A GRANDMOTHER grabbed the limelight yesterday by becoming the first member of the public to operate a new North-East landmark.

Ann Porter of Low Fell, Gateshead, was given the honour of tilting the showpiece Millennium Bridge, over the River Tyne.

She won a competition in Gateshead Borough Council's Quays Update newsletter, which keeps residents informed about developments during regeneration of the south bank of the Tyne, opposite Newcastle's Quayside.

Mrs Porter, who was accompanied by members of her family, including her three grandchildren, was greeted by the Mayor of Gateshead, Councillor Joseph Hattam.

He gave them a VIP guided tour of the Gateshead Quays project site, including the £46m transformation of the Baltic Flour Mill into an centre for contemporary art, and the £70m music centre being developed next door.

Mrs Porter then took the controls of the "blinking eye" bridge, pressing a button to tilt the 850-tonne structure, watched by hundreds of people.

The £22m bridge, completed last September, uses a pioneering tilting mechanism to open, turning on pivots on both sides of the river to form a gateway arch resembling the opening and closing of a giant eyelid.

Mrs Porter said she was proud to be the first member of the public to operate the foot and cycle bridge. The feat put her ahead of royalty, as is more than two months before the Queen officially opens the bridge during her Golden Jubilee nationwide tour, in late spring and early summer.