It was a display of sheer will and determination to celebrate the lives of their two beautiful daughters. From the moment the Chapman and Wells families went into Ely Cathedral - walking together, talking and supporting each other - to the end of the
TWO of the region's communities have been compared to cultural Meccas, such as Paris and New York, in a top US magazine. Influential American publication Newsweek yesterday described Newcastle and Gateshead as "new centres of cultural vitality". The pair
STARS from Dean Martin to Marilyn Manson will be brought to life in a special tribute concert tonight. Performers aged from seven to 72 from across the region will be on stage for the Stars In Your Eyes event, in the civic hall, Stanley, County Durham
DISGRUNTLED campaigners who still believe disgraced surgeon Richard Neale should have been prosecuted are to meet senior police officers. Patients say it may be the last opportunity for North Yorkshire Police to stave off an official complaint about the
SOUTH American star Tino Asprilla brought an end to the most remarkable transfer saga in North-East football history yesterday when he finally turned his back on Darlington FC. And, as he boarded an early morning British Airways flight to Gatwick and
PLANS to develop a derelict cement works as a centre for renewable energy are being taken very seriously by a task force charged with regenerating a job-starved dale. One of the ideas under consideration is exploiting energy from "hot rocks" lying under
FOUR youths have been arrested in connection with the murder of a man who tried to stop thieves taking his car. Glynn Ellis, of Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, died on Tuesday after he was confronted by a gang of people who attempted to steal his Ford
A CITY centre was brought to a standstill and hundreds of shoppers and workers were evacuated after an historic building began to collapse. The Georgian building, in the centre of Newcastle's Grainger Town, will now have to be demolished after it was
A NEW £1m youth club has dispelled the image of tatty and under-funded clubs once and for all. Instead of torn snooker tables and faded dart boards, Thornaby's new £1m club - called The Youthy - has a free Internet caf, 20ft climbing frame and big screen
COAL production at Britain's oldest mine ended yesterday. Mining operations at the Prince of Wales colliery in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, have been gradually phased out over the past eight months and yesterday some of the 450 miners who used to work
Evenwood will return to the top of the table if they win at Brandon today. Current leaders Kimblesworth have a free day and the destination of the championship is very much in the hands of Evenwood, who will finish in pole position if they take 43 points
A FATHER falsely branded a paedophile in a series of anonymous leaflets allegedly distributed by a businessman who wanted to buy his fish farm told a court how he spent sleepless nights trying to protect his family. Sidney Boulter bought the property
Ailing channel ITV is hoping for a saviour to bring their ratings back up and Channel 5's Dawn Airey could be just the woman for the job. ITV's new ratings hope I'm A Celebrity - Get Me Out Of Here began this week, stripped across the schedules for two
JAILED charity worker Ian Stillman has made a personal plea to Tony Blair to help free him from a life of hell in an Indian prison. In a letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Stillman urged him to request a full legal pardon from the Indian authorities and
A GIRL who only took up golfing four years ago has won a major national competition. Anna Scott, 16, was crowned under-16s champion at the Golf Foundation Weetabix Age Group Championship 2002 Grand Final at the Marriott Forest of Arden Golf and Country
POUNDSTRETCHER operator Brown & Jackson has agreed to sell its loss-making retailing chains to its biggest shareholder for £1. The Leeds-based discount group wants to focus on its leading Poundstretcher brand after tumbling into the red in the past
A HAVE-A-GO hero died of a heart attack after chasing a group of teenagers who tormented his family. Lorry driver Jim Bell, 51, collapsed and died at his home just a few hours after he tried to catch the youngsters. His wife, Valerie, 57, is blaming the
MICK Tait insists Darlington's players have not been affected by yesterday's news that Tino Asprilla won't be moving to Feethams. Asprilla yesterday reneged on his proposed move to the Quakers, but the players and management have rallied round to brush
KNOWING the nature of Niall Quinn, the handshake he proferred Roy Keane was well-intentioned. Whether Keane saw it that way is a different matter. Sir Alex Ferguson certainly didn't. As his bellicose skipper made another shameful red-card exit from a
JOSEPH Job thought his career at Middlesbrough was all over earlier this year and he would never kick a ball for them again. The tricky striker was farmed out on loan to French side Metz by manager Steve McClaren, who was hoping to rid the club of the
AMBITIOUS proposals to build a £19m National Army Museum in the region have suffered a huge setback. The Northern Echo exclusively revealed earlier this year that Army chiefs had chosen Marne Barracks, at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, as the ideal
I AM sure the people of Weardale are, like me, appalled at the suggestions for the future of the now closed Eastgate cement works amounting to nothing more than daffodil growing and bee keeping. These interests may be worthy, but are hardly adequate for
AFTER all the recent sunshine and warm balmy evenings, we've been thrown right into the deepest troughs of depressive weather conditions. Cold winds, lashing rain, mean and moody clouds, thunderstorms and even hail. Add to this the first tinges of yellow
SIMMERING tensions in a North-East city threatened to spill over into violence as marchers found themselves in standoff with police at the scene of a racially-motivated murder yesterday. Hundreds of protestors bearing flowers and posters had come to pay
GARETH SOUTHGATE last night admitted he is determined to put his World Cup disappointments behind him. The Middlesbrough defender did not kick a ball in anger for England during their Far East adventure this summer. And Southgate revealed that he never
THERE may have been a population explosion in Stalling Busk. At 2.30pm last Sunday it's put at 12; two hours later the estimate has risen to 17. It will in either case be appreciated that Stalling Busk - pronounced as in dolling, or possibly lolling,
CONSIDERING Ripon is such a superb venue for horse racing it's sad to see their season end before summer is even officially over. But at least the final fixture of the year at the stunning North Yorkshire course has attracted some decent sized fields,
Hylton could wrap up the championship if they win at Seaham Park today. They are 20 points ahead of Peterlee with just two matches and 40 points to play for and look certain to celebrate for the first time in almost 40 years. It was in 1964 that they
A SENIOR clergyman admitted yesterday that internal troubles at a crisis-hit cathedral could only be solved by the resignation of its dean. The Bishop of Knaresborough, the Right Reverend Frank Weston, spoke out before today's deadline for the congregation
CAMPAIGNERS who are angry at the length of time patients have to wait for pain relief are holding a recruitment drive in the region. Despite calls for improvements, many patients in excruciating pain are forced to wait for months before they can see a
ONLY the hardest heart will find no room for sympathy this morning for George Reynolds. A man of the world he may be, who has crammed more into his 66 years of life than nearly all of us will manage, but he still has a childlike naivet about him. For
Table-topping Wolviston, the only unbeaten side, start firm favourites against out-of-sorts Cleadon SC who have conceded 34 goals in six outings 2 including 17 in the last week. Centre-back Simon Felstead is doubtful with a calf injury but midfielder
A PENSIONER believes she can solve the mystery of a box of old books, papers and medals found in the loft of a North-East house. Earlier this week, The Northern Echo reported how Chris Leonard, from Darlington, found a box containing documents including
With just six points separating leaders Saltburn from Darlington and Guisborough waiting in the wings, the championship is still all to play for. Unexpected results and intermittent inclement weather have combined to produce the most exciting climax to
GEORGE Reynolds last night revealed his determination to put the Tino Asprilla saga behind him - by bringing top players to Darlington. As Asprilla left Reynolds and the club's supporters in the lurch when he flew out of the North-East and straight into
Five years ago, Diana, Princess of Wales died in a car crash in Paris. On the anniversary of her death, Women's Editor Christen Pears asks whether we have begun to forget her. SHE was the People's Princess, our Queen of Hearts, and we would never forget
CHRIS Turner last night stressed the importance of Hartlepool United's next five fixtures. Pool go to Oxford today, the first of a testing period which also includes a derby with Darlington at Victoria Park on September 14. They also go to Swansea next
IT was so audacious, it was simply unbelievable. Colourful was a word which followed Tino Asprilla around the world, from his native Colombia, where he was arrested for a firearms offence, and to Italy, where he wrote off four sports cars. His languid
WHEN we think of the summer of 2002, two names will always dominate our thoughts: Holly and Jessica - two ordinary yet beautiful little girls, unthinkably lost to the world. Last night's service in their memory was a coming together of sadness and joy
Yorkshire step out against Somerset at Lord's today hoping that the figure 33 will prove to be just as significant as it did last season when they became County Champions for the first time since 1968. Now they are desperate to win the Cheltenham and
The Kidderminster Harriers matchday programme editor was clearly expecting at least one change to Darlington's line-up as a certain Columbian forward was named amongst the team line-ups in Saturday's edition for the game at Aggborough. Because of that
TOWERING Tore Andre Flo last night revealed how a call to Sunderland midfielder Claudio Reyna helped clinch his club record move to Wearside. Norway striker Flo played alongside Reyna at Rangers for almost a year before the United States World Cup skipper
IT was so audacious, it was simply unbelievable. Colourful was a word which followed Tino Asprilla around the world, from his native Colombia, where he was arrested for a firearms offence, and to Italy, where he wrote off four sports cars. His languid
FOR Gordon Watson, Saturday was a day to remember in the company of his families. First up, there was three-year-old Callum Watson leading out Hartlepool United as mascot. And he proved a lucky mascot as dad Gordon - in front of the watching Watson clan
NEWCASTLE Falcons face a stern test of their home-grown policy when they kick off their Zurich Premiership campaign at home to Wasps tomorrow. Although Wasps have Wales scrum half Rob Howley on board, and Lawrence Dallaglio back from injury, these two
ANTE-POST punters seeking clues as to the outcome of next year's Classic races could do worse than take a long hard look at this afternoon's Group 3 Solario Stakes at Sandown. The seven furlong contest is jam-packed with two-year-old talent, none more
DURHAM yesterday confirmed that South African paceman Dewald Pretorius will be their second overseas player next season. Having already retained Queensland batsman Martin Love, they moved quickly to secure Pretorius, who has played in one Test, against
PETER REID has warned striking talisman Kevin Phillips that the arrivals of Tore Andre Flo and Marcus Stewart mean he is no longer guaranteed a place in Sunderland's starting line-up. Phillips is set to form a new partnership with club record signing
ENVIRONMENTAL campaigners were last night at loggerheads over plans to upgrade the road dubbed the most dangerous in Britain. The Northern Echo revealed last week how the Government is to press ahead with a dual carriageway upgrade for the A66. The 50
A REPUTABLE taxi firm has pulled out of the running for £100,000 worth of school run contracts rather than ask its drivers to undergo stringent new police checks. Darlington's 1AB Taxis has withdrawn from ten contracts with Darlington Borough Council
Organisations which help people to improve their skills to win work have been given a funding boost. The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) County Durham is making an initial £300,000 of funding available as part of a £7m programme backed by the European
JESPER Blomqvist took a parting shot at Middlesbrough last night after opting to join Charlton Athletic. The Swedish winger had been expected to sign a 12-month contract at the Riverside after spending over a month with Steve McClaren's men. But, with
Q My sister of 82 has been paying her care home fees of £2,500 a month out of her savings. Now these savings have reduced to £17,000 is there not some help available with the costs? A Once savings go below £19,000, social services can help. If the home
DARLINGTON stages two big rugby matches today, when Mowden Park open their National Three North campaign against Tynedale, while their neighbours at Blackwell Meadows face West Park St Helens in the preliminary round of the Powergen Cup. Mowden have had
CLICK Em Inn is probably the greatest name for a pub in the history of the county. It sounds like the sort of place where a policeman who was over-enthusiastic with the handcuffs would have had a stool reserved for him at the bar. The inn is now a farm
