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A special flag raising ceremony was held today at County Hall in Morpeth  to mark national Armed Forces Week.
 
The ceremony was part of a countrywide programme of events to celebrate and recognise HM Armed Forces - past, present and future.
 
Servicemen and women and war veterans  were joined by civic leaders and members of Northumberland County Council staff and the  public to pay tribute to all those service personnel  who put their lives on the line in war zones across the world.
 
The Armed Forces Flag was raised on the flagpole outside County Hall  and will fly all week ahead of Armed Forces Day, which falls on Saturday 24 June  this year.
 
Civic Head of  Northumberland County Council, Councillor Anthony Murray said:
 
“  Behind the flags, parades, and other events up and down the country to mark Armed Forces Day, we should remember that, as we speak, in this country and overseas, these brave people are putting their lives on the line - on the ground, in the air, and on the oceans - to keep us safe and to build a better world for our children.
 
“ We must also remember that each one of our soldiers, sailors, airmen and reservists is also a wife or a husband; a father; a mother; a son or a daughter and recognise that the pressure on their families is considerable. I want to thank all those who support their loved ones in our Forces.

“ Nor should we forget the commitment of our Cadets, or the adult volunteers . Of course, those serving in our Armed Forces will one day move into the larger family of veterans and Armed Forces Day is a celebration of our veterans’ community too, whatever their age.

This is a day when we can show our patriotic support for all of these heroes, and their outstanding contribution to this country. They are a constant reminder to younger generations that preserving our way of life and the things we hold most dear is sometimes hard won, and never guaranteed. ”
 
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Useful items for project

By Bot, in News,

The Matthew Project, based in Bedlington, has received a bundle of products from Asda Blyth that was donated to help those feeling financial strain.
Items handed over included tinned goods, biscuits, crisps and toiletries such as toothpaste and toothbrushes.
The project provides food parcels for individuals, families and homeless people in the Bedlington and Blyth areas following referral by organisations such as social services, Citizens Advice, Barnardo’s and Sure Start.
Leadership group member Maureen Chilton said: “It is thanks to the kind donations of individuals, churches and supermarkets such as Asda Blyth that we are able to continue to provide our vital service and lend a helping hand to those in need.”
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Ian Lavery has urged the Conservative-led administration at County Hall to announce its intentions for some key sites to ‘put mine and my constituents’ minds at rest’.
The areas highlighted in the Wansbeck MP’s letter to Northumberland County Council leader Peter Jackson – sent last night – include the town centre development in Newbiggin and future leisure, library, parking and school provision in Morpeth.
He also raises concerns about Arch, the local authority’s development company, and calls on the Tories to make a pledge not to reduce council jobs or services or pass any of them to the private sector.
But Coun Jackson has hit back today, accusing Mr Lavery of ‘unnecessarily scaremongering residents and council staff’.
He pointed to the example of the Pipers Place development in Bedlington, as he has said the planning permission process for this scheme should not be slowed down – an outline application for the mixed-use project was approved by the council earlier this month.
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A woman who grew up in Bedlington and today lives in Australia recently celebrated her 100th birthday.
Hilda Pearson, born on May 29, 1917, completed her schooling at about the age of 14 and left to do domestic work further south.
This money was sent home to help the family – her parents were John and Abigail Worn and she had two sisters, Emma and Rachael, and two brothers, Stanley and Sidney. Her father was a coal miner.
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Chalking up a success in Prudhoe

By Bot, in News,

Wildlife is blooming in a corner of Prudhoe thanks to a group being supported by Northumberland County Council and Northumberland Wildlife Trust.

The Spetchells Conservation Interest Group (SCIG) have been working hard over the past year to ensure a rosier future for the rare wildlife on the chalk hills at Tyne Riverside Country Park in Prudhoe, known as The Spetchells.

The group has raised over £5,000 and put in countless volunteer hours to remove invasive cotoneaster shrubs from the top of the hill, making the land once more ideal for solitary mining bees and the dingy skipper butterfly, as well as a range of specialist chalkland plants such as wall rocket and dyer’s greenweed.

Funding has come from a range of supporters, including Northumberland County Council’s Community Trust, Greggs, SCA, Thompson’s of Prudhoe, Jewson’s, Waitrose and Northumberland Wildlife Trust. This has enabled the group to buy information boards, training and tools to enable work to take place.

The County Council’s Green Spaces team and Northumberland Wildlife Trust enabled the project to go ahead and also ensured the volunteer work was supported with logistics and tool storage.

The Spetchells are an artificial landscape of chalk, created as a by product of the old ICI factory that was on the site SCA now occupies. The area is unique in the north east of England and now hosts the biggest chalk grassland habitat in the region. Many unusual species of plants and animals are found there, and SCIG formed last year to tackle some of the issues on site that now threaten them.

Councillor Glen Sanderson, Northumberland County Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Local Services, said: "We’re delighted at the finished work on the signs and the ongoing support of the very knowledgeable volunteers of SCIG, which have enabled huge progress on site through their efforts.

“The site is a real asset to the local community and is already attracting a variety of endangered species.”

Dr Keith Shaw, who has spearheaded the group, said: "The area is a popular beauty spot, but there were real concerns for the botany and insect life which needed huge effort to overcome.

"We are so pleased to now offer signage to help people understand the site better, and with all the support we have had in returning this site to favourable condition, although there are further challenges ahead."

Naomi Waite, Magnificent Meadows officer for Northumberland Wildlife Trust, said: "This site had been designated a special Local Wildlife Site many years ago for its populations of Dingy Skipper butterflies, but the whole site is important. It’s great so many people have helped reclaim our wildlife on site, it’s already making a big difference in 2017."

The group will continue to meet to improve the grassland, offer talks to the public and monitor the wildlife. For more information contact countryside@northumberland.gov.uk
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Work on a  £1.5 m scheme to restore  Hexham House and create a new wedding venue for the town is  now in its final stages with the venue on track to be opened to the public in September.  
 
Northumberland County Council will be holding a series of open evenings later in the summer so couples planning to get married can view the venue and meet and chat with members of the Northumberland Wedding co-ordination team.
 
Hexham House is a Grade II* listed building located within an award winning park  with views of the Abbey from almost every room and will undoubtedly be a beautiful and popular place for couples to get married.
 
The house  is  undergoing  a major  face-lift to convert it into a wedding complex, with the creation of a new register office, two wedding ceremony rooms and  seven luxury self-catering  holiday apartments complete with bridal suite.
 
The interior of the building in Gilesgate is having  a full upgrade and refurbishment and every effort is being made to ensure that any work is in-keeping with the heritage of the 18th Century house.
 
Northumberland County Councillor Nick Oliver, cabinet member for corporate services
said:
 
“ The redevelopment of Hexham House is a really exciting opportunity, both for people planning to get married and the town itself.  It is set to be one of the finest register offices in the North of England and  will provide a great opportunity for those couples who are looking for an elegant setting that is also great value for money”
 
Hexham House will not provide reception facilities and couples will be encouraged to contact local providers for this aspect of their wedding.   The first couple to be married at the venue in September  have chosen nearby Hexham Abbey for their reception and evening function.

Prices for a wedding ceremony in the House range from £345-£395  Monday - Saturday and £500 on a Sunday or a Bank Holiday.  Bookings for weddings can be made through the council’s ceremony coordination team Tel: 01670 602870  email: alnwickreg@northumberland.gov.uk.
 
   
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Parents need to apply for 30 hours ASAP and well before the 31st August 2017 deadline if they wish to access a place next term (September 2017).

A delay in applying may mean parents will not be able to access a place until January 2018 

You can apply for free childcare here

All 3 and 4 years old are entitled to 15 hours a week (570 hours a year) of free childcare and the government will begin to offer an additional 15 hours of free childcare per week to all eligible working families starting September 2017. 
 
For further information and to check whether your child is eligible to receive the additional 15 hours childcare, click here
 
Northumberland County Council has been part of the pilot scheme offering 30 hours of free childcare, if you have taken part in the pilot scheme and your child will remain eligible for 30 hours free childcare in September 2017 then you will need to apply under the national scheme to continue to receive your additional entitlement.
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An ambitious bid to overhaul the centre of Bedlington was given the go-ahead last week, alongside less popular plans for hundreds of new homes.
An outline application for a mixed-use development on a site to the north of Front Street, which includes land formerly occupied by the Tesco store, was unanimously approved at last Tuesday’s meeting of Northumberland County Council’s strategic planning committee.
On the same night, another outline proposal – for up to 500 new homes on land south-west of Glebe Farm, Choppington Road, was also approved – by 11 votes to one.
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Northumberland County Council has welcomed the expansion of a major international company in the county.
 
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc is the world leader in serving science, with revenues of $18 billion and approximately 55,000 employees globally.

Its Cramlington site specialises in the production of Single Use Technology products and services used in the biotech industry.
 
This week a new Customer Evaluation Centre (CEC) to showcase the company’s latest innovations was officially opened. The state of the art centre, which includes meeting spaces, will be used by customers taking part in training sessions, workshops and seminars.
 
Council leader Peter Jackson performed the opening ceremony at the new centre.
 
He said: “Thermo Fisher Scientific is a growing and innovative company that plays an important role in the economy of Northumberland.
 
“We’re delighted that the investment in the Customer Evaluation Centre will help to underpin continued growth at the site in Cramlington.
 
“The County Council's new direction is to encourage investment in world class manufacturing sectors such as the pharmaceutical and life sciences leading edge companies which we have in our county.
 
“Our aim is to create more and better job prospects for our county, not only attracting inward investment but encouraging our existing businesses to build for the future."  
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Work to re-plant around 150 trees in the grounds of  County Hall in Morpeth is continuing - with the help of local young people.

The council has already undertaken work to re-plant trees along Queen Elizabeth Avenue on the open space area at the front of County Hall, to restore this attractive tree-lined footpath which is heavily used and enjoyed by both staff and local residents.

Now members of the local 6th Morpeth St Aidan's Brownies have joined councillors and staff in the planting work.

The planting scheme will retain the existing colour theme by replanting with the original varieties of purple leaved Norway Maple and Golden leaved Sycamore.

Additional  trees will be planted on the open space in front of County Hall and in the quadrangle at the centre of the building that is used by councillors and staff.  Tree species will include oak, lime, maple, wild cherry, silver birch, rowan and alder.

Councillor Glen Sanderson, Cabinet Member for Local Services and the Environment, said:  “We fully appreciated the level of public concern over the felling of the trees and have listened to the views of local residents.

“Workers have been busy removing the stumps of the felled trees and replanting new ones in the County Hall grounds and the area is already looking better.

“We’re delighted that local young people have been getting involved with the re-planting and helping create a green legacy for the county’s future.
“The work also demonstrates our commitment to  remaining at and improving the current County Hall site.”

The trees were cut down in January as part of plans by the previous administration to build a retail park, new first school and 200 homes on the land.

This scheme was halted by the County Council’s new administration.  


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