Here are the latest reports from our community correspondents around the villages of Northumberland

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Prudhoe

by Ian Warburton

  • STOCKSFIELD Retired Men’s Association will meet on Thursday, March 17. Please see the Stocksfield village notes for details.
  • CONGRATULATIONS to Lynne Graham, a member of Prudhoe Methodist Church, on becoming president-elect of the Newcastle District of Methodist Women in Britain.
  • An induction service will take place at Prudhoe Methodist Church on Thursday, March 17, commencing at 11:00am. There will be a cuppa and fellowship afterwards, so please bring a picnic lunch.  
  • PRUDHOE Gleemen will present a concert of Songs for Ukraine at St Mary Magdalene Parish Church on Monday, March 21, commencing at 7:00pm. No tickets will be issued, so there is no need to book in advance, but there will be a departing collection to support Ukrainian refugees arriving in Moldova.  
  • THE news may be gloomy but I have been so heartened to see the response of the people of our wonderful town to the request for donations to provide aid for so many people now taking refuge in countries bordering Ukraine  So much has been donated that the van drivers have been able to depart ahead of schedule. Well done to all who have donated so generously or are driving the vans, plus all those who have been receiving and sorting donations or have been in any way involved in the overall organisation in any capacity. As I write, these efforts are continuing. If you want an update after reading this, please visit the Prudhoe Parish Church Facebook page or email office@prudhoeparishchurch.org.uk   

Stocksfield

by Ian Warburton

  • STOCKSFIELD Plants and Gardens Society will meet on Tuesday, March 15 at Stocksfield Community Centre from 7:20pm for a talk by Mark Ridsdill Smith on container gardening. Drawing on his experience and interest in growing herbs, fruit and veg in containers, Mark will explain how to overcome the challenges and grow lots of abundant, delicious food at home in a small space. Visitors (£3) are very welcome to all the society’s meetings. Contact Sue on stocksfieldpg@gmail.com. For more information, including upcoming talks and events, visit the website: www.stocksfieldplantsandgardens.co.uk. Follow the society on Facebook.
  • STOCKSFIELD Retired Men's Association will meet at the Baptist Church Hall on Thursday, March 17, commencing at 10:30am. Refreshments will be served from 9:30am. This will comprise the Annual General Meeting and a short video talk.  
  • STOCKSFIELD Methodist Church’s popular film nights will resume on Friday, March 18, commencing at 7:00pm at the church. Details of what is to be shown will be given as you arrive.

Redesdale

by Emma Anderson

  • THE quiz night, held at Rochester Village Hall last Wednesday, was a great success, raising £213 for the Meningitis Trust.  The organisers wish to thank Brian Corbett, who set the questions and was quizmaster on the night, and the 40 people from across the valley who attended and contributed to the event’s success. It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening for all concerned. The two winning teams donated their cash prizes to the evening’s good cause.  
  • A CHARITY domino drive will be held at Rochester Village Hall this Saturday, March 12, at 1.30pm for 2pm.  Tea, coffee and scones will be served. Everyone is welcome.
  • OFCOM’S stated mission is “to make communications work for everyone.” Communication is at the heart of community resilience and is vital to rural communities.  During the recent storms, some rural communities lost power for up to 10 days and broadband/telephone signals for 14 days. Only those with an old analogue telephone could communicate with family, neighbours or the outside world. With this in mind, I received information this week about an online petition which seeks to pause the intended analogue switch-off in 2025 until emergency communication in rural areas is resilient. Please visit www.change.org/p/ofcom-pause-bt-digital-voice-roll-out-until-emergency-communication-is-resilient-in-rural-areas to sign the petition.

Riding Mill

by Carole Craig Gilby

  • WELCOME to a brand new month. Great news travels fast! A superb effort by Riding Mill and WI, along with many helpers, raised over £1,000 in the jumble sale on Saturday 5. Setting up, working stalls, reception and kitchen, the whole team working in harmony. Linda Shepherd, who organised this event, wishes to extend her sincere thanks to everyone involved.
  • THERE are now collection boxes under the market table at the parish hall for donations of goods towards the Northumberland Council Ukraine project. Tinned food, new clothing, children’s toys or pastimes, toiletries, all must be new.
  • THE Wednesday ladies choir is rehearsing a fine repertoire for the Queens Jubilee vintage afternoon tea, so why not come and join us - it’s not too late to sing with joy (no auditions needed just enthusiasm)
  • THE Riding Mill Drama Club is looking forward to its first production in over two years. Its members will be performing three one act comedy plays on March 24, 25, and 26 in the parish hall 7.30 prompt start. Tickets still only £8, you can watch some regulars and some new faces go through their paces on stage. It promises to be a lot of fun and there is a licensed bar to boot. Tickets are available from RMDC website www.ridingmilldramaclub.com or Christine Andersen on 01434 682535. But hurry as seating is limited for obvious safety reasons.
  • DON’T forget we are now into Lent—soup lunches available 12-1.30pm in Millennium Hall on the six Wednesday 2/9/16/23/30 March and April 6, all profits go to Oxfam. No booking needed - come and enjoy two bowls of home-made soup and French bread and tea or coffee.
  • THE Lent Bible course for St James’s Church. Join us each week at 7.45pm on the regular service Zoom link, see website. Each session has an additional link to videos, which will be open on the day. The Bible is a library of books, divided into two Testaments – Old and New. Together they form one story that centres on Jesus Christ. Wednesday, March 16, Creation & Covenant Genesis is the first book of the Bible. As an ancient text, it still provides the best explanation of all the beauty and tragedy in our world.
  • CAMINO De Santiago: An illustrated talk by John Caine at St James’s Church, Friday, April 8 at 7.30pm. Tickets £10 per person, includes a glass of wine or a soft drink and canapés.

Bellingham

by Birtley Nail

  • BELLINGHAM could be in line for a £3 million boost under the Government’s Borderlands initiative. The village has been named as one of seven places in Northumberland under consideration for the massive financial shot in the arm over the next decade.While plans are still at a very early stage, a Bellingham board has been set up to identify possible capital schemes in the village. Its task is to gauge local opinion over what projects would be beneficial to the village, with potential solutions to parking problems already high on the agenda.
  • NORTH Tyne folk opened their hearts on Saturday to do their bit for Ukrainian refugees torn from their homes by Vladimir Putin’s invading Russians. A hastily arranged collection point at Bellingham Town Hall for vital supplies to help ease the plight of the thousands of women and children fleeing their ravaged homeland resulted in hundreds of items being handed in. The event was organised by Dawn Reay, who will forward all items received to the Polish Centre in Newcastle from where they will be sent on to Poland for distribution to the refugees being harboured there. Numerous volunteers turned up to help bag up the donations, and still more turned out on Sunday to help load the aid into vans. Dawn commented: “The Bellingham people’s generosity has taken my breath away.” Separate collections also took place last week at the Co-op in Bellingham and at the fire station.
  • AFTER two years of lockdown frustration, it has been confirmed that Bellingham’s biggest event of the year,  Bellingham Show will take place this year on the last Saturday in August. Hopes are also high that the Twisty Roads Easter Egg Hunt at Hareshaw Linn will also be back on Good Friday, although the damage wrought on the linn woodland by the winter’s violent storms may mean a change of venue for safety reasons. The eggs may be hidden in the vicinity of the picnic area rather than in the woodland, where weakened trees may pose a threat. The Twisty Roads Maundy Thursday quiz will also take place at the Cheviot.

Slaley

by Helen Savage

  • ALL the main groups in the village have come together to collect emergency aid for the people of Ukraine, feeling the conflict in their homeland. Items can be left in St Mary’s Church which is open every day from 9am to 5pm. A group of Ukrainians living on Tyneside is co-ordinating the delivery of the goods to those in greatest need. It has asked specifically for: camping mats, sleeping bags, warm blankets, hot water bottles and flasks, thermal base layers, thick walking socks, backpacks, foil blankets, first aid kits, paracetamol/ibuprofen/all pain killers, protein bars, energy gels, sanitary products, nappies and powdered baby milk. Any questions, phone Olwen or me on 01434 676852.
  • LET’S not forget the needs of other refugees: the next meeting of the Slaley Welcomes Project will be in the Commemoration Hall tonight (Thursday) at 6pm.
  • COMMUNITY spirit matters more than ever in times like this. Next Tuesday, we begin a short series of Lent lunches in the Commemoration Hall at 12noon – a simple, wholesome lunch, time to catch up with one another, maybe a bit of food for thought (strictly optional!) and any profits to Slaley Welcomes.
  • ON the subject of good food, the Fire & Dough pizza van will be back outside the Commem. Hall from 5pm to 7pm on Wednesday, March 23.
  • ON Friday, April 1 (no joke), the Flying Scotsman Classic Rally - around 120 amazing vintage cars - sets off north via The Glen, Townfoot, Dipton Foot and Prospect Hill. A sight to behold, for sure, but roads to avoid!

Chollerton

by Hugh Denholm

  • TEA at Three - On Tuesday, March 15 at 1500, please come along for some delicious home baking at Gunnerton Church.
  • LUNCH Club - On Wednesday, March 30, the Lunch Club will meet at Gunnerton Church for soup/dessert, tea and coffee. Starts at noon.