More than £18,000 was raised by the Ceremonial Head of Northumberland County Council for charities in the last year.

Councillor Catherine Seymour described her term as an 'honour, hard work and rewarding'.

She expressed gratitude to those she met during this period.

"During this time I was pleased to attend over 100 events in Northumberland and as far south as Durham," she said.

She also held eight fundraising events which were attended by councillors, residents, religious members, armed forces personnel, and emergency services among others.

The events were held for Samaritans, MND and the Stroke Association.

Memorable moments included attending remembrance services, presenting service medals to the RAF, and supporting other civic authorities with their charity work.

She said: “I’ll also cherish memories of our charity walk across the causeway to Holy Island, being at the finish line for the marathon participants at Kielder, the Sill, ‘Dark Skies’ event in the National Park, the annual freezing Boxing Day dip at Spittal and the dedication Civic Service in Berwick Parish Church.

“And of course what stands out most - one of my last acts as Ceremonial Head was to present award certificates and money to these charities to continue with their fantastic work.”