The Northern Echo

2023 - 3 - 26

Post cover — Image courtesy of "The Northern Echo"

Whorlton Hall: Defendants due to start giving evidence (The Northern Echo)

The prosecution has closed its case in the trial of nine former members of staff at Whorlton Hall accused of abusing vulnerable patients.

• Karen McGhee, 54, from Wildair Close, Darlington, faced a total of four charges relating to a male and a female patient which were all said to have happened in January 2019. • Sarah Banner, 33, from Faulkner Road, Newton Aycliffe, stands accused of three charges of ill-treatment or neglect of a female in her care on January 24 and of a male patient the following day. • Matthew Banner, 43, of the same Newton Aycliffe address, faced six charges all relating to the same patient at Whorlton Hall on separate occasions between January 6 and February 22. • Niall Mellor, 26, of Lingmell Dene, Coundon, Bishop Auckland, is accused of the ill-treatment or wilful neglect of a patient on two occasions on January 20 and 24, 2019. • Darren Mark Lawton, 47, of Miners Crescent, Darlington, by virtue of being a care worker, allegedly ill-treated or wilfully neglected a patient on January 27, 2019, and faces the same charge relating to a different patient on February 2. The accused are: • John Sanderson, 25, of Cambridge Avenue, Willington, faces two charges of care worker ill-treatment or wilful neglect of an individual on February 2 and 25, 2019.

Don Quixote painting in Whitby sold at Scarborough auction (The Northern Echo)

The picture, at the home in Whitby, was Don Quixote, painted in 1961 by the abstract expressionist Julio Pomar (1926-2018), one of the most renowned Portuguese ...

Actually it even surprised the vendor, who was present to watch the auction. What a return!” He and his wife had no strong feelings about the picture and they were unaware of Pomar’s importance – or the potential value.” What a find. “We went into the auction with five bidders on the telephone lines - all but one of them in Portugal - countless people registered to bid on the internet and with a clutch of advance commissions. “The vendor inherited the painting from his father, a Scottish art dealer, who bought it in Edinburgh in 1989 for £89.

Family affair as Team Dods looks ahead to new season (The Northern Echo)

County Durham trainer Michael Dods is looking forward with confidence to the new season after a milestone year in 2022. He talks to PETER BARRON.

Michael thinks it will be “extremely difficult” for COMMANCHE FALLS to make it a three-timer in the Stewards’ Cup. Having trained Group 1 winners in Mecca’s Angel and Mabs Cross, the yard is mostly associated with sprinters, but Michael is hopeful that WOR WILLIE can make his mark as a stayer this season. It’s going to be hard in handicaps but he likes to be surrounded by a lot of horses, whereas listed races tend to be smaller fields and more tactical. “It was a memorable year but we’re always looking to improve the quality of the horses and we think we’ve done that for this season,” says the County Durham trainer. “I’ll discuss the options with the owner before making a decision. The six-year-old gelding, owned by Fiona Denniff, was runner-up in the Lincoln two years ago but may instead be aimed at a listed race on the Doncaster card.

Deloitte could open new office in Darlington creating 200 jobs (The Northern Echo)

International audit, financial advisory and tax firm Deloitte has announced it is set to establish a new office in the Tees Valley, set to employ up…

Cllr Jonathan Dulston, Leader of Darlington Borough Council and member of the Tees Valley Combined Authority, said: “This would be fantastic news for Darlington. “To have one of the Big 4 opening offices in Darlington would show that what we are doing is working. Mr Hall said: “We’ve always worked on Teesside and are keen to put the North East on the map for Deloitte.

Darlington wind farm community fund gets 30 per cent boost (The Northern Echo)

The annual amount available to charities and community groups from a fund linked to a Darlington wind farm is set to increase by more than 30 per…

“We are very grateful for the huge input Brian has had on this project. “We’ve worked with Cllr Jones for the best part of a decade on the development, launch and delivery of the Moor House Wind Farm fund, and he’s made a huge contribution towards ensuring that dozens of local good causes have been able to undertake community improvement projects which might otherwise have remained out of reach. “The Moor House Wind Farm fund provides a great example of how this objective has been realised in practice, and having chosen to make it an index-linked fund, we’re now able to make even more money available to local good causes. The Moor House Wind Farm fund is independently administered on behalf of Banks Renewables by the County Durham & Darlington Community Foundation, with a funding committee made up of local community representatives who meet regularly to assess grant applications to help ensure that grants are awarded to projects that meet local priorities. Mr Jones says: “The impact of the Moor House Wind Farm fund can be seen right across the community and many thousands of local people have directly benefited from the wind farm’s presence in our area. As part of the development of its Moor House Wind Farm, Banks Renewables established a community fund through which £30,000 is made available to local good causes every year, a figure which equates to over £750,000 through its 25-year lifespan.

Royal award nom for dedicated woman's safety volunteer (The Northern Echo)

A volunteer dedicating her spare time to helping women in Middlesbrough feel safe on a night out has been nominated for Coronation Champions Awards.

Beth said: “It would mean so much to receive the award. I've also met friends for life during the process.” Beth is now in the running to become one of a total of 500 volunteers, who will be selected as the nation’s Coronation Champions and invited to attend one of the official Coronation celebrations. As well as receiving an invite to one of the official events, such as the Windsor Castle Coronation Concert or a Coronation Garden Party, all 500 Champions, will also receive a specially designed, official Coronation Champions pin and a certificate signed by His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort. The awards are being held to celebrate the Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort. With the support of the Queen Consort, a passionate advocate of volunteering and President of Royal Voluntary Service, the Coronation Champions awards are set to recognise exceptional volunteers from across the country at this momentous point in history.

Paralympian Jonnie Peacock insists 'the fire is back' (The Northern Echo)

The 29-year-old from Cambridge won back-to-back gold medals at London 2012 and Rio 2016, before sharing a dead-heat bronze in Tokyo with Johannes Floors.

On the Every Body Moves website there is something for everyone.” It’s about getting people involved in sport and giving everyone something accessible to them. I think everyone missed that in Tokyo and it’s going to be a big party, fingers crossed.” “We’re really lucky to be full-time athletes. “But the fire is back. It’s just going to be a good spirit in Paris.