Northumberland communities - Wooler

Video: Recycling in Northumberland

2009-11-11T00:00:41Z

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

Wooler blood donor sessions

2009-11-10T17:00:11Z

The next blood donor sessions in Wooler take place at Glendale Middle School, NE71 6QG on the following dates:

Sunday 20 Dec 2009, 11:15 to 13:00 and 14:30 to 17:00
Sunday 18 Apr 2010, 11:15 to 13:00 and 14:30 to 17:00

There are other sessions in Berwick, Alnwick and Thropton.

For information and to book an appointment, visit www.blood.co.uk.

Share your Northumbrian dialect words

2009-11-10T11:37:53Z

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

Doddington Dairy launches new flavour

2009-11-05T13:59:56Z

Sweet-toothed Northumbrians can enjoy a proper taste of the North East with a new ice cream.

Doddington Dairy is producing a Pumphrey's Coffee Ice Cream, alongside some wonderfully festive flavours.

Doddington, based in Wooler, decided to work with fellow North East business Pumphrey's, based in Blaydon.

The dairy uses milk from its own dairy herd, and Pumphrey's, who have been producing traditionally ground coffee in Newcastle since 1750, seemed the perfect partner, and the flavour launches on November 16.

Neill Maxwell, pictured, of Doddington Dairy said: "Customers have been asking for a good coffee ice cream for some time.

"We only add the highest quality ingredients to flavour our ice creams so that our customers can be confident that they are always buying a product with no artificial flavours or preservatives.

"Pumphrey's share a similar philosophy and roast their beans using traditional methods so we are delighted to work with them to create a coffee ice cream that has the rich taste of real coffee."

Pumphrey's roasts its beans by flame in drums which date back more than a hundred years, and it is also a member of the Newcastle Fairtrade Partnership.

Alongside its new coffee-flavoured ice cream, Doddington Dairy is also launching a series of other tastes this Christmas.

The other festive flavours include Yuletide Pudding, Chocolate Orange, Mulled Wine and Apple and Cinnamon. The Coffee, Mulled Wine and Yuletide Pudding flavours come in 500ml cartons.

For stockists, visit www.doddingtondairy.co.uk, email enquiries@doddingtondairy.co.uk or call (01668) 283 010 or (07900) 910 657.

Pictured: Neill Maxwell from Doddington Dairy and Paula Archer from Pumphrey's Coffee

Wooler edge past Embleton in cup

2009-11-04T13:00:03Z

In a North Northumberland League Runciman Cup game at Wooler, it also took extra time before the home club made progress at the expense of Embleton WR.

Lynemouth had Darren Burn netting four times in a seven-goal success over Rothbury Reserves.

In the league, Belford continue to lead Division Two - but only after just edging out local rivals Bamburgh Castle.

Kevin Greshon and Chris Hay were the Belford scorers, with Kevin Potts replying for Bamburgh.

Springhill had Stevie Eamons and Mark Reid on target as they kept up their challenge with a win over Boulmer, whose single reply came from Mathew Sullivan.

In the Sanderson Cup, Alnwick Town Reserves and Shilbottle were level after normal time.

Two extra-time goals saw Alnwick through, while Ashington Athletic made the trip to Berwick worthwhile by netting six times in the victory over Berwick United Reserves.

It took extra time before Lowick went through at the expense of Bedlington Terrier Reserves, while Rothbury kept up their good early-season form to ease past Berwick Town.

Swine flu drugs can be delivered to north Northumberland

2009-11-04T09:09:44Z

A Northumberland MP has asked health chiefs to ensure people are aware that swine flu antivirals can be delivered.

Berwick Lib Dem MP Sir Alan Beith has spoken out on behalf of constituents who are unable to travel to collection points at Blyth or Byker.

He said: "Travelling from Berwick to Blyth to collect antivirals involves a 120 mile round trip, taking at least two hours by car and much longer by public transport. Byker is even further. Even driving from Alnwick will take at least a couple of hours.

"Although the number of cases does not justify opening an antiviral collection point in Berwick or Alnwick at present, I have been assured by local health service managers that the situation is being monitored closely.

"In the meantime people who have been given a prescription for antivirals and who cannot travel to Tyneside should call the collection centre and ask for delivery. This delivery service is vital for people in north Northumberland and I am very pleased it has been provided."

Lord Vinson calls on government to dual A1

2009-11-03T09:24:21Z

A Northumberland Tory peer has called on the Government to spend money planned for Europe on dualling the A1.

Lord Vinson, of Roddam Dene, near Wooler in Northumberland, hit out in the House of Lords at plans to give £7.9bn in annual membership money to the European Union in 2010.

In a question to Lord Myners, financial services secretary to the treasury, Lord Vinson - former chairman of the Rural Development Commission - said the money would be better spent on improving this country's infrastructure.

He questioned why the Government had not made money available to dual the A1 throughout Northumberland, and for improvements to the A69 which links Newcastle with Carlisle and the M6.

Lord Vinson said afterwards: "Magnificent roads and railways have been built in Spain, Portugal and Ireland, substantially with British money. It would be much better to spend the £8bn here at home. The A1 is a glaring missing link in the infrastructure supporting our regional economic prosperity.

"An investment in the road will be rewarded by the business growth it stimulates. It is absolutely lunacy that we pour money into Europe when we have got a third world infrastructure in this country.

"What other country of the world would have its A1 major trunk route not even dual carriageway? It is mind-blowing.

"The A69 between Newcastle and Carlisle is probably just as important.

"The thing about the A1, where it needs dualling, there are no issues of going through towns or conurbations, it would be a relatively easy part of road to dual.

"If you get roads right and infrastructure right, the economy follows."

In response, Lord Myners said transferring the money to the EU would have no impact on spending on Britain's infrastructure, but did not mention the A1. He added: "Our membership of the EU does put British interests first. It gives us direct access to a community of 490 million people.

"The EU accounts for 20% of world trade but 57% of Britain's trade. Some 3.5m jobs in Britain are directly attributable to our membership of the EU, as is the fact that we receive over 25%

Lord Vinson's was backed by Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the Conservatives' parliamentary candidate for Berwick.

Mrs Trevelyan is the founder and co-ordinator of the A1 Action Group, which is campaigning for the road to be dualled throughout Northumberland.

She said: "I am incensed by the amount of taxpayers' money due to go to the EU next year, when just a fraction of this sum would be enough to dual the A1.

"Lord Vinson is absolutely right that we must put our national interest first."

LORD VINSON

Nigel Vinson is a former businessman with strong connections across Northumberland.

Now 78, he was the son of a farmer and was educated at the Nautical College in Pangbourne. He served in the Queen's Royal Regiment from 1948 to 1950, reaching the rank of lieutenant.

He was director of the Sugar Board from 1968 to 1975, director of British Airports Authority from 1973 to 1980, and director of the Barclays Bank from 1982 to 1987. He is co-founder of the Centre for Policy Studies, for which he worked between 1974 and 1980. He was also chairman and deputy chairman of various firms and trust.

From 1976 to 1978 he was Honorary Director at the Queen's Silver Jubilee Appeal and was member of the Northumbrian National Parks and Countryside Committee between 1977 and 1987.

In 1985 he was made a life peer as Baron Vinson, of Roddam Dene in the County of Northumberland.

He has been married to Yvonne Collins since 1972; they have three daughters.

Concern raised over speeding in Wooler

2009-11-02T16:55:09Z

New concerns have been raised by residents about motorists speeding on the southern approach to Wooler in North Northumberland.

And now parish councillors are to ask the County Council to look into the possibility of creating a pedestrian crossing near the main A697 road.

Police have carried out a traffic survey which has indicated the number of drivers speeding does not actually warrant enforcement action such as a camera but officers are continuing to monitor the situation.

Berwick Borough Housing handed green funding

2009-10-27T09:39:25Z

A Northumberland housing group has been given funding to fit homes with low-carbon measures.

Berwick Borough Housing was awarded £18,000 in the 'Retrofit for the Future' competition, run by the Government-backed Technology Strategy Board.

Retrofit for the Future is a £3.5m project that will be shared nationally in two phases.

Northumberland hospital plans get green light

2009-10-24T10:47:38Z

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.

ROADSHOW TO SHOWCASE HOSPITAL PLAN

People living in north Northumberland are being encouraged to give their views about plans to build a new hospital.

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is organising a series of roadshows to find out what people want from a new hospital at Berwick.

The trust plans to replace the existing Berwick Infirmary with a new, purpose-built facility and is to take a mobile exhibition trailer to a number of communities.

The first venue for the roadshow will be the market in Marygate, Berwick, from 8am to 12.30pm on Saturday, October 31. Over the next week and a half, it will visit more than 20 venues.

For full details contact (0191) 203-1296 or email: foundation@northumbria.nhs.uk

Val rides away with College Valley honours

2009-10-24T09:58:38Z

Berwick-based Valerie Fairnington and her former race horse Silver Bullet (pictured) won the College Valley Hunter Trial Open novice section with a clear round and best time score.

Valerie said: "I have owned Silver Bullet since he came out of racing seven years ago and he is now 13-years-old.

"He was trained by Bruce Mctaggart in Hawick and raced on the flat and over hurdles.

"I spent the first two years re-schooling and getting to know him at other local events.

"I took up eventing three years ago with him, starting at Intro before moving up to BE100 and BE100 open classes.

"He has had his best season this year, although he could still do with improving in the dressage as it is not his favourite phase. He excels at the cross-country phase, at which he has had no faults in this year.

"We are members of Scotnorth, which is a club for ex-race horses. The day after Hopetoun Horse Trials they held a Fesitval of the ex-race horse where Lucinda Russell and Peter Scudamore were the judges and Silver Bullet won the in-hand class and best event type. At the Edinburgh and District Riding Club show last month they held a Scotnorth in hand and ridden ex-race horse classes.

"Silver Bullet was third and second and also reserve champion. He also won the novice working class section."

RESULTS COLLEGE VALLEY HUNTER TRIAL - 18 OCTOBER 2009

Junior Nursery 10-12 Years 2'6": 1. James Donaldson, Rustic Echo; 2. Charlotte Spours, Jackwood Toaster; 3. Susie White, Spot On Lad; 4. Poppy Shepherd, The Bee; 5. Harvey Coxon, The Honey Bear; 6. Poppy Shepherd, The Toy.

Junior Nursery 13-15 Years 2'6": 1. Emma Dunkley, Murphy; 2. Emma Thomson, Toby; 3. Zoe Gibson Thomson, Lucy; 4. Jason Wood, Bell; 5. Hugh Renner-Thompson, Ruben; 6. Louise King, Kindale Cock 'O' The North.

Restricted Nursery 16 Years & Over 2'6": 1. Clive Storey, Ollie; 2. Kelly Bryson, Bunny; 3. Suzanne Gray, Tullamore Lad; 4. Alexandria Millar, Inca; 5. Karen Redfearn, Tonto; 6. Jenni Heard, Wraps.

Open Nursery 16 Years & Over 2'6": 1. Clive Storey, Diva; 2. Clive Storey, Racer; 3. Claire Myers, Granny; 4. Daisy May Walker, Dorlyn Mighty Man; 5. Lucy Ryan, Master Vincent; 6. Sue Duck, Tye.

Junior Novice 13-15 Years 3'3": 1. Holly Purves, Opposites Attract; 2. Joanna Walton, Saucy Polly; 3. Natalie Anderson, Bailey; 4. Jason Wood, Striker; 5. Jason Wood, Custos; 6. Joanna Cassie, Archie; Restricted Novice 16 Years & Over 3'3": 1. Tina Edgar, Florence; 2. Lesley Douglas, Paddy; 3. Rebecca Morgan, Max; 4. Tina Edgar, Merlin; 5. Lesley Douglas, Connie; 6. Rich Bregazzi, Patrick.

Open Novice 16 Years & Over 3'3": 1. Valerie Fairnington, Silver Bullet; 2. Karen Redfearn, Blue View; 3. Karen Redfearn, Midsummer.

Value of uplands highlighted at Cheviot Centre forum meeting

2009-10-22T09:41:13Z

A massive effort is needed to explain the value of the North's uplands to the public, claims a rural leader.

Martyn Howat, pictured, Director of the Uplands for Natural England, was speaking at Northumberland National Park's first public forum which has been launched to seek feedback from local people.

The Journal reported recently that only 3% of people questioned nationally were aware of Northumberland National Park.

Mr Howat told the packed meeting at the Cheviot Centre in Wooler that the social benefits delivered by the uplands would need to be maintained with public money.

He said that few people realised that 70% of the country's drinking water was sourced in national parks and that they were the key to frontline efforts to lock up carbon and control water flow.

Ross Lowry of the Environment Agency said the uplands were critical to the management of water - providing storage of clean supplies for people and agriculture in the hills and the lowland plains and to control too low or too high flows of rivers.

But a warming climate could result in big changes such as northern waters being too warm for salmon and the hills being more suitable for arable farming.

He said tree planting along rivers could help to keep water cool in summer and help to slow water flow in winter.

Mark Osborne of Groundwork Northumberland said that encouraging visits from urban communities in the North East might combat the worrying trend of children being alienated from the countryside.

Tony Gates, chief executive of Northumberland National Pak, which covers 20% of the county, said the authority has taken on the role of advocate for all of its upland rural communities.

Mark Carr from the Alnwick School Partnership said that the key to raising awareness about the value of protected upland landscapes was by enabling the region's children to learn and understand from an early age, and by making school visits part of the curriculum. He called for an education centre in the park.

Rachel Ellis-Jones of Northumberland College, said rural skills should be taught in the park to ensure that people would continue to be able to live and work in the countryside.

Local farmers stressed the primary importance of farming to both the open, grazed appearance of the hills, to food production and to the existence of rural communities and the facilities they provided for visitors.

Ian Hall, land manager for Lilburn Estates, said that most farmers on the estate were in their mid-50s and that it was very hard today to provide a practical living for young people.

Terry Carroll from the Centre for Rural Economy at Newcastle University, said that the last affordable housing built in the park was four homes in Harbottle in 1980.

He said that current planning policy favoured local people and the status quo, whereas if rural communities were to survive and thrive, inward migration of young families should be encouraged.

Brendan Callaghan, regional director of the Forestry Commission, said the organisation recognised that not all conifer plantations were appealing to visitors and that parts were now being harvested and replaced with native woodland habitat.

But large-scale forests like Wark had a major impact on employment where wood was processed outside the immediate area, so a balance had to be struck between biodiversity, economic well-being and climate change mitigation.

The park authority wants to continue the discussion and will be opening a discussion page on its website at www.northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk

Pupils' creations to go on display at Ingram

2009-10-22T08:00:41Z

Children's imaginations literally went wild when they produced amazing woodland creatures from recycled materials.

The children, from Seahouses Middle School, Branton First School, Alnwick South First School and Longridge Towers, made the wildlife models when they took part in the Children's Countryside Day run by the Glendale Agricultural Society.

They include a cardboard red kite, an egg box hedgehog, an orange squirrel, a lemonade bottle salmon and a badger made from boxes.

The impressive creations will now go on display during the half-term holidays in the National Park Visitor Centre, Ingram.

Engagement Officer for Northumberland National Park Mandy Roberts (pictured) said: "The competition produced some amazing creatures and we hope that many of the children who made them will bring their friends and family to visit both the centre and this wonderful valley.

"We have a fantastic collection, proving that imagination and discarded objects can almost be better than the real thing."

The models will be on display from Friday October 23 until Saturday 31.

There are other things going on at the centre during half term, too, including the huge Cheviot Futures interactive jigsaw.

Cheviot Futures is a partnership involving the Northumberland National Park Authority, the Environment Agency and the Fenton Centre near Wooler.

The jigsaw highlights the importance of looking after the landscape and shows the problems we may all face in future years due to climate change.

Next year, Cheviot Futures will launch interactive visitor trails at The Fenton Centre Wooler and The Ingram Visitor Centre. These trails will highlight the impacts of climate change and how we can adapt to minimise the impact of these changes.

North Northumberland League football round-up

2009-10-21T14:05:07Z

David Hogg, Lee Pattinson and an own goal gave Craster Rovers their first win of the season at Wooler in Division Two of the North Northumberland League.

Lynemouth netted seven times in a victory over Springhill, Darren Burn celebrating a hat-trick.

A good defensive display saw Hedgeley Rovers, who scored through Mark Forrest, have victory snatched away from them in the dying minutes thanks to a Ryan Lillico strike.

John Costa, Daniel Donohoe and James Thorp all netted for Embleton as they triumphed over Alnmouth United.

Rothbury continue to head the Division One table thanks to a fine win a Acklington.

Tom McPherson, Stuart Foreman and Shaun Hogg had given them a half-time lead with John Angus and Craig Sutton adding two more after half-time.

Jodi Brown and Teherul Alom were on target for Acklington.

Ashington Athletic slipped up at home to Alnwick Town Reserves as James Swordy, Neil MacFarlane and Paul Yeadon all netted for the visitors.

Berwick United Reserves went down to a heavy defeat at home to Shilbottle, with Andrew Metcalfe notching a hat-trick in the visitors' nine-goal victory.

Andy Burgon and Martyn Tait were Lowick's scorers in the win over Berwick Town.

Northumberland Air Ambulance cover reinstated

2009-10-21T08:37:31Z

Air Ambulance cover for the region has been reinstated.

Fears for families in more remote parts of the North East were raised when the Great North Air Ambulance announced its fleet of helicopters would be grounded over the weekend.

Bad luck and coincidence of timing were blamed for technical faults on the Cumbria and Northumberland aircraft occurring just as the lease of the Teesside helicopter expired.

Yesterday the charity, which is entirely reliant on public donations to continue operating, confirmed one of the helicopters had been returned to it.

A minor fault on the Northumberland craft had successfully been repaired, and it had been returned to its base, near Otterburn. A spokesperson said: "We are delighted to confirm the Great North Air Ambulance is back online.

Our Northumberland helicopter has been fixed and returned to us. We were always aware it was a minor fault. It was just unfortunate the it was timed while our other two aircraft were unavailable.

"It is testimony to the high standard of safety checks our aircraft must pass before they can fly, a new part had to be found."

Over the weekend the charity announced its intention to try and buy its own helicopter for the first time. It's fleet is currently leased.

The GNAA have put early cost estimates at more than £1m, but believe the region could benefit greatly from the move.