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Seghill Recycling centre to close.....post
8.3.10
Families who use a domestic waste recycling centre in Northumberland are being warned they will have to find an
alternative in a month's time. The household
waste recovery centre in Seghill will close on April 6 as part of cost-cutting budget plans agreed by the county council. There are 12 other HWRCs across Northumberland which people can
use, with the facility at Bebside, near Blyth, suggested as the best alternative to the Seghill centre.
Thousands of commuters were delayed this morning after a smash
on the A1.
The crash involved four vehicles after a car travelling on the northbound
carriageway slipped off the road. It happened at around 6.30am just north of Seaton Burn. The
road was closed for half an hour and many commuters had to find an alternative route, as traffic queued from Stannington,
Morpeth, to Gosforth Great Park. None of the drivers were injured.
CHAINSAW vandals cut down 50 trees in a Northumberland wood - and then filmed the devastation
on their mobiles.The trio decided to turn part of the picturesque land at East Hartford into a makeshift scrambling track
with ramps and jumps.Armed with their own power tools for the task, they began felling mature trees on the site near Cramlington.
By the time special police patrols finally caught them, 50 fully grown trees worth up to £80,000 had been lost. Officers
then recovered footage of the aftermath taken on mobile phones, Newcastle Crown Court heard. Details
of the spree last summer were revealed after a 17-year-old admitted possessing a chainsaw with intent to damage or destroy
the wood owned by Northumberland County Council. "The damage was first noted on July 1 and police community support
officers thereafter were monitoring the area," said Tom Moran, prosecuting. "On July 12th they heard the sound
of a chainsaw and saw the defendant with others. It doesn't appear they had got as far as using the saw on that occasion. "But
their mobile telephones were also seized and contained video footage from earlier occasions confirming the purpose for trees
being chopped down". The images included film of the l7-year-old - who cannot be named for legal reasons - building an
obstacle for scramblers to jump over. "The woodland was planted on an area of reclaimed open mining land."
Mr Moran said. "It appears the defendant and others had the idea of converting part of it into some sort of off-road
track for motorbikes and cycles."The 17-year-old, who has no previous convictions, had played no part in any of the earlier
damage, his barrister Paul Caulfield told the court. "There are other principle offenders." Mr Caulfield said. "He
met them on the day in question and was invited to assist them to carry the chainsaw to the location."He was aware of
what was about to happen but nothing did occur." Judged Esmond Faulks imposed a Referral Order putting the teenager under
the control of the South East Northumberland Youth Offending Panel. "They will deal with you as they see fit,"
Judge Faulks said. "If you do not cooperate with them there can be serious consequences". Two other
defendants facing the same allegation of intent to damage had their hearings adjourned without the charge being put to them.
Mayor Urges Health Bosses to Scrap Plans for Cramlington Hospital ...posted 14.1.10
Health chiefs were last night urged to drop plans to build an emergency hospital near Cramlington. Opposition
to the Northumberland proposal is growing amid concerns the region cannot support another hospital without massively downgrading
services elsewhere. Health bosses have denied the claims and insist for many thousands of families it would increase
their options in an emergency. The attack from a leading Tory is raising eyebrows
at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust where planners thought they had offered genuine improvements to regional health plans. But
council leaders claimed that as result of the plans thousands of families will be told they are not welcome at their nearest
hospital and asked to head to Cramlington in an emergency. NHS bosses need to draw in 500,0000 patients to the new hospital
which will see existing ones in Newcastle and Tyneside put at risk as funding is "spread too thin" opponents argue. In
North Tyneside, elected mayor Linda Arkley claims the new hospital will take beds and wards from her patch and she predicted
a huge patient backlog as staff struggle to cope with a 20% bed loss at North Tyneside General Hospital in North Shields. She
is also worried about a loss of paediatric services. Mayor Arkley said that while she could see benefits for some people
in the borough, overall North Tyneside would lose out substantially. She said: "The proposals should be withdrawn
and we should concentrate on improving what we have or else what we will see is less availability here because we will have
to reduce the number of beds that are expected to be available for patients leaving A&E and going into longer-term care.
This proposal will put a lot more pressure on the other PCTs and take vital funding away. "It is important we get
the message to people who think this is just a new hospital. "It is important to see the damage done elsewhere
as a result." In Newcastle a council scrutiny committee has already contacted health bosses accusing them of unintentionally
misleading families over who will be covered by which hospital. It has emerged that nearly 4,000 families in the north
of the city who are currently sent to Newcastle hospitals in an emergency will be covered by the new one in Cramlington. Chairman
of the committee, Kevin Graham, said: "There appears to be a clear expectation within the NHS that 3,700 patients will
soon be attending Cramlington Hospital in an emergency. "This was not apparent when councillors were consulted." For
many the hospital will be welcome news, as the proposals offer extra options for paramedics in a hurry. But there are
worries that by taking patients from Newcastle and Tyneside, health bosses in Northumberland will cause long-term damage to
the other prestigious hospitals. Newcastle has been told the move will be neutral but there are still fears that a loss
of city population will force national funding chiefs to pick and choose. Bringing the Community
Together - at Beaconhill ......Posted 14.1.10 A drop-in centre aims to bring together a community
and provide the vital help they need. The centre, which has just opened at Beaconhill Community Centre in Beaconhill,
Cramlington, is hoping to instill a sense of community among the estates in the area. Currently organisers feel people
keep themselves to themselves, and some groups such as young parents rarely have the chance to get together with like-minded
people as they do not get an opportunity to meet others from around the estates. But
the new centre, called Stan Drews after St Andrew's Church which runs it, will be available to many different groups,
including young families and the elderly - even passing dog walkers. It will offer debt advice and help with savings
through backers the Credit Union, and help with other matters through the presence of the Citizens Advice Bureau. Doreen
Dugdale, who lives on the estates and is helping with the running of Stan Drew, said: "There are a lot of houses but
a lot of folks tend to keep themselves to themselves, so it will do the community a lot good. "It will help a lot
of people in the area who possibly don't get out as much - they go to the shops and back but don't socialise. Hopefully
they will socialise as word gets round. It will bring them back into the community. Hopefully it will help a sense of community.
That's what the intentions are, for folk to get together."
To find out more information contact the centre
Northumberland Council Winter Weather Update .......posted 14.1.10
BIN
COLLECTION Northumberland County Council is trying to get back to a normal
bin collection routine. A spokeswoman said: "There has inevitably been disruption to the
bin collection service in Northumberland due to the recent winter weather conditions - particularly in the more rural areas
of the county. "The council is asking residents to refer to the normal collection timetable
for their area, and place the correct coloured bin out on the next scheduled collection day. Where a bin has been missed the
council will collect additional bags of waste on the next visit. "In
some areas we have been able to return to collect missed bins, however this is only in very limited areas, so the main message
is still to put your bin out on the normal collection day. " Details of bin collection timetables
and regular updates can be found on www.northumberland.gov.uk or obtained by phoning 0845 600 6400.
ROAD CONDITIONS
Drivers using Northumberland's roads are being urged by council bosses to report any major potholes they find
following the recent freezing temperatures. Residents across the county have been put on 'pothole
alert' after many roads suffered serious damage during the icy and snowy weather conditions. The
council's highways department is asking people to call 0845 6006400 and pass on details of any serious damage to road
surfaces. The plea comes after the thaw in recent days revealed a big increase in the number of potholes caused by the severe
conditions. Highways staff are currently pinpointing the locations of the worst potholes and are
seeking help from the public. Once the extent of the problem is known, officials will prioritise
those most in need of urgent repair on the 5,000km of roads across the county. Bill Batey, director
of street scene said: "This severe weather period has inevitably had an effect on the road surface, and we are already
seeing an increase in the number and size of potholes.'' Meanwhile, motorists are being
caught out by black ice as snow thaws. Among the incidents yesterday was a bus which skidded into
the end of a house after sliding on black ice in County Durham. The Met Office put out a weather
warning for widespread icy roads across the North East.
Christmas
Lights Switch On - Sunday 29th Nov
The first ever official switch-on of the
Christmas lights in Cramlington will take place this Sunday. The fun at the ceremony
will include music from The Smokin' Barrels and Cramlington Learning Village choir. The lights will be switched on by
the Mayor of Cramlington, Mr Brian Pickering. The whole family is welcome at
the free event, which will be at Cramlington Village Square at 5pm on 29th November.
In the event of bad weather the
entertainment will be at the Village Club. ...posted 25th Nov.
Cramlington
donation is landmark for Banks
A leading North East mining and development company has topped
the £1m mark in the amount of money it has given to local good causes. A
£4,800 handout to the Cramlington Voluntary Youth Project has taken the Banks Group's community fund past the £1m
landmark. The latest grant covers the cost of new garden and sporting equipment
for the Cramlington project, which organises and hosts activities for local young people....posted 18.11.09
Blyth MP dismisses internet death rumour
A Northumberland MP has insisted
reports of his death are an exaggeration after rumours swept his constituency that he had died.
Whispers grew across Blyth Valley from Sunday night that Labour MP Ronnie Campbell had had a fatal heart
attack. One councillor had heard the 66-year-old MP had collapsed while filling
up his car at a petrol station...posted 18.11.09
No firework display
in Blyth this year
Northumberland
County Council has confirmed that there will be no firework display in Blyth this November.
A spokesperson said:
"We are planning to support the running of a public event in south east Northumberland in the coming months, but there
will unfortunately be no fireworks event this November...Posted 01/11.2009
Wannabe
Pop Star Makes it to Regional Finals
Cramlington's very own Jennifer Jones has made it through to
the regional finals of the 2009 Open Mic competition.
Jennifer and her singers, The Scrumpy's,will now compete for
a place in the national final, a chance of a recording contract and to take part in a nation-wide tour.
Jennifer will
now take part in a head to head at the Tyne Theatre on Sunday October 4th for the regional title.
For more info
visit
www.openmicuk.co.uk or Jennifer's website www.jennifer-jones.co.uk ....Posted 12/09/2009
The Phoenix Theatre announces Great Line-up
Blyth's Phoenix Theatre has announced a great line-up for the rest of this year. Alvin Stardust
is making a return to the theatre when he brings his hits. One night shows with the likes of Frankie Valli to Abba, Queen,
Led Zeppelin to the Beatles. There will also be the annual pantomime, which will be Sleeping Beauty this year. For more information
contact the box office on 01670 367228 or visit www.phoenixblyth.com
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