When a Sunderland woman had to spend the night in a lift, and only regretted missing Coronation Street

What do 4,000 tea bags, a dodgy lift and a top postie have in common?

The answer is they all featured in Sunderland Echo headlines in 1995.

Chris Cordner takes a look.

Office cleaner Nora Fearon spent the night trapped in a lift - and vowed that she will use the stairs in future!

During the seven-hour ordeal in 1995 she could hear her son banging on the entrance door of the office block - but he was unable to hear her frantic efforts to attract his attention.

When she was eventually released by firemen at 2.30am, the first thing she did was have a cigarette - and reflect that she had missed last night’s episode of Coronation Street.

The drama started at 7pm shortly before Nora, 50, of Coverdale Avenue, Usworth, Washington, was due to leave Parsons House, an office block in Washington. “I had put my vacuum cleaner and bucket into the lift to go onto the second floor, but the lift got stuck between the third and fourth.

“I panicked but managed to get the doors open an inch. After that I calmed down and thought I would just wait until I was reported missing.”

Resigned to a long wait Nora dropped asleep on the carpeted floor of the lift. Her husband raised the alarm when she failed to return home. A fire brigade spokesman said the search for Nora was hampered by the fact that an engineer was sent to the wrong building, but she was in a surprisingly cheerful frame of mind when released.

Sunderland postman Steve Wilson is first-class when it comes to delivering the mail - according to these local residents.

The people of Cuthbertson Court sheltered housing in Dykelands Road, Seaburn, have given their stamp of approval by nominating Steve for Postie of the Year.

They have written a poem praising the deeds of the delivery man.

Customers are being asked to help identify those postmen and women who give that little extra to the community they serve.

Hundreds of people have already written to Royal Mail North East with stories praising the kindness of their postie.

Posties’ good deeds include saving people’s lives, working for charities and keeping their eye on the elderly.

Staff at the Sunderland branch of the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals are looking forward to a Madhatter’s tea party in the sun.

But they have no tea bags to make the tea, and hope generous Wearsiders will donate some in a new appeal.

About 4,000 tea bags are needed so that supporters of the Great Northern Tea Party appeal can hold fundraising events for the animal charity, which provides veterinary treatment for pets of hard-up owners.

The appeal is being officially launched on May 10 at the University of Sunderland, where students are staging a Madhatters’ tea party concert - but the tea bags are needed before then.

All money raised will go directly to the Sunderland clinic.