A COUNCIL housing company in east Durham has launched its own website. East Durham Homes (EDH) has opened its site with information about the company as well as a range of interactive services. Joe Gash, performance and services development manager, said
A DURHAM City pub is hoping its customers will enter into the true Christmas spirit this festive season. Staff at the Duke of Wellington, in Darlington Road, are calling on their regulars to donate any unwanted presents they may have to charity. The Duke
FRIENDS and family gathered yesterday to celebrate the diamond wedding anniversary of a West Auckland couple. George and Pansy Reynolds, aged 84 and 80 respectively, were joined by their nine children, 23 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren as they
COMMUNITY groups in Teesdale and Wear Valley are being encouraged to apply for grants for arts projects which help people's mental health. So far, almost £6,500 has been awarded to groups by Good for the Soul for a programme of diverse arts activities
AN east Durham school is determined to become a healthy role model by getting its students on wheels. A new cycle-way and bike shelter is to be located at Easington Community School to urge more pupils to change their travelling habits. The Durham County
A housing company has issued a stark reminder of an invisible killer that claims a life nearly every week. Gateshead Housing Company, which manages just under 23,000 homes, is running a campaign to ensure tenants are aware of the potentially deadly threat
ONE of the oldest families in the North has welcomed the latest addition to the dynasty. John Ferenc Brinsley Norton is the son of Lady Deirdre Curteis's younger son, Francis, and his Hungarian wife, Eva. Lady Deirdre Curteis and her husband, Ian, own
A DISPERSAL order on a Teesside estate has helped halve the amount of anti-social behaviour. Police have hailed the order in Hartlepool's Dyke House, from November 7 to December 6, as a major success. The order gave police the power to disperse groups
HOUSE prices in the North-East are still falling despite signs of a slight improvement nationally. Overall, prices rose for the first time in 18 months during December as consumers became more confident in the market, according to figures released yesterday
A WOMAN driving home from Scotland for Christmas was killed in a car crash only an hour away from her parents' home. Production engineer Katy Osborne, 26, died at the wheel of her Vauxhall which hit a car travelling in the opposite direction on the A1
A NORTH-EAST school has hosted a conference focusing on improving future prospects for youngsters. Polam Hall School, in Darlington, was the venue for the event run by the Northern Region's Area Training Board, which attracted education representatives
A WALL of wishes from children across Europe is under construction. The project is the idea of Durham County Council's international relations office, where staff are setting up the wall on the authority's website. The wishes are being made by young people
THE organisers of an agricultural show have been given approval to move the event to a Sunday. Malton Show, in North Yorkshire, is traditionally held on the first Thursday in June, but low attendances and falling profits have led to a rethink. Next year's
A MARKET town has been presented with a certificate to mark its Fairtrade town status. Northallerton became a Fairtrade town earlier this month after meeting five targets. They included the town council serving Fairtrade coffee and tea at its meetings
SADISTIC Christmas party-goers who cooked a cat in a microwave have reinforced the region's unenviable reputation as the animal cruelty capital of the country. It is thought that the one-year-old pet may have been roasted alive as a sick joke. The female
NOLBERTO Solano was surprisingly optimistic about Newcastle United's prospects this season despite a performance against Liverpool which suggests otherwise. Newcastle were comprehensively outplayed by the European Champions at Anfield on Boxing Day, as
SALES fever swept through the region again yesterday - and hardy bargain hunters started forming the queues in the early hours. Customers desperate to take advantage on the huge discounts being offered by the big-name chains were queuing at shopping centres
Hundreds upon hundreds of miners, including young boys, have lost their lives while working in the pits. Now, painstaking research by a museum website is helping to keep their memory alive. Deaths in coal mines were a sad and inevitable part of life in
NEWCASTLE Falcons put welcome daylight between themselves and the Guinness Premiership's bottom club Leeds thanks to Matt Burke's superb goal-kicking yesterday. The Australian full back had three difficult shots at goal and landed them all to give the
Police believe that a six-year-old girl found wandering the streets in a state of undress had been the victim of an attempted abduction. The girl was found wandering in a distressed state by a neighbour in North Tyneside late last night. Moments earlier
MOTORISTS were warned to brace themselves for more treacherous conditions on the region's roads after the winter weather arrived with a vengeance yesterday. Several areas of the North-East and North Yorkshire saw snow showers as forecasters predicted
AN authoritative guide to the finest museums in Britain has heaped praise on the region's efforts to preserve its glorious past. More than 20 museums from across the North- East and North Yorkshire are ranked among the country's best in the book written
Far be it from me to split hairs with the Queen, but on the other hand... Her Majesty's Christmas message was a pretty sombre affair really. She looked back on the year and recalled the natural disasters - tsunami, hurricanes, earthquakes. And the man-made
THE deaths of four soldiers at Deepcut barracks, the Iraq war, and allegations of bullying have done much to tarnish the public image of the British Army. Defence Secretary John Reid has admitted that concern about bullying of recruits has had an impact
AN authoritative guide to the finest museums in Britain has heaped praise on the region's efforts to preserve its glorious past. More than 20 museums from across the North- East and North Yorkshire are ranked among the country's best in the book written
AN EMBATTLED Steve McClaren will make the capture of a defensive midfielder his number one priority when the transfer window re-opens next week, after admitting the absence of George Boateng is threatening to undermine the second half of Middlesbrough's
AN isolated community which rallied round to take over a village pub is planning to set up England's highest brewery. Redundant farm buildings in the remote Weardale village of Rookhope will be transformed into a micro brewery after villagers secured
singing duo Journey South have signed a record deal. Brothers Carl and Andy Pemberton, of Coulby Newham, Middlesbrough, announced the news to The Northern Echo last night and said they were thrilled with the deal. The brothers shot to fame after taking
The British Medical Association is urging people to take care during the party season after diagnosing an entirely festive new condition. But rather than a new strain of flu or health warnings about Christmas dinner over-indulgence, it's the danger's
A MAN believed to be the last serving member of the region's best-known Army regiment retires on New Year's Day. Major Alan Brunskill, from Byers Green, in County Durham, is thought to be the final remaining recruit of the sixth Durham Light Infantry,
THE Great North Air Ambulance has been given £1,000 to buy new equipment. It will use the gift, from Darlington Building Society, to buy a a flying helmet, an essential part of the kit to keep the service in the air. Geoff Dawson, of the building society
A COMPUTER crash has caused a crisis for a concert promoter. During the Christmas holidays, a computer used to organised the Classics at Kirkleatham Concerts crashed, taking with it the mailing list and much of the data used to promote the concerts. Peter
VANDALS have defiled a church and wiped excrement on prayer lists. A historic artefact was also smashed in the attack on St Michael's Church, in Malton, North Yorkshire. Police have appealed for witnesses to the incident and church officials have vowed
NORTH-EAST businessman Duncan Bannatyne has been named in the top 100 UK entrepreneurs. The multi-millionaire, who owns Darlington-based Bannatyne Fitness, was voted 14th top businessman by business publication, Management Today. Mr Bannatyne's chain
A TEESSIDE grandmother has won a regional competition for the second year running with her annual winter wonderland display. Elizabeth Frost, of Egton Avenue, Nunthorpe, was pronounced winner of the Tyne Tees North East Tonight competition on Friday.
BLACKBURN full-back Michael Gray has admitted there will be no room for sentiment this evening as he makes his first appearance against Sunderland, the side he supported as a boy. With the Black Cats firmly rooted to the foot of the Premiership, Gray
Local trainer Sue Smith and her stable jockey Dominic Elsworth dominated proceedings at Wetherby with a 33-1 treble, highlighted by the brilliant victory of Mister McGoldrick in the skybet.com Castleford Chase. The Bingley handler's other wins came with
Darlington keeper Bert Bossu goes into tonight's game with Barnet aiming to continue disproving the old adage that first impressions count. The Frenchmen is steadily rebuilding his shattered reputation among Quakers fans and explains the key to his recent
A COUNCIL is preparing to present its findings on the housing future of an east Cleveland town. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council has reassured residents living in Brotton that the results of a consultants' report do not recommend widespread demolition
A POSTER campaign has been launched to raise awareness of domestic violence in same-sex relationships. Cleveland Police, along with women's groups and a support group for the gay community, have joined forces for the festive period. Throughout this month
A Yorkshire Christmas from 200 years ago has created our rose-tinted view of the ideal festivities. In the second of two articles, Keith Proud tells of Christmas Day in Georgian times. THE story so far: 'twas Christmas Eve nearly 200 years ago, and the
UNHOLY ALLIANCE HAVING failed abysmally in its attempts to lure a commercial "sponsor" for its mythical academy project, Darlington Borough Council has seduced the Church of England into co-promoting an "expression of interest". This unholy alliance would
The English Harem (ITV1) Julian Fellowes Investigates: A Most Mysterious Murder (BBC1) My Family And Other Animals (BBC1) Imagine taking home the man you want to marry to meet your parents. They might accept the fact that he's not English, but Tracy really
People living in the North are Britain's best savers, researchers have found. Just under half of people in the North said they regularly saved money out of their monthly income this year, according to high street bank Abbey. People in the South-East,
THE weather may have caused havoc on the roads, but yesterday's dusting of snow had its plus side - creating stunning picture-postcard scenes across the region. Those who had yearned for a white Christmas had their prayers answered a couple of days late
A teenager who vanished while on a shopping errand on Christmas Day, returned home today - to face questions on her movements over the missing days. Two dozen police officers were involved in house to house inquiries on Boxing Day while streets, alleyways
CONCERN is growing for the safety of a teenager who went missing from her home on Christmas day. House-to-house inquiries have failed to piece together the movements of 16-year-old Sanam Drees, from Middlesbrough. Cleveland Police say they are becoming
AN isolated community which rallied round to take over a village pub is planning to set up England's highest brewery. Redundant farm buildings in the remote Weardale village of Rookhope will be transformed into a micro brewery after villagers secured
SADISTIC Christmas party-goers who killed a cat in a microwave have reinforced the region's unenviable reputation as the animal cruelty capital of the country. It is thought that the one-year-old pet may have been roasted alive as a sick joke. The female
A FAINT look of trepidation appears in Rosie's eyes as she surveys the rippling blue pool stretching out in front of her. Sporting a crimson lifejacket, she is lowered into the water before instinctively starting to kick and splash with her four legs.
WHEN Jon Stead chose Blackburn Rovers ahead of a number of other suitors almost two years ago, Sunderland included, he had taken an enormous leap into the top tier of English football. But, after the manager who signed him departed and his form suffered
MARTIN Scott has no problems with the hectic nature of the Festive programme. On the back of the Boxing Day draw at Barnsley, Hartlepool United meet Southend at Victoria Park tonight, before heading for Oldham on Saturday and meeting Swindon at home on
Far be it from me to split hairs with the Queen, but on the other hand... Her Majesty's Christmas message was a pretty sombre affair really. She looked back on the year and recalled the natural disasters - tsunami, hurricanes, earthquakes. And the man-made
A couple celebrated 70 years of married life on Christmas Day. Doris and Alfred Kerr tied the knot on Christmas Day, in 1935. The couple walked down the aisle at St Aidan's Church, in South Shields, South Tyneside. There were fears that the couple might
THE deaths of four soldiers at Deepcut barracks, the Iraq war, and allegations of bullying have done much to tarnish the public image of the British Army. Defence Secretary John Reid has admitted that concern about bullying of recruits has had an impact
An alleged case of sexual discrimination was highlighted by union leaders today on the eve of the 30th anniversary of landmark equality laws. The GMB union claims women employees of Morrisons supermarket in the North-East will receive only one third the
AN EMBATTLED Steve McClaren will make the capture of a defensive midfielder his number one priority when the transfer window re-opens next week, after admitting the absence of George Boateng is threatening to undermine the second half of Middlesbrough's
SPEED cameras in a vast area of the North-East have raked in a profit of more than £1.7m, according to the latest Government figures. The £1,713, 923 made by the Northumbria Safety Camera Partnership, which operates all of the controversial devices in
