Northumberland communities - Seaton Delaval

Seaton Delaval go down to late goal

2009-11-11T13:43:19Z

Seaton Delaval's barren spell in the Northern Alliance Premier Division continued at the weekend when they played away at fellow Northumbrians Ponteland United.

There have been four drawn games in Ponteland's eight-match unbeaten run and another looked likely after 80 goalless minutes against visitors.

The match was evenly balanced in the first half with few clear-cut chances, although Craig Johnson went close for the visitors and Glenn Ford for the hosts saw his downward header well saved by Delaval goalkeeper Frazer Nairn.

Pont had just about shaded the game in terms of possession and after the break they introduced midfielder Paul Hodgson, who was ending a lengthy suspension - and he started to drive United forward. The pace of Sean Willis and Billy Holden was causing Delaval problems and Holden had the best chance of the game.

Willis' goalbound effort was well saved by goalkeeper Nairn, but from the rebound he volleyed the ball over the bar with the goal at his mercy.

Delaval, however, remained in determined mood and their best chance of the second period fell to Stephen Anderson - but his header from Stephen Torre's excellent cross just cleared the bar.

With 10 minutes remaining, Willis broke clear for Pont, but was cut down in the penalty area.

He got up to beat Nairn with his spot kick to end the deadlock.

Jeff Fuller came on as a substitute for Delaval but his time on the field was very brief as was sent off for retaliation.

Although five minutes of stoppage time were added, Pont saw out the game safely.

Video: Recycling in Northumberland

2009-11-11T11:05:36Z

A video has been launched by Northumberland County Council to help it meet demanding Government recycling targets.

The tutorial video (watch below) shows Northumberland County Council's new recycling centre in action and helps residents understand what can and can't be put into the recycling bin.

In Northumberland the council is responsible for collecting waste from more than 140,000 households as well as thousands of business premises.

The council needs to meet Government targets of 40% recycling by 2010, 45% by 2015 and 50% by 2020.

If these strict targets are not met the council faces heavy fines as ministers push ahead with national environmental changes.

One of the key problems at the recycling plant is low-grade plastic such as yogurt pots and margarine tubs which become trapped among paper and card creating contamination problems for the paper mills.

The problem is made worse when these packs contain food waste which can also cause contamination of the other recyclable materials.

In an effort to reduce contamination the council no longer wants people to recycle these types of items which represent a tiny proportion of household waste and cause quality control problems at the plant .

The video offers advice on exactly what items should be recycled, such as plastic bottles (empty and lids removed), rinsed food and drinks cans, paper and cardboard and aerosols.

Visit www.northumberland.gov.uk for more information on recycling

Petition to improve Seaton Delaval play area

2009-11-11T10:02:57Z

Almost 200 people have signed a petition calling for the Hallington Drive children's play area in Seaton Delaval to be improved.

They are asking for old swings and climbing frames to be removed and replaced with new pieces of equipment to cater for a wider range of children.

The petition is being considered by Northumberland County Council, which plans to hand over the future management of the facility to Seaton Valley Parish Council in April next year.

Share your Northumbrian dialect words

2009-11-10T11:36:19Z

Deek at these kenspeckle words and see if you can save 'the venerable grandmother' of the English language.

What some people call the 'purest form' of English, the Northumbrian dialect, has been eroded over time and no-one knows how much Northumbrians and Geordies still have their own way of speaking.

Words like yari, jugal and skumfish used to be heard regularly but the Northumbrian Language Society is desperate to get a snapshot of the state of the region's dialect and see which Northumbrian words are still in use.

The call comes after Collins English Dictionary asked people to look at three Northumbrian words and let them know, via Twitter, if they are used. If not, they will write the obituary for the dead words.

But if they are still in common use, the words will be reinstated into the Collins Corpus database and could even be included in future dictionaries.

The Northumbrian Language Society chose the three words for Collins to take to the public but they have many other words and want to take the opportunity to learn more about the health of Northumberland's dialect.

Kim Bibby-Wilson from the Northumbrian Language Society said: "It matters. If we all spoke hybrid American English, it would be a very boring world.

"As far as the Collins project is concerned, it's good - it's going to get a high profile and remind people of these words. When you speak about dialect people are fascinated.

"But the more life goes on, the less people hear the speech patterns. It's whether they are speaking these words or not. From anecdotal evidence we're losing words because they're not relevant anymore."

Unlike Scottish dialect, Northumbrian words do not get full recognition, meaning there is no European funding for researching and promoting the dialect, as well as projects to record people still speaking in the tongue.

Northumbrian only holds observer status under the European Bureau for Lesser-Used Languages.

Kim said: "We would love to have the funding. We should be looking at how the Scots dictionary is constructed.

"Northumbrian dialect is the venerable grandmother of English, not a poor cousin. It has always been isolated, by the North Sea, the Pennines, Cheviots and moors, and it is a purer form of English. It has been reserved here for longer because the Vikings and Normans didn't have a great deal of interplay with the locals.

"It's very important, because the language that's spoken in a particular area tells you so much, just like castles do and cathedrals and football teams. You wouldn't knock down Bamburgh Castle because it's no longer used for defence."

Many of the words used in Northumberland are from the Angles, while certain areas also picked up gypsy words because of nearby camps.

For instance, 'gadgy', now used to mean a man, was originally used to refer to non-gypsies, while charver, now a derogatory term, used to mean friend.

Which of the words below do you still use? Do you know of any other current Northumbrian dialect words?

Click on the link on the right to share them

SPREADING THE WORD

THE THREE WORDS COLLINS ARE RESEARCHING ARE

Shawm - to warm yourself

Hippletyclinch - walk with a limp

Bari - beautiful/handsome

FURTHER SUGGESTIONS FROM NORTHUMBERLAND

Deek - to look at

Yari - egg

Jugal - dog

Mort - wife

Netty - toilet

Oxter - armpit

Kenspeckle - distinctive

Skumfish - tired

Spelk - splinter

Gully - sharp knife for meat/general purpose

Puzzly-os - noughts and crosses

Lowp - to jump

Kist - strong box

WELL-KNOWN REGIONAL TERMS

Gadgy - non-gypsy man

Charver - friend

Gan - go

Lang - long

Canny - good

Hoy - throw

Ahad/ahaad - caught fire

Stotty - round bread

NEW ONES

Windy-pick - pneumatic drill

Starry head - Phillips screwdriver

Seaton Delaval blood donor sessions

2009-11-10T00:00:02Z

These blood donor sessions will be held at Seaton Delaval Community Centre, Elsdon Avenue, NE25 0BW:

Monday 23 Nov 2009, 14:30 to 16:00 and 16:45 to 19:00
Tuesday 05 Jan 2010, 14:30 to 16:00 and 16:45 to 19:00
Monday 01 Feb 2010, 14:30 to 16:00 and 16:45 to 19:00
Monday 22 Mar 2010, 14:30 to 16:00 and 16:45 to 19:00
Wednesday 05 May 2010, 14:30 to 16:00 and 16:45 to 19:00

There are further sessions in Cramlington.

For more information, or to book an appointment for one of these sessions, visit www.blood.co.uk.

Seghill Colliery payslip goes to Australia and back

2009-11-09T16:00:08Z

It has travelled more than 20,000 miles around the world but now this payslip has arrived back on Tyneside to be reunited with its original owner. Charles Dance was given the payslip by his father after he died in 1959 and kept it as a treasured memory.

It had been given to Charles senior, who had moved from Newcastle to London, by a miner who worked at Northumberland's Seghill Colliery in 1934 after a conversation about working conditions.

It was taken to London for safe keeping but then Charles junior took it across to Australia, where he lived, when his father passed away.

Now, 50 years later, Charles junior is wanting to find its rightful owner and has asked the Chronicle for help.

From his home in Victoria, Australia, the pensioner said: "I am interested in history and wanted to find who this payslip belongs to so I could give it to their family.

"It was a Mr J Barnes, who was a miner at Seghill Colliery, and he had been talking to my dad because he was interested in working conditions, and the payslip showed how the miners even had to pay for their own explosives while the mine owners where making a lot of money.

"We had talked about the payslip on a number of occasions as I grew up, and then I had the thought that it would be great to give it back to the family it really belongs to."

Charles junior was born in Walker, Newcastle, and he and his parents moved to London in 1926. His dad worked for the Ministry of Pensions and took an interest in the appalling working conditions some people had to endure.

Charles junior then moved to Australia when he joined the Australian Army in 1951, where he met and married his wife Celia.

Charles, who later became a teacher and actor, said: "It was once when we came back to the North East for a holiday that my dad got the payslip. I was only little, but I remember being with him and talking to this miner. My dad kept it and showed it to people to prove the working conditions some had to work under.

"When my father died I got various things and one was the payslip. I had in my mind that I wanted to reunite it with the Barnes family and when my wife and I came to England for a holiday in September I was going to go to Seghill and carry out some research to try and find the Barnes family.

"However, I slipped and had difficulty walking. I had to stay in London return home with the payslip."

The payslip shows how, in 1934, J Barnes' weekly wage was £3 16s 3d. He had to pay 2s 6d for explosives, 9d for water and 2s7d for his lamps.

Charles, a father of two, added: "I hope someone reads this and the Barnes family are found. It would make them so happy to be given a piece of family history. "

Any member of the Barnes family or anyone with information can contact Lisa Hutchinson on (0191) 201 6493.

Blyth Valley MP committed to fighting on

2009-11-05T15:16:03Z

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 »

Seaton Sluice children eager to join beaver group

2009-11-05T15:15:37Z

A beaver colony has been introduced to a South East Northumberland village - but wildlife enthusiasts needn't get too excited.

Seaton Sluice has got its own beaver group so that the children have got somewhere to go for meetings each week to have fun and learn, without having to travel to other villages.

The group will have the area's community police officers coming in to do a safety night, and will also be looking to hold its first big Christmas party soon.

Alan Anderson, who leads the new colony, said: "I think that it is a great achievement that we have 12 beavers when you consider that we have only just started and have been running for about five or six weeks.

"It shows that the kids are really enjoying being part of an exciting new group and hopefully we will have many more nights like this in the future.

"It's great to be a part of such an amazing group and I must thank all the leaders for supporting me. It's because of them that Seaton Sluice has a beaver colony and young children have a place to go each week to have fun and learn."

Seaton Delaval continue to struggle

2009-11-04T13:00:22Z

Killingworth Sporting are continuing to threaten on the fringes of the Northern Alliance title race, and they sharpened up their challenge by beating Seaton Delaval 3-2 at Wheatridge Park.

Goals for Stephen Ardley and Michael Fenwick midway through the first half gave Delaval a clear lead, but Killy's Francesco Di Pietro and Kevin Westphal hit back just before the break.

After Jorge Bollado scored the visitors' third, Delaval had little to offer and they now face a struggle to get out of the basement.

Pensioner dies in car in Seaton Delaval

2009-11-04T09:18:26Z

A pensioner has died in his car in Seaton Delaval.

Police, paramedics and firefighters were called following reports that a vehicle had left the road near to the Keel Row Pub, on Station Road, Seaton Delaval, at around 6.50pm on Monday.

The 68-year-old man, who was also the driver of the car, died at the scene.

Choir concert at Elsdon Avenue Church

2009-11-03T14:36:21Z

The melodic harmonies of the Backworth Male Voice Choir are coming to Elsdon Avenue church in Seaton Delaval.

The choir are holding a concert, on Saturday November 14 at 7pm, with guest soloist Susan Robertson.

Tickets are £6, in aid of the church's funds.

Meeting of Seaton Valley Community Forum

2009-11-03T11:12:25Z

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

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

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

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

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.

Man with sea in his blood finds coastal inspiration

2009-10-31T13:22:00Z

Continuing last week's coastal theme, Environment Editor Tony Henderson talks to an artist who knows every nook and cranny along the region's shoreline.

When artist Ron Thornton, who lives in Riding Mill, read last Saturday's report in The Journal about a pioneering management plan to protect the Northumbrian coast, he could not have been more pleased.

For Ron has devoted a lot of time and energy over the past two and a half years on the North East coastline.

He has visited sites from the Borders, through Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, County Durham to the Humber, producing 52 watercolours of coastal views along the way, with descriptions and stories about the locations.

They appear in his new book, launched this week, called A Coastal Voyage in Watercolour, published by Hexhamshire's Wagtail Press at £19.50.

It is not the first time that Ron has drawn inspiration from the natural assets and landscapes of the North East.

In 2002 his book of 78 watercolours of the River Tyne from the sea to the source was released. Having explored the many facets of the Tyne, it was perhaps inevitable that Ron, 73, would turn his attention to the coast in all its diversity.

He was, after all, born and grew up in South Shields, where he collected sea coal on the beach and pushed sackloads back home on the crossbar of his bike to help eke out the family budget.

He and wife Ann, also from South Shields, lived for four years in Craster on the Northumberland coast .

"At the bottom of the garden was the sea," says Ron.

"I have always been fascinated by boats, water and the sea and we have a great coastline in the North East.

"In Northumberland, the wealth of historical attractions, combined with miles of golden sands and dramatic cliffs, produce what many consider to be one of the finest stretches of coastline in England."

In addition to the well-established attractions of the Northumbrian coast, Ron enjoyed discovering locations on the County Durham shoreline, now recovering after years of dumping of mining spoil.

"I love the variety of the Durham coast with all its denes and they have done wonders in cleaning the place up," he says.

"Unbelievably, they simply dumped waste on to the beaches and rocks, turning them into stretches of foul sludge. Visitors kept well away. But to visit them now is a delight."

Ron, who is a self-taught artist, retired from teaching in his 50s to paint full-time.

His career spanned Ocean Road, Cleadon Park and Stanhope secondary schools in South Shields, deputy headship posts at Belford and Beaumont Middle School in Hexham, and headships at Chevyside School in Newbiggin Hall and Gosforth Middle School in Newcastle.

His idea to explore the Tyne came when he hired a small boat and spent a week between the estuary piers to paint the Tall Ships as they entered the river in 1986. "I thought it was worth recording places up to Newcastle, then it became Corbridge and it just grew from there," he says.

Then came his mission along the coast of the old Northumberland.

"The coast is an increasing asset for the region. There are some idyllic places," he says. "But what does sadden me is the decline of fishing. It is quite heartbreaking."

An exhibition of the watercolours from the coast book will be held at Newcastle's new city centre library from December 14-19.

View an image gallery of Ron's paintings »

Your Photos: Bale at Old Hartley farm

2009-10-27T09:37:43Z

Jerry Harrison added this shot of a large bale of straw at a farm at Old Hartley to our Northumberland Flickr group.

If you would like to submit any photos for the Journal Extra Your View page or for display on this website you can send them to northumberland@ncjmedia.co.uk

Delaval M&S worker gets help to go green

2009-10-27T09:15:20Z

Shop staff are getting help to go green at home and at work thanks to a partnership with the Energy Saving Trust.

Employees at Marks & Spencer's Newcastle store were invited to take a home energy check which could cut their bills and help the environment.

And lucky Christine Mosely of Seaton Delaval had a home visit from the trust's energy doctor Sue Vickers, to show her where she could save money and energy.

M&S and the trust's North East advice centre are working together to help employees save energy, cut water use and reduce waste.

The aim is to make it easy for staff to get to grips with energy saving and get them to transfer their good green habits from home to work and back again.

Erica Royle of the trust said: "The home energy report gives the low and no cost measures that can be taken, like insulation, energy-saving bulbs and radiator controls and also about grants and schemes available to help you do it.

"If people are starting to apply energy saving principles at home this will carry over into the workplace to start reducing bills and carbon emissions."

Taking a thorough look around Christine's flat, Sue was able to give Christine advice on cavity wall insulation, lighting, standby and heating, as well as grants for which she may be eligible to help her with the cost of home improvements.

Sue said: "You don't need to make big changes, a lot of it is about behaviour."

Christine, 36, said the process had made her think about where she could save energy and also food.

She said: "I think more people should get involved in this. Before I never thought about how much energy I was using, but now I'm going to keep an eye on it and I'm sure I will see my bills come down."

Alice Osborne, VM Manager and Plan A co-ordinator at M&S Newcastle, said: "The Energy Saving Trust advice centre have been a great support to Marks & Spencer in Newcastle, putting access to expert energy saving advice at our employees' finger tips.

"As well as personal home energy saving tips, other advice is offered including how to drive more efficiently. All of these benefit employees because they ultimately save money.

"We benefit because Marks & Spencer employees get the opportunity to learn how to adopt a greener lifestyle."

The Energy Saving Trust offers free packages to businesses interested in going green. For information visit www.energysavingtrust.org.uk