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Northumberland is blooming beautiful

By Bot, in News,

Green fingered Northumbrians have done the county proud yet again as they collected a string of awards after impressing judges in this year’s Northumbria in Bloom awards.

Dozens of  towns, villages and businesses showed off their floral displays, summer planting and well tended parks and gardens in the competition which has seen communities and council staff pull  together to show off local neighbourhoods  at their best.

The county did exceptionally well in the Towns category  with Morpeth winning overall Gold  for the bright displays that have produced a blaze of colour right across the town. Alnwick won Gold, Bedlington won Silver and Berwick and Hexham were awarded Silver Gilt.

In the Large Towns category,  Blyth won Silver and Cramlington won Silver Gilt. In the Small Towns category  Ponteland and Seaton Sluice won gold with Seaton Delaval achieving bronze.

Seaton Delaval won the Most Improved entry for enthusiastically taking on a number of neglected areas for transformation and for the hard work and vision of the community.

The county’s villages also scooped a number of fantastic awards against tough competition. Ord near Berwick won the Large Villages category. Judges found the village to be pristine throughout with residents taking a great pride in keeping their neighbourhood spotless as well as caring for the many tubs and planters.

There were celebrations elsewhere as Holywell and New Hartley won Silver and Seghill won Bronze  in the Large Villages category.
East Hartford won Silver in the Small Villages category and Lesbury won Silver Gilt in the Villages category.

The popular  Ridley Park in Blyth was winner of the Best Park award for its beautifully landscaped public space.

Young growers in the county also got involved and Tweedmouth West First School in Berwick  scooped the Growing Together for Schools award.
Other Gold winners included  Alnmouth Railway Station ( best bus/metro/rail station)  The parish hall garden, Corbridge ( best Grounds of a hospital, university or public building)   Ord Country Park ( best commercial premises)  Berwick Bowling Club ( best sports ground) Woodbine Terrace, Corbridge ( best residential community).

A number of very worthy awards were made for outstanding voluntary contributions. Neville Rutherford of Corbridge for his inspiring leadership of Corbridge in Bloom; Kenneth Thompson from Morpeth for his commitment to the ‘In Bloom’ entry and George Anderson for his contribution to the betterment of Ord Village
 

Councillor Glen Sanderson, cabinet member for environment and local services at Northumberland County Council, said: “It is wonderful that the hard work and efforts of a few  have made the towns and villages  where we live such attractive places.  We really do appreciate their work and congratulate everyone involved. ”
 
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The public are being invited to have their say on the next stage of plans for the Portland Park site in Ashington.

Portland Park is Northumberland County Council’s major regeneration site in the heart of the town.  The site is being delivered by Arch on behalf of the County Council which has already seen works start to create a new road network system designed to improve existing traffic issues within the town centre as well as to help pedestrians move round the town more quickly and easily.

Arch and the County Council are organising two public consultation sessions being held to encourage as many people as possible to attend and have their say on what facilities they would like in the town centre.  

Those ideas and views are intended to be collected and developed to inform a new masterplan for the town, and will be shared again with the public in the near future.  

The two public consultation sessions will take place on Wednesday 20th and Thursday 21st September, from 1pm-7pm at Unit 1, Wansbeck Square, Ashington NE63 9XL.

The consultation material will be made available on-line after the public consultation events have finished, with the public also having the opportunity to provide comment electronically should they not be available to attend the sessions.

Peter Jackson, Leader of Northumberland County Council said: "The Council is determined to work with local people to create a new centre to the town which the community can be proud of. In addition I can confirm that the County Council will deliver the £2.9 million make over of Hirst Park and that the County Council has committed funds to further develop the £190 million Ashington to Newcastle passenger rail connection. The future for Ashington and the surrounding area is definitely exciting." 

Cllr Richard Wearmouth Chair of Arch said: “We’re looking at potential community uses, how we can enhance the environment in the town and how we can attract business use. We want to involve local residents in giving their views on what they would like in their town centre, and start a new exciting chapter in the development of the town. We are confident that working with the people of Ashington we can create a fantastic new development for Ashington that people will be proud of".  
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A man who went on a six month crime spree across Bedlington is now behind bars, following a long-running investigation from Northumbria officers.
Local man Andrew Jackman, age 27, of no fixed address, appeared before Newcastle Crown Court on 1 September to face 20 separate charges committed between March to August this year.
Jackman has been handed a 23 month sentence, having been found guilty of all charges, for:
 
Driving while disqualified Theft Failure to surrender to custody Making off without payment Driving offences Threatening behaviour During the peak of his offending, Jackman stole an Audi A3 from a residential address in Bedlington Station and went on to use the car to commit multiple offences. He was also found slumped behind the wheel of another car in Guidepost, having been found intoxicated by a member of the public and was arrested shortly afterwards for driving while under the influence and without insurance or a licence. 
He was found to have repeatedly stolen from local shops and as a result in July, was handed a 12 month ban from a number of Morpeth premises under the Shopwatch scheme.
Chief Inspector Helena Barron said: “This was a reckless crime spree from a man who is best described as a habitual offender. Quite often we see offenders spiral out of control in this way when trying to fund a form of addiction and there is very little thought of the impact this behaviour has on others.
“His numerous driving offences could have led to serious injuries and his actions put our local community in danger.
“Jackman was a familiar face in Bedlington and was well-known to use bullying tactics and to intimidate residents and business owners. He brought about a culture of misery as he moved around the town and as such I hope local people feel reassured now that he has now been removed from our community for a considerable period of time.
"Getting individuals like Jackman off our streets to allow our communities to thrive is our absolute priority. ”
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Next steps for parking studies

By Bot, in News,

Parking studies and survey work has been taking place in the county’s market towns over the summer in order to help develop options for future parking needs in Northumberland, and the first stage has now been completed.

Concerns about parking capacity are regularly raised with the County Council and the new administration has made finding a solution to these problems a high priority, with parking studies for the market towns of Berwick, Hexham, Morpeth and Alnwick being commissioned in order to get a clearer picture of capacity and usage of car parks in these areas.

The first stage of survey work looking at actual levels of usage over the summer period has now been completed.

Work is now being undertaken to seek the views and opinions of the local county councillors, town councils and other key stakeholders on the parking issues in their areas through a series of meetings during September, with the final report findings then being received by the Council in November.

Councillor Glen Sanderson, Cabinet member for Environment and Local Services, said: “We need to have a close look at parking issues as we constantly hear that visitors and residents alike can’t find a car parking place when they want to shop and that causes real problems and is bad news for traders.  

“Despite the introduction of free parking some years ago, communities are often telling us that a lack of parking capacity is having a negative effect on their local economy and the sustainability of their towns.

“We’re listening to these concerns and as a first step have commissioned a study to investigate the current car parking situation within each of the four main market towns where parking capacity has been identified as a key issue.

“This will establish current patterns of use and enable us to factor in the future demand for car parking spaces so that we can fully understand what improvements are required now and in the future and look at what’s needed in terms of any new car parking sites.

“The survey work over the summer has progressed well and we are now gathering the views and listening to the thoughts of key stakeholders to help inform the development of options on the current parking issues and parking needs in their local community.

“Ultimately we want all our communities to prosper and have the right balance of sustainable parking for residents, visitors and businesses and this is the first step in making that happen.”  
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A Ponteland home valued at more than a million pounds was the most expensive property sale in the North East in July.
Data released from the Land Registry reveals the biggest property sales during that period in both England and Wales.
The most expensive sale in July across those countries was a terraced house in the London borough of Kensington which fetched almost £10 million.
In the North East, the only home to break the million-pound barriers was a property on Darras Road in Ponteland.
Two homes in Jesmond rounded out the podium positions, each selling for more than £800,000.
From Gosforth and Jesmond in Newcastle, to Hexham and Morpeth in Northumberland, here’s a look at the most expensive properties to change hands in the region in July:
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A ‘bouncer’ was brought in to watch over frustrated mums as parents made a last minute rush to a school uniform store on Tyneside, it has been claimed.
As hundreds of parents queued to get uniforms to send their off-spring back to school, they told how a security guard stood over at Emblematic shop on North Tyneside Industrial Estate in Longbenton .
The company also has stores in Bedlington and Darlington and supply uniforms to almost 400 schools across the region.
But as the final days of the school summer holidays drew near, mums came out in droves to buy uniforms in time for their sons’ and daughters’ return.
It follows scenes elsewhere in the country when parents left young shop assistants in tears in a last-minute crush for school clothes.
A shopkeeper at a major supplier in Gloucestershire was reported saying next year he said he is considering having someone stand guard on the door to stop people allegedly walking out with items of clothing because they can’t be bothered to queue for the till.
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Awards and scone competition

By Bot, in News,

Time is running out to nominate people for four accolades sponsored by East Bedlington Parish Council.
The deadline to put someone forward for the Colin Parker Good Neighbour Award, Brian Richmond Sporting Achievement Award, Apprentice of the Year and Volunteer of the Year is Friday.
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Almost 2,000 new homes will be built across Northumberland, creating dozens of jobs.
Six separate applications poised to change the face of the county were given the go-ahead by councillors.
Developer Hindhaugh Homes was granted permission to build 500 homes on land near James Calvert Spence College in Amble at a meeting on Tuesday.
The company said the two, three and four-bedroom properties will “enhance the profile of the local area by providing a distinctive community atmosphere”.
But Amble councillor Terence Clark feared the homes will be overpriced and the town’s amenities will not be able to cope.
He said: “People in the ward don’t think that the infrastructure will be able to take it. It is like another town being built.
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Residents and visitors to Northumberland will be given a rare opportunity to see some of the county’s hidden architectural treasures when the doors to many of its most historic buildings are opened to the public, free of charge.

The Heritage Open Days  event  is taking place between Thursday 7 and  Sunday  10 of  September.

The open days are free and fun and provide an excellent opportunity for people of all ages to explore the fantastic cultural heritage of Northumberland.  

A wide range of tours, events and activities are on offer. Dozens of  attractions are taking part including the ever popular  Cragside House in Rothbury. There will be the  the opportunity to look around local churches, Morpeth Clock Tower and the Rothbury Trenches.  There will also be the chance to look behind the scenes of Northumberland Archives at  Woodhorn Museum and get a rare glimpse into the work that goes into preserving diverse collections which  cover over 800 years of Northumberland’s fascinating history.

Northumberland county Councillor, cabinet member with responsibility for culture , arts and leisure,  Cllr Cath Homer said:
“ This hugely popular annual event provides free public access to historic  buildings and local landmarks,  many of which are not usually open to the public.

"It's an unmissable opportunity for residents and visitors to get a glimpse behind the scenes, and perhaps get a better understanding and appreciation of our county's rich cultural heritage.”

Heritage Open Days is England's largest festival of history and culture, bringing together over 2,500 organisations, 5,000 events and 40,000 volunteers.

To view a full list of this year’s attractions visit https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/


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