So here is just a small selection, included with the places they went to school.
17. Venerable Bede
Born some time around 673 on lands belonging to the Monkwearmouth-Jarrow monastery - of course, anyone in Sunderland is keen to claim him as a Mackem - Bede was one of the few people to attend 'school', with education reserved only for nobles and the clergy, and very much centred around religion. Sources have it that Bede studied at St Peter's, having entered the monastery aged seven, under St. Ceolfrid’s tutelage.
18. Tony Jeffries
The Olymic bronze medal-winning boxer attended what is now Farringdon Community Academy
19. Si King (right)
He almost certainly wouldn't regard himself as a Mackem, but Si King, one half of the Hairy Bikers, who is from Kibblesworth in Gateshead, attended St Robert of Newminster in Washington. Si, who is sadly grieving the loss of his Hairy Bikers partner Dave Myers, is due to open a new street food eatery at the Sheepfolds in Sunderland in 2024. Photo: Jon Boast