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East Bedlington Parish Council It’s time to shine a light on the people who make our community great! East Bedlington Parish Council is proud to announce the return of the Civic Awards 2026, and we need your help to find our local heroes. Do you know someone who goes above and beyond? Whether it’s a helpful neighbour or a dedicated volunteer, now is the time to give them the recognition they deserve. The Award Categories Not sure which category fits? Here is a breakdown of what we are looking for: Colin Parker Good Neighbour Award: For that special individual who is always there with a helping hand, looks out for those on their street, and makes their neighbourhood a friendlier place. Brian Richmond Sporting Achievement: Celebrating local athletes, team players, or coaches who have shown incredible dedication, talent, or sportsmanship over the past year. Apprentice of the Year: Recognising a hardworking individual who is making outstanding progress in their vocational training and showing great promise in their career. Volunteer of the Year: For an individual who selflessly gives up their time and energy to support local causes or help others without asking for anything in return. Volunteer Group of the Year: Celebrating a team or organisation that works together to make a positive impact on the East Bedlington community. Important Dates Nomination Deadline: Friday, 17th July 2026 Awards Ceremony: Saturday, 1st August (3pm – 6pm) All nominees and their nominators will be invited to attend this special celebration! How to Nominate Ready to nominate your hero? You can get in touch with the Parish Council via the following methods: In Person: Visit the office at 16-17 Station Street, Bedlington. Phone: 01670 828808 assistantclerk@eastbedlingtonparishcouncil.gov.uk Let’s celebrate the people who make East Bedlington a fantastic place to live. Get your nominations in today!

One of the most important developments this area will see has now been officially declassified! Naturally it’s in Bedlingtonshire and for those that don’t know where this is, it’s between the river Wansbeck and the river Blyth. With over 77 hectares of land and with the ability to install 3.25 million ft/sq of industrial space, it will be one of the largest developments seen within Northumberland for generations. Members had the presentation last week about this and apologies to other members there (not really!) who complained about the length of time I took asking questions so I understood what was being proposed. I do hope some of my suggestions were taken on board too. I immediately lobbied trying to make sure Bedlington and its environs had seamless access to this development because the job opportunities are without doubt the best we have seen! In fact the committee who heard it, in camera, insisted we are kept up to date with its roll out because, as I explained, to make sure it actually happens and in orderly procession. So this time the job is to make sure it’s rolled out and because it’s being developed in our backyard make sure we see some major benefits this time! https://www.businessnorthumberland.co.uk/council-unveils.../

I agree Vic but just been told at the event where this was unveiled there was a hell of a lot of interest from International investors. Course the trick is to maintain that and turn it into actual investments!

A good plan, if anyone comes...

Whey,aav just aboot seen ivrythin noo!! A divvent waatch telly,like other people,cos aam busy mornin ti neet,till a cum on heor after midneet usually!! Me Wife "taped" [!] a programme aboot the closure of Kellingly Colliery,the last deep mine ti close,so thi neet a sat and waatched it from 11-0pm -12-0 midneet. A wanted ti switch it off after five minutes into the programme,for a few reasons. A] A rubbish production wi so little content aboot actual mining,i.e.seeing the owamen and shift managers in their offices bantering on,[ "acting"], on camera. B] Absoloute proof of a North/South divide in the mining industry...i.e regard to investment. C] Seething at the thought of the atrocious conditions me and my Marra's worked in,and were blatantly ROBBED of what we had honestly earned,due to a Deputy Manager at Bates Pit scratching out "delays out of our control" as recorded in our Deputy's reports [ Productivity bonus scheme....wat a laugh..]. Kellingly pit had 6-feet [maybe more],high,coal faces,where thi miners didn't need ti wear knee-pads cos they walked up and doon the face! Fluorescent lighting aal thi way doon thi face,water fed dust suppression that worked,on the shearers, massive "Chock-shield" [Reg.T.M.!] face supports,where the whole of the extracted area was totally enclosed in an armour-plated cocoon,so nil chance of anyone being remotely hit by a roof fall of stone,not even a walnut-sized piece wud come doon between these chocks!![and a wudn't any ti either for thi lads' sakes!] Nae waata ti be seen except in the lad's waata bottles,mind,they needed it cos the one thing we didn't hev up here was equatorial temperatures doon theor! Doon the 3/4 Seam at Bates,it was the opposite,the north sea teeming in,frozzen caad,sowked ti thi skin,wat shud have been a 42-inch high seam,was owa 15 feet high on some faces,and that wasn't a pleasant height through choice,it was cos the bliddy roof had so much pressure it used ti flatten the flimsy face chocks ti thi floor and cause roof falls up ti 70 yards lang,and more,reet doon the coal face,absoloutely treacherous. We had ti stand on TOP of the face chocks,[which were supposed to be protecting us!]and build "butts" on top of the chock canopies,till we couldn't reach any higher,so had ti build another platform to stand on,so we cud continue building the butts up thi roof![a "butt" consisted of two 2' x 6" x 6" hardwood beech chocks side by side,with another two on top at 90 degrees with respect,then two more,and two more...etc,tillyou reached the roof!] See my Bates pit pics on Flickr,there's a pic of a high wood butt,aal squashed with roof pressure. Aal thi time we were working like this,it was in completely bare exposed roof conditions,totally against Manager's support rules for the mine,and against Mines and Quarries act 1956.......but with NO alternative,if we wanted to preserve our own lives,we had to take the risks. These lads doon sooth,[mind the lads at the Plessey at Bates,and the lads at Ellington also],didn't knaa haaf of it.and half of the lads I worked with on those faces are long gone noo. Sadly,some died at a very young age,late 30's,early forties,don't suppose the Coal Board wud have an inquiry as to why they all had thing like Leukaemia and cancer-related diseases after working on a Prototype Shearer with a nuclear isotope device mounted on the top of the machine,which was supposed to be "Ultra-Safe!],others became victims ti roof falls and girders being knocked oot,etc.R.I.P aal thi lads that aren't here ti bear me oot. 2-0 am,so will have to close me rant!![till another day!]