The South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust (STSFT) held its fourth annual Staff Recognition Awards to celebrate staff who “go above and beyond” to support the Trust’s vision of “Excellence in all that we do.”

Nominations were made by colleagues from across the trust, covering teams and individuals working in community services, hospitals and support roles.

Ken Bremner MBE, chief executive of STSFT, said: “Each year, our Staff Recognition Awards provide a powerful reminder of the incredible people who make up our Trust.

“The quality and volume of nominations reflect the dedication, compassion and professionalism shown by colleagues every single day.

“We saw outstanding examples of people going above and beyond for patients, supporting one another as teams, and living our values in everything they do.

“While these awards recognise just a snapshot of the amazing work taking place across our services, they give us a vital opportunity to pause, say thank you, and celebrate those who are making a real difference for our communities.”

This year’s event received more than 450 nominations across 16 categories, highlighting excellence in patient care, leadership, innovation, and sustainability.

The nominations also highlighted unsung heroes and those whose careers have been dedicated to helping others, including recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The ceremony was held at the Beacon of Light in Sunderland.

Mr Bremner said: “On behalf of our governors, board and executive team, I would like to congratulate all those who were nominated and recognised this year, and thank everyone involved in making the evening such a memorable celebration.”

The awards night was made possible thanks to support from sponsors including the trust’s own STS Charity, NHS Professionals, Spark TSL, Trustmarque, Health Innovation North East and north Cumbria, DAC Beachcroft, National Institute for Health and Care Research, and Serve and Protect.

Additional backing came from Choice, the trust’s wholly-owned subsidiary for estates and facilities services.

The event not only celebrated individual achievement but also reinforced the importance of teamwork and shared values across the trust.

It served as an opportunity to formally thank staff who contribute daily to improving patient experiences and delivering high-quality care throughout the region.

Nicky Butt can see Manchester United bringing James Garner back to Old Trafford after his impressive performances at Everton.

Garner came through the United academy and had loans at Watford and Nottingham Forest before leaving the club to join Everton for £15million in 2022.

The versatile midfielder has grown to become a vital figure in David Moyes’s side this season, registering eight goal contributions to help give the Toffees a shot of qualifying for Europe.

Garner’s impressive performances at club level also saw him rewarded with a first England call-up back in March, with the 25-year-old featuring in both matches against Uruguay and Japan.

This has raised the possibility that Garner could be named in the final 26-man England squad for the World Cup, which must be announced by May 30.

United have made improving their midfield a key priority in the summer transfer window after confirmation that Casemiro will leave the club at the end of the season.

And while Butt thinks a return this summer is unlikely, the former Red Devils midfielder insists that he wouldn’t be surprised if Garner ended up back at Old Trafford in the not-so-distant future.

‘I don’t see why he couldn’t be back at United,’ Butt told Paddy Power. ‘He’s performing well, he’s playing for a big club with a big expectation with their crowd.

‘Obviously they’re not expected to go and win the Premier League but they’re expected to win and they’ve got passionate support.

‘So he plays under pressure every week, he knows Man United and yeah, he’s doing amazingly well now.

‘He’s got to do it again next season, it’s a bit soon to go and pay big money for him now, but I’m confident he can go and do it.’

Butt, who helped oversee Garner’s development during his time in charge of United’s academy, added: ‘At the time Jimmy wasn’t at the level to burst into United and play regularly. It wasn’t working so quite rightly he moved on and kick-started his career.

‘Jimmy is a bit like the player I was. Not the most talented but his drive and desire to get to the top is up there with anybody I’ve seen.’

Butt is confident that the Everton star will be with the Three Lions in North America this summer, where England will be looking to win their first men’s trophy since 1966.

‘Jimmy Garner has done himself a massive, massive favour playing how he played,’ he added. ‘He’s been phenomenal this season. He’s got it all, he can pass through the lines, he can defend, he can tackle, he can sprint.

‘He’s like a poorer man’s version of Gerrard. Not as good as Gerrard, but he’s in that mould, he can do everything as a modern day midfielder.

‘He will definitely be going [to the World Cup] after that, he’s got his ticket on the plane.’

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After all the predictions, projections and polling permutations, Welsh Labour’s defeat has been confirmed.

In 1985, Welsh historian Gwyn Alf Williams described Labour majorities standing “like Aneurin Bevan’s memorial stones”. Forty years on, the stones have finally been eroded. On the worst day for the party in its history in Wales, even its leader, Eluned Morgan, lost her seat.

After more than a century as Wales’ dominant political force, the figures and symbols that once anchored Welsh Labour now lie broken.

The scale of the defeat is difficult to overstate. Losses in historic heartlands that have voted Labour consistently for more than a century represent a devastating indictment of a party that has long mistaken dominance for consent. This is not a routine electoral setback, but a collapse.

Short-term factors played their part. Welsh Labour’s decision to abandon its “standing up for Wales” rhetoric and attach itself to an unpopular Keir Starmer-led UK government led the party to surrender one of its strongest political identities.

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Furthermore, the short-lived, scandal-ridden leadership of Vaughan Gething, and an incumbency backlash among certain voters, contributed to Labour’s worst-ever Senedd result. But while these factors shaped the timing and scale of the loss, they cannot by themselves explain it.

This election marks a reckoning that has been coming for a while. After more than a century of political dominance, the myths and symbols that sustained Welsh Labour (and the idea that Labour is Wales, and Wales is Labour), have finally withered. The defeat reflects not simply a bad campaign or unpopular leaders, but a party that has run out of steam and ideas.

Since devolution, Welsh Labour has spoken the language of radical politics while failing to realise radical outcomes. Limited powers and constrained budgets are real obstacles, but they do not excuse the absence of political ambition from a party that has governed Wales uninterrupted for nearly three decades. Few parties in democratic systems have enjoyed such long-term dominance; Welsh Labour has failed to take advantage of it.

Longer-term decay

The electoral collapse reflects a deeper unwillingness to confront Wales’ long-term material decline. Across health, housing, education and the economy, rhetorical ambition has been undermined by narrow, managerial interventions. Child poverty remains entrenched, educational standards have declined and the NHS is under sustained pressure. Progressive language has failed to translate into material improvement.

In defending Wales against Tory austerity, Welsh Labour neglected the harder task of articulating what Wales could become and how devolved powers could be wielded effectively to improve people’s lives. The result has been a politics that speaks the language of progress while leaving the structures of inequality largely untouched.

Over time, this gap between promise and experience has eroded trust. In an era of weakening party attachment and fluid political identities, historical loyalty can no longer be relied upon. The continued invocation of figures such as Aneurin Bevan may still resonate within the party but beyond this, their power has faded. Nostalgia has become a liability, especially when it substitutes for critical reflection or ideological renewal. Welsh Labour came to mistake familiarity for consent.

The Senedd election result is not a rejection of progressive values, but of Labour’s symbolic performance of them. Many voters were not turning away from radical ambition when they voted for Plaid Cymru; they were seeking a party they believed could still embody it. Welsh politics has often been defined by its radical traditions – and progressive voters have put their faith in Plaid to inherit them.

One-party dominance insulated Welsh Labour from the pressures that force political renewal. When that dominance finally fractured, the party found itself unable to articulate an alternative sense of purpose.

The collapse, therefore, is not a sudden termination, but the culmination of a prolonged period of stagnation. The majorities once symbolised by Aneurin Bevan’s memorial stones have been gradually eroded, enduring for decades but now standing merely as reminders of a Labour legacy that no longer finds resonance in Wales.

There are 96 politicians in total in the new-look Senedd

The names of the 96 people elected to the Senedd are now known, and xxxx will be people elected for the first time.

The previous Senedd was made up of 60 politicians, and while a large number of Labour politicians chose not to seek reelection, most of the other parties candidate lists included incumbent politicians, however the increased size of the Senedd and the arrival of Reform UK in large numbers, up from the two the party had at the end of the last Senedd means many people who have been elected for the first time.

We now know xxxxx have been re-elected and that xxxxx are new politicians in the Senedd.

Each of the 16 new constituencies has elected six politicians each. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here

One of those will be named Llywydd, or presiding officer, and their deputy, at a vote that has to take place within two weeks of the election. The new First Minister has to be voted in by June 4.

The new Senedd members for each constituency

BangorConwy

• Helen Jenner (Reform UK)
• Mair Rowlands (Plaid Cymru)
• Elfed Williams (Plaid Cymru)
• John Clark (Reform UK)

Clwyd

• Adrian Mason (Reform UK)
• Louise Emery (Reform UK)
• Thomas Montgomery (Reform UK)
• Becca Martin (Plaid Cymru)

Fflint Wrecsam

• Christiana Emsley (Reform)
• Carrie Harper (Plaid)
• Nigel Williams (Reform)
• Marc Jones (Plaid)

Gwynedd Maldwyn

• Beca Brown (Plaid Cymru)
• Elwyn Vaughan (Plaid Cymru)
• Andrew Griffin (Reform UK)
• Claire Johnson Wood (Reform UK)

Gŵyr Abertawe

• Gwyn Williams (Plaid)
• Francesca O’Brien (Reform)
• Safa Elhassan (Plaid)
• Steven Rodaway (Reform)
• John Davies (Plaid)

Ceredigion

• Susan Archibald (Reform UK)
• Kerry Ferguson (Plaid Cymru)
• Paul Marr (Reform UK)
• Anna Nicholl (Plaid Cymru)

Sir Gaerfyrddin

• Gareth Beer (Reform UK)
• Nerys Evans (Plaid Cymru)
• Carmelo Colasanto (Reform UK)
• Sarah Edwards (Reform UK)

Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd

• Ian McIntosh (Reform UK)
• Rebeca Philips (Plaid Cymru)
• David Mills (Reform UK)

Afan Ogwr Rhondda

• Sera Evans (Plaid)
• Alun Cox (Plaid)
• Elyn Stephens (Plaid)
• Benjamin McKenna (Reform UK)
• Steve Bayliss (Reform UK)

Pontypridd

• Jason O’Connell (Reform UK)
• Lis McClean (Plaid Cymru)
• David Hughes (Reform UK)
• Sara Crowley (Plaid Cymru)

Blaenau Gwent

• Niamh Salkeld (Plaid)
• Llyr Powell (Reform UK)
• Catherine Cullen (Reform UK)
• Joshua Kim (Reform UK)

Sir Fynwy Torfaen

• Matthew Jones (Plaid Cymru)
• Stephen Senior (Reform UK)
• Donna Cushing (Plaid Cymru)

Casnewydd Islwyn

• Dan Thomas (Reform UK)
• Art Wright (Reform UK)
• Lyn Ackerman (Plaid Cymru)

Caerdydd Penarth

• Anna Brychan (Plaid)
• Keira Marshall (Plaid)
• Joe Martin (Reform UK)
• Anthony Slaughter (Green)
• Leticia Gonzalez (Plaid)
• Huw Thomas (Labour)

Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf

• Dafydd Trystan (Plaid Cymru)
• Cai Parry-Jones (Reform UK)
• Zaynub Akbar (Plaid Cymru)
• Shav Taj (Labour)
• Nick Carter (Plaid Cymru)
• Paul Rock (Green)

Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg

• Mark Hooper (Plaid Cymru)
• Sarah Cooper-Lesadd (Reform UK)
• Sarah Rees (Plaid Cymru)
• Gareth Thomas (Reform UK)

Here is a list of the politicians who had served in the sixth Senedd from 2021 who attempted re-election but failed

The final results of the Senedd Election are in and we now know who has won, and who has lost. A number of politicians who served in the last Senedd have failed in their re-election bids.

Here is a list of the 16 politicians who had served in the sixth Senedd from 2021 who attempted re-election but failed.

1. Rhys ab Owen

The former Plaid Cymru politician who was thrown out of the party had stood as an independent in Caerdydd Penarth but failed to be re-elected.

2. Russell George

The former Conservative stood as an independent after being thrown out of the Conservative Party over allegations of gambling on the General Election date in 2024. Criminal proceedings are ongoing.

3. Luke Fletcher

The Plaid Cymru politician was third on the Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg list for the party. The party got two politicians returned, but not enough votes for him to join them.

4. Hannah Blythyn

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The former Welsh Government minister stood for election in Clwyd but did not get re-elected. That constituency voted three Reform UK politicians, two from Plaid Cymru and one Conservative.

5. Eluned Morgan

The most high profile casualty of Labour‘s collapse in Wales, Eluned Morgan has resigned as Welsh Labour leader after her defeat in Ceredigion Penfro. In a statement, she said she took full responsibility. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here

6. Alun Davies

A former Welsh Government minister, after being defeated in a shock defeat in Blaenau Gwent Caerffili Rhymni, Alun Davies called for Keir Starmer to resign.

7. Rhianon Passmore

The former Islwyn MS was first elected in 2016, before that she had been a Caerphilly councillor.

8. Jack Sargeant

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Welsh Government culture minister in Eluned Morgan’s cabinet, he was second on the Fflint Wrecsam list for Labour. While Ken Skates was returned for the party, his colleague was not.

9. Carolyn Thomas

The North Wales Labour member between 2021 and 2026 was second on Labour’s list in Clwyd behind Hannah Blythyn but was unsuccessful.

10. David Rees

The former deputy presiding officer in the Senedd had represented Aberavon since 2011. He was third on the Afan Ogwr Rhondda list for Labour, and only the top ranked candidate, Huw Irranca-Davies was returned.

11. Gareth Davies

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The Conservative was elected for the first time in 2021 to the Vale of Clwyd seat. He stood for re-election in 2026,

12. Altaf Hussain

A former orthopaedic surgeon he was elected to the Senedd in 2021 as Conservative member for South Wales West. He sought re-election to the Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg constituency.

13. Samuel Kurtz

Elected in 2021, the former journalist, was second on the Conservative list for Ceredigion Penfro. While Paul Davies was re-elected in that constituency, he was not.

14. Joel James

The Conservative was elected in 2021 for the South Wales Central constituency. He sought re

15. Tom Giffard

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The Conservative regional MS for South Wales West between 2021 and 2026 had stood in the 2026 election for the Gwyr Abertawe constituency.

16. Luke Fletcher

The Plaid Cymru regional MS was third on the list for Plaid Cymru in Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg. While two of his colleagues were re-elected, he was not.

For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here

Ferryhill Town Council hosted the event on May 7 at Ferryhill Town Hall, featuring presentations from the town clerk, police representatives, and speakers from community organisations and social enterprises.

Councillor Angus Ferguson, Mayor of Ferryhill, opened the meeting with a welcome and a note of thanks to attendees before presenting cheques to his two chosen charities for 2025-2026.

Mayor, Councillor Angus Ferguson presenting a cheque toStray Aid (Image: Ferryhill Town Council)

Stray Aid received £710, while Little Treasures Autism Charity was awarded £1,116.

Councillor Ferguson said: “I would personally like to thank everyone who has been involved in this year’s Annual Town Meeting.

“The event demonstrates what a fantastic range of community groups and service providers we have available in the Town, all of whom are doing a fantastic job. I am thrilled to have been a part of it”

Ferryhill annual town meeting (Image: Ferryhill Town Council)

The agenda included presentations from Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Graham Hall, Police Sergeant Craig McGuire, Ferryhill Ladder Centre manager Kath Merrington, and representatives from Ferryhill PACT, Endeavour Woodcrafts CIC, and The Humble Garden CIC.

Attendees were invited to view information displays from Ferryhill Town Council, Ferryhill PACT, and Livin.

Councillor Ferguson encouraged everyone to stay after the meeting to chat and exchange ideas for the future.

Speaking before the event, broadcaster and Monty Python star Sir Michael told the Press Association: “David, I think, is the most influential person in my life. Not just because of his programmes, and the nature of his programmes, and the messages he sends out about the state of the world. But the way he does it, he’s just a marvellous presenter.

Emergency services, including police officers, were called to the incident in Eastgate, Helmsley at around 6pm.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said: “Our officers attended immediately, and as a result of information received at the scene, identified two suspects. Two boys were arrested a short time later on suspicion of arson. They have since been released on bail while enquiries continue.

“The fire is believed to have been deliberately started, and caused damage to nearby properties.

“Our enquiries are ongoing into this incident, and into a number of other fires believed to have been set deliberately in the local area recently.

“We understand the significant concern these incidents have caused in the local community, and investigations are continuing at pace.2

Anyone with information or CCTV footage who has not already spoken to police, is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, quoting reference number 12260082798.

As reported by the Gazette & Herald, crews from Kirkbymoorside and Thirsk were called to an electric pole on fire which had spread to a perimeter hedge of two properties.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said: “A firefighter wearing breathing apparatus equipment for comfort began extinguishing the fire.

“The power board were requested to inspect the charred, overhead power lines.

“The guttering and facade to two properties had been affected by the hedge fire and crews isolated mains gas to both properties as a precaution.

“No signs of fire inside the properties were evident. A fire investigation will be conducted during daylight hours to determine a cause. Crews used a triple exterior ladder, one breathing apparatus, hose reel jets and a thermal imaging camera.”