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Hi all I’ve just joined the page as John”doc”Waldock is my relative and have seen he’s been successful on this site as contacting certain people from back in the day etc my name is Danielle Waldock and I’m the granddaughter of Mr Clifford Waldock (born 1933 in Ashington , lived in Laburnum Terrace) My grandad played for a few football teams including Seaton Sluice Northern Amateur League, Ashington and Bedlington and has shared lots of fond memories with me over the years. I’m writing this post because my grandad sadly passed away yesterday morning at the grand age of 93 after a healthy happy life but in the end he had a few falls and ended up in hospital and unfortunately after five weeks didn’t recover. He passed peacefully with his family all there for him. I wondered if there are still people around who knew him or people who would want to know of his passing. Best wishes Danielle

Closing date for entries: Monday 10 August 2026 East Bedlington Parish Council deropotSns2th7l10mc3fa80mghu2h007629gtmmh412g35i43ut8ltf982t · Calling all crafters, bakers, and masterpiece makers! Get ready to show off your skills at our Craft & Produce Fair! Whether you knit, bake, make flower arrangements, or grow the biggest veggies, we want to see what you've got! Please note, you do not need to reside in the parish of East Bedlington to enter this event! Date: Saturday 29 August 2026 Location: East Bedlington Community Centre, 16 & 17 Station Street, Bedlington NE22 7JN Entry Details: Just £1 per entry Children's categories are completely FREE! Maximum of 3 entries per category. Closing date for entries: Monday 10 August 2026 How to Enter & Category Info: Call into our office to pick up your entry form, or call us on 01670 828808. Want to find out more about the specific categories you can enter and how the whole process works? Just send us an email at: assistantclerk@eastbedlingtonparishcouncil.gov.uk and we will gladly send you all the information you need! Start planning your masterpieces now—we can't wait to see your wonderful creations! #EastBedlington #CraftFair #ProduceFair #CommunityEvent #BedlingtonEvents #Crafting #Homegrown See less

Thanks Alan, its good to know who the cartoonist was, I will write Davy Patterson's name on the back of the drawings so I never forget the artist and give him a mention when showing them. Its a shame the Morocco holiday drawing is lost, would have been nice to see. Damian.

That's the song the Americans would sing if the president collapsed

@Damian Robson comment from a member on the Northumberland and Durham Pits group :-

. I always find the Bee Gees song 'Stayin Alive' gives a great rhythm for compressions and it's easy to remember because of its title. We were told to sing Nelly the Elephant..........😄

Well done! It's hard work doing continued CPR so it's good if a few people can rotate. The more people who can do it the better. It should be taught in schools all over the country. I always find the Bee Gees song 'Stayin Alive' gives a great rhythm for compressions and it's easy to remember because of its title.

When I was chair of the Town Council I put three onto the Front Street and held courses about how to use them. The NHS actually did the courses. They give their own instructions when you take one out so they are pretty easy to use........the hard bit is continued CPR until the professionals arrive!

I'll keep checking the two groups and if there are any further comments that have any new info info I will add them to this post.

That's great news, thank's for your help Alan. I hope the drawings bring back a lot of good memories.

@Damian Robson I posted the images on two FB groups and a member on each group says the drawings are byn Davey Patterson wh worked at Ellington. On rhe Friends Of Bates Colliery group :- and on the Northumberland and Durham Pits group :-

Cheers @Damian Robson - I'll see what I can find out. I enjoyed reading your post above . At least you dad had a car, mine had a pushbike so we sometimes got a lift on the crossbar.

Hi Alan, my dad was born in Guide Post and lived there most of his life. As a family In the late 60’s, we briefly lived in Stakeford, East Hartford and Netherton Colliery village in the early 70’s until demolition, then Guide Post after that. Sadly I can't ask my dad anything about the pictures because he suffers from Dementia and doesn't remember much of anything now. In the drawings there are jokes about his Lada car which I drove after passing my test in June 1988, so the drawings were most likey made during the period he owned the car, which was bought brand new and kept a long time during the 80’s. I know he worked at Ellington Colliery as I remember running him to work, which was quite a while after Bates closed. The more I think about it, the drawings had to have been made while at Bates or Ellington Colliery's. The funny things I remember about the Lada, it was very basic with no power steering, my mother would have difficulty steering it, especially at slow speed as she wasn’t very strong. She would have found it easier driving a tank. Dad coated the whole car with Finnegans Waxoyl, protecting it from the elements. It went through an amazing transformation, once a beautiful brand new red Lada, to a scruffy looking horrible old waxy brown colour, like it hadn't been cleaned for years. People standing at the bus stop outside our house would comment on how much it needed a wash hahah. People took the piss out of me for driving it also. I remember parking the Lada along Station Road in Ashington, there was a shop window with ads in, I was browsing for cars as I wanted one of my own but not a Lada lol. A group of young women who looked like they were out on the lash passed me by. One of them said, "can we come for a drive in your new car handsome?”, I was just too embarrassed to answer. Normally I'm quite witty and can fire back with some cheeky comments, but not on that occassion, I was devastated and too lost for words. At the time there were lots of jokes about Lada's, their drivers and how cheap they were etc. Whoever made the drawings was poking fun at my dad for having a Lada. My dad liked the drawings, otherwise he wouldn't have kepth them. Alan, feel free to post the pics in any groups you see fit, my aim is to re-discover the history surrounding the drawings and share the past with everyone. Damian.

@Damian Robson = any luck identifying the artist? I could ask around the local FB groups as there are ex miners on the groups. That would mean posting one of the drawings you have posted above. the groups I would check on would be Bygone Bedlington, Bates & Northumberland and Durham Pits. @HIGH PIT WILMA was at Bates until it closed in 1986. Was your dad from Bedlington?

East Bedlington Parish Council Bedlington Residents: Important Update on Town Centre Improvement Proposals The future development of your local area is being planned, and community feedback is essential to ensuring these decisions reflect the needs of residents. This Thursday, 11th June 2026, a public drop-in event will be held to present Bedlington’s Borderlands Town Investment Plan and potential town centre improvements for both East and West Bedlington. Representatives will be on hand to discuss the proposals and take your feedback. Two sessions are available, and the same information will be presented at both: Session 1: 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM Location: Bedlington Community Centre, 60 W End Front St, Bedlington, NE22 5TT Session 2: 3:30 PM – 6:30 PM Location: East Bedlington Community Centre, 16 & 17 Station St, Bedlington, NE22 7JN Can't make it in person? If you are unable to attend either session, you can still participate. The display boards and an online feedback portal will be accessible from 11th to 27th June. You can scan the QR code on the event poster to review the plans and submit your comments. This is a critical opportunity to directly influence the investment and regeneration of your community. Please consider dropping in to ensure your voice is heard

Thank you, the wife uses Facebook so I'll ask her to take a look. I'm sure he worked at Bates Colliery in the 80's, perhaps early 90's then went to Ellington Colliery after that. If other's worked there at the same time, then they would probably know each other. Damian.

@Damian Robson - I wonder if @HIGH PIT WILMA, who worked at Bates, would have known your dad? If you are on Facebook there is a group - Friends Of Bates Colliery. This is a direct link to the group :- https://www.facebook.com/groups/batescolliery