Christmas: The year when a runaway reindeer went on a 20-minute walkabout in Sunderland

We all know about Rudolph, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen, but who remembers when a reindeer called Gnu made the news in 2010?

The reindeer jumped a fence and made his getaway after a dog ran into his enclosure in Mowbray Park.

Onlookers watched as Gnu headed past Frankie and Bennys, in Lambton Street, and headed for Hendon during a 20-minute saunter around town.

One eye-witness said: “It was only a baby, it was tawny coloured and its antlers looked soft. It ran past the casino and there were a few people running around trying to catch it.

“I went inside to tell everybody there was a reindeer on the loose, they didn’t believe me at first.”

The reindeer which headed to Hendon

Another eye-witness said at the time: “It was heading towards the roundabout from Hendon.”

It was later confirmed that Gnu had been spooked by the dog in its enclosure, especially as dogs are the natural predator of reindeer.

A warning went out for dog owners to keep their pets on leads.

Gnu, meanwhile, was treated to a well-earned rest back in his home in the Cairngorms.

He was just one of Santa’s helpers to have made the Echo headlines.

In 2009, Twinkle the reindeer was getting lots of well-deserved sympathy when he dislocated a leg.

Two years later, another reindeer called Twinkle became a charity star at the Rainton Meadows Arena.

For a small donation, people could take him for a short walk while helping to raise funds for the Grace House Appeal.

Eco, Moose, Jagger, Marley and Diamond were big attractions in 2012 when they came to Mowbray Park and pulled in the crowds.

Did you meet Frosty?

And in 2013, entrepreneur George Richardson was heading 3,000 miles north to buy 12 reindeer – 10 females and two bulls from northern Norway – for his business at Cold Hesledon, near Seaham.

Garden centre owner George started his herd six years earlier and they became a major attraction every Christmas.

Did you get to meet Frosty the reindeer who came to Lumley School in 2014? Here’s a reminder of the festive star meeting the children.