Having launched his latest novel in Whitby, local author Paul Magrs talks to Steve Pratt about fulfilling a childhood dream. PAUL Magrs launched his new book in Whitby during this year's Goth Weekend, although none of the colourful characters
YOU won't find a peck on the cheek anywhere in this up-to-the-minute thriller in which an FBI agent finds his high-class, call girl lover is in danger of being targeted by a sex fiend. Take in an online sex blog scam being run by the agent's brother
THE perfect way to recapture those "best days of your life" (sadly not so in my case). Essentially meant for parents, however, this guide provides projects and sample pages ideal for the amateur or the dedicated enthusiast. Every milestone, every
THE Plantagenets were great ones for building castles and the author is a great one for introducing the reader to more than 100 magnificent fortresses which embody in themselves the turbulence and martial glory of former centuries. Caerlaverock
Snap! has a similar theme. When mother Duck finds an abandoned egg, she rolls it home to her nest. Her own eggs hatch out one by one into fluffy ducklings - but the foundling egg, Snap, turns into a baby crocodile. Mother Duck insists there's
In Cock-a-doodle-HOOOO!, a disorientated owl walks into a hen house one stormy night and falls fast asleep. When he wakes up, the disgruntled hens try to turn him into a much-wanted cockerel! The owl does learn to master lots of cockerel-type skills
A FARM manager has been devastated by the senseless slaughter of one of his rare pigs. David Devine was horrified to find the Saddleback sow stabbed to death in a wheelie bin with one if its ears missing when he turned up for work this morning. Two
Norton started the game slowly and found themselves 3-0 down at half time with only Keelan Buckingham playing anything like. St Mary's added a fourth early in the second half before Norton decided they would make an effort. Good work by Josh Rayner set
The Motorsport Academy has lined up a veritable who's who' of F1 engineering to share their thoughts on world-class skills, training and employment at its inaugural Motorsport in Education' conference, Silverstone, July 10/11. They include resting
A wealth of rally stage stars past and present - including Petter Solberg, Colin McRae, Stig Blomqvist and Paddy Hopkirk - will be in action on the demanding Forest Rally Stage on the hillside above Goodwood House at this year's Festival of Speed, being
A MAJOR new film of the Evelyn Waugh novel Brideshead Revisited is to be filmed at the same location as the classic television version. Castle Howard, near Malton, has confirmed the cameras will start rolling there in June. The huge stately home was
Sage Announces Acquisition North-East business software company Sage has announced the acquisition of Snowdrop Systems Ltd for £17m. Snowdrop supplies human resources management-related software to over 700 mid-sized businesses in the UK and last year
A MAN who died after falling 60ft from the top of High Force waterfall, in Teesdale, has been named as 30-year-old Daniel Davies. Mr Davies, known as Dan by his friends, lived with his partner Karen Fegan in Lampton Terrace in Jarrow, South Tyneside.
In the Reader's Durham County League, Tudhoe remained impressive table toppers with a third win of the season. They beat Crook Town by four wickets after Sachin Rana (5-27) shone. Esh Winning were beaten by Shildon. The margin of success was just 18
In the Foster's Durham Senior League, Burnmoor went top of the table leapfrogging Whitburn with a higher return of points as both teams won again.Burnmoor had Brett Pelser leading their run chase making an unbeaten 154 out of 225 for the loss of just
Northallerton are clear leaders of the Darlington Building Society NYSD Premier League after the first of the bank holiday weekend games.They moved top of the table as the only team with a 100 per cent record from the three games played so far as early
PORTUGUESE defender Abel Xavier has left Middlesbrough after failing to reach an agreement over a new contract. The 34-year-old, who rejoined Boro in November after serving a year long ban for a drugs offence, has been unhappy with the terms offered
CHARITY fundraisers are looking to build an £80,000 nursery for youngsters in Africa. The Friends of Bethel Nursery School (FBNS) hope to build the nursery in Gambia, in West Africa. The fundraisers, from across the region, have already raised
The badge reads Porsche, the heritage is sports car yet the body is the size of a small terrace. After years of honing pretty much one model Porsche had a corporate rush of blood and developed an off-roader sized 4x4. The result was the Cayenne
Price: £18,377 THERE'S something strangely satisfying about driving a high performance diesel. It doesn't produce as much carbon dioxide as an equivalent high-performance petrol, so you can feel smug that you're doing your bit for global warming
A MAN who plunged into a blazing house three times to save his girlfriend's children has been hailed a hero by firefighters. The man, believed to be in his late 20s, went back into the house to grab the children aged seven, six and about ten months,
PEOPLE will be able to get a taste of France when a French market returns to Guisborough this weekend. The popular Marché du France will be in town on Friday and Saturday for its fourth visit. The market traders all come from the same area in Normandy
DENTAL clinics on Teesside are bucking the trend by accepting patients seeking NHS treatment. The Genix Healthcare clinics, in Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough, and in Marske, have taken on an extra 2,000 NHS patients and have availability for 8,000 more
THE emergency services are joining forces with health teams this week to tackle alcohol misuse on Teesside. The young and the old will be targeted in a campaign to promote safe and responsible drinking, which coincides with Alcohol Awareness Week. Pubs
PEOPLE are being invited to give their views on the future of libraries over the next four years at a series of meetings in east Cleveland. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's libraries services officer, Ian Wilson, said: "The network of public libraries
FRESH life is to be breathed into the town centres of east Cleveland and links with the trade unions strengthened, the new ruling Labour Party has promised. The group said town centres, such as Redcar, Eston and Skelton, had been neglected over the past
PEOPLE can take unwanted plants and swap them for new ones to mark composting week. Middlesbrough Environment City, in partnership with Middlesbrough Council and Wrap (Waste Resources and Action Programme), will be in Captain Cook Square, in the town,
INDEPENDENT Middlesbrough fans movement, the Twe12th Man, is holding its latest fundraising night in a quest to enhance the matchday atmosphere at the Riverside. A quiz and karaoke night will take place on Friday, at the Eston and Normanby Social Club
YOUNG people looking for ideas about what to do with their lives are invited to one of the largest careers conventions on Teesside. Employers and talent-spotters will be keeping watch for their future workforce at Skill Up Tees Valley at the Riverside
SEBASTIAN the newborn lamb was introduced to the world yesterday when a charity farm opened for the bank holiday.Dozens of youngsters flocked to Daisy Chain, at Calf Fallow Farm, in Norton, where they were able to catch a glimpse of Sebastian, and his
CHURCHGOERS took to the streets at the weekend for their annual procession and crowning of a statue of Our Lady.Members of the Catholic church, in Middlesbrough, went to Sacred Heart Church, in Linthorpe Road, in the town, for the annual rosary procession
THE youngest and the oldest cyclists to take part in last year's Cycle4life charity bike rides through the streets of Hartlepool received prizes to mark their achievements.Joel Currell, six, has a new mountain bike, and Alf Bell, 81, can take his wife
CARELESS talk costs lives. A message we all knew the truth of when our country was under threat from within during the Second World War. Then, it was to guard against German spies in our midst. Today, we are told there are now 1,600 home-grown
THIS may seem a small matter, but as a customer of Tesco at Catterick, North Yorkshire, since it opened we have constantly asked why it does not stock the large tins of PEK chopped ham and pork and keep being told it's not a good seller. But how
SOMETHING has got to be done about the buses coming around the corner of Priestgate, Darlington. On four occasions, crossing over part of the road, one cannot see the bus coming very fast on that tight bend. I am arthritic - I do walk, but not
I AM appealing to dog owners who let their animals foul the footpaths and surrounding area of the Abbey Sports Centre, Pity Me, Durham. I walk with two young children to a playgroup held in Newton Hall Community Centre adjacent to the centre. Daily
COUNCILLOR John Williams, leader of Darlington Borough Council, said election day was our opportunity to have our say. While that may be true, the people of Darlington have shown they want to be involved in the town's affairs all through the year
I HAVE long got used to seeing the policemen young enough to be my sons - but now it's the bishops! And with age develops an increasing censoriousness. I mean for instance, the staff at Mansion House say that, of all the banquets hosted by the Lord Mayor
CONTRACTORS will be moving into a woodland in north Durham this week. The contractors will be improving the footpaths, replanting hedges and tidying-up the entrances to woods in The Grove and Moorside, in Consett. The work is part of a project being
Holby Blue (BBC1, 8pm): The Seven Sins Of England (C4, 10pm). Good old nurse Charlie Fairhead turns up early on in Holby Blue to remind us that TV's newest cop show is a relative of those two stalwarts of the BBC1 schedule, Casualty and Holby City. The
MOTHER Zoe Stewart is feeling good about returning to school. The 32-year-old celebrated after becoming the 1,000th person to complete a national test through Sure Start Children's Centres, in Derwentside, and Derwentside Training. Ms Stewart, who has
POLICE are looking for a man in connection with an alleged theft from a petrol station. A police spokesman said the suspect was at Bournmoor petrol station, near Chester-le-Street, at about 8pm, on Sunday, March 11. He filled a red Renault Clio with
HUNDREDS of cats and dogs have been "snipped and chipped" thanks to a joint operation between the RSPCA and police in Chester-le-Street. Four roadshows were staged in and around the town at the end of last month offering free micro-chipping and neutering
This is Anfield. The night before it, anyway. Coundon Conservative Club FC are staying at the Holiday Inn near Haydock Park racecourse, in advance of their FA Sunday Cup final, as nervous as two-year-olds before the off. Normally they play on Leeholme
A VICTORIAN church can hold weddings for the first time in its 125-year history. St James' Church, Romanby, was built in 1882 in response to the rising population of Northallerton Parish. It is one of two parish churches in Northallerton - along with
A SERIES of fires took place across North Yorkshire over the bank holiday weekend. Yesterday, fire crews from Pickering and Kirkbymoorside dealt with what is thought to be a deliberate fire affecting an outbuilding and 60 metres of hedgerow in Stape,
THE new principal of one of the region's leading colleges has spoken of his vision for the future of further education. Tim Fisher will take over as principal at Darlington's Queen Elizabeth College (QE) in August, following in the esteemed footsteps
DEVELOPERS have applied for planning permission to build a large £100m industrial estate next to a picturesque County Durham village. The plans for the 100-acre site next to Heighington have been submitted to Darlington Borough Council. London-based
MORE than £2,500 was raised when Bedale Golf Club held its third golf day in aid of Butterwick House children's hospice at Stockton. A total of 26 teams played in a four-ball amateur Stableford, with the top three teams winning food hampers from Lewis
SHOPPERS at a French market can chat to traders in their own language - with free phrasebooks on every stall. Brunomart's market is in Richmond Market Place on Sunday, from 10am to 4pm. Bruno Girardeau, a Frenchman who takes the weekend market around
SCHOOL students have devised a plan to reduce the size of their school's carbon footprint on the planet. Design technology students at Spennymoor School invented a recycling system to tackle one of the biggest problems on the school's environmental report
BEER drinkers in Darlington are raising a glass to the town's pubs after the average price of a pint increased by only the rate of inflation. An annual survey by the Darlington branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) showed that beer prices went up
AN exhibition about wool manufacturing firm Patons and Baldwins, which once employed more than 3,500 people at a Darlington factory, is on display at the Crown Street Library until Friday June 1. The exhibition is free. For more details, contact the
TICKETS for the Thomas the Tank Engine weekend at Darlington Railway Centre and Museum are on sale. The event, on July 7 and 8, includes rides on Thomas the Tank Engine, as well as a miniature railway, fairground rides, craft stalls and a bouncy castle
WHILE Danny Wilson will start contract negotiations this week, and announce the players who won't be playing for him in League One next season, the Hartlepool United boss is quietly confident about the potential of his newest professional. After Michael
A COUNTY council has submitted plans to install a wind turbine at its new premises. North Yorkshire County Council wants to put the turbine on the site of its new offices in Thurston Road, Northallerton. The offices have already been selected as an example
Durham and Chester-le-Street Sports Forum, Durham County Council and Durham City Council are holding a sport taster day on Thursday, from 10am until 3pm, at Abbey Leisure Centre, in Pity Me, Durham, for people with learning disabilities. Activities will
Inexperienced, lacking the drive needed to manage in the Premiership and found wanting at the highest level. A harsh assessment of a manager who won 33 of his 73 matches as Newcastle boss? Probably. But this is not the judgement of a cast down chairman
HUNDREDS of cyclists will meet for a bike ride and service of remembrance on Sunday. More than 300 cyclists from across Yorkshire and Teesside will descend on the village of Coxwold, near Thirsk, for the 81st annual service of remembrance at St Michael's
ONE of Sam Allardyce's closest allies in the game has labelled the former Bolton boss as the man to deliver the good times back to Newcastle United. And Carlisle United manager Neil McDonald, who was previously Allardyce's first team coach at the Reebok
WORK is to start on a controversial housing development which has been taken over by a national construction company. Persimmon Homes, one of the country's leading builders, has bought land on the outskirts of Shildon earmarked for 270 houses. The company
AFTER reflecting on his first season at Middlesbrough, Julio Arca is happy with life at the Riverside Stadium, but the midfielder feels he still has more to offer. While Middlesbrough's form has been blighted by inconsistency, Arca has been one of Gareth
TEACHERS and students at a Darlington College have been given top marks in this year's Good Schools Guide. The education bible praised Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College for outstanding teaching and examination results. The Good Schools Guide presented
Having launched his latest novel in Whitby, local author Paul Magrs talks to Steve Pratt about fulfilling a childhood dream. PAUL Magrs launched his new book in Whitby during this year's Goth Weekend, although none of the colourful characters gathered
DEVELOPERS have applied for planning permission to build a large £100m industrial estate next to Heighington. Plans for the 100-acre site have been submitted to Darlington Borough Council. London-based Merchant Place hopes to build four distribution
GOOD FRIENDS How nice it is for friends to meet And have a little natter The topic can be anything It really doesn't matter. A cup of tea and biscuits And pleasant company A chat about the good old days And how things used to be. We didn't have a telly
With Trinny and Susannnah came an awareness of the art of personal shopping - now women often turn to experts to help them find the perfect outfit. Women's Editor Sarah Foster meets Belinda Alexander and Gail Little, the regon's answer to the pair. THERE
As self-styled experts on snappy dressing, Belina Alexander and Gail Little claim there is no one they can't help. Women's Editor Sarah Foster puts this theory to the test. MY first encounter with Gail and Belinda is one I'm ever so slightly dreading.
CATTERICK'S sharp bottom bend holds no fears for Tough Love, who can rail round corners like a greyhound when required. Tim Easterby's consistent eight-year-old has been an admirable stable servant over the past few years, winning fives and finishing
WHEN the Football League finally handed over the Championship trophy to Sunderland last night, chairman Niall Quinn delivered an immediate warning to Premiership clubs. Quinn has told Roy Keane to put plans in place to splash his sizeable transfer budget
A SCHOOL'S new-found enthusiasm for rugby earned them a trip to the sport's headquarters.Roseberry Sports and Community College, in Pelton, near Chester-le-Street, took up the 15-a-side sport as one of its focus sports. It successfully developed rugby
WALKERS are limbering up for the UK's biggest sponsored event.The Diabetes UK Great North Walk is expected to attract more than 5,000 competitors on July 15.The competition - the sister event of the Great North Run - raises thousands of pounds for various
Learn to race cars for free for a whole year. ' Why not', says Olivia Richwald, who tentatively tried out for a motor sport scholarship at Crost Circuit, North Yorkshire.SPEED, sweat and the shimmering track; smoking tyres, grease, and champagne - that's
YOUNG literary critics are having their say about books which have been shortlisted for a prize.Seven students from Teesdale Comprehensive School, in Barnard Castle, have formed a book club to assess the six books that are on the shortlist for the Carnegie
PIRATES gathered at the weekend to try to seize Captain Cook's ship, Endeavour.Gunfire, sword fights, costumes, and parrots were all part of the fun when members of the UK Pirate Brotherhood arrived in Stockton.They spent three days on Captain Cook's
ANOTHER successful May Fair came to an end in Northallerton yesterday.The fair opened on the evening of April 27 and finished at midnight last night.More than a dozen rides filled the high street, together with children's attractions, sideshows, games
fundraisers have provided a huge boost for an appeal to buy medical equipment.An auction of promises at Romanby Golf Course and Country Club, near Northallerton, raised a total of £21,000.Robin and Valerie Jessop, from Scruton, organised the event to
A CHURCH congregation held a flower festival with a celebrations theme - as it had its own reason to celebrate.Members of Trinity Methodist Church, in Spennymoor, hosted the event to mark the 25th anniversary of a refurbishment which breathed new life
THE new principal of one of the region's leading colleges has spoken of his vision for the future of further education.Tim Fisher will take over as principal at Darlington's Queen Elizabeth College (QE) in August, following in the footsteps of David Heaton
A NEW support group for heart failure victims in Darlington has held its first meeting.The class aims to bring together people living with the condition so they can support each other, identify common problems and obtain help and advice.The group meets
A ROYAL Marine spoke last night of his brush with death when the Land Rover he was travelling in was blown up by a mine in Afghanistan.Marine Matthew "Buster" Brown, 23, escaped with a bloody nose when the vehicle - known as a WMIK (weapons mounted installation
A NON-LEAGUE football match was abandoned after 15 minutes - because both teams were wearing the same colour.Despite Thornaby Athletic FC and Darlington Rugby Club FC wearing red shirts, their Teesside League fixture kicked off.However, with the score
PREPARATIONS are under way for the country's largest free festival, to be held in the region this summer.Tony Christie and The Twang will headline Middlesbrough Music Live on Sunday, June 3.The one-day festival, in Middlesbrough town centre, is organised
CONTROVERSIAL plans for an £88m leisure and housing complex have moved a step forward with the agreement of when and how the scheme should be built.Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council and Persimmon Homes have signed an agreement in which the Coatham
Yorkshire v Leicestershire (Friends Provident Trophy)John Sadler played a big part in Yorkshire losing their first match of the season when they went down by six wickets to Leicestershire in the Friends Provident Trophy at Headingley Carnegie yesterday.The
Durham v Lancashire (Friends Provident Trophy) HOW Durham enjoyed the luxury of fielding three England players for the first time yesterday.They thoroughly outshone the Lancashire trio and easily overcame another mid-innings wobble to win the Friends
A DURHAM musician has won a Rotary Club award.Leila Panesar, a 19-year-old pianist, who is in her second year studying music at Cambridge University, won the James Etherington Award and £300 towards lessons and music.The second prize of £150 was won by
A FOUR-year-old boy who has already bagged ten of Scotland's highest mountains is on a mission to scale 284 Scottish summits before he turns 16.Darwin Bradley, who one day hopes to throw snowballs from the top of Mount Everest, has already become an experienced
ASPIRING young actors are proving to have talent on tap as they prepare to take to the stage for a musical comedy extravaganza.Girls and boys from Barnard Castle School are putting their best feet forward to endure eight weeks of tap lessons, before taking
CYCLISTS are preparing for a tenth annual charity ride.The 30- mile Stokesley Charity Bike Ride will raise at least £5,000 for the Unicorn Centre, a horse riding centre at Hemlington, near Middlesbrough, which provides riding therapy and learning opportunities
A NEW-AGE farmer who is creating his own Stonehenge hosted a party to celebrate a pagan festival this weekend.Derek Plews, from Brompton, North Yorkshire, is building a stone arrangement called Sentry Circle on his land at Lenthor Farm.He is halfway through
THE school halls were alive with the sound of music when pupils staged a 24-hour music marathon.Musicians from Spennymoor School played round-the-clock on Friday to raise sponsorship money for a European tour this summer.More than 50 children started
AS chaplain at a hospice, Helen Bartlett has helped to comfort and console many people.But next month, she is looking forward to meeting families again - to relax and have some fun, while raising money.Mrs Bartlett will be one of hundreds of woman and
A MOTHER-OF-TWO fears for her children unless new signs are erected to slow down speeding motorists.Catherine Harris lives in Bridge Road, Darlington - the A66 trunk road that runs from the Reg Vardy roundabout into North Yorkshire.She regularly walks
YOUNGSTERS from the Stagecoach Performing Arts School are preparing to take part in a production of the opera Tosca.The opera is being staged at Darlington's Civic Theatre, tonight, at 7.30pm.Tickets start at £20, and are available from the box office
A COMMUNITY shocked by the desecration of its war memorial by vandals has mounted a restoration campaign.Residents of Pelton Fell, near Chester-le-Street, are determined to restore and renovate the cenotaph for Remembrance Day, and have launched a £7,500
A DEVASTATED horseowner broke down last night after he told how he tried in vain to save his beloved animals from blazing stables.Michael Richardson wept as he relived the moment he discovered arsonists had torched the barn where his three horses were
THE mother of missing Madeleine McCann last night made a desperate appeal for her abductors not to hurt the girl.The plea came as speculation surfaced that the abductor - or abductors - might be British.Fighting back tears, Kate McCann begged those holding
THE crowds turned out in their thousands at the weekend to sample some of the best the region has to offer.The Dales Festival of Food and Drink, staged in a field in Leyburn, North Yorkshire, attracted thousands of visitors.The first day, helped by blazing
A BLUES band comprised of local personalities entertained drinkers at a beer festival.One of the members of the Vast Majorities, who played at The Crown, in Manfield, North Yorkshire, on Friday night, was Darlington borough councillor Cyndi Hughes.She
A COUNCIL worker who has dedicated himself to taking training to the most remote places in the region has been given an award.Bob Harris, curriculum manager with Durham County Council's education in the community team, has been named one of the North-East's
SAM Allardyce will be officially unveiled as Newcastle United's new manager at the start of next week. But with the former Bolton boss unable to take up his post until the end of the season, Nigel Pearson will take control of Sunday's game at Watford
Darlington manager Dave Penney has warned that some crowd favourites could be among those he reveals today as surplus to requirements. Penney has long promised to oversee a major clear out in the summer and today is the day of destiny for players not
ON THE Friday before Michael Owen's long-awaited return to action at Reading, Glenn Roeder cut short his morning press conference without speaking to the daily press. Freddy Shepherd, the Newcastle chairman, had arrived early for a pre-arranged meeting
AN emotional Jonny Evans admits that leaving Sunderland with a Championship winner's medal this week will be something he will cherish for the rest of his career. And the young Northern Irishman, after his loan from Manchester United ended in glory at
THERE is a real sense of optimism in North-East business circles. After too many years in the doldrums, the region is making significant economic progress and it is vital that the momentum is maintained. There is, of course, still a long way to go if
PAUL Magrs launched his new book in Whitby during this year's Goth Weekend, although none of the colourful characters gathered in the town for the festival could have been as bizarre or downright weird as those brought to life on the pages of Never The
A LEGAL challenge that could stall or even halt the abolition of more than a dozen councils across the region is expected to be mounted in the next few days.Government lawyers have until 4pm today to respond to a legal action brought against plans to
A THIRD of North-East companies said they would lay off staff if interest rates rose again, according to a survey out today.In addition, 77 per cent of companies said they expected future investment plans to be threatened if the Bank of England's rate-setting
AN RAF engineer last night described diving into a river to try to rescue a man who fell to his death from the top of England's most powerful waterfall.Stephen Powell spent ten minutes in the raging River Tees searching for the man who disappeared underwater
ALMOST 60 police used CS gas to break up a brawl at a workingmen's club yesterday.Three officers were taken to hospital with neck and leg injuries, and 14 people were arrested after the crowd of about 70 people spilled onto the street outside the club
At first glance, they appear to be the work of classic artists, Reynolds, Hockney or Gainsborough. But look again at former North East student Victoria Hall's work, and it is the artist herself peering out from the iconic scenes. Lindsay Jennings reports
As a TV drama brings Robert Maxwell back to life, Andy Wood recalls the time he had dinner with the tycoon who built up a multi-million pound empire only to plunder his companies' pension funds ROBERT Maxwell was a Labour Member of Parliament representing
