ANGRY parents confronted council officials on Tuesday night over a review of the special educational needs service in North Yorkshire. Education chiefs were repeatedly interrupted as they tried to explain proposals which, according to a consultation
POLICE Minister Tony McNulty promised that County Durham would not be broken up as part of controversial plans for a North-East superforce - one of the region's MPs said tonight. Kevan Jones, MP for North Durham, Durham Police Chief Constable Jon Stoddart
GNER will operate a normal timetable to and from London King's Cross station and the rest of the East Coast Main Line tomorrow,Wednesday 28th June. This follows disruption caused by a fire on a building site next to London King's Cross station, which
Patients and the public were tonight urged to be vigilant after a member of staff at The James Cook University Hospital contracted measles. Test results confirmed a nurse has the illness. Hospital staff have contacted 13 patients as a precautionary
AN obsessive birds eggs collector from the North-East could become the first offender in the country to be hit with an Asbo for a wildlife-related crime. Wayne Derbyshire, who toured the country to steal rare eggs from their nests, was today sentenced
A TOURIST railway which crashed 18 months ago with debts of nearly 1m will reopen again on a solid financial footing. The new company running the Weardale Railway, in County Durham, is backed by one of the country's leading social enterprise groups Ealing
A feature film set in a popular seaside resort is set to hit the big screen next month. Freyja's Gift is a romantic psychological drama based in and around Whitby, North Yorkshire. It has been written and directed by Nigel Ward and Helga Marrs, who
A hidden treasury of relics illustrating Roman life and the art of stonemasons centuries ago is being thrown open to the public for the first time. A warehouse run by English Heritage in the former railway station yard at Helmsley, North Yorkshire, contains
A COUNCIL officer has appeared in court today charged with stealing thousands of pounds from a community carnival fund. John Pearson faces ten separate charges of stealing from the Barnard Castle Meet - one of the region's oldest traditional carnivals
ACCIDENT specialists investigating a crash which claimed the life of a teenager today appealled for a potentially vital witness to come forward. Daniel Purvis, 15, died in hospital two days after the stolen four wheel drive Mitsubishi car he was driving
Senator Hilary Clinton, could be heading to the City of Durham to dig up her mining roots, it emerged today. The former first lady, who may soon occupy the White House in her own right, has been invited to explore the for herself after it was revealed
A QUICK thinking Middlesbrough girl fought off a would-be abductor when she stabbed him in the hand with her ear ring. The 12-year-old was walking home along on Whinney Banks Road in Acklam when a black car, possibly a convertible, with tinted windows
A HOUSING development is being planned to help pay for a £14m Darlington auction mart. An 11-acre site in Neasham Road, opposite Darlington Football Club's 96.6 TFM Arena, which is owned by farmers, is being considered for a development of family homes
A YOUNG cricketer from Darlington has been selected to play for Durham County Cricket Club. Sam Hardy, a year six pupil at St Augustine's Primary School in Darlington, has been playing cricket since he was six. Now aged 11, he was delighted to be chosen
MEMBERS of Darlington Building Society have raised more than £3,000 for four hospices by returning their voting forms in advance of their annual meeting. More than 9,000 members returned their papers before the meeting, on April 27, and the society
AN afternoon of music, dance, advice and guidance for the over-50s is taking place in Darlington Market Square today to celebrate Daisy Day. Daisy stands for Darlington, active, independent and staying young and is organised by Darlington Borough Council's
COUPLES who fancy the idea of committing to each other in style have only a few days to enter a competition. Darlington Registration Service is due to move to Bull Wynd in December, as part of the £5m refurbishment of the Dolphin Centre. To celebrate
Woodham Community Association, in St Elizabeth's Close, Woodham, near Newton Aycliffe, hosts badminton sessions on Tuesdays, from 9.30am to 10.30am and 8.15pm to 10pm, and Wednesdays, from 2pm to 3.45pm. For details, call 07729054696.
IT is less than a week since Tony Blair delivered a speech in which he talked about the need to tackle the public perception of an imbalance between the rights of offenders and the victims of crime. And today we have the perfect illustration of why that
SUPPORT services for small and medium businesses in the North-East are outperforming the national average, new figures show. Business Link services in the region are among the best in the country, and have helped more companies than ever before, according
A delegation of academics and business leaders from one of the top US universities is today visiting the North-East for possible business link-ups. Seventeen of the most influential figures from the University of Central Florida -with a research budget
THE world's third largest music company is said to be seeking financial backing to mount a bid for a rival firm. Newspaper reports yesterday suggested EMI - home to such artists as Mariah Carey, Gorillaz, Kelly Clarkson and James Blunt -was seeking private
CORPORATE clothing firm DCC has won its first contract with the National Trust to supply its uniforms. DCC, based in Peterlee, County Durham, designs and supplies corporate clothing to businesses worldwide. It is now providing branded clothing for the
PORTAKABIN subsidiary Yorkon has won a contract with Tesco to design and engineer its convenience stores for the third year running. The York company specialises in off-site construction of modules that are fitted in its factory before being transported
A SCHEME to help businesses access support they need is being set up in a county blighted by manufacturing job losses in recent years. Manufacturing Bridge has been set up in County Durham, bringing together eight organisations involved in supporting
AN estate agency is predicting a record turnover despite two difficult years in the industry. Newcastle-based Sanderson Young, which opened in 1999 with a portfolio of 30 houses and six staff, now has more than 1,000 houses and 65 employees. During the
TRANSPORT and support services group Hargreaves said its order book was "substantially higher" than last year following a series of contract wins. The group, based at Esh Winning, near Durham, also said results for the year ending May 31 were expected
A business group for companies in the subsea oil and gas sector is being launched in the north of the region today. Subsea North-East will harness expertise in the region, and encourage companies to work together to develop opportunities. Chris Braithwaite
MORE than 100 young professionals from the Tees Valley attended the launch of a network set up to encourage future business leaders. Six professional companies in the area have set up the Tees Valley Young Professionals Network (YPN), the first forum
Chef ALAN BULMER's new job is literally a world away from his last challenge. A year ago, the 49-year-old chef was catering manager for 1,000 US and native troops helping reconstruct war-torn Afghanistan, but is now to run Eauzone, a bistro restaurant
Sir Peter Vardy's son, Richard Vardy, has appointed a financial controller at his new North-East property investment and development company. Zoe Hartshorn, 33, has joined the team at Aykley Heads, in Durham, and will work on development and funding opportunities
You couldn't call it a performance - it was more like a group of friends getting together when four of the Calendar Girls came to Richmond to share their inspirational stories. In 1998 when Angela Baker's husband John was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's
PUBLICISTS for a major feature film have confirmed their intention to use a North-East seaside resort for location shooting - and revealed the full cast list. Working Title Films has announced the start of principal photography on Atonement, directed
A CAMPAIGNING Middlesbrough councillor has been thrown out of the Labour Party. Ken Walker has been an outspoken opponent of the council's plans to demolish 1,500 homes in the town and was suspended from its Labour group in November. Now he has been told
THE sounds and rhythms of the Caribbean will be filling the air in Middlesbrough at the weekend. And members of local steel band Steelworks have been fine-tuning their drums before the arrival of the world-renowned players the North Star Caribbean Orchestra
COUNTRYSIDE "activists" are trying to stop illegal off-road motorcyclists from tearing up a footpath in the east Cleveland hills, by deliberately planting dozens of large stones in their way. But concern has been raised that they could be endangering
A PENSIONER killed in a crash may not have seen the car that hit him, an inquest heard. Thomas Robson, 65, from Redcar, east Cleveland, died on August 16 last year when his Ford Focus was in a collision with an Audi at the Tollerton crossroads on the
FAMILIES are being urged to mark National Sure Start Month by raising money for the NSPCC. Sure Start Hartlepool South is staging a sponsored bike ride at its Rossmere and St Teresa's Children's Centre, in Rossmere Way, on Friday, at 1pm. Parent support
A SCHEME that aims to encourage children to regularly walk to school is being expanded in Hartlepool. Throston Primary School has launched a Walk on Wednesday (Wow) scheme as part of its school travel plan, which aims to increase the travel choices available
A DONATION of £1,000 has helped pay for a counselling and support room for a blind charity. Stockton Blind People's Voice supports people who have lost confidence through losing their sight. Hillstreet shopping centre, Middlesbrough, made the donation
A RUNDOWN industrial estate created on the site of a former drift mine could be bulldozed and the land returned to open countryside. Middridge Industrial Estate was developed more than 20 years ago to provide accommodation for small and medium-sized firms
LOVERS of country pursuits transformed a showfield into a sporting arena as they gathered in Weardale at the weekend. Clay pigeon shooting, a pony gymkhana and a host of other sporting events made a very enjoyable alternative to World Cup football at
A COMMUNITY garden partly built and managed by people with physical and learning difficulties has opened. Nirvana Community Gardens, in Clarence Chare, Newton Aycliffe, includes seating areas, a pond, vegetable patch and raised flower beds. Clients and
A COLLEGE student was climbing the walls yesterday after creating an unusual art project. Shane Meek, a design student at Bishop Auckland College, has built three 8ft figures which have been mounted on the external wall of the college building. The figures
A PRISON officer has won a national award for his work with prisoners. Dave Glendinning won the main award in the Working with Young People category at the Prison Officer of the Year awards in Leeds. Mr Glendinning, who works at Deerbolt Young Offenders
SCHOOLchildren have been given the chance to have their say over a new £117,500 play area. Work started on Moore Lane Park, at Newton Aycliffe, yesterday, and should be completed in time for the summer holidays. The project was launched after Great Aycliffe
A week after learning his World Cup dream was over, Michael Owen last night insisted England must lift their performance levels to have any real chance of lifting the trophy. But Owen does feel the fact that Sven-Goran Eriksson has led his squad through
THE regional head of the National Farmers' Union has revealed that he is a victim of the ongoing confusion over single farm payments. David Hugill, chairman of the North Riding and Durham County National Farmers' Union, said he still had not received
I sometimes worry for the sanity of the BBC. Let me say at the start, I'm a totally unreformed addict of Radio Four and I come over all sulky when we go abroad and I have to make do with satellite TV in the hotel bedroom. The beauty is that you can
A FARMER left a note for his wife saying there was "no fun left in farming" before hanging himself in a barn. An inquest into the death of Phillip Swift, 65, heard his family did not know why he had taken his own life on May 8 this year. A statement from
A THREE-MONTH consultation has been launched for the public to give their verdict on plans for a new health centre complex serving thousands of patients. The scheme in High Harrogate will bring together four GP practices on a site in Westmoreland Street
SCHOOLCHILDREN were evacuated to Thirsk this week - to sample life during the Second World War. The Aysgarth Pre-Prep School pupils spent a day at The World of James Herriot as part of a workshop. They dressed in period clothes and even carried cardboard
ARTISTS worked with Yorkshire schoolchildren recently to create environmentally-friendly banners made from items usually thrown in the trash. More than 180 primary school children were involved in the project with Vivienne Chapman and Lyn Wait, from arts
A NEW crime-fighting initiative is looking to make the streets of Ryedale a safer place. Three mobile security cameras are to be used to combat anti-social behaviour and street crime. They will be used throughout the district by North Yorkshire Police
A one-day youth festival is offering a wide range of fun activities. There will be 17 workshops and eight live bands playing at the Ryedale YouthFest06. It has been organised by Ryedale's Child and Youth Project (RYCP) for the third year running. Jane
A RARE clock is expected to fetch up to £90,000 at auction next month. The antique was made by renowned 18th Century clockmaker George Graham. It will be the star attraction at the summer catalogue sale at Tennants Auctioneers, in Leyburn, from July
PLANS to alter and extend a care home in Stokesley to make 31 retirement flats for people over 55 could be rejected this week. Members of Hambleton District Council development control committee will consider the scheme drawn up for Springfield House,
A VILLAGE post office will be on the move next month - but not very far. A new sub-postmaster has been appointed to run Medomsley post office, which will relocate 50 yards from 6 Manor Road to 15-17 Manor Road on Monday, July 24. Post Office rural transfer
A SCHEME to import millions of tonnes of earth and other material to create a barrier between holiday cottages and a busy dual carriageway is likely to be rejected by planners following a barrage of objections. Work is under way to rebuild and refurbish
A CARD offering cut-price admission to a number of leisure centres has been launched. The Leisure Saver Card, priced £1, offers up to 50 per cent off the cost of weekday sessions at Peterlee and Seaham Leisure Centres. The card is available to the under
TWO events designed to cut the number of serious injuries to older people through falls are to take place today. The sessions, taking place in the town hall, in the Market Place, Durham City, and at the Salvation Army building, in Low Chare, Chester-le-Street
A BAN on drinking in the street has come into force in two villages, with fines up to £500 for anyone caught drinking alcohol in public. The ban will apply in 42 streets in the village of Sherburn, and a further eight in nearby Ludworth, both on the
HUNDREDS of tenants will have their say on the future of a council's housing stock today. About 350 tenants are expected to attend the meeting called by Chester-le-Street District Council. The conference, at Beamish Hall, is part of the programme looking
RESIDENTS of Durham City are being urged to don their sunglasses on Friday in a bid to raise money for guide dogs. The Mayor of Durham, Councillor Jeff Lodge, put on his own dark specs yesterday to encourage everyone in the city to support the charity's
A CONFERENCE will be staged next month to make sure disabled people get their say on access to public services. The Disability Have Your Say event takes place at County Hall, in Durham City, at noon on Friday, July 21. The county council, the county's
A HANG-GLIDER pilot has been airlifted to hospital after crashing into a cliff face. The 52-year old man suffered pelvic and spinal injuries after crashing into the middle of the cliff face at Saltburn, east Cleveland, next to the Cliff Lift. Three crews
ON the eve of the event's 25th anniversary, the man who is the inspiration behind the Bupa Great North Run said he believed the half marathon would still be going in 100 years' time. Race organiser Brendan Foster will take part in tomorrow's celebrations
THE Chief Constable of Durham police will travel to London today to ask Police Minister Tony McNulty for extra money. Jon Stoddart said his force would face serious financial difficulties in the next few years if it did not receive help from the Government
A GRANDMOTHER and devout Christian provoked an outcry last night after she was led away in handcuffs to begin a jail sentence for taking a stand against anti-social behaviour. At the same time as pensioner Josephine Rooney was imprisoned for refusing
TWO college community learning centres are closing because of funding cuts and changes in education priorities. Bishop Auckland College, County Durham, is shutting its community learning centres in the Newgate Centre, Bishop Auckland, and in Spennymoor
GNER was last night warned it faced defeat ahead of an unprecedented legal challenge against rail bosses who allowed a rival operator on to its East Coast Main Line route. A judicial review in London's High Court has been set for July 10. GNER will argue
THE father of a North-East soldier who died at the Deepcut Army barracks, in Surrey, has criticised Surrey Police's decision to withhold sections of a report conducted by another force into its investigation of the deaths. Devon and Cornwall Police were
A NORTH-EAST school, which has seen a dramatic upturn in its all-round success over the past five years, has vowed to fight shock closure plans. Reeling from the news that it is to close under the multi- million pound Government Building Schools for the
A HEADTEACHER yesterday paid tribute to a teenager who died in a car crash a day after she left school. Tracey Barnett left Wellfield Community School, at Wingate, County Durham, on Thursday after she completed her GCSE exams. She was due to start a hairdressing
AUTHOR Bill Bryson yesterday saw progress on work to improve what he described as the most miserable train station he knew. The US-born travel writer, who was last year made chancellor of Durham University, inspected work to restore the city's train station
A NORTH-EAST man is facing at least 17 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to a double killing in Singapore. Wealthy Michael McCrea, 48, will be sentenced this week for killing his chauffeur and the driver's girlfriend in January 2002. The Durham-born
A YOUNGSTER is on the road to stardom after clinching a lead role in a West End production. Olivia Griffiths has spent the past two months travelling to London and back from her County Durham home, auditioning for Mary Poppins at the Prince Edward Theatre
A LONG-AWAITED exhibition on the sinking of the Titanic is due to open this weekend. Titanic: Honour and Glory is at Kirkleatham Museum, Redcar, east Cleveland, for six months from Saturday and is being billed as one of the biggest exhibitions ever to
Since a North-East climber died on Everest as others passed by, much has been said about the lack of ethics in mountaineering. Women's Editor Sarah Foster meets Chris Brown, who battled on to scale the highest peak despite the deaths of three collegues
As the flags of many nations are waved at the World Cup, Harry Mead considers the history of the Union Jack, which is 400 years old this year. THE UNION JACK: The Story of the British Flag by Nick Groom (Atlantic Books, £16.99) DESPITE the World Cup
You Can't Fire Me, I'm Famous (BBC1); Saxondale (BBC2): THERE was only one match of the day. Forget the World Cup and Wimbledon - Vinnie Jones taking on Piers Morgan, the man who sacked him ten years ago, was much more appealing. And from the outset
Hopes of a regal Sunday lunch were dashed by a meal worth about half the asking price. These columns don't just happen, like sticking a pin into "Eating places" in yellow pages. We spend ages chewing over where the next review might come from, attempting
A 92-YEAR-OLD gardener who spent 78 years building homes and businesses across the North-East, has said he has no intention of putting his feet up. Dennis Abdale still plants about 1,700 bedding plants every year in the garden of the Neasham
A TOURIST railway line mothballed 18 months ago because of a cash crisis is on track to reopen.The Weardale Railway, in County Durham, came out of administration yesterday allowing a new board of directors to meet for the first time.Bosses have called
CUT THE LINKS: GIVEN the rise in English patriotism, and our re-adoption of the flag of St George, who now knows what the future holds for this great land? The Scots and Welsh appear to be gearing up for independence, due to Labours calamitous devolution
STEEL BLUES chances of winning at Beverley have been done no harm by the prospect of emerging from stall 13 in the 12,500 HBLB Handicap. A high draw is nigh on essential up the five-furlong track and since Steel Blue (3.45) is positioned just one berth
The banner outside the Drumtochty Arms, Auchenblaes only pub, proclaims merely that live sport may be watched there. There is no suggestion of what the live sport may be, or if Sky is screening curling as a global alternative.The World Cup isnt mentioned
FORGOTTEN man Graeme Bridge returns to the Durham squad for the Twenty20 Cup, which starts against Yorkshire at Headingley tonight. The 25-year-old left-arm spinner made one championship appearance and one in the totesport League last year before a
Yorkshire aim to draw a line under their shocking form so far this season and begin afresh by doing well in the Twenty20 Cup, starting against Durham at Headingley today (5.30pm). It is three years since Twenty20 became a roaring success, provided
SUNDERLANDS future remains uncertain but striker Stephen Elliott and defender Stephen Wright took massive steps towards full recovery yesterday by joining in with the first day of pre-season training. With no manager in place, coach Kevin Richardson
FORMER Boston United chairman Jon Sotnick was yesterday unveiled as Darlingtons new chief executive.Sotnick resigned from his position at York Street last Friday to take up a role at the 96.6 TFM Darlington Arena, which sees the 39-year-old involved in
GLENN ROEDER has told chairman Freddy Shepherd not to pursue an interest in Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink when he becomes a free agent this weekend. Hasselbaink will be out of contract at Middlesbrough on Saturday and his availability would appear to suit
THE first two shortlists in the national short story competition run by The Northern Echo have been announced. More than 800 stories were entered for Orange New Voices and the judges have shortlisted writers in the categories for children's writing and
THE first two shortlists in the national short story competition run by The Northern Echo have been announced. More than 800 stories were entered for Orange New Voices and the judges have shortlisted writers in the categories for children's writing and
Extra car parking arrangements will be in place at the South Tees Motorsport Park on Thursday when the Redcar Bears take on the Newcastle Diamonds in a Premier League match starting at 7.30pm. The Teesside/Tyneside encounter in the Northern group of
Ticketless OWEN AMOS tells how he almost became Togolaise for 90 minutes of World Cup magic in Germany It was the sombreros that did it. The plane had just touched down at Cologne and already Germany versus Poland was playing on the airport televisions
DENNIS Woodcock is relaxing in his armchair in the lounge of his home, smiling as he looks through old photographs. Sunshine blazes in through the adjoining conservatory, illuminating the whole room and showcasing his friendly expression. Most of the
