EVER since it accepted its first tenants in 1974, the Hillside Estate at Bellingham has boasted just one piece of play equipment; a venerable banana slide on which the children of the original users now play.

However,  proposals  by social landlord Isos  to provide new play equipment on the estate have received something of a  hostile reception.

A drop-in event at the town hall on the question of removing the slide and installing modern play  equipment failed to find a great deal of favour with some residents, so ,uch so that a petition was soon in circulation,

There are now only a  handful of children on the estate, as opposed to the four dozen or so who moved in when the estate was built as a result of the old Bellingham Rural District Council spending all its cash before being swallowed up by the new Tynedale Council.

The main bones of contention were the likelihood that new equipment would  result in children from outside the estate being attracted to the estate, and the fact that m any of them would be unable to resist climbing onto the  garage roofs, putting themselves and others in danger.

I await developments with interest.

IT IS also sobering to note that there has been such a dearth of local volunteers to carry out vital back-room duties at the Heritage Centre that it now seems likely the facility will have to become part of the Ashington-based Woodhorn Trust to get these jobs done.

The Heritage Centre trustees have taken advice from the Charity Commissioners and the Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums  Service about how to cope with the lack of local people prepared to become involved.

The advice was to seek to join forces with other museums, and the Woodhorn Trust seems keen to step in., as it a;ready has the Old Gaol at Hexham in its portfolio.  

Trustees secretary Maire West said: “ The trustees feel this is the best way forward, and it will guarantee us not  only the preservation of our volunteer museum, our own finances and collections, but also a long term future sharing the excellent Woodhorn resources of administration, marketing and other possibilities.”

There may be some interesting questions at the Heritage Centre‘s AGM., which should already have taken place, but which has been delayed by problems relating to negotiations with landlords the North Tyne and Redesdale Community Partnership with regard to the rent at the Station Yard.

THE annual St Cuthbert’s Festival walk takes place on September 5, starting  with breakfast at St Cuthbert‘s Elsdon at 9am. before a stroll to ST Cuthbert’s Corsenside for a barbecue lunch.

Walkers will then continue to St Cuthbert‘s Bellingham, arriving  between 1-30 and 2pm for a visit which incorporates Cuddy’s Well.   Teais  being served in the Reed Hall.

THE Bellingham-based Risingham Lodge of Freemasons in holding an open day in the town hall on September 5,  from 10am to 2pm.,  

The event will include a donation from the lodge towards the cost of a public access defibrillator for the village, as well as a chance to explore what freemasonry is all about