Outpouring of support for missing Newcastle hospital chaplain

A hospital chaplain has been reported missing, sparking an outpouring of support from the local community.

Northumbria Police said it was looking for 50-year-old Katherine Watson, who works as head of chaplaincy at Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

She was last seen in the Heaton Road area of Newcastle at about 13:00 BST on Thursday, the force added.

It said officers and her family had grown "increasingly concerned for her welfare".

Ms Watson - also known as Reverend Captain Katie Watson - joined the army when she was 18 and served in Bosnia, Croatia and Northern Ireland.

She joined the NHS trust in 2007 and became head of chaplaincy in 2020.

She is best known for appearing in the TV series Geordie Hospital, alongside her staff welfare hound Poppy.

A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: "Extensive searches have been ongoing to locate Katherine, and police are now appealing to the public for information on her whereabouts to ensure she is safe and well."

Ms Watson was last seen wearing a green hat, a backpack, dark trousers and a dark hooded top. She has a number of tattoos on her arms and a military tattoo on her chest.

The police said she had links to Heaton and Jesmond in Newcastle but could have travelled further afield.