Let’s hear it for Fatfield Academy which is celebrating a wonderful award win.
It got us thinking about all the other great times that the school in Southcroft, Washington, made the headlines in years gone by.
Join us as we remember scenes including a picnic party, a day of recycling, World Book Day and the time when the world’s tallest basketball player came along.
Have a good browse through our retro gallery and then get in touch to share your own memories.
Or perhaps you would like to tell us about other types of nostalgia you would want to see in our retro section.
It might be memories of your favourite shop, club, nightclub or restaurant. Maybe you want to get back in touch with former workmates from a Sunderland factory, or with pals who you went to school with.
Or perhaps you would like to share memories of a sporting occasion in the past which you would like to revisit.
Tell us more by emailing [email protected]
1. A fond farewell to Maureen
Fatfield Academy kitchen staff Maureen Lumsdon retired after 38 years of working at the same school in 2025 and what a send-off she was given by the staff and pupils. | se
2. Planting a picnic memory
Amelia Grimshaw and Gracie Smith were planting flowers as part of the Fatfield Academy 60th Washington picnic party celebrations in 2024. | se
3. Opening day in 2024
Local author Liz Million had plenty of help when she opened the new Fatfield Academy library in 2024. Tell us if someone you know was in the picture. | se
4. Bananas and books
Slipping back to 2023 when these pupils decided on a banana theme for World Book Day. | se