A SLIMMING club in the North-East is to run a charity race in support of a friend who has cancer. Women from the Rosemary Conley fitness class in Coxhoe, County Durham, will take part in Race for Life, which will be held in South Park, Darlington, on
SHOWBIZ legends Mae West, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin are just some of the stars featuring in a new photographic exhibition. All 30 photographs in the exhibition, called Celebrity, are by acclaimed British photographer Terry O'Neill. He has been photographing
HEAR all about Great North Country Fare this weekend at the Dales Festival of Food & Drink in Leyburn. The Editor of the Darlington & Stockton Times, Malcolm Warne, will be speaking about the newspaper's campaign, at 11am opposite Tennant's Auction
HEAR all about Great North Country Fare this weekend at the Dales Festival of Food & Drink in Leyburn. The Editor of the Darlington & Stockton Times, Malcolm Warne, will be speaking about the newspaper's campaign, at 11am opposite Tennant's Auction
HEAR all about Great North Country Fare this weekend at the Dales Festival of Food & Drink in Leyburn. The Editor of the Darlington & Stockton Times, Malcolm Warne, will be speaking about the newspaper's campaign, at 11am opposite Tennant's Auction
A LEGACY of tools and equipment left by Victorian gardeners will be on display for the next three weeks in the Discovery Centre, Bishop Auckland Visitors will soon spot the difference between a dibber and a trenching fork in the display by the Vintage
YOUNG cyclists in the North-East are getting ready to take part in a huge charity bike ride this weekend. The Big Bikeathon, in aid of the Leukaemia Research Fund, is taking place in Darlington's South Park tomorrow, from 11am to 1pm. Hundreds of youngsters
TV audiences will be asked to vote for a mill in the region during the architectural equivalent of Pop Idol. Gayle Mill, at Hawes, Wensleydale, North Yorkshire, has been awarded £800,000 towards an extensive restoration, which will see it turned into
GARDENERS are being urged to help prevent the region's hedgehogs being killed. National Hedgehog Awareness Week begins tomorrow and aims to help gardeners realise the dangers they pose to the creatures. Organised by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society
You've read the comic, you've bought the mugs, now watch the quizshow, as a Viz-influenced programme hits our screens. THERE'S more than a touch of Viz about a new late night quiz show on Tyne Tees Television. Not only is it hosted by Simon Donald, co-founder
MICK McCARTHY wants to make sure Julio Arca's return to action will be on the Premiership stage. After a number of scans on the knee injury sustained in training eight days ago, Arca has learned he has to undergo an operation. It is a massive set-back
FOOTBALL stars took time out from their tense promotion run-in to help kick off a fostering campaign. Richie Humphreys and Joel Porter launched a Hartlepool Borough Council campaign to find at least 20 foster carers. The borough has 63 carers, but has
NORTH-EAST community groups were given a behind-the-scenes look at the wealth of treasures at an award-winning open-air museum yesterday. David Miliband, Education Minister with responsibility for School Standards and MP for South Shields, was at Beamish
AN airport's expansion plans could mean congestion on the region's roads, councillors fear. Durham County Council is calling on bosses at Newcastle International Airport to do more to encourage alternatives to the car. And it has offered to help the airport
Hundreds of ducks will be taking to the River Swale in Richmond over the bank Holiday. The mayor, Councillor Stuart Parsons, will start a the traditional plastic duck race from The Bridge on the Green to the town's Mercury Bridge, half-a-mile downstream
FUNDING has been secured for a multiple sclerosis physiotherapist for Hambleton and Richmondshire. At present, MS sufferers in the area have to travel to York, Middlesbrough or Newcastle for physiotherapy, which helps to prevent muscle wasting and cardio-vascular
A CELEBRATION of the diverse and cosmopolitan culture of the North-East will be staged on Monday. The Respect Festival, Celebrating Cultural Diversity -one of the region's largest free open-air events -will be held at Cliffe Park, Sunderland, from 11am
A PIONEERING and controversial midwife-run maternity unit goes "live" a week today. But bosses at Bishop Auckland General Hospital, County Dur-ham, say the new, less high-tech approach to giving birth is proving a hit with local women. When plans were
A TEAM of walkers from the emergency services across the North will re-enact a Roman march to raise money for the Great North Air Ambulance. The group, from Durham, Cleveland, Northumberland and Cumbria, will re-enact a forced march along Hadrian's Wall
MIDDLESBROUGH manager Steve McClaren is ready to launch a double swoop for Leeds strike duo Alan Smith and Mark Viduka. McClaren yesterday left no doubt that he will join the bidding for £10m-rated Smith, as well as long-time target Viduka, if Leeds'
GRAHAM Onions apart, Durham yesterday struggled to shake off the rust of two days' inactivity at Derby. Making his championship debut, 21-year-old Onions bowled three lively spells and took the first two of the four wickets to fall after play began at
SYMBOLS of a bygone era of the rail network will go on show over the Bank Holiday weekend. Visitors to Monkwearmouth Station Museum, in Sunderland, can view an exhibition of railway posters. The display charts the array of posters produced to promote
MIDDLESBROUGH manager Steve McClaren is ready to launch a double swoop for Leeds strike duo Alan Smith and Mark Viduka. McClaren yesterday left no doubt that he will join the bidding for £10m-rated Smith, as well as long-time target Viduka, if Leeds'
ATTRACTION by name and attraction by nature, Mark Johnston's flying filly generates huge interest whenever she appears and tomorrow will be no exception as she lines up for the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket. Five times the dark bay daughter of Efisio has
CORUS is taking advantage of favourable conditions in the global market and its new-found profitability to refinance part of its debt. The company successfully restructured its 1.2bn-euro debt facility earlier this year and has now announced plans to
DAVID ELSWORTH'S Salford City (2.55) appears to hold rock-solid credentials for this afternoon's UltimateBet.com 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket. Elsworth needs a lift following the death of his long-serving stable stalwart Persian Punch, who collapsed and
Q Our four-weekly State Pension is £544 and my four-weekly works pension is £352 after tax. We have an interest-only mortgage of £25,000 and savings of £15,500. Is it worth claiming Pension Credit (PC) or a rebate on our £107 a month council tax? A As
A DEAL that could save Darlington Football Club has been revealed to creditors by the Quakers' administrators. The Northern Echo understands that a proposal offering creditors, including former chairman George Reynolds, a small fraction of what they are
ID CARDS: MUCH has been made of an opinion poll saying people favour ID cards. What wasn't asked was: are you prepared to pay £35 every five years and have to queue for long periods to get an ID card? Are you prepared for all the information held on all
CHILDREN have been taking part in a celebration to mark the merger of two Darlington schools. Heathfield nursery and primary schools were separate units until it was decided they would work better if they joined forces. The new Heathfield Primary School
A DISUSED coal yard with a troubled planning history is to be converted to a caravan storage site, despite road safety fears. An application to create a business on part of the former Westerton Coal Stocking Yard, on the outskirts of Spennymoor, has been
AN 18-month-old saluki-cross dog is in need of a new home after his owners abandoned him. William was found wandering the streets of a busy town centre when he was a young puppy, starving and suffering from mange. He has been recovering from the ordeal
A MAN who appeared to try to knee-cap his partner in a drunken row on her return from a night out was jailed for nine months yesterday. Durham Crown Court heard that Kevin Elliott refused to allow the woman into the locked house when she came home after
The first annual conference of the Harrogate District Cultural Partnership is being held at Ripon Leisure Centre on June 18. The event, supported by Harrogate Borough Council, is open to anyone from the Harrogate district, which includes Masham, Boroughbridge
A YOUTH who sexually assaulted boys as young as 11 at a North-East public school was jailed for two years yesterday. The 17-year-old preyed on four youngsters, forcing them to take part in degrading sex acts with him, Teesside Crown Court heard. When
A BAN on outdoor drinking is extended today to crack down on alcohol-related trouble. Drinking in Sunderland city centre and the seafront has been banned for several years, but other areas have now become no-go zones. Offenders face arrest and a £500
GRAHAM LEE'S golden spell in the saddle continued unabated at Sedgefield last night when he won the £20,000 Durham National aboard the 100-30 favourite, Lord Capitaine, writes Colin Woods . The Ingelby Barwick-based jockey, already successful during April
SEVEN young people from east Cleveland were presented with gold Duke of Edinburgh awards at a ceremony this week. Joseph Atkinson, Lewis Meadows, Sarah Thornton, Graham Flett, Richard Flett, Sarah Gaatenby and Jacqueline Russell were presented with their
FOOTBALL star Shola Ameobi's mother caused a crash after driving her car without passing a test. Margaret Ameobi, 53, was driving alone on a provisional licence, so was uninsured, when she was involved in the accident. Ameobi, whose son is a promising
A LETTER from children at a Teesside school will be hand-delivered to the Prime Minister. Ten and 11-year-olds from Elwick Primary School, near Hartlepool wrote a letter to their MP, Peter Mandelson. In it, they asked him to help other children around
CAMPAIGNERS plan to be legally represented when they meet a senior police officer to discuss the Richard Neale affair. Leaders of the support group for medical victims of the struck-off surgeon will show that they mean business by instructing a solicitor
A HOUSING modernisation scheme is helping to reduce a town's unemployment. Fifty apprentices and trainees have been recruited in a £140m scheme to renovate all Stockton Borough Council houses by 2010. Contractors and sub-contractors involved in the project
A STUDENT who stabbed a man and a woman in a crazed knife attack, hours after being cleared of a rape charge, is to be detained in hospital before being deported. Eric Samo, 30, a French national who came to the UK and lived in Middlesbrough under a student
A MEMORIAL for victims of a devastating wartime bombing raid will be unveiled at a dedication service next month. A memorial stone and garden will be unveiled by North Durham MP Kevan Jones opposite Peggy's Wicket, in Beamish Village, near Stanley, at
DOCTORS, business leaders and health officials met over breakfast in the first of two seminars to discuss ways of tackling ill health at work. The seminars aim to draw up a picture of health-related issues in Easington and Sedgefield, the ways they affect
ONE of the best known environmentalists in the region is leaving his job with Northumbrian Water. Dr Chris Spray, 50, environment director since 1997, has been named as the director of environmental science with the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency
MICK McCARTHY has been told by the Sunderland board that the majority of his wheeling and dealing in the transfer market this summer will be done in the bargain basement. The Black Cats - along with so many other clubs in football - have learned their
A DECORATED soldier was killed after doing a wheelie through traffic lights on his motorbike. Royal Marines Colour Sergeant Philip Milburn, 38, died instantaneously after coming off the Triumph Daytona and crashing into a car coming in the opposite direction
JOKER Jason McAteer was going to try to convince Paul Thirlwell that the Washington-born midfielder was Pele when he woke up in a Merseyside hospital this week, writes Paul Fraser. Thirlwell has been ruled out for the rest of the campaign after fracturing
A MAN who stabbed his next-door neighbour to death after a row over noisy DIY was starting a life sentence for murder last night. Christopher Hoyland, 42, plunged a kitchen knife into electrician George Evans' neck when he answered the door of his Middlesbrough
St Hilda's, the handsome church on Hartlepool's Headland, is enjoying something of a resurrection after a £500,000 revamp. JOYOUSLY transformed, Hartlepool took delivery on Tuesday evening of another repolished gem. The 12th century St Hilda's church,
GRAHAM Onions apart, Durham yesterday struggled to shake off the rust of two days' inactivity at Derby. Making his championship debut, 21-year-old Onions bowled three lively spells and took the first two of the four wickets to fall after play began at
The Second Division title won't be decided until next week after leaders Ashington were given an unexpected boost yesterday. Ashington lost 3-1 at Washington Nissan on Tuesday and, after Benfield Saints beat Seaham Red Star 5-0 on Wednesday, the teams
AN exhibition which uses art as a positive force for change has opened at a North-East university's gallery. The Optimistic Mood: a foundation for action, at the University of Sunderland's Vardy Gallery, features the work of seven international artists
SOME of the world's leading photographers will bring the fruits of their experience to a new centre in the North-East. The International Photography Research Centre, which is being set up at the University of Sunderland, will be a hotbed for top students
AN exhibition of postcards featuring Anglican clergymen is coming to the former home of eccentric country parson Laurence Sterne. The vicar wrote the novel, Tristram Shandy, and named his home - in Coxwold, near Easingwold, North Yorkshire - Shandy Hall
ARTY youngsters at two primary schools will see their creations go on public display in a popular gallery this weekend. Work by the ten and 11-year-olds from St Wilfrid's RC Primary School, in Monkgate, York and Robert Wilkinson Primary School, in Strensall
A TRIBUTE to one of the world's most popular singer-songwriters comes to the North-East next month. Hot August Nights is dedicated to the music of Neil Diamond and stars Gary Ryan. The show will be at the 500-seat Gala Theatre, in Durham, on Saturday,
A MAN facing extradition from Holland in connection with a double murder last year could soon be back in this country. John Paul Marshall, a 42-year-old from York, was arrested in Amsterdam shortly before Christmas and has since been held in police custody
HEAR all about Great North Country Fare this weekend at the Dales Festival of Food & Drink in Leyburn. The Editor of the Darlington & Stockton Times, Malcolm Warne, will be speaking about the newspaper's campaign, at 11am opposite Tennant's Auction
JOYOUSLY transformed, Hartlepool took delivery on Tuesday evening of another repolished gem. The 12th century St Hilda's church, high and handsome on the Headland, was again dedicated after a £500,000 facelift. "Re-ordering", the invitation called it.
BAKERY supply company Bako Northern has announced expansion plans that will see it increase turnover by £8m to £30m during the next 12 months. The Durham company, which supplies independent bakers with ingredients such as sugars, fats, dried fruits and
He has helped make Tyne Tees among the top rated regional independent broadcasters, but now he's faced with an even bigger task - fighting off the challenge of satellite and cable. Steve Pratt meets the man in charge of ITV in theNorth-East. TYNE Tees
INTERNET search engine Google is planning an unorthadox flotation on the US stock market. The company plans to issue stock in an online auction, rather than following the traditional route of allocating shares to applicants. It is anticipated the move
"I COULD be a Blue Peter presenter, I really could", said my wife, adopting her most defiant tone. Unsure whether this was some kind of threat to the future of a children's institution, my youngest son assured her: "Look, if they told you to climb in
MICK McCARTHY has been told by the Sunderland board that the majority of his wheeling and dealing in the transfer market this summer will be done in the bargain basement. The Black Cats - along with so many other clubs in football - have learned their
FROM the moment Matthew Herbert makes his dramatic entrance, rising ghost-like through a trapdoor in the stage floor, it is clear the night is going to be something special. His set incorporates the sampling techniques perfected by dance music boffins
He has helped make Tyne Tees among the top rated regional independent broadcasters, but now he's faced with an even bigger task - fighting off the challenge of satellite and cable. Steve Pratt meets the man in charge of ITV in theNorth-East. TYNE Tees
WHEN Craig Liddle emerges from the tunnel with son Ben and daughter Katie on either arm this afternoon, the Darlington defender will be cementing his place among the club's elite. It was 12 years ago that Quakers legend Kevan Smith became the tenth member
A LEADING conservationist has put forward ideas for developing renewable energy in the North York Moors National Park. Writing in Voice of the Moors, the quarterly magazine of the North Yorkshire Moors Association, editor John Farquhar said he wanted
A YOUTH who sexually assaulted boys as young as 11 at a North-East public school was jailed for two years yesterday. The 17-year-old preyed on four youngsters, forcing them to take part in degrading sex acts with him, Teesside Crown Court heard. When
A FORMER hospital chef is celebrating after winning an award within weeks of opening his first restaurant. John Pears, owner of Giovanni's Restaurant, at the Hat and Feather pub, near Med-omsley, was given a gold award from Quality Food Online. Mr Pears
CHILDREN and volunteers have created a surreal seaside scene on a blank cement wall as part of a scheme to improve an area of Redcar. The 1st Redcar Cubs, along with year 11 volunteers from Egglescliffe Comprehensive School, the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust
TITUS BRAMBLE has paid tribute to Newcastle United boss Sir Bobby Robson for helping him through the most difficult season of his career. The 22-year-old will be asked to fill in for the injured Jonathan Woodgate against Manchester City this afternoon
IT'S the beauty product which women have dreamed about for years - and this weekend thousands across the North-East are expected to rush out to buy it. Last night, the region's pharmacies were stocking up on two anti-cellulite creams which independent
A ROYAL Air Force display pilot is preparing for his first show of the season tomorrow. Flight Lieutenant Dave Harvey, from RAF Leeming, will perform at locations in the UK and Europe throughout the summer, including Blackpool, Portrush, North-umberland
THE Developing World is often the beneficiary when youngsters are asked to choose a cause to support with projects at school, but pupils in Richmond decided to look closer to home. At a recent student council meeting, year eight children from Richmond
IF Hartlepool United are celebrating a place in the play-offs come 5pm today, maybe it will be time to spare a thought for Barry Fry. The rent-a-quote Peterborough boss helped put Pool on the road to a top-six finish way back in August when the season
A STUDENT who stabbed a man and a woman in a crazed knife attack, hours after being cleared of a rape charge, is to be detained in hospital before being deported. Eric Samo, 30, a French national who came to the UK and lived in Middlesbrough under a student
ALNWICK Garden will have a new car park open for visitors this weekend. Peter Wirtz, the garden's landscape designer, has structured the parking area to complement the rest of the grounds. An extra 270 places will be available from today. Rachel Johnston
UNION leaders attacked the Government last night after it was revealed that up to 100 North-East civil service jobs are to be axed. The losses will come at the Department for Education and Skills' (DfES) base at Mowden Hall, Darlington. The cuts have
Local cricket preview: Great Ayton welcome Sri Lankan Milan Gunaratne when they meet Darlington RA in the Darlington Building Society NYSD Premier League Premier Division this afternoon. A left-hand opening batsman and right-arm off-spinner, Ayton hope
PEOPLE remember powerful images. And the photograph of a hooded prisoner standing on a box under the threat of electrocution is one of the most powerful images to emerge from Iraq since the end of Saddam Hussein's regime. No matter how isolated the torture
It took two full days and a morning session before play could finally get started at Trent Bridge yesterday and it still proved to be an almost pointless exercise for Yorkshire, who had been glad to win the toss and bat first. Maximum bonus points and
TITUS BRAMBLE has paid tribute to Newcastle United boss Sir Bobby Robson for helping him through the most difficult season of his career. The 22-year-old will be asked to fill in for the injured Jonathan Woodgate against Manchester City this afternoon
AN exhibition of memorabilia from two of the greatest days in Sunderland football history is to go an display earlier than planned. Focusing on the Black Cats' FA Cup triumphs of 1937 and 1973, it features everything from Press cuttings, to pictures of
UNION leaders attacked the Government last night after it was revealed that up to 100 North-East civil service jobs are to be axed. The losses will come at the Department for Education and Skills' (DfES) base at Mowden Hall, Darlington. The cuts have
CROWDS of day-trippers are expected to flock to tourist attractions across the North-East and North Yorkshire this weekend. And it seems the region may be the only place in the country enjoying sunny weather. While the rest of the country shivers beneath
A MAN who stabbed his next-door neighbour to death after a row over noisy DIY was starting a life sentence for murder last night. Christopher Hoyland, 42, plunged a kitchen knife into electrician George Evans' neck when he answered the door of his Middlesbrough
PEOPLE in Darlington are being encouraged to rise and shine early tomorrow morning with the promise of a hearty breakfast. Darlington Borough Council's countryside officers have organised an early-morning walk around Low Coniscliffe to celebrate International
A DRIVER training company has appointed two instructors with the specific role of helping people with disabilities lead more independent lives. Steve Young, from Woodham Village, and Ray Griffiths, who lives in Newton Aycliffe, will specialise in Mobility
There are still places left on a swimathon at Spennymoor Leisure Centre on Sunday, May 9. Teams of six will swim for national and local charities in 55-minute sections. The shallow end and flume will stay open to the public at a reduced rate. For details
A TALKING newspaper has received a £300 boost from Durham's Prince Bishops Shopping Centre. The centre launched a community fund to help local charities and gave the money to the County Durham Society for the Blind and Partially Sighted, in North Road
STUDENTS read more than 200 books in two weeks to raise money for charity. The pupils from St John's RC School, in Bishop Auckland, rose to the challenge laid down for them by school librarians Linzi Heads and Heather Lang to celebrate World Book Day.
A TEENAGE volunteer has been rewarded for his commitment to the community. David Gash, 16, from Ferryhill, received a 100 hours Millennium Volunteers Award and a Millennium Volunteers Award of Excellence, for 200 hours of sustained voluntary activity.
AN 18-month-old saluki-cross dog is in need of a new home after his owners abandoned him. William was found wandering the streets of a busy town centre when he was a young puppy, starving and suffering from mange. He has been recovering from the ordeal
FAMILY and friends of a Chester-le-Street woman met yesterday to help her celebrate her 100th birthday. West House Nursing Home, in Waldridge Road, was decked out with banners and balloons for Neil Scott's big day. A party was held for 25 residents, with
THE difference between men and women's pay in Darlington is far greater than elsewhere in the region, a report has revealed. The Darlington Social Issues Map shows that the average weekly wage for a man in the town is £438.50, compared with only £298.50
ALAN Plater's new play makes you leave the theatre with such a nice warm glow that you can forgive its shortcomings. This distant relative of the Jarrow-born writer's BBC TV film Last Of The Blonde Bombshells is an unashamedly nostalgic comedy-drama,
TWO teenagers tried to carry out robberies at takeaway premises in a half-hour of drug and drink-fuelled "madness", a court heard. The 16-year-olds, who were recognised by staff, were unsuccessful in attempts to rob both premises, in Durham's Sherburn
A TOURIST attraction whose opening was delayed for nearly two years after a potential backer dropped out, opens its doors to the public today. A £113,000 grant from Defra (the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) has enabled Meet the
PLANS to solve a car parking shortage at the Friarage Hospital should be given the go-ahead next week, council planning officers have said. They have recommended that a proposed 82-space car park on part of the Bullamoor Memorial Park, in Northallerton
THE sea cadets of Training Ship Marlborough are hoping for a bright future after they secured a new base. Because their former headquarters was condemned as dangerous, Middlesbrough Sea Cadets moved into a church hall in the town's Grove Hill as a stop-gap
FORMER headteacher and Durham City MP Gerry Steinberg was back at school yesterday. He visited St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School and Laurel Avenue Primary School, in Gilesgate, Durham, as part of a global campaign to make education available to
A ROYAL Navy vessel with links to a North Yorkshire market town will be the first British warship to carry a new type of ammunition. HMS Richmond, which helped Royal Marines taking coastal positions in the opening days of the war in Iraq, will be the
A TROUBLED council has appointed a permanent chief executive. Roy Templeman will take over at Chester-le-Street District Council from interim boss Bernadette Marjoram, who has held the post since September. Previous chief executive Mike Waterson was on
THE fate of five soldiers and five men involved in a violent clash was put on hold yesterday. The ten, five Fijians soldiers serving in the Royal Anglian Regiment and five men from Darlington, admitted being involved in violence in the town. The brawl
COMPUTER games companies in the region are forming an alliance to help raise their profile overseas, retain graduates and attract investment. Codeworks, the Centre for Digital Excellence - one of the five centres of excellence in the region - will form
A MURDER victim who was repeatedly stabbed in front of horrified passengers on Tyneside's Metro system knew his assailants It is believed the unemployed man, who lives in Newcastle's West End, died as the result of a dispute between former friends. Police
VISITORS to Darlington Railway Centre this weekend will be able to ride on the museum's steam locomotive. As well as train rides, visitors can also enjoy a demonstration of a steam roller, and children's activities. On Monday, there will also be a working
FRANCK QUEUDRUE has been true to his word after vowing to clean up his act. The Middlesbrough left-back was the only Premiership player sent off three times last season and his dismissal at Bolton on the final day meant he missed the first five games
A DEAL that could save Darlington Football Club has been revealed to creditors by the Quakers' administrators. The Northern Echo understands that a proposal offering creditors, including former chairman George Reynolds, a small fraction of what they are
A CHILDREN'S author who admitted sexually abusing six young girls yesterday tried to withdraw his guilty pleas. In an almost unheard of move, William Mayne said he was thinking irrationally when he confessed to his crimes. Mayne, 76, was three days into
COMPUTER games companies in the region are forming an alliance to help raise their profile overseas, retain graduates and attract investment. Codeworks, the Centre for Digital Excellence - one of the five centres of excellence in the region - will form
A BOY who has battled against the odds for most of his short life has inspired the launch of a charity supporting disabled children. Two weeks after he was born, Jake Howes, of Frosterley, in Weardale, County Durham, contracted an encephalaptic virus,
ENTERTAINMENT group Chorion is planning to buy the business behind the Mr Men for £28m. It hopes to acquire The Hargreaves Organisation and Mister Films, which together own the rights to the Mr Men. The purchase would lead to characters including Mr Happy
QUAKERS fans are in for a tasty treat this weekend - when the club's main sponsors hand out a thousand chocolate bars. Darlington Building Society is making the gesture to reward Darlington fans' loyalty during a season hampered by financial troubles.
A RELIC of the North-East's coal-mining era will power back into action for the first time in 35 years this weekend. Visitors to Washington F Pit Museum, which opens for the season today, can see its winding engine working. The winding house and head-gear
