TO finish off the year, we've rounded up the best good news stories of 2025.
From challenges completed and award wins to community efforts and local initiatives - it's been a great year for heart-warming local news stories.
Here are five of the best we've had in 2025.
12 marathons in 12 months in memory of Dad
In May, we brought you the story of 30-year-old Harry Mitchell, an accountant from Wylam who was six months into a huge running challenge.
After losing his dad Ian suddenly to oesophageal cancer last February, from December 2024, Harry undertook 12 marathons in 12 months.
The runner completed his challenge on December 5 2025, and has currently raised a gargantuan £12,408.81 for Macmillan Cancer Support and Maggie's - two important charities that supported his family through his Dad's diagnosis and treatment.
Donate to Harry's fundraiser via this link: 12 Marathons in 12 Months - GiveWheel
Local people included in King's Birthday Honours list
In June, it was announced that several people in the Tyne Valley had been included in His Majesty the King’s 2025 Birthday Honours.
The Honours system awards national recognition to those who have given exceptional service in public and community life and are committed to making a difference to those around them.
Among the winners were Jennifer Bryony Gibson (Hexham) for services to the community in Northumberland, Claire Render (Wylam) for services to education, Roderick Peter Jones (Hexham) for services to the community in Hexham, Dr Steven Juan Quilliam (Wylam) for Services to the community in Prudhoe, Northumberland and Stephen Scrimshaw (Hexham) for services to British manufacturing, transport and to the green transition to net zero.
Two schools remain open as closure plans are scrapped
In November, after a month of consultation, Cheviot Learning Trust (CLT) announced that it had dropped the plans to merge four Prudhoe area schools into two.
If the plans had gone through, CLT, which manages the schools, would have closed Mickley First School and Prudhoe Castle First School as early as September of 2026.
The news that the schools would remain open was met with massive celebration among parents, students, teachers and community figures.
The Pillar Box crowned best café in England
On November 16, the Pillar Box in Haltwhistle won the title of the best café in the country at the England Business Awards Grand Final.
Owners Cheryl and Mattie Bone attended the awards evening with their son Tobin and niece Abby.
Following the awards, Cheryl said they "couldn't be any more grateful" for their customers, adding that it's been a "rollercoaster ride" since they opened the café nearly 20 years ago.
Sycamore Gap tree saplings planted in local area
Most recently, at the end of November and the start of December, three saplings grown from the felled Sycamore Gap tree were planted in the Tyne Valley area.
As part of the National Trust's 'Tree's of Hope' initiative, Hexham General Hospital, Henshaw C of E Primary School and Hexham Abbey (St Andrew's Cemetery) - in memory of murdered teenager Holly Newton - each planted one of the 49 saplings awarded around the UK.
The Hexham hospital ceremony, officiated by Damon Kent, the managing director of Northumbria Healthcare Facilities Management, included speeches from various speakers and a 'reflective' poem reading - written about the legacy of the Sycamore Gap tree.
"People will talk about the legacy of the Sycamore Gap. You can't bring that tree back, but what's the next best thing? The sapling and regrowing those trees is exactly that, and there is something quite symbolic about having it at a hospital. It's in a prominent location here at the front. Hopefully, it's here for everyone to enjoy for years to come," Damon said.
At the time of the planting at Hexham Abbey, Micala Trussler, Holly's mother, said: "We were so happy to be gifted a sycamore sapling in remembrance of Holly and for the work that we do at Holly's Hope. We were overwhelmed to be one of the 49 applicants accepted.
"The sapling is a place that people can reflect; it’s a long-lasting legacy that can be enjoyed for many years to come. We marked Holly's 18th birthday by planting the sycamore sapling and also joining a webinar with Barnardo's to highlight domestic abuse in teenage relationships. We then spent time together to reflect and remember Holly as a family."
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