From the death of Friends star Matthew Perry leaving a nation in grief, to panic that Blackpool Tower was alight when it was in actual fact …. orange netting, take a look at the top 12 stories.
1. 2023 in review
From Russia's war on Ukraine, the death of Friends actor Matthew Perry and Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) found in schools, 2023 has been a memorable year Photo: UGC
2. JANUARY
In Lancashire, a huge search began after mother-of-two Nicola Bulley went missing while walking her dog in the village of St Michael’s on Wyre on January 27. The case attracted huge attention, but was mired by online misinformation and police blunders before her body was found in the river Wyre the following month. An inquest in June found she had drowned accidentally. Photo: UGC
3. FEBRUARY
24 February marked the anniversary of Russia's war in Ukraine. After the initial invasion, countries across Europe and North America particularly rose to Ukraine's aid with financial and military assistance. But during a press conference on 14 December this year, Vladimir Putin suggested Russia was now well placed to win the conflict because Ukraine will eventually exhaust Western support. Photo: UGC
4. MARCH
Industrial action was a theme running through the whole of 2023, driven by disputes around pay and working conditions amid the rising cost of living. With 553,000 working days lost to strike action, March was the most impacted month. Walkouts in the education and health and social care sectors contributed to three-quarters of total days lost for the year, while the transport industry (including train and tube drivers) caused 11.5 per cent of the days lost Photo: UGC