Stories for 24 December 2007
The Northern Echo News
Black belt for a real karate Kidd
A BOY of nine has more...
Workshop youngsters rock into Christmas
Brown to face fight over MPs’ pay rise
Anger as patients’ data goes missing
Blair’s friend welcomes his Catholic conversion
Webcam focus on the arrival of police pups
Inseparable elderly dogs given new home
Pensioner killed in road accident
A WOMAN was killed when she was struck by a car after crossing a busy North-East road. more...
Archbishop attacks post office closures
THE Archbishop of York John Sentamu has criticised the Government for threatening to close local post offices. more...
Man who died in head-on crash is named
A MAN who died in a head-on road crash last week has been named as a 40-year-old man from Whitby, North Yorkshire. more...
Hamster's jet-powered crash car up for sale
THE owners of the jet-powered car in which Richard Hammond had a near-fatal crash have put the vehicle up for sale. more...
Fresh appeal for witnesses to taxi rank assault
LATE night revellers are urged to come forward with information for police investigating a taxi rank assault. more...
Author has his eyes on book prize
AN author from North Yorkshire is hoping for a second chance at winning a prize with his first novel. more...
Police called to disturbance outside club
POLICE were called to a working men's club last night following reports that bottles and glasses were being thrown. more...
Lottery cash for library plan
A STATE-OF-THE-ART library will be built in the region following a £1.5m lottery cash injection. more...
Residents win toxic waste clean-up fight
RESIDENTS are celebrating after winning a battle to have toxic substances cleared from their gardens.The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has agreed to foot the £1.9m cleaning bill after a three-year campaign by about 100 families in Seaton Carew, near Hartlepool.Serious concerns were raised by residents after abnormally high levels of lead, arsenic and zinc were found in soil surrounding homes in Wainwright Walk, Wainwright Close, Hornby Close, Cowley Close and Lithgo Close.Initially, Defra had refused to pay for the work while investigations were carried out to identify who owned the land when it became contaminated.But after relentless pressure from residents, backed by the town's MP, Iain Wright and Mayor Stuart Drummond, the Government department has agreed to step in and resolve the problem.Margaret Mills, 62, of Lithgo Close, who is chairwoman of the Seaton Residents' Association, said: "I am very pleased that our hard fight is finally coming to a satisfactory conclusion."Some people who have wanted to sell their houses have had great difficulties because of the common knowledge of the land depreciation."If they haven't wanted to move, but wanted to remortgage, it is worthless on paper and there has also been the stress."Mr Drummond said the battle will continue, because the cash will only pay for the land to be cleared of contamination and will not pay for it to be returned to its former state. He said: "It has been long awaited this decision and we have been pressing really hard."We are really pleased that residents have been patient this long and they have been supportive."It is good that they can relax and know this work is going to be done. Now the attention turns to the polluter, to get the rest of the money due."The battle to identify who was responsible for the contamination has been a complicated one, because the land has changed hands a number of times over the decades.One thought was that the problems date back to when the area was used to store pit props.Lancashire firm Cheetham Hill Construction won the contract to carry out the work, which is expected to start next year. more...
Two given awards for showing bravery
A VOLUNTEER coastguard and a young boy from the region have been rewarded for their bravery and resilience in a national competition.Elliot Brown and Paul Waugh have been given £2,000-worth of vouchers after being honoured in the nationwide 40 Christmas Wishes awards.Eight-year-old Elliot, from Darlington, won his prize in the Overcoming Disaster category after he was seriously injured in a horrific accident while on holiday.Mr Waugh, 40, from Skelton Green, in East Cleveland, won the Hero of the Year award for his role in a daring clifftop rescue of a teenage girl.Elliot had to undergo lifesaving treatment after he became crushed under the wheels of a runaway horsedrawn carriage during a family holiday to Tunisia.He needed 50 stitches to his face, skin grafts on his knees and a metal halo bolted to his head.The treatment meant that the football-mad youngster has been unable to take part in any sport.His mother, Sharon, who nominated him for the award, said: "After nearly a year, Elliot can now walk again. "He can't ride a bike or play football, but he's getting there. "We've been to hell and back, but Elliot's soldiered on through everything. I'm so proud of him."Last January, in strong winds and freezing cold, with darkness setting in, Skinningrove coastguard Mr Waugh climbed down a cliff without safety equipment to rescue Faye Harrison, 13, who had become trapped.Faye was left clinging to tufts of grass as the ledge she was standing on gave way.As they awaited a helicopter and winch, Mr Waugh positioned himself with his arms around the teenager so she would not fall over the 300ft drop and reassured her for 30 minutes.Coastguards Eric Lorrains and Gordon Hogg were also involved in the rescue. Coincidentally, it was the second time Mr Waugh had helped the teenager.She was rescued by him last year when she became trapped by the tide.Mr Waugh was nominated for the award by his wife, Sue.She said: "The young girl sent him a letter saying she had planned her funeral in her head before he rescued her and thanked him for saving her life a second time. "Paul's the kind of man who is always helping people. "He and the team have saved everyone, from dog-walkers lost in the fog on the cliffs, to children trapped by the tide."The 40 Christmas Wishes competition was organised by Park Group, the Christmas savings company, to celebrate its 40th anniversary. It gave 40 prizes of vouchers worth a total of £40,000.Managing director Gary Woods said: "Paul and Elliot's stories are a testament to the bravery which goes on all around us and is often unacknowledged." more...
MP blasts 'incompetence' over seafront legal wrangle
AN MP has blasted "incompetent" councillors for breaking planning rules which led to a proposed £55m housing development on a North-East seafront being thrown out by a High Court judge.Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council had given the scheme the go-ahead in the build-up to last May's local elections, a move the judge ruled was potentially biased.Now the council has been left to foot the bill for a legal challenge from The Friends of Coatham Common.The council and developers, Persimmon Homes, intend to appeal against the decision on the scheme, which would have brought 350 homes, leisure centre facilities, and a "lifehouse" visitor and performance centre. Redcar MP Vera Baird said last night: "Taxpayers in Redcar should be furious. Now the public have to pay the protestors' costs, and all because the previous coalition administration bungled the planning meeting on the Coatham development. "Despite warnings at the time, made very clear in our leaflets, the old Lib-Tory coalition held the meeting in the politically-charged environment of an election campaign. There were even candidates standing specifically on a platform against the development at Coatham. "The rules say decisions likely to cause controversy are not taken in this period, known as purdah. And the court decision made clear that it was this error, and not the quality of the decision on the Coatham development, which will now mean the planning committee will have to reconsider the application in their independent and quasi- judicial role. And she added: "It is a great shame that families' money has been lost due to the former council's incompetence."Peter Jordan, regional project director for Persimmon Homes in the North-East, confirmed that the company intended to appeal against the decision.He said: "We are disappointed by the High Court decision in relation to the proposed Coatham Links development. "The High Court has upheld the legal challenge brought by the Friends of Coatham Common on the basis of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's decision to determine the planning application for the scheme during the purdah period before a local election."The decision relates to the technicalities of the application determination process and in no way diminishes the planning attributes of the Coatham Links scheme."We have been given leave to appeal against the decision and are currently seeking legal advice to resolve the situation and bring this scheme to fruition." more...
Lotto luck for family after suffering a year of tragedy
A YEAR of tragedy has ended with a slice of luck for a family.Fiona Patterson lost six members of her family, four in a horrific car crash, then suffered another blow when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.But the 34-year-old has won £12,500 on the People's Postcode Lottery, her share of the £25,000 postcode street prize.Miss Patterson, an administrative assistant, is now planning a trip to New York with her sister, Helen, 30.In March, Miss Patterson's cousin, Paula Gilbert, 29, from Hebburn, South Tyneside, died when a van ploughed into the car she was in, killing her and fiance Neil Jex, 37, and their two sons - Tristan, three, and Kaiden, seven months.The family had been on the A1 near Northallerton, North Yorkshire, on their way to plan a double wedding with Neil's brother, Paul and his girlfriend, when the accident happened.Paula's son, nine-year-old Macauley, was the only survivor.He now lives with Paula's parents.Last month, van driver Scott Easton was jailed for seven years for causing death by dangerous driving.This year also saw the deaths of Miss Patterson's grandmother, Mary Gilbert, 88, and her aunt, Valerie Gilbert, 67, all within a few weeks of the crash.Miss Patterson said: "We've had a bad year, so this is a really nice ending to it. "Things are not as bad as they could be. I have a mild form of MS and there are a lot of people worse off than me."Miss Patterson lives with her parents, Norma, 62, and Sandy, 63, in Whinside, Stanley, County Durham.Her mother collected the cheque from People's Postcode Lottery ambassador Judie McCourt.Mrs Patterson said: "We are a close family and going through everything this year just made us stronger. But this win is a nice way to end the year. It is lovely."Also in Whinside Close, neighbour Kevin Trewick, 29, won £12,500.He said: "I've never won anything before. I'm ecstatic - it's brilliant." more...
Firefighter's long-distance bid to save life of stranger
A FIREFIGHTER from County Durham has saved the life of a complete stranger who lives tens of thousands of miles away.Phil Towns, 47, thought nothing more of it when he first signed up for the British bone marrow register about eight years ago.However, the married father-of-three, from Pity Me, near Durham, recently found he is a near-perfect genetic match for a leukaemia sufferer in Turkey."I have been a blood donor for over ten years and one time when I was giving blood they asked me to sign the bone marrow register, which I did," said Mr Towns."About a month ago, I received a letter telling me about a patient suffering from leukaemia and asking if I would still be willing to donate my bone marrow. "There was no question. I'm in the fire service, which is about saving lives, so I said of course I would."Mr Towns has worked for the fire service for 22 years and is currently stationed in Newton Aycliffe.Because of his age, he had to undergo rigorous testing before he was allowed to donate. Once cleared, he travelled to Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary, where he underwent a bone marrow harvest under general anaesthetic.Lynn McQueen, bone marrow co-ordinator with the National Blood Service, said: "People like Phil do this out of the kindness of their own hearts so it is up to them which method they use to donate."In Phil's case, with the bone marrow harvest, we might recommend they take a week off work, depending on the type of work they do, but with peripheral blood stem cell donation, donors can pretty much go straight back to work."The register operates by finding the best possible match for a recipient by searching for donors worldwide.Mr Towns said: "Because it was time critical, I opted for the marrow harvest, so I'm a little bit sore, but my stem cells have now gone to Turkey, which is great."It's the best Christmas present I could give anyone."For more information about the giving blood and the bone marrow register, visit www.blood.co.uk more...
Tucking into his first real Christmas dinner
Ellis SlateR is especially looking forward to his Christmas dinner tomorrow because, after ten years of being fed by tube, it will be his first one.Ellis was born with a kidney defect and was unable to eat solids, but all that changed earlier this year when his mother, Deborah, donated one of her kidneys.A diet of purees, soups, yoghurts and ice creams followed the life-changing operation at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI).However, recently Ellis, of Witton Road, Ferryhill, County Durham, reached another milestone on the road to recovery when he ate a custard cream and there has been no stopping him since."Christmas Day was the goal, but he's come on really well, he still likes custard creams, but now he eats like any normal ten-year-old," said Mrs Slater.When he was just a few weeks old Ellis had a feeding "button" put on his tummy and a kidney was removed during the first of 20 operations to date.Doctors, who initially thought Ellis might die, said his remaining kidney was sending a message to his brain which meant he would vomit even when he put food in his mouth.At first home life was extremely difficult with the family spending most of their time at the RVI.But the family's endeavour for normality has paid off and Ellis, who goes to Cleves Cross Primary School, in Ferryhill, enjoys almost the same lifestyle as his brother, Connor, 12."He has never really let it get to him and we've always tried to make things normal at home," said Ellis' father, Paul."When we go out for family meals he won't just sit there with nothing, he'll order something, even if he doesn't eat it."At Christmas, Ellis and Connor have always got the same presents, which meant that Connor got to eat two lots of selection boxes."But it never stopped him playing out with his mates, or playing football, it just meant that sometimes he would have to come in to go on his drip when his mates were still out, or he would just get tired quickly."Prior to the transplant, Ellis would be drip-fed overnight and have two tube feeds during the day consisting of a milky protein of nutrients and vitamins.Mrs Slater was found to be a suitable donor in 2005, but doctors delayed the transplant until Ellis' one remaining kidney failed.Transplanted kidneys have a limited life span, so Ellis is likely to need another transplant in 15 years."I was over the moon when I found out he could have my kidney, there was no question, I just wanted it out and done as soon as we could," said Mrs Slater."I was a little bit scared when I first went in, but that was mainly because I was in a different hospital to Ellis and I didn't know what was going on."Jean Crosier, senior paediatric renal nurse specialist at the RVI, said: "Ellis has done extremely well since his transplant. "His positive attitude towards getting a normal life has enabled him to start eating after years of tube feeding."Ellis is an active, happy boy who now has an excellent outcome from transplant. "His school and family life have returned to normal."Following the operation, Ellis had the energy to play a full game for Ferryhill Town Youth Football Club and, when The Northern Echo visited him at home, he was engaged in the traditional Christmas pastime of squabbling with his sibling."You're not getting my selection box this year, you're not getting anything because I'm gonna eat all the turkey, and all the Yorkshire puddings, and all the pigs in blankets," said Ellis, teasing his brother, Connor. more...
Mountain challenge instead of turkey
A WOMAN will be forgoing turkey and presents by spending Christmas Day in the foothills of Kilimanjaro.Hazel Burlison, from Esh Winning, near Durham, is climbing Africa's highest mountain, with husband Glyn, to raise money for charity.The couple fly to Africa today and expect to arrive at the mountain on Christmas Day.The climb starts on Boxing Day, followed by four days of slow climbing to get used to the altitude. On the fifth day, the climbers expect to reach the volcano crater rim, more than 19,000ft above sea level.Mrs Burlison, who is a customer advisor with Northumbrian Water, will face temperatures as low as -20C.But she is no stranger to adventure, having swum in a shark tank and walked across hot coals for charity.This time she will be raising money for WaterAid, the charity supported by her employer which helps to provide clean, safe water to the world's poorest people.Mrs Burlison is 40 next year and said she wanted to do something big to mark the occasion.She said: "WaterAid is a really good charity. In this country we tend to take excellent quality tap water for granted."It's so easy to turn on a tap and not realise that more than one billion people don't have access to clean water. I spent 18 months living and working in South Africa, and I've seen what it's like to live in rural areas."People - and it's mostly women and children - have to walk for miles in the searing heat to get water."After the climb, the couple will enjoy a few days rest in Zanzibar, before heading home.Kilimanjaro, in north-eastern Tanzania, is the tallest free-standing mountain in the world, rising 15,100ft from its base.It includes the highest peak in Africa at 19,340ft above sea level, with a 5ft wide crater on top.Anyone wishing to sponsor the climbers can log onto www.justgiving.com/hazelburlison more...
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