Madeleine Raine

Family and friends of Mark Langton have continued their annual fundraising for Sunderland RNLI for 20 years after the Sunderland teenager died in 2006 after being swept into the sea at Hendon Promenade. This year's fundraising raised £1,120, which was presented at Sunderland Lifeboat Station. RNLI volunteer Paul Nicholson thanked the family and supporters for their enduring commitment, while station chairman Alan Dixon presented the family with a commemorative thank-you gift.

The Hole in Wand’s magical mini-golf venue at Dalton Park in Seaham will close on September 6, 2026, after operating for two years. The attraction, which also included an apothecary and children’s play area, will honour bookings through its final day. Dalton Park centre manager Richard Kaye thanked the business for its contribution and said the outlet plans to introduce a new leisure experience.

A partial solar eclipse will be visible across Sunderland on Wednesday, August 12, with the Moon beginning to cover the Sun at about 6:10pm, maximum coverage at around 7:07pm, and the event ending near 8pm. Recommended viewing locations include Penshaw Monument, Tunstall Hills, Ryhope Clifftops and Seven Sisters, Houghton-le-Spring. Viewers are advised not to look directly at the Sun without specialist eclipse glasses and are given safer alternatives such as pinhole projectors, colanders and tree-leaf shadows. The Royal Observatory Greenwich will livestream the eclipse.

The initial line-up for the 2026 Durham Book Festival has been announced, with events scheduled at Durham’s Gala Theatre from October 9 to 11. Featured guests include poets Hollie McNish and Michael Pedersen, debut novelists Louise Powell, Sufiyaan Salam and Shaun Wilson, novelist Lucy Foley, author Susanna Clarke, and Pet Shop Boys musician Neil Tennant in conversation with Fiona Hill. The full programme is due to be released on August 13, with tickets available through the Gala Theatre.

The Waterboys’ scheduled August 13 concert at Cliffe Park in Seaburn has been cancelled, with organiser XFire apologising and offering ticket holders either a transfer to Ocean Colour Scene’s August 15 show at RM Arena in Houghton-le-Spring or a refund. The Ocean Colour Scene concert has been moved from Cliffe Park and will mark 30 years since the release of Moseley Shoals. The status of performances by Embrace and The Vintage Explosion is unclear because tickets are unavailable and no official announcement has been made.

Twelve-year-old Sunderland AFC supporters Isaac O’Connor and Jack Elliot cycled 160 miles from Manchester’s Old Trafford to Sunderland’s Stadium of Light over five days to raise money for the Bradley Lowery Foundation. Accompanied by their fathers, the boys raised £4,237 through the challenge, which they said was physically and mentally demanding but motivated by the foundation’s support for families affected by childhood cancer and serious illnesses. The foundation praised their commitment and kindness.

Washington-based father and son Brenden and David Carr have launched FINK, a UK-focused golf clothing brand built around quality, craftsmanship and designs suitable for both the course and everyday wear. After researching manufacturers, fabrics and branding partners, they released a nine-product collection that reportedly sold out quickly and attracted international orders. Brenden brings more than 25 years of engineering and business experience through Caztec Group, while David leads the brand’s modern lifestyle direction. The venture was partly inspired by Caztec Group’s support for professional golfer Fay Wheatley.

Sunderland’s Blandford Street will host a free street party on August 8, organized by City Centre BID from 10am to 3pm. The family-friendly event will feature live entertainment, circus skills, bicycle repairs, face painting, portraits, drawing, crafts, origami, creative repair demonstrations and advice on styling pre-loved clothing. Independent retailers and community organizations will showcase their skills while promoting creativity, sustainability and the reuse of household goods and clothing.

Janette Husband is organizing a free summer fun fair in Houghton-le-Spring to commemorate her late parents, Anne and Wilf Husband, and her brother Wilfred. Anne and Wilf ran the Wilf Husband topsoil business for 62 years after starting it with £250 and a lorry. The event will include donated rides from O’Briens Funfairs, free food and sweets, and donations for Kids in the Park 2027, a six-week children’s entertainment programme.

Police are appealing for witnesses and CCTV or dashcam footage after a blue Volkswagen T-Roc crashed into a house near the junction of Kayll Road and Chester Road in Sunderland shortly after 5am on August 1. A male passenger in his 20s was taken to hospital in critical condition with chest and pelvic injuries, while two other occupants were also taken to hospital. The male driver, also in his 20s, was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and later released on bail.

Three people were taken to hospital after a blue Volkswagen T-Roc crashed into a house near the junction of Kayll Road and Chester Road in Sunderland shortly after 5am on August 1. A male passenger in his 20s remains in critical condition, while the male driver was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and later released on bail. Northumbria Police are seeking witnesses, CCTV and dashcam footage, and the road was closed for several hours.

Around 30,000 people attended Seaham Food Festival on August 1 and 2, where about 140 traders sold local and regional produce alongside cooking demonstrations and entertainment. Durham County Council said the event helps attract visitors, increase footfall for local shops and support the local economy. Celebrity chefs Cherish Finden and Matt Tebbutt were among the personalities appearing, with Finden praising the festival’s expanded stalls, larger stage and enthusiastic audience.

Seaham Food Festival will take place on August 1 and 2, 2026, with food stalls, cooking demonstrations, music and entertainment. Saturday is forecast to be fairly cloudy with sunny intervals, temperatures of 16–19°C and a moderate chance of rain, while Sunday should be sunnier with the same temperatures and a lower chance of rain. The festival runs from 10am to 5pm on Saturday and from 10am to 4pm on Sunday.

Sunderland-based editor and former social worker Abbie Rutherford, who had to leave her career after being diagnosed with ME, has published the crime fiction anthology Thirteen Deadly Intentions. The book includes work by bestselling and ME-experienced authors, as well as local writer Terri Keogh, and all royalties will support Invest in ME Research. Rutherford describes years of unexplained symptoms and medical appointments before her diagnosis, and says her illness led her to build an editing and self-publishing consultancy.

The University of Sunderland’s NHS Darkroom project, led by lecturer and former NHS nurse Johannah Churchill in partnership with Newcastle Hospitals Charity, uses analogue photography and darkroom techniques to help NHS staff document and reflect on their working lives. An exhibition at the university’s Northern Centre of Photography showcased work by clinical and non-clinical staff and marked the first formal participation of medical students. UK Research and Innovation funding will support a short film about the project, while Newcastle Hospitals Charity plans to display the work across trust sites.

Washington-based AR Power has been shortlisted for Contractor of the Year at the Solar and Storage Live Awards 2026 after delivering a multi-site solar installation for the Percy Hedley Foundation. The project covers specialist education, care and residential facilities and is expected to save more than 51,000kg of CO2 emissions annually and about £43,000 in first-year energy costs. Managing director Chris Balmer said the recognition reflects the company’s expertise and supports its ambition to expand cleaner energy solutions across the UK. AR Power has also been recognised by Komatsu for a solar installation at its Birtley manufacturing facility.

Dame Dorothy Primary School in Roker held its first GO Yellow Day to raise money for St Benedict’s Hospice in Ryhope. Pupils, staff, parents and members of the local community took part in colorful dress and an assault course, raising £220.75. Head of school Laura Tullock said the hospice is important to many families and confirmed that the event will return in 2027.

The Tansy Centre in South Hylton, Sunderland, has opened a volunteer-run cafe serving homemade-style paninis, sandwiches, cakes and scones. The cafe aims to generate income for the charity and make the centre a broader community meeting space, with planned activities including art sessions, mindfulness events and lunch clubs. The centre also received funding from the National Lottery Community Fund to create a Growing Together Garden featuring natural play areas, wildlife habitats and learning spaces, with an expected opening around October.

Seaham Food Festival will take place on August 1 and 2, with celebrity chef demonstrations, cultural activities, live music, street food, bars and retail stalls. The programme includes appearances by Matt Tebbutt, Cyrus Todiwala, Cherish Finden, Shelina Permaloo, Oliver Dunn and Francesco Mattana, alongside theatre, dinosaur displays, crafts and performances by local and visiting artists. Park-and-ride services will run from Spectrum Business Park and Doxford International Business Park, while road closures and busy town-centre car parks are expected.

Education Partnership North East, comprising Sunderland College, Northumberland College and Hartlepool Sixth Form College, has been ranked among the country’s strongest providers for higher education student satisfaction in the latest National Student Survey. Students rated teaching at 97% positive, career and skills development at 93%, learning opportunities at 90.8% and the overall student experience at 98.5%, with counselling and crime and criminal justice programmes achieving 100% positivity. The partnership offers university-level qualifications through collaborations with the University of Cumbria and the University of Hull across campuses in Sunderland, Hartlepool and Northumberland.

Seaham para powerlifter Mark Swan won England’s first gold medal of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in the men’s lightweight para powerlifting event after lifting 222kg. Although he believed he had finished third, Swan tied Nigeria’s Rolland Ezuruike on points and was awarded gold, with Malaysia’s Bonnie Bunyau Gustin taking bronze.