Last year, Chris Baxter showed her scars from a double mastectomy in a topless photo shoot - and now she's done it again. She tells Women's Editor Sarah Foster why she wants the world to see her postoperation shape. WITH her tousled curls and flawless
For more than 100 years, the Little Sisters of the Poor have cared for the elderly at Sunderland's Holy Cross Home. Women's Editor Sarah Foster meets Sister Kathleen, Mother Superior of the community led by nuns. THE vast building of the Holy Cross
Waterfall Spa, the North's only women-only retreat, offers serious pampering in a stylish setting. Women's Editor SARAH FOSTER took her mum NOTHING beats a spa day for pure decadence, so it was with eager anticipation that I made the journey to
After suffering years of domestic violence, in September 2000, Gina French killed her husband by plunging a knife into his chest. Now in a bid for understanding, she's written her life story. She talks to Women's Editor SARAH FOSTER THE first time
JAKE Moon is a man in urgent need of a session at Soapland's over-worked psychiatric clinic. He's suffering from what experts call Cain and Abel syndrome, the result of shooting his brother Jake. Now, as Albert Square residents discover in EastEnders
AND so we say farewell to one of Soapland's thoroughbreds who's trotted out with some of the finest fillies. That smooth coat, fine fetlocks and sleek tail - that's right I'm not talking about Mike Baldwin, or the late Mike Baldwin as he's about to become
LIFE has never been easy for the Platts in Coronation Street (ITV1). Gail the hamster has seen off more husbands than Joan Rivers has had facelifts. A shiny coat and well-manicured claws are not a big enough attraction for the men of Weatherfield.
THE Soapland police have been having it easy in recent weeks. Their truncheons haven't seen any action for ages. All that's about to change. The Mitchell brothers, Grunt and Fill the Fug, are back in Walford. Fill is first to haul his bulky frame back
SO A PAIR, the low cost airline operating out of Soapland, touches down at Weatherfield International Airport and returns Mike Baldwin to Coronation Street (ITV1) after his holiday in Spain. He doesn't look well. He wears a puzzled look on his face
SOMEONE has a bun in the oven in EastEnders (BBC1) and it's causing more trouble than that cake left out in the rain in MacArthur Park. Honey Honey is pregnant. Silly Billy is the father. And it's not all right by her dad Jack. They say what you don't
Jo Walker can't resist a good deal when it comes to her business selling old metal advertising signs. But one of her strangest bargains was when she swapped a Volkswagen Beetle for 5,000 American car licence plates. WHEN Jo Walker was offered 5,000
A passion for peppers has prompted Mark McMullen to launch his own website dedicated to the hot little numbers. DARLINGTON - the chilli capital of the world! Not as daft as it sounds and it's all down to Mark McMullen, who has a passion for peppers
Porcelain fan Glenna Murray really has made the French connection at her village china shop. The column takes a careful look around MOST villages are lucky if they can manage one shop, a newsagent or mini-market. Staindrop goes one better _ it has
There's a new baked bean on the block - and it's proving so popular we decided to put it to the test in a tasty bout with an old heavyweight. A MILLION housewives every day pick up a can of beans and say: "Beanz meanz. . . Branston". Branston? Yes
As Asda considers renaming its green eye shadow in honour of Big Brother contestant Chantelle, we test the supermarket slap to find out if you really can be chic and cheerful. CHEAP is the new chic. The great and the good recently discovered Primark
As Comet launches its Internet auction site, Shoptalk takes a look at what it takes to bag a bargain - and how to avoid a costly mistake. IT'S where High Street clearance meets Internet auction sites and, if you fancy a bargain, it could be just the
SOMETIMES you just can't get that tune out of your head. For the last few days - goodness knows what brought it on - I've been haunted by that little song, "Who do you think you are kidding Mr Hitler?" from Dad's Army. Actually, during the Second World
IT IS ironical that the peace campaigners should have had their lives saved by the military methods they so loftily disapprove. But "peace campaigner" is one of those odd new phrases which actually means something like its opposite. It's like "industrial
WHEN Charlie fell and gashed his head, I quickly bundled the boys into the car and rushed to the doctors' surgery. It wasn't until we all trooped in and I heard the familiar "clip-clop, clickety-clack" noise behind me that I realised Roscoe was still
I RECALL a number of frustrating telephone conversations with my sister-inlaw many years ago. Then, I was single and child free. She was at home minding my turbo-charged, mischievous little nephew. In mid conversation, she would often break off briefly
NUMBER four son turned seven years old the other week. Since, as he constantly reminds us, we didn't get round to having a sixth birthday party for him until six months after the big day (we were busy, there was a lot going on), we thought we'd better
STYLISH, minimalist apartments are not designed for family living. A few garish plastic toys scattered across a highly polished living room floor is all it would take to ruin the immaculately clean lines and pale, spare decor. And what would row after
PEOPLE were understandably horrified by the story of the 20-year-old man who died from malnutrition last month after never eating anything but white bread, chips and beans. As a mother who has spent years struggling to force healthy, nutritious food
I HAVE a confession to make: my name is Ruth Campbell and I have smacked my children. I know, following the legal curbs on smacking introduced a year ago, this could possibly lead to me being hauled off to the nearest police station for questioning, but
His funeral was like something out of The Godfather - pin-striped suits, big hats and bulging waistcoats - but far from being feared, Aris Baldasera was known for his big-hearted generosity to the people he lived and worked amongst in Wheatley Hill.
It may not be a bodice ripper, but there's still an awful lot between the sheets of a banned book about the Boys' Brigade. ALLAN Percival has written a 500 page book called No Sex Please - We're BB. Though it could mean bed and breakfast, baked
Darlington already had a North Park and a South Park when the West one opened recently. But according to one enthusiast, residents seem unaware of its existence. . .and they are missing out. MONDAY was lovely. Tim Stahl climbed to the top of the little
JOHN Profumo's death stirs memories for Peter Freitag, that indefatigable man about Darlington, of the time that Christine Keeler and friends were his neighbours. Keeler, Mandy Rice-Davies and others stayed in a house owned by Stephen Ward, their pimp
OVERSHOT in the dark, a news item a couple of weeks back told of a crippled light aircraft being guided onto Eshott Airfield in Northumberland by the headlights from the manager's car. As the story took off, so did Ray Sparks' interest. Ray, from Newton
An outpost of Belgium near Birtley, built to man the First World War arms machine, is recalled in a new book. THE days when gendarmes patrolled the streets of a NorthEast village will be recalled in a book to be published before the month's out. Named
IT'S not just politicians who tell lies. We're all doing it, more than ever before. Or so it would seem from two recent surveys. One found that politicians are readier than they once were to bend and distort the truth. The other, that we're all more
"THE word 'power' means they fight, " explained my four-yearold grandson with schoolmasterly gravity. We were on the train coming north - he was spending a few days with us, all by himself - and I was finding out more than I ever wanted to know about
'WHO'S your friend?" I was asked, when - in my midthirties - I attended a social function at our local community centre. Friend? I thought. What friend? I'd come to the community centre with my mum. She'd moved nearer to us when my father became
IN all this fuss about loans for peerages, there's one thing I can't understand. Why should anyone want to be made a peer? Is it because they want to be called Lord (or Lady) so-and-so? Do they like the idea of being addressed like characters in a
THERE'S been a flurry of reports about care of the elderly in the past few weeks - and they all make chilling reading. Apparently, sick elderly people are being shunted around hospitals - often in mixed wards - with no thought for their welfare. They're
WHAT is democracy? You and I might think it involves listening to the people. And as long as we don't expect more, that's about right - at least in the eyes of our present Government. Its concept of democracy was underlined the other day by the Lord
A CLASSIC example of the arrogance of New Labour came the other day. On a topic of huge importance, its assumption that the Government knows our minds better than we do demonstrates that Tony Blair and his circle have learned nothing from the collapse
OUT of all the current bad news for New Labour has come what the party leadership must regard as very good news. An opinion poll taken in the wake of the peerages-for-cash scandal reveals that 73 per cent of voters believe that New Labour is now at
HANDS up anyone who remembers a film on woodpeckers by a Swedish film-maker named Heinz Seilmann and a string of TV programmes on Kenya's Serengeti national park by husband-and-wife team Armand and Michaela Dennis. A decent show of hands, I see.
PARTY FUNDING: REGARDING the cosy discussions between Messrs Blair and Cameron whereby the public will subsidise the election campaigns of these two financially-seedy political parties. This has come about due to the underhand loans they have received
A MAN who was inspired by his own son's battle with drugs has set up a project for young people to help keep them occupied in their spare time. Tom Carroll runs a fishing club for girls and boys aged between seven and 16, and teaches them all the basic
WHEN Newcastle United chairman Freddy Shepherd announced he was looking to sign Feyenoord striker Dirk Kuyt on Friday it not only opened a window into the club's transfer policy - it revealed another intriguing chapter in the club's history. Shepherd's
ROYAL Navy divers were called in to carry out a controlled explosion after a Second World War mine was netted by a North-East fishing boat. Skipper Alan Greenwood dragged up more than he bargained for when the explosive became entangled in nets from his
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: Tomorrow Leisure Centre, Alexandra Road, Gateshead, 2.15pm-7pm Methodist Church Hall, Bede Way
ON Grand National day and faced with their own steeplechase, Hartlepool United fell short of the winning line. Clearing the hurdle that was relegation rivals Swindon Town would have put Pool in an attractive position as the relegation race enters the
A TEES VALLEY town has lost out on up to £25m of education funding because it is not deprived enough. A new report, commissioned by the Darlington Learning Partnership, reveals that Darlington was awarded £3.5m of additional funding for 14 to 19-year-olds
OLDER people are better off by almost £1m thanks to a scheme to help them claim benefits. Staff at the Hartlepool Benefits Advice Project have helped 2,800 people recover £949,891 in unclaimed benefits. Mervyn Kohler, of Help the Aged, said: "The system
GARDENERS who feared they would lose the allotments they had tended for more than 60 years have won their campaign to save them. It looked as if Feversham Allotments, in Ferryhill Station, could close when the town council pulled out of its lease a year
DOZENS of students were given a lesson in healthy living when a roadshow visited their college. Youngsters at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, in Darlington, were treated to non-alcoholic cocktails, vegetarian food, and alternative therapies at the
RESIDENTS of Sedgefield borough are being invited to spring into action during the Easter holiday period. The council has introduced a membership scheme at its four centres - Ferryhill, Spennymoor, Newton Aycliffe and Shildon-Sunnydale - providing information
A PAEDOPHILE sexually assaulted a girl after he was employed as a security guard yards from a primary school. The girl's parents last night called for an inquiry into how Norman Winthrop landed the post, where he was able to prey on their seven-year-old
A SCHEME that helps young offenders learn through the arts has won national recognition for prison and education staff. The scheme encourages prisoners to explore poetry, songwriting, drama and painting, alongside more conventional subjects such as literacy
PLANS for two large-scale developments in Northallerton have been approved, but a decision on a third has been deferred. Members of Hambleton District Council's development control committee backed proposals for Homebase and Halfords stores on a site
IT was exactly a year ago Cambridge United made a mockery out of Darlington's claim to be promotion contenders. Bottom-of-the-table and nine points adrift of safety, relegation was all-but assured for Cambridge, while a four-point cushion inside the play-off
PRIMARY school youngsters have said a fond farewell to their lunchtime assistant who has been looking after them for more than 30 years. Shirley Frisby started work at West Cornforth Primary School as a temporary cook for three weeks and loved it so much
ACCORDING to the latest addition to the Middlesbrough fans' repertoire, their Tyneside counterparts have been "sitting at home watching The Bill" while they have been sweeping their way across Europe in the last nine months. Perhaps they have been but
A CHARITY that provides a talking newspaper for people with sight problems is seeking sponsors to help it move into the digital age. The County Durham Society for the Blind and Partially-sighted, based in Church Lane, Durham, produces two talking newspapers
After a career in education in Tony Blair's backyard, Durham's director of education Keith Mitchell is retiring. He speaks out against the controversial reforms being pushed through by the Prime Minister. WE are about to witness the beginning of the end
Bishop Auckland's losing run is now eight matches after they lost for the second time in four days at 2-1 at Belper on Saturday. Bishops have given up hope of stopping in the UniBond League by virtue of results, but manager Brian Healy was pleased with
ALAN Milburn yesterday refused to rule out challenging Gordon Brown for the leadership of the Labour Party once Tony Blair has stepped down. The Darlington MP and former Health Secretary said he thought it was "highly unlikely" that he would stand but
POLICE have launched a recruitment appeal - and the successful applicant must have a sensitive nose. The North Yorkshire force wants to recruit a cocker spaniel, springer spaniel or labrador to be trained in drugs detection. The new member of the team
WILLIAM HODGSON hoped to supply poultry sheds to a few local farmers when he launched a small village firm - but after 100 years, it is still going strong. It can now count royalty and other famous people among its customers as the fourth generation of
AN elderly driver and a policeman were injured after a head on smash on a quiet country road last night. The 34-year-old officer and a 78-year-old man were treated in hospital for whiplash following the accident at around 7.45pm on Sunday. The accident
'FREQUENTLY plays eccentric or dotty old women,'' is how one major movie database website describes actress Liz Smith. Indeed, there is a touch of the eccentric and dotty about the 84-year-old actress who starred as Nanna in The Royle Family and bonkers
IT was exactly a year ago Cambridge United made a mockery out of Darlington's claim to be promotion contenders. Bottom-of-the-table and nine points adrift of safety, relegation was all-but assured for Cambridge, while a four-point cushion inside the play-off
The opening of the observation wheel at the National Railway Museum (NRM) in York has been postponed again due to further delays in getting through the final signing-off checklist. It is now expected on Wednesday.
NEW Government policies will spell the end of state education as we know it, according to the man who has been in charge of schools in the Prime Minister's backyard for the past 16 years. Keith Mitchell speaks out today against the Government's controversial
THIS column has, unfortunately, become about as predictable as Sunderland's season so far. Almost every week, the hapless Black Cats lose, Jon Stead fails to score and their fans complain. Similarly, every column of late has reported on games being lost
THE story of the stained glass in many of the churches of North Yorkshire has been told for the first time. Stained Glass in Hambleton District is the first book by Alfred Alderson, from Northallerton, who became interested in the subject three years
MATCH days for non-league football club secretary Billy Banks usually mean chores such as putting the nets up and collecting admission money at the turnstiles. But on Saturday, the 53-year-old found himself playing up front for Peterlee Newtown in a strike-force
THE development of a village near Darlington will be the next matter discussed in preparation of a parish plan. Sadberge Parish Plan Group will put four different scenarios forward for the growth of the village. They are: * minimal new-build, such as
VOLUNTEERS have received military aid in their attempts to tidy up a park. The Friends of South Park, in Darlington, spent Saturday working to tidy up the banks of the River Skerne. They were helped by recruits from the Territorial Army centre, in Neasham
ACCORDING to the latest addition to the Middlesbrough fans' repertoire, their Tyneside counterparts have been "sitting at home watching The Bill" while they have been sweeping their way across Europe in the last nine months. Perhaps they have been but
THE Archbishop of York has welcomed the publication of a book of walks based on the Cleveland Way. Cleveland Circles is the work of John Eckersley, a York-based writer, teacher and walker. All the profits from the book will go to the charity Christian
PUPILS at a Durham school have produced a film to highlight the joy and pleasure of poetry. Youngsters of all ages at Durham Johnston School worked on the 90-minute production, which will be shown at the school's Crossgate site on Monday, May 8. Proceeds
PENSIONERS could save £60 a year under energy proposals. A think-tank wants the Government to bulk-buy electricity and gas for the elderly and benefit claimants. The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) says the Government could then deduct the
POLICE officers successfully negotiated with a man who had doused himself in petrol at a busy garage. Officers in Darlington spent about an hour trying to calm the 30-year-old. Although specialist negotiators were called to the incident, which took place
NATIVE TITLE (4.00) gives every indication he's capable of maintaining his excellent early season form at Windsor this afternoon. Having picked up a couple of races on the all-weather circuit, the David Nicholls-trained speedster now switches his attentions
RORY Delap is facing a fight to be fit for the Easter weekend clashes which will confirm Sunderland's relegation from the Premiership. The versatile midfielder was the main casualty of Saturday's abandoned game at home to Fulham - a waterlogged pitch
A NEW exhibition exploring human life has opened at the Centre for Life, in Newcastle. Our World demonstrates how humans are one of the most versatile species on earth. Visitors to the exhibition can wander through mock-ups of the Arctic, the desert and
WHILE Peter Ramage's loyalty to his master is both admirable and understandable, his assertion that Newcastle remain North-East football's top dog is at best misplaced, at worst a downright perversion of the truth. The basis for the young pup's argument
AS the tug-of-war continues between these clubs for the services of Craig Lee, another dour derby reinforced the impression that the scrap for the better players can only intensify. The first few National Three North meetings between these old foes produced
PASSENGERS on major routes could soon be able to find out exactly when their bus is due from their mobile phones. A satellite tracking system is being installed throughout the North-East that will pinpoint the exact position of buses. Later this year,
MIDDLESBROUGH boss Steve McClaren, while unhappy at losing yesterday's derby with Newcastle United, admitted he had bigger fish to fry. With the club's Premiership status secured, the Teessiders' attentions are firmly on the cup competitions and so it
FOOTBALL fans trekked 32 miles through sunshine and snow at the weekend, only to see the game abandoned. Bad weather meant the Sunderland game against Fulham was abandoned in the 21st minute -after 69 fans walked for 12 hours, raising money for two charities
PUPILS are making the most of play facilities thanks to a grant from the Football Foundation. The foundation's scheme kick-started the makeover at St Paul's School, Billingham, with 50 per cent towards the £9,218 total bill. The cash enabled the school
ATHLETES in east Cleveland are celebrating the opening of a modern training facility after more than a decade of planning and fundraising. Paralympic champion Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson cut a ribbon to open the track at Laurence Jackson School, in Guisborough
FIVE thousand copies of a fold-out map are being produced to encourage people to get on their bikes. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council is launching the Cycling Events Guide, which features more than 250 miles of cycle routes throughout the borough.
SPORTING college heroes have returned with a record number of medals. Prior Pursglove College's 19 students at the British Colleges' Sport National Finals, at Loughbrough, won a medal a piece and a trophy. The 19 medals, 12 gold and seven silver, beat
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: Tomorrow Leisure Centre, Alexandra Road, Gateshead, 2.15pm-7pm Methodist Church Hall, Bede Way
A PROGRAMME of art house and classic films is being shown at The Old Courthouse, in Thirsk, over the next six months. Easter Parade (1948), Traffic (2000) and Frida (2003) will be shown in April, May and June, while Hitchcock trio Blackmail (1929), Dial
STATUTORY and voluntary agencies in Richmondshire are taking to the road at the end of this month to raise awareness of their work across the district. Starting in Hawes, the Local Strategic Partnership roadshow will move on to Colburn and Leyburn, before
NEW Government policies will spell the end of state education as we know it, according to the man who has been in charge of schools in the Prime Minister's backyard for the past 16 years. Keith Mitchell speaks out today against the Government's controversial
MIDDLESBROUGH boss Steve McClaren, while unhappy at losing yesterday's derby with Newcastle United, admitted he had bigger fish to fry. With the club's Premiership status secured, the Teessiders' attentions are firmly on the cup competitions and so it
A FINANCIAL adviser who pocketed more than £138,000 by ripping off unsuspecting clients has been jailed for two-and-a-half years. David Hodgson, a registered FA football agent, promised customers he would invest huge sums of their money into high-return
A SHOP that has stood empty for three years is to get a new lease of life as a charity shop. St Catherine's Hospice, in Scarborough, will start raising funds at the shop, in Wheelgate, Malton, from tomorrow. The shop will sell furniture, bric-a-brac and
SCOUT bosses have revealed that a North-East troop leader who lied to cover up an accident will be kicked out of the movement. Rachael Victoria Phillips received a suspended prison sentence after she admitted trying to pervert the course of justice. Last
Spennymoor manager Justin Perry wants to stay in charge despite the internal arguments at the Brewery Field intensifying following their 2-0 win over South Shields on Saturday. Chairman Alan Murray announced on Friday that Jason Ainsley and Jamie Pollock
BLAYDON defied a blizzard to win 22-5 at home to Preston Grasshoppers and their chances of contesting the promotion play-off with the National Three South runners-up now look to rest on next Saturday's visit of Nuneaton. The Midlanders remain two points
DARLINGTON may have had Neil Wainwright to thank for his winning goal on Saturday, but the winger proved he can talk a good game as well. Wainwright revealed how, minutes before he and Akpo Sodje were introduced as 58th minute substitutes, he told his
WITH three homes games remaining, Dimi Konstantopoulos cannot underestimate their importance. After Saturday's draw at Swindon dropped Hartlepool United into the bottom four, Pool go to Colchester tomorrow before Bristol City visit Victoria Park on Saturday
IT is one of the duties of an editor to say goodbye to members of staff from time to time. Sometimes, it is a cause for celebration. Mostly, it is done with sadness. Life at The Northern Echo has been made more fun over the past 29 years by the presence
ON Grand National day and faced with their own steeplechase, Hartlepool United fell short of the winning line. Clearing the hurdle that was relegation rivals Swindon Town would have put Pool in an attractive position as the relegation race enters the
THE Government wants to bring choice and competition into secondary education to raise standards. It believes that by parents being allowed to choose which school to send their children to, the schools will start competing against one another, sharpening
MARRIED bliss has lasted 70 years for Walter and Reene Marchant as they prepare to celebrate their platinum anniversary. The couple, both 96, are looking forward to a family party with a cake tomorrow to mark the occasion. They will be joined by their
A SCHOOLBOY has died after being swept out to sea. The boy was having a dip in the sea this afternoon, the first day of the Easter half term school holiday. The youngster, believed to be aged 13, was swimming in the North Sea off Hendon beach, Sunderland
A MOTHBALLED tourist railway is still on track for a summer reopening, bosses say. But no date has been set for trains to run on the Weardale line, between Stanhope and Wolsingham, County Dur-ham, which closed at the start of last year with debts of nearly
Stokesley SC will be hoping it is third time lucky in the final of the Sunderland Shipowners' Cup. Their two previous appearances have ended in defeat but they have another chance after defeating Teesside Athletic by an only goal in Saturday's semi- final
WORK to make countryside footpaths accessible to the elderly and disabled could be in line for an award. Wear Valley Disability Access has nominated improvements at Waldridge Fell, near Chester-le-Street, for the County Access Plus Awards, which recognise
THE future of a North-East heritage site was threatened by mechanical problems, it was revealed yesterday. Officials feared the problems with the last working water mill on Teesside could not be solved because of a shortage of millwrights. But a search
A FORMER MP said he was saddened that the ceremony making him a Freeman of Durham City had failed to be recorded in a council publication It was in December of last year that the rare honour was bestowed on Gerry Steinberg, in recognition of his 18 years
DOZENS of students were given a lesson in healthy living when a roadshow visited their college. Youngsters at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, in Darlington, were treated to non-alcoholic cocktails, vegetarian food, and alternative therapies at the
A WEEK of activities is being planned to encourage elderly people to claim benefits to which they are entitled. Age Concern Darlington is is running benefits checks during Your Rights Week and staff are urging elderly people to contact them to make an
A CONTROVERSIAL waste incinerator has been put forward as the best option to meet Government targets on disposing of rubbish in Darlington. The incinerator could be built inside or outside the borough. Darlington Borough Council cabinet met on Tuesday
DEVELOPERS hoping to build 36 apartments on waste ground in Darlington town centre are to hold a meeting to discuss the plans. Representatives of Durham-based Dunelm Castle Homes will hold a consultation session about proposals to build the development
A HEALTH bus, which was used by 10,000 people in two years, has been awarded £20,000 to carry on its quest. Hartlepool Families First (HFF), a child and health care charity which targets hard-to-reach communities, has been named winner of a GlaxoSmithKline
THREE men are joining forces to put on an unusual exhibition combining art, furniture-making and story-telling. Farmer Doug Anderson will include his paintings, as well a collection of his own tales at the event in Witham Hall at Barnard Castle, County
WILLIAM HODGSON hoped to supply poultry sheds to a few local farmers when he launched a small village firm - but after 100 years, it is still going strong. It can now count royalty and other famous people among its customers as the fourth generation of
CHESTER-LE-STREET District Council chairman Councillor Allen Turner has been issued with his new concessionary bus pass. The event, in Sacriston, was to highlight the County Durham Travel Scheme, which is now available to residents 60 or over, and to
MATCH days for non-league football club secretary Billy Banks usually mean chores such as putting the nets up and collecting admission money at the turnstiles. But on Saturday, the 53-year-old found himself playing up front for Peterlee Newtown in a strike-force
DARLINGTON has lost out on up to £25m of education funding - because it is not deprived enough. A new report, commissioned by the Darlington Learning Partnership, reveals that the brough was only awarded £3.5m of additional funding for 14 to 19-year-olds
A PLAN to open a "body art" studio in rural North Yorkshire has run into opposition. Steve Southwick wants to convert a derelict amusement arcade in Castlegate, Malton, to create what would be the only tattoo parlour in the Ryedale area. The town council
ALAN Milburn yesterday refused to rule out challenging Gordon Brown for the leadership of the Labour Party once Tony Blair has stepped down. The Darlington MP and former Health Secretary said he thought it was "highly unlikely" that he would stand but
A VILLAGE put on the international map by Prime Minister Tony Blair could be saved from a slow death by a proposed housing development. Trimdon Village, in County Durham, where Mr Blair has led celebrations after three General Election victories, is slowly
A MAIN shopping street will be closed to traffic for two weeks for sewerage improvements, but the work has been delayed for a week. Contractors for Northumbrian Water were to start digging near the junction of Front Street and Low Chare, in Chester-le-Street
RESTRICTIONS to curb the activities of a teenage nuisance were imposed despite recent reports of his improved behaviour. The 16-year-old is said to have harassed, abused and thrown things at members of the public, in a series of incidents, mostly in the
