WITH 2017 put to bed, we take a look back at some of the stories that caught your eye over the past 12 months. 

Here are the most read stories of the year online at knutsfordguardian.co.uk

A man was rushed to hospital in early January after he was found stabbed in the stomach in a Shaw Heath alleyway.

In another sad story later that month, Marcus Shaw, 43, went missing in High Legh. Sadly, he was found dead in Lymm following a widespread four-day search.

February saw the death of a 24-year-old Czech student, run over on the A556 near Northwich Road.

March saw George Osborne, then Tatton MP, named London Evening Standard editor. Meanwhile, Knutsford was named the best place to live in the north west.

In April, we exclusively revealed that two people had been arrested as part of an investigation into fraudulent activity at VIP Car Sales.

Another busy month for politics saw exclusive interviews with George Osborne and Esther McVey about the snap General Election.

A bomb at Manchester Arena in May shook the world, and we covered our community’s heart-warming reaction to the tragic death of Holmes Chapel schoolgirl Nell Jones, 14, and the inspirational recovery of Freya Lewis.

The response in the wake of the arena bombing continued in June, with Nell’s funeral taking place while money was raised for charity.

In July, the HS2 route was confirmed and The Rosary restaurant at Fryer’s was given the lowest possible food hygiene score. As of November, the restaurant has improved to a four-star rating.

August saw traffic chaos, with a lorry blocking King Street after it was wedged between cars. A woman was airlifted to hospital when hit by a van in Regent Street.

A ‘heartfelt warning’ was issued by the parents of 16-year-old Jake Lomas in September. An inquest heard he died after taking drugs.

October’s big news involved huge delays on the M6 after a lorry overturned. an overturned lorry on the M6.

In November, we revealed that Rolls-Royce was set to leave town for Wilmslow along with McLaren.

The year has ended on a sombre note with the death of much-loved Holmes Chapel teacher Andrea ‘Andy’ Goodwin, 49.