Malcolm Robinson

Cyril, I meant every venue has to fight hard to stay in existence so it's not surprising organisations will use their own venues. I will say there is bound to be some cross pollination at some point though. Like Stephen said there should be a whole host of events on over the summer this year and there is an effort to bring everything together so everyone can see and understand what is going on and where/when. The consultation the Trust did clearly shows a widespread request for events to take place in and around the Town. Now of course people need to back them by turning up and making them successful, that way they stand a chance of being repeated in some form or other. I will also say some people have looked at putting on a Bedlington Fayre again but the H&S legislation is impossible for small groups to get around.

Yes Cyril and that will be explored soon enough but these days everywhere is fighting to justify its own existence, there are no free rides!

Might as well put this up here too................ Big Event poster.pdf

Victoria Sponge - Big Event.pdf

Diane, This might be of interest............. Victoria Sponge - Big Event.pdf

Big Variety Show poster.pdf

Any 3 generations family out there willing to tell their stories in front of a camera? Grandma, mother and daughter.........Granddad, father and son or any combination. The film will be about 60 years in Bedlington............. Comm'on there will be some good stories out there! 3 Generations - Big Event.pdf

How did we manage to survive !!!!!! WE WAS BRUNG UP PROPER!!"And we never had a whole Mars bar until 1993"!!! CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL MY FRIENDS WHO WERE BORN IN THE 1930's 1940's, 50's, 60's and early 70's ! First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried us and lived in houses made of asbestos. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese, raw egg products, loads of bacon and processed meat, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes or cervical cancer. Then after that trauma, our baby cots were covered with bright coloured lead-based paints. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets or shoes, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking. As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags. We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle. Take away food was limited to fish and chips, no pizza shops, McDonald's , KFC, Subway or Nandos. Even though all the shops closed at 6.00pm and didn't open on the weekends, somehow we didn't starve to death! We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this. We could collect old drink bottles and cash them in at the corner store and buy Toffees, Gobstoppers, Bubble Gum and some bangers to blow up frogs with. We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank soft drinks with sugar in it, but we weren't overweight because........ WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!! We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K. We would spend hours building our go-carts out of old prams and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. We built tree houses and dens and played in river beds with matchbox cars. We did not have Playstations, Nintendo Wii , X-boxes, no video games at all, no 999 channels on SKY , no video/dvd films, no mobile phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms..........WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them! We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no Lawsuits from these accidents. Only girls had pierced ears! We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever. You could only buy Easter Eggs and Hot Cross Buns at Easter time... We were given air guns and catapults for our 10th birthdays, We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just yelled for them! Mum didn't have to go to work to help dad make ends meet! RUGBY and CRICKET had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!! Getting into the team was based on MERIT Our teachers used to hit us with canes and gym shoes and bully's always ruled the playground at school. The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law! Our parents didn't invent stupid names for their kids like 'Kiora' and 'Blade' and 'Ridge' and 'Vanilla' We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL ! And YOU are one of them! CONGRATULATIONS! You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated our lives for our own good. And while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave their parents were. PS -The big type is because our eyes are not too good at our age anymore

Took a bit of finding................ "Demolition of Glebe Hostel and Glebe Court and the erection of a new sheltered housing scheme comprising 39 flats and communal areas, and 2no wheelchair bungalows complete with all landscaping and external works."

Phase 1 of a 2 stage development, but there should be plans somewhere for it. Our 'planning champion' is on holiday so I can't ask for a site reference! If I remember correctly, first builds will be along the lines of what went in at the Terrier Site. Second phase will be 2 bedroom 'OAP' homes. I will stand to be corrected on this.

A picture is worth a thousand words.......

With elections just around the corner Europe is probably going to be a much different animal soon. The Greek and Troika elite are starting to run scarred and are briefing against all and any of the anti-austerity parties running in their election. They are also printing as many Euros as they possibly can in direct confrontation to their agreed ECB limits. The French probably want to take their ball home and look to be ready to insist on no more bail outs for the Club Med, they need the money themselves! Spain looks to be ready to cave and if she does goodbye Eurozone or anything like the Eurozone we have come to recognise. Everyone now has a back-up plan for default but if they couldn't organise the what's-its-name in the brewery does anyone think they can organise a much more complex rescue? Democracy is being ditched in a last gasp attempt to save EU banking sectors so what are we going to end up with……………. All under the expert tutelage of the Fed, or guarantor of last resort! Spain will probably declare war on Argentina now……….I wouldn't be surprised!

60 Billion Japanese Euros to bulk up the IMF bail out fund. Seems well done Monti plaudits are in order but then we see the first Asian 'elected' to run the World Bank. Always been a Yank up to now! Got to wonder about paybacks????????

Actually foxy it was nicked by NCC! I have been after it for over 18 months now! There is a roundabout connection with our close neighbour but not directly. I have the minutes of the last WDC meeting where the proceeds from the sale of Bedlingtonshire Golf Club were discussed and they voted to ring-fence the money for a capital project in Bedlington. So even if it took until its death throes WDC did try and do the right thing…….or maybe not! Step in NCC at the formation of the new Unitary Authority and they said there could be no ring-fencing of any capital monies within any of the 6 district councils. (Understandable really or the then defunct district councils would effectively still write the business plans for the new authority.) So "our” dosh was lost in the general pot of NCC. Coincidentally I am still waiting for an explanation as to why that was the case when Ashington gets to ring-fence the ASDA money!!!!!!!! The only explanation I have ever had is that the terms were written differently. OK so effectively we are back to being screwed over by WDC as they must have wrote a water tight agreement for Ashington but not for us, and that's the very same legal department???????? If I didn't know any better I would think we might be getting conned here…………………. I don't have a problem with Ashington getting their new sports facilities etc. I keep saying good luck to them and I mean that, but somehow an area with the same or less inhabitants gets to replace existing facilities with new builds while we don't even have existing facilities to complain about the state they have been allowed to deteriorate into.

I am not sure just how well thought through this is……..well apart from a bit of spin doctoring. Self-funded traffic wardens……… and yes we all know where rich pickings will be for the first week or two then it will take financial masochists to keep parking there………if these wardens do a good job will they make themselves redundant? The only possible way NCC can pay 26 new positions when they have cut over 1000 due to cost cutting is to find a new form of income to cover salaries. In other words parking fees in the South East. BTW, there was a very interesting admission the other night at the Area Meeting, these new NCC wardens will only be able to ticket transgressions on double yellows…………so all of the other parking problems the cops do have authority to take action against these wardens can't target. Course that might explain the road variance orders we saw last year in the News Post Leader. More flipping stealth taxes! Just had this land in my inbox.......................... Tax his land, Tax his bed, Tax the table At which he's fed. Tax his work, Tax his pay, He works for peanuts Anyway! Tax his cow, Tax his goat, Tax his pants, Tax his coat. Tax his tobacco, Tax his drink, Tax him if he Tries to think. Tax his car, Tax his gas, Find other ways To tax his ass. Tax all he has Then let him know That you won't be done Till he has no dough. When he screams and hollers; Then tax him some more, Tax him till He's good and sore. Then tax his coffin, Tax his grave, Tax the sod in Which he's laid. When he's gone, Do not relax, It's time to apply The inheritance tax. Accounts Receivable Tax Airline surcharge tax Airline Fuel Tax Airport Maintenance Tax Building Permit Tax Cigarette Tax Corporate Income Tax Goods and Services Tax (GST) Death Tax Driving Permit Tax Environmental Tax (Fee) Excise Taxes Income Tax Fishing License Tax Food License Tax Petrol Tax (too much per litre) Gross Receipts Tax Health Tax Inheritance Tax Interest Tax Heating Tax Lighting Tax Cooking Tax Liquor Tax Luxury Taxes Marriage License Tax Medicare Tax Mortgage Tax and his pension Personal Income Tax Property Tax Poverty Tax Prescription Drug Tax Real Estate Tax Recreational Vehicle Tax Retail Sales Tax Service Charge Tax School Tax & Tax what he buys and what he sells Telephone Tax Vehicle License Registration Tax Vehicle Sales Tax Water Tax Workers Compensation Tax Tax (VAT) on Tax. And Now they want a blooming Carbon Tax! STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY? Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago... & our nation was one of the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had a large middle class, a huge manufacturing base, and Mum stayed home to raise the kids. What in the Hell happened? Could it be the lying parasitic politicians wasting our money? Oh, and don't forget the relatively new bank charges. And we all know what we think of Bankers.

A "friend" just sent me this.......... 53,000 Geordies meet in St James Park for a 'Geordies Are Not Stupid' convention. Alan Shearer addresses the crowd 'We are all here today to prove to the world that Geordies are not stupid. Can I have a volunteer please?' Gazza gingerly works his way through the crowd and steps up to the stage. Shearer asks him 'What is 15 plus 15?' After 15 or 20 seconds Gazza says, 'Eighteen!' Obviously everyone is a little disappointed. Then the Geordies start chanting, 'Give him another chance! Give him another chance!' Shearer says 'Well since we have a capacity crowd, world-wide press and global broadcast media here, I think we can give him another chance. So he asks 'What is 5 plus 5?' After nearly 30 seconds he eventually says, 'Ninety?' Shearer looks down and just lets out a dejected sigh. Everyone is disheartened and Gazza starts crying. But then the 53,000 Geordies begin to yell and wave their hands shouting, 'GIVE HIM ANOTHER CHANCE! GIVE HIM ANOTHER CHANCE!' Shearer, unsure whether he is now doing more harm than good eventually says, 'What is 2 plus 2? 'Silence hangs over the stadium. Gazza closes his eyes, and after a whole minute eventually says, 'Four?' Pandemonium breaks out throughout the stadium as the Geordie crowd stand, wave their arms, stomp their feet and scream….. 'GIVE HIM ANOTHER CHANCE! GIVE HIM ANOTHER CHANCE!'

I think its just about to happen........not sure how useful its going to be. 26 new self funded traffic wardens just started, 4 pages of road variance orders and a new NCC traffic policy, probably include the introduction of parking charges in Wansbeck and Blyth Valley.

Thanks for the reply Stephen. It just looks like the heavy hand of an uncaring organisation. I talk to people in there and none I have spoken to know what's going on apart from hearing that the headstones will be sorted by NCC. So really sending the Friends of Group that letter and expecting that to assuage feelings was another mistake. BTW, could it be that by including the Town Council in the NCC missives the onus for getting the information out has been passed to the Town Council???? I wouldn't be surprised! As Merlin has mentioned costs I hope everyone is aware just how much pressure treated tanalised timber is. I presume this is the precursor to the Town Council taking over the cemetery at some point?

Merlin, Lets just say I appreciated the effort!

Here's a starter for the yellow paint........... http://www.journallive.co.uk/northumberland-sites/bedlington-northumberland/bedlington-news/2012/04/05/parking-restrictions-for-bedlington-war-memorial-area-61634-30700293/

Ok Stephen I will bite. If the vast publicity machine that is NCC couldn't have done more ( and let's call it as it is……anything) to inform people with friends and relatives buried in this cemetery that it was going to be carrying out inspections and possible remedial actions weeks if not months ahead of time then they might as well pack up and go. ……. They seem to have no problems issuing rates demands to everyone! I would be very interested in the date of that missive; I will give odds now it was after events had happened! Just been talking to someone who visits a family grave daily and he tells me the testing was done by holding a meter against the headstone? Really???? At first the stakes were about 2-3 feet higher until objections were raised and NCC came back to cut them down to the height of the headstones. (It's all starting to add up to a complete disregard of people's feelings!) "As you will be aware, we have a major health and safety issue with the memorials in Bedlington Cemetery” Some it seems more than others! Of course some have to be seen to be believed. Others are left................. And then there is the weather to think about because using wood something which swells in water and contracts in heat………… I have to say I was disappointed at the reaction of the Town Council or rather the mayor and clerks reactions. Yes Arthur did agree things could have been handled better but saying the 'Friends of' group have had that letter so everything's hunky dory in the garden just seems to completely miss the point! Firstly the 'Friends of Westlea Cemetery' were formed in reply to the vandalism going on in the children's section and the need to have a vehicle to apply for grant aid to get the perimeter fence done. It is by no means a catch all group for all users of that cemetery. But the overwhelming reason I thought the Town Council should have done their own strongly worded reply to NCC about this sordid issue is that it should be representing us, the community and each and every section which makes up our community. When even the smallest section feels revulsion to actions taken by a local governmental authority then it would seem incumbent on our elected representatives to take up the issue on our behalf. I don't need to use the Town Council to make a complaint, I know the officers and the line management structure and can tackle them directly, but I do think in this case asking the Town Council to do so was the correct course of action. Not only that the mayor and deputy mayor are both County Councillors and this site falls directly in George's remit, I just think that's another reason they should have been championing this up at County Hall.

Don't worry Keith, the men in white coats aren't coming back to put the electrodes back on...........we are all hard wired to do this.

Where does the time go? 'Remember yesterday and dream about tomorrow, but you better live for today' How quickly the years pass..........

Not really a joke so I'll put it here......... Sitting at your desk in front of your computer lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles. Now while doing that draw a number 6 in the air with your right hand. Your foot has changed direction!