Echo memories continues the ramble around Harewood Grove and explores the delights of Avenue Cottage and its formerly glorious parkland surroundings. Then we move on Green Park for a dip in the fountain TUCKED away in the top corner of last week's map
POLICE are to increase patrols across Teesside after a sharp increase in the number of drink-drivers last weekend. Officers arrested 24 motorists who failed breath tests - six times the number caught during the same period last year. Cleveland Police
HUNDREDS more teachers across North Yorkshire are to be issued with laptop computers. The portables, complete with software, will be handed to more than 700 teachers at a cost of £700,000. It will take the total issued over two years to more than 1,430
FAMILIES in Hartlepool are being invited to learn more about the birds in their garden. An Action for Garden Birds event takes place on Sunday at Summerhill Visitor Centre, off Catcote Road, Hartlepool. The event forms part of National Nest Box Week.
THE spa town of Harrogate is making an all-out bid for honours in this year's Britain in Bloom contest. Seventy additional hanging baskets are available for businesses in the town this summer. The baskets have been subsidised by the Chamber of Commerce
A SECOND public meeting on creating a Darlington Civic Society is to be held next month. The initial meeting, held to gauge support for relaunching the civic society, attracted 65 people. They unanimously supported setting up a new society. A further
A JOBSEEKER who lets his fingers do the talking is hoping his special communication skill will help him to find work. Steven Huntley has used sign language to converse with his deaf and non-speaking mother, Heather, for most of his life. The 19-year-old
GOVERNMENT research which claimed the public had nothing to fear from phone mast emissions has been met with scepticism by campaign groups. The Department of Trade and Industry announced yesterday that levels of radiation from mobile phone masts in the
TWO music enthusiasts from Darlington have set up what is believed to be the North-East's first non-profit-making record label. Steve Browne, 27, and his business partner Chris Elgie, 23, set up Originate Recordings with the help of the Prince's Trust
FROST has been playing havoc with the National Hunt fixture list over the past few days and Doncaster is by no means certain to go ahead today, but if the meeting does pass its scheduled 7.30am inspection, Tissifer (2.20) is well worth an interest in
FROSTY ground prevented children in Saltburn from helping with the town's preparations for this year's Britain in Bloom competition. They had been going to dig flower beds in the town centre but the soil was too hard. Organiser Jackie Taylor said they
A BRASS band festival could be held in Ferryhill Market Place in summer. Ferryhill Town Council has written to about 40 bands and the response to the idea has been good. About a quarter have said they would be able to attend the event, proposed for June
A DARLINGTON girls' football team have become county champions after qualifying for the third leg of a national tournament. Eastbourne Comprehensive School's year seven team represented Darlington in the second round of the Wagon Wheels National Tournament
SCHOOLS in the Darlington area are to become involved in a scheme designed to involve children in the fight against crime. Middleton St George Primary School will become the first to take part in Junior Neighbourhood Watch when the scheme is launched
DREAMS of a peaceful retirement have been shattered for a couple who feel threatened in their home by rogue youths. Yesterday, John Bentley spent the day cleaning his home of dirt that had been thrown at the front of the property during the night. The
A PRIMARY school has been praised by an inspection team from the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted). The inspectors said Esh Winning Primary School had developed a challenging climate for learning. In their report they said: "The quality and range
A NEW health watchdog has praised "exercise on prescription" schemes but found they were not reaching the patients in the areas of greatest need. Members of Durham County Council's overview and scrutiny committee found that the areas with the worst health
Derwentside Witness Service is appealing for volunteers. The charity is based at the Victim Support unit in Consett Magistrates' Court and offers help and advice to both prosecution and defence witnesses. Training takes place in Durham and lasts three
INTERNATIONAL news and information group Reuters is to cut 3,000 jobs over the next three years after announcing its first annual loss as a public company. The group reported bottom-line losses of £493m for the year to December 31 - compared with profits
FAMILIES are being encouraged to visit local attractions for a range of half-term activities. Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens and Monkwearmouth Station Museum, in Sunderland, are hosting events to coincide with this week's half-term holiday. To link
A MAJOR overhaul of office space is under way at a Darlington business complex. Work has started at Lingfield Point to help create accommodation for staff from leading care home owner Four Seasons Health Care (FSHC). The firm bought Darlington's Tamaris
THE transformation of part of Newcastle's Cattle Market into a hotel and multi-storey car park has been completed. The building covers 5,400 sq ft and is located next to land which is being redeveloped for a new urban plaza that will comprise retail units
MRS Briggs is home, rejoicing, from America and bearing with her a copy of the Warren County Times Observer from the family hearth in Pennsylvania. Amid the news of the Klondike Derby and the "Women are Wonderful" weekend - events included candy making
You can give them advice, but you can't make them think Relocation, Relocation (C4) Our favourite property-hunters Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer have to work twice as hard in this spin-off from their popular Location, Location, Location series. The
FOUR years ago, we sent our health correspondent across Europe to assess how neighbouring countries compared with Britain in treating heart patients. His findings were extremely alarming. The average wait for heart bypass surgery in other parts of Europe
At the start of the year, the children of Firthmoor Primary School, in Darlington, left their old building for a £2m newly built one across the road. The new building, commissioned by Darlington Borough Council, has some of the latest educational technology
POLICE thought they had caught a drug dealer when they arrested a man with 180 wraps of cocaine in a bag. Derrick Woods, 23, was arrested and charged with supply following the find last July. But Newcastle Crown Court heard yesterday that prosecutors
EMPLOYERS in Darlington are still keen to recruit more staff, despite a gloomy national forecast, according to a local recruitment company. In a survey by Liz Dargue Staffing, nearly two-thirds of employers said they were expecting to increase the number
HEART patients in the region are today being offered the chance to have their operations in Belgium. More than 300 patients are waiting for heart surgery at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough. Although waiting lists are falling and most patients
OK, a boot to the head is excessive and smacks of unnecessary petulance. (Though I liked Beckham's Alice band to enable us to see the stitches clearly. Very effective - especially when mixed with the aggressive short sleeved T shirt on a sub zero day.
Darlington caretaker-boss Mick Tait has admitted that the freezing weather that has engulfed the region is playing havoc with his team plans. Tonight's reserve team fixture at home to Hull has been frozen off and yesterday's training session in Durham
For most of my young life, the word "librarian" summoned up an image from a black-and-white James Stewart film. You know the kind of thing. She, for female she usually was, would be reserved and demure, only coming into her own when she hissed "shush"
A GROUP of youngsters with special needs will take part in dance and circus workshops. A £550 grant from the West Redcar single regeneration budget's community chest has enabled the Fun Activities Club to provide the workshops at Kirkleatham Hall School
LUCKY Alison Gustafson is hoping to make her daughter's wedding a day to remember after winning the top prize in a recent competition. The careers advisor, from Gateshead, has won £4,800 in the Visa Shop and Win competition at the MetroCentre. Ms Gustafson
A THEATRICAL family will tread the boards together in a forthcoming show. Husband and wife Chris and Lynn Richardson are playing the lead roles of Annie and Frank Butler in Annie Get Your Gun, at the Theatre Royal, Newcastle, from April 7 to 12. The Sacriston
'RIDDING the world of Saddam would be an act of humanity. It is leaving him there that is inhumane.'' Thus Tony Blair last Saturday morning, in a speech brought forward to try and persuade at least one or two intending peace marchers not to bother. And
A WORRYING number of companies with operations in the region claim they could stop investing in the North-East if the UK does not join the euro this summer. Those companies employ more than 9,000 people across the region and 28,000 across the UK. The
SIR BOBBY ROBSON'S 70th birthday bash went with a swing as his under-strength Newcastle side gift-wrapped him a victory which puts their Champions League challenge back on track. Shola Ameobi and Lomana LuaLua made light of the absence of suspended strike
MIDDLESBROUGH Council will receive extra Government money in the coming financial year as a reward for having an effective and efficient town planning service. The council has been allocated £158,000, with the promise of further money in the future. Announcing
A MAN has pleaded guilty to assaulting his partner after he grabbed her by the throat as she slept. Harrogate Magistrates Court heard yesterday that Christopher Beane, 20, had walked out on his partner after a row, but returned later and assaulted her
RESIDENTS are hoping for success when peers rule on their campaign to save land used as a sports ground from development. The House of Lords will consider the wrangle over the land at Princess Anne Park, Washington, on Monday and Tuesday, May 19 and 20
A WOMAN who harassed a family for three months while suffering from mental illness was yesterday ordered to stay away from them. Carol Jackson, 31, pleaded guilty at South Durham Magistrates' Court to harassing the Macdonald family, of Darlington, from
PROPOSALS to set up a regional assembly is leaving a lot of people confused, research has revealed. About 75 per cent of those who responded to a public opinion poll in North Yorkshire said either they had not heard about the proposals or just did not
BUSINESSES in Darlington are being asked to pledge to keep the town tidy as part of an ongoing litter campaign. Darlington Borough Council launched its anti-litter campaign in November, with support from The Northern Echo. Although the initial response
A CHARITY has attacked the "shocking" record of ill health in former coal mining areas. Figures released last week from the 2001 census showed that County Durham and Tyne and Wear were above the national average for the number of people caring for ill
MUSEUMS are sending some of their most prized exhibits on the road as they reach out into unusual venues. A scheme has been launched in the Hambleton and Richmondshire area to give people more access to the district's cultural treasures. The "flying showcase
POLICE are appealing for witnesses to a fight between two men in Birtley, Gateshead. One man was left with serious head injuries after the fight on waste ground between Celkirk Crescent and Malone Gardens at about 5pm on Monday. The other man is described
A POPULAR tourist attraction has trebled in size. An area of woodland was opened at Castle Eden Walkway, Thorpe Thewles, near Stockton yesterday. The 250 acres of land bought from the Wynyard Estate marks the first phase of a plan to transform the facility
Suffering from a broken spine, damaged limbs and a missing right leg below the knee, Neptune, one of Durham's oldest residents, was finally transported to Telford, in Shropshire, for emergency repairs in March 1984. He had been the gift of George Bowes
COUNCILS across the region are unlikely to follow London and Durham's lead in introducing congestion charging - at least in the short term. Such schemes received a lukewarm reaction yesterday from some of the biggest city-based authorities in North Yorkshire
LECTURERS and students could soon be travelling together thanks to an Internet car share scheme. The scheme at the University of Durham's Queen's Campus, in Stockton, has the support of staff and students, and aims to reduce the number of cars travelling
MILLIONS of years after its ancestors roamed the earth, an anonymous pink dinosaur has been spotted looking rather deflated. The giant, colourful herbivore has been purchased by Beto Leisure, in North Yorkshire, to be hired out for children's parties.
NORTH-East arts leaders are predicting that extra funding will revitalise the region's cultural scene. Ahead of publishing its detailed budget plans, at the end of March, Arts Council England has confirmed there will be substantial increases in funding
Child abuse in the church is under intense scrutiny once more after a string of revelations about paedophile priests. For one North-East woman, each new disclosure brings a fresh reminder of the terrible day she was raped. She tells Sam Strangeways her
A COUNCILLOR who received the equivalent of £1,000 in allowance pay for each meeting he attended during the past six months is to step down. Councillor Steve McHatton, Gateshead Council member for Crawcrook, will not contest his seat in the local government
ENGINEERS are considering revisiting a 1960s building ploy which caused an enormous storm of controversy over its effect on the skyline. Architects and builders looked at the time to satisfy people's desire to live close to the centre of towns and cities
A WOMAN had her hair ripped out during a vicious attack by a teenage gang - who then posted it back through her letterbox. Police say they are now investigating a campaign of intimidation on residents on the St Helen Auckland housing estate in County
A STALKER who held a screwdriver to a woman's face after breaking into her home was jailed for seven years yesterday. Stephen Lenaghan, 33, was branded a "cruel and dangerous" man after launching a reign of terror on mother-of-two Deborah Boyce. Newcastle
PUB landlords in Middlesbrough have been told action will be taken against illegal out-of-hours activities. The warning came after police went into a pub in the town on Sunday morning and found people drinking alcohol in the bar and lounge. The pub was
A TALENTED young chef who trained in Darlington is in line for a culinary award. David Carr, 29, a former Yarm School and Darlington College of Technology student, has won through the preliminary judging to reach the regional finals of the Roux Scholarship
A DARLINGTON graduate has been awarded a marketing qualification. Heather Lewis, who works as a marketing analyst for Darlington-based thread manufacturer Coats Crafts, has been awarded the advanced certificate by the Chartered Institute of Marketing.
WAR ON IRAQ - I WAS surprised and delighted to see my second youngest granddaughter and her classmates smiling at me from a picture (Echo, Feb 6) as they surrounded the excellent Patricia Henderson, the head of Woodham Burn Infants School in Newton Aycliffe
As the military build-up continues ahead of war in the Middle East, Katie Barlow met some of the Territorial Army soldiers facing an uncertain future and a possible posting to Iraq. TERRITORIAL Army volunteers have fought a long battle to shed their Dad's
In the second of his three-part investigation into drugs - on the streets and in our prisons - Stuart Arnold meets a police officer battling to control the flow of narcotics threatening to flood the North-East POLICE are battling to contain a rising tide
A ROAD rage victim claims he is lucky to be alive after he was thrown to the ground and left unconscious in an attack. Derek Thomas is nursing a broken jaw after he confronted the driver of a white Astra van last Friday afternoon. Doctors have told the
Newcastle boss Sir Bobby Robson has set his sights on a last-eight Champions League place after seeing his side crush managerless Bayer Leverkusen. The Magpies' 3-1 victory at the BayArena secured their first points in the second group phase. It was the
OK, a boot to the head is excessive and smacks of unnecessary petulance. (Though I liked Beckham's Alice band to enable us to see the stitches clearly. Very effective - especially when mixed with the aggressive short sleeved T shirt on a sub zero day.
Durham's narrow medieval streets were not built for modern traffic. The city was chosen as the site for a cathedral and castle because it was so well defended naturally. In this respect, Durham has often hindered rather than encouraged access. Only the
MRS Briggs is home, rejoicing, from America and bearing with her a copy of the Warren County Times Observer from the family hearth in Pennsylvania. Amid the news of the Klondike Derby and the "Women are Wonderful" weekend - events included candy making
MIDDLESBROUGH may have aspirations of playing European football next season, but they have chosen to shun a possible backdoor route into the UEFA Cup. The ambitious Teesside outfit have decided not to register their interest in the much-maligned InterToto
EVERTON are planning a £3.5m double raid on Sunderland for former Blues midfielder Gavin McCann and Jody Craddock. With Sunderland expecting to lose most of their highly-rated players if they are relegated, David Moyes hopes to lure McCann and Craddock
A POWER station boss admitted yesterday he was baffled how a massive explosion which killed three men could have happened. Ian Clifford, site director at the Teesside power plant formerly owned by US company Enron, was giving evidence at an inquest 18
COUNCIL leisure and arts services could bear the brunt of proposed budget cuts worth up to £500,000, which are to be considered next week. Fourteen jobs are under threat at Wear Valley District Council as partof savings proposed by senior managers, although
RESIDENTS have been ass-ured that any fears they had about a nursing home being built in Norton will be allayed by a revised plan. Members of Stockton Borough Council's planning committee will meet on Friday to discuss the plans to build a 40-bed care
A VILLAGE'S perfect pints are the best bar none according to judges, who have awarded a County Durham landlord a national accolade. Ian Lish, landlord at the Crown Inn, in Pelton, near Chester-le-Street, and his staff have won the Perfect Pint award in
PEOPLE in Durham City face an overall rise in their council tax bills of about 9.2 per cent - three times the inflation rate. Durham County Council, whose spending accounts for the biggest portion of the bill, will confirm tomorrow an increase of 9.17
PLANS to build 54 houses in Thornaby are likely to be approved when councillors meet this week. Members of Stockton Borough Council's planning committee will discuss the application to build the houses on industrial land in the Thornaby Airfield Industrial
COUNCIL chiefs have admitted that they under-estimated the public response to a recycling scheme introduced in Teesdale. Staff at Teesdale District Council have been inundated with calls from the public complaining that not all their recycleable waste
Bookshops always have an important place in a university city and many residents of Durham will remember The House of Andrews, in Saddler Street. Founded in 1808 by George Andrews, the son of a Durham draper, the shop's early customers included William
A NORTH-East man who suffered serious head injuries in a car crash has won £1.2m in compensation. The High Court in Sheffield yesterday approved the out-of-court settlement for Alan Harris, 49, of Newcastle, who was badly hurt in the accident. The crash
THE first victories are being won in the long war on illness, the region's second annual health summit has been told. Dr Bill Kirkup, North-East regional director for public health, revealed there had been improvements in four key areas. The region has
