Stories for 26 September 2006

The Northern Echo News

Man hit PC who wrecked his marriage

A FURIOUS father punched a policeman who was having a fling with his wife, a court heard.Bryan Spooner hit PC David Bate so hard he loosened two of his teeth after the police officer wrecked his marriage.Spooner and his wife, Joanne, who have two young children, will separate and are to sell their home, York Crown Court was told."Many people may well consider that the actions of Mr Bate are the more reprehensible," said Harold Shaw, defending Spooner.Spooner, 32, of Woodlands Drive, Barlby, near Selby, North Yorkshire, could have been jailed for assault.But the Recorder of York, Judge Paul Hoffman, said there were "special circumstances" to the incident in the Black A Moor pub, in Selby, and gave Spooner a 12-month conditional discharge instead of a prison sentence.Spooner, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to actual bodily harm and must pay £748 prosecution costs.Prosecuting, Mark McKone said Mr Bate, a police officer based in Hull, was off duty and had drunk eight pints on the evening of May 12.He encountered Spooner in the Black A Moor - and Spooner told him he had three minutes to get out of the pub.Mr Bate did not leave and Spooner hit him once near his mouth, loosening - but not removing - two teeth.The victim said he did not want Spooner imprisoned for the attack and accepted he was responsible to some extent for what happened.The pair, who live a minute's walk from each other, were once friends and would often be seen sharing a drink together.After the case, Mrs Spooner said: "We're private people, we just want to keep to ourselves and for this to end."Mr Bate was not available for comment.  more...

Fire crews will be reaching dizzy heights

NORTH-EAST police officers tested their head for heights when they received specialist training.Cleveland Fire Brigade's rope rescue team, which is based at Coulby Newham, started the first of three week-long courses to train officers who may be required to work at heights.The officers picked up rope access and basic rescue techniques. Steve Walton, Redcar and Cleveland district manager, said: "This initiative is understood to be the only joint training programme between fire and police services outside of London."The training will be based from Coulby Newham fire station, but officers will also be taken to different environments such as industrial settings and cliff settings."This training will allow us to work more effectively during incidents that we are both called to. The officers who come on the course will be people who may be involved in search teams or communication specialists. "They could also be used, for example, if the fire brigade is mobilised with police negotiators to a potential suicide from a bridge."It will form part of an ongoing health and safety programme which will be invaluable for our staff who are sometimes required to work in difficult situations at height."This new initiative will equip our staff to provide a full service to the public and victims while maintaining personal safety if working at height."  more...

Shearer speaks out for children

NEWCASTLE United legend Alan Shearer is aiming for a new goal - ending cruelty to children.The former England striker was yesterday appointed as an ambassador for the children's charity NSPCC.Shearer, who retired from football at the end of last season as the Magpies' all-time leading goalscorer, has been appointed to front the charity's Full Stop campaign, which aims to end child cruelty.The 36-year-old striker, himself a father-of-three, said: "I believe that if everyone did something to end child cruelty, sooner or later, no child would have to suffer abuse ever again."This fantastic initiative allows everyone to take some action to end cruelty to children, such as donating, volunteering or campaigning for change."Shearer, who has been a supporter of the NSPCC for eight years, joins Newcastle Falcons rugby hero Jonny Wilkinson, as well as Kylie Minogue and Catherine Zeta Jones, as ambassadors for the charity.He said: "As a father, the NSPCC is close to my heart and it horrifies me to think of the many thousands of children still being abused out there."There is nothing more important than stopping this. Your action counts. You can be the full stop."A website dedicated to the campaign - www.bethefull stop.com - has been set up so that supporters can follow progress as more people take action.NSPCC director Mary Marsh said: "Alan has shown great commitment and enthusiasm to our mission to end child cruelty."This year's Full Stop Week marks the start of a new phase in the fight against child abuse."We are especially excited that Alan is taking on the mantle of NSPCC ambassador at this time."  more...

Hotel's latest accolade leaves staff seeing stars

A NORTH-East hotel has been awarded the highest rating possible by the AA and joins the ranks of the country's elite establishments.Seaham Hall Hotel has been given five red stars and is the only one in the region to have received the top category.The accolade is all the more commendable given that the building was derelict when Tom Maxfield bought it in 1997.Following a multi-million pound transformation, the hotel opened its doors to guests in 2001 and has become internationally renowned as much for its luxurious accommodation as its ground-breaking Serenity Spa.Mr Maxfield said yesterday: "This is a fantastic achievement for the whole of the North-East. Everyone was sceptical at the beginning when we set out to create a world-class hotel in Seaham, but now everyone can share our pride in this achievement."Seaham Hall, he said, had become an icon of the very best that the North-East can offer.Debrah Dhugga, chief executive of Mr Maxfield's companies, said: "The Seaham Hall story represents an outstanding example of the rapid change that has taken place in the North-East over the past decade."What has been achieved here provides a great parallel with the ambition that is now being demonstrated across the whole of the region."She added: "The five red star status is a tremendous accolade for everyone at the hotel and is a symbol of the North-East's renaissance - it is something of which the whole region can be proud."John Holmes, director of regeneration and tourism for One Northeast, said: "The award is richly deserved and is testament to the major investment and hard work put in by everyone at the hotel."  more...

'I can't wait to take on Tories'

GORDON Brown posted the most blatant job application in Labour history when he told the party's rank-and-file he would "relish the opportunity to take on David Cameron".In a radical departure from his normal tub-thumping conference speech, the Chancellor issued a remarkable personal plea to delegates to back him to take over at No 10.With a grinning Tony Blair sitting just yards away, Mr Brown said: "I know where I come from, what I believe and what I can contribute."And I am confident that my experience and my values give me the strength to take the tough decisions."To the loudest applause of his 50-minute speech, he added: "I would relish the opportunity to take on David Cameron and the Conservative Party."The well-received speech was immediately seen as cementing the Chancellor's position as the overwhelming favourite to succeed Mr Blair next year.Dave Prentis, general secretary of Unison, hailed it as "a speech with vision", while former minister Gerald Kaufman said: "If it's Gordon as leader, we will win the next General Election." With the Prime Minister quitting within 12 months, Mr Brown ditched his normal boasting about Labour's economic achievements in favour of a personal focus on his background and character.Aiming at voters outside the conference chamber, the Chancellor said he accepted people wanted to know "where I come from and on what I stand", as well as about policies.Pointing to his parents as his "inspiration", Mr Brown said they had taught him to "use whatever talent we had to help people least able to help themselves".In a deliberate dig at Mr Cameron, he insisted politics should not be about "celebrity" or "image" but about "service", something much more substantial.And he added: "As a quite private person, what drew me into public life was not a search for fame or headlines, but a determination to make a difference."Mr Brown attempted to face down claims he is not a team player by name-checking possible Cabinet rivals to be Prime Minister - John Reid and Alan Johnson.And he tackled the thorny issue of how his Scottish roots will play with English voters by insisting he had spent his career "defending the unity of Great Britain against narrow nationalism".Mr Brown added: "When I'm in England, some people say I talk about Britishness because I'm now embarrassed about being Scottish. Let me say I am proud to be Scottish and British."The speech hinted at future policy - such as a written constitution and greater power for local councils - rather than revealing details of what a Brown premiership would bring.However, the Chancellor said he wanted to create at least 100,000 new jobs in green technology and increase spending in state schools to from £5,500 to £8,000 per pupil, the amount spent by private schools.  more...

No laughing matter as Brown hands in CV

GORDON Brown just launched into it. No messing around. No warm-up gags. No jolly intros."Conference," he said. "If anyone is in any doubt the difference almost ten years of Labour government has made, let them come here to Manchester."No beating around the bush.He wants the job of leading the party. He wants to be Prime Minister. So he handed in his application."I am confident that my experience and my values gives me the strength to take the tough decisions," he said to the interview panel. "I would relish the opportunity to take on David Cameron and the Conservative Party."Although he is the outstanding candidate, he has not been appointed yet. And, as BBC2's Newsnight focus group last night suggested, there are obstacles.The public at large regard him as too disloyal, too linked with the past, too dour and too Scottish."Let me begin by addressing one point directly," he said straightaway to dispel the disloyalty accusation. "It has been a privilege for me to work with and for the most successful ever Labour leader and Labour Prime Minister."It was this sentence that alledgedly caused the Prime Minister's wife to produce her own analysis of the relationship between the two men - curt, but probably more insightful than the reams and volumes that have been written about it by outsiders.Mr Brown spent the rest of his speech trying to forget the achievements of "the most successful ever Labour leader" and to look to the future. His is very much a New Labour vision aimed at Middle England - which may worry the traditional Labour activist - but whereas Tony Blair wooed these floating voters with soaring rhetoric and inspiration, Mr Brown will tempt them with down-to-earth policies.An increase in the amount spent per pupil in schools; more social housing; greater devolution to local councils...Mr Brown can attempt to persuade the public - if not the Prime Minister's wife - of his loyalty and of his future vision.He seems to have accepted, though, that he can't do anything about being a dour Scot. So he has to make a virtue of these attributes. "Let me say I am proud to be Scottish and British," he said.He turned his dourness into his only joke. "I'm more interested in the future of the Arctic circle than the future of the Arctic Monkeys," he said.The subtext was that he was a politician of heavyweight substance rather than lightweight spin - unlike either Mr Blair or Mr Cameron. "If I thought the future of politics was just about celebrity and not about something more substantial, I wouldn't be in politics," he said. "If being in public life becomes about image above all else then I don't believe politics would be serving the public."Impressive but solid stuff, as you would expect from someone with Mr Brown's public perception. Enough to sure up his support in the party, but enough to take the shine off Mr Cameron's razzle-dazzle in the country? It would be interesting to hear Cherie Blair's analysis of that one.  more...

'It'll be just like running home'

AN ACCOUNTANT who had a quadruple heart bypass operation after a heart attack last year is celebrating his return to fitness by taking part in the Great North Run.Kevin Scott, 49, will be running for the British Heart Foundation in honour of the nurses and doctors who treated him.When Mr Scott, who is from South Shields, North Tyneside, but now lives in Darlington, had a heart attack, doctors discovered four blocked arteries. He underwent the quadruple bypass at James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, in February last year.Mr Scott has completed the Great North Run twice before. He rarely drinks and has never smoked, but his family has a history of heart problems."It could happen to anyone. I was so fit and active and you just never know," he said."It hasn't put me off the whole idea of getting back into fitness. I think because I was fit, it got me through it."It is because of that I came through the operation and my recovery was so good."Mr Scott, who trains at the Penthouse Gym, in Skinnergate, Darlington, will be running the race alongside friend Barbara Padgett. He said they have had tremendous support from the gym."I am quite overwhelmed at their support," he said. "It is very humbling."He also praised the staff at both James Cook and Darlington Memorial Hospital, where he had rehabilitation treatment."All the contact nurses were brilliant," he said. "They are the best bunch of people I have ever met."He has been training two or three times a week, increasing the distance to 11 miles. Before his heart attack, Mr Scott took part in the Darlington 10km run, the Richmond 10km run and the Redcar half-marathon, but said the Great North Run had always been his favourite."The Great North Run has always been a special thrill. You run from Newcastle to my home town. For me, it is like running home."* Anyone who would like to sponsor Mr Scott can call in to the Penthouse Gym, in Skinnergate, Darlington.  more...

Elderly furious at threat to homes

ANGRY pensioners have criticised a council's plan to demolish their homes - after a council official claimed the scheme was popular.Last week, Darlington Borough Council told the 27 residents of Linden Court, in Hurworth, it planned to demolish their sheltered accommodation.Only 20 replacement old people's flats would be built, as half of the land would be sold to a private developer for apartments.In a letter to The Northern Echo yesterday, Cliff Brown, director of community services at Darlington Borough Council, wrote: "Despite a number of people trying to find negative comments from residents, the lack of success is an indication of the support the council has."But Peggy Jordan, 84, who has lived in Linden Court for more than ten years, said she "nearly died" when she heard the news."By selling half of the land, they will make a bomb," she said. "Perhaps it's because they've lost so much money on the Pedestrian Heart scheme."The whole thing has been done so badly. When I heard the news, I nearly died."Unless they get serious opposition, the plans will go ahead. Unfortunately, a group of 80-year-olds isn't much opposition, is it?"Another group of residents, who did not wish to be named, also criticised the council's plans."We were dumbfounded when we were told, then angry," one woman said."We will all have to move out, and seven of us won't be allowed back. The council are consulting, but I think it's cut and dried already."Another woman said: "It's not fair they aren't replacing what they are knocking down. Why couldn't they build 27 new flats, or at least 25? People like living here."Although against the plans, the women praised the council's handling of them."They explained the plans clearly and sensibly," one said. "They offered to pay all our removal expenses, and said they would try to move groups of us into the same places while the work is being done."A Darlington council spokeswoman said: "The whole of the money from the sale of the land will go towards the cost of this £2.2m scheme. It will in no way cover the entire cost."This is a significant investment in a building in real need of modernisation. We cannot provide more flats on the site, because to make the scheme financially viable we need to keep it to 20.  more...

Is someone expecting a delivery?

A NOCTURNAL visitor to the home of a North East businessman attracted scores of twitchers.Martin Corney, who had heard unexplained noises on his roof during the night, opened his bedroom curtains the next morning to see a row of high powered telescopes pointed at him."There was a row of tripods, telescopes and binoculars, about half a dozen of them,'' Mr Corney said. "I went outside and asked 'what are you looking at'."The apologetic watchers pointed to a European White Stork sitting on the roof of his home on the edge of Middleton One Row, near Darlington.The metre-tall white bird with a two-metre wing span, is believed to be only the third of its type to have landed in Teesside since the 1960s - but according to local birdwatchers, the second in the past few weeks.White storks are rarely seen in Britain because they are reluctant to fly over large bodies of water. They rely a lot on soaring during flight, and this requires thermal air currents - something not found over the sea.Electrical contractor Mr Corney said: "It was an amazing sight. Over a few days we had noticed something out in the fields, which we thought was a heron."I have seen storks when travelling through Europe, in the Alsace region. You don't expect one to land on your roof."His unlikely lodger stayed for about four days, before finally disappearing.Experts agreed last night that the bird, which had been ringed, had probably landed on the Corneys' roof after flying in from Holland.It was the same bird that had been spotted in fields at Yarm, near Stockton, earlier this month.Folklore has it storks bring contentment to families on whose building they alight - as well as bringing couples babies.It is only the second white stork to have landed in the Teesside area for at least 40 years.Ted Parker, chairman of Teesmouth Bird Club, said: "It was possibly ringed in the Netherlands. It's almost certainly a wild bird and the second one we have had this year. The first one was at Belasis Park, Billingham."The type of ring was indicative of a ringing scheme that they have in parts of Europe. Both birds were vagrants."There have been records of white storks over the years, but not many. Most have been fly-overs.'' RSPB spokesman David Hirst said: "It is a very unusual bird for this area, but a great bird to have around. It's not a common bird in this country.''  more...

Tourism awards shortlist revealed

THE cream of the North-East's hotels and tourist attractions have been named in the shortlist for an awards ceremony to be held next month.The winners of the second North-East England Tourism Awards are to be announced at an evening dinner and award ceremony being held in Newcastle Civic Centre on October 10.The shortlist was announced yesterday, including the leading businesses, attractions and individuals that are contributing to the region's thriving tourism industry. Tourism businesses from Newton-under-Roseberry to Berwick- upon-Tweed have been included in the shortlist for the awards, which are organised by regional development agency One NorthEast.There are 16 awards up for grabs, with the winners in 12 categories automatically going on to represent the North-East in the national "Enjoy England Awards for Excellence" to be held in London in spring 2007.Three organisations are vying for the title Large Visitor Attraction of the Year, Locomotion at Shildon, County Durham; Alnwick Castle, in Northumberland, and the National Glass Centre, in Sunderland.In the small visitor attraction of the year, Raby Castle, at Staindrop, is taking on Hexham Old Gaol and Segedunum Roman Fort at Wallsend.The judging panel, which includes Bill Oldfield, managing director of Oldfields Restaurants Ltd, and John Sands, chairman of the North East England Tourism Advisory Board, said they were pleased with the high standard of this year's entries. Mr Sands, who chairs the judging panel and the North East Tourism Advisory Board, said: "The North-East England Tourism Awards 2006 has built upon the success of last year and will be a celebration of the quality of the region's tourism industry."This is a great opportunity to recognise the wealth of talent and experience, and reward people who work in the region's tourism industry"Tourism award finalistsBed and Breakfast of the Year* Kings Head Hotel & Restaurant, Newton-under-Roseberry, Tees Valley * The Old School Quality B&B, Newton on the Moor, Northumberland * Tosson Tower Farm, Rothbury, Northumberland Hotel of the Year* De Vere Slaley Hall, Slaley, Northumberland * Langley Castle Hotel, Langley-on-Tyne, Northumberland * Malmaison, NewcastleGatesheadSmall Visitor Attraction of the Year* Hexham Old Gaol, Hexham, Northumberland * Raby Castle, Staindrop, County Durham * Segedunum Roman Fort, Wallsend, North TynesideLarge Visitor Attraction of the Year* Alnwick Castle, Alnwick, Northumberland * Locomotion, the National Railway Museum at Shildon, County Durham * National Glass Centre, SunderlandSelf-Catering Holiday of the Year* Beacon Hill Farm, Longhorsley, Northumberland * Dene House Farm, Longframlington, Northumberland * The Mill Granary, Ingleton, Darlington, Tees ValleyCaravan Holiday Park of the Year* Barnard Castle Camping & Caravan Site, County Durham * Haggerston Castle Holiday Park, Beal, Northumberland * Ord House Country Park, Berwick-upon-Tweed, NorthumberlandTourism Website of the Year* www.life.org.uk * www.northumberlandbedandbreakfast.co.uk * www.skedaddle.co.ukBusiness Tourism of the Year* Middlesbrough Football Club, Middlesbrough, Tees Valley * Teesdale Marketing, Barnard Castle, County DurhamTaste of North-East England* Grannies, Alnwick, Northumberland * High House Farm Brewery, Matfen, Northumberland * Teesdale Farmers Market, Barnard Castle, County DurhamNewcomer of the Year* Albatross Backpackers Inn, NewcastleGateshead * Once Upon a Tyne, South Shields, South Tyneside * Seven Stories, Centre for Children's Books, NewcastleGatesheadBest Family Experience of the Year* Discovery Museum, NewcastleGateshead * Locomotion, the National Railway Museum at Shildon, County Durham * Seven Stories, Centre for Children's Books, NewcastleGatesheadVisitor Pub of the Year* The Boatside Inn, Hexham, Northumberland * The Forresters Hotel, Middleston-in-Teesdale, County Durham * The Keelman, Newburn, NewcastleGatesheadOutstanding Customer Service Award* Liane Rose - Albatross Backpackers Inn, NewcastleGateshead * Alex Sawyer - Killhope Lead Mining Museum, Killhope, County Durham * Natasha Wilson - Seaham Hall Hotel and Serenity Spa, SeahamTourism Ambassador* Education Business Connect Ltd, Sunderland * Pater Irvine - Newcastle City Tours, NewcastleGateshead * Pauline Staff - Holmhead Guest House, Greenhead, NorthumberlandTourism Information Centre of the Year * Gateshead Quays Tourist Information Centre * Once Brewed Tourist Information Centre * Stanhope Tourist Information Centre  more...

Teacher tops US book lists

A FORMER French teacher has become an overnight literary sensation by topping the US bestseller lists with her debut novel.Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale has sold an estimated 70,000 copies in the US in its first week.The 42-year-old author, from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, has taken the number one spot in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Publishers Weekly charts.The writer was taken on by the first agent she sent her manuscript to.She signed a deal with publisher Orion - worth a reported £800,000.A second deal in the US is said to top £530,000.The author spent five years writing the book after giving up lecturing at universities in England and France. She also ran a business teaching the language to people wanting to move to France.The novel, which has been compared in style to the works of Daphne du Maurier, Wilkie Collins and the Bronte sisters, is about a bookseller's daughter who is commissioned to write the biography of a dying writer.US bookshop chain Barnes and Noble described the book as an "urgently readable" novel that is nearly impossible to put down.The store's fiction buyer, Sessalee Hensley, said: "It's not often that I would even dare to compare a book to Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, but The Thirteenth Tale is one that I will."This book is absolutely wonderful."The book has also received praise from British critics.Time Out said: "Like all the best first novels, this one seems to bulge with a lifetime's hoarded inspirations."The 42-year-old has embarked on a promotional tour of America.The last British author to reach the top spot with a debut was Nicholas Evans.The writer's 1996 novel The Horse Whisperer was made into a film starring Robert Redford and Scarlett Johansson.  more...

Cherie denies Chancellor 'lie' outburst

CHERIE BLAIR last night denied breaking the truce between her husband and Gordon Brown by saying "that's a lie" while watching the Chancellor's keynote conference speech.A journalist with a US agency reported she heard Mrs Blair dispute Mr Brown's claims that it had been "a privilege for me to work with the most successful-ever Labour leader and Labour prime minister".The journalist with the respected US financial agency Bloomberg reported that Mrs Blair was watching the speech on television at a trade stand outside the main Labour conference hall in Manchester. She claimed she overheard Mrs Blair say: "Well, that's a lie."With the story apparently blowing apart the truce between Tony Blair and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mrs Blair later told reporters: "Honestly guys, I hate to spoil your story, but I didn't say it and I don't believe it either."Downing Street denied the story, saying it was "totally untrue".Bloomberg, though, stood by the story, although it did drop its early suggestion that Mrs Blair had stormed out of the conference hall in disgust at Mr Brown's speech.Mrs Blair is known to resent what she sees as Mr Brown's undermining of the Prime Minister and, in the past, has urged her husband not to make way for him.Today, Mr Blair will use his last speech to conference to set out what aides call a "route map" for his party's future success - a move unlikely to find much favour with Mr Brown who yesterday set out his own vision for the next election.The Prime Minister will call on his likely successor to be "more New Labour, not less" by driving forward private-sector-led reforms in law and order, health, schools, welfare, energy and the economy.The deliberate use of the term "route map" will spark accusations - made by former Tory Prime Minister John Major against Margaret Thatcher - that Mr Blair intends to be a back-street driver when he quits No 10 next year.Mr Blair's speech will draw on what the Prime Minister sees as the "four cornerstones of New Labour", its politics - matching the needs and wishes of the public - attitude, character and values.Mr Blair will say he is confident the "values and approach" that have underpinned New Labour since 1994 will deliver a fourth election victory.But, calling for New Labour reforms to be stepped up, he will warn: "The scale of the challenges in 2007 dwarf what we faced in 1997."Earlier, Mr Brown for the first time acknowledged his clashes with the Prime Minister had disrupted the Government - and said both were sorry.He added: "It's hardly surprising that, as in any relationship, there have been times when we've differed."And, where over those years differences have distracted from what matters, I regret that, as I know Tony does too."Another sign of the truce breaking down came when leading Blairites Stephen Byers and Peter Mandelson refused to comment on the Chancellor's speech.And, in a further blow to Mr Brown, an in-depth poll for last night's BBC Newsnight programme found voters preferred Home Secretary John Reid to succeed Mr Blair.  more...

Tragedy a "wake-up call"

LAST night's train crash should serve as an urgent warning, an expert has warned.   more...

Train driver hailed a hero

A PASSENGER has hailed the driver of the train that struck a car, killing one man, as a hero.   more...

Train victim was dad-of-five

A MAN killed in a 100mph smash with a train after his car slid onto railway lines is understood to be a father-of-five.   more...

Man dead after car collides with intercity train

A MAN died after a car went through a fence and collided with an intercity passenger train service on the East Coast Main Line.   more...

Women in breast cancer drug trial

THREE women who lost their mothers to breast cancer are urging women potentially at high risk from the disease to sign up for a drug trial.Experts believe that the drug, anastrozole, which has already proved its worth in treating breast cancer, may be able to prevent women with a family history of the illness going on to develop the disease.If the Cancer Research UK trial succeeds, cancer specialists believe it could lead to thousands of women in the UK remaining free of breast cancer.Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary is appealing to women with a family history of breast cancer or other risk factors for the disease, to sign up for the trial.While other women around the UK have already enrolled in the trial - known as IBIS-2 - this is the first time women in the North-East have been invited to enrol.Judith Warriner, 50, from Hartburn, Stockton, Ann Brown, 60, from Whitburn, South Tyneside, and Pat Hasler, 60, from Jarrow, donned pink IBIS-2 T-shirts yesterday at the hospital to launch the trials.All have been identified as having a high risk of developing breast cancer following a family history of the disease.Mrs Warriner said: "I would certainly back calls for women in my position to enrol in this trial. From what the experts are telling us it could save a lot of lives."Pat Hasler, who works as a district nurse, said: "This has got to be a good idea. I see a lot of people who have breast cancer where I work."This disease is one of women's biggest fears and anything we can do to prevent it is great by me."Women who enrol need to be aged between 40 and 70, to have passed the menopause, to have a strong family history of breast cancer or have been told by their doctors they have other risk factors.* To find out more, contact Vikki Bridget on 0191-282 0070 or visit www.ibis-trials.org Why we're taking part - Page 5  more...

Man is charged with murdering gran, 42

A MAN will appear in court today charged with the murder of a 42-year-old grandmother.Police last night confirmed that Pamela Cole, whose body was discovered at a beauty spot in County Durham on Sunday, had been stabbed and beaten.An attempt had been made to set her body alight.The former pit community of Horden was last night in shock following the death.Lee Christopher Robson, 20, of Seventh Street, Horden, who is unemployed, was yesterday charged with Mrs Cole's murder and is due to appear before magistrates in Peterlee today.Mrs Cole lived with her husband, David, who works at a local factory. The couple have three children - Craig, 23, Michael, 21, and Louise, 20 - as well as a one-year-old grandson.Police investigators have established that Mrs Cole had been out socialising on Saturday night.They said she was wearing a pink sequinned top, dark trousers and a dark cardigan-style jacket.She had been in Horden Rugby Club until about 11pm and then went on to the village's Big Club, where she stayed for 45 minutes.She was later seen outside the premises, where she remained until about 12.30am.Detective Superintendent Andy Reddick, who is leading the murder inquiry, last night renewed his appeal for information about Mrs Cole's whereabouts between 12.30am and about 3.30am, when her body was discovered.He also confirmed that a post-mortem examination, carried out at the University Hospital of North Durham, revealed that the grandmother died from multiple injuries, including several stab wounds and head injuries caused by a blunt instrument.The scene of the attack is believed to have been a large grassed area next to Horden's Memorial Park, and police confirmed last night that an attempt had been made to set the body alight.Crime scene investigators were yesterday continuing their examination of the murder scene.South Crescent, where the Cole family live near a row of elderly-people's bungalows, was quiet yesterday.A man who said he was one of the victim's sons briefly stepped out of the front door to speak to a reporter from The Northern Echo.With tears in his eyes, he said: "My family is just too upset to talk about what has happened."We are just hanging by a thread. We are in bits."He added that the family was likely to issue a statement in tribute to Mrs Cole through their police family liaison officer.The violent death has rocked the former mining community.Councillor Derek Armstrong, who has represented the ward where the Cole family live for several years, said: "This is an absolute tragedy and one which has deeply shocked the whole village."We have all been very upset by what has happened and our sympathy and our hearts go out to the Cole family."He added: "While we don't know the circumstances surrounding what has happened, we are concerned for Mrs Cole's family and offer them any support we can give."Det Supt Reddick said anyone who saw Mrs Cole or heard anything suspicious should contact police on 0845 60 60 365 and ask for the murder incident room at Peterlee police station.Alternatively, people can ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.  more...

Teacher tops US book lists

A FORMER French teacher has become an overnight literary sensation by topping the US bestseller lists with her debut novel.Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale has sold an estimated 70,000 copies in the US in its first week.The 42-year-old author, from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, has taken the number one spot in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Publishers Weekly charts.The writer was taken on by the first agent she sent her manuscript to.She signed a deal with publisher Orion - worth a reported £800,000.A second deal in the US is said to top £530,000.The author spent five years writing the book after giving up lecturing at universities in England and France. She also ran a business teaching the language to people wanting to move to France.The novel, which has been compared in style to the works of Daphne du Maurier, Wilkie Collins and the Bronte sisters, is about a bookseller's daughter who is commissioned to write the biography of a dying writer.US bookshop chain Barnes and Noble described the book as an "urgently readable" novel that is nearly impossible to put down.The store's fiction buyer, Sessalee Hensley, said: "It's not often that I would even dare to compare a book to Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, but The Thirteenth Tale is one that I will."This book is absolutely wonderful."The book has also received praise from British critics.Time Out said: "Like all the best first novels, this one seems to bulge with a lifetime's hoarded inspirations."The 42-year-old has embarked on a promotional tour of America.The last British author to reach the top spot with a debut was Nicholas Evans.The writer's 1996 novel The Horse Whisperer was made into a film starring Robert Redford and Scarlett Johansson.  more...

Selby crash widow's shock

SELBY rail crash widow Lee Taylor has spoken of her shock after hearing of Monday night's accident.   more...