What life was like in Sunderland in 1998, the year Sneezy took the limelight from Ant and Dec

Sneezy the dwarf took his role a little too literally in Sunderland Empire’s panto - he came down with flu.

Actor David Davies added unscripted coughs and splutters to his seasonal sneezes in the Christmas show.

11-year-old saves the day alongside Ant and Dec

And it would have been a case of Snow White and the Six Dwarfs of Pallion if schoolgirl Elizabeth Hope-Hindmarsh, 11, hadn’t taken over the part.

Elizabeth, one of the show’s juvenile dancers, became Sneezy in three performances of the panto, alongside stars Ant and Dec.

Was it the only piece of dramatic news on Wearside that year? Oh no it wasn't.

Sad times for 670 workers

Workers at Grove Cranes, where 670 people worked at the time, were told in 1998 that it would be ceasing production.

Town End Farm Youth Project got some news which was music to their ears.

It had been offering young people musical tuition since it was set up more than five years earlier.

A big moment for Lyndsey

It led to 12-year-old singer Lyndsey Day being offered a session in a London recording studio thanks to the centre’s hard work.

The Glebe miners’ banner, damaged two years earlier, was restored and display in Washington town centre library.

It formed part of collection of memorabilia, including photographs and artefacts, provided by the Washington and District Heritage Society.

Wearside entered the charts after being put on a map of Britain’s rock and roll highlights.

It was designed to encourage foreign tourists to undertake their own pop pilgrimages, as well as giving home-grown fans a guided tour.

A star's barbers in the spotlight

Sunderland was mentioned as the birthplace of Eurythmics star Dave Stewart.

Durham also hit the right note with an entry about a barber’s shop where Prefab Sprout frontman Paddy McAloon used to get his hair cut.

Twenty five years may have passed since all of this happened but we want your memories of it all.

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