BBC News Tyne & Wear

All eligible care home residents in Newcastle and most of the staff looking after them have received the coronavirus vaccine, the doctor leading the project says.

In less than a fortnight, seven teams made up of a doctor, nurse and administrator went to each of the city's 50 care homes and vaccinated almost 2,000 residents.

Rebecca Haynes, chief operating officer from Newcastle GP Services, said: "Care homes, their staff and their residents have been impacted deeply by the pandemic, they have all made great sacrifices and being able to provide them with the protection and a glimmer of hope has been incredibly rewarding.

"We would like to thank every care home, member of staff, GP, nurse, volunteer and resident who has played a critical role in this vaccination programme."

Care home staff still waiting for their vaccination are being offered slots at the Centre For Life vaccination hub.

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Quote Message: We are not out of the woods yet and I would urge people to follow the guidance in full, stay at home unless essential and help stop the spread of the virus." from Rebecca Haynes Newcastle GP Services

We are not out of the woods yet and I would urge people to follow the guidance in full, stay at home unless essential and help stop the spread of the virus."

Police are warning a particularly dangerous batch of heroin might be in circulation after two men died in County Durham in a week.

A 40-year-old man was found dead at a property in Ushaw Moor on 12 January, while a 31-year-old man was found dead at a house in Bearpark on 16 January.

Durham Police say they are unable to confirm at the moment whether the incidents are linked.

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A woman suffered "potentially life-changing injuries" after the car she was a passenger in came off a road and hit a tree.

It happened on the A1068 near Ellington in Northumberland shortly after 01:00 yesterday.

The woman suffered a broken spine, as well as a broken ankle, foot, leg and wrist and remains in a stable condition in hospital.

The driver, an 18-year-old man, sustained minor injuries to his face and body.

Northumbria Police are investigating how the car, a Skoda Fabia, travelling southbound towards the roundabout with Front Street came off the road Officers are asking anyone with information to come forward.

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BBC Radio Sunderland started broadcasting this morning.

It's a new temporary station to help people during lockdown, providing more localised news and information for people in the city, and is due to broadcast until March.

It will be live on DAB radio and online, weekdays from 06:00 to 14:00

BBC Radio Sunderland will provide news and sport coverage, reflect life in the city and celebrate good news happening in communities.

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Gilly Hope (pictured left) will present the breakfast show from 06:00 to 10:00 followed by Tamsin Robson (pictured right) from 10:00 to 14:00

BBC Radio Sunderland is available online at bbc.co.uk/radiosunderland or via DAB digital radio.

To get in touch with the BBC Radio Sunderland team you can email radiosunderland@bbc.co.uk

The Ministry of Justice has extended a compensation scheme for former inmates who were physically abused at Medomsley detention centre, in County Durham.

The centre, which closed in 1988, held offenders aged between 17 and 21 who had committed relatively minor crimes.

Durham Police has received almost 1,900 complaints from men who have said they were beaten, punched or kicked at the centre.

In 2019 three former prison officers were found guilty of offences including assaults, wounding and misconduct at the former detention centre and two others were jailed for misconduct.

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Previously compensation had only been paid when officers were convicted of committing a crime, but that's changed and now former inmates can make a claim against officers even if they haven't been convicted.

The amount varies from £1,750 to £5,000 depending on the length of time they served and the extent of their injuries.

No date has yet been set for when the compensation scheme will end.

Claims for those who were sexually abused are being handled separately.

A former University of Sunderland student has landed two roles in film and TV.

Chris Farfouris, who was studying screen performance, auditioned for a key character role in a new television drama set in Spain and landed the lead role in a new film calls Shakespeare has Died, which will start production later this year in South America.

The 20-year-old, who is originally from Greece, credits part of his success to the skills he gained on Wearside during his Screen Performance degree.

He also thanked his tutors for allowing him to complete his course work online while filming in Spain.

Chris FarfourisCopyright: Chris Farfouris

Chris said: "My tutors have been incredibly supportive during this huge opportunity, and for me, online learning has been fantastic, I was able to be really creative."

Being a multilingual actor and artist, Chris speaks Greek, English, Spanish, French and Italian and he sings and plays piano.