TYNEDALE basked in soaring temperatures at the weekend with families flocking outdoors to make the most of the glorious sunshine.

On Saturday, temperatures in the district reached 22C, which was perfect weather for the official opening of Haltwhistle outdoor pool for the spring, with crowds flocking to the pool in their bathing suits to enjoy the weather.

Meanwhile some parts of the country experienced the hottest Easter Monday on record. Those taking part in one of Tynedale’s Bank Holiday traditions, the Hedley Barrel Race, made the most of the sunshine.

Eleven teams of three competed to beat the clock by lugging an empty beer keg across a one-mile stretch to the finish line at the Feathers Inn – where the event is organised by owners Rhian Cradock and Helen Greer. “This was most definitely the most glorious Easter Bank Holiday we have ever enjoyed at The Feathers,” said Helen.

It was a stark contrast to the heavy snow which racers battled through on the last Easter Bank Holiday Monday.

The winning team was “Gin and Beer It”, consisting of Mark Russell, Philip Hindmarsh and Danny Gilhome, with a time of 11 minutes and eight seconds. Meanwhile the winning children’s team was Teddy Shaw-Kew, Austin Gibson and Luca Opie, named the “3 Amigos”, with a time of 11 minutes.

This year’s egg jarping winner, Hattie Yates (4), saw off 31 other competitors to win the title, and the fancy dress title went to Disney’s Frozen characters “The Frozen Wigs”, Corrib Maccaba, Jim Handz and John Aspinall.