Sunderland Echo
Stylish new Wine Bar is bringing a luxury offering to historic city site
Named simply The Wine Bar, a new addition has joined the fold at Sheepfolds Stables, transforming a unit next door to The Taproom bar. It is a stylish affair inside with a 1940s-inspired appearance by Black Box Design that harks back to an era of...
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BIN THERE, DONE THAT!
Running binman Deano Franciosy has finally completed every major fun run in the North East, raising almost £300,000 for charity along the way. The 56-year-old sealed the feat on New Year’s Day at the HogmanHoway run in Newcastle, once again racing...
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WE’RE GOING FOR GOLD
Olympian Rebecca Adlington challenged city youngsters to go for gold at the opening of a new school pool. The two-time Olympic gold medallist was at Farringdon Community Academy to officially open its £6million swimming facility, which will be used by...
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‘DISABLED BEAR THE BRUNT’
Charity chiefs have hit out after figures showed only half of disabled people in Sunderland are in work. New data reveals just 50% of working-age disabled residents have a job, compared with 82% of non-disabled people, leaving a stark 32% employment...
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‘DEATH LEAVES A HUGE HOLE IN OUR HEARTS’
The family of a man found dead on a petrol forecourt have paid tribute to ‘a muchloved son’ as five people have been charged with his murder. Daniel Ambler, 23, was fatally injured after being hit by a car on a Seaham petrol station forecourt last...
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WARNING OVER BOOZE DEATHS
New figures show nearly 170 people in Sunderland died from alcohol-related conditions in 2024. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities recorded 73 alcohol-specific deaths in the city – 25 per 100,000 people – and 167 alcohol-related deaths...
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ARRESTS IN MURDER PROBE
A murder investigation was launched after a man died following a collision between a vehicle and a pedestrian. The incident took place at the Esso service station on Stockton Road in Seaham. Police cordoned off the garage forecourt, Stockton Road,...
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BY GEORGE, WE CAN WIN!
Washington has been urged to bid for the UK Town of Culture 2028, with its MP backing a move that could secure £3million in prize money. Sharon Hodgson said the competition was a chance for often overlooked towns to gain national recognition, pointing...
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TAKING A HIKE?
Concerns have been raised over the future of jobs at the city headquarters of Berghaus after parent firm Pentland Brands confirmed plans to relocate roles to London. The development affecting staff at the outdoor clothing and equipment manufacturer...
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HIDDEN TREASURES
Council chiefs says plans are under way to improve access to its multi-million pound art collection after new figures revealed just 11 per cent is currently on public display. Data released under a Freedom of Information request shows more than 7,600...
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MOBILITY CARE SOLUTIONS LTD CAN +ELP
Do you know someone who could beneȴt from better mobility and management of their daily activities more independently?
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DIG UNCOVERS ROMAN WORKS
A major archaeological discovery on the banks of the River Wear has revealed evidence of a Roman industrial hub at Offerton, dating back nearly 2,000 years. Volunteers and Durham University archaeologists have uncovered more than 800 whetstones—the...
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CHECKS COLLAR DOG WALKERS
Thousands of dog walkers had to prove they had waste bags to avoid council enforcement under renewed local authority powers. A renewed public spaces protection order in Sunderland has led to thousands of dog walkers being asked to prove they carry...
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ELECTRIC CAR GROWTH SOARS
Sunderland is seeing rapid growth in electric vehicle use, with Department for Transport figures showing 4,338 ultra-low emission vehicles registered by June — a 54% rise in a year. Most were fully electric, reflecting a national trend that has pushed...
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ACCIDENT BILLS TOP £900,000
Sunderland City Council has paid out more than £900,000 in insurance claims linked to incidents involving its vehicles over the past three financial years, according to newly released Freedom of Information data. Around 790 incidents were recorded,...
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1,000+ HIT OUT AT NOISE LEVELS
Sunderland City Council has received more than 1,000 noise complaints in recent years, FOI data shows. Complaints range from loud music and barking dogs to construction noise and disturbances from pubs and commercial sites. Enforcement remains low,...
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5G CCTV PUTS SAFETY FIRST
Sunderland is rolling out 29 new 5G-enabled CCTV cameras equipped with advanced video analytics to boost public safety, with more planned. The technology can scan live footage, alert operators to welfare concerns, detect falls, locate missing children...
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HONOURS FOR LOCAL HEROES
The 2026 New Year Honours recognise several people from Sunderland and nearby areas for their contributions to community life, education and youth support. Simon and Tanya Brown receive MBEs for founding the Connor Brown Trust after their son’s fatal...
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GRAFFITI IN CITY RISING
Sunderland City Council has received more than 3,100 reports of graffiti and flyposting since 2020-21, including 889 cases of offensive graffiti and 184 involving racist content. New Freedom of Information data shows a sharp rise in racist graffiti in...
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City centre play area reopens after £282k renovation at popular park
new rides and slides to enjoy at a muchloved city park. Mowbray Park's children's play area has reopened following a £282,000 revamp. The renovation, which is part of a raft of wider improvements to the park, has seen the play area's landmark slide...
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TOY APPEAL
housands of youngsters will ake up to Christmas presents hanks to the overwhelming enerosity of Echo readers suporting this year’s Toy Appeal ith Hope 4 Kidz. Despite financial pressures nd a flu outbreak that reduced olunteer numbers, donations oured...
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KIDS DODGING DAILY EXERCISE
Half of Sunderland’s children failed to get enough daily exercise last year, according to new Sport England figures. The data shows 50% of youngsters did not reach the recommended 60 minutes of activity a day in 2024-25, up from 45% the year...
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Children help bridge the generation gap with Christmas carols and songs
Children from Sunderland primary schools have been making it a festive season to remember for residents in local care homes by performing an array of Christmas carols and songs. Residents certainly got into the festive spirit by singing along and even...
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BRAVE DENVAH IS A STAR
One-year-old Denvah Finlay from Hetton has been honoured with a Cancer Research UK Star Award after being diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare eye cancer, in both eyes shortly after her first birthday. Despite losing sight in her right eye, treatment...
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Runners put festive feet forward to play Santa for Christmas gift appeal
There may not have been snow but there was dashing as members of a Sunderland running club put their festive feet forward to run 10k for The Salvation Army’s Christmas Present Appeal. In what has become an annual tradition, The Silky Striders took...
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MUSIC AIDS BABY BANK
Musicians and music fans across Sunderland have helped raise more than £50,000 for Love, Amelia, a baby bank supporting families facing hardship across the North East. The Music Against Child Poverty concert at The Fire Station brought together...
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LEAF LAUNCH SECURES JOBS
Nissan has secured thousands of jobs at its Sunderland plant and in the supply chain now the new third-generation electric Leaf has started rolling off the production line. The company said it has invested £400million in the model, which forms the...
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RAIL CHIEF SAYS SORRY
Network Rail has apologised for ongoing problems at Sunderland Station following pressure from Sunderland Central MP Lewis Atkinson. The £27million southern entrance has faced sustained criticism over faulty facilities, empty retail units and...
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Drivers warned of record Christmas traffic on roads
Motorists are being warned there will be a record number of other drivers in the run-up to Christmas. The RAC says it is expecting drivers to make 37.5m trips in the week running up to December 25 – the highest since it began recording data in...
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Over 2,000 will have a homeless Christmas period
More than 2,000 people in the North East, including 740 children, will spend this Christmas homeless, a charity predicts. Shelter says its analysis of official figures indicates that 124 people are sleeping rough on any given night in the region – a...
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Jill hoping to inspire more women to kick on and take up coaching roles
England and Sunderland football legend Jill Scott is looking to inspire more women to get into coaching roles. After beginning her career with her home city club, Jill went on to have a stellar career with Everton, Manchester City, and England, where...
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‘FANS MUST PLAY SAFE’
Police are urging fans to “play their part” in ensuring the first Wear Tyne league derby in nearly a decade is a trouble-free success. The match kicks off at the Stadium of Light this Sunday with Northumbria Police working with transport chiefs and...
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Top marks for primary school as it makes top 10 in new league tables
A Sunderland primary school has been recognised as one the top five primary schools in the North East in the Sunday Times best primary schools list. The Sunday Times Parent Power Guide 2026 ranks all the country’s secondary, primary, and independent...
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‘OUR LITTLE SMASHER’
“I honestly believe that he was put on this earth to do a job, and I think he smashed it.” The words of Gemma Lowery, mum of inspirational youngster Bradley, as she opens up to the Echo about his fight against cancer and the legacy he has...
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CARING FOR ASYLUM KIDS
Children seeking asylum who have become separated from their parents account for one in 14 of children being cared for by Sunderland City Council. New figures from the Department for Education reveal 35 unaccompanied asylumseeking children in council...
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ADVERTISIN* FEATURE
Murphy has had some ‘pawsome’ sidekicks helping him to create some fantastic festive hampers for you! Take a peek inside!!!
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‘IT HAS BIN A NIGHTMARE
Too few bins causing a build-up of waste are to blame for a mice infestation at a block of Hendon flats, claims angry pensioner Ralph Redhead. The 69-year-old is now demanding better waste disposal at a retirement housing complex in Nelson Close after...
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WHY ARE WE WAITING?
The number of households on the city’s social housing register has jumped by more than 13% in a year. Figures from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government show there were 3,622 on the register, up from 3,209 in 2024. In England as a...
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DEATH CRASH TEEN DIES
A teenage driver has died just days after a crash in which his 17-year-old passenger was killed. The smash happened on the A19 near Sunderland when a dark yellow Vauxhall Corsa left the carriageway between the Seaham turn-off and the A690 Herrington...
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Working together to help to keep our communities safer
Sunderland’s council leader said the authority was aware that tackling antisocial behaviour is a top priority for residents as three new safety hubs are launched in the city. The three hubs in Concord and Sulgrave, Pennywell and Hendon have brought...
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UNWANTED RECORD!
Teaching unions are demanding greater investment to tackle the root causes of school absenteeism. The plea comes as new figures reveal a record number of school pupils in Sunderland are missing more than half of their classes. Pepe Di’Iasio, the...
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‘HAMZAH THE HERO’
A judge and police have praised student Hamzah Albar who came to the rescue of a woman being sexually assaulted by a stranger on the street. As he jailed offender Ian Hudson, 42, Recorder David M Gordon commended 23-year-old Hamzah for his...
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Hospice helping to honour a loved one on Christmas dedication tree
Remember a loved one and help a good cause this Christmas with one of the most meaningful trees in the city. The St Benedict's Hospice tree is back at The Bridges, giving shoppers the chance to handwrite a bauble and hang it on the tree to honour a...
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‘A magical feel’ – popular tearoom is now serving even more tasty treats
It’s at the heart of one of the area’s most-picturesque spots and there’s some new additions at this wellknown tearoom. Husband and wife team, Alex Contini and Kirsty, have been running the popular Pizza Grande in The Space, a tuckedaway area at the...
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‘HELP SAVE OUR CENTRE’
Campaigners have urged Sunderland City Council to intervene in plans to demolish the National Glass Centre, warning the loss would cause “immense cultural and economic damage.” More than 100 people attended a heated public meeting at City Hall as...
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Stroll through a winter wonderland – complete with a giant Ice Queen
An icy wonderland has been created for a new winter attraction in Sunderland. Running until January 3, visitors to Keel Square can enjoy a festive journey through frosted fir trees, circular mirrored archways and a giant Ice Queen sculpture. As part...
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Watchdog’s warn over credit score product offers
People are being urged to "think twice" before paying for some financial products that claim they could boost their credit score. City regulator The Financial Conduct Authority said there is "little proof" that some credit builder products would help...
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Hunt is on for the brightest and the best young people
Nominations are now open in the search to find Sunderland's best and brightest young people. Sunderland's Young Achievers' Awards are held annually to recognise and celebrate inspiring, driven, and creative young people who are making a meaningful...
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‘For years I felt guilt that I had survived’
A Sunderland-born RAF veteran has shared his wartime memories ahead of Remembrance Sunday, reflecting on the sacrifice and courage of his generation. Tom Davidson, now 102 and living in Washington, flew 36 missions during the Second World War as an...
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On this day
1917: The third battle of Ypres ended when British and Canadian troops captured Passchendaele Ridge. 1942: The Church of England relaxed its rule that women must wear hats in church. 1956: A ceasefire was announced between Egyptian, British and French...
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Headteachers to vote on strikes
The leader of a head teachers' union says it will consult its members on industrial action after its legal challenge against new plans to grade schools was dismissed at the High Court. The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) sought the green...
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On this day
1952: Queen Elizabeth II opened her first Parliament. 1958: Baroness Elliott of Harwood became the first woman to address the House of Lords. 1843: Nelson’s Column was completed in Trafalgar Square, London. 1862: Richard Jordan Gatling patented his...
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DEFEND YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW.
Plans for licensed premises in your neighbourhood could be hidden f rom view if new government proposals for secret alcohol licensing notices get the green light.
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Call for windfall profits to help cut rising energy bills
Billions of pounds in ‘windfall’ profits by energy network firms should be used to reduce soaring household bills, MPs say. The Energy Security and Net Zero (ESNZ) Committee says it is "completely inexcusable" that households are choosing between...
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On this day
1517: Martin Luther nailed his 95 ‘theses’ to the church door at Wittenburg, inadvertently sparking the Reformation. 1795: Lyric poet John Keats was born in London. 1940: The Battle of Britain ended. The RAF lost 915 aircraft, the Luftwaffe...
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On this day
1751: Playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan (The Rivals, The School For Scandal) was born in Dublin. 1925: In his workshop in London, John Logie Baird achieved the first television pictures using a dummy’s head. 1938: Orson Welles’s radio adaptation...
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Shame of rise in nurses facing
More NHS nurses are reporting being racially abused and discrimination at work. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) says its advice line is projected to exceed 1,000 calls in 2025 – after years of increases from almost 700 in 2022, nearly 800 the...
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Night workers need more rights, say trade unions
Unions are calling for more protections for millions of night workers - warning they are "insecure and undervalued". The Trades Union Congress (TUC) says people who work nights are nearly twice as likely to be on zero-hours contracts and more likely...
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Airport plans are 'at odds' with UK
Government plans to support the expansion of airports could put UK climate targets in "serious jeopardy", MPs have warned. The parliamentary Environmental Audit Committee said the Government's efforts to support and encourage airport expansion to...
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Six-month programme under way to brighten up our shopping areas
Sunderland City Council is launching a six-month programme to improve the look, feel, and safety of 21 local shopping areas. The programme will prioritise practical, visible enhancements, with each area receiving a tailored package of works based on...
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On this day
1857: The first football club, Sheffield FC, was formed by a group of Harrow old boys meeting in Sheffield. 1882: Actress Dame Sybil Thorndike was born in Gainsborough, Lincs. 1924: A letter purporting to be from Grigori Zinoviev of the USSR calling...
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‘A KICK IN THE TEETH’
Union chiefs hit out after hospital bosses reveal £2.5million ‘profit’ from charging patients and staff to park
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Trial shows AI could help free up NHS staff hours
A major trial of artificial intelligence (AI) in the health service has shown the technology could potentially save 400,000 hours of staff time every month. The Microsoft 365 Copilot system can be used to help create documents, get suggestions for...
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Doctors fear corridor care is now 'new norm'
Almost three in five doctors say they cared for patients in temporary spaces like hospital corridors, offices and cupboards this summer, according to a new survey. The 553 doctors polled by the Royal College Physicians (RCP) poll suggests corridor...
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11,000 declared insolvent, new
More than 11,000 people were declared financially insolvent last month, according to official figures. The Insolvency Service says the 11,101 people entering insolvency in England and Wales last month was three per cent lower than in August but seven...
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Carbon monoxide warning issued by
The number of suspected carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning incidents has doubled in five years, say a safety campaign group. Project SHOUT says there have 7,703 call-outs to suspected CO poisoning incidents this year - up from 3,876 in 2020. Additional...
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On this day
1405: Pope Pius II was born. Pope Gregory XII also died on this day in 1417, as did Pope Pius III, who died in 1503. 1910: The trial of Dr Crippen began at the Old Bailey. 1922: The British Broadcasting Company was officially formed. 1961: Henri...
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On this day
1793: Marie Antoinette, Queen of France as wife of Louis XVI, was convicted of treason and guillotined in Paris. 1847: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte was published under the pseudonym, Currer Bell. 1946: The Nuremberg executions began. They included...
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Teenage driver Charlie’s on the road to motor racing success with F4 deal
Sunderland’s very own motor racing sensation Charlie Benson is on the road to be the next Formula 1 sensation after being signed up to race in Formula 4. Like many of today’s grand prix stars, Charlie honed his skills on the gokart racing circuit. At...
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UK Today
Majorca ........ Thunder 25 77 Malaga ............... Sunny 27 81 Malta .................. Sunny 25 77 Miami ..................... Fair 30 86 Moscow ................ Rain 5 41 New York .......... Cloudy 17 63 Paris ....................... Fair 18 64...
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Housing market falls for third month running
The house market has stalled for the third month in a row, according to industry experts. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) says buyer demand has weakened because of ongoing economic fears and would-be buyers worried about tax...
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