WE looked back at significant events that happened in Tynedale in 2023. 

January 

1 The Rat Inn, Anick, was named one of the Top 50 Gastropubs by Estrella Damm.

2 The prep school Mowden Hall, Stocksfield, was rated excellent.

3 Adderlane Academy in Prudhoe lodged a planning application with Northumberland County Council to demolish two temporary classrooms and replace them with two permanent classrooms.

February 

4 Slaley Women's Institute celebrated its 100-year anniversary.

5 Yang Bell, the unofficial mascot of Hexham General Hospital, became the official mascot of the animal charity New Beginnings, a cat rescue based in the North East.

6 Rachel Podger, hailed by the Times as ‘the unsurpassed British glory of the baroque violin’, was the Hexham and District Music Society's latest guest. 

March

7 Young pupils were honoured in Tynedale Lions' Lions Excellence Awards. 

8 Divine Beauty, formerly based in Ascend Hairdressing on Prudhoe Front Street, moved to Edgewell Road at Halfway. 

9 Ten signs were erected along the A686 road near Langley Castle, in Hexham, to make drivers aware of toads crossing the road to ponds for the migration season.

April

10 The Barrasford Arms in Hexham was up for sale. 

11 The discovery of an Asian hornet in Northumberland led to concerns it could decimate the bee population. 

12 Whitley Chapel YFC won the national competition Entertainment Finals, held in Leamington Spa.

June

13 A son hoped to revive his family's 125-year-old business, which was called Amos Bros before it rebranded to Rusty Renovations. 

14 Guy Opperman was reselected to stand for Hexham at the next general election.

15 It was announced the Hexham parliamentary constituency would expand following the publication of the 2023 boundary review, as the number of MPs representing the Northeast will fall. 

July

16 The Tynedale Beer Festival thanked customers for helping to raise £75,000, which was to be split between Cygnus Support, the Great North Air Ambulance, Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue Team and Northumbria Blood Bikes.

17 Frank Brown, who worked at Tesco's in Hexham, donated 22 inches of his hair to the Little Princess Trust.

18 Work began on a £4m project to improve the water quality by upgrading the Whittle Dene Water Treatment Works (WTW) near Hexham.

August

19 Prudhoe Plodders Running Club (PPRC) were delighted to be organising the Prudhoe Miners Race for the third year, on behalf of Prudhoe Town Council. 

20 The Haydon Bridge Harvest Market was set to return, bringing together the Tyne Valley community for a day of festive activities.

21 The coffee kiosk inside Hexham's bus station reopened for the first time in several years and new timetables were installed. 

September 

22 Fourstones Paper Mill unveiled a brand new paper machine in Leslie, Scotland, which was set to ramp up production for the company.

23 A new clubhouse was on the cards for Matfen Hall.

24 The tree at Sycamore Gap was felled overnight in what police thought was a deliberate act of vandalism.

October

25 It was announced Hexham train station would remain open after the government confirmed that it had dropped plans to close ticket offices around the UK.

26 Hexham's residents enjoyed the annual Spook Night which involved fairground rides and Halloween activities.

27 There were abnormally high levels of E.coli in the River Tyne.

November

28 Northumberland County Council’s top legal official confirmed that a long-running review over allegedly unlawful exit payments made to former officers was set to be referred to Northumbria Police.

29 Seventeen-year-old Lucy Glover of Fourstones made waves in her first year as a junior cyclist.

30 Forecasts by the UK Polling Report suggest Labour could win the majority of votes in Hexham's constituency - for the first time in nearly 140 years.

December

31 Devastating bus strikes that brought services across the North East to a standstill for weeks on end cost the region an estimated £10m.

32 Plans were expected to be announced for the former Hexham Middle School site in February. 

33 A businesswoman hailed her latest toy appeal a success as hundreds of toys were donated by members of the public.