Advent Calendar Prize List 2025
A voucher for two for a trip to the Farne Islands with Billy Shiel Boat Trips
Our day 2 prize is a mega trip out to the Farne Islands donated by our Fabulous North friends over at Billy Shiel Boat Trips. We've been on a Billy Shiels tour a few times and have been lucky enough to spot puffins, seals and even a pod of dolphins. Absolutely magical. We posted a photo of a tiny planet of a well known landmark and asked people to guess.
Winner - Lisa Cunningham with Cragside
Day - 2nd December
Some amazing Roker Lighthouse merchandise
On day 4 of the Advent Calendar the competition was to post your favourite place in Sunderland and boy did we get a lot of entries with some beautiful photos. Of course we got the usual friendly banter from the Geordies in the group. Thanks to the lovely folks over at Roker Pier for donating the merchandise.
Winner - Natalie Vollans with Ryhope Beach
Day - 4th December
2 hot chocolates and sweets from Emma's In Allendale
For today's prize, the lovely team at Emma's In Allendale have offered a sweet treat of Two Luxury Hot Chocolates made to your taste, with two bags of Traditional Christmas Sweets of your choice to be used any time in the next year. What a way to get into the Christmas swing! All you need to do to be in with a chance of winning this adorable prize is tell us which Bah, with North East roots, is synonymous with Charles Dickens' novel 'A Christmas Carol'?
Winner - Claire Dobbo Dobson with Bah Humbug
Day - 6th December
Durham walking tour for 2 from Iles Tours
Continuing on with our giveaway we have another super prize and this one is a half day guided tour of Durham for two people with our Fabulous North friend Alex from Iles Tours. Alex says - "Join me in Durham for a half-day walking tour where history comes alive! We'll explore the magnificent Durham Cathedral, step into the stories of St Cuthbert, and wander through the castle and city streets that have shaped England for over a thousand years. From medieval treasures to Harry Potter filming spots. This is your chance to see Durham's UNESCO World Heritage heart through the eyes of a local guide."
Winner - Pat Yates
Day - 7th December
Win a pair of Fabulous North coasters
For day 9 of the Fabulous North Advent Calendar we had a unique prize of two custom Fabulous North coasters, a real collectors item. Be the envy of your friends by making them put their glass of sweet sherry onto this stylish prize! To be in with a chance of winning, all we asked our group to do was come up with a caption for our photo below. Martin won this one with scamp up of an Evening Chronicle page about Rudolph's antlers being stolen.
Winner - Martin Roberts
Day - 9th December
Pot of tea and cake for 2 at the Battery Museum tea rooms in Hartlepool
Who loves tea, cake, and a fascinating historical site? The Heugh Battery Museum at Hartlepool Headland kindly donated tea and cake for two at their marvellous Poppy Tearooms where you will find each booth full of photos and information about the First World War. This site is historic as it is the only First World War battlefield. To win this prize, we asked our group to let us know what their favourite cake is. Of course we were inundated with comments for this topic!
Winner - Claire Blake
Day - 10th December
A £10 gift voucher for Bays Leap Diary Farm
Day 11 was all about your festive furry friends. The lovely team at Bays Leap Organic Dairy Farm offered a fantastic £10 gift voucher to one lucky winner who can spend it on an array of fresh or dairy produce, but I'd give a hat tip to the milkshakes and ice cream! To be in with a chance of winning, share in the comments below your favourite Christmas pet picture, be it pets in pyjamas, Santa Paws, Yuletide claws! We want evidence that your Christmouse days are meowry and bright with your four legged friends. Fling us a festive pic of your pooch. Show us your Dachshund through the snow. Anything with a beak and baubles?
Winner - Ann Sykes who dontated it to Pat Yale
Day - 11th December
A £10 gift voucher for Bays Leap Diary Farm
The generous people at The Running Fox stepped up again this Christmas and offered one lucky winner a Foxmas Tale Hamper, filled to the gunnels with handmade Running Fox festive chocolates and three varieties of artisan biscuits. A Foxmas Tale brings together the finest seasonal treats, beautifully presented in a Merry Foxmas jute bag. Our winner just had to tell us who their festive fox was and why...who would you nibble those biscuits with on Christmas Eve?
Winner - Lorraine Sanderson
Day - 12th December
Win a distillery and tasting tour for 2 with Ad Gefrin
Well we have had biscuits and cake for prizes, so time to turn to the important stuff. Booze! Our fabulous friends over at Ad Gefrin kindly donated a distillery tour and tasting for two people up at their gaff in Wooler. To enter, people just had to drop in the comments what thier favourite xmas tipple was. My nanna used to make homemade ginger wine which was 1 part ginger and 5 parts something lethal!
Winner - Ellen Crossley
Day - 13th December
Win merchandise from the Illustrated Summit
Good morning everyone! Just ten days left of the Fabulous North advent calendar and we had another amazing prize to give away today! The Illustrated Summit have kindly donated a 500ml insulated water bottle, featuring beautifully hand drawn illustrations. To be in with a chance of winning, we asked where where today's tiny planet was. (The answer was the Cheviot Summit Trig Point.)
Winner - Andy Craig
Day - 14th December
Win a guided tour of Jesmond Old Cemetery
Our Fabulous North friend Pauline Martin is back again donating not only a tour or around Jesmond Old Cemetery, but also offering homemade scones! On the you will discover stories about the residents who have shaped the history of Newcastle! Along with names that will be familiar, Fenwick, Bainbridge, Dobson, there will be interesting stories about people who are not so well known! We have been back in the Fabulous North Hot Air Balloon on our tour of the North of England and to be in with a chance of winning this fabulous prize, people had to work out where we were today? Of course the answer was Beadnell.
Winner - Michelle Hudson
Day - 15th December
Win 3 awesome homemade Ammonites by the sculptor Andrew McKeown
On day 16 we had fossils, not any old fossils, but Andrew McKeown's homemade ammonites. Andrew kindly donated a medium, small, and tiny one, which can be picked up at his studio in Middlesbrough. The artist, Andrew McKeown, is also known for organic work such as walnuts, sycamore seeds, apples, and pears. He is also the creator of public sculptures such as Word Beacon at South Shields, Jewels of the Sea, Seaham, and Organism, Saltburn by the Sea. He works in casting Corten steel. To win this awesome prize, we asked everyone what their favourite Andrew Mckeown playground sculpture or public work was and why.
Winner - Rachael Forster
Day - 16th December
Win a £15 voucher for the Halls of Heddon!
For this advent calendar door the lovely owners of the Halls of Heddon have kindly donated a £15 gift voucher to spend at their wonderful garden centre and nursery. They work hard all year round to make sure the quality of their flowers, shrubs, and trees are top notch, so a huge thank you to the Halls of Heddon team. With trees in mind we asked the group to share a picture of their Christmas tree (or if you have tree envy, take a pic of someone else's ). Big and bold, small and subtle, garish or understated, we love trees of all shapes and sizes. Let's see what tickles your tinsel and bounces your baubles.
Winner - Helen Crosby
Day - 17th December
Win 2 exclusive Fabulous North coasters!
Today we brought back a fan favourite competition called Spot The Glamorous Assistant. Now if you follow the Fabulous North group you will know that my glamorous assistant loves a good hike. Even though there is kicking, screaming and tears throughout, I'm sure she actually enjoys them. I posted a photo I took of a wander to St. Abbs Head earlier this year and asked everyone to choose a grid letter.
Winner - Sean Linley
Day - 18th December
Win a bumper breakfast from the lovely people at Rochester Relish!
Somewhere on the road between Fry Up and Twice Brewed, a philosophical question arose in the Josmobile, as tends to happen before breakfast: “how do you like your eggs in the morning?” Rochester Relish style! When heading for the hills up the A68, just before the Border, we are regulars at Rochester Relish - The Last Café in England. They do a magic breakfast come snow or sunshine! In support of our advent calendar, they've donated a hearty Northumbrian breakfast for two...with a view! We love sharing with you the views of our favourite places, so to win today's prize, we asked people to send us your favourite views of The Fabulous North. Tell us where it is and why you love it!
Winner - Euan Clement
Day - 19th December
Win three signed Ann Cleeves books
Morning everyone, today we have a final tiny planet for you and another fabulous prize. To be in with a chance of winning three signed novels from Ann Cleeves, we asked everyone to tell us where this distorted image is. Huge thanks to Ann Cleeves for donating this prize. You'll be familiar with Ann's work if you've ever seen the popular Vera or Shetland series on TV. So does this place ring a bell? Where have you seen that distinctive building before?
Winner - Brenda Metcalfe (with The Snook)
Day - 20th December
Win a Guided Tour of the Ouseburn
Morning all, only four days left of the Fabulous North Advent Calendar and we had yet another great prize available for one lucky person to win! Today you are all playing for a guided tour of the Ouseburn, for two, courtesy of the Ouseburn Trust. The winner will get an hour and a half in the company of a guide who will fill them in on the incredible history of the Ouseburn, right up the present day. I don't know about you but the Ouseburn is one of our favourite places to visit, to see all the street art, historic buildings, the farm and of course the pubs! To be in with a chance of winning, all you had to do was "SPOT THE SOREEN". Have a look at the picture below and tell us how many Fruity Malts you think have been hidden in the Ouseburn.
Winner - Allyson Young (with 13)
Day - 21st December
Win an out-of-this-world Sci-fi publication from the Museum of Classic Science Fiction
Are you a sci-fi fan? Then you are going to love this prize. Neil Cole from the Museum of Classic Science Fiction has kindly donated some publications from his extensive collection of sci-fi items. If you are gripped by Dr. Who, Star Wars, Alien, or Planet of the Apes, and many others, this is the place to go. All you needed to do was tell us your favourite sci-fi creature/person.
Winner - Amy Louise Stokoe (with Groot)
Day - 22nd December
