Northumberland communities - Cramlington

Blyth Valley MP committed to fighting on

2009-11-05T15:05:05Z

Ronnie Campbell, Labour MP for Blyth Valley, has spoken out amid a divided reaction from North East MPs over proposed changes to the expenses system.

Politicians from across the region spoke out as party leaders Gordon Brown and David Cameron said the Sir Christopher Kelly report should be fully accepted.

Ronnie said: "As far as we are concerned, we cannot do anything else but go along with it.

He considered stepping down amid the expenses scandal despite being one of the first MPs to voluntarily return money when he repaid £6,000 for furnishings.

"There were a few thoughts going over my mind but I am now committed. I am committed to fighting the next election, hook or crook," said the MP, who will step down at the election after next.

Read full story with reactions from MPs around the region »

He considered stepping down amid the expenses scandal despite being one of the first MPs to voluntarily return money when he repaid £6,000 for furnishings.

"There were a few thoughts going over my mind but I am now committed. I am committed to fighting the next election, hook or crook," said the MP, who will step down at the election after next.

Read full story with reactions from MPs around the region »

Remembrance Day memorial in Cramlington

2009-11-05T10:13:05Z

Thousands across the North East will wear their poppies with pride this weekend as sombre events are held to mark Remembrance Day.

In Cramlington, soldiers from 100 Pioneer Squadron will attend a wreath laying, with additional wreathes laid at the squadrons' stations at Berwick and Hexham.

More details of Remembrance Day events around the region »

Losses for Cramlington Northern Alliance sides

2009-11-04T13:00:29Z

Third-placed Carlisle City continued their successful run with a 4-2 win at home to Cramlington Town in the Northern Alliance Premier Division.

Carlisle were encouraged by setbacks suffered by the joint leaders Wark and Walker Central and closed the gap, winning 4-2.

Ollie Driver netted twice for City in the opening half but Cramlington rallied, with replies from Stuart Heppell and Andrew Carr restoring parity.

Cramlington deserved a share of the spoils in a game marred by the brandishing of eight yellow cards - five for Crammy and three for City - but Carlisle surged ahead again.

They had further strikes by Carl Armstrong and Scott Priest wrapping up the points.

Stocksfield climbed into the top half of the table with a 1-0 victory over hosts Shankhouse to avenge their earlier defeat at Prudhoe.

After winning two games on the trot Shankhouse were stopped in their tracks and Josh Brooks scored Stocksfield's winner a few minutes before half-time.

Meanwhile in Division Two, North Shields Athletic consolidated their position in third spot by beating hosts Cramlington Blue Star 3-0.

Their first-half scorer was Jonathan Greaves and after the break Graham Williams bagged himself a brace, including a penalty.

Crime prevention event in Cramlington

2009-11-03T14:51:58Z

Police in Northumberland are holding a crime prevention event to help people stay safe.

Cramlington Neighbourhood Policing Team will be giving advice today and tomorrow, between 9am and 4pm, at the Manor Walks shopping centre, in Cramlington.

Cramlington acting Neighbourhood Sgt Carl Williams said: "The aim of the event is to promote what is being done locally to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour and encourage the police, public services and communities to work together to keep our streets safe."

If you want to speak to anyone from your local policing team contact 03456 043 043.

Cramlington man caught buying alcohol for underage drinkers

2009-11-03T14:47:37Z

A man has been fined for buying booze for underage teenagers in Northumberland.

The 18-year-old, of Cramlington, was arrested and given an £80 penalty order after officers were called by a member of staff at an off-licence.

Sgt Mick Aspey, of Cramlington Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: "This is a perfect example of shop staff being vigilant and working with us to help improve our local areas."

If anyone wants to speak to their local neighbourhood policing team they should contact 03456 043 043.

Fun for families in Cramlington

2009-11-03T14:33:56Z

Free activities were staged to cure half-term boredom.

Staff at Manor Walks, in Cramlington, Northumberland, invited hundreds of shoppers to take part in the family activities. Youngsters enjoyed the King Louis House of Fun, playing on its slides and in the ball pool.

Busy shoppers were also treated to a relaxing massage from a trained therapist in the Pamper Zone and given advice on the latest ways to stay fit with demos of body pump, belly dancing and salsa from Concordia Leisure Centre.

Meeting of Cramlington Community Forum

2009-11-03T11:20:17Z

The next series of meetings for the newly formed community forums for Blyth, Cramlington and Seaton Valley are as follows:

Cramlington Community Forum- Thursday 14 January 2010 at 6:30 pm at St Nicholas Church, East Farm, Cramlington

Blyth Community Forum- Thursday 26 November 2009, 6:30 pm at the Buffalo Community Centre, Regent Street, Blyth

Seaton Valley Community Forum- Thursday 19 November 2009 at 7:00 pm at New Hartley Memorial Community Centre, St Michael's Avenue, New Hartley.

Community Forums are the new mechanism being introduced by the Northumberland Strategic Partnership and supported by Northumberland County Council for local communities to engage with organisations operating in Northumberland and for those bodies to consult with local communities in Northumberland.

Anyone wishing to receive direct mailing for any of the above meetings, including minutes of the previous meetings, agenda etc should contact CVA Blyth Valley on 01670 353623 / info@cvabv.org.uk, who are the interim hosts, and you will be included onto our database.

CVA Blyth Valley would also like to hear from anyone in all 3 areas who may have a venue / meeting room which holds approx 20--25 people where we could hold these meetings.

Cramlington TA soldier signs up to latest mission

2009-10-28T10:03:00Z

A Territorial Army soldier who served in Iraq is literally shouting from the rooftops about her new business, which helps people to manage events and parties online.

Emma Williams, from Cramlington, recently set up new business Justbooked to help groups organise the payment of events such as stag weekends and Christmas parties.

Her website, Justbooked.co.uk, provides users with a trust account that allows them to pay for their part of the event without the organiser having to rush around collecting the cash.

The site also sends email updates to each member of the group to tell them who has yet to pay, with Mrs Williams hoping to integrate the service with Facebook and Twitter in the long-term.

She has spent the past week marketing the website and has been scaling some of the region's most iconic landmarks, including Newcastle's Castle Keep, to spread the word about the site to passers-by.

Mrs Williams had the idea for the business after becoming frustrated when organising a number of activity days as part of her youth training role in Cramlington as well as events in her personal life.

"The hardest part of organising any event is usually is usually collecting the money from people as you don't want to come across as being too hassley," she said.

"The new site allows people to adopt a monitoring role rather than having to organise everything themselves.

"Working in the army has given me a tremendous amount of self confidence, practical skills and business acumen and I believe the service is something that will appeal to a lot of people."

Shankhouse celebrate first home win

2009-10-26T09:32:01Z

Cramlington Town drew 0-0 with Blyth Town in the Northern Alliance Premier Division .

Shankhouse celebrated their first home win after beating Seaton Delaval 3-1. Michael Bell and Mark Watson put Shankhouse on track before Paul Swithenbank scored a third before
half-time from the spot after a handling offence by Delaval's Dean Taylor saw him red carded. Connal Reed replied for the visitors.

Walker Central and Wark are enjoying a six-point lead at the head of the Premier Division after they both won again.

Cramlington emergency centre given go-ahead

2009-10-24T10:38:47Z

Health care chiefs have given the go ahead for a £200m investment in services in Northumberland, including a new emergency care hospital on the outskirts of Cramlington.

Wansbeck and North Tyneside hospitals will see significant investment while community hospitals in Berwick and Haltwhistle will be rebuilt.

The package of measures was approved yesterday at a meeting of the NHS North of Tyne Trust.

Board members had indicated in August they would be minded to approve the new hospital - as long as a number of concerns were addressed.

Among those was the provision of services for children with the possibility of conflict arising with the new Great North Children's Hospital in Newcastle.

Members were also concerned whether the proposed location was the most suitable, the availability of maternity care and how easily the hospital could be accessed by public transport.

The new emergency care hospital will be built on a site just off the A19 near Cramlington. However, the location has also caused controversy amid fears that the already-congested Moor Farm roundabout would not be able to cope with the extra traffic from the hospital.

Chris Reed, chief executive of NHS North of Tyne, said: "Throughout the consultation the location of the new hospital was controversial and it was clear that no one site would suit everyone.

"During the consultation there were strong messages about access to the new hospital and about the need to improve public transport arrangements. Work undertaken by Northumbria Healthcare has included seconding a member of staff from Nexus to the Trust to offer expert advice. The Trust is also committed to providing a shuttle service to link into existing public transport services."

Youngsters being treated at the pediatrics unit will only stay for short term care with those requiring more intensive treatment being transferred to the Great North Children's Hospital.

However Coun Liz Langfield, member for adult care and health on Newcastle City Council, said more information would be needed on where people living on the Newcastle/North Tyneside border would be treated.

She also expressed concern over public transport to the new emergency centre.

Cramlington traffic disruption soon to end

2009-10-24T10:30:58Z

Travel disruptions for motorists on one of the busiest routes through Northumberland will end within days.

From Monday drivers will be able to use the A189 spine road as normal again following the completion of a major improvement scheme.

The work - at the Shankhouse interchange more commonly known as the Three Horse Shoes roundabout - has been completed five weeks ahead of schedule by the county council.

Strengthening the bridge over the A189 was expected to take more than 14 weeks to finish, but an accelerated programme has seen the job completed in just nine.

Monday's reopening of the route will end weeks of diversions and hold-ups for drivers.

Coun Alan Armstrong, the county's executive member for highways and transport, said: "This is a very busy road junction so I'm delighted that we were able to complete what were essential works ahead of schedule. The team has done a tremendous job.''

The complicated project, which required the closure of the roundabout and part of the road, was needed to support the bridge and replace its surface.

It involved the removal of concrete damaged by road salt, which was allowing the steel reinforcement to rust. A modern protection system has been installed.

Planning committees set to be merged

2009-10-23T08:10:18Z

Two of Northumberland County Council's planning committees are set to be merged because of their light workloads and the need to make further efficiency savings.

A report is expected to go to the executive next month on amalgamating the south area committee, which deals with planning applications in Blyth Valley, and the east committee, which covers Wansbeck.

Wins for Cramlington Northern Alliance sides

2009-10-21T13:47:07Z

Only three top-flight league games were down for decision in the Northern Alliance Premier Division at the weekend due to league cup fixtures.

Cramlington Town claimed their first home win by beating neighbours Ashington Colliers 2-1 and they completed a league double in the process (picture by Steve Miller).

Shankhouse had drawn three and lost two of their previous five games, so a 4-1 victory against Stocksfield at Prudhoe was welcome. Michael Bell (2), Anthony Moran and Darren Naylor notched.

Cramlington Blue Star picked up their first home points of the campaign in Division Two by beating bottom side Whitley Bay Town 3-1.

Johnny Wardle's early opener for the Star was cancelled out after an hour by the Bay's Greg Lake.

James Harrison netted to restore Cramlington's advantage and, with three minutes to spare, their third goal was tucked away by Ross Armstrong.

In Division One Amble kept the pressure on their rivals by beating struggling visitors Seaton Burn 4-0.

Brad Wake and Ron Warwick were on target in the opening half, with later goals added by Brent Aisbitt and Greg Dance, who scored from the spot in the 59th minute.

More local football reports from around the region »

Aerobathon in Cramlington for NSPCC North

2009-10-21T09:35:50Z

The first ever NSPCC North's Aerobathon takes place on Monday 9th November 2009 from 6pm-8pm.

The two-hour sponsored aerobic workouts will be led by qualified instructors across 70 leisure centres in the North East and Yorkshire.

Ashington Leisure Centre, Blyth Sports Centre, Concordia Leisure Centre and Newbiggin Sports and Community Centre are all taking part in this great fundraising event.

The Aerobathon event aims to raise over £90,000 for the Child's Voice Appeal - a helpline for adults concerned about a child.

The NSPCC also need funds for its Childline service - the UK's free, 24-hour helpline for children in danger or distress.

Bruce Ledger, Chief Executive of Blyth Valley Arts and Leisure said, "Blyth Valley Arts and Leisure are delighted to be taking part in the NSPCC North's first Aerobathon.

"We have no doubt that many of our valued, regular customers, as well as those new to our classes will take part in this great event, and support this worthwhile cause."

Danny Mitchell, Corporate Fundraising Manager for the NSPCC said, "Each Childline call costs the NSPCC £4, and we are hoping that each participant in the Aerobathon can raise as many £4's as possible! Childline receives 2.1 million calls per year, and funds from this Aerobathon will ensure that many of these cries for help are answered.

"We are extremely grateful to Blyth Valley Arts and Leisure for hosting the Aerobathon free of charge at its centres, and we are confident that it will be a big success."

Prizes, including one month's free use of the fitness facilities a VIP ticket to the 'Black and White Reunion' featuring Alan Shearer and Malcolm MacDonald and VIP tickets to the 'Childline Ball' will be awarded to those who manage to raise the most in sponsorship.

To take part in the Aerobathon, you can pick up a registration form from any of the centres listed above or register online at www.nspcc.org.uk/aerobathon Registration costs £5 and includes entry to the event and a fabulous NSPCC Aerobathon t-shirt.

Once registered, all you have to do is book your place in the sessions available in the centre of your choice. Details of all the classes can be found on www.bval.co.uk

National prize for Cramlington sports fields

2009-10-21T09:03:25Z

A school in Cramlington has won a national prize for its sports fields.

Cramlington Learning Village & Sporting Club won the Best Public Sector Sports Ground of the Year Award at the IOG Industry Awards London.

The site has a range of sports pitches.