Sunderland Echo (Pennywell, England) back issues from June 2008:
Singers are stagestruck after [pounds sterling]2,250 windfall.
Jun 01, 2008 ... The Pavilion Singers are celebrating after receiving [pounds sterling]2,250 from the City of Sunderland Community Chest to help them buy a moveable stage. The group, who have been together for 20 years, have been practising and performing without a stage since St Luke's ...
Stub it out for the kids + VIDEO.
Jun 01, 2008 ... A multimillion-pound campaign was launched today to alert parents who smoke to the danger of their children taking up the weed. More than [pounds sterling]5million will be spent on a multimedia advertising campaign to highlight the likelihood of children of cigarette smokers ...
Lake revamp can go ahead.
Jun 01, 2008 ... A businessman is pressing ahead with plans to transform a lake into a fishing centre and wildlife park after winning a battle against objectors. Rob Wales bought the Willow Pond in Barmston, Washington, in June 2004 with plans to add fishing jetties, a coffee shop and tackle ...
Play will explore saga of Deepcut deaths.
Jun 01, 2008 ... A play about the death of North East soldier Geoff Gray will finally make it to the stage. Sunderland-born playwright Fiona Evans has been commissioned to write the piece based on events after the death of the Seaham soldier, who was found at the Deepcut Barracks with two ...
Missing girls: father's appeal.
Jun 01, 2008 ... The father of three girls who have gone missing with their mum and two sisters has appealed for help to track them down. Natalie Bracht left her home in Sunderland on Saturday, May 17, with her children and headed for Kings Cross in London. Now her former partner ...
Jones worry for Sunderland.
Jun 01, 2008 ... Sunderland will fear the worst, but hope for the best, after a nightmare early exit for Trinidad and Tobago striker Kenwyne Jones in last night's international against England. Jones lasted less than eight minutes before colliding with England keeper David James and being ...
Drawing on experience to pick contest winner.
Jun 02, 2008 ... Graphic novelist Bryan Talbot lent his expert eye to animation students to see how their work measured up. Students from the University of Sunderland held their own talent show and Alice in Sunderland writer and artist Bryan was on hand to judge the work of 30 first years. ...
Pensioners' Girl Friday dies.
Jun 02, 2008 ... A family today paid tribute to a mum turned community champion who changed the face of Friday afternoons. For more than 15 years Mary Rutter organised the Friday Afternoon Club at Gilley Law Community Centre in Sunderland to keep pensioners entertained. Older people ...
Jewson boost for dream playground.
Jun 02, 2008 ... The project to give children at a special school better opportunities has taken another step forward after a big donation from the business community. The Challenge Wear1 project is working to transform the grounds of Barbara Priestman School into a space where children of all ...
Hunt for lead thieves.
Jun 02, 2008 ... Lead thieves stole flashing from the roofs of pensioners and disabled people while they were asleep. Four flats on Birch Court and Plane Tree Court, Doxford Park, were stripped bare between Wednesday evening and the early hours of Thursday morning. Army veteran Geoff ...
Plaza to honour hero Porterfield.
Jun 02, 2008 ... A NEW city centre apartment block has been dedicated to a Sunderland legend. The multimillion pound gentoo development on High Street West, Sunderland, has been named Ian Porterfield Plaza, after Sunderland's FA Cup-winning goalscorer Ian Porterfield. Footballing ...
Butchers to reopen after hit-and-run smash.
Jun 02, 2008 ... A family-run butchers says it will soon be back in business after a car smashed into the shop. Parry's Butchers on Front Street, Hetton, was forced to close after the incident on May 4. Distraught Stephen Parry, who bought the shop last year, found the front shutter ...
City braced for strike action.
Jun 02, 2008 ... A summer of discontent on Wearside is looming as voting gets under way in a ballot for industrial action by council workers. The threat of disruption grew as hundreds of thousands of council workers started voting nationwide on whether to take strike action in protest at a 2.45 ...
Compensation costs councils almost [pounds sterling]9m.
Jun 02, 2008 ... No win, no fee legal firms have forced councils to pay out almost [pounds sterling]9million in compensation in the last three years, the Echo can reveal. New figures released under the Freedom of Information Act show that Sunderland City Council paid out [pounds ...
Great Scott! Top fashion designer visits village shop.
Jun 02, 2008 ... A world-famous designer turned heads when he came to Horden to help fashion a shop's new image. Internationally-renowned designer Scott Henshall became involved in the relaunch of Sunderland Road shop Mon Ami, formerly known as Frocks, after his friend Margaret Hunt chose to ...
Doubts over fines for parents of boozy teens.
Jun 02, 2008 ... Support groups on Wearside have raised concerns about underage-drinking measures that could see parents prosecuted for allowing their children to consume alcohol in public. The proposals also include handing the police tougher powers to disperse gangs of young people. ...
Little fighter who beat the odds.
Jun 02, 2008 ... At just nine years old little karate girl Bethany Conroy packs a punch - even though she weighs just three-and-half stone and stands just 4ft 1in tall. But what makes this little battler extra special is her story of courage after she was born two months premature with a ...
Where did the sun go?
Jun 02, 2008 ... What a difference a day makes. Soaring temperatures and glorious sunshine saw people flocking to the Sunderland coast on Saturday. But, just 24 hours later, it was a very different picture as the rain arrived and umbrellas went up. Downpours continued ...
Driver fury as BP puts up fuel price while they wait.
Jun 02, 2008 ... Customers at the petrol pumps were told to wait before filling their cars so the price per litre could be put up by a penny. More than 15 vehicles were reported to have queued at the BP garage off Wessington Way, in Castletown, at 9.30am on Saturday. Janet Adie, of ...
Doctor hits out a 'super surgeries'.
Jun 02, 2008 ... The head of a Wearside doctors' group has hit out at plans to revamp GP surgeries. Dr Philip Peverley, chairman of a sub-committee of Sunderland Local Medical Committee, has criticised proposals brought forward by Lord Darzi regarding general practice in Sunderland. ...
Rain can't put brakes on model train show.
Jun 02, 2008 ... It was full steam ahead at Roker Park yesterday - despite the rain. A couple of hardy souls went for a team train ride aboard the LMS Royal Scot, but mostly Sunderland Model Engineering Society's open day was a washout. Colin Hough, the society's chairman, said: "It ...
PM Brown to announce Nissan backing.
Jun 02, 2008 ... Nissan's Sunderland car plant is expected to be given a boost when Gordon Brown gives his backing to plans that could include a new model being built in the North East. The Prime Minister is to visit the company's design centre in London tomorrow, where he will reveal a package ...
Ear bite revenge attacker jailed.
Jun 02, 2008 ... A man has been jailed for a revenge attack on the man who bit off part of his brother's ear. Lee Johnathan Black set about Kenneth Fishwick in retaliation for the assault on his older brother Dean five years ago. Peterlee Magistrates' Court heard the 22-year-old ...
Left for dead on holiday island.
Jun 02, 2008 ... A stab victim is recovering after she was discovered naked and covered in blood on the steps of a Spanish apartment building. The woman, from Wearside, had been stabbed twice in the back and once in the chest during the horrific attack in Magaluf. Spanish police have ...
Traders' anger at water pipe repairs.
Jun 02, 2008 ... REPAIR work on a burst water main in Easington Colliery is expected to be completed within a month. Shop owners on Seaside Lane in the village claim they have lost hundreds-of-pounds worth of business since a water pipe leak six weeks ago. Since the leak there has ...
Dad in plea to find daughters.
Jun 02, 2008 ... The father of three girls who have gone missing with their mum and two sisters has appealed for help to track them down. Natalie Bracht left her home in Sunderland on Saturday, May 17, with her children and headed for Kings Cross in London. Now her former partner ...
Child sex killer's appeal fails.
Jun 02, 2008 ... Child sex killer, Colin Bainbridge, who savagely raped and murdered nine-year-old Laura Kane, has failed to convince a top judge that he deserves a cut in his 24-year minimum jail term. Describing Bainbridge as "extraordinarily callous", High Court judge, Mr Justice Coulson ...
Cricket: Top three stay ahead on rain-hit Sunday.
Jun 02, 2008 ... It's as you were at the top of the Coast League with the top three winning on Saturday, and then everybody having to sit out the Sunday programme - surely we can't be in for a second summer of June monsoons? Murton gave a workmanlike performance in defeating visitors Washington ...
Son aims for boxing glory.
Jun 03, 2008 ... A boxer is aiming for success in the ring as a tribute to his father. Twenty-year-old Martin Reay aims to keep a vow he made to his dad, also called Martin, a well-known Sunderland businessman who died suddenly at his Fulwell home. The 56-year-old ...
Crunch court case for asbestos claims.
Jun 03, 2008 ... A High Court case which starts today will determine the future for the families of thousands of workers killed by asbestos-related cancer. Relations of those who have already died from mesothelioma, and of those who develop it in future, could be left without any compensation, ...
Society's annual vehicle run could be a classic.
Jun 03, 2008 ... Classic vehicles headed through Wearside as part of an annual celebration of motors. The 26th Tyne Tees Run was held by the Historic Commercial Vehicle Society, with lorries, vans and cars driving from Teesside Park in Stockton to Bents Park in South Shields, where they then ...
New police boss starts work.
Jun 03, 2008 ... Durham Constabulary's newly-appointed assistant chief constable has completed his first day in his new role. Michael Barton,started his working life on his father's dairy farm, but opted out of a life in agriculture to complete a law degree at Newcastle University. ...
Eight years' hard work bears fruit.
Jun 03, 2008 ... People from South Hylton are celebrating the opening of their new community centre after eight years of fund-raising. The keys to the [pounds sterling]650,000 Tansy Centre were handed over to club secretary Edna Rochester on Saturday so she could welcome guests to its first ...
Make your dad's day.
Jun 03, 2008 ... How great is your dad? Today the Echo launches its search for Wearside's number one parent. In the run-up to Father's Day, on June 15, we want to hear why your dad is the best out there. Perhaps they have overcome an illness or problems. Maybe he has ...
Lampposts light up danger road.
Jun 03, 2008 ... Work to light a dark stretch of dual carriageway which has claimed several pedestrians' lives is nearing completion. Lighting on the unlit A1231 Sunderland Highway and the A182 Washington Highway began in September 2003 and is expected to finish in August this year. ...
Chitty Chitty bye bye.
Jun 03, 2008 ... After six weeks of enchanting entertainment, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is preparing for take off. The show will be flying its last ever flights in England at the Sunderland Empire this week as the show prepares to close the curtains on Saturday. Starring award-winning ...
Mayor fears great chain robbery in shake-up.
Jun 03, 2008 ... A plan has been unveiled to preserve the ancient office of the Mayor of Durham. Durham City has had a mayor, apart for a 10-year break from 1770, since 1602, but the office is under threat due to local government reorganisation. The mayor, his bodyguard, city status ...
Research show North East name is only 50 years old.
Jun 03, 2008 ... Researchers have found the North East is not as old as first thought - as a name at least. The authors of a new book launched today delved into historical records spanning 700 years, from the Middle Ages to the present, as they looked at the region's identity. They ...
Soap stars pitch in for charity.
Jun 03, 2008 ... Soap stars pitched their football skills against professionals when they played in aid of a charity. Durham City Football Club fielded a select XI against actors who have appeared in Emmerdale and their friends to raise money for Debra - a charity that works to help those with ...
Hospital waiting times lowest ever.
Jun 03, 2008 ... Hospital patients in Sunderland are being treated more quickly, new figures reveal. City hospitals are hitting NHS targets to reduce the time patients wait between GP referrals and hospital treatment. Within City Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Sunderland ...
Love affair led to office attack.
Jun 03, 2008 ... A sea cadet volunteer was attacked in his office after an affair with a married colleague. Scott McKelvie suffered a fracture to a bone in his face and needed an operation after he was pounced on by Steven Hunter, 35, and his nephew Brenton Hunter, 23. Newcastle ...
Teen found hanging in dene fights for life.
Jun 03, 2008 ... A TEENAGER is today fighting for his life after he was found hanging in woodland in Seaham yesterday morning. The 18-year-old local man is said to be "critically ill" in Sunderland Royal Hospital, where he was taken yesterday after being found by friends in the dene. ...
Pupils' garden pays tribute to treasured friend.
Jun 03, 2008 ... Pupils have unveiled a garden they designed in memory of a treasured classmate. Najmin Shafi died from a stroke after a year-long battle with bone cancer - but her friends at Richard Avenue Primary School are determined to keep her memory alive. They put pen to paper ...
End of the road Mileson's team.
Jun 03, 2008 ... GRETNA FC, the football club owned by Sunderland-born Brooks Mileson, has ceased to exist say administrators. The side had been catapulted to success after the Pennywell-born millionaire bought the club in 2003. The 60-year-old, a devotee of grass roots football, ...
Probe into two teen stabbings.
Jun 03, 2008 ... TWO teenagers have been involved in separate stabbing incidents less than two hours apart. The latest attacks have only added to growing concerns about young people and knife crimes. Police are today investigating how two men were left with stab wounds in the ...
Tot with broken foot sent home with nappy rash cream.
Jun 03, 2008 ... A MOTHER is angry after her two-year-old son was sent home from hospital with a suspected broken foot. The parents of little Ty Brown took the youngster to South Tyneside District Hospital in agony after he came home from playing on a pal's trampoline. But instead of ...
Joy as Laura's killer stays in jail.
Jun 03, 2008 ... A disgusted dad has spoken out after the monster who raped and murdered his nine-year-old daughter fought to have his jail term cut. Child sex killer Colin Bainbridge, of Murton, was jailed for life in June 2000 after he was convicted of attacking and killing Laura Kane. ...
New Sunderland Nissan model 'revealed' + AUDIO.
Jun 03, 2008 ... Nissan's Sunderland plant is to build a new car to replace the Micra, the Japanese giant confirmed today. The announcement came during a visit by Prime Minister Gordon Brown to Nissan's European Design Centre in London, where he met the company's global boss Carlos Ghosn. ...
Pensioner's fury at 'green' lorries.
Jun 03, 2008 ... A pensioner claims drivers of recycling trucks have been tearing up the pavements outside his home. Derek Billing, 70, says that the drivers who collect the blue and green bins from his home in Grouse Moor, on the Meadow Vale Estate in Haswell, have left track marks 10 or 11 ...
Dad's warning over phone text scam.
Jun 03, 2008 ... A dad is warning people not to fall for a suspected text message scam. Richard Boote, 54, was surprised when he received a mystery text message from an unknown number on Wednesday this week. The message read: "hiya, can you call me back on this number 6582333955." ...
Noisy sex neighbour avoids jail sentence.
Jun 03, 2008 ... A man who threatened a neighbour after she complained about late-night rows and noisy sex has been spared jail. Stuart Griffiths approached the woman outside her Sunderland home after she took issue about loud music, shouting and "embarrassing noises". He went on to ...
Sunderland-born journalist dies.
Jun 03, 2008 ... Sunderland-born journalist Alan Brien has died at the age of 83. He was a pupil at Bede Grammar School, before going to Jesus College, Oxford, where he read English literature and shone in university journalism. He went into the RAF (1943-46), trained as an airgunner and flew on ...
Student's Thunderbird is go!
Jun 04, 2008 ... A Sunderland University engineering student has reached the European finals of a hi-tech design competition by using a very old idea. Mark Armstrong, who is studying automotive design and technology adapted an idea that is more than 2,000 years old to create a futuristic rescue ...
Anti-violence crusader shocked by stabbing.
Jun 04, 2008 ... An anti-violence campaigner today paid tribute to a community hero who was stabbed to death in her home. Sunderland mum Linda Mitchell worked closely with grandmother Pat Regan, whose body was found at her West Yorkshire council flat. They attended Home Office ...
New link road to open in September.
Jun 04, 2008 ... A new [pounds sterling]11.4million link road from Wheatley Hill to Bowburn is scheduled to open in September. Work on the A688 link road began in June last year with a 65-week programme of work to be completed by the end of September of this year. The scheme is on ...
School's annual fete in jeopardy.
Jun 04, 2008 ... An annual fete, which has helped raise thousands of pounds for a city school, could face the axe. The Hill View Parent Association, which organises Hill View Infant and Junior School's summer fete, says that its future is uncertain unless a new chairman can be found. ...
Stars in their eyes.
Jun 04, 2008 ... One Sunderland football fan has almost taken over our latest Star Snaps feature single-handedly. We asked Echo readers to send in pictures of their chance meetings with celebrities. Jonny Cummings was photographed with not one, but four Black Cats stars. ...
Bands in last bid for crown.
Jun 04, 2008 ... THE battle of the bands is nearly over as five Wearside wonders take to the stage in a bid to win the top spot. In March, Too Far North, which aims to push local talent into mainstream music, launched its hunt for the next big thing when it invited budding young musicians to ...
Nigel sings Mr Nasty's praises.
Jun 04, 2008 ... Wannabe star Nigel Graham may have lampooned Simon Cowell in song - but he has discovered he likes the chap. The 38-year-old singer/songwriter failed to make TV's Mr Nasty smile during an audition for the ITV show Britain's Got Talent when he put on a pirate mask and cracked a ...
Mum adds that family feel to centre opening.
Jun 04, 2008 ... A mum-of-six and her family have helped to launch their own Children's Centre. Mary Turton, whose children are aged between two and 17, officially opened Sunderland Children's Centre at Houghton Community Nursery. The centre hopes to bring together early education, ...
SAFC tune is music to North East ears.
Jun 04, 2008 ... HIS music has been raising the roof at the Stadium of Light for years. Now Sergei Prokofiev, whose Romeo and Juliet is played before Black Cats' home games, has topped the charts as the biggest-selling composer in the North East because of the fans' backing. And, ...
Clubhouse is above par!
Jun 04, 2008 ... Golfers in Washington are heading for a new 19th hole - a new luxury [pounds sterling]3million clubhouse. The George Washington Golf and Country Club in Stone Cellar Road, Usworth, officially opened the clubhouse to golfers this week as the second phase of a multimillion-pound ...
People power brings in cash.
Jun 04, 2008 ... Community groups in Hendon and Sunderland's East End are celebrating a windfall after an X-Factor-style vote. The People's Fund, run by regeneration agency Back on the Map, put a pot of [pounds sterling]15,000 up for grabs. And it asked local people to vote for the most ...
Teenage thug and robber walks free.
Jun 04, 2008 ... A schoolboy who robbed a shop and attacked two innocent strangers has walked free from court. The 14-year-old, who cannot be named, held up Jaspinder Somal's off-licence and general store at Hylton Road, Pennywell, with a stick, leaving the female shopkeeper terrified. ...
Olympian Steve Cram sees charity's life-saving work.
Jun 04, 2008 ... Sporting hero Steve Cram has seen first hand the difference his children's charity has made. The former Olympic athlete met mum Danielle Callaghan, whose premature baby weighed just two pounds when she was admitted to Sunderland Royal Hospital's neonatal unit. Given ...