A CHAIN letter encouraging people to mail 200 strangers is circulating again in the Darlington area. The letter, bearing the name of David Rhodes, promises about £40,000 to anyone who photocopies it and sends it on. The letter asks the recipient to add
RELEGATED Sunderland have asked their rejects to accept pay deferrals until they leave the Stadium of Light. But chief executive Hugh Roberts yesterday dismissed suggestions that the move has been prompted by fears that the Black Cats are in danger of
A SNAKE that escaped from a closed tank in the back of a car has been dubbed Houdini by its owner. Anita Walker was taking the 4ft 6in long brown corn snake to her shop, Neata Aquatics and Reptiles, in Ramsgate, Stockton, yesterday. Somehow it slid through
SEVEN lifeboatmen have been honoured for their bravery. Four members of the crew at Whitby, second coxswain John Pearson, mechanic Glenn Goodberry, and crew members Stephen Boocock and Phil Webster, have been commended by the RNLI for helping to save
A COMMUNITY training centre has closed with the loss of ten jobs. The Richard Hind Centre in Stockton has gone into administration. A statement released yesterday said: "The board of the Richard Hind Centre has been forced to close the centre due to financial
MIKE Newell's hopes of keeping Graeme Lee at Hartlepool United for next season's Division Two programme appear to be all but over. Newell said earlier this week he had not given up on Lee, but Pool's longest serving player is out of contract this summer
PATIENTS from a Dales surgery have been warned they may need additional vaccinations after doctors discovered some serums had not been stored at the correct temperature. More than 200 patients from the Central Dales Practice, in Aysgarth, North Yorkshire
DARLINGTON MP Alan Milburn got on his bike yesterday to help celebrate a school's new cycle park. The Health Secretary was at Eastbourne Comprehensive School to open a bike shelter and safe cycling route which has been built to encourage more pupils to
A PLAN to build sheltered housing for the elderly on a prime site in Whitby has been revealed. McCarthy and Stone Development wants to build on the site of Fairways garage and garden centre, Victoria Wines, and land surrounding Whitby Cricket Club's pavilion
A PROJECT helping North-East women make the most of their business ideas has won a European award. Women Into the Network (WIN), based at the University of Durham, has been selected as the UK's best practice initiative for promoting female entrepreneurship
Darlington chairman George Reynolds last night finally cleared the way for Mick Tait to take over the vacant managerial hotseat. Seven months after succeeding Tommy Taylor in a caretaker role, Tait finally looks set to land the job on a permanent basis
Sixteen police recruits have been sworn in at a ceremony at North Yorkshire police headquarters, at Newby Wiske, near Northallerton. A total of 85 recruits have joined the force in the past three months, taking its strength to 1,455. CHARITY SALE: Lots
A TOWN has succeeded in its campaign to bring broadband to its residents and businesses. People living in Shildon feared that they would be left behind in the world of technology after surrounding towns were given faster access to the Internet. Colin
THIRTY community-minded youngsters did their bit for the environment by helping to clean up a Darlington park. The pupils from Firthmoor Primary School were joined by staff from fast-food restaurant McDonald's yesterday, to carry out the work in South
Kind-hearted pupils at Laurence Jackson School, Guisborough, have raised £1,078 by taking part in a blindfold bowl for the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) - the highest amount raised in the country. The RNIB has presented the school with
A CHARITY is urging people across the region to work in its shops. Help the Aged will be celebrating Volunteering Team Spirit at all their shops, from Thursday until June 12, Of the 4,000 volunteers registered with the charity, more than half will have
MOTORISTS travelling over the Tyne Bridge next week are warned to expect delays as roadworks on the south side of the river get under way. From today, the A167 will be reduced from three lanes to two, between the railway bridge and the Oakwellgate roundabout
A SCHOOL has been celebrating after being presented with a national award for its work in encouraging pupils to take part in regular sport and healthy exercise. The Cedars School, in Low Fell, Gateshead, has received a Sportsmark Gold with Distinction
HOMEWORK help sessions in Stockton are to be increased and moved to an earlier starting time as a result of feedback from youngsters who use them. The weekly session, which is held in the Open Technology Centre in Stockton Library, will become twice weekly
A big boost to the chances of Ryhope ahead of today's top-of-the-table clash against Hylton is the return of professional Paul Watson, who has been on holiday. When the Wearsiders signed him from Horden they agreed he could have time off and during his
TWO natural body-builders have been given a helping hand in their quest for honours. Philman Edwards and Shirley Kirkup, from Northallerton, North Yorkshire, are among Britain's top competitors in the sport, which promotes body-building without the use
Youngsters aged between eight and 18 are being offered the chance to appear in a summer pantomime written by former Dr Who Colin Baker. The show, on the theme of Robin Hood Meets Local Legends, is being performed on July 12 at Lumley Castle. Auditions
youngsters are being offered a musical half-term holiday. Workshops are being held from Monday until Friday as part of the annual Swaledale Festival. The scheme is being co-ordinated with the Live and Loud initiative, which is run by the Continuing Education
HEALTH bosses have announced proposals they hope will build on progress made since the Hambleton and Richmondshire Primary Care Trust was formed just over a year ago. Developments planned for the coming months will include: * A GP-led service for dermatology
A LOANS company manager who fell into debt was jailed for 12 months yesterday for stealing more than £40,000 from his bosses. Twice-married Michael Bright, 48, took out bogus loans for himself from MMF UK Ltd, where he was the Darlington manager for 11
A HOUSING scheme worth £20m will be introduced in run-down areas of Hartlepool. The town's MP, Peter Mandelson, yesterday launched Hartlepool Revival, which will target areas where Victorian terraced properties are falling into disrepair. The organisation
Kind-hearted pupils at Laurence Jackson School, Guisborough, have raised £1,078 by taking part in a blindfold bowl for the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) - the highest amount raised in the country. The RNIB has presented the school with
TELEVISION boss Greg Dyke yesterday told how he was trying to put an end to the traditional South-East bias shown by the BBC. Officially launching a television studio at a North-East college, the BBC's Director General for the past three-and-a-half years
A TRAINING ground for young footballing stars of the future opened its doors in Hartlepool yesterday. The £425,000 sports pavilion has been built at Manor College of Technology, enabling it to become a key training centre for aspiring players in the North-East
LOCAL ELECTIONS: THERE were some interesting points raised by AW Dunn (HAS, May 14) concerning the results of the recent elections in Spennymoor for Sedgefield Borough and Spennymoor Town councils, where he claimed those who topped the polls in their
A CHARITY is urging people across the region to work in its shops. Help the Aged will be celebrating Volunteering Team Spirit at all their shops, from Thursday until June 12, Of the 4,000 volunteers registered with the charity, more than half will have
THE first dedicated drop-in centre in north-west Durham for people suffering from dementia and their carers will open next month. The Alzheimer's Society has turned its offices in Consett, into a day club and drop-in centre, after being awarded a £29,000
AN appeal is being launched to raise £150,000 for a magnetic resonance imaging scanner - known as an MRI - for Harrogate District Hospital. The hospital has been visited by a mobile MRI scanner since 1997, but the permanent unit will ensure increased
Senior officials at Catterick Garrison and at the Ministry of Defence have been made aware of the concerns of the families who have participated in The Northern Echo's investigation. This is what they had to say: CATTERICK GARRISON : "ALL the cases quoted
THE Chelsea Flower Show put the queue into kudos as thousands struggled to capture the same sights and sounds of the world's greatest profusion of plants that the BBC has beamed to the nation all week. The blue-blazered Hooray Henrys and decorous Henriettas
YOUNGSTERS from seven schools will take to a theatre stage for a forthcoming show. Students from Durham Johnston School will perform alongside those from feeder primary schools in Ian Simmons' tale, The King With Cold Feet, at Durham's Gala Theatre. The
AN active member of the community has been appointed to the board of a health trust. Maureen Taylor-Gooby, who has lived and worked in the Peterlee area for most of her life, takes over as non-executive director of Easington Primary Care Trust (PCT).
A FRESH drive to tackle the high numbers of young people in the region who take hard drugs such as Ecstasy was launched yesterday. About 9.8 per cent of 16 to 21 year-olds in the North-East admitted to trying Class A drugs in the past 12 months - which
NO one expects life in the Army to be easy. Soldiers need to be tough because the job they have is as tough as they come. But there is a line to be drawn between testing the endurance of young people and pushing them beyond their limit. Our special report
SUPPORTERS of Amnesty International have posted their concerns about human rights in Iraq to Downing Street. Campaigners asked shoppers in Darlington town centre to sign postcards showing their support for Amnesty International's stance on Iraq last weekend
THE Government faced renewed calls last night for an independent inquiry into the culture of bullying within the armed forces after The Northern Echo uncovered a catalogue of disturbing new evidence. Soldiers' relatives say the police investigation
POLITICIANS stood up for animals by campaigning against the trading of cat and dog skins yesterday. Diana Wallis, Liberal Democrat MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber, was joined by Fiona Hall, North-East Lib Dem European Parliamentary spokeswoman, in highlighting
AN investigation was under way last night after a soldier was crushed by an armoured personnel carrier. The accident happened as Corporal Thomas "Taff" Rees prepared for deployment to the Gulf. The 1st Battalion of the King's Regiment is among units taking
A DISTURBING dossier of cover-ups and abuse at Army bases in North Yorkshire has been uncovered in an investigation by The Northern Echo. Reports spanning almost two decades of soldiers who say they were bullied and beaten at Catterick Garrison last night
FIVE unpaid board members have been appointed by a business support group in the North-East. Michael Hall, of QBM Precision, Steve Cochrane, of Psyche, Julie Lathan, of Calibre Recruitment, David Simpson, of Simpson Business Solutions, and John Wright
HOW many times do you plan a detailed sector in the garden only for it to evolve into something entirely unrelated to the original concept? In truth, the answer is more often than not, but most times however, Mother Nature's finished result is usually
SIR Tom Farmer, the founder of Kwik-Fit, has given his backing to the North East Entrepreneurs Forum and paid tribute to the businessmen and women working to improve prosperity in the region. Sir Tom was speaking at the inaugural Founders' Dinner of the
TRIBUTES were paid last night to a magician who was found dead at the bottom of a North-East railway viaduct. Kevin Reay, 45, originally from Hartlepool, was rated as one of the country's best magical talents and won praise from Middlesbrough-born TV
The Readers Durham County League Stalwart David Linford is confident Tudhoe can go all the way and clinch the championship after finishing a creditable fifth last season. "We made a very poor start in 2002, but following the late signing of Shahid Anwar
FIREFIGHTERS have lent their support to a hospice fundraising event taking place next month. The crew from Stockton fire station will take part in the Tea at Three Campaign on Friday, June 20, in aid of the Butterwick Hospice. The campaign will be carried
A BALLOON race involving ten primary schools was held yesterday to celebrate the first year of a road safety initiative. Norah Cooney, Mayor of Redcar and Cleveland, was at Whale Hill Primary School, Eston, for the lift-off to mark the anniversary of
FOOTBALL star Shay Given has told how the death of his mother spurred him to head a campaign raising thousands of pounds for charity. The Newcastle United goalkeeper has become patron of Macmillan Cancer Relief, leading a campaign to raise £575,000 in
A NEW sponsor has been secured for The Northern Echo 2003 Job Fair exhibiton. AXA Insurance is working with The Northern Echo to encourge hundreds of people to attend the fair on Friday, June 20, at the Blackwell Grange Hotel, Darlington. The purpose
MARK JOHNSTON has numerous gems among his powerful juvenile brigade, including the Mick Doyle-owned Pearl Of Love (2.25), who heads to Doncaster this afternoon. Doyle, an Irish-based fishing magnate, has been with Johnston virtually since the word go,
THE Chelsea Flower Show put the queue into kudos as thousands struggled to capture the same sights and sounds of the world's greatest profusion of plants that the BBC has beamed to the nation all week. The blue-blazered Hooray Henrys and decorous Henriettas
A DISTURBED man who stabbed his father and burned down the family home was given an extended six-year jail sentence yesterday. Delusional Paul Jennings, 32, left his parents with only the clothes they were wearing, because they ware not insured, and a
THE North-East's latest sporting superstar has arrived carrying a record price tag for its first meeting with its mystery owner. An unnamed Newcastle businessman caused a sensation in the racing world on Thursday by paying the biggest-ever price for a
A TOWN is looking for its own carnival "royalty". Shildon Town Carnival committee will choose a queen, a princess and two attendants to lead the annual parade at a party next month. A night of entertainment is planned at Shildon Civic Centre on Saturday
A VILLAGE will soon be able to boast some innovative road signs thanks to the artistic talents of its children. Pupils from Middleton Tyas Primary School were challenged to produce pictures or slogans to encourage drivers to reduce speed. Their designs
A CHAIN letter encouraging people to mail 200 strangers is circulating again in the Darlington area. The letter, bearing the name of David Rhodes, promises about £40,000 to anyone who photocopies it and sends it on. The letter asks the recipient to add
A TEENAGER from Darlington has been awarded a place at the Royal School of Ballet. Victoria Parker, 14, who has been a member of Darlington's Tiffany School of Dance for ten years, was offered a place at the school as a senior associate after an audition
PARENTS are claiming their children's science lessons are being disrupted because their school has been without a gas supply for almost a year. The mains gas supply to the science block at Hummerknot School in Darlington was disconnected last summer after
There will be temporary traffic lights in Westgate, Guisborough, for three weeks while Transco carries out gas main works.
YOUNG musicians have struck a chord with a charity by raising £1,200. Last weekend, 60 pupils from Durham School performed in the annual Music for a Summer's Evening event, in the school hall. They entertained about 200 guests, who also enjoyed wine and
FAMILIES are invited to help celebrate a station clock's restoration at a festival in its honour. The free community event has been organised by the Friends of Tynemouth Station to thank those who have contributed to the clock's restoration. Taking place
DERBYSHIRE found a willing workhorse in Graeme Welch and a spectacular assassin in Shahid Afridi to prey on Durham's depressing fragility at Riverside yesterday. If Durham's first-class life seems to have been a succession of batting collapses, there
ORGANISERS of a walk in aid of Cancer Research UK are hoping they have raised thousands of pounds for the charity. The 12-mile walk, between Stanley and Blaydon Rugby Club, that was organised by the charity, attracted 110 volunteers. Bus operator Go North-East
WORK is well under way on a new million-pound maternity unit at South Tyneside District Hospital which is scheduled to open in July. The unit will provide some facilities that have never before been available to pregnant women on South Tyneside, including
A SERIES of multi-cultural art workshops will be taking place in Hartlepool next week. From Monday to Friday, the New Deal for Communities (NDC) initiative is arranging a series of events designed to give NDC residents the chance to explore a range of
A SWIMMING club claims that new rules imposed by leisure centre bosses could ruin hundreds of children's hopes of competing in the sport. Last month, national sports and leisure firm Leisure Connection took over the management of Peterlee Leisure Centre
A CHARITY golf tournament has raised thousands of pounds to buy a bicycle for a paramedic. The event, at York Golf Club, was organised by the Rotary Club of York Vikings and coincided with its 25th anniversary celebrations. The golf day raised £7,500
A FORMER police station should prove a magnet for real ale enthusiasts during the bank holiday weekend. Cathedral's bar and restaurant complex, transformed from Durham's disused Victorian police office, is staging its first beer festival, offering a mix
Youngsters aged between eight and 18 are being offered the chance to appear in a summer pantomime written by former Dr Who Colin Baker. The show, on the theme of Robin Hood Meets Local Legends, is being performed on July 12 at Lumley Castle. Auditions
A VILLAGE will soon have its own road signs - thanks to the artistic talents of some of the local children. Pupils from Middleton Tyas Primary School were challenged to come up with pictures or slogans which would encourage drivers to kill their speed
FAMILIES may be asked to contribute to a fund to be used to help home-buyers get on the property ladder. People who live in the Yorkshire Dales National Park are finding themselves priced out of the property market. Affordable properties have become so
Darlington Building Society NYSD League It is a long time since Darlington RA went five games unbeaten at the start of a season and captain David Eckels is confident they can make it six out of six today. "To say that I am happy with the way we have begun
THE stars of the BBC's Robot Wars, where metal monsters tear each other apart, come to the North-East next week. Among the visitors will be Sir Killalot, plus Dead Metal, Sergeant Bash, Shunt and Matilda. They will be in the Gateshead MetroCentre's town
PENSIONERS in east Cleveland are being warned to be on their guard following concerns that high-pressure sales techniques are being used to entice them into buying over-priced security products. In one incident, an elderly woman was the victim of a doorstep
AMBITIOUS pole-vaulter Mark Christie, who set a new record in this month's North-East Track and Field Championships, believes he is close to an even bigger clearance. The 18-year-old Wearsider, who competes in the British League for Manchester club Sale
THE windows in the schoolroom in which we endured maths were so high that the average child could not see out. But when they were opened in summer, the most delicious scent wafted in. It was of freshly-mown grass - a sweet, exciting smell that allowed
Residents have won their fight to stop two housing developments in one of North Yorkshire's most exclusive areas after writing 333 protest letters to planning officers. One scheme attracted 197 letters protesting about plans to demolish two large bungalows
YOUNGSTERS in Stockton are to be rewarded for taking part in an art competition. Pupils from more than 26 primary, secondary and special schools in the borough took part in the Northumbria in Bloom children's calendar painting competition. The competition
The man who once got the sack from Marks & Spencer now heads one of the most famous brands in the world. In a brief encounter, Greg Dyke, Director General of the BBC, reveals his aspirations for the Corporation. We met on platform four at Darlington
FORMER police chief Ray Mallon is switching his focus from tackling crime to fighting grime. The one-time head of Middlesbrough CID, now Mayor of Middlesbrough, has created rapid response dirt buster teams to tackle the town's litter problem. The four
YOUNGSTERS took part in a history workshop where they were taught about life Down Under from an aboriginal artist and storyteller. The Captain Cook Birthplace Museum, in Middlesbrough, is hosting a series of workshops by Francis Firebrace, who uses stories
STEPPING inside the Victoria is a bit like being transported back 100 years. The first customers who stepped across the Durham pub's threshold in 1899 would find few concessions to the 21st Century if they came back today. The display of crisps, the fruit
NEW-style law enforcers are to take to the streets of County Durham in the autumn. The Home Office has agreed to pay £128,000 - half the cost of appointing 25 community safety officers (CSOs) covering Chester-le-Street, Derwentside, Durham City and Sedgefield
MOTORISTS who park illegally outside schools are being targeted in a road safety initiative. Sunderland City Council will be focusing its attention on prosecuting those who park in marked areas outside the school gates. The initiative, which involves
Hot property again after a series of critical and commercial failures, Keanu Reeves should have a smile on his face. Steve Pratt tries to discover why the star of The Matric Reloaded is so glum. he figure wearing dark suit, open-necked shirt and stubble
HELP could be close at hand for owners of temperamental horses with the visit of an acknowledged expert to an event on the North-East equine calendar. The British Horse Society (BHS) is staging Voice of the Horse, at Houghall, the agricultural college
SIR BOBBY ROBSON'S reputation as one of football's strictest disciplinarians is on the line after Newcastle United yesterday finally agreed terms with the controversial Lee Bowyer. The Magpies confirmed that the 26-year-old midfielder is bound for St
COMPUTERS containing confidential accounts and information about players' wages have been stolen from Darlington Football Club's new stadium. Thieves broke into the stadium on Neasham Road between 10pm on Thursday and 8am yesterday and stole three computers
Foster's Northumberland and Tyneside Senior League Newcastle City proudly sit at the top of the table in their initial season in the first division. Indeed, they only joined the competition in 2002 moving from the Three Counties Northumberland League.
Richard Blakey and Chris Silverwood both reached notable milestones off the same ball when Yorkshire's Championship game against Glamorgan finally spluttered into life again at Headingley yesterday. But Yorkshire had the initiative seized from them by
PERLOS Corporation, a worldwide supplier to the telecommunications and pharmaceutical industries, is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Its UK operation, Perlos Limited, in Sunderland, joined in the global festivities with a cake and coffee party which
A man was found guilty last night of sex offences involving a boy who responded to messages he left on an Internet gay teen chatboard. Michael Britton, 51, was accused by police of grooming the Darlington youngster by buying him a £2,500 motor scooter
A PARAMEDIC with the North-East Air Ambulance is planning to fly a microlight aircraft to Russia to raise money for the rescue service. John Ker, a member of a rapid response team at Teesside Airport, is joining forces with three friends to take on the
AN illegal immigrant was recovering in hospital last night after he jumped off a ship and swam across a river. The man, believed to be from South America, was spotted leaping off the Fairlane as the vessel docked on North Tyneside at 12.40pm. He swam
BOLTBY is the perfect English village, last Sunday the sort of evening which you want to hang for ever above the fireplace. Incorrigibly, however, we begin with the parish notice board next to the hall. Zorro is missing, a doubtless combative ginger tom
HOW many times do you plan a detailed sector in the garden only for it to evolve into something entirely unrelated to the original concept? In truth, the answer is more often than not, but most times however, Mother Nature's finished result is usually
A MOTHER has a moving story to tell whenever anyone asks what she does for a living. Rachel Walker believes she is one of the UK's few female removal van drivers and thinks nothing of lugging furniture with her male colleagues - including her boyfriend
Q I nearly had a fit when I got my council tax bill for £1,038.13. I have £387 four-weekly State Pension and £291 a month teacher's pension. I have £4,000 saved and my son, who lives here, gives me £200 a month. Can I get any help? A Yes, but it depends
A CONFERENCE facility with spectacular views of the North-East was unveiled in Darlington yesterday. The £200,000 Viewpoint suite, on the top floor of Northgate House, has been created by non-profit organisation Darlington Business Venture (DBV) to provide
Youngsters sobbed with grief yesterday after their 15-year-old friend was killed in a horrific high speed crash with a stationary Army truck. The teenagers were sent home from school in shock after learning of the death of Liam Amos, from Escomb, near
POLICE have named the driver who died in an accident at a crossroads on the A66 on Thursday night. Nicola Dawson-Smith, 33, of Swalegate, Richmond, North Yorkshire, was at the wheel of a red Honda Accord Coupe involved in a collision with a lorry at the
Foster's ECB North-East Regional Premier League Most sides have been able to include one of the two Durham County players allocated to them at some stage, but Philadelphia have been unable to call on either Steve Harmison or Nicky Phillips. With Harmison
