Mark Proctor: 'There's no pressure on Boro today - and they'll fancy their chances'

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Boro supporters must be ecstatic with the way the season is going.

They are flying high in the Championship, have already been to Liverpool and Manchester City in the cups, and next up is Arsenal.

I don’t think it gets any better than that.

Today, Boro come up against a massive club fighting at the top of the Premier League and I’m sure our terrific away support will be out en masse again.

The Emirates Stadium is a magnificent ground and the FA Cup clash should be an amazing spectacle.

Arsenal's Mesut Ozil

I think, especially after the win over Man City, people are more aware of Boro this time around.

That’s what happens when you beat the Premier League champions, as well as go top of the Championship after the Blackpool win.

I’ve clicked on the radio and hear national stations talking about Boro, and it’s clear the team are no longer under the radar.

There’s no pressure on Boro today.

If both teams play well then Arsenal will win, because they have the better players, but I’m sure they’ll go there and fancy their chances of another upset.

Whenever you play against a top team then you need a little bit of luck.

Boro got that in the last round with Tomas Mejias making a number of good saves in the first half, and tomorrow won’t be easy.

But with 5,500 Boro fans roaring the team on, it should be a great occasion.

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It’s another chance for Aitor Karanka and the players to pit their wits against the best in the Premier League - it’s the kind of game I’d love to be playing in.

I know Boro had to play on Blackpool’s pitch on Tuesday and picked up a couple of knocks.

I used to go to Bloomfield Road with Boro and the pitch was always bad, but it depended what month the game fell on.

But Boro came away with the win which was the most important thing, and the club is still sailing on air.

They’re enjoying a great league run and enjoying their football.

I was delighted to see Jonathan Woodgate start and score for Boro at Blackpool.

Action Images / Andrew Boyers

Jonathan Woodgate celebrates after scoring against Blackpool

He has had a difficult year with injuries and I read that he came close to retiring.

Karanka talked him out of that, and I’m sure those thoughts stemmed from his frustration at not being able to get fit.

I was glad he took his chance at Blackpool and came up with a very important goal.

Woody is great to have around, he’s a terrific guy and I’m sure he’s delighted to be playing again.

I was always told by the senior pros I played alongside that you should try to keep playing on for as long as possible.

I suppose I was different to Woody in the sense that I didn’t have the injury impact that he’s had to battle against, but at the end of the day, it’s a great profession to be involved in.

I know he’s also doing his coaching badges so it wouldn’t surprise me if he took a look at the end of the season and made a decision then.

I’m sure Boro would have a role for Woody, should that happen.

He is probably the most high profile defender Boro have ever had.

He loves the club and the local area, he offers so much, so what football club wouldn’t want to make a role for someone like Jonathan Woodgate?

Whether he is involved at Arsenal on Sunday is a different matter. It would be great if he did get the nod.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger

I’m a massive fan of Arsenal and the way they play, and how Arsene Wenger still gets so much criticism is beyond me.

I guess that’s the nature of the game.

I love Wenger’s philosophy and I take my hat off to him.

He came under a bit of pressure on Tuesday even though they beat Leicester, but I don’t think that concerns Wenger anymore.

He’s been there a long time and has seen it all. You only see his feathers ruffled on the touchline a couple of times and he’s had some altercations with other managers, but overall he’s pretty calm.

I remember watching the great Arsenal teams back in the day with Charlie George, George Graham and Pat Rice.

Those massive names just run off the tongue.

As a player I was always fond of playing at Highbury - it was the only stadium that had underfloor heating.

It was underneath a marble floor and I always remember it - it was a bit of a novelty.

There’ll be more than 60,000 people at the Emirates tomorrow and it will be full of colour.

One of my boys is going down and he’s really excited, so let’s hope Boro can pull off the impossible again.

Aitor Karanka: 'It's easier to prepare for Arsenal than it was for Blackpool'

Aitor Karanka has admitted he spent more time preparing for the Blackpool fixture than he is currently for Sunday’s FA Cup tie at Arsenal.

That’s not to say the Boro boss is taking anything for granted ahead of the fifth round showdown at the Emirates.

In fact, the opposite is true. It’s simply an acknowledgement that he already knows plenty about the Gunners because he sees them so often on TV.

“The preparation for the two games is completely different, although the time spent is the same – maybe less for big games because I know more about the opponents than I can know about Blackpool or Charlton,” explained Karanka.

“I can watch them every single weekend and I know the Arsenal players much better than I know the Blackpool players.”

Karanka altered his formation and personnel for the trip to Blackpool as a result of the heavy Bloomfield Road pitch but the immaculate Emirates surface couldn’t be more different.

Arsene Wenger and Aitor Karanka

“It is not the same preparing to play against Blackpool on their pitch as it is preparing to play against Arsenal at the Emirates,” he said.

“It is completely different. The motivation is completely different, so my job is to make sure the players are motivated in the same way to play against Blackpool and Arsenal.”

In terms of travel plans, Boro will stick to their tried and tested policy of travelling down the day before the game.

Typically, for a game in the deep south, the squad will travel by plane and be picked up by the team coach at the airport.

They will stay at a hotel that boasts a training pitch and other facilities and, will, in all likelihood, take part in a light session the day before the game.

After games in London, the entire party often returns home on the train though, with Boro playing Birmingham on Wednesday, they may opt to stay down to avoid spending more time than necessary on the road.

Shoppers at Middlesbrough's Cleveland Centre given a loving welcome

Valentine's shoppers were given a loving welcome at Middlesbrough’s Cleveland Centre.

Miss Tees Valley runners-up Beth Higgins and Laura Brookes joined radio personality Chris Sibley in the shopping centre to give out heart-shaped balloons and red roses to passers-by.

“To say a big thank you for shopping with us, we wanted to show our customers just how much we love them on Valentine’s Day,” said Centre manager Graeme Skillen.

Miss Tees Valley runners up were spreading the love in the Cleveland Centre, Middlesbrough

Talented singer-songwriter Ty Lewis, the Billingham-born 13-year-old who performed at the Miss Tees Valley final, was also be in the Centre to surprise shoppers with a love song or two.

Among the shoppers who were given the unexpected treat were Joe Borley, 24, and Jade Crosby, 22, both of Stockton. Harry Robson, 16, and Kirsty Bheley, 18, were also greeted by the trio.

Boro fan to sing 'Abide With Me' in FA Cup final choir

Loyal football fans from Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Gateshead will get a once-in-a-lifetime chance to sing on the pitch at Wembley before the FA Cup final.

The BBC’s Song’s of Praise has teamed up with the FA to offer fans the opportunity to join a choir singing the hymn Abide With Me before 90,000 people on May 30.

It will be made up of one fan from each of the 64 teams who reached this year’s third round.

Thousands of supporters from all over the North East have applied, with supporters from Newcastle United, Blyth Spartans, Gateshead, Sunderland and Middlesbrough all eligible for a place.

For his application, exiled ’Boro fan Zachary Sewell, 23, penned a poem to show his dedication to his team and his passion for the FA Cup Final.

Zachary, of Bath, had just returned from a few months travelling in South America - where he made a pilgrimage to the World Cup in Brazil - when he spotted the competition.

He said: “Having just come back from the World Cup, I thought, ‘What can I do next’? I saw the advert for the choir on TV and thought, ‘Why not?’

“To be in the middle of Wembley Stadium and singing Abide With Me, on Cup Final day, especially if Middlesbrough made it through, would be amazing.

“I’m just praying that no other Middlesbrough fan has thought to do a poem for their application.”

Gateshead fan Stephen Farnfield also applied to be in the choir, spurred on by an enduring love for his club.

Stephen Farnfield

Stephen, from Felling, said reaching the third round for the first time in 60 years was a brilliant end to a difficult year.

He said: “My wife spent much of last year in and out of hospital. She had open heart surgery in March and was in hospital a lot after that.

“Going to the football had to take a back seat because she was so ill.

“So for Gateshead to get to the third round, having followed them for over 25 years, was fantastic.”

Stephen, 55, who works as an estimator for a facade engineering company, said it would mean the world to him to be a part of the choir.

He said: “I’ve constantly watched Songs of Praise, ever since I was a youngster and I’d love to represent my club and sing at Wembley.”

Sunderland fan Muriel Greenwood said the hymn Abide With Me had become her football-mad family’s favourite hymn over the years.

She said: “Football has probably been the most important thing in our family and Abide With Me is the family hymn.

“Being in the choir would combine both of these things for me.

“My memories of Sunderland winning the cup are some of the most precious memories I have.”

Muriel, 63, who now lives in Hertfordshire, said she would be thrilled to make it to Wembley.

She said: “The thought of being there in the midst of it all is so exciting.

“If I were able to complete the circle by representing Sunderland, the North East and my family by joining the choir for this great hymn it would be a dream.”

The competition closes on March 7, when a panel of judges from the worlds of football, music and journalism will read the best five stories representing each club and pick a winner.

Winners will be notified in April and will have a singing lesson and participate in a rehearsal before the big day.

Full entry details and terms and conditions can be found at http://bbc.in/1FayRQZ

Dr Kayleigh Garthwaite: How people are choosing to go hungry

A pregnant woman was left facing the choice between heating and eating in the town set to ‘star’ in Benefits Street.

Dr Kayleigh Garthwaite has been volunteering at a foodbank as part of a five-year study on health and wellbeing in Stockton - where the next series of the controversial Channel 4 series has been filmed.

There she saw first hand the impact benefits sanctions had on residents.

She said: “We’ve found men in the most affluent areas of Stockton can live 16 years longer than the most deprived areas.

“I’ve been volunteering at the food bank for the last 16 months - which is a good way of getting involved and seeing what’s going on.

“I’ve spent hundreds of hours there.

“People are coming with health problems but they are embarrassed and they might not say anything so they end up eating food that they know might make them ill.

“Imposing sanctions when people are already ill can make it worse.

“If they told me about their problems I would tailor their parcel.”

Dr Garthwaite met a number of residents who had been taken off disability living allowance as a sanction, and told to apply for job seeker’s allowance during their investigation.

Many told her of their fear that should they accept JSA they would find themselves physically unable to keep up with the requirement to apply for 40 jobs every fortnight.

Despite being entitled to the benefits some would-be claimants were so concerned of becoming ‘stuck’ on JSA they would instead go without any income, relying on friends, family and the foodbank to get by.

Though uncommon, Dr Garthwaite said the claims were far from the most shocking thing she discovered through the study.

She said: “There was a pregnant woman came to the foodbank and she didn’t have any family, she was 22 weeks pregnant.

“She’d had a stillborn child eight months earlier, she knew she was not eating right and not being able to feed herself properly was adding to her anxiety.

“She’d walked to the foodbank, which was over two miles because she couldn’t afford the bus fare.

“For her it was literally a choice between heat or eat.”

Dr Garthwaite said both she and Prof Bambra have hopes their study will be listened to and she has already given evidence to a Commons select committee on the impact of sanctions.

She added: “Benefits Street is really poverty porn and an exaggeration of life on benefits. From what we’ve seen on this project, it’s just not like that.

“It’s going to be a shame for Stockton.

“There definitely should be more understanding in terms of sanctions - they can have a massive impact on peoples lives - relationship problems, arguments.

“It’s not just three weeks - for the people affected it can carry on after that.”

Geordie Shore star Holly Hagan loses 6lbs in five days at military fitness camp

Geordie Shore star Holly Hagan lost 6lbs in five days of intense exercise at a military fitness camp.

The 22-year-old, who had previously shed three stone going down from a size 16 to a size eight, wanted to get rid of his some ‘extra flab’ around her stomach.

She showed off her new toned stomach in before and after pictures after attending No 1 Boot Camp in Norfolk - a favourite with celebrities like Binky Felstead and Spencer Matthews from Made In Chelsea.

Holly said: “I had an amazing time and my body has never looked better.

“I was thrilled to get in great shape last year but I did notice a little bit of flab was creeping back and I was keen to get super toned.

“The trainers were fantastic and they really got me into shape. My body now looks a lot tighter. They also taught me so much about nutrition and I have learned of lots of healthy new ways to fuel my body.”

In recent years, Holly, who grew up in Thornaby-on-Tees, has slimmed from 12st 6lbs to 9st 2lbs - mirroring the success of co-star Charlotte Crosby on the hit MTV show.

She was 9st 8lb when she arrived at No 1 Boot Camp.

She added: “I realised you don’t need to go to the gym to stay in shape. You can stay at home with a mat.”

Holly had a boob job two years ago, going up from 32DD to 32FF after complaining that weight loss had caused them to sag.

But she is happy with her new slimline figure and has no plans to go under the knife again, despite facing criticism online.

She said: “I used to get horrible comments when I was overweight. People would say, ‘You look like you have been washed up on a beach.’

“I took responsibility and lost the weight and now the same people are still having a go and making unfounded allegations about the fact that I have had liposuction. I have lost all this weight through really hard work.”

Holly went to the camp with her pal, Tom Hunter, 21, who lost a hefty 11lbs in five days.

For more details go to www.no1bootcamp.com

Police tape off North Ormesby house

Police have taped off a house in North Ormesby.

Officers from Cleveland Police were called to Coronation Street at 6am this morning.

However, a spokesman for the force would not confirm what the incident is.

A neighbour told The Gazette that police had been knocking on local residents asking questions.

She said: “They asked me if I had heard anything at 4.30am but I hadn’t.

“Forensics have been in so something bad must have happened but we haven’t been told what.”

Police officers are currently on guard at the address and a cordon is up around the home.

Mark Proctor: 'Boro's FA Cup clash with Arsenal should be an amazing spectacle'

Boro supporters must be ecstatic with the way the season is going.

They are flying high in the Championship, have already been to Liverpool and Manchester City in the cups, and next up is Arsenal.

I don’t think it gets any better than that.

Today, Boro come up against a massive club fighting at the top of the Premier League and I’m sure our terrific away support will be out en masse again.

The Emirates Stadium is a magnificent ground and the FA Cup clash should be an amazing spectacle.

I think, especially after the win over Man City, people are more aware of Boro this time around.

That’s what happens when you beat the Premier League champions, as well as go top of the Championship after the Blackpool win.

I’ve clicked on the radio and hear national stations talking about Boro, and it’s clear the team are no longer under the radar.

There’s no pressure on Boro today.

If both teams play well then Arsenal will win, because they have the better players, but I’m sure they’ll go there and fancy their chances of another upset.

Whenever you play against a top team then you need a little bit of luck.

Boro got that in the last round with Tomas Mejias making a number of good saves in the first half, and tomorrow won’t be easy.

But with 5,500 Boro fans roaring the team on, it should be a great occasion.

It’s another chance for Aitor Karanka and the players to pit their wits against the best in the Premier League - it’s the kind of game I’d love to be playing in.

I know Boro had to play on Blackpool’s pitch on Tuesday and picked up a couple of knocks. I used to go to Bloomfield Road with Boro and the pitch was always bad, but it depended what month the game fell on.

But Boro came away with the win which was the most important thing, and the club is still sailing on air. They’re enjoying a great league run and enjoying their football.

I was delighted to see Jonathan Woodgate start and score for Boro at Blackpool. He has had a difficult year with injuries and I read that he came close to retiring.

Karanka talked him out of that, and I’m sure those thoughts stemmed from his frustration at not being able to get fit.

I was glad he took his chance at Blackpool and came up with a very important goal. Woody is great to have around, he’s a terrific guy and I’m sure he’s delighted to be playing again.

I was always told by the senior pros I played alongside that you should try to keep playing on for as long as possible.

I suppose I was different to Woody in the sense that I didn’t have the injury impact that he’s had to battle against, but at the end of the day, it’s a great profession to be involved in.

I know he’s also doing his coaching badges so it wouldn’t surprise me if he took a look at the end of the season and made a decision then.

I’m sure Boro would have a role for Woody, should that happen.

He is probably the most high profile defender Boro have ever had. He loves the club and the local area, he offers so much, so what football club wouldn’t want to make a role for someone like Jonathan Woodgate?

Whether he is involved at Arsenal on Sunday is a different matter. It would be great if he did get the nod.

I’m a massive fan of Arsenal and the way they play, and how Arsene Wenger still gets so much criticism is beyond me. I guess that’s the nature of the game.

I love Wenger’s philosophy and I take my hat off to him.

He came under a bit of pressure on Tuesday even though they beat Leicester, but I don’t think that concerns Wenger anymore.

He’s been there a long time and has seen it all. You only see his feathers ruffled on the touchline a couple of times and he’s had some altercations with other managers, but overall he’s pretty calm.

I remember watching the great Arsenal teams back in the day with Charlie George, George Graham and Pat Rice. Those massive names just run off the tongue.

As a player I was always fond of playing at Highbury - it was the only stadium that had underfloor heating. It was underneath a marble floor and I always remember it - it was a bit of a novelty.

There’ll be more than 60,000 people at the Emirates tomorrow and it will be full of colour. One of my boys is going down and he’s really excited, so let’s hope Boro can pull off the impossible again.

Billingham Stars out to gain revenge for heavy defeat by Sutton Sting

Billingham Stars travel to IceSheffield tomorrow afternoon (4.15pm face-off) hoping to avenge one of their worst defeats in years as they take on fellow play-off chasers Sutton Sting in National League (North) Moralee Division One.

Their 8-1 win over the Ultimate Windows-sponsored Stars in November proved to be a false dawn as Sutton did not win again until last month.

However since turning over Manchester in their first game of 2015 they have been the team in form, winning four of their last five games and storming back up the League table to third, just two points behind tomorrow’s visitors.

The men doing the damage up front are Shaun Ashton and Richard Oliver, but Billingham’s biggest challenge may well be in figuring out how to beat the consistently excellent Dmitri Zimozdra between the pipes.

The Stars are looking to keep their own momentum going after picking up valuable points against play-off rivals Solway Sharks and Sheffield Spartans in recent weeks to retain second place.

With Blackburn Hawks looking uncatchable for the title, it is vital that the Teessiders maintain their form against the teams fighting it out around them for the remaining three play-off slots.

Confidence is high going into the game, but if they are to get anything out of the fixture they will have to do it without several key players.

Canadian Thomas Stuart-Dant remains side-lined with a hand injury so misses the opportunity to put one over his former club. James Moss and Ben Davison join him in the treatment room after taking knocks in the last few games.

Mark Watson will be backed up by Ben Gill in the Stars net with James Flavell unavailable.

Billingham general manager Allen Flavell remains optimistic despite missing players from every line tomorrow.

“We are expecting a very hard game down at IceSheffield but I believe we can get the job done,” he said.

“The Sting are a strong, physical outfit and they’ve come into form at just the right time, they are looking good for a play-off place and they won’t want to be dropping points at home at this stage of the season.

“We owe them for the hammering we took down there in November – we just weren’t on our game that day, we never really recovered from Chris Sykes being thrown out after just 21 seconds.

“We’ve come into some form ourselves lately, we are not second for nothing. Some of our forwards are really starting to get amongst the points.

“Michael Elder deserves a special mention – he’s on fire at the moment and he’s catching the two guys above him in the points-scoring table.

“He fully deserved his man-of-the-match award last weekend, he works so hard every game and now he’s putting his chances away.

“We need another big game from him and all of our forwards if we’re going to get past Zimozdra.”

How Keith Moon lost a tooth - and cost Billingham rocker Barry Whitman $200

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A rocker who met Elvis and partied with The Who is marking his band’s golden anniversary with a gig on Teesside.

Barry Whitman, who was the original drummer with Herman’s Hermits, was there when mod wildman Keith Moon lost a tooth, cost him $200 - and was almost arrested - at a drunken knees up in America.

And he was quizzed by Elvis in Hawaii - on how to deal with fame.

Barry, now aged 68, said chatting to Elvis was like ‘meeting God’ - but that nothing topped the madness of his 21st birthday celebration...

Speaking before his anniversary gig at The Forum Theatre in Billingham in March, he said: “In 1967 we invited The Who to be our support band on our US Summer tour.

“A few days before it was my 21st Birthday in Las Vegas, we had a few drinks & photos were taken.

“A few days later in The Holiday Inn in Flint Michigan it was Keith Moons 21st Birthday.

“One or two cakes had been delivered to the dining room of the hotel for Keith’s birthday, so we decided to have fifty more delivered for my birthday which was a few days before. The whole tour entourage gathered to view the cakes which was a pretty impressive sight.

“Of course we’d had a few drinks & Keith went to eat a fork full of cake, I stopped him & said that last year someone tried to poison us, so not to eat any. He put the fork down then decided to flick cream at Karl Green which hit him in the face.

“Everybody laughed apart from Karl who stuck his finger in a cake & flicked it in Keith’s face. That was it - everybody started, and within minutes that room looked like the inside of a cake.

“It was up the walls on the ceiling all over the carpet, now during this Keith Moon went over to Karl Green & pulled down his trousers, Karl returned the compliment but also pulled down Keith’s underpants as well.”

This was a bad move, Barry said.

“The police officer assigned to guard the room saw Keith’s private parts and promptly pulled out his revolver pointing it at his manhood & tried to arrest him for breaking the law in Michigan State. We gathered round Keith pulled up his pants, apologised to the officer & pushed Keith out of the fire exit.

“Poor guy tripped over the pavement & smashed out his two front teeth. He spent the rest of the night in the emergency dental hospital.

“Meanwhile back inside of the cake ( The dining room ) we slipped the police officer a few hundred dollars and thanked him for not arresting Keith. The next morning our tour manager was at reception paying for the rooms & the damage.

“It cost Herman’s Hermits $25,000, I thank you. Rock’ n’ Roll Eh!”

Barry can’t promise a cake fight on stage at the The Forum Theatre, but he does promise to be Into Something Good with The Sensational 60’s Experience World Tour on Saturday and Sunday, March 14 and 15.

The Hermits take a walk down memory lane to the swinging sixties with songs such as There’s a Kind Of Hush, Henry Vlll, Something Is Happening, I’m Into Something Good and Sunshine Girl.

Herman’s Hermits will be joined by The Union Gap who shot to the UK number one spot with Young Girl, and number five with Lady Willpower.

Also on the bill are classic 1960s bands The Swinging Blue Jeans, who shot to fame with the Hippie Hippie Shake, The Crying Game singer/songwriter Dave Berry, and 60s boyband The Ivy League, led by original member Perry Ford, who will perform Funny How Love Can Be and Tossing and Turning.

Herman’s Hermits started in Manchester in 1964 with Peter Noone as lead singer. When he left in 1971, Barry took over as band leader, with Paul Cornwall from Union Gap stepping up for frontman duties.

The band still performs more than 200 shows a year all over the world.

Barry Whitwam recalls his meeting Elvis Presley.

“It all came about in the summer of 1965.

“Herman’s Hermits had just finished a big tour of America in Hawaii at the Coliseum and we were booked to fly home the next day, but that night after the last show we got a telephone call from Colonel Tom Parker.

“Col Tom was Elvis’s manager and he said that Elvis Presley would like to meet Herman’s Hermits on his film set the next day.

Peter [Noone, Hermits front man] and I were delighted to be invited and we managed to change our tickets home for a flight 24 hours later.

“Karl, Keith and Derek chose to fly home missing the chance of a lifetime. Elvis was filming Paradise Hawaiian Style and we were to meet him on the film set which was on the beach that same day at two o’clock in the afternoon.

“We arrived on the film set just before two o’clock and Col.

“Tom met us and told us that Elvis had just gone out for a ride on his motor bike with his friends and would be back very soon.

“Just then we heard what at first sounded like thunder coming from down the beach a long way off.

“As the sound got louder we could see about thirteen motor bikes side by side coming towards us. After a short time we could see that Elvis was in the centre of the riders as they roared onto the film set. What an entrance, as they say in show business.

“We found out later that Elvis had bought each of his friends their motorbikes. He was such a generous person.

“As Elvis approached us I was spell bound, it was as if God had come down from Heaven. Altogether we had about two hours with Elvis and talked about our tour of America.

“He knew we had millions of fans there but I don’t think he really understood why!

“Elvis seemed to want to know what our secret was - how five young lads from Manchester could make such a big impact around the world. At the end of the meeting we had some picture taken with Elvis, and I have a large framed photo of Elvis and me mounted on my ’Wall of Fame’ at home.”

You can view the photos on my web site http://bit.ly/1KWszFc

15th Middlesbrough Beaver Scouts deliver fresh front to care home residents

Busy beaver scouts have been foraging for fresh fruit to donate to elderly folk.

The 15th Middlesbrough Beaver Scouts delivered the box to the residents of Oaklea Nursing Home in Linthorpe.

The youngsters are currently working on the Chief Scout’s Bronze Award - the highest they can gain.

In order to attain the award, they must complete six challenges by the time they join Cub Scouts. Part of this involves helping the community.

Lesley Firman, section leader of the beaver scouts who are based at St Barnabas Church Hall, said: “To this end we decided we would like to donate and present a box of fresh fruit to the care home’s residents.

“All of the beavers were involved in making up the box, with three having been chosen to take and present the fruit - Louie Fish, Takumi Renwich and Janaid Wallace.

“They were chosen by the leadership team due to the excellent behaviour they have shown.”

Matron at the home, Elaine Bloomer said: “It’s lovely that they thought of us. The fruit was well-received and appreciated and the kids who brought it along were great.”

Max is the star of the show as classmates put their hearts into wear red day

Youngsters at a Stockton primary school really put their hearts and souls into a special “wear red” fundraising day.

Children from the nursery at Hartburn Primary School, on Adelaide Grove, all came to school dressed in something red as part of CHD (congenital heart disease) Awareness Week - all inspired by classmate Max French, four, who was born with half a heart.

As well as wearing red - and parents giving donations towards the Children’s Heart Unit Fund at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital - the youngsters took part in a number of red-themed activities and had a carpet picnic full of red food.

Young Max has undergone three open heart surgeries in his short life - the first just five days after he was born - but is now at the nursery enjoying a new lease of life following his most recent operation.

Prior to that Max’s heart was so weak he was constantly blue, lacking in energy, unable to fight off common colds and minor infections and constantly tired.

Early years leader Jane Graham said: “Max’s mum contacted us to ask if we would get involved and we said of course we would.

“It’s been a really lovely day.

“We’ve been reading the book The Runaway Chapati, so it’s all tied in together - we’ve talked about healthy hearts and based it around being healthy.

“The children decided they wanted chapatis - well they were wraps really - with tomato sauce and tomatoes, and they’ve had biscuits with jam and jelly hearts. A parent also made them some chocolate hearts to take home.

“All the parents have been so generous and everyone has really enjoyed the day.

“When he first came here, Max took a bit of time to settle in. He was a bit embarrassed about his scar, but this week he’s been lifting his top and showing everyone. He’s felt like a celebrity!

It’s been good for him and it’s been a real learning experience for all the other the children.”

New council leader 'wants to make a difference' during her short time in charge

After illness forced her to leave her job as a nurse 15 years ago and into politics, Mary Lanigan said she wanted to make a difference.

Now the new leader of Redcar and Cleveland says has the chance to do just that.

Cllr Lanigan, who lives in Easington and represents the Loftus ward, told The Gazette: “I was driving back from work at North Tees hospital when I suffered a bleed into the base of my brain, and I was ill after that.

"My balance had gone, and because I worked on an acute ward, I was useless to them.

“That’s when I became involved with the town council, because a resident asked me to get involved. I was then asked to stand for the borough council, and I have to say I wasn’t keen at first.

“I think people have an idea of those involved in politics, they’re not very popular, and to be honest I didn’t want to get involved in it.

“I wanted to stay independent and try and do my best for residents, and that’s still my aim now.”

Cllr Lanigan was born and raised in Liverton Mines and has been married for 45 years to husband Mike, has two children and five grandchildren.

When voted in on Thursday, she became the first female leader in Redcar and Cleveland Council’s history.

“People have actually brought that up, that I am a woman,” said Cllr Lanigan.

“Of course it makes no difference and I think I’m tough enough to do the job.

“I have been on the council for a long time, and I have been on the cabinet before and I believe I did a good job.”

Cllr Lanigan, 64, is only in the post until May’s election, and one of her first jobs will be to present a budget to the council.

Her new deputy, Cllr Josh Mason, said he would call for a council tax cut for residents, and Cllr Lanigan is looking forward to making a mark.

She continued: “We have a lot to do as a council. As an independent, I don’t get involved in party politics so I will be looking to make the right decisions for the people who live in the borough.

“That’s difficult because it is such a diverse area, we have the moors, the coast, urban and industrial areas. But I think that’s what makes it.

“I think people are getting tired of what happens in Westminster. They care about when their bins get collected, about street lighting, about dog fouling, about their rates.

“The future is bright for independent, community politics and I think that will be shown in the next elections.”

Benefits Street spin-off will be just one hour after makers threatened with violence confirm TV bosses

Immigration Street will now be screened as a one hour one off special after the makers were threatened with violence.

As reported in The Gazette, instead of a six-part series the show will now be shorter.

And it’s now been confirmed it will go out as one show later this month due to the hostilities.

The show is a Benefits Street spin off - the second series of the controversial show having been filmed on Kingston Road in Stockton on the Tilery estate. It too is set to hit our screens soon.

Immigration Street encountered opposition during filming in multi-cultural Derby Road in Southampton, Hants.

Channel 4 told The Mirror: “Verbal aggression was turning into threats of violence.

“Finally, the producers took the decision to pull out, as the safety of crew could no longer be guaranteed.”

Producer Kieran Smith said: “Many people made the crew feel welcome, but there were local groups determined to halt production.

“It’s a shame, as Derby Road is a place where, on the whole, people get along.”

Immigration Street has been criticised since it was first announced, with nearby residents, neighbours and Channel 4 viewers, claiming it will “split the community”.

Immigration Street airs on February 24.