THE Queen took the opportunity of her jubilee visit to thank the people of the North-East for their support since the death of her mother in March.

During a speech made before lunch at the Baltic Arts Centre, she told guests: "There have been so many personal acts of kindness, especially over the last two months, now I have the chance to express my gratitude to the people of the North-East."

She reminisced about her previous visits to the region and the changes she had witnessed during her reign.

She said: "Prince Philip and I have been regular visitors since we first came here together in 1954, when we visited Whitley Bay, Tynemouth, Wallsend, Newcastle, Jarrow, South Shields and Sunderland, all in one day.

"The pace of this visit has been a little less frenetic, but our welcome has been as warm as ever and, as always, I have been happy to have the opportunity to meet the people of Tyne and Wear.

"Over those 50 years, there have been enormous changes here. My mother, who had close family ties with the region, always spoke highly of the qualities of adaptability of the people of Northumbria.

"Today, I see tangible signs of the determination of all those within this region to create a new future, having shown a resilience to sustain each other during the period of change.

"For some in the rural communities of Northumberland and County Durham, you are coming out of an especially difficult period and I know how hard hit those reliant on farming and tourism have been recently.

"From Sunderland to Hartlepool and the Tees Valley, the urban landscape has changed, but this has all been with a view to the future.

"The Baltic was a disused warehouse of the 1950s which you have had the vision to turn into a great modern art gallery.

"And the Angel of the North has become an inspired symbol of the area."