LOOKiNG back to when thousands of pupils and parents were issued a “wake up call” after children took super-strength ecstasy and were left needing hospital treatment, in February 2018.

North Yorkshire County Council’s leader said the unusual step of sending a warning to pupils at several schools serving the northwest part of the county had followed several incidents at one school relating to Orange Tesla tablets.

The authority declined to give any details about the incidents, but it was understood a batch of pills containing up to 240mg of the potentially fatal drug MDMA – more than twice the normal strength of ecstasy – are circulating in the area.

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Parents at Richmond School & Sixth Form College, St Francis Xavier School in Richmond, Wensleydale School and Sixth Form in Leyburn, Risedale Sports and Community College in Catterick Garrison, Bedale High School and Northallerton-based Hambleton and Richmondshire Pupil Referral Service were sent a letter outlining concerns.

Dr Lincoln Sargeant, the council’s director of public health, said while ecstasy use in North Yorkshire was rare, taking a single tablet could lead to “very serious health complications and can even be fatal”.

A football club facing the threat of going out of business had an outstanding tax bill paid by a fan, in February 2018.

Rachel Cartwright set up a Just Giving page online after HMRC demanded £48,000 from struggling Hartlepool FC.

Donations quickly shot past the amount required and more than £84,000 was raised by Poolie fans and supporters from other clubs sympathetic with their financial plight.

Ms Cartwright confirmed on Facebook she had the details to make the tax bill payment and had transferred the money over.

The winding up order issued by HMRC was subsequently withdrawn ahead of what would have been Pools’ prospective day in court.

She said: “I have never made a bank transfer that big before, it was amazing.

“I cannot take all the credit though. I don’t want to get too optimistic, but I hope something good will come out of it.”

Pools fan John Clark, who lives in Adelaide, Australia, posted: “Absolutely fantastic effort Rachel and a big thank you to everybody who donated.”

Alan Adair said: “Cap doffed to you. If every club had fans in charge like you no club would ever be mismanaged.”

Among those who contributed were former Middlesbrough and Sunderland striker Danny Graham who now turns out for Blackburn Rovers.

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A junior Eurovision Song Contest attracted 20 primary schools and entertained a packed audience of parents and VIP guests, on February 11, 2018.

After long deliberations by an expert panel of judges, Gurney Pease Academy was announced as the winner of the third annual Mayor’s Darlington Primary Schools Eurovision Song Contest at the town’s Dolphin Centre.

Gurney Pease won the contest with a version of I Love The Little Things.

Each of the 20 schools sang a British Eurovision entry from the past and the winning song was originally sung by Matt Monro in 1964 when it came second.

The Mayor of Darlington, Councillor Jan Taylor, said the contest at the Dolphin Centre, sponsored by Darlington Building Society, had made her feel “extremely proud” of the young people in Darlington.