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This weekend 23rd October 2021

I agree a full blown leisure centre is not necessarily what we need, I was just pointing out that some leisure facilities including a swimming pool seemed to be promised/announced by Advance Northumberland 14 months ago and has now seemingly disappeared. I'm just looking for something other than another small budget supermarket and a row of shops and flats which is all that has been confirmed. No sign of any update on plans to "boost the scale of leisure facilities in the town centre" I'd like to think that the millions from the various national regeneration/levelling up schemes that have been announced will land us something more than an Aldi. I appreciate Malcolm's comments here and in the video clip that suggests that there are plans well underway that haven't been announced to the public yet and his request that there can be an update. I am just pointing out again that its more then 6 years since the council took control of the Tesco site and so far there is is still no confirmed leisure offering. In that time I think we've lost half a library and a swimming pool.

For my tuppence worth I can see and understand the points made but we have moved on from the 1950’s and 60’s and today’s society is sadly at odds with many of the views and character which many of us grew up in. Some bad some good. Part of my ‘job’ is to try and get my residents the same or better opportunities available elsewhere and that is something I will continue to do whatever. I personally don’t believe a full blown leisure centre will be seen in Bedlington but I was working on a small multiuse sports centre, at West Lea, and had the financial backing it needed off the then administration, until NCC blew it out of the water by costing up something which wasn’t needed thereby making it financially prohibitive! I then had to agree to put that budget into the Town Centre development for sporting provision and given the impasse I was in I agreed. The fact that even that provision was subsequently withdrawn by the same people at NCC, I will leave others to make their minds up about. I know what I now believe to be the case! As for the case of access to other centres in nearby towns let me recount a tale I was told some time ago. For a youngster who wants to play, say badminton, with their mates at Concordia and it’s a school night and they need to use public transport, they need two busses. They get in at around 5pm, have something to eat, do their homework and then start out at 6.30pm. It could take well over an hour to get to the leisure centre from, let’s say West Lea again. So the booking for the centre will have to be around 8pm. Coming out at 9pm and then getting busses back home it’s well after 10pm before they hit the door. Younger kids can’t do this so the argument that facilities are available within reasonable distance cannot be true! That’s inequality for our youngsters and one of the main reasons I want to see some sort of provision locally. Of course the new train line might change that dynamic and another reason I support that. As for the regeneration of our Town I’m lobbying for a retail element but also a non-retail element to bolster footfall for the retailers that do come, which I think is essential in this day and age.

Strong arguments all round on this subject. It seems pertinent that those opining what Bedlington doesn’t need left the town a while ago and those advocating for community leisure provision are current residents. I grew up, went to school, made long term friends in Bedlington, but left to train and followed my career far from here, only returning after retirement. Happy to return to a quiet community with access to green spaces, woods, rivers, beaches and limited facilities suits my needs. HOWEVER, it’s been made very obvious in my 3 1/2 years here, mainly from Facebook group reports, that roaming gangs of disaffected youths have no social hub (Bedlington East Community Centre did set aside an evening I believe). In my short time back here I’ve seen a huge increase in housing being built where there used to be fields but no matching growth in what should be the heart of the town. I see facilities for mums and babies/toddlers and then pubs and restaurants but there’s nothing that I’m aware of for a large section of this community who fall in between. It’s not fair to be moaning on Facebook that “ they’re at it again’ ‘the police are moving them’ ‘ they’re heading to the woods!’”. Surely a strong community should provide for ALL of it’s constituent parts @MalcolmRobinson !. Otherwise it’s possible that Bedlington will continue to be a place where people grow up and leave? I see a lot of bricks and mortar but little in the way of the strong foundations that a sturdy community needs. A lot of us are keenly interested in Bedlington’s history but we do need to support those who are striving to create this town’s future.

I appreciate what you are saying that not every town will have every facility, and small villages will always rely on nearby towns for some things, but Bedlington is not a small village. Bedlington is larger than Morpeth, Alnwick, Hexham, Berwick or Amble. Think about the facilities these places have and think about what Bedlington has. Think about how much council tax we are paying in to the coffers of the council and think about what we are getting in return. The fact is that towns the size of Bedlington across the county (and the country as a whole) do have local facilities like leisure centres, cinemas, theatres, museums etc in fact I suspect that each of the towns I listed above has most or all of these facilities while we have none of them. Comparing the 1950s to the 2020s is a little misleading. I grew up in the 1970s and that was a different world with a fraction of the traffic and less petty crime and violence so as a 10-12 yr old I'd think nothing of cycling 5 miles to the nearest "bigger" towns for the cinema or the amusement arcades, with little fear of getting knocked off my bike or having it nicked. Plus few kids in those days grew up in households where both parents worked full time so there was more scope for parents to take them to facilities that were further afield. You can argue that life was simpler, happier and fitter back then but the world is a very different place and it is far more relevant to compare Bedlington of 2021 to Morpeth or Blyth of 2021 than to Netherton of 1950. The key for me is independence - as a kid I had access to facilities that were further afield because it was easier and safer to get around than it is today. The same applies to people of all ages for who transport is not affordable or easy. If the argument is "why can't people travel to use facilities?" then I'm not quite sure why this argument only applies to Bedlington and not Blyth, Morpeth, Cramlington and Ashington when it comes to swimming baths for example. As I say I don't mean to be disrespectful of other opinions but this is of material impact on the lives and livelihoods of the people of Bedlington and while it may be of interest to those who may once of lived here but now reside elsewhere it will have little or no impact on their lives. It is a little like the fable of the chicken and the pig

Earlier today I wrote a reply but then later deleted it, a reply to your comments, I wasn't sure it was my place to comment, like CL I questioned what facilities are available within the area? are there restrictions to the use of these, being from Blyth I used to travel to Bedlington, Ashington, Whitley Bay, Newcastle and many other places for my recreation, no parent drivers, no transportation at all. Saturday I traveled to our next town South to watch the Grand kids play some ice hockey, 150km each way, sometimes I travel north to watch some curling, 185km each way, any of our kids showing prospects in a sport often travel to these places for higher levels of competition. To have recreation facilities on your doorstep is great and desired but having them reasonably available is what really matters. It appears Bedlington has been left out for a long time and deserve to get some facilities to encourage youngsters to keep fit and meet others, socializing! I sincerely hope my comments don't offend anyone, just giving my opinion from a different perspective! (FWIW)

With all due respect, Malcolm. You are one of the most hard-working and caring councillors I've ever come across and I appreciate that you give many hours of your time and energy fighting for improvements to our beloved home town but ... .. there are Olympic champions across the world who haven't ever had a pair of running shoes, never mind a sporting facility to train in. It requires a bit more than that. It requires passion, dedication, a will to succeed and possibly an adult or two to support and encourage and maybe cheer you on along the way. If you have that you don't need the luxury of a sporting facility - as several great athletes have shown us through the years.

No disrespect taken, Pauls and no disrespect intended in what I am about to say. I grew up in Netherton, in the 50s, which also had no 'council provided', leisure facilities and had only ONE playing field. It didn't have a library, butcher's, baker's, supermarket, hairdressers, clothing outlet or health centre either. For all of those amenities my caring parents had to take me on a bus-ride to the nearest town - Bedlington. It didn't have any leisure facilities then either, other than a cinema, Humford Baths and the Hapenny Woods. Humford Baths, nearest thing to a leisure centre then, was a luxury my parents couldn't afford but there was, and still is, a river on its doorstep. That's where I learned to swim. There was no gym either but the Hapenny Woods was a good substitute on a family day out with a picnic thrown in for good measure. The lack of 'council provided' facilities didn't do me, or any of my schoolmates, any harm. On the contrary I think we were fitter, more social, and perhaps better prepared for adulthood than today's children. I returned to Bedlington in the late 80s and lo and behold there were 'Leisure Centres' in Blyth and Cramlington. There was also a good bus service so it wasn't as though I needed to travel to the ends of the earth if I wanted chlorinated water to swim in, a wall to climb on or a place to meet friends. You are abviously a caring parent too and clearly have the best interests of your child at heart. Has it really been more of a struggle for you than for my parents, to provide meaningful leisure activities for your daughter simply because what you want for her doesn't exist in Bedlington? I know from my visits that the bus service is infinitely better than when I was a child and maybe you have the luxury of a car? Like you, I'm not hoping for more retail and apartments but there again, anything would be better than it is today. What I'm hoping for is something that attracts visitors and their hard earned money to Bedlington which may eventually initiate even further development of Bedlington. Unfortunately I don't think a leisure centre is going to do that. Most towns in the immediate vicinity already have one and I get the impression that parents don't seem to want to take a bus/car journey away from their home town today.

I agree........I firmly believe we have Olympic champions who have never had the chance to try the activities they would excell in!

No disrespect intended but that is very easy to say if you don't live in the town. We moved to the town 12 years ago with a 3 year old daughter. She is now taking her GCSEs, A levels next year and then hopefully away for University. She has grown up in a town with virtually no leisure facilities other than a couple of playing fields. I really do hope we will get something other than retail and apartments - something like the announcement last year for example - but she will have her bags packed and will have left the town before the ribbon is cut to open it. That is a crying shame for a generation to grow up and leave the area having never had a fraction of the opportunities afforded to the kids of Blyth, Cramlington, Morpeth, Ashington etc. I'm sorry but a whole generation of kids shouldn't have had to wait.

Maybe the lady ,we knew as Miss Smail , was the daughter. I think the original piece of music she played was Wagner The Ride of the Valkyrie .

Amendment to the above: I asked a former colleague to look at mt text analysis and I just received his reply. He agrees with my analysis and conclusion. However, he points out that there is an omission in my argumentation that is important to its understanding. Paragraph 7 "Of course, the two elements of name and epithet do not always occur in that order. It is equally common with the epithet preceding the name: Dr Fred Bloggs/NUFC footballer, Jackie Milburn/beloved aunt, Mary Smith, organist of Bedlington Parish Church is also a possibility - hence the ambiguity. " should read: Of course, the two elements of name and epithet do not always occur in that order. It is equally common with the epithet preceding the name: Dr Fred Bloggs/NUFC footballer, Jackie Milburn/beloved aunt, Mary Smith, so organist of Bedlington Parish Church, Jane Isabella Smail is also a possibility - hence the ambiguity. Sorry about that. I'll try to do better!

Hi Maggie, I'm a bit confused as to who Miss Smail was. According to isabella's gravestone, it was her son - Robert - who died in 1930 who was church organist for 55 years. Did his wife - Jane Isabella take over the job and if so why is she referred to as MISS Smail. Her age and d.o.d. would fit in with Vic's wedding in 1962. The couple don't appearto have had any daughters only a son. I'll check the census register to see if their are any. PS All photos are very much welcome!

Miss Smail played the organ at our wedding in St Cuthbert's church in 1962, and I do believe she was the shop owner on the corner of Hollymount Square, I think there were two sisters in the shop. My wife would tell me of Ganny Smail's chasing her and friend Maureen while nicking apples from her garden! I'm SURE HPW would confirm this.

I have no idea who the Miss Smail would have been ( I have attended St. Cuthbert's on a number of occasions = when relatives have been married in the church) but could she have been the lady from Smail's shop on the entrance to Hollymount Square?

@Maggie/915 if I could, I would pick up and deliver the magazine to the committee but unfortunately I can't🙁 I will pass on your message to Eileen and see if she will deliver the magazine, either to Saturday's outdoor meeting or deliver it to the Community Center and leave it with someone to be passed on to the History Society.🙂

I was having a clear out of unwanted files on my new lap-top and found this photo of the Francis pit. I have no idea where it came from so apologies to the photographer as I can't give you any credit. This is exactly how I remember it from the early 1950s. After the death of Mrs Watson's son, who fell to his death down the shaft, the building was demolished and the shaft covered with iron rails. Didn't stop us playing their as HPW describes above.

Feeding the porkers pig swill was banned in the EU following that Food and Mouth outbreak in 2001. I'm not sure how many 'peelings' would be available at the gate these days, what with all the prepacked food folks consume now. Perhaps, we should all go back to preparing good, wholesome meals and leaving the scraps out for the pigs; it would also have the added benefit of reducing the number of fat folks waddling about (have I gone too far ... is that 'fat shaming'?). Way back I posted about the pig swill lorry collecting from Westridge School in the 60s and how the 1st year pupils would get dunked in the stuff by the big lads.

@lilbill15 Junior is reserved for male offspring only and the abbreviation would be jr. Naming children was a relatively routine procedure well into the 20th century. The first son almost always got the name of his maternal grandfather. The first daughter almost always got the name of her paternal grandmother. The second son often got the name of his father and the second daughter often got the name of her mother. When looking at old records the capital J is particularly problematic. It can be misread (and therefore often wrongly transcribed) as capital I or capital F. It could even be confused with 'long S' (see attached picture) on printed documents up until the 1820s. On handwritten documents it could still be found well into the second half of the 19th century. If you're researching it's always worth looking at all three alternatives.

Fingers crossed! It's the right time of year for hard pruning (this, of course, is pruning of a more drastic nature) but if they've managed to root they stand a chance. Hope the little (or big) beggars are caught and punished. I don't wish to sound hard or inhumane but I think they should have the same degree of hard pruning to their hands.

Nice to see there was a good turnout, it's a pity they (David) didn't have a handout to enable everyone follow the tour especially with the noise from the traffic, it would also serve to remind one of the tour and share with others, I hope the unwell lady recovered and was updated about the tour.

@Maggie/915 - copied your post onto the Bygone Bedlington Facebook group.Posted you

I have entered the coordinates of the Francis Pit from an old map and the red map indicator should be its exact position. If you enter the coordinates shown on the photo on a GPS if should take you there.

Lilbill15, I believe the £15K cost of replacement has been agreed? And yes £15K!!!!!!!!!!