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Wearside stories you may have missed this week

Results from a Durham University study about a premenstrual disorder, a Nissan boss said building cars in UK was too expensive and the use of Tasers in prisons will be trialled after an attack at HMP Frankland.

Here are some stories you may have missed on Wearside this week.

Premenstrual disorder hits relationships - study

Durham University Dr Sophie Hodgetts has black hair and black glasses. Durham University
Dr Sophie Hodgetts said more needed to be done to recognise the impacts of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)

A study by Durham University found Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) took a "significant" toll on daily life and relationships.

PMDD, which is a severe cyclical, hormone-based mood disorder linked to periods, is thought to affect more than one in 20 women.

  • Read about the findings here

Tasers in prisons to be trialled after Abedi attack

Getty Images A guard opens a white set of doors inside a prison.Getty Images
Before the attack, Abedi had access to a kitchen at HMP Frankland

The use of Tasers in prisons will be trialled after officers were injured by the brother of the Manchester Arena bomber.

The Prison Officers' Association (POA) had called for staff to have access to electric stun guns in light of Hashem Abedi's use of makeshift weapons to attack staff at HMP Frankland, a high-security prison in County Durham.

  • Read more about the trial and the attack here

Sunderland man says cancer diagnosis left him feeling alone

A close up of Jake outside. He is wearing a blue cap and glasses and smiling.
Jake Adams was diagnosed with a brain tumour at 19

A 24-year-old man is calling for more support for younger cancer patients as he battles with loneliness and isolation.

Jake Adams, from Sunderland, always dreamed of being a sports journalist, but while studying for his qualification at university in 2019 he was diagnosed with brain cancer at 19.

After undergoing surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, he was told he was tumour free. But his cancer returned and is now incurable.

  • Read about Jake's story here

Nissan boss says building cars in UK too expensive

PA Media Workers on the production line at Nissan's factory in Sunderland in October 2019. A man in grey trousers and black jumper and gloves is carrying the white frame of car door. PA Media
A late shift at the Sunderland plant was terminated in February

A senior Nissan boss has warned that the UK is "not a competitive place to be building cars".

Nissan's Alan Johnson told MPs that the Sunderland factory "pays more for its electricity than any other Nissan plant in the world".

A late shift at the Wearside plant was closed in February, but no jobs were lost after workers were moved to other lines.

  • Read exactly what the Nissan boss said here

Live album recording to create portrait of Sunderland

A group of people rehearsing at Southpaw Studio in Sunderland: lots of people are dancing with their knees slightly bent.
Rehearsals for the production began in January

A Wearside venue will be transformed into a studio over the weekend, when more than 100 local people will come together to record an album in real time.

Residents, ranging in age from 4 to 93, will perform 13 original tracks at the Fire Station in Sunderland as part of a project to create a musical portrait of the city.

  • Read about the project here

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