IT is too often our duty to report bad news on the North-East jobs front as the manufacturing crisis eats away at the region's economy.

What a pleasure it is to highlight the remarkable success story inspired by Teesside's magnificent steelworkers.

When Corus announced in April last year that it no longer needed Teesside steel, the future looked bleak. Experts predicted that the Teesside operation could not survive on its own in the open market.

It was just a matter of time before it was consigned to history and the impact on dependent local communities would be disastrous.

But the news that a consortium of global companies has signed a deal with Teesside Cast Products, securing local jobs for a decade, is a wonderful Christmas present.

Not just for the 1,700 workers employed by the company, but also for the thousands more supply jobs across the region.

Time and time again, the people of Teesside have had to bounce back from the anguish and uncertainty brought by the decline of traditional industries.

It has never been easy, but through skill, enterprise and sheer hard work, they have demonstrated that they can make it happen against the odds.

Our congratulations go out to everyone involved in one of the most heart-warming economic success stories in the North-East for a long time.

Let's hope other companies take note of the qualities of North-East workers and bring their investment our way.