A building with potential or two-weeks in the sun?

It could be very easy to miss this former cute chapel and community building as you wander down a dead-end, terraced lined, south Wales valleys street – it’s nestled at the bottom of the tiny road, behind trees and dwarfed by its much bigger chapel neighbour.

A stone-built former chapel cloaked in ivy, situated at the centre of a historic mining community, could be acquired at auction for the cost of a luxury Mediterranean cruise.

Bryn Heulog chapel, with its Welsh slate roof, stands on Ruperra Street in the Gwent valleys village of New Tredegar and is being offered at auction with a price tag of just £5,000. For more property stories sent to your inbox twice a week sign up to the property newsletter here.

READ MORE: Pretty cottage where you can live next to a Welsh castle people have never heard of

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Basic bungalow doesn’t look like much but it could give you a dream life near the sea

Olivia Williams, who is managing the sale of the historic building for Paul Fosh Auctions, said: “This substantial stone built former chapel/community building could be a real bargain for an investor or entrepreneur with an eye for a good deal.

“The chapel appears fairly overgrown and neglected from the outside but inside it’s a different matter altogether with a substantial, double-height main space rising to the roof, a corner kitchen and separate toilet facility.

Advertisement

“Nevertheless, the property will most likely require refurbishment and renovation irrespective of what a new owner plans to do with this lovely former chapel.

“The building has immense character and development potential. It’s situated in the heart of the village of New Tredegar with a glorious backdrop of rolling hills and all the while is close to local shops and amenities.

“This could be a great opportunity for the small investor with imagination. The former chapel could perhaps be converted into a residential home or perhaps for community use, all subject to obtaining the necessary planning consents.”

Another job that the new owner will have to sort in addition to the renovation, and the planning application if required, concerns the neighbouring building and doors.

The auction house states that there is a doorway in the property that will need to be blocked up to separate the property from access into the next door building, and that this will need to be sorted by the new purchaser.

A new owner may want to put aside some of the budget for that Mediterranean cruise as an incentive and a reward because it’s a long renovation list to sort out, but arguably it’s a bargain buy if you can bag it for somewhere near the guide price.

Olivia adds: “The village of New Tredegar is ideally situated close to great road links for Bargoed, Blackwood and to the north the Heads of the Valleys A465 and Parc Bryn Bach with its 340 acres of parkland.”

Rightmove adds, using Land Registry data, house prices in New Tredegar have an overall average of £119,667 over the last year, 12% up on the previous year and 10% up on the 2023 peak of £108,551.

The majority of properties sold in New Tredegar during the last year were terraced properties, selling for an average price of £106,321. Detached properties sold for an average of £306,500.

The chapel, community space or potential first-time buyers abode is going online auction with a guide price of £35,000 with Paul Fosh Auctions, bidding opens at noon on Tuesday, June 23 and ends 2.14pm on Thursday, June 25, call 01633 254044 to find out more.

For more property, renovation, and interior design stories join our Amazing Welsh Homes Facebook group here.

Donald Trump said the US is close to signing a deal with Iran to wind down the war, with a memorandum of understanding to be signed in the coming days but there remains plenty of uncertainty over what will happen.

But some of the key objectives Trump laid out for the conflict seem to remain unfulfilled. And while the Trump administration has said its objectives are clear and unchanging, the list has expanded and shifted as the president and his administration have spoken about the war since it started February 28.

All the while, the conflict has battered the global economy, tested alliances and raised unanswered questions about the planning for the conflict, its justification and its aftermath.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the US and Iran have reached a “final, agreed upon text”. He said: “Peace has never been this close as it is now.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday an agreement “has never been closer” in a post on X, which was also shared by Trump.

But, at the same time, no details have been shared and Trump has said multiple times in recent weeks the countries are on the cusp of a deal.

By most accounts, the strikes by the US and Israel have significantly degraded Iran’s military capabilities and killed scores of senior leaders. But those tactical successes don’t necessarily translate into achieving all the president’s aims.

And Iranian officials said nuclear details will follow an agreement to end the war despite this having been set out by the US President as his main reason for the conflict.

Councillor says Millisle plan will be “a vast improvement on a rather awful pond arrangement”

A new lagoon park has been approved for a picturesque seaside village on the Ards Peninsula.

Elected representatives at the Ards and North Down Borough Council Planning Committee this week approved the regeneration of Millisle Lagoon Park and Garden, an application by the council itself.

The proposal includes “environmental improvements”, including a repurposing of the disused paddling pool for a new “tiered amenity space,” the provision of new cube-shaped floating pontoons, and new concrete steps to the beach.

READ MORE: Ards and North Down goes for youth as it votes new Lord Mayor and deputy

READ MORE: Council ‘acknowledges’ threat to community in Holywood from the film industry

The plan includes new granite planters with timber top seating, six new five-metre lighting columns , two new external shower units with a timber screen, and a portable toilet.

There were no objections from any of the statutory partners. The council officer’s report recommended the plan for approval.

The report states: “The proposal aims to improve the overall aesthetics of an existing tourist amenity by providing improved access to the beach and saltwater lagoon, a landscaped seating area in lieu of a dilapidated concrete paddling area and the provision of shower/WC facilities for users of the site.

“By contributing to the overall improvement of the tourist asset, the development has potential to increase visitor numbers to Millisle, to the tourist offer of the Ards Peninsula and will contribute to the overall economic performance of the borough.”

At the June meeting of the council’s Planning Committee, held this week, elected representatives unanimously approved the planning application.

A council officer told the chamber at the council’s Church Street offices in Newtownards: “This project has been on the go for over three years, and we have worked very closely with the community association. The council gives the regeneration team money to work up projects to have them oven-ready.

“This is one such project, we are hoping when the planning approval is granted, then we will look for the funding to do the actual works. As it stands, there is no funding as yet to start on site.”

Alliance Councillor Patricia Morgan, who proposed approval for the application, said: “It looks like a great proposal, a vast improvement on a rather awful pond arrangement.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

As Xbox comes under criticism for its new policy on exclusive games, a reader argues that the company’s entire games line-up suffers from a lack of must-have titles.

I do feel bad for new Xbox boss Asha Sharma. Xbox has been mismanaged for over a decade and has become increasingly irrelevant this generation, to the point where I’m not sure it can even be saved anymore. Which is crazy to say about a company that owns Activision Blizzard and Bethesda, and is the pet project of a $3 trillion company. But they’ve made so many mistakes, so often, that they’re basically a laughing stock now. Or at least they would be if anyone thought about them that much.

Unfortunately, I have to think about them because I’m an Xbox Series X and boy do I regret that. Obviously, I could sell it (for pennies) and get a PlayStation 5 instead, but all my games and gaming history are tied up in my Xbox account and the thought of starting again from scratch is kind of nightmarish.

I am not a blind fanboy though. Phil Spencer should’ve been got rid of a decade ago but he was able to hang on for far too long, where at the end you could see it in his eyes that he was beaten down and defeated. I don’t know if it was actually all his fault – maybe he was being stopped from doing anything sensible by his bosses – but I do know that every choice he made somehow made the situation worse.

The problem today is that there’s no reason for any sensible person to buy an Xbox console and for those that already have one, unlike me, are selling up or just giving up. So it doesn’t make sense to have exclusive games anymore, because you can’t make your money back on them. But if you don’t have exclusives there’s even less reason to buy the console and you’re in a Catch-22 situation.

For the last few months Microsoft has been hinting about bringing back exclusives, but because that doesn’t make any sense no one believed them. Then, at the Xbox Game Showcase, they announced that Gears Of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution are going to be exclusives, but nothing else is.

They’ve point blank refused to say why those games and not others and then started insisting that they never even planned to release E-Day on PlayStation 5, even though they very clearly did. Why they thought it was important to push that story I don’t know but then there’s not much that does make sense with Xbox nowadays.

It’s all very silly but it is impossible to understand why those games, particularly Gears Of War, considering the remaster of the first game came out on PlayStation 5 last year. Some people, including GC, have suggested that Microsoft think E-Day won’t be a particularly big hit and so it can be sacrificed to please hardcore Xbox fans. I’m not convinced, but I can’t think of any other reason that doesn’t involve just throwing a dart at a dart board.

I definitely don’t think E-Day will do that well on PlayStation 5 and I doubt Halo: Campaign Evolved will either. Maybe it’ll do okay, with PlayStation owners being curious, but the heyday of Halo was 20 years ago and it’s a long time since it’s been a killer app for anything. Maybe Fable will do well next year, if it’s good, but I don’t think it’s particularly likely.

The only game that Xbox has really got is Forza Horizon 6 which did not even get mentioned at all for PlayStation 5 in any of the summer showcases. Of course there’s Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, and Call Of Duty but Bethesda work at the speed of a crushed snail (and their last game was pretty bad anyway) while Call Of Duty has never been less popular.

So you’ve got the problem that Xbox is a games company where nobody wants to buy their console and only a small percentage of their games are anything anyone cares about. I don’t know how you turn that size of a problem around quickly and I think the fact that you obviously can’t is what Asha Sharma has been trying to tell us this week.

I honestly don’t know if Xbox is going to last this generation and I wouldn’t be surprised if her report to her overlords was that she thought Xbox was beyond broken and might as well just be sold off for parts. And I’m not sure she’d be wrong.

By reader Ashton Marley

The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.

You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot.

Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you won’t need to send an email.

MORE: How to be a dad and a gamer and still get a good night’s sleep – Reader’s Feature

MORE: Zelda: Ocarina Of Time remake is going to beat GTA 6 for Game of the Year – Reader’s Feature

MORE: We are all encouraging video game companies to make nothing but sequels – Reader’s Feature

In The Mixer’s World Cup special

Everything you need to know about the World Cup – England updates, the games to watch and stories you missed – in five minutes, at 1pm, every day.

One of the most celebrated and influential British artists of modern times, Hockney died peacefully at home on June 11, his publicist Erica Bolton said.

Charles said in a message issued by Buckingham Palace: “My wife and I were greatly saddened to learn of the death of David Hockney, a giant of the world of art and painting, a Yorkshireman through and through, and a dear friend and inspiration to so many.”

Recommended reading:

The King had hosted Hockney on multiple occasions, including in November 2022 for his first Order of Merit luncheon, where the artist famously wore a suit paired with bright yellow rubber shoes.

“A giant of the world of art and painting, a Yorkshireman through and through, and a dear friend and inspiration to so many” (Image: PA)

Referencing this, Charles said: “David was one of life’s true originals; one who wore his genius as lightly as those beloved yellow Crocs of his that helped brighten Palace occasions.

“I trust they will see him tread safely into the hereafter as we mourn a man whose irrepressible charm, talent and constant innovation will be most sorely missed, but whose dazzling creativity lives on in galleries and museums around the world.”

It is understood the King and Hockney shared a warm relationship and had a mutual appreciation of art and the traditional craft of drawing.

Hockney has also spoken about being visited by Charles in the past and, in an interview in The Times last year, recalled that he “didn’t offer to paint him” because he thought his pictures were better if he knows the subject “really well”.

David Hockney, in front of his own paintings, from a new series set in Andalucia, at the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition in Piccadilly, London which he has co-curated with Allen Jones (Image: PA)

The artist was offered a knighthood in the 1990s but refused the honour and instead was appointed by the late Queen to the Order of the Companions of Honour in 1997 and to the Order of Merit in 2012.

In a statement to the Press Association, Hockney has been remembered as “a defining voice in art across his lifetime” and a pioneer who “reshaped the course of modern art”.

His celebrated career spanned seven decades, and his most famous paintings included The Splash, A Bigger Splash, Portrait Of An Artist (Pool With Two Figures), My Parents and Mr And Mrs Clark And Percy.

Hockney was lauded for his use of different formats, and embraced printmaking, set design, and photography to evolving media including photocopier and fax machines, computer, iPhone and iPad drawing, and stained glass.

Professor Christoph Lindner, president and vice-chancellor of the Royal College of Art, where Hockney studied from 1959 to 1963, remembered him as a “defining voice in art across his lifetime”.

Alex Farquharson, director of Tate Britain, where Hockney held a landmark retrospective in 2017, said the gallery will work closely with the artist’s team to realise the two projects he was working on before his death – a major exhibition at Tate Britain, spanning seven decades of his work, and a multimedia installation in Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall.

He said: “We are greatly saddened by the news of David Hockney’s death. Widely regarded as one of the most successful and recognisable artists of our time, he is an immensely important figure to Tate, with his work first entering our collection in 1963.

“David was an endlessly inventive artist, with a unique vision of the world. He was always completely and courageously himself, both in his work and in life.”

Many of his most beloved works were shown at the gallery in 2017, which became the gallery’s most popular exhibition to date, pulling in almost half a million visitors.

Hockney is survived by his long-time partner and companion Jean-Pierre Goncalves de Lima; his great-nephew Richard, who acted as studio assistant in his last years; his brothers Philip and John; and numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews, Ms Bolton said.

Tributes have poured in for the beloved artist, and the mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, described him as “quite simply one of Yorkshire’s finest”.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy called Hockney “a true titan of British art”.

Sir Nicholas Serota, chairman of Arts Council England, praised him as an “artist of constant invention” who was “full of humility about his achievements, but his work was admired across the world”.

The director of the National Portrait Gallery, Victoria Siddall, hailed Hockney as “one of the greatest artists of the 20th and 21st centuries”, adding: “He garnered immense respect and critical acclaim, yet his appeal was wide-ranging and he was beloved by audiences across many generations and continents.

“Endlessly creative and experimental, he constantly embraced the new and kept surprising us to the end.”

Ms Siddall added: “He leaves an extraordinary, era-defining legacy and will be greatly missed.”

Fourteen-year-old Luke has been named an ambassador for Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity and will attend CarFest 2026, which takes place from August 28 to 30 at Silverstone Circuit in Towcester.

CarFest has raised more than £28 million for UK children’s charities since launching in 2012.

Rainbow Trust is among the charity partners for this year’s event.

From left, Family Support Worker Monica, Luke, Grandma Lindsey and Mum Laura (Image: Supplied)

Luke said: “When they told me I had cancer we all burst out crying.

“Family support worker Monica is the nicest person I’ve met – she makes me laugh. Rainbow Trust has made a very big difference in my life after the isolation I’ve been through.

“My treatment was really tough and being away from school and my friends has been hard.

“Rainbow Trust has helped me feel more confident again and supported my family through a difficult time.

“I’m really proud to be part of CarFest and help show how much support like this can mean.”

At age 12, Luke was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic lymphoma.

Luke (Image: Supplied)

Following the diagnosis, he underwent intensive chemotherapy, multiple blood and platelet transfusions, and spent long periods in isolation.

He was unable to attend school or see his friends for ten months.

During this time, his grandmother Lindsey became his primary carer. She also cares full-time for Luke’s mother, Laura, who is disabled.

Support from Rainbow Trust began in May 2024, when family support worker Monica started visiting the family.

Lindsey said: “This has been horrendous for Luke.

“Before Rainbow Trust I felt like we didn’t really have anybody to reach out to.

“It’s been really good for him.”

Monica has helped with respite care for Lindsey and supported Luke with social development, isolation and anxiety.

Monica has become a positive stable presence during an extremely traumatic time.

Rainbow Trust has supported families of seriously ill children for 40 years, providing practical and emotional care without any central government funding.

Katherine Burgess, corporate and community fundraising manager at Rainbow Trust, said: “For four decades, Rainbow Trust has supported families caring for a child with a life-threatening or terminal illness offering practical help, emotional support and a constant presence through the hardest moments.

“We provide this vital service without any central government funding and as one of our biggest supporters, CarFest is instrumental in enabling us to ensure that no family has to face serious childhood illness alone.”

CarFest offers iconic cars and track shows, family-friendly activities, and performances from artists including Jessie J, Tom Jones, Sugababes, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Rick Astley.

Rainbow Trust will host a seaside-themed crazy golf course in the festival’s ‘RetroFest’ area.

Luke said he is proud to attend CarFest and help raise awareness of the support the charity offers.

More information about the Rainbow Trust is available at rainbowtrust.org.uk.

Tickets for CarFest 2026 are now available through the official CarFest website.

BBC confirms David Mitchell will return this summer with series two of Ludwig

The BBC has announced thrilling news for fans of the detective series that viewers have hailed as “better than Death in Paradise and Vera” — confirming that Series 2 of Ludwig will land later this year.

The broadcaster revealed the show’s return, widely celebrated as a “masterpiece”, in an official statement: “The UK’s most-watched new comedy title since 2018 returns for a second series on BBC iPlayer and BBC One this summer and will pick up with master puzzle-setter and Crime Scene Consultant John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor (David Mitchell) solving ‘impossible’ crimes for the Cambridge Police Authority.

“Anna Maxwell Martin returns as Lucy, John’s sister-in-law and wife of his missing brother James – another puzzle that needs solving and a husband and father that needs to be brought home.”

Crime drama devotees were thrilled by the news, taking to social media in droves to share their enthusiasm, with one Instagram user simply writing, “The best news”.

“I AM SO READY,” wrote another, while a third commented, “Oh so so so SO good,” reports the Express.

One particularly enthusiastic fan added, “Woot! If I could quit my job today and become a puzzle consultant, I absolutely would.”

Since the first series aired, viewers have been effusive in their praise online, drawing comparisons with other beloved detective programmes. Many have gone so far as to argue that it eclipses the likes of Vera, Midsomer Murders, and Death in Paradise.

One Reddit user remarked, “Hello. Just want to say I really enjoyed this TV show im a big fan of David Mitchell, although I’m not sure we’d agree politically on everything, but this show was great.

“Sure, it’s a little contrived, but it’s fun and so much better than Midsomer Murders. Loved the music too, really hope they do a second series.”

In a separate Reddit thread, one viewer drew parallels with Death in Paradise and Professor T, commenting: “The revealing of the murderer is the same as Death in Paradise and its spin-offs. I was so confused about how DCI Taylor cracked the case with its complex method. It is so intriguing with the whole puzzle-style of crime solving. The background case involving his twin brother’s disappearance is a mystery as well. The whole series is like a combination of Professor T and Numbers (US series).”

Another contributor noted: “I got the vibe that the lead detective(both twins) is similar to Professor T, Richard Poole in DIP, and DI Mackenzie Clarke in Return to Paradise(Australia Spin-off).”

A third viewer added: “I think it is actually better than Death in Paradise.”

One viewer enquired: “Similar to Vera?” to which another swiftly responded: “Better!”

Series one of Ludwig is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

It might go down as one of the iconic moments of the 2026 World Cup.

It will certainly take something special to eclipse it as the goal of the tournament, even only three days in.

Deep into added time at Los Angeles Stadium and with virtually the last kick of the game, Gio Reyna capped a spectacular 4-1 win for the United States against Paraguay on Friday with an exquisite finish to a wonderful team move.

This was Pochettino-ball at its finest.

“This might be one of the best back-to-front team goals this country and this team has ever put together,” Fox TV analyst Stu Holden said.

It might’ve been even better than that.

Done in 70 seconds

With the clock on 96 minutes and 10 seconds, the U.S. just had to see out time and ensure a Paraguay team that had already pulled one goal back in the second half didn’t spark a late rally.

Over the course of the next 70 seconds, Mauricio Pochettino’s team put together a 26-pass move from left to right, through defense and attack and left Paraguay’s players chasing shadows. Not one Paraguayan got a foot on the ball. Then it was over to Reyna, who went on for a cameo as an 82nd-minute substitute for the outstanding Malik Tillman.

Receiving a pass from Alexander Freeman outside the box, Reyna took one touch to control the ball and another to carry it into the area. Then, with the outside of his right boot and with a touch of curl, he swept the shot past Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill into the far corner to send the U.S. supporters wild one last time.

And they weren’t the only ones going crazy. As Reyna wheeled away in celebration, hands covering his ears, he was mobbed by teammates, substitutes and even Pochettino, who raced across the field to join in the moment.

“There’s not a whole lot of words to describe the feeling,” U.S. captain Tim Ream said after the team’s biggest ever World Cup win.

Just like watching Brazil

Such was the U.S. control of the ball that it brought back memories of what many believe to be the greatest ever team goal in the World Cup when Brazil’s Carlos Alberto finished off a multi-pass move against Italy in the 1970 final.

That game also finished 4-1 and Carlos Alberto’s strike, like Reyna’s, came late, in the 86th minute.

A nine-pass move ended with Pele laying the ball off to Carlos Alberto, who drove a low shot into the corner.

The stakes were much higher for Brazil, but for the U.S. it was an opening statement performance against a Paraguay team that had one of the best defensive records among the South American teams during qualification. Pochettino’s team already has more goals than the U.S. managed in the entire 2022 tournament where it scored just three and was eliminated at the round of 16.

“Congratulations to Team USA on their Big Win, 4-1, over a very good Paraguay team,” President Donald Trump wrote Saturday on his social media site. “Keep it going!”

A taste of what’s to come

The U.S. Men’s National Team went big when it hired Pochettino, the former Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Tottenham coach in 2024.

There was a run to the Gold Cup final last year and he has not been shy about his ambitions at the World Cup.

“Why not us?” has become something of a motto going into the tournament.

With extended time to work with the players ahead of the opening game, Pochettino believes the full potential of the team will be seen.

“When you only have few days, you know, to reunite and to play, you only select players, but you cannot coach players,” he said Friday. “Only in this type of tournament like the Gold Cup or now the World Cup, because you have preparation, two, three, four weeks, I think that is the only moment that we can coach.”

Reyna’s goal was a perfect example of Pochettino’s insistence of concentrating on the team over individuals.

“One thing we need to praise is the collective effort,” the coach added.

Reyna erases pain of 2022

It was a triumphant return for Reyna after controversy in Qatar four years ago for alleged lack of hustle, which nearly got him sent home from that World Cup by then-coach Gregg Berhalter.

Pochettino made the bold call to include Reyna in his squad even though he made just four league starts last season for Borussia Mönchengladbach and none after Dec. 19.

Reyna also took the opportunity to announce that his wife was pregnant by putting the ball under his shirt and sucking his thumb.

“Celebration was for the little one on the way,” he later posted on Instagram.

The US has had great goals in the past

Fans will debate whether this was the greatest goal by the USMNT.

In 1989 Paul Caligiuri struck a long-range volley against Trinidad and Tobago that qualified the U.S. for the World Cup for the first time since 1950.

In 1994, the last time America hosted the tournament, Eric Wynalda’s free kick against Switzerland earned the U.S. its first point in the World Cup since 1950.

There was also Benny Feilhaber’s volley that won the Gold Cup in 2007.

___

James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

___

AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup

Bernard ‘Barney’ Ord has spent more than seven decades building businesses, supporting charities and helping countless people across the region. 

The 91-year-old Middlesbrough FC supporter started as an apprentice mechanical engineer at South Durham Iron and Steel Company before studying marine technology in Sunderland.

The dad-of-three worked as a chief engineer on colliers travelling between Blyth and Southampton, but returned to Middlesbrough after his mother became seriously ill.

READ MORE: All the North East recipients in King’s Birthday Honours List 2026

In 1959, Barney, who was born in Leeds, co-founded Erimus Engineering, initially carrying out ship repairs and engineering work before expanding into wider industrial services.

Barney Ord of Fairfield Industries in 2011 (Image: UNKNOWN)

The company grew rapidly and Barney later founded Northern Machine Tools, which became one of the best-known machine tool businesses in Britain, buying, overhauling and selling machinery across the world.

Over the years, the grandad-of-six became chairman or director of dozens of North-East firms, including Fairfield Industries and John Livingston & Sons. 

At one stage, he oversaw businesses employing more than 1,300 people.

Even into his mid-80s, Barney remained actively involved in business and continued advising companies and financial institutions on machinery valuations and industrial assets.

But alongside his success in industry, Barney, who now lives in Nunthorpe, has long been admired for his commitment to charitable and community causes.

A devout Catholic, he has supported numerous organisations over many years, including Northern Lights, Fairbridge Trust, The Teesside Charity and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough Youth Service.

He has also played a leading role in the Mike McCullagh Memorial Fund – launched in memory of the former MFC chairman – helping raise money for grassroots football and enabling disadvantaged children and families to travel to Lourdes.

Barney Ord OBE with then prospective Conservative candidate Will Goodhand in 2014 (Image: Doug Moody)

Barney chaired testimonial committees for former Boro players Willie Maddren, John Hickton, Stuart Boam and Bill Gates during the 1970s.

He also volunteered on Lourdes pilgrimages for many years, giving up a week annually to help care for sick and disabled pilgrims.

His association with St John Ambulance stretches back half a century after one of his employees suffered a serious workplace injury.

Realising he knew little about first aid, Barney enrolled on a St John course himself and became heavily involved with the organisation, later serving as chairman. 

In 1999 he was appointed a Knight of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem.

Friends and colleagues describe him as “fiercely loyal, generous with his time and advice, and deeply proud of Teesside”.

Barney is one of dozens of people from across County Durham, Teesside, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear to be honoured this year.

Others leading the regional honours include knighted Durham University cosmologist Professor Carlos Frenk and Newton Aycliffe’s Allison White, who received a British Empire Medal (BEM) after turning her own leukaemia diagnosis into the Great Aycliffe Cancer Support Group.