Find out what is happening in your community.

 

  • Upper North Tyne

Sarah Hallberg

St Peter’s, Falstone, needs help from all knitters in the North Tyne area. The church would like to have a large display of knitted poppies for Remembrance Sunday 2021, and it has wool and patterns available for anyone who would like to contribute. Please contact Jill Swaile if you would like to get involved on alanswaile@aol.com or 01434 240168.

The annual subscription fees for The Meeting of the Waters (the North Tyne and Redesdale’s Parish magazine) are now due, and the annual fee of just £6.50 will get you 11 issues per year. Please contact Jill Swaile for further info.

Tarset and Greystead Community Support is available to help with shopping, collect prescriptions, newspapers, and anything else you need. It can also offer transport (even in the snow) for those of you who are called for your vaccines and are unable to get there. Please ring 01434 240210 or email caroline.waitt@btinternet.com and one of the volunteers will be there to help.

Although there will be no public worship in our region’s churches for February, churches remain open for visits and private prayer. Online services are on offer from St Cuthbert’s Bellingham, as are Lent Bible study sessions. For further info, please contact Elaine Ryder (01830 520212 or email revelaine212@gmail.com). ‘Daily Hope’ also offer services, prayers and hymns 24 hour a day (freephone: 0800 804 8044) and if you visit your local churches, you can hear Bible readings recorded locally on Sundays, as well as other notices.

 

  • Matfen

Jean Conteh

Here’s something a bit different, and a change from the telly on a Saturday night – a Burns Night Evening on Zoom! It’s being organised by those highland folk from Stamfordham, hosted by Rev Rachel Scheffer. There’ll be all the usual ceremonies and recitations to honour the haggis, and the poet behind it all, Rabbie Burns, often thought to be the national poet of Scotland. There’ll even be bagpipes, played by David Jones. It takes place from 8pm on Saturday, January 23, just a couple of days before Burns’s birthday. You can get further details and your Zoom link and song sheets from Peter Lombard (01661 886 331/ pmjlombard@googlemail.com). Donations are very welcome, and will be shared equally by Stamfordham Village Hall and St Mary’s Church Development Fund.

You have to be quick to enjoy the takeaway meals from Matfen Village Store these days – they always sell out fast. The menu changes every week, so keep an eye on the village facebook and the signs outside the shop, and book early in the week on 01661 886202.

Sadly, it seems that all Marshall’s sterling efforts to keep the Black Bull running have come to an end for now, and it will be up on the market some time soon, if it’s not up already. Good on Marshall for keeping it going so long, and let’s hope that it’s not the last of the pub in the village.

 

  • Humshaugh

Herbie Newell

Humshaugh was shocked and greatly saddened to learn of the death of Jodi Walsham last Friday. Jodi was a bright, talented, caring and much-loved young woman who had grown up in Humshaugh and was known to many, young and old. The funeral is not expected for some weeks and our thoughts are with Jayne and Don at this difficult time.

When visiting the village shop, residents are asked to follow the Covi safety guidelines on the shop door in full to protect our wonderful shop volunteers and themselves: only two customers at a time in the shop, wear face masks and hand sanitize, and stay two metres apart.

Those who find Humshaugh village too crowded may wish to know that the former Shepherd’s Cottage on Haughton Pasture is for sale, for £250,000!

Because of Covid, activity in the village hall has been limited this year. Due to “honourable retirements” there are vacancies on the hall committee. If you’re new to the village, newly retired, or just fancy getting involved please contact Diana Linnett (01434 689239) to find out more about being part of this friendly institution at the heart of village life.

Next year’s parish precept was discussed at the virtual parish council meeting last Thursday and no major change is anticipated. Full minutes of all items covered will be available in due course at: https://northumberlandparishes.uk/humshaugh/documents.

St Peter’s remains open for private prayer, and all are welcome to regular Zoom services at 10am each Sunday - please contact rogerlangford37@outlook.com for the link.

 

  • Ovigham & Ovington

Malcolm Cairns

By now everyone in Ovingham should have received a leaflet through the door giving details of local volunteers. Once again the support team, organised by the parish council, have stepped up to the mark. It will help you with your shopping, post or just a friendly phone call. Please do not hesitate to make contact with them if you require help in any way. Our thanks go to these local hero’s.

The new bench seat is in place outside the Reading Room at the bus stop. The seat provided by the parish council and put in place by Reading Room staff will serve to take the weight off your feet.

During the first lockdown the dumping of rubbish proved to be a problem,unfortunately we are seeing this again.The laybys along the Ovingham to Wylam road have been targeted by these selfish people.Just take it home and put it in your own bin,seems much easier than risking a heavy fine.

 

  • Slaley

Stella Douglas

The SH&HC Environment Group is working with the shop to enable Slaley folk to recycle used items. The shop offers battery and used printer cartridges recycling, the latter through the Great North Air Ambulance Service. Whilst many national charities recycle used printer cartridges, the shop believes that benefitting the GNAAS will chime with villagers and mesh with the co-operative principals of the shop. The parish website provides recycling news.

Don’t forget that your stamps are recycled in the shop too, this benefits the Dogs Trust.

If you booked for the History Club Zoom talk on ‘18th Century Gravestones’ with Mark Hatton on January 25 at 7.30pm. Call Pat (01434 673388) to confirm please.

Slaley Commemoration Hall is moving forward with phase two funding projects despite lockdown. The great Slaley April Fool’s Silent Auction is in preparation. Can you help? Have you something to be can auctioned? Everything you need to know is on the parish website including an A-Z of things you might want to offer. If you are not online, call Pat on 01434 673388. The auction will be ‘live’ between April 1 and 14 and there are already some very interesting lots – but the more the merrier!

Slaley Show AGM is on February 28 at 7.30pm. If you would like to attend, look at the Slaley Show website for contact details and an agenda or call 01434 673001. Although the show may not go on in its usual form, there is still business to attend to especially for trustees.

 

  • Stocksfield

Ian Warburton

The Scope clothes bank facility at the sports fields is currently closed, as the charity is unable to make collections owing to Covid-19. The recycling skip is now full. Please do not leave any clothes, whether or not bagged, on the ground around the skip, as they cannot then be recycled and will thus need to be removed by the parish council. Nothing should ever be left on the ground around the recycling skips - please take rubbish away with you and help keep Stocksfield clean and tidy.

In an initiative hosted by Event North, street food is being served at the cricket club in a Covid-secure way each Saturday evening. Details will be shared on the Stocksfield Matters Facebook page by the Friday, the day before, at the latest. Contactless payments are preferred. Booking in advance is also preferred but walk ups can be accommodated.

 

  • Prudhoe

Ian Warburton

Prudhoe Town Council will be holding its first ordinary meeting of 2021 on Zoom on Wednesday, January 27, commencing at 7pm. This will incorporate the 2021/22 Budgets meeting. More information will appear on the town council’s website and Facebook page nearer the time.

At the time of writing, the Covid-19-related lockdown is still very much a part of our lives. I would just like to thank our local businesses and service providers for continuing to find new ways of keeping in touch with us and attending to our needs during these times of difficulty. Your efforts are warmly appreciated and you deserve the support of all of us.