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Northumberland Archives at Woodhorn has acquired a collection which has been independently assessed as ‘probably the most important archive of Northumbrian social history’ that was still in private hands.

The collection of papers from Dickson, Archer & Thorp Solicitors of Alnwick charts the history of the 200 year old practice from its establishment in the late 18th century until its closure and the death of the last managing partner in 2003.

The collection has been purchased by Northumberland County Council’s Archives team at Woodhorn thanks to a series of grants, including from the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF); the Arts Council England and V&A Purchase Grant Fund; Friends of the National Libraries; and the Lord Crewe Trustees, with the total purchase cost £150,000.

Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, a HLF grant of £77,400 was awarded to assist with the purchase of the collection and it will also allow Northumberland Archives to engage a volunteer co-ordinator who will work with a team of volunteers to clean, package and undertake basic listing of the collection.

The practice had a wide client base dealing with probate cases from families of relatively modest means to handling the business of many county families including that of the Duke of Northumberland.  

Practice partners were also involved in governance both county-wide and more locally.

The collection comprises in excess of 400 archive boxes or more than eight cubic metres of records.  

Cllr Cath Homer, cabinet member for culture, arts and leisure at Northumberland County Council said:  “This is a fantastic acquisition for Northumberland Archives.  Once the content has been sorted and listed it will be an amazing resource for those studying family history or local history and also people interested in old wills or in criminal cases.  It will give an incredible insight into the history of Alnwick and the wider community.

Ivor Crowther, Head of HLF North East, added: “We’re delighted that National Lottery players’ money can support Northumberland Archives to acquire this significant record of local history. The project will not only secure the collection’s future, but also share this heritage with the community through an exhibition and exciting new volunteering opportunities.”

Northumberland County Council has recently taken over management of the county’s archive and modern records service in a move that will ensure the sustainability of the collections for the people of Northumberland and further afield.

The council is committed to investment in preserving its historical records, and plans are already being developed to increase public access to the collections both online and through outreach programmes.

The services also play a key role in strengthening the Council's overall records management, ensuring that in this digital age, the local authority is able to control and govern the vast amount of information it owns.  
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In light of the Northumbria police decision to close all but one of its stations to the public after 8pm, we asked the questions our readers want answered.
From July 17, the front desk at its HQ, Forth Banks, will operate from 8am to 8pm, seven days per week, as will Gateshead . All other stations within Central Area command will move to opening hours of 9am to 5pm.
in Northumberland, Bedlington police station will see its front desk operation reduced from 24 hours to 12, between 8am and 8pm.
In Ashington and Morpeth, station front desks will be open from 9am to 5pm.
While stations in Hebburn, Amble and Killingworth will no longer have a front desk provision.
Here are the questions our readers want answered.
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Football isn’t just about the big names at the big clubs in the North East. It’s about little lads and lasses pulling on their boots and mams and dads organising their lives around lifts to training sessions, supporting from the sidelines, raising funds, helping to coach, cleaning kits and giving those hugs in celebration or commiseration, depending on the day.
The Chronicle recognises that for families across the North East, junior football is a big part of day-to-day life, and this gallery pays tribute to the passion and commitment of all the youngsters involved.
We invited clubs and leagues across the region to send their team photos, and we have included them all here along with some great action shots by Alan Hewson Photography.
A Your Team supplement, featuring most teams, is published in The Chronicle on Saturday, July 1. For back copies call 0191 201 6300.
Even if you are not involved yourself, the looks on these faces will lift your heart.
Ashington Town Reds Under 9s, Bedlington Town, Bedlington Town FC Girls, Bedlington Utd U10s, Berwick Juniors, Berwick Rangers, Birtley Town Juniors FC Girls Under 12s, Blaydon YC, Blyth Town Barça Under 13s Girls, Blyth Town Whites Under 10s, Chester le Street Town Whites Under 7s, Cramlington Jnrs, Cramlington Town, Cramlington Utd, Corbridge United Under 10, Cullercoats FC Under 14s Girls, Durham Fed Under 13s, Ellington Jnrs Hawks Under 8s, Felling Magpies Under 11s, Gosforth PSV Under 10s, Gosforth Under 10s PSV, Heaton Hawks Under 7s, Hexham Porto Under 10s, Kingston Park Warriors, KYPC Jags Under 7s, Killingworth Young People’s Club Storm Under 14s, Leam Rangers, Longhoughton Rangers, Lumley Ladies Under 14s, Montagu and North Fenham Lionesss Under 9 Girls, Montagu and North Fenham Whites Under 11s, Montagu and North Fenham FC Blues Under 9s, Montagu and North Fenham Reds Under 7s, Montagu and North Fenham Reds Under 8s, Montagu and North Fenham Reds Under 9s, Montagu and North Fenham Reds Under 10s, Montagu and North Fenham Under 7s Reds, Montagu Blues Under 7s, Montagu Blues Under 8s, Morpeth Town Girls, New Fordley Juniors Under 10, Newcastle Benfield FC, Newcastle Benfield Girls, Newcastle Benfield Under 15s, Newcastle Benfield Juniors San Siro Under 13s, Newcastle Benfiield Olympico Under 7s, Newcastle Benfield Under 14s, Newcastle Benfield Tardini U7s, Newcastle Boys Club Inter U10s, Newcastle City Juniors Under 9s Benfica, Newcastle East End Blues Under 9s, Newcastle East End FC, Newcastle East End FC Blues Under 13s, Newcastle East End Blues Under 14s, Newcastle East End Blues Under 10s, Newcastle East End FC Under 15s, Newcastle East End Under 9s Reds, Newcastle East End Under 11s Reds, Newcastle East End Under 12s Reds, Newcastle East End Whites Under 10s, Newcastle East End Girls Under 10s, Paul Burke Under 10s, Newcastle East End Girls Under 11s Blues, Newcastle East End Girls FC Under 9 Blues, Newcastle East End Red Girls FC Under 11s, Newcastle West End, North Shields Juniors AFC, Northburn Wanderers, NSGathletic Cobras Under 9s, Olympico Under 8s, Paul Burke Under 10s, Ponteland Middle School 12, Ponteland Reds Under 10, Prudhoe Youth Club Hurricanes Under 9s, Red House Elite, Ryton and Crawcrook Albion, Seaton Delaval Dynamos Belgrade Under 14s, South Shields, Stakeford Juniors Under 12s, Sunderland Fulwell Youth Football Under 18s, Swalwell Swifts Under 10s, Team Gosforth PSV Under 11, Throckley Magpies Under 11, Throckley Magpies Under 7s, Throckley Magpies Under 8s, Throckley Magpies Inter Under 12,
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Landowners who may be experiencing problems with unauthorised encampments are encouraged to call on the expertise of officers at Northumberland County Council.

At this time of year the county sees an increase in the number of unauthorised traveller and non-traveller sites being established on private land.

For a fixed-negotiation charge Northumberland County Council is now offering support to landowners through its fully rounded, professional service, which would ensure a quick resolution and smooth move-on of the group from the site.

The council has a dedicated Liaison Officer, who works with traveller and non-traveller communities, who can be called upon to begin negotiations with the group, or take up any welfare concerns.

A landowner could also be given support from the council’s legal and public protection teams, should court action be required to remove the encampment.

John Riddle, Cabinet member for Planning, Housing and Resilience at the council, said: “Where a landowner may not want to conduct negotiations with an unauthorised encampment themselves, they can approach us to help with the move-on process.

“Our officers have years of experience and knowledge of working with traveller groups, and often know the families who travel through the county on a regular basis.

“Landowners are encouraged to take advantage of this expertise to ensure the smooth removal of a group from their land.

“In most cases there are no issues with these types of encampments, but where a landowner feels they need some extra support the council can help.”

A fee of £200 would be levied to a landowner for officer time in visiting and managing a move-on of the encampment, this would increase to £400 if court preparation papers or attendance at court by an officer, was required. Any further costs, such as bailiff costs or exceptional court costs would be agreed with the landowner first.  
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Cadet Sergeant Esmée Webley of Bedlington Air Cadets has won 35 hours of flying tuition worth £3,000, thanks to the Royal Air Forces Association.
The RAF charity runs an annual Flying Scholarship programme, which makes six awards to outstanding members of the Royal Air Force Air Cadets. The awards attract more than 250 applications every year from across the UK.
Esmée was presented with her prize by the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier, at the Association’s recent Annual Conference.
Speaking after the presentation Esmée said: “It’s been a lot of hard work, I applied last year and wasn’t successful, so I think the message is, don’t give up. The amount you can achieve in one year with the ATC can really push forward your application. Just keep trying.”
Air Vice-Marshal John Cliffe, Chairman of the RAF Association and a former RAF pilot, said: “We are delighted that these young adults who aspire to a life in aviation are going to receive some flying training and so take the first steps. It is how my flying career started and I have always been grateful for the wonderful opportunity given to me at a young age. Because of the costs involved in flying, I know only too well that such opportunities are beyond most families, and so it is really pleasing that the Royal Air Forces Association is able to help make these dreams become reality.”
“These annual awards are made by the RAF Association to thank the Air Cadets for their year-round hard work supporting our fundraising and welfare work”, he continued. “The quality of the entries is always extremely high and the application and interview process is very thorough. So our 2017 winners can be very proud of their achievements.”
The overall winner is rewarded with a course of 35 hours flight training in a light aircraft, which covers all or part of the tuition needed to obtain a National Private Pilot Licence. This would normally cost around £3,000. Five runners-up receive 12 hours training each (worth around £1,000 each).
Applications for the next round of scholarships will open in September/October 2017 and will be announced on www.rafa.org.uk and www.rafayouth.org.uk
Credit: Durham Northumberland Wing Air Cadets
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Archaeologists working for the National Lottery funded Peregrini Lindisfarne Community Archaeology project  have made exciting new discoveries which may well have turned a long held belief about the Holy Island of Lindisfarne on its head.

The remote and beautiful island holds a special place in history. Known as the ‘Cradle of Christianity’ in the North East, it was here that St Aidan established a monastery in AD635 and set out to convert the pagan Northumbrians. The monastery developed into an international centre of learning and craftsmanship and it was during this Golden Age of Northumbria that exquisite items such as the Lindisfarne Gospels were produced. All this came to a crashing end with the arrival of the Vikings in the late 8th Century.

Many in academic and ecclesiastical circles have long maintained that the close linear arrangement of the the Parish Church of St Marys with the Priory church is evidence of the original locations of the two Anglo-Saxon churches on Holy Island. This close linear relation is evidenced at other early Northumbrian monasteries such as Hexham and Jarrow.

Until this summer the assumption has been that the original Anglo-Saxon churches stood down in the shelter a high rocky ridge known as of the Heugh in the area now occupied by the Parish Church and the Priory. But excavations during the last four weeks up on the Heugh suggest a very different configuration. The excavation has revealed the stone foundations of a small rectangular building with a chancel type configuration at the east end. The  crude and unmortared walls, very simple window arches and positioning of a possible alter stone all suggest an early date which has led to speculation that this is a church building which could date from the 7th century.

The Venerable Bede, writing in c.731, records that St Aidan arrived in Northumbria from St. Columba’s monastery on Iona in 635AD at the request of King Oswald and was gifted the Holy Island of Lindisfarne to establish his own monastery.

The parallels between the islands of Iona and Lindisfarne are remarkable and it is easy to understand how this was a suitable location for Aidan to evangelise and convert the Northumbrians, especially given the close visual relationship between the island and the royal court of Oswald at Bamburgh. Contemporary historical sources refer to at least two churches on Lindisfarne, a small timber one built by Aidan and later one built by Finian which was dedicated to St. Peter.

Richard Carlton, the director of The Archaeological Practice running the community archaeology dig on behalf of the Peregrini Lindisfarne HLF Landscape Partnership Scheme said: “This second  year of investigation on the Heugh has exceeded all my expectation. And with work still to be done to revisit the watch tower structure identified last year and work in the Lantern Chapel building there is potential for the Heugh to yield more of its secrets.”

Excavations last year further west on the Heugh revealed a massive foundation wall that archaeologist are now speculating is a foundation for a ‘watch tower’. The Venerable Bede, in his ‘Life of St. Cuthbert’, made reference to a signal from Inner Farne being seen from the watch tower on Holy Island to mark the death of St Cuthbert.

Sara Rushton, Conservation Manager at Northumberland County Council, said: “This latest discovery of a potential church building on the Heugh cements Holy Island as one of the most significant early medieval sites in Britain. It is incredible to think that we have uncovered two very significant buildings associated with the early Christian foundation of the priory that  provide tangible links to both St. Aidan and St. Cuthbert.”

The monastic tradition on Iona, where Aidan came from, was much more dispersed than the patterns that developed at Hexham and Jarrow. The Irish monastic tradition was for small chapels and ‘turas’ type buildings defining the monastic precinct. The scatter configuration of buildings on Heugh certainly seems to have parallels with Iona where there were at least six chapels and this new discovery could be one of a number of chapels within the monastic complex. In addition the close visual relation between the buildings on the Heugh and the castle at Bamburgh, which the priory does not have, is significant and supports the early date.

The Peregrini Lindisfarne project is a Landscape Partnership Project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) thanks to National Lottery players and has been developed to conserve, enhance and celebrate the natural and cultural heritage of Holy Island and the wider shoreside landscape.

The project is hosted by Northumberland County Council’s planning department.  Cllr John Riddle, portfolio holder for planning at the council said:  “Community participation is at the heart of the Peregrini project and this Community Archaeology has been a brilliant opportunity for people to get hands-on experience of absolutely fantastic archaeology which illustrates how wonderful the cultural heritage of our beautiful county is.”

Ivor Crowther, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund North East, said: “The North East is full of incredible heritage and this find shows that there is still so many stories left to discover. Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players we’re delighted to support this project which is putting communities at the heart of celebrating the history of their landscape and creating strong partnerships to ensure its bright future.”  
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A family fun day is set to take place this Saturday.
Following the success of the inaugural event last year, the Bedlington Picnic is returning to the town – with organisers promising it is bigger than better.
The event, from 11am to 6pm, will allow local people to showcase their talents.
A variety of foods, stalls, crafts, rides and a dog show will be on offer, as well as free activities for children and a full programme of talented local artists on the stage.
Among those performing on the bandstand will be Bedlington Brass Band, Bedlington Choir, Bedlington Ukulele Band, Callie Griffiths School of Dance, Arrieanne Masters and a battle of the bands from 3pm to 4.30pm.
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Forth Banks. Newcastle City Centre Police Station, Forth Banks: From 24/7 to 8am – 8pm (7 days a week).
Gateshead. High West Street: From 24/7 to 8am – 8pm (seven days a week)
Etal Lane. Etal Lane, Westerhope : From 24/7 to 9am – 5pm (five days a week)
Byker. Clifford Street: From 8am to Midnight to 9am – 5pm (five days a week)
Whickham. Front Street: From 8am to Midnight to 9am – 5pm (five days a week)
Newcastle West End : Westgate Road: From 8am – Midnight to 9am – 5pm (five days a week)
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Northumberland County Council is  about to embark on a major refurbishment within Hexham’s historic Queen’s Hall  to create a fantastic new facility that will provide an integrated library, customer and visitor information centre all under one roof.

The  investment scheme will breathe new life into the library area which has not had any major  refurbishment work done to it  for over 35 years. It has been designed taking  customer needs into account and will create a convenient, modern and accessible service area for residents and visitors.

Unfortunately while this work is taking place there will be some brief disruption to the library and tourist information services.

These services will  be  temporarily relocated into the former Tourist Information Centre in the  Wentworth Car Park for a twelve week period.   A  range of normal tourism and library services will continue to be provided here including  four public access computers. The possibility of  locating additional public computers into the foyer of the Wentworth Leisure Centre  is also  being explored.

To allow for the organisation of this move the library will close at the Queen’s Hall on Saturday 1 July and reopen at Wentworth on Monday 17th July.

Customers are currently being  informed  of the arrangements  through  social media,  posters, fliers and via the  website.

Alison Elsdon, Director of Corporate Resources at Northumberland County Council  said:

“  It is great news that part of this wonderful historic building is to be given a new lease of life and the town will receive enhanced, joined up local services.

“ We appreciate there will be some disruption to these services while the work  is taking place  and  we are working hard to minimise the impact. We sincerely  apologise for any inconvenience caused, but I hope residents bear with us.

“  Families can be reassured that the children’s Summer Reading Challenge will go ahead as planned and we are making arrangements to hold summer library activities in Wentworth Leisure  Centre.”

When the library is closed for two weeks,  members will be able to renew or reserve books, 24/7  on the library website www.mylibrary.co.uk  or through the library customer service  line on 01670 620250. There will also be a book drop-off point at the Queen’s Hall.  Corbridge TIC and Library is open six days a week, Monday - Saturday 10am - 4.30pm  (closed 1-1.30pm) for those who wish to and are able to travel.


A tourist   information  leaflet point will also be present in the foyer of the Queen’s Hall and staff will also be on hand to  answer any enquiries  that come in on the  Hexham Tourist Information phone line.

“ We are reviewing the plans for the layout of the new library  with the aim of giving the best level of service to our customers. No definitive decisions have been made regarding the location of the  local history collection.”  added Cath Homer.
 


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