgate School, in Durham City. During a week-long visit, which started
WORK to fill a mysterious hole that appeared in the middle of a busy road has been swiftlycompleted. Traffic is again flowing as normal along York Road, in Hartlepool, after police and council officials were called in on Wednesday night. The surface around
A SCHOOL showed that the most romantic day of the year is good for the heart in more ways than one. Evergreen Primary School, in Bishop Auckland, yesterday presented a cheque to British Heart Foundation following a Valentine's Day disco. The youngsters
PLANS have been submitted for a multi-million pound shopping centre redevelopment and cinema which could create jobs and bring major retailers to Bishop Auckland. The Oakgate Group, which owns the Newgate Centre, in Newgate Street, is proposing to extend
A HOSPITAL trust which aims to save £40m is cutting back on free patient transport. The County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is looking to reduce its workforce by up to 700 over the next three years. As part of the cost-cutting efforts
DRAMA students have been putting the finishing touches to their production of George Orwell's Animal Farm. The play will be staged by BTEC national certificate performing arts students from Stockton Riverside College. It is the first time the college
TWO large hanging baskets which helped a town win Northumberland in Bloom four times and come third in Britain in Bloom in previous years were taken down yesterday. The large ornamental flower tubs on metal poles were dismantled from their home of almost
A CLASSROOM was turned into the School of Rock as musical tutors passed on their knowledge. Darlington-based School of Rock and Pop has worked with legends like the Rolling Stones but dropped into Stockton for a quick lesson. Musicians at Bishopsgarth
AN extra performance of a children's comedy has been scheduled after the quick sale of tickets for the show on Teesside. Puppet Lab will present Funny Bones on Thursday, April 20, at 2pm, to a sell-out audience at Preston Hall Museum, Preston Park, Eaglescliffe
POLICE are growing increasingly concerned for the welfare of a 50-year-old missing man who may be in North Yorkshire. Ian Hobson, of Upper Haugh, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, was reported missing on April 3 when he was in possession of a blue/grey Rover
RESIDENTS are being urged to support an annual clean-up initiative by designing their own promotional postcards. Hartlepool Borough Council officials are asking people to design the cards by hand or using computer graphics, on the theme of Spring Clean
ROGUE landlords are being warned they could face losing a year's rent unless they keep their properties in good condition. Middlesbrough Borough Council is enforcing rules which will allow it to ban people from running bedsits unless they provide acceptable
I'D driven past the Center Parcs turning countless times over the years and spared little thought as to what lurked over the hill. A few seconds of idle curiosity were quickly replaced by the lure of the Lake District's majestic fells - or the fleshpots
A chance meeting between two Borough lads in America has led to the setting up of the first Middlesbrough-based film company. Steve Pratt looks at the bid to launch Hollywood on Tees. WRITER-DIRECTOR Mike McCarthy reels off a number of firsts relating
A PROJECT for elderly people in Darlington has encouraged more than £500,000 extra investment in services for clients, organisers said last night. A service for people aged 75 and over was launched by Darlington Citizens' Advice Bureau (Cab), alongside
THE newly-appointed head of a struggling Darlington school has said she is looking forward to the challenge. Elaine Richardson has been appointed headteacher of Eastbourne School, and will take up the post in September. Mrs Richardson, whose husband Brian
RALLY SONGSTERS: A concert by the Salvation Army Songsters from Shildon takes place at a Fellowship Rally in the Methodist Church at Middleton-in-Teesdale tonight at 7.30pm. It will be followed by a supper, and proceeds will go to cancer research. GLASS
TEENAGERS got hands-on experience of life in the medical profession at an event to encourage them to study science. The County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals Trust is running a science programme to encourage the study of science subjects and promote
ANIMAL lovers have urged allotment holders to find a happy ending to the saga of a giant rabbit that has been ravaging their vegetable plots. Residents in the Northumberland village of Felton have threatened to shoot the animanl, which is munching its
CONTROVERSIAL plans to give the go ahead for a secure hospital unit in Nidderdale have been quashed in the High Court. It means a planning application granted by Harrogate Borough Council for the project at the former HMS Forest Moor Naval site, near
EQUIPMENT rental specialist Vp said last night it was on track to report strong financial results for the year. Analysts expect the North Yorkshire equipment rental firm to announce a ten per cent increase in turnover to £100m and a lift in profits to
Q I am approaching 64 and worked all my life until 2000 when I started to receive Incapacity Benefit (IB). My wife's State Pension is £73.37 per fortnight. What can I expect at 65 when IB stops? A Having worked all your life, you should get the standard
YOUNG dancers will take to the stage next week to showcase the moves they have learned. The teenagers took part in a dance project as part of the Young People and Communities Together project, run by Stockton Borough Council's youth service. The members
YOUNGSTERS have an opportunity to explore their creative sides during the Easter holidays. Stockton Borough Council's library service is holding a series of Easter-themed craft sessions, from Tuesday to Thursday, April 20. The craft sessions will run
DESPITE their European exertions having taken them into the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup this week, Middlesbrough's players will be unable to rest on their laurels tomorrow afternoon, writes Scott Wilson. Newcastle visit the Riverside for the second Tyne-Tees
Spennymoor yesterday appointed former Middlesbrough midfielder Jamie Pollock and former player Jason Ainsley as joint managers. But the move hasn't been backed by the club's board of directors and they won't take over control of the team until next season
CHANTS of 'Sunderland till I die', 'the red flag flying high' and 'Niall Quinn's disco pants' are likely to be heard well after the final whistle at the Stadium of Light this evening. But, contrary to what a select group of fans had hoped for, those songs
'I'LL show you the chap who was my driver for two-and-a-half years," said Major Ian English. The green grass beneath his feet was neatly striped and springy; the white headstones in front of him were straight and clean; the rims of his eyes were red and
Teesside Athletic will be playing for a place in the final of the Sunderland Shipowners Cup when they visit Stokesley SC this afternoon. "This is our first season in the competition and we still have an outside chance of winning the championship. It would
THE chief executive of Newcastle Building Society yesterday announced his early retirement due to ill health. Robert Hollinshead, who has been with the North-East's biggest building society since 1992, will leave on June 30 after eight years as chief
A FRAUDULENT agency nurse who faked her death to evade justice was found living in the North-East. The law finally caught up with cheating Pauline Muswere yesterday when she was prosecuted for a series of offences. But the 22-year-old was spared jail
PETER Ramage yesterday hailed Middlesbrough's UEFA Cup heroics - but insisted Newcastle United were still the North-East's top dogs. Ramage admitted he was gripped by proceedings at the Riverside on Thursday as Boro turned around a three-goal deficit
PETER Ramage yesterday hailed Middlesbrough's UEFA Cup heroics - but insisted Newcastle United were still the North-East's top dogs. Ramage admitted he was gripped by proceedings at the Riverside on Thursday as Boro turned around a three-goal deficit
EASTER is generally regarded as the time of year when football clubs finally know what the outcome of their season will be. Paul Stephenson knows that come 5pm a week on Monday, after a run of four games in nine days, Hartlepool United could have all
NEWLY-CROWNED Northern champions Chester-le-Street are hoping for a medal in today's National Six-Stage Road Relay Championships despite travelling to Sutton Coldfield without one of their best runners. The Cestrians, who made history in 2003 when they
ANYONE who needs dentures could be in for a shock this summer, according to the chairman of a national group. Tony Ward, who runs the Dental Clinic in Darlington, represents about 5,000 UK denture-makers, known as denturists. Because of changes to dental
THEIR supporters might revel in the reputation of being a 'small town in Europe' but an ecstatic Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink feels Thursday's scintillating UEFA Cup win over Basle has put Middlesbrough firmly on the continent's footballing map. Despite enjoying
NEWCASTLE Falcons have dealt a double blow to Mowden Park ahead of today's derby at home to Darlington by naming Eni Gesinde and Tim Visser in their squad for the Melrose Sevens. Although Gesinde has been told he has no future with the Falcons, he has
IF performances meant prizes then Middlesbrough's incredible comeback over FC Basle on Thursday night in the quarter-finals deserved to win the UEFA Cup on its own. In truth, with the easiest of the draw for the last four, it could well have done just
CONGRATULATIONS to Middlesbrough Football Club. Their last gasp winner late on Thursday night crowned a most remarkable comeback. This small town marches on in Europe. Excellent. But just two months ago, the Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren was going
IT'S not 'either' writing, directing or appearing as Gary Essendine in Noel Coward's Present Laugher it's AND," says Simon Callow correcting me with a laugh about his workaholic lifestyle. The 57-year-old actor is juggling so many major projects at the
HIGHWAYS chiefs are hoping to carry out £9m improvements this financial year to a dangerous stretch of road known as "death mile". Major work is scheduled to be carried out on the A66 at Longnewton, between Stockton and Darlington, after almost 20 years
PAYMENTS made to council tenants for the disturbance caused during modernisation are to rise for the first time in 13 years. Durham City Council is increasing its decoration and disturbance allowance payments by a maximum of more than £50. In the previous
A POSTMAN who hid thousands of letters at home because his bag was too heavy for him has been jailed for four months. Teenager Christopher Meek, who is 5ft 5in and weighs less than 10st, admitted hoarding 13,819 postal packages. He was arrested in December
THE Liberal Democrats have hung on to a key seat on Durham City Council by a narrow margin. The party's candidate, Brian Colledge, retained the seat of Shadforth and Sherburn by 33 votes, holding off a determined challenge from Labour's Angela Leary,
ONE of Yorkshire's oldest bands is celebrating the biggest achievement in its 112-year history. Stape Brass Band, which originates in the remote moorland hamlet of Stape, between Pickering and Castleton, in the North York Moors National Park, has won
A SCHEME to replace a home, said by planners to have been demolished because of subsidence, was withdrawn before it could be considered by Harrogate Borough Council planners. A planning application had been tabled for the development at Kendal Lodge,
A 13-YEAR-old east Durham pupil will soon see her award-winning art displayed on hundreds of posters and thousands of bookmarks. Samantha Mitchell, who attends Easington Community School, carried off the top prize in a Durham County Council art competition
THE first phase of a £4.3m woodland development has been completed. The courtyard scheme, in Dalby Forest, near Pickering, includes craft units, community rooms, a cafe, bike hire facilities and offices. It cost £850,000 and has been created around the
CHILDREN and their parents can find out more about the magic of reading next week. Hartlepool Borough Council's Bookstart project will have an information stand in the foyer of the Asda store in Marina Way, Hartlepool, on Wednesday, from 10am to 2pm.
A PRIMARY school's swimming gala is to be held annually after the success of the first event. Ten Hartlepool schools took part at the Mill House Leisure Centre, Hartlepool, and the emphasis was on teamwork and fun. Linda Walker, from Hartlepool Borough
ARTISTS from Easingwold and the surrounding villages are taking part in an exhibition in the town this weekend. It is the third showing of local work - both amateur and professional. Fifty people will be displaying their talents - from wood turners and
William Potts clocks have kept time all over the North-East for generations and, now, for the first time, they are chronicled in a new book. Chris Lloyd looks at the life and times of Potts Clocks. THERE is barely a town, a village, a hamlet in the North-East
A GRANT scheme which helps home owners in deprived areas of Darlington to make improvements to their properties has changed. Before April 1, residents in the Central, Northgate, North Road and Bank Top areas of the town could apply for a grant to carry
TAXI drivers in Darlington were yesterday given the seal of approval for them to use town centre bus lanes. Darlington Borough Council's cabinet has agreed to let hackney carriages use some lanes, in a bid to cut queues of traffic, and allow taxis to
MORE than 700 schoolchildren and teachers invaded Sedgefield Racecourse yesterday in a bid to boost funds for charity. It is the second year that Sedgefield Community College has organised a 5km fun run and it has proved such a success that organisers
A FOOTBALLING legend has helped to raise almost £5,000 to refurbish a church hall. Former Celtic captain and manager Billy McNeill was guest of honour at a sportsman's dinner at Consett Civic Centre. The event, last week, was staged to raise funds for
A SURE Start centre is celebrating after one of its parents became the first to score 100 per cent in an on-line numeracy test. Mother-of-two Sonia Sterling, of Burnhope, was the first person who uses the centre, in Stanley, to get everything right in
FATTY effluent from thousands of processed chickens found its way into the sewage treatment system, a court heard. It led to a large chicken food supplier appearing in court for breaching trade effluent discharge regulations. Kookaburra Ltd, of Peterlee
BISHOP Auckland students are heading for the ski slopes of Italy over the Easter holidays. A party of 32 pupils and 13 members of staff will leave Bishop Barrington School on Easter Saturday, April 15, for the resort of Courmayeur, in the shadow of Mont
STAFF at a North-East university have picked up the UK's top award for advancing women's work in academia. The University of Sunderland has won the Athena Swan (Scientific Women's Academic Network) Charter Award, recognising the university's commitment
A MAN was crushed to death when the arm of a stolen JCB he was stripping down fell on top of him, an inquest has heard. Stuart Collinson was working on the vehicle at a derelict farm when the accident happened in September last year. The 34-year-old father-of-three's
TWO RAF lifesavers dropped in on a school in the Yorkshire Dales - to help pupils turn a winning idea into a piece of radio reality. Leeming-based Tornado pilot, Flight Lieutenant Mark Wilson and navigator, Flight Lieutenant Ted Threapleton, made the
THE fight over land caught up in a multi-million pound development scheme may be taken to the High Court. Opponents of the scheme say they will not give up their fight for a village green in Redcar, despite the results of a public inquiry into the land
A FORMER country mansion and stables once owned by the wealthy Rothschild family in North Yorkshire has been converted into a workspace and office complex. About £2m has been spent on Swinton Grange, near Malton, by Amadeus Properties which has carried
POLICE chief Della Cannings yesterday welcomed figures showing crime has fallen by 4.1 per cent in the past year. The number of crimes reported in North Yorkshire has dropped by 2,542 to 59,086. The figure represents a fall of 17.4 per cent, or 12,484
THE Calendar Girls yesterday launched their 2007 offering in which they have posed naked for a third time. Six members of the Rylstone and District Women's Institute in North Yorkshire, who tastefully posed nude six years ago to raise money for Leukaemia
A BUSINESSMAN who sold cut-price alcohol and cigarettes from a boat in the North Sea last night said he may set sail again, after winning a legal battle against Customs officials. Phil Berriman, who ran the UK's first offshore off-licence, had challenged
A TEAM of North-East stem cell scientists are working on a project which could make experimental drug trials safer for humans. Concerns about the risks undertaken by human guinea pigs during so-called phase one drug trials came to the fore recently when
THE parents of a girl who was sexually abused at the age of 14 have spoken for the first time at their disbelief that the man responsible has been appointed to a £29,000-a-year post managing a community's development trust. The couple last night joined
A PHOTOGRAPH has been unearthed of one of the craftsmen praised recently for their great skill in building the roof of a North-East museum more than a century ago. They chose and fitted timber so perfectly that repairs are proving less costly than expected
A POPULAR police inspector has been removed from his post hours after he made controversial comments at a council meeting. Inspector Chris Reeves was praised by councillors for his honesty after he spoke about anti-social behaviour problems in Darlington
WHICHEVER way you look at this afternoon's Grand National, investing in four horses on an each-way basis is a sensible option for getting maximum mileage out of the Aintree showstopper. In punting parlance, arguably the best lesson ever preached about
A BUSINESSMAN who sold cut-price alcohol and cigarettes from a boat in the North Sea last night said he may set sail again, after winning a legal battle against Customs officials. Phil Berriman, who ran the UK's first offshore off-licence, had challenged
A CELEBRITY duo will add a splash of colour to Teesside this month. Design gurus Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan, who star in Channel 5's How Not To Decorate, will be at Fads, Wilmore Road, Redcar, next Saturday. Colour consultants will be on hand to
A PENSIONER claims he faced the humiliation of being picked up by the police in busy street for alleged shoplifting - solely because he was wearing a flat cap. Dennis Dean said he was still awaiting an apology from a supermarket after he was wrongly accused
MIDDLESBROUGH may not be the only comeback kings in the North-East this week if Darlington win at Torquay United this afternoon. Just when a 15th consecutive season in League Two beckoned, two wins in the last seven days has suddenly brought Quakers'
THE longest-serving council chief in the North-East is facing a challenge to his leadership. Councillor Alex Watson, 63, chairman of the North-East Regional Assembly, has headed Labour-controlled Derwentside District Council since 1991, but The Northern
