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Ever wondered what Yoga is? Come along to this FREE hour-long taster session and learn all about it. This session will introduce you to a form of exercise which is good for the mind and the body. You will learn warm up techniques, Yoga techniques to practice at home, and above all you will have fun. Suitable for young people age 13-18. Sessions are free but spaces are limited, so get in touch today to book yours!

Meditation for wellness is beneficial to all age groups. We will be working with the breath to aid in relaxation. By slowing and deepening our breathing it will help you to achieve a meditative state. As part of the class we will explore different meditation techniques. Meditation has been shown to relieve stress, help with low moods and has been practised for 1000 of years. First class that you attend is free. For more information, contact Christine on 07974 351113

Do you fancy taking part in a FREE workshop that will teach you about drumming, rhythm, and be loads of fun? Explore rhythms, learn about drums and how to use them, work with others to create group beats and positivity. Drums are provided for this workshop. Suitable for young people age 8-12 years. Places are free but limited, so get in touch to book yours today.

Do you fancy trying something new, fun and free? 'Trance Dance' is a form of free dance, using all senses but your sight to open yourself up to creative freedom and learn to use your other senses more. The workshop will introduce you to the dance form, teach you how to practice at home, and above all you will have fun. Suitable for young people age 12-17 years. Places are free but limited numbers available, so please get in touch to book yours.

A father and daughter from Bedlington are taking on the Great North Run in memory of their neighbour who died aged just 17.

East Bedlington Community Centre are working in partnership with Active Northumberland to set up a new Health Walk Group. The group will meet at The Buffet Car (our licensed community cafe) on Tuesday mornings at 10:30am. The first meeting and led walk will be on Tuesday 5th September. The walks will encourage you to walk at your own 'brisk' pace, which means you will breathe a little faster, feel a little warmer, and have a slightly faster heartbeat. The walks are FREE to participate in, but you will need to wear weather appropriate outdoor clothes and supportive shoes or boots. It is also a good idea to bring along some water and some change, as the walks may include a stop for refreshments either during or after the walk has taken place. At your first meeting you will need to fill in a registration form, so please try and arrive at least 10 minutes early for your first walk. To find out more please contact the centre either on 01670 828808 or 07513 127542, or message us directly through our page.

Enjoy 40 minutes of singing, rhymes, puppets and instruments, with your little ones. Parents, carers and grandparents all welcome to join in the fun! £3 per child, £2 for siblings, no charge for grown-ups

Do you love to sing, but feel nervous about joining a choir or singing group? Perhaps you feel that you can’t sing in tune, or shy about singing with others? Why not come along to a fun, friendly session with like-minded people and give it a go? You’ll be surprised how quickly your nerves will subside, and you’ll soon be enjoying have a good sing, and leave feeling uplifted and joyful! No need to have any previous experience or be able to read music, just come and have fun. The sessions are £5 each and there's no need to book - just turn up on the day and take part!

Moving tributes have been paid to a Northumberland community stalwart who has died at the age of 79. Mick Scott, of Bedlington, passed away last week after an illness. Mr Scott, who was awarded an MBE in 1992 for political service, helped to organise the Bedlington Fair for many years and was well known in the area. He was born in Bradford but moved to Embleton, Northumberland, where he spent his formative years. He left school at the age of 14 to take an apprentice greensman job at Dunstanburgh Golf Club, just outside Embleton, only to be made head greensman two days later because his predecessor fell ill. Mr Scott lived in Embleton until he was around 22 and moved to London after his parents died. He worked for the London Underground in charge of ordering supplies for various tube stations that were being created.

A Bedlington woman, who is affected by cancer, has raised a grand amount for charity through a fund-raising event.

CALLING ALL MARY BERRY'S! Bring along your best home made sweet from 10am until 3pm! £2 entry including FREE coffee and tasters for those who enter! Prizes to be won for for best cake and runner up! Please book your space now through our Facebook page or simply pop into the bar. Happy baking!

A mini sports day for all the family ran be Hope Church Bedlington! We will have a range of traditional sports day type games for all ages to join in with, as well as football, face painting and glitter tattoos. There will also be cakes, scones and drinks (tea/coffee/juice) to enjoy. All free of charge. Please bring friends an family.

Join Heather and the Aurora Orbs for a clearing, relaxing and insightful meditation class. Doors will open at 9.45am and close at 10.05am, this is so the class can start promptly. The cost of the class is £10. If you have any questions please feel free to message the page. Thank you.

We are delighted to announce that the Aurora Orbs are now available to be used by trained and insured Meditation Teachers as part of their Meditation Classes. On Saturday 9th September there is a special event taking place at The Old Police Station in Bedlington for Meditation Teachers to meet the Aurora Orbs, learn how to guide their clients to select the Orb that is right for them and understand the support that Aurora Orbs can give to Meditation Teachers to help develop and guide their clients on their next step. The event is FREE, only limited tickets are available, it's recomnded that you book your place in advance. If you are unable to attend the day and are interested in finding out more please join the Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/341668059623904/ Thank you.

FAMILY FUN DAY at Prudhoe East Centre We have stalls which will range from tombola’s, raffles and the guess the name of the teddy bear, where the winner will be going home with a furry friend. There will be plenty of refreshments in the form of hot dogs, sandwiches, homemade cakes and a selection of drinks and of course ice cream. WHEN: Thursday the 10th of August between 12pm and 4pm. WHERE: The East Centre, Front Street, Prudhoe, Northumberland NE42 5HN WHO: Young people from Northumberland have organised a family fun day for the local community in Prudhoe. The aim of this fun day is to raise awareness for the following charities: Teenage Cancer Trust, Beat and Helping Hands but it is also to promote the amazing work of Prudhoe East and the wonderful people who run it. The young people have organised a day that families of all description can enjoy that is accessible to everyone. The young people have worked with the local community, business to achieve the best fun day they could. Prudhoe Youth Charity Shop has provided lots of support and have encouraged the project. Wheelbirks Farm and Cafe Ginevra have kindly donated Ice Cream for the day. The event was completely organised by young people from Northumberland as part Northumberland Youth Service’s National Citizen Programme.

A much valued community funding scheme has been improved and relaunched by Northumberland County Council. One of the key improvements to the authority’s Community Chest Fund is a new grant aimed specifically at the under 18s. Under the new plans there will be a ‘Help For You’ scheme for young people. Grants of up to £200 will be available to help individuals under 18 in pursuing a particular ambition - whether it is sporting, musical or academic. Previous local and countywide elements of the community chest have been retained following a review and the authority is committing £375,300 this year to the fund. For local schemes, there will be a £5,000 upper grant limit with a maximum award of 75% of the cost of any proposal. These will be managed and allocated by Northumberland’s five local area councils. Each local area council will also have the flexibility to identify particular priority themes which are seen as particularly relevant to their communities. For the countywide element, the pot has been doubled to £60,000. There will be no upper grant limit, but the maximum grant award will be 75% of the project’s costs. Leader of Northumberland County Council, Peter Jackson said: “We are delighted to relaunch this much valued community funding scheme. We know that it has been of great benefit to communities across the county and wished to make sure that this benefit is enhanced in the future. “We have listened to views during a review and feel that we have made some very helpful changes. One of the most exciting improvements is that we have widened the appeal of the fund to the younger generation. We have introduced a grant specifically dedicated to individuals under 18s, called Help For You. This is aimed at assisting young people to pursue their ambitions which could be sporting, musical or academic. “We have also ensured that there is a consistent approach to assessing projects across the county, with the community chest budget managed and allocated locally by each area council and based broadly on the population living within that area.” The community chest fund has been in operation in Northumberland since 2009 and over its lifetime 1,450 awards totalling £2.6million have been made to voluntary and community groups to develop projects that enhance the environment, improve health and wellbeing and strengthen communities. Key features of the scheme are: A ‘Help For You’ scheme for young people; Community chest budgets managed and allocated by local area councils; The budget for each area council based on the population living in that area; Local area councils able to identify funding themes relevant to their communities; For local schemes, a £5,000 upper grant limit with a maximum award of 75% of the cost of any proposal; The countywide element of the fund doubled to £60,000, with no upper limit but the maximum grant award of 75% of the project’s costs, and Two funding rounds each year. The deadline for the first round of applications is scheduled for Friday 29 September and the second 12 January 2018. Find out all about the fund here.

A sizzling BBQ, fresh organic vegetables, and a live jazz band are all on offer at the Sleekburn Horticultural Training Unit’s August open day. The busy horticultural training unit is opening its doors on Saturday 19 August between 11am and 2pm, Visitors can pop in, enjoy a BBQ and live music and take a tour around the purpose built training facility including the several acres of vegetable and soft fruit patches, greenhouses, potting shed, secret gardens and the stable building and paddock which is home to the centre’s resident horses. The BBQ will be running from 12.30 for which there will be a charge of £5 per person. Northumberland County Councillor Veronica Jones, cabinet member for adult well being and health, said: “This project gives people with all levels of learning disabilities the opportunity to work as part of a team to plant, grow and harvest crops while also selling to and engaging with members of the local community. “The adults have been working hard throughout the spring and summer tending to a fantastic array of fruit and vegetables which have been grown without the use of chemicals or pesticides. “If you are able to support their work by coming along, having a look around the site, seeing what we do, and perhaps making a purchase please do.” Produce on sale at the opening day will all be freshly picked and all money from the sales will be reinvested back into the service. The centre is used by adults with learning disabilities and is managed by Northumbria Healthcare Foundation Trust on behalf of Northumberland County Council. The unit supports 18 adults each day, providing the opportunity to work as part of a team to plant, grow and harvest a number of crops and to learn how to look after horses and hens. Food will be served from 12pm .There is a charge of £5 per person for the barbecue. Sleekburn Horticultural Training Unit can be found at West Sleekburn Farm Cottages in Bedlington, NE22 7AD, just follow the brown sign to Sleekburn Kitchen Gardens.

The second summer season of the Peregrini Lindisfarne Community Archaeology project on Holy Island has been successfully concluded with spectacular results. In addition to the significant and well publicised discovery of the foundations of a possible early Anglo-Saxon chapel on the crown of The Heugh, other exciting remains were uncovered in the vicinity. To the west of the chapel, close to the existing war memorial, further investigation was carried out on the remains of a substantial stone-built platform structure partially uncovered last year, which has been tentatively identified as the base of a tower, again possibly of Anglo-Saxon date. Mortared into the south face of the platform structure, which consisted of a single course of rough cobbles, the excavators discovered a socketed stone, thought to be a reused stone cross-base, and an external surface of small rounded cobbles in the same area. The presence of a cross-base suggests the possibility that the platform feature may have originally been the site of a ceremonial cross. The Lantern Chapel, at the west end of The Heugh, was also investigated. This has been a poorly understood building and, in its current form, bears little resemblance to a chapel, although a chapel-like structure is depicted in this position on a map of the island dating from 1548. Excavation here seems to have confirmed the existence of this chapel by uncovering the footings of an east-west wall sitting directly upon the natural bedrock, apparently the remains of an older, narrower building on an east-west axis beneath the visible walls. A grave had been cut into the bedrock within the chapel and the disturbed remains of several individuals were found above it, but left undisturbed. Although the dates of construction and use of the three major structures excavated on The Heugh in 2017 remain unclear, it is likely that they represent a long period of sacral activity and it is hoped that the analysis of samples taken from all three sites will provide significant additional information in the coming months. In addition to the cultural heritage of The Heugh, the natural environment has also been studied and appreciated as part of the wider Peregrini Lindisfarne project, which has been made possible by National Lottery players thanks to a £1.37m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). The whin bedrock upon which two of the excavated structures are founded has been studied by geologist Ian Kille, while the plants and animals of The Heugh and its southern shore are as inspiring now as they were to St Cuthbert and his contemporaries. Prior to this season’s excavations, the natural environment had already given some clues to the hidden secrets of The Heugh, when a botanist working on the Peregrini Whin Grassland project recently questioned why different non-whin type plants were present on parts of The Heugh; the archaeology project has answered this question, showing that these plants were growing over the sandstone chapel. This season’s work on and around The Heugh has confirmed the importance of Holy Island in terms of its natural history and cultural heritage which combine to produce a unique and inspiring landscape. Conservation Manager, Sara Rushton said: "The results of this year’s excavations on The Heugh have exceeded all our expectations and will cause us to radically re-think how this narrow, exposed rocky ridge was used in the medieval and early-medieval period. These discoveries will make an important contribution to our understanding of the development of the monastery on Holy Island." The significance of the archaeology and the national importance of the natural environment will require a careful balancing act and much thought as to how best to holistically manage both. The archaeological sites have been temporarily backfilled and the nationally important habitat restored in order to give the community and other stakeholders time to develop a new project to look at, interpret and manage the whole Heugh - a real legacy for the Peregrini Lindisfarne project. Peregrini is a landscape partnership project made up of community, voluntary and public sector organisations. The project has received £1.37m funding through the Heritage Lottery Fund and is part of their national Landscape Partnership Programme. Partner’s funds and other grants dictate that over the next three years the £1.82million project will fund a wide variety of conservation and engagement projects on Holy Island and the adjacent mainland. The Peregrini Lindisfarne Landscape Partnership Scheme is managed by a Partnership of professional and community representatives from Holy Island and surrounding shore side area. The lead organisation for the Scheme is the Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Partnership, hosted by Northumberland County Council. Councillor John Riddle, cabinet member for planning at the county council said: "It is fantastic that this archaeology project is unearthing such significant remains on Holy Island, confirming the importance of the area in terms of its natural history and cultural heritage. I look forward to hearing the results of the further analysis of samples that have been taken from the three sites and to see what additional information this will provide." Photo: Aerial shot of the chapel, courtesy of The Archaeological Practice

Every Friday morning join me in this beginners pilates class. Places must be booked as there is limited space and a medical form completed before the session to confirm your place. Pilates 💜 mind body connection. Improve your posture, gain flexibility, develop your core are some of the amazing benefits of pilates.

Every Thursday evening join me in this beginners pilates class. Places must be booked as there is limited space and a medical form completed before the session to confirm your place. Pilates 💜 mind body connection. Improve your posture, gain flexibility, develop your core are some of the amazing benefits of pilates

Sitting behind her kitchen table at her Bedlington home, screen writer Rebecca Innes got hard at work to produce her first feature film. Now her masterpiece has been released in Malaysia and she hopes it will be screened in Britain in the near future. And the former St Benet Biscop Catholic High School pupil has told how she was so proud of her work when she travelled to the Asian country to see the premier last week. Now the 29-year-old is planning on rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous when the film is entered into the big film festivals, including Cannes, Raindance, Sundance. “I was really proud when I saw it on screen, it was really nice for me,” said Rebecca. “It is rare to get a feature film before a short film and to hear the actors speak the lines I wrote was so special. They did an excellent job too.” Rebecca was the lead writer for the film titled ‘Hijabsta Ballet’, which hit the cinemas in Malaysia on August 3.

A successful summer fair was held before the end of term at Choppington Primary School to raise funds for important resources and equipment.

Parking studies will be taking place in the county’s market towns over the summer which will help develop options for future parking needs in Northumberland. Concerns about parking capacity are regularly raised with the County Council and the new administration are working to get a clearer picture of capacity and usage of carparks. A study is already underway in Berwick and further studies will be carried out over the next two months in the market towns of Hexham, Morpeth and Alnwick, with the final reports being received by the Council in November. Motorists and car park users may see traffic surveys taking place but there won’t be any disruption for drivers. The people undertaking the studies will be carrying appropriate identification. Councillor Glen Sanderson, Cabinet member for Environment and Local Services, said: “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.” “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.”

Officials have been urged by a large group of Bedlington residents to protect the ‘jewel in the crown’ of Humford Country Park.