The 10 Sunderland stories you read the most in 2020

As the year draws to a close, we’ve rounded up the stories, from the 20,000 we’ve published this year, that interested Sunderland most online, from factual, medical news to tribute pieces that touched the hearts of the city.

::1: Coronavirus blog, 1,500,000+ views

As expected, our coverage of how Sunderland is affected by coronavirus has generated the most interest as we brought the city all the facts and figures you needed to know. Our reporters update the rolling blog at regular intervals throughout the day and it’s been viewed more than 1,500,000 times this year.

::2: MetroCentre owner Intu collapses into administration, 600,000+ views

Although Sunderland and the surrounding areas are the core focus of our content, we also bring you regional news that affects our audience. This piece about the former owner of the region’s largest shopping centre going into administration generated a lot of interest.

::3: Boris Johnson announces a month-long lockdown for England, 400,000+ views

Breaking news about the pandemic again dominates the headlines.

::4: 21 marvellous Mackems who were born or raised in Sunderland, 150,000+ views

As well as covering hard news, our reporters work to bring you light-hearted content. This guide to famous faces from the city, from Lauren Laverne to Bobby Thompson, proved very popular with readers.

::5: 34 Sunderland & Seaham restaurants doing deliveries in lockdown, 150,000+ views

Supporting local businesses has never been more important than in 2020. This guide to businesses you could support while treating yourself at home was very well read.

::6: Tributes to John Hays, 125,000+ views

Sunderland lost some great people in 2020, including Hays Travel founder John Hays who died doing the job he loved. The much-loved businessman helped put Sunderland on the map with his business acumen and compassion for his workforce. Bosses don’t come much better than John Hays.

::7: 25 photos of Sunderland folk out on the town in 2003, 125,000+ views

One of our greatest assets is our unrivalled archive which has chronicled life in Sunderland since 1873. We often dig into the archives to bring you reminders of the past and this nightlife gallery from 2003 struck a chord with plenty of Mackems.

::8: All the schools and businesses closed due to Coronavirus, 100,000+ views

Again, it’s the local angle to national news which interests our readers most. Our staff, while having to work from home, have brought you all the latest on what matters most to you and your family.

::9: Jet 2 is restarting flights from July 1 – here’s where you can travel to, 100,000+ views

Travel has been a much talked about issue this year, with people eager to know where they could and couldn’t travel to and what quarantines were in place.

::10: Tributes to much-loved Nana Iris, 100,000+ views

The irreplaceable Nana Iris died in April aged 92 and hundreds of you paid tribute to her. The straight-talking great-grandmother, who was ‘adored by millions’, won the hearts of the nation with her videos after her family set up a Facebook page in her honour.

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