Bellingham
Birtley Nail

DEVELOPERS Maple Oak have fleshed out details of their plans for their £7.2 million scheme to build 60 houses on the former Bellingham Auction Mart site. Responding to concerns from the parish council over the need for so many houses, the company’s agents Lichfields said in a statement that the plans were based on a housing needs survey from 2019 commissioned by Northumberland County Council, which indicated that 73 households in Bellingham had expressed some form of housing need, in particular the need to improve access to services as people age and move into more manageable affordable accommodation. There was also a need for young people requiring their own accommodation as well as homes for growing families. The survey also indicated a need for a mixed tenure development with new affordable rented homes as a priority. If planning permission is granted, the estate will be developed in two phases, with 33 new homes in phase 1 to be delivered in 2023/24 and 27 new homes in phase 2 to be delivered in 2025/26.

THE third indoor market at Bellingham Town Hall on Saturday was once again a roaring success. Some 350 people passed through the doors in search of bargains, and Christmas gifts, and did not leave disappointed. Stall holders reported an increased spend on previous markets, and organiser Bellingham Parish Council is so confident in the continued success of the venture it has booked additional markets for November and December, and on the third Saturday of each month right through 2022.

BINGO devotees can dust off their dabbers for the first prize bingo in the village for nearly two years next Wednesday, October 27, when the town hall stages its annual bingo night. It’s eyes down for 7pm, and the modest entry fee includes supper.


Redesdale
Emma Anderson

A BRING and buy sale in aid of the Great North Air Ambulance Service takes place at Kirkwhelpington Memorial Hall on Sunday, October 24, between 10am and 1pm. Tables are available for hire. There is an entrance fee of 50p.

THE Phoenix Sixty-plus Social Club has arranged a visit to Boundary Mills and Whitley Bay on Tuesday, November 16. The coach will leave Otterburn at 9am. For further information, please telephone Alma Hardy on (01830) 520602.

THE Otterburn Primary School PTA Christmas Fair takes place at Otterburn Memorial Hall on Saturday, November 27, starting at 10.30am. The Fair will feature a tombola, a raffle and a cake stall. Refreshments will be provided. Stalls are available to book for £5. To book your stall, please email Jilli Rogerson at ja.rogerson@hotmail.co.uk or telephone her on 07761 735887. 

Humshaugh
Herbie Newell

THIS weekend’s Saturday Village Hall Coffee Morning is 10am-noon and hosted by St Peter’s Church.  Remaining coffee mornings for the year are November 6 and 20, and December 4.

IN addition, there is Net Zero Café from 10am to noon next Saturday, October 30, organised by Humshaugh Net Zero. As well as drinks and excellent cakes, environmentally friendly cleaning and laundry products can be purchased.  Pre-order forms can be downloaded from https://www.humshaughnetzero.org/ or picked up from the Village Shop where empty containers for refilling can be left.

THIS week will see the first edition of “Humshaugh News” delivered to all houses to keep residents informed about forthcoming events, any major developments and Parish Council meetings and business.

A REMINDER of the Halloween ghost story reading next  Thursday, October 28 at 7.30pm in the Village Hall.  Entry by pre-purchased tickets only (£6 adults/£4 children) from the Village Shop or www.eventbrite.co.uk.

TICKETS for the Crown Players production of “A Christmas Carol” will be on sale in the Village Shop in early November. Performances will be on four nights, December 8-11 inclusive, to allow for smaller audiences with less crowding. This modern take on the classic Christmas story combines music, comedy and drama, whilst still retaining Dickens’ essential message.

THE service at St Peter’s this Sunday is Harvest Holy Communions at 6pm.

Chollerton
Hugh Denholm

CHOLLERTON annual steeplechase: Our group of six cyclists completed a church steeplechase in the Eden Valley, Cumbria for the benefit of Chollerton School and our two churches, raising well over £600. Thanks to the cyclists and all supporters of this event.
THE next Lunch Club will be held at Gunnerton Church on Wednesday October 27 at 12pm. All welcome to come and enjoy homemade soup and pudding and good company.

NOTWITHSTANDING this year’s poor apple crop, Chollerton’s first Apple Pressing event organised by Claire and John Dickinson was a great success. Held in the Hearse House stable at Chollerton it was well attended and all juice disposed of. All pulp fed to Chollerton’s ducks! Thanks go to all who supported by making donations for juice totalling over £180, and to Liz McCoull for her excellent cake.

THERE will be a meeting in Barrasford Village Hall to discuss plans for the Queens Platinum Jubilee Celebrations in 2022 on Monday, October 25 at 7pm. If you have any ideas or would like to help please come along.

Upper North Tyne
Sarah Hallberg

CONGRATULATIONS to Dev Capps and Andrew Byrom, the “Tarset’s Pointless” champions for 2021. Huge thanks must go to all the contestants who took part, to everyone who went along to Tarset Village Hall to support the evening and particularly to all those who organised and ran the event. Over £750 was raised for the Great North Air Ambulance.

A QUICK reminder that the Harvest Festival Service at St Aidan’s, Thorneyburn, takes place at 11am this Sunday, being followed by a Soup Swap. The church is also collecting for the Hexham Food Bank and donations of tins and dried goods/non-perishables are needed this year more than ever. You can leave contributions either at the church itself or at Horsley Cottage, opposite the pub. 

THE afternoon of Tuesday October 26 sees a Soup and Pudding Social in Tarset Village Hall (from 12pm to 2pm), organised by St Aidan’s, Thorneyburn.  Additional volunteers would be very much appreciated (soup-makers, waiters, general helpers, and/or raffle prize donors), so if you think you might be able to help, or you would like any further info, please let Caroline know (240210).

I AM always more than happy to include info about local happenings in the Village Notes, so if you have any events or local news you would like to see publicised in the Village Notes, please feel free to let me know about anything you think people might be interested in knowing about. The email address to send your info to is: saharagirl@btinternet.com.

Matfen and Great Whittington
Jean Conteh

WORRIED about all the rumours of broken supply chains and delayed shipping containers? There’s a new venture coming in Matfen that will help you buy local and avoid all that hassle – a Christmas Market. It will be in the village hall on Wednesday, December 1, from 5.30-8 pm. To set up a stall costs £2 and a donation to the raffle, and there’s already a lot of interest. If you’d like to run a stall, get in touch via matfenvillage@gmail.com.

NCC provides a fortnightly mobile library service in Great Whittington on Wednesdays, and the old purpose-built vehicle was replaced a while ago by a white Transit van. Since then, use of the service has reduced, perhaps because the Transit van doesn’t have the same presence as the venerable old library van. Up to Christmas, the mobile library will be at Great Whittington on these Wednesdays: October 27, November 10, November 24, December 8, December 22. The driver, Dan Harvey, likes people to contact him so he can let them know when he’ll be arriving. He’s also happy to take requests for a particular author or genre and bring a selection for you, or if you have requested a particular book at Hexham library, he can collect it and drop it off. Dan’s email is dannyharvey@outlook.com. If you send a contact number, he will be happy to add you to his contacts at Great Whittington and keep you up to date with what’s happening. This is a very useful service for those who can’t easily get about.

YOU may have seen the message from Richard Peters in the Stamfordham Communicator, and I’m putting it here, for anyone who didn’t and who may have used Richard’’s window cleaning service. As you may already know, he has been unable to work since June, following a serious head injury. He’s hoping to return to work as soon possible but is waiting for an operation, and then won’t be able to drive for 6 months afterwards. Once he can get back to work, he will let customers know. Richard thanks his customers for their patience, and I’m sure we all wish him the best. His contact numbers are 0191 2645302 or 07757 169468.