SPORTS Aid Northern supports young people at a grassroots level to help the next generation of North-East sporting talent. And since the Local Heroes Awards was launched in 2000, The Northern Echo has supported the charity through a number of... Read More

AMONG the accolades at the Local Heroes Awards was a posthumous award in recognition of one special man's dedication to sport. Liam Gough was aged just 53 when he died on New Years day but right up until the that... Read More

BUSINESS plays an important role in grassroots sport and Noble Vehicle Hire have made a huge impact this year. With their support The Triathlon North-East group have been able to travel around the region to deliver bikes and equipment for... Read More

EMILY Sarsfield has her sights firmly focused on the Winter Olympics in two years time, but her efforts over the past year have already established the 25-year-old as one of Britain's best skiers. She earned the the Award for Sporting... Read More

WHAT were you doing when you were eight years old? Playing on the swings perhaps? Maybe climbing a tree if you felt particularly brave? Not so Georgia O'Connor, winner of this year's Award for Most Promising New Talent. Despite not... Read More

HERE'S a quiz question for you. Which Newcastle player scored all five goals in a 5-1 win over Sunderland this season? None of them? Wrong. Zoe Ness' name might not trip off the tongue as easily as that of Michael... Read More

IN THE summer of 2007, Dalton-on-Tees' Rachel Gamble-Flint represented Great Britain in a junior women's waterpolo international against Czech Republic. By the end of the year, she had vowed never to play waterpolo again. Another example of a talented teenager... Read More

THE Northern Echo's overall Local Heroes winner for 2008 demonstrated his generosity yet again when he handed his prize money to the Bobby Robson Foundation. Durham's Mr Rugby, Ted Wood, who was presented £500 for winning the Leading Light Award... Read More

TED Wood was last night crowned as the overall Local Heroes winner for 2008. There were many stars of grassroots sports honoured at the glitzy event held at Hardwick Hall Hotel, near Sedgefield, County Durham. Ted was the winner of... Read More

TONIGHT'S the night for the stars of grassroots sport here in the North-East. An audience of more than 1,000 people will gather for the Local Heroes Awards, which this year have a new headline sponsor in the Bannatyne Group. Sports... Read More