Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)

Today Wendy Reed posted this poster on Facebook group Bygone Bedlington

A photo of the miners with the Netherton Colliery Banner at the 1973 Miners Picnic was posted by John Dawson on the sixtownships site and shared with the Bedlington sites. On the Bygone Bedlington site Robert Morland made this comment :- 'The black sash on top of the banner was for a miner who had been killed . In this case 1973 it was for Alan Stappard only in his 20s lived at 2 third street tragic . . A life never lived. RIP Harry.'

HPW - if you drive along the Choppington Road - A196, from Jonathan Scott's there is a Vauxhall garage - Davidson's of Morpeth - Coopies Estate, just before Stobhill where I got my Meriva. They have a 'Mobility' specialist - Alison Owen and they have (according to their web site) New Zafira Tourer & used Zafira & Zafira Tourer. There Motability section normally deals with customers purchasing vehicles via the Motabilty Scheme (DLA/PIP - WPMS (War Pensions Motability Scheme) but naturally they will sell to anyone with the money. I have looked at many different cars (over the last 10 years) with a view to disability aids fitting in. It's ages since I looked at the spec on the Zafira as it was too big for me, the wife and 1 mobility scooter. What I did find with the Meriva (compared to loads of other makes & models) is that the back seats do not have to be taken out to fit in a complete mobility scooter. I am assuming the Zafira seats will be the same as the Meriva. The back seats of the Meriva fold down flat so there is no 3-4" step, between the book/back floor and the seats. In most other cars the seats had to be removed to get a flat surface that is almost essential to keep the scooter stable. I am assuming that the Zafira spec is very similar to the Meriva spec. I have never been a car 'geek', for me a car is to get me from A to B so I can do things. The son-in-law and two grandsons dismantle cars, soup them up; show cars etc. etc. I used to wind them up by saying I want a blue one next! Anyway I have had no problem with any of the 3 1600c & 1400cc automatic Merivas I have had. Excelleration via pedals or hand controls I have found excellent - not a geek but still like to move easily and quickly away from stationery positions at lights and Moor House Farm roundabout! Before the Meriva we used to have to dismantle the mobility scooter to get it into the boot of the car we had then. What Davidsons would probably advise yo to do is talk to Bewick Mobility - Blaydon Industrial Park, Chain Bridge Rd, Blaydon-on-Tyne NE21 5AB - Phone: 0191 414 0240 about what adaptions can be made. And you will no doubt be aware the adaptions these days are endless, but also costly, and all firms are after your money. I have dealt with Bewick Mobility for 6 years and I can't fault them. Prior to Bewick many local garages gave me advice and suggestions that really were based on sales and not improving mobility experience and I always had to do more later on.

Too late - just packed the wife, daughter & sister-in-law on a Virgin train for their annual trip to Edinburgh; Lunch at The Dome then shopping. I will send them a text and get them to come back on the bus and next year we will ignore the 1hr 24min (each way) £18.60 return fare (with reserved seat) and go for the 2hr 45min (each way) £15.65 return coach journey. If I find any virgins, at the Comrades club, I will attempt to convert. I'm singing and dancing in the remain, doo be do, doo be doo be do.............

You will have to read read A History of Northumberland in 3 parts by John Hodgson. The rendering a rose yearly came from Alan Dickson that used to post on this site but now looks after the Facebook group - Barrington, Barnt' n memories and stuff!!. When I Googled the line Alan gave me - It's knight's fee, a rose !! To be rendered once a year in midsummer - no relevant info was returned. I asked Alan if that was all he had searched for and he came back with - Just type in fealty, and rendering a rose - and returned some interesting links, for those wanting to research and read that is. I also searched for - A History of Northumberland in three parts - and that gave a link to the site - archive.org - where you can read and download the book.

Cheers John - just checked the Gallery as I thought I had this posted in the Gallery - Historic Bedlington - Barrington County Primary School, but I hadn't. Thanks for the info - I have added the photo into the gallery. In the Gallery, there is also an Album for Bedlington Grammar school and there is a photo of the grammar school team, with the Barrington lads & Bobby Charlton. When you say - This was the first Barrington school football team with the school providing new Yellow football strips. - are you saying the first ever football team the school had OR the first team that got those yellow strips that nicknamed the team - The Canaries?

Haven't given it any thought but one reply to the question on the rendering quote was :- It's knight's fee, a rose !! To be rendered once a year in midsummer. Rental of lands etc.'

Just so the Expats can get a listen to the twang for a few weeks, and if a didn't post it whilst a remembered a would forget, a think, possibly, but not sure, mebees......

CL there was a comment on Bygone Bedlington, by Alan Brady, some months ago that got me to do some 'Googling'. The comment from Alan was :- 'Netherton was the name of the village and the name of the area until the postal system began in the 1840's. There was confusion with Netherton in Coquetdale so the name of the village was changed to Nedderton. Which was also it's name mentioned on a historical document back when they didn't care very much about spelling. The district remained as Netherton ward of Bedlingtonshire' You probably have found this stuff already but here are the images I found and posted on the Bygone Bedlington site. Can't remember what site the info was on and how many pages of Google links I had to work through to find thses :-

Champion.

Regards given. The booklet is by Stephen B. Martin = Netherton (Nedderton) from Bedlingtonshire Villages History Series - 20 pages. When searching Bygone Bedlington for Nedderton info I found a link to the booklet a Phil Hodgetts had posted on flickr

Oooops, can't get Row oot me mind. I should have known, the street with no name! CL & Maggie - do you two have the Netherton Colliery Booklet as I do have a copy, scanned, I could send to you. CL - Westridge & Netherton came up in a conversation during lunch in the Hastings Arms, Seaton Delaval and when I mentioned your name Elizabeth (Betty) Hall said - 'say hello to CL we were at Westridge together.

HPW - both Simon Williams (Bygone Bedlington) and Foxy got a photo before they pulled it doon