LOOKING back to the week of October 9 to October 15, five years ago...

FIVE years ago, a Syrian refugee was preparing to launch his own business, after arriving in the UK two years previously with no English and little more than a dream.

As soon as he set foot in England, Mouhyedin Alkhalil swore to himself that he would work as hard as he could to give something back to the Government and the people who had helped him along his gruelling journey to safety.

Read more: ECHO MEMORIES: The man who crashed the economy and built and obelisk

The then-26-year-old hoped that the launch of his company – Falafel Fella – would be the beginning of a new venture that will eventually enable him to give opportunities and employment to others.

In October 2018, he traded for the first time at Darlington’s World Food Market, selling falafels and desserts created using traditional Syrian recipes, handed down via Skype from Mr Alkhalil’s mother and sister.

The dishes, he said, reminded him of a home that is always in his heart, a home he was forced to flee in the dead of night.

Facing forced enlistment into President Bashar al-Assad’s army, he was told by his parents that arrangements had been made for him to flee the country and he embarked upon a tough and lonely journey that would see him spend a difficult time struggling to thrive in the Lebanon before the United Nations gave him the opportunity to move to the UK under a vulnerable persons resettlement programme.

Once in Darlington, he was offered support by Darlington Assistance for Refugees (DAR) and taken under the wing of Fran and Martin Wood.

A campaign to fight the closure of a hospital ward was gaining support in October 2018.

A petition set up to prevent the closure of Ward 6 at Bishop Auckland General Hospital, in County Durham, reached more than 2,000 signatures since it was launched on Friday, October 3, 2018.

Enjoy ad-light, uninterrupted content with a Premium Plus subscription to The Northern Echo now for only £6 for 6 months. Click here

The petition was set up by then-Bishop Auckland MP Helen Goodman, to present to Parliament, and requests adequate funding for the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust (CDDFT) to prevent service closures, including those proposed for Ward 6.

The nurse-led ‘step down’ ward of 24 beds was for patients who no longer require doctor care but are not ready to go home.

The trust was thought to have shifted focus to increasing patient care in the community, outside of hospital.

A trust spokesperson previously said the consultation was based on “demand, staffing and bed occupancy across its sites” and was the result of ongoing reviews of patient needs and resources.

Bosses at a revamped theatre said their new venue had become a place of national significance for entertainment after less than a year of thrilling the crowds.

In October 2018 it was almost 12 months since Darlington Hippodrome opened its doors following a name change and a multi-million pound refurbishment that turned the Grade II listed Civic Theatre into a 21st century entertainment venue.

Speaking to The Northern Echo, theatre director Lynda Winstanley confirmed shows were already booked in the diary as far ahead as 2021, and they have become a “significant national theatre”.

Read next:

Almost £12m was spent over an 18-month period on the theatre to include a three-storey glass atrium, a new box-office and café bar area, as well as a number of displays illustrating the heritage of theatre in Darlington.

Ms Winstanley said: “I can’t really believe it has been nearly a year since we opened – it has surpassed expectations.

“The building itself has really turned out fantastically well."