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Chris was appointed editor of the Gazette in January 2012. He is also a former Gazette news editor. Chris has more than 20 years experience as a journalist and has previously worked in senior positions in Newcastle, Exeter and Nottingham.
Boro Taxis has invested a six-figure sum in new technology that will help improve passenger safety, according to bosses.
The software allows people to talk directly to the driver who is picking them up and vice versa - and tracking of the vehicle at any point up to the end of the journey.
The company, which has one of the largest fleets in the North-east, say it wants to focus on improving how the company dispatches taxis and the operation of its accounts.
The computer upgrade will improve booking office features and administration, providing electronic invoicing in response to customers’ requirements.
The new hi-tech system continues to allow the dispatch control centre to communicate with its drivers but now will enable customers to talk directly to the driver who is picking them up and vice versa.
Boro Taxis employs almost 900 people and has a fleet of 750 vehicles,
Founder Mohammed Bashir said the latest investment demonstrates Mr Bashir’s commitment to continuing developing and improving the business.
He said: “Businesses need to constantly evolve to ensure that the best possible customer service is provided.
“This significant investment in the latest computer software reflects Boro Taxis policy of continually upgrading and improving its processes, administration and fleet.
“Customer service is ‘King’ in our sector and this state-of-the-art software will play a key part in further enhancing the standard of service we are able to offer to our clients, both individuals and corporate contracts.
“A company needs to continually invest to make sure it not only maintains, but advances its standards.
“The new software will bring a range of service improvements including an improved booking app which allows you check vehicle availability and estimated waiting times.
“Once your booking has been dispatched you are able to track your vehicle at any time up until the end of the journey, enhancing safety further.
“By using GPS satellite, you are now able to book a taxi in ‘one tap of the app’, providing a faster booking process and avoiding telephone booking queues.
“Another facility enables the customer to talk directly to the driver if necessary.
“For example, a customer and the driver may be waiting at different entrances of the same location, for example James Cook University Hospital. The customer and/or driver, using their mobile phone will be connected via the computer software enabling direct communication with each other.”
The company has steadily increased the number of drivers to meet the demand for its services. Its workforce of 900 is made up of a mixture of direct employees and self-employed drivers, all of whom are fully trained.
The firm was given a final, formal warning by authorities at a public inquiry last month following an investigation into its minibus fleet, amid concerns about vehicle and driver safety standards.
A spokesperson for the company said in the last 18 months, it had made “significant investments in training, extra staffing, system upgrades and more regular rigorous audits to ensure compliance.”
There had been no further non compliance or prohibitions since March 2014.
A construction boss has told of how some “tough decisions” following the sudden death of his father has led to the family business quadrupling turnover.
Gus Robinson Developments Ltd is on course to hit the £20m turnover mark – just four years after it was left facing an uncertain future.
The Hartlepool construction firm, which employs 100 people, posted a turnover of just £5m in the 2011/12 financial year, after the firm’s figurehead Gus Robinson tragically died suddenly in November 2011.
Gus’s grief-stricken son Dan stepped into the breach, making some “tough” decisions to stop the business from going under - all while dealing with the loss of his father.
Just three years later, latest company figures for 2014 show a far healthier outlook.
Dan, who is based in the US, said: “When Dad died, I remember being on the plane on the way back from America wondering how I was going to lead the team through some very difficult times.
“I arrived back into the UK the following morning and immediately got to work on the transformation that same day.
“It was tough. When I looked at the business, we were poorly positioned to face the global financial crisis and the inevitable impact on the construction industry. When everything collapsed, we suffered badly.
“The whole business needed restructuring and strategically, we needed to reposition the company. I looked very carefully at the various ways in which the government was managing the country’s economic recovery and my judgement was that what they were doing was painful but sensible, that a strong recovery would come, and that house building would lead the way.
“If I’m honest, it was an educated gamble. I got the whole company together, I was very honest with them and I told them that there would be some difficult decisions to make but that I was prepared to make them. In the short term, we had to sacrifice together, collectively as a team.
“In the wake of losing dad and inheriting a business that was in such bad shape, I needed to act with decisive leadership to keep the team together during that period.
“Numerous changes were made to the firm including some very painful decisions but at the same time, we had reposition and win work. Things started to change for the firm thanks to a £1.7m contract which saw a redevelopment at Monmouth Grove in the Throston area of Hartlepool.
“That got £1.7m back into the cash flow, and off the back of that we won the contract for Crown House which was another £2.2m contract and a huge boost for us.
“That was a strategically important project for us but we delivered an exceptionally successful scheme within a very tight timeline. Even though I lost sleep over it – it once again demonstrated our capability as a company.”
The appointment of Steve Bell as Land and Development Director in 2013 has been a ‘key factor’ in the company’s growth, he added.
Now the next goal is to achieve a £40m turnover.
Dan added: “I love coming to work, I love the story behind the transformation of this business, and I love the team we have in place here. It’s a fun place to be.
“I hope Dad would be proud.”
The big stage was set - again - and Boro were primed to tear up the script and march into the last eight leaving another of the Premier League 'giants' trailing in their wake.
It didn't quite work out like that. The sheer brilliance of Arsenal ensured there was to be no repeat of Boro's heroics at the Etihad in the last round.
The reaction of both Aitor Karanka and Patrick Bamford after the game is an indication of the high standards Boro have set themselves.
Perfectionist Karanka slammed Boro's first half display while Bamford felt the side let the terrific travelling Teessiders down.
They didn't. True, Boro weren't at their best in the first half. They looked sluggish in places, misplaced passes and conceded two soft goals.
That's what will have riled the boss. Both goals could have been prevented. But Boro were up against an Arsenal side at their free-flowing easy on the eye best. They were up against a Gunners side who can beat on team on the planet on this form.
Boro were defeated but not disgraced and when the dust settles they can take heart from a battling display against a top-class outfit.
Here's what we learnt from the defeat at Arsenal:
Keep Cazorla quiet and Ozil will strike. Keep the German World Cup winner quiet and Sanchez will cause the problems.You get the message.
It would have been difficult enough for Boro if one of those players was in the mood. They all were.
The magnificent trio in this sort of form were a pleasure to watch.
Adam Clayton and Grant Leadbitter have been the leading duo in the middle of the park in the Championship but there are leagues upon leagues. The perfectly weighted through balls were cutting through Boro like a knife through butter.
Grant Leadbitter in action for Boro at Arsenal
The fact Cazorla sat a little deeper - he appeared to have been tasked with keeping an eye on Tomlin - didn't prevent him from causing problems in the final third.
Both the Spaniard and Ozil have a wonderful knack of finding a yard regardless of how many players are attempting to steal the ball from their magical feet.
The fact it was another attacking threat - Giroud - who got the goals shows the sheer quality of the team Boro were up against.
At least George Friend was spared late in the second half was Sanchez was replaced.
Then it was just a matter of keeping Theo Walcott quiet...
An FA Cup run to the fifth round went hand-in-hand with Boro's superb league form.
And the trips to the Etihad and then the Emirates were refreshing for both the fans and the players in the middle of the Championship grind.
An added bonus - Boro and their players have proved they're not out of place at the top level.
Kike rues a missed chance
The two quick-fire goals yesterday essentially finished the match before the break.
A team at its most dangerous on the break suddenly had to commit bodies if they were going to launch an improbable comeback. That comeback never looked likely. In truth, Arsenal plodded along in a low gear throughout.
Boro's hopes always rested on frustrating the Gunners and hitting them on the break, the system that worked in such devastating fashion against City.
George Friend in action against Arsenal
That went out of the window when Giroud struck twice in a matter of minutes.
But rather than dwell on it, Boro need to take heart and get back to the bread and butter of the Championship.
Aitor Karanka said the players will benefit from the experience. Here's hoping it inspires them to ensuring such trips aren't limited to the cup competitions.
Magic of the FA Cup? It's certainly worked some magic on Tomas Mejias.
Boro's Spanish stopper looks transformed from the nervous, weak keeper that started the campaign between the sticks.
His display against City was extremely impressive but what Mejias showed at the Emirates yesterday was that the performance in the fourth round was no fluke.
His save to deny Alexis Sanchez was world-class and he followed that with an impressive stop to keep out Theo Walcott.
Tomas Mejias in action against Arsenal
But this wasn't a performance limited to eye-catching saves. Mejias was commanding in the box, rising high to gather crosses with relative ease.
That was the element of his game that was most concerning at the start of the season.
What Mejias has proved in the FA Cup this year is that he's no lost cause. Project Mejias is alive and well.
Whether he gets another chance before the end of the season remains to be seen but he's done more than enough to give Karanka food for thought.
Madness are to embark on the biggest outdoor tour ever seen in the UK and will end it in the North East.
Fresh off the road from their sell out 2014 arena tour, they will be taking to the road again in the summer on their Grandslam tour and have chosen to close it at the Emirates Durham ICG on Saturday, September 26, with tickets on sale from Friday.
“Come see, come see! The world’s strongest band perform incredible feats live!” the band said today in a statement.
“Marvel as Madness lift an enormous set of polished pop songs high in the air, single handed. The UK’s biggest open air tour ever. Rolling into a town near you, soon.”
The tour, which runs from May to September, will take in 19 shows at some of the greatest sporting venues around the country, including racecourses, cricket grounds, rugby and football stadiums.
These shows will offer the concertgoers the unique experience of an outdoor event with a festival vibe, set within iconic huge green spaces.
Madness will be performing inimitable quirky pop classics such as House of Fun, Baggy Trousers and My Girl, songs that are guaranteed to draw you in, get you dancing and singing along.
The band will also be performing some of their new songs, their first new recordings in three years.
David Harker, Group Chief Executive of Durham County Cricket Club, said: “We are thrilled to secure the Grandslam Madness concert here at Emirates Durham ICG on Saturday, September 26.
“This concert further puts Durham CCC on the map as a leading concert venue in the North East. We are expecting sell out figures of up to 12,000 people to attend the concert and anticipate that this event will continue to secure the Emirates Durham ICG as one of the regions premier venues for music.
“Madness are a band of the people, who inject fun into everything they do and the tour promises to be a once in a lifetime opportunity to see one of the greatest bands in the world play at Durham County Cricket Club.”
Gates open at 3pm
Tickets for Grandslam Madness will be on sale Friday 20 February at
General Admission £35
Family ticket £99 (Admits, two adults and two children up to the age of 16 years of age)
Ticket Bundles
£55 - Gladness Beer Garden, exclusive tour t-shirt, commemorative P.E.T glass.
For hospitality bookings visit http://bit.ly/1v36MaK
Brave rape victim Jill Harrison has told how she tried to kill herself after her brutal ordeal at the hands of her former partner.
But the 54-year-old said she is a “survivor” who now wants to turn her life around.
Anthony Graham, stalked, bound and raped Ms Harrison in a house in Laburnum Road, Redcar, and threatened to kill her and her friend Thomas Elton.
During the vicious attack Graham, 47, told a terrified Ms Harrison that he had paid £2,500 for two men to kill her and Mr Elton, pick them up in a black car and bury them on the Moors.
Two days after the rape, Graham savagely attacked Mr Elton, 66, with a hammer while he was out walking his dog in Redcar.
He was left brain damaged, confined to a wheelchair and suffers from epilepsy.
Ms Harrison, from Redcar, has bravely waived her right to anonymity to speak out about her ordeal and is urging other women who are victims but haven’t told police, to come forward.
She said: “It destroyed me and I will never be able to rid myself of the images, memories and pain but I am still here and I want to put it behind me now.
"I want to rebuild my life. When you reach rock bottom, there is only one way and that is up.
"I am planning to open my own business in Redcar and more importantly I want to care for and support Tom as much as I can and am allowed to.”
Jillian Harrison
She said Mr Elton, a former mechanic, is her “motivation and priority”.
“It is for him who I want to turn things around for," Ms Harrison added.
"I am still able to walk and talk but he can’t. I hate thinking of what that man did to him.
“But Tom is a strong, brave and intelligent person. He took a turn for the better recently and I know he will keep getting better.”
Ms Harrison said that after the attacks, she became homeless, tried to kill herself and admitted herself to Roseberry Park Hospital in Middlesbrough.
"I had a nervous breakdown and I started having suicidal thoughts. I tried to take my life and was told I was very lucky to still be alive," she added.
“I panicked a lot and I didn’t like going out by myself.
“I felt like I had let my family down. My dad died eight months before the attack.
"My family was grieving and then this happened. It was hard for them too and I didn’t realise that at the time.”
Graham pleaded guilty to a count of rape and one of grievous bodily harm and in October last year he was jailed for life with a minimum of nine years.
Detectives who investigated the two vicious attacks praised Ms Harrison and Mr Harrison for their “tremendous strength”.
Detective Chief Inspector Anne-Marie Salwey said: “The sentence given to Graham reflects the seriousness of his crimes.
"His victims will be affected for the rest of their lives, so it’s only right that he spends a long time behind bars.
“The victims and their families were forced to relive everything as Graham put them through the distress of preparing for a trial, they have shown tremendous strength and bravery throughout the investigation and I hope today’s result helps them in some way to begin to rebuild their lives.”
Ms Harrison has praised police for the support and help they gave her when she came forward following the attack.
“I was very hesitant about talking to police," she said.
"It was a scary thought but from start to finish they were absolutely brilliant.
"They looked after me and made the process a lot easier. I can’t thank them enough.
"Detective Constable Tony Ward and Detective Constable Kat Mansell were great and I want to thank them for what they have done.
“If you are a victim and you haven’t come forward, I know what it is like and I know it is hard but all the help and support is there.
"These people need locking and away and punishing.”
Detective Chief Inspector Anne-Marie Salwey, from the Protecting Vulnerable People Unit, said: “We would always encourage victims of sexual assault or rape to report it to police, whether a lengthy period of time has passed since the incident or not.
“Victims can be assured that we will always investigate every rape or sexual assault that is reported to us.
"There is a huge amount of help and support out there for victims, from our own specially trained officers and also from partner agencies such as the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), ARCH North East or Eva Women’s Aid who will provide a sensitive and dedicated service that meets their needs.”
A woman who was stalked and bound by her jealous ex-partner before he raped her, has spoken out about her terrifying ordeal.
Jill Harrison said she thought she was going to die at the hands of evil Anthony Graham.
As well as the terrifying attack on Ms Harrison, Graham also carried out a brutal hammer attack on long-term friend Thomas Elton while he walked his dog.
The savage assault left Mr Elton, 66 brain damaged, confined to a wheelchair and suffering from epilepsy.
Ms Harrison, from Redcar, has bravely waived her right to anonymity to talk about her ordeal.
And the 54-year-old is encouraging other rape victims - who are too scared to talk to police - to come forward.
She told how her former partner stalked her for days before locking her in a house, raping her and telling her he was going to kill her and Mr Elton, also from Redcar, and have them buried on the Moors.
Mum-of-two Ms Harrison first met Graham, who she called Tony, when she was 17.
They lost touch but met again while Ms Harrison was visiting her dad, who had prostate cancer, in hospital and Graham was being treated for a brain tumour.
They became friends and Ms Harrison would see him often in hospital while visiting her dad.
Ms Harrison’s dad died in December 2012 from prostate cancer.
Graham was discharged from hospital and he and Ms Harrison became a couple.
But after about eight months, he started to become violent.
Anthony William Graham
Ms Harrison said: “He stopped taking his medication which gave him terrible mood swings.
"We were having an argument and he slapped me twice.
“They were really hard slaps. I knew then it was going to get worse.”
The couple split but Graham, 47, became fixated with his ex-partner.
He began following her and on one occasion jumped out at her in the street with some flowers.
She would regularly stay at her friend Thomas Elton’s house in Chestnut Avenue, Redcar.
“Tom and I had been a couple years before but we were friends then," she explains.
Jillian Harrison
"He looked after me and would do anything for me. Two days before my father died, dad asked Tom to look after me.
“But Tony thought we were more than friends and wouldn’t have it.”
Ms Harrison said Graham, from Hemlington, would hide in Mr Elton’s garden at night and in October 2013 he went into the house while Mr Elton was out.
“Tom had gone to the shop. Tony must have been watching," Ms Harrison said.
“I heard an awful noise coming from behind me.
"I was in the kitchen and was wearing my pyjamas and a dressing gown.
"It was him - he had come through the front door. He came up behind me and grabbed my hair and lifted me up.
“He said to me: ‘I know he loves you and I know you love him, but he isn’t going to have you’.”
Graham dragged Ms Harrison out the house, down the street and round to corner to a bungalow he was repairing in Laburnum Road.
She said: “I had no shoes on and I was still in my pyjamas and dressing gown, he kept telling me I was going to die and that someone was going to kill Tom.”
Forensics officers at a house in Hemlington
Ms Harrison said Graham locked her in a bedroom and tied her ankle to her wrist and then tied her to the bed.
“When I was tied up he told me that Tom and I were going to die and that he had paid two men £2,500 to come in a black car at midnight to pick us up and take us to the moors where two holes had been dug," she added.
“I was petrified. The image of his angry face is one I can’t get rid off. He was frothing at the mouth and was spitting his words at me.”
Ms Harrison said she was taken to the house early evening and he didn’t let her leave until 9am the next morning.
In that time he had raped her a number of times, and threatened her with a knife when Mr Elton, a former mechanic, had come round to the house to see if she was there.
“Someone knocked at the door. I knew it would be Tom," she said.
"Tony got a knife from the kitchen. Held it to me and said, if you say anything I will kill him.
“Tony went to the door and I could hear Tom asking if I was there but Tony said he hadn’t seen me.
“I had no concept of time when I was in that room - I was petrified that these men were going to come for me at midnight, once it started to get light I started to feel relief that he was lying”
Two days after the rape, Graham attacked Mr Elton with a hammer while he was out walked his Jack Russell dog Ziggy.
Ms Harrison said: “I was at the house when Tom staggered through the front door. It was awful, just so awful.
“I will never forget it. He was soaked with blood and had two holes in his head with blood pouring out.
"I called an ambulance but he refused to go in it. He is such a proud man and wouldn’t go. He just wanted to stay with me.
“I kept an eye on him all night. He kept saying he was fine, but I told him I was taking him to hospital in the morning.
“The police were round the next morning and it was while they were there that Tom took a turn. An ambulance was called and he was taken to hospital.”
The attack left Mr Elton brain damaged and confined to a wheelchair.
Ms Harrison continued: “He was in hospital a long time. I went to see him as much as I was allowed to.
"I still see him and we can talk about old times.”
Jillian Harrison
Graham admitted one charge of rape and one of causing grievous bodily harm at Teesside Crown Court in February last year.
He was jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum sentence of nine years before he can apply for parole.
Ms Harrison added: “The thought of him and what he did still terrifies me.
“It’s more what he did to Tom. Tom is my main priority and motivation now.
"I’m still walking and talking and I can go on, but he can’t.
"What he did to him and his life is just awful.
"But I know Tom will walk again, He is a strong and intelligent man.
“I wish more than anything that I had never met Tony.
"He is where he belongs and if he is ever released, I will not be in the country - that I can be absolutely sure of.”
Celebrity Arsenal fan Piers Morgan rubbed salt in the wound of Boro fans when he took to Twitter today.
“I hope Middlesbrough fans know how to spell “knocked out”...” said the former Daily Mirror editor and TV personality.
Morgan’s tweet comes after Boro fans cut him down to size after he caused a Twitter controversy by misspelling Middlesbrough after Boro were drawn to play the Gunners in the FA Cup.
Morgan tweeted to his 4.35m followers: “BREAKING NEWS: Middlesborough knocked out of FA Cup. Congrats on a great run.”
Piers Morgan mis-spelt Middlesbrough on Twitter
He quickly deleted the offending tweet, and retyped it with the correct spelling received hundreds of messages pointing out his mistake.
The Boro response to his goading tweet after today’s loss was understandable... and mostly unprintable.
Among them were lynx @lynxiberian who said: “@piersmorgan are you insinuating that Middlesbrough fans are in some way stupider than Arsenal fans? #arrogance”
@DeanAFC1989 responded simply “PRAT”.
And Mark Wheeler @watp74 said: “@piersmorgan piers the most fickle fan ever.”
But mostly the Boro fans just rose above it...
Boro were given a painful football lesson by awesome Arsenal but they left the Emirates Stadium with their heads held high.
There was to be no second coupon-buster - that was a dream too far.
Boro almost got a late consolation that may have helped sooth dented pride and bruised egos.
There will be recriminations from fans who feel the team let themselves and the fans down.
In truth, Boro were never in with chance as Arsenal played football from another planet.
They mesmerised us with some sublime stuff : the movement off the ball, the deft touches, the sublime intelligent interplay were all too much.
Boro never got a grip on the game in the way they did at Manchester City, but they were not allowed to.
They never had a chance to close down the Galacticos, never managed to impose their own shape or style on the unfolding game.
But despite the slightly sheepish exit after so much pre-match unaccustomed optimism and expectation, Boro’s cup run this term has still been a huge positive.
It has made memories that have seasoned the bread and butter grind of the Championship campaign and helped feed into the feelgood buzz around the club.
Boro have taken three massive jubilant away days armies as the supporters’ belief has flooded back with huge turnouts at Oakwell, the Etihad and the Emirates.
The well deserved win at Premier League champions and petrodollar juggernaut City in particular will be a delicious memory that will pass into terrace folklore.
That was an “I was there” badge of honour kind of day.
At Arsenal Boro could not repeat that eye-catching display.
It was a game too far. And there’s no disgrace in losing to a team on such sizzling form.
But it was a trip that has whetted the appetite for future fixtures in the big league against star-studded sides and in fantastic stadiums.
It was a fantastic day out. And a lesson.
These last two cup games have raised the bar on the pitch, demonstrating the gulf that Boro must bridge if they are to go up, survive and flourish in the Premier League.
And on balance Aitor Karanka’s outfit have acquitted themselves well. They have played City, Liverpool and Arsenal on their own turf in cups this season, three of the Premier League’s top four last term and won one, drawn one and lost one.
You’d take that next year. And the fan-tastic Teesside travelling army have acquitted themselves well too: loud and proud, quality and quantity, good natured and witty.
They have backed the team from before kick-off until long after the whistle.
There is a growing bond between team and town that has been strengthened by the cup run.
Now the team - and the fans - have to regroup and be ready to renew the push for a promotion that will seal that and make this a year to remember.
Patrick Bamford admitted Boro's dressing room ached with disappointment after their FA Cup adventure came to an end at Arsenal.
A quick-fire brace from Olivier Giroud sent Boro spiralling to a 2-0 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, with the Teessiders failing to pull off another Premier League giant-killing.
Striker Bamford was deployed on the right flank by Boro boss Aitor Karanka, the same as during the 2-0 win at Man City in the previous round, but the England Under-21s star endured a tough afternoon and was substituted on 54 minutes.
"I don't think we did ourselves justice today," the Chelsea loanee said.
"In the first half especially we didn't get tight enough, and if you don't get tight to players like (Mesut) Ozil and Santi Cazorla then things like this can happen.
"I think it could have been more than two-nil, to be honest. You could say there's now no distractions but I think everyone in the dressing room will be disappointed.
"I'm sure the fans will have enjoyed their day out coming to the Emirates but I think we let them down with our performance."
Ben Gibson leads the salute to the fans at the final whistle
It was far from an ideal afternoon for Boro in North London, but redemption could come with victory at Birmingham on Wednesday.
Bamford will be hoping to continue his fine goalscoring form on Wednesday after finding the net three times in his last five appearances.
But when asked if Boro can draw any positives from their defeat ahead of a busy few weeks of Championship action, Bamford said the team should instead draw a line under the performance.
"I think we've got to totally forget about today," Bamford added.
"It was a nice thing for the club to be coming up against another big team like Arsenal after the Man City game, but it wasn't nice on the pitch.
"We'd have loved a cup run but it gives us chance to put all our focus on the league now."
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger was delighted to avoid another giant-killing and hailed his side for their professional approach against Boro.
A brace from Olivier Giroud was enough to see the holders through to the quarter-finals after a one-side fifth round tie at the Emirates.
“It’s difficult for everybody in the Premier League,” said the Gunners boss.
“It requires focus and good pace and I think we controlled the game. We started well and played with pace and that gave them problems.
“Our fluency was great, our movement was good, our technical control was very good today. We lost a little fraction of urgency at 2-0 but we remained serious for the whole game.”
Although Boro failed to do themselves justice following their outstanding display at Manchester City in the fourth round, Wenger believes the Championship outfit are a good team.
“Middlesbrough are a good side,” he said, “well organised and if they had come back to 2-1 I think we would have struggled a little bit.
“They play good football, have good fluency but we managed not to give them any chances but overall you feel it is a good team.”
The victory was Arsenal’s ninth successive home win but Wenger knows there are tough challenges to come.
“We have some tough opponents (to come) here. We still have to play Liverpool, Chelsea and Everton at the Emirates and those will be very important games for us.”
A woman has been talked down from Stockton’s Newport Bridge by police today.
Police and other emergency service colleagues were called to the bridge at around 5.30pm today, where a woman was on scaffolding on the bridge.
A spokesperson for Cleveland Police said: “There were concerns for her welfare and officers closed a number of nearby roads in a bid to allow all services to work together and bring the situation to a swift and safe conclusion.
“The lady came down at 7pm and is now safe and well.”
Emergency services at Newport Bridge
Redcar RNLI were also called to assist.
“We can confirm that the lifeboat has been diverted to assist other emergency services at an incident on the River Tees,” said a spokesperson earlier.
Scaffolding is in place as the Grade II listed bridge undergoes a complete repaint.
The bridge is being painted red and silver to mark its 80th anniversary.
It wasn't as memorable at the trip to Manchester City but the 5,000-plus Boro fans in the Emirates still made an absolute racket until the very end.
Boro's fantastic fans roared the side on against Arsenal but unfortunately weren't treated to a goal as the superb Gunners eased into the last eight.
Tickets for the game sold out in less than 48 hours and those who made the trip certainly made themselves heard.
Were you at the game today? See if you can spot yourself in our gallery of pictures.
Aitor Karanka was less than impressed with his team's first half performance at Arsenal.
The Boro boss believes his players may have been guilty of believing their own publicity following fine cup displays at Liverpool and Manchester City.
Karanka's men never recovered from conceding two goals inside three first half minutes just before the half hour mark of a one-side fifth round FA Cup tie.
Olivier Giroud grabbed both, sweeping home a Kieran Gibbs cross to open the scoring and lashing in Alexis Sanchez's corner from close-range to double the hosts' lead.
There's no doubt Boro were second best in the opening 45 minutes, failing to recapture the spirit of their Capital One Cup tie at Anfield and FA Cup fourth round upset at the Etihad.
Karanka said: “We haven't played with the intensity we normally play with, we were disorganised.
“If you go to the pitch to play Arsenal and you are not 100% this kind of thing can happen.
“I think they thought it was going to be easy because they played very well against Manchester City and they played very well against Liverpool and I think they thought it was going to be another game like City.
“A lot of people thought after our games against Manchester City and Liverpool that it would easy at Arsenal but there is miles and miles between Middlesbrough and Arsenal.
“The second half was better and it was more comfortable for us.”
To their credit, Boro never gave up but it took a fine display from keeper Tomas Mejias to deny Arsenal further goals.
The 5,280 fans in the away end almost had something to celebrate deep into stoppage time but a Kike Garcia header from Ryan Fredericks' cross crashed onto the far post.
Karanka has told his players that their objective now is to make sure they return to the Emirates, Etihad and Anfield to play league fixtures as soon as possible.
“Now the Capital One is passed, the FA Cup is passed and we have a lot of very good memories and now the league is the main thing,” he said.
“The best thing that we can take from this experience is to have this kind of experience.
“It is amazing to play at Anfield, it's amazing to play at the Etihad, it's amazing to play at the Emirates, so we know if we want to play here next season or the following season we have to work hard because everyone knows how difficult the league is.
“We have to keep going, we have had a bad day against Arsenal but we haven't dropped any points.
Boro, who slipped down to second in the Championship table following Bournemouth's draw with Huddersfield, are next in action at Birmingham on Wednesday.
An elderly man was taken to hospital after being hit by a car in East Cleveland.
Emergency services were called to Brotton Road in Carlin How at 7.26pm on Friday following reports of the incident involving a male pedestrian and a grey Vauxhall Zafira.
A Cleveland Police spokesman later confirmed the man, who he said was “elderly”, had been taken to James Cook University Hospital.
He remained there for treatment yesterday but his condition is unknown.
While police and ambulance crews dealt with the incident, which happened at the junction of Mount Pleasant and Brotton Road, officers closed the road to traffic.
There were long tailbacks as a result and the road eventually reopened at about 10pm.
Boro huffed and puffed but were dumped out of the FA Cup by a top-class Arsenal side.
Gazette writer Jonathan Taylor offers five observations from the game:
1) Arsene Wenger clearly did his homework on Boro before the match. After watching Aitor Karanka pull off a tactical masterclass at the Etihad Stadium in the previous round, Arsenal came flying out the blocks and never let Boro find their feet. Santi Cazorla was playing alongside Mathieu Flamini in the holding role, and the two of them starved Lee Tomlin of any service. Wenger is under pressure to deliver trophies - and his decision to play Alexis Sanchez, Danny Welbeck and Olivier Giroud from the off clearly outlined his intentions.
2) Karanka clearly wanted to reward Kike for his recent substitute cameos, with the £2.7m summer signing scoring from the bench against both Man City and Blackpool. But that decision seemed to backfire with Gabriel and Laurent Koscielny never put under any real pressure. Against Man City, it was the runs of Jelle Vossen that caused Vincent Kompany and co a constant headache, and the Belgian's movement was something Boro greatly missed in the first period.
3) Olivier Giroud claimed earlier this week that he nearly signed for Boro following his time at French minnows Tours - and the Gunners' hitman was at his clinical best in the first half. Boro looked in a decent position after 25 minutes with Tomas Mejias having made a couple of good saves, but Giroud then stepped up to the plate. Two shots, two goals, and Boro's afternoon became a much more difficult one. How it could have been different if the French striker chose Teesside instead of moving to Montpellier...
4) Tomas Mejias put in another superb display to keep Boro in the game. The Spanish stopper started the season as Karanka's number one, but came under heavy pressure following a string of errors. He was subsequently dropped, but Mejias will be full of confidence after his FA Cup outings at Man City and now Arsenal. His second half save to deny Alexis Sanchez was one of the best you'll see all season. He's proved he can be a reliable understudy to Dimi Konstantopoulos.
5) Boro rallied in the second half and Kike hitting the woodwork rather summed up the Teessiders' afternoon. It just never got going - but it's been quite an FA Cup adventure. Now with three months to go in the Championship's promotion race, Karanka will urge his side to move on quickly and focus on Wednesday's massive match at Birmingham. Three points at St Andrew's would be the perfect remedy for a tough afternoon at the Emirates.
Fans were left bitterly disappointed after Boro missed out on a place in the quarter finals of the FA Cup.
Following the 2-0 defeat at Arsenal, dedicated supporters who watched the match at The Star on Southfield Road spoke of the blow of being knocked out of the competition at the fifth round.
“I feel sick as a pig,” said Carl Narey, 38, of Middlesbrough.
“I had high hopes before the match”
But fans also remained positive and upbeat, with many saying promotion is more important than an FA Cup win.
“At the end of the day going up is the most important thing,” Carl added.
“Our eyes are on the Premiership.”
Tim Mountain, 48, a long-standing season ticket holder, said: “We were just totally outclassed.
“It is gutting. Of course it would be great to have stayed in the cup but it is not a disaster. The main goal of course if going up.”
Andrew Hardman, 42, also from Middlesbrough, added: “It is disappointing but they were all over us.”
“I knew it would be difficult but thought we could at least keep it tight until half time,” added Steve Cockburn, 50, a season ticket holder.
“We did so well against City so didn’t think it would be quite like this.”
“We were just dominated,” said Steve’s friend, Keith Harland.
Also speaking after the final whistle was Joe Dybell. He said: “Arsenal didn’t have a midweek game, we did.”
But Brian Hopwood, 40, did not have the same sympathy, adding: “We played really well recently, but that was terrible.
“We played well against Man City and then follow it up with that.”
Earlier this morning, hundreds of Boro fans were in high spirits as they left the Riverside - well before moods will have changed following the two first-half Arsenal goals.
David Hutchinson, 42, from Ingleby Barwick, was one of the first fans to arrive at the Riverside along with his two daughters, Caitlin, 15 and Lucy, 13.
David said: “I am quietly confident about today’s game. We have been excellent so far.”
Stephen Cowley, 32, was with partner, Michelle Atkinson, 29.
Stephen, from Ingleby Barwick, said: “We were at the Manchester City game and it was an amazing day. We’re hoping for the same again today.”
Margaret Dowey, 76, from Ormesby, was with friend, Jean Lowe, 79, from Norton.
Margaret said: “We are really excited. I haven’t slept.”
Hopeful Jean added: “We have been to every one. We were at Manchester City. We are just hoping it will be 2-1.”
The dramatic rescue of a Stockton student from a horror road smash is to feature on the new BBC 1 series Countryside 999.
Teenager Elly Latif suffered multiple injuries when she collided with a lorry on a wet country lane after spending the day at Flamingoland theme park, North Yorkshire, with her best friend and boyfriend.
She was driving back to her Stockton home in driving rain when the accident happened.
“It was pouring with rain and although I was not driving very fast I must have taken this bend too quickly,” said Elly.
“When I braked the wheels just locked and we slid across the road straight into the path of a lorry.”
Tuesday’s Countryside 999 follows the long rescue operation to get the badly injured Elly out of the car.
Boyfriend Daniel Thomas broke a toe and friend Billie Taylor cracked a vertebrae and were taken to hospital by road ambulance.
But Elly was airlifted by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance to York District Hospital with multiple injuries including a broken femur, a shattered and dislocated elbow, broken ribs, bruised lungs and facial injuries.
“I thought the air ambulance was just used to rescue people in remote areas or from mountains,” added Elly, who is studying biomedical science at the University of Lancaster.
“They were just great. If I had had to go by road it would have been much longer. Also with the amount of pain I was in the bumpy roads would have been just awful.”
Elly, now 20, spent two weeks in hospital and was wheelchair bound for a further four months, missing a whole term of her first year at university. It has been a long recovery but she feels very lucky: “It’s been hard. I had to do a lot of work from home and took my end of year exams in August. But it could have been a lot worse and I’m really grateful to all the emergency services for everything they did for me.”
Yorkshire Air Ambulance is an independent charity providing a rapid response emergency service to five million people across Yorkshire. It needs to raise £9,990 each day to keep its two helicopters flying.
Elly’s rescue will feature in Countryside 999 on BBC 1 Tuesday at 11am. The series follows emergency services in rural areas negotiating huge distances and difficult terrain.
Boro travel to the home of Arsenal full of confidence and yet to concede a goal in the FA Cup.
Taking part in their annual battle for fourth place in the Barclays Premier League, Arsenal are also in decent form.
The pain of losing to arch-rivals Tottenham last weekend is still sore, but the Gunners have won six of their last seven matches in all competitions.
Boro's FA Cup dream was rudely ended by an awesome Arsenal side who dished out a footballing lesson.
The Gunners flashed the ball around at high speed and showed some sublime touches and movement in a superb first half in which the Champions League chasers were on a different planet.
Boro struggled to get to grips with the pace and penetration and the game was over as Olivier Giroud scored twice in three blistering minutes in the first half.
After the break Arsenal eased up a bit and Boro laboured back into the game for spells but they lacked a cutting edge.
They may have had a consolation as Kike headed against the post in stoppage time but that couldn't disguise the gulf between the sides as Boro slipped to their first defeat in 11 games.
Aitor Karanka restored most of his regular starters with only three survivors – Adam Clayton, Albert Adomah and Kike - from the 2-1 midweek win at Blackpool.
Arsenal had some slick early possession with red hot Chilean Alexis Sanchez playing keepy-uppy just inside the Boro box at one point before the danger was cleared.
Then on three minutes Clayton fouled Giroud 30 yards out but when Cazorla curled it over the wall and sent it dipping towards the near post alert Tomas Mejias did well to push it around for a corner.
Boro probed as Lee Tomlin collected a Kenneth Omeruo ball forward and tricked past Flamini then tried to slot a pass through to Patrick Bamford's run into the box but it was cut out by Koscielny.
On eight minutes Arsenal threatened as full-back Gibbs over-lapped on the right and crossed for Giroud to knock it down for Sanchez – who looked offside – but Mejias was in quickly to collect.
Then on 11 minutes Carzola found space 30 yards out and slotted a ball into the box to pick out a run by Gibbs but meijas came sliding out to smother at his feet.
There was a scare on 13 minutes as Giroud collected a Gibbs cross and back-heeled in the box for Sanchez but Omeruo made a timely tackle to clear before the striker could shape to shoot.
Then on 14 minutes Arsenal went close as Welbeck picked out Giroud on the edge of the box and he drilled in a stinging shot that sent Mejias full length to block and push the ball wide then the lurking Sanchez fired into the side-netting from a tight angle.
Arsenal were zipping the ball around and switch positions quickly and Boro were having to work hard to keep them at bay and both Clayton and Bamford had to make sliding tackles in the box.
On 22 minutes Ozil cut out a misplaced Adomah pass and slotted forward for Giroud to burst forward but he fired his 20 yard shot in early and it flew straight into the arms of Mejias.
Boro made a rare raid forward on 25 minutes as George Friend raced down the left and pushed it forward for Adomah then burst into the box for the return only to be crowded out.
But Arsenal took the lead on 27 minutes with an exquisite goal after a passing move that carved Boro open.
Ozil went on a weaving run then cut an angled ball to the edge of the box and Cazorla touched it wide for Gibbs to skip to the byline then square across the face of goal and unmarked OLIVIER GIROUD steered home from six yards out.
And Boro were rocked by a second Arsenal goal on 29 minutes as a cheaply conceded corner was whipped to the neat post by Sanchez and OLIVIER GIROUD peeled off at the near post to fire in an angled volley from 10 yards.
Boro responded with a good move as Ryan Fredericks raced down the right and barged through a tackle then crossed in but although Bamford brought it down he couldn't find space to turn and when he played it back out wide.Kike's ball in was cut out and cleared.
Arsenal almost had a third on 34 minutes as Sanchez burst forward and played a one-two with Ozil then chipped past advancing Meijas but Clayton had scampered back and hooked the ball off the line.
Boro had their first effort on target on 39 minutes as Adomah carried the ball down the inside right channel and as the defence backed off he cut to the edge of the box and rifled a low shot and keeper Szczesny had to get down well to smother.
Arsenal almost got lucky on 44 minutes as Ben Gibson blocked a Giroud shot and it looped high into the box and fell for Welbeck to trap and trick past Friend then drill into the side-netting.
HALF-TIME: ARSENAL 2 BORO 0
Arsenal had the first chance after the break on 48 minutes as after a crisp move Ozil squared and Flamini flashed a 22 yard low effort wide.
And they should have had a third on 52 minutes as a wayward Adomah pass was cut out wide on the right and Welbeck wriggled into the box and drew out Mejias then fired wide of the far post from a tight angle.
And two minutes later as Sanchez slotted a ball into the path of Ozil who touched past Omeruo then slammed a waist high 12 yard shot straight at Mejias.
On 54 minutes Boro put on Adam Reach and Jelle Vossen for Tomlin and Bamford.
Reach was quickly in action as he burst forward and ran at Gabriel forcing the Arsenal debutant into a foul that picked up a yellow card on 55 minutes but Leadbitter's 25 yard free-kick hit the wall.
Soon after Boro probed down the right as Adomah sent Frederixks over-lapping but he was sent flying with a good sliding tackle by Gibbs.
Arsenal almost cut through on 62 minutes as Cazorla and Giroud combined to carve into the Boro box for over-lapping Gibbs to pop up on the left and rifle in an angled shot that Mejias palmed away.
And they went closer still on 64 minutes as Cazorla chipped in a free-kick for Sanchez to flick on a header that Mejias did well to scramble around the foot of the far post.
Boro win a free-kick 30 yards out on 69 minutes after Kike was brought down but it was cleared then a poor ball back in from Omeruo was cut and Arsenal broke quickly but Giroud over-ran it and the danger came to nothing.
Arsenal almost broke soon after as some electric footwork by Sanchez saw him wriggle into the box and play a one-two with Ozil but as he prepared to shoot Fredericks arrived with a superb tackle.
On 71 minutes Arsenal put on Rosicky and Walcott for Sanchez and Welbeck
Boro won a corner on 75 minutes but when it was cleared Arsenal broke forward in numbers and Rosicky got into the box then cut the ball back for Cazorla to flash a shot over.
Boro threatened soon after as an incisive move found Kike in the box and he skipped over a challenge to get into shooting position but Gabriel arrived with a tackle before he could unload.
Arsenal were back on the attack on 80 minutes as Chambers zipped a low cross in towards Giroud but Omeruo cut it out and it was scrambled away then when the ball back in the Nigerian defender was well placed to block a goalbound Ozil effort.
On 83 minutes Arsenal put on Akpom for Giroud.
On 85 minutes Vossen was booked for a foul on Cazorla.
Arsenal were on the attack again on 87 minutes as Ozil cut in from the right and fired a low angled effort straight at Mejias.
Boro carved out the chance for a consolation on 89 minutes as Adomah cut in from the right and past two men then lashed a left foot shot a yard wide.
And in stoppage time Boro rattled the woodwork as Fredericks crossed in and Kike powered an eight yard header against the post.
BORO: Mejias, Fredericks, Omeruo, Gibson, Friend, Clayton, Leadbitter, Bamford (Vossen 54), Tomlin (Reach 54) , Adomah, Kike Subs: Ripley, Woodgate, Husband, Whitehead, Nsue.
ARSENAL: Szczesny, Chambers, Gabriel, Koscielny, Gibbs, Flamini, Cazorla, Ozil, Welbeck (Welbeck 71), Alexis (Rosicky 71), Giroud Subs: Martinez, Mertesacker, Monreal, Coquelin.
Ref: Mike Dean (The Wirrel)
Att: 59,823 (5,280 Boro fans)
A woman was left with bruises all over her body after she was stamped on, punched, headbutted and choked in a prolonged domestic attack.
Kevin Joseph Morrison, 40, was normally “placid” and had not been violent before in his two-year relationship.
Despite the violent attack, Morrison avoided being sent to jail.
A Teesside domestic violence charity has now raised concerns that such a sentence could potentially discourage other victims from coming forward.
Morrison launched his assault after arguing with his partner about whether he could smoke inside, Teesside Crown Court heard.
Both were vulnerable and had mental health difficulties, said prosecutor Liam O’Brien.
Morrison turned violent when she asked him to leave her Middlesbrough home at about 4.30pm on August 9.
He said “I’m going to choke you”, grabbed her around the neck with both hands and squeezed, the court was told.
Mr O’Brien described an assault where Morrison grabbed, pushed, headbutted and stamped on her and screamed in her face.
He tried to rip clothes in her wardrobe, pulled her on to a bed and “landed” on top of her, breaking slats under the bed.
He tried to choke her again, and when she said she would call the police, he replied: “What are they going to do?
“There won’t be any marks. They’ll think it’s funny because you’re mentally ill.”
He punched her to the nose and stamped on her chest three times after she fell to the floor bleeding, the court was told.
“She thought she was going to have a heart attack. She couldn’t breathe or speak,” said Mr O’Brien.
He told how they ended up in the bathroom where the woman was pushed towards a bath full of water.
Morrison left the home taking the victim’s medications with him.
She later said in a statement read out in court that she since felt afraid and nervous, struggled to sleep and had nightmares.
She said the attack worsened her bipolar disorder symptoms, she felt low more frequently and self-harmed, but she hoped she could start living her life again.
Morrison, of Northfleet Avenue, Brambles Farm, Middlesbrough, admitted assault causing actual bodily harm - his first conviction for violence - and theft.
Michael Bosomworth, defending, said: “This offence was out of character.
“The reality is that this incident stems from a relationship which was frankly a recipe for disaster. Both have severe mental health problems.
“She was very dependent on him.”
Morrison came from a entirely respectable family but his life was blighted in 1995, when he was attacked while walking a girlfriend across a park.
He was “opiate-addicted for some time” but managed to stay largely out of trouble, added Mr Bosomworth.
He said the “lesser injuries” showed “the degree of force or lack of it” used in the assault.
He said the victim had persistently contacted Morrison with 130 messages or missed calls since the “very unpleasant incident”.
The relationship was over and Morrison was “unlikely to darken the doors of the court again”.
The judge, Recorder Jonathan Aitken, told Morrison: “This was a disgraceful incident. This was quite a long period of fear for the victim.
“She has received injuries. Whilst they are not more serious injuries, there are bruises all over her body.
“She clearly was subjected to repeated blows by you.
“You do not generally behave like this at all. You’ve managed to control yourself despite the difficulties you’ve suffered.”
Morrison was given a three-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months with supervision and a five-year restraining order banning him from contacting his ex.
Responding to the sentence, Richinda Taylor, chief executive of domestic violence charity Eva Women’s Aid in Redcar said: “It is certainly not going to encourage other victims to come forward but the positive is that at least he will have to work with the Probation Service in the mean time and address his offending that way during that time.”
A 60-year-old retired woman turned detective on social media and foiled the burglar who stole cherished coins from her home.
Institutionalised jailbird Andrew Tom Smith, 39, was caught as he embarked on a crime spree to get himself locked up yet again.
A judge granted his wish and sent him to prison - “the only place where he feels safe and content”.
He smashed his way into the 60-year-old woman’s home on Blakeston Lane, Stockton via a window while she was out on the afternoon of January 20.
He rifled through drawers and stole commemorative coins of sentimental value, one of which was a retirement gift, and a laptop, iPhone and costume jewellery.
The retired woman was scared that the intruder might still be in the house when she came home to find her belongings missing.
Prosecutor Harry Hadfield said: “The victim actually used social media to try to get information about this burglar.”
She was successful as she was contacted and told who was responsible for the crime.
Smith was arrested the same day, Teesside Crown Court heard.
He would not even open his mouth in a police interview, then pretended to be sick into a bin.
Officers found some of the stolen coins in the bin where he had feigned vomiting. Another coin was found in his sock.
He confessed to the burglary and took police to where he had stashed the remaining possessions.
The 60-year-old householder said in a statement she was angry that her home was violated.
She said she now felt scared in a home to which she had moved to feel safe.
Smith, of Bath Lane, central Stockton, pleaded guilty to burglary and stealing a £100 mountain bike from a garden in Thorpe Thewles.
He had 82 previous offences stretching back to the 1990s including a catalogue of burglaries which earned him sentences creeping up from probation orders to a five-year jail term in 2012.
He burgled the homes of two retired people on one Stockton street in 2012, leaving a disabled man living in fear.
Duncan McReddie, defending, said: “Mr Smith said to the officers arresting him that it was a good job he was caught.
“He was going to go on a spree. He wanted to be locked up for a significant time.
“Mr Smith has instructed that he is institutionalised. When life gets too much for him the only place he feels safe and content is prison. He’s clearly spent a lot of time there.”
He said Smith had rejected advice for an appeal against his last five-year sentence.
The judge, Recorder Sarah Mallett, told Smith: “You appear to have been undeterred by previous sentences of imprisonment.
“Unfortunately it’s necessary to stop you burgling people’s houses by keeping you incarcerated because it doesn’t seem that any more constructive approach is achievable.”
She jailed Smith for three years.
After the soaring popularity of knitting and sewing, crafty Louisa Goult reckons she’s on to the next big thing – quilting.
And she’s off to Texas next week to pick up a few new skills from the great American tradition.
Louisa, 41, from Middlesbrough, has launched her own online company to patch a hole in the market by offering quilt-making tips and creating her own patterns for fellow quilting enthusiasts.
Since the economic crisis sparked a new make-do-and-mend attitude, home-spun hobbies have become something of a Great British trend, reflected in TV hits such as The Great British Bake Off and The Great British Sewing Bee.
It was while working in a fabric shop in Hereford that London-born Louisa realised how many customers were showing an interest in learning how to quilt but there were few opportunities around so she came up with a beginner’s guide.
Then she set up Sewmotion after moving to the North East with husband Justin, who is from Redcar and proposed to her beneath the Transporter Bridge just around the corner from where they now live.
On the site, where she showcases her unique designs including a “Parmo” cushion, she offers a straightforward guide to quilt-making, tutorials about technique and free patterns for a fresh and extra-colourful twist on an old tradition.
She said: “It’s about encouraging people who want to quilt and showing them how to do it as they may not have the time to go to clubs or maybe there are none near them. Here they can learn online.”
Louisa’s love of quilting comes from her gran, who did tapestry, sewing and knitting, and she designed and made her first quilt when she was just in her teens.
“I’m completely self-taught – I’ve never been to a club. If I can do it then other people can.”
She says the hobby is growing in popularity with everyone from new mothers wanting to make a quilt for their baby to the older generation wanting to help their grandchildren learn a craft.
“I think it’s getting bigger all the time.”
It’s even being taken up by those recovering from illness “to get their minds working again”, she said. I find it very relaxing. It’s a hobby that is very stress-relieving as it concentrates the mind.”
And the bright colours and beautiful fabrics are therapy in themselves. Louisa is particularly interested in The Modern Quilt Guild, a young movement in America which is freshening up what used to be seen as a dated past-time and on Tuesday she’s flying out to Austin in Texas to attend its international show and conference QuiltCon.
“They use new, fresher fabrics and modern design to encourage a younger generation to take it up,” she said.
“America’s tradition comes from the English Pilgrims who did quilting out of necessity, using old clothes and it became a community thing.”
She added: “Durham and Wales have their own traditions of quilting and different areas have different techniques.”
Louisa will feed what she learns next week back into her own unique designs which include her cushion spelling out “parmo” in a nod to the local delicacy which her husband once made for her.
Her cushion range, which also features a “heart Boro” design, will be on sale today at a Vintage Valentine Fair in Yarm Fellowship Hall she is attending before her US trip.
Her future plans include creating more patterns for people to buy and acquiring a longarm quilter.
Read her blog at handmadebylouisa.blogspot.co.uk
Boro travel to the home of Arsenal full of confidence and yet to concede a goal in the FA Cup.
Taking part in their annual battle for fourth place in the Barclays Premier League, Arsenal are also in decent form.
The pain of losing to arch-rivals Tottenham last weekend is still sore, but the Gunners have won six of their last seven matches in all competitions.
Viewers thought love could be in the air again for reunited exes Looci Sohma and Nick Knight on ITV’s Take Me Out.
Teesside circus performer Looci got the surprise of her life when her ex-boyfriend came down in the “lift of love” on the dating show two weeks ago.
In the main show on ITV1 on Saturday, it looked as if both Teesside girls Looci, from Hartburn in Stockton, and Guisborough’s Emily Symington may have found love with their respective dates in the Isle of Fernando’s.
But in follow-up show Take Me Out: The Gossip on ITV2, it was revealed that cupid’s arrow failed to strike after all.
During her date with former boyfriend Nick, Looci, 26, said: “It could have been really fun or really awkward but luckily it’s been fun.
“Ever since we broke up I’ve always wanted to remain friends - surely this experience shows we could.
“I’ve never found anyone I’ve got that close to - ever.”
But in a studio interview seven weeks later, Looci revealed things had cooled considerably.
She said: “The reasons we broke up in the first place are still a problem.
“He likes living in Pontefract, I want to live all over the world; he wants to get married and that’s nothing I want to do; and most importantly, he wants a kid and I don’t.”
It was also revealed on the show that Nick’s Love at First Light was Alicia, and that Nick tried it on with her after the show.
Alicia said: “He did get in touch and ask if I wanted to go out and I said ‘no’.”
To have his say, the ITV2 show presenter Mark Wright read a statement from Looci’s ex.
Nick’s comments read: “I’m really sorry I can’t go on there tonight, it was good to go away with Looci.
“I chose her because we needed to know if there was anything else still there. I think we’re best as friends.
“I’m currently meeting up with somebody special and I hope that Lucy is really happy and finds someone too.”
Looci said: “I want nothing more than for him to be happy.”
And after a promising date, romance also fizzled out between Emily Symington, 23, a former Laurence Jackson School and Prior Pursglove College student, and Geordie lifeguard Liam.
Emily said: “We did meet up when we got back so I could get my shoes back because they were in his case!
“I had to ask him what was going on because we weren’t talking that much and obviously silence is a big message.
“We got carried away in the Fernando’s bubble.”
Liam agreed, saying: “There was a spark but it failed to ignite.”
