THOUSANDS of workers, shoppers and school children face more transport misery next week with the second one-day bus strike by drivers fighting for pay parity. There will be no Arriva North-East services in County Durham and Teesside - and on some routes
A LITTLE girl whose courageous battle with leukaemia inspired a North-East community has lost her four-year-fight for life. Seven-year-old Chloe Latcham, from Toronto, near Bishop Auckland, County Durham, was surrounded by her family and friends when
A GRIEF-STRICKEN fiancee last night told of the moment her husband-to-be fell to his death in a river in front of their two young sons. Cameron Hawkins died after falling from a tree into the River Wear, in County Durham, on Friday night. The 27-year-old
CIVIL servants in the North-East are being investigated for "serious misconduct" - which includes leaping naked from filing cabinets, taking drugs and having sex in toilets. The antics of staff at an office of the Rural Payments Agency in Newcastle have
POLICE in County Durham say they were stretched to the limit following one of the busiest weekends on record. A combination of England's victory in the afternoon and scorching weather led to a high number of calls reporting public disorder. On Saturday
THERE is little point in bemoaning Englands fate at the hands of Murali Chuckalot as the powers-that-be have decreed his action is legal, rendering umpire Daryl Hair powerless to no-ball him, as he has in the past. So Murali was quite happy to bowl with
Murton remain top of the table despite being involved in the only drawn game. As predicted, they encountered a difficult task at Dawdon and at stumps the outcome was even. Faced with a near 200 target, Dawdon were 158 for six mainly as a result of Michael
A PROPOSED road safety scheme near Sowerby could extend journeys by more than 20 miles for frustrated drivers, it was claimed yesterday. Proposals have been submitted by North Yorkshire County Council for a stretch of the A19 near Blakey Lane. It wants
A CANCER charity that helps children with the disease and their families have life-enriching experiences has received a donation from Bedale Brass Band. The band, conducted by Malcolm Dalby, performed its spring concert in May. It was called Around the
SINGER Biddi Atkinson proved a hot act when she turned up for the final of a talent content. The 16-year-old Northallerton College student took part in an on-line singing competition, The Voice of 2006, performing Vonda Shepherd's Searching My Soul, and
MEMBERS of the public are being invited to an archaeological dig in Northallerton today. Housing developer, Castle Homes, which owns the historical site on Priory Close, is also asking the local history society to attend the site, from 1pm to 2pm. Archaeologist
LOCAL people are being urged to take part in a survey to assess the need for outdoor recreational facilities. A total of 5,000 households have been randomly targeted for a major survey being undertaken by Hambleton District Council. They are being asked
THE North York Moors National Park Authority is seeking exciting new projects to support through its Sustainable Development Fund. Each year, £180,000 is awarded to initiatives that will help to achieve a sustainable way of life on the North York Moors
THE public is invited to the next monthly meeting of Durham and Chester-le-Street Primary Care Trust. Thursday's meeting, at the trust headquarters, at John Snow House, on Durham University's Science Park, will feature a staff survey report. It will also
DURHAM County Council's award-winning library is looking for a friend. In fact, Clayport Library in Durham City, wants lots of them. Lending services officer Carol Attewell said: "We'd like regular visitors to Clayport to become actively involved in
A FREE pack detailing 12 walks around Derwentside is being offered by Groundwork West Durham and Darlington. The aim is to encourage people to explore their local area. Groundwork West Durham and Darlington project officer Joanne Crumplin said: "Walking
THE history of neighbouring communities went on show to the public for the first time at the weekend. Newly-formed Haswell Local History Group teamed up with Durham County Council's Community Heritage Project team to host an exhibition of old photographs
MORE than 200 small charities and good causes world-wide have been aided by student fundraisers in the North-East. The many donations came from £192,000 raised by Durham University Charities Kommittee (Duck) through a series of sponsored stunts, collections
VOLUNTEERS running support programmes for fellow suffers of long-term medical conditions have been praised for their efforts. Primary care trusts have been running expert patient programmes in the region since 2002, training people to support others with
GREEN-FINGERED householders have been putting the finishing touches to a scheme to brighten up their area. In the Parkfield/Mill Lane area of Stockton, 200 homes took part in the final planting session to create hanging baskets at the weekend. The scheme
TWO high-flying students are jetting off on a three-week study trip with a difference next month. Year ten student Hannah Stevely and year 11 student Matthew Hodgson, who both attend Conyers School, in Yarm, are heading for Duke University, in Durham
DOZENS of dog lovers and their pets turned out for a sponsored walk in aid of an animal rescue centre on Saturday. Saltburn Animal Rescue Association (Sara) held its annual Walkies fun day from Saltburn bandstand. Rescued dogs wore green ribbons, while
SECURITY cameras have been installed at a Teesside cemetery in a bid to stamp out vandalism. Stockton Borough Council has put up two surveillance cameras at the town's Durham Road cemetery, which has been targeted by vandals and thieves over the past
HOLLYWOOD came to North Yorkshire at the weekend - with the help of some hard-working youngsters. As part of the annual Summer Celebration in Bedale, local Scouts, Guides, Cubs and Brownies laid on a spectacular procession of floats. The theme was films
PLANS for a multi-million pound water sports centre will come under the spotlight at a series of council meetings this week. Presentations on the H2O Centre, in Hartlepool, will be made at the north, central and south Neighbourhood Consultative Forums
A TOWN sports club that feared it would lose its council-run venue has agreed terms with the authority to safeguard its future. Shildon Indoor Bowls Club believed its bowling green at Sunnydale Leisure Centre was threatened when owner Sedgefield Borough
A piece of music written in memory of a past chairman of the Sedgefield Lyric Singers is to be performed in the Parish Hall. The three-part piece was written by local composer Alistair Fisher in memory of Alan Vincent. Sedgefield Lyric Singers will play
BOB Marley, Snow White and Mary Poppins called in at a North Yorkshire village to help raise funds for two appeals. The unusual trio were among 43 scarecrows on display in Scruton, near Northallerton, yesterday. The event, which attracted more than 300
HEROES past and present came together to support a school as it aims to bring on the next generation of sportsmen and women. Former British Lion and Scotland rugby captain Craig Chalmers joined England and Warwickshire cricket hero Gladstone Small at
AN expedition leader, who was criticised for directing his climbers past a dying North-East adventurer on Mount Everest who could have been helped, said he did not know anyone was in trouble during his team's ascent. New Zealander Russell Brice said yesterday
VIKINGS invaded a Durham village to help locals mark completion of a community garden scheme. The opening of a sensory garden in Coxhoe, near Durham, at the weekend was the culmination of efforts to provide all generations in the village with facilities
Goalkeeper Ross Turnbull was in the firing line twice at the weekend when he made a guest appearance at an event in his home town. The 21-year-old agreed to take part in a beat-the- goalie challenge during the summer fair at St Clare's Church, in Newton
TAXI drivers are expected to be blocked their bid to use bus lanes leading into and out of a city centre. Designated bus lanes were introduced on the road network in Durham when the city's park-and-ride system was introduced, last December. It has been
A CHARITY helping visually-impaired people has thanked members of the public who made donations to a recent street collection. Volunteers and staff from County Durham Society for the Blind and Partially Sighted took to the streets of Durham for a city
THIRTEEN was the lucky number at a charity abseil at the weekend - as that was the number of daredevils who safely completed the challenge and boosted the campaign coffers. The Parent Teacher and Friends Association at Sedgefield Primary School arranged
TWO carers completed a sponsored 16-mile walk to promote the work of thousands of people in the area. Ed Short and Aileen Scott, pictured, who work for Durham Dales Action for Carers, walked from their Wear Valley office, in Bishop Auckland, and finished
A HEALTH care "toolkit" has been created for NHS staff in Sedgefield borough. Residents have been working with Sedgefield Primary Care Trust (PCT) and its public involvement manager, Heather Inglis, for 18 months to develop a teaching pack for staff.
A VILLAGE brass band is celebrating a treble prize winning performance. Trimdon Concert Brass Band took part in the annual Ripon Entertainment Contest, at Ripon Cathedral, in North Yorkshire, last weekend and came away with prizes for the best entertainment
IF there was an achievement that was going to outshine Dwain Chambers' bid to overshadow the fastest man on the planet's visit to the North-East then this was it. While the majority of the thousands of supporters inside the Gateshead International Stadium
Yorkshire are glad of a breather in order to rebuild confidence after the defeat against Middlesex at Southgate left them next to bottom of the Championship table and still without a win in the competition this season. But the lack of first team cricket
IF attending a World Cup finals does nothing else, it certainly underlines just how global the world's favourite game has become. Germany is playing host to football fans from every corner of the planet and the colour and camaraderie that emerges as a
Sports Writer Paul Fraser admits he's no Asafa Powell but shortly before the Jamaican matched his own world record, he took the chance to relive his glory days on the track in an invitation 100m at Gateshead International Stadium. IT WAS 13 years ago
Sacriston are the new leaders following a close result at bottom-of-the-table Ashington. Ian Jones' 38 was the top score in a modest Sacriston total of 165 for nine as skipper David Rutherford conceded only 21 runs for four wickets. Neil Wood (39) gave
DEATHS from lung cancer in the North-East are more than 40 per cent higher than the rest of the country, figures have revealed. And between 2002 and 2004, the region also had the highest death rates of other smoking-related diseases - coronary heart
THE banks of a North-East river were awash with colour at the weekend as the sun shone on a traditional sporting event. Thousands of rowing enthusiasts were joined by huge numbers of casual visitors enjoying the sultry weather at the 172nd Durham Regatta
AS crews prepared to record television favourite The Antiques Roadshow, hundreds of people started arriving at its North-East venue - hoping for a moment of small screen fame or news that their collectable was worth a fortune. The first visitor in the
A LIFEBOAT crew carried out a rescue with a difference yesterday. The Redcar D-class inshore lifeboat, Peterborough Beer Festival, was called to the assistance of a dive boat which had broken down a quarter of a mile offshore from the lifeboat station
A BEAUTY spot is getting its own ranger service - in an effort to fight back against vandalism and other anti-social behaviour. Cod Beck Reservoir, near Osmotherley, in North Yorkshire - known locally as Sheepwash - has been a popular picnic spot for
A HISPANIC festival of music, dance, photography, film, food and sport is coming to the region next month. Vamos will bring the dazzling colours and vibrancy of Latin America to Newcastle and Gateshead. The ten-day event, from July 7 to 16, will draw
Home Secretary John Reid is facing a new outcry after it emerged that his officials were considering a publicity campaign urging people to "stop moaning" and to do something about anti-social behaviour. According to the Sunday Telegraph, it could form
Chester-le-Street moved into pole position for the first time this season despite being pressed by bottom-of-the-table Hetton Lyons. The target of 169 appeared well within the Cestrians' reach following recent impressive batting performances but they
A FUNERAL and memorial service are to be held to allow family, friends and colleagues to mourn the death of a mental health worker. Ashleigh Ewing was stabbed to death while visiting a patient in Heaton, Newcastle, on May 19. She was found by police after
SATURDAY night was all right for fans of the legendary music man Sir Elton John. Durham's Riverside cricket ground at Chester-le-Street was transformed into a glitzy concert venue for the high-profile appearance of the polished pianist and pop performer
Viva Blackpool (BBC1): Anyone hoping to escape the World Cup in this one-off drama would have been disappointed. For the object of desire craved by all and sundry among the lowlife of Blackpool was the stolen Jules Rimet trophy. The real one - it appears
IN foal Imperialistic (8.15) holds every chance of landing the feature contest at Pontefract this evening, the £35,000 Listed Pipalong Stakes. Karl Burke's mare drew a blank last season prompting connections to get her covered during the spring, an inspired
Steve Pratt talks to one of the original stars of the Rocky Horror Show and learns the secrets of the 'luscious lips'. The song is Science Fiction, Double Feature. The voice is that of Richard O'Brien, creator of cult musical The Rocky Horror Show. The
BIG Brother. I hate it with a passion. I simply don't understand why so many people - many of them intelligent - are hooked on it. My blood boils when I hear of the fortunes being made by the likes of Jade Goody and Chantelle Houghton who, as far as I
South Shields and Burnmoor moved further ahead of their nearest rivals recording sixth win. There was just one over remaining when Burnmoor's winning runs arrived at Marsden. After making a speedy start Moors collapsed to 83 for five when Lewis Bruce
Two players made identical scores of 101 but it was Esh Winning's David Lawlor who celebrated victory over his rival Imran Jan of Mainsforth. Lawlor struck four sixes and nine boundaries sharing a second-wicket stand of 119 with Michael Robson which propelled
Blackhall go marching on at the top of the table and they extended their lead when they comfortably defeated Thornaby. The home side though struggled for runs and 49.3 overs produced a total of only 153, which included 66 by Umar Rashid. Their cause was
Despite a century by Tariq Aziz, Redcar couldn't halt Bishop Auckland's challenge for the championship when the sides were involved in a high-scoring game on Saturday. Aziz made 117 and Urwin 40 leading the Seasiders to the useful total of 218 for six
WITH David Hodgson returning to the Darlington hotseat this week, the Quakers boss will waste little time in stepping up his summer search for new players. After a short break with his family, Hodgson is ready to throw himself back into the transfer
A PRIMARY school has been given an award for its commitment to the arts. Corporation Road Community Primary School, in Darlington, has been selected to achieve the Arts Council England's Artsmark status. The award was made in recognition of the school's
POLICE are hunting two men in connection with a theft from a Darlington electrical store. The men, pictured below, were captured on CCTV cameras in the Dixons Store, Northgate, at about 3.35pm on Wednesday, March 1. Police said the pair wandered around
DARLINGTON MP Alan Milburn is helping former servicemen and women secure recognitition. He is helping people who served up to 1954 to apply for their Veterans' Lapel Badges. The latest three veterans to be presented with their badges by the MP were Frederick
HEROES past and present came together to support a school as it aims to bring on the next generation of sportsmen and women. Former British Lion and Scotland rugby captain Craig Chalmers joined England and Warwickshire cricket hero Gladstone Small at
FASHION students yesterday put on a show with a difference - by strutting their stuff in the middle of a busy shopping street. The budding designers created a catwalk on Skinnergate, in Darlington, to show off their creations to shoppers in their Bloom
FRIENDS, neighbours, staff and patients at Darlington's mental health unit enjoyed a silver band concert in the hospital grounds. The Cockerton Silver Band performed in the central courtyard at West Park Hospital yesterday. It was the first of two concerts
TWO outdated buildings in Darlington may be transformed into 150 new homes. Plans are due to be submitted, following public consultation, to Darlington Borough Council to redevelop the two rundown sites. They are the former Whessoe offices, at Hopetown
THERE probably is some merit to a slogan on which the Home Office was working as part of its attempts to combat anti-social behaviour. The slogan was to read: ''Don't moan - take action - it's your street too''. Adverse publicity means that the slogan
SOLDIERS have raised more than £1,000 to pay for equipment to help children at Darlington Memorial Hospital. The military communications officers, based at Catterick Garrison, in North Yorkshire, raised £1,288 through personal contributions, which
POLICE and fire brigade experts are investigating a suspected arson attack at a disused factory. Firefighters were called to the blaze at the former Perfect Acoustics premises in Stockton, Teesside, at 8.40am yesterday. Six crews took four hours to put
NEW rail firm Grand Central has targeted early December for the start of new North-East train services down to London. Grand Central, which will operate three daily services each way between Sunderland and King's Cross, said that it hoped to be in a position
BOUNDARIES: HARRY Mead (Echo, May 31) may be gratified to know that, according to the boundary signs, Worcestershire and Herefordshire are now separate counties.If this has been brought about by public opinion, as was the case in the restoration of Rutland
Nottinghamshire v Durham (C & G Trophy) FOR the second time in the weekend Durham yesterday went perilously close to snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.This time it would have been just too much to bear as Nottinghamshire were 95 for eight in
A BUSINESSMAN last night claimed he was hundreds of thousands of pounds out of pocket over a land deal on a multi-million pound development.Gareth Sliufko, managing director of Ray and Co Limited, said he has been shortchanged over plans to buy his land
Northern Echo reporter Deborah Johnson enjoyed her Race for Life experience so much she has signed up for another one.WHEN I got up at 8am yesterday, the sun was out already. "Great," I thought. "Just the conditions I didn't want." As a novice runner,
IT was mentioned here last week that Durham would find themselves up against Lee Daggett at Edgbaston, having ignored Graeme Fowler's advice to sign him after he took eight for 94 against them for Durham University two years ago.Daggett duly bowled them
Warwickshire v Durham (County Championship) : Day Four DURHAM skipper Dale Benkenstein hinted there could be changes after suffering the huge disappointment of defeat at Edgbaston on Saturday.His own outstanding performance was well supported by Ottis
Murton remain top of the table despite being involved in the only drawn game. As predicted, they encountered a difficult task at Dawdon and at stumps the outcome was even.Faced with a near 200 target, Dawdon were 158 for six mainly as a result of Michael
FIRST, the good news. If England beat Trinidad & Tobago on Thursday afternoon they will be guaranteed a place in the second round of the World Cup. After successive major tournaments in which Sven-Goran Eriksson's side had failed to win their opening
WHEN Roberto Carlos questioned whether England could withstand the heat of a World Cup finals last week, he was not discussing the weather. After a succession of narrow defeats on penalties, the Brazilian full-back was suggesting that Sven-Goran Eriksson's
WEATHER forecasters expect the soaring temperatures to continue today as June heads for the record books. Temperatures climbed to 28C (82F) in some parts of the North-East and North Yorkshire, while the hottest day of the year was recorded in Weybourne
Wedding bells have been in the air for a long time for TV couple Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan. And not - at least initially - for themselves either. In their latest TV project for Five, the presenting duo leave the comfort of their world of interior
RACHEL Green couldn't have been happier. She had a great new job, a smashing husband she adored, a house they'd just done up and, best of all, they were expecting their first child. Life was perfect. Then early one morning her husband, Ian, sat up in
IT started as a low-budget calendar that became the inspiration for a movie - and could be about to take to the stage. The story of the Calendar Girls, who stripped off for their Women's Institute charity calendar, is being considered for a West End musical
