DAVID Hodgson is going nowhere and neither are Darlington. As a miracle did not happen at the weekend, Quakers will again be in the bottom division of the Football League next season and Hodgson says he will stay in charge, desperate to secure the promotion
Barely a year has passed since the king of breakfast TV Eamonn Holmes left GMTV, yet he has never been busier, with shows on Sky News, Five Live and BBC1 as host of Saturday night's National Lottery Jet Set. He is understandably happy with his healthy
Yorkshire trainer Richard Whitaker has only had one winner this year, but several of his horses have run well in defeat and he looks the trainer to follow at Ayr's evening fixture. Nevada Desert, who shaped with a degree of promise, despite getting tired
MORE than 200 people entered a charity duck race on Saturday. The event, in Hutton Rudby, raised £1,000 for Cleveland Search and Rescue. Prizes were handed out for the duck that completed the 1.5-mile course down the River Leven in the fastest time, and
RIVAL developers who are designing homes and business schemes which would transform a dales village have been told to work together. Banks Developments, in Tow Law, and Yuill Homes, from Hartlepool, have both submitted planning applications for separate
CHILDREN at a Darlington primary school have showed off their stitching skills. A giant tapestry of moles, worms, butterflies and centipedes was hung in the main hall of Mowden Infant School on Friday. Year two pupils - aged six and seven - created the
PATIENT groups have voiced concern that a large part of the region is not covered by new services for patients with a disabling condition. Regional organisations representing people who suffer from myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) were delighted when it
COUNTY Durham residents are being encouraged to compost their rubbish with the chance to win £100. This is Compost Awareness Week, part of a drive to get people to reduce the amount of their rubbish that ends up in landfill sites. The Waste and Resource
A FAMESTYLE school for theatrical youngsters in the Chester-le-Street area proved a hit when it opened its doors for the first time. The New World Academy of Performing Arts, run by the Kent-based New World Productions theatre company, held its first
VALE of York MP Anne McIntosh paid a visit to a DIY store to see its equality policies in action. Miss McIntosh was at B&Q's Clifton Moor store, in York, to find out more about the company's over-50s employment scheme. It places no age restrictions
FORMER Tory leader William Hague delighted pre-school youngsters by remembering a present their predecessors had given him. The Richmond MP was cutting the ribbon at Scruton Pre-School and Steeple People Out of School Club's new classroom facilities at
A COMMUNITY bus company has secured a £1m grant to expand its services. Harrogate-based Little Red Bus Company is the first organisation of its kind in the country to secure such a large financial package. The cash has come from the Government-backed
A FORMER pupil at North-allerton Grammar School is looking for old classmates to join in a reunion next week. David Hall, from Catterick Village, has organised a reunion for pupils who attended the school between 1942 and 1947 for the past three years
A PLAYGROUND for village youngsters has been opened. The site at Quebec was created on a run-down area by the Equal Partnership, with about £35,000 in grants from organisations including Living Spaces and Awards For All. Play equipment has been installed
GIANT BALL: Leven Crafts would like to thank all those who offered help with their recent knitting project - the giant ball of knitting. The project produced 180 knitted patchwork throws and their sale raised £834, which has been donated to Help the Aged
FOOTBALL-LOVING Louis Moffatt will be leading David Beckham by the hand as England take to the pitch in the World Cup this summer. The youngster has been picked to be England's mascot for one of their first round group matches. Louis, from Gateshead,
YOUNG people in east Cleveland are being offered the chance to develop their own schemes and projects, thanks to a cash windfall. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council wants to give a major role to youth representatives in how to distribute more than £400,000
COUNTY Durham residents are being encouraged to compost their rubbish with the chance to win £100 in a prize draw. This week is Compost Awareness Week, and the Waste and Resource Action Programme and Durham County Council are offering £100 in garden vouchers
PARENTS and visitors have been given a guided tour of a school by its pupils. Barnard Castle School open day covered academic subjects, sport and some of the 80 activities available there. One of the highlights was a demonstration by young tennis player
A DARLINGTON woman has been left frightened after receiving anonymous letters about her pet dog. A series of letters have been posted through Ann Swain's door on Larchfield Street since Christmas complaining about her small dog, Penny. The letters complain
A CHARITABLE group that offers amenities and services not normally available through the NHS has vowed to continue its work in a new hospital. The pledge came during the annual meeting of the Friends of Richardson Hospital. Since 1981, the Friends have
MORE than 150 examples of a breed once threatened by extinction were on show at the weekend. The Dales Pony Society Spring Stallion and Breed Show took place at Streatlam Farm, near Barnard Castle on Saturday. Freda Longstaff, who is a member of the society's
FURIOUS fans descended on Middlesbrough's Riverside stadium after they missed out on tickets to the club's biggest game in its history. Supporters were left gutted after learning they will not be going to the Uefa Cup final despite some holding a season
FARMERS in the Yorkshire Dales could be sitting on a new cash crop. A project announced this week aims to buy seed from flower-rich hay meadows and use it restore areas where wildflowers have been depleted. The Hay Time project is a three-year scheme
A LEGAL challenge against the Government's decision to approve a new Tyne Tunnel has failed. Friends of the Earth member and local resident Brian Atkinson challenged the validity of an environmental study on the impact of the tunnel. The judgement means
AFTER three years of upheaval in South Park, it would take more than wet weather to hold back the celebrations to mark its reopening. Crowds of people young and old gathered to see if the £3.8m worth of work would live up to expectations. Many were old
POLICE are looking for witnesses after a motorcyclist suffered a broken foot when he was knocked from his machine on Saturday. The accident happened at about 12.50pm, when the driver of a Land Rover Discovery pulled out of Westbank Road, into Ormesby
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: Today Church of the Ascension, Penrith Road, Berwick Hills, Middlesbrough 2.30pm-6.45pm St Cuthbert's
Rebel Labour MPs were yesterday accused of staging a coup to oust Tony Blair. Backbenchers say uncertainty about the Prime Minister's future is damaging the Government and they want him to set a date for his departure. But Blair loyalists have accused
MIDDLESBROUGH winger Stewart Downing's UEFA Cup heroics have landed him a dream trip to the World Cup finals. The 21-year-old midfielder, for so long touted as the answer to England's perennial left-sided problem, was a surprise inclusion in Sven-Goran
DAVID Hodgson has hinted that next season will be his last as Darlington manager. But Hodgson believes his job will not be complete until he has achieved something with the club. Hodgson has had five full seasonm and three part seasons in control without
COUNTY Durham youngsters' celebrations of Europe Day will have a German feel, to mark the country hosting next month's World Cup. More than 250 children from 25 schools will go to Durham County Council's headquarters in Durham today, to take part in art
SCIENTISTS have been given money to help develop a cancer-fighting light beam. Biotransformations Limited, based at the Centre for Life, Newcastle, has developed what it says is the first medical therapy that uses light to fight disease, including cancer
MICHAEL Owen's World Cup hopes are back in the balance this morning after Glenn Roeder admitted the Newcastle striker was left out of yesterday's 1-0 win over Chelsea because of more pain in his injured right foot. Owen, who broke a metatarsal in a New
EVERY VOTE COUNTS: THERE isn't a single party that can command enough faith from the population to be representative of a majority view in our affairs. Whoever manages to win the next General Election will be a minority of people, with very limited life
DAVID O'LEARY last night claimed Aston Villa have been given the go ahead to complete the permanent signing of James Milner from Newcastle United, writes Paul Fraser. Milner has been Villa's star performer during his season-long loan spell at Villa Park
HARTLEPOOL UNITED chairman Ken Hodcroft has apologised to the club's fans after relegation to League Two. Since taking over in September 1997, Hodcroft and owners IOR Ltd have enjoyed five play-off campaigns and a promotion. This season's struggle brought
The 12-year-old son of Hartlepool MP, Iain Wright has suffered a stroke after playing football with friends. Iain Wright, who succeeded Peter Mandelson as MP, is waiting for more news on his son Benjamin. The alert was raised by Mr Wright's father Mervyn
AS the debate goes on over whether Steve McClaren is the right man to manage England, here's my tuppence worth. I don't know if the Boro manager is better qualified for the job than Scolari, Allardyce, or Curbishley. All I can say is that, in my experience
MICHAEL Owen's World Cup hopes are back in the balance this morning after Glenn Roeder admitted the Newcastle striker was left out of yesterday's 1-0 win over Chelsea because of more pain in his injured right foot. Owen, who broke a metatarsal in a New
THE torture is over. The worst team in Premiership history does not have to suffer any more. Before the curtain came down on their brief stay in the top-flight, one more unwanted record fell on Sunderland at Villa Park yesterday, in what was a typical
FORMER Newcastle United manager Sir Bobby Robson has been given the all-clear after doctors found lung cancer while treating him after a skiing accident. It is the third time the 73-year-old, who also managed the England side, has fought the disease.
POLICE are investigating claims that two girls were threatened with drowning by a group of school bullies. The allegation is the culmination of a three-month bullying campaign against Sarah Claydon and Carol-Ann Harrison, which has left them too frightened
DURHAM University claimed an eighth victory in the ten years of the Northumbrian Water Boat Race when its senior men overcame favourites Newcastle University. Newcastle, with a strong run of form behind them, fell behind by two lengths on the River Tyne
FORMER Newcastle United manager Sir Bobby Robson has been given the all-clear after doctors found lung cancer while treating him after a skiing accident. It is the third time the 73-year-old, who also managed the England side, has fought the disease.
SRI Lankan Thara Gunarathne and local lad Michael Gough swept Hartlepool to an emphatic victory over Normanby Hall in the Darlington Building Society NYSD Premier League Premier Division game at Park Drive on Saturday. It took Pools just 22.3 overs to
A SHODDY workman - nick-named "the fiddler on the roof" for his penchant for roofing rip offs - has been given an ASBO to protect the public from his botched repair jobs. James Bowes is now banned by law from plying his trade after ripping off pensioners
AMANDA Whitaker made a fantastic start to her 2006 racing campaign by notching two wins out of two in the European Historic Formula 2 series at the weekend. Racing at Hockenheim, Germany, Amanda led her class from flag to finish in both races in a B34
With today's start of Foster Care Fortnight, which runs until May 21, there will be a focus on providing homes for vulnerable children. Women's Editor Sarah Foster meets Lousie, whose own horrendous childhood has made her open her house - and her heart
DARLINGTON held sway in their conflict with Durham as the three players selected for both teams on Saturday turned out for the club in a 30-22 home defeat by Bradford and Bingley. Durham lost their opening match in the County Championship Shield 34-26
Out-of-contract defender David McGurk may have played his last game for Darlington after admitting he is unlikely to get first team football with the club. Both Matt Clarke and Matty Appleby were suspended for Saturday's game which meant a rare appearance
STEVE McClaren hailed his youngster's "heroic" efforts at Craven Cottage yesterday and felt it was an injustice Middlesbrough lost their final Premier League fixture of the season. A penalty from Hieder Helguson settled the 50th league contest between
FAMILY photographs unearthed after the death of in inspirational teacher have given relatives a new insight into her remarkable life. To the generations of pupils who sat in her classes at King James I School, in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, Peggy
TWO years ago, Newcastle's post-season lap of honour descended into farce when Sir Bobby Robson's side, who had finished fifth in the Premiership, were greeted by a mixture of indifference and jeers because of their failure to qualify for the Champions
A MAN has been fined £200 after admitting possession of cocaine. John Douglas Wilson, 35, of Station Road, Newton Aycliffe, must also pay £34 court costs after his appearance at Darlington Magistrates' Court. The court heard he and a second man were filmed
A REVAMPED charity shop will throw open its doors today to unveil a new range of designer wear. The Barnardo's shop, in Post House Wynd, Darlington, has undergone a refit and will now only stock designer clothing and accessories. David Abdale, Barnardo's
HEALTH worker Adele Dawes is to skydive from 10,000ft in a bid to overcome her fear of heights - and raise money for charity. The 23-year-old clerical and data administrator with Darlington's Drug Intervention Programme has already tried abseiling from
GOLFERS clubbed together to help a playgroup's new friends' association off to a bouncing start. Parents at the Elm Ridge Play Group have formed a Friends group to raise money for the children. One of the fathers, Johnnie Taylor, organised a golf tournament
RESIDENTS who use Darlington's kerbside recycling service are being sent a calendar to remind them when their items will be collected. More than 45,000 calendars have been produced showing when the fortnightly collections will be picked up until next
THIRTY-SEVEN people took part in an annual sponsored walk on Saturday. The Claire Cook Memorial Walk raises funds for MandDet (Midwifery and Diabetes Educational Trust) and CHUF (Children's Heart Unit Fund at the Freeman Hospital, in Newcastle). The walkers
HUNDREDS of diners enjoyed a taste of Thailand at an event at Darlington College. Organisers teamed up with the town's Phutawan Restaurant as part of an initiative to work with local employers. Staff from the Parkgate restaurant helped present an evening
TWO parents helped into work by one of Darlington's children's centres are offering support to other families. John Pearson and Shiria Begum were both regular visitors to the McNay Street Children's Centre when they were offered jobs helping other parents
A COUNCILLOR has resigned as chairman of a safety partnership after he was tested for possible drink-driving. Newcastle City councillor Tony Rounthwaite, 55, gave police a blood sample after his car hit a fence. He has not been charged, but has been released
UNLIKE Darlington, Michael Bridges - the one that got away, - will be playing in League One next season. The former Sunderland and Newcastle striker has been influential in ensuring Carlisle's second promotion in as many years. Had Darlington's stringent
PARTS of Harrogate's famous Valley Gardens, which helped the town win the Europe in Bloom award two years ago, are being turned into impromptu football pitches by youths, it is claimed. Lilian Mina, chairwoman of Harrogate Civic Society, has taken up
MORE than 200 primary school children got a taste of Dutch-style sport at a gala event in Durham yesterday. The festival of international sporting activities had been organised by students from Holland and the North-East, who have been taking part in
A GROUP has been formed to tackle worries about land drainage in Ryedale and its potential to aggravate flooding problems. Set up by Ryedale District Council, it resulted from floods in recent years and has experts from the five Internal Drainage Boards
MALTON and Norton town manager Peter Mudge is leaving after a failed attempt to get support from businesses for a Yorkshire Forward scheme to boost their economies. The twin towns had been put forward by the regional development agency as a pioneering
STAFFORDSHIRE Bull Terrier Macie used to be badly behaved, but is now winning obedience awards. Science teacher Joanna Jenkinson and her husband, Wayne, of Stanley, acquired the bitch about a year ago from a couple who could not cope with her. "It became
MORE than £400 was raised for the Chernobyl Children's Project through an event organised by year six children at Yarm Preparatory School. Pupils at the school had fun dressing like their parents during a non-uniform day.
A SCHEME aiming to give 120,000 young people the best possible start in life has been launched. The Young People's Plan is the culmination of a major consultation exercise and has taken six months to write. The 140-page document sets out aims and objectives
A FORMER unemployment office is proving just the job as the new headquarters of a county's women's institutes. The only problem so far has been one or two jobless people wandering into the building, which is next to the present job centre in the centre
A CONTROVERSIAL three-year battle to build a new Aldi superstore on a disused hospital site is expected to reach a conclusion this week. The German-owned food chain has faced numerous objections from people in Middlesbrough who believe the old North Riding
A VIP trip to the House of Commons, a signed Boro shirt and tickets to see Elton John in concert are among the lots up for grabs at a primary school's auction of promises. Preston Primary School, in Eaglescliffe, is holding the auction on Friday, May
A FORMER landfill waste site is to be turned into a wildlife haven for people to visit, thanks to a £100,000 environmental grant. The money for the scheme, at Chapman's Well, near Annfield Plain, Stanley, is coming from the County Durham Environmental
LOCAL and national issues were put under the spotlight when four prominent members of the community formed the panel for a Question Time-style debate. Fielding questions from Prior Pursglove College students were Professor Graham Henderson, vice-chancellor
ONE of the world's biggest chemical companies has offered to part-finance the first in a new generation of nuclear power plants in the North-East, The Northern Echo can reveal. Last night, Huntsman confirmed it could help offset the £1bn building cost
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: Today Church of the Ascension, Penrith Road, Berwick Hills, Middlesbrough 2.30pm-6.45pm St Cuthbert's
DESPITE winning just once under his management, Sunderland's caretaker boss Kevin Ball has revealed a hunger and a desire to step into management. What could be Ball's final game in charge of the Black Cats ended in defeat at Aston Villa yesterday when
UGLY, derelict, vacant and overgrown areas in Darlington are to come under the spotlight this week. A report to Darlington Borough Council's environment scrutiny committee highlights a number of areas in the town that are neglected. Many of the areas
A LITTLE over 12 months ago and Hartlepool United ended their season in tears as the players knew they had missed out on a glorious opportunity. As this season drew to a close at the weekend, it was the same story. The circumstances, however, could not
THE tranquil gardens of a community hospice will be given a makeover with the help of a group of students. Members of Bishop Auckland College's men's health group stepped in to help the town's Butterwick Hospice revamp their gardens. The group has raised
THE organisers of a successful beer festival are looking for worthy causes to benefit from the profits. At the weekend, Auckland Castle hosted Casks at the Castle, featuring more than 40 beers. The event was organised by the Bishop Auckland and Spennymoor
Youngsters celebrating Europe Day today will have the World Cup on their minds. For celebrations at Durham County Council's headquarters will have a German feel ahead of this summer's competition. More than 250 children from 25 schools will go to the
A BEAUTY therapy student will take her turn on the treatment table as she prepares for the Miss Durham competition. Gemma Williams, 17, from Spennymoor, is through to the final 20 contestants in this year's event. If she wins, the Bishop Auckland College
EIGHT new Wear Walking for Health routes are being launched this week. Leaflet packs for the walks mapped out by volunteer leaders and walkers in Crook and Howden-le-Wear are available from tomorrow, after the launch at 1.30pm in Crook Library. The walks
YOUNGSTERS are hoping to hook themselves a part in this year's Christmas pantomime at Middlesbrough Theatre. Auditions were held at the weekend for parts in children's favourite Peter Pan. With plenty of parts on offer for the youngsters, it was the perfect
THE Liberal Democrat leader of Newcastle City Council is to stand down two years after his party seized control after 30 years of Labour control. Councillor Peter Arnold, who has led the Lib-Dem group on the authority for eight years, said he needed a
BRIDE-TO-BE Zoe Dixon should be making wedding plans, but is instead arranging a funeral for the man who was the love of her life. Her fiance, Ian Steele, died instantly in a car crash while the couple were driving through North Yorkshire on their way
MARK SCHWARZER has declared himself fit to play in the biggest game of Middlesbrough's history on Wednesday night, even if it means becoming the masked man for 90 minutes, writes Paul Fraser. Schwarzer trained on Saturday at the Riverside Stadium with
MIDDLESBROUGH may have seen the sun set on a disappointing league campaign with a 1-0 defeat against Fulham, but supporters can take comfort in witnessing an exciting new dawn at Craven Cottage yesterday as the Teessiders created Premiership history.
ONE of the world's biggest chemical companies has offered to part-finance the first in a new generation of nuclear power plants in the North-East, The Northern Echo can reveal. Last night, Huntsman confirmed it could help offset the £1bn building cost
YORKSHIRE were left still searching for their first Championship win of the season after Sussex took only 50 minutes on the final day to canter to a five-wicket victory at Headingley on Saturday. It was Yorkshire's second consecutive defeat and they are
With England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson due to name his provisional World Cup squad today, the Swede's selection process has hardly been helped by a string of late injuries. Scott Wilson and Paul Fraser arrive at the 23 men he is likely to pick and the
THE Dutch millionaire owner of Swan Hunter shipyard, on Tyneside, says he will sell it if the right bid came along. Jaap Kroese said people had made inquiries about buying the yard in recent weeks. The future of the yard and its workforce of about 250
HAVING a break, what else, the column took itself on Tuesday evening to KitKat Crescent - North Riding Senior Cup final, York City v Northallerton. "Who are yer?" chorused the City fans of their unlikely visitors. It seemed a perfectly reasonable question
STAFF from a North-East university have been helping the people of Pakistan to recover from last year's devastating earthquake by sharing their expertise. The quake killed thousands of people and the team from the University of Teesside joined an international
THE Northern Echo has been named North-East Newspaper of the Year for a record fifth time. Judges at the North-East Press Awards, at Newcastle Civic Centre, praised the paper for its balanced approach, its creativity and its strong relationship with the
A FURRY bear was among a field of athletes that tackled a gruelling race at a North racecourse, bidding to be crowned King of the Mascots. Sixty-eight furry, fluffy and odd creatures took to the track at Wetherby in the Yorkshire Young Farmers' Rural
MIDDLESBROUGH may have seen the sun set on a disappointing league campaign with a 1-0 defeat against Fulham, but supporters can take comfort in witnessing an exciting new dawn at Craven Cottage yesterday as the Teessiders created Premiership history.
AS WE go into the final week of the league season, there's still everything to play for. Although East End WMC have claimed the Division One title, many of the other issues have yet to be resolved. Shuttle and Loom will need something special to avoid
IN an increasingly crowded and stressful world, open spaces have never been more important. They give us peace of mind and time to breathe. We therefore welcome the rejuvenation of South Park, in Darlington, the region's oldest municipal park, and applaud
BIRTHDAY girl Tegan Ross had more reasons to celebrate her first birthday than most. Family and friends yesterday joined Tegan, who underwent a liver transplant aged only eight months, to celebrate a remarkable first year. Tegan, from Darlington, was
TWO years ago, Newcastle's post-season lap of honour descended into farce when Sir Bobby Robson's side, who had finished fifth in the Premiership, were greeted by a mixture of indifference and jeers because of their failure to qualify for the Champions
THE stage is set for a crucial C & G Trophy match at Old Trafford next Sunday after Durham yesterday claimed the first of the two big scalps they need from successive games. They continued to look a very well-balanced and skilful one-day outfit, and
