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The team riding buses to combat loneliness

Volunteers are riding on buses around the North East in a scheme to help tackle loneliness.

The introduction of Chatty Bus teams by Go North East aims to start conversations with passengers who want to talk.

The company says overcoming loneliness improves people's health and wellbeing.

31 January 2019

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People in high-vis jackets walk next to a car submerged in floods on the left of a split screen with a snowy road on the right

Atmospheric river dumps snow and record rain on California

Science & Environment

Phone footage of a skate surfacing out of grey waves to a rigid inflatable boat.ttack the side of a inflatable

Watch the moment a skate attacks a fisherman's boat off Shetland

NE, Orkney & Shetland

Smoke billows from house fire.

Video shows flames and thick smoke at house fire

A view from an EasyJet plane window as it flies above and to the side of an erupting volcano

Plane passengers film Iceland volcano lava from above

BBC News

East of England weather forecast

Composite image of Sir Keir Starmer and BBC Radio WM presenter Kath Stanczyszyn, who is pictured wearing headphones and speaking into a purple microphone

Will there be a Birmingham pub bombings inquiry?

Birmingham & Black Country

A huge Christmas tree on a flatbed lorry in font of the US Capitol building

US Capitol Christmas tree arrives in DC

Blurred still image from video clips shows people being taken out of a car

Migrants asked to rate trip in smuggler review videos

John Darvall sat on the left of a composite image, in a purple studio with a microphone in front of him. On the right is Keir Starmer with grey hair and brown glasses.

PM challenged on West's councils facing bankruptcy

BBC Newsline

BBC Newsline signed summary

BBC Scotland weather presenter Christopher Blanchett in front of a weather map of Scotland showing snow warnings.

Watch the Storm Bert weather forecast for Scotland

Mural of The Smiths bassist Andy Rourke unveiled

Parts of West Burton A power station being demolished

Power station demolition captured by drone

Man clinging to a cliff being rescued

Moment person clinging to cliff is rescued by helicopter

A woman in a hospital gown grins on the left and a monitor lit up with lungs is on the right of a split screen.

Woman gets first double lung transplant done by robot

Ryan Borgwardt

US kayaker who faked own death thought to have fled to Europe

Ruth Dodsworth in the BBC studios in Cardiff. She is sitting on an orange sofa. She has cropped blonde hair and is wearing a fitted mauve top,

Stalking was part of my daily life, says presenter

A Christmas tree with lots of blue and green lights. A building nearby has yellow lights and a red bow so it looks like a present. You can see people stood in front of the building.

Manx capital sparkles at Christmas lights switch-on

A woman has her make up done in a Swansea salon for Beaujolais Day

'Beaujolais day is Swansea's Christmas'

A woman polished a large Gromit statue at the launch of the Gromit Unleashed 3 trail in Bristol. The statue has a multicoloured sparkly pattern. The woman is wearing a red and white shirt and a black dress over the top and she has red hair cut in a bob style

Aardman unveils new Wallace and Gromit trail

Riley smiles and holds a laptop screen with Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively on it.

Meeting Deadpool 'means everything' to boy, 9

Riley, who has cancer, is surprised after an online appeal to meet the Marvel star.

Bob the therapy dog, sat underneath a try in a pool of light at nighttime

Meet Bob the therapy dog who supports the homeless

The black Labrador goes out on street sweeps to help a charity speak with vulnerable people.

Norman, smiling, at the wheel of a bus

Bus driver retires after 54 years of service

Norman Simpson says he is "very sad" to be stepping down at the age of 86.

A woman walking and dancing alongside a busy road. She is wearing a white short-sleeved top over a black long-sleeved one and slightly cropped black sports leggings. She is waving to someone off camera as cars drive past.

Meet the Billingham Dancing Lady

Helen Gordon can be seen every morning dancing through the streets of Billingham.

Margaret Dillon

'I just love life. Age is just a number'

Meet Nana Dillon - an 86-year-old from Middlesbrough who is proving "age is just a number".

Mother Jane sits on sofa next to one of her children

Children scared rioters would break in through broken window

A family has told BBC Panorama how they were terrified rioters would break into their Middlesbrough home after their front window was smashed in.

The children staged a peaceful protest by the rope-swing

Rope-swing victory for pint-sized protesters

An MP has praised a group of children following a peaceful protest to save a beloved rope-swing.

A police dog bites a man on the buttock.

Middlesbrough and Hartlepool rioters jailed

Two men who joined disorder after a day at the bingo and a woman who pushed a bin are among those jailed.

Cole Stewart on CCTV throwing bricks

Footage shows teenager throwing bricks at police

An 18-year-old is sentenced after being caught throwing bricks at police during violent disorder.

Brendan Nwabichie

Fundraiser for carer after car set alight in riot

A Middlesbrough carer returns home after a 12-hour shift to find his car burnt out.

Volunteers team up to unearth 19th century lighthouse

Archaeological dig 'like a close community'

Tees Archaeology enlists the help of 47 volunteers for a week-long excavation in Hartlepool.

A group of three men fishing at a water's edge

Fishing helps addicts to rebuild their lives

Tackling Addiction uses fishing to offer support to people struggling with substance misuse issues.

PC Maverick Reddington was stabbed under his armpit and describes the incident as "absolute bedlam".

Bodycam footage shows police fighting off knifeman

PC Maverick Reddington was stabbed under his armpit and describes the attack as "absolute bedlam".

Two men play a game of Warhammer

Tabletop wargamers talk about general election

Wargamers in Middlesbrough give their views on politics ahead of the general election.

Graphic showing BBC general election branding

From 'I know nowt about politics' to election savvy

Middlesbrough builder Kain Jones-Jemson, who is 21, is speed-learning about politics.

House explosion

Watch: House explosion caught on doorbell camera

A doorbell camera captures the moment a house is destroyed in an explosion in Middlesbrough.

Three masked men

BBC goes inside estates where residents say crime has made life brutal

Crime is the biggest election issue, people in Middlesbrough estates tell the BBC's Ed Thomas.

Leyla Ozturk

'Football literally saved my life'

Leyla Ozturk was diagnosed with thyroid cancer after suffering a neck injury playing football.

A younger woman hugs an older woman

Neighbours transform 94-year-old's 'jungle' garden

Dot had struggled to maintain her garden following a stroke and the death of her husband.

Connie and Dennis Cutts celebrating 70 years of marriage at the Dorman's Club with half a pint of lager each

Couple celebrate 70 years at club where they met

Connie and Dennis Cutts celebrate 70 years of marriage at the Dorman's Club, where they first met.