Sunderland Echo
CITY ON THE UP
Business leaders have described Sunderland as a “city on the up” after revealing impressive economic figures for the past year. Factors include Sunderland football club’s return to the Premier League, the One Big Summer music extravaganza and the...
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So proud!
Sunderland now has another Greggs outlet. The North-East bakery chain’s new shop opened on Friday at the new industrial estate Eastgate Point, off Commercial Road, opposite the Raich Carter Centre, in Hendon. Seating is available and it is open daily...
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Going… Going…
The removal work has followed the windmill falling into disrepair, and metal safety barriers being put around it about a year ago to protect members of the public walking in the area.
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Step inside new state-of-art arena
A once empty former garage site is now home to a state-of-the-art arena already gearing up to host its first international event. The finishing touches are being made to British Arena, in the shadow of the Stadium of Light, ahead of a big gaming...
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Thumbs up for school after latest inspection
Hill View Infant Academy headteacher Tammy Crompton said teachers wept tears of joy and that the whole community at the Sunderland school is “delighted” with its latest Ofsted report. Inspectors deemed attendance and behaviour, personal development...
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SUPER BRAD’S PAD OPENS
A £1million holiday home in memory of Sunderland superfan Bradley Lowery has officially opened. Super Brad’s Pad will give children with serious illnesses and disabilities the chance to make precious memories with their families. It was opened on...
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TEARS OF PRIDE
Seven years after surviving a life-threatening condition, Kayleigh Llewellyn has graduated from Sunderland College, marking a powerful milestone since receiving a heart transplant. Her parents, Sonia Llewellyn and Shaun Sidney, watched proudly as she...
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GREEN LIGHT FOR GROWTH
Two major developments promising jobs, investment and a major boost to Sunderland’s economy have been given the green light. A £5m Club 3000 bingo hall in the former TK Maxx unit at The Bridges will create around 40 jobs and breathe new life into a...
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Fund for family of teen who was ‘full of light’
Thousands of pounds were raised in just a matter of hours to support the family of a Sunderland teenager who died after a car plunged into the River Wear. Jackson Duke, 17, was one of three teenagers who lost their lives after a car entered the water...
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Firm favourites return for a packed programme at annual Feast event
Houghton Feast gets under way tonight as it brings a packed programme of family fun to the streets of the town. This year's festival will run through until Sunday, October 11. Every year the muchloved 10-day event brings together residents, families,...
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‘UNITED IN SYMPATHY’
Sunderland was united in sympathy today for the families of three teenagers who lost their lives after a car entered the River Wear. Students and residents spoke of their shock as condolences came from across the city and wider region, including...
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‘Our lives have been shattered’
A Seaham family has paid tribute to 26-year-old Brandon Grimes, described as their “beloved, beautiful, and cherished boy”, after he was reportedly killed in a hit-and-run collision while on holiday in Orlando. Brandon had failed to return to his...
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‘I CAN’T PUT IT INTO WORDS’
In a tribute to his daughter who lives with a rare condition, a Sunderland dad took on the highest mountain in England 13 times in a row to raise vital funds for the charity which supports those with the illness. Josh Lay, 36, is now taking a...
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‘IT’S DRIVING US POTTY’
Calls have been made for a “pothole emergency” to be declared in Sunderland after the amount of council compensation handed to motorists rocketed. New figures reveal Sunderland City Council paid out a total of £39,822.87p to drivers of damaged...
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‘ANGRY AND FRUSTRATED’
Owners of a property which provides supported accommodation for the homeless say they’re “angry and frustrated” after having to close their doors. Oceander Community Interest Company (CIC) provided supported living for up to 19 people in...
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ON THE WRONG TRACK
Worried residents are urging rail bosses to abandon extension plans amid fears they will ‘cut their community in two’. Nexus is undertaking a public consultation over £900m proposals to extend the existing Metro track at South Hylton towards...
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RETAILERS GET OFF LIGHTLY
Sunderland City Council issued only written warnings to 22 outlets caught selling vapes to children over a three-year period, according to Freedom of Information figures. Trading standards carried out 78 test purchases, with every failed test...
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MAN DIES AFTER FALL FROM CAR
A man has died following an incident in Station car park in Holmeside on Sunday. Police were called just after 6am after a 32-year-old man fell from a Silver Ford Torneo. He was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries, but despite medical...
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SEEING RED
A charity boss, football legend and local MPs have criticised Reform UK-led Sunderland City Council’s decision to withdraw support for an anti-racism day. North-East-based Show Racism The Red Card usually enlists the support of the local authority on...
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CARE OVERLOAD
Sunderland has declared an “adult social care and mental health emergency” following stark warnings about high suicide rates, rising self-harm among young people and mounting pressure on care services. Councillors heard the city faces deep mental...
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FIGHTING BACK
Civic, business and education leaders across Sunderland have come together in a bid to help the spiralling number of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET). Seventeen-and-a-half per cent of residents aged between 16-24...
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Award proves there are ‘naan’ better takeaways
Sunderland’s ‘King of Spices’ has lived up to its royal name by bringing home the Takeaway of the Year crown. Nawaab King of Spices is a well-known spot in Ettrick Grove, where it’s been dishing up curries for a decade – now it’s been named best in...
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KICKS MODEL TO PROTECT JOBS
Nissan has confirmed a £170million investment to build the new Kicks hybrid SUV at its Sunderland plant, securing the future of its 6,000-strong workforce. Executives including Massimiliano Messina praised Sunderland’s skill, productivity and...
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READY TO GO
Sunderland is ‘Ready To Go’ as European football returns to the city for the first time in more than half a century. Patient fans will pack the Stadium of Light for tonight’s Europa League clash with Dutch visitors AZ. The match is the first of eight...
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MAKING MEMORIES
An 11-year-old from Washington is facing incurable alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma after two-and-a-half years of treatment. With chemotherapy options running out, Evie Owens’ family is focusing on helping her fulfil a wish list of experiences she hopes to...
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IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER
Father Marc Lyden-Smith will ask Pope Leo to say a prayer for the Black Cats as they begin their Europa League campaign. He will present the Pope with a customised SAFC shirt bearing ‘Pope Leo’ and the number 14, echoing a similar gesture he made to...
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LIGHT RETURNS FOR DENVAH
Wearside toddler Denvah Finlay has received a major boost in her battle against Bilateral Retinoblastoma, a rare and aggressive eye cancer. The one-year-old from Hetton has regained 100% vision in her left eye after responding brilliantly to...
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THE TRUEMAN SHOW
Harry Trueman, a former councillor and mayor, has been nominated to become an Honorary Alderman after 31 years of service. The 77-year-old, who held senior roles in housing, education and the environment, said the honour makes him “very proud” and...
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CRUMB OF COMFORT
A burglar with scores of convictions stopped to eat a piece of cake during a break-in at a vulnerable woman’s home. Serial criminal Kelly Steel let herself into the assisted living accommodation in Sunderland earlier this year and disturbed the...
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HOMELESS UNIT UNDER THREAT
Bosses behind supported accommodation for the homeless fear their residents will have nowhere to go if the property is forced to close. They add that 15 employees will also lose their jobs unless the dispute with Sunderland City Council is...
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£11M DRUGS SMUGGLERS JAILED
A businessman with an unblemished record is behind bars after using his haulage firm as a “cover” for an £11m cocaine smuggling plot. A court heard Sunderland man Graham Welsh must have expected high rewards if he was “willing to put his legitimate...
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‘HORRIFIC ABUSE OF WOMEN’
A serial domestic abuser who fractured a former partner’s spine and pelvis with his van has been put behind bars. Dominic Phillips, 40, subjected two women to physical and mental abuse during separate relationships. In one attack, Phillips drove his...
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Raffle Winner
Our lucNy winner pictureG is of Washington, receiving her prize from Terry Batten (Director at Mobility Care 6olutions Ltd) accompanieG by Jo Cooper (CEO oI BacN on the Map) anG Jamie Pell (Operations Manager BacN on the Map) Terry Batten presenting...
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PLEA TO FANS AFTER 1973 MEDAL THEFT
Football fans nationwide have been urged to help find a stolen FA Cup winning-medal from Sunderland’s memorable 1973 triumph. Non-executive club director Leo Pearlman, the man behind screen documentary Sunderland Til I Die, bought the medal five years...
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SKY’S THE LIMIT
Sunderland fans hoping to see the Black Cats make their long-awaited return to European football face eye-watering flight prices – with some fares to Milan soaring to more than 13 times their normal cost. Thousands of supporters are expected to travel...
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NEXT STOP FOR ETRO
The first detailed plans for Washington’s £900m Metro extension have been unveiled – showing exactly where the new line will run through the town. Nexus has mapped out the proposed route, the locations of three new stations and released...
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GOING UP IN THE WORLD
Plans to transform a prominent building by adding extra storeys to it could see dozens of new homes created in Sunderland city centre. The plans, from Nova Co-Living, aim to redevelop and restore Arngrove House, on the corner of Frederick Street and...
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APOLOGY OVER FALSE CLAIMS
The Sunderland Conservatives have issued a public apology after making false allegations about Reform UK councillor David Barker in an election leaflet. The leaflet, circulated during this year’s local elections, implied drug use and physical abuse by...
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SUNDERLAND V FULHAM
With Sunderland AFC’s first home match of the season taking place over the August Bank Holiday weekend, supporters travelling to the Stadium of Light are advised to plan their journeys in advance. The city centre will be particularly busy due to a...
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ROAD RAGE
Council chiefs have vowed there will be no repeat of the “anger and disruption” facing motorists following the closure of a city centre road across the upcoming busy bank holiday weekend. Key city centre roads are closed to protect music lovers at the...
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END OF AN ERA
An emotional shop owner has said a tearful farewell to his customers after decades of trading. Kevin Barlow, who ran the family business with his wife Lesley, has locked up Barlows fruit and veg shop in Sea Road, Fulwell, for the last time. Barlows...
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‘I WANTED TO BE MY GRANDADDY’S VOICE’
A Sunderland woman has celebrated her late grandad by raising more than £5,000 in his memory. Now, Olivia Watson is planning another fundraiser next year in tribute to grandad Bill Brown. Bill died aged 75 in August last year after living with...
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‘I lied’ – and an innocent man was jailed
An innocent man spent more than a month behind bars after a woman falsely claimed he had threatened her with a knife. Emma Hook reported being confronted by the man twice and told police he had been armed with a green-handled zombie knife. As a...
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‘IT’S JUST FANTASTIC’
Jude Hazard’s family say they are overwhelmed with gratitude as donations surge towards the £75,000 needed to fund life-saving cancer treatment abroad. The 15-year-old from Silksworth is battling an exceptionally rare and aggressive vascular cancer,...
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CASE FOR THE DEFENCE
Sunderland has been shortlisted for a potential defence-focused enterprise zone that could create thousands of jobs across five North East sites, according to a new Adam Smith Institute proposal. The plan, backed by council leader Chris Eynon, centres...
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GRADES GLORY
Pupils have been praised for their achievements following the publication of this year’s GCSE results. Thousands of Year 11 students across Sunderland and the surrounding area learned yesterday morning how they had performed in their summer...
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‘THE FIGHT GOES ON’
Sunderland City Council’s Reform UK-led administration will spend £25,000 on independent investigations to assess whether the National Glass Centre can be protected from demolition through an Article 4 direction. Campaigners, who opposed the...
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HARVEST HORROR
Tania Coxon, a fifth-generation Sunderland farmer, has spoken out after a huge fire destroyed around £8,000 worth of straw at Offerton Grange Farm. She was finishing the final day of combining when a neighbour sent her a video showing part of her...
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COURTS PLAN CONTROVERSY
Residents are opposing plans for a £1million padel complex at Offerton Grange Farm, which would include six double courts, a café, mezzanine and parking. Fifth-generation farmer Tania Coxon says the project is essential to secure the farm’s future,...
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CITY CENTRE PUB HORROR
Thomas Brand, a freed killer with 163 previous convictions, carried out a terrifying late-night raid at the William Jameson pub in Sunderland while wearing a balaclava. He demanded money, smashed a glass and threatened to stab staff before ripping out...
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Young Cats fans discover their great great grandad was an SAFC legend
Two generations of a Wearside family were fascinated to find out about an ancestor who was a true SAFC legend. Graham Low and his children Max, 14, and Jessica, 12, have spent the summer looking into the background of wing-half Harry...
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TEENAGERS ARRESTED AS PC IS INJURED
A police officer was injured yesterday after approaching a suspected stolen vehicle linked to an early-morning burglary in the Burdon area of Sunderland. Northumbria Police received the initial report at 6.45am, with the stolen car later travelling...
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MACKEM PROUD
Today marks the return of National Mackem Day. What started life as an event to toast the publication of the Mackem Dictionary has now become an annual celebration of all things Sunderland. Today’s front page of the Echo marks the occasion with a...
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ANIMAL ATTACK
A man has been jailed for 38 months after using his dog as a “weapon” during two shop thefts in Sunderland. On November 10, Brodie Logan, 20, stole stock from a vape shop and set his lurcher-type dog on a staff member, who was bitten on the hand and...
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‘THIS IS ABOUT POTENTIALLY SAVING A MAN’S LIFE’
Craig Dunn, a 35-year-old Sunderland-born dad, has been left “gobsmacked” after a complete stranger donated £11,500 of his pension savings to help fund potential life-saving treatment. Craig, who was diagnosed with medulloblastoma last year, has...
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DANGER ROAD NEEDS ACTION
Marc and Andrea Condra say they “always knew an accident was going to happen” after a car ploughed into their vehicle while they were on holiday in Turkey. Their car and a friend’s were badly damaged, with one ending up partly resting on another. The...
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Stagecoach is all aboard for SAFC charity’s family fun day
Stagecoach is supporting Sunderland AFC’s official charity the Foundation of Light with a Family Fun Day event. The six-week school holidays can be a challenge on people’s wallets as well as keeping the children entertained. Stagecoach said it is...
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Pride reviving community hub
Southwick Community Centre is being brought back to life thanks to an extraordinary show of community spirit, with local businesses and volunteers donating thousands of pounds’ worth of materials and free labour. The once-thriving hub had stood...
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‘GIFT OF LIFE’
More than 60 people in the North East died in 2025 while waiting for an organ transplant, as consent rates for donation have fallen from 69% to 57% in five years. NHS Blood and Transplant is urging people to be “One in a Million” by registering their...
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PADEL PROJECT TO SAVE FARM
A fifth-generation farmer at Offerton Grange Farm in Penshaw has submitted plans for a padel complex to secure the future of her family’s farm. With rising costs, reduced farmland and changes to Government support, Tania Coxon says that traditional...
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DEATH THREATS AND INTIMIDATION
Houghton and Sunderland South MP Bridget Phillipson has defended her decision to switch off comments on her Facebook page, saying a torrent of online abuse, trolling and fake accounts left her with little choice. Her explanation comes amid renewed...
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‘THIS IS OUR HERITAGE THIS IS OUR CULTURE’
The battle to save Sunderland’s National Glass Centre has entered a crucial new phase as campaigners have vowed “the fight goes on” - despite the landmark closing its doors to the public. Supporters gathered outside the riverside attraction yesterday...
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‘These offensive comments do not reflect our city’
Sunderland’s political leaders have united in their criticism of Reform UK after councillor Glenn Gibbins was charged over an allegedly grossly offensive social media post. Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat politicians have all questioned the...
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‘ALL HANDS ON DECK’
From plumbers and plasterers to sparkies and sweepers, a rallying call has been issued to help breathe new life into a community centre. Active Families North East are calling for help to turn Southwick Community Centre into a neutral space, ready for...
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FA Cup SAFC legend to join team on international football friendship trip
Sunderland AFC’s 1973 FA Cup winning captain is teaming up with the Fans Museum to launch the The Fans Inclusion Cup where disadvantaged adults in the city to take on a team in Essen, Germany, Sunderland’s twin city since 1949. And to help make it...
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Beatrix says organ donation is the ‘bestest’ kind of recycling
A five-year-old Wearside girl has written to wouldbe MP Count Binface to praise him for supporting the environment – because she has a ‘recycled’ heart. Courageous Beatrix Archbold told the Clacton by-election candidate, who will be taking on Reform...
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HIGH AND DRY
Sunderland’s Liberal Democrats have launched a campaign to restore the Keel Square fountains, which have been dry for years despite being intended as a colourful landmark when the square opened in 2015. Opposition councillors have accused the city...
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FOOT TORTURE FINALLY OVER
Washington teenager Ralph Seed, 18, has become one of the first people in the UK – and globally – to receive a pioneering closed-loop spinal cord implant to treat his severe Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). Ralph had lived with excruciating...
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JOBS JACKPOT
Plans to convert the former TK Maxx unit at The Bridges shopping centre into a Club 3000 bingo venue have progressed with a planning application submitted. The £5million proposal, part of Club 3000’s expansion, would be the 25th site and second in...
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Projects which improve lives given boost by £12k Pride in Place funding
Three organisations which improve lives in Washington are among those to benefit from the latest grant funding as part of the national Pride in Place programme. Projects that will benefit families, young people and people affected by cancer are the...
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RETAIL PARK EDGES CLOSER
Sunderland councillors have approved plans for a £15m retail park off Silksworth Lane featuring an M&S Foodhall, Aldi and a Starbucks drive-through, promising around 150 permanent jobs and more than 270 construction roles. The scheme, backed by...
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CROSS-PARTY PRESSURE
Political parties have united to try to stop the National Glass Centre’s demolition, urging Sunderland City Council to implement an Article 4 Direction that would force the University of Sunderland to seek full planning permission if it was to...
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‘DANIEL DESERVED BETTER’
A three-day inquest found that 50-year-old Daniel Ryan, from Hendon, died in Southwick Police Station after insufficient welfare checks were carried out while he was in custody. Mr Ryan, who told officers he had Covid but showed no obvious illness...
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OUT OF STEP
All three staircases at Sunderland’s University Metro station have been closed for more than a year, forcing passengers to rely solely on ramps for platform access. Wearside Liberal Democrats have criticised Nexus for the lack of progress, noting that...
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‘I DON’T WANT ANYONE TO END UP LIKE ME’
New Silksworth Academy headteacher Emma Robins has launched a campaign with her pupils and the local community to raise awareness of skin cancer. After being diagnosed with a stage 1 melanoma in 2021, Emma had a mole and some of the surrounding skin...
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