The Northern Echo back issues from May 2007:
Regular regional business updates
May 01, 2007 ... FROM today, Business Echo launches a weekly business broadcast,available online after 1pm. Users will also be able to ...
NEWS IN BRIEF
May 01, 2007 ... UNION LAUNCH: The country's largest trade union will be launchedtoday, representing nearly two million workers.Amicus and theTransport and General Workers Union have merged to create a union,expected to be called Unite. It will be the largest affiliate to theLabour Party and have an ...
Threat to jobs after warning of HQ closure
May 01, 2007; ... BARRATT Developments yesterday announced the likely closure of itsNorth-East head office and warned that 400 jobs across the UK wereunder threat, following its 2.2bn acquisition of Wilson Bowden.Thehousebuilder said its Newcastle headquarters and Wilson Bowden's headoffice in ...
Farewell to Yorkshire feta
May 01, 2007 ... SPECIALIST cheese maker Shepherds Purse yesterday saw itsYorkshire Feta consigned to history and marked the rebranding of theproduct with a fete.The North Yorkshire company lost a landmark legalbattle to keep the Yorkshire Feta name and was forced to rebrand thecheese - its second best ...
What part are you playing to fill gap?
May 01, 2007; ... HAVE you ever found yourself baffled by the meaning of a verb,noun or adjective? Ever been confused by budgets and statistics? Itseems an overwhelming amount of people would answer yes to these veryquestions as the UK continues to see an ever increasing basic skillsgap.If this current ...
Future magnates prepare for round five of project
May 01, 2007 ... YOUNG business brains in the region did not have to look far whensetting up their own venture.As part of the Future Business Magnates(FBM) competition, the year eight pupils from Framwellgate School, inDurham, have created a directory for all the shops and offices aroundtheir school.Team ...
FSA 'should step up crime fight'
May 01, 2007 ... THE Financial Services Authority (FSA), the City watchdog, needsto do more to combat financial crime, a report says.The NationalAudit office (NAO) said the fight against crime had received "lessattention than other elements of the FSA's responsibilities".Inparticular, the FSA ...
Hotel group celebrates completion of overhaul
May 01, 2007 ... HOTEL group Aston has officially launched its brasserie and bar 59in the region.The group has spent 250,000 upgrading the lounge, barand restaurant area at its hotel just off the A1, between Darlingtonand Newton Aycliffe.And the facilities were opened by Aston's longestserving member of ...
National interest in troubled company
May 01, 2007; ... THE jobs of more than 50 workers in the region look likely to besaved.Deloitte yesterday said it expected both Merlin Packaging, inGateshead, and the West End Cabinet Company, also Tyneside, to bebought out of administration in the "very near future".A spokeswomanfor Deloitte in ...
Jobs pledge in 45m upgrade of MetroCentre
May 01, 2007 ... ALMOST 600 jobs will be created if a proposed 45m upgrade at theregion's largest shopping centre is approved.Capital Shopping Centres(CSC) has submitted plans to Gateshead Council to refurbish part ofthe MetroCentre, to include a cinema, shops and a familyentertainment centre, with a ...
Acquisition of hotel worth 1.9m
May 01, 2007 ... A LEISURE company has expanded with the 1.9m acquisition of ahotel.Tavistock Leisure Ltd has bought the Best Western HighfieldHotel, in Marton Road, Middlesbrough, and plans to invest in the siteand create a restaurant and bar.The acquisition follows the recentlaunch of the Tavistock ...
Wise investment
May 01, 2007 ... BREWIN Dolphin Securities, parent company of Wise Speke - theNorth-East's largest investment management firm - has achieved itshighest ISA sales for five years, with ...
Put safety first, or the future of your company could be at risk
May 01, 2007; ... WHEN we as consumers go shopping, there is little to show for howmuch work has gone on behind the scenes to ensure the safety of theproducts we buy.The General Product Safety Regulations 2005 created anew statutory regime for product safety in terms of management issuesand ...
Ban could be a smoking gun for litigious staff
May 01, 2007; ... BUSINESSES could face costly claims for personal injury and unfairdismissal if they fail to comply with the impending smoking ban, aNorth-East employers' organisation has warned.The ban, which willtake effect throughout England on July 1, will see many places acrossthe country become ...
Property specialist cements his reputation
May 01, 2007 ... PROPERTY law specialist Barney Frith, pictured with senior partnerRob Langley, left, has been appointed as a partner at regional firmWatson Burton.After four years at rival practice Robert Muckle, MrFrith, who has specialised in property development and associatedconstruction law since ...
Staying ahead of the game when trading globally
May 01, 2007; ... The Tees Valley has a number of entrepreneurs and world classbusinesses but, asks Rick Warburton, managing partner of YorkshireBank's Tees Valley financial solutions centre, why is it that manycompanies fail to make an impact when trying to trade on aninternational level?INTERNATIONAL ...
Q2U is getting bigger by design
May 01, 2007 ... HOUSEHOLD company Q Interiors is adding a new division to thebusiness which is expected to have a significant impact on its stafflevels and turnover.The business, which has been trading in Newcastlefor 12 years, has launched its Q2U branch specialising in bespokefurniture such as chairs, ...
Wife signs up as business booms
May 01, 2007 ... DEMAND for an oven valeting company has been so high its owner isexpanding the business by recruiting his wife.Derek Lancaster,franchisee of the Ovenu business in Darlington, has brought in wifeDeb to help ...
Wedding shop devoted to gay couples is launched
May 01, 2007; ... THE first wedding shop dedicated to civil partnerships has beenlaunched in the NorthEast.Lynn Lucas, from South Tyneside, opened hernew store - Aisle Alter Hymn - on Saturday, for gay and lesbiancouples hoping to buy the right outfit for their big day.Since civilpartnerships became legal ...
Career blossoms
May 01, 2007 ... A FORMER teacher has set up a wedding stationery business calledJennyfleur Forever. Jenny Smith decided on the venture when ...
NEWS in brief
May 01, 2007 ... Rural association extends deadlineTHE Country Land and BusinessAssociation (CLA) has extended the deadline for its Rural BuildingsAwards until Thursday, May 31. A CLA Centenary initiative, it is fornew or converted rural buildings that reflect a wide range ofdiversification projects, ...
Herd to go under the hammer
May 01, 2007 ... ONE of the finest Limousin commercial suckler herds in the countrywill be auctioned this month.The Robertson family brought the breedto Britain when Seorus Robertson asked the Ministry of Agriculturefor an import permit in 1969.They arrived in 1971 and the Limousin isnow, numerically, ...
Rigel Pistol claims his crown
May 01, 2007 ... A BULL from a North Yorkshire farming partnership achieved the topprice at the Salers Cattle Society inaugural spring show and sale inBristol.Rigel Pedigree, in Middletonon-Leven, near Yarm, saw RigelPistol, their polled (hornless) bull fetch 3,500 gns.A 23-month-oldson of Rigel Othello ...
Personal battle on the road to success
May 01, 2007; ... Arson attacks, last-minute switches of business location and abattle with bipolar disorder have made for a rollercoaster ride forentrepreneur James Robson over the past 14 years. For the latest inour Success 2007 series, MIKE PARKER reports on the eventful growthof a specialist chemicals ...
Churning a living after moving North
May 01, 2007; ... Rural affairs editor Mike Bridgen talks to a couple who gave uptheir busy lives in the South to set up a cheese business in theNorth-EastLAURA and Simon Thearle gave up the bustle of life in theSouth for the tranquility of Teesdale.But, instead of slowing down,they now get up at 4.30am ...
Strong economy and record profitability accelerates business property demand
May 01, 2007 ... DEMAND for commercial property accelerated at the fastest pace inseven years, boosted by a strong economy and record profitability,according to a RICS commercial property survey.Business demand forcommercial property picked up at the fastest pace in seven years,with the retail sector no ...
Early viewing of Lateshopper is recommended
May 01, 2007 ... THE Newcastle office of specialist business agents, Christie + Co,has been appointed to handle the sale of the Lateshopper conveniencestore in West Auckland, County Durham, on behalf of the currentproprietor.The business trades as a licensed newsagents and a generalconvenience store, ...
Good news for shop hunters!
May 01, 2007 ... AN established newsagents and off licence, located in a prominentmain road position in St Helen Auckland, a village near BishopAuckland, in County Durham, has been placed on the market through theNewcastle office of specialist business agents Christie + Co.StHelens News & Off Licence is ...
Investing in children's future
May 01, 2007 ... HAS the penny dropped at last for grandparents and other relativeswho are paying about 85m a year into Child Trust Funds for toddlerswho cannot touch the money until their 18th birthday?While grown-upsare sceptical about Gordon Brown and his "stealth" taxes, childrenborn on and after ...
Cable & Wireless gains ground despite rumours
May 01, 2007 ... TELECOMS group Cable & Wireless yesterday refused to rule out abreak up of its business as speculation mounted over the group'splans to spin off its UK and international operations.The firm isrumoured to be putting in place plans to sell the businesses inseparate deals, with private ...
Buying into our local heroes of the stockmarket
May 01, 2007; ... HOW many investors are unaware of local companies which trade onthe UK market?I am sure most people would have heard of Sage, theNewcastle-based software company, but how many other companies arefamiliar to local investors ?Sage has been continually expandingsince the beginning of 1980, ...
Market report
May 01, 2007 ... A STRONG run for firms reporting results this week helped London'sblue-chips gain ground yesterday although downbeat economic news fromthe US took the gloss off the day.The FTSE 100 Index closed thesession up 30.5 points at 6449.2 as it gave back some of its earliergains after ...
Plans to knock down streets
May 01, 2007 ... PLANS are being drawn up by Darlington Borough Council to demolishstreets of privately-owned terraced houses in the town. The ...
Parking anger
May 01, 2007 ... A MOTORIST has said car parking spaces in Darlington are unlawful.Nigel Allan has vowed to fight a fine imposed for straying over ...
Facing prison
May 01, 2007 ... A NEIGHBOUR from hell is facing up to two years in jail afterbeing found guilty of breaching a restraining order ....
Fight looming over pit claims
May 01, 2007 ... THE Department of Trade and Industry has indicated it will fightany compensation claims from former miners over knee injuries. Aregister of potential claimants who have suffered knee ...
Shildon arson
May 01, 2007 ... ARSONISTS have destroyed a children's playhouse at a Shildonnursery school. The attack at the ...
Eldon 92,000
May 01, 2007 ... RESIDENTS are celebrating after a 92,000 play area at Eldon wasgiven the goahead. Sedgefield Borough ...
Battle to free trapped boy
May 01, 2007 ... ROCK-CUTTING equipment was used to free a teenager who got his legtrapped at a North Yorkshire beauty spot. Fire crews battled forseveral hours yesterday to free Ethan Bradley from a fissure atBrimham Rocks, near Harrogate. The 13-yearold became trapped up tothe knee while on a visit to ...
'My son was murdered'
May 01, 2007 ... A MOTHER whose son's body was found at the foot of HownsgillViaduct, near Consett, has said he did not kill himself ....
Miners' claims
May 01, 2007 ... THE Department of Trade and Industry has indicated it will fightany compensation claims in the High Court from former miners overknee injuries ....
Smoking ban
May 01, 2007 ... A SHOPPING centre in Durham has banned smoking from today. ThePrince Bishops Shopping Centre has said it has consulted ...
OWEN BACK ON THE ATTACK
May 01, 2007 ... MICHAEL OWEN celebrates an early goal last night on his return tothe Newcastle United team - but his celebration was cut ...
Four men deny kidnap charge
May 01, 2007 ... FOUR men have pleaded not guilty to kidnapping Teesside builderTony Pattison and holding him hostage for more than 30 hours. MichaelCollins and Peter Morrison, both 44, Colin Threadgill, 43, andBronson Tyers, 30, face charges of conspiracy to kidnap andconspiracy to blackmail. They ...
Kicking spree
May 01, 2007 ... TWO men who kicked a motionless man as he lay in a Redcar shopdoorway have been jailed for nine months. Scott Fairservice and ...
Ten years of Blair in power: the verdict
May 01, 2007; ... PRIME Minister Tony Blair has presided over a widening of theNorth-South divide during his decade in office, according to aleading North-East academic.A report published today, to coincidewith the tenth anniversary of Labour's 1997 election landslide,concludes that the North-East has ...
Teenage traveller denies raping girls at horse fair
May 01, 2007 ... A TEENAGE traveller has appeared in court charged with raping twogirls at a country fair.The 15-year-old attacked a 13-year-old girlbefore he raped her 14-year-old friend minutes later, Carlisle CrownCourt was told yesterday.Prosecutors said he raped the cryingschoolgirl before he forced ...
Singer Justin drops in for gym session ahead of show
May 01, 2007 ... WITH his stubble and scruffy sweatpants, gym staff almost failedto notice the superstar in their midst yesterday.It was only hisfamous swagger - and the fact he had two minders with him - that gavethe game away.US singer Justin Timberlake limbered up for two showsin Newcastle, last night ...
Hospice support
May 01, 2007 ... SUPPORTERS of a hospice have had their most successful year,raising 14,000 for the charity. The Richmond support group for StTeresa's Hospice, in Darlington, ...
Man's body found
May 01, 2007 ... POLICE cordoned off a road after a man's body was discoveredyesterday.A 45-year-old man was found in Kirton Park Terrace, justoff Preston Road, in North Shields, North ...
Six more in court after police raids carried out
May 01, 2007 ... ANOTHER six people were in court yesterday on charges relating tolast week's nationwide drugs raids, led by Cleveland Police.The fourmen and two women, all from the North-East, were charged withconspiracy to supply a Class A controlled drug - crack cocaine.Theywere bailed to appear at ...
Mother says Kane, 16, was murdered
May 01, 2007 ... THE mother of a teenage boy who fell 180ft from a bridge believeshe was murdered.Christine Thompson, the mother of Kane Davis, 16, hasrejected claims her son killed himself, and said his injuries wereinconsistent with a fall from the bridge.Kane's body was found nearHownsgill Viaduct, a ...
Drugs recovered in officers' raid
May 01, 2007 ... DRUGS with a street value of 65,000 have been recovered in apolice raid.It was carried out on Friday at a house in Dundas Street,Sunderland.Two men, aged 36 and 32, were arrested and drugs,including cocaine, heroin and cannabis, were recovered, along with ...
Motorcyclist is named
May 01, 2007 ... A MOTORCYCLIST who died when his bike hit a concrete fence at theweekend was named yesterday.Stephen Wind, 39, of Blackgate West,Coxhoe, near Durham City, was thrown off his Kawasaki bike at LowRedgate Bank, near Wolsingham, County Durham, on Saturday evening.Theself-employed builder was ...
Son tells inquest of father's last phone call
May 01, 2007; ... A YOUNG soldier told an inquest how his firefighter father ranghim to say he had "had enough", only 30 minutes before he walked intoa fire station and set himself alight.Tim Tasane told his son, Ben,that he was "going away" because of mounting debt that meant his homein Linden Road, ...
Archbishop calls on voters to keep out extremists
May 01, 2007 ... THE second highest-ranking clergyman in the Church of England isurging people to use their vote at Thursday's local elections.TheArchbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, has taken out a quarter-pageadvertisement in his local paper asking people to remember the pricepaid for democracy by ...
Blair: 'NHS reforms to stay after I've gone'
May 01, 2007 ... TONY BLAIR cautioned against any dismantling of his NHS reformsyesterday as he insisted they would be vindicated after he had leftoffice.The Prime Minister acknowledged that many people remained tobe convinced by moves to increase choice and competition in thehealth service.But he argued ...
TV critic to launch film festival
May 01, 2007 ... A SEASIDE town is to launch its first film festival with the helpof movie critic Barry Norman.Volunteers are busy making the finalpreparations for the Saltburn Film Festival.For the past four years,regular screenings have been organised by Saltburn Community and ArtsAssociation's Film ...
Ex-miners face court fight over injuries
May 01, 2007; ... A MAMMOTH legal battle was looming last night over compensationfor thousands of ex-miners who suffered knee injuries.At a courthearing yesterday, it was agreed that a register of potentialclaimants could be opened, allowing men and their families to state aformal interest in pursuing ...
Play called off after crash
May 01, 2007 ... A VILLAGE church cancelled a play as a mark of respect to a boykilled in a car smash.Mathew Richard Bull, six, of Bankhead Road, inNorthallerton, North Yorkshire, was killed in a four-vehicle smash onthe A167 on Sunday, April 22.He and his fellow pupils, from EastCowton Church of England ...
Have we never had it so good?
May 01, 2007 ... For ten years, the man at Number Ten has been one of the North-East's own MPs, and a new study suggests that we have never had it sogood. Paul Cook looks at two couples from different sides of theregion's own wealth divide to find out how they have fared underPrime Minister Tony ...
Sony prizes for Evans and the late John Peel
May 01, 2007 ... CHRIS EVANS and the late John Peel were among the winners at theSony Radio Academy Awards last night.Evans scooped the two big prizesof the night.He beat Jonathan Ross to be crowned Music RadioPersonality of the Year.And his Radio 2 drivetime show won theEntertainment Award, snatching it ...
Wonder nuts that slash cholesterol
May 01, 2007 ... PISTACHIOS in the diet can substantially reduce cholesterol andhelp prevent narrowing of the arteries, research has shown.A coupleof handfuls of the nuts a day can make a big enough difference tolower the risk of heart disease, say scientists. Volunteers who atethree ounces of pistachios ...
Money Babs
May 01, 2007 ... BARBRA STREISAND is to charge up to 500 per ticket when she playsthe UK this summer.The cheapest seats for the star's concert atLondon's O2 Arena - formerly the Millennium ...
Benefits to be hit by walk-out
May 01, 2007 ... TENS of thousands of civil servants will today stage a secondnational strike in a bitter row over jobs, pay and privatisation,which will hit courts, tax offices, job centres, galleries anddriving tests.The Public and Commercial Services union said the 24-hour walkout would affect hit up ...