With so much interest in the sale of the Northern Echo building, stories about the goings on in Priestgate are bound to come thick and fast.

Here's one to get things going...

Years ago, when the Echo was still printed at Priestgate, there was one of the press crew - probably in his fifties - who hadn't had a lot of luck finding himself a woman.

The press-hand, who must remain nameless to spare his blushes, had finally "copped off" with a spinster and was in a state of great excitement.

"She's perfect" he announced to his colleagues. "The only problem is that she likes going swimming - and I can't swim to save me life."

"No problem there lad," replied the gaffer.

And before he knew it, the love-sick employee was tied onto a hoist by his workmates and winched up so that he was ten feet in the air with his body parallel to the floor.

"Right then," shouted the gaffer. "Do this with yer arms (illustrating the front crawl) and start kicking yer legs at the same time."

I walked in on this scene as a young reporter and, to this day, don't think I've ever seen anything quite so funny.

They didn't let him down until he'd mastered the front crawl, breastroke and butterfly.