THIS week, five years ago, The Northern Echo reported on a family’s terrifying ordeal, and the funeral of a miners’ leader.

On July 29, 2016, we reported on how a family were trapped upstairs with a fire raging in the living room below.

Siobhan Stephenson believed she, her partner and her two-year-old son were minutes away from death.

Choking on the rapidly spreading smoke, the terrified young mother dialled 999 and made one of the most important and distressing calls of her life.

Control room operator Gemma Woodhouse answered that call and her calm manner and vital survival advice helped the family keep their cool during the minutes it took for the fire engines to arrive at the house in Bishop Auckland.

Her “exemplary” actions did not go unnoticed. This week, Ms Woodhouse, from Thornaby, and the brave firefighters who rescued the family were commended by Stuart Errington, chief fire officer at County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service.

On July 30, 2016, hundreds of mourners turned out to pay tribute to Dave Hopper, hailed as a “true working class hero” and stalwart of left-wing politics.

The funeral, held at Miners’ Hall in Durham, was attended by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, trade unionists and members of the Durham Miners’ Association, which was led by Mr Hopper for more than 30 years.

Mr Hopper, who spent so much of his time at the DMA’s headquarters in Red Hill, became its first member to have his funeral there.

Miners’ banners lined the driveway to the hall.

The 73-year-old, who was a father, grandfather and great grandfather, died at his home in East Boldon, South Tyneside, on July 16.

It had just been a week after celebrating what he had described as the “best ever” miners’ gala.

Among those to speak at the funeral was Mr Corbyn, who had shared a platform with him at the 132nd Gala, which attracted more than 150,000 people.

Mr Corbyn said: “We are losing someone truly great. “When the mines closed it would have been very easy for Davey Hopper and many other talented people to walk away and do something else but they didn’t. They stayed and they strengthened the union and they fought back.”

And for rail enthusiasts, July 25, 2016, was a very special day. Hundreds of steam enthusiasts descended on a North-East railway museum to get up close to the world’s most famous locomotive.

The Flying Scotsman was resplendent in BR Green as the Shildon Shed Bash opened at Locomotion: The National Railway Museum, in Shildon, County Durham, on Saturday.

Having undergone a decade-long £4.2m refurbishment, the locomotive appeared as No. 60103 in BR Green, which is how it was when retired by British Railways, in 1963.

Steam locomotive and Flying Scotsman enthusiast Keith Cresswell, from Hetton-le-Hole, in County Durham, was among the passengers on board the first ride of the day. He said: “It is fantastic to see the Flying Scotsman back in the North-East.”