BIRD lovers from across the region brought plenty of colour to a North-East show yesterday. Hundreds of enthusiasts were out in force with their brightly coloured feathered friends for the Darlington and District Budgerigar Society's annual show, at Greenfield
PINT-sized Picassos whipped out their brushes to give their playground a fresh lick of paint. Pupils at Whinfield Infant School, in Darlington, decided to take a break from the classroom for the day to put some colour back into their play area on Friday
A FAMILY man has appeared in court accused of being a masked rapist who attacked four women in their homes. Timothy Din, 43, of Yeovil Walk, Hartlepool, was arrested at the weekend by police investigating a series of sex attacks in Thornaby. Mr Din appeared
A 15-year-old has been charged with manslaughter after a County Durham family man was killed in a city centre fracas at the weekend. Former miner John Jobson, from Horden, near Peterlee, died in hospital after collapsing in a street in Salford, Greater
ONE of the most respected and well-known band masters in the North-East has died, aged 81. Stan Peacock led the Durham Light Infantry band for many years, but his influence extended much further. Born in the East End of London in 1919, Mr Peacock first
A NEW community room has opened at the Sir William Turner's Hospital cottages in Kirkleatham. The facility, opened by the Bishop of Whitby, the Right Reverend Robert Ladds, is part of a scheme to refurbish the cottages by upgrading the 17th Century building
England footballer Kieron Dyer was today banned from driving for two months and fined £1,000 for speeding at more than 100mph. Newcastle wing-back Dyer, 22, exceeded the 70mph speed limit as he listened on the radio to his golfing hero Tiger Woods winning
Britain is turning into a dot.com nation with four million homes getting hooked up to the Internet in the past year. An Oftel survey reveals that 10 million UK homes are now online, an increase from six million in May 2000. The research also shows the
A SALTERS Lane can be found at Firth Moor, Springwell, Harrowgate Village, Newton Ketton, Sedgefield, Fishburn, the Trimdons, Shotton Colliery, Haswell, South Hetton, Warden Law and on towards Sunderland. All are on a line northwards from the Tees at
A HEALTH watchdog has complained about facilities for patients and their relatives at a newly refurbished hospital department. A group from the North Tees Community Health Council (CHC) visited the University Hospital of North Tees, Stockton, on two days
PARKING problems caused by a new hospital are leading to delays for the emergency services and road safety worries for residents in nearby streets. Building work at the University Hospital of North Durham has led to on-street parking in the Framwellgate
AN amateur football club is casting a wider net for sporting talent thanks to an important cash boost. Owton Manor Football Club in Hartlepool has scooped a £448 grant to buy more equipment. The money will be spent on training and match footballs as well
Brewers Scottish & Newcastle is set to launch a £600 million takeover bid for lager giant Beck's. S&N is Beck's sole distributor in the UK and has emerged as favourite to buy the operation, reported the Financial Times. But it could face competition
A TRAINEE central heating engineer took time out from his studies to have a chat with a Government minister. Nairn Middleton, 19, from South Shields is training on the Gas Industry National Training Organisation (Ginto) course at Newcastle College. He
A YOUNG soldier who recently graduated from a top Army college is returning to Bishop Auckland to talk to young people about his experiences. Steven White, 17, won a place at the Army Foundation Course in Harrogate, where he was taught military and survival
AN ACTION plan is being drawn up to try to reverse the economic decline of South Durham. The South West Durham Task Force, created in 1999 to tackle unemployment and deprivation in the area, aims to publish its action strategy soon. Nearly seven per cent
HARTLEPOOL United manager Chris Turner has joined the ever-growing band of managers to be frustrated by the influence of agents, writes Nick Loughlin. Turner freed nine players at the end of last season and is aiming to bring in three players - a right-back
A SUCCESSFUL decorating course has proved so popular that it has been extended. The course called Old Furniture Into New started with the donation of some old chairs, which have since been transformed by the women taking part. The course is run by Linda
ONE of a town's leading citizens from the last century has been honoured with a commemorative plaque. And another eminent figure is due to be recognised in the same way today. A plaque in honour of Amos Hinton was unveiled by his great-grandson, Patrick
Darlington has its second lottery winner within a week. Former plant operator Barry Moss, 57, of Darlington, County Durham, scooped £7.5 million in Saturday's draw. And in a remarkable co-incidence the great grandfather today revealed that his partner
THE chairman of Durham and Darlington Health Authority has taken up a new post. Dr John Marshall left the authority on June 30 to become regional appointments commissioner in the new NHS Appointments Commission. The commission has collective responsibility
A PAEDIATRICIAN is hoping the plight of millions of untreated disabled children in India will move people to join a support group. The Indian Children's Medical Trust was recently formed to provide the sub-continent's first rehabilitation and treatment
DERELICT cemetery buildings that attract vandals look likely to be demolished. Middlesbrough Borough Council is this week expected to approve the demolition of the toilet block at Acklam cemetery and the North Ormesby Lodge building. The toilet block
ONE of the country's longest-serving barmaids has celebrated her 80th birthday - but she has no intention of calling time just yet. Daisy Frost has worked at the Yorkshire Hussar Inn at Markington, near Ripon, for 56 years. When she started there they
RESIDENTS are likely to be asked to vote for their preferred method of local government by post. In the latest stage of consultations on the future government of Middlesbrough, members of the council's cabinet will be asked to approve a postal ballot.
POLICE have urged animal owners to be extra vigilant after an 18-month-old cat was shot as it played in its owners' garden. Timmy the tabby was shot in the back with an air rifle yesterday. The pellet was lodged just a few millimetres from the cat's spine
THE world's first tilting bridge is being showcased in an exhibition of the best of British design. Gateshead's Millennium Bridge across the River Tyne has been chosen by the Design Council as one of the top 100 innovative designs in its Great Expectations
THE classic tale of Peter Pan inspired a group of Guides to create a musical show. The 2nd Bishop Auckland Guides are staging the production at St Anne's School, today. The Guides have been rehearsing Kathryn Brennan's script for eight weeks as part of
A 39-YEAR-OLD is recovering in Darlington Memorial Hospital after being assaulted in his home. The man, from John Street, Shildon, suffered serious facial injuries in the early hours of last Friday morning. A 35-year-old woman has been arrested and questioned
A 39-YEAR-OLD is recovering in Darlington Memorial Hospital after being assaulted in his home. The man, from John Street, Shildon, suffered serious facial injuries in the early hours of last Friday morning. A 35-year-old woman has been arrested and questioned
ENTERPRISING students have reaped rewards for charity and their school. Three pupils at Shildon's Sunnydale School set up a business called Shildon Steamers after taking part in the Business Incentive Scheme, a national competition run by the children's
CONSUMER watchdogs have warned about a chain letter circulating in the Hartlepool area. The letter asks the recipient to send £1 to the people named in the letter, add their name to the list and then send out updated copies of the letter to 200 new people
Andrew Chalmers is a single-minded youngster. The 14-year-old has decided to ditch the usual boys' favourite BMX cycle and skateboard in favour of a unicycle. Andrew, from Piercebridge, near Darlington, took only an hour to master the notoriously tricky
THEATREGOERS will have to pay more in future to see one of the region's oldest amateur acting companies. Sunderland's Royalty Theatre has been forced to push up the cost of tickets because its growing turnover in the last few years has taken it beyond
MORE than 2,000 people marched through the streets at the weekend to protest at plans to build a bail hostel. The Probation Service hopes to build a 25-bed hostel on land at Picktree Lane, Chester-le-Street. Protestors claim the hostel would lead to an
A TOWN is bracing itself for 250 job losses. US-owned electronics company, American Power Conversion, bought Advance Power last year, but now plans to close its plant in Wetherby Road, Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire, on October 3. The firm is reducing
STAFF at a nursing home have reacted angrily to proposals to open a funeral parlour next door. Stockton Borough Council has received an application from the North-Eastern Co-op to change the town's Carlton car showroom, in Norton Road, into a funeral
COMEDIAN Rowan Atkinson last night denied that the curse of Mr Bean had returned to haunt him after he walked away unhurt from a high-speed motor racing smash. In a scene reminiscent of the accident-prone TV character, the star crashed his Aston Martin
A WILDLIFE organisation hit by the foot-and-mouth crisis has launched an emergency appeal for funds. Durham Wildlife Trust could lose up to £20,000 due to the restrictions and is also experiencing difficulties managing its nature reserves. Chief executive
PUPILS took part in a cooking competition to find out more about the benefits of healthy living. Year 7 and 8 pupils at Ryton Comprehensive School, Gateshead, battled it out for the title Cook of the Year. The winner was 12-year-old Ashleigh Stevenson
A NEW NHS hospital is so short of space that talks are being held with a private hospital group to find a way of increasing bed numbers. The brand new University Hospital of North Durham opened its doors to patients only three months ago, replacing the
A NEW NHS hospital is so short of space that talks are being held with a private hospital group to find a way of increasing bed numbers. The brand new University Hospital of North Durham opened its doors to patients only three months ago, replacing the
THE HMS Trincomalee provided the setting for this year's Mayor's Sunday service in Hartlepool. The Mayor, Councillor Doug Ferriday, invited everyone in the town to attend the service and watch a parade led by the South Durham Pipes and Drum Band. Free
IT was billed as an unforgettable two days for British sport - but by last night, it had turned into one of the blackest weekends in our sporting history. In a depressing hat-trick of failure, our players were beaten on the tennis court, the cricket pitch
A JUICY pitch, a cloudy day and a low-scoring match would not exactly be what Durham's Simon Brown had in mind when he chose yesterday's visit of Glamorgan as his benefit match. But at least there was drama and the right result as Durham edged home by
THE crew of one of Britain's warships enjoyed the freedom of its adopted city on Saturday. Crowds watched as sailors from HMS York marched through the the city, led by the Band of HM Royal Marines Scotland. The ship's crew paraded at York Minster and
Goran Ivanisevic today made his Wimbledon dream come true in a sensational five-set win against Pat Rafter. The Croatian hitman, 29, pulled off one of the most stunning sporting comebacks of all time by conquering Rafter 6-3 3-6 6-3 2-6 9-7 in a three-hour
ACTION has been promised to tackle the mystery floods around a tiny North-East village which just will not go away. Huge pools of water have built up around the edges of Bishop Middleham, near Sedgefield, County Durham, during the past two years. The
POLICE have urged pet owners to be extra vigilant after an 18-month-old cat was shot in its owners' garden. Timmy the tabby was shot in the back with an air rifle yesterday. The pellet lodged a few millimetres from his spine, and owners Louise Potter
THE view from High Row today is a rather pleasant one. The bus shelters are topped with blooms and the lamp-posts are decorated with eye-catching floral displays. Darlington is gearing up for its bid to win the Best Small City title in the Britain in
PLANS to roll out an over-50s volunteering initiative to cover a whole town have won councillors' approval. Middlesbrough Borough Council will continue to fund the scheme in Beckfield ward, Brambles Farm and Thorntree as well as expanding it to cover
COUNCIL officials are taking legal advice over the development of a golf club which has been left unfinished for more than four years. In April 1996, planning permission was granted for a club-house, bars and restaurant and pro-shop to be built at the
THEATREGOERS will have to pay more in future to see one of the region's oldest amateur acting companies. Sunderland's Royalty Theatre has been forced to push up the cost of tickets because its growing turnover in the last few years has taken it beyond
FORMER Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Mark Hudspith has been forced to withdraw from the World Championships marathon in Canada next month. The 31-year-old Morpeth Harrier, who was chosen to represent Great Britain in Edmonton after finishing second
A POLICE officer who launched an unprovoked street attack on a young mother as she walked home has been allowed to keep his job. The Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Police has apologised to 22-year-old Kelly Watts and paid her £1,500 compensation following
MORE than 200 quoits enthusiasts gathered at a North-East museum over the weekend. Beamish Museum hosted the two-day 2001 World Championship Quoits matches. Quoits is an ancient game, thought to date back to Roman times, and has been growing in popularity
A COLLEGE has announced plans to launch its own men's football academy for the start of the new season. New College Durham took the decision after the men's football team reached the semi-finals of the national Colleges' Cup competition. The academy will
HIGH in the hills a secret garden has been taking shape. The transformation at Bowes, in Teesdale, is the latest entry in Making A Difference, an annual competition run by The Northern Echo and sponsored by the regional development agency, One NorthEast
SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC TWO adjoining news items (Echo, July 4) made interesting thoughts about justice, how blind it can be. One was about Barry George who was found guilty of murdering Jill Dando. The jury was not to know of his previous conviction because
AMID the wailing of sports fans and the gnashing of their teeth, is there any hope to be found in the nation's lost weekend? Well, yes - although admittedly it is only a glimmer. Tim Henman, despite losing yesterday's rain-delayed Wimbledon semi-final
ORGANISERS of Thirsk Festival hailed the carnival a success, despite changes to events caused by the local outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. About 3,000 people attended events organised by the Rotary Club on Sowerby Flatts on Saturday to see a vintage
Last Summer When Our Countryside Was Open On my walk I took my daughter's dog, Dukey, A big black Lab, Oh what a beauty! On behind the factory, down the old railway line Sadly overgrown by the passage of time. On down the lane, a wondrous sight, A thousand
THE regeneration of a town centre may not get under way for 15 months following the collapse of a deal between a council and a developer. Stockton Borough Council's preferred developers, WD Limited, were chosen in 1999 to refurbish Thornaby town centre
UNEMPLOYMENT in Stockton has fallen in the last year and is less than most other town's in the Tees Valley. At the end of May, there was 5.7 per cent unemployment in Stockton, compared to 7.3 per cent in Hartlepool, seven per cent in Middlesbrough, and
A CYCLIST is to embark on a coast-to-coast trip in memory of his girlfriend, who died earlier this year. Graham Marshall, 39, and his friend Ian Storey, 32, from Spennymoor, plan to cycle 142 miles from Whitehaven to Sunderland in 12 hours on Friday,
A 15-year-old has been charged with manslaughter after a County Durham family man was killed in a city centre fracas at the weekend. Former miner John Jobson, from Horden, near Peterlee, died in hospital after collapsing in a street in Salford, Greater
THE worst fears of farmers in one of the region's leading agricultural areas were confirmed during the weekend when foot-and-mouth disease spread to a further three farms. Farmers in the Vale of York had been braced for the worst after the disease was
A CHARITY has put out an urgent appeal for people to help raise guide dogs of the future. The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association is seeking volunteers from Darlington, Middlesbrough, Northallerton and Thirsk to become puppy walkers. Involved in the
HUNGRY rail passengers in the region have been promised an end to the days of soggy burgers if they want a quick snack on the move. From today, GNER are throwing the old microwave railway burgers in the bin and replacing them with a tasty replacement.
ARTILLERY techniques used on one of the bloodiest battlefields of the First World War will come under the spotlight on Saturday. Peter Hart, the Imperial War Museum's oral historian, will give a talk, Guns of Passchendaele, at the Durham Light Infantry
DRUGS and cash worth almost £20,000 have been recovered following a series of police raids. Five search warrants were executed in the Stockton area on Friday night by the police district drugs unit, CID, the community policing teams and the drug dog unit
A COLLECTION of portraits spanning half a century went on display this weekend. The exhibition, which opened at Darlington Arts Centre's Myles Meehan Gallery on Saturday, features works by local and national artists. The portraits belong to Darlington
VINTAGE cars from across the region were brought together for a classic rally this weekend. The car park of the Big W store in Stockton was full of cars and other machines for the event, organised by the Northern Vintage Transport Association. The event
A 39-YEAR-OLD is recovering in Darlington Memorial Hospital after being assaulted in his home. The man, from John Street, Shildon, suffered serious facial injuries in the early hours of last Friday morning. A 35-year-old woman has been arrested and questioned
A MAN died following a car crash yesterday. The man, who has not been identified but is thought to be in his 30s and local, was driving a grey Toyota Celica which was found in a hedgerow between the fire station and Colburn Back Lane on the Catterick
AN 18-month programme to refurbish the Ayresome Gardens, in Middlesbrough, has been completed at a cost of £200,000. The Mayor of Middlesbrough, Councillor Patricia Walker, officially opened the new-look gardens at a gala day at the weekend. The gardens
ALBERT Smith felt a searing rush of pain along the length of his spine as he bent down to help his wife Lona off the gound. She had tripped and fallen off the kerb and he had run to her rescue. But to his bewilderment, he couldn't get himself back into
A GROUP of fundraisers has given a helping hand to a rescue service suffering from the foot-and-mouth crisis. The Soroptimists International of Cleveland raised £150 for the Cleveland Search and Rescue Team, which has had £8,000 less income this year,
TEESSIDERS are being asked to show their support for an international event by providing beds for musicians. Organisers of the Teesside International Eisteddfod, which takes place from July 21 to 26, are asking people to repeat their generosity of previous
Darlington has its second lottery winner within a week. Former plant operator Barry Moss, 57, of Darlington, County Durham, scooped £7.5 million in Saturday's draw. And in a remarkable co-incidence the great grandfather today revealed that his partner
PLACES have been snapped up on County Durham's free computer skills training courses. The courses were fully booked within days of getting under way at Annfield Plain, Pelton, Ferryhill, Spennymoor and Willington libraries. So far, about 40 people are
A TROPICAL paradise, complete with home-grown exotic fruit, will soon be open in the region. Rare cacti, grapes and bananas will be grown in a giant £2m hydroponicum at Nature's World, in Acklam, Middlesbrough. A hydroponicum is an enormous greenhouse
A GROUP of youngsters got their hands dirty when they helped to plant wildflowers in the next stage of a waste project. Pupils from Oak Tree Primary School, Stockton, helped Tees Valley Wildlife Trust sow a mix of wildflower seeds into areas at Maze Park
ATHLETE Pat Kirby ran away with The Northern Echo Cook of the Year title yesterday. Pat, from South Kilvington, near Thirsk, was voted the winner of the competition after cooking against the clock and three other competitors, at the Blackwell Grange Hotel
A DISABLED man from Darlington has won a gold medal at the National Wheelchair Championships. John Appleton, 54, who suffers from muscular dystrophy, won through to the finals of the bowls pairs section at the championships in Cardiff. With his partner
CONSUMERS should now find it easier to get advice about their rights. Durham County Council's Consumer Services is one of six counties taking part in a new drive launched by the Northern Counties Trading Standards Group. The initiative will ensure that
A LEADING school is hoping to become the first in the region to win new self-governing status. Governors at Ripon College, North Yorkshire, have voted to adopt Foundation Status from next April, which means they will take control of their staff's pay,
TWENTY people were arrested after partygoers set fire to a line of parked cars. The incident happened at 10.30pm on Saturday when revellers left a private party on the Eastgate Estate in Choppington, Northumberland and set fire to several cars which were
MORE than 40,000 people braved a blustery weekend to watch Britain's biggest kite festival. The Sunderland International Kite Festival, which started in 1986, is now one of the best-known in the world. Each year, it attracts thousands of visitors, who
COUNCIL chiefs have confirmed that they will not take any action to step up security at an industrial estate plagued by travellers earlier this year. Travellers who arrived at the Leeming Bar industrial estate, North Yorkshire, in May, caus-ed thousands
A NEW website is making information about health issues more accessible to the public. The Newcastle and North Tyneside Health site at www.nnt.nhs.uk means everything from health strategies to hospital maps is available at the click of a button. The site
A FORMER prison garden looks set to be converted into a housing estate, despite objections from neighbours. HM Prison Service has applied to Hambleton District Council for outline consent to turn its former prison garden, in Northallerton, into a housing
PARENTS, pupils and teachers joined forces at the weekend to raise money for an adventure playground. A fun day was held at Golden Flatts Primary School, in Hartlepool, to raise money for a play area at the school. The day was organised by the Golden
A PROMISING sporting teen-ager, paralysed in a car accident, has pledged to go back to college to study sport this summer. Jon Robert Collingwood, 17, was due to sign for Hartlepool United as a youth team goalkeeper when the car in which he was a passenger
A CYCLIST is to embark on a coast-to-coast trip in memory of his girlfriend, who died earlier this year. Graham Marshall, 39, and his friend Ian Storey, 32, from Spennymoor, plan to cycle 142 miles from Whitehaven to Sunderland in 12 hours on Friday,
MUSIC filled the streets of two towns this weekend as they celebrated their summer carnivals. Crook Carnival returned to the streets for the first time in 20 years on Saturday, when the town's community partnership recreated the festive atmosphere last
COUNTRYSIDE chiefs hope to lift the blanket closure on footpaths imposed at the start of the foot-and-mouth outbreak by the beginning of next week. Work on opening paths in north and east County Durham is virtually complete and is well under way in Weardale
A DOCTOR has condemned services at a North-East hospital as "on the edge of breakdown" after a seriously ill patient had an appointment delayed three times in a year. Dr Andy Dawson, of the General Medical Centre, in Hartlepool, wrote to the chief executive
CHILDREN from a North Yorkshire school have been given an insight into the lives of others not as fortunate as themselves. The youngsters from Colburn Primary had already done their bit towards improving the lot of children lucky enough to be given a
A MUSICAL picnic in the park is poised to become an annual feature of a North-East village after a highly successful inaugural event. Saturday's event at Hurworth, near Darlington, attracted nearly 1,000 flag-waving people, enjoying an evening of world-class
THE Prince's Trust is looking for 30 young musicians to take part in a residential course. Free places are being offered to 18 to 25-year-old unemployed people from the North-East to help develop their music skills. There will be two courses, taking place
ACTION has been promised to tackle the mystery floods around a tiny North-East village which just will not go away. Huge pools of water have built up around the edges of Bishop Middleham, near Sedgefield, County Durham, during the past two years. The
HOT PANTS: A new invention could bring instant relief for women who suffer from monthly misery. A Swedish inventor has come up with self-heating knickers which contain a gel that can retain heat for up to half-an-hour. Anyone who has tried to get comfortable
ONE of the North-East's leading charity workers has died from a suspected heart attack. Walter Wilkinson, 49, an Independent Methodist Minister, died at his home in Spennymoor, County Durham, on Saturday night. He founded the North-East Helpline Trust
STAFF from the coffee shop at Darlington railway station ditched their fashion sense for a day to raise money for charity. The staff turned out in a rag-bag collection of clothes in aid of children's charity The Railway Children, which helps to support
YOUNG adventurer Jonathan Haigh will not be relaxing during his pre-university gap year. The 19-year-old, from Sadberge, near Darlington, will be taking part in the biggest challenge of his life. Jonathan, who begins a degree in biological studies at
COUNCIL officials are taking legal advice over the development of a golf club which has been left unfinished for more than four years. In April 1996, planning permission was granted for a club-house, bars and restaurant and pro-shop to be built at the
HEALTH worries have caused a council to refuse an application to build a mobile phone tower on farm land. BT Cellnet sought to put up a 15m lattice tower, nine antennae, communication dishes and equipment cabin at Three Gates Farm, Dalton Piercy, near
A policeman has been voted the bravest officer in the region. PC Keith Stonley, from Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, took the title at the national awards in London, after rescuing a suicidal man who threatened to jump off a bridge. The officer, who works
THE father of a six-year-old boy who went missing is hunting for the mystery man who ensured the youngster's safe return. Fears had mounted for six-year-old Joe McCabe from the Starbeck area of Harrogate who was missing for more than an hour. Now, his
A POLICE officer who launched an unprovoked street attack on a young mother as she walked home has been allowed to keep his job. The Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Police has apologised to 22-year-old Kelly Watts and paid her £1,500 compensation following
DETECTIVES are hunting for a teenager after a quiet family man was killed in a city centre fracas as he enjoyed a drink before a boxing match Former miner John Jobson, from Horden, near Peterlee in County Durham, died in hospital after collapsing in a
DESPITE the continued spread of foot-and-mouth disease across North Yorkshire, a long distance walk has been re-opened in the county. Ramblers can now undertake the walk, which combines the Cleveland Way and Wolds Way National Trails. The route covers
The Government today launched a crackdown on unruly pupils and their violent parents. Disruptive pupils could face anger management classes while their mums and dads may be forced to attend parenting courses. Education Secretary Estelle Morris has responded
NORTH-EAST counties did themselves proud at the English Schools Championships in Exeter, returning with three gold, ten silver and four bronze medals. The smallest of the three counties from the region - Cleveland - had two winners in long-jumper with
AFTER two years of redevelopment and construction a new museum and garden complex will open its doors to the public this month. Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens is the centrepiece of the £13m Mowbray Gardens Scheme. Mowbray Park, which was destroyed
