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The photos show the area you refer to. The river at this point was tidal so it was a bit deeper at high tide. You had to keep clear of a raw sewage outfall on the Bedlington side of the river!

In the 1950's, below Beatty Road there was a bathing area in the river called “The Flaggies” where the river was deepened by damming the water with rocks. The clearing in the woods where everyone would gather was on the Ha’penny Woods side of the river and in the summer during school holidays and weekends a fire would usually be lit and kids would hang around all day until occasionally someone’s mother would call out across the river telling us it was getting late and time to go home. There was a similar bathing area half way along the Piper Woods called the ‘Big Bather’ and this was mainly used by kids from Millfield and the bottom end of Bedlington. The Piper Woods are the woods between Bedlington Bridge and Humford on the Blyth side of the river that are no longer open to the public.

I remember the shop well. Bought far too many sweets there!

I don't remember that name. My aunt Edna used to live in Tomlea Avenue,so I know it well!