Review of 2022

From sweeping changes to the city's skyline and the return of major events, to ground-breaking projects going on in local communities and further exciting developments to look forward to in 2023, the footage points to Sunderland as a city that's reinventing itself.

Reflecting on the last 12 months, Councillor Graeme Miller, the Leader of Sunderland City Council, said: "2022 has been another very busy and often challenging year for our city but also a hugely successful one.

"We've seen a huge amount of investment and development in Sunderland in recent years - the scale of which our city hasn't seen for generations, with exciting new developments changing the shape of our city's skyline in 2022 and the promise of more to come.

"We've also seen the return of major national and international events and been at the forefront of world-leading digital and low-carbon advances and. All of these things, together with some fantastic community partnership projects, have helped to create a real buzz and sense of excitement about the city.

"It hasn't all been plain sailing. We know people have been struggling and we've been working hard, alongside our partners, to support our communities through the cost of living crisis and change their lives for the better through our wider vison for the city.

"But there's a real sense of confidence as we continue to evolve into a vibrant, dynamic, healthy and smart city, and attract more people to come and live, work and play here."

There is currently £500m of investment in Sunderland city centre as well as regeneration across the city, creating new places to live, work and play - 7,000 new homes by 2030, thousands of new jobs across the city, millions of pounds going into new leisure venues for residents to enjoy - with all the benefits that this brings for local businesses and the local economy.

You can watch the video here: End of Year Video 2022 - YouTube 

Highlights from the film include:

January kicked off with Freedom of the City being awarded to Sunderland's legendary 1973 FA Cup winning team. 

There was also news that Sunderland was set to become the UK trailblazer in e-sports, one of the fastest-growing industries in the world, with the British Esports Association announcing plans to open a performance and education campus at Riverside Sunderland.  

Exciting plans were unveiled for a new £80m showstopping addition to the city centre, in the form of a 10,000 seater multi purpose arena and events space on the site of the former Crowtree Leisure Centre.

February saw the launch of the ground breaking HALO Project in Hetton (Hetton Aspirations Linking Opportunities) to help rejuvenate the area and support the communities who live there.

The city's new £5m state-of-the-art  Household Waste and Recycling Centre (HWRC) opened in Pallion, replacing the former Beach Street site.

And Sunderland underlined its commitment to being a healthy city by becoming the first council in the North East to sign the Healthy Weight Declaration, committing the city to practical measures to help residents to stay healthy.

March  The city's ongoing transformation was captured in a new video showing how buildings including The Beam, City Hall and the new Fire Station are continuing to change the face of the city, with more to come in the form of exciting plans for 1000 new homes, a new footbridge across the river and stunning riverside walkways.

Plans were approved for Culture House in Keel Square - a new state of the art library and multi-purpose cultural venue, featuring a year round programme of activities. March also saw the opening of City Hall, housing a wide range of services under one roof, including the City Council, Gentoo and Sunderland College.

April  Business leaders from across the region's construction industry descended on Sunderland for a digital construction event showcasing the North East's low carbon future.

May saw the Tour Series making a welcome return to Sunderland. The event involved Britain's best male and female cyclists competing against each other in a day of sporting and community activities. It was the first in a series of major sporting events over the summer aimed at inspiring more people to take up cycling as part of the city's Swim Bike Run programme.

The free Scrantastic Food Festival in Houghton-le-Spring was another popular attraction in May, bringing together celebrity chefs, tasty treats, and family fun. 

June The city celebrated the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth with a Big Jubilee Lunch, landmarks lit red white and blue and schoolchildren working with local artists to design special post boxes to mark the Jubilee.

A North East consortium completed the UK's first autonomous HGV pilot.

Music icons Elton John and Ed Sheeran came to Sunderland, bringing in thousands of visitors and helping boost the city's economy as stadium concerts made a welcome return to the Stadium of Light.

July saw Riverside Sunderland named best future place in the UK. The multi award winning development will include 7,000 new homes alongside commercial and leisure developments. It is set to transform land on both sides of the river, double the residential population in the city centre and increase employment by 50 per cent.

A Schools Triathlon kicked off the 50 day countdown to Sunderland hosting the 2022 British Triathlon Super Series Grand Final in August.

While the Queen's Baton Relay saw 14 inspirational local residents carrying the Queen's Baton along the seafront as part of the build up to the Commonwealth Games.

August Award winning bar-and-restaurant The Botanist announced plans to come to Sunderland, taking a unit beneath the new Holiday Inn on Keel Square.

British Triathlon's Super Series Grand Final brought an action packed weekend of swimming, biking and running to the seafront at Roker.

September saw another major sporting event, the Tour of Britain heading to Sunderland for the first time. The UK's most prestigious cycling race brought world-class sporting action to the streets of Sunderland as part of stage three of the Tour of Britain.

People across the city marked the very sad death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth with tributes including people laying flowers in Mowbray Park, signing books of condolence and attending a vigil at Sunderland Minster.

October saw the City Council joining forces with voluntary and community sector partners to open a network of warm spaces across the city to help residents struggling with rising energy bills and the cost of living crisis.  

Thousands headed to the seafront to enjoy the city's annual Festival of Light, while more people were able to enjoy Sunderland's beautiful beaches, thanks to the introduction of all-terrain wheelchairs making them more accessible for all. 

The transformation of the city continued with a stunning new CGI of a transformed Sunderland Riverside, the demolition of the old Sunderland train station to make way for a £26m revamp and the demolition of Sunderland Civic Centre to make way for 265 new homes.

November Sunderland became the first in the North East to be recognised for making a Living Wage City.  The plans announced by the City Council in partnership with the Living Wage Foundation and major city employers could see the number of workers earning the Real Living Wage in Sunderland triple over the next three years.

The city was set for action after signing a filming friendly Charter with North East Screen pledging its commitment to becoming a filming friendly location.

TV chef and Hairy Biker, Si King confirmed plans to open a new eatery in the newly redeveloped stables at Sheepfolds. 

Sunderland was one of 122 Global Cities to be named a Climate Action Leader on CDP's Cities 2022 A List.

December saw the launch of the SAIL project (Sunderland Altogether Improving Lives) in the city centre. The partnership will help make the city centre a more attractive and safer place for everyone who lives, visits and works there.

The first of five Sunderland City Council supported affordable food hubs, offering weekly groceries to low income households at a fraction of high street prices, opened in Southwick.

Valiant Close and the Northeast Disabilities Resource Centre Day Centre officially opened in Hendon.