THE first phase of a £670,000 project to convert a former courtroom into an arts and media centre has been completed. Rural Arts has transformed part of the Old Courthouse in Thirsk into a venue capable of holding dance and drama performances, meetings
HOW we control our borders, and whom we choose to give sanctuary to within those borders, is one of the most vexed questions of our day. Yesterday came another raft of figures that appeared to show that the numbers of people seeking asylum is this country
Don't Get Me Started (five) Kill Me If You Can (C4) CLEARLY, Michael Buerk had got out of the wrong side of the bed. Something, presumably committed by a woman, had upset him. How else to explain his rant in Don't Get Me Started in which he claimed men
A MAN is fighting for his life after setting himself on fire after pouring petrol on himself. The 30-year-old turned himself into a human fireball following a row with his wife at about 2am on Saturday. He tipped a can of the flammable fluid over his
The next three weeks will determine whether or not I will get the chance to play in front of my local crowd in the Seve Trophy. After a couple of weeks off - if you can call it such when you are moving into a new house - I flew here to Munich on Monday
THE father of a teenager who was killed on a railway line has taken part in a radio programme warning others not to trespass on train tracks. Trevor Adams, whose son, Stuart, 15, was killed on Good Friday, March 25, in Darlington, told Radio 2 yesterday
FORECASTERS warned of an early onset of autumn today as torrential rain and winds up to 50mph blow through the region. Following a weekend of sunshine in which temperatures reached the late 70s, the weather is expected to take a brief turn for the worst
The dangers of binge drinking were highlighted today after the birthday death of a teenager. Mark Shields drank three pints of lager, five double whiskies and three double shots of liqueur in less than 40 minutes.He was found dead in bed by his father
PRIMARY school children in the North-East and North Yorkshire are still falling short of education targets set by the Government. About a fifth of 11-year-olds failed to pass the minimum standard, according to the results of their key stage tests in maths
No aspect of the First World War generates as much controversy as that of the soldiers executed for military offences. Now, almost 90 years after the end of the war, the facts of these executions have been brought together for the first time. Nick Morrison
A £200m contract crucial for the future of shipbuilder Swan Hunter has been delayed - forcing the Tyneside company to lay off more staff. The Wallsend shipyard is in talks with Swiss firm Allseas to start work on rebuilding a pipe-laying vessel, a lucrative
A DARLINGTON property management company is investing almost £100,000 in an advanced IT system. Town and City is using a system known as Tramps (Trace Micro Processor System), which will provide comprehensive details of project accounts and make it easier
RESIDENTS are being reminded to have their say about how Darlington Borough Council should spend extra funds on improving roads and pavements across the borough. The council has an extra £2.5m to spend, on top of its usual road maintenance budget, and
STEPS are being taken in Darlington to educate youngsters about domestic violence. Darlington Borough Council has joined forces with Darlington's Primary Care Trust to create a policy detailing solutions. Pupils from each of the borough's comprehensive
THE public is being urged to nominate health workers for awards. Nominations close next Wednesday for this year's Durham and Chester-le-Street Primary Care Trust's (PCT) Achievement Awards. The aim of the scheme is to reward excellence and service improvement
WORK to replace underground cable that is responsible for several recent power cuts in a County Durham town is expected to begin soon. NEDL has announced it is soon to start replacing a section of underground cable in Horsemarket, Barnard Castle. The
LETTERS to more than 61,000 homes will be sent out over the Bank Holiday weekend as a council begins its annual canvas of electors. Residents in Redcar and Cleveland should check if the names of eligible voters in their households are correct, then follow
BARMAN Steven Gallagher acted out of character when he bit and punched a reveller, a court was told yesterday. Harvey Murray, prosecuting, told Harrogate magistrates the man was in a group walking along Victoria Avenue after a night on the town when 30
COUNCIL bosses have been criticised for urging residents to support a total ban on smoking in all indoor public places and workplaces. Pro-smoking group Forest said Hartlepool Borough Council was wrong to ask the public to back its beliefs on public smoking
A FREE park and ride service aims to ease parking problems at a summer show on Teesside this weekend. Buses will be provided to take people from the Oakwood Centre, in Durham Lane, Stockton, to the Stockton Summer Show, in Preston Park, Eaglescliffe.
A MOBILE skatepark has been launched on Teesside. Young skateboard and BMX riders can stay entertained during the summer holidays with the well-equipped park, which includes the latest ramp by Sunramp and a half-pipe for skaters. Open to boarders and
A SERVICE helping the homeless and drug addicts has been so successful it will run for another 12 months. The Turnaround Project has exceeded its target of reaching 40 people by the end of the programme. After launching in September last year, the project
PREPARING for a production of the Broadway smash musical 42nd Street has been sew demanding for Karen Holmes and Karen Hudspeth. The freelance costume makers have had about ten days to make 90 dresses and 77 waistcoats for the Dionysis Theatre Company
STEVE McClaren last night claimed a fully-fit Mark Viduka was as good as any striker in the Premiership after the Australian's virtuoso display single-handedly destroyed Birmingham. Viduka's first-half double helped earn Boro a 3-0 win at St Andrew's
ANGRY protesters have criticised councillors over proposals to build two blocks of flats in a quiet Teesside street. Eaglescliffe residents accused members of Stockton Borough Council's planning committee of being unprepared and said they had failed to
ANYONE hoping to win a prize in the Durham Wildlife Trust's conservation awards scheme will have to get their entries in by Friday, September 2. The awards recognise efforts to protect and enhance County Durham's wildlife and environment, and encourage
NORTH Durham MP Kevan Jones will hold two surgeries on Friday to give advice to groups considering applying for lottery funding. They will take place at the Tommy Armstrong Centre, Stanley, from 11am to 1pm, and at St Mary's and St Cuthbert's Parish Centre
AN exhibition at a County Durham art gallery aims to shed a new light on the literal meanings of everyday objects. Stephen Kirkby's show, Misstakes, at the Durham Light Infantry Museum and Durham Art Gallery, puts a light-hearted slant on how objects
WELL, here's something I got completely wrong. For years, I have maintained that Ian Botham would be the last English cricketer who was a household name. The Ashes series he set alight in 1981 made him the celebrity he remains today. His heroics checked
AN eight-year-old girl was rushed to hospital after being bitten by a poisonous snake at a North-East beauty spot. Corinne Kerr's father Billy didn't believe his daughter had been bitten by a snake until she started to vomit and her foot swelled up. Mr
The Rolling Stones broke the rules in the 60s and they're just as passionate now. Your first image might well have been of someone grey haired in comfy cardigan and elastic waist, worrying about false teeth and stairlifts. But then there's the Rolling
SINCE the holidays are almost spent, it is to be a back-to-school sort of a column, O-level English ancient and modern. Going back 1,500 years, we have been talking - at times with considerable difficulty in the translation - to members of the Northumbrian
AN increasingly frustrated Graeme Souness last night admitted Newcastle United's search for a striker is in grave danger of drawing a blank before next week's transfer window deadline. Despite Shola Ameobi's claims he can become the Magpies' 20-goals
THE countdown has started for Wellness On Wheels (Wow), the pioneering new mobile gym that could change lives in the North-East. Alarmed at high levels of obesity, heart disease and strokes, Wear Valley District Council, County Durham, decided to take
The Rolling Stones broke the rules in the 60s and they're just as passionate now. Your first image might well have been of someone grey haired in comfy cardigan and elastic waist, worrying about false teeth and stairlifts. But then there's the Rolling
THERE are two things Mick McCarthy hoped wouldn't emerge from Sunderland's second home game of the season: Talk of consecutive Premiership defeats extending to 12 matches under his stewardship, and another hard luck story. Unfortunately for the Black
Newcastle and Real Madrid have agreed on a fee for striker Michael Owen, Real Madrid director of communications Antonio Garcia Ferreras has confirmed. Although the actual amount of the transfer bid remains unknown, a statement on the club's website confirmed
DURHAM skipper Mike Hussey is to be replaced by fellow Australian Jimmy Maher after his final championship match against Yorkshire, starting at Scarborough today. Maher, a 31-year-old Queenslander, is a left-handed opening bat who has played in 26 one-day
AT least £3m will be ploughed into replacing a town's primary school. St John's Church of England Primary School, in Shildon, will be rebuilt and will get new sports pitches, a games area and environmental improvements. The 210-pupil school, in Jubilee
SINCE the holidays are almost spent, it is to be a back-to-school sort of a column, O-level English ancient and modern. Going back 1,500 years, we have been talking - at times with considerable difficulty in the translation - to members of the Northumbrian
RENTS will rise and services will suffer if council house tenants in Derwentside opt to remain under local authority control, it was claimed last night. Alex Watson, leader of Derwentside District Council, made the bleak prediction as members agreed to
A NORTH-EAST football club's £1m-rated striker ended up needing hospital treatment for injuries after being found naked in bed with a woman, a court heard yesterday. Hartlepool United's Adam Boyd - who last night played in the derby against Darlington
A town has been left seething after characters in a TV soap branded it 'rough.' Emmerdale on Monday night featured Whitley Bay in North Tyneside. In the episode, character Diane Blackstock stood outside a relative's house in Brook Street in the town and
LINDA PERRATT'S torrid season finally showed signs of taking a turn for the better when Shatin Leader trotted up at Hamilton on Monday. In a dismal campaign that has only yielded four winners to date, Perratt bids to make up for lost time by despatching
A LIFE-LONG trade unionist and a cult comedian will be speaking at a business event next month. Lord Sawyer of Darlington, the new Chancellor of the University of Teesside, will give the keynote speech at the North East Chamber of Commerce's (NECC) Tees
FURNITURE retailer Barker and Stonehouse yesterday announced plans to open a seventh store. The Middlesbrough-based company confirmed it is opening a 35,000sq ft store in Hull, in October, which will strengthen its presence outside the region. The firm
ON David Hodgson's last visit to Victoria Park he was struck by a coin; his latest trip to Hartlepool probably hurt even more. The Darlington boss saw his side have the better of the Carling Cup derby with their arch-rivals, but unlike that play-off semi-final
A LIFELONG Darlington FC supporter was yesterday banned from watching his beloved Quakers - just hours before the kick-off of one of their biggest games in years. Lee Davison was given a three-year football banning order for becoming embroiled in a fight
AN increasingly frustrated Graeme Souness last night admitted Newcastle United's search for a striker is in grave danger of drawing a blank before next week's transfer window deadline. Despite Shola Ameobi's claims he can become the Magpies' 20-goals
A pensioner could face jail after he admitted stabbing a schoolboy outside his home. Frank Morton denied wounding the 14-year-old with intent to cause him serious harm, but admitted the lesser charge of unlawful wounding during a hearing at Newcastle
A TERRIFIED woman who was beaten up and raped in a car park stairwell 15 years ago told police she feared for her life. The victim, who cannot be named, said she fought back desperately against her alleged attacker, a schoolboy. But she was punched and
MICK McCARTHY admitted last night that Manchester City's international class in front of goal stopped Sunderland from earning their first Premiership success of the campaign. Darius Vassell, who scored at the Stadium of Light for England against Turkey
MARK Viduka's lengthy injury nightmare began at Birmingham on Boxing Day so, some eight months later, it was fitting that his rehabilitation should have started with a match-winning display at St Andrew's. The striker's first-half brace preceded Franck
AN average of 49 lifebelts are stolen or vandalised each year at one of the region's most popular seaside resorts, it emerged yesterday. The lifebelts are situated along the seafront at Scarborough and are designed and located for life-saving use in emergencies
AIR AMBULANCE - The latest spat between the Great North Air Ambulance and the Yorkshire Air Ambulance over funding (Echo, Aug 16) draws attention to two fundamental issues. First, why is the air ambulance service in England funded by charity when the
THE family of an eight-year-old boy have spoken of their relief after he underwent an operation to remove a blood clot from his brain. Liam Richardson, of Garesfield Gardens, in Burnopfield, County Durham, was hit by a car at 1.40pm on Monday. Yesterday
A FRAUDSTER who was spotted trying to sell counterfeit goods has been warned he could face jail. Simon Redhead was caught with nearly 350 fake DVDs, CDs and computer games by trading standards officers scouring a car boot sale looking for dodgy dealers
WORK to improve the safety of schoolchildren in a County Durham village has been scheduled to start in October. Darlington Borough Council is to spend about £18,000 putting in traffic calming measures in Heighington, near Newton Aycliffe. Heighington
AN event to learn about the life of a famous dales artist and craftsman is to be held next week. Meet the Middletons, in Middleton-in-Teesdale, is holding an evening event focusing on the life of Jacob Readshaw. Mr Readshaw lived in Middleton until his
WALK-IN centre lead nurse Barbara Hudson is moving on after helping to establish the clinic as one of Darlington's premier health centres. Mrs Hudson is making the move from the centre to another area at Doctor Piper House, in King Street, to develop
THE sale of replica guns and fireworks could soon be banned at Darlington's outdoor market after council bosses drew up new regulations. The fresh set of rules has been produced by Darlington Borough Council and will be discussed by the authority's cabinet
RESIDENTS who are protesting against a new garage in Bishop Auckland are being urged to study planning applications in detail. Homeowners in Langley Grove and Lambton Drive are appealing against plans for a 5.2 metre-high garage which was approved recently
A DAY for fun on two wheels takes place next week to show off the facilities at a park which is proposed for a former pit village. A group of dedicated BMX riders in Langley Park, near Durham City, have organised the Skate Park Fun Day where they will
AN eye-catching front garden has won double honours in this year's Bishop Auckland in Bloom competition. Pensioner Charles Shaw spends hours tending hundreds of plants at his home in Cockton Hill Road. Even with both his front garden and backyard crammed
A VILLAGE'S four-day traditional feast celebrations will end today with a junior pet show and music concert. Next year, Scorton, near Richmond, will celebrate its 750th annual feast. Meanwhile, organisers said this year's event has been better than ever
AN opportunist burglar stole a box of syringes after walking into a house last week. The householder discovered the teenage burglar in her home, in Harperley Gardens, Catchgate, near Stanley, on Thursday. The 21-year-old woman had returned to the house
POLICE are planning another crackdown on offending in the Hambleton area. The district is holding its latest No Crime Day tomorrow, and officers will be out in force. Extra patrols are being mounted and members of the public are urged to take part by
A MAN was behind bars again yesterday, two months after he was released from prison, after he admitted three offences. Harrogate magistrates heard how Andrew McLoughlin, 41, walked out of the town's Asda store with a £9.98 case of lager on July 28 and
STEELMAKER Corus last night announced the first phase of a £55.5m investment in its Teesside subsidiary. An initial £12m is being invested at Teesside Cast Products (TCP), which employs about 1,700 people in the region, to improve its efficiency, making
HOUSEBUILDER Persimmon sounded a positive note about future prospects yesterday as it unveiled a seven per cent rise in first half profits to a record £235m. York-based Persimmon said it was well-placed for the full year with sales of £980m already booked
A CELEBRITY auctioneer is helping to raise money for a community radio station. Teesdale antiques expert David Harper, who co-hosts the Channel 4 antiques programme, Natural Born Dealers, is to take charge of an auction in aid of Radio Teesdale. The auction
THE history of a thriving village hall is to be charted in a book produced with money from the National Lottery Awards For All programme. Delves Lane Community Association, near Consett, has secured a £4,150 grant and chairman Tony Westgarth aims to tell
CAMPAIGNERS last night vowed to free a failed North-East asylum seeker who has been placed in a Government detention centre. And they are urging the Home Office to allow him to stay in the country. Kissi Kilondo has been placed in the Harmsworth detention
A NORTH Yorkshire town will hold two weeks of celebrations to mark the 850th anniversary of its first royal charter. Richmond received the charter in 1155, during the reign of King Henry II, giving the town permission to hold a market. Over the centuries
A robber with a fake gun who tried to make his getaway by bus has been jailed. Simon Andrew North, 38, jumped on the bus after botching his attempt to rob a Halifax Building Society. But armed police simply checked buses leaving the North Yorkshire town
DAVID Hodgson questioned the professionalism of Hartlepool United manager Martin Scott after last night's Carling Cup exit at Victoria Park. Hodgson was unhappy with Scott's over-exuberant reaction to Pool's third goal in the 3-1 victory at Victoria Park
