ON October 25, 2016, it was announced that tens of millions of pounds could be invested across the region – including £100m just in Darlington – due to the HS2 high-speed rail project, a new Government-backed report claimed.

However, campaigners said the Government had “magicked up phantom figures” and noted that the project was mainly based on the west side of the country, casting doubt on what real benefits would come to the North-East and North Yorkshire.

The report claimed that: New rail links would lead to £100m of public and private investment at Darlington station creating new business space and 1,500 new homes; 3,000 jobs would be created across the Tees Valley due to a £130m-a-year economic boost; a new Enterprise Zone connected to HS2 would create 7,000 jobs in York and £80m of investment; and a new 70,000sqm business park in Durham City could create 6,000 jobs.

The report: Changing Britain: HS2 Taking Root, has been published by HS2 (High Speed Two), a non-departmental public body and limited company sponsored by the Department for Transport.

HS2 chairman David Higgins added: “Two years ago, local leaders asked me to make sure that HS2 was fully integrated into the existing transport and local economies. It’s an aspiration we’ve sought to realise, but even I underestimated how far that principle would take us.”

Labour’s then-shadow transport secretary and Middlesbrough MP, Andy McDonald, who had long campaigned for more railway investment, was optimistic. He said: “If we can press ahead with these much needed investments, the economic returns from Tees Valley will be immense.”

County Durham teaching assistants started a week-long vigil on October 25, 2016, in protest against changes to their contracts.

They took shifts throughout their half term holidays as part of their campaign against the changes, which they said would result in many of them losing nearly a quarter of their pay.

Durham County Council had agreed to change the contracts of its 2,700 teaching assistants so they were paid during term time only to avoid equal pay claims from other staff, which it said could cost the authority millions.

The vigil that week, which wsaw teaching assistants take turns to hold a “silent protest” outside County Hall in Durham City, was to finish in a third demonstration on Friday, October 28, 2016.

An elderly veteran was left heartbroken after his set of five service medals from the Second World War were stolen from his home.

Ernie Tull, 90, from Leyburn, North Yorkshire, served with the Royal Artillery from 1939 to 1945, and following the war he served 32 years in the Army Fire Brigade at Catterick Garrison – which included tours of duty to Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles.

Mr Tull proudly displays his medals and takes part in Leyburn’s annual Remembrance Parade, having served for many years as a standard bearer for the local branch of the Royal British Legion.

But after removing them from his jacket to have it dry-cleaned in time for the 2016 Remembrance events, Mr Tull returned home from a walk one day to find they had gone.

It promoted collectors from across the UK to come forward to offer replacements from their own collections of military memorabilia, and within a few hours Mr Tull had received offers to replace all but one of them.

Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

You can also follow our dedicated North Yorkshire Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.

For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054