North East life in 2023 captured in 20 photographs - a year to remember

As the sun sets on another year we can once again reflect on some of the images captured by our photographers who have been documenting life in North East England throughout 2023.

Our region was shocked to the core when the iconic tree at Sycamore Gap on Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland was brutally cut down during the night, a bizarre and bewildering crime which sent shock waves around the entire world.

Tens of thousands of Geordies followed Newcastle United to the Carabao Cup Final at Wembley, the club's first final in more than 25 years. Although it wasn't to be on the day against Manchester United, they were rewarded for a hard-fought season with Champions League football after a top 4 place in The Premier League, a feat they last managed more than two decades ago.

St James' Park was once again the place to be when Geordie music phenomenon Sam Fender performed two ''sold oot'' shows to over 50,000 adoring fans in June.

There were strikes galore this year with thousands of union members taking industrial action including rail staff, teachers and lecturers, bus drivers and many individual branches of the NHS such as ambulance staff, nurses and junior doctors standing on the picket line to fight for better pay and conditions.

The people of the North East enjoyed a bumper bank holiday weekend celebrating the coronation of King Charles III with many communities coming together to hold for street parties.

The weather in 2023 was typically wet and rainy as we're used to in Britain with a summer that never was giving way to a series of named storms in the autumn, the violent winds of Storm Babet in particular stirred up some powerful waves which were strong enough to rip the top from South Shields Lighthouse.

These ChronicleLive photographs document life in North East England in 2023.