News

A big-hearted donation by one of South East Northumberland’s largest employers has enabled local football club, Bedlington Terriers FC, to provide its players, staff and visitors with rapid emergency response should it ever be needed.
Lynemouth Power Station has gifted the community club with a life-saving heart defibrillator which will now be installed at the Welfare Park ground. If deployed within three to five minutes of a cardiac arrest, such equipment could potentially increase the chances of someone surviving a heart attack from six to 74 per cent. Each minute without CPR and defibrillation also reduces a patient’s survival rate by between seven and ten per cent.*
The Northern League Division Two club is home to seven teams and over 80 footballers from senior players to an under 6 ‘tots’ team. Along with daily training sessions and match attendances, the club sees hundreds of people visiting the ground on a weekly basis therefore the defibrillator has been very well received by all.
Rowan Edwards, Commercial Director of Bedlington Terriers FC, commented, “This is a vital piece of first aid equipment and we are extremely grateful to Lynemouth Power Station for their kind donation. Given the number of on-site staff, players training each week and visitors to the ground, it is essential that our trained staff have instant access to life-saving equipment in case of emergencies. It will mean a lot to everyone here at the club as well as the local community, so we’re very grateful for the power station’s support.”
Janet Mole from Lynemouth Power Station added, “Having these devices installed in popular public places and venues is so important, so rather than just donate to the fundraising effort, we decided to purchase the equipment outright on behalf of the club. As a local employer, it is important that community initiatives like this are well supported so we’re delighted to hand over the defibrillator to all at the club.”

Bedlington darts ace Chris Dobey reached his first ever European Tour final on Sunday to all but secure his place in next month's World Matchplay.
Dobey was beaten 8-3 by Dave Chisnall in the final of the Danish Darts Open at Copenhagen's Brondby Hallen but enjoyed a superb run over the three-day competition.
The 29-year-old saw off Steve West, Ricky Evans, former World Championship finalist Kirk Shepherd, and Jose de Sousa before beating two-time major champion Gerwyn Price in the semi-finals to reach his first big-stage final.
'Hollywood' ran out of steam in the final, though, and despite taking a 2-0 lead, he won just one of the next nine legs as Chisnall secured his first European Tour title since 2013.
Dobey's run over the weekend now means he is all but assured of a World Matchplay debut next month, following on from his debut in the Premier League earlier this year.
The World Matchplay is widely considered the second most prestigious major in the darts calendar after the World Championships and after narrowly missing out on qualification for each of the last two years Dobey is delighted he has secured a long overdue debut in the competion.

Labour has called for a 'full and meaningful' consultation on the overhaul of Bedlington town centre in the wake of news that the project is getting back on track.
The opposition on Northumberland County Council has said this is required to "to ensure that any Bedlington development fits with the needs and ambitions of local residents and supports local businesses who have been loyal to the town".
It follows the announcement last week that building work on the retail scheme, which is being led by the council-owned company Advance Northumberland, will now start "early next year and will take approximately 12 months".
In January, it was announced that the redevelopment had stalled awaiting final sign-off from the anchor tenant - a major supermarket.
But Advance Northumberland's board recently approved a revised financial model and timetable, which relies on an extra cash injection of £1.4m from the county council.
In a statement this week, Coun Lynne Grimshaw, the shadow cabinet member for regeneration, said: " The Labour Group welcomes - despite the long delay - the council looking to get this severely scaled back project off the ground.
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It's almost time for a new host of girls to hit the catwalk as the final of Miss Newcastle 2019 takes place in the city this weekend.
The annual event is always a massive spectacle for the whole of the North East and now 13 contestants are aiming to steal the crown and follow in the footsteps of reigning Miss Newcastle Rebecca Gormley, who triumphed in an Arabian Nights themed finale last year.
Over 300 hopefuls applied this year and Gainford Group are one again hosting the glamorous grand finale at The County Hotel and before they've even taken to the runway for the first time, the 2019 finalists have already raised in excess of £20,000 for chosen charity The Chronicle Sunshine Fund, thanks to events ranging from dog walks to fashion shows and bag packs to pamper days.
A celebration of Style, Beauty & Talent... this year's final, hosted by Hannah Gray, draws inspiration from Aphrodite the Greek Goddess of Beauty & Love and will feature a performance from Ami Vaziri as Ariana Live.
The winner will receive a place in the Miss England final as well as a contract with Tyne Tyne Models'
And in an exciting week for the city, it was also revealed that the Miss England finals will be held in Newcastle for the first time.

A £377m wish list of ideas to spark a radical transformation of the North East's transport network has been revealed.
More frequent Metro trains, a restored rail service between Newcastle and Northumberland, station redevelopments, and new cycling infrastructure are all part of an ambitious campaign to secure a massive pot of Government cash.
The region's leaders are set to give their backing to a bid to the Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) next week, which they say would be a massive boost to the local economy and reduce reliance on cars.
The North East - covering Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and County Durham - is one of 12 city regions shortlisted to submit bids for a share of £1.28bn of central funding.
And a draft version of a bid that will be put before council leaders next week, before being sent to the Department for Transport, reveals that the North East intends to ask for a maximum of £377.3m in funding.
That includes £108m to fund the twin tracking of the Metro between Pelaw and Tyne Dock - an upgrade that would allow for the daytime frequency of trains across the network to be increased from five to six per hour.

Community groups in Cramlington, Bedlington and Seaton Valley have been recognised for the work they do in their local community.

It might be summer but there was a distinct - and rather otherworldly - chill at a special event held this week to offer a glimpse of what to expect at an upcoming showcase party.
Some ghoulish early guests were setting the tone at The Boulevard cabaret club in Newcastle where Sage founder and philanthropist Graham Wylie offered a sneak peek of what to expect from a no-expense-spared Halloween Spectacular, complete with showbiz stars, that he is planning for October.
And the glimpse will no doubt scare up some decent ticket sales for the party which is out to raise money for charity.
The party, while held in association with Boulevard, will be staged in the Kingston Park grounds of Newcastle Falcons rugby club on the night before Halloween , October 30, and it's being described as "the scariest and most lavish party the North East has ever seen".
There are 500 tickets on sale and the party will feature performers in terrifying costumes out to scare uests who in turn are being encouraged to take costume inspiration from the Halloween parties thrown each year in America by the likes of supermodel Heidi Klum and Britain’s Jonathan Ross.
Mr Wylie said: “Halloween celebrations seem to get more elaborate and outlandish every year and I intend this Halloween Spectacular to be the most glittering, the most scary and the most lavish of them all.

The major redevelopment of Bedlington town centre is back on track – assuming Northumberland County Council signs off on £1.4million to support the scheme next week.

The Advance Northumberland Board approved the revised financial model and timetable for the Bedlington town centre development when it met last Friday.