Shields Gazette (South Shields, England) back issues from May 2008:
A day at the beach - butties, tea, tents and sand in your pants.
May 01, 2008 ... MORE than a third of shoppers revealed family trips to the seaside at South Shields were among their happiest childhood memories. The following is an extract from a talk I first gave to a meeting of the Wednesday Heritage Club, at the town's Central Library. "My very ...
Couple's 1,000-mile bike ride.
May 01, 2008 ... A COUPLE are set to embark on a 1,000-mile bike ride from Land's End to John O'Groats without any back-up. John and Maureen Shorter took up cycling just seven years ago, but now plan to set off on their marathon trek on May 7. The couple, both 59, are originally from ...
Dance company will make you Blush.
May 01, 2008 ... A NEW company called Blush Dance is stepping out to business success in South Shields town centre. First-time entrepreneur Yanine Humphrey has launched the shop, selling a wide variety of dance gear, plus children's fancy dress. Based in Albemarle Street, off Fowler ...
Lollipop lady puts away her stick.
May 01, 2008 ... A LOLLIPOP lady who has kept three generations of children safe has crossed the road to retirement. Carol Brennan, 60, will no longer patrol the corner of Grosvenor Road and Highfield Road, South Shields, where she has been a fixture for the last eight years. Mrs ...
Are these faces from the other side?
May 01, 2008 ... ST Michael's & All Angels Church in Houghton-le-Spring is a place of worship I'm familiar with, having been to a number of weddings and Christenings there. It's a delightful old building, and exudes an atmosphere rich in history. Recently, some renovations were ...
Young champs making history.
May 01, 2008 ... A TEAM of young footballers crowned English champions have been nominated for a Pride of South Tyneside award. South Tyneside Representative Football Squad is made up of primary school pupils from across the borough. The under-11s team won the English Schools' ...
The signs they are a changin'.
May 01, 2008 ... A SOUTH Tyneside signwriter has helped put the finishing touches to a new children's play area. It's the second sport and play facility to be created in Biddick Hall, South Shields, in the past few weeks, following the construction of a multi-use games area at Chuter Ede. ...
They're all model citizens.
May 01, 2008 ... HERE'S the next batch of stunners who will be strutting their stuff in the Gazette's eighth annual fashion show. Every day for the rest of the week we're revealing six Search for a Catwalk Star winners. Casting judges - Gazette editor John Szymanski, Tyne Tees ...
Clot stops cancer victim's chemo.
May 01, 2008 ... A BREAST cancer sufferer has had her chemotherapy treatment stopped after suffering a blood clot. Lisa Lindsay's arm started to swell after she underwent chemotherapy via an intravenous drip at South Tyneside District Hospital. Medical staff decided it was too ...
Sweet smell of art success for gas expert Geoff.
May 01, 2008 ... A SOUTH Tyneside engineer with a nose for art has been drafted in to help at a gallery. Art buffs are being urged to sniff the whiffs at a heaven-scent art exhibition. That's because you can't see, touch or hear any of the 14 unique artworks on display - they're just ...
Sailor is now a land-lobber.
May 01, 2008 ... A FORMER sailor who swapped his life on the open sea for the classroom is hoping his decision will launch him in a new direction. Kenneth Burns, from Hebburn, is putting his real life experiences to the test after building a catapult capable of hurling objects more than 20 ...
Helping people stay independent.
May 01, 2008 ... VULNERABLE people are being given a helping hand to maintain their independence - thanks to technology. After a successful 18-month pilot, funded by the Department of Health, South Tyneside Council bosses have secured funding to develop the use of assistive technology. ...
Disco in the money.
May 01, 2008 ... SOUTH Tyneside youngsters have been given a cash boost to help keep fellow youths off the street. Hebburn Youth Disco Young People's Committee has received a Tyne and Wear High Sheriff's Award of [pounds sterling]750. It was given the cash by England World Cup rugby ...
Raids suspects released on bail.
May 01, 2008 ... RAIDS carried out on 10 properties in South Tyneside were part of a shift in policing, targeting people rather than areas. Neighbourhood inspectors have each drawn up a list of 10 people they feel should be targeted their area. The list is based on concerns about ...
Three arrested over lead theft.
May 01, 2008 ... THREE youths have been arrested in connection with the theft of lead flashing from a bowling pavilion. The theft was reported by police community support officers patrolling Carr Ellison Park in Hebburn at about 10pm on Monday. Sergeant Bede McCabe said: "We received ...
MP calls for an extra bank holiday.
May 01, 2008 ... JARROW MP Stephen Hepburn is banking on Britons receiving an extra day's holiday. The Labour MP spoke out during Prime Minister's Question Time in the Commons yesterday amid a growing campaign to give citizens another public holiday. Dozens of MPs have signed a ...
Rowers launch Tyne Boat Race.
May 01, 2008 ... ROWERS from Newcastle and Durham universities have launched the countdown to their annual challenge to see who's top of the Tyne. Dan Cupit, president of the Newcastle University Rowing Club, issued the challenge to Rob Stark, president of Durham University Boat Club, by handing ...
Elderly residents trapped in lift.
May 01, 2008 ... ELDERLY residents and staff were rescued from a lift at an old folk's home in Hebburn. The lift became stuck just above the ground floor, at Campbell Court, in Penrith Road, at 7.30pm yesterday. An ...
Fighting for my life instead of votes.
May 01, 2008 ... FORMER councillor Greenwell Jewitt should be pounding the streets fighting an election today - instead he's battling incurable leukaemia. Mr Jewitt, who came second in the Boldon Colliery ward last year, today opened his heart about the illness which forced him to pull out of ...
Sneak thief stole family's valuables.
May 01, 2008 ... A SNEAK thief stole [pounds sterling]650 worth of valuables from a family's Cleadon home while they were asleep. Police said the thief got into the property in Moor Lane via an unlocked back door, between 2am and 3am yesterday. A handbag, mobile phone, computer game ...
Disabled passengers' fury at scooter ban.
May 01, 2008 ... ANGRY disabled Metro passengers in South Tyneside are today hoping a ban on mobility scooters on the rapid transport system will be lifted. Metro operator Nexus has decided to review its decision, following an open day for disabled users at St James Metro station in Newcastle ...
Nuisance teenager is behind bars.
May 01, 2008 ... A TEENAGE nuisance who evaded police capture for weeks is behind bars after breaching an interim anti-social behaviour order. The 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was discovered by officers in the loft of a home in an area he was banned from visiting. ...
Bride's big day brought forward for mum to see.
May 01, 2008 ... TODAY is Suzanne McKay's wedding day, a day her mother thought she'd never get to see. The 32-year-old bride brought her wedding forward to fiance Mark Kennerley, 28, by almost a month, so her mum Liz, could see her walk down the aisle before she goes blind. The ...
Voters head to the polls.
May 01, 2008 ... SOUTH Tyneside's political landscape could change today as voters head to the polls. Seventy-seven candidates representing all political persuasions were contesting 18 wards across the borough. The Independent/Progressive Alliance is aiming to reduce Labour's current ...
Babysitter's murder conviction quashed.
May 01, 2008 ... A BABYSITTER serving life for the murder of her neighbour's two-year-old son today won a challenge against her conviction. The Court of Appeal in London ordered a retrial for Suzanne Holdsworth, who was found guilty of repeatedly banging the boy's head against a wooden banister ....
Grant gets England U21 call-up.
May 01, 2008 ... SUNDERLAND'S Grant Leadbitter is in the England Under-21 squad for their game v Wales later this month. The call-up will come as a big boost for the midfielder, who hasn't been a regular starter for the Black Cats recently as they battled relegation. Although he is ...
Evans boost ahead of Bolton trip.
May 01, 2008 ... DEFENDER Jonny Evans could return to action for Sunderland's Premier League trip to Bolton on Saturday. The 20-year-old Northern Ireland international missed both the 2-0 defeat at Newcastle and the 3-2 win over Middlesbrough with a hamstring injury. However, manager ...
Milner's season isn't over - Keegan.
May 01, 2008 ... KEVIN Keegan has told James Milner he has every chance of playing again this season. Keegan took fit-again Milner to West Ham on Saturday to ease him back into his first-team squad after more than a month out with a foot injury. The 22-year-old did not make the bench ...
Anger as death case doc resumes job.
May 01, 2008 ... A GRIEVING family today told of their disgust that a doctor ruled to have contributed to the death of a beloved aunt has been allowed to return to work. The nieces of Sarah Bonner say they are disappointed no action has been taken against Dr Brij Joshi despite a coroner blaming ...
Teen brandished meat cleaver in takeaway.
May 02, 2008 ... A TEENAGER who brandished a meat cleaver at takeaway staff because he feared his food had been spat on has been spared jail. Brett Ingram hurled a boulder threw the window of the premises in Roker, Sunderland, before warning "I'll cut you all up", while brandishing ...
Noddy's killer's girlfriend jailed.
May 02, 2008 ... The long-term girlfriend of a wanted fugitive was today jailed for money laundering. Shareena McAuley, 27, of Mozart Street, South Shields, was jailed at Newcastle Crown Court for 18 months for money laundering. Her mother Marilyn McAuley, 56, also of Mozart Street, ...
How South Tyneside Council looks today.
May 02, 2008 ... IT was a bad night for Labour, who today have four seats fewer on South Tyneside Council than they had yesterday. Before the May 1 local elections the make-up of the council was: Labour - 35 councillors Independents - 6 councillors Progressives ...
Gnome gets married at Gretna Green.
May 02, 2008 ... A GNOME on the roam has walked down the aisle - in a 'shotgun wedding' at Gretna Green! Pensioner Tommy Oughton alerted the Gazette after one of his garden gnomes went walkies from his home in Lilac Walk, Hebburn. Numerous postcards and ransom demands for the ...
Crime drama hit by real-life crooks.
May 02, 2008 ... FILMING of a new television drama in South Tyneside has been hit by the theft of valuable equipment. Actor Robson Green's production company, Coastal Productions, has been commissioned by ITV1 to produce a three-part adaptation of Val McDermid's best-selling novel, A Place of ...
Models shaping up for a night to remember.
May 02, 2008 ... THE eighth annual Gazette fashion show is shaping up to be an event you won't forget. Here's our next six crackers who have been chosen as our Search For A Catwalk Star winners. These models will now vie for a chance to be crowned Face of 2008 while strutting their ...
Cadet Emma is a real high-flier.
May 02, 2008 ... A PROUD dad has nominated his high-flying daughter for a Pride of South Tyneside Award. Emma Anderson, 18, from North Close, South Shields, has been a member of 324 Squadron (South Shields) Air Training Corps (ATC) for four years. She is a cadet flight sergeant at ...
Residents' group helps out school.
May 02, 2008 ... THE end of an era for a residents' group brought good fortune to a Horsley Hill School. The Marsden Area Residents' Association (Maras) folded last month after it failed to take off. Members decided to donate the last [pounds sterling]100 from their funds to Bamburgh ...
Gordon remembers the bravery of the Russian convoys.
May 02, 2008 ... HEBBURN pensioner Gordon Johnson was part of the famous Russian Convoys during the Second World War. As it battled a huge and well-equipped German army, the Soviet Union desperately needed supplies of everything from food to tanks, to munitions and gasoline. British ...
Dancers have all the right moves.
May 02, 2008 ... CHILDREN are hoping their colourful performance will have judges jumping for joy. The Youth Moves group from Bamburgh School is travelling to Darlington this weekend to perform as part of the Panorama of Movement, Exercise and Dance at the Dolphin Centre. And the ...
Cricket coach dies of pneumonia.(Obituary)
May 02, 2008 ... A FORMER South Tyneside cricketer whose son went on to captain England has died. Jawad Hussain - father of Nasser - played for South Shields for two seasons after turning up at their Wood Terrace ground in spring 1963 and asking politely: "May I play for you?" He was ...
Thanks for being there mum.
May 02, 2008 ... A WOMAN who's taking care of her brave daughter battling cancer says she couldn't have done it without the help of her own mum. That's why Shirley Lydon has thanked her mum Yvonne with a bouquet of flowers in this week's 'Thanks a Bunch'. Miss Lydon's daughter Lily ...
Council leader loses his seat.
May 02, 2008 ... THE Labour leader of South Tyneside Council lost his seat to the Independent candidate in the biggest result of the night. Paul Waggott lost to Geraldine White, a former Labour councillor, following a close fight in the Fellgate and Hedworth ward. Coun White said: ...
Ahmed Khan beats former mayor.
May 02, 2008 ... IN the first big result of tonight's election, South Shields businessman Ahmed Khan ousted former mayor John Wood. He received 1,388 votes, more than 400 more than sitting councillor John Wood's 955. The result makes up for Mr Khan's disappointment at last year's ...
Hanson holds Bede for Labour.
May 02, 2008 ... SENIOR Labour councillor Tom Hanson comfortably hung on to his Bede ward seat in Labour's first success of the night. He beat off a challenge from Independent candidate Kevin Lees, beating him by more than 300 votes. ...
Close call in Biddick and All Saints.
May 02, 2008 ... INDEPENDENT Steve Pattison failed by 10 votes to snatch Biddick and All Saints from Labour. He is an active active member of Biddick Hall Residents' Association and has campaigned against plans to build a hotel and conference centre on Gypsies Green Stadium. Mr ...
Boldon Colliery still a Labour stronghold.
May 02, 2008 ... JOANNE Bell held on to the Boldon Colliery seat for Labour with a majority of nearly 500. She polled 1,222 votes, and her nearest challenger was Independent Ed Keller with 743. Full results: ...
Big turnout in Cleadon & East Boldon.
May 02, 2008 ... THE biggest turnout of voters in the local elections was in Cleadon & East Boldon, at 48 per cent. And they overwhelmingly backed Conservative candidate Jeff Milburn, who polled more than twice as many votes as ...
Deputy mayor wins Cleadon Park contest.
May 02, 2008 ... DEPUTY Mayor Coun Alex Donaldson can look forward to a year as the borough's first citizen after successfully contesting Cleadon Park. The Labour councillor had a reasonably smooth ride in Cleadon Park, whose [pounds sterling]90m transformation he has been heavily involved with ....
Hebburn North stays with Lib Dems.
May 02, 2008 ... COUN Joe Abbott made sure Hebburn North stayed in Lib Dem hands. He beat his closest rival, Labour's Richie Porthouse, by nearly 500 votes, and also saw off the challenge of 18-year-old Laura Khan, who was South Tyneside's youngest-ever election candidate. Full ...
McCabe holds Hebburn South for Labour.
May 02, 2008 ... ACTIVE Coun John McCabe held Hebburn South for Labour with a comfortable majority. He polled nearly 700 votes more than his nearest rival, Independent opponent Stephen Rhodes. Full results: Hebburn South ...
Labour lose Horsley Hill seat.
May 02, 2008 ... INDEPENDENT candidate Gordon Finch won the Horsley Hill seat from Labour by just 41 votes in the first declared result of the 2008 election. He polled 1,142 votes, to sitting councillor Arthur Meeks' 1,101. The full result, declared at ...
Independents take Monkton from Labour.
May 02, 2008 ... LABOUR suffered another loss in Monkton, which John Hodgson took for the Independents. Terry Fairley was beaten into second place by more than 100 votes in a ward where the electorate had five candidates to choose from. Full results: Monkton ...
Perry prevails in Primrose.
May 02, 2008 ... LABOUR Coun Jim Perry can look forward to another four years in Primrose, which he won with a comfortable margin. His closest challenge came from British National Party candidate Peter Hodgkinson, with Consetvative Walter Armstrong a ...
Ed holds Simonside and Rekendyke.
May 02, 2008 ... FORMER mayor Ed Malcolm comfortably held on to the Simonside & Rekendyke seat for Labour. He polled 1,029 votes - getting on for 700 more than his nearest rival, Progressive candidate George Crozier. Full results: Simonside and Rekendyke ...
West Park stays Progressive.
May 02, 2008 ... PROGRESSIVE Coun Enid Hetherington successfully defended the West Park seat she has represented for the last 10 years. She polled half as many votes again as her nearest challenger, Labour candidate Bob Watters. Full results: ...
Branley romps home in Westoe.
May 02, 2008 ... INDEPENDENT Coun Allen Branley was returned for a second spell in Westoe, with a huge majority. He polled almost twice as many votes as the other three candidates put together in one of the strongest shows of support of the night. The results means there will be no ...
Popular mayor returned in Whitburn and Marsden.
May 02, 2008 ... POPULAR Mayor Coun Tracey Dixon won a resounding victory for Labour in Whitburn and Marsden. She polled 1,247 votes - more than the other two candidates put together. Full results: ...
Haram keeps Whiteleas independent.
May 02, 2008 ... INDEPENDENT Coun Terry Haram successfully defended Whiteleas in the face of a strong challenge from Labour. He polled 1,006 votes, 70 more than trade unionist and South Shields Citizens' Advice Bureau chairman Doreen Purvis. Full ...
Progressive leader hangs on by 3 votes.
May 02, 2008 ... AFTER a recount, the leader of South Tyneside's Progressives clung on to his Harton seat by just three votes. Jim Capstick has been a councillor for more than 40 years, and succeeded in winning the seat back in 2004 despite boundary changes. Neil Maxwell, a former ...
Council leader's defeat hailed as a 'landmark'.
May 02, 2008 ... JUBILANT opposition politicians are today celebrating a landmark victory over Labour after successfully defeating the leader of South Tyneside Council. In a night of heavy local and national losses for Labour, Paul Waggott was beaten by Independent candidate and former Labour ...
Yob ordeal is over for mum.
May 02, 2008 ... A WOMAN has told of her years of terror at the hands of teenage yobs. The 63-year-old, from Boldon, had to put up with a catalogue of abuse over several years, including thugs throwing eggs at her house and alcohol being poured through her windows. She has also had ...
Top honour for GNR chief Brendan.
May 02, 2008 ... FOUNDER of the Great North Run Brendan Foster has been honoured by the Queen for his services to sport. The South Tyneside-born Olympic medal winner was awarded the CBE in this 2008's New Year's Honours List when he travelled to Buckingham Palace yesterday. Foster, ...
Police jail drunk who wanted to be behind bars.
May 02, 2008 ... A DRUNKEN reveller got his wish when he asked cops to lock him up. Steven Gray, 22, of Whiterocks Grove, Whitburn, was seen by police in Sunderland city centre on February 12, and invited them to put him behind bars. Newcastle Crown Court was yesterday told ...
Cocaine addict spared jail.
May 02, 2008 ... A DRUG addict who pooled money with pals to buy cocaine has been spared jail. John Park was caught with 14.2g of the Class A drug, valued at between [pounds sterling]600 and [pounds sterling]900, when police raided his home on October 26 last year. The drug was found ...
Green light for [pounds sterling]7m learning centre.
May 02, 2008 ... APPROVAL has been given for a [pounds sterling]7m post-16 learning centre in South Shields. Top-performing Harton Technology College was one of only 12 schools in the country invited by the Government to open such a facility. And members of the council's ...