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Well done Adam and Malcolm together you beat the opposition. No contest

Hard lines Malcolm but at least you came 2nd - don't lose heart - we need people like you in this small town.

As promised here are a couple of photos of some of the staff from the 'Glove Factory'. The photos were taken after the company won an award for it's exports. Sorry I don't know the date. If I find any more pics I'll post them.

Congratulations Malcolm and Adam, well done and good luck.

I have a plan - why don't we just get rid of the parish and town councils, vote them out, just tell them we don't them anymore, I'm sure we can. They are just another way of getting yet more money out of us, a stealth tax, but they call it a precept (or was it an inept), so ordinary people don't know what they are on about. One assumes that if you don't like what they are doing with our money (or just don't like them), you can vote someone else in - Well shiver me timbers, I learnt something new the other day, they vote each other in apparently, some of the parish councillors in Bedlington this election are being returned automatically! and their names are still on the ballot papers, how does that one work? - And as far as not being political is concerned (LOL), what a load of botox - Confusing, your not kidding - give me strength!!!

Another one to consider: 3 years ago I said at a NCC Area Meeting that the elephant in the room was their public sector pension deficit which at the time was running at around £350M. None of the councillors present wanted to answer me and it was passed to an officer who really only confirmed my figures. After pressing the chair I was told they didn't have an answer but they did expect central government to bail them out???? I asked if they understood that pressing people into early retirement with enhanced pension contributions as golden handshakes (AKA middle and top ranking staff) would increase that deficit figure substantially. Seems I was persona non grata once again! The latest figure I have seen suggests a NCC pension deficit around £470M but we are promised a full disclosure next year. Now is it just me or does that £100M+ increase figure sound familiar? Oh yes we have just had £100M chopped out of our services which would now lead me to ask, have we seen all the savings and cut backs we have endured over the last 4 years swallowed up by the increase in pension deficit which we somehow have to fund? We have saved £100M but increased debt by £120M, and that in a pot only the lucky few can access meaningfully!

It amazes me that none of the three main parties in tomorrow's election have mentioned the biggest threat to NCC which is about to hit. This being the £86M they have to 'save' over the next 3-4 years. The last Administration claimed to have saved £100M over the last 4 years, that out of a discretionary pot of around £400M. That means the next £86M comes out of a pot of just £300m! In effect in about 7 years (4 gone 3 to come) NCC will have reduced its services and deliveries by over 50% yet maintained the same charge. Please don't allow any of them to claim they haven't increased rates, they haven't in the strictest sense but they have reduced what we pay them to deliver! In other words we will be paying about double for the same service deliveries soon! And that's not even including the services devolved to Parish and Town councils which have to be charged again for!

there are plenty memories by members on here. but rhymes can't recall any. the games we played would be similar to other areas. i wil have a butchers through some of the groups paperwork see if there is anything filed away. Oh yes, just remembered, there was a cobler at Hartford and he repaied shoes and made shoes for people from around the area. everytime he did something he did a poem, rhyme about it and the person, and some vip peepes too from Hartford. It even included how much they paid him in some of them. We have his book with them in, but its not in great condition, and sadly won't be able to let you take it away as its only one of its kind, written by him, but i will see if a member has time to write a few out for you, and i can get them on-line. there from the just after the middle 1800's to late 1800;s a super piece of history.