A NEW organisation has been set up in the Tyne Valley with the aim of ushering in a new, better world post-COVID.

Tynedale Transformed will be launched this Friday to debate ideas, co-ordinate plans, organise action and campaign for change.

The organisation will go live with a new website, after which it will host a number of events, including a flash-fiction competition judged by award-winning Northumberland flash-fiction writer and tutor, Meg Pokrass.

Also set to take place is a virtual online festival discussing climate change, the rural economy, and featuring a "real clap for carers."

The festival will run from October 2 to October 4, and will also feature a Hexham Debate; protest songs; political art; a green spaces event; films; workshops; discussions

Director John Hill said: "Tynedale Transformed is about imagining radical fundamental change – and then planning how to make it happen.

"t’s about doing it together. We want local, regional, national and international voices tackling topics that affect us all here in Tynedale."

Fellow director and the Labour Party's candidate for the Hexham constituency at last year's general election, Penny Grennan, added: "Now is the time to talk about the failures of the past and think about the future.

“Change is possible. It’s already happened in the Lancashire city of Preston. The council there worked with other organisations and completely turned the local economy around. We could do the same.

“Tynedale, along with the rest of the country is facing immense challenges at this time. The way to build our resilience is to come together, re-imagine change and make it happen.

“Ask yourself this question: in what sort of a world do we want to live? There are more things upon which we all agree than disagree. Let’s take action together to improve our lives."