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When the sun is shining everyone loves a good barbecue and so it’s time to dust down the patio, fire up the BBQ and get ready for some gastro grilling. According to the people behind the National BBQ Week, which started back in 1997, the cry used to be ‘if it ain’t burnt, it ain’t barbi’, but our attitudes towards BBQ and summer eating have changed and the BBQ market has grown from just 9 million BBQ occasions back then to over 130 million last year. With this in mind we have come up with a list of local parks and beaches where you can definitely have a BBQ around Newcastle . And we have looked into the rules for outdoor grillers too! Bolam Lake Country Park, Belsay The park is situated in the heart of the Northumberland countryside, surrounded by historic landscapes and dramatic views. It has lakeside, woodland and open grassed areas for all to enjoy, with the attractive lakeside walk being accessible for wheelchairs and pushchairs. You’ll find a number of picnic tables in the main picnic area. The best access to the Pheasant Field is from West Wood car park. BBQs are allowed but visitors must take them home and be careful not to scorch the grass or wooden surfaces.

Matthew Booth, of the 2522 Bedlington Air Cadet Squadron, enjoyed an unforgettable day earlier this month as he attended the Queen’s garden party at Buckingham Palace, hosted by ​the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall.

The below trials are just a small few of those heard in the North East. To keep up with the latest court news from across the region, join the ChronicleLive’s North East Court News group on Facebook here. A dad accused of killing his baby son by vigorously shaking him told a court he loved him and “would never do anything to hurt my children”. Civil engineer Andrew Chiu denies the manslaughter of 15-week-old Nathan Chiu at their home in Kingston Park, Newcastle. Prosecutors say, in temper or frustration, he shook his son or caused him to impact against a surface or both, causing bleeding on the brain, leading to cardiac and respiratory arrest. He denies the allegations. The trial continues.

A middle school in Bedlington has come in for criticism over a year group trip that is scheduled to take place on July 3.

Two men have appeared in court following an alleged armed skirmish involving a golf club and a saw which left a man in hospital. Police were called to Bedlington in Northumberland on Saturday night following reports of a disturbance. Both Sean Thompson and Daniel Simmons were later charged with affray and possession of an offensive weapon. Northumbria Police said a 48-year-old man suffered “serious but non-life threatening injuries”. A police spokesman said: “Two men have been charged with affray and possession of an offensive weapon following a report of a disturbance in Bedlington. “Sean Thompson, 48, of Half Moon Street, Stakeford and Daniel Simmons, 20, of Harrington Gardens, Stakeford have appeared before magistrates in Bedlington.

A former Northumberland garage owner is motoring in a completely new career, after swapping automotive engineering for watch making. Glen Anthony Jobling, from Bedlington , has more than 30 years experience in the vintage and modern motoring industry but he has now turned his interest in design watches into a new business. Mr Jobling was inspired to change his career as a successful garage owner in North Tyneside in 2015, after making a watch for a friend while mulling over his options for a career change. Glen Anthony Watches (GA) has now officially launched with a range of men’s and women’s watches, which are designed, manufactured and assembled at his workshop in Wansbeck Business Park in Northumberland . All the parts of the watch are handmade on site by Mr Jobling except the Swiss movement, which he has sourced to meet his specific requirements. The watches are influenced by his love of all things mechanical and automotive, with designs inspired by the craftsmanship of the vintage cars he used to restore, as well as high tech materials of the latest sports cars.

A Bedlington air cadet has been named one of the top in the country.

Whitley Memorial CE First School in Bedlington has received an award for its tree-mendous environmental efforts.

The Newcastle Chronicle has teamed up with The Halifax, Metro Radio and TFM Radio to explore what home means to the people of the city. We'll be celebrating the special places in people's lives and sharing those stories of home with #HalifaxLoveYourHome. Every week between now and Sunday 24 June 2018, one lucky person will be chosen by the judges to win £500 for sending in the best story. This week’s winner is former primary school teacher Joe Waddle. He says the peaceful Northumberland home he shares with wife Jude and daughter, Caitlin, provides the perfect inspiration for his writing, and his evocative poem really captures the meaning of home... I’m a creative person and I love writing - I’ve penned poems, songs and even self-published a novel - and home is where I get a lot of inspiration. I actually come from a very sporty family. My younger brother Chris was a professional footballer who played for Newcastle and England. I wasn’t a bad sportsman but not brilliant and packed football in when I was quite young. My wife Jude and I moved to Bedlington 14 years ago. It’s a former mining town but it’s so peaceful and quiet. We turned our spare bedroom into a study and it’s where I wrote my Kindle book On the Up, two years ago. It was something I always wanted to do. The study is not the only place I like to get a bit creative. At Christmas we like to decorate the house so we’ll usually have two Christmas trees – a big 6ft one in the living room and another 4ft one in the conservatory. And we also like to have parties every now and again. Of course, being from a football family we’ve had the odd World Cup celebration in the garden! Despite that, when it comes to day-to-day decoration, I’m an absolute minimalist. Our living room has a TV, two sofas, a coffee table and a few pictures hanging up.

Bethany Dawson has her hands full with her young family. One of her four-year-old twins is disabled and needs round-the-clock care while she also look after sons Jack, three, and Luke 11. Kole and Hayden McDonald were born prematurely at 31 weeks and while Kole went from strength to strength, it soon became clear that his brother was different. Hayden now suffers from an undiagnosed genetic condition meaning he has Global Developmental Delay, visual impairment, problems with his foot and is tube fed. He is one of just 90 people in the whole world to suffer from his specific genetic mutation and is believed to be the worst affected. The Northumberland tot is also epileptic and non-verbal.

What difference can a year make? Peter Jackson, leader of Northumberland County Council, claims it can be significant. It’s a year to the day since Coun Jackson’s brand new Conservative cabinet met for the first time, after missing out an overall majority by - quite literally - a straw. Northumberland local elections results IN FULL - council held by Tories in 'straw draw' drama Their first 12 months in office certainly could not be described as “uneventful”, and they haven’t shied away from controversy. Here’s some of what’s happened:

Residents and staff at a Choppington care home are celebrating a good inspection.

A businessman has been convicted of keeping a group of men as slaves – after he made them work 90-hour weeks in return for takeaway food and alcohol. Landlord Hargit Singh Bariana, 46, targeted vulnerable men who were left without homes due to alcoholism and drug addiction. The victims were all white British men – which the lead investigator said should challenge peoples’ perceptions of these types of cases which have previously predominantly seen victims trafficked from abroad. Bariana provided the men with accommodation, took all their housing benefit as payment and forced them to work. They were made to clean sewage pipes by hand and work 13-hour days in their bare feet. They did not receive a wage. Instead they were offered takeaway food and alcohol. Bariana would rely on their addictions and lack of accommodation to force them to work. If the victims refused he would then resort to violence and intimidation. It wasn’t until officers raided a property in the town linked to anti-social behaviour and drug use that police uncovered the offences. They found a number of men living in horrendous conditions who were initially too terrified to speak about their ordeal. When they did disclose the whole story to police, Bariana was arrested and later charged with eight offences under the Modern Day Slavery Act. Bariana, of Blue House Farm, Netherton, Bedlington, was charged with eight counts of requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour between 2009 and 2015. And at Newcastle Crown Court today (16 May) he was found guilty by a jury of six of those offences. He was also convicted of being concerned in the supply of Diazepam. Bariana was found not guilty of two of the force labour charges and also acquitted on a single count of robbery. He was remanded into custody by a judge and will be sentenced on the week commencing June 18 at the same court. Following the conviction, Chief Inspector Helena Barron said: “Hargit Bariana preyed on vulnerable victims for his own gain. “He relied on the fact that they were homeless with addictions to keep them under his control. “If they did not work then they feared they would lose their home and be unable to feed their addictions. “Previous slavery cases have highlighted the trafficking of vulnerable victims from abroad to work in this country. However, in this case all of the victims were white British men – which challenges people’s perception of this type of crime and highlights the fact anyone could find themselves subject to such offences. “It is a lesson for everyone that a victim of modern day slavery can come from any walk of life and any background. “Our message is that if something doesn’t look right then it probably isn’t right and we would encourage people to contact the police. “Often people don’t realise they are victims of slavery – so it is important in order to tackle this type of crime that we encourage local communities to stay vigilant and alert. “I want to take this opportunity to thank the victims in this case who have shown great bravery. “I would also like to recognise the hard work of our officers on this case, and for their continued efforts to target offenders benefiting at the expense of others. “Under the banner of Sanctuary, protecting those who find themselves vulnerable through a whole range of crimes including modern day slavery, is Northumbria Police’s number one priority.” Anyone who thinks they are a victim or any members of the public who have concerns about modern day slavery happening near them should ring police on 101 or call the Modern Slavery Helpline on 08000 121 700.

This round-up of events is written by readers. To get your event or story included, simply fill out the form www.chroniclelive.co.uk/schoolnews St. Cuthbert’s RC Primary School, North Shields, Headteacher Shaun Dillon said: “Sixteen year 5 and 6 pupils are in training to tackle the challenging Coast to Coast bike ride from Whitehaven to Tynemouth over four days from 23rd- 26th May. The children are making the 140-mile cycle in aid of international charity Children in Crossfire to help children across the world reach their full potential. "Support from the North Shields and school communities has been amazing. Rafa Benetiz and the Newcastle United squad have also supported the Super16 by sending a wonderful inspirational letter and donating signed footballs to help the children raise funds.” Young creatives from Jubilee Primary School in Wallsend welcomed BAFTA-nominated illustrator and picture book creator Joe Berger to their classroom for an interactive event, thanks to leading supply teaching agency First Class Supply and Seven Stories - The National Centre for Children’s Books Joe Berger is an award-winning freelance illustrator whose work has appeared in numerous international magazines and newspapers, book cover designs, animated shorts, title sequences and commercials. As part of the double-act Berger & Wyse, with Pascal Wyse, Joe has a weekly comic strip in the Guardian and the duo’s animated title sequence for BBC1’s Hustle was nominated for a BAFTA. Joe has illustrated over thirty books for different publishers, including Tracey Corderoy’s Hubble Bubble, Frank Cottrell Boyce’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang series as well as his own Lyttle Lies series.

The man whose body was found inside a home in Frances Ville, Choppington, on Friday morning has been named by Northumbria Police.

A world class centre for engineering and manufacturing is to be built in Northumberland by a growing electronics company, creating a raft of new jobs. TT Electronics, a global provider of engineered electronics, has announced plans to plough £3m into its Bedlington base, to transform it into a centre of excellence for the growing business. The Bedlington facility is home to the design and manufacture of TT Electronics’ products used by customers in the aerospace market, including global aircraft engine manufacturers, such as hybrid circuits. Now the growing firm wants to create the centre of excellence to support its anticipated growth plans, working in partnership with customers to deliver smarter solutions. TT Electronics’ investment pledge comes two years after spending £1m on creating a clean room and automated production line, a spend which is already supporting production for aircraft engine makers while helping to win new customers. The ambitious new plans will trigger the demolition of some buildings and redevelopment of others, creating improved space for efficient engineering and manufacturing operations. The site currently employs around 310 people in Bedlington, up more than 25% since 2015, and headcount is expected to continue to increase in the next few years to support the anticipated growth for TT Electronics in the North East.

Inspirational marathon man Mark Allison has been inspiring schoolchildren before he sets off on one of his most difficult challenges yet. Mark is known as “Run Geordie Run” for the incredible feats of fundraising which have seen him pledge to run all the way round the world. The runner, 46 from Bedlington, is just under a month away from picking up where he left off, in Belgrade. He aims to complete a gruelling 2,900 miles on this fifth leg of his challenge - passing through Serbia, Romania, Ukraine, Russia and finishing in Astana, Kazakhstan. To reach Astana, Mark will be running 31 miles per day, which will allow him just seven rest days during the 100 day run, and pulling a fully laden buggy weighing 110kg (17.3 stone). For the first time, he won’t have a support team helping out, and will have to pull everything he needs on specially designed buggy called ‘Chappie,’ which he will tow behind him as he runs. The buggy, provided by sponsors Chapman Ventilation, will be used for cooking and storage in the day, and a bed at night.

A multi-million pound plan to “reinvigorate” a “forgotten” town centre is moving forward as cash is released. Northumberland County Council has announced that just under £6.5m had been released for a planned redevelopment of the former Tesco site in Bedlington . Though the businesses set to join the town have not yet been announced, the council says a “well-known food retailer”, more shops, apartments and car parks are on their way. The plans, estimated to cost £10m overall, were released in 2016 by the council’s redevelopment company, Arch. The scheme is set to bring up to 200 jobs to Bedlington. It was initially hoped construction would start in “late 2017”, but the start date is now estimated to be late this summer, subject to contracts being agreed.

Shoppers in Newcastle could not fail to spot early morning queues forming in Grainger Street on Saturday morning. Lines of people were spotted waiting patiently for a certain shop to open - and for comic book fans it would be clearly worth the wait. Saturday is Free Comic Book Day and to mark the annual event the popular Forbidden Planet store had plenty giveaways ready for its 9.30am opening. Prior to that, the Travelling Man shop just a couple of doors down the street had opened especially early for the same purpose. It meant several of the queue could stock up on freebies there, when it opened its doors at 8am, and then take a place outside Forbidden Planet, which specialises in science fiction fantasy. Among them was 28-year-old Ben Leslie from Bedlington, Northumberland, who had already picked up two free comics in Travelling Man, having arrived at the shop at 6am.

It’s that time of year. There’s been a flicker of sunshine so disposable barbecues and bags of charcoal are piled up outside petrol stations as the North East gets its grill on. The scent of charred food and smoke is as much a part of summer as beer gardens and brief interests in tennis. With a plethora of scenic parks and breathtaking beaches, it’s no surprise many of us opt to pick up a throwaway barbecue, gather our pals and head to the nearest beauty spot. But there are rules about where you can and can’t light up the BBQ. The council discourages BBQs in public spaces, but has issued guidelines for anyone who uses one.

Plans to rejuvenate Bedlington town centre are moving to the next stage after funds were released by the board of Northumberland County Council’s regeneration company for a multi-million pound re-development.