Archive

  • End of an era with death of show woman

    A WOMAN who upheld an old family tradition of circus and fairground has died at the age of 88. Freda Culine, known as the Grand Old Lady of Spennymoor, died on Monday. Most people in the town knew Mrs Culine through the haberdashery shop Champagne, where

  • Meet the new Clarion team

    THERE are a few new faces around the office of your local free newspaper the Cleveland Clarion. New advertising manager Melanie Jones has come to Redcar from the Bishop Auckland offices of The Clarion's sister paper The Northern Echo. She said: "After

  • Angling reports

    Reports from northern reservoirs: DERWENT: 383 rods caught 7 brown trout and 826 rainbows. Best rainbow: 8lb 9oz. Heaviest basket: 15lb 4oz. Limit bags: 50. WHITTLEDENE: 150 rods caught 333 rainbow trout. Best rainbow: 8lbs. Heaviest basket: 18lb 4oz.

  • Lottery boost raises almshouses restoration fund

    A PROJECT to restore one of Redcar's most treasured buildings is £430,000 richer thanks to an award from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The money boosts the restoration fund of Sir William Turner's Hospital at Kirkleatham, which is to undergo a £1.6m facelift

  • Games renew heartache for Sara parents

    THE father of murdered North-East student Sara Cameron has spoken of his anguish on the eve of the Sydney Olympics. And he repeated a plea for help in catching his daughter's killer, four months on from her death. Finnish-born Sara was murdered just days

  • Darlington - Children's lives on line

    POLICE are warning children that they are dicing with death by playing on busy railway lines. Officers are becoming concerned about the number of youngsters who are trespassing on the lines during the school summer holidays. They are particularly fearful

  • Slinky performers come to town

    GIANT "Slinky dogs" entertained visitors to Darlington Market Square yesterday afternoon. The characters, brought to life by entertainers Bedlam Oz, are part of the town's summer midweek entertainment, which features singers, dancers and street theatre

  • CLA attacks new hill farm scheme

    A GOVERNMENT initiative aimed at helping the region's hard-pressed hill farmers has come under attack from landowners. They claim the support plan will only benefit small operations, will discriminate against larger, more efficient farms and could kill

  • We're in no rush to move, saw firm tells developers

    A HIGHLY-successful saw firm intends to call the tune if developers want it to move off a controversial village site. Mr Rob Maxey, of Ernest Bennett Saws, has a thriving factory on the Killinghall Row site at Middleton St George - land which is the target

  • Millennium games provide taste of success for children

    youngsters have put themselves on the springboard to even greater success after competing in one of the world's biggest youth sport events. It is hoped that the experience of taking part in the Millennium Youth Games will help the youngsters, from Hartlepool

  • Past Lives: Cromwell's ally whose legacy still holds sway

    THEY are en fte at Reeth all this holiday weekend. Bands will play, barb will be cued, fire will be worked, naughty-but-nice cream teas will be served and, although certainly not under the official auspices of the Bartle Fair, extra pints will be downed

  • Alvis owner's dream trip with a purpose

    A MAN suffering from a brittle bone disease is to be one of the guests of honour at the world's biggest classic car show. Mr James Edwards, of Middleton One Row, is the proud owner of a 1966 Alvis TF21. He is taking his car on the "holiday of a lifetime

  • Letters: My plan for Richmondshire

    Sir, - Thank you for a good and fair report (D&S Aug 18) concerning the public inquiry into the Richmondshire District Plan. The District Plan runs out in 2001 and the council has to make any proposals for alterations before then. In addition, they

  • Mount up for charity

    AN 11-mile fun horse-ride takes place at Croft near Darlington on Sunday, September 3 to raise money for local NSPCC projects. The ride, with optional jumps, starts from the Village Field in Croft at 1.30pm, with the last horse away by 3pm. There are

  • No headpine

    Stockton racing driver David Botterill scored his best ever result in the ninth round of the Pirelli Porsche Classic Championship as Croft racing circuit played host to some classic cars at the weekend. Vintage Porshes, Aston Martins and Ferraris all

  • A better way of life for wildlife - and farmers

    A NEW group, thought to be the first of its kind in the country, aims to improve things for important species and habitats - but with the farmers' view point in mind. The inaugural meeting of the agriculture and biodiversity advisory group (ABAG) was

  • Levy on builders could pay for play upgrades

    HOUSE builders could be asked to contribute £300 per property to help upgrade and maintain outdoor play areas in Darlington. Most of the town's 40 play areas are currently unacceptable - only four meet European standards. A £300 charge on developments

  • Costly court case looms over removal of church pews

    A DISPUTE about the removal of a number of pews from a church has led to the matter being referred to a consistory court. The scheme to take out the pews at Holy Trinity church in Startforth, near Barnard Castle, pleased some members of the congregation

  • Unravelling the TV repeat mystery

    THERE is little mystery surrounding the detective dramas being screened on ITV this summer. Follow the clues and it soon becomes pretty clear whodunnit - the schedulers whose lack of imagination has them filling peaktime viewing night after night with

  • Village divided on benefit of its own parish council

    THE campaign to see Norton have its own parish council gained momentum this week. Nearly 100 people gathered at the village hall on Thursday last week to hear a progress report from the steering committee. Committee chairman and Norton Green resident

  • Wolviston hit back

    Wearside League Wolviston bounced back to winning form on Wednesday night with an excellent 4-0 victory over Whitehaven, who only a couple of days earlier had ended Windscale's impressive 100 per cent record. But Whitehaven found their match at Wolviston

  • Pool News

    Tow Law Bass League The first three maximums of the new season came from the New Market A, where Darren Yeoman and Alan Smith were the marksmen and Sunniside Comedian's Jim Smythe. Billy Row Club look to have assembled a strong squad and beat the visiting

  • Prices at the marts

    BARNARD CASTLE. - Wed. Fwd: 3 calves, 1,799 sheep. Bull calves to £130. Lambs std to 87p av 80.3p; med to 87.6p av 81.6p; heavy to 85.4p av 81.1p. Mule ewes to £20; Cont ewes to £26; Suff ewes to £18; horned ewes to £17.50. BISHOP AUCKLAND. - Wed of last

  • Motorsport: McAleer out in front

    MARK McAleer took top points in the latest round of the Formula Colway Porsche 924 Championship to set up a tight finish in this year's series. The reigning champion from Richmond stormed to an eight-second victory over Lincolnshire driver Shaun Richardson

  • Leading article: Brownfield options

    THREE reports this week illustrate some of the problems which can be encountered building housing on so-called brownfield sites in our towns. The demand for housing, fueled by splitting families, is growing and at the same time it has been decided that

  • United kick off with win

    MARSKE United started their season in the Albany Northern League with a comfortable 4-0 win over Crook Town. Goal scorers were Mark James, Dave Markham and Darren Sankey (2). Team: Mohan, Kinnair, Middleton, Robson, Gibbin, Hodgson, Neilson, James, Sankey

  • Racing Week: Royal Rebel may go for Melbourne Cup

    AS we predicted, magnificent Murghem landed the Group 2 Geoffrey Frear Stakes at Newbury in battling fashion under Darryll Holland on Saturday. Next on the cards for him is probably the Irish St Leger, trainer Mark Johnston said, but the Melbourne Cup

  • Speedway News

    When was the last time David Beckham got only three and a half hours sleep before having to wake up at 4.30am to work a nine hour shift, doing all of this before traveling the country to compete in his teams' next fixture? Of course he never has and never

  • Kerry steams her way to a business idea

    STEAM power is paying dividends for a young entrepeneur. Miss Kerry Wilford has set up Full Steam Ahead, an ironing service, after noticing a gap in the market in Darlington. The 26 year-old, of Sutcliffe Court, Darlington, hit upon the idea while working

  • Chester le Street - Helpers take pride in work

    VOLUNTEERS were happy to get their hands dirty, and pay for the privilege, in a bid to help to conserve Durham Cathedral. Durham was among a number of cathedrals that played host to a group of young people on a working holiday, carrying out conservation

  • Consett & Stanley - New centre of interest for older people

    A NEW day centre is helping older people indulge in new activities and interests, while keeping their independence in the community. Durham County Council has joined forces with Newcastle-based charity St Cuthbert's Care to establish the Blackhill Day

  • Jackson set to take on Europe's finest

    JACKSON Reed-Stephenson from Boroughbridge competes in the Young Riders European Championships at Hartbury College, Gloucestershire this weekend. Riding Michael Whitaker and Mrs Tordoff's consistent performer Baileys Pion, he will be hoping to follow

  • Stuck with a toffee smile

    RIGHT, so here I am, sitting in the car outside school, waiting for Smaller Son to collect his GCSE results. There are other mothers in other cars. They all have the same expression - a sort of fixed semi-smile of optimism, hoping brightly for the best

  • Brewster makes shopping bearable

    A FRIENDLY bear found his way into the affections of bored children accompanying their parents on food shopping trips during the school summer holiday. Brewster Bear called in at the Sainsbury's store, at the Arnison Centre, on the outskirts of Durham

  • Police to put the brakes on wrecker off-road bikers

    A NATIONALLY important conservation area is being destroyed by teenage motorcyclists, who are also terrorising villagers near Durham City. The rare limestone grassland at Sherburn Hill, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, is being churned up by the

  • Cheryl's lamppost slide lands her in tight spot

    A LITTLE girl's holiday fun ended in tears when the fire brigade had to rescue her when she became trapped behind a lamppost. Cheryl Hughes, seven, of Chester-le-Street, was having fun sliding down a lamppost outside her grandmother's house in Grange

  • Arsonists will not win vows councillor

    A councillor vowed last night not to be silenced by arsonists who attacked her home. Vandals tried to burn down Councillor Glynis Abbott's garden fence - two hours after she went on local television to condemn fire raisers who tried to blow up a nearby

  • Centre on the move

    REDCAR's OK4 Young People's Centre is moving 160 yards to a new home. The centre is currently in Milbank Terrace, Redcar, but is moving to the Coatham Memorial Museum from early September, as Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council is selling the premises

  • Holiday fun goes on

    THERE will be two extra activities at the Margrove Park Heritage Centre, east Cleveland, in the last week of the summer holidays, because the centre's other activities have proved to be an outstanding success. The centre's theme for the summer has been

  • £350,000 funding boost for mental health service

    A HEALTH authority is about to benefit from a successful £20m County Durham Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) bid. County Durham and Darlington Health Authority is due to receive £350,000 over five years, from round six of the SRB funding, which forms

  • Arca to set Reid alight

    ARGENTINIAN teenager Julio Arca is in line for a surprise Premiership debut with Sunderland tomorrow. Manager Peter Reid's most expensive summer signing flew in from South America last night after receiving passport clearance. Now Reid is tempted to play

  • Having a high old time on the hill top

    THE fire wasn't lit, that was the extraordinary thing about Stanley United on Wednesday night. Other things never change, of course: the Little House on the Prairie, the Aged Miners - as if expecting royalty - standing sentry over their garden gates,

  • Having a high old time on the hill top

    THE fire wasn't lit, that was the extraordinary thing about Stanley United on Wednesday night. Other things never change, of course: the Little House on the Prairie, the Aged Miners - as if expecting royalty - standing sentry over their garden gates,

  • Youngsters' Dome day beckons

    YOUNGSTERS from Redcar and Cleveland are preparing for their day at the Millennium Dome. Their big day is part of the Millennium Youth Project, in which children from every local authority area in the country spend a day in the dome telling other people

  • Muggers make off with huge cash haul

    A WOMAN was robbed of thousands of pounds when two men pounced on her as she returned from a post office with state benefits for elderly residents of a home. A police spokesman said the 35-year-old victim, a member of staff of Epworth Residents' Home

  • Church is rocked by sex attack allegations

    A village priest has been removed from his parish after he was accused of sex attacks on young boys. The Roman Catholic clergyman has been charged with nine counts of indecent assault and one of gross indecency dating back ten years. Father Jacks, 48,

  • DJ leaves court in tears after being cleared of raping girl

    A DJ accused of raping a young clubber after finishing work has walked free from court. Andrew Thompson wept with relief after the jury found him not guilty after 30 minutes of deliberations. Mr Thompson, known as 'DJ Zack', was accused of picking up

  • Police officer jailed over 'sordid calls'

    police officer James Cowan got his kicks by making sordid calls to schoolgirls - including one from his desk at the station. The former Army regimental sergeant major made 590 calls, most of them to phone boxes outside schools, a court heard. When he

  • Letters

    ANIMAL CRUELTY THE Northern Echo, vets and the RSPCA are giving good service in promoting pet care to encourage children to be kind to animals. However, kind children, on leaving school, then training for certain jobs and careers (eg intensive farming

  • Sporting chance for people with disabilities

    A NEW sports programme is being launched in North Yorkshire for people with disabilities. Ripon Activity Project (RAP) has been providing leisure activities for the disabled for the past seven years. And now it has enlisted the support of a qualified

  • Verdict of suicide on teenager found in cell

    A TEENAGER found hanging by his shoelaces two days after being sent to a young offenders' institution left a note telling his family he loved them, an inquest jury was told yesterday. Kirk Edwards, 17, was found by a fellow inmate of Wetherby YOI who

  • circus owner puts faith in healer to cure clifford

    CLIFFORD the chesty camel has got the hump - which is why circus workers brought in a faith healer to cure their ailing animal. International healer John Mayo yesterday travelled up from Gloucestshire to hold a healing session with the Bactrian camel

  • Spectator's Notes: Short of cash? Let your lips do the talking

    AFTER bridging the credibility gap of imagining Robert Swan spending any time at all on a desert island, Spectator thoroughly enjoyed last week's Radio 4 programme in which the castaway was the Teesdale explorer who is the only man to have made an unaided

  • President Gill has many questions about HFA scheme

    NFU president Ben Gill has contacted agriculture minister Nick Brown to stress his concerns over further amendments to the Hill Farm Allowance scheme. The revised scheme was submitted to the European Commission on August 2 and since then further negotiations

  • Letters: Do our views have any worth?

    Sir, - Is democracy worth a light in Darlington Borough? A planning application was recently submitted for a large housing development in Middleton St George. This is in a prominent position on one of the two main entry roads into the village. It is to

  • Course record broken

    Lee McCavanagh broke the course record at his local golf club but he didn't break anyone's hearts for taking their title away from them - because Lee was already the record holder! The 25-year-old member of Woodham Golf Club hit a score of 66 gross against

  • 'Not a hope' of rail link re-opening, says councillor

    A PARISH council chairman has claimed there "isn't a hope in hell" of the Harrogate-Ripon-Northallerton railway line being reopened. Coun Rowly Curtis, chairman of Littlethorpe Parish Council, made his comments as the campaign to reinstate the line, closed

  • Countryman's Diary: St Bart saves us from St Swithin's legacy

    AN old country saying suggests that autumn begins on the feast of St Bartholomew. This was celebrated yesterday, and in times past St Bartholomew's Day, often known as Bartlemy Day, was one of the key days of the rural year so far as forecasting the weather

  • Leonard is back from down under

    A MAN who has lived in Australia for almost 40 years was reunited with his family in Newton Aycliffe yesterday. Leonard Marsh, 62, was a young man when he emigrated in 1962. Fed up with his job, he decided to pack his bags and try his luck on the other

  • Hopes and school plans on course

    PLANS for a new secondary school in a fast-growing Cleveland town are set to clear another hurdle. A public meeting in Ingleby Barwick on Monday heard that work had been completed on preparing a business case for the new school. A progress report given

  • Changes bring computer and science bonus

    On July 11, the year ten pupils at Eastbourne Comprehensive School enjoyed a spectacular summer ball. The reason for the ball was because the head of year ten, Mrs Walton, was leaving. The year tens wanted to do something special to say goodbye to Mrs

  • Hampers welcome families back home

    FLOOD-hit residents of Skinningrove got a warm welcome as they finally moved back into their homes this week. For waiting for the first 12 families in their newly-repaired homes was a special hamper to mark the big day. Redcar and Cleveland council sent

  • Muggers make off with huge cash haul

    A WOMAN was robbed of thousands of pounds when two men pounced on her as she returned from a post office with state benefits for elderly residents of a home. A police spokesman said the 35-year-old victim, a member of staff of Epworth Residents' Home

  • This Englishman's home is his castle

    SWINTON Castle, near Masham, is being used as a family home again for the first time in more than 25 years. Newly-weds Mr Mark Cunliffe-Lister and his wife, Felicity, above, have moved back into his ancestral home and have plans to open it as a hotel

  • Guisborough crushed in 3-1 defeat

    GUISBOROUGH Town slumped to a crushing defeat at Peterlee in the Albany Northern League on Saturday. Peterlee took the lead on 16 minutes when debut player Jon Keegan volleyed a ten-yard shot past keeper Matt Coddington. Guisborough equalised on 31 minutes

  • Snooker News

    Norman Fowler Memorial Steven Bennett of Darlington set an early target for the highest break prize in the £100 competition held in Tow Law Club when he knocked in 50 to beat Tommy Williams of Tow Law. The first frame was tight and could have gone either

  • Homes plan leads to threat of ombudsman

    PEOPLE in Aiskew are carrying out their threat to complain to the local government watchdog about the handling of a planning application for houses on the site of a former gas depot. The number of proposed houses on the 2.5-acre site on Aiskew Bank, formerly

  • Durham - Hospital volunteers present cash gifts

    A HOSPITAL has more equipment available to make the stay of patients more comfortable as well as a new children's play area, thanks to a cash gift from a charity's tea bar. The new equipment for Chester-le-Street hospital was handed over to North Durham

  • Have bike, will shop

    A NORTH Yorkshire supermarket is asking shoppers to get on their bikes - but in the nicest possible way! The Tesco store at Catterick Garrison is about to launch a new scheme which will mean cycling customers can get their groceries home in safety. The

  • Visitors steam in to town

    HUNDREDS of people made tracks for a seaside resort at the weekend. It was not the sun, sea or sand they got steamed up about but Cleveland Model Railway Club's exhibition at the Redcar and Cleveland College, in Redcar. There were miniature 'N' gauge,

  • Primary praised in Ofsted report

    PUPILS and teachers at a Teesside primary school are celebrating after being praised by Ofsted inspectors. The positive relationships throughout High Clarence Primary School, Port Clarence, near Billingham, were identified as the basis for very good progress

  • Chester le Street - Touring show comes to town

    THE BIG Top has gone up to mark almost a fortnight of circus fun by the River Wear. Chester-le-Street's Riverside Park is the latest stop for the touring Great British Circus. Director Martin Lacey, a veteran of the legendary Gerry Cottle's Circus, said

  • Badminton club needs new members

    GUISBOROUGH'S Priory Badminton Club is looking for new members. The 50-year-old club has had a reduction in numbers recently and does not want to close down. The club meets every Thursday during term time between 8pm and 10pm in the sports hall of Laurence

  • Prices at the marts

    PENRITH. - August prize show & sale of 790 store cattle on Thurs of last week. Champion honours were awarded to J W Smith-Jackson, High Town, Melkridge, Haltwhistle for a Lim X steer which realised £850. Reserve honours to J C & S E Little, The

  • Animal owners warned of danger

    A FLOWER growing in parts of East Cleveland is a potential danger to animals. Ragwort has clusters of bright yellow multi-headed flowers and grows to about 18 ins high. Although pretty to look at, the flower is a potential danger if eaten by horses and

  • Flats attacked by arsonists

    POLICE are appealing for help to catch vandals who tried to blow up a block of flats twice in one night. Families in a three-storey block in Roseberry Road, Redcar, were unaware they were living above a time bomb after vandals broke into an empty groundfloor

  • Durham - Garden opens its gates for charity

    A GARDEN and nursery near Stanley is opening to the public on Bank Holiday Monday to raise money for a leading charity. Birkheads Cottage Garden and Nursery features a three-acre garden, 700 feet above sea level, that contains more than 4,000 plants.

  • Full Steam Ahead

    A MUSEUM has stepped into the breach to help fill the gap for rail enthusiasts who have come to the region for the ill-fated Millennium Cavalcade of Steam. The demise of the event this Bank Holiday weekend has left many disappointed fans. But Beamish

  • Wear Valley - Baby is a real fighter

    CAMERON Murray is just like any other baby, happily playing with his toys in his home in High Etherley. His independence and happy nature are signs of the strength he has needed recently to fight off meningitis. Two months ago, Cameron was lying in an

  • Pony dates

    Bedale Hunt. - Oct 1: Fun ride, Jervaulx, details 01679 450229. Oct 15: Bedale novice hunter trial at Maunby Hall, Thirsk. Details 01609 774539. BHS Cleveland. - Aug 27 & 28: Le Trec competition, contact Eston Equitation Centre, 01642 452260. Sep

  • Workshop to get ahead

    CHILDREN took part in a special workshop on Tuesday to grow their own hair. The workshop was one of a series with model-making themes of earth, air, fire and water, which are being organised at Kirkleatham Old Hall Museum, near Redcar, in conjunction

  • Taxi firms may switch to horse power

    HORSES may soon be returning to the streets of Darlington if a group of local businessmen have their way. The Darlington Independent Taxi Traders Organisation (Ditto) wants to give the town an extra tourist attraction by introducing up to three horse-

  • Phil takes a scientific approach to drama

    TOP student Phil Chamberlin has won a new role at a leading drama school. After a year of studying science at the City of Sunderland College, Phil, 19, of Grindon, Sunderland, decided to take to the stage. He said: "Science just wasn't for me. I still

  • North Yorkshire - No Lottery joy for hall

    MAJOR redevelopment at a town hall is to be funded by a loan after an application for lottery cash was turned down. Proposals to refurbish the 60-year-old annexe at Thirsk and Sowerby Town Hall were drawn up last year in response to fears it was nearing

  • Two die in diving trip tragedy

    THE search for a Redcar diver missing from the west coast of Scotland was called off on Tuesday. Dorothy Morris, 49, of Lavernock Close, Redcar, went missing with fellow diver Stuart Haldine, 43, from Droitwich, Worcestershire, on Monday. They had been

  • More speakers are announced for meet

    ORGANISERS of this year's Great North Meet announced more speakers this week. Mr Michael Meacher, environment minister, will speak on changing the countryside and the possible impacts of the rural white paper brought in by his department. Mr Ian Kenny

  • You may think it's Fountains, we say it's Bolton

    A NEW government quango has dropped a clanger over a major Yorkshire tourist attraction in 10,000 consultation brochures which have just been distributed. The Yorkshire cultural consortium brochure shows a picture of Fountains Abbey, near Ripon, but tells

  • More road repairs to come

    THE third phase of maintenance work on a main Darlington road will start at the end of the month. The section of the A66 Darlington southern bypass affected by the work runs from the Neasham roundabout to the A67 Yarm Road roundabout. Work will involve

  • Angling News

    A badly coloured Swale carrying an extra 18 inches ruled out any big chub nets for the 11th annual River Swale Preservation Society Lower championship writes JEFF HERBERT. Barbel, eels and perch were the target for the 115 competitors and Otley's Steve

  • Four goals for Corbett

    Hathaway Auckland & District League After Saturday's games, only Cockfield and Darlington RA have 100 per cent records, although Brewer & Firkin still remain unbeaten. Brewer & Firkin beat Glaxo 5-2 although the losers had got off to a good

  • Task force agrees plan

    A TASK force established to examine how efforts can be co-ordinated to help find new jobs for steelworkers facing redundancy met for the first time this week. The meeting included senior figures from Government agencies, regional and local bodies, Redcar

  • Head start for fashion students

    TWO students with designs on a career in the fashion industry have been given a head start by a Darlington bridal wear studio. Sade Betiku and Sarah Hutchinson, both 18, are working with mother and daughter team, Mary Blair and Clare Bartlett at Chloe's

  • Jobs and benefit advice is on the road to Redcar

    A DAY of family fun coupled with information about jobs and benefits will be the order of the day in Redcar today when the Employment Service's Best Deal for Families roadshow rolls into town. The service will be joined by TFM Radio, the Child Support

  • Nelson takes pivotal role as Bishop win at Blyth

    Bishop Auckland are unbeaten in their first two away games in the UniBond League after a 2-1 win at Blyth on Tuesday. Bishops had the better of the first half, and took the lead after 39 minutes when Micky Nelson picked up a through ball from Andy Howarth

  • Families oppose flats scheme

    A FORMER health clinic site will be overcrowded under proposals to build new flats, according to residents. Developers Harewood Housing Society has put forward plans to demolish a three- storey building on Quaker Lane in Richmond and replace it with 14

  • Work to start on new £2m showground hall

    A YORK-based firm has clinched the contract to build a new exhibition hall at the Great Yorkshire Showground. Simpson Construction will build the £2.25m showpiece addition to the Harrogate site. The announcement came as the Earl of Harewood, honorary

  • Bink stars for Middleton

    NatWest Darlington and District League Middleton St George maintained their position at the top of Division A with a six wickets victory at home to Witton-le-Wear. The visitors' batsmen struggled and opener Peter Chrisp with 29 made much impression as

  • Blessed are they that help the poor in sight

    TWO church congregations have been working to collect glasses to help poverty-stricken people across the globe see more clearly. Chester-le-Street Methodist Church and St Cuthbert's RC Church have collected more than 450 pairs of spectacles to pass on

  • Landfill tax creates tipping nightmare for farmer

    WHEN farmer Tony Wilson tried to reach his fields he found a whole heap of trouble - two heaps in fact. For in the short time it took him to have lunch some rogue contractors dumped two 20- tonne lorry loads of soil across his farm track. "I couldn't

  • Residents go back home

    RESIDENTS of flood-hit Skinningrove began moving back to their renovated homes this week. Just over a month ago freak floods destroyed dozens of homes but repairs on 12 properties have been completed and Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council planned a

  • Darlington - Rotary club members vote with their feet

    MEMBERS of a men-only Rotary Club walked out when it was decided to let women join. Newton Aycliffe Rotary Club, which was established nearly 25 years ago, has voted to admit women in common with many other clubs in the region. But the decision has prompted

  • Plastic bottles added to list in growing recycling scheme

    EFFORTS to protect the environment look set to be taken a step further with the introduction of more recycling measures. Hambleton District Council is expected to give the go-ahead to a £6,400 pilot scheme to add plastic bottles to its rapidly expanding

  • Theatre puts it own ghost in the spotlight

    A THEATRE is marking its centenary this year by presenting a world premiere - about its own ghost Alice. The chilling story is part of Harrogate Theatre's centenary season, being staged from October 20 to November 11 by the playhouse's own production

  • Plans to step up action over illegal parking

    A COUNCIL is to step up its fight against motorists who park their vehicles outside homes illegally. Darlington Borough Council employs two full-time and six part-time wardens to patrol its 18 car parks and residential parking areas. The service is funded

  • Two injured in scrapyard gas explosion

    HEALTH and safety investigators are probing a gas explosion at a scrapyard in which two men were injured. Russell Carr was last night comfortable in Newcastle Royal Victoria Infirmary's special burns unit, after the fire at Hanratty's scrapyard in Back

  • N-E prison is second most violent - report

    A NORTH-EAST prison has been labelled the second most violent in the country - but another local jail is one of the safest. According to a Prison Reform Trust report, Castington Young Offenders' Institution, Northumberland, had an assault rate on prisoners

  • Rock fans may hold vital clue to rapist

    ROCK fans are being urged to help police catch a rapist who attacked a 17-year-old girl after this week's Bon Jovi concert on Tyneside. Police have launched an investigation into the assault which happened after the teenager had been among a crowd of

  • Junior win for Harpin

    Quakers RC Once again the club's members were the largest contingent at the Darlington Road Races with more than 100 of the clubs members taking part, several of which recorded personal best times despite the hot weather. The juniors performed well in

  • Samantha's unlikely heroes

    WHEN pupils were asked to "Invite your Hero to Lunch'' many came up with pop stars and cartoon characters. But one seven-year-old taking part in the Sunderland school meals event had no hesitation. Samantha Ward, a pupil at New Silksworth School selected

  • Birds are new menace

    OF ALL the natural phenomena threatening the very structure of the region's famous landmarks one stands out as particularly unsavoury. For our most famous landmark of all, the Tyne Bridge, has been corroded by the build up of ten years of bird droppings

  • Hopes hit by surprise setback

    GUISBOROUGH'S NYSD cham-pionship hopes suffered a setback when they lost at home to struggling Normanby Hall on Saturday. Graham Shaw had a recurrence of a knee problem and had to temporarily retire. Incoming batsman Ramage was given out first ball followed

  • Durham children win national cup

    Three teams representing County Durham made it to the final stages of the nationally contested Millennium Youth Games. Organised by Sport England, 6,500 youngsters aged between 13-15, representing 52 teams from across the cou ntry, competed in eight different

  • Pool disco to round off the summer fun

    A RECORD number of youngsters have been attending council-run holiday activities in Bedale this summer. For the past month the town's leisure centre has been buzzing with the sound of children having fun. Almost 600 youngsters have taken part in the activities

  • Athletics News

    Elizabeth Adams is looking forward to representing her country after being chosen to compete in an international tournament in the USA. The Marske 17-year-old flies out to Orlando on Tuesday where she will compete in the World Tetrathlon Youth Championships

  • Parents angered by rejection of parking scheme

    PARENTS of pupils at a small infant school are bracing themselves for a parking "nightmare" when the new term begins a week on Tuesday. They are angry that a bid to ease parking problems on the school run to St Oswald's Infants, in Church Street, Durham

  • North Yorkshire - Helen more than makes the grade

    HIGH-FLYING student Helen Holmes is on top of the world after notching up one of the highest marks in the country in her biology A-level. The 18-year-old received a special letter of congratulation from the Assessment Qualifications Alliance for her mark

  • Marske victory over Redcar

    Marske v Redcar MARSKE again made life difficult for a side at the top of the NYSD Premier League. Tim Hood playing his first game for Marske against his home club bowled superbly taking six for 24. He received excellent back up from Richard Rennard with

  • Wear Valley - Police appeal for help over injured boy

    POLICE are appealing for help to determine how an eight-year-old boy came to have a fractured skull. Dale Bennett told his grandparents he fell off a wall near his home in Greenfields Road, Bishop Auckland, last Thursday. But doctors at the town's hospital

  • Messias happy to be man in the middle

    HE may be one of the men in black everybody loves to hate, but Matt Messias is happy to be in the thick of the action as the new football season gets underway. Thirsk School's head of PE has his sights set on reaching the very top as a referee and revels

  • Prices at the marts

    Thursday. - Supplies light but sufficient to meet demand. Prices eased slightly. Ex-farm in bags: Maris Bard, Ausonia, Estima, Marfona and other whites, main range £100-£125 a tonne, best quality £130-£140 a tonne. Light supplies of Maris Piper £90-£130

  • Hit the road kids, and you won't look back

    A DRIVING scheme set up to give youngsters a taste of what life on the road is like is on offer for the third year running. Mega Drive, set up by Langbaurgh police and Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council road safety department, is targeted at 16-year-olds

  • Arts News: Varied programme ranges from Puccini to puppets

    THE third Ripon international festival presents another exciting, varied programme of events and concerts in stunning settings from Aske Hall in Richmond to Harrogate's Royal Hall. The festival gets under way on Friday, September 8 with a Blues and Broadway

  • Parents' support group set up

    A NEW support group has been set up to help parents with gay children. The group, Parents Enquiry North East, is run by parents whose children are gay, bi-sexual or transgendered. They lend a friendly, listening ear and try to help parents develop understanding

  • School's in for summer

    WHILE most schools in County Durham have fallen silent during the holidays, some have been keeping children busy with a series of activities. This weekend, St John's RC Comprehensive, in Bishop Auckland, will be busy producing a newsletter. Students of

  • Fish injures seaman

    A SEAMAN was taken to hospital with a paralysed arm and injured hand after being stung by a fish. The man, a member of the crew of the tanker, Manuella, was fishing over the side of the vessel, berthed in Tees Harbour near Redcar, when it is thought he

  • Letters: The true duty in the national park

    Sir, - I am responding on behalf of the Council for National Parks to the misleading letter by Peter Annison (D&S Aug 18). Members of national park authorities appointed by the Secretary of State are there to represent the national interest in the

  • Lartington lamb: now available on the internet

    PRIME minister Tony Blair will be receiving a special leaflet through the post - as will Conservative leader William Hague and agriculture minister Nick Brown. For Teesdale farmer Nick Coggins has sent all three a copy of the leaflet publicising his new

  • New book unlocks a treasure trove of architectural heritage

    RESIDENTS of a market town have documented their passion for its rare architecture in a book to mark the millennium. The Stokesley society has published Buildings of Stokesley, a Small Georgian Market Town to highlight the unique state of the buildings

  • Football: Quakers all tied up again

    FIRST, the good news: Quakers are unbeaten so far this season. Now the bad: they have not won either. Gary Bennett's boys made it three draws in a row when a 1-1 draw with Exeter City at Feethams on Saturday was followed on Tuesday night with an exciting

  • New town toilets will have to wait for council study

    A DECISION on whether to build new public toilets in Northallerton High Street should be deferred until the results of a wider town centre study are known, according to council officers. They are recommending, however, that the closed underground toilets

  • Museum hosts summer music concert

    USUALLY a shrine to East Cleveland's mining history, the Tom Leonard Mining Museum will be transformed into a concert hall this weekend. The museum is playing host to a group of musicians who are part of the North Yorkshire Moors Chamber Orchestra. As

  • Planners give go-ahead to daffodil vale mast scheme

    A CONTROVERSIAL scheme to erect a radio mast in the heart of beautiful Farndale has been given the go-ahead - despite a local outcry. National park planners on Monday gave unanimous approval to the scheme for the famous daffodil vale on the North York

  • Looking Back: Ill-advised restrictions of swine fever

    FROM this newspaper 100 years ago. - Every pig in England has been born into swine fever restrictions, and their parents and grandparents, uncles, cousins and aunts, and all collateral relations, have wallowed and grunted under regulations and enactments

  • College announces changes after merger

    A SECOND agricultural college has announced major investment and changes following a merger. Kirkley Hall, Ponteland, has invested £200,000 in a new learning resource centre following its union with Northumberland College. It has also announced its decision

  • Bridge work starts ahead of schedule

    THE reconstruction of Mercury bridge in Richmond will start ahead of schedule next week. Temporary support work has allowed an assessment of the flood damage which resulted in the closure of the bridge in early June. Piling from the top of the bridge

  • Disabled customer finds bank's treatment hurtful

    AN ELDERLY woman with severe arthritis was turned away from her bank last week because she could not climb the high step outside. Mrs Mary Cartwright, of St Michael's Court, Norton, suffers from severe rheumatoid arthritis. As well as being unable to