This Christmas it’s more important than ever to shop local and as part of our ongoing #SupportLocal campaign, we’ve rounded up some of the best gift ideas from Mackem makers, from prints by local artists to a Sun’Lun mug from Pop Recs and a ‘Santa is a Mackem’ face covering.
If you want to give an alcoholic gift, there’s a great range of Sunderland breweries, distilleries and shops doing gift sets. See our guide to places doing drinks deliveries here.
13. The Girl with the Scarlet Ribbon
For more Sunderland set fiction, check out Glenda Young's saga series set in Ryhope. The Girl with the Scarlet Ribbon is the latest novel in the series and follows the success of Belle of the Back Streets, The Tuppenny Child and Pearl of Pit Lane. Set in the pit village in 1919, it tells the story of a newborn baby girl who is found abandoned with nothing but a scarlet ribbon tied to her basket. It's available from Waterstones in The Bridges which has an excellent local books section. Photo: submitted
14. Original art, Frederick Street Gallery, The Bridges
As it's a commercial gallery, the Frederick Street Gallery in The Bridges has been able to reopen its doors. It's displaying artworks to browse and buy from more than 50 artists, many of which are from Sunderland. Pieces include abstract pieces by Frank Styles, starting from £35, to paintings inspired by the city's lost industry. Photo: Stu Norton