Five years ago a County Durham man with cystic fibrosis conquered Everest

The Northern Echo’s report on the man who climbed Everest

Nick Talbot, originally of Hamsterley, in Teesdale, successfully reached the summit on his third attempt of the world’s highest mountain despite battling the life-shortening genetic condition.

The then 40-year-old’s last attempt in 2015 was cut short by the earthquake that tragically devastated Base Camp, and his first attempt in 2014 was thwarted by an avalanche.

Mr Talbot, who then lived in London, had already raised £79,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and was currently resting back at camp four before making his return to base camp.

Cystic fibrosis is a life-shortening genetic condition, which causes the internal organs, especially the lungs and digestive system, to become clogged with thick sticky mucus, resulting in chronic infections and inflammation of the lungs.

Half of those who die from CF are aged 28 or younger.

Mr Talbot, an experienced climber who has a milder form of CF, said, at the time, he wanted to “pay tribute to the thousands of people in the UK and beyond who climb a mountain every day battling cystic fibrosis”, and praised the Trust’s campaign to ensure that a transformational new drug for people with his genotype was made available on the NHS.

Also that week, even battle-hardened veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan tours were finding the final day of Army aviation in northern England an emotional experience.

Lynx helicopters from 9 Regiment Army Air Corps mark their final flight

The Northern Echo’s report on the last days of military aviation

For some of the remaining personnel of 9 Regiment Army Air Corps, leaving their base at Dishforth Airfield, near Thirsk, parting with comrades they had served alongside and, in some cases, their families, remained a bitter pill they were struggling to swallow.

Despite this, members of the regiment - which was being disbanded the next month as part of a planned reduction of the regular Army by 20,000 personnel to 82,000 by 2018 - appeared upbeat as they prepare for a unique and poignant farewell to North Yorkshire, the county they had called home for the last 26 years.

Meanwhile, graffiti which revealed an often-forgotten chapter of the First World War was to be saved from crumbling away to dust.

Richard Lewis Barry described the futility of fighting.

The Northern Echo’s report on the graffiti at Richmond Castle

Hundreds of pencil drawings, political slogans, portraits, hymns and poetry were scrawled on the walls of the 19th-century cell block at Richmond Castle by conscientious objectors who were incarcerated there.

But they were falling victim to time - rainwater had seeped through cracks in the roof and walls and high levels of moisture and damp meant the layers of lime wash and plaster were flaking off, taking the graffiti with them.

However now they will be protected by English Heritage as part of a £365,400 project.

The project would see the roof and walls repaired, the levels of moisture brought under control and treatment for the graffiti most at risk of being lost.