Darlington RA manager David Woodcock has told his players not to spoil their recent good run in the Arngrove Northern League when they go to Prudhoe today. RA have four straight wins from their first six away games in the second division and they are
YOU won't find too many Australians drawing inspiration from the England cricket team at the moment, but Craig Mottram is hoping the success of Michael Vaughan's men can spur him to victory in tomorrow's Great North Run. The 25-year-old, a 5,000m bronze
FOOTBALL hero Paul Gascoigne broke down in tears yesterday as he received an award for his charity work. The North-East star - who famously wept when he was booked in a World Cup semi-final at Italia 90 - was in Newcastle to receive an award from the
THE efforts of an arsonist to destroy the speed camera on the A66 between Darlington and Stockton appeared in yesterday's paper. Petrol was poured on the camera and when the consequent fire failed to put it out of use, the arsonist returned and necklaced
A Darlington solicitor has completed the gruelling London Triathlon to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation. Nick Poole, partner at Latimer Hinks solicitors, took on the Olympic course - the largest event of its kind in the world. Mr Poole completed
THE scrapping of a police unit that proved hugely successful in cutting anti-social behaviour has come in for fresh criticism. Durham Constabulary confirmed last week that it was disbanding the StreetSafe unit, in order to provide more beat officers.
VILLAGERS are hoping that a meeting between parish and county councillors will solve an allotments row. People in Middridge met in the village hall on Thursday night to discuss the future of the allotments that have been on the outskirts of the village
PLANS to build a car park in a village have moved a step closer after parish councillors voted to seek quotations for the work. Heighington, in County Durham, has been besieged with traffic problems and congestion around the primary school and village
IRELAND is aptly described as a land of rivers and lakes. In the north of the island the beauty of these waterways is at times breathtaking - rivers fringed by forest and meadows, lakes remote and at times wild, overshadowed by spectacular cliffs and
Cherie Blair is allowing her wedding gown to be displayed on the catwalk to raise cash for a hospice. The gala show in Durham City next month will feature wedding gowns from throughout the last century. Dresses from 1868 to the present will be on the
THERE was delight all round at the primary school in Middleton-in-Teesdale this week, and rightly so, after it beat many other schools to win a trophy for the best outdoor classroom in the Northumbria in Bloom contest. Its colourful garden, started by
A BUDDING Jamie Oliver from Darlington is set for a hot future in the kitchens after securing a place on a chef training programme. Lewis Gray, from Sutcliffe Court, has been chosen from more than 4,000 candidates across the UK to become an apprentice
PUPILS and staff at a Teesside school have welcomed their new headmaster. Alex Taylor has joined Red House School, in Norton, from Reading Blue Coat School, in Berkshire, where he was academic director. He has taught sciences across the secondary age
A TEESSIDE council is to challenge a regional planning blueprint which would limit house-building in the town. Middlesbrough Council leaders claim the Regional Spatial Strategy fails to address their ambitious plans for the town. Mayor Ray Mallon said
A TROUBLE-HIT estate is to be bulldozed and rebuilt in a multi-million pound bid for a fresh start. The Burnmoor Close and Blayberry Close area of Redcar has been plagued with declining housing stock and serious anti-social behaviour over the past few
LIFE in east Durham pit villages in the years leading up to the nationalisation of the coal industry comes under the microscope in a newly-published book. The final publication in a trilogy, chronicling the industrial and social history of Thornley, Wheatley
A "one-stop" shop offering local people all their council services under one roof has opened its doors. The new office is the latest phase of a £7m community facility for Stokesley which also houses a new library and resource centre, office facilities
THREE rare Hungarian wire-haired vizslas are heading to Holland this weekend. But this will be no European vacation for the hounds. Zack, Sariko and Usko, and their owner Roy Bebbington, 43, from Hudswell, near Richmond, are part of the Great Britain
THE life and work of a Yorkshire Dales author and historian are to be celebrated in an exhibition. Marie Hartley, who is 100 this month, founded the Dales Countryside Museum, in Hawes, with friend Ella Pontefract in the 1940s. She has also written numerous
A NEW community arts project is to be launched next week at an autumn fair in the county town of North Yorkshire. A sculpture trail has been created at Northdale Horticulture, a charity that provides work for adults with learning difficulties, in Northallerton
A TOURING exhibition on safe travel to school proved a big hit with shoppers when it visited Durham. The Millburngate Shopping Centre played host to the Back to School Safely Road Show, staged by the Highways Agency and sustainable transport organisation
MONEY owed to a Teesdale town council by an environmental regeneration group has been paid back. Barnard Castle Town Council had threatened to take legal action if it was not paid £3,000 it was owed by Groundwork West Durham. The council had paid Groundwork
A COMPANY is offering a £5,000 reward in return for information about an armed robbery when a worker was shot in the foot. Graham Oselton, 37, was injured when he arrived for work at Hobson Industrial Estate, near Burnopfield, in Derwentside, County Durham
POLICE are hunting a group of three or four men who launched a savage attack on a man on the doorstep of his home. The 37-year-old returned to his house in Okehampton Square, Sunderland, at 9.20pm on August 29 after a night out with his wife. A car pulled
A RED carpet will be rolled out in the North-East tomorrow for film stars and Newcastle United players attending the regional premiere of Goal! The film is being shown at The Gate in Newcastle following its national premiere in London on Thursday night
PARACHUTISTS will drop in at the start of tomorrow's 25th Great North Run with a special message from Prime Minister Tony Blair to the record 50,000 runners. Members of the RAF Falcons display team, who are taking part in the event, will descend from
FOUR village pubs in North Yorkshire have joined forces to help raise cash for research into a rare and incurable skin disease. The Wellington Heifer at Ainderby Steeple, the New Inn at Thrintoft and Morton-on-Swale's Swaledale Arms and Old Royal George
A FIREFIGHTER is taking to the skies in a sponsored free-fall tandem parachute jump to raise money for victims of hurricane Katrina. Gary Rodwell, a Cleveland Fire Brigade workshop technician, will be leaping into action next Sunday, at Shotton Airfield
AN event is being organised to introduce the public to amenities at a Stockton park. The Friends of Ropner Park will hold the event on Sunday, September 25, from 2pm to 4pm, when the cafe in the pavilion and a children's play area will be open to the
SHOPS and businesses in Redcar have retained a national award for achievements in tackling business crime. The Redcar Retail Crime Initiative, a partnership of more than 60 town centre businesses, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, Cleveland Police
A FORMER Durham University student who took his own life is remembered this week by the launch of a pioneering website. The Students Against Depression website has been sponsored by the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust. The site provides comprehensive, easy-to-understand
A WOMAN has criticised a local authority which issued her with a parking fine while she was caught up in terror attacks in London. Louise Gardner, 24, from Woodland, Teesdale, left her car in a Darlington Borough Council car park when she took a train
GREAT North Runners will get the first view of Gateshead International Stadium's new look on Sunday after Minister for Sport Richard Caborn unveiled the £15m facility yesterday. It is Gateshead Council's flagship project and unique to the North-East.
'EDUCATION, education, education." It was the battlecry Tony Blair famously used to announce his priorities when he became Prime Minister. Education was our future and it therefore had to be at the top of the agenda. So it is hard to see how that fits
A North-East dog show has been temporarily relocated this year after a century and a half in Darlington. Olivia Richwald headed out to discover how the pampered pooches and their proud owners took to the North Yorkshire air. YESTERDAY'S blustery winds
ABEL XAVIER insists the thousands of Middlesbrough supporters opting to turn their backs on the Riverside Stadium this season have got it wrong by insisting 'we're on the verge of something special.' Manager Steve McClaren was quick to criticise the stay-away
Yorkshire stayed bang on course for promotion after Ian Harvey destroyed Derbyshire yesterday by grabbing five wickets for 40 runs on the first day of the Championship match. The Australian's haul was Yorkshire's best return of the season and helped bowl
FUEL TAX: THERE is no way that the haulage contractors would absorb the increase in the fuel tax - they would just pass it on to the customers. If pensioners - who have to pay increased council tax and are unable to pass this on to anyone else - were
JULIO ARCA has conceded the harsh reality of Sunderland's abysmal start to life back in the Premiership boils down to a huge difference in class. The Argentinian will be the only player in the Black Cats' squad this afternoon who is a left from the club's
NEWCASTLE Falcons will hand a Premiership debut today to former Durham University flanker Ben Woods, 18 months after he suffered a career-threatening injury. Woods gets his chance at open side in the Sky-televised match at Northampton (2.45) following
A SINGLE North-East police force is likely to be created to give senior officers the muscle to tackle the new threats of terror and organised crime. A report to Home Secretary Charles Clarke warned yesterday that no force with fewer than 4,000 officers
FOUR North-East company directors involved in a £17m mobile phone scam were jailed last night. Businessmen Michael McGuiness, Leslie Heads, Darren Bell and Peter Levitt laundered cash from the fraud against the taxman. The defendants, who became involved
GRAEME Souness turned the heat up ahead of Newcastle's Premiership clash with Blackburn tomorrow by admitting the club is a better place without Craig Bellamy. Bellamy, who made a £5m summer switch from St James' Park to Ewood Park is in line to make
A COUPLE enrolled the help of a babysitter to look after their children while they ran a drugs den - paying her wages in heroin. Keith and Justine Robinson supplied Amanda Barnes with heroin in exchange for taking care of their three children while they
The show didn't get off to a good start. The first contestant to whom host Leslie Crowther issued the invitation "Come on down", flatly refused to move from their seat. The presenter was heard to mutter under his breath: "My God, what have we let ourselves
The Royle Family's Ricky Tomlinson is back on our screens later this month, playing a football manager - even though he's fallen out with the beautiful game. He tells Steve Pratt how footballers have got too big for their boots and why actors should keep
MARTON will win promotion to the Darlington Building Society NYSD Premier League Premier Division if they take 14 points from their final game of the season against Redcar this afternoon. Thornaby are in pole position but played their final match last
CRICKET legend Derek Randall will be visiting the region later this month. It will be his pace of his wit, rather than his talent with the bat, that cricket fans are hoping to enjoy. The former England and Nottinghamshire star, famed for his fielding
DAVID NICHOLLS is taking no chances with his bid to win a fifth Ayr Gold Cup in six years by fielding eight of the 28 declared runners for the £120,690 feature. The chunky Sessay-based handler could easily be mistaken for a Sumo wrestler and his stranglehold
GRAEME Souness turned the heat up ahead of Newcastle's Premiership clash with Blackburn tomorrow by admitting the club is a better place without Craig Bellamy. Bellamy, who made a £5m summer switch from St James' Park to Ewood Park is in line to make
Reality TV star Sarah Gregory might not have won Ladette To Lady, but she has gone from ladette to chef. The 23-year-old was meant to transform from a "lager-necker" into a refined "laydee" fit to grace aristocracy. Instead, she has found her dream job
MORE than 100 jobs could be axed in the North-East under plans to cut costs at the body in charge of learning and skills in England. Union officials last night said the job cuts - among 1,300 nationwide - will lead to the closure of Learning and Skills
MICK McCarthy is hoping to give Sunderland's long-suffering supporters a double boost this afternoon - by ending the club's 32-month wait for a Premiership point while dumping bitter rivals Newcastle to the foot of the table at the same time. With the
THE mysterious disappearance of a banner at the end of this year's Billingham International Folklore Festival has sparked a world-wide search. One of the overseas groups, I Adouloti, from Cyprus, realised that its trademark banner was missing when the
SPURNING the chance to support Spirit Of France (3.00) might prove an unwise decision on a day when winner-finding is brutally hard. In terms of the never-ending war betwixt punter and bookmakers, Ayr is a positive graveyard where the former is concerned
THE Chancellor of the University of Teesside has called on the region to have more confidence in what it can achieve. Lord Sawyer of Darlington, addressing the North East Chamber of Commerce (NECC) Tees Valley and Durham dinner, said: "We need to keep
THE battle for air filtration company Domnick Hunter intensified yesterday as a US bidder made an improved bid of £243.9m. Domnick Hunter, based in Birtley, near Chester le Street, has backed an offer from Parker Hannifin worth nearly £2m more than an
IT might have been unwarranted and it might have been unforgivable, but Wayne Rooney's sarcastic clapping of referee Kim Milton Nielsen on Wednesday night was by no means unprecedented. By mocking a footballing figure of authority, Rooney was merely mimicking
FOUR North-East company directors involved in a £17m mobile phone scam were jailed last night. Businessmen Michael McGuiness, Leslie Heads, Darren Bell and Peter Levitt laundered cash from the fraud against the taxman. The defendants, who became involved
A NORTH-East businessman is in the running to pick up a landmark medal tomorrow. The 25th Great North Run marks a milestone for Tony Taylor as he aims to win a full set medallions. The 57-year-old has taken part in every Great North Run since the event
JOACHIM RONNEBERG'S story is the stuff of legend, immortalised on the silver screen and forever remembered as an act of heroism that changed the course of history. The objective of his mission was simple, yet fraught with danger - to infiltrate the most
It may have taken time, but the unveiling of a "Millennium wall hanging" at St Oswald's church in Hauxwell was a fitting tribute to a tradition. THINK Hauxwell and you think Hannah, she for whom it was too long a winter. The library also has cuttings
A FOOD festival got under way yesterday with the promise of ten days of indulgence in all things tasty. The ninth annual York Festival of Food and Drink was launched with a variety of events across the city. They included stalls selling local produce
WHEN John Sifford failed to hit the weigh-in jackpot with his outsize onion growing, a friend gave him some seeds with the simple message - try these. He did, and now Mr Sifford has broken the world record for growing the heaviest onion. The 66-year-old
TWO police officers feared they were about to be shot when a drunken man took aim in their direction with an air rifle, a court heard. The officers were called to South Hetton, in east Durham, following reports of a disturbance involving two young men
RICHMOND Foods, Britain's largest ice cream maker, announced yesterday that it expected to report an eight per cent increase in profits this year. The maker of Nestl-branded ice-cream, based near Northallerton, North Yorkshire, said profit before tax
PARACHUTISTS will drop in at the start of tomorrow's 25th Great North Run with a special message from Prime Minister Tony Blair to the record 50,000 runners. Members of the RAF Falcons display team, who are taking part in the event, will descend from
IN HINDSIGHT Graeme Souness' determination to keep his personal war with Craig Bellamy out of the public domain was nave to say the least. Had Souness asked predecessor Sir Bobby Robson about the way to deal with the highly-strung Welshman one thing would
YOUTH services in rural parts of Darlington borough have come under scrutiny in the wake of a scathing Government report. Earlier this year, an Ofsted inspection of the borough council's youth service condemned it for having more weaknesses than strengths
A PUB has been granted longer opening hours despite objections from a local resident. The Travellers Rest, in Evenwood, has been given permission to stay open until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays and midnight the rest of the week. Teesdale District Council's
MORE than 1,000 schoolchildren are to attend workshops next week as part of an on-going drive to reduce anti-social behaviour in Hartlepool. The Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Day (Asbad), organised by the Hartlepool Anti-Social Behaviour Unit, under
MEMBERS of the public are invited to attend a major health services meeting later this month. The annual meeting of County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust will be held on Wednesday, September 28, at 9am. It will be held in the top-floor
A CRIME-fighting body is aiming to cut all offending in Derwentside by 15 per cent over the next three years. The Derwentside Community Safety Partnership outlined its aims at a meeting in Consett Civic Centre yesterday. The partnership group is made
A CONTROVERSIAL plan to build 27 homes in a Teesdale village has been recommended for refusal. More than 500 residents of Middleton-in-Teesdale signed a petition against the plan by Newton Aycliffe-based Harlequin developments to build 27 homes near Bridge
A NATIONAL medical seminar is to be staged at Durham University's Collingwood College. The annual research presentation day of the North of England faculty of the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Northern Primary Care Research Network is
PUPILS from Yarm Preparatory School enjoyed a day searching for marine life in the rock pools at Robin Hood's Bay, near Whitby, on the east coast. The year six children took part in a two-day field trip, staying overnight at the Boggle Hole YHA hostel
AS CRICKET fever sweeps the country a group of youngsters have also been taking the sport by storm. Andrew Horner, Daniel Craggs, Christopher Grayson, Craig George and James Robinson, all from Bishop Barrington School, in Bishop Auckland, have been playing
ANOTHER protest against the relocation of one of the region's most successful schools was staged yesterday. Darlington Borough Council sparked controversy when it announced plans to relocate Hurworth School from its present village site. The council wants
EDUCATION chiefs have rejected criticisms of a £2m plan to transform a former primary school in Darlington. Last week, Darlington Borough Council revealed proposals to bring Rise Carr Primary School, in Eldon Street, back into use. The authority was keen
DARLINGTON council has defended its decision to send letters to parents asking for their choice of school while the fate of two comprehensive schools hangs in the balance. The council faced criticism for sending out the leaflets from parents opposed to
A £10,000 fund-raising appeal to buy a car for a group of life-savers has reached its target. The Pickering Community Responders - who are trained to respond to emergencies in their community prior to the arrival of an ambulance - now hope to reach patients
A COUNCILLOR has called for a housing complex for elderly people to be given a long-overdue facelift. The plea was made at a full meeting of Darlington Borough Council on Thursday night. Councillor Doris Jones, who represents the Middleton St George ward
DRUG raids that netted heroin, cocaine and cannabis, and led to ten arrests, signalled the start of a three-month crackdown on crime, say a city's police chiefs. The campaign, which began on Thursday, focused on housing estates in the north of Sunderland
PUBLICANS are objecting to a new housing development because they say it would restrict customer parking. A planning application to pull down a three-storey building behind the Black Swan pub in Belle Vue Terrace, Ripon, and build a three-storey block
STUDENTS who took part in a summer school rounded off their project with a performance and display for parents and teachers. Sixty children took part in the event showing off their skills in drama, dance, art, music and technical topics in a show performed
BIG Brother winner Anthony Hutton is returning to his old hairdressing salon - to officially open it following a £25,000 facelift. The 23-year-old from Consett, County Durham, is offering his services for free to the salon where he was on work placement
A HARLEY Davidson was stolen from a garage in the early hours of yesterday. The Harley Davidson Road King is worth more than £16,000 and was stolen when thieves cut through the garage door and security chains on the bike. It was kept at Hole Lane, Whickham
RAIDERS who dug out a cash machine from a supermarket wall using a forklift truck escaped with more than £20,000, police said last night. The vehicle was used to ram the outside wall of the Somerfield supermarket at the back of High Street North, in Langley
RESIDENTS in Weardale have helped a Bishop Auckland consultant in his quest to equip young diabetics in his care with insulin pumps. Fundraisers from the Dale have raised £7,500 for Dr Bill Lamb's Run 500 Miles Appeal. Dr Lamb set his challenge two years
A THREE-month public consultation has been launched over plans to create a new urology service for County Durham. The service, which will deal with problems of the kidney, bladder and other related organs, will also cover South Tyneside and Wearside.
SCHOOLS across Redcar and Cleveland have been awarded a total of £77,000 for organising environmentally-friendly ways to travel to school. Mayor Peter Spence presented cheques varying from £4,000 to £11,000 to the three secondary and 11 primary schools
MICK McCarthy is hoping to give Sunderland's long-suffering supporters a double boost this afternoon - by ending the club's 32-month wait for a Premiership point while dumping bitter rivals Newcastle to the foot of the table at the same time. With the
MORE than 100 jobs could be axed in the North-East under plans to cut costs at the body in charge of learning and skills in England. Union officials last night said the job cuts - among 1,300 nationwide - will lead to the closure of Learning and Skills
A COMPANY is offering a £5,000 reward in return for information about an armed robbery when a worker was shot in the foot. Graham Oselton, 37, was injured when he arrived for work at Hobson Industrial Estate, near Burnopfield, in Derwentside, County Durham
AS if trying to solve England's left-sided problem was not taxing enough, Steve McClaren has suddenly found himself facing exactly the same dilemma on the domestic stage. The Middlesbrough manager had the luxury of two world-class wingers last season,
AN organisation devoted to the preservation of wildlife is continuing to prosper. The number of supporters of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust is growing - and has just hit the 10,000 mark. Members are the trust's most important income source, funding work
POLICE investigating the death of a toddler are looking into the possibility he accidentally took a drugs overdose. The boy, who would have been two next month, was found unconscious and not breathing at his North-East home yesterday morning. His mother
ABEL XAVIER insists the thousands of Middlesbrough supporters opting to turn their backs on the Riverside Stadium this season have got it wrong by insisting 'we're on the verge of something special.' Manager Steve McClaren was quick to criticise the stay-away
SUNDERLAND goalkeeper Joe Murphy never had a lead role at West Brom, but did experience the cruelty and overwhelming excitement of Premiership life during his time at The Hawthorns, writes Paul Fraser. In three years with the Baggies he made just three
AN angel's head sculpture was installed yesterday, making it the latest addition to the growing collection of public artwork in the North-East. The 3m high sculpture, named Golden Angel, was carved by Emily Young and is at UK Land Estates' Maingate development
A RED carpet will be rolled out in the North-East tomorrow for film stars and Newcastle United players attending the regional premiere of Goal! The film is being shown at The Gate in Newcastle following its national premiere in London on Thursday night
A LITTLE girl left severely disabled has received a multi-million-pound payout that will transform her life. Rebecca Morton is as intelligent as any other eight-year-old but complications during birth left her with cerebral palsy, which doctors did not
WHEN it comes to the shock factor, for Hartlepool United 2003 read Swansea City 2005. Both were promoted from the bottom division and enjoyed a flying start to life in their new surroundings. Pool began the season in some style, thumping Grimsby 8-1 in
Q Having taken £25,000 on a Home Equity Release mortgage for house repairs and other expenses, I am left with capital of £7,540. My State Pension is £85.78 a week and my private pension £146 a month. I am 79 and pay council tax of £34.28 a month. Am I
DAVID HODGSON knows that only time will tell whether or not Darlington have finally parted with their inconsistent ways. But the manager has warned their new-found resilience will be put to the test by Oxford United this afternoon. After eight games this
ASHES hero Paul Collingwood still can't come back down to earth. He is to start tomorrow's Great North Run at 10.40 before being flown by helicopter to Durham's Riverside ground for the noon start in the totesport League match against Somerset. The replica
