Happy Birthday Wearside Echoes! 12 of the Sunderland retro stories you loved most in the past year

Can you believe it. A year has already past since we launched the Wearside Echoes newsletter and what a year it has been. Each month, we send you a fact-filled (and free) newsletter which tells you all about the features you can find as part of the Echo’s retro coverage online and on our Facebook community here.

Since June 2022, we have shared many wonderful stories about Sunderland's past. And, as a birthday treat from us to you, here are 12 of the features you loved the most to enjoy once more - or, if you’re a newer readers, see for the first time.

Nine curious Sunderland traditions including the ceremony of handing out ‘Dame Dorothy's Dole’. It is a tradition dating back to 1699 following a bequest by Dame Dorothy Williamson upon her death to bequeath a yearly sum to charity.

The new film ‘Reliving The Fairytale’ – our 44-minute tribute to fans’ memories of Sunderland’s FA Cup win 50 years ago - was released by the Sunderland Echo in May 2023.

In April this year, you were intrigued by our story which showed photos of the day your house was built. And in March 2023; a sad story on how 1943 saw the final German raids on Sunderland. High-explosive bombs as well as mines and 1,300 incendiary devices fell on the town and 75 people were killed. Thankfully, 30 of the bombs didn’t explode.

Remember Beast from the East? Five years on from that mega-storm, we looked at some of Wearside's worst winters - including the one when it snowed for 67 days. Ever wondered how your street got its name? To kick off this year, we revealed all in a look back at the origin of Wearside road names - and there were some beauties!

In December 2022, we went all creative for Christmas with a ride on Santa's sleigh around the grottos of Sunderland's past. See if you can spot some of your favourite places in our special video.

Our link-up with the North East Film Archive (NEFA) has been a thrilling new section of the Echo’s retro coverage. And last November, NEFA shared a cine clip with us - showing Brian Clough in action in one of his last matches for Sunderland in 1962.

As we celebrate a year of our retro newsletter, we have to say hats off to Kathrine Taylor. The TikTok sensation, who posts as North East Nostalgic, has been a real gem in joining our team of Wearside Echoes contributors. You loved her story about Sunderland's spookiest ghosts.

To mark the new academic year last September, we looked at your little ones on their first day at school. It was a must-read if you went to Simpson Street or Southmoor, Thornhill or Thorney Close.

Cue the carousels, dodgems, big dippers and more. It’s time to look back to last summer, when we went to the fairground at Seaburn in the 1960s with a look at rare film footage.

Also last summer, we brought out the retro shopper in you with a cine clip from the 1970s, showing famous Sunderland stores including C&A and Jacob Clark's. And in another great piece of footage, we were back in the 1950s, the last trams were riding the streets of Wearside. We shared it on cine film, thanks to the help of the North East Film Archive.

Thanks to you all for subscribing to our newsletter. Here's to another year of making memories. If you think your friends would love reading too, why not give them a nudge to sign up for free here.