Skip to content

Wearside stories you may have missed this week

Getty Images The Durham Miners' Gala. A brass band is walking down the street in red blazers. A red, yellow and blue miners' banner with five men depicted in the middle is being held up behind them. More banners and people can be seen walking behind them with people behind barriers on either side of the street.Getty Images
Reform UK councillors have not been formally invited to the 139th Durham Miners' Gala

A woman who was poisoned by fake Botox, Reform UK councillors not being formally invited to the Durham Miners' Gala and Nissan unveils new electric car to be built in Sunderland.

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

Actors among those to receive honorary degrees

Eivind Hansen Mark Gatiss is looking at the camera and wearing a blue suit. He has short brown hair and a ginger beard.Eivind Hansen
Mark Gatiss said Durham held a special place in his heart

Award-winning actors Mark Gatiss and Gina McKee are among those who will receive honorary degrees from Durham University this summer.

Gatiss, founding member of The League of Gentlemen and co-creator of the award-winning BBC series Sherlock, is from Sedgefield in County Durham and said he was thrilled to be honoured by his "almost" home city.

Meanwhile, Bafta-winning actor Gina McKee, from Peterlee, said it meant a "great deal" to her.

  • Read more about the ceremony here

Reform councillors 'not invited' to miners' gala

Getty Images An aerial photo of people marching as part of a previous Miners' Gala. They're walking across a stone bridge with various colourful banners.Getty Images
The first Durham Miners' Gala took place in 1871

Reform UK councillors have not been formally invited to the 139th Durham Miners' Gala after taking control of the local authority.

Durham Miners' Association (DMA) said the party had "chosen to criticise" the group publicly for its lack of invitation, but said it would not "abandon" its principles.

A spokesman for Reform UK said the DMA "clearly holds the thousands of former miners and their families who voted for Reform in complete disdain".

  • Read more about the tradition and what was said here

Nissan unveils new electric car to be built in UK

Nissan The third-generation model of the Nissan LEAF electric car. It is blue and black with the Nissan logo on the front.Nissan
The new Leaf will be built in Sunderland and powered by batteries also manufactured nearby

Car manufacturer Nissan has unveiled details of its new Leaf electric vehicle, which is set to be built on Wearside.

The third-generation model will be built at its Sunderland plant by its 6,000-strong team, the Japanese carmaker said.

The new Leaf will be able to travel up to 375 miles (604km) on a single charge and will be available for customers to order later this year, Nissan said.

  • Read more about the plans at the plant here

'I was poisoned by fake Botox'

Nicola Fairly, a blonde woman in her 30s who is wearing a black vest and black sunglasses on her head. One side of her face is droopy which is a symptom of botulism. She has a tattoo on her left shoulder and is sitting on a sofa with cushions of different patterns.
Nicola Fairley was given anti-wrinkle injections containing fake Botox and ended up in hospital with botulism

In recent weeks, 28 people in the north-east of England have been left with potentially fatal botulism after having anti-wrinkle injections believed to have been fake.

Such reactions are usually so rare hospitals stock very little anti-toxin and they were in danger of running out.

On one night in June, five people were in an accident and emergency department (A&E) in Durham suffering from serious adverse effects of anti-wrinkle injections - Nicola Fairley was one of them.

  • Read what happened to Nicola here

First crane chick at wetland centre in three years

Owen Wright A picture of the crane chick, which is yellow-brown and fluffy. It is standing next to a wire fence.Owen Wright
The crane chick is currently bonding with its parents

A common crane chick has hatched for the first time in three years at Washington Wetland Centre.

It is just the second to hatch to its parents, who have been at the site since 2008 after arriving from the Netherlands.

WWT Washington's collection team manager, Dan Morrison, said it was "great to know that they're still happy and healthy" after 17 years.

  • Read more about the new arrival here

Follow BBC Sunderland on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.

More like this