LOOKING back to the week October 10 to October 16, five years ago, when a little boy risked contracting Hepititis B from a used needle; and a little girl raised funds for war heroes.

Police patrols were increased near a playground where a four-year-old boy was feared to have potentially contracted Hepatitis B after pricking his finger on a used drug needle.

In October 2017, Riley Ashton was playing in the play area on Tees Street, east Loftus, with friend Callum, six, when he found four discarded needles.

He ran up to his mother saying: “Mummy, look at these stabby needles” and she saw he had pricked his thumb on one of them.

The family then faced an agonising four-month wait to discover if little Riley contracted Hepatitis B, which some local drug users are known to suffer from – but in early 2018, The Northern Echo reported that Riley had been given the all-clear.

After the incident, Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland MP Simon Clarke demanded urgent action from Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council and Cleveland Police.

Councillor Alec Brown, cabinet member for neighbourhoods at the council, said: “The safety of our children and all our residents is paramount and we always take action whenever we receive any reports of the littering of needles.

“We have never been alerted to abandoned needles in this play area before and we inspect the area every week."

On Saturday, October 14, 2017, a six-year-old girl whose military charity video with a blinded Iraq War veteran had been viewed online more than 100 million times.

She was cheered on by the former soldier as she completed a 5km run to raise funds for wounded personnel.

Temperance Pattinson, from Darlington, said she had been nervous ahead of the challenge in South Park, but managed to complete the course in just 35 minutes.

On crossing the finishing line, Temperance was lifted high into the air by 38-year-old Simon Brown, with whom she appeared in a poignant short film for the Help for Heroes charity in which they exchanged their experiences and thoughts on bravery.

Finally, a train-builder signalled for the first time that it would be prepared to expand its North-East operation if it could secure further orders, on October 13, 2017.

Bosses at Hitachi had previously refused to be drawn on whether it would enlarge its Newton Aycliffe site.

But on Friday, October 13, 2017, project manager Amy Webb said the company already has permission to develop nearby land, adding: “If the order book requires it, we will expand further.

The significant statement was made as the Hitachi factory’s first commuter train, a fleet of 70 that will be used on ScotRail routes, was launched in Newton Aycliffe.

And it came on the same day as ambitious plans linked to the region’s railway manufacturing heritage were revealed in Darlington.

The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust – which built the 100mph steam locomotive Tornado from scratch – announced its ambitions to move its operations to a 156-year-old former Stockton & Darlington Railway shed.

The multi-million pound plans – including workshops, educational facilities, open days and steam-hauled passenger rides – would enable the trust to play a central role in celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of the opening of the railway in 2025 and draw enthusiasts from all over the world to Darlington.