LOOKING back to when political leaders were divided over the future of Teesside Airport, in the week February 13 to 19, five years ago.

An increasingly bitter war of words over the future of Durham Tees Valley Airport took a new twist in February 2018, as political divisions deepened over a £500,000 package of public funding.

The five Labour council leaders who head the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) forced through a budget amendment on February 17, 2018 in an attempt to secure the £500,000, which they wanted to see being used to develop new routes and improve facilities at the loss-making airport.

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But Conservative Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen slammed the door on their ambitions when he categorically refused to sanction the release of any funding to airport operator Peel after branding the company ‘bullies’.

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During a fractious meeting Mr Houchen and Councillor Sue Jeffrey, the leader of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, continually clashed over the benefits of investing public money into a private business.

The political stand-off came less than 24 hours after the announcement that Loganair was grounding flights, predominantly for offshore workers, just months after they were launched.

Hundreds of people turned out to pay their respects to Daleswoman Hannah Hauxwell as her funeral was held in Barnard Castle on Friday, February 16, 2018.

The 91-year-old’s extraordinary story of endurance farming in the harshest of conditions 1,000ft above sea level in upper Teesdale amazed the world when she was found by television cameras in the early 1970s.

People lined the streets as the funeral cortege made its way slowly to Barnard Castle Methodist Church to be greeted by the Reverend Bev Hollings.

Hannah’s shepherd’s staffs were place on top of her coffin along with a bouquet of white roses.

Her coffin entered the church to the strains of The Lord is My Shepherd.

Rev Hollings described Hannah as a true Yorkshire woman born on Yorkshire Day, and found contentment and peace even in times of great struggle.

She said: ”Most of the viewers who saw that documentary in the 1970s would consider that a hard and difficult life. At the same time there was an awareness that whilst Hannah eventually enjoyed having water on tap she was content with life. She had peace even amongst hardship.”

A disabled veteran proved he had the perfect aim after he qualified for the first ever televised disability darts competition, in February 2018.

Tony Pass, known as Tony “The Tiger” Pass, from Brompton-on-Swale, was preparing to compete in the Disability Darts Invitational in The Hague, Holland, on Saturday, February 17, 2018.

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The former corporal of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers suffers from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis – an incurable disease that has left him with only 67 per cent lung function.

He had also developed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) which he attributes to his 23 years of Army service.

In 2007, Mr Pass began playing for the Richmond and Catterick Darts League.

Over the years, he has received support from the British Disability Darts Association (BDDA) and the World Disabled Darts Association (WDDA).

Earlier in February 2018, he took part in the first Dutch Paradarts Open in Assen – the world’s largest darts open – where he narrowly missed out on the final.