Come on anyone know who is in this picture?

Thanks Barry any more gems in the wardrobe? At least this is one photo saved for posterity

By VICKI NEWMAN
Published on Thursday 31 March 2011 17:46

A SOUTH Tyneside couple are celebrating the diamond wedding they thought they would never see.

Eddy and Ena Hannen, of Edgeworth Close, Boldon, tied the knot six decades ago today, but five years ago they were almost separated forever.

Mr Hannen, 82, a retired clerk collector, was diagnosed with cancer and told by doctors he would need an operation to remove his kidney and part of his bladder.

Going under the knife meant that he could live to celebrate 60 years of marriage to his wife.

Mrs Hannen, 80, a retired ministry worker, said: “We’re so thankful to Mr Armitage and his secretary at South Tyneside District Hospital for what they’ve done for us.

“This time five years ago, we never would have thought we’d be celebrating our diamond wedding. Mr Armitage gave Eddy an ultimatum. He said if he didn’t have the operation, he didn’t know how long he would last. We feel so lucky to still be together.”

The couple, who have a daughter, Carole, 55, first met at the Fence Houses YMCA in Sunderland, when they were just 16 and 18 years old.

Mr Hannen was drafted into the RAF shortly afterwards, but they stayed together through his two-years of service. He proposed on his return, and they moved in together.

Mrs Hannen said: “The opportunity came up and we just grabbed it, then we went straight into town to buy rings and see a vicar, and set up our wedding for 10 weeks’ time.

“My mam thought we were nuts when we got back home and told her, she thought we’d never be able to get everything together in time, but we did. We had a big white wedding with more than 200 guests.”

On the secret to a long and happy marriage, Mrs Hannen said: “We’ve just always done everything together and it’s kept us strong.

“We’re best friends as well as a married couple and it’s really important. Our daughter Carole is disabled, so we’ve spent a lot of time together looking after her. We’re just so happy to have seen this day.”

http://www.shieldsgazette.com

Middleton has already captivated the world’s imagination with her Cinderella story of going from middle-class girl-next-door to queen-in-waiting, but until recently few knew of her family’s connection to coal mining, once a prime source of Britain’s prosperity that has now fallen on hard times.

Her great-grandfather left coal country nearly a century ago in pursuit of a safer way of life in the London area, but his siblings stayed behind and spent their working lives in the coal pits. She still has relatives in the area who expect her to bring a practical, no-nonsense approach to royal life once she and Prince William tie the knot at Westminster Abbey on April 29.

John Harrison, a cousin who still lives in Hetton-Le-Hole — once a bustling mining center now down on its luck — doesn’t expect Middleton to act all high and mighty when she officially becomes a princess.

Kate’s wedding dress details to be revealed on official website

Harrison believes she still has a bit of the coal country in her, a head-screwed-on-straight practicality more common to the grit of northeast England than the gilded parlors of Buckingham Palace, with its priceless art collection and stifling protocol.

“I think she’s going to stamp her northeast way of life on William,” said Harrison, who has lost touch with Middleton’s side of the family but still plans to celebrate the royal wedding with his family’s own party-of-the-year. “She’s told him they’re going to be more normal, more down to earth.”

The fact that the offspring of a coal mining family will soon be a princess — and a likely future queen — is taken by some as proof that Britain’s once-rigid social system has become more malleable.

Will and Kate invite exes to their wedding

“They certainly wouldn’t have done that in the hundred years before that. They went from the bottom to the top.”
The upward mobility — tabloids are calling it “From Pit to Palace” — began when Middleton’s great-grandfather Thomas Harrison, fed up with the grim prospects of life in a coal town, packed up and took his family to the London area, not with any grand plans, but simply to get cleaner, safer work.

Harrison, using his carpentry skills to avoid the coal pits, left behind most of his brothers and sisters, including his brother George, who became John Harrison’s father. Thomas Harrison moved first to Ealing, a suburb west of London, and his granddaughter Carole eventually married Michael Middleton, who came from a successful family of lawyers and businessmen.

No royal wedding invite? Get a job at the palace

That was a distinct step up in the world. Their daughter Kate Middleton went to the best schools, and met a prince. They had an eight-year, on-again-off-again courtship that — finally — led to an engagement in November.

It was not unusual for men to leave the coal regions if they could, said Kate Reeder, a curator at the Beamish Museum that documents the region’s history. She said coal mines in the Hetton area reached their peak in 1913 — when miners were relatively well paid — but then went into a sharp decline that prompted some men to abandon the mines in search of better jobs.

Raise a glass of Will and Kate commemorative beer!

“It was a really, really unhealthy activity,” she said. “Just being underground for most of your life is not a healthy thing to do, plus there’s the dust and the noise and the repetition of their work, and a lot of dangers from the machinery, and from explosions and gas incidents. So it’s not unusual for people to leave.”

Many who left did well for themselves, but the Harrison story is unprecedented.

“I suppose it’s a bit like winning the lottery,” said John Harrison. “You’re not going to get any money out of it, but at least you’ll have memories. We’ll still be working class, but it’s a nice feeling to know there’s something there in the family, that we’re going to be related to royalty.”

Read the full story by going to this link  http://www.today.com

Prof Gavin Kitching

RESEARCH will take a back seat when an acclaimed academic comes from Down Under for the Wear-Tyne derby.

Gavin Kitching is normally 10,400 miles away, in his role as Professor of Politics at the University of South Wales in Sydney, Australia.

The internationally-renowned political scientist has written books on revolutionary philosophers, economic history and Third World development.

But when he retires, Prof Kitching plans to write about his first love –football.

Fan rivalries will be one of the central themes he intends to study, in particular between Sunderland and Newcastle.

On Sunday, Prof Kitching will be at the Stadium of Light with his son, Sam, a student.

But any thoughts of first-hand research into derby-day animosity will be put to one side, as the professor gets caught up in the fever-pitch agenda – namely, the Black Cats getting revenge for the 5-1 thrashing at St James’s Park in October.

For Prof Kitching was brought up to support SAFC by his dad, an overman at Lambton Colliery, and the Fence Houses-born author is hopeful of a red-and-white victory at the weekend.

“I think Sunderland will win,” he said. “Not 5-1 though. Probably by the odd goal.”

Prof Kitching has not been to a Tyne-Wear derby for 30 years.

“I used to go a lot in the 50s and 60s,” he said. “At St James’s Park, we used to stand in the Leazes End, surrounded by Newcastle fans.

www.jarrowandhebburngazette.com

PANTO legends Ray Spencer and Bob Stott are leading the Christmas capers at the Customs House.
The South Shields venue reckons this year’s show, Puss In Boots, is its best yet.
It is the hilarious duo’s 35th year working together – and they still show no signs of retiring.
Bob said: “It certainly doesn’t feel like we’ve been doing this for 35 years.
“I don’t really count the years – I do it because I love it. I love getting on stage and entertaining all our friends, old and new.”
Returning to perform alongside Ray and Bob are Graham Overton (King Boris) and Peter Darrant (Osborne The Ogre).
Lucy Rafton and Afnan Iftikhar also make welcome returns to play Princess Cheryl and Much The Miller’s Son.
* Puss In Boots runs until January 8. Tickets start from £7. Call the box office on 454 1234.

GLASS slippers, laughs and romance are on the cards at Durham’s Gala Theatre.
The Durham City venue is hosting Cinderella until January 8, with a host of familiar faces and a real horse-drawn carriage.
Fence Houses actor Donald McBride will return for his third consecutive Gala panto outing, and this year appears as Sarah, one of the ugly sisters, alongside Spennymoor’s John Carter as Clara.
Joining Donald and John once again will be Seaham-born actor Neil Armstrong, who has been in pantomime every year since 1987.
Neil will play Cinderella’s step uncle, the evil Baron Gristle.
Completing the line-up of old friends will be Paul Hartley and Jane Deane as the comedy double act Buttons and Dishes.
Joining these Gala stalwarts will be some new faces.
Helen Embleton, pictured right, plays Fairy Marigold, having appeared last year as Narcissus in Sleeping Beauty at the Customs House, South Shields.
Australian Tom Caley plays the dashing Prince Charming with Sophie Michaels as his Cinderella.
* Tickets are available from 332 4041.

http://www.jarrowandhebburngazette.com

 Rob Gray is gearing up for the fight he never dreamed he could have.The 17-year-old was born with talipes – a painful condition where his feet were back to front.

But after endless operations on both legs throughout his childhood, Rob, of Ravensworth Avenue, Fence Houses, is now in training for his debut bout after taking up boxing a year ago.

The former Houghton Kepier pupil said: “I never thought I would be able to do this. I couldn’t even play any sports really a few years ago so it’s amazing and I’m really excited.”

Rob, who works at Ramside Hall, underwent the first of many operations at Sunderland Royal Hospital to fix his feet at just six weeks old.

Since then, he has had more than eight surgical procedures on both his legs and feet, as well as metal plates inserted to help straighten them,

Medics also inserted pins through his legs that twist to help gradually move the feet round.

Rob’s mum Margaret Shearer, 53, said: “I’m so proud of him. I’m proud of him whatever he’s done because the way his feet were he would never have walked.

“Any achievement he makes is great and it’s amazing to see how he has come on.

“When he was about 15, he went for his final check-up and since then everything has been fine.

“He’s been amazing through all this and has never let anything bother him.”

A year ago, Rob decided to put his feet to the test when he joined Houghton Boxing Club.

Since then, he has attended weekly training and fallen in love with the sport.

“A couple of friends started doing it so I thought I’d give it a try,” he said. “I loved it so I stuck with it.

“I would not have been able to do this five or 10 years ago.”

And now, after a year of hard training, Rob is ready for his first fight tonight.

Ken Allen, of Houghton Boxing Club, said: “I’ve known Rob since he was at infant school and can remember him having operations over and over again.

“It’s remarkable how he has got on and he is a really strong boxer.”

www.sunderlandecho.com

A singer who made his name in the clubs of Sunderland is set to become a star of the small screen tonight.

Entertainer Shaun Foster-Conley will appear in ITV’s award-winning show Benidorm and is set to appear in three more episodes.

The 36-year-old, who performs at the popular resort for up to seven months in a year, revealed that writers had been planning to include him in the script from the start.

Shaun, who lives in Fence Houses but is originally from Red House, Sunderland, said: “They approached me three years ago and said they wanted to write me into the script.

“They have written me into the third series, and I went out and filmed it and it was a great experience.

“I sing five songs in the show and I do have speaking parts.”

Shaun first took to the stage when he was only five with his dad Peter, who was in a band called The Apaches.

And for the last 16 years, the former shipyard worker has been wowing audiences all over the world with his vocal talents.

He was named North East male vocalist of the year tin 2003, 2004 and 2005, and topped the bill in a “One Night In Vegas” theatre production.

And he was crowned an ambassador for the city by Sunderland City Council – putting him alongside the likes of Eurythmics star Dave Stewart and Kate Adie.

But the dad-of-two says appearing in Benidorm is definitely the highlight of his career so far.

Shaun, who is married to Angela and has two children Robyn, 12, and Fraser, 11, said: “It was a great experience to see professional actors at work.”

Viewers can tune in to ITV tonight at 9pm.

Published Date: 09 October 2009 www.sunderlandecho.com

It was after Hazel married and left her job working at Binns in Sunderland that the idea of starting up an Avon round came to her.

“There was a lady called Mrs Nicholson covering the area at the time,” she said. “I decided I’d like to have a go and started it up in the September.

“I really enjoyed it and decided to keep it on and here I am 45 years later.”

Hazel, 66, who also works at Hopes chemist in Houghton, has kept the same round covering Fence Houses all those years, and she has vowed to carry on serving her customers for years to come.

“I love meeting people and doing the work I do,” she said. “I’ve built up good friendships and got to know my customers over the years.

“In the time that I’ve been working there have been several changes.

“The product range has got wider. When I first started it was mainly just perfumes for sale with some make-up.

“Now, you’ve got all sorts. There’s underwear, jewellery, handbags, hats and scarves and a lot of children’s products. There’s a very wide spectrum now.”

To mark Hazel’s dedication to the company, she was invited to an exclusive lunch with 19 other long-serving Avon reps at Rushton Hotel, Northamptonshire.

Hazel said: “When I first started my Avon business I would never have expected to have been chosen to attend such a special event.

“Avon has been a big part of my life and I’m really proud to be here today knowing that I have been part of the company’s success.”

Hazel’s coup comes just weeks after the Echo revealed dynamic duo Debbie Davis and Dave Carter raked in a whopping £5.5million and were crowned Avon’s top earners for the fourth year running.

The two Avon senior executive sales leaders, of Leechmere Grange, have 2,500 people working for them up and down the country after spending five years building up their Avon empire.