The Sunderland man who lost his job on his birthday, and was then blessed with triplets
Sunderland man Jeff Wright could hardly have had a more dramatic year than in 2000.
He was made redundant on his 38th birthday but soon found that he had landed a job for life - caring for his new-born triplets.
To make the year even more dramatic, the triplets were allowed home from hospital on Father’s Day that year.
Home after a month in hospital
Life changed forever for the former Dewhirst worker and his wife Jane when they turned to fertility treatment and were successful at their first attempt.
The little ones were born eight weeks prematurely and Jeff was to become a house dad for the babies while his wife returned to her teaching post.
The perfect present for Father’s Day
The triplets were allowed home after a month in hospital building up their strength..
Jane said back in 2000: “After the first night at home we were a bit shell-shocked but being able to take them home for the first time on Father’s Day was the perfect present for Jeff.”
To give you more of a reminder of that year in Wearside history, all of this happened as well;
A monumental day in New Herrington
Residents in New Herrington were celebrating as they could see Penshaw Monument from their windows for the first time in decades.
The landmark came into view as work on the landscaping of the old colliery pit heap saw it shrink.
A top scholar in the British Library uncovered new evidence suggesting that the Venerable Bede - Sunderland’s most famous son - is likely to have been involved in producing the Lindisfarne Gospels, one of the world’s greatest art treasures.
Bede, who entered the monastery at St Peter’s, Monkwearmouth, at the age of seven and became the greatest scholar of the early Middle Ages, was the first to promote the concept of the English as a nation.
The new evidence on the Gospels - 60 previously undetected drawings - revealed the act of creating a style that is proudly English.
Signing up to be smoke free
Thirty four premises in Sunderland - including pubs, cafes, restaurants and hotels - became members of the first Smoke-Free Air Guide to be launched in Sunderland as part of World No Tobacco Day.
We want your memories of 2000 and you can share them by emailing [email protected]