Five memories from 1994, the year Sunderland Marina opened

There were records brewing and new attractions being unveiled in Sunderland 30 years ago.

And it got the attention of a VIP visitor who was clearly impressed when he came to Wearside.

Let's have a look at 5 stories which made the Echo headlines in 1994.

Round-the-world sailor Chay Blyth, CBE, opened Sunderland’s new £1million marina.

Chay unveiled a plaque and was given a tour of the four-storey building at the North Dock.

Not a yuppy marina

After his walkabout, Chay said: “This is a marvellous development, and what a big change from when I was last here about 25 years ago.

“One of the great things is that this is not a yuppy marina, it is a proper harbour for real sailors.

“Before this was done, there were no good facilities for yachtsmen on this part of the coast - it is a big plus.”

The new marina was paid for by Tyne and Wear Development Corporation as part of its regeneration of St Peter’s riverside.

Memories on tap at this Hendon local

A bid to get into the Guinness Book of Records was happening in Sunderland that year.

The Tap n’ Spile, in Nelson Street, Hendon, was bidding to have the most beers on tap under one pub roof at any one time.

Sunderland footballer Gary Bennett opened the pub’s beer festival.

The week-long festival was expected to offer 100 different ales at its peak which is believed to be a new British record.

Dancing back in time

A new youth dance company was on the horizon.

Dance City and Sunderland Arts were behind the project which started with a tuition session at Red House Community Centre.

Health officials were planning to vaccinate 50,000 Wearside schoolchildren against measles, mumps and rubella at a rate of 2,000 a day.

Sunderland stargazers were working on a £90,000 plan to build the region’s biggest amateur observatory.

Sunderland Astronomical Society put forward the plan to build the observatory in the city’s Backhouse Park, off Ryhope Road.

The plan was a tribute to one of science’s unsung heroes - Victorian astronomer Thomas William Backhouse, whose family once owned the park.

Society secretary Don Simpson said: “If we succeed, this observatory will have the largest telescope operated by amateurs in the North East.”

A quarter-ton piece of glass would form the 20-inch primary telescope mirror.

How about sharing some of your own recollections of life on Wearside 30 years ago.

Get in touch by emailing [email protected]