THE date has been set for Pam Royle to step down as one of the North East’s most popular television personalities after nearly 40 years.

Pam will present the ITV regional news for the final time on the evening of Friday, March 26, and has admitted she will find it hard to say goodbye.

Her final programme, alongside co-presenter Ian Payne, will include a look back at some of the highlights of her career.

Pam said: “My colleagues have been looking through the archives and have found some great footage from the past. We also have a surprise for everyone during the programme featuring a North East Superstar. We are keeping that under wraps until the night!

“I’ve enjoyed such a strong connection with the viewers for such a long time, it will be really strange to not go into the studio every day, see my colleagues, and say ‘hello’ to everyone on screen. I’m bound to feel a sense of loss. I don’t like goodbyes at the best of times so we are planning a feel good programme on Friday. I am looking forward to sharing it with our viewers.”

It was announced at the start of the year that Pam would be leaving her role as the award-winning main news presenter for ITV News Tyne Tees and Border after a television career spanning nearly 40 years.

She joined Tyne Tees in 1983 as a weather presenter, going on to work for London Weekend Television and TV-am in London, before returning to the North-East in 1989 to become a main presenter for Tyne Tees.

Career highlights have included being part of a BAFTA-winning team behind coverage of the Cumbrian shootings in 2010, winning three Royal Television Society presenter of the year awards, and a Variety Club silver heart for “outstanding contribution to TV and charity”.

Her off-screen commitments include serving as patron of the Great North Air Ambulance, patron of The Sunshine Fund, and as a Deputy Lieutenant of County Durham.

Pam, who lives near Darlington, is planning to continue using her presenting skills on screen as well as working from a home studio, producing voice-overs for commercials, narrations, documentaries, and audio books.