News in Shotley Peninsula

Did You Know?

Today's Peninsula sunrise: 07:56

DID YOU KNOW?: The first nativity scene didn't appear until 1223. More than a millennium after Jesus' birth, St. Francis of Assisi received permission from Pope Honorious III to stage the first nativity in an Italian cave. Present were an ox and an ass. By the Late Middle Ages, nativity scenes could be seen throughout Europe.

Today's Peninsula sunset: 15:43

An amazing display of Christmas lights on some Shotley homes has set the tone for lifting spirits across the peninsula with their multi-coloured show.

A number of houses in Kingsland and Queensland have been turning heads and wowing young and old with their stunning displays, which are even more incredible than last year.

ON THIS DAY: In 1955 Christopher Cockerell patented his prototype of the hovercraft. He had tested his theories using a hair-dryer and tin cans and found his work to have potential, but the idea took some years to develop, and he was forced to sell personal possessions in order to finance his research. Hovertravel is the only scheduled passenger hovercraft service in Europe and it operates between Southsea, Portsmouth and Ryde on the Isle of Wight.

Today's Peninsula sunset: 15:43

ON THIS DAY: In 1975 an Icelandic gunboat opened fire on unarmed British fishery support vessels in the North Atlantic, heightening the 'Cod War'.

Today's peninsula sunset: 15:43

Police are appealing for witnesses to a theft of boat from Woolverstone Marina on Sunday.

The boat, a Ribeye A600, was taken at just after 5pm on Sunday December 6 from the MDL marina and was seen being towed away by a vehicle.

ON THIS DAY: In 1979, 20 year old stuntman Eddie Kidd accomplished a 'death-defying' motorcycle leap when he crossed an 80ft gap over a 50ft sheer drop above a viaduct at Maldon, Essex. He jumped the Great Wall of China in 1993, but his career ended after he suffered serious head injuries in 1996 at a Hell's Angels rally in Warwickshire.

Today's Peninsula sunset: 15.43

Peninsula voters in Suffolk's elections next year are being reassured that measures will be in place for safe voting in light of Covid-19.

The whole of the county will be casting votes in the May 2021 elections for Suffolk County Council and the police and crime commissioner, as well as polls for a third of Ipswich Borough Council and a handful of by-elections for district seats.

An interactive map has revealed who is the most searched-for person on Wikipedia from the Shotley peninsula, and it may surprise you.

The Pudding has created a people map of the UK, replacing place names with their 'most Wikipedia-ed' resident.

On This Day: In 1917, British forces under Suffolk-born General Edmund Allenby, nicknamed the Bull, captured Jerusalem. He became 1st Viscount Allenby of Megiddo and of Felixstowe and his former house was demolished upon the death of his mother, to make way for a park, which exists today. 102-year-old Joan Rich recently walked 102 laps of the park to raise almost £30,000 for NHS Charities. Former nurse Joan also has fond memories of Allenby Park in Jerusalem, where she served as a member of the Royal Military Police.

Today's Peninsula sunrise: 07.51