Here's part one of our community news round-up, with the latest from Wylam, Acomb, Matfen, Upper North Tyne, and more.

  • Wylam

By Robin Piette

Seen the pictures of Tom Birch’s Sunday service on February 7 in the igloo in his garden?

Several of our pubs have set up pop-up, takeaway or click and collect for coffee, snacks and full meals – you can’t keep a good caterer down!

Lovely post from Clare Overton: Wylam Brownies have designed posters and postcards to welcome people to Wylam as they get off the train (or to remind people of what a lovely place it is when waiting on the platforms). We are looking for a volunteer or two to choose our winning posters which will be made and displayed at the station. You might have an interest in railways, be a keen artist or designer or just love Wylam. Please let me know if you’d like to help. All the designs can be sent digitally so we are fully Covid safe. All the Brownies will have their designs made into postcards.

On the subject of dog fouling which has increased in Wylam – the more people who report it in complete confidence to the parish council or Northumberland County Council either on line https://online.northumberland.gov.uk/citizen.../form.aspx.. or by calling county council on 0345 6006400, will give a clear message in the hope that they will send out dog fouling enforcement patrols who issue on the spot penalty notices.

The Hexham Book Festival is offering short courses on writing for all budding authors.

Good news about Stephenson’s Cottage. Following a long-running campaign by residents, councillors and our MP, the cottage will now open 10 times between May and October, with an offer for visitors that includes a walking tour of the village, and access to the birthplace with a guided tour – Covid restrictions permitting.

  • Matfen

By Jean Conteh

Stamfordham and Matfen Churches had a great success with their Zoom Burns Night on January 23. It was a fun and friendly occasion, with a lovely takeaway meal for those who had ordered it. And they are delighted to report that the event raised £871, which will be shared equally between the churches and Stamfordham village hall.

These notes have to go off to the Courant first thing every Monday morning, and today we’re all waiting for the government announcements about how the lockdown regulations are going to be eased. It sounds as if children will be going back to school before Easter, so let’s hope that they all find the transition smooth and safe, and enjoy meeting their friends again. The village hall committee are eager to get the hall open and active again, and I’m looking forward to reporting on lots of activities and events in future village notes. Remember, if you have anything you’d like to publicise or report on, you can get in touch on jeanconteh@waitrose.com Upper North Tyne Sarah Hallberg The grass cutting contract for Falstone Parish is up for tender and applications are welcomed. The contract is for one year initially, but can be extended to three years. For further details, please contact Mrs J Sanderson, Clerk to Falstone Parish Council, by email at falstonepc@yahoo.co.uk or by phone on 01434 240319.

Rural Churches for Everyone (RCFE) is a National Heritage Lottery Funded project supporting four clusters of historic Northumbrian churches (including 9 churches in the Bellingham and Upper North Tyne region) to secure their sustainable future. The project deadline has been extended to January 2022 and plans also include Newcastle Diocese’s commitment to becoming an Eco Diocese (with net zero carbon proposals). Further information (including contact information) can be found online at http://inspirednortheast.org.uk/rural-churches-for-everyone and you can also follow the project via Twitter (https://twitter.com/inspiredne) or Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Rural ChurchesForEveryone). There will be fortnightly online meetings starting in March, covering topics such as examining the assets of the churches, the characteristics of the communities they serve, what their communities need, achieving eco church status, what the buildings need, funding and finance, and other topics. If you would like to get involved or have some ideas to contribute, please don’t hesitate to get in touch – there’s plenty of opportunity to be part of this project and your input would be very welcome.

  • Allen Valleys

By Robert Philipson

Only the remains of snowdrifts behind the dyke backs are a reminder of the recent stormy conditions. Not only do we have a flock of lapwings circling the fields with the odd oyster catcher but the sheep on the fell have the confidence to leave the shelter of Sipton Side and seek clean grazing on the higher parts of the Allendale Common. I am sure everyone will welcome these somewhat more springlike conditions, particularly our postman Ian who slipped in the snow and ice landing on his back and receiving a nasty cut to the top of his head. The sorting office at Hexham is struggling to keep up with the demand particularly as a significant number are off sick so the posties will definitely be glad to see the change in the weather and long may it last.

The superfast broadband service from B4RN is progressing with more houses and businesses having the fibre blown to the property giving them B4RN’s standard 1 Gigabit service. For those not yet connected and who want to take advantage of the government’s voucher scheme and register to cover the cost of installing to their property time is running out to register. The deadline is March 31 but the sooner the better as once registered the core network installation can push on in the confidence that the finances will be in place to cover the costs. For more information go to the B4RN website or to register fill in the form at https://b4rn.org.uk/postcode-checker/ and then respond to the email received from DCMS.

Finally the speed, welcome and efficiency at the Burn Brae centre at Hexham Hospital where many Allen Valleys residents have been receiving their vaccination has been mentioned by numerous people. Also the understanding in the weekend with all the travel difficulties because of snow where many arrived late for their appointments was much appreciated.

Please send any contributions to this column for next week by Sunday 6pm and sent to robert.philipson@btconnect.com or telephone 01434 685266.

  • Acomb

By Julie Foster

Acomb Parish Council would like to invite residents of the Acomb community to a presentation on Climate Change on Wednesday 3rd March 2021 at 7pm. The presentation is being delivered by Northumberland County Council’s service director for climate change, and there will be opportunity to ask questions afterwards. The meeting will be held electronically (using Zoom). Joining instructions can be obtained from the parish clerk at griggbill@gmail.com or acombpc@yahoo.com. The next full parish council Meeting will be held on Wednesday, 17th March 2021.

  • Horsley

By Maurice Holliday

Horsley parish lies within the Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage Site with the Vallum and the line of the wall only one mile to the north of the village. Next year will be the 1900th anniversary of the building of the wall in AD122. This gives all our community groups the opportunity to prepare for this special event. It is one of those occasions that only happens once during a lifetime. The nearest Roman fort to the village is at Rudchester (Vindobala). The place name Chester or Cester means a fortified site and is commonly found in England. Horsley Wood was much smaller in Roman times when a Roman villa occupied some of the site. Another villa was at Whitchester with the prefix of the name meaning white from the local limestone.

The Hearth cafe has been nominated by Cycling England as the cycle cafe of the year 2020. A reminder that the cafe is open every day except Monday for take out food and drink. Fresh milk and other dairy products can also be purchased. Traditional roast lunches are provided on Sundays. Artwork can still be purchased from resident artists using the internet or telephone.

Work at the church came to a complete halt during the recent spell of bad weather. However last week the weather improved and great progress has been made on the steps.

Horsley Book Club met this month using the internet. Members read poems with the theme of love and discussed new books. Next month members will be reading the Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare.

Last week AMEY trimmed branches around the war memorial and as far down the main road as Cherrytree gardens. The overhead electric cable is now safer and in full view.