NEVER has there been such a high level of expectancy in the stands of Victoria Park for a Division Three opener than was evident for the visit of Mansfield Town. Before kick-off Hartlepool fans truly believed this could be their year for promotion. But
A SUMMER school to help children improve their mathematics skills is proving more popular than ever. Haughton Community School, in Darlington, is holding a two-week numeracy school for youngsters who are weak in the subject. The course is open to children
FARMER'S wife Ann Martin was the toast of the Durham dales yesterday for her winning ways with pork pies. She took first place in the third annual pork pie show at the Cross Keys pub, in Eastgate, Weardale. Ann, who collected a trophy and a £10 prize,
Darlington couldn't beat a team who played with a numerical disadvantage for the majority of the League opener at Southend, and anyone not at the game who saw Quakers' friendly defeat to Barrow seven days earlier will not have been surprised at Saturday's
THE crowds came out in force to support the first Ferryhill Gala and persuade organisers to make it an annual event. The gala organisers pulled out all the stops to make it a weekend to remember for local people after a town gala was identified as a priority
St Edmund's Church, Sedgefield, is transforming its pram service. It has been renamed Tiny Steps, and will be held on a different day, at a different time, in a new format. In the parish magazine, The Link, Rector the Reverend Martin King writes that
POLICE in Ferryhill refused to get in a flap when they received a report of an eagle owl perched on a telegraph pole in nearby Bishop Middleham. Local PCs Steve Moralee and Graham King realised the bird was a life-sized plastic model. The model had been
IMPROVEMENTS are to be made to some of Hartlepool's 60 miles of rights of way thanks to a £3,000 grant from the Countryside Agency. Hartlepool Borough Council will match-fund the scheme which is designed to make access easier to bridleways and public
THE first steps have been taken towards building new kinds of homes on Teesside. Two breathing wall timber frames have been dropped into place at the houses, which are being developed using the latest developments in environmental technology. Tees Valley
HARD-WORKING Mark Summerbell believes a four-man midfield will work for Middlesbrough this season. The 24-year-old, who struggled with injuries during the last campaign, is fit and raring to go and he is determined to force his way into manager Steve
ANOTHER season of under-achievement, another agonising wait for that elusive silverware at St James' Park. But this one will be different - won't it? It's a question that every Newcastle fan will ask themselves come Sunday, those who venture south and
A TEESSIDE carnival has been swamped with entries for its showjumping contest following the cancellation of agricultural shows due to foot-and-mouth disease. The Summer Carnival in Preston Park will be held on bank holiday weekend at the end of August
A SPECIAL guest joined Stockton Borough Council's litter education officer Sue Barker at the Hardwick Tomorrow Community Association fun day. Alupro, a national aluminium recycling organisation, loaned her their mascot Kang-alu the kangaroo to help her
OFFICIALLY opening the visitor centre for Darlington Football Club's new stadium, chairman's wife Susan Reynolds said the ceremony marked a new era for the Quakers. With the multi-million pound stadium in the background and a crowd of fans looking on,
COUNCILLORS could face a legal challenge if they reject plans for a second extension to a factory which will bottle spa water for sale around the world. Harrogate Borough Council set aside its own policies to give the go-ahead to Harrogate Spa Water Ltd
IT'S unlikely Hartlepool United have had a squad of players as strong as the current one. And it's unlikely the club has ever figured as prominently in the expectation levels as Chris Turner's class of 2001 in the expectation levels either. This is a
NATURE'S natural treasures are inspiring a new partnership at an award-winning North-East museum. Fifty examples of the reviving art of spar box making are on show at Killhope Lead Mining Museum, in Upper Weardale, County Durham, until the end of this
ONE of the region's most popular attractions has won the praise of a team of Government inspectors. FlamingoLand zoo, near Pickering, North Yorkshire, was given the plaudits as it was granted a new six-year licence following its official inspection. Members
AN Australian council has been criticised by a North-East museum over claims that it plans to drop a logo featuring explorer Captain Cook from its letterheads and rubbish bins. Sydney's Daily Telegraph newspaper reported that a Botony Bay authority wanted
A MAN jumped 90ft to his death from a bridge only half an hour after he had been charged with sex offences. The man, who has not yet been identified, died instantly after plunging from Valley Bridge, in Scarborough, North Yorkshire. Police yesterday confirmed
A SCHEME to encourage youngsters to take up volunteering has been launched in Chester-le-Street. The Millennium Volunteers, at Chester-le-Street Volunteer Bureau, aims to give young people experience in volunteer work to help them in their careers. Open
BUY British was the message when the National Farmers' Union's Food and Farming Roadshow visited Darlington at the weekend. The roadshow is on a six- month national tour promoting the British Farm Standard and the little red tractor logo, the mark of
ONE of an area's oldest churches is to close after 123 years. When it was built in 1878, South Bank Methodist Church, in Redcar Road, was one of three Methodist churches serving the area's large population. It thrived during the industrial boom, when
A JUNCTION in Hartlepool has passed a safety review, despite concerns expressed by drivers and pedestrians. But officials at Hartlepool Borough Council said they would continue monitoring the Huckelhoven Way/York Road junction, and explore ways of increasing
DURHAM Constabulary's first ever divisional force chaplain is stepping down. The Reverend Colin Lingard, who has been Darlington chaplain for eight years, is also retiring from his job as rector at Middleton St George. Chaplain for Teesside Airport and
POLICE last night renewed a witness appeal a week after a hit-and-run incident left an elderly man badly injured. William Brown, 72, was struck by a car while crossing Ashdown Road, in Farringdon, Sunderland, on Sunday, August 5. He suffered two broken
ARMY Cadet Leanne Noble gained promotion during the group's annual camp. Leanne, from Seaham, was told at the start of the two-week camp in Scotland that she had been promoted to Cadet Sergeant Major. She is a Lord Lieutenant's Cadet for County Durham
PEOPLE have been given the chance to look at proposals to breathe new life into Durham's North Road. Durham City Council and Durham County Council held a two-day exhibition in North Road Methodist Church to outline a £480,000 package of improvements for
THE tower block housing the plastic surgery wards has a homely 70s feel to it - right down to the fading decor. The unit's new home, the University Hospital of North Durham, 15 miles down the road might have all the mod cons and latest surgical equipment
DURHAM County Council is coming to the end of a review of its residential care services for older people. The review was announced early last year and a project team was set up to oversee the development of a strategy to modernise the service. The outcome
CHILDREN'S charity helpers flagged up their annual street collection by adopting the guise of some famous personalities from stage and screen. Strategically placed round Durham City centre on Saturday were Laurel and Hardy, Dennis the Menace, Prince Charming
Golden Wedding It's 50 years ago today Since Minnie was a radiant bride, With her handsome husband Ernie Standing at her side. They have had their ups and downs now, And even little rows, But they are still together, And remember their wedding vows. I
CAR enthusiasts gathered yesterday, to pay tribute to a motoring classic. The Triumph Stag Owners' Club held its national weekend at the Great Yorkshire Showground, in Harrogate, bringing hundreds of owners and fans together. About 500 V8 Stags were on
A MOTOR-mad youngster had the ride of a lifetime when he went for a spin in a turbo-charged police car. Eleven-year-old Ross Perry, of Newcastle, has two passions - Subarus and police cars. Six forces around the country have Subaru Imprezas in their fleets
VILLAGERS who mounted a spirited campaign to save their pub from closure are now toasting its success as the North-East's top watering hole. The Ship Inn, voted the region's Pub of the Year by the Campaign for Real Ale, was condemned at 'economically
DID you used to serve with Durham County Police during the 1950s and 1960s? If the answer is yes, Raymond H Raine, of Queensland, Australia, wants to hear from you. Raymond is looking for former police colleagues from the Stockton area from 1950 to 1962
PERHAPS if someone developed an anti-perspirant for cricket pitches it would save the ECB their £500 outlay on sending Raman Subba Row on a pointless visit to Chester-le-Street every August. The former England batsman observed that the pitch on which
Middlesbrough striker Joseph-Desire Job is determined to finally put the disappointment of last season behind him. And unlike 12 months ago the 23-year-old is aiming to make sure his good summer form continues into the new Premiership campaign. Job made
COUNCILLORS yet to make a decision on a prestige housing scheme have called a site visit to help make up their minds. Outline planning permission has already being granted for the housing development at Wood Street, Shotley Bridge, near Consett. But Derwentside
FALLING STAR: Pop diva Whitney Houston has been handed a life-line following her fall into allegations of drug taking and mysterious illness. Arista records have agreed a £70m recording deal with the star, including an advance of £14m. This means fans
A CENTENARIAN is the centre of attention following an eventful journey. The 100-year-old drift net wooden fishing boat, Reaper, was open to the public at Hartlepool Marina at the weekend, before moving farther down the coast to Whitby this week. The old
The Government has made its highest compensation payout for a single animal culled in the foot-and-mouth epidemic - £50,000 for a pedigree North Yorkshire breeding ram. The Swaledale tup, Mossdale Nuggett, was killed by ministry vets on May 24, to the
MUCH more of this and Andrew Pratt will be in the frame to join England's one-day squad in Zimbabwe in October. England have little idea where to turn for a successor to Alec Stewart and after proving his pedigree with the gloves Pratt is now blossoming
DARLINGTON Football Club is frantically searching for a new signing to parade before the fans this week. But the man or woman club bosses are looking for will not be playing for the first team - they are more likely to be left on the sidelines. That is
AN expert working at a North-East drugs plant has gained a national award at a ceremony in the House of Lords. Steve Walton, from Copley, in Teesdale, was awarded the Gold Award in the Viscount Oxford Awards for Excellence ceremony, in London. The award
NINE of the North-East's strongest arms are closing in on a £5,000 windfall. But they will have to beat a landmark which has stood for 119 years to land the prize pot, in The Northern Echo's Greatest Throw on Earth contest. The competition reaches a climax
Sir John Hoddinott, the man appointed to investigate the Operation Lancet anti police corruption fiasco on Teesside, has been found dead. The 56-year-old retired Hampshire Chief Constable who was to have had preliminary meetings in Middlesbrough, today
THE killing last week of a Kurdish refugee in Glasgow has re-opened the debate concerning our admission and treatment of asylum seekers. This one tragedy must not be allowed to exaggerate either the actual number of those seeking asylum status or the
TEESSIDE residents are being asked to voice their crime fears in a survey. A 1998 survey by the Safer Stockton partnership, revealed that residents of the Stockton area were most afraid of drugs, burglary and domestic violence. People are being urged
CHILDREN from Chernobyl have been enjoying a holiday in the North Yorkshire countryside, away from the nuclear contamination which blights their lives at home. Even though the accident at a nuclear reactor happened before they were born, the legacy is
A MAN has put his life on the line for his desperately ill son. Jimmy Ford, 49, of Monkwearmouth, Sunderland, underwent an operation to give one of his kidneys to his only son, Anthony, 24. However, Jimmy, who risked life-threatening blood clots and had
LUCKY-to-be-alive young mother Lisa Priest counted her blessings twice over as she left the North-East for a new life in Australia yesterday. Two years ago, the 27-year-old, originally from St Helen Auckland, County Durham, nearly died when she suffered
A YEAR-LONG inquiry into a fairground accident that left a youngster needing hospital treatment for serious chest injuries has still not been concluded. And last night, the mother of Stacey Moorhead, 15, who suffered a punctured lung and a fractured collar
VANDALS targeting a world-renowned folk festival are being invited to work with organisers - rather than against them. The challenge was thrown down by Joe Maloney, director of Billingham International Folklore Festival, after arsonists attacked the town
A FARMER on the fringe of North Yorkshire's foot-and-mouth outbreak has been left confused and bewildered by conflicting advice from two Government departments. Peter Hutchinson has been told by Defra to disinfect the road which divides his grazing fields
Sedgefield made almost certain that they won't finish bottom of the table with a 41-run win over Tudhoe on Saturday. Sedgefield's openers did a good job, and laid the foundation for victory. Professional Neil Mulvaney scored a half century, and with Ian
URGENT talks are to be held with a cleaning firm to find out how a dead heroin addict came to be locked in a block of public toilets all night. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, owner of the public conveniences in Moore Street, Redcar, east Cleveland
RECORD signing Emerson Thome, who has established himself as the cornerstone of the Sunderland defence, looks like being banned from the derby against Newcastle United on the second Saturday of the season following his shock sending-off in Holland. The
AN initiative which offers opportunities to young people is expanding to cover the whole of Sedgefield borough. The Millennium Volunteers scheme has been a great success since it was set up in Darlington and Newton Aycliffe in May last year. It is designed
A BODYBUILDER is looking forward to the chance to match himself against the world's top musclemen in this year's Mr Universe competition. Paul Hildreth, from Darlington, is thought to be the first person from the town to compete in the contest, which
A VOLUNTEER policeman who was denied a full-time career in the service because of poor eyesight, has retired after 35 years working with the Durham force. Malcolm Marsden wore spectacles in his late-teens and was unable to join the police as a regular
WORK to make the journey to school safer for hundreds of Darlington children is nearing completion. Safety features to reduce motorists speeding and the risk of accidents are being installed near St Bede's RC Primary School in Kingsway. Darlington Borough
DARLINGTON-BORN runners Martin Scaife and Bernadette Taylor scored a unique winning double in the town's big 10K road race yesterday. Scaife, now with Chester-le-Street AC after starting his athletics career with Darlington Harriers, and Taylor, a life-long
When Darlington beat Cardiff at Feethams in March last season, most fans viewed the three points gained as an unexpected bonus in the fight against relegation. At that stage in the season, Quakers had another six games to play, two of which were against
BP PROFITS THE disclosure by BP of an interim profit of £5.58bn was obscene and a suggestion of a Government windfall tax being imposed means that people are being taxed twice. BP should repay these unfair profits at the pumps; especially in the light
A COUNCIL is looking for a developer to regenerate a seafront. All 35 acres of Coatham Enclosure, Redcar, which includes the town's leisure centre and bowl, boating lake, car park and Mungle Jungle recreation centre is expected to be put on the market
THE bones of thousands of dead babies were used for Government nuclear weapons tests without their parents' permission, it has been revealed. Scientists raided the mortuaries of North-East hospitals for bones which were then crushed to dust and analysed
TONY Blair's Government is being urged to take action against the claims industry. Middlesbrough Borough Council's call for a get-tough policy follows allegations that representatives of one firm approached youngsters leaving a Middlesbrough school, asking
A SECOND North-East doctor is to face the General Medical Council (GMC) following complaints from patients. For some time it has been known that pioneering gynaecologist Peter Silverstone, from Newcastle, was due to appear before a GMC disciplinary hearing
A CHEESEMAKING firm which has won a string of awards for experimenting with the most exotic flavours has unveiled its latest secret weapon - a herd of buffalo. Bosses at Shepherd's Purse, in Thirsk, North Yorkshire, are quietly confident that their newest
BUSINESSES, residents and organisations in Derwentside have been invited to comment on a draft economic development strategy drawn up by the district council. The aim of the strategy is to identify the key economic priorities for the forthcoming five-year
A drawn-out saga overplans for a Derwentside swimming pool has prompted the local MP to demand answers from National Lottery bosses. North Durham MP Kevan Jones has passed on the frustrations of Stanley residents about a four-year wrangle over plans for
A LEADING environmental project has won another national award in recognition of its highly successful coastal clean-up venture. Turning the Tide has been presented with the Green Apple award for Environmental Best Practice for its scheme to transform
TEESSIDE Hospice is more than £5,000 richer thanks to a series of donations. Stokesley Support Group raised £437 from a garden party held in the town at the end of July, while Linthorpe Support Group raised £1,150 from a summer fair held at the hospice
CONFIDENT Chris Turner believes this could be the year his Hartlepool United side win promotion. And the Pool boss, starting his third full season in charge at Victoria Park, insists the squad he has formulated now is the strongest it has been since he
THE stars of TV's Emmerdale entertained the crowds in a celebrity cricket fun day yesterday. The soap stars team took on the BBC Radio Cleveland All Stars in a charity match to raise money for Children In Need, at the Feethams cricket ground in Darlington
RIVAL gangs of soccer thugs brought violence to a North-East town on the first day of the football season. Hartlepool shoppers ran for cover when what police believe was an arranged street battle broke out in the town centre. A Hartlepool youth was injured
IT'S judgment day in the battle of the blooms as two of the UK's leading gardeners head to North Yorkshire. Northallerton is one of the national finalists in the small town category of this year's Britain in Bloom competition. And expert judges Doug Stacey
A NORTH YORKSHIRE nature reserve has won an award for work at old gravel workings between Ripon and Bedale. The Lower Ure Conservation Trust has pioneered projects at Nosterfield, and has been announced as the winner of the Best Small Wetland category
Q: AN entry on the River Wear in Encarta 2001 states that, at one time, the river entered the North Sea at Hartlepool before a diversion of the lower course changed it to enter the sea at Sunderland. - Tom Purvis, Sunderland. A: THIS implies that man
WORK on a multi-million pound building site has been held up because of the special needs of a family of squatters. Building workers refused to get into a flap when bulldozers and lorries ground to a halt on what will be the site of a £16m Stockton and
CRICKETERS are used to play being halted by rain - but to pull up the stumps to make way for a wedding has to be a first. However, that is exactly what happened as Crakehall played Blubberhouses in a Nidderdale League match. It is traditional for brides
FOX-HUNTING may be given an unlikely lifeline after the Government admitted it is considering offering hand-outs to prop up the cash-strapped sport. Despite Tony Blair's belief that hunting with dogs should be outlawed, officials last night confirmed
Stewart Hymas and Jenny Davies had no problems getting to the church on time for their wedding - they are both top rally drivers. The day had a motoring theme, as they travelled in a vintage Bentley and used a car motif to guide guests to their tables
RECOND entries and a big crowd helped make Darlington's 10km run one of the best yet. The CD Bramall Darlington 10km Road Run and 2km Fun Run took place around the town yesterday. Organisers said there were 1,041 entries for the road race, the largest
A SCHEME is about to be launched to give a boost to community groups in rural North Yorkshire by providing them with easy access to transport. The "Wheels 4 All" minibus brokerage scheme is expected to put a wide variety of groups on the road by using
GERMAN officials have visited a successful Teesside factory - hoping to persuade the firm to open an operation in their town. The Mayor of Redcar and Cleveland Council, Councillor Vilma Collins, led the group from Spree Niesser, Brandenburg, around Britannia
A HOSPITAL is investigating how an elderly patient managed to give staff the slip and travel eight miles in torrential rain wearing only his vest and tracksuit bottoms. The man, in his seventies, left the coronary care unit with a drip in his arm after
A BLAZE-HIT family owe their lives to a broken bed. Teenager Dean Ward only survived to raise the alarm and save himself because damage to his bed meant he was sleeping on a mattress on the floor of his burning bedroom, in a pocket of clean air below
Alan Mitcheson was a national serviceman at Leeming, North Yorkshire, the night two planes came down on August 13, 1951. A Wellington and a smaller Martinet had broken up over the village of Hudswell after they collided in mid-air, raining chunks of fuselage
TWELVE LONG months ago Darlington were hoping to go one better than the previous season by achieving promotion to the Second Division - and in the process, complete the first stage of chairman George Reynolds' ambitious Premiership dream. Because of Reynolds
POLICE searched through a maze of back streets last night looking for a witness to a possible murder. A week after market stallholder Kalvant Singh plunged to his death from a brothel window, officers were looking for anyone who might have slipped through
A GROUP of disabled children is heading for a holiday at a country house. The children will spend a week at Queen Mary's School, near Thirsk, after fundraising by members of the Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS). Encouraged by Ian Angus,
MEL is bending and pressing for her life on the prison floor, one fluid movement after another, as if press-ups were the easiest way to pass the time of day. After the fiftieth repetition, she suddenly springs up, back onto her trainer-clad feet, and
THE promised date for payment of £150,000 owed to former players of the region's top ice hockey club has passed, with no money changing hands. Mark Wagner, representing members of last season's Newcastle Jesters' squad, on behalf of the Ice Hockey Players
FARMERS are being lumbered with extra costs over harvest time to comply with foot-and-mouth restrictions - even though they have twice been given the all-clear. Movement restrictions have been in place on hundreds of holdings in County Durham since the
A DARLINGTON school is hoping to finish top of the class when GCSE A-level results are announced this week. Polam Hall School for Girls has built up a reputation for academic achievement, with pupils gaining exceptional results. Last year Polam Hall topped
THERE was a nail-biting photo-finish climax to our sponsored race, the Northern Echo Handicap at Redcar yesterday, won in thrilling fashion by Time To Remember. Locally trained at Great Habton in North Yorkshire by Tim Easterby, the winning distance recorded
POLICE are hunting arsonists who set a potential timebomb. Intruders smashed their way into a house on Teesside which they set alight after first cutting through a gas pipe. The sounds of their activities were drowned by the noise of a 21st birthday party
THE Riverside revellers who experienced both delight and despair during Bryan Robson's reign as Middlesbrough manager should prepare themselves for something of a culture shock. Robson may never have delivered the silverware for which Boro fans so desperately
HOUSEHOLDERS are being urged to note new four-day wheelie bin arrangements across the borough of Stockton. As part of a campaign to improve services, Stockton Borough Council will be running new rotas from Tuesday, September 4, which will involve changes
A MAN died and three other people were injured after a car and a coach collided at an accident blackspot. The accident happened just to the west of Golden Hill, on the A64, between York and Malton, in North Yorkshire. The car driver died and two men and
EFFORTS to ensure the health and safety of schoolchildren in Hartlepool have been boosted. Karen Wilkinson has taken up her post as school travel plan coordinator with Hartlepool Borough Council, which will see her working closely with pupils, teachers
A MAN died today after he was struck by a Ministry of Defence police car near a spy base. North Yorkshire Police said the man, who has not yet been identified, was lying on the B6541 road which runs alongside Menwith Hill, near Harrogate, at about 2.20am
SUNDERLAND full-back Michael Gray has two burning ambitions - to be the first locally born skipper to lead the club into Europe and to win back his England place. The Wearsiders' longest serving player is now in his testimonial season - he completes ten
PREMIERSHIP rookie Tommy Miller is being tipped to take the top-flight by storm this season by Ipswich Town teammate Mark Venus. Miller, who signed for the Tractor Boys from Hartlepool United in a £800,000 deal, could not have wished for a better start
FARMER'S wife Ann Martin was the toast of the Durham dales yesterday for her winning ways with pork pies. She took first place in the third annual pork pie show at the Cross Keys pub, in Eastgate, Weardale. Ann, who collected a trophy and a £10 prize,
POWERFUL striker Barry Conlon believes he is the man to spearhead Darlington's assault on Division Three. And the giant forward, who signed from York City during the summer, is convinced that he can fulfil his potential at the Feethams club. Despite being
STAR striker Kevin Phillips holds the key to Sunderland's long-awaited entry into Europe. The England international is as desperate as anyone on Wearside to see Sunderland take another step up the ladder of success after two years in the Premiership -
