A PUBLIC meeting at Bellingham Town Hall last Wednesday, arranged at indecently short notice by Northumberland County Council, offered a small number of Redesdale and North Tyne residents an opportunity to learn about, and comment, on the timetables for future bus services in the area.

The council has recently reviewed its supported services and has implemented cuts of £200,000 across the county. It has also cut down on unnecessary mileage by “feeding” services into Bellingham as a hub and local service centre.

At the same time, the situation in the North Tyne and Redesdale has been complicated by the need to re-tender the routes previously operated by Snaith’s, of Otterburn.

The removal of the Tuesday service from Byrness via Otterburn to Hexham, replaced with a Monday service via Bellingham caused considerable concern and led to some angry exchanges, not just because of the change of day, but also because of the one and a half hour journey time and a reduced stay in Hexham of little more than two hours.

This new service 885, which started on Monday, will depart Byrness at 9.15am, and Otterburn at 9.34am, arriving at Bellingham Heritage Centre at 9.50am. Travellers will be expected to change to the new service 680 which departs Bellingham at 10.03am, arriving at Hexham Bus Station at 10.55am.

The return service departs Hexham at 13.10pm, arriving at Bellingham at 14.02pm, in time for a 14.05pm departure to Byrness.

A revised Friday service 815 from Otterburn to Bellingham, via East and West Woodburn and Ridsdale, starting today, departs Otterburn at 9.15am and arrives at Bellingham Heritage Centre at 9.50am. The return journey is the same as for the new Hexham service, leaving Bellingham at 14.05pm. This provides for a four-hour stay in Bellingham – a point which both bemused and further angered those attending the meeting.

The daily return service 808 from Otterburn to Newcastle, departs Otterburn at 7.05am, but will now terminate at St Thomas’ Street at 8.03am. The return service departs St Thomas’ Street at 17.20pm, arriving at Otterburn at 18.05pm.

On Saturday, this service will start in Bellingham at 10.10am, West Woodburn at 10.20am, Otterburn at 10.35am and Elsdon at 10.40am, arriving at and departing from St Thomas’ Street at 11.40am and 16.55pm respectively.

These services will be operated by PCL with fully accessible, low floor, wheelchair and buggy friendly buses. At the meeting, the county council representative was unable to say whether any of these new arrangements would be open to review in the future, or whether travellers would just have to make the best of them.

A COFFEE morning in aid of St Peter’s Church, Otterburn, is being held at Otterburn Memorial Hall on Saturday, August 15, starting at 10.30am.

You are invited to go along and see the proggy mat which is the first prize in the raffle. There will also be tombola and other stalls. Everyone is welcome.

THE committee of Otterburn Memorial Hall would like to thank all those who supported the recent fund-raising prize bingo, by attending or donating prizes and helping to raise a marvellous £590 to help maintain the hall.