ARCHITECTURAL historian John Grundy performed the official opening of the newly completed Tyne Wear Heritage, at the world’s oldest single-span bridge, Causey Arch, near Stanley, yesterday.

The walkway, celebrating the rich industrial heritage of the region and the varied surrounding countryside, covers an 80-mile circuit in County Durham, Tyne and Wear and Northumberland.

Members of the Northumbria Ramblers group, which has been instrumental in restoring the walkway, are celebrating the event by staging a series of walks along stretches of the route throughout the week.

Further information is available via tynewearheritageway.org.uk.