MOMENTOUS news lives long in the memory. Those of us who were alive at the time can instantly remember where we were when news came in of events such as Kennedy’s assassination, the first moon landing, the murder of John Lennon, or the terrorist atrocities of September 11.

The death of Princess Diana falls into the same category and I can still vividly remember being woken by an early morning telephone call from former colleague Tony Metcalf, breaking the shocking news of the fatal car crash in Paris. Tony, who has also sadly died since, was working in America at the time.

The memory flooded back last week as I watched a television documentary in which Prince William and Prince Harry spoke movingly about their mother, a month ahead of the 20th anniversary of her death.

It was also a reminder of how The Northern Echo responded to the tragedy by launching an appeal to build a children’s hospice. The foundations had been laid for a children’s wing at the Butterwick Hospice at Stockton but the money had run out and the princess’s death was seen as an opportunity to find something positive amid the wreckage of such terrible news.

Around £500,000 was raised over the next year and, on September 18, 1998, Take That star Gary Barlow cut the ribbon.

Since that day, the Butterwick Children’s Hospice has been providing a priceless service for those families in the North-East who are unfortunate enough to need hospice care for their children.

One day last week, I spent the morning at the hospice and chatted to single mum Marion Longstaff, who personifies the immense value of the children’s hospice.

Her eight-year-old daughter Abbie Rose Smith, who suffers from a genetic disorder called Prader-Willi Syndrome, receives respite care at the hospice. That gives her mum a break from the round-the-clock demands of looking after her wheelchair-bound daughter.

“It’s my lifeline,” said Marion. “I honestly don’t know what I’d have done without the help I get from the hospice. I’d be on anti-depressants.

“I know a lot of people raise money for the hospice and I want them to know how important it is for people like Abbie Rose and me. More than anything else, it gives us peace of mind.”

In four weeks’ time, Marion will go into hospital to have her second baby by caesarean section and she knows that Abbie Rose will be in the best hands possible.

She’ll be being cared for by dedicated staff like Alison Appleby who came to the Butterwick Hospice to work part-time with no plans to stay long-term. That was 16 years ago and she is now the full-time clinical lead for the children’s hospice.

“It gets under your skin. You do your best to make a difference to the children and their families and it’s hard to walk away,” said Alison.

“The children can spend time in the pool, in the sensory room, watching a film, or go on a bus trip and their families get a rest from what can be a massive burden.”

Last week’s anniversary television documentary was called “Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy.”

Although she never knew anything about it, a small part of Princess Diana’s legacy is to be found in Stockton – and I can’t think of a better way to remember the impact she had.

TALKING of impact, my wife and I went to see the film, Dunkirk, the other day.

Never before have I sat in a cinema and felt so close to the action. It is traumatic, very real, and utterly brilliant.

One of the truly epic war stories has been done justice on film and I thoroughly recommend it.

I’m proud to say my dear old Uncle Bert, below, my Mum’s brother, was at Dunkirk for real when he was just 20.

“He always said that was how he learned to swim,” recalled his daughter, my cousin, Jan.

Do you know someone who was at Dunkirk? I’d love to hear their story. Contact me at peter.barron@nne.co.uk

The Northern Echo:

NOTICE anything odd about picture, below, of Greenbank Road in Darlington?

Workmen came recently to resurface the road and paint white lines down the middle.

Except, they’re not down the middle, are they? They’re clearly well over to the left-hand side. More like the muddle of the road.

Maybe there’s a logical explanation but it looks like the workmen suddenly realised they’d veered off the middle of the road and left the job unfinished. Anyway, they haven’t been back since.

Thank you to Nigel Dowson, local hairdresser and trained observer, for noticing. Good job his centre-partings are a bit more accurate.

The Northern Echo:

FINALLY, my favourite story of the week came from China, where a house burglar used a white sheet to disguise himself as a ghost.

Must have been a polter-heist.