Sunderland Echo (Pennywell, England) back issues from April 2008:
'Dickensian' bus station to be replaced.
Apr 01, 2008 ... A new bus station - to replace one described as "Dickensian" - will be incorporated in a [pounds sterling]20million shopping centre redevelopment. Building work on a new retail park at Washington Galleries is well under way and a string of retailers are lined up to move in. ...
Couple mark 50 golden years.
Apr 01, 2008 ... A couple who fell in love at first sight have celebrated 50 years of marriage. Stan and Audrey Pattison met outside St Michael and All Angels' Church in Houghton after a night at the pictures more than half a century ago - and they have never looked back. Stan, 77, a ...
Call to take failing schools out of council control.
Apr 01, 2008 ... Conservative education leader Michael Gove said failing Sunderland schools should be taken out of local authority control. In a speech, Mr Gove, shadow schools secretary, said time had run out for local authorities, and hundreds of failing schools should be removed from council ...
Plains Farm could be even better, say residents.
Apr 01, 2008 ... Special community charters designed to give neighbours a greater say on how issues are tackled on their estate are one step closer to completion. As reported in the Echo, Plains Farm is one of only 11 estates in the UK to be chosen by the Government to pilot new community ...
What a great bunch of fund-raisers.
Apr 01, 2008 ... More than 80 walkers put a "Spring" in their step by taking part in a charity walk at Herrington Country Park. The big-hearted walkers, all carrying daffodils, gathered for Marie Curie Cancer Care's first-ever 5k walk at the park. Marie Curie Cancer Care fund-raiser ...
Thefts leave nasty taste for traders.
Apr 01, 2008 ... RUNNING a business in Sunderland is not a piece of cake, says a disgruntled shop owner. Angela Green, of Canny Cakes on Frederick Street, has spent thousands transforming her wedding cake shop into Fort Knox after being burgled four times in seven years. The ...
Archer Jessica has her sights set on India.
Apr 01, 2008 ... JESSIE James may have been a hotshot with a revolver - but teenager Jessica James could beat him with her bow and arrow. The 14-year-old, who was in a pram when she first went to an archery club, is one step away from taking part in this year's junior world championships in ...
Darren's happy to be booked for once.
Apr 01, 2008 ... Books are in safe hands with Black Cats goalkeeper Darren Ward. Darren has been chosen as Sunderland AFC's official Reading Champion as part of this year's Premier League Reading Stars scheme. The project, now in its sixth season, uses players to encourage families ...
New helpline service takes its first calls.
Apr 01, 2008 ... The first calls have started coming in to the new antisocial behaviour hotline set up to replace the axed 101 non-emergency number. About [pounds sterling]1million-worth of equipment has been salvaged from the scrapped service to be reused on the new Neighbourhood Helpline, ...
Company steps in with boots.
Apr 01, 2008 ... The boot is on the other foot for homeless youngsters involved in an innovative building project. Caterpillar Footwear has handed over 12 pairs of safety boots to young people working on Easington Youthbuild project in County Durham. With help from Centrepoint, the ...
Heather Mills to judge Miss USA.
Apr 01, 2008 ... Washington-born former glamour model Heather Mills will soon be back in front of the cameras, according to reports in the US. The estranged wife of Paul McCartney is among the celebrity judges announced for the forthcoming Miss USA Pageant. Other judges for the April ...
Mum pays tribute to tragic Ryan.
Apr 01, 2008 ... A devastated mum has paid tribute to her son and "best friend". Pennywell 19-year-old Ryan Hyden's life support machine was turned off last Wednesday. >> Leave your tribute for Ryan here Just 48 hours earlier, he had been seriously injured during an ...
Meet Sunderland's Miss Universe UK hopeful.
Apr 01, 2008 ... A stunner from Sunderland is striking a pose after qualifying for the finals of the Miss Universe UK competition. Siobhan Sairs, of Ryhope, could walk away with [pounds sterling]20,000-worth of prizes including a year's lease on a luxury New York apartment and an ...
Police act over residents' fears.
Apr 01, 2008 ... Drugs and cash were seized as part of a major police operation in Sunderland. Hundreds of motorists were also stopped as part of Operation Cargo, while graffiti and underage drinking were also targeted. Cannabis and [pounds sterling]16,000 in cash was discovered when ...
Cable thieves cost rail operators [pounds sterling]50,000 last month.
Apr 01, 2008 ... Thieves who raided North East rail tracks for cable have cost the industry [pounds sterling]50,000 in the last month alone. The metal was stolen from the Durham coast line during March, prompting the British Transport Police (BTP) to draft in extra patrols into Sunderland, ...
Job bid led banned driver to get behind wheel.
Apr 01, 2008 ... A newlywed who took to the roads while banned because he thought it would help him find a job has been spared jail. Sithar Mojnu, 22, was disqualified for 12 months in February last year for driving while over the limit. But Newcastle Crown Court heard after his ...
Police fall out over chopper chop.
Apr 01, 2008 ... A proposal to reduce the number of police helicopters has led to an interforce dispute. Durham and Northumbria police authorities are backing plans to reduce the North East Air Support Unit to one helicopter. But neighbouring police force, Cleveland Police Authority, ...
320ft skyscraper ... with no lifts.
Apr 01, 2008 ... Exercise-shy Wearsiders will be on the stairway to health, thanks to a change in planning policy. From now on, all new blocks of flats in Sunderland more than five-storeys high will be built without lifts in a bid to reduce the city's bulging waistlines. >> What do ...
A1 to be made M-way all the way to London.
Apr 01, 2008 ... The Government has approved the long-awaited [pounds sterling]340million scheme that will complete the motorway link between the North East and London. Upgrading 24 miles of the A1, from Dishforth to Barton, in North Yorkshire, from dual carriageway to three-lane motorway will ...
Mums get stripped for launch of breastfeeding campaign.
Apr 01, 2008 ... A team of breastfeeding mums in Sunderland AFC strips are giving their support to a new health campaign. Posters showing the 11 Sunderland mothers wearing the famous red and white stripes while feeding their babies are appearing across Wearside. Top sport stories ...
Mum slims to half the woman she was.
Apr 01, 2008 ... A single mum who woke up one night with chest pains has been spurred into losing more than six stones in just 15 months. Maria Parkin, 35, was a size 24 and weighed 15st 12lbs. But thanks to support and motivation from her son Ben, she's now slimmed down to a slinky ...
[pounds sterling]500,000 scheme wrecked by vandals.
Apr 01, 2008 ... Off-road drivers have wrecked a [pounds sterling]500,000-scheme to improve access to a beauty spot. Thousands of pounds in damage has been caused to a new stairway to Dawdon's Blast Beach, at Noses Point, just weeks before it was due to be completed. The 4x4s have ...
Big day for heart op tot Kai.
Apr 01, 2008 ... Little Kai Branthwaite is just like any mischievous toddler ... But behind his smile lies a different story - battling back from open heart surgery at only four weeks old. Kai was born with a condition called transposition of the great arteries, leaving worried mum ...
[pounds sterling]18m city health funds spent elsewhere.
Apr 01, 2008 ... More than [pounds sterling]18million meant to be spent on the NHS in Sunderland has been used to improve services elsewhere in the North East, the Echo can reveal. Health chiefs transferred [pounds sterling]7.9million in November last year from Sunderland Teaching Primary Care ...
Police blitz on city criminals.
Apr 01, 2008 ... A massive police operation targeting criminals across the city has seized cash and drugs. The two-day crackdown included raiding homes, stopping hundreds of vehicles, visiting shops suspected of supplying underage drinkers and getting offenders to clear up graffiti. ...
Murder suspect's 'not guilty' plea.
Apr 01, 2008 ... A murder suspect has entered a not guilty plea following an appearance at Newcastle Crown Court. Ian Robert Bains of Strathmore Road, Sunderland, spoke only to confirm his name and deny the charge at yesterday's hearing. Bains is accused killing 37-year-old ...
DIY store closes Seaham branch.
Apr 02, 2008 ... A business boss who's survived 30 years on Seaham's high street claims multinationals have "decimated" smaller shops in the area. Keith Maxwell, managing director of Maxwells DIY, says the firm was forced to close the Seaham branch when takings dropped 30 per cent following the ...
Rock customers' mortgage misery.
Apr 02, 2008 ... Thousands more families face being evicted from the homes by Northern Rock, the bank has warned. Figures released by the beleaguered North East lender showed it repossessed more than six homes a day last year, compared with less than two a day in 2006. Numbers are ...
Youngsters are on song for success.
Apr 02, 2008 ... Singing sensations have been scooping top awards at a prestigious music competition. Despite forming their choir just last year, pupils at St Cuthbert's RC School hit all the high notes to be crowned the best primary in the City Sings 2008 event. Thornhill School ...
Neglect played part in elderly man's death.
Apr 02, 2008 ... Health chiefs have been told to clean up their act after a pensioner died from an infection caught through a catheter. John William Watson, 76, was "very ill" with a kidney infection when he was admitted to Sunderland Royal Hospital on December 2, 2006, two days before he died. ...
Single blind mouse traps [pounds sterling]2,000.
Apr 02, 2008 ... Tricked into a trip to London on the promise of a hot date - Patrick McDonough found himself hijacked by North East duo Ant and Dec. The 28-year-old Sunderland lad was caught on camera at Waterloo Station then made to dress as a mouse and hunt chunks of cheese in a giant maze. ...
Fast ambulance crews save more lives.
Apr 02, 2008 ... Lives are being saved faster than ever thanks to quick-acting paramedics across Wearside. Five times more patients are surviving cardiac arrest than seven years ago thanks to the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS), new figures reveal today. The speedy response has ...
Top backing for anti-racism drive.
Apr 02, 2008 ... Prince Charles and Prime Minister Gordon Brown have backed an anti-racism campaign launched by a Sunderland charity. Tahir Khan, chairman of Unity Organisation, Hylton Road, set up the peace and unity campaign so Wearsiders could show their pride in the city's diversity. ...
Westlife raise up Hope's prospects.
Apr 02, 2008 ... Charlie Mole is another step closer to being a fully-fledged pop star after supporting Irish boy band Westlife. The 23-year-old X Factor contestant's dream came true when the hunky stars asked her band Hope to support them at Wembley arena - less than a year after she had been ...
Soldiers fall in for Premiership trek.
Apr 02, 2008 ... Football-mad Richard Todd celebrated outside the Stadium of Light - the second stop on his "walk-athon" to every Premiership football club in England. The 33-year-old Army corporal is taking in 20 clubs in 21 days, walking 600 miles with fellow army man Gary Evans, 39, to raise ...
Sunderland star to face no police action.
Apr 02, 2008 ... Footballer Andy Cole has been told he will face no further action after he was arrested for allegedly assaulting his wife. The Premiership footballer, who is currently on loan to Burnley from Sunderland, was arrested on February 25 at his home in Alderley Edge, Chesire. ...
Armed raiders strike at bookmakers.
Apr 02, 2008 ... ARMED robbers have targeted another Sunderland bookmakers in the latest in a series of attacks. The men walked into Coral betting shop, Sea Road, Fulwell, brandishing knives before demanding cash from staff. The workers watched in horror as the men grabbed takings, at ...
Murton knifeman jailed.
Apr 02, 2008 ... A man who said he brandished two knives to protect himself from a gang of yobs has been jailed. Stuart Wylde armed himself with a kitchen knife in each hand and shouted "come on" in the middle of a Murton street, Peterlee Magistrates' Court heard. The court was told ...
Army life no joke for twins.
Apr 02, 2008 ... AT the double has taken on a new meaning for two recruits to the Coldstream Guards. For their commanding officer may think he is seeing double when he claps his eyes on Richard Smithson and his brother Robert. The Sunderland twins chose April 1 to enrol at their local ...
Team helps beat curse of booze.
Apr 02, 2008 ... A ground-breaking programme to help alcohol abusers has been launched. As revealed in Monday's Echo, a pilot scheme is being run in Easington to give offenders who misuse booze the support they need to reduce or put an end to their dependency. The Alcohol Rolling ...
Friends reunited website wedding.
Apr 02, 2008 ... Two childhood sweethearts have married after being reunited half way round the world after 30 years apart. Beaming bride ...
Scientists create human animal embryos.
Apr 02, 2008 ... Scientists in the North East have created part-human, part-animal hybrid embryos for the first time in the UK. The embryos survived for up to three days and are part of medical research into a range of illnesses. It comes a month before MPs are to debate the future of ...
Boy hit by pickup fights for life.
Apr 02, 2008 ... A three-year-old is fighting for his life today after being hit by a 4x4. Kane Moss, from the Red House area of Sunderland, is in a "critical condition" at Newcastle General Hospital today, after he was hit by the pickup in Rotherfield Road. The accident happened at ...
Police raid: one arrested.
Apr 02, 2008 ... Police seized cash as they searched a home and business premises during early morning raids today. A man in his early 40s was arrested on suspicion of money laundering after officers executed a warrant at a house in Cotswold Road, Castletown. They also recovered more ...
Dozing driver escapes ban.
Apr 02, 2008 ... A motorist who was discovered sound asleep at the wheel of his car has escaped a driving ban. Sunderland magistrates were told police spotted Mandip Singh's black Chrysler car stationary near the traffic lights at the junction of Durham Road and Premier Road, Plains Farm, at ...
Face of 2008 - Final 14.
Apr 02, 2008 ... Wannabe models face fashion bootcamp before judgment day Cast your eyes over our 14 models who have made it through to the final of the Echo's Face of 2008. After thousands of votes, it quickly became clear that the standard of entries was high. Because of ...
Athletics: Harriers eye relay medal haul.
Apr 02, 2008 ... Sunderland Harriers bid to get back among the medals in the Northern Athletics 12-Stage Road Relay Championships at Catterick Garrison on Sunday. But the city club have a few injury worries that could jeopardise their aspirations. The Wearsiders' last taste of ...
Swimming: Youngsters learn against Britain's best.
Apr 02, 2008 ... Two young Sunderland swimmers are competing with the best in Britain in the Olympic trials in Sheffield. Monkwearmouth School pupils Jonathan Carlisle and Alex Robinson are representing the city club in the event which doubles as the British Championships at the Ponds Forge ...
Good Evans!
Apr 02, 2008 ... Legend Bennett feels United glory run can help Cats land Jonny Manchester United's dual quest for Premier League and Champions League glory may end up helping Sunderland to grab Jonny Evans on a permanent deal. Former Sunderland captain Gary Bennett believes a dream ...
Cricket: Durham plan new stand.
Apr 02, 2008 ... Ambitious Durham County Cricket Club will extend the capacity of their Riverside Ground to 20,000 - after unveiling plans for a new stand. The upgraded stadium will bolster Durham's chances of landing the top-notch Test matches - like the Ashes - in the future, after missing ...
Chopra hunts winning run.
Apr 02, 2008 ... Sunderland striker Michael Chopra is looking to extend the Black Cats' winning run - to make Premier League survival a certainty. Successive wins over Aston Villa and West Ham have taken Roy Keane's side to the brink of safety - they now sit in 14th place, seven points clear of ...
Sorry Sunderland never at the races.
Apr 02, 2008 ... Middlesbrough Reserves 4 Sunderland Reserves 1 Sunderland slumped to deserved derby defeat after shipping early goals at the Riverside Stadium and never looking likely to recover. It was probably just as well that Roy Keane was not there to witness one of ...
Local Footy: Roofers' cup run is over.
Apr 02, 2008 ... Relegated Jarrow Roofing took Billingham Town to the wire before exiting the Arngrove Northern League Cup at the semi-final stage last night. The Boldon-based side's Phil Graham unfortunately headed the ball into his own net for the only goal and the Teessiders will meet either ...
Local Footy: Ryhope need win.
Apr 02, 2008 ... Ryhope CW need to beat leaders New Marske tonight to keep their title race alive. The Wearsiders trail the leaders by a couple of points but New Marske have three games in hand. A Seasiders win would make them hard to catch. At the bottom, East Durham ...
Boxing: Simone strikes a blow for women.
Apr 02, 2008 ... Simone Thompson is a prize fighter. She struck a blow for female boxing when her contest at Hetton Town Amateur Boxing Club's show at the Rainton Meadows Arena was voted bout of the night. Thompson took on Lambton Street's Rachel Crowe and both put on a great ...
Ice Hockey: Wilson wants another shock.
Apr 02, 2008 ... Newcastle Vipers chief Rob Wilson is ready to rock the Elite League scene again - chasing a repeat of the shock 2006 play-off success. Vipers head to Nottingham on Saturday for their play-off semi-final against treble-chasing league and cup champions Coventry Blaze. ...
Wayward son wrong to blame family, says mum.
Apr 03, 2008 ... A mum has defended her family against how it was portrayed when her wayward teenage son appeared in court. Liam Brown was sentenced to two years in a young offenders' institution when he appeared at Durham Crown Court for burglary. The 19-year-old, of Seven Acres, ...
Karate ace Aaron is heading for the top.
Apr 03, 2008 ... Rising sports star Aaron Swales is making his mark in the karate world. The 20-year-old's skills have earned him awards from across the country, including a bronze at the recent British University Championships and a Rising Sports award from Newcastle City Council. ...
Shutdown hits [pounds sterling]1,000 order.
Apr 03, 2008 ... Sunderland woman Lynda Smith has been floored by the collapse of a city furniture store. Lynda, of South Hylton, has been left sitting on a fold-away chair after her [pounds sterling]1,000 sofa order was lost with the closure of Woodbridge Furniture. The store's ...
Bosses showcase city vision.
Apr 03, 2008 ... Regeneration bosses are showcasing their plans for Sunderland at a community roadshow. Shoppers at The Bridges have been finding out more about Sunderland arc and its projects, including the transformation of sites such as Farringdon Row, Stadium Village and the site of the ...
Diamond couple reveal secret to happy marriage.
Apr 03, 2008 ... Sixty years together and still going strong - that's Tim and Elsie Graves, who have just celebrated their diamond wedding. The couple met through a friend in Fawcett Street and tied the knot in Park Road Methodist Church in Sunderland on March 29, 1948. Tim, 85, ...
Couple fuming over bungle.
Apr 03, 2008 ... BUNGLING Government workers have lost personal documentation belonging to a Mr Careless. Michael Careless and his partner Ann Wilson are angry with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), after papers with private details went missing from a Sunderland Jobcentre. ...
X Factor mum's second chance for TV stardom.
Apr 03, 2008 ... AN X Factor contestant who reckons Simon Cowell saved her life is having another shot at the big time. Jacqui Gray, 47, from Sunderland, grabbed the headlines last year after her "strange" voice prompted TV's Mr Nasty and Sharon Osborne to tell her to go and see a doctor. ...
Celebrity encounters.
Apr 03, 2008 ... From football legends to soap stars, Echo readers have been snapped with them all. We asked you to send in photographs of your chance encounters with celebrities, and we have had a great start. They included Lee Thompson, from Ryhope, pictured with Blackadder and ...
Steph's trolley good little invention.
Apr 03, 2008 ... GREEN-THINKING Steph Chamberlin was in agony every time she had to heave her recycling box down her driveway. But the Sunderland bank worker turned into an inventor to create a handy device that she says makes light work of heavy boxes. And since the Wheela Trolley went on the ...