TALK of the devil, this week's Church Times carries beneath the infernal headline "To hell with hell" a learned piece supposing that damnation isn't so frightful after all. There appears not to have been weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth as a
The Clarendon pub football team, in Marske, will be holding a charity match on Monday, December 28, at 10.30am on Bydales School playing field. The game will be played between the under-30s and the over-30s. It is hoped more than £400 will be raised for
THIS is a show that really gets the kids involved, including the youngsters of Marron Theatre Arts, who take the chorus and some of the principal roles. Lauren Hall as Wendy has a bright future: her acting, singing and dancing were professional beyond
A LAW firm is warning companies about legislation that could see them punished if staff are caught making work-related mobile phone calls while driving. Latimer Hinks, of Priestgate, Darlington, says the Department of Transport legislation will bring
In 1988, at Durham Cathedral, artist James Alder presented the Queen Mother with a signed limited edition print of the Northumbrian Quilt. It showed the castles and cathedrals in the middle, but Her Majesty was more taken by the birds and the flowers
TWO young mothers are hoping for a merry Christmas this year after setting up their own greetings card business. Zoe Grant, 24, and Louise Wilkinson, 25, embarked on the venture after meeting at their children's school in Darlington and becoming friends
Darlington Shopmobility celebrated its tenth anniversary last week. The service, launched after a successful appeal in the Advertiser, lends electric scooters and wheelchairs to people needing help moving around the town centre. The service is provided
INTERNATIONAL engineering services firm Amec has been awarded a contract to extend a gas processing plant in Cheshire. The Darlington division of Amec is to carry out the work at the Energy Merchants Gas Storage (EGMS) operation. Steve Lee, managing director
BRITAIN fell into line with its Continental counterparts yesterday when it adopted a new system of measuring inflation. As trailed in the Chancellor's pre-Budget report last week, the Government will use the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), otherwise known
PLANS have been unveiled to protect drinking water and beaches from the threat posed by rising water levels in disused mines. Across the country, water tables that were lowered when mine shafts were sunk are now returning to their natural levels. However
Exactly 100 years ago today, Orville Wright lifted his Flyer into the air to realise one of mankind's earliest dreams. Nick Morrison looks at how a 12-second flight ushered in a new age in human history. UNDER the headline 'Balloonless Airship', with
SCHOOLS across the North have struggled to make it into the top five per cent of national performance tables for key stage three tests. It is the first year that the results of the tests - sat by 14-year-olds in English, maths and science - have been
THE family of Saddam Hussein demanded yesterday that the former dictator face an international rather than Iraqi court as coalition troops remained under attack in the troubled country. Two US soldiers were wounded in an explosion in Tikrit, the place
FROM the frozen wastes of the Arctic and the forlorn search for the North-West Passage, via a gin manufacturer, a Scottish ship's doctor and a Swedish amateur architect, we find ourselves standing outside a doctor's surgery in Middleton St George. The
SHOPPERS in Newton Aycliffe enjoyed a seasonal treat when local children performed a carol concert. Children from Little Acorns Nursery at Aycliffe Industrial Park, sang for about 15 minutes at the Thames Shopping Centre. Nursery manager Kathryn Dowson
HUNDREDS of pounds were stolen from two female workers at a North-East hospital yesterday. The women had bank cards taken from their handbags at Darlington Memorial Hospital between 8am and noon. They were then contacted by somebody claiming to be from
MARTIN SCOTT is gearing up for a New Year derby with a difference. Scott takes Hartlepool United to Sunderland in an FA Cup third round tie, the club where he earned the respect of the Black Cats' fans during seven successful playing years on Wearside
FIRST it was Whitsun, soon it will be Easter. And Christmas won't be far behind. They will be the three forgotten festivals of the Christian church. If, of course, anyone remembers what the Christian church was. Whitsun - once that proud celebration of
A CHARITY is appealing for donations to help make this Christmas as special as possible for families it is helping to escape domestic violence. For 30 years, Wear Valley Women's Aid has helped women and families across the district break away from domestic
A CHRISTMAS disc recorded by young North-East performers is being offered for free to old people's homes. About 450 children from the Stagecoach theatre arts schools in Darlington and Yarm perform on the CD, called On A Starry Night. The disc, which features
England are considering dropping Nasser Hussain for the series-deciding Test in Colombo this week. Humid conditions in the capital and extra bounce in the SSC Ground pitch means the tourists are likely to ditch their tactic of employing seven batsmen
A blacksmith and artist has been given the task of creating a spectacular rural scene, including two life-size stags, for a housing estate. Brian Russell is using more than six tonnes of steel to build trees and shrubs and the animals in his forge at
MORE than £1m worth of work to protect motorists and rail passengers will have been completed by April in the county which witnessed the Selby train crash. North Yorkshire County Council is about to carry out the final phase of a two-year programme of
A MAN tried to abduct a ten-year-old girl in daylight yesterday morning. The girl was said to have been walking along Burnsville Road, in Grangetown, Middlesbrough when a man got out of small, red car and grabbed her arm. Luckily, a woman was passing
A casino night and disco will be held at the Morritt Arms Hotel, Greta Bridge, near Barnard Castle, County Durham, on Saturday to raise money for Darlington Memorial Hospital's children's ward. The event starts at 7pm. Tickets cost £35 and are available
MUSIC-lovers will be walking in the air this weekend at a special family concert of Christmas favourites. Raymond Briggs' The Snowman and other favourites will be featured in the show at the Forum, in Northallerton, on Sunday at 3pm. And getting into
STEVE McCLAREN is tonight ready to hand Michael Ricketts the chance to prove his worth to Middlesbrough and make Tottenham rue Glenn Hoddle's decision not to sign him. Sacked Spurs boss Hoddle abandoned plans to take Ricketts to White Hart Lane when he
The Private Life Of Samuel Pepys (BBC2) THE question you were left asking after watching this bawdy romp centred around the famous diarist was an important one - when on earth did he find time to write his diary? He spent most of this hour-long comedy
TALK of the devil, this week's Church Times carries beneath the infernal headline "To hell with hell" a learned piece supposing that damnation isn't so frightful after all. There appears not to have been weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth as a
TWO chip shop owners have been charged with selling class A drugs from their takeaway. Thariq Mohammed and his brother, Sajit, are to face trial at Newcastle Magistrates' Court in the New Year, accused of selling magic mushrooms alongside fish suppers
A CHRISTMAS crackdown on drug drivers has been launched. Durham Police are carrying out an operation targeting the growing number of people who drive under the influence of drugs. The force is putting all 80 of its operational traffic officers through
MONTHS of worry could be over for homeowners due to be given new houses under a land deal between a council and developers. Wear Valley District Council was due to give the go-ahead yesterday for Persimmon Homes to rebuild two streets on the St Andrew's
A teachers' boycott that would have thrown next year's primary school tests into disarray will not go ahead because not enough voted in favour of the industrial action, ballot results showed yesterday. Although more than eight out of ten National Union
David Stiff, one of England's most outstanding young fast bowling prospects, has left Yorkshire and is set to join a new county within the next few days. Stiff, 19, a former pupil at Batley Grammar School, is attending sessions at England's new Academy
North-East councils have maintained their position as the best performing in the country based on how well they deliver local services. The Audit Commission's newly published Comprehensive Performance Assessment, which is in its second year, revealed
SCHOOL pupils took a comical look at Christmas last night when they performed a festive concert. Youngsters from Hurworth Comprehensive School, near Darlington, staged a budget Nativity, illustrating how to do Christmas on the cheap, as part of their
POLICE are cracking down on anti-social behaviour in Darlington town centre to encourage a return to the days of traditional values and community spirit. Inspector Sue Collingwood, one of Darlington's two community inspectors, is working with beat and
A MAN was charged last night with the murder of a convicted paedophile. The 41-year-old local man will appear before Guisborough magistrates, in east Cleveland, today in connection with the death of Arnold Hartley. A second man aged 42 and a 16-year-old
Colin Beswick rings out the good news last night that Durham has been chosen to host the national town crier championships next year. The Loyal Company of Town Criers picked the city from a shortlist of three, but has declined to reveal who the rivals
COUNCILLORS in Harrogate have attacked the top-up funding awarded to the local authority as a part of Chancellor Gordon Brown's efforts to curb council tax rises. They say the award of £60,000 amounts to an average of less than 2p a week for council tax
A MEETING crucial to the future of a multi-million pound ship dismantling contract is being held today. Able UK could be left facing another hurdle to clear if councillors decide the company does not possess the necessary permission to create a dry dock
TRIBUTES have been paid to a councillor who died last week. Councillor Tony Groom, 61, died at his home in Hartlepool on Thursday only an hour after completing case work for his constituents. He had been a Labour councillor for the Owton ward for 14 years
A SPONSORED Shetland pony race has raised £650 for the special care baby unit at the Friarage Hospital, in Northallerton. The race was held during the North of England Equine Event at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate. Eight ponies from the
YOUNGSTERS have been recognised for their work raising awareness of difficulties experienced by people with different learning needs. For the past six months, the young people, from Teesdale Community Resources (TCR), in Barnard Castle, have been taking
THE use of medium density fibreboard (MDF) as a craft material in Darlington schools is to be investigated. After being asked to consider proposals from several secondary schools to reintroduce the material, members of Darlington Borough Council's lifelong
FIVE decades of friendship were celebrated by a group of pensioners when they met for a special lunch this week. Shildon Over 60s Club marked its 50th anniversary with a party at the civic hall, attended by the chairman of the town council, Councillor
MONTHS of worry could be over for 27 home owners due to be given new houses in a land deal between a council and developer. Wear Valley District Council is expected to give approval today for Persimmon Homes to rebuild two streets on the St Andrew's Estate
POLICE helped launch a Pubwatch scheme at the region's biggest shopping centre. Officers at Gateshead West Area Command, based at the MetroCentre, working with Capital Shopping Centres, have introduced a scheme for the complex's four pubs. Sergeant Alan
SANTA toured the streets of a market town in the back of an adapted rag and bone cart. The Rotary Club of Chester-le-Street created a Christmas sleigh from hardboard and added it to the cart, which was pulled by a 3ft high pony. The tour finished at St
A BOY who cannot talk and struggles to walk should enjoy a new lease of life thanks to school pupils. Instead of supporting the BBC television Children In Need campaign, pupils at Tudhoe Grange Comprehensive School, near Spennymoor, raised money for specialist
POLICE are appealing for witnesses to a suspected arson attack on a Shildon taxi company. A gang of five teenagers was seen in the area shortly before two vehicles were set alight, at about 11.30pm on Monday. The family business, Street Cars, runs two
AN alleged drug dealer is to stand trial over the Ecstasy-related death of a 17-year-old. At Newcastle Crown Court, Christopher Hartshorn, 19, denied supplying the drug that killed Martin Dakers The trial is due to start next March. He was granted bail
A COMMUNITY stalwart has been honoured for his dedicated work on behalf of a Hartlepool neighbourhood. Morris Nelson, 61, who lives in the Dyke House area of the town, works tirelessly to help support people and tackle their problems. Now his efforts
FIRST it was Whitsun, soon it will be Easter. And Christmas won't be far behind. They will be the three forgotten festivals of the Christian church. If, of course, anyone remembers what the Christian church was. Whitsun - once that proud celebration of
BISHOP Auckland Town Hall is the place to be for live festive entertainment this Christmas. This Friday, from 7.30pm, there will be a Christmas Cabaret with live music and comedy by Barry York. There will be a Christmas buffet and disco by Bishop Auckland
A police officer has been suspended after she was arrested on suspicion of a drugs-related crime. PC Anna Jakubowiak, of Darlington police, is believed to be the subject of an investigation by the North Yorkshire force following her arrest. Durham Constabulary
A replica of the Lindisfarne Gospels has gone on display in a North-East museum. The Bowes Museum, in Barnard Castle, County Durham, is housing the facsimile thanks to a collaboration between the British Library and the North East Museums, Libraries and
FROM the frozen wastes of the Arctic and the forlorn search for the North-West Passage, via a gin manufacturer, a Scottish ship's doctor and a Swedish amateur architect, we find ourselves standing outside a doctor's surgery in Middleton St George. The
IF the National Union of Teachers had hoped to send an unequivocal message to the Government yesterday about primary school tests, it failed. Although eight out of ten of those who voted were in favour of a boycott of the SATS tests, the turnout of only
A CHARITY is appealing for donations to help to make this Christmas as special as possible for families needing refuge. For 30 years Wear Valley Women's Aid has helped families to break away from domestic unhappiness and build new lives. All year round
BACKING Bushido (1.50) makes a good deal of sense in today's most valuable race at Hexham, the £8,000 Tote Bookmakers Handicap Hurdle. Sue Smith's exciting young four-year-old proved he has the bottle to handle the demanding uphill climb to the winning
THE annual Christmas Spectacular in Ripon Cathedral takes place on Saturday. For the fifth successive year, the celebration of Christmas music and song will be directed by Xenophon Kelsey, who has brought together young people from Boroughbridge High
A POWER company has announced that it is planning to almost double in size in the New Year. Professional Power Electronics Services Ltd (PPE), based in Stokesley, only started in business four years ago but is already diversifying and planning to move
TROUBLED nuclear power group British Energy dashed hopes that two reactors at its Heysham 1 plant would return to service this year. The company said the need to replace further pipework meant the two units, which were taken out of use at the end of October
THE Government is to give the go-ahead for the expansion of Teesside and Newcastle airports. Bigger terminals are planned, along with extended runways. Ministers have also agreed to ring-fence slots at London airports for flights from the North to ensure
A NUMBER of clubs are monitoring the progress of Darlington's on-loan striker Lee Matthews. The former Leeds forward joined Quakers for a month from Bristol City last week and made his debut in Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Cambridge. The 24-year-old is out
FIRST it was Whitsun, soon it will be Easter. And Christmas won't be far behind. They will be the three forgotten festivals of the Christian church. If, of course, anyone remembers what the Christian church was. Whitsun - once that proud celebration of
THE family of a prisoner who hanged himself while he was in custody are considering legal action against the Prison Service. A jury yesterday returned an open verdict at the inquest of Mark McGrogan, 28, of Boswell Street, Middlesbrough. He died at the
PERSIMMON Homes is to split its North-East division in the New Year to capitalise on continued strong growth in the new property market. The company, based in York, will start a Teesside offshoot firm in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, on New Year's Day
POLICE divers yesterday scoured a woodside pond in an attempt to find the body of a former miner who disappeared last year. Three specialist divers from Northumbria Police's search unit spent several hours in the overgrown pond, not far from the village
Conductor John Mackenzie will lead a band of more than 50 musicians at the Darlington Clarinet Ensemble's Christmas concert. Mr Mackenzie is head of the instrumental and vocal teaching faculty of the Tees Valley Music Service, a department of Stockton
FAMILIES have been helping to protect local wildlife by joining a conservation event. Durham Wildlife Trust held a Christmas tree sale at Low Barns Nature Reserve, Witton-le-Wear, near Bishop Auckland. Proceeds from the sale of trees and other goods will
Digger driver Stephen Dunn got the shock of his life after unearthing 15 anti-tank shells on land believed to have been used as a former Second World War munitions dump. The 25-year-old yelled to his workmates to get clear after spotting the unfired shells
TALK of the devil, this week's Church Times carries beneath the infernal headline "To hell with hell" a learned piece supposing that damnation isn't so frightful after all. There appears not to have been weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth as a
A YOUNG woman died in horrific circumstances yesterday after becoming trapped in a tractor's mechanism. The accident happened just after 3.30pm on farmland behind the Langdon Beck Youth Hostel, in upper Teesdale, County Durham. It is understood the 20
A £750,000 rescue fund set up in a rural area in the hope of creating 150 jobs has achieved more than double that number. After the last of the cash was allocated, it was announced yesterday that it has helped provide new work for 330 people in the Barnard
Ian Huntley was today sentenced to life for the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. Giving Huntley two life sentences Mr Justice Moses told him: ''Only you know why you murdered them''. He said Huntley ''showed no regret'' and had increased the
COMPANIES in Darlington are to be given thousands of pounds to spend on staff training over the next three years. Darlington Borough Council is launching a scheme, Skills for Success, in the New Year to help firms in the town to develop their workforces
A rapist jailed for 20 years for a string of terrifying attacks on women yesterday failed in an Appeal Court bid to have his conviction quashed. Judges also dismissed an appeal by 44-year-old Timothy Din against his jail term. Din , of Yeovil Walk, Hartlepool
STEVE McCLAREN is tonight ready to hand Michael Ricketts the chance to prove his worth to Middlesbrough and make Tottenham rue Glenn Hoddle's decision not to sign him. Sacked Spurs boss Hoddle abandoned plans to take Ricketts to White Hart Lane when he
A ROW has broken out over a defunct landfill site, as a community fears it is sitting on a toxic time-bomb. JT Barns waste tip, off Station Road, in Birtley, near Chester-le-Street, has not been used for several years, but is still a source of contention
SADDAM HUSSEIN: SADDAM Hussein has been captured. His future depends on what is decided by the forces occupying his country. I expect him to receive the same mercy as he meted out to others. We see a side of human nature in all these dealings which highlights
THE Government gave the go-ahead yesterday for UK airport expansion to cope with an expected rise in passengers over the next 30 years. In a 173-page aviation White Paper, Transport Secretary Alistair Darling signalled his backing for two additional South-East
AMONG the hazards faced by walkers in the countryside - bulls in fields, blocked paths, ankle-twisting ruts, greasy rocks etc, - is one that has nothing to do with the countryside. Car theft. Or, more accurately, theft from cars. In our national parks
The Private Life Of Samuel Pepys (BBC2): THE question you were left asking after watching this bawdy romp centred around the famous diarist was an important one - when on earth did he find time to write his diary? He spent most of this hour-long comedy
NEWCASTLE United were last night on collision course with UEFA Cup opponents Valerenga after the Norwegians asked European football's governing body to consider the possibility of playing February's third-round tie indoors on an artificial pitch. Valerenga
A NUMBER of clubs are monitoring the progress of Darlington's on-loan striker Lee Matthews. The former Leeds forward joined Quakers for a month from Bristol City last week and made his debut in Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Cambridge. The 24-year-old is out
A 41-year-old man accused of murdering a paedophile who was beaten to death in his home was appearing in court today. The battered body of 73-year-old Arnold Hartley was discovered in his dilapidated terraced home in Redcar, Cleveland, more than two weeks
A CITY was again invaded by Vikings yesterday as preparations began for a festival based on the Norsemen. Two Viking traders, dressed in ice skates and furs and carrying provisions, travelled to the ice rink next to Clifford's Tower, in York, to prepare
FOOTBALL star Titus Bramble was banned from the roads for seven weeks and fined £2,000 yesterday after he admitted driving at speeds of up to 102mph on a dual carriageway and breaching the terms of his driving licence. The 22-year-old Newcastle United
A CHRISTMAS CD recorded by young North-East performers is available free to old people's homes in the region. About 450 children from the Stagecoach theatre arts schools in Darlington and Yarm perform on the recording On A Starry Night. It features 26
SCHOOL pupils showed off their musical talents and brought some festive cheer to Christmas shoppers. Youngsters from Haughton Community School's concert choir gathered in Darlington's Queen Street shopping arcade to sing Christmas carols. They entertained
YOUNG footballers have raised more than £1,000 for a community sports scheme in Darlington by taking part in a penalty shoot-out contest. Pupils from Heathfield Primary School were sponsored to take penalty kicks against Darlington Football Club mascot
Nearly 50 Christmas trees were on display in a Spennymoor church at the weekend. St Paul's held a Christmas tree festival with 47 trees brought from Raby Castle. The trees were decorated with a different theme reflecting religion, hobbies or interests
THIEVES and vandals attacked at least 13 cars in Darlington between 9am on Monday and 9am yesterday. Thieves stole a handbag from a vehicle left for ten minutes in Violet Grove after smashing a window. A handbag was also stolen from a car in Brunton Street
A gang has admitted carrying out an audacious robbery at a North-East building society. The four men, all from Liverpool, pleaded guilty to theft at Teesside Crown Court following the raid in Darlington on April 2. Gerrard McGovern, 41, Stephen McGovern
YOUNGSTERS in hospital received a tonic from their footballing heroes yesterday. Sunderland's first team squad took time out from training to visit children at the Sunderland Royal Hospital. Led by manager Mick McCarthy, the players, including Argentinian
A REVIEW group is to be formed to look at the future of primary education in Darlington. Members of Darlington Council's lifelong learning scrutiny committee agreed at its meeting on Monday to form the group, at the request of the local authority's director
OLYMPIC athlete and broadcaster Allison Curbishley was guest of honour at the Macmillan College awards ceremony last night. More than 1,200 guests attended the event, which was held at Middlesbrough Town Hall. Another guest was Mary Butterwick
STREET wardens helped defuse an incident on a housing estate last night. Two wardens were patrolling in Pallister Park, Middlesbrough, early in the evening when they spotted a gang of 15 to 20 youths surrounding a taxi. The gang ran off and were chased
A ROW has broken out over a defunct landfill site, as a community fears it is sitting on a toxic time-bomb. JT Barns waste tip, off Station Road, in Birtley, near Chester-le-Street, has not been used for several years, but is still a source of contention
A leisure strategy has been drawn-up to improve the lifestyles of people living in Durham City. Durham City Council, which has developed the plan after a two-year study, aims to widen the provision of leisure facilities and activities and has 11 key aims
A ROCKING horse maker is leading a Europe-wide campaign to save the traditional toy from bureaucrats. Under a new European Union regulation, any rocking horse is illegal if it stands more than 2ft from floor to saddle. Worldwide, about 1,000 members of
FAMILIES have been helping to protect local wildlife by joining a conservation event. Durham Wildlife Trust held a Christmas tree sale at Low Barns Nature Reserve, Witton-le-Wear, near Bishop Auckland. Proceeds from the sale of trees and other goods will
THREE long-serving district councillors have been honoured for their public service. And at the same ceremony, two members of Richmondshire District Council's staff were recognised for their outstanding contributions. Grace Buckle, Katherine Carr and
SHOPS and pubs in Richmond and Catterick have become the latest businesses to join a radio scheme to reduce crime and rowdy behaviour. More than 20 businesses in the area are taking part in a six-week pilot scheme linked to the Pub Watch and Shop Watch
A POLICE officer has expressed his frustration after householders failed to heed his advice to lock their doors and windows to keep out unwanted visitors. An appeal last week saw the chief superintendent of Middlesbrough, Mark Braithwaite, urging residents
REPORTS into two major blazes in the county have highlighted equipment failures and organisational shortcomings in the fire service. Deputy chief fire officer for North Yorkshire Nigel Hutchinson said that firefighters dealing with blazes on Fylingdales
