Wearside stories you might have missed

A crowd of young people cheer and dance with arms in the air in an enormous blue marquee. Several are clutching yellow disposable cameras.

In the days before smartphones, gig goers had to make do with disposable cameras

A rugby club devastated by flooding and vandalism, the BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend is returning to Sunderland and a plaque has been unveiled celebrating a trailblazing gay politician.

Here are some of the stories you might have missed.

Plaque unveiled for pioneering gay politician

Sam Green. He is balding with ginger sideburns and moustache that grows down to his chin at the sides.Family handout

Sam Green is said to be the first openly gay politician to be elected in the UK

A blue plaque has been unveiled celebrating the life and legacy of a councillor believed to be the first openly gay politician to be elected in the UK.

Councillor Sam Green was a psychiatric nurse who made history when he was elected to the now-abolished Durham City Council for the Crossgate ward as a Liberal councillor in 1972.

Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, unveiled the plaque outside a home on The Avenue where Green, who died in 1999, had lived.

The City of Durham Parish Council, which installed the plaque, said Green was a "much-loved" figure in the area and a "one-off".

Rugby club devastated by flooding and vandalism

The rugby pitch and surrounding fields are largely submerged in flood water.Louise Nixon

The pitches at Bishop Auckland RUFC were flooded

Rugby club players were heartbroken when their pitches were flooded and then seemingly targeted by vandals.

The grounds of Bishop Auckland RUFC were submerged last week after persistent rain saw the River Wear overtop. Days later, players then discovered the pitches appeared to have been damaged by an off-road vehicle.

General manager Steven Jones said players were devastated and the clean-up operation would be "absolutely massive".

The community response to a £15,000 fundraiser for recovery work, pitch remediation, equipment replacement and temporary training venues had been "phenomenal", the club said.

Teen Victoria Cross winner was an 'inspiring hero'

Group of six people posing for photo. Jerome Donnini is second from the right. There is also a man wearing a suit and medals on his breast-pocket. Two other women and three men, are dressed smartly. The man in the middle is holding a large photo of Dennis Donnini wearing a military hat. Durham County Council

Jerome Donnini (second from right) said society needs heroes to inspire people

The nephew of one of the youngest Victoria Cross winners in World War Two has said his uncle was an inspiration and that society "needs heroes and heroines".

Fusilier Dennis Donnini VC, from Easington Colliery, was just 19 when he died in a battle in the village of Stein in Selfkant, Germany.

His nephew, Jerome Donnini, took part in an event at The Story in Durham to commemorate what would have been the soldier's 100th birthday.

Mr Donnini said it was important to remember his uncle's legacy because "every society needs heroes - they give other people inspiration".

'Slow asthma care means more hospital trips'

A head and shoulder picture of Tamzin Usher. She has a shaved head and blue eyes. She is wearing a white top and has piercings on her nose and lip. She has black winged eyeliner and dark lipstick. PA Media

Tamzin Usher said she was susceptible to picking up viruses which triggerred her severe asthma

An asthma sufferer fears delays in being seen for her condition are leading to unnecessary hospital stays.

Viruses and cold weather can trigger severe asthma for Tamzin Usher, from Durham, but at times she has struggled to get a GP appointment or was left waiting for a specialist to see her to treat her symptoms.

She said: "I don't think I'd end up being hospitalised as much if I could get the care I needed quicker whenever my asthma did flare up, so I could manage it better without having to call for an ambulance."

The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) said it had started planning for winter "earlier than ever before" and delivered "millions more GP appointments" in the last year.

Look back at Sunderland's last Big Weekend in 2005

A picture taken from the stage of a crowd of people singing and dancing with arms in the air. Several are wearing red and white-striped Sunderland shirts, in one corner there is a couple kissing. A man at the front with short ginger hair is blowing a whistle, there are two young women with blonde hair cheering next to him and many people are clutching plastic drink glasses and bottles.

BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend was last in Sunderland in May 2005

It seems like only yesterday but it really was 20 years ago that BBC Radio 1 last took over Sunderland.

And this week it was announced it would return to Herrington Park in 2026.

As many start looking forward to the Big Weekend's Sunderland return next year, we turned back the clock to 2005 with its two days of music and mud headlined by the Foo Fighters and Black Eyed Peas (with memorable performances from local lads Maximo Park and The Futureheads).

Tickets were free but well sought after, many people having to queue overnight to get them from a box office in the city centre.

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