DARREN AMBROSE admits that Jermaine Jenas is his inspiration as he seeks to establish himself with Newcastle, writes Clive Hetherington. Ambrose has yet to start a senior game for United since his £1m-plus move from Ipswich last season. But he has proved
TONY Blair must have thought all his Christmases had come at once when his loud-mouthed, troublesome father-in-law announced this week he was leaving Britain for Ireland. But it was churlish of Tony Booth to complain that daughter Cherie would probably
Ian Huntley was charged with rape several years before he was accused of the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, his Old Bailey trial heard yesterday. Huntley was accused of the rape in 1998 but was acquitted when the case came to court, his ex-girlfriend
ROCK fans across the country have been raving about up-and-coming North-East talent Pete Shoulder. The 20-year-old guitarist and singer-songwriter from Waldridge, near Chester-le-Street, County Durham, has been playing his first series of gigs outside
ANGRY villagers have criticised vandals who attacked a bridge days after a £100,000 refurbishment was completed. Whorlton Suspension Bridge, near Barnard Castle, County Durham, was reopened at the beginning of the month after an eight-week renovation
RESIDENTS on a Darlington estate helped to put the finishing touches to a £1.3m community centre. Members of Firthmoor's youth, over-60s and mother and toddler groups helped to install a plaque at Maidendale House, in Burnside Road, which is due to open
A FAMILY business that flourished for three generations ended yesterday, when auctioneers sold the plant and equipment of the Darlington company. CN Hadley, in Middleton St George, employed more than 100 people in its heyday in the 1970s, engineering
COMMUNITY groups involved in the development of a new school are appealing to local people for their ideas. A public meeting was held at Skerne Park Junior School to give people information about the new centre and ask for their input in the scheme, which
PARENTS are demanding a meeting with their local education authority over plans to merge two primary schools. The move follows a public meeting in Eldon, near Bishop Auckland, on Tuesday night, when parents voiced concerns at a possible merger of Eldon
PLANS have been announced to spend £208,696 on improving a seaside town centre. The scheme, to encourage visitors and businesses to Redcar, will be voted on by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council on December 2. The money would be spent on initiatives
TWO of the North-East's most popular museums have been named as the best attractions in the country. Beamish Museum, near Chester-le-Street, and Newcastle's Discovery museum have been included in a list of Britain's top 20 attractions in The Good Britain
AN unemployed labourer hanged himself after earlier telling a friend "It's a nice night to kill yourself''. An inquest heard John Hunter had a history of self harm and suicide attempts. Mr Hunter, 46, who had depression and a personality disorder, had
STAFF and patients celebrated the opening of a refurbished centre for people with mental health problems. Ideal House at Allensway, Thornaby, near Stockton, has undergone a £180,000 refurbishment. It has been tranformed into a full-time dedicated day
A MONTH-LONG campaign to rid Durham of unsightly and potentially dangerous abandoned cars starts today. The scheme, run by local police, offers the owners of old vehicles which are kept off-road the chance to have them towed away for free. Officers hope
THE realities of war are being brought alive for schoolchildren - through the true story of a teenager barely older than themselves. William Oliver Watson was just 19 when, in 1915, he became one of the casualties of the Western Front. Now, through his
They've got plenty to celebrate. For Framwellgate Primary School pupils, members of a group called Spiders on the Web, have landed an award. Their efforts in creating a website for the Durham City school resulted in them being judged the regional winner
CHILDREN at a school are being given the chance to see their artwork professionally framed, mounted and catalogued. The school hall at Durham High School for Girls, on South Road, has been turned into a temporary art gallery, with work by all 250 girls
RETAILERS are stepping up their campaign to keep Bishop Auckland tidy by enlisting the help of the Wombles. Jean Wombwell, a member of the Town Forum, who runs Trimmers hairdressing and barbers shop, has turned to Uncle Bulgaria to support the town's
A consultation exercise is being held today to allow residents on a Thornaby housing estate to see proposals for the area. Officers from Stockton Borough Council, Tristar, Nomad Housing Group and ward councillors will be at the event at the Robert Atkinson
A SCHOOL is to be paid a visit by a former pupil at its annual speech day. Sally Darling, who is a television script supervisor, will be guest speaker at Teesside High School, Eaglescliffe, where she was a pupil from 1987 to 1994. Formerly of Hartlepool
A FATHER and son walked free from court yesterday after being cleared of attacking a teenager with a stun-gun and blackmailing his stepfather. Pub boss Trevor Thirlwall, 53, and his son, nightclub doorman Trevor Thirlwall junior, 30, were cleared of all
CHILDREN stepped back in time to the days of the Vikings yesterday. Pupils aged seven to nine, from Myton Park Primary School, Ingleby Barwick, near Yarm, have been studying the period. And yesterday Viking expert Tanya Bentham, of Redcar, arrived at
PEOPLE living on the coast could get the first glimpse of their new adopted ship today. Scarborough recently forged a close link with a Royal Fleet Auxiliary Service tanker ship, the Wave Ruler, which will be in the area today and hopes to make an appearance
A NURSERY which provides meals for nearly 100 children has won a hygiene award. Teacher Kathleen Healer started Castle View Nursery, in Chester-le-Street, 12 years ago and now employs 30 staff. She set her sights on winning a clean food award from Chester-le-Street
THE Rev Graham Morgan, who almost became a red coat before answering his calling, has produced another joke book packed with religious rib-ticklers. THE Rev Graham Morgan, the minister for fun, has published his second book of jokes. For holy writ, read
RETAILERS are stepping up their campaign to keep their town tidy by enlisting the help of the Wombles. It is hoped that Wimbledon Common's environmentalists will help in Bishop Auckland's bid to keep rubbish from its streets. Jean Wombwell, who is a member
RECEIVERS looking to find a buyer for a debt-ridden frozen food firm have chosen a prospective candidate. Administrators KMPG were tight-lipped about the preferred choice, which may be the saviour of 1,100 jobs at Hibernia Foods. Talks are under way with
THE local authority which has the most shares in Teesside Airport is backing a name change to Durham Tees-Valley. Leader of Darlington Borough Council, Councillor John Williams, said: "Our first consideration is the future success and viability of the
A MOTHER of two has won the sexiest female category in a national lookalike contest, as Hollywood sex siren Angelina Jolie. Susie Lawrence has been told for years she looks like the Tomb Raider star, but she maintains she cannot really see the resemblance
FURNITURE retailer ScS Upholstery plc watched as £21.6m was wiped off its share value yesterday on the back of its third adverse profits warning in as many months. The Sunderland group's share price slumped 64.5p, or 28 per cent, to 169p after telling
TROUBLED nuclear power group British Energy is to go cap-in-hand to the Government again in an attempt to raise its £200m emergency loan. The facility, which was needed to enable the company to see out a life-saving financial restructuring, dates from
Holidays firm Saga for sale SAGA, the UK's best-known provider of services for the over 50s, was put up for sale yesterday with a price tag thought to be in excess of £1bn. The move will provide a windfall for the family of founder Sidney De Haan, who
MARY REVELEY has produced a whole host of highly-rated hurdlers over the past decade and Overstrand appears to be another right out of the top drawer for the Lingdale-based handler. Following a narrow success in maiden hurdle at Perth much earlier on
A WATCHDOG is looking into complaints levelled at a charity which is supported by thousands of North-East schoolchildren. The Charity Commission is poised to launch a full-scale investigation into the operation of Samaritan's Purse - a charity which has
PUPILS from a Spennymoor special school will be maintaining a transAtlantic link with US president George Bush long after meeting him during his visit to the North-East last week. Six children from The Meadows at Spennymoor, will be following up an extraordinary
PUPILS will maintain a transatlantic link with US President George Bush after meeting him during his visit to the North-East last week. Six children from The Meadows School, Spennymoor, will be following up an extraordinary opportunity to talk to Mr Bush
RECEIVERS looking to find a buyer for a debt-ridden frozen food firm have chosen a prospective candidate. Administrators KMPG were tight-lipped about the preferred choice, which may be the saviour of 1,100 jobs at Hibernia Foods. Talks are under way with
It was all over in little more than four hours. But for many it was a day they will never forget. The most powerful man in the world, the President of the United States of America, George W Bush breezed into Teesside Airport on Air Force One, went to
A FOOTBALL club has kicked off an appeal which helps to bring a happy Christmas to children in hospital. Boro stars and club staff are asking for small toys and selection boxes, which the players will distribute on the children's wards of local hospitals
"MUM?" Our son's voice had that wheedling note I'd been very familiar with when he was a child, wanting something. He's a man now, recently a father, but the note was the same. "You know you said you wished you lived near enough to childmind for us when
AN 82-year-old man has been charged over the death of a North-East pathologist. Retired accountant Ronald Addy of Murray Walk, Darlington, who has been charged with causing the death by dangerous driving of Dr Ceri Williams, will appear at Teesside Crown
A nine-year-old girl told last night how she delivered her baby brother in the bathroom after her mother went into unexpected labour. Jodie Coupland was woken by her mother, Bev, who began having regular contractions in the early hours of the morning.
Jungle (BBC1): THERE were times you wondered if Charlottte Uhlenbroek, "the BBC's female Indiana Jones" as she's been described, was the best person for the job. She certainly knows her animals and insects, her plants and vegetation. But - and, for someone
He may be a Hollywood hellraiser, but Colin Farrell jumped at the chance to play a low-life thug in a low-budget movie, if only because it meant he could film in his beloved Dublin. Steve Pratt reports. A LOT has happened since Colin Farrell last worked
It's baby talk rather than fighting talk for Russell Crowe as he looks forward to parenthood. Steve Pratt reports on the taming of the Oscar-winning actor. Russell Crowe plays a tough 19th century sea captain in his latest film, but he seems to be a changed
FAMILIES in Poland and Canada last night made a heartfelt appeal for a missing North-East man to get in touch. Having read of his disappearance on The Northern Echo's website, the friends John Pedelty made in Poland while a student in the 1960s now wish
SCHOOLS in Wear Valley are hoping to join forces to make a bid for £150m of Government money in a major shake-up of education. If successful the bid could change the way education is delivered throughout the area. Education bosses have held meetings in
A BOY who was involved in an horrific accident that left him impaled on the brake lever of his mountain bike, yesterday received a bravery award from the Ambulance Service. William Spink, nine, fell off his bike at his home, next to the Quality Hotel
AHEAD of Tony Blair is what is likely be the last full Parliamentary session before the General Election. It promises to be his toughest ever year. No Prime Minister wants to go to the polls with a Commons defeat behind him. But that is the real prospect
Football League bosses may decide to close a loophole which could allow Leeds to escape a mandatory ten-point penalty for going into administration. As Nationwide League rules stand a club who enter administration while in the Barclaycard Premiership
THE third of the Ghost Ships is expected to dock in the North-East today - to virtual silence. Protestors will stay away from the mouth of the River Tees and the yard where it was brought to be dismantled. Hundreds of people lined the coast when the first
Opera singer Ian Storey swapped centre stage at some of Europe's finest theatres to take a starring role at his old school. The tenor returned to his native North-East to attend an awards ceremony at Ferryhill Business and Enterprise College, County Durham
Coronation Street fans would hardly recognise Paul Fox, the actor who played Mike Baldwin's son in Weatherfield, in his new role as an ambitious GP in the 1960s soap The Royal. Steve Pratt reports. With roles in Coronation Street and Emmerdale under his
PEOPLE are being warned to be on their guard against crime in the run-up to Christmas. Victim Support in Darlington is urging people to take a common sense approach to Christmas shopping to foil opportunist thieves. Last December, there were 102 burglaries
THE human cost of creating a united ITV plc came to the fore yesterday when Granada and Carlton signalled job cuts were inevitable. The media pair plan to boost savings from their merger to £100m. Granada has declined to say how many jobs could go as
TWO of the North-East's most popular museums have been named as the best attractions in the country. Beamish Museum, near Chester-le-Street, and Newcastle's Discovery museum have been included in a list of Britain's top 20 attractions in The Good Britain
CHILDREN got the chance to take penalty shots against Darlington Football Club's mascot Mr Q as part of a footballing skills course they attended. The youngsters, aged seven to 11, from Heathfield Primary School, Darlington, have been taking part in the
A MAN admitted a racially aggravated offence outside a Darlington pub, when he appeared before magistrates yesterday. Mark Atkinson, 30, of Cartmell Terrace, Darlington, had insulted a drunken man who was slumped on the floor outside Tanners Hall, in
TWO women launched a vicious attack on a former school friend after a drunken row in Darlington town centre, a court heard yesterday. Sarah Robson, 21, and Heather MacLeod, 22, were told by South Durham magistrates that they had narrowly escaped jail
JUDGES are running the rule over Christmas cards designed by 600 young people from County Durham. The competition was open to members of the Durham County Council Children's Network, a support body for people with disabilities up to the age of 18. Entrants
FOUR more North-East hospitals have moved closer to becoming foundation hospitals. North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust and City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Trust are already in line to win foundation status next April, with the right to borrow extra cash
COMMUNITY theatre groups are needed to play a leading role in protecting older people from bogus callers. Trading Standards officials from Durham County Council are seeking groups to produce and deliver a series of sketches to highlight the dangers posed
WORK on a controversial £50m regeneration scheme in Stockton is expected to begin in the next few days. More than 4,000 people objected to the proposals to regenerate the banks of the River Tees at Bowesfield, fearing the plans would lead to an over-development
A transport scheme, providing Sunderland football fans in County Durham with easy access to home games, kicks-off on Saturday. The free bus service to the Stadium of Light will operate on a rota basis from the five district sports centres in the Durham
A VOLUNTEER group has warned it might have to go into competition with a local authority if it decides to press ahead with a garden waste recycling scheme. Teesdale District Council has applied for a £260,000 grant to buy 7,000 wheelie bins and a refuse
A FORMER cement worker who is building a future based on his hobby, has rounded off his first year in business by expanding into new premises. Paul Anderson used his redundancy payout from Lafarge Cement's Eastgate works in Weardale to set up his company
The North East cyclo-cross series is being dominated by three riders, but it is Bishop Auckland's Gary Wearmouth who is head and shoulder above the rest. In a repeat of the previous week's result at Hetton Lyons, the MTS Cycle Sport rider led from start
A masked raider has fled empty-handed after a failed theft attempt. He tried but failed to take the till from the Raghu Mini-Market, in Spout Lane, Concord, Washington, on Tuesday night, threatening an assistant with a piece of wood, which he used to
A transport scheme, providing Sunderland football fans in County Durham with easy access to home games, kicks-off on Saturday. The free bus service to the Stadium of Light will operate on a rota basis from the five district sports centres in the Durham
COMMUNITY groups in Stockton have the chance to receive advice on how to improve their areas. The Stockton Residents and Community Groups Association and Action Team for Jobs, will be in Wellington Square Shopping Centre today between 6pm and 8pm. Members
A NEW face has taken over at the top of Richmond Meet following the group's annual meeting. Christine Hill will be president for 2004. She has been a member for several years and has been the group's charity collection co-ordinator for the past three.
APPLICATIONS from people who want to become teachers are being accepted by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council. The authority's education department has trainee places on offer on its year-long Graduate Teesside Programme. Trainees are employed by a
COACH parties from as far afield as Lincoln and Aberdeen are expected to head to Durham City next weekend for an early taste of Christmas. The city's seventh Christmas Festival will see its market and shops open on both Saturday and Sunday along with
HUNDREDS of people are to benefit from a new outreach project to help the blind and partially-sighted. A two-year scheme is being launched by Action for Blind People to give practical support to those living in North Yorkshire's isolated areas. The £57,500
BIG improvements are on the way for leisure facilities in a small community. Hambleton District Council has helped secure recreational land for the village of Faceby, near Stokesley. The sale of the land, next to the village hall, has been finalised after
FOR most of England, Saturday's World Cup victory was a dream come true. But for one young Englishman it has inspired a dream - as Mathew Tait hopes to pull on the famous white jersey and defend the title in four years time. The 17-year-old hopes to be
SIR BOBBY ROBSON is tonight facing a dilemma over whether to risk Jonathan Woodgate in Newcastle United's UEFA Cup second-round decider with FC Basel at St James' Park. Robson yesterday hinted that he could rest the England centre-back because of the
A BEWILDERED couple are wondering just what it takes to get their elderly relative a care home place funded by the social services. Elnora Spence is a frail 86-year-old who has a list of health problems and is frightened to live on her own. But her relatives
MARY REVELEY has produced a whole host of highly-rated hurdlers over the past decade and Overstrand appears to be another right out of the top drawer for the Lingdale-based handler. Following a narrow success in maiden hurdle at Perth much earlier on
THE indomitable character of 91-year-old Darlington golfer Greta Whitfield saw her claim the npower Spirit of Sport award at The Nortern Echo's Local Heroes presentation night. This year Greta won the past lady captain's competition at Blackwell Grange
ONE of Darlington's oldest residents celebrated her 105th birthday with a glass of champagne and a slice of cake. Gertrude Hutchinson, known as Gertie, enjoyed her big day with staff and friends at St William's Residential Home, Cornwall Avenue. Miss
THE UK economy grew faster-than-expected during the third quarter of the year, figures show. Gross domestic product (GDP) rose 0.7 per cent on the previous quarter - slightly higher than the 0.6 per cent that was estimated by the Office for National Statistics
When her youngest daughter became seriously depressed, mother-of-eight Edna Hunneysett was thrown into a nightmare situation. She talks to Women's Editor Christen Pears about being a carer and the stigma attached to mental illness. ELIZABETH Hunneysett
THE human cost of creating a united ITV plc came to the fore yesterday when Granada and Carlton signalled job cuts were inevitable. The media pair plan to boost savings from their merger to £100m. Granada has declined to say how many jobs could go as
HUGELY disappointed by director Sean Holmes' production of Richard III for the RSC, it was with some trepidation that I took my seat for Measure for Measure. But within minutes of the curtain rising, all my fears were allayed. The action takes place in
ROCK fans across the country have been raving about up-and-coming North-East talent Pete Shoulder. The 20-year-old guitarist and singer-songwriter from Waldridge, near Chester-le-Street, County Durham, has been playing his first series of gigs outside
HOSPITAL wards containing only four beds facing a peaceful wall-long aquarium filled with exotic fish sound the stuff of fantasy, but they could become reality if the vision of a team of Newcastle architects is realised. Jane Darbyshire and David Kendall
PEOPLE are being warned to be on their guard against crime in the run-up to Christmas . Victim Support in Darlington is urging people to take a common-sense approach to Christmas shopping and take simple steps to prevent opportunist thieves targeting
CONTROVERSIAL plans to dock housing benefit from "neighbours from hell" are likely to be ditched amid claims they are unworkable and punish the poor. The proposals to stop people who inflict misery on their neighbours were left out of the Queen's Speech
James Kirtley added his name to England's bowling options for the first Test as he claimed four wickets in the warm-up against a Sri Lanka Cricket President's XI. Sussex fast bowler Kirtley had been due to return home with the other one-day specialists
OFFICIALS from a non-league football club were left sweating on the proceeds of their fairytale FA Cup run. Shildon Town were promised a much-needed £15,000 after the County Durham club's match against Notts County, almost three weeks ago. Cash-strapped
THOUSANDS of people are expected to line the streets of Darlington tonight for a parade. The Runga Rung colour of colours parade and fireworks display begins at the Arts Centre, Vane Terrace, at 7.15pm. It replaces the annual lantern parade, and will
Jungle (BBC1) THERE were times you wondered if Charlottte Uhlenbroek, "the BBC's female Indiana Jones" as she's been described, was the best person for the job. She certainly knows her animals and insects, her plants and vegetation. But - and, for someone
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT: THE barbarians are rearing their heads again. Capital punishment is a degrading and inhuman act, degrading to those who apply it as well as suffer it. It also condones the taking of life. There may be a case to be made for it if it
City boy Paul Bettany preferred a Hollywood swimming pool to fooling about with the lads away from the filming of Master and Commander, but loved renewing his screen double act with Russell Crowe, as he tells Steve Pratt. British actor Paul Bettany didn't
THE owner of a prizewinning pony has hit out at youths who he says chased the animal to its death. The heavily pregnant mare died in agony days after it had been chased in a field by youths with dogs. The pet had been the pride and joy of top Dales Pony
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (12). Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Pryce, Jack Davenport, Mackenzie Crook. Evil Captain Barbossa (Rush) and his crew of salty sea-dogs are victims of an ancient
"MUM?" Our son's voice had that wheedling note I'd been very familiar with when he was a child, wanting something. He's a man now, recently a father, but the note was the same. "You know you said you wished you lived near enough to childmind for us when
Bethany the baby goes missing in Coronation Street (ITV1). This is one of the prime hazards of growing up in Soapland. If they're not being tugged this way and that by arguing parents, they're being kidnapped or mislaid or dropped. It only seems five
"MUM?" Our son's voice had that wheedling note I'd been very familiar with when he was a child, wanting something. He's a man now, recently a father, but the note was the same. "You know you said you wished you lived near enough to childmind for us when
A DARLINGTON school that achieved its best ever exam results this year celebrated at an awards evening. Pupils and staff from Eastbourne School were praised for their hard work at the ceremony, held at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College earlier this month
