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A double serving of Caribbean flavour is set to add an extra blast of summer this year at a Northumberland music showcase.
Gallagher Park Festival in Bedlington will welcome seventies reggae legends Aswad in July who will have the crowds on their feet with a selection of their hits which include a number one version of Don't Turn Around and the hit Give a Little Love.
And alongside the headline act, the community festival's street food pop-ups will join in the reggae theme and will be serving up vegan options too.
Angus 'Drummie Zeb' Gaye, a founder member of Aswad which was established in 1975, and Tony 'Gad'Robinson, who joined a year later, will head up a nostalgia-fest of hits at the free festival which will play out on July 18.
Known for their R&B and soul influences on the classic reggae sound, with other favourite tracks including Shine; Good Thing Going and Next to You, they have added to their back catalogue over the years with collaborations with the likes of Dennis Brown, Maxi Priest and Shabba Ranks.
The festival is out to whet all appetites and, with further acts yet to be unveiled, Ron Thornton, clerk for its organiser East Bedlington Parish Council, said: "We’re bringing the sounds of the Caribbean to Gallagher Park with fun for all the family.
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A man suffered horrific injuries and was told he might not walk again after he got behind the wheel while over-the-limit and crashed into a tree.
Uninsured Anthony Parker had to be cut free from his vehicle and was later found to have fractured his spine, broken his ribs and ruptured his bowel, kidney, bladder and liver.
The 32-year-old had to have surgery to fit bolts into his back and spent five weeks in hospital, where he was initially told he may not walk again.
However, after months of rehab, Parker was back on his feet and appeared at South East Northumberland Magistrates' Court to plead guilty to driving with excess alcohol and without insurance.
Prosecutor, Eve McDonnell, said police arrived at the scene of the accident on the A1068 Sheepwash Road, near Sheepwash, Northumberland, at 2am on September 1 last year, having been called by paramedics.
Officers saw that Parker had misjudged a bend and ended-up crashing his Peugeot 207 into a tree.
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They say that the way to the heart is through the stomach and certainly a cosy meal for two is often top choice with couples out celebrating Valentine's Day.
But if that can be taken to apply to drink as well as food then Wetherspoon's pubs could prove an ideal date location on February 14.
The pub chain is launching a Gin Festival on Valentine's Day with a huge range of options including overseas brands, unique flavours and liqueurs. What's more, it will run for 17 days until March 1 so that pretty much everyone will have time to sample what's on offer.
The festival will take place at 11 J D Wetherspoon pubs around Newcastle and the North East as well as more across the country. On sale will be a range of gins costing from £2.75 to £3.99 for a single measure and including a free mixer.
Customers will be able to pick up 'tasting notes' about the gins which, in addition to each pub's usual selection, will  include up to 14 types from across the UK and Italy.
Among the British varieties will be Aber Falls Gingerbread Gin Liqueur; Didsbury Gin Strawberry and Sicillian Lemon; Slingsby Marmalade Gin; Whitley Neill Blackberry Gin and Hawthorn's London Dry Gin. There also will be a Mor Irish Gin from the Republic of Ireland and, from Italy, a Malfy Gin Rosa.
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A drink-driver was caught after he crashed into another vehicle while travelling along Newcastle's Great North Road.
John Arkle struck another car causing "some injuries" to the occupant while he was over-the-limit and behind the wheel of his Peugeot 308.
The 44-year-old was at the side of the road near the Regent Centre, in Gosforth, inspecting his car when he was first seen by passing police officers shortly before midnight on November 19 last year.
Laura Lax, prosecuting at North Tyneside Magistrates' Court, said: "The officers approached the defendant and realised that there was another vehicle in front of his.
"Both vehicles were damaged and debris was scattered on the floor.
"The officers approached the defendant and asked him what had happened and he said he had been involved in a collision.
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Thousands of new houses could be built in Northumberland if plans to reopen a railway line are given the go-ahead.
Research from planning and design consultancy Barton Willmore shows that reinstating passenger services on the Ashington, Blyth and Newcastle line would open up new sites for house building.
Several large scale sites at Seghill, Seaton Delaval, West Blyth and Bedlington could provide up to 4,000 new homes that would create an estimated 340 jobs per month during the construction phase.
A further 750 operational jobs and 505 in the local supply chain could be created if new business parks are also developed.
Barton Willmore say the rail connection would make these areas more accessible and encourage housebuilders and developers to put forward plans.
James Hall, partner at Barton Willmore, said: "We've looked at how reopening the Newcastle to Ashington line could transform South East Northumberland.
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Film star Anthony Quayle featured in memorable war movies from Ice Cold in Alex and the Battle of the River plate to The Eagle Has landed, the Guns of Navarone and Lawrence of Arabia.
But his actual wartime exploits saw him serve as a key figure in a “secret army” being readied in Northumberland in case Germany had invaded during the Second World War.
The then Captain Quayle was intelligence officer for the Northumberland and Scottish Borders hand-picked patrol units, most of whose members were drawn from the Home Guard.
If an invasion had taken place, they would have gone underground and later re-emerged as a resistance army of snipers, trained in unarmed combat, explosives and sabotage.
The actor’s involvement is recounted in a new book which focuses on how the war impacted on people in the North East.
Neil Storey and partner Fiona Kay, who live in Cramlington in Northumberland, have carried out extensive research in the region’s archives, and have also gathered material from newspapers and first-hand accounts of the time, and family stories.
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A brand new service will offer life-long support to people with autism in South Shields.
The new 'autism hub', opened by the mayor and mayoress of South Tyneside this month, will offer occupational therapy, mental health help and peer support for people with the condition throughout the area.
Councillors say they're responded to a need created by an above-average number of people with an autism diagnosis in the borough, as parents, carers and those with a diagnosis told the council they needed more local support.
One of those who can't wait to start using the new hub is little Jak Brunton, and his mum Jay.
For Jak, who turns four on Monday, regular sessions at a Toby Henderson Trust centre in Bedlington have been a lifeline, helping him connect with his family and supporting them as they understand his needs.
The Jarrow family travel at least once a week to Northumberland for invaluable one-to-one sessions, so the opening of a hub close to home in South Shields will make a huge difference to their lives.
Looking for the latest news in your postcode? We have launched a brand new website InYourArea.co.uk allowing you to stay up to date with what's happening near you. It also has an app.
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A festive operation aimed at tackling crime and disorder in Sunderland city centre has been hailed a success after crime rates plummeted by 16%.
Business leaders on Wearside joined Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Kim McGuinness in praising the impact of Operation Kraken after the initiative led to a significant drop in recorded crime.
Spearheaded by Sergeant Maria Ord and the city centre neighbourhood team, the annual festive crackdown was again run in partnership with the Bridges and Sunderland Business Improvement District (BID), along with Sunderland City Council.
From November 25 through until Christmas Eve, the initiative saw uniformed and plain-clothed officers target all city centre criminality, specifically adult anti-social behaviour and retail-related offences.
Now, after the 2019 Kraken operation showed a 16% decrease in city centre crime compared to the previous year, Sgt Ord hopes to build on those successes in the coming months.
"We are delighted with how Operation Kraken went," Sgt Ord said. "The initiative was about maintaining a hassle-free and safe environment which allowed families to enjoy everything this city has to offer during the lead-up to Christmas.
Looking for the latest news in your postcode? We have launched a brand new website InYourArea.co.uk allowing you to stay up to date with what's happening near you. It also has an app.
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A man has been charged in connection with a collision which killed a pedestrian in Northumberland.
Shortly before 6am on Monday, police received a report of a collision involving two cars and a pedestrian on Foremans Row near the Keel Row Pub in Seaton Delaval.
It was reported that a white Vauxhall Insignia had struck a male pedestrian who was on the carriageway before a red Mazda 2, travelling in the opposite direction also struck the man.
Emergency services attended but sadly the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police say a formal identification is ongoing.
Immediately after the collision another male pedestrian, believed to have been walking with the victim prior to the incident, then got into the Vauxhall Insignia as the owner was helping the victim and drove away from the scene.
Looking for the latest news in your postcode? We have launched a brand new website InYourArea.co.uk allowing you to stay up to date with what's happening near you. It also has an app.
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A woman narrowly avoided prison after repeatedly slamming a door on the hand of her boyfriend's mum and impaling it on a nail.
Boozed-up Lauren Coonie flew into a rage when the victim came to her flat asking to see her son, who the 25-year-old had locked inside the property and was refusing to let out.
Suddenly, and without warning, Coonie then launched a violent attack on the woman, slamming the door on her hand and impaling it on a screw in the door frame, a court heard.
But, despite the victims desperate calls for help as she couldn't move her hand from the nail, Coonie didn't stop and continued to slam the door a further four times, prosecutors said.
And, when the horrified woman eventually managed to pull free and walk away from the flat, drunk Coonie followed her and punched her in the head, causing her to bite the inside of her mouth.
Now, the former alcoholic has been told she came "within a hair's breadth" of going to jail after she pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm during a hearing at South East Northumberland Magistrates' Court.


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