TEN years ago, The Northern Echo met 18-month-old Oscar Corner, who a year previously had underwent seven hours of surgery to reshape his skull after being born with a life-threatening condition.

The Darlington boy had to have 66 stitches in his head and needed a blood transfusion after doctors removed the top of his skull.

Then plastic surgeons remodelled it to correct a life-threatening birth defect called sagittal suture craniosynostosis, in November last year.

Eight months later, Oscar had made a complete recovery and his parents, Samantha and Paul, a 38 year-old teacher, launched a campaign to raise funds for Alder Hey Children's Hospital, Liverpool, where the youngster was treated.

They also raised money for the hospital's Ronald McDonald House, a free facility allowing families from out of town to stay on-site in one of the 69 rooms while their children are in hospital.

Oscar's condition was first picked up when he was four months old, after a health visitor noticed his skull was misshapen at a routine health check.

He was referred to a specialist and doctors told the family Oscar must have the invasive operation, which could only be done at four hospitals in the country.

Mrs Corner, 31, said: "We were devastated and so shocked. We were told straight away the only way to fix it was major surgery. We were so worried about what the future held."

Oscar had to wait six months to have his surgery, because doctors advised the optimum age to operate was ten months old.

"We were told the operation had massive risks, but we had no other choice, " said Mrs Corner.

"He was in the high-dependency unit for a couple of days after the operation. The swelling was really traumatic - he couldn't even open his eyes. It was really hard leaving our other two children with their grandparents as well. It was a very stressful time."

Oscar made good progress and was allowed home less than a week after his operation.

"The hospital staff were brilliant, and so was Ronald McDonald House. We can't thank them enough, " said Mrs Corner. "That's why we want to raise money - to say thank you. We also hope it will raise awareness of the condition and hope it will save other children from getting brain damage with an undiagnosed condition."

Elsewhere, a father who was frustrated by a lack of facilities for his daughters opened a leisure complex for families in the same predicament.

Darren Peckitt and his wife, Andrea, 38, built Planet Leisure, on Aycliffe Business Park, Newton Aycliffe, after being inspired by their ten-year-old twins, Niamh and Annabel.

Incredibly, the 41-year-old engineer managed to hold down a fulltime job at Cummins engineering, in his home town of Darlington, during the 20-month, £1.5m project. "It's been a struggle, but it has been worth it, " he said. "I haven't had a day off for about four months and I'm having to do 18-hour days, but we're almost there and ready to hand over to the management team and start taking things a little bit easier."

The 32,000sq ft complex, in Maple Way, features a 4,000sq ft synthetic ice rink, a 12-lane bowling alley, obstacle course, laser arena and licensed restaurants among the attractions.

Mr Peckitt said because the leisure complex was built on a business park, it has lower overheads than centres built on retail parks and he is keen to pass on those savings to his customers.

It is the second time the couple have set up a business to cater for their family's needs - they also run the nearby Ruff n Tumble soft play centre.

However, Mr Peckitt said despite being the envy of their school friends with access to facilities most children could only dream of, his daughters possess a more practical attitude.

Mr Peckitt said: "I'm very grounded, so they have to be and they have been helping out where they can, and will probably help out even more in years to come.

"And it's not as if we have been able to just open this big facility overnight. There have been a lot of times when I have been away from the family and there have been a lot of sacrifices and I'm looking forward to things settling down."

Finally, startled shoppers were faced with the unnerving sight of ten dancing Boris Johnsons.

A ten-strong troupe of Boris dancers, Tyne Theatre Stage School students wearing masks of the tousle-haired then-Mayor of London, went through a hip-hop dance routine at the MetroCentre, Gateshead, and Eldon Square, Newcastle.

The flash mob events were part of synchronised routines at nine of the UK's top shopping centres.

Karen Carr, marketing manager at the MetroCentre, said: "Boris Johnson is such a nationally well-known character for all sorts of reasons and we thought it would be a fantastic way of giving our shoppers a fun surprise when they were least expecting it.

"Dance is hugely popular in the UK at the moment and this was a light-hearted way of giving people the opportunity to watch a live performance."

The routine was choreographed by expert Julie Kavanagh on behalf of Capital Shopping Centres, which runs 14 malls across the UK.