The Queen has personally thanked four volunteers from the North East for their efforts in helping others throughout the pandemic.

In a video call with the Duchess of Cornwall and Royal Voluntary Service (RVS) chief executive, Catherine Johnstone, the Queen spoke with the volunteers from RVS and NHS Volunteer Responders who have helped vulnerable people in their communities.

Image source, Buckingham Palace

Sue Cadwallader has been helping with the Northumberland Good Neighbours Service and Tracy Clarke has been delivering books to people unable to visit Gateshead libraries.

Simon Holmes, from Stockton-on-Tees, and Anderson Akponeware, from Middlesbrough, were also on the call. They are both giving their time as NHS volunteers making ‘Check in and Chat’ calls with people in need of conversation.

Image source, Buckingham Palace

Praising their work, the Queen said: "I think it’s wonderful work. Thank you to everybody - and all the others too who have been volunteering. It has been a great help."

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Firefighters in Middlesbrough have been subjected to a series of violent attacks.

Crews have been called out to the Northern Road area of Whinney Banks 13 times in the past two weeks, where children and youths have been deliberately setting fires.

Cleveland Police said the behaviour will not be tolerated and it is doing everything it can to find those responsible.

Sgt John Sproson said: "It is unacceptable that we have people in the local area purposely going out and setting fires and abusing our emergency services."

Middlesbrough Council’s Neighbourhood Safety team has identified two young people from CCTV footage building fires in Northern Road.

One young person has been issued with a final warning and a second has been visited by police.

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Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium will open as an NHS vaccination centre on Monday.

It's the fifth large vaccination site to open in the region, with the aim of vaccinating as many people as quickly as possible.

Potentially it could see up to 1,000 patients a day, running 12 hours a day, seven days a week.

Across the North East and North Cumbria more than one million people have been vaccinated by the NHS.

Image source, PA Media

NHS England is inviting everyone aged 50 and over to have their vaccination. This will be either by letter or through a text alert from the National Booking Service.

Middlesbrough FC manager Neil Warnock welcomed the stadium being used as a vaccination centre:

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