Thousands of stranded holiday makers were preparing to be flown back home in the UK’s largest peacetime repatriation following the collapse of travel operator Thomas Cook, in September 2019.

An estimated 150,000 tourists were being brought home by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in a flight programme costing £100m, as Thomas Cook ceased trading in the early hours of Monday morning.

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Holidaymakers already abroad were to be flown home as close as possible to their original return time and date, and all future Thomas Cook bookings were cancelled, affecting around one million people.

Some North East passengers stranded at various locations across the world said they had no idea how they would return home, while others had been forced to cancel dream weddings and family holidays.

One North East man, who did not want to give his full name, said his family, including a three-year-old son, are awaiting information in Morocco.

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“It’s all very well having all the information on the TV and Facebook here, but there are people probably in all corners of the globe who can’t get access to any.

“It’s hard to get information there – people don’t know what is going on.

“There’s also no guarantee they will return to Manchester, they could be left anywhere in the country.”

Other families, stranded in locations including Jamaica, Egypt and Florida, reported receiving little information about how and when they will be able to return home.

Barriers were rattled in excitement, international flags fluttered in the breeze and choruses of cheers boomed along the High Street as Northallerton welcomed in the world, in September 2019.

The town took centre stage as the starting point for the UCI Road World Championships elite men’s time trial which saw the world’s best cyclists race against the clock along a 54km route to Harrogate.

And while the previous day’s action in North Yorkshire was blighted by thundery downpours and flooding which forced the closure of Harrogate’s fan zone, there were no such problems in Northallerton as warm September sunshine bathed the event.

It is the first time since 1982 that the prestigious cycling championships has been held in Britain, and with an estimated global television audience of around 250million, it has provided North Yorkshire with a priceless platform to show the world what it is made of.

A troupe of dancers were striking a pose to help give a leg up to Stand Up To Cancer, a joint fundraising campaign from Cancer Research UK and Channel 4.

Kirstin McGuigan, 33, principal and owner of DanceMax, in Consett, was rallying people to make a stand against the disease in support of her mum Lynne McGuigan, 59, who was diagnosed and successfully treated for breast cancer.

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Kirstin, a former European dance champion, said: “Mum was just 53 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer following a routine breast screening at the Royal Victoria Infirmary.

“She had two lumps removed and breast reconstruction surgery. As well as daily radiotherapy for six weeks at the Freeman Hospital.

“We’re so lucky that her cancer was diagnosed early and she has celebrated her five years clear earlier this year and continues to be able to see her grandchildren grow up.”