PEOPLE with questions and concerns about cancer will be able to visit an information unit next month. Macmillan Cancer Relief's Mobile Cancer Information Centre will be stationed in Gilkes Street, Middlesbrough, on August 8 and 9 from 10am to 4pm. A team
HMS Cavalier - the wartime destroyer that wouldn't die - goes on display to the public today, a happy ending to a disastrous plan for a North-East maritime museum. When South Tyneside Council paid £90,000 for the 2,500 tonne vessel 14 years ago she was
THE family of "a fit and healthy man'', who died in hospital during an operation to repair a broken leg, left an inquest yesterday considering legal action against doctors who treated him. The hearing in Easingwold, North Yorkshire, was told Amanda Boak
A MAN whose wife was treated for skin cancer is to put the disease through its paces when he leads a team of runners in the Great North Run. Peter Neal, 35, of Beatty Avenue, High West Jesmond, Newcastle, will be joined on the streets from Newcastle to
A CONVICTED arms dealer's hopes of being released from an Indian jail have been dashed after an appeal was rejected. Peter Bleach, who has been in a Calcutta jail for more than six years for his part in an arms drop in West Bengal, was pinning his hopes
A MOTHER who discovered her baby is buried in a mass grave along with 59 others has spoken of her tragedy. June Townson, 58, only learnt of the details of her daughter's final resting place after reading in The Northern Echo that more than 2,000 babies
OH yes, the school holidays have started. Town centres echo to the sounds of sulking children, frazzled parents, threats, shouts and the slap of adult hands on children's skin, followed by the inevitable wails and tears. And it's only the first week.
SO - not much change in our neck of the woods. While footpaths across most of Britain were reopened by Government decree last weekend, large areas of the North-East's premier national parks, the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors, still remain firmly
A preacher told his congregation: "Live for today and prepare for God's call tomorrow" - seconds before collapsing and dying in the pulpit. Eric Frankland, 65, suffered a heart attack 20 minutes into his sermon on the importance of leading a good Christian
A 17-year-old trainee soldier collapsed and died at the end of a five-mile run just 10 days after starting his formal training, an inquest heard today. Rifleman Jonathan Ian MacKenzie had just started recruit training with the second battalion infantry-training
OH yes, the school holidays have started. Town centres echo to the sounds of sulking children, frazzled parents, threats, shouts and the slap of adult hands on children's skin, followed by the inevitable wails and tears. And it's only the first week.
MORE footpaths and bridleways are to be closed in North Yorkshire as the battle against foot-and-mouth disease continues. The restrictions - on top of those already in place - are in the newly-designated Thirsk disinfection area. Their imposition follows
MORE footpaths and bridleways are to be closed in North Yorkshire as the battle against foot-and-mouth disease continues. The restrictions - on top of those already in place - are in the newly-designated Thirsk disinfection area. Their imposition follows
PARENTS are being asked to vote on plans to alter the admissions policy in Sunderland's schools. Changes in population have left the traditional catchment area system outdated, and Sunderland City Council wants to introduce reforms. The city's education
Police have arrested two juveniles in connection with an attack on a wheelchair-bound cerebral palsy sufferer. Victim Alan Powell, 32, was kicked in the back by a group of youths on Sunday evening as he used his electric wheelchair to go his local shop
Police have arrested two juveniles in connection with an attack on a wheelchair-bound cerebral palsy sufferer. Victim Alan Powell, 32, was kicked in the back by a group of youths on Sunday evening as he used his electric wheelchair to go his local shop
RECRUITERS from the Royal Armoured Corps will be in Sunderland this week, talking to people about career opportunities in the regiment. The team will take a reconnaissance vehicle to Crowtree Leisure Centre tomorrow and Friday, as well as a computer display
Artist Mackenzie Thorpe bids farewell to North Yorkshire tomorrow as he prepares to move to America. Ian Lamming caught up with him at his studio. BORN on a settee in a three bed terraced house, which was home to 11, it would be easy to say that Mackenzie
FEARS have been raised that Durham County Council could suffer under the Government's funding regime. The council, which provides services such as education and social services, received the second lowest increase of its standard spending assessment (
MORE than 500 youngsters from all social backgrounds are taking part in a series of summer of activities. County Durham Young Offending Service (YOS) is running Splash 2001, a five-week programme of activities funded by the Youth Justice Board. The scheme
AN award-winning police officer, who served in County Durham for 25 years, has died. William Owens was born in West Cornforth in April, 1922 and was a miner before joining the police in 1949. He spent his whole police career in Ferryhill, where he lived
A MENTALLY ill man brandished a weapon at people enjoying a night out in a North-East town. The incident happened in Westgate, Guisborough, on Friday, when the man in his thirties, who was said to be in a depressed state, insinuated to police he was going
VILLAGERS were yesterday mourning one of the most popular members of their community, who died in head-on car crash. Graham Johnson, 32, died at the scene of the collision, on Monday evening. Five other people were injured in the smash, and last night
Crisis-hit shipbuilder Cammell Laird's two shipyards are to be put into mothballs with only a skeleton staff kept on. The shock move will throw hundreds of workers on to the scrapheap with up to 1,800 axed since the company hit the skids. Receivers PricewaterhouseCoopers
Fletcher Christian, leader of the mutiny on The Bounty, may have unwittingly spread a disease similar to Parkinson's across the world, a North-East scientist claims. The first mate, who led a breakaway band of sailors and a group of Tahitians to set up
A SELECTION of games have been made available to elderly patients at two hospitals to make their stays more enjoyable. The games were introduced at Bishop Auckland General and Darlington Memorial Hospitals following an older patients' satisfaction survey
ANOTHER scheme to encourage pond life in the region is the latest entry in The Northern Echo's environmental prize. Last week, we reported on an entry from 65-year-old Tom Oliver, who has dedicated his spare time to improving a 75-year-old pond at West
Letters from The Northern Echo MINERS' GALA MAY I congratulate The Northern Echo on its coverage of the Durham Miners' Gala (Echo, July 14 and 16). It was far and away the best of all newspapers. What was truly abysmal was the lack of coverage on local
DARLINGTON yesterday signed Bishop Auckland midfielder Danny Mellanby on a one-year contract. Local lad Mellanby was one of the stars for Bishops as they finished a respectable third in the UniBond League and reached two Cup finals. He has been signed
A former police informant, who had a £40,000 contract put on his head after a successful undercover drugs operation, has launched a damages action against the chief constables of three North-East police forces for allegedly failing to protect him. Pilot
SHAREHOLDERS of the Bank of Scotland have voted overwhelmingly in favour of the proposed £29bn merger with the Halifax. About 300 shareholders attended an extraordinary general meeting in Edinburgh to give their approval to the deal, which will create
A GRANDFATHER has praised workmates who have rallied round to raise money in memory of his grandson, who died from cot death syndrome. Benson Gillham was 13 weeks old when he died in his sleep at his home in Stanley, near Crook, County Durham, in March
Police are investigating the deaths of two elderly women in nursing homes after they apparently became trapped between their mattresses and safety bars on their beds. The women, both in their 80s, died in separate homes and the Crown Prosecution Service
A TEENAGER is a step closer to achieving his dream of being a professional footballer after he was selected for trials to play for England. Tony McMahon, 15, of Evenwood, has always wanted to be a professional footballer. So far, his talents have gained
AN improved park-and-ride service will be introduced to help cope with the tens of thousands of people expected to flock to the annual Gateshead Summer Flower Show at the weekend. The free service to the Central Nursery, Whickham Highway, Lobley Hill,
SO - not much change in our neck of the woods. While footpaths across most of Britain were reopened by Government decree last weekend, large areas of the North-East's premier national parks, the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors, still remain firmly
COACH driver Laurence Pressley was all shook up when he discovered he was related to his lifelong hero Elvis. Laurence, who has lived in Darlington for nearly 20 years, has spent his life joking that he was the King's poor relation - but never dreamed
COURSES that could lead volunteers into full-time jobs start at Bishop Auckland and Crook in the autumn. They form a community learning project pioneered by Bishop Auckland College and backed by the European Social Fund. They offer a chance to obtain
HAULIERS across the UK are being asked to open up their driver records to police investigating the murder of a prostitute. Detectives are painstakingly sifting through transport records to trace delivery drivers who were in Middlesbrough the weekend 21
AN A-level student who worked at three different jobs to pay for a scooter and holiday, has had her bike and holiday money stolen in separate incidents. Kristy Abbott, 18, from Spennymoor, took three jobs which she fitted in around her A-level studies
THE County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust Board will decide today whether to dispose of a disused building. The Crest, in Oakdene Avenue, Darlington, which housed mental health patients, was confirmed as an unsatisfactory building in 1999 during an accommodation
PHARMACEUTICALS company GlaxoSmithKline has seen "spectacular" sales of new products in the US help second-quarter profits leap by nine per cent. The profits jump comes as the group, which employs more than 1,500 staff at its Barnard Castle site is set
MUSIC talent Pete Shoulder's future could lie in the US. The 17-year-old, from Chester-le-Street, County Durham, will today play in London for an audience of two - including David Massey, the head of record company Sony US. The half-hour performance,
A CONCERT of hits from West End musicals is expected to have raised more than £20,000 for Teesside Hospice. An estimated 7,000 people attended the gala, held at the Riverside stadium, home of Middlesbrough Football Club, at the weekend. Jane Webb, manager
A teenager has walked free from court after admitting having sex with a 15-year-old girl. David Johnstone, 18, pleaded guilty to having unlawful sexual intercourse with the girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons. Newcastle Crown Court heard
A teenager has walked free from court after admitting having sex with a 15-year-old girl. David Johnstone, 18, pleaded guilty to having unlawful sexual intercourse with the girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons. Newcastle Crown Court heard
A LITTLE girl left with lifelong disabilities after a hospital's delivery room blunder was yesterday awarded £1.6m in damages. Stacy Jackson, now eight, from Spennymoor, County Durham, was let down by maternity unit staff who failed to pick up signs of
A MOTHER who discovered her baby is buried in a mass grave along with 59 others has spoken of her tragedy. June Townson, 58, only learnt of the details of her daughter's final resting place after reading in The Northern Echo that more than 2,000 babies
SHOPPERS and staff at four supermarkets have raised almost £10,000 for charity. The Morrison's branches in Darlington and Bishop Auckland held fun days at the end of June and collected money for Save the Children. Shoppers at Morton Park, Neasham Road
THE manufacturing sector faced a fresh wave of job cuts yesterday, as firms looked to tighten their belts in the face of the global economic slowdown. Swiss-Swedish electrical group ABB plans to axe 12,000 jobs during the next 18 months. The group announced
YOUNGSTERS from a Wearside church are to run activities for orphaned and deprived Romanian children. A team of 32, including leaders, will leave for Hungary from the Bethany Christian centre, at Houghton-le-Spring, early next month. They will spend two
INVESTORS have been given little more than a month to come up with a deal to save hundreds of jobs at the Sanyo microwave oven plant. The Newton Aycliffe plant and its sister operation on Thornaby, Teesside, will close on November 30 with the loss of
INVESTORS have been given little more than a month to come up with a deal to save hundreds of jobs at the Sanyo microwave oven plant. The Newton Aycliffe plant and its sister operation on Thornaby, Teesside, will close on November 30 with the loss of
MORE than 20,000 people are expected to flock to a show which has been organised to compensate for the loss of agricultural events this summer. The Farming and Countryside Show is taking place at Pickering Showfield, in North Yorkshire, next month, in
FOR reasons to which we shall roguishly return, Mr Eric Smallwood in Acklam draws attention to the Ballad of Eskimo Nell - perhaps the most infamous ice maiden of all, though "maiden" may in this context be considered figurative. Eric began work in 1968
A MOBILE phone mast which was resited after protests from residents, is set to get the go ahead this week. One2One received planning permission for a mast to be placed near homes in Linden Road, West Cornforth, last December. But residents expressed concerns
A preacher told his congregation: "Live for today and prepare for God's call tomorrow" - seconds before collapsing and dying in the pulpit. Eric Frankland, 65, suffered a heart attack 20 minutes into his sermon on the importance of leading a good Christian
EARLY retirement has beckoned for a headteacher of a County Durham school. Brian Ogden has been headteacher of Spennymoor School for the past 12 years, but forthcoming changes in education have prompted the 58-year-old to retire early. He said: "We are
A 17-year-old trainee soldier collapsed and died at the end of a five-mile run just 10 days after starting his formal training, an inquest heard today. Rifleman Jonathan Ian MacKenzie had just started recruit training with the second battalion infantry-training
THE skills used to build a famous monastic ruin will be demonstrated this weekend as a top mason revives the 1,000-year-old craft of stone dressing. English Heritage has invited Geoff Pringle, from Historic Properties Restoration, to show how the techniques
A CAT owner has been reunited with her missing pet after it was found eight miles away from her home - at the hospital where she works. The Persian cat, known as Smokey, was found by a nurse at Earl's House Hospital, on the outskirts of Durham City on
RAILTRACK began its rehabilitation with some promising words yesterday. John Robinson, chairman for only four weeks, invited survivors of disasters and relatives of victims to a personal meeting during which he offered a formal apology. He said the company
A ROW over bed shortages at the North-East's newest NHS hospital could lead to the revival of a campaign group. Four years ago, the Derwent Valley Health Campaign led marchers to the gates of Shotley Bridge Hospital, County Durham, as part of efforts
TIM Sperrevik is aiming to follow his Hartlepool United teammates back to England. The big striker is spending the summer on loan back at his former club Fana after falling out of the first team picture at Victoria Park, and while Pool returned home last
DOES Blackpool take spin? At Labour party conferences almost certainly, but what about the cricket ground? That was one of the questions Durham were trying to assess when they prepared at Stanley Park yesterday for today's C & G Trophy quarter-final
THE Government is considering launching further trials of genetically modified (GM) crops in County Durham. Scientists are looking at several sites earmarked for the next round of GM oilseed rape trials, at Oakenshaw, near Willington, and Hutton Magna
TOURISM bosses fear that delays in reopening footpaths could put the Northern region at a disadvantage in bouncing back from the foot-and-mouth crisis. A decision to reopen paths in a further 16 local authority areas over the weekend means many parts
POLICE in Scotland are appealing for the relatives of a former Teesside man, who died this month, to come forward. Lothian and Borders police have asked for help from the Cleveland force in tracing the family of Derek William Campbell, 49, who died at
A FORMER unemployed man has built a flourishing garden business under the guidance of experts. After two years of unemployment, Peter Edwards, 39, set up PDE Services, in Redcar, designing and building garden equipment. Months into the venture, demand
A DELEGATION of Government officials from China are visiting the North-East to look at establishing cultural and commercial links. The group, from Dezhou, is visiting Gateshead ahead of a proposed high-profile visit later this year by the Chinese city's
A TEENAGER has been charged in connection with an incident in which a man was stabbed several times. The 18-year-old, from Cleve-land Place, Peterlee, County Durham, was charged yesterday with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily narm on a 20
WORKERS at a beleaguered North-East microchip plant are bracing themselves for more bad news next week. Analysts warned last night that latest losses at Filtronic - hailed as the saviour of the ex-Fujitsu plant in Newton Aycliffe - could be as high as
A HOUSING strategy and business plan to be put before councillors tomorrow marks a fresh start for a district's 5,850 tenants. Wear Valley's housing director Michael Laing is asking for backing for changes which, he says, will improve a key service in
YOUNGSTERS are being blamed for vandalism on one of east Cleveland's most ancient monuments. Cleveland Police said extensive damage has been been caused to the 12th Century Gisborough Priory. The priory, which is owned by Lord Guisborough, is run by English
A POLICE clampdown on speeding tourists in Teesdale and Weardale has found local people to be the real culprits. Officers have been concentrating on back roads in the dales over the summer, after a string of complaints from villagers about speeding motorists
Born-to-be-wild pensioner Molly Pringle has fulfilled her life-long dream of hitting the road on a classic bike. Since she was a youngster, Mrs Pringle had been desperate to ride a 1000cc Harley Davidson through the streets of her native Newcastle. However
A MAN was so opposed to heroin users living in his street he used threats and violence to try to force them to leave the neighbourhood, a court heard yesterday. Jonathan Bendall, a self-confessed heroin addict, told a jury at Teesside Crown Court that
Crisis-hit shipbuilder Cammell Laird's two shipyards are to be put into mothballs with only a skeleton staff kept on. The shock move will throw hundreds of workers on to the scrapheap with up to 1,800 axed since the company hit the skids. Receivers PricewaterhouseCoopers
Crisis-hit shipbuilder Cammell Laird's two shipyards are to be put into mothballs with only a skeleton staff kept on. The shock move will throw hundreds of workers on to the scrapheap with up to 1,800 axed since the company hit the skids. Receivers PricewaterhouseCoopers
BRITISH holidaymakers told last night of the nightmare of being caught up in a ferocious airport battle. Dozens of terrified tourists - including some from the North-East - were pinned down by mortars and gunfire during the attack on Sir Lanka's main
Customs and Excise officers have launched a court attempt to confiscate more than £400,000 from a North-East parrot breeder, who was convicted of smuggling rare birds. Harry Sissens, 62, was jailed for 30 months in April last year. A jury found him guilty
A mother-of-three who left a teenager horribly scarred after a dance-floor glass attack had her grievous bodily harm conviction overturned by judges at London's Appeal Court yesterday. June Harrison, 35, left 18-year-old Catherine Bradford needing 22
A BORDER collie thrown from a speeding car is recovering from its injuries. Shocked residents of Cockfield, near Bishop Auckland, County Durham, looked on in horror as the eight-year-old dog was hurled from the car as the occupants drove off. The dog,
DEPARTMENT store group Debenhams is continuing to grab market share from its rivals after seeing sales surge this year. Total sales in the 21 weeks to July 21 were 15 per cent stronger than the same period last year with like-for-like growth up 8.7 per
A TWO-year project recording life in a Darlington church in the 20th Century starts this week. St Cuthbert's Church, in the town's Market Place, is holding an exhibition from Friday, until September. This first part of the story covers from the last years
A disciplinary hearing against North Yorkshire Coroner, solicitor Jeremy David Cave, was adjourned yesterday to a date to be fixed pending a criminal trial he is due to face next year. Andrew Miller, for the Law Society, told the Solicitors Disciplinary
IN the 1860s, Darlington's population was exploding northwards. In 1862, a temporary mission church was built by William Thompson, a director of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, in North Road, to serve the new parish of St Paul's. In 1868, the Reverend
JUST before he concluded his day's work on Sunday, May 30, 1937, with evensong, the Reverend Robert Anderson Jardine received a telegram. Early the following morning, he abruptly departed his parish, at the north end of Darlington. He told no one of his
TYNE and Wear Metro bosses have warned youngsters against trespassing on the system. The message has been reinforced by advertising hoardings with the message: "We will not forgive those who trespass against us." Managers at Nexus, the system operator
FAMILIES in west Redcar will be able to swap roles for five days of fun and learning at the Coatham Local Learning Centre at Coatham School, in Redcar, next week. The free activity programme is available to families living in the Dormanstown, Coatham,
Police are investigating the deaths of two elderly women in nursing homes after they apparently became trapped between their mattresses and safety bars on their beds. The women, both in their 80s, died in separate homes and the Crown Prosecution Service
Lawyers for a consultant psychiatrist who was placed on the sex offenders' register despite being found unfit to stand trial on rape and indecent assault charges claimed in court today that he was the victim of an ''oppressive'' procedure. William Kerr
Lawyers for a consultant psychiatrist who was placed on the sex offenders' register despite being found unfit to stand trial on rape and indecent assault charges claimed in court today that he was the victim of an ''oppressive'' procedure. William Kerr
A MINI community is being planned for an area of open land on the outskirts of Darlington - just yards from the site of the proposed West Park estate. The "local centre development" next to Alverton Drive, in the Faverdale area of town, will include retail
PREPARATION work for Redcar's £26m shopping centre has been inspected by the town's mayor. Councillor Vilma Collins visited the site for the new Regent Walk development, near Wilton Street, and saw how demolition work is paving the way for the start of
TEES Valley company Consteel Technical Services is celebrating 25 years in business, thanks to advice from chartered accountants Keith Robinson and Co. The company, which offers structural detailing services to clients across the UK and US, has worked
FOR reasons to which we shall roguishly return, Mr Eric Smallwood in Acklam draws attention to the Ballad of Eskimo Nell - perhaps the most infamous ice maiden of all, though "maiden" may in this context be considered figurative. Eric began work in 1968
FAULTY brakes may have contributed to the death of a Northumberland man, who was killed when his ageing Ford Capri left the road. An inquest in Easingwold, North Yorkshire, yesterday was told that 29-year-old John Graham, of Cramlington, was on his way
THE organiser of a Darlington heart condition support group visited a regional conference last week with the help of his cardiologist. John Waterson, who runs the Darlington Cardiomyopathy Self Support Group, is on benefits because of his condition, so
At the age of 77, Edith Carvill has fulfilled her life-long dream of graduating with a university degree. Miss Carvill graduated from the University of Sunderland's School of Arts, Design and Media with a BA (Hons) in Performance Arts. Although the Second
UNION leaders have reacted with disgust to yesterday's announcement that a drug multi-national which is about to shed 400 jobs in the North-East has made pre-tax profits of £2.5bn. The jump in profits at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) comes only a month after
HAULIERS across the UK are being asked to open up their driver records to police investigating the murder of a prostitute. Detectives are painstakingly sifting through transport records to trace delivery drivers who were in Middlesbrough the weekend 21
A GROUP of young high-fliers will benefit from university tuition as part of a summer school. From now until August 3, 31 gifted youngsters will take part in Teesside University's Flying High Summer School. With aviation and navigation as its themes,
PROCEEDS from a concert have helped to improve the quality of life for an eight-year-old girl who is severely disabled. Singers and musicians from Durham Police donated the proceeds from their Christmas concert to help make life easier for Rachel Dodd
RESIDENTS in Sedgefield borough are being urged to be extra careful when allowing people into their homes. A bogus company is operating in the area and has already tried to make appointments by telephone to visit properties in the Ferryhill and West Cornforth
BKR Haines Watts and The Northern Echo have joined forces to provide top-quality manufacturing advice. Paul Bell, the Darlington manufacturing and business improvement manager for BKR Haines Watts, has teamed up with the newspaper to provide a series
