WEARSIDERS turned out in their hundreds today to welcome the Queen in her Golden Jubilee year. Sunderland was the first stop on a whirlwind national tour to mark Her Majesty's 50th year on the throne. The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh arrived at the city's
Accused "body in the suitcase" killer Kyu Soo Kim denied two charges of murder when he appeared at the Old Bailey today. Kim, 30, pleaded not guilty to the killing of Hyo Jung Jin, a 21 -year-old South Korean whose gagged body was found in a case near
Well, the title is appropriate: Deep Sleep. Given the leisurely two-hour timeslot, this would have been the state of many viewers by the time the end credits rolled. I've seen tortoises move faster than this oh-so-slow dramatisation - the first of three
At 7am on FA Cup final day we had left the Scottish extremities to head, helter-skelter, to the match. "Where've you been?" asked the sharp tongued Cerberus on Stanley United's gate. "Western Highlands," we said. "Ah," said the gateman, "Tow Law." Others
Passengers watched in amazement as ferry pilot Chris McGuinness leapt overboard to rescue a drowning cat. Mr McGuiness stripped to his underwear and dived into the water just as Spike, a nine-month-old tabby, went under. Mr McGuiness, 41, of South Shields
A PUPPY is seeking a good home, preferably with a loving family able to offer the care and attention it deserves. The puppy, Penny, was left at a County Durham vets with a badly broken leg after it had been run over. Now Penny, believed to be about ten
ORGANISERS of one of the region's last music festivals are battling to save it. For the past 20 years, music lovers have travelled to the North Pennines for the Upper Weardale Music Festival. Last year's event had to be cancelled because of foot-and-mouth
A GEM of a display is going on show at a popular North-East museum. Killhope Lead Mining Museum, in Weardale, has launched a permanent exhibition featuring North Pennines minerals. Called the Sir Kingsley Dunham exhibition, after one of the country's
Parents of a two-day-old baby snatched from a maternity ward were reunited with their daughter last night - after suffering what police called "every parent's nightmare". The baby - one of identical twin girls - went missing from ward F4 at the Wordsley
MOTORISTS in Middlesbrough can take advantage of free vehicle exhaust tests throughout this month. Middlesbrough Council has organised the tests so drivers can ensure their vehicles comply with safety requirements. Principal environmental health officer
A NORTH-East council leader has turned down a substantial pay rise even though he receives less than his regional counterparts. Leader of the District of Easington, Councillor Alan Napier, rejected an independent panel's recommendation for an 11 per cent
BOSSES at a controversial hospital built with private funds are planning to ask the Government for extra money. As soon as the £97m University Hospital of North Durham was completed under the Government's Private Finance Initiative, it became clear that
LOOK at a roll of toilet tissue and its artistic potential probably won't be the first thing that springs to mind. But for artist Mick Smith the texture of the toilet roll is the very thing to get his artistic imagination flowing. For the oil painter
A community partnership will be officially launched this week on a Darlington estate. The Red Hall Partnership aims to improve the quality of life and welfare of estate residents by developing community projects. It will also work with other authorities
The Queen last visited Tyneside and Wearside two years ago, but she also made visits in the years surrounding her Coronation. Sarah Foster, Paul White and Lucia Charnock report THE Queen has been a fairly frequent visitor to the region throughout her
LITTLE Finley Kellett Thorpe has made his own piece of history - and he still hasn't reached his first birthday. He has become the first child in York to be named in a civil ceremony. His parents Matthew Kellett and Simone Thorpe, both 30, from Cawood
A 14-year-old boy was taken to the University Hospital of North Durham with arm injuries after he fell through a garage roof in Hope Street, Blackhill, County Durham, just before 5pm yesterday. He is thought to have been trying to retrieve a ball when
RACECOURSE bosses showed their support for a play by naming two races after it yesterday. The events, at Newcastle Racecourse, paid tribute to the forthcoming premiere of Good to Firm at the Customs House, South Shields, South Tyneside, from June 5 to
PLANS to bring championship motorbike racing to North Yorkshire have been unveiled. Bosses at York Amateur Motorcycle Association are hoping to hold two scramble events at Terrington Bank, in Ryedale, this summer, attracting top riders from across the
DESIGNS for a super community centre on Wearside have been unveiled by a North-East architect. Waring and Netts, of Newcastle, came up with a design for a £3m one-stop community access point in Hetton in response to a design competition held by Sunderland
YOUNG dancers in Darlington are finalising preparations for a performance fit for the Queen. Sixteen members of the Darlington Youth Dance Company, aged ten to 17, have been rehearsing for six weeks for the performance in the town's Market Square in front
YOUNGSTERS can now complete their dream community garden thanks to a National Lottery grant. Children from St John's Chapel School, in Weardale, have worked hard together with their teachers and parents to create a jubilee garden on the site of the school's
Police are becoming concerned about the welfare of Janavieve Muihyr Oswald, 31, who went missing from the west end of Newcastle at about 4pm on Saturday. She is described as 5ft tall, with shoulder length black hair and of Chinese appearance. Anyone with
THIS is an important week for the North-East as the region prepares to welcome the Queen and Prince Philip during their national tour to celebrate the golden jubilee. As well as representing an historic occasion, which is sure to attract huge crowds of
MORE details about the jobs below are available from Jobseeker Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Waiting staff, Leyburn. £4.20ph, full or part-time hrs, to include weekends. Experience preferred, however, training provided. Some light cleaning required. Ref:
NORTH-East television fans are being faced with delays in excess of two months to have digital TV installed in their home because engineers cannot cope with a surge in demand. The collapse of ITV Digital has created a massive rush of custom for its former
HUNDREDS of shoppers supported a talent competition organised to launch the start of an entertainment facility yesterday. The Cornmill Shopping Centre, in Darlington, held the event to mark the unveiling of its performance area on the lower floor. More
A NEW campaign has been launched to reduce the number of life-threatening incidents on the east coast. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said there were 12,500 incidents on the British coastline last year. It has launched Sea Smart 2002 as a way of reducing
A MARKET town is aiming to re-establish its niche on the tourist trail and as a commercial centre - with the help of its own professional ambassador. Former councillor and Colburn farmer Colin Grant has been appointed town manager by Richmond Town Centre
BIG-hearted fundraisers took to the streets for a 10km fun run on Sunday to raise cash in memory of tragic schoolboy Jamie Bucknell. Jamie, 14, who lived in Strensall, near York, died last year when he suffered a sudden and unexpected heart attack. Players
AN unoccupied pub in Middlesbrough has been targeted by arsonists again. Firefighters said in March they were worried that The Fleece, in Feversham Street, St Hilda's, was becoming a magnet for young vandals after a blaze ripped through the building.
THE idea that Durham County councillors are going to be given computers and all the relevant accessories they need is disgraceful. We, the council tax payers, have just had a substantial increase in our council tax, an increase of 14.8 per cent. The council
MIDDLESBROUGH boss Steve McClaren will switch his sights to Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie unless he receives swift encouragement in his protracted attempt to lure Muzzy Izzet from Leicester. McClaren refuses to give up the fight for 27-year-old Izzet
Once the preserve of men in flat caps, the humble ferret is becoming the lastest must-have accessory. Katie Relton reports YOU may not want to drop one down your trousers, but ferrets make excellent pets. Dogs have been man's loyal companion for more
A NEW campaign has been launched to reduce the number of life-threatening incidents on the east coast. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said there were 12,500 incidents on the British coastline last year. It has launched Sea Smart 2002 as a way of reducing
NEWCASTLE United have been told that striker Craig Bellamy will be fit for the start of next season despite facing a 12-week lay-off after undergoing a secret knee operation. The 22-year-old Welsh international flew to the United States for keyhole surgery
MORE details about the jobs below are available from Jobseeker Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Shipping clerk, Stockton. £5 dep on exp, 9.30am to 2.30pm, Mon-Fri. Must have minimum of one year's experience. Ref: THN 6544. Cleaner, Stockton. £4.10ph, part-time
More details about the jobs below are available from Jobseeker Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Counter assistant. £4.20ph, 20hrs pw, inc Fri and Sat, 7-11.30pm. Experience preferred. Health and hygiene certificate an advantage. Ref: DUR 31756. Chef. £4.97ph
A farmer knew his pigs had foot and mouth 12 days before the epidemic swept Britain but failed to raise the alarm, a court heard. When inspectors raided Bobby Waugh's farm they found his animals were riddled with the disease. Tell-tale lesions were discovered
Q WERE any of the Romans who served in Britain actually from Italy, or were most of the men in the Roman army recruited locally in Britain? - DS McKenna, Stockton. A THE soldiers who served in the Roman army came from all parts of the Roman empire and
Q I HAVE received an ornamental elephant and understand that elephants can bring good luck, providing they are positioned correctly in relation to the front door. Where should I place the elephant to bring good luck? - D Knowles, Darlington. A ELEPHANTS
SUNDERLAND midfielder Jason McAteer savoured the prospect of today's announcement of the Republic of Ireland World Cup squad and said: "It's the greatest show on earth." The 30-year-old will be named with clubmates Niall Quinn and Kevin Kilbane to travel
Q What are the most covered songs of all time? We have a bet on this at the work. I think White Christmas is the most covered but one of my colleagues thinks it is My Way? - Chris Taylor, North Ormesby According to the Guinness Book of Records, neither
Q I recently joined a packed congregation at a funeral conducted by a humanist who led us to give thanks for the full and interesting life of the dear departed. I am 80 years of age but was impressed enough to refer to the reference books to see how I
BBC chiefs are already looking at commissioning another series of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet because its return after almost 20 years has been so successful, it was revealed yesterday. The first episode of the new series, which saw the six surviving cast members
A MOTORIST told last night how he feared he might die when he was robbed of his £12,000 Rolex watch at knifepoint by the side of the road. Gianni Ross, 41, has offered a reward for information leading to the conviction of the three men, who police believe
A fromer North-East MEP is set to become one of the most powerful figures in world sport. Alan Donnelly, ex-leader of the Labour Group in the European Parliament, is being groomed to take over at the top of Formula One motor racing. Sources within the
POLICE investigating a vicious rape are distributing leaflets appealing for information about the attack. Officers are hoping the leaflets and posters put up around Darlington will help them catch the two men who attacked a 21-year-old woman as she walked
EXPERIENCED punters at Chester have come to realise that taking the side of Barry Hills-trained runners is often liable to yield a profit. No other visitor has farmed the track like Hills over the past few years and the Lambourn magician bids to win today's
DETECTIVES hunting the men who attacked a woman in Darlington are hoping to trace an old friend of the victim. The pair grabbed the 21-year-old and dragged her to the ground. One pinned her down while the other raped her. Neither man said a word, but
WEARSIDERS turned out in their hundreds today to welcome the Queen in her Golden Jubilee year. Sunderland was the first stop on a whirlwind national tour to mark Her Majesty's 50th year on the throne. The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh arrived at the city's
I'M sorry to have to confess that I've been keeping strange company again. All the clergy in the diocese of London were called to a Sacred Synod at the Low Church shrine of All Souls, Langham Place - next door to Broadcasting House. The church was packed
PHOTOGRAPHS taken by young people living in Evenwood and Cockfield are to go on display. An exhibition put together by photographer Dean Chapman is being held in the Discovery Centre, in the market place, Bishop Auckland, from tomorrow until Saturday,
FIREFIGHTERS worked throughout yesterday to tackle a serious blaze at a County Durham factory. Peterlee fire officers were called to BPB, at Thornley Station Industrial Estate, Shotton Colliery, just before 9am to a report of a paper fire. They arrived
A SHELTERED housing centre in Darlington is to have a £1.5m revamp that will improve life for residents. Dalkeith House, off Tees Grange Avenue, is to be transformed into an "extra care" sheltered housing facility The extra care concept has been developed
PARENTS and teachers were given a treat when 50 children performed their version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The Shildon Rascals, an after-school drama group made up of Shildon Primary School pupils, spent weeks rehearsing for the play which they
A PUPPY is seeking a good home, preferably with a loving family able to offer the care and attention it deserves. The puppy, Penny, was left at a County Durham vets with a badly broken leg after it had been run over. Now Penny, believed to be about ten
Railtrack could end up paying out millions of pounds more in compensation following last year's disruption of the network, it emerged yesterday. One of the train operators worst affected by the crisis, GNER, based in York, has won the right to sue for
PETS and their owners teamed up for a fundraising walk along the river banks of a city yesterday. The northern walk of Walkover Britain, the national sponsored dog walk, took place in Durham City as part of the Pets as Therapy (Pat) fun week, which began
THE leader of Sunderland City Council has expressed his disappointment at being ousted by Labour Party colleagues. In a vote involving all 62 members of the council's Labour group on Saturday, Councillor Bob Symonds, who represents Town End Farm, succeeded
THE continuing problem of damage to green lanes by four-track vehicles and motorbikes in some of the region's most picturesque countryside have been taken to Government level. A delegation from the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority and the Nidderdale
A DEVELOPER'S bid to build homes and a supermarket on the eastern edge of Catterick Garrison looks set to fail next week. Gregory Properties is hoping for permission to add more homes to Colburn's Regents Park estate and to replace the Scorpion nightclub
VISITORS to a Teesside park are being given the chance to have their say on how it should be run. Staff at Cowpen Bewley Woodland Park, near Billingham, want people to help them create a management plan and come up with ideas to improve the facility.
PHOTOGRAPHS taken by young people living in Evenwood and Cockfield are to go on display. An exhibition put together by photographer Dean Chapman is being held in the Discovery Centre, in the market place, Bishop Auckland, from tomorrow until Saturday,
The Northern Echo and Durham Students' Union have joined forces to present a weekly column highlighting news from the university with an emphasis on students' work in the community. Getting ready for Royalty Preparations are under way for the visit to
A life-saving scheme has been launched to offer support to the ambulance service covering Weardale villages. Four teams of first responders, volunteers trained to offer on-the-spot healthcare, have been formed to administer aid while an ambulance travels
A COUNCILLOR in Yarm is calling for a reduction in council tax for residents - because of drunken revellers who are causing chaos in the town centre. Councillor Marjorie Simpson said people living on or near to the High Street are frightened and fed up
ONE of the region's top flower shows took place during the Bank Holiday weekend, with visitors experiencing mixed fortunes in terms of the weather. After sunshine prevailed over the Raby Castle Orchid Show on Saturday and Sunday, there was a more cloudy
TREASURED family snaps and community photographs are needed for a project in Middlesbrough. The University of Teesside is asking people from Hemlington to bring their pictures along to a workshop so they can be scanned in to a computer and displayed on
A £1.5m project is boosting the quality of information technology training in the region. The ICT Networking Project was launched to ensure a skills pool was available to attract and retain businesses. It was coordinated by six further education colleges
THE Nuffield Hospital has unveiled plans for a £200,000 refurbishment of its site in Newcastle. It includes an extensive upgrade of the theatre and cardiology facilities in Clayton Road, Jesmond, to give improved and expanded facilities for both the surgical
An ant farm caused a stir at a church service for all creatures great and small. Organisers of the pet service at St Andrew's Church, Kirkby Malzeard, near Ripon, North Yorkshire, had been told to expect a horse. Arrangements had been made should it misbehave
HOUSING schemes for people with learning disabilities will be on show in Northallerton next week. The Living Options day will take place in the Mencap centre, Goosecroft Lane, on Friday. The event is open to anyone in Hambleton and Richmondshire who has
COMMUNITY policing in North Yorkshire will come under the spotlight tomorrow. Conservative Front Bench spokesman for the police, James Paice, will be meeting the county's Chief Constable, David Kenworthy, at the force headquarters at Newby Wiske, near
SHOP workers have rallied round to make a sick girl's dream of meeting Mickey Mouse come true. Staff at Focus DIY stores throughout the North-East have pulled out all the stops to raise money to send three-year-old Katie-Leigh Tones, of Ennerdale Drive
FILM-MAKERS have been descending on one of the region's leading tourist attractions. Castle Howard, in North Yorkshire, won worldwide fame in the award-winning TV series Brideshead Revisited in the early 1980s. In the past month, the crews of two TV programmes
TWO motorcyclists were killed when their machines were involved in a head-on crash on the North York Moors yesterday. The crash, which happened on the A169 Whitby to Pickering road, near to the turn-off for Goathland, involved the riders of a silver Honda
AN advanced computer game which recreates a dangerous war zone has been going down a storm with players in Middlesbrough. Yesterday, games fans of all ages flocked to a former parcel warehouse at the town's railway station to pit their skills against
THE deadline for the submission for tenders for the redevelopment of one of North Yorkshire's leading venues has closed. Of the original 11 bidders interested in the contract for York's Barbican, five were invited to submit detailed proposals and four
A PLANNING chief has issued a plea to landowners and agents to identify brownfield areas which could be used for building. The move - aimed at saving greenfield sites from housing development - has been made by newly-appointed Harrogate Borough Council's
Mobile phones will be banned when an award-winning North Yorkshire garden opens to the public for three "quiet days". The gardens are owned by ex-Defence Minister James Ramsden, former Conservative MP for Harrogate, and his wife Juliet. The gardens at
A MEMORIAL service is to be held a decade after Special Constable Glenn Goodman was shot dead by an IRA terrorist in North Yorkshire. Mr Goodman was murdered in June 1992 after he and colleague PC Sandy Kelly stopped a car on the A64, near Tadcaster,
A PETS superstore has added a birds of prey team to its growing selection of educational events. Pets at Home, on the Cameron Retail Park, Gateshead, presents the Gentleshaw Birds of Prey Hospital and Wildlife Team on Saturday and Sunday. Expert Rob Smith
HIGH-FLYING students at a Middlesbrough school have won the trip of a lifetime thanks to their space-age inventions. Six teams of gifted and talented pupils from Keldholme School have spent the past few months researching, designing, building and marketing
LIBRARY staff in Stockton have received a plea for advice from Russia. The email request for advice on setting up a mobile library came from Andrey Lisitskiy, head of the department of information and analysis in cultural affairs for Volgograd, in Russia
A CENTURIES-old tradition is being revived in Hartlepool with the help of local schoolchildren. Youngsters from the town's Catcote School spent time at Summerhill recently to begin cultivating a specially-prepared garden with emmer, a traditional type
Asthma affects over five million people in the UK and 1.4 million of them are children. On World Asthma Day, Christen Pears finds out what it's like to live with asthma and why the number of sufferers continues to rise. "HAVING asthma is like breathing
Steve Pratt finds out what happens when people from all walks of life swap their everyday jobs for a life on the ocean wave. SKIPPER Nick Legg sounds apologetic that nothing untoward happened on the voyage when a Yorkshire Television film crew were aboard
Yorkshire suffered one of the greatest humiliations in Roses history at Headingley yesterday when they were thrashed by eight wickets by Lancashire in a Benson and Hedges Cup match which was all over by 2.15pm. There was no excuse for an error-strewn
I remember a legend about a young lass, possibly a princess, imprisoned in a cave and a prince attempts to rescue her. I think he fails after refusing some kind of a challenge involving a sword. If my memory is correct, the prince was Sir Galahad and
On Wednesday, May 8, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburth will be welcomed to Seaham by schoolchildren and visit a memorial garden commemorating the Easington Colliery mining disaster of 1951. After meeting 34 Easington couples who are celebrating their
DURHAM'S injury list is approaching crisis proportions with Stephen Harmison the most serious of the new casualties. The England Academy paceman is out for four to six weeks with the same sort of side injury which has sidelined Simon Brown. Out of a squad
THOUSANDS of well-wishers will throng the streets today as the Queen and Prince Philip begin the first leg of their North-East tour. As part of a national tour to celebrate her golden jubilee, the Royal couple will follow a packed itinerary, meeting thousands
MORE details about the jobs below are available from Jobseeker Direct on (0845) 606 0234. Carer, Spennymoor, £4.40ph, 16-20hrs pw, required to look after elderly people in their own homes, all training given. Ref: SPE 9498. Amenity worker, Crook, £4.50ph
