Malcolm Robinson

I believe the "developer" for the flats was M.M. There was also another set put in to turn it into a kind of youth hostel. As already mentioned the actual owner was always an enigma with no one really sure? The Church was trying to claim it and do some sort of Social developement, eg youth centre with accomadation. I believe flats have been given the go ahead but the quality of the work and the materials used to date have upset the planners! Much the same as the old Ford garage!

I can understand the high wastage but what puzzels me is, how can that bread be fresh when it arrives in England considering that it had to be loaded onto vans sailed across the sea, traveled from the south of England, probably arived in Bedlington the day before or the night before the market. It would be impossible to make a French bagguete in France and drive it back to sell in Bedlington, they are almost unedible if you buy in the mornings and try to eat them that same evening! Every French boulangerie sells sacks of day old bread for 1 euro for chickens, ducks etc. And by the way I made a mistake with the price it should have been 40 cents, about 25p. So the only conculsion I can draw is that what was being sold was "speciality" foodstuffs which not only last longer but also command a high price. It is very noticable that the continentals, French Germans etc, buy up to a quality whereas the UK food industry is driven by price so that expensive sausage most poeple are complaining about would probably be a staple in a continental shopping trolly! Maybe Bedlington was the wrong venue for a scheme such as this but at least people got a choice and a chance to sample different wares? The French markets I have been to are loaded with shellfish and fish off the boats that morning, vegetables pulled that morning, and fruit picked that day as well so there is no comparsion with the multi nationals where most of the foodstuffs have been irradiated and travelled half way around the world! Until people realise you really do get what you pay for Beldington will continue with a car boot sale instead of a local farmers market!

Pete, The price of bread in France is regulated by the Gov! (Shades of let them eat cake!) The price for a normal baggette is around 40p, the parrot dropping ones obviousely dearer. Because of what is used in the making (or not used!) it cannot be kept so there is a high wastage which is in the price. So how much were they on sale for in Bedders and were they the basic type? (Probably not it wouldn't be worth the effort!) The councillor showing his grasp of local Gov funding by wanting all the shops closed, the shops actually pay a dispropotionate amount of rates which comes back to the district as central Gov funding and is based on the amount of shops and trade premisis in the district, is now no longer a councillor and I believe is drinking his pints with the Almighty!

Got to agree!

It is certainly looking that way Pete. The trouble is that all the apathy is playing right into the hands of the autocrats!

Joe, What I cannot understand is the people who say that but offer nothing as alternatives. I admire anyone who challenges the status quo but only if they can do so creatively with some constructive criticism! The only logical conclusion is that people want the “Nanny State”, in the worst sense of the wording, so they are led nose first from birth to death. That scares me! I AM NOT A NUMBER………………………

Denzel, This has taken quite a bit of digging but here is the answer. The top blew off this shelter so it had to be demolished as it was unsafe. It will be replaced but that takes months? Adshel not WDC say when, again? However it should be replaced with something in keeping with the rest of the "street furniture" as will be the one on Ncl Bank. It should also be paid by the community group which got the grant for the rest of the steet package, PROVIDING some cash is left! I know there are a lot of people on this board knocking the present upgrades to the street furniture in Bedlington and to them only a few words: lets see what you can do! By and large the only reason this is getting done is because some people got off their arses and actually applied themselves! Of course I have to say that bus shelters are needed NOW not so much in the summer months and why on earth people have to wait in the rain for a service which they pay for, and which provides some commercial return, I do not understand. You would think someone would be getting their fingers out now during the winter months!

I am the same Joe maybe it was our education that was lacking! Monsta, The art of conversation is using a language common to all participants (do the spell check for me swal) so everyone understands what is being relayed. I am not being patronising only practical as you have some valid points to make but half of what you are writing is unfathomable to me. The only other recourse is to have a simultaneous translation done?

ps I'm in no doubt I'm not the only one who thinks like this, and that it's views like this that should be making our councillors squirm in their beds that they are not serving us right! hear hear Viv, but remember you will soon have an election................course if there ain't anyone worth giving your cross to, but that is a different matter! I vote for viv!

Mr Darn, I was told, years ago now, the that line was just an old freight line going down to the power station? Mr Darn, I was told, years ago now, the that line was just an old freight line going down to the power station?

I don't think ideas, or lets even say grand plans, are the problem as Bedlington has had a lot of "proposed WDC development" over the years. The problem comes when they have to be realised and actually built that is where it all falls down! The reasons..........make your own minds up!

Joe, I presume you are talking about the Metro extension which had been promised years ago. In the end it couldn't be financed but it is now back on the cards. One good point is that the original scheme would not have stopped at Bedlington Station only Ashington, it has to go through the Station on it's way??????????, but now a stop in Bedlington Station is included in the proposal. Somebody must have listened!

swalnalla, Don't know if it is still WDC owned? There was an option given to the club and its members to take over the golf course a few years ago (when the "councils" Hartford Hall development fell through) but I do not know what happened? At the time every ratepayer in the district subsidised it the tune of about £11! There was also one planned for between Ashington and Lynmouth but I believe that never got off the ground?

Didn't mean to cause offence Brian it was just I was talking to someone who lived in Aussie for many years and he said it was Australian day when I spoke to him, so I asked if it wasn't in Feb going off your posting.

PS. If you use Firefox 2 browser it has a built in spell check...... Thanks Swalnalla didn't know they made a sequal to Firefox derrrr.....

This time difference must really be something or should that be 26th Jan?

Mr Darn, There seems to be nothing wrong with your rationale about promoting this site and the businesses in the town but when this site was first opened all local busiesess were given FREE space and only a very few had the forsight to take the offer up. It should also have been the first town in the country to have it's web address underneath all road direction signs but WDC/NCC would not allow that for some reason even though other towns adopted the idea!

One further point which might be worth considering, if the pubs are clamping because cars are parked on their private spaces does that mean they are responsible for any damage etc done to the cars when parked whilst owners are imbibing in their establishments?

Don't know about false promises missdarn but the roport I read said WDC would be the majority shareholder in the new company which is to take over their housing stock? Looks like Denzel has hit the nail on the head as it must be the handover which enables them to apply for grant funding. Would a rose by any other name.........

Pete, I can understand why some cities have pedestrian only roads but Bedlington is not one of them. It needs to retain a commercial heart to survive and as most people use their cars when shopping, and will not walk the few yards from very adaquet parking at the back of the buildings, there has to be some recognition of these shopping habits. It did seem a pretty straightforward solution to put in some chevron parking on one side of the street. The trouble with Front Street development seems to be the ad hoc way it has been assessed over the years. Each trench of improvements has been done by itself as a stand alone excersise and not as some intigrated plan for the whole area. This will always present its own problems as the Front Street is so long.

Point of order missvic, WDC have always wanted to pedestrianise Front Steet at least from the Market place up over but it meant cars having to drive though the likes of Windsor Gardens etc. One epic plan was to put a new road in adjacent to the golf course on the grassy area until it was realsied that was not allowed by the covernents on that land! As for the double yellows on Front Street, they were painted in over the course of a Sunday night! Shopkeepers arrived back at their shops on Monday morning to find they had no access or parking facilities. When WDC were tackled about the underhand way this had occured their responce was that 50 people, supposedly members of the public, had requested the double yellows over a course of time and that was all that was needed to make it happen? Some form of temporary parking needs to be brought in to breath some life into the street but all the cries from the COT went unheard even though a petition was raised with 10 TIMES that amount of people signing it! WDC blamed the County and the County said it was down to WDC!

Here is the full list Dave; Aragones - Goyosa Nadal y millor año nuebo Asturian - bon Nadal y feliz añu nuevu Basque - zorionak eta urte berri on Bolognese - bån Nadèl e un ân nôv pén ed felizitè Brazilian Portuguese - feliz natal e um feliz ano novo Bresciano - bon Nedal e bu an nof Breton - Nedeleg laouen ha bloavezh mat Calabrese - buonu Natali e filici annu nuovu Cornish - Nadelik lowen ha blydhen nowydh da Croatian - cestit Božic i sretna nova godina Danish - glædelig jul og godt nytår Dutch - prettige kerstdagen en een gelukkig nieuwjaar English - merry Christmas and a happy New Year Esperanto - felican Kristnaskon kaj prosperan Novjaron Estonian - häid Jõule ja õnnelikku uut aastat Ferrarese - auguri'd bon Nadal e bon an nòv Flemish - zalig Kerstmis en gelukkig Nieuwjaar French - joyeux Noël et bonne année Furlan - bon Nadâl e bon an gnûf Galician - bo Nadal e próspero aninovo German - frohe Weihnachten und ein schönes neues Jahr Griko Salentino - Kalò Kristù ce na chrono nèo comào 'zze charà Hungarian - békés karácsonyt és boldog új évet Italian - buon Natale e felice anno nuovo Judeo Spanish - Noel alegre i felis anyo muevo Latin - Natale hilare et annum faustum Leonese - Bon Nadal y Prestosu Añu Nuevu Limburgian - ne zaolige Kiësmes, e gelèkkig Nauwjoër, ên al wo wènselek ès! Mantuan - bon Nadal e bon an Mapunzugun - ayüwün-ngechi lleqün antü ka küpalechi we tripantu Mudnés - bòun Nadêl e bòun ân Neapolitan - buonu Natale e felice nuov'anno Norwegian - god Jul og godt nyttår Papiamentu - Bon Pasku i Felis Aña Nobo Parmigiano - bon Nadèl e dla felicitè par al an nòv Piemontese - Bon Natal e Bon Ann neuv Polish - Wesolych Swiat i szczesliwego Nowego Roku Portuguese - bom Natal e feliz Ano Novo Rapanui - koa ite navidad ote mata hiti api Romagnolo - bon Nadél e feliz 'an nov Sicilian - bon Natali e filici annu novu Spanish - feliz Navidad y próspero año nuevo Swedish - god jul och gott nytt år Umbro-Sabino - bon Natale e fecunnu annu nòu Venetian - Bon Nadal e Bon Ano Nóvo Welsh - Nadolig llawen a blwyddyn newydd dda Zeneize - bon Denâ e feliçe anno neuo Wishing everyone a good 2007!

For something to do between courses can anyone put the appropriate country to the greeting/ Merry Christmas and a happy New Year - Goyosa Nadal y millor año nuebo - bon Nadal y feliz añu nuevu - zorionak eta urte berri on - bån Nadèl e un ân nôv pén ed felizitè - feliz natal e um feliz ano novo - bon Nedal e bu an nof - Nedeleg laouen ha bloavezh mat - buonu Natali e filici annu nuovu - Nadelik lowen ha blydhen nowydh da - cestit Božic i sretna nova godina - glædelig jul og godt nytår - prettige kerstdagen en een gelukkig nieuwjaar - merry Christmas and a happy New Year - felican Kristnaskon kaj prosperan Novjaron - häid Jõule ja õnnelikku uut aastat - auguri'd bon Nadal e bon an nòv - zalig Kerstmis en gelukkig Nieuwjaar - joyeux Noël et bonne année - bon Nadâl e bon an gnûf - bo Nadal e próspero aninovo - frohe Weihnachten und ein schönes neues Jahr - Kalò Kristù ce na chrono nèo comào 'zze charà - békés karácsonyt és boldog új évet - buon Natale e felice anno nuovo - Noel alegre i felis anyo muevo - Natale hilare et annum faustum - Bon Nadal y Prestosu Añu Nuevu - ne zaolige Kiësmes, e gelèkkig Nauwjoër, ên al wo wènselek ès! - bon Nadal e bon an - ayüwün-ngechi lleqün antü ka küpalechi we tripantu - bòun Nadêl e bòun ân - buonu Natale e felice nuov'anno - god Jul og godt nyttår - Bon Pasku i Felis Aña Nobo - bon Nadèl e dla felicitè par al an nòv - Bon Natal e Bon Ann neuv - Wesolych Swiat i szczesliwego Nowego Roku - bom Natal e feliz Ano Novo - koa ite navidad ote mata hiti api - bon Nadél e feliz 'an nov - bon Natali e filici annu novu - feliz Navidad y próspero año nuevo - god jul och gott nytt år - bon Natale e fecunnu annu nòu - Bon Nadal e Bon Ano Nóvo - Nadolig llawen a blwyddyn newydd dda - bon Denâ e feliçe anno neuo