IT was on the night of August 24, 1942 that 20-year-old flight engineer Peter Squires took to the skies for a raid on the German city of Frankfurt. He and his six fellow crewmen were on their way back to England when their Lancaster bomber was shot down
WITH their side losing 3-0 to Chelsea, it was somewhat ironic that the Stamford Bridge tannoy announcer warned Newcastle's fans to expect no service on the District Line because of problems with the track. They had grown accustomed to no service after
A MOTOR dealership was transformed into a beauty parlour for one night only - in the name of charity. Sherwoods, in Chesnut Street, Darlington, converted its Vauxhall showroom to stage the Estee Lauder event and more than 80 people attended, raising a
STUDENTS were given expert advice for the future as they prepare to enter the worlds of work or further education. Longfield School, in Darlington, held an information evening last week for year 11 students and their parents. Representatives of the town's
BUDDING recruits were put through their paces by some of the toughest troops in the world as the Royal Marines paid a visit. Fifteen boys and girls from Darlington College of Technology were given an insight into life as a commando and were put to the
VOLUNTEERS have pledged to continue their efforts to stop fly-tippers ruining a rural environment. Heighington Parish Litter Group said it collected more than 40 bags of rubbish in two hours on its latest clean-up operation. Fifteen volunteers tackled
POLICE have made arrests as part of an operation to crackdown on vehicle crime in the run up to Christmas. Recent figures show an average of five cars are broken into every day in Darlington. Operation Caesar aims to reduce this number by deploying a
HONEYMOON tribulations were cast aside as soap favourite Les Battersby appeared with screen wife, Cilla, to switch on Durham's lights last night. Loud cheers greeted the arrival of the infamous Coronation Street couple on a specially-erected stage in
AN exercise class to encourage older people to get active is being introduced across Darlington. Get Everyone Motivated (Gem) is a series of gentle exercise classes for people over 50 that was set up by Darlington Borough Council's warden services eight
Assistant curate, the Reverend Malcolm Jackson, will lead a special service at St Nicholas's Church - the parish church of Guisborough - to remember all those worldwide who have died from HIV/Aids or are infected, on Thursday, December 1, at 7.30pm.
TWO apprentices are celebrating after winning awards in recognition of their contribution to the joinery trade. Stephen Spour and Luke Pritchard, who are apprentices in the joinery division of construction company the MMP Group, received accolades at
DETECTIVES carrying out a murder-style investigation into the three-year mystery of a missing former miner are continuing inquiries in his home village. Edward Donnelly was last seen at the home he shared with his sister Frances in Sacriston, County Durham
BISHOP Auckland MP Helen Goodman stepped into the ring as she paid a visit to a boxing club. Ms Goodman was shown around Spennymoor Boxing Academy's headquarters at Spennymoor Leisure Centre on Saturday. The MP spoke to young members of the club and looked
THE future of the chemical industry comes under the microscope at a conference this week. UK Government officials will join representatives from leading chemical companies in Britain and delegates from the continent, on Teesside, to look at European regulations
THE first Briton to climb the world's 14 highest mountains will be honoured by civic dignitaries, MPs and climbers in Newton Aycliffe on Sunday. Mountaineer Alan Hinkes will attend a reception at Aycliffe Leisure Centre organised by Sedgefield Borough
YOUNG binge-drinkers are being targeted by a campaign that will be launched in South-West Durham and Darlington this week. The Nightsafe campaign is a joint initiative by the Darlington, Sedgefield and Wear and Tees Community Partnerships. It will target
THE first step towards the construction of a Teesdale market town's £10m community hospital has begun. Demolition work has begun at the Teesdale Health Centre in Victoria Road, Barnard Castle, which is being cleared to make way for the new Richardson
THE cost of repairing a fire-hit service station has been estimated at £500,000. All four businesses on the site of Middleton Service Station, in Middleton, near Pickering, lost all their stock in the November 8 fire. The premises will all have to be
THE husband of murdered rookie police officer Sharon Beshenivsky last night branded her killers "cowards". Paul Beshenivsky said the armed raiders who gunned down his wife - and her colleague, Teresa Milburn - during a robbery in Bradford city centre,
A BUSINESSMAN claims a U-turn by council chiefs has cost him £10,000 - and a potential property sale. Two-and-a-half years ago, Middlesbrough Mayor Ray Mallon said the Empire nightclub - a former music hall, next door to the town hall - could play a key
THE public is invited to join a tree-planting event in the grounds of secondary school later this week. Pupils from all five year groups will be planting saplings in land surrounding Easington Community School, in Stockton Road, Easington Village, County
THE life of a miner who earned acclaim as a naturalist, conservationist and artist has been celebrated in his home village. A four-day exhibition on Bob Lofthouse has attracted wide interest in the small former mining community of Ludworth, east of Durham
SENIOR officers will be on hand to be quizzed about crime levels and general policing at a public meeting later this month. Chief Superintendent Alan Curry will be among panel members discussing policing issues for the Barley Mow and Birtley areas, between
An inmate has died while on remand in prison on burglary charges, the Home Office said today. Parema Rathnam Poonan was on remand in HMP Holme House in Stockton on Tees when he was found on Sunday morning. The 33-year-old was found in his cell at 5.40am
CONVENT GARDEN, trained by Crook-based handler Howard Johnson and part-owned by Magpies legend, Alan Shearer, was the easy winner of the Children In Need Handicap Hurdle at Aintree yesterday. "Howard has done a great job getting Covent Garden so fit after
DOG lovers are being asked to give a home to two mastiffs. Five-year-old Neopolitan mastiff, Sooty, and four-year-old cross, Goldie, have been living with Joanne Piper at her home in Catterick since March, after their elderly owner died. She got the dogs
A SCIENTIST'S dream of developing a practical early warning test for skin cancer becomes reality this week. Two years ago Mark Birch-Machin, an expert on skin cancer at Newcastle University, revealed that he had developed the world's first DNA test for
A church was illuminated by new floodlights last night. Thirsk Town Council has provided the lights for St Mary's Church, which were switched on by town mayor, Janet Marshall. The event followed the official switch on of Thirsk's Christmas lights, at
A TEENAGE cyclist who has only been in the saddle competitively for a year has caught the eye of national coaches. Josh Miers, 15, from Ainderby Steeple, near Northallerton, came second in his age group in the National Hill Climb Champions, in Lancashire
RURAL businesses are battling for the honour of being named the top firm in the North-East. The Countryside Alliance has selected the regional finalists for its annual Best Rural Retailer competition. Dozens of nominations were received for the North-East
SQUEAKY clean Jimmy Osmond earned a ticking off for breaking the rules on the first day of I'm A Celebrity - Get Me Out of Here! The 42-year-old Mormon singer was upbraided for smuggling salt and pepper into the jungle inside his teddy bear. More drama
A DELIGHTED Steve McClaren last night hailed summer buy Aiyegbeni Yakubu as 'awesome' after the Nigerian turned on the style to lead a Middlesbrough revival. The £7.5m buy from Portsmouth never stopped running at the Fulham defence, wreaking havoc as
THE future of the chemical industry comes under the microscope at a conference this week. UK Government officials will join representatives from leading chemical companies in Britain and delegates from the continent, on Teesside, to look at European regulations
DEVON RUBY (1.30) could prove a proper little gem for punters prepared to chance their arm and support the North Yorkshire-trained outsider at Southwell today. Ann Duffield has enjoyed a vintage season with her two-year-olds and the fun hasn't stopped
DRINKERS enjoying a Saturday night out at a local pub may be able to help trace a knife-wielding robber who terrorised shop staff during a late-night raid. Police are hunting the armed robber who escaped with hundreds of pounds after holding up an off
A FIRM which provides translation services has been nominated for a top award. Teesside-based Everyday Language Solutions, has been shortlisted to receive a Shaw Trust Star Award at the Cafe Royal, London, tomorrow. The Stockton firm is in the running
THE death of policewoman Sharon Beshenivsky, gunned down by robbers in Bradford, has inevitably reignited the debate about whether all British officers should be armed. Whenever the question is raised, we believe the most important people to listen to
GREAT BRITAIN: AS a bastion of democracy, our country has a past to be proud of and we have an important role to play now and in the future - ask any of those veteran service personnel who took part with great pride and patriotism in services on Remembrance
EDUCATION campaigners have taken their grievances with a North-East council to the Local Government Ombudsman. Darlington Borough Council has come under fire over its controversial plans to create a £25m privately-sponsored city academy. The authority
POLICE investigating a sex attack have released an e-fit picture of one of the suspects. Police believe that a gang of six men were involved in the assault on the 36-year-old woman in the graveyard of St Martin's Church, York, early on Sunday, November
FORMER Middlesbrough star Dean Gordon was an instant hit as he inspired Crook to a 4-0 win over Billingham Town in the FA Vase second round on Saturday - but he might not be at the Millfield for the next round. Gordon opened the scoring and set up two
As part of The Northern Echo's Lifeblood campaign, which aims to encourage people to give blood, here are details of forthcoming donor sessions in the region: Monday Community Centre, Sixth Pit, Fencehouses, 2.30pm-7pm St Gabriel's Church, Allendale Road
DARLINGTON proved they are worthy of fourth place in National Three North as they controlled the second half in the best game seen at Blackwell Meadows this season. Whether they are good enough to stand any higher will be discovered with trips to Bradford
THE husband of murdered rookie police officer Sharon Beshenivsky last night branded her killers "cowards". Paul Beshenivsky said the armed raiders who gunned down his wife - and her colleague, Teresa Milburn - during a robbery in Bradford city centre,
COUNCIL bosses called for taxi drivers to remain patient last night after a cabbies' strike left late-night revellers stranded. A large number of Hackney cab drivers withdrew their services from Darlington on Friday night, the latest development in a
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw recently launched a fierce attack on the former British Ambassador to Washington, Sir Christopher Meyer, for his less than flattering opinions of Government ministers in his forthcoming book, DC Confidential. Mr Straw's argument
THE bravery of a Second World War airman is to be honoured with a statue in his home city - after his countrymen were inspired by The Northern Echo's Forgotten Hero appeal. The Canadian Aviation Historical Society is preparing to launch a bid to erect
THE North-East's X Factor hopefuls, Journey South, proved they can be a real turn on twice this weekend. First, the Teesside brothers eased into the final six of the television talent show with a stunning version of the Robbie Williams song Angels. Then
ELDERLY and disabled people in the North-East are to be among the first in the country to receive more personalised social care. Gateshead Council is one of 13 local authorities chosen by the Government to test individual social care budgets. As part
THE build up to this week's Premiership clash between Sunderland and Aston Villa, if you weren't aware of it already, surrounded the imminent return of three much-loved players from the Black Cats' recent past. 'Super Kev's' return to the Stadium of Light
VETERAN Mike Scott showed his younger rivals the way home when he bridged a four-year gap to win the Brampton-Carlisle ten- mile road race a second time. The 40-year-old Carlisle accountant, running for host club Border Harriers, clocked 52 mins 22 seconds
AN airgun has been recovered by police investigating pot-shot shootings of anglers on a North-East beach. One of a trio of fishermen making their way off the beach at Horden, on the County Durham coast, was struck on the chest by a pellet fired by one
WHO'S the best cricketer never to play for his country? Someone posed the question in the Guardian's ever-entertaining Notes and Queries column - now in book form - and received a surprising answer from Paul Thompson. His dad, he said. Vincent Mather
A £24,000 mountain bike course was unveiled yesterday as it hosted a competition. The 4X course, at Hamsterley, which has taken nearly a year to build, hosted the regional championships over the weekend. About 100 riders from across the UK competed on
ANGLERS are celebrating landing a "big 'un" after hooking a sponsorship deal with a neighbouring postal company. Members of Shotton and District Angling Club, in County Durham, will be the smartest fishermen on the riverbanks at future competitions after
A DELIGHTED Steve McClaren last night hailed summer buy Aiyegbeni Yakubu as 'awesome' after the Nigerian turned on the style to lead a Middlesbrough revival. The £7.5m buy from Portsmouth never stopped running at the Fulham defence, wreaking havoc as
A £24,000 mountain bike course was unveiled yesterday as it hosted a competition. The 4X course, at Hamsterley, which has taken nearly a year to build, hosted the regional championships over the weekend. About 100 riders from across the UK competed on
AN exhibition featuring memories from the Second World War took place at the weekend. Howden-le-Wear Local History Society held the event, featuring recollections from the war and the Home Front, at the County Durham village's community centre on Saturday
VILLAGERS are calling for a curb on speeds, plus traffic reduction measures, on a main road dividing a village. Community groups in Coxhoe, near Durham, have urged Durham County Council to take action to make crossing the busy B6291 easier for villagers
STAFF and learners at a training scheme in Sedgefield are celebrating after receiving a glowing inspection report. Sedgefield Borough Council Training and Employment Services (SBC) was praised following an inspection by the Adult Learning Inspectorate
YOUNG binge-drinkers are being targeted by a campaign that will be launched in South-West Durham and Darlington this week. The Nightsafe campaign is a joint initiative by the Darlington, Sedgefield and Wear and Tees Community Partnerships. It will target
TRAFFIC lights planned for a problem junction will not be carried out during the first phase of work on a town safety scheme. Seventy per cent of residents and business people consulted about the plans for Bedale town centre backed the proposed four-way
"Down? Depressed? Feel life has left you on the bench?" The slogan adorns an advertising hoarding at Moss Lane for a local "self development" class aimed at those feeling down in the dumps. After Saturday's mind-numbing performance the unfortunate 244
A SCHEME is being launched tomorrow to help bright children on Teesside. Clever young scholars from three Middlesbrough schools - Acklam Grange, King's Manor and Ormesby - will meet up with their counterparts from Grangefield School, in Stockton, Stokesley
A RUNDOWN area of Teesside is to be revamped in a bid to bring in new jobs - and safeguard existing ones. Council bosses are hoping to make the industrial zone of east Middlesbrough a more attractive business location. The Lawson and East Middlesbrough
THE bravery of a Second World War airman is to be honoured with a statue in his home city - after his countrymen were inspired by The Northern Echo's Forgotten Hero appeal. The Canadian Aviation Historical Society is preparing to launch a bid to erect
Two chief constables faced each other in public for the first time on Monday to battle it out and give their opposing views about how the North-East should be policed. Sean Price of the Cleveland force and Paul Garvin of the County Durham force both claimed
COMMITTED students will be handed high street prizes during a rewards scheme. Bishopsgarth School, Maths and Computing College, in Stockton, is encouraging regular attendance at after-school classes by handing out shopping vouchers. The school approached
A SCHOOL has hosted its first debating competition. Schools and colleges from across the region took part in the competition at Teesdale Comprehensive School, in Barnard Castle. A team from the school was also on the winning side of one of the debates
A SCHOOL has hosted its first debating competition. Schools and colleges from across the region took part in the competition at Teesdale Comprehensive School, in Barnard Castle. A team from the school was also on the winning side of one of the debates
YOUNG people in the Durham dales are being reminded to stay safe when it comes to their sexual health this Christmas. The Durham Dales Primary Care Trust (PCT) is launching its Be Safe campaign next Monday. The campaign will run for four weeks, including
A SCHOOL has hosted its first debating competition. Schools and colleges from across the region took part in the competition at Teesdale Comprehensive School, in Barnard Castle. A team from the school was also on the winning side of one of the debates
THE public is being asked to help Hartlepool prepare a blueprint for the health and happiness of young people. Under the Children Act 2004, councils must have a Children and Young People's Plan (CYPP) in place by 2006. The plan is based on five key elements
CINDERELLA with a twist will take to the stage next week to promote National Anti-Bullying Week. Youngsters can see the Fizzog theatre company present a free punk panto, called Cinders, at the Arc, in Dovecot Street, Stockton, tomorrow, from 7pm to 9pm
STANDING on the Priestfield Stadium pitch as the teams wandered off, Martin Scott carried the look of the bloke who had thrown away his winning National Lottery ticket. Staring into space, Scott - furiously animated on the bench in the closing stages
A VILLAGE hall used by the cast and crew of long-running ITV series Heartbeat has won a £13,000 grant to improve facilities. The Memorial Hall in West Tanfield, near Bedale, will now have an extension built to provide toilets for disabled people, an access
A schoolgirl is hoping to represent her country at a fast-paced equestrian event. Horse-mad Georgina Wood is hoping to compete with the senior British Carriage Driving Team next year. The 16-year-old, a pupil at Barnard Castle School, has been competing
A PICTORIAL history of Malton has been such a success that it has been republished in a new style. Around Malton, by Mayor of Norton Towen, John Stone, is now part of the Pocket Images series of English towns and has gone on sale in local bookshops at
They stood shoulder-to-shoulder with their husbands on the picket lines, organised soup kitchens and made public speeches. And when the miners' strike was over, the women were changed - often for the better - as a new book reveals. Lindsay Jennings reports
GUISBOROUGH manager Andy Toman is backing his players to get the club out of trouble after they won their first game of the season 2-1 at promotion chasing Whickham on Saturday. Guisborough have slumped from one crisis to another this season and Toman
THE region's TUC is backing a union campaign against possible cuts to the North-East's rail services. The Rail Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) is fighting to prevent a reduction in trains that could follow a review of services and fares by the Strategic
A LITTLE-KNOWN organisation which has its world headquarters in a small North-East village is to feature in a book about strange cults and societies. The British-Israel World Federation (BIWF) has its headquarters in a converted literary institute, in
The next 24 hours will be critical for former footballer George Best's survival, the doctor treating him said last night. Professor Roger Williams said Best, 59, was stable but had made no significant improvement since he was placed on a ventilator after
GRAEME Souness will seek an update on Michael Owen's fitness after a groin strain kept the Newcastle striker out of the 3-0 defeat at Chelsea. The United manager is confident his leading scorer will be fit to partner Alan Shearer in Sunday's game at Everton
A FARM business set up in the aftermath of the devastation caused by the foot-and-mouth outbreak has been shortlisted for a national award. Marcus and Mandy Bainbridge, from Laverock Farm, Eggleston, in Teesdale, County Durham, set up their business,
Driven by compassion, Leah Pattison, from County Durham, is helping destitute Indian women affected by leprosy. In her final article from Nagpur, Sarah Foster reports on Leah's latest charitable campaign for those with HIV and mental illness. WITH her
UNLIKE the Darlington team coach driver who aided the quick getaway, manager David Hodgson was still asking himself: "Where do we go from here?", long after returning to the North-East on Saturday evening. After just 18 league games Darlington have already
NEW POWERS: Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council is urging householders to look out for new regulations, which come into force today, that demand all their waste is disposed of properly. Householders will have a responsibility, under the waste Duty of
Three sides from the league were all successful in the North Riding County Cup. Teesside Athletic recorded the biggest win of the trio, defeating Malton St Mary's 3-0, but it was not until late in the game that they secured victory. The visitors held
PRODUCTION has ended at a small clothing factory which has manufactured school uniforms for more than half a century. More than 50 staff, completed their final shift as the machines came to a halt for the last time at one of two Beau Brummel factories
BLAYDON went to the top of National Three North with a 41-9 win at New Brighton and their chances of promotion might be helped by an expansion of the leagues. With division one and two clubs expected to vote in favour at a meeting at Stourbridge next
STARING defeat in the face, Middlesbrough bounced back from a losing position for the first time in over a year to claim a valuable three points in their quest to climb back towards the top six. Boro rammed the critics' words back down their throats with
HARTLEPOOL United must cope without the in-form Thomas Butler for two games, after the winger was red carded on Saturday. Butler was dismissed after being booked twice during the defeat at Gillingham. He will miss Saturday's game at Bradford for the dismissal
THE family of murdered North-East aid workers are opposed to the death penalty imposed on their killers in Africa. Richard and Enid Eyeington were shot dead by anti-western Islamic rebels in the breakaway east African nation of Somaliland, in 2003. The
FANS of bling can transform their possessions into sparkling accessories thanks to two young entrepreneurs. A new firm in Pink Lane, Newcastle, is offering a service to turn mobile phones, lighters and even televisions in to flashy accessories. The company
MICK McCarthy flashed a defiant 'I won't quit' message after Sunderland's 3-1 home defeat to Aston Villa, writes Will Scott. Saturday's defeat increased the Black Cats run of winless home matches at the highest level to 17. In doing so they broke an unwanted
FUNDRAISER Andrew Dalby made his own bed, and chose to lie in it on Saturday. Unfortunately for him, it was a bed of nails and the weather was freezing. Mr Dalby spent most of Saturday lying on the nails in the centre of Stokesley, North Yorkshire. He
IT was on the night of August 24, 1942 that 20-year-old flight engineer Peter Squires took to the skies for a raid on the German city of Frankfurt. He and his six fellow crewmen were on their way back to England when their Lancaster bomber was shot down
IT WAS inevitable former fans' favourite Kevin Phillips would return to his previous hunting ground and poach a goal that would lead to an Aston Villa victory. It's not the first time a player has returned to haunt his old club and Phillips' first visit
POLICE looking for two missing teenage boys have found human remains in the wreckage of a burnt-out barn. David Greenyer, 14, and a friend of about the same age, went missing at about the time the barn caught fire. Neighbours told last night how it was
DAVID HODGSON could turn to a midfielder in a bid to revive Darlington's flagging fortunes. While Quakers have failed to score in a third of their 21 games this season, Hodgson refused to chastise his forward's after Saturday's defeat at Macclesfield.
FESTIVE goodwill was forgotten when four callers were refused entry to a house on Christmas Day, a court heard. Michael Edward Maxwell, Mark Thomas Gaskell, David Cummings and David Parker turned violent and assaulted the householder outside his home
HUNDREDS of asbestos victims will find out today if their claims for compensation have been successful. A High Court appeal judgement is expected to bring to an end a long battle by former workers from shipyards and the construction industry. Laurence
