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[
"Tom Fletcher"
] | 2016-08-26T13:07:30 | null | null | Collector plates will be available next year for modified as well as stock cars made between 1958 and 1974 | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.langleytimes.com%2Flifestyles%2F389536851.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/25111BCLN2007Chevrolet_Camaro1969-wikim7web.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | Collector program expanding to 'muscle cars' | null | null | www.langleytimes.com | Modified versions of the 1969 Camaro SS and other popular vehicles will soon be eligible for B.C. collector plates, allowing occasional use for parades and car shows.
The B.C. government is expanding its collector vehicle licence system to include eligible modified cars made between 1958 and 1974, to capture the popular "muscle car" era of the 1960s.
The ICBC collector plate program gives car enthusiasts a lower-cost licence plate that allows occasional use for parades and classic car shows. ICBC plans to take applications starting in 2017 for eligible modified vehicles up to 1974, and replica cars resembling North American production cars from 1942 and earlier.
With strict rules that the cars must be in "collectible condition," changes will take in modified popular cars from the Dodge Duster to the Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang, as well as replicas of the popular Ford "deuce coupe" from the 1930s.
Premier Christy Clark announced a break for older cars this spring, allowing vehicles from 1940 or earlier and their replicas to run without fenders or mud flaps when the highway is dry and paved.
Transportation Minister Todd Stone said the collector car industry is significant for B.C., with registered collector vehicles having doubled to 26,000 in the past 10 years.
"We want to see this specialty vehicle program remain viable, preserve vehicle history and evolve with the times," Stone said. "That's why we are opening up the opportunity to owners of specialty cars within the 'muscle car' era."
Currently, the standard collector plate is available to cars 25 years or older, as well as discontinued or limited production vehicles 15 years or older. It requires a stock engine with no performance enhancements, no rust, dents or "significant wear and tear" of the interior.
Modified vehicles from 1958 or older are currently eligible for collector plates, if they retain the shell of the original body but have parts replaced or modified in the chassis, engine, suspension, steering or brakes.
Owners have to apply for a collector or modified collector plate, with purchase and parts bills, photos and inspection reports.
Applications for collector and modified collector programs are available on ICBC's website, www.icbc.com, and can be dropped off at Autoplan brokers. | http://www.langleytimes.com/lifestyles/389536851.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.langleytimes.com/9ba691cfdc998c7c39148b52f265965979d8d9be64bbe42831d801dfe2caa39c.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T20:52:15 | null | null | Langley's Thunderbird Show Park hosted some of the world's best showjumpers | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.langleytimes.com%2Fsports%2F391777421.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/4036langleymoi-0956webversion.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | Cook takes top spot at World Cup qualifier | null | null | www.langleytimes.com | American rider Karl Cook took top spot with his 12-year-old mare Tembla on Sunday at Thunderbird Show Park's Longines FEI World Cup qualifier.
American rider Karl Cook took top spot aboard his 12-year-old mare Tembla at the Longines FEI World Cup Qualifier.
It was held on Sunday (Aug. 28) at Thunderbird Show Park.
The field contained 26 riders from seven countries and featured some of showjumping’s top riders and horses.
Rounding out the top three were Denmark’s Nikolaj Hein Ruus and Big Red while Langley’s Brian Morton and Atlantis T took third spot.
Moi Photography
Karl Cook (below) aboard Tembla Mexico's Gustavo Ramos aboard Izzy Miaki (bottom) during the Longines FEI World Cup Qualifier at Thunderbird Show Park on Aug. 28. | http://www.langleytimes.com/sports/391777421.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.langleytimes.com/400573af7c29130567f45d74660fe565565ef405face8aaefdd7bb72ebbad34c.json |
[
"John Arendt"
] | 2016-08-26T13:08:46 | null | null | B.C. Day, on Monday, Aug. 1, is an opportunity to celebrate this spectacular province. See how well you know British Columbia. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.langleytimes.com%2Flifestyles%2F388492001.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/60468summerlandimage.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | B.C. DAY TRIVIA QUIZ: How much do you know about British Columbia? | null | null | www.langleytimes.com | B.C. Day, on Monday, Aug. 1, is an opportunity to celebrate this spectacular province. See how well you know British Columbia. | http://www.langleytimes.com/lifestyles/388492001.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.langleytimes.com/52b8e7eebf385776c61e6dbcbd2f747657dd4476f8c14241c4623e4fd293b36f.json |
[
"Tom Fletcher"
] | 2016-08-26T12:57:35 | null | null | Asian demand for B.C. wood products peaked in 2013, analyst says China sales on pace for 50 per cent drop | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.langleytimes.com%2Fbusiness%2F391328001.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/63096BCLN2007thomsonchinaosb7web.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | Lumber exports shift to U.S. as China sales slump | null | null | www.langleytimes.com | Wood products exports from Canada to Asia were down 18 per cent in the first six months of 2016, with the biggest decline being softwood lumber from B.C. to China, according to the Seattle-based Wood Resources International.
Lumber sales to China are on pace to drop by 50 per cent this year compared to 2014, as B.C. lumber producers direct their sales to a healthy U.S. lumber market, according to customs data tracked for the Wood Resources Quarterly (www.woodprices.com).
The latest edition notes that by value, 75 per cent of B.C.'s exports to Asia in 2015 and 2016 are in the form of lumber, while 77 per cent of exports from Washington and Oregon are logs.
Asian demand reached a record high in 2013, with China passing Japan as the largest importer of North American wood products in 2011. The B.C. and federal governments promote wood construction in China and Japan, and B.C.'s forest minister is required to conduct an annual trade mission to China, Japan and other Asian countries.
The shift in demand provides extra urgency for talks to renew the Canada-U.S. softwood lumber agreement that expired last year. B.C. sales are booming without the export cap that both Ottawa and Washington have agreed will be required. | http://www.langleytimes.com/business/391328001.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.langleytimes.com/b5d1985ede412649c3aea1037afb0d6e8a320f8ada5f0728dd8cf3f3bb4dca51.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:01:04 | null | null | Newcomers welcome to Surrey Square Wheelers' new season on Sept. 14 | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.langleytimes.com%2Fentertainment%2F389752301.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/21087surreyw-surreysquarewheelers2.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | Hip to be square dancing | null | null | www.langleytimes.com | Surrey Square Wheelers at the Sea Festival torchlight parade in White Rock in 2011.
The Surrey Square Wheelers dance season will be starting up again on Sept. 14.
Their beginners and mainstream groups meet on Wednesdays from 7-10 p.m. at the Brookswood Seniors Centre, 19899 36 Ave. in Langley.
The cost is $5 per night, but new dancers receive three nights, so it won't cost anything to give it a try.
They start right from scratch, so newcomers don't have to worry if they haven't square danced before. Surrey Square Wheelers will accept new dancers until Oct. 15.
For more information, click here. | http://www.langleytimes.com/entertainment/389752301.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.langleytimes.com/7a44670522025289dbc850d34fe6bc2344f9544368624dcbf18b65a1c17da1e1.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:10:36 | null | null | Paul Calton, 51, is missing and family is concerned for his health and well-being. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.langleytimes.com%2Fnews%2F391354271.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/74152langleymissingCALTON-Paul.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | Missing man last seen near Langley/Surrey border | null | null | www.langleytimes.com | Paul Calton was reported missing on Aug. 24 and has not been seen or heard from since. He was last seen in the morning in the 19100 block of 65 Avenue.
A 51-year-old man has gone missing near the Langley/Surrey border.
Paul Calton was reported missing on Aug. 24 and has not been seen or heard from since. He was last seen in the morning in the 19100 block of 65 Avenue.
Calton is described as a 51 year old Caucasian male, 5’10” tall, 185 lbs, with brown eyes and a bald/shaved head. He was last seen possibly wearing a dark T-shirt and jeans.
Police and family are concerned for his health and well-being.
Anyone with information about the whereabouts of this person is asked to contact the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502, or Crime Stoppers, if they wish to remain anonymous, at 1-800-222-8477 or go to www.solvecrime.ca quoting file number 2016-122732. | http://www.langleytimes.com/news/391354271.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.langleytimes.com/c329529dff88840314cf0268484134015053b299e8a1b76793266e5158208007.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:12:48 | null | null | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.langleytimes.com%2Fopinion%2Fletters%2F391069481.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/BlackNewsMedia-CLR.png?t=12345? | en | null | Letter: There are many functions Canada Post can serve | null | null | www.langleytimes.com | Editor: Let’s not cut Canada Post. Its existing services are good, and necessary.
Canada Post is the country’s largest retail and logistics network. As a Crown corporation, it belongs to all of us, and we need it.
And, contrary to popular belief, Canada Post is profitable and there’s more it could be doing.
For instance, many communities across Canada have post offices, but no bank branches.
Canada Post could offer postal banking. A postal bank is an affordable, local solution that can also invest in the community.
Dozens of countries around the world, including New Zealand, France and Italy, have profitable and successful postal banking services. There’s no reason why we can’t too.
Canada Post offices could also provide charging stations for electric cars, coast to coast to coast.
That would help us meet the emissions reductions we committed to at the Paris climate conference and build Canada’s economy. Renewable energy has a huge economic potential.
And we still need Canada Post to deliver our mail — letters and bills and internet-ordered packages — to our homes.
Interested readers can learn more at DeliveringCommunityPower.ca
Geoff Dean,
Surrey | http://www.langleytimes.com/opinion/letters/391069481.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.langleytimes.com/3b2f5ddd8078bb90aa87e8c86afaccd9720729f0c17d86de35c0b749e578ec86.json |
[
"Canadian Press"
] | 2016-08-26T13:03:18 | null | null | Whether it's home screenings or community viewing parties, much of Canada will be tuning in for iconic rock band's final bow | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.langleytimes.com%2Fentertainment%2F390688221.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/56997CPT122356039.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | Televised Tragically Hip show an 'unprecedented event:' CBC | null | null | www.langleytimes.com | TORONTO – Few Canadian television events qualify as a momentous occasion for the nation, but Saturday's Tragically Hip concert promises to be special.
It seems like much of the country will be tuned into CBC's live broadcast of "The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration" from Kingston, Ont., when factoring in home screenings and community viewing parties.
Yet how many people will watch is anybody's guess at this point.
"This is an unprecedented event for us," said Jennifer Dettman, CBC's executive director of unscripted content.
The sentiment is true on many levels, she adds.
The last stop on the Hip's "Man Machine Poem" tour is widely expected to be their final performance, as lead singer Gord Downie is facing terminal brain cancer. After tickets to the tour sold out within minutes, fans launched a campaign urging the CBC to carry the band's Kingston show as a live TV event.
Dettman wouldn't speak to the contract negotiations that led to the Hip agreeing to the broadcast.
"CBC made both a competitive and financially responsible offer to acquire the broadcast rights, and we're thrilled to be able to offer this national celebration to as many Canadians as possible," she said.
The concert won't just be on the main CBC network, it will also be broadcast through various other platforms such as CBC Radio One, the CBC website and its YouTube and Facebook channels.
With so many viewing options, that will make it tough to capture how many eyes and ears are focused on the Hip this Saturday.
That's where ratings agency Numeris comes in. The Toronto-based company tracks viewership figures by using meters and viewing diaries prepared by a panel of Canadians representative of the population.
Their data shows that most huge audience draws are typically live programming, led by major sporting events.
The Super Bowl is the biggest TV event nearly every year — drawing about six million to eight million viewers in recent years — while a handful of other annual celebrations like the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes and Grammys are perennial favourites too.
The gold medal game of the men's hockey tournament at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics is considered to be the most-watched broadcast ever in Canada. It drew 16.6 million viewers, according to data from Numeris, about double the number of people who tune into most Super Bowls.
Those kinds of numbers will be hard to beat, even for a rock band with as much Canadian clout as the Hip.
Numeris spokesman Tom Jenks wouldn't guess how many viewers will tune into the CBC broadcast, but acknowledges it'll probably be a pretty big number.
The agency said it will be counting every public screening — from restaurants to movie theatres to community viewing parties — and each person streaming the concert on their phone. Viewers who playback the show on their DVRs within seven days will also be included in the final numbers.
"Our system captures all viewing," Jenks said.
Potentially driving those numbers higher is the decision make the Hip's concert a one-time broadcast, with no encore presentation and no availability on on-demand platforms.
"Our goal was to bring the experience of this live concert to Canadians in that moment," Dettman said.
"I'm sure the band will figure out what they will want to do with the concert afterwards."
She said the goal is to give all Canadians the same "crescendo" feeling that will ripple through the arena in Kingston.
"Our goal is to bring the experience ... to as many Canadians as we can," she said.
"The idea that we're all together experiencing this moment at the same time is really special."
Follow @dfriend on Twitter.
David Friend, The Canadian Press | http://www.langleytimes.com/entertainment/390688221.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.langleytimes.com/331897a4282b1cc5bc0a609549d0602a887e09fcbb75e77f3b37ca294107c9cd.json |
[
"Tom Fletcher"
] | 2016-08-26T16:49:24 | null | 2014-02-04T00:00:00 | Guns intercepted at Pacific region border crossings up 116 per cent compared to this time last year | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.langleytimes.com%2Fnews%2F391214101.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/12413BCLN2007Gunsabb-HuntingtonCBSA2014-2.4.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | U.S. border gun seizures double | null | null | www.langleytimes.com | Guns seized from visitors entering Canada at the Huntington-Abbotsford border crossing, 2014.
Canadian Border Services Agency has seen a 116 per cent increase in the number of firearms seized in the Pacific Region in the first half of 2016.
With a 10 per cent increase also recorded in the Prairie region, the CBSA is working with U.S. officials on a firearms awareness campaign to remind Americans about restrictions on bringing guns into Canada.
"Attempting to smuggle firearms across the border can result in immediate forfeiture, hefty fines and even significant jail time," said Kim Scoville, CBSA's regional director general for the Prairie region.
Visitors entering the border inspection line should declare any firearms at their first opportunity. Border services officers will take possession of the weapon if it is declared, but the visitor has the option of shipping it back under CBSA supervision or surrendering it without prosecution.
The RCMP has procedures for visitors bringing firearms into Canada | http://www.langleytimes.com/news/391214101.html | en | 2014-02-04T00:00:00 | www.langleytimes.com/2b1116b8fa8d75b8fd6654205d54b7a089ba5506784741c755408894195f1dc3.json |
[] | 2016-08-30T18:51:48 | null | null | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.langleytimes.com%2Fopinion%2Fletters%2F391772101.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/BlackNewsMedia-CLR.png?t=12345? | en | null | Letter: Thanks to Township for top-notch service | null | null | www.langleytimes.com | Editor: I had a tree on my boulevard, a huge alder tree to be exact. It was very nice to look at.
The problem was it was right next to my fence.
It actually began to lift my fence last year.
This year it began to push back my fence and it was raised up a good five inches.
I sent the Township an email asking if they could remove it. You see, I have pets that are not exactly traffic savvy, and two daughters with developmental delay. If either the kids or dogs got out onto the busy street behind my house, I know it would result in something terrible happening.
It took the Township a couple of weeks. They sent out the traffic guys who evaluate trees that could pose a problem for traffic, or trees that are dying and could fall.
They called me to explain that the tree was in perfect health and that they wouldn’t be able to cut it down.
I explained my situation regarding the pets and my children.
Fifteen minutes later I received a call back from the original person I had talked to.
He had talked to his supervisor explained the situation and received authorization to cut the tree down.
The very next day they came out and took it down.
I’d really like to commend them on their great communication and customer service.
I thought after the first call I was out of luck and going to need to find a way to run my fence around a tree.
Now, I know some people will be upset that such a great tree was cut, so I’ve decided that I will replant two more trees. Probably not alder trees as they are just so big, and nothing close to the fence.
Probably a cherry tree, and maybe a blossoming cherry tree to act as homage to the alder.
I. Fisher,
Langley | http://www.langleytimes.com/opinion/letters/391772101.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.langleytimes.com/2a44ac742c7291ccc19199158bd2a1d9517fcbaf9f78c6c44e0be9d75011e33d.json |
[
"Dan Ferguson"
] | 2016-08-26T13:04:03 | null | null | Trinity Western University hosts 2016 Pacific Northwest Tour de Fox this Saturday | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.langleytimes.com%2Fcommunity%2F390475271.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/65437langley0816KUHNcyclesforParkinsons.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | Langley university president rides for Parkinson's research | null | null | www.langleytimes.com | Trinity Western University President Bob Kuhn practices for the Tour de Fox happening this Saturday, Aug. 20 in Langley.
Trinity Western University president Bob Kuhn will be one of the cyclists riding in the 2016 Pacific Northwest Tour de Fox fundraiser for Parkinson's research in Langley this Saturday.
The 64-year-old Kuhn, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2006, at the age of 53, will ride 35 miles (about 56 km) in the Tour de Fox as the captain of Team TWU.
On his Tour de Fox page, Kuhn described some of the challenges he faces.
"Fighting bone-deep fatigue, trying to ignore the aching pain that develops in my shoulders and arms, and managing to eat with a fork despite its tendency to catapult its contents onto the table, floor, and the person seated next to me ..." Kuhn wrote.
"Many of the 5,000,000 plus people who have Parkinson's disease suffer a lot more than I do," Kuhn went on to say.
"Many feel hopeless and incredibly discouraged. They need to have hope. So it is for those people that I want to do all I can to help find a cure. I'm riding in the Tour de Fox as part of Team TWU because it reminds me that there is still much that I can do. It reminds me to appreciate that I am alive."
The Tour de Fox is a fundraiser of the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
Participants raise funds and choose either a 10-mile, 35-mile, or 70-mile bicycle loop, all of which begin and end on the TWU campus in Langley.
All funds will support programs to find a cure for Parkinson's disease.
Thus far, Team TWU, with 11 riders and counting, has raised over $7,000 — second place among the teams participating in the Pacific Northwest cycling event.
In 2014, Kuhn raised $24,000 for the Michael J. Fox Foundation through the 50 CC motorcycle ride by riding from California to Florida on his motorcycle in less than 50 hours.
About Parkinson’s disease (Courtesy Michael J. Fox Foundation)
1. Parkinson's disease is a chronic, degenerative neurological disorder that affects one in 100 people over age 60.
2. While the average age at onset is 60, people have been diagnosed as young as 18.
3. The exact cause of Parkinson's disease is unknown, although research points to a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
4. The single biggest risk factor for Parkinson’s disease is advancing age. Men have a somewhat higher risk than women.
5. Symptoms often, but not always, include tremors and shaking, fatigue, anxiety, depression and dexterity issues.
6. Parkinson’s symptoms are unique to each person: Some eventually have to use wheelchairs; others run marathons. | http://www.langleytimes.com/community/390475271.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.langleytimes.com/e106f321847adfbc9df8ba1d6abd3407d2dc2b2f42fe07ea0ca89576096c88d7.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:12:16 | null | null | null | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.langleytimes.com%2Fopinion%2F390606931.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/BlackNewsMedia-CLR.png?t=12345? | en | null | Letter: Trees still not a high enough priority for TOL council | null | null | www.langleytimes.com | Editor: Once again, Coun. Kim Richter is the voice of reason. Her proposal to save 30 per cent of all significant trees on a property should have been passed.
Why do we not have a bylaw concerning significant trees? I am shocked that Coun. Angie Quaale’s motion to require 100 per cent replacement of significant trees is new.
I was told over 10 years ago, when we were faced with the development across the street, that developers were to replace three trees for every tree removed, just not necessarily in the same development. It is sorely evident that only a small portion of the trees were replanted in those new developments.
I can’t believe that Coun. Quaale is not asking developers to re jig their designs to fit in more trees. Why not?
Surely this is not a novel idea, this is happening across other municipalities, in order to save more trees.
These developers are proposing to remove 97 per cent of the trees. Imagine only saving four trees out of 376. This shameful and irresponsible.
Why does the Township council not respect our trees?
Dianne Baker,
Langley | http://www.langleytimes.com/opinion/390606931.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.langleytimes.com/9e74900381142782add355172b2648e64bbe7cff3be03f8f32e5c686072455bc.json |
[] | 2016-08-31T00:52:20 | null | null | Fourth time in six weeks Langley kicker has earned weekly award | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.langleytimes.com%2Fsports%2F391785691.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/8398langley0827DochertyRams.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | Rams Docherty top special teamer once again | null | null | www.langleytimes.com | For the fourth time in six weeks, Langley Rams kicker Tiernan Docherty has been named the BC Junior Football League's special teams player of the week. Docherty scored all 10 of the points in a 15-10 loss to the Okanagan Sun on Aug. 27.
For the fourth time in six weeks, Langley Rams kicker Tiernan Docherty picked up the BC Football Conference’s special teams player of the week award.
Docherty accounted for all 10 of his team’s points in a 15-10 loss to the Okanagan Sun on Saturday night at McLeod Athletic Park.
He connected on field goals of 47, 34 and 30 yards, respectively, as well as adding a single of a missed attempt.
Docherty also had 10 punts for an average of 34.7 yards per punt.
For the season, he is leading the league in points with 73 and has made 16 of his 20 field goal attempts while also going 21-for-21 on convert attempts.
He also leads the league in net yards for both kick-offs (35.1 yards per kick) and punting (30.7 yards per kick). | http://www.langleytimes.com/sports/391785691.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.langleytimes.com/3085fdb99f8e28f7bf5caeca5d15b9a31051c54450b456b574284e8e2c755436.json |
[
"Miranda Gathercole"
] | 2016-08-30T18:50:53 | null | null | Feeling ‘disenchanted with the food industry,’ Ian and Cathy Finley started their own sustainable farm in the heart of rural Langley | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.langleytimes.com%2Flifestyles%2F391676131.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/55696langley0628-LauricaCathyweb.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | Going back to their roots | null | null | www.langleytimes.com | Cathy Finley stands on the deck of a reclaimed tree house she and her husband, Ian, built on their property, Laurica Farms. On Sept. 11, the Finley’s will co-host the 22nd annual Metro Vancouver Feast of Fields.
They call themselves “accidental farmers.”
When Ian and Cathy Finley first moved to Canada from England in 2009, they were excited to raise their two daughters in the new Clayton Heights subdivision of Surrey, and progress their careers in both construction, for Ian, and social work, for Cathy.
Despite meeting many new friends and getting “immersed in Canadian culture” in that neighbourhood, the suburban sprawl was “too claustrophobic for us,” Cathy said.
“It was too high density … even when you have row houses in England, you’ve still got space, you’re not looking into each other's windows and things like that. We moved to Clayton Heights and I thought, ‘I can see into seven different people’s houses from my back door,’” she said.
“(We) realized that wasn’t necessarily what we wanted in the long-term quite early on, and then moved here accidentally — accidental farmers.”
By here, she means a quaint five-acre plot of land, located just off 256 Street at the end of 12 Avenue, where the road narrows to just one lane, and large trees hang across on either side.
They named their property Laurica Farm — after daughters Lauren and Jessica — and in three years have transformed it from a home in the country, to a viable business in B.C.’s emerging permaculture industry.
For Cathy, who admits she has only had one day off in the last 365 days, providing good, wholesome food to the community has become a passion.
“We were feeling just a bit disenchanted with the food industry,” Cathy explained.
“You’d go to the grocery store in England and know what brands you liked, and you’d buy the same sort of products every week that you were familiar with. And then you come to a new country and you’d have to start looking at labels. And all of a sudden I was like, ‘oh, I’m not sure if I like what’s in these labels — I’m not sure I’m enjoying this.’
“And I started learning a little bit more about the food system, generally, but particularly here in North America, and decided that I didn’t want to give up meat as part of my diet, but I certainly didn’t want to eat factory-farmed meat. It was very much about, ‘I don’t want to give my hard earned dollars to an unethical company.’ So I started cutting stuff out … and eventually I was like, ‘there is nothing I can eat. I’ve literally got to make my own food now.’”
In her first year of farming, Cathy decided to take some of her organic salads and eggs back to her old neighbours in Surrey, which quickly snowballed into a delivery route with 20 families per week. From there, she started going to local farmer’s markets, and hosting a couple of events at the farm, which leads up to today — year three — where Laurica now has a spot on the Circle Farm Tour, weekly farm gate sales, special events and a market every weekend during the summer, and even a petting zoo, complete with goats, ducks, chickens and “Rosie” the pot-belly pig.
“It’s gone crazy,” Cathy said.
“We had this philosophy about sustainability, but we didn’t really have a solid plan at that point. We knew what we wanted to do — we had to make it sustainable, we had to make it good. Everything after that kind of happened organically.”
‘A COMPLEX WEB’
On Sept. 11, the Finley’s will host one of their largest events yet. The 22nd annual Metro Vancouver Feast of Fields is setting up on the Laurica property and neighbouring Fraser Common Farm next door. As the oldest local food festival in B.C., the four-hour event gives both city folk, and country folk alike the opportunity to get up close and personal with their food producers.
Armed with a “wine glass and linen napkin in hand,” more than 1,000 guests will wander from tent to tent through the beautiful farms to taste creations from some of B.C.’s top chefs. With all food sourced locally, the event highlights the province’s small-scale producers, while raising money for the non-profit society FarmFolk CityFolk, whose mission is to create a local, sustainable food system in B.C.
Not only will Feast of Fields bring many new farm fresh foodies to the Finley’s farm, but the event also embodies the sustainability vision Ian and Cathy are trying to create.
“We talk about symbiotic farming, everything relies on one another. There’s not one thing here that is here just for its own good, apart from maybe Rosie,” Cathy laughed.
“Everything has a purpose and links into everything else. It’s a really complex web.”
Their pigs, for example, were purchased to help the topsoil, which was removed 40 years ago when the property was quarried.
“We figured out that we could either buy and ship the soil in, but again, the sustainability aspect of it, that didn’t make sense to me,” Cathy said.
“Or we could get pigs, who would turn it over and fertilize it as they go. And who eat the weeds by the roots and just bring all these great resources to the farm. And we get bacon as a delicious byproduct. So we started with four heritage pigs, and we’re near to 30 now. We found ways of farming them very sustainably. We call them carbon positive pork because they do so much on the farm and they don’t get any commercially made grain at all — we divert about 20 tons of food waste per week that would otherwise be destined for the landfill.”
The pigs till the fields, the chickens aerate the soil, the goats control the weeds, and the ducks, who eat the bugs and slugs, are natural insecticides.
All of their animals are also “heritage breeds,” meaning they are free from genetic modifications. Cathy’s rare pig breeds even attracted actress Isabella Rossellini to visit from New York.
“I think somewhere in the middle we’ve forgotten how to farm,” Cathy said.
“Permaculture is a lot about embracing those traditions. It’s about how our grandparents used to farm. It’s also about modern ideas and intuition as well. It’s really a merging of those two worlds. Let nature do the work for you. Don’t say, ‘I want to plant this crop here.’ Say, ‘where is this crop going to best benefit? Should I plant it in the shade?’ ... Utilize what you already have here.”
THE AGENDA
Make no mistake, starting a farm from scratch hasn’t been easy, especially since neither Ian nor Cathy have a background in agriculture. They have had to “pound the pavement” to get their Laurica name out in the public, and come up with creative solutions to stay true to their sustainable mandate.
“It was a bit overwhelming,” Cathy admitted.
“I thought I was well informed, but until you actually immerse yourself in the lifestyle, you can’t know. Farming, or farm-life, is not something you can learn in university. You can learn the theory and stuff, but actually living it is way different. And really, for us, it was never a plan that we’re going to have goats, and pigs and chickens, and this and this, it just happened step by step,” she said.
With many lessons learned, the Finley’s now want to pass that knowledge on to others, which is why they are doing everything they can to lure more and more people out to their farm.
They have built a secret fairy garden for children to explore, a reclaimed tree house where long table dinners and yoga classes are held, and frequently host tours and summer camps for youth.
“I think if people start coming to farms and enjoying being at farms and eating the food, seeing chefs produce great food from their area, it’s massive,” Cathy said.
“It’s massive for local farmers. A lot of the people that come to our events then go to other farmer’s events and are excited to pick up a Circle Tour brochure and go on a Circle Tour. It’s really beneficial to the local economy.”
But the reality is, successful small farming is difficult to achieve and is full of bureaucracy, Cathy said. There are many restrictions put in place by the Agricultural Land Commission and other industry changes, such as some chicken processors eliminating small flock orders.
“I think the potential reach of good small farms is huge, but we’re stumbling over these blocks all the time,” Cathy said.
“You solve one issue and another comes in. I just want to grow food, I just want people to eat well, I just want people to stop eating factory meat, I just want people to care about the Earth. That’s our agenda. We’re never going to get rich farming — ever — we know that.
“We just want to live well, but we keep finding these pieces of red tape that we have to navigate.”
‘YOU JUST HAVE TO LIVE IT’
Despite the road blocks, long hours, and even occasional animal rights protests at their gate, Cathy says she wouldn’t go back to her suburban life.
“I’ve given up on sleep, hygiene, friends and sex,” she said with a laugh
“It is a constant lifestyle everyday. It’s very full-on all of the time, especially in the summer. We get up and work early, then kind of siesta, if you like, during the afternoon when it’s too hot, and start again in the evening. But the rewards are — it’s not anything I can articulate well. The rewards are the lifestyle.
“When we sit down for dinner, for example, and we’re eating produce that we’ve raised or grown right here on our own — it’s so super fresh. And we sit here on this beautiful property, and the horses are galloping around over there, the chickens and the sheep are wondering around off over here. I don’t really have any free time, but it’s just something different about the way we live. It’s not easy to articulate well, you just have to live it.”
GET INVOLVED
Laurica Farm is open to the public on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information on tours and weekend events, visit www.lauricafarm.com.
Tickets for Feast of Fields are $95 and are available online at www.feastoffields.com/metro-vancouver.
The event takes place from 1-5 p.m. at 25775 12 Ave.
The "Farmacy" at Laurica Farm contains edible flowers and herbs, and is all part of Ian and Cathy Finley's commitment to natural, sustainable food. | http://www.langleytimes.com/lifestyles/391676131.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.langleytimes.com/f24f2bf0db56d4a41c69428df5e020bfbe1bd0a7c5356e40999c6511f43dc550.json |
[
"Monique Tamminga"
] | 2016-08-30T18:51:29 | null | null | Neighbours invited to take a book or leave a book, as free exchange trend makes its way to Langley | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.langleytimes.com%2Fcommunity%2F391773011.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/2019langley0823-LittleFreeLibraryBrookswood200and37A.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | Brookswood residents connect through ‘Little Free Library’ | null | null | www.langleytimes.com | Elijah Gallina, 5, and his sister Ally, 8, helped their mom Emily McGuire create Langley’s first Little Free Library in Brookswood on 200 Street and 37A Avenue, where people can take a book or leave a book.
Brookswood mom has brought the first Little Free Library to her neighbourhood, and it has been getting great reviews so far.
Emily McGuire wanted a way to connect with her neighbours in Brookswood.
What better way than to share her love of reading, she thought.
McGuire dusted off an old shelving unit she had stored in her garage and let her two children paint it. After adding a sloped roof to keep everything dry, she got her husband to drill holes in the shelving unit so that it could be secured in place.
Last week, she trucked it over to the corner of 200 Street and 37A Avenue and filled the shelves with books — some fiction, some non, picture books and even children’s books donated by her two kids.
Now Brookswood residents can take a book or leave a book, McGuire said.
“The response has been amazing. The community has really embraced it already and it’s only been up a week,” she said. “I am seeing people of all ages peeking in, dropping off books and taking them.
“I love the idea of sharing and exchanging books. Also, to encourage reading, especially with kids in the community.”
The Brookswood Little Free Library is registered with the littlefreelibrary.org which means it is now on a world-wide map of locations of free libraries around the globe.
On a Brookswood Facebook page, more than 25 people commented about what a ‘wonderful’ idea this is and how they had already seen and used it.
Little Free Libraries have become popular around the world in recent years.
One of the first ones in B.C. was placed in an East Vancouver neighbourhood. | http://www.langleytimes.com/community/391773011.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.langleytimes.com/c86c066eba50a1369635f9dcaf89be7af91194834b0ee21964fe46c1ab7c0fa7.json |
[
"Evan Seal"
] | 2016-08-30T18:51:03 | null | null | Annual 250-k.m. ride raises $7 million for Cancer Research | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.langleytimes.com%2Fnews%2F391764461.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/98609surreyw-Ridelistens.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | Riding for a cure | null | null | www.langleytimes.com | A crowd listens to a woman describe her story of beating cancer, the heart of last weekend's 250 k.m. ride.
More than $7 million was raised for the fight against cancer by a group of more than 1,600 cyclists which rode from Surrey to Seattle.
Saturday morning at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds, 1,687 cyclists began the two-day, 250km ride in the eighth-annual Ride to Conquer Cancer, presented by Silver Wheaton, in support of breakthrough cancer research and enhancements at the B.C. Cancer Agency.
The largest cycling fundraiser in the province, the ride has raised over $77 million for the B.C Cancer Foundation since 2008 and brings together thousands of volunteers, participants and communities of cancer survivors all with a common goal.
For Brad Peters, who was part of the Riders for Ryder team, the weather for this year’s event was the best he had seen.
And having ridden the course the last two years, the Langley resident was glad to see the warm dry weather.
"First year, it was freezing cold, and it was heavy rain," Peters told Black Press. "And last year was the storm. The course shut down, I think only 20 per cent of the riders finished the day."
Many riders train for months to be able to complete the grueling two-day event, but all recognize the importance of continuing the cause to find a cure for cancer and to help those currently battling the disease.
“I lost my father, a dedicated Ride participant and former captain of Team CRANKEN, at the young age of 59 in 2013 to stage three bladder cancer,” said Kluhane Leoppky.
“I first got involved in the Ride with my father in 2010, the same year he was diagnosed. To this day, I participate on Team CRANKEN with a growing number of people, all of whom were impacted by my father’s life and legacy."
Silver Wheaton became involved as a sponsor of the ride in 2014, but has participated in the ride since 2009 with a team of over 50 riders which has raised nearly $920,000.
“The experts we support at the BC Cancer Agency are recognized internationally for work in advancing research and enhancing care. Together, this passionate group of riders is fueling breakthrough studies that offer new hope to patients,” said Sarah Roth, President and CEO of the BC Cancer Foundation. "The Ride is about bringing people together to make cancer a manageable and eventually curable disease in our lifetime."
Next year's event is set for Aug. 26-27. More information is available by phone at 888-771-BIKE or online at www.conquercancer.ca | http://www.langleytimes.com/news/391764461.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.langleytimes.com/b73a00facdf424c4f392aa53a9995f03a6a363b4fc120375f1ebc151f30bb6c2.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:09:32 | null | null | Langley City agrees to cover additional $11,770 bill for policing Langley Good Times Cruise-In event | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.langleytimes.com%2Fnews%2F391173521.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/97078langley0912dfCruise-incrowdlongshotweb.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | (Update) Battle over Langley Cruise-In policing costs resolved, event to proceed | null | null | www.langleytimes.com | The annual Langley Good Times Cruise-In brings crowds of 100,000 people to the City of Langley's downtown core each year.
A last-minute dispute over policing costs at the annual Langley Good Times Cruise-In — which almost led to the Sept. 10 event being cancelled, appears to have been resolved.
The question of whether this year’s event would go ahead in just over two weeks’ time arose following the receipt of an email from the City to the volunteer board of directors on Tuesday night. It stated that owing to the "loss of the RCMP Auxiliary volunteers that have supported the Cruise-In event for the past several years,” paid full-time officers would have to be used for crowd control on Friday and Saturday.
The move came as a result of a change in RCMP policy that limits the use of volunteer officers. The changes were made following the 2015 shootings of a regular duty officer and an auxiliary at an Alberta casino. The full-time officer died as a result of his injuries.
The message from City recreation supervisor Tera Edell arrived Tuesday evening with an invoice for the estimated extra costs of using full-time paid officers of $11,770. It asked that 50 per cent, $5,885, be paid by Aug. 31 and the remaining balance of $5,885, paid by Sept. 23.
"Just this past week I had the opportunity to meet with them (Cruise-In representatives), and at that time it was decided that the Langley Good Times Cruise-In Society will be responsible to pay the additional cost," Edell wrote.
Cruise-In board of directors president Wayne Patterson had a different view.
Patterson sent an email response to the City later the same night in which he wrote that the 2016 show would be cancelled "if the board does not get this outrageous request rebutted …"
"We can't put on a charity car show and have no money left at the end to give to charity," Patterson later told The Times.
After Patterson spoke with City of Langley Mayor Ted Schaffer Wednesday morning, Schaffer said the City would take on the additional bill, as "we want to see this be a positive for the City."
Schaffer said the City is already contributing $43,000 for policing the event, not including the additional $11,770 cost.
"The City fully supports the Good Times Cruise-In, and we as a sponsor value the hard work that the Cruise-In Society does," the mayor added.
As a result, the event will proceed as planned.
"Cruise-In is not cancelled, it's a go-ahead," Patterson said.
Mayor Schaffer told The Times that he wasn't aware of the conversations about paying the extra police costs taking place between City staff and the Cruise-In volunteers.
"Myself, I wasn't aware of any (such) conversations until 11 o'clock last night. So for myself, I was totally blindsided," he said.
The mayor said Cruise-In directors were advised by the City "that there could be some unforeseen costs pertaining to the (RCMP) auxiliary program" in July, and again at an Aug. 3 meeting .
City Coun. Gayle Martin said council was not informed of the invoice being sent to Cruise-In directors because City staff believed an agreement had been reached where Cruise-In would cover the added policing costs, and under those circumstances, councillors didn't require notification.
If staff thought there was an issue, "there is no doubt in my mind that council would have been apprised of the matter," Martin said.
Martin told The Times that an internal memo sent to council from CAO Francis Cheung said the City subsidizes an estimated $65,000 to $70,000 each year for Cruise-In (including the $43,000 for policing).
A separate report also indicated the City incurred an additional $10,000 in flagging costs last year because Cruise-In didn't have enough volunteers, Martin said.
On Wednesday afternoon, the City issued a statement affirming its support of the annual Cruise-In and the volunteers who organize and run it.
“Due to the Langley Good Times Cruise-In’s success, this event cannot be treated like any other day in the community, with thousands of cars placed in our downtown streets and hundreds of thousands of visitors enjoying this unique car show,” the statement reads.
“With the event’s highly anticipated attendance, the City must increase community services such as policing costs to enforce traffic regulations, unsanctioned vehicle performances, disorderly conduct, and open alcohol being consumed on streets in the downtown core.
“As a City, it’s our job to ensure safety for citizens, community members and visitors.
“The City of Langley has and will continue to support the Langley Good Times Cruise-In.”
In the statement, Mayor Schaffer said “many organizations have benefited through the generosity of the funds raised by the Cruise-In and we continue to support their event."
Langley City Council and the Langley Good Times Cruise-In’s Board of Directors will meet following this year’s event "to ensure improved communication and more positive outcomes in future years" the statement concluded.
By Dan Ferguson and Miranda Gathercole, Langley Times | http://www.langleytimes.com/news/391173521.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.langleytimes.com/8089514dc1e61d26ed61b26aa4b66f161b9f056ede6646b211150367255babdb.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:09:11 | null | null | Five fairy-tale princesses will be performing live for children in the seventh annual White Rock Princess Party | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.langleytimes.com%2Flifestyles%2F389326221.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/82334langleyWhiteRockPrincessPartyWeb.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | A party for princesses | null | null | www.langleytimes.com | It's an event fit for a queen.
Five fairy-tale princesses will be performing live for children in the seventh annual White Rock Princess Party.
Taking place Aug. 6 at Centennial Area in White Rock, parents can enjoy watching their children experience an afternoon of fun, including many crafts, activities, face painting, cookie decorating, a magic castle, raffle prizes, princess photo ops and food served by White Rock firefighters.
Proceeds from the event will go to the White Rock Firefighters Charity Association in support of their initiative to build an All Abilities Park on the beach, with a goal of raising $30,000.
Creator Myra Merkal, along with co-organizer Alyssa Nielsen of Langley's As You Wish Princess Parties, promise a magical day for everyone who attends.
“All of our activities put an emphasis on children’s inner beauty-character qualities such as kindness, courtesy and friendliness," Merkal said.
Activities are designed for children ages 2-10, although all children are welcome.
Tickets and more information are available at www.wrprincessparty.com. | http://www.langleytimes.com/lifestyles/389326221.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.langleytimes.com/24ef4e28f94261d9d239b7ef9efb30db7e5dfe2c2d7265d82c2f4a8ed01a6615.json |
[
"Monique Tamminga"
] | 2016-08-26T13:10:17 | null | null | The District has announced it will no longer be charging transportation fees and will refund those who have prepaid for this year. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.langleytimes.com%2Fnews%2F391351201.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/72081langleybuses.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | Langley eliminates school bus fees | null | null | www.langleytimes.com | Langley School District has announced students will no longer have to pay for transportation fees and it will refund families who have already paid for this school year.
The School District will no longer be charging transportation fees to students who take a bus to school.
The good news, announced two weeks before school starts, means the district will be providing families with a refund for the fees they paid for the upcoming school year.
"Because of the timing of the announcement many families had already prepaid their fees for the upcoming school year and those fees are being refunded," said Langley School District spokesperson Ken Hoff. "This is ongoing funding from the Ministry which will eliminate the need to have transportation fees for our families in the future."
Bus fees cost an average of $250 per student in Langley. There are about 1,500 students that access transportation services each year.
On Aug.10, the Ministry of Education made an announcement that it has established a $14.7 million provincial fund to make bus transportation for B.C. resident students and their families more affordable and accessible.
Langley’s portion of the provincial fund enabled the district to stop charging transportation fees.
“The funding announcement from the Ministry of Education is good news for families as fees for bus transportation will be discontinued," said David Green, District secretary-treasurer.
Families are reminded that registering for transportation is still required.
The annual cost for bus transportation in the District is about $2.2 million. Funding from the Ministry of Education for the Langley School District is $260,000, reducing the district cost to approximately $2 million. | http://www.langleytimes.com/news/391351201.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.langleytimes.com/886691a55572da5b3203b8a2eebc34723c21b552569a02cab6a5b6ba8af65825.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:02:00 | null | null | Brookswood Secondary student Brett Dick is performing in American Idiot | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.langleytimes.com%2Fentertainment%2F389332391.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/83982langleyAmericanIdiotWeb.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | Langley teen rocks summer musical | null | null | www.langleytimes.com | Rock musical American Idiot is on until Aug. 27 at Granville Island's Waterfront Theatre.
Like many young millennial men, Johnny, Tunny and Will are trying to find their way out of suburbia and into adulthood. While Johnny heads to the city to make it as a musician and Tunny heads overseas to war, Will stays behind to deal with the surprise pregnancy of his girlfriend, Heather.
American Idiot, a Tony-nominated rock musical, follows the three men on their journey to maturity through the soundtrack of Billie Joe Armstrong and Green Day.
Produced by Fighting Chance Productions, this is the Western Canadian premiere of the musical, which is playing until Aug. 27 at Granville Island's Waterfront Theatre, 1412 Cartwright St.
All 19 cast members will be singing, dancing and playing instruments throughout the production.
Brookswood Secondary student Brett Dick, 16, will be performing as Gerard. Dick’s interest in music started with the ukulele. He spent many years with the Langley Ukulele Ensemble travelling with them to Hawaii twice, as well as Stratford, Toronto and Nova Scotia.
At the age of 10, Dick started learning the guitar and played in the pit orchestra for Brookswood’s 2014 production of In The Heights.
Being involved in that production gave him the acting bug and he auditioned the next year for a part in the show. He played the role of Jimmy Smith in Thoroughly Modern Millie in 2015, and the role of Bobby Strong in Urinetown in 2016.
American Idiot is his first role outside of high school.
Other cast members include Tristan Smith as Johnny, Ross Foster as Will, Nick Heffelfinger as Tunny, Elaine Bevans as Whatsername, Allyson Fournier as Heather and Tiana Swan as Extrordinary Girl.
“American Idiot is the perfect Fighting Chance show. A story about young people growing up, facing challenges and overcoming them fits in well with what so many of our audience and cast are experiencing. Green Day scored the music of my youth and I'm so excited to present this intensely creative musical to Lower Mainland audiences,” said Artistic Director Ryan Mooney.
“American Idiot is the fourth collaboration between choreographer Anna Kuman and myself and I think we have really created a feast of visuals to go along with this heartbreaking tale.”
For a complete list of performances and ticket info, please visit www.ticketstonight.ca.
For more information on the show, please visit www.fightingchanceproductions.ca. | http://www.langleytimes.com/entertainment/389332391.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.langleytimes.com/4f4c14686711980662e65cf1652ca933027e357e5391d779e32dfd4837c7a2b3.json |
[
"Dan Ferguson"
] | 2016-08-29T20:50:44 | null | null | Cloverdale - Langley City Liberal speaks at Langley town hall meeting on electoral reform | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.langleytimes.com%2Fnews%2F391638491.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/41439langley0829aldagspeaksatforum4web.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | 'Old white guys' dominate parliament and that's not right, MP Aldag says | null | null | www.langleytimes.com | During a break, Cloverdale - Langley City MP John Aldag talks with attendees at a weekend forum on electoral reform in Langley.
A Langley forum on changing the way we vote in federal elections heard the local MP argue there are currently too many people like him in parliament, and not enough women, visible minorities and people with disabilities.
"There's frankly, a bunch of old white guys who make up the majority of Members of Parliament," Cloverdale-Langley City Liberal MP John Aldag said.
"And although I think that, you know, as someone falling into that category, I can represent a range of opinions, others argue it’s best to actually have representatives from those communities speaking for those communities."
Aldag said minorities and disabled people are under-represented in the House of Commons and it was a "real shame" that only 30 per cent of MPs are women, when women make up just under half the population.
He was speaking at a Fair Vote Canada town hall-style meeting on electoral reform held Saturday in Langley.
About 50 people attended the three-hour meeting.
The MP was appointed in June to the Special House of Commons committee that is reviewing Canada’s electoral system.
It aims to find an alternative to the current first-past-the-post approach that has been criticized because it allows political parties like the Liberal government to win elections with less than a majority of the overall vote.
"We have, as was said, 100 per cent of the power, and yet we have less than 50 per cent of the support of Canadians in the election," Aldag commented.
"The question is, is that fair?"
Aldag said he hopes the report by the all-party committee in December will list multiple alternatives.
The town hall meeting was organized by Fair Vote volunteer and Fort Langley resident Timothy Jones, who opened the meeting by saying under the existing system, it only takes a "small shift in swing ridings" to change governments.
The Liberals, he noted, won "100 per cent of the legislative power" with 39 per cent of the vote.
"We have a situation where more than 50 per cent of the vote doesn't count," Jones said.
"People are walking away from the system and turnout is declining."
The meeting, which was live-streamed online, also heard about alternative voting methods from Dr. Antony Hodgson of UBC, and Craig Henschel, an alumnus of the BC Citizens Assembly on Electoral Reform, a provincial attempt at electoral reform that was rejected in a 2009 referendum.
It appeared a majority of those who attended the Saturday meeting favoured some sort of change to the existing system.
A questionnaire was circulated at the meeting and a report on the responses will be submitted to the Electoral Reform committee. | http://www.langleytimes.com/news/391638491.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.langleytimes.com/509943961dbb1c658776bcc3a97bfd7f90c4bb084b0b7d42c00aefce93cac117.json |
[
"Canadian Press"
] | 2016-08-31T00:51:02 | null | null | Two sides avert job action that has loomed for months | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.langleytimes.com%2Fnews%2F391803281.html.json | http://media.bclocalnews.com/images/18051BCLN2007Canada_Post_TruckWikimediaCommons.jpg?t=12345? | en | null | Canada Post, postal union reach tentative deals | null | null | www.langleytimes.com | Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers have reached tentative agreements, averting the prospect of a labour dispute that has loomed over the talks for months.
In a statement, Labour Minister MaryAnn Mihychuk says the agreements were reached "voluntarily," but provides no other details about the deals themselves.
The issue of differences in paycheques for rural mail carriers — most of whom are women — and urban letter carriers had been at the forefront of protracted contract talks between the two sides.
The negotiations were extended twice since the weekend, when a deadline expired on a 72-hour job action notice issued last Thursday by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.
The two sides were in talks nearly around the clock at the request of a special mediator appointed Friday by Mihychuk.
Canada Post described the tentative agreements as short-term. It said they are for two years and that four-year contracts were typically negotiated in the past.
"The agreements will avert a work disruption, bringing much-needed certainty in the postal system for our employees and customers," said Canada Post in a statement. "Canadians can now use the postal system with confidence."
The tentative agreements, however, still must be ratified by the members.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers is Canada Post's largest union, representing more than 50,000 postal workers
The Canadian Press | http://www.langleytimes.com/news/391803281.html | en | 2016-08-01T00:00:00 | www.langleytimes.com/c175d8301d82e0944ab01e1173516facb516139c501b23783539164c0af8757c.json |
[
"Brian Bennett"
] | 2016-08-26T12:52:29 | null | 2016-08-22T12:31:28 | Ashington FC manager Steve Harmison was left mystified on Saturday after his side tasted their third league defeat in four outings. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fsport%2Flocal%2Fharmison-disapponted-as-ashington-are-missing-quality-1-8082050.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.7573137.1471865476!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Harmison disapponted as Ashington are ‘missing quality’ | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Ashington FC manager Steve Harmison was left mystified on Saturday after his side tasted their third league defeat in four outings.
They lost by the odd goal in three against Sunderland RCA.
He said: “Naturally I’m disappointed and it’s a difficult one to take.
“There are only so many times I can say the work rate and effort was there but we are getting sick of saying the same things.
“The quality of the pass is missing and we are not doing the simple things well, which puts our back four under pressure and they are being constantly put to the test because we keep giving the ball away.
“I didn’t think we deserved a point, yet neither did I believe we deserved to get beat.
“We have conceded a few goals because we are not comfortable playing a game of football in the final third.
“It actually looks as if there is not a lot of direction but we are working on that and it’s just not happening with things going against us.
“I didn’t think there was much in the game, to be honest. We made a couple of mistakes, one near the end, but I’m not going to criticise it.
“Reece [Farrell] has come in for his first Northern League game because of the personnel we had available to us, Scott Blandford and Ben Harmison were both ruled out, and we’d had preferred to drip feed Reece in.
“But we had to shove him straight in and it was one of those games where we didn’t show enough quality on the ball throughout the pitch to give ourselves a good chance of winning the game.
“They [RCA] played it long but we couldn’t really do that because of the personnel we had, so we had to try and build it up.
“We were always giving the ball away and it just wasn’t good enough.
“It was as simple as that, but I’m sick of saying that. We need reinforcements and we need a little bit more quality.”
Harmison felt aggrieved by the award of a spot kick on the half hour which led to RCA breaking the deadlock, but overall could not hide his disappointment in his outfit.
“In my eyes it was never a penalty,” he said.
“However, even though we had a couple of players missing, we still had more than enough on that pitch to have given a better account of ourselves than we did.” | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/sport/local/harmison-disapponted-as-ashington-are-missing-quality-1-8082050 | en | 2016-08-22T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/8a4926c63165712dd4e98b142e7459d56688f965e9989dce8a459981a694facd.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:06:44 | null | 2016-08-25T15:01:53 | Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to visit Blyth this bank holiday weekend as it hosts the North Sea Tall Ships Regatta 2016. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Ftall-ships-blyth-2016-live-1-8088875.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8088872.1472206064!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Tall Ships Blyth 2016 - LIVE | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Email verification
Thank you for verifying your email address.
Verification link has expired, please sign in and click on resend verification email from your profile page.
Verification link has expired, please click on resend verification email from your profile page. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/tall-ships-blyth-2016-live-1-8088875 | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/1623575b3ff9efba127d8c9c7cfc73b7d063daa83e09ec77a5503aef3393bdfc.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:12:27 | null | 2016-08-25T07:05:37 | Mark Stevens asks why more branded chains like Nandos don’t invest in Blyth as compared to Cramlington, (News Post Leader, August 18). | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fletters%2Fregeneration-a-work-in-progress-1-8086568.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8086567.1472052692!/image/image.jpg | en | null | REGENERATION: A work in progress | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Mark Stevens asks why more branded chains like Nandos don’t invest in Blyth as compared to Cramlington, (News Post Leader, August 18).
It’s an often heard complaint to criticise Blyth’s retail offer and to compare it, disparagingly, to Cramlington.
The problem’s simple. Cramlington shopping centre started with a greenfield site in the 1960s and has one major landlord. Blyth, by comparison, is a patchwork quilt of 200 years of development, with dozens of landlords.
Not all those landlords are either co-operative or committed to Blyth in any meaningful way.
I wish it wasn’t like that, but, contrary to popular belief, local authorities don’t have the power to make landlords behave rationally or with any commitment to Blyth.
As a town council we can do lots of little things.
Through schemes like the Townscape Heritage Initiative, local authorities can seek grants to help landlords bring buildings like Hedley Youngs back to an attractive state, and we can seek to promote Blyth as being a different and attractive place with its own unique heritage.
That’s why the town council has invested in a new heritage leaflet and map.
That leaflet was timed to coincide with another strand in our efforts to promote Blyth; the Tall Ships North Sea Regatta.
I’m proud that the town council helps to bring events like the Tour of Britain and the Tall Ships to Blyth so that our town can be seen by visitors from Britain and Europe, and can be on TV all round the world.
Bit by bit we’re changing the image of Blyth, and I’m proud that the town council is playing its part, including investing in improved environmental services with Northumberland County Council.
The fruits of recent investment can be seen in Blyth.
We may not have Nandos, but we have a number of excellent independent restaurants, from the Quayside to the town centre, and a new hotel that speaks volumes about outsiders’ belief in Blyth as a place to do business.
The regeneration of the town is a work in progress, but better by far that we work with what we have than pursue a clone of Cramlington that would be impossible to achieve.
Coun Carol Bruce
Blyth Town Council | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/letters/regeneration-a-work-in-progress-1-8086568 | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/ffda04b0d5646c6e3d5dc9affb4d074d6d9182eeaa9751b18121c8e42883602c.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:11:31 | null | 2016-08-12T07:00:59 | I am visiting Blyth and Newbiggin for a month. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fletters%2Ftoilets-a-cause-of-distress-1-8060906.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8060905.1470832810!/image/image.jpg | en | null | TOILETS: A cause of distress | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | I am visiting Blyth and Newbiggin for a month.
Having had cancer and now having toilet problems, I would like to know why the two public toilets were closed on July 29.
The market one was closed, also the one behind the Keelrow.
This caused me great distress and I don’t suppose I was the only person.
What a state in this day and age.
M Henderson
Wittering | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/letters/toilets-a-cause-of-distress-1-8060906 | en | 2016-08-12T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/62ee5b1faff7343ce14ed882b90f4ddb7501984afa4dc574b9633eb1190a59f6.json |
[
"Janet Hall",
"Janet.Hall Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-26T16:49:28 | null | 2016-08-26T16:14:24 | Thousands of people have packed Blyth for the first day of the Tall Ships Regatta. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fthe-tall-ships-regatta-in-pictures-1-8091458.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8091619.1472227025!/image/image.jpg | en | null | The Tall Ships Regatta in pictures | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | The types of cookies we, our ad network and technology partners use are listed below:
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Local Targeting ► Our Classified websites (Photos, Motors, Jobs and Property Today) use cookies to ensure you get the correct local newspaper branding and content when you visit them. These cookies store no personally identifiable information.
Grapeshot ► We use Grapeshot as a contextual targeting technology, allowing us to create custom groups of stories outside out of our usual site navigation. Grapeshot stores the categories of story you have been exposed to. Their privacy policy and opt out option can be accessed here.
Subscriptions Online ► Our partner for Newspaper subscriptions online stores data from the forms you complete in these to increase the usability of the site and enhance user experience.
Add This ► Add This provides the social networking widget found in many of our pages. This widget gives you the tools to bookmark our websites, blog, share, tweet and email our content to a friend. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/the-tall-ships-regatta-in-pictures-1-8091458 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/23edf73d97c2095b50bf8c9016c3cd634a27ba41ac7628832e3a9a5338e1a6dc.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T14:50:43 | null | 2016-08-28T14:58:52 | A north east heating and plumbing merchant is planning further expansion and jobs. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fbusiness-in-ashington-plans-further-growth-1-8079414.json | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/business-in-ashington-plans-further-growth-1-8079414 | en | null | Business in Ashington plans further growth | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | A north east heating and plumbing merchant is planning further expansion and jobs.
Flame Heating Spares is looking to grow after seeing turnover rise from £2.4m to £6.4m over the past year.
During the period it also doubled the number of its branches to six, including opening an outlet in Ashington.
In the next five years it hopes to expand to 20 branches and double the workforce to 40. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/business-in-ashington-plans-further-growth-1-8079414 | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/5c6a2486266da1493aede8c8d75eea3bc13bc9c0584e33cde9a3f83e64b6303b.json |
[
"David Sedgwick",
"David.Sedgwick Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-26T13:08:35 | null | 2016-08-26T08:45:33 | A family has netted thousands of pounds for a hospital unit thanks to a football fund-raising event in memory of their late mother. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Ffund-raiser-nets-cash-for-hospital-1-8088086.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8088085.1472123644!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Fund-raiser nets cash for hospital | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | A family has netted thousands of pounds for a hospital unit thanks to a football fund-raising event in memory of their late mother.
The second Match for Margaret was held to celebrate the life of Margaret Stewart and to help raise money for Wansbeck General Hospital’s palliative care unit which cared for her.
The match, held at Ashington Football Club in May, was organised by Neil and Helen Dickinson with the support of their family and friends.
Margaret, a former nurse who cared for elderly patients and trained young nurses, passed away in January last year.
Nicola Walker, ward sister, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Neil and Helen and their family and friends for their continued support of our palliative care unit here at Wansbeck hospital.
“The support the Match for Margaret receives is just remarkable and the funds raised will make a real difference to our patients.
“Our warm thanks go to Neil and Helen and everyone who supported the Match for Margaret.”
Neil, from Ashington, said: “It was Margaret’s choice, which she made whilst being cared for on the ward, to raise money for the palliative care unit to thank all the staff for the wonderful care she received.
“After the success of our first year, raising over £3,000, we set ourselves a target of £4,000 for 2016 and we were really surprised when we smashed through that and passed the £6,000 total – it’s brilliant.”
“My wife Helen and I would like to thank our friends and family along with many others who were influential in making this day the success it was.
“To mention a few, they were Koast Radio, Ashington Football Club, Ant Rutherford and Les Langley of The North East Football Show ‘Made In Tyne & Wear’, Tony Lewis, Junior Turner, and obviously everyone who came along on the day itself.
“Next year’s event – M4M17 – is already being planned with the date set for Sunday, April 30, 2017, again at Ashington Football Club. We hope for another successful event next year.”
The donation was made through the trust’s Bright charity, which aims to provide the extras that make a different to patients.
For further information contact Bright Northumbria on 0191 203 1354 or email brightcharity@northumbria.nhs.uk/charity | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/fund-raiser-nets-cash-for-hospital-1-8088086 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/58d68c06b2c48694fc4d763cb99a890a06366c2a816e2a55cca95a9bef896878.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:12:10 | null | 2016-08-06T07:00:51 | The letter from Ronnie Campbell highlights what the current Labour Party is (News Post Leader, July 28). | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fletters%2Fpolitics-electorate-is-in-charge-1-8046858.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8046857.1470160006!/image/image.jpg | en | null | POLITICS: Electorate is in charge | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | The letter from Ronnie Campbell highlights what the current Labour Party is (News Post Leader, July 28).
It is, I believe, a party of very poor opposition. It is so far split that I feel it cannot form a credible opposition under Jeremy Corbyn. The Parliamentary Labour Party is attempting to oust Mr Corbyn, however the Labour Party members, led by the unions, will vote to keep him as leader, providing a massive stalemate.
The trade unions appear to control the party. Take a look at the last General Election.
I believe it was an absolute disaster for Labour because of Ed Milliband, who was placed as leader by the unions as opposed to his brother David. David Milliband would, and should, now be Prime Minister. If Theresa May called a General Election today, I think the Labour Party would be obliterated.
The people who put crosses in boxes appear to have woken up to the fact that they can vote for change, the EU referendum proved that. So, hopefully, no more rock solid, guaranteed seats for any MP. It should take a bit more effort than telling stories of a former working life to win a vote.
Some people have the attitude that all MPs are the same.
They may tell you one thing, but live a completely different life. The expenses scandal springs to mind.
Ronnie Campbell’s favourite lines seem to be ‘same old Tories’ and the name ‘Margaret Thatcher’ to press home his point on any given matter. These lines are now running very thin.
Margaret Thatcher was voted Prime Minister in 1979, 37 years ago, almost a working lifetime has passed. Yes, she instigated the end of mining, which had a devastating effect on communities up and down our country, and she is despised by those directly affected.
However, she is not the most despised and vilified politician to hold office. I think that honour belongs to Tony Blair, the Labour Prime Minister who took the country into Iraq and Afghanistan.
Ronnie Campbell made the point in his Window on Wesminster column a few weeks ago that he was opposed to the Iraq war and he voted against it. All well and good, but not opposed enough to resign as an MP. Had MPs walked from office then perhaps things would have been different.
We had a Labour Government from 1997-2010, 13 years. Things are pretty much the same now as then. Did any of the working classes have more money in their pocket at this time? I certainly did not.
The electorate will not accept complacency or to be patronised. We can, and should, vote a person out if they are not doing what we want them to do. Voting for the same old thing will achieve very little.
Name and address supplied | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/letters/politics-electorate-is-in-charge-1-8046858 | en | 2016-08-06T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/87c3269a2d01f968c471f93ce1be1a617111f98e8a35f5ac0400b93b86f22e0b.json |
[
"James Willoughby",
"James.Willoughby Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-29T16:51:14 | null | 2016-08-29T16:15:14 | The North Sea Tall Ships Regatta reached its climax today with a stunning Parade of Sail. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fwatch-tall-ships-leave-blyth-in-spectacular-parade-of-sail-1-8094688.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8094686.1472483988!/image/image.jpg | en | null | WATCH: Tall Ships leave Blyth in spectacular Parade of Sail | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Sorry, we're having problems with our video player at the moment, but are working to fix it as soon as we can
The North Sea Tall Ships Regatta reached its climax today with a stunning Parade of Sail.
The majestic Tall Ships set sail from Blyth this afternoon, in what was a fitting finale to the four-day nautical extravaganza the town has hosted over the bank holiday weekend.
One of the Tall Ships in the Parade of Sail.
The ships started to leave the port at about 12.45pm. The fleet set sail south along the coast towards St Mary’s Lighthouse before heading to a point several miles off the coast to prepare for the race start to Gothenburg, Sweden.
Ships in the Parade of Sail included Dar Mlodziezy, of Poland, which was the largest vessel at the regatta; the Shtandart, from Russia, which is a replica of the 1703 frigate built by Peter the Great; and Lord Nelson, from Hartlepool. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/watch-tall-ships-leave-blyth-in-spectacular-parade-of-sail-1-8094688 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/69ebc13d6645917c80e5117072c34a5ab133dc6a42150ea4f28223c3327cef60.json |
[
"Janet Hall",
"Janet.Hall Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-28T14:50:40 | null | 2016-08-28T15:27:41 | Tonight is the last chance to see the fabulous fireworks display which has been lighting up the night sky at the Tall Ships festival. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fvideo-watch-the-stunning-tall-ships-fireworks-display-1-8093281.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8093279.1472394641!/image/image.jpg | en | null | VIDEO: Watch the stunning Tall Ships fireworks display | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Sorry, we're having problems with our video player at the moment, but are working to fix it as soon as we can
Tonight is the last chance to see the fabulous fireworks display which has been lighting up the night sky at the Tall Ships festival.
The fireworks, visible for miles around and seen here on a video by John Tuttiett Photography, have been thrilling both visitors and people all around the area for the last two nights.
Fabulous fireworks at Blyth. Picture by Brian Smith
The display is accompanied by a film and musical score created by Swedish artist Cecilia Stenbom and UK composer Chris Sharkey, who have worked with people from Blyth and Gothenburg to produce the stunning experience.
Tonight's display starts at 9pm. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/video-watch-the-stunning-tall-ships-fireworks-display-1-8093281 | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/75976740ce9f4eae93358ab27bb668393c241a6e569dd328e1e188257b3b9d30.json |
[
"Andrew Coulson",
"Andrew.Coulson Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-27T16:50:13 | null | 2016-08-27T16:02:30 | Families have been enjoying live music and other fun activities in the sunshine at the Blyth Tall Ships regatta this afternoon. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fwatch-plenty-of-entertainment-on-offer-at-tall-ships-1-8092460.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8092458.1472310310!/image/image.jpg | en | null | WATCH: Plenty of entertainment on offer at Tall Ships | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Sorry, we're having problems with our video player at the moment, but are working to fix it as soon as we can
Families have been enjoying live music and other fun activities in the sunshine at the Blyth Tall Ships regatta this afternoon.
As well as the parade that is currently taking place, entertainment is being provided at the beach, bandstand, in the Market Place and at Ridley Park.
A large crowd enjoy a circus skills show in Ridley Park.
There is also a stage at Dun Cow Quay and the video shows the Sing Morpeth community choir in action.
Funfair attractions are across the site and those coming along will likely run into a pirate or two.
Have you got something to share on the story? Were you there? What do you think? - Send your pictures, videos or story and we'll publish the best × Continue the story WATCH: Plenty of entertainment on offer at Tall Ships Loading ... Add up to 3 photos or 1 videos to the story There's been a problem uploading your files. Please try again. By uploading your file you agree to our Terms and Conditions × Continue the story Sign in to contribute sign in shape the news in your area... | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/watch-plenty-of-entertainment-on-offer-at-tall-ships-1-8092460 | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/4c174f86ddfdfb0d2706249a938494eb1e9d199d0783f50fe993c6bfefb7e699.json |
[
"Ben O Connell",
"Ben.Oconnell Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-26T13:07:31 | null | 2016-08-25T13:23:51 | The sharp drop in GCSE grades nationally does not mirror the regional picture, with top grades in the North East seeing the smallest change. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fgcse-results-north-east-schools-buck-trend-1-8088384.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8088622.1472130735!/image/image.jpg | en | null | GCSE RESULTS: North East schools buck trend | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | The sharp drop in GCSE grades nationally does not mirror the regional picture, with top grades in the North East seeing the smallest change.
This year’s GCSE grades have seen a significant fall in pupils achieving A* and A grades. However, the official results show that while the North East has seen a dip of 0.3 per cent in numbers of pupils achieving the coveted top grades, it is the region with the smallest change since last year.
Other regions, such as the North West and Eastern Regions, have seen a one per cent drop since 2015, while the North East leads the way with the lowest drop, followed by London with 0.5 per cent.
However, the region did experience a change for the worse in A* to C grades since 2015, down 2.1 per cent from last year’s 67.2 per cent.
The overall drop in GCSE grades is being blamed on the significant number of pupils aged 17 or over being required to resit English and maths. An extra 31,038 entries for English and 42,649 in maths have skewed this year’s results, as candidates resitting these exams have achieved significantly lower grades than their younger counterparts taking the exam for the first time.
Mike Parker, director of SCHOOLS NorthEast, said: “Nationally, schools were expecting mixed results and this year’s GCSEs are a reflection of the impact that ‘one-size-fits-all’ government policies can have on education.
“There are significant issues stemming from this year’s results that need addressing. The gender gap has widened further, with far more girls achieving grade C or above than boys. The choice of subjects remains heavily divided, continuing to fuel gender stereotypes; a far greater proportion of boys chose STEM-related (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects, while girls showed a heavy inclination toward humanities and social sciences.
“The Government’s emphasis on the English Baccalaureate and the new Progress 8 assessment criteria seem to be putting schools off teaching more creative and vocational subjects. The Government should reconsider their approach and make sure they provide all pupils with the opportunity to excel, whether it is in English and maths or design and technology.” | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/gcse-results-north-east-schools-buck-trend-1-8088384 | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/1225f3d7975210428ab3c36f28ebe43bc94d36af3302e483966efcca3d31e3ba.json |
[
"Janet Hall",
"Janet.Hall Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-26T13:05:49 | null | 2016-08-26T09:08:52 | Blyth welcomes the world today as The North Sea Tall Ships Regatta opens its doors. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fall-aboard-for-four-days-of-tall-ships-regatta-fun-1-8090121.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8090118.1472198911!/image/image.jpg | en | null | All aboard for four days of Tall Ships Regatta fun | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Blyth welcomes the world today as The North Sea Tall Ships Regatta opens its doors.
A magnificent fleet of Tall Ships are docked at the quayside for the county’s biggest ever free event.
There's 1.5miles of fantastic free entertainment at the Tall Ships Regatta Blyth. Picture by onEdition
The Regatta is open from 10am to 10pm, Friday to Sunday, and 10am to 5pm on Monday.
It features one-and-a-half miles of fabulous free entertainment, split into five zones.
Thanks to a £120,000 grant from Arts Council England, the event has an extensive cultural programme involving partners, individuals and community groups, including Blyth-based Headway Arts, with Let’s Circus and creative producers, Culture Creative.
The cultural programme includes the reanimation of Blyth Carnival which will follow the crew parade on Saturday and has involved many local individuals and community groups.
There will be a spectacular fireworks display. Picture by Sail Training International
The nightly fireworkds on Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be accompanied by a film and musical score created by Swedish artist Cecilia Stenbom and UK composer Chris Sharkey, who have worked with local people from Blyth and Gothenburg to produce this stunning experience.
The bait project has also enabled the commissioning of Chris Sharkey to work with people from south east Northumberland to create the Regatta Sessions, a new musical performance, which can be seen on Sunday.
On Monday, a musical score in two parts, Farewell and Welcome, by Chris Sharkey will say farewell to the ships as the Regatta begins and the second part of the score will welcome the ships as they arrive in Gothenburg.
The musical score celebrates the partnership between two countries and two places – Blyth and Gothenburg.
Here’s a day-by-day guide to some of the events and music to look out for. Follow our live blog of all the action at www.newspostleader.co.uk/live/event?2291187
Friday, August 26
Beach: All day fun fair, Blyth Battery, sand sculptures, canoeing, paint balling. Noon, North Star, Shindiggers; 1.30pm, Shaw; 2.30pm, Bad Apples; 3.30pm, Anth Purdy.
Bandstand: All day fun fair, pony rides, catering, gin and prosecco bar, deckchairs. Noon, Vieux Carre Jazzmen; 1pm, Djembe Collective; 2pm, Vieux Carre Jazzmen; 3pm, Diembe Collective.
Quayside and Port: All day fun fair, observation ride, food and drink, Best of Blyth with Blyth Enterprise Trust, RAF displays, Sea Cadets. Fireworks at 9pm.
Dun Cow Stage: Noon, Richard Grainger; 1pm, Northern Company; 2pm, Channy Thompson; 3pm, Applewig Song Book; 4pm, Outlander; 5pm, The Caffreys; 6pm, Nick Pride Trio; 7pm Spiral Kings; 8pm and 9.30pm, The Salts.
Ridley Park: Northumberland Village, visitor attractions and food village, fun fair, children’s play area and water park.
Market Place: All day fun fair, Best of Blyth with Blyth Development Trust.
Street theatre: Bell & Bullock; Captain Jack Sparrow; Giant Seagulls; Lobster a la Cart; Cod Choir; Mermaids; Teaclub; sand sculpture artists; Boom Bike.
Saturday, August 27
Beach: All day fun fair, Blyth Battery, sand sculptures, canoeing, paint balling. Noon, Axum; 1.30pm, The Lady Sings; 3pm, Marshall Academy of Irish Dance.
Bandstand: All day fun fair, pony rides, catering, gin and prosecco bar, deckchairs. Noon, Reg Vardy Band; 2pm, Heaton Voices Community Choir; 4.30pm, Rock Choir North East.
Quayside and Port: All day fun fair, observation ride, food and drink, Best of Blyth with Blyth Enterprise Trust. Fireworks at 9pm.
Dun Cow Stage: Noon, Sing Morpeth Community Choir; 1pm, Marshall Academy of Irish Dance; 2pm, Tyne Valley Big Band; 3pm-5pm, Crew and Community Parade – ships crews and Headway Arts, followed by crew prize-giving; 6pm, Jinski; 7pm, Gatecrashers; 8pm and 9.30pm, Baldy Holly Band.
Ridley Park: Northumberland Village, visitor attractions and food village, fun fair, children’s play area and water park. Noon & 3pm, Let’s Circus opens; 12.10pm & 3.10pm, The Brothers Swag; 12.45pm & 3.45pm, Senor Bullzini; 1.10pm & 4.10pm, Tumble Circus.
Market Place: All day fun fair, Best of Blyth with Blyth Development Trust.
Street theatre: Captain jack Sparrow; Giant Seagulls; Lobster a la Cart; Cod Choir; Mermaids; The Timid Vikings of Reknaestuff; Teaclub; sand sculpture artists; Boom Bike and Band.
Sunday, August 28
Beach: All day fun fair, Blyth Battery, sand sculptures, canoeing, paint balling. Noon, Cherry Pickers; 1pm, Burundanga; 2pm, Werca’s Folk; 3pm, Duchess’s Community High School Scandi Band; 4pm, Seaside Strummers.
Bandstand: All day fun fair, pony rides, catering, gin and prosecco bar, deckchairs. 1pm, Basement Brass; 2pm, Wansbeck Voices; 4pm, Backworth Colliery Band.
Quayside and Port: All day fun fair, observation ride, food and drink, Best of Blyth with Blyth Enterprise Trust. Fireworks at 9pm.
Dun Cow Stage: Noon, VoiceMale Choir; 1pm, The Odd Bunch; 2pm, SOLUTIONS; 3pm, Hear and Now – Captain Pugwash; 4pm, Mississippi Dreambosts; 5pm, Regatta Sessions; 6pm, James Hedley; 7pm, Regatta Sessions; 8pm and 9.30pm, Sleeze Sisters.
Ridley Park: Northumberland Village, visitor attractions and food village, fun fair, children’s play area and water park. Noon & 3pm, Let’s Circus opens; 12.10pm & 3.10pm, Witty Look; 12.50pm & 3.50pm, Senor Bullzini; 1.10pm & 4.10pm, Head First Acrobats.
Market Place: All day fun fair, Best of Blyth with Blyth Development Trust.
Street theatre: Bell & Bullock; Captain Jack Sparrow; Giant Seagulls; Lobster a la Cart; Cod Choir; Punch and Judy; Maritime Tea Ladies; Mermaids; The Timid Vikings of Reknaestuff; Teaclub; sand sculpture artists; Boom Bike and Band.
Monday, August 29
Beach: All day fun fair, Blyth Battery, sand sculptures, canoeing, paint balling.
Bandstand: All day fun fair, pony rides, catering, gin and prosecco bar, deckchairs. Noon, Easington Colliery Band; 2pm, Fishburn Band.
Quayside and Port: All day fun fair, observation ride, food and drink, Best of Blyth with Blyth Enterprise Trust. 12.45pm, Ships unlock; 2pm, Parade of Sail, south to St Mary’s Lighthouse.
Dun Cow Stage: Noon, Klassix Local; 3pm, The Shake Down Band; 2pm, Last Spectacular.
Ridley Park: Northumberland Village, visitor attractions and food village, fun fair, children’s play area and water park.
Market Place: All day fun fair, Best of Blyth with Blyth Development Trust.
Street theatre: Bell & Bullock; Captain Jack Sparrow; Giant Seagulls; Lobster a la Cart; Cod Choir; Punch and Judy; Maritime Tea Ladies; Mermaids; Teacups; sand sculpture artists; Boom Bike. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/all-aboard-for-four-days-of-tall-ships-regatta-fun-1-8090121 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/5cae6f4ee4296c1c2c23f65c12140c9ce5b243057a03b2f82b2548c33787a5db.json |
[
"Glen Maxwell"
] | 2016-08-29T16:51:31 | null | 2016-08-29T16:58:06 | Blyth Spartans captain Robert Dale was the hero in his side’s 2-1 win over Grantham Town as he saved a last minute penalty after scoring his side’s second in a game played in thunder and lighting. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fsport%2Flocal%2Fblyth-spartans-skipper-scores-then-saves-last-minute-penalty-1-8094737.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8094736.1472486267!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Blyth Spartans skipper scores then saves last minute penalty | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Blyth Spartans captain Robert Dale was the hero in his side’s 2-1 win over Grantham Town as he saved a last minute penalty after scoring his side’s second in a game played in thunder and lighting.
Michael Richardson netted a fantastic strike from halfway in awful conditions before Dale slotted home from a poor pass back from Danny Meadows.
Meadows atoned for his error from the penalty spot a minute later, but was subbed off before Peter Jeffries was sent off for retaliation late on.
It was left to substitute Jamie McGhee to step up to level the scores with another penalty, but Dale pulled off a fantastic save to deny the hosts a share of the spoils at The South Kesteven Sports Stadium.
Spartans goalkeeper Jeffries was tested early on when Lee Shaw struck a speculative effort from the right. The ball was straight at Jeffries and he kept the ball out with a routine save.
Jeffries was then called upon again soon after when a Grantham counter-attack saw Jack Beckett cross in from the left. Ben Saunders rose above the Blyth defence but headed the ball straight at the safe hands of the Spartans stopper.
Blyth looked to have created their first real opening in the eighth minute when Dale played a beautiful ball through to Richardson, but unfortunately Blyth’s captain got just too much on it and Jake Turner was able to rush out and smother the ball.
A Sean Reid foul on the 15-minute mark nearly ended up in a yellow card for Stephen Turnbull after the charismatic midfielder took exception to referee Martyn Fryer’s decision and spoke out of turn. A long word followed but, thankfully for Turnbull, the official’s yellow card stayed in his pocket.
Spartans nearly took the lead through the most unlikeliest of sources. Jeffries, who had bemoaned Ashton’s equaliser from his clearance on Tuesday, hoofed a long ball upfield and it appeared to be heading into the Grantham goal, which caused Turner to scramble wildly back and stop it from creeping in as he was under pressure from Daniel Maguire.
They say keepers are a mad breed and Jeffries did nothing to shake that stereotype when Grantham played a through ball over to Saunders in the box. With the striker bearing down on the ball, Jeffries showed great bravery to gather the ball just prior to a collision between the pair.
Blyth turned on the style in the 25th minute with a fantastic piece of play and perhaps deserved to open the scoring from it.
A sweeping move saw Dale play in Andrew Cartwright down the right, who then cut the ball back to Matty Pattison at the edge of the box and he struck the ball high across goal, but it cleared the crossbar.
Richardson then tried an audacious volley on the half hour from the edge of the box, but he got far too much on it and it sailed over the goal.
The Grantham fans were then raging when they were denied a penalty five minutes later. Gavin Caines appeared to catch Ellis Storey in the box, but the appeals were rejected.
Spartans continued to play some lovely football, with Reid, Pattison and Maguire linking up well to get the latter into the box with the ball at his feet and his back to goal. Maguire tried to turn and shoot, but lost his footing on the turn and the defender cleared.
The visitors were caught out just before the break and were lucky to go in at half-time on level terms.
Grantham broke quickly, which allowed Beckett to pick out Lee Shaw at the back post. The striker had thetarget at his mercy when he stabbed a shot at goal, but somehow managed to put it wide when it was easier to score.
Spartans struggled out of the blocks at the start of the second half at the part-time Athletics ground and were nearly caught cold by another Grantham break.
Turnbull’s corner resulted in a goalmouth scramble that was knocked up to Shaw. He ran at goal and pulled the trigger but could only watch as his shot was blocked behind.
Thunder clapped repeatedly from the skies along with torrential rain, but it was lightning that would soon strike twice as Richardson opened the scoring on 66 minutes.
He sold a sliding Town defender on halfway and spotted Turner off his line. The Grantham goalkeeper was left helpless by the audacious strike, which flew past him and nestled in the net.
Spartans were soon 2-0 up and it all came about from some instinctive play from skipper Dale. He perfectly read a poor back pass from Meadows to roll the ball past Turner for his first goal of the season.
It looked to be going swimmingly for the visitors in wet conditions, but Grantham were thrown a lifeline from the penalty spot. Meadows’ fortune soon changed when he stepped up to dispatch the spot-kick past Jeffries.
Richardson then had a golden chance to score his second of the game when he reacted quickest to Pattison’s miss-hit shot. Put through in the box from the shot, Richardson’s goal-bound shot was hacked away by one of a host of Grantham bodies on the line.
Two bookings for Blyth soon followed as Jeffries was cautioned for time-wasting as he removed his gloves to tie his laces at a goal kick, before Dale received a yellow for a coming together while wasting time in the corner.
A routine free-kick save from Jeffries in added time turned into disaster for Spartans, when he was caught by a late challenge with the ball in his hands. The keeper lashed out in retaliation, which led to the referee pointing to the spot and sending off Jeffries.
Just as he had done on this ground in September 2013, it was left to Dale to step up between the sticks for McGhee’s penalty. Usually a match-winner down the other end, Dale guessed the right way and saved the powerful penalty with his legs to claim all three points for Blyth.
Blyth Spartans: Jeffries, Cartwright, Bell, Caines, Hutchinson, Turnbull (Pell 89), Pattison (Wade 90), Richardson, Maguire, Reid, Dale. Subs not used: Rivers, Parker, Armstrong.
Attendance: 173. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/sport/local/blyth-spartans-skipper-scores-then-saves-last-minute-penalty-1-8094737 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/f1a219ce3977229eb9956ce7ae25b586a61eec9d22d1953b7632462c44760407.json |
[
"David Sedgwick",
"David.Sedgwick Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-28T14:50:41 | null | 2016-08-28T15:08:15 | Crowds are continuing to flock to the Tall Ships Regatta as the landmark event goes into its third day. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fblyth-tall-ships-crowds-continue-to-flock-to-regatta-despite-wet-start-1-8093256.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8093254.1472393266!/image/image.jpg | en | null | BLYTH TALL SHIPS: Crowds continue to flock to Regatta despite wet start | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Crowds are continuing to flock to the Tall Ships Regatta as the landmark event goes into its third day.
Tens of thousands of people have descended on the Port of Blyth to see more than 20 tall ships and a host of activities around the town.
Away from the Tall Ships, queues grow to see the other attractions, including a Royal Navy rescue helicopter. Picture by LJ Sedgwick.
Despite a wet start, which saw the southern park and ride car park closed due to flooding, the number of visitors at the event has grown as the day progresses.
Most have taken advantage of the final opportunity to get on board some of the tall ships, which are due to welcome their crew back on board tomorrow (Monday) ahead of their departure at 2pm.
As well as the tall ships, there are five areas of family-fun filled activities taking part – stretching from Blyth beach to the Market Square in the town centre – with a wide range of food stalls keeping the visitors fed and watered.
Martin Lawlor, chief executive, Port of Blyth said: “The Regatta is in full-swing now and today has been extremely popular with visitors coming from near and far to see the ships and enjoy all the entertainment. It really is an impressive sight.”
The crowds are expected to continue to grow ahead of the third and final firework display, due to take place at 9pm.
For more information on the Regatta visit www.tallshipsblyth2016.com, www.facebook.com/tallshipsblyth2016 or on Twitter @TallShipsBlyth | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/blyth-tall-ships-crowds-continue-to-flock-to-regatta-despite-wet-start-1-8093256 | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/453aea4ef3031b3263a0d9b12cc0296405e2e2707ab63fe75a18f821a11c7478.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T12:50:42 | null | 2016-08-28T12:02:56 | Tribute has been paid to a Cramlington bell-ringer who died in the First World War. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fbells-sound-tribute-to-war-soldier-1-8081980.json | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/bells-sound-tribute-to-war-soldier-1-8081980 | en | null | Bells sound tribute to war soldier | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Tribute has been paid to a Cramlington bell-ringer who died in the First World War.
All 29 soldiers from the area who died on the first day of the Battle of the Somme were commemorated at Cramlington War Memorial on the 100th anniversary of their death on July 1.
And on July 20 there was a special tribute to John Riseborough, who died on that date in 1916 from wounds received in the battle.
A century on, the bells of St Nicholas Church in Cramlington Village, where John had served as bell-ringer, rang a quarter peel of plain bob doubles, and he was also remembered at St Nicholas Cathedral in Newcastle.
John had lived next door to the Fox and Hounds, now The Green, in Cramlington Village, before moving to Shankhouse when his mother remarried after his father John’s death.
In 1901 he was working as a pony driver below ground, and in 1911, aged 28, was a coal hewer, by which time his mother had given birth to 11 children, with four surviving.
In 1912 he married Edith Alberta Endean, from the memorial sculptor family in Cramlington, who lived to the age of 86.
John is buried at La Neuvelle British cemetery in Corbie, France.
A spokeswoman said: “Exactly 100 years later we remember John in such a special way, and also the others who died.” | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/bells-sound-tribute-to-war-soldier-1-8081980 | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/b6dea0163c6da9c59798a9ff4c0ea773009e00249b3446bf2c3831f39f94bc35.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:11:06 | null | 2016-08-07T07:00:51 | The committee of the Ashington Branch of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution would like to thank the customers of Morrisons, Morpeth, for their generosity during our in-store collection. We collected £346.67. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fletters%2Fcollection-generosity-saves-lives-1-8046860.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8046859.1470732705!/image/image.jpg | en | null | COLLECTION: Generosity saves lives | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | The committee of the Ashington Branch of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution would like to thank the customers of Morrisons, Morpeth, for their generosity during our in-store collection. We collected £346.67.
Your contributions mean that the life-saving work of our brave volunteer crews will continue.
If you would like to help, have a free presentation about the service or Grace Darling, or would like to visit a working lifeboat station, contact Mavis Crudace on 01670 815995.
Mavis Crudace
Honorary Secretary Ashington Branch, RNLI | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/letters/collection-generosity-saves-lives-1-8046860 | en | 2016-08-07T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/f96062f76fc814f3d5b5a3fe2568ab82fdd8faf748bae457ba60220980a947e6.json |
[
"Janet Hall",
"Janet.Hall Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-28T08:50:38 | null | 2016-08-28T09:47:32 | The south car park for the Tall Ships Regatta is closed today due to heavy rain. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fheavy-rain-shuts-tall-ships-car-park-1-8092943.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8092941.1472374055!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Heavy rain shuts Tall Ships car park | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | The south car park for the Tall Ships Regatta is closed today due to heavy rain.
Visitors must use the north car park. All park and ride highway signs will direct motorists to the north car park, which is hard standing.
All pre-purchased event parking tickets are valid for the north car park.
Despite the rain, the event is fully open today from 10am to 10pm and from 10am to 5pm on Monday.
For the latest from the Tall Ships event, follow our live blog, http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/live/event?2291187www.newspostleader.co.uk/live/event?2291187
Remember to tweet using the hashtag #TallShipsBlyth to get involved.
Have you got something to share on the story? Were you there? What do you think? - Send your pictures, videos or story and we'll publish the best × Continue the story Heavy rain shuts Tall Ships car park Loading ... Add up to 3 photos or 1 videos to the story There's been a problem uploading your files. Please try again. By uploading your file you agree to our Terms and Conditions × Continue the story Sign in to contribute sign in shape the news in your area... | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/heavy-rain-shuts-tall-ships-car-park-1-8092943 | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/f3088aadbac7245672a0052766f418c26cd4bff3c05b45099dfe2b767353fa71.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T10:51:01 | null | 2016-08-29T10:02:56 | A male voice choir is getting ready for further celebrations to mark its centenary year. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fmore-100th-celebrations-1-8082113.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8082112.1471866612!/image/image.jpg | en | null | More 100th celebrations | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | A male voice choir is getting ready for further celebrations to mark its centenary year.
Ashington and District Male Voice Choir has already had an exciting year, performing for the first time in Alnwick Garden at the Duchess of Northumberland’s Garden Party and staging its centenary concert at the Northumberland Church of England Academy.
Now the group, which has been in operation since 1916, is preparing for its next concert on September 1.
It will be performing at Bomarsund Welfare, and has only two rehearsals before the first of the autumn concerts.
It will entertain at St Bede’s Roman Catholic Church in Bedlington on Tuesday, September 13.
A fairly busy autumn programme leads into a very busy December and Christmas schedule, which shows the popularity of the community choir, with members giving their time to help many local charitable organisations.
A number of new members have been attracted to the choir in the last 12 months and the committee would be delighted to welcome more. There are no auditions and members are not expected to be able read music, but there must be an enthusiasm to give it a try.
To find out more visit www.ashingtonmalevoicechoir.org | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/more-100th-celebrations-1-8082113 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/8f55fec650b0666bf87600512f96d48f99a001b411839f805c4607ecda59f1f6.json |
[
"Janet Hall",
"Janet.Hall Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-28T10:50:38 | null | 2016-08-28T11:19:38 | While the weather might not be playing ball today, here | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fslideshow-a-snapshot-of-fun-from-the-tall-ships-1-8093027.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8093026.1472379691!/image/image.jpg | en | null | SLIDESHOW: A snapshot of fun from the Tall Ships | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Sorry, we're having problems with our video player at the moment, but are working to fix it as soon as we can
While the weather might not be playing ball today, here's a look at some of yesterday's fun in the sun at the Tall Ships Regatta.
More than 100,000 people are expected to flock to Blyth for this weekend's free event, with more than 20 magnificent Tall Ships berthed at the quayside and one-and-a-half miles of fabulous entertainment for all the family.
Fun with Let's Circus.
It's the biggest event Northumberland has ever hosted, climaxing tomorrow with a spectacular Parade of Sail at 2pm when the ships set off for a 500-nautical-mile journey to Gothenburg in Sweden.
Keep up to date with all the action via our live blog, www.newspostleader.co.uk/live/event?2291187
Remember to use the hashtag #TallShipsBlyth to join in. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/slideshow-a-snapshot-of-fun-from-the-tall-ships-1-8093027 | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/f5050b5d82decbf15ef608a03245c7731cd54ed9396a7508471ad78747d09da4.json |
[
"David Sedgwick",
"David.Sedgwick Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-26T13:13:39 | null | 2016-08-10T11:31:27 | A section of the Port of Blyth is to open to the public for the first time in living memory. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fmore-access-to-see-tall-ships-regatta-1-8060498.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8060497.1470825043!/image/image.jpg | en | null | More access to see Tall Ships Regatta | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | A section of the Port of Blyth is to open to the public for the first time in living memory.
Officials at the port will open one of the secure terminals as part of the North Sea Tall Ships Regatta.
A large area of the South Harbour terminal will open for the duration of the regatta to allow for a greater number of ships to be included in the August Bank Holiday event and to ensure the public can get to see them.
Visitors will get unique access to an area normally closed to the public with the chance to see plenty of what goes on within a working port.
In addition to the historic ships, there will be several naval vessels, a number of RAF helicopters and a host of food and entertainment stalls.
Pedestrians will be able to access the terminal from two entrances – one on Wensleydale Terrace, via the Ridley Park car park, and the other from Quay Road, adjacent to the Blyth Boathouse Restaurant. The Tall Ships located in South Harbour will be just a few minutes’ walk from those hosted on the public Dun Cow and Commissioners Quays.
Chief executive Martin Lawlor said: “Opening our doors to the public is going to be a big moment for us as it is the first time in living memory we’ve done so.
“Obviously some areas will be fenced off to ensure safety and to allow us to continue with some work but we hope the attractions in the open area and the chance to see behind the scenes will prove popular with both local residents and visitors.”
In addition, Blyth Harbour Commission has announced some restrictions to access at the north end of Blyth’s South Beach for the duration of the event. West Pier and some surroundings areas will be closed from 8am on Thursday 25th August until 6pm on Monday 29th August, while access to and from the beach east of the bandstand area of South Beach will also be closed.
Capt Martin Willis, Harbour Master, said: “Public safety will be our number one priority for the duration of the Tall Ships Regatta.
“We would ask the public to respect these closures and understand that they are in place for everyone’s safety.
“Although we understand that the West Pier and the surrounding areas are popular with the public, the risk to public safety is considered too great to have these areas open whilst so many people are in Blyth for the event.
“There are many other excellent viewing locations both within Blyth and the surrounding coastline for all to enjoy the spectacle of seeing these wonderful vessels.” | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/more-access-to-see-tall-ships-regatta-1-8060498 | en | 2016-08-10T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/d1f9268ddc1153518de4f1f437817f575500efdc618cec3b8236cb62497ef14a.json |
[
"David Sedgwick",
"David.Sedgwick Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-26T13:08:24 | null | 2016-08-26T08:50:33 | A family of volunteers have been honoured as local heroes for collectively dedicating more than 150 years to Newbiggin RNLI lifeboat. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Ffamily-honoured-for-work-at-rnli-1-8088090.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8088089.1472123683!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Family honoured for work at RNLI | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | A family of volunteers have been honoured as local heroes for collectively dedicating more than 150 years to Newbiggin RNLI lifeboat.
Husband and wife, Tim and Barbara Martin and their son, Richard, were honoured by Northumberland County Council for spending years supporting the lifeboat and the wider community.
Tim, 83, has dedicated 57 years to the RNLI as a former lifeboat Second Mechanic as well as Deputy Launching Authority and now as the Boathouse Manager.
Barbara, 82, has volunteered 52 years to the lifeboat and is currently the president of Newbiggin Ladies Lifeboat Guild fund-raising team.
Richard, who after growing up around the boathouse, decided to follow in his parents footsteps and joined the team more than 42 years ago.
The family support their local RNLI operationally as well as fundraising at local community events plus have spent hours restoring the Mary Joicey lifeboat and helped to develop the Newbiggin Maritime Centre.
The family are now restoring the town’s Rocket House, originally built in 1866 to house life saving apparatus.
Coun Liz Simpson, deputy business chair at the council, said: “I’m delighted to have the opportunity to thank and congratulate Tim, Barbara and Richard for their incredible work.
“The Local Heroes awards recognise the special people in our local community who go above and beyond to make a real difference and give us a chance to say a big thank you for all that they do.”
“It is thanks to the hard work of families like the Martins that help our communities to thrive. Their kind hearted dedication is really honourable and they’re each very deserving of these awards.”
The family received their awards at Newbiggin Maritime Centre, less than half a mile away from the Newbiggin lifeboat house which has been a part of the community since 1851.
Barbara, who was born in Newbiggin, said: “We’re really taken aback and very grateful to be named as local heroes.
“Through our years of volunteering we have met lots of great people and made lots of memories. We love our local community and that’s why we try and do as much as we can to make sure everyone else enjoys it too.”
If you know someone who goes out of their way to help others or inspires you with their dedication to improving your local area, you can nominate them for a Local Heroes award.
To find out more or to fill in a nomination form visit hero.northumberland.gov.uk | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/family-honoured-for-work-at-rnli-1-8088090 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/373de166ad35046b66e3048941187e778f73081ee410ac293e09a2c7d1cdb7cf.json |
[
"Glen Maxwell"
] | 2016-08-29T16:51:42 | null | 2016-08-29T16:58:23 | Blyth Spartans captain Robert Dale said he knew he was going to save Grantham Town’s late penalty, despite having being put on the spot in added time following Peter Jeffries’ dismissal. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fsport%2Flocal%2Fblyth-spartans-winger-had-no-doubt-he-was-going-to-save-penalty-1-8094743.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8094741.1472486282!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Blyth Spartans winger had no doubt he was going to save penalty | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Blyth Spartans captain Robert Dale said he knew he was going to save Grantham Town’s late penalty, despite having being put on the spot in added time following Peter Jeffries’ dismissal.
Dale had already scored his first goal of the season to give Blyth a two-goal lead before the home side responded a minute later when Danny Meadows sent Jeffries the wrong way with their first penalty of the afternoon.
However, Meadows was subbed prior to the Spartans goalkeeper’s straight red card for retaliation in added time.
Substitute Jamie McGhee stepped up to try and put Grantham’s second penalty past the winger, but Dale guessed the right way and kept the shot out with his legs to seal a win for Spartans.
And the Blyth captain insists that he was more than confident of keeping a fourth clean sheet as an emergency goalkeeper for the club - and his second at the South Kesteven Sports Stadium having - had some improvisational spot-kick practice in training.
“I knew I was going to save it,” he said.
“We had a training session the other week and we just messed about with penalties. I went in and saved about seven out of ten, so I felt pretty confident about saving it.
“Reidy [Sean Reid] was going to go in nets, but I just told him that I was going to go in.”
Dale was forced to step between the sticks after Jeffries saw red for a coming together with a Grantham player in the box following a routine stop from a free-kick. The attacker seemed to leave a knee in on the Spartans stopper, causing him to take issue and retaliate to earn himself a sending off.
Dale said he did not see the incident that led to the red card, but he has tipped Jeffries to learn from his dismissal and improve because of it.
He added: “I didn’t really see what happened with Peter, but we were coasting when we were 2-0 up and I thought it was game over. We conceded a stupid goal to let them get back to 2-1, even though it wasn’t even in the box to start with.
“I don’t know what Peter’s done, but it’s obviously some sort of lash out and you can’t do that. He’s let us down a little bit but, hopefully, he’ll come back stronger after his suspension.”
While Dale claimed all the headlines for his heroics at both ends of the pitch, the Spartans skipper was more interested in discussing Michael Richardson’s fantastic strike that beat the Grantham keeper from the halfway line.
Dale said: “It was basically the same goal as his one at Heaton Stannington last season, but against a lot better team.
“You saw him take the touch and the keeper was off his line, so you just knew he was going to go for it. Once he hit it, everyone knew it was going in. It was an amazing goal.”
Dale doubled Blyth’s advantage three minutes after the opener, when he instinctively cut out Meadows’ poor back pass and slotted the ball past Jake Turner.
While he was happy to have opened his account for this season, the 32-year-old has called on his teammates to ease the burden on star striker Daniel Maguire by finding the net themselves.
Dale said: “It’s always nice to score a goal. I know I won’t score anywhere near as many as I did last season, but I’m just looking for double figures again, and it was more important that myself and Michael scored as ‘Nipa’ [Daniel Maguire] has scored five already.
“We need him to score a lot this season, but the rest of us still have to chip in as well.” | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/sport/local/blyth-spartans-winger-had-no-doubt-he-was-going-to-save-penalty-1-8094743 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/52557876711dea74cbb9445f5ffd600825f8e83924adf44f57bde5482e82843c.json |
[
"Arthur Gill"
] | 2016-08-29T16:51:35 | null | 2016-08-29T16:52:07 | In the Standard Security Blyth and Wansbeck Sunday League premier division, Bedlington Market Tavern won at home 5-1 against Ashington Town Central. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fsport%2Flocal%2Funlucky-13-for-shakespeare-as-dawson-scores-seven-for-marsden-1-8094724.json | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/sport/local/unlucky-13-for-shakespeare-as-dawson-scores-seven-for-marsden-1-8094724 | en | null | Unlucky 13 for Shakespeare as Dawson scores seven for Marsden | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | In the Standard Security Blyth and Wansbeck Sunday League premier division, Bedlington Market Tavern won at home 5-1 against Ashington Town Central.
On target for Tavern were Callum Donohoe, Reece Farrell, Rob Eastway, Jason Wilson and Michael Walton, with Gavin Armstrong scoring Central’s consolation goal.
Earsdon Red Lion had a good 5-2 win at home over Bedlington Social Club. Leading the scoring was Ryan Walton (2) with further goals came from Brian Watson, Michael Butcher and Connor Hoyle. Joe Moscrop and Josh Monahan scored for Social Club.
Division one saw Marden Residents beat new side Guide Post Shakespeare Tavern, who had no answer to Marden’s firepower as they scored 13 to Shakspeare’s two. Mathew Dawson scored seven for Residents, with Phil McFarlane hitting a hat-trick and Chris Ridgeway, Kevin Salmom and Barry Buckley also on target. Goals for the visitors came from Brandon Lawson and James Davison.
Ashington Station Lounge won 6-1 at home against Bebside Inn with Richard Stobbart (3), Chad Miller (2) and Jack Taylor on target. David Long scored for Bebside.
Ellington Plough went down at home 7-2 against High Street. Jack Travers and Jack Hunter scored for the Plough, but goals from Anthony Goldie (3), Chris Laidlaw (3) and Scott Mordue won it.
Guide Post Social Club went down at home by the odd goal in five against Whitehouse, who had Curtis Bell (2) and a Michael Freathy penalty as their markers. Daryl Wood and Andrew McLennen replied for Social Club.
Morpeth Conservative Club also went down at home, 5-1 against Ashington Sporting Club. Alex Laviers scored for Morpeth while Tommy Wilkinson (3), Adam Ord and Adam Mavin found the target for Sporting Club. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/sport/local/unlucky-13-for-shakespeare-as-dawson-scores-seven-for-marsden-1-8094724 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/235fb0b1b876e7b721b605705848365092471c1527c0ecb19295f96872484078.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T08:50:37 | null | 2016-08-28T08:40:47 | Six-year-old Mya Davison, of Ashington, has lost her long locks and raised money in aid of a children’s cancer charity. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fbig-chop-for-good-cause-1-8091903.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8091902.1472240038!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Big chop for good cause | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Six-year-old Mya Davison, of Ashington, has lost her long locks and raised money in aid of a children’s cancer charity.
She was out with mum Jaq when she saw a cancer charity poster featuring a girl with no hair and she said she wanted to give some of her hair to help a girl in that situation.
When her mum told her about Little Princess Trust, which provides free real-hair wigs to youngsters in the UK and Ireland who lose their hair during cancer treatment, the Bothal Primary Lower School pupil was keen to have the cut.
Her proud parents organised a Mya’s Big Chop event at Ashington Comrades Social Club and it was carried out by Jaq’s cousin Theresa Hall, who works at In Style Hair and Beauty Salon in Ashington.
Jaq said: “Mya loved the haircut as she knew it will be going to a little girl who needs it. She has raised over £650, with a little more to come.” | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/big-chop-for-good-cause-1-8091903 | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/9352ab535aa51c7c8a8d607637843357e45174eea092ac15f95b1f5b60649dbf.json |
[
"Arthur Gill"
] | 2016-08-29T16:51:45 | null | 2016-08-29T16:52:14 | Blyth came away from Ulgham with their tails between there legs after a woeful fielding display as they suffered a 34-run defeat. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fsport%2Flocal%2Fblyth-beaten-by-bottom-side-ulgham-1-8094725.json | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/sport/local/blyth-beaten-by-bottom-side-ulgham-1-8094725 | en | null | Blyth beaten by bottom side Ulgham | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Blyth came away from Ulgham with their tails between there legs after a woeful fielding display as they suffered a 34-run defeat.
But despite the defeat, Blyth moved four more points clearer of Kirkley, who lost against Backworth.
Ulgham opened with father and son pairing Colin and Adam Tait, while David Ebdale and Craig Smith took the new ball for Blyth.
Ebdale made an early breakthrough when he trapped Adam Tait lbw for one, before Roy Haygarth and Colin Tait moved the score to 31 after 12 overs.
Blyth skipper Mark Lawrence brought himself on to replace Smith just before Ebdale trapped Colin Tait lbw for a patient 18.
David Covell came in to join Haygarth and he upped the run rate.
In just 13 overs Haygarth and Covell trebled the score before Lawrence caught and bowled Haygarth for 26 with the score on 96.
Lovat was next in and was dropped twice before he got started. Covell brought up his half century off only for Lawrence to pick up his wicket, lbw for 63.
Nick Dodds came in next and made his intensions clear from the start as he hit two from his first ball and the second went sailing over the boundary for a huge six.
Fran Carrighan took the fifth wicket to fall, when Lovat pulled a short ball to square leg where Ebdale took a brilliant catch.
Ebdale then trapped Campbell lbw for eight then skipper David Loxham came in and with Dodds took Ulgham to their first batting points of the season.
Cameron Walker picked up the wicket of Dodds for 44 as Ulgham closed on 211-7.
Blyth’ bowling figures were Ebdale 3-49, Smith 0-20, Lawrence 2-44, Walker 1-58 and Carrighan 1-34.
Blyth’s reply got off to a terrible start, losing two wickets in the first two overs with five on the board.
Campbell made an eary breakthrough when Andy Clark was trapped lbw then Andy Rowell was run out.
Richard Glass joined Lawrence and they brought up a 50 partnership in the 12th over.
However, Loxham took the prize wicket of Lawrence when Covell caught him for 44.
Then wickets fell at regular intervals as only Smith managed to build an innings before he was out for 34.
Ebdale was left without any partners when the last wicket fell and he was unbeaten on 25 as Blyth were all out for 177.
Ulgham’s bowling figures were Dodds 1-65, Campbell 3-31, D Loxham 1-28, D Covell 2-13 and Cowe 2-29.
Blyth seven points
Ulgham 30 points
Blyth seconds’ game at Ulgham was called off Sunday morning after heavy overnight rain.
Next Saturday Blyth first XI travel up to Ashington Rugby Club for a local derby with a 12.30pm start. The seconds are at home against Rock with a 1.30pm start. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/sport/local/blyth-beaten-by-bottom-side-ulgham-1-8094725 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/910c04941d4e1b4d6bde3bfa3d69af69ce08a4de3add89ac6c46f2a37996d178.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:12:48 | null | 2016-08-21T07:00:21 | I write in reply to Ms Turnbull’s letter about Brexit, (News Post Leader, August 11). | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fletters%2Fbrexit-difficult-to-be-relaxed-1-8074287.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8074286.1471444270!/image/image.jpg | en | null | BREXIT: Difficult to be relaxed | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | I write in reply to Ms Turnbull’s letter about Brexit, (News Post Leader, August 11).
Thank you for your reassuring words with regards to my concerns over Brexit.
My work is based around facts and evidence so please excuse my outlook.
The only facts I can see currently are that there never was, and still is not, any plan to deal with the extremely complicated exit from the EU.
Once Article 50 is put in place we will have two very short years to find our way.
The agricultural policy and the fisheries boundary suggestions are separate issues and should be treated as such. Farmers will not benefit from any such boundary in our seas.
If they were blended into one issue I feel this might only confuse things further.
There has been no concrete statement regarding EU citizens remaining in the UK and vice versa.
The pension issue has also not been readily addressed as yet.
I really do wish I could share your relaxed attitude towards such a complex debate and can only be envious as to your outlook.
If we could sit back and relax to solve our political problems then our country would be in a much better place, probably not having to deal with the enforced austerity measures of central government.
The main political figures who spearheaded Brexit seem to have distanced themselves now.
This is understandable as by my reckoning Boris Johnson now owes our NHS £2.6bn from his promise to revitalise our health service with the money being paid into the EU every week.
I can only live in hope, but I think I might find it difficult to sit back and see what unfolds.
Simon Tyler
Address supplied | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/letters/brexit-difficult-to-be-relaxed-1-8074287 | en | 2016-08-21T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/c0675b66e6ba4fd84665db27a0a3f4f1fe378bbef7e5061cd88b83be5d7c3a99.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:12:17 | null | 2016-08-04T07:00:51 | I am writing in response to the letter by J Walsh, from Blyth, about car parking charges during the North Sea Tall Ships Regatta (News Post Leader, July 21). | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fletters%2Ftall-ships-managing-the-traffic-1-8046853.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8046852.1470159960!/image/image.jpg | en | null | TALL SHIPS: Managing the traffic | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | I am writing in response to the letter by J Walsh, from Blyth, about car parking charges during the North Sea Tall Ships Regatta (News Post Leader, July 21).
I would like to clarify a few issues raised in the letter.
This exciting event – the largest the county has ever seen – is expected to attract 500,000 visitors over the weekend.
While the council removed car parking charges from council car parks in 2013, we feel that Blyth could not cater for that many people in cars so we have put in place a thorough traffic management plan.
The plan involves creating two large park-and-ride car parks outside of the town. We also want to help Blyth residents and businesses as much as possible to enable them to go about their daily business.
There is no event parking in the town itself, apart from blue badge parking, which, contrary to what the writer says, is actually free.
However, in order to manage parking effectively we advise both residents and visitors to book in advance.
While we are encouraging people to use public transport where possible to get to the event, we understand that many people will want to come to the regatta by car. The park-and-ride car parks, south and north, are both large, secure car parks, with regular shuttle buses that will take visitors to the heart of the event and help to ease congestion.
There is a cost to the council for creating and managing these car parks and a small parking charge will help towards meeting the costs.
We think that £5, plus 50p booking fee, is an excellent discount and reasonable for anyone pre-booking a park-and-ride or park-and-walk space. This rate is available up until the night before the event, after which parking will be charged at the increased rate. This, we feel will encourage people to pre-book and assist in the traffic management for the event.
The Tall Ships is a fantastic event and will provide four days of free entertainment, which will benefit our local residents and businesses, as well as encourage visitors from across the region, country and world to come and see what great places Blyth and Northumberland are. It is also expected to generate up to £8million for our local economy, something I am sure residents would welcome.
The council is facing £58million of government cuts over the next four years and we are trying to offset the cost to protect frontline services for our residents.
To book your park-and-ride tickets to the North Sea Tall Ships Regatta Blyth, visit our tall ships website or go to Ticketline at www.ticketline.co.uk/north-sea-tall-ships-regatta-park-and-ride#bio
Councillor Val Tyler
Cabinet member for Arts, Leisure and Culture, Northumberland County Council | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/letters/tall-ships-managing-the-traffic-1-8046853 | en | 2016-08-04T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/464dc47cff8170f1db71f983815651d3875c10b6ec2b7d8e2706b8b8f36aa925.json |
[
"James Willoughby",
"James.Willoughby Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-29T08:51:09 | null | 2016-08-29T08:32:31 | The judges will soon be meeting to decide which community champions will be honoured at this year’s Best of Northumberland awards, after the deadline for entries closed last week. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fbest-of-northumberland-judges-to-meet-to-decide-winners-1-8093909.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8093908.1472455931!/image/image.jpg | en | null | BEST OF NORTHUMBERLAND: Judges to meet to decide winners | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | The judges will soon be meeting to decide which community champions will be honoured at this year’s Best of Northumberland awards, after the deadline for entries closed last week.
And the winners will be announced and presented with their prizes during a glitzy ceremony at the Macdonald Linden Hall Country Club, Longhorsley, on the evening of Thursday, September 15.
The annual competition honours unsung community heroes who do amazing things.
Over the last few months, readers have been encouraged to nominate individuals and groups in the county who go above and beyond the call of duty and/or show incredible strength and courage in the face of adversity.
Organised by Northeast Press – publishers of the Northumberland Gazette, Morpeth Herald and News Post Leader – and Tweeddale Press’s Berwick Advertiser, the annual Best of Northumberland awards are a celebration of bravery, determination, commitment and achievement.
We have been looking for people who, in their everyday lives, manage to do something extraordinary for the benefit of themselves and others.
We have had a whole host of nominations across the 13 categories, which recognise a cross-section of local heroes.
The categories are Community Group; Community Champion; Sporting Achievement; Fund-raiser; Child of Achievement; Child of Courage; Green Champion; Role Model; Volunteer; Sports Team; Good Neighbour; Student; and Lifetime Contribution Award.
As part of this, Northumbrian Water is sponsoring the Sporting Achievement award, as well as the Sports Team prize. The company’s external relations manager Maureen Berne said: “We are delighted to support these awards. We have all been gripped by the excellent performances of our sports men and women at the Rio Olympics which will inspire the next generation of Olympians.
“Hydration is an important part of a healthy diet and even more so when taking part in sport. Our tap water is excellent quality, value for money and calorie free – a great sports drink. These awards are special as they mean so much to the people of Northumberland and we wish all the entrants the best of luck.”
The headline sponsor is The Banks Group, which is also sponsoring the Green Champion award. Other sponsors include Northumberland County Council and Northumberland College. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/best-of-northumberland-judges-to-meet-to-decide-winners-1-8093909 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/a7e806f33eccc869b35bf6758e5ade2d87e6ccf2214e1ca3d930aa4eced9944d.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:12:33 | null | 2016-08-15T07:00:59 | Driving past North Farm on South Newsham Road, I’ve noticed that all of the tiles have been removed from the roof of the barns. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fletters%2Fdevelopment-worried-about-bats-1-8060926.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8060925.1470833148!/image/image.jpg | en | null | DEVELOPMENT: Worried about bats | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Driving past North Farm on South Newsham Road, I’ve noticed that all of the tiles have been removed from the roof of the barns.
I’m not sure if there are, or were, bats resident there. These are a protected species. I have often watched them feeding at dusk.
Has the developer got the necessary permission? Or is this a developer in Blyth showing no respect for the rules and regulations?
Has anyone else noticed this?
D Rice
Blyth | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/letters/development-worried-about-bats-1-8060926 | en | 2016-08-15T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/6303ed49d591c15d28f93838f617e4e39b176fbb7fbaa20e68e1d3caa2bd0cd8.json |
[
"James Willoughby",
"James.Willoughby Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-26T16:49:25 | null | 2016-08-26T16:01:33 | On the day that Blyth’s Tall Ship Regatta began, the town’s new pub, The Commissioners Quay Inn, took delivery of a handcrafted replica of HMS Victory. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fblyth-pub-takes-delivery-of-handcrafted-replica-of-hms-victory-1-8091428.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8091425.1472223676!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Blyth pub takes delivery of handcrafted replica of HMS Victory | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | On the day that Blyth’s Tall Ship Regatta began, the town’s new pub, The Commissioners Quay Inn, took delivery of a handcrafted replica of HMS Victory.
The intricate model of Nelson’s flagship in the Battle of Trafalgar was gifted to the quayside-based pub after it made a donation to The Friends of the Church of Our Lady – a group of volunteers working to preserve the historic 11th century church at Seaton Delaval Hall.
Standing at 88cm high and more than a metre long, the model was donated to the Friends by Margaret McBriarty – whose late husband Terry painstakingly crafted the replica – to help raise funds for the church’s restoration project.
It was presented to The Commissioners Quay Inn general manager Catherine Bellhouse by Mrs McBriarty, where it will take pride of place long after the actual Tall Ships have left Blyth at the end of the festival on Monday.
Catherine Bellhouse said: “We were delighted to support such a worthy, local cause as The Friends of the Church of Our Lady and feel humbled to have such a magnificent artifact on permanent display here at The Commissioners Quay Inn.
“It is very fitting that Mrs McBriarty was able to present the ship to us on the actual day that the Tall Ships themselves arrived at the quay outside and will be a legacy of their visit.
“The model has attracted a lot of attention and interest and certainly bears a striking resemblance to some of the ships in front of the inn today. It’s a real talking point.”
Mrs McBriarty said: “The model of HMS Victory was crafted by my husband. He found building these ships a way of concentrating and relaxing after he took early retirement due to his ill health.
“I’m really pleased that it has linked up with the new Commissioners Quay Inn. My husband would have been delighted that thanks to their generous financial donation he has been able to support this beautiful little chapel.”
The Church of Our Lady has been closed for more than two years due to structural issues, but the volunteers hope to reopen the Norman church next year. Visitors are still able to view the church’s fascinating interior from its porch. Click here to arrange a visit or to make a donation. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/blyth-pub-takes-delivery-of-handcrafted-replica-of-hms-victory-1-8091428 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/fa5b7bf04650d14ddfc40f45e08605ebed7cda5d10275659b1c281a09aee8811.json |
[
"David Sedgwick",
"David.Sedgwick Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-26T13:07:15 | null | 2016-08-25T09:57:25 | Northumberland County Council leader has made sure his home is shipshape ahead of the Tall Ships Regatta. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fcouncillor-gets-his-garden-shipshape-for-regatta-1-8087509.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8087508.1472115432!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Councillor gets his garden shipshape for Regatta | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Northumberland County Council leader has made sure his home is shipshape ahead of the Tall Ships Regatta.
Coun Grant has painted a 4ft high version of the Regatta’s official logo, to display on his garden wall.
The emblem of three sailing ships was drawn freehand on hardboard and completed with enamel paints, then topped off nautical-style with Union flag bunting.
The councillor and keen handyman said: “This will be the biggest event of the year in Northumberland and I wanted to show my personal support for it in a unique way.”
Up to 30 of the world’s most spectacular Tall Ships will sail into the Port of Blyth for a packed Bank Holiday weekend programme of fun and attractions, starting on Friday.
The celebrations also mark the 60th anniversary of the Tall Ships Race and the event ends with a dash across the North Sea to Gothenburg in Sweden.
As well as grand parades involving the international crews, live music and nightly fireworks, the Regatta will feature 1.5 miles of family entertainment, fairground rides and stalls showcasing local food and drink in a pop-up Northumberland Village.
There’s also the chance for visitors to explore many of the spectacular vessels, which include ships from Poland, Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium as well as from around the UK. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/councillor-gets-his-garden-shipshape-for-regatta-1-8087509 | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/66b19443c8af7b29675c93e5262813f2012db02e573f2595ebe1759301c86c63.json |
[
"Glen Maxwell"
] | 2016-08-26T13:03:20 | null | 2016-08-25T10:14:10 | Tom Wade was denied his 100th win as Blyth Spartans manager on Tuesday night in their Evo-Stik Premier Division top of the table clash, thanks to a late slice of luck for Ashton United. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fsport%2Flocal%2Fblyth-spartans-drop-two-points-at-home-against-ashton-united-1-8087569.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8087567.1472116436!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Blyth Spartans drop two points at home against Ashton United | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Tom Wade was denied his 100th win as Blyth Spartans manager on Tuesday night in their Evo-Stik Premier Division top of the table clash, thanks to a late slice of luck for Ashton United.
The away side had twice went ahead through Gary Gee and Jack Dorney, but Blyth equalised through Daniel Maguire and a penalty from Stephen Turnbull to go into the break all square.
Spartans then went ahead through Sean Reid with 20 minutes to go, but Lee Gaskell had the last laugh with time running out as he charged down Peter Jeffries’ clearance in the 82nd minute and the ball fell nicely for him to slot home.
The hosts started the game in the ascendancy and looked dangerous in the final third straight away.
Chris Bell, making his first start of the season in place of Michael Liddle, fired a ball to the back post to Reid, who cushioned a header back across goal to Michael Richardson, where the stylish midfielder tried to flick the ball over his head to create an opening but got too much on it and Paul Phillips was able to gather.
Spartans then thought they scored the opener with five minutes gone. Turnbull curled a free kick around the Ashton wall from 20 yards, but he could only watch as the ball cannoned off the post with Phillips static in the middle of his goal.
The hosts were made to rue that missed chance when United took the lead with their first real chance of the game.
Gee was played in from the left and was left with the simple task of slotting the ball past an advancing Jeffries.
Blyth continued to pile the pressure on the visitors, despite going a goal down they looked certain to restore parity when man of the match Matty Pattison picked out Ryan Hutchinson at the back post with a cross, but the defender could only head the ball wide, but his blushes were spared - as the assistant flagged for offside.
Pattison was then involved again as he was bundled to the ground just outside the penalty area. Robert Dale worked the ball back into the box after the free kick was cleared, but none of his teammates were able to get a goal-bound touch on his fizzed low cross.
Spartans continued their dominance and were soon rewarded for their effort just before the half-hour mark.
A fantastic cross from Andrew Cartwright evaded the defender and found Maguire at the back post and he fired home from a tight angle past Phillips, who was unable to get enough of a hand on the ball to stop it from hitting the back of the net.
The hosts could then have been ahead less than a minute later but were left frustrated by an eerie sense of deja-vu from a set-piece.
Dale took over from Turnbull at the dead-ball and looked to have scored when he curled the ball around the Ashton wall with Phillips static. However, he was left frustrated when his strike ballooned off the crossbar and away.
As had been the case when they opened the scoring, Ashton came out of nowhere to retake the lead with just six minutes left in the first half.
Daniel Wilkins cut the ball back to Dorney at the edge of the Blyth area and the central midfielder curled a lovely effort just inside the post and out of Jeffries’ reach.
Spartans responded instantly and had Michael Andrews to thank for a great bit of game-reading by the referee.
Reid was fouled 25 yards out from goal, but play was allowed to continue with Richardson on the left. The former Newcastle United midfielder played the ball to Maguire in the box, but the striker was brought down by Gee and the referee had no option but to point to the spot.
Turnbull stepped up to dispatch the spot kick, but the home supporters had their hearts in their mouths when Phillips appeared to have dived down low to his left and get a touch on the penalty, but their despair soon turned into relief when the ball bounced down under the Ashton goalkeeper and into the roof of the net.
Wilkins was then shown the first yellow card of the evening for a late challenge on Bell in the half’s last piece of action.
Blyth kept up their momentum straight after the break and could have been ahead but for some last-ditch defending from United. Dale got down the left once again and tried to cut the ball back to Maguire on the penalty spot, but Jason Gorton was able to stretch and get a foot on the ball to just intercept the cross.
Dale got past Cavell Coo once again ten minutes later, but this the right back had no intention of letting the Blyth captain get into the box as he hacked him down on the left wing to receive Ashton’s second caution of the game.
Blyth continued to stamp their authority on the game and were agonisingly close to going ahead from a Pattison cross for the second time in as many games. Both Reid and Maguire were part of a group of bodies unable to get a touch on his cross from the right as the ball evaded all of them and went just wide of the far post.
The away side had been quiet for most of the second spell, but nearly popped up with a third goal with an hour on the clock.
Lee Gaskell cut back onto his left foot and fired a low drive across goal, looking for his fourth goal of the season, fortunately for Blyth it was always destined to go wide and no one was able to get on the end of it to turn it towards goal.
Spartans took full advantage of that let off soon after as the home side finally took the lead for the first time in the game with 20 minutes. A great move from Blyth ended with Richardson playing in Reid, who finished past Phillips off the post to score his first goal of the season.
The home side had looked good value for the win, but were left cursing their luck in the 82nd minute when they conceded an equaliser.
Gavin Caines didn’t get quite enough on his back pass to Jeffries and his clearance was charged down by Gaskell. The ball fell kindly for Ashton’s top scorer, who slotted the ball home despite Jeffries’ desperate efforts to keep it out.
As the game entered four minutes of added time, the visitors were shouting for a penalty when Dorney went down in the box. To the relief of the majority of the 562 fans inside Croft Park, the referee refused to blow his whistle.
Blyth then had their own shout for another spot kick when Maguire was sandwiched in the Ashton area, but again Andrews could not be persuaded to point to the spot.
It remains to be seen if this result is one point gained or two points dropped, but either way, Spartans will look to return to winning ways when they travel to Grantham Town on Saturday afternoon.
Blyth Spartans: Jeffries, Cartwright, Bell, Caines, Hutchinson, Turnbull, Pattison, Richardson (Rivers 80), Maguire, Reid, Dale. Subs not used: Parker, Armstrong, Pell, McHugh.
Attendance: 562. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/sport/local/blyth-spartans-drop-two-points-at-home-against-ashton-united-1-8087569 | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/ad9497d13a59327c8170175b81f5201bb39ed31a0c6d1cf86e35b8038aece5bb.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:01:35 | null | 2016-08-18T18:58:45 | Former programme editor Glen Maxwell has returned to Blyth Spartans to take over as the club’s press officer. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fsport%2Flocal%2Fmaxwell-back-at-blyth-spartans-in-press-officer-role-1-8077457.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8077456.1471543115!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Maxwell back at Blyth Spartans in press officer role | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Former programme editor Glen Maxwell has returned to Blyth Spartans to take over as the club’s press officer.
Maxwell, who was part of the club’s media team that won the Evo-Stik League Public Relations Club of the Year award for the 2012-13 season, also launched the highly successful BSAFCTV YouTube channel in the summer of 2013.
He worked in a number of other roles during his two-and-a-half-year stay at Croft Park, before moving on to work full-time as a content writer and social media administrator for a sports betting company in November 2013.
However, the opportunity arose to return to the club earlier this month and he will now be producing match reports, match previews and other content for the club’s website – much to the delight of the life-long Spartans supporter.
He said: “It’s great to be back at Blyth Spartans again. I really enjoyed working for the club when I was here before and it already feels like I’ve never been away.
“I’m really impressed with the new website and I think it makes the club’s output look even more professional.
“The media team has gone from strength to strength during the time I’ve been away, and although there seems to have been a few departures from last season, I’m sure we’ll still be able to continue to deliver the top quality content that Spartans supporters have come to expect in recent years.”
The University of Sunderland sports journalism graduate has already covered the club’s first two games of the Evo-Stik Premier Division season and he has been overwhelmed with the reception that his work has received so far.
He added: “The game against Coalville Town saw me write my first proper match report for about three or four years, so to say I was rusty would be an understatement.
“However, it’s great to see all of the positive comments from supporters on social media and the welcome I’ve received from everyone associated with Spartans has left me in no doubt that I’ve made the right decision to return as press officer.”
Media manager Phil Castiaux gave Maxwell the opportunity to work for the club during his first spell at Blyth, and he is looking forward to working alongside the 27-year-old once more.
Castiaux said: “It’s great to welcome Glen back to the media team again.
“He did a great job when he was at Croft Park a few years ago and I’m sure he will again.
“He is a versatile journalist who can contribute across the board.”
Maxwell has taken the press officer role over from Craig Dobson, who has moved across to Radio Blyth Live and is also acting as programme editor now as well. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/sport/local/maxwell-back-at-blyth-spartans-in-press-officer-role-1-8077457 | en | 2016-08-18T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/5aba41d460a7e48fc375c31268582fcdf0ae713cf2719ed62010bdf4014d39fe.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:00:13 | null | 2016-08-22T12:31:04 | Blyth Cricket Club’s game at Gems on Saturday was called off mid-morning and both sides were awarded five points. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fsport%2Flocal%2Fweather-forces-abandonment-of-blyth-cricket-games-1-8082043.json | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/sport/local/weather-forces-abandonment-of-blyth-cricket-games-1-8082043 | en | null | Weather forces abandonment of Blyth cricket games | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Blyth Cricket Club’s game at Gems on Saturday was called off mid-morning and both sides were awarded five points.
In the league standings, Kirkley gained a point on Blyth, a bowling point, from their abandoned game against Berwick.
Next Saturday Blyth’s official home game against Ulgham will be played at Ulgham’s ground at 1pm, and the second team game away to Ulgham seconds will be played on Sunday with a 1.30pm start.
Blyth seconds’ game on Saturday was abandoned after 20 overs with Gems seconds on 103-3. Blyth gained six points and Gems seven points. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/sport/local/weather-forces-abandonment-of-blyth-cricket-games-1-8082043 | en | 2016-08-22T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/1629618a6533cdbca2cb5760f022d8c557117cd1cb9dbc0dbbad59e7ea999114.json |
[
"Janet Hall",
"Janet.Hall Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-29T16:51:23 | null | 2016-08-29T15:45:07 | What a magnificent sight. The Tall Ships put on a fantastic spectacle as they left Northumberland this afternoon. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Ftall-ships-ahoy-the-fleet-sails-out-of-blyth-1-8094641.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8094639.1472482021!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Tall Ships ahoy! The fleet sails out of Blyth | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Sorry, we're having problems with our video player at the moment, but are working to fix it as soon as we can
What a magnificent sight. The Tall Ships put on a fantastic spectacle as they left Northumberland this afternoon.
Our slideshow of pictures by John Tuttiett Photography captures the climax to the four-day extravaganza, when more than 20 vessels hoisted their sails to leave Port of Blyth and set off for the 500-nautical-mile journey to Gothenburg in Sweden.
The Tall Ships leave Blyth. Picture by John Tuttiett Photography
The Parade of Sail took them down the coast to St Mary's Island and then out to see for the 18-day journey.
More pictures and video of the amazing event to come.
Have you got something to share on the story? Were you there? What do you think? - Send your pictures, videos or story and we'll publish the best × Continue the story Tall Ships ahoy! The fleet sails out of Blyth Loading ... Add up to 3 photos or 1 videos to the story There's been a problem uploading your files. Please try again. By uploading your file you agree to our Terms and Conditions × Continue the story Sign in to contribute sign in shape the news in your area... | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/tall-ships-ahoy-the-fleet-sails-out-of-blyth-1-8094641 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/0ffc8c2f521e1290d7fc3eb4ca0eff1b9b8983b83840f9497b632da383e0112f.json |
[
"Ben O'Connell",
"Ben.Oconnell Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-26T13:05:29 | null | 2016-08-26T12:58:37 | The North Sea Tall Ships Regatta 2016 is now well and truly under way with large crowds flocking to the waterfront in Blyth for the first day of the event. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fwatch-tall-ships-in-blyth-for-start-of-regatta-1-8090815.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8090813.1472213148!/image/image.jpg | en | null | WATCH: Tall Ships in Blyth for start of regatta | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Sorry, we're having problems with our video player at the moment, but are working to fix it as soon as we can
The North Sea Tall Ships Regatta 2016 is now well and truly under way with large crowds flocking to the waterfront in Blyth for the first day of the event.
The video above shows the scene from the water with the Tall Ships berthed in the Port of Blyth at the North, Commissioners and Dun Cow Quays.
They will be here until Monday when they head out to race across the North Sea to Gothenburg, in Sweden, following a weekend packed full of events and entertainment.
Opening the event, Northumberland County Council leader, Grant Davey, said: "This is the biggest ever event we have hosted for Northumberland and I can’t tell you how pleased I am to see all these magnificent ships lined up along the Quayside. It really is an awe-inspiring sight."
Find our live blog on the homepage to follow all of the action from across the weekend, which is expected to see around 500,000 people descend on the town.
Northumberland County Council, in partnership with the Port of Blyth and Sail Training International, is hosting the prestigious regatta - the only one in the UK this year. Fergusons of Blyth, one of the UK’s leading privately owned haulage companies and the biggest in the North East, is the principal sponsor for the event in celebration of their 90th anniversary.
The Dar Mlodziezy is the largest of the Tall Ships at Blyth. Picture by Ben O'Connell
Have you got something to share on the story? Were you there? What do you think? - Send your pictures, videos or story and we'll publish the best × Continue the story WATCH: Tall Ships in Blyth for start of regatta Loading ... Add up to 3 photos or 1 videos to the story There's been a problem uploading your files. Please try again. By uploading your file you agree to our Terms and Conditions × Continue the story Sign in to contribute sign in shape the news in your area... | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/watch-tall-ships-in-blyth-for-start-of-regatta-1-8090815 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/10be67fa7df44eaff33914b547996f6f301a8da2cf5813dfbec7af2f6d3ccdf6.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T08:50:35 | null | 2016-08-28T08:50:47 | Wansbeck’s MP has launched a survey of his constituents to gather views on a range of policy issues. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fsurvey-for-residents-in-wansbeck-1-8091905.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8091904.1472240392!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Survey for residents in Wansbeck | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Wansbeck’s MP has launched a survey of his constituents to gather views on a range of policy issues.
The summer survey is also seeking further information on more effective ways to champion local causes.
It is available through Ian Lavery’s website and this comes after the recent launch of a Facebook page to further inform constituents of his Parliamentary activities.
He said: “I’ve always been rooted in this community and tried to give a voice in Parliament to the concerns of people in Wansbeck.
“I will continue to ensure that concerns from this part of the world aren’t forgotten, but I want to make sure that every constituent has an opportunity to give me their opinion.
“If there’s an issue close to your heart that I should know about, or if you want to suggest different ways to co-operate with campaign groups locally, I urge you to fill out the survey.
“It doesn’t just concern policies, but also issues like accessibility and how best to keep constituents updated.”
“While I have my own deeply held beliefs and views, I am always looking for new ways to engage with the people of Wansbeck.
“Representing the communities of this constituency is a true privilege and this survey will ensure I am able to make the most of that privilege.”
To fill out the survey, go to www.ianlavery.org.uk/summersurvey | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/survey-for-residents-in-wansbeck-1-8091905 | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/f32b5d432ad008554ffb2ca2b699d0ecffda3eaf31d52b13f2f7c88b8e97ce84.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T10:51:04 | null | 2016-08-29T09:58:52 | Experience and quality is adding up to a top national ranking for Northumberland financial advisers. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fa-wealth-of-praise-for-firm-1-8079393.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8079392.1471625861!/image/image.jpg | en | null | A wealth of praise for firm | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Experience and quality is adding up to a top national ranking for Northumberland financial advisers.
Explore Wealth Management has been named in the UK’s top 250 independent financial advisers based on reviews on consumer ratings website VouchedFor.co.uk
The Cramlington-based firm, which was established in 1978, is one of just three in the north east to feature in the list.
Founder and managing director Stephen Sumner said the success is down to providing tailor-made solutions for clients, some of whom have been customers for more than 30 years, as well as restricting services to a limited number of people at any one time to ensure outstanding satisfaction.
“We are very proud to receive national recognition for the excellent level of service we provide to our clients,” he said.
“Our team firmly believes in providing better financial advice in which people have total confidence in the adviser they are speaking to.
“They must know their advisor really cares about their needs and has the expertise to assist them in creating and maintaining a plan to achieve their financial goals in life.”
He added: “We look after our clients by giving them completely independent and straight-forward advice, face-to-face, in an honest and friendly way.
“There is nothing more rewarding to us than helping people make a positive difference to their personal situation.”
The business serves clients in Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and Durham. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/a-wealth-of-praise-for-firm-1-8079393 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/782ebb761ba24fc212003cd3a3ba12fc79625cfffdb8e06505765fa3bf1484dc.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T10:49:59 | null | 2016-08-27T09:58:52 | Olympic fever has gripped a Cramlington care home as residents got into the Rio spirit. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Factivities-of-the-gold-standard-1-8079362.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8079361.1471624509!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Activities of the gold standard | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Olympic fever has gripped a Cramlington care home as residents got into the Rio spirit.
A flavour of the Games was delivered to residents of Scarbrough Court, courtesy of local entertainer Mark Turner.
He organised various ball games, using hand-eye co-ordination to aim balls at buckets or play seated volleyball, as well as a host of other activities.
And there were even medals for achievement to dish out.
Activities co-ordinator Dawn Peters said: “The residents loved it.
“Events like this really help to support the health and wellbeing of our residents to keep active, and they can be enjoyed by everyone at the home.”
Mark is a regular at the home, visiting twice a month to provide Music and Movement sessions, including sing-along sessions and playing the ukulele. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/activities-of-the-gold-standard-1-8079362 | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/45a20202049185147f2cfef6d0f1ee7523792c1b89074504cb5460f35df13f2c.json |
[
"Brian Bennett"
] | 2016-08-29T16:51:38 | null | 2016-08-29T16:58:32 | Ashington Cricket Club’s first XI skipper Greg Williams would only admit after his side had won a nailbiter against Swalwell on Saturday that his outfit are in a fantastic position at the top of the Go North East Northumberland & Tyneside Senior League. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fsport%2Flocal%2Fashington-skipper-williams-admits-his-side-are-in-an-excellent-position-1-8094744.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.7888077.1472486293!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Ashington skipper Williams admits his side are in an ‘excellent position’ | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Ashington Cricket Club’s first XI skipper Greg Williams would only admit after his side had won a nailbiter against Swalwell on Saturday that his outfit are in a fantastic position at the top of the Go North East Northumberland & Tyneside Senior League.
The Mighty Acorns gained another point on nearest challengers Shotley Bridge after the Spa side picked up a 19 points victory at home to Leadgate whilst Williams’ side recorded a maximum.
Ashington, who lead the table by 48 points, need to win one game to clinch the title, but a cautious Williams said: “We play one match at a time and will just look to keep doing what we have done all season until it’s mathematically impossible for any other side to catch us.
“To be in this position is fantastic, but we still have three games of cricket to play.”
Williams, who hit the winning boundary at Swalwell with three balls remaining, hailed another outstanding team performance.
“I lost the toss and they batted, but we bowled tremendously well because at one stage they were 86-0,” he said.
“We had bowled tight and they were always up against it and we needed to pick up a couple of wickets so as to put us into a good position.
“We changed the bowling a bit, Paul Rutherford came on and got Chris Hewison caught at long-on by Ben O’Brien, which was a massive wicket, then we bowled and fielded really well.
“The two spinners performed well, Paul [Rutherford] was real class and Ani Singh bowled two good spells.
“The two seamers ran in on a sunny day to give us 12 overs each and it was a great performance from them as well as we were looking to chase 250 minimum at one point, so I was chuffed to curtail Swalwell to 193.”
He continued: “We got off to a poor start, but we have got depth in our batting to cope with that and we came back well through Ani and Daniel [Grant].
“Hats off to them, it was an absolutely fantastic partnership between them.
“We got bogged down a bit after Ani was out as Swalwell bowled well and the light was deteriorating.
“It was a good knock from Ben [Harmison] in the middle and he had done the hard work before I came in.
“It was difficult to pick the ball up, but the longer you are in the middle, the easier it gets.
“Ben put us in a great position and we just had to make sure we didn’t bottle it at the end.
“It was another outstanding team performance from the lads.”
On Saturday Ashington are at home to Ponteland. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/sport/local/ashington-skipper-williams-admits-his-side-are-in-an-excellent-position-1-8094744 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/9605d7afcaa2373a6cd872dec2750690797cb759f3b70a47d1c6f048b88474a1.json |
[
"Janet Hall",
"Janet.Hall Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-27T14:50:14 | null | 2016-08-27T13:55:54 | The Tall Ships Regatta is a photographer | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Ftall-ships-regatta-in-pictures-1-8092381.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8092379.1472302687!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Tall Ships Regatta in pictures | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Sorry, we're having problems with our video player at the moment, but are working to fix it as soon as we can
The Tall Ships Regatta is a photographer's dream and we've got another selection of pictures to give you a flavour of the event.
This slideshow shows crew members of the Dar Mlodziezy meeting some of the thousands of visitors to the quayside; some of the 200 members of the St John Ambulance Brigade who are doing sterling work at the Regatta; Branson Reay, from Killingworth, getting a lesson in knot tying from Nigel Horn of the Ocean Youth Trust and a crew member of the Fryderyk Chopin out on the yard arm.
Crew from the Dar Mlodziezy meet some of the visitors. Picture by John Tuttiett Photography
And of course more pictures of the magnificent Tall Ships themselves.
Thanks to John Tuttiett Photography and Anne Hopper for the pictures. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/tall-ships-regatta-in-pictures-1-8092381 | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/43d438fa084dc3cbaa8e0d2da55ee1ac5d075438704c79f8304caebbf4073181.json |
[
"Glen Maxwell"
] | 2016-08-26T12:59:00 | null | 2016-08-25T10:14:01 | Blyth Spartans boss Tom Wade described Tuesday night’s 3-3 draw with Ashton United a “terrible result” after seeing his side surrender the lead late on in unfortunate circumstances. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fsport%2Flocal%2Fwade-lambastes-spartans-for-terrible-ashton-result-1-8087566.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.7447956.1472116424!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Wade lambastes Spartans for ‘terrible’ Ashton result | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Blyth Spartans boss Tom Wade described Tuesday night’s 3-3 draw with Ashton United a “terrible result” after seeing his side surrender the lead late on in unfortunate circumstances.
United striker Lee Gaskell was able to charge down Peter Jeffries’ clearance from Gavin Caines’ back pass, with the ball falling favourably for him to slot home an 82nd minute equaliser.
And Wade was left feeling deflated at the final whistle, following a “flat” performance from his players and the normally vocal Croft Park faithful.
Wade said: “It’s a terrible result. We only managed to take a point when we could have had three quite easily.
“We didn’t play well. We didn’t play badly, but we didn’t play as well as we do normally.
“I just think we were flat from the start. The crowd was flat and the whole night was flat really.
“We needed the crowd to help us to get going. I know some supporters will say that it’s up to the players to get them going, but we’ve just got to get together and really make some noise in this place.
“We started terribly and, sometimes, you need the crowd to get you going. However, the crowd looked nervous, we looked nervous and, for whatever reason, we couldn’t give ourselves a lift.
“At times, the crowd were excellent. However, they’ve got to see when we’re down and pick us back up with their fantastic support.”
It wasn’t all doom and gloom for the Spartans gaffer though as he feels the disappointment at the Robins result shows just how far the club has risen in recent seasons.
Wade added: “To be disappointed with just a draw against Ashton is a good indication of just how far we have came as a team in recent years, because I do think we are one of the best sides in the league.
“It’s a bad point, but we’ll take it at the end of the day.”
Both sides were left frustrated in added time at the end of the second half, when Jack Dorney was brought down in the Blyth box before Daniel Maguire was sandwiched in the Ashton area.
Referee Michael Andrews failed to give either side a penalty, but Wade believes that both incidents should have resulted in a spot-kick.
He said: “I think both shouts were penalties. I spoke to their manager, who was also their goalkeeper, at the end and he said our one was a definite penalty.
“The way it looked, I also thought their one was a penalty as well. It’s probably evened itself out but, if the referee gives one of them, that team would have gone on to win.”
Spartans now face another long away trip on Saturday, when they travel to Grantham Town and Wade is confident that the league’s fourth-placed side can return to winning ways on the road.
Wade said: “I always think we’re going to win. I never ever think we’re going to lose.
“I hate losing and I’m just so positive about the club at the moment. We’ve got top quality players across the park and we’ll be looking to use as many of them as we can in the next two games over the bank holiday weekend.
“We’ve got a good squad and Robbie [Dale] hasn’t really started yet. Once he gets off the ground again, he’ll carry us again this season.”
Having missed out on recording his 100th win at the club, Wade will get another chance to become a Spartans centurion at the weekend.
However, he is adamant that his is only interested in his side’s success and has no time for personal milestones.
Wade insisted: “I’m not really one for stats, to be honest. I’m just happy to be Blyth’s manager.
“It’s a privilege to be Blyth manager, because I’m a Blyth supporter. I just want the club to do well and if I win or someone else does, I’m not bothered - as long as the club is winning.
“We’ve got the chance to do something special this season, which we should have done last season had the squad not been too short. For me, I just want to do it for the lads.
“As long as the lads are winning games and are happy, I’m over the moon.” | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/sport/local/wade-lambastes-spartans-for-terrible-ashton-result-1-8087566 | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/4a35d690986f3f8c4879beae5172c26ebaaba7a152ddcb8c1745d2d1e970b1be.json |
[
"Brian Bennett"
] | 2016-08-29T16:51:33 | null | 2016-08-29T16:58:12 | Ashington FC manager Steve Harmison was left baffled and admitted that his defenders would be feeling the same way after his side’s 3-1 defeat against Guisborough at Woodhorn Lane on Saturday. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fsport%2Flocal%2Fharmison-baffled-after-ashington-defeat-to-guisborough-1-8094738.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.7573137.1472486272!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Harmison ‘baffled’ after Ashington defeat to Guisborough | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Ashington FC manager Steve Harmison was left baffled and admitted that his defenders would be feeling the same way after his side’s 3-1 defeat against Guisborough at Woodhorn Lane on Saturday.
Harmison said: “To be honest, it’s a bizarre situation as I reflect on how we have lost the game 3-1.
“I didn’t think we played badly at all. We worked hard and kept to a plan, but again we are conceding goals from mistakes and not being able to do the simple things, which includes holding the ball up, and it is putting our back four under pressure.
“I thought the two centre halves looked fine, but even they must be thinking to themselves ‘how have we conceded three goals’.
“Guisborough are a good side and they played some nice football, but other than the three chances they had, I didn’t think they had many more.
“Again we ourselves have missed opportunities and had three cleared off the line in the first half, but for the fourth or fifth time this season we have conceded a goal between the 30-40 minutes mark again.
“”We are not a bad side when we are winning, but we are not getting ourselves in front because the longer the game goes without us scoring, it only takes one mistake, and everything is going against us.”
The boss thought his side were denied a clear penalty only minutes after they had equalised, but he defended the referee and instead cursed his side’s luck.
“I think the game changed on a penalty decision which we did not get,” he said.
“Andrew Bulford ran into the box and was blatantly tripped up. I was watching the referee and he did not see it, then they go up the field and score, and that is our luck at the moment.
“We should have had another penalty yet they go and make it 2-1.”
He added: “We are limited with our options and are still in the market to try and bring some players in but at this moment in time, no one is moving.
“We did a lot of good things in that game and I still cannot believe we have lost it.
“Yes, people will say there were some positives, whilst others will say we are making progress – but progress and positives don’t get points and that is the stark reality of where we are at this time.
“We are in transition but we have got to be careful that we do not fall into a rut of losing, and that is a concern.
“The central defenders will be wondering how we have conceded three goals, but when you give the ball away and make mistakes you put pressure on your back four.
“They have had five chances and scored three. We have had countless number of chances and scored with a penalty, and that was the difference between the two sides.
“I didn’t think there was much in the game, it was a good contest, but you get what you deserve.
“The rub of the green is not going for us. Against good sides you cannot make mistakes otherwise they will punish you, and we have been punished off a good side.” | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/sport/local/harmison-baffled-after-ashington-defeat-to-guisborough-1-8094738 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/df5658c5f2d12d79daa27ee7342cbb7c360d79964091cc323d4240e355f65408.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T16:51:29 | null | 2016-08-29T16:58:38 | Northumberland racer Stuart Middleton made a welcome and richly deserved return to the top step of the Ginetta Junior Championship podium at Rockingham in Northamptonshire at the weekend. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fsport%2Flocal%2Fashington-s-middleton-back-to-winning-ways-in-ginetta-junior-at-rockingham-1-8094748.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8094746.1472486300!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Ashington’s Middleton back to winning ways in Ginetta Junior at Rockingham | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Northumberland racer Stuart Middleton made a welcome and richly deserved return to the top step of the Ginetta Junior Championship podium at Rockingham in Northamptonshire at the weekend.
He secured his sixth victory of the 2016 season in a rain affected round 18 of the campaign.
From fourth on the grid in the first of the event’s three contests, the Ashington 16-year-old served up an outstanding performance, and after moving into the lead on lap two, he controlled the action at the front despite immense pressure and the arrival of heavy rain during the final couple of laps.
Going on to add his 12th podium of the season with second place in round 19 on Sunday morning, the Douglas Motorsport driver’s hopes of a rostrum hat-trick went awry on the first lap of the third and final race after an unfortunate excursion into the tyre barrier.
Recovering well, he managed to battle through from the back of the field into the top ten with some sensational driving along the way – not least a final lap move at Tarzan Hairpin where he passed four cars in one remarkable move around the outside.
“That was a good move at the end in the last race, I had to give it a go”, he said.
“There wasn’t much I could do about the first lap though, I tried a bit of a late lunge around the outside, but my front brakes locked straight away and there wasn’t anything I could do after that. It was a bit of a heavy impact with the tyre stack and we definitely lost some performance from the car after that.
“Winning the first race on Saturday was obviously good, but it’s been a bit of a mixed weekend really.
“We seem to go one step forward and then three back, we just don’t seem to have the luck at all.
“Little mistakes here and there are really costing us, we just need to try and stay consistent at Silverstone and Brands and see what happens there.”
Middleton had to settle for fourth on the grid for race one of the weekend, round 18, and despite a good start from the second row he was held out wide at turn one and slipped to fifth place as the field motored towards Deene Hairpin.
Remaining on the outside line into the tight left-hander, the 16-year-old braked later than his rivals and served up a sensational, and bold, pass to go from fifth into the corner to second on the exit.
Fending off any challenges into Yentwood, Middleton then set his sights on getting into the lead of the race and he did just that on lap two with another great move at Deene, this time on the inside line to get ahead of Lewis Brown.
Although never having more than a few tenths of a second in hand, Middleton didn’t put a wheel wrong under huge pressure from championship leader William Tregurtha, but with a couple of laps to go the task got harder as rain started to fall.
As the first driver to gauge grip levels and braking zones, Middleton did a fantastic job to maintain the lead and took the flag at the end of lap eight, 0.2 seconds clear to return to winning ways for the first time since the Croft race meeting in late June.
“I chose to go all out in that race”, he acknowledged. “Conditions were very, very different at the end when the rain came down – it was like driving on ice really, so I had to be a bit cautious, but great to win again.”
As a result of torrential rain later on Saturday afternoon, and more notably increasingly dark skies, round 19 was rescheduled to Sunday morning.
From pole position, Middleton managed to maintain the lead despite significant pressure, but on lap two at Deene, as he defended from the attacking Brown, Tregurtha nipped up the inside of both cars to steal the lead away.
Elbowed back to second place, Middleton stayed close behind the leader for a couple of laps before having to focus more and more on the challenge from behind.
Fending off Seb Perez, the north east racer did a superb job of repelling his challenges and maintained position to the flag on lap eight.
For round 20, Middleton started fifth on the grid but was edged to sixth as the cars exited turn one of the oval banking.
Under braking for Deene, he went for a bold move around the outside but his front wheels locked which resulted in his Ginetta G40 running straight on and into the tyre barrier.
Despite the contact he was able to continue, albeit at the tail of the field a country mile down on the pack ahead, but Middleton mounted a spirited recovery to salvage crucial points.
Into the top 15 as the race entered its seventh and penultimate lap, Middleton grabbed 14th position soon after and then served up one of the overtaking manoeuvres of the weekend at Tarzan Hairpin on the last lap.
As a train of cars bunched up on the inside line under braking, Middleton seized his opportunity to run around the outside of no less than four cars to leap into the top ten with a very well judged, and well worked, move.
Silverstone on the opposite side of Northamptonshire is the next destination for the Ginetta Junior Championship over the weekend of September 17 and 18.
After round 20, Middleton is currently second in the standings on 488 points. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/sport/local/ashington-s-middleton-back-to-winning-ways-in-ginetta-junior-at-rockingham-1-8094748 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/43e0b2d42006eafd9c1faaede14358a9b281d6758a079bcaedff2d3f89280fc3.json |
[] | 2016-08-28T06:51:15 | null | 2016-08-28T07:00:05 | I am writing in response to a letter regarding leaving the EU by Mr Tyler, (News Post Leader, August 18). | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fletters%2Fbrexit-still-waiting-for-the-facts-1-8086584.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8086583.1472052934!/image/image.jpg | en | null | BREXIT: Still waiting for the facts | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | I am writing in response to a letter regarding leaving the EU by Mr Tyler, (News Post Leader, August 18).
The government made its points prior to voting. The people of the UK made their vote, their own decision, their own vote.
There was always going to be one side win, one side lose. It’s life. We learn about win and lose when we are in school. It was a one-time vote. It can’t be changed.
I am curious about the point made by Mr Tyler that “my work is based around evidence and facts”, yet the information of where these facts are located is not stated.
Nobody knows what changes are going to happen. The council, the internet, MPs, even the public, have assumptions, but no one actually knows. We all have statistics, but until they come from the government, and until article 50 is in place and we hear what changes will occur, then it’s all assumptions.
Too many people are using Brexit as an excuse for mishaps and change. Everyone has a different opinion on Brexit, what will be will be.
As a country we have survived far worse and we will deal with whatever happens. We did have a good strong country before we joined the EU.
As adults we have to accept that everyone has a different view and opinion. I was shocked to see Mr Tyler criticise the other reader’s letter because they have a different opinion, accusing them of having a relaxed attitude towards Brexit.
He goes on to state that those who supported Brexit have “distanced themselves”. Have you thought that people are getting on with their life? That the majority have accepted the vote outcome, or are waiting to see what changes comes into place when the government triggers Article 50?
I’ll leave it to Downing Street to release the actual facts. When the time comes we will deal with it. We are not the first European country to leave the EU. I am sure we will not be the last.
A Patterson
Address supplied | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/letters/brexit-still-waiting-for-the-facts-1-8086584 | en | 2016-08-28T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/0122223993c5cec4fca7de0aaadb6682792e0b067257e7d73d77e40c41402413.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:12:53 | null | 2016-08-14T10:14:31 | The Blyth beach huts looked pristine on this sunny evening. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fletters%2Fa-colourful-beach-base-1-8052057.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8052056.1470333318!/image/image.jpg | en | null | A colourful beach base | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Cookies are small data files which are sent to your browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome etc) from a website you visit. They are stored on your electronic device.
This is a type of cookie which is collected by Adobe Flash media player (it is also called a Local Shared Object) - a piece of software you may already have on your electronic device to help you watch online videos and listen to podcasts.
Yes there are a number of options available, you can set your browser either to reject all cookies, to allow only "trusted" sites to set them, or to only accept them from the site you are currently on.
However, please note - if you block/delete all cookies, some features of our websites, such as remembering your login details, or the site branding for your local newspaper may not function as a result. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/letters/a-colourful-beach-base-1-8052057 | en | 2016-08-14T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/def29bff73853fe58e5e786e30da64b129bbbb21ddad1f8c207258c638558c9d.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:05:07 | null | 2016-08-26T12:40:02 | A Bedlington teenager was among this year’s star GCSE pupils. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Ftop-class-gcse-results-for-laura-1-8090756.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8090755.1472211585!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Top class GCSE results for Laura | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | A Bedlington teenager was among this year’s star GCSE pupils.
Laura Neill achieved what is known as an A-hat in further maths – this is the equivalent of an A**.
She also received eight A* grades and an A to go with the A* for French that she did a year early in her own time.
The 16-year-old, a pupil at Dame Allan’s Schools in Newcastle, said: “I worked really hard for my GCSE examinations.
“I found some of the mock papers very difficult, so I wasn’t expecting to do this well at all.
“I’m looking forward to coming back to Dame Allan’s for Sixth Form. I plan to study maths, physics, chemistry and economics for my A-levels.”
Laura also captained the Dame Allan’s Schools’ squash team to be age group national champions for two years in a row. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/top-class-gcse-results-for-laura-1-8090756 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/b4a01ec5e503801ff8482b7bbd743bd05ed025ece063c6f6c2cbf8298c58ab70.json |
[] | 2016-08-27T06:50:36 | null | 2016-08-27T07:05:37 | Please allow me to post a warning to your readers about the upcoming dangers of the soon to be completed Station Road redevelopment in Ashington. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fletters%2Fredevelopment-it-s-a-dog-s-breakfast-1-8086580.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8086579.1472052810!/image/image.jpg | en | null | REDEVELOPMENT: It’s a dog’s breakfast | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Please allow me to post a warning to your readers about the upcoming dangers of the soon to be completed Station Road redevelopment in Ashington.
The new footpath on the south side of the street varies between 2.7m and 3.5m in width, the latter being the maximum width of Ashington main street.
The obvious reality here is that this footpath appears dangerously narrow.
A pushchair cannot pass a wheelchair, a family dog on a lead must inevitably trip up shoppers, customers leaving most of the shops on the south side are forced across this narrow footpath into oncoming pedestrians already struggling to negotiate the perils of walking down the street, and window shopping is completely impossible.
Shoppers will, therefore, be pushed into parked and parking vehicles – cars, vans and lorries driving towards this overcrowded, inadequate footpath.
Small children may end up under the wheels of a 4x4, while the elderly could be bumping into aggressively parking drivers.
The four parking areas are all located on the south side of Station Road, with accommodation for 30 vehicles.
All vehicles are obliged to reverse into oncoming traffic travelling east-west. The echelon system means that it is just about impossible for a reversing driver to see anything of an immediately oncoming vehicle, further complicating an already unsatisfactory whole-street arrangement.
This shocking state of affairs will be up and running before Christmas, giving pedestrians, in particular, a chance to witness the dangers of shopping in Ashington High Street.
It seems to me that Northumberland County Council has sacrificed the safety of shoppers in order to accommodate a one-way traffic system and a somewhat enhanced pedestrian provision on the north side of Station Road.
Traffic is not allowed to return from where it came so where do the cars go when they reach the junction with John Street or Kenilworth Road? Obviously down residential streets and back lanes.
The new layout is wholly inadequate for the purposes of the Tuesday Market. There is simply not the space now to accommodate the volume of stalls necessary to make a market worthwhile.
So as we can plainly see, the whole thing is a bit of a dog’s breakfast.
Add to this catastrophic (and very expensive) example of town planning the state of affairs around Asda in Lintonville Terrace, where the footpaths in places are only 1.5m wide and pedestrian provision is woefully inadequate, and the inevitability of the new County Hall with all that entails, and we must question those who make decisions on our behalf.
TM Patterson
Ashington | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/letters/redevelopment-it-s-a-dog-s-breakfast-1-8086580 | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/ebd0ffe990aa640cd4021470baee814881d8d8a7338ebcec6e0fa7547461dd71.json |
[
"David Sedgwick",
"David.Sedgwick Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-26T13:13:34 | null | 2016-08-06T08:55:34 | The ‘Northumberland Navy’ of sail trainees is set to swell as The North Sea Tall Ships Regatta approaches. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fblyth-tall-ships-trainees-ready-to-set-sail-in-race-1-8049558.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8049557.1470241780!/image/image.jpg | en | null | BLYTH TALL SHIPS: Trainees ready to set sail in race | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | The ‘Northumberland Navy’ of sail trainees is set to swell as The North Sea Tall Ships Regatta approaches.
Four new recruits have been selected to take part in Regatta activities and join the race to Sweden from the Northumberland coast.
The trainees are being supported by Blyth ward councillors Grant Davey; Susan Davey; Gordon Webb; and by Berwick East Ward councillor, Jim Smith.
The four trainees have been selected by the Northumberland Youth Service and will be joining the Tall Ship Christian Radich.
The trainees are Edward Alan Stoker, aged 18; Paul Cozens, aged 22; and Cameron Hartley, aged 16, all from Blyth; and Shannon Lowrie, aged 16 from Berwick.
A total of 80 recruits aged 15 to 63 have now enlisted to take part in the 500 nautical mile race from Blyth to Gothenburg.
Northumberland County Council, in partnership with the Port of Blyth and Sail Training International, is hosting the prestigious Regatta with Fergusons of Blyth confirmed as the Principal Sponsor.
Cameron has just left Bede School Academy and is being sponsored by Isabella Ward councillor Gordon Webb.
He said: “I’ve sailed before on a week’s training and sailed from North Shields to Blyth and Hartlepool and I can’t wait to be part of this.
“I loved the experience and I’m really looking forward to being part of a big team on board this huge Tall Ship.
“It will be my first time abroad and my first time in a Tall Ships race so I’m very excited.”
Shannon, from Spittal, Berwick, is being sponsored by Coun Jim Smith.
Shannon said: “It’s a bit scary and also incredibly exciting to have been selected in the Regatta and join a Tall Ship in the race to Gothenburg – what a way to travel abroad for the first time!
“I haven’t sailed before but I think this will be an amazing opportunity to sail on one of these majestic Tall Ships and I’m really looking forward to the experience.”
Most of the Tall Ships trainees come from Northumberland and 33 are being sponsored by ward councillors.
Coun Grant Davey, leader of Northumberland County Council, is supporting sail trainee, Edward Stoker.
Coun Davey said: “Taking part in the Regatta events and sailing to Gothenburg will be a thrilling adventure for our trainees.
“It will be an amazing experience for the trainees to join an international crew and race on a Tall Ship to Sweden. It’s an opportunity to learn new skills and to tackle some unique challenges and I’m delighted to be supporting Edward.”
Alwyne Colley and Steve Barrigan from the Northumberland Youth Service will be mentoring and accompanying the trainees.
There are still spaces available for paying trainees. Visit www.sailtraininginternational.org/sail-on-board
The North Sea Tall Ships Regatta Blyth 2016 takes place over the weekend of August 26 to 29, and features five zones of free family entertainment. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/blyth-tall-ships-trainees-ready-to-set-sail-in-race-1-8049558 | en | 2016-08-06T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/9a6b23e8552dab90035893ba6198016a873f0514672d4b626f8e946466db38e8.json |
[
"James Willoughby",
"James.Willoughby Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-29T12:51:03 | null | 2016-08-29T11:44:31 | A special relationship between Blyth and Gothenburg, in Sweden, which has helped see the Tall Ships Regatta come to Northumberland, has been praised. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fvideo-cultural-relationship-between-blyth-and-gothenburg-praised-1-8094225.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8094223.1472467681!/image/image.jpg | en | null | VIDEO: Cultural relationship between Blyth and Gothenburg praised | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Sorry, we're having problems with our video player at the moment, but are working to fix it as soon as we can
A special relationship between Blyth and Gothenburg, in Sweden, which has helped see the Tall Ships Regatta come to Northumberland, has been praised.
The Blyth and Gothenburg programme brings together the communities of South East Northumberland and Sweden to celebrate the Blyth Tall Ships Regatta to Gothenburg. The ships leave Blyth today and will race to Gothenburg, which will then host its own celebration event.
Conny Brannberg
The cultural collaboration agreement with West Sweden was first signed by the North East Local Enterprise Partnership in 2012.
And Swedish representative Conny Brannberg, president of the cultural affairs committee, has praised the event in Blyth and says Gothenburg is looking forward to hosting the ships. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/video-cultural-relationship-between-blyth-and-gothenburg-praised-1-8094225 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/6b2604d97b3ee7c98f62f380def71d850ee1fb09813ac9ea4796b8899fcdca46.json |
[
"Paul Tanney"
] | 2016-08-29T16:51:39 | null | 2016-08-29T16:52:15 | A new look Ashington, with new head coach John Goose in charge, made their best start to the season for several years by beating local rivals Blyth in the first round of the Northumberland County Cup. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fsport%2Flocal%2Fashington-win-county-cup-derby-against-local-rivals-blyth-1-8094726.json | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/sport/local/ashington-win-county-cup-derby-against-local-rivals-blyth-1-8094726 | en | null | Ashington win county cup derby against local rivals Blyth | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | A new look Ashington, with new head coach John Goose in charge, made their best start to the season for several years by beating local rivals Blyth in the first round of the Northumberland County Cup.
Ash played an excellent brand of running rugby and ran in four first half tries.
Assistant player coach Iain Menzies crossed for two in the first 15 minutes, Chris ‘Jonta’ Johnson added a third after 25 minutes, bouncing of a couple of tackles, and fly-half Stuart Rosser scored a fourth just before half-time. Full-back Andrew Elliott, who had an excellent game, added three conversions.
Blyth used their stronger pack to keep in touch, scoring two converted first-half tries.
Scrum-half Dan Patterson taking advantage of their forwards’ strength to score the first with a sniping break from close quarters.
Fly-half Michael O’Neil, who kicked well throughout the game, added a penalty and two conversions, to make the score 26-17 at half-time.
Ash failed to finish a number of second-half chances, despite excellent runs from wingers Cory Whitworth and Josh Weekes.
Weekes, who had his best game in an Ash shirt, eventually scored a deserved try, crossing in the corner after a clattering tackle from debutant centre John Tuck.
Tuck and fellow centre Mitchel Brown looked a strong pairing, both tackled well and looked powerful with the ball in hand and can be proud of their first team debuts.
Blyth scored a late try wide out with six minutes to go, the conversion by O’Neil setting up what could have been a nail biting finish, but Ash comfortably held on for a deserved win.
This week sees the start of the new league season with Ash away to Whitby. Training is on Tuesday and Thursday at 7pm. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/sport/local/ashington-win-county-cup-derby-against-local-rivals-blyth-1-8094726 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/b1b6bdc26fd77efcae1aad7720edcf269096f6e3c2727d299eff752e9a383f24.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:03:43 | null | 2016-08-24T19:28:17 | After playing their last few games away, Blyth Town FC return to South Newsham on Saturday where Teessiders Thornaby are the visitors. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fsport%2Flocal%2Fthornaby-the-visitors-to-blyth-town-before-derby-with-bedlington-1-8086911.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8086910.1472063283!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Thornaby the visitors to Blyth Town before derby with Bedlington | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | After playing their last few games away, Blyth Town FC return to South Newsham on Saturday where Teessiders Thornaby are the visitors.
Having secured a 1-1 score against league leaders Stockton Town last Saturday, despite torrential rain, manager Mick Connors says the team is on its way back to full strength.
He said: “Since the beginning of the season, we have had a number of our key players out with injury, but we are hoping to welcome them back by the weekend along with the announcement of a couple of new signings.
“Being first time in the Northern League, Blyth Town FC has done well against the long timers who have a wealth of experience on us, and Thornaby has enjoyed a good start to the season.
“The team have looked strong in training and with the return of players like Day and Moran we should be back up to speed in no time.
“Despite last week’s draw against Stockton, I was satisfied with the team’s performance against a very good Stockton team who will be there or there about by the end of the season.”
Following the home game against Thornaby on Saturday, Blyth Town will play its first big derby game of the season away to Bedlington Terriers on bank holiday Monday (August 29).
Supporters can pay £5 on the door at the South Newsham club, which includes a complimentary drink from the clubhouse bar, and concessions are available by contacting the club on 07710 715045. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/sport/local/thornaby-the-visitors-to-blyth-town-before-derby-with-bedlington-1-8086911 | en | 2016-08-24T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/bbd8ab4de53cecff6e579db4d0e2d1c8d35b1fdbfaacfd0cac07462d9d7dd728.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:12:43 | null | 2016-08-05T07:00:51 | Among all the happenings of recent days and weeks, just a reminder of an event that took place 50 years ago, August 3, 1966, that changed the lives of over 1,250 workers in Blyth forever. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fletters%2Findustry-a-sombre-anniversary-1-8046856.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8046855.1470159982!/image/image.jpg | en | null | INDUSTRY: A sombre anniversary | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Among all the happenings of recent days and weeks, just a reminder of an event that took place 50 years ago, August 3, 1966, that changed the lives of over 1,250 workers in Blyth forever.
Nothing in comparison with recent events, but something that has stayed for years in some memories.
While on the last week of their annual holiday, all employees of Blyth shipyard received by post notifications that liquidators had been appointed and, without warning, the shipyard was closed.
Instructions were received to report to the nearest employment exchange, so, with five ships under construction and a 25,000 tonne bulk carrier in the pipeline, they were out of a job.
The MP at the time made a perfunctory remark that alternative employment would have to be found and went on holiday. The workers went to sign the unemployment register.
Meetings were held, calling for support from all and sundry, even local business, little was forthcoming. Even when the situation was raised at Blyth Town Hall council discussion was ruled out of order.
The shop stewards committee came to an agreement with the liquidator that 700 employees would be reinstated to complete a ship on the stocks. The committee, fronted by the MP, went to Parliament in an attempt to save the shipyard. The rest and result, as they say, is history.
The shipyard built the first aircraft carrier Ark Royal, the conversion of the first British escort carrier, Audacity.
Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown was a member of the air crew. The dredger WD Tideway, according to all, a Rolls Royce of a ship built for the price of a Ford, is no more.
The Rogate was the last ship completed and the name of the first officer was Horatio Nelson Hall. Unfortunately, the committee or the workers did not have a person of this calibre to represent them.
E Cain
Blyth | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/letters/industry-a-sombre-anniversary-1-8046856 | en | 2016-08-05T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/39fa40b1eb0aefb0f930122f414813f8f26536f38cf6b516f9726efbd02ebfaa.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:12:04 | null | 2016-08-20T07:00:21 | Are the people of this area not writing any letters? | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fletters%2Fletters-take-chance-to-have-a-say-1-8074283.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8074282.1471444228!/image/image.jpg | en | null | LETTERS: Take chance to have a say | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Are the people of this area not writing any letters?
This page is now being taken up by MPs, council leaders, etc.
A letters’ page is our chance to write letters, not to read press releases from those who should be governing, not composing letters for this page.
Come on readers, let’s write and take our letters’ page back.
A Smith
Newbiggin-by-the-sea | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/letters/letters-take-chance-to-have-a-say-1-8074283 | en | 2016-08-20T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/96e36636318827364d616b38594512175456a5cfff0c3678bdf7d3e3c664f82b.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:12:58 | null | 2016-08-14T07:00:59 | Regarding the letter from Simon Tyler about the future after Brexit (News Post Leader, July 21), you’re worrying yourself unduly. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fletters%2Fbrexit-no-need-for-concern-1-8060923.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8060922.1470833002!/image/image.jpg | en | null | BREXIT: No need for concern | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Regarding the letter from Simon Tyler about the future after Brexit (News Post Leader, July 21), you’re worrying yourself unduly.
Pensions will feel no effect, they are safe.
Fishery and farming will do so much better when we leave and our seas become ours again.
As for EU residents here, if they want to stay they can, no problem, so sit back and stop worrying.
Susan Turnbull
Ashington | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/letters/brexit-no-need-for-concern-1-8060923 | en | 2016-08-14T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/b661920c03a8a4ae666c1af49cbd25a795ff7ffc5af96b81613beb260aa8a6c8.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:10:46 | null | 2016-08-13T07:00:59 | North East UKIP MEP (surely a contradiction) Jonathan Arnott wishes to fill the shoes of Nigel Farage as leader of UKIP. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fletters%2Feurope-don-t-blame-eu-for-issues-1-8060912.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8060911.1470832850!/image/image.jpg | en | null | EUROPE: Don’t blame EU for issues | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | North East UKIP MEP (surely a contradiction) Jonathan Arnott wishes to fill the shoes of Nigel Farage as leader of UKIP.
Mr Arnott has said he is worried that negotiations for the UK’s withdrawal from the EU will be in the hands of those who do not want to withdraw.
This seems to suggest that he wishes us to pursue withdrawal quickly, before it is clear as to how the EU/UK relationship is to be developed in relation to important issues such as trade and the rights of UK people living and working in continental Europe. Is UKIP determined to put the UK in the worst possible negotiating position?
Once we press the Article 50 button, we have two years to complete negotiations. The EU can sit on its hands for two years while our position deteriorates. Bear in mind that the UK derives about 13 per cent of its wealth from trade with the EU, whereas the EU derives about three per cent from trade with the UK.
Please tell us ‘The Plan’ Mr Arnott, and by that I mean actions and their intended outcomes.
How are we going to make up for the loss of toll-free trading with a market of 508million people and an annual spend of almost $17trillion? How are British universities going to make up for the £1billion annual investment from the EU? How is the north east going to make up the £1.1billion investment over the last five years?
I’d also like someone to explain why the ‘unfortunate mistake’ of the £350million per week that could go to support our NHS was not removed from the Brexit bus, particularly after the rebuke from the UK Statistics Authority. Apparently, the cost of negotiating Brexit is likely to be £350million per week. I did not see that written in big letters. The regions spectacularly voted for Brexit, despite EU investment. The regions have been in economic recession over the last 30 years, but I don’t see this as being anything to do with membership of the EU.
After World War II, British manufacturing found it difficult to remain competitive for various reasons – lack of investment, poor management, low skills, unionisation – take your pick. This resulted in government allowing the value of the pound to drift downwards for industry to retain price competitiveness.
Mrs Thatcher was elected on a promise to control inflation. This she did by pursuing policies that kept the value of the pound at an artificially high level. This encouraged imports and competition. It also put the unions and working class people in a less powerful position as factories and industries closed and unemployment rose. The regions used to be Britain’s industrial heartland. However, industry has shrivelled over the last 30 years as successive governments have pursued the same policy. None of this had anything to do with membership of the EU. If the new government wants to live up to its promises it must include a better balance between inflation and employment.
I think we can learn something from the referendum, mainly not to have referenda on matters of such complexity.
The Leave campaign was headed by individuals. The alliance has since evaporated. There is no group to call to account should its promises come to naught.
Perhaps another thing we can learn is that young people should register for and vote.
In recent years wealth has been directed away from the young. An example is university education. Most graduates leave owing thousands of pounds. This is so the cost is not met by the taxpayer because every time there is a general election the main parties make promises about not putting up tax.
However, if tax was properly collected from the wealthy and multi-national corporations it could pay for such education and the government wouldn’t be running a deficit.
A poll showed that 73 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds wanted the UK to stay in the EU, but only 63 per cent voted. According to the same poll, 90 per cent of people aged 65 or older voted.
Elections and referenda are about the future, not the past. Only by being voters will the government take notice of your needs.
Charles Thompson
Address supplied | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/letters/europe-don-t-blame-eu-for-issues-1-8060912 | en | 2016-08-13T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/41a0bf9df9893e26452c07f84170fe5902e8c541cd46ed716d23c8c109b71c9d.json |
[
"Janet Hall",
"Janet.Hall Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-27T14:50:17 | null | 2016-08-27T12:12:19 | Birthday boy Jack Robinson got the perfect present at the Tall Ships Regatta. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fbirthday-boy-jack-meets-captain-jack-at-the-tall-ships-1-8092306.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8092305.1472296452!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Birthday boy Jack meets Captain Jack at the Tall Ships | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Birthday boy Jack Robinson got the perfect present at the Tall Ships Regatta.
The Blyth youngster met his favourite film character, pirate captain Jack Sparrow, on board the Tall Ship Shtandart.
Jack was celebrating his seventh birthday at the Regatta yesterday and couldn't believe his luck when he came face to face with his namesake, played by Johnny Depp in the smash-hit films Pirates of the Caribbean.
Keep up to date with everything that's happening at the Regatta by following our live blog, http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/tall-ships-blyth-2016-live-1-8088875
Remember to use the hashtag TallShipsBlyth to get involved.
Have you got something to share on the story? Were you there? What do you think? - Send your pictures, videos or story and we'll publish the best × Continue the story Birthday boy Jack meets Captain Jack at the Tall Ships Loading ... Add up to 3 photos or 1 videos to the story There's been a problem uploading your files. Please try again. By uploading your file you agree to our Terms and Conditions × Continue the story Sign in to contribute sign in shape the news in your area... | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/birthday-boy-jack-meets-captain-jack-at-the-tall-ships-1-8092306 | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/b115d61832f1a6274950494efd548d8c5bc0fd5ad7accc553516dc1853114c97.json |
[
"David Sedgwick",
"David.Sedgwick Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-26T12:56:18 | null | 2016-08-21T08:50:53 | Another company has signed up to offer support to the North Sea Tall Ships Regatta, due to be held in Blyth at the end of the month. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fblyth-tall-ships-powering-up-more-support-for-regatta-1-8075482.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8075481.1471511259!/image/image.jpg | en | null | BLYTH TALL SHIPS: Powering up more support for Regatta | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Another company has signed up to offer support to the North Sea Tall Ships Regatta, due to be held in Blyth at the end of the month.
EDF Energy Renewables has recently started construction work on a new offshore wind farm to be located around 6km off the Blyth coast, connecting to a new substation being built on the site of the former Blyth Power Station.
Work has already begun on the new substation and marine surveys are being carried out at sea ahead of construction work starting next year on the installation of the project’s five offshore wind turbines.
Matthieu Hue, chief executive of EDF Energy Renewables, said: “We are aware of Blyth’s rich maritime history and we are delighted to support the visit of the Tall Ships.
“The new Blyth offshore wind farm is an important development for us and wherever we operate we always try to be a strong partner for the local economy and to support local communities.
“I am sure this will be a spectacular and memorable event and it provides a great opportunity for us to mark the start of our project and our involvement in the local area.
“We hope everyone has a fantastic time during the festival.”
The Blyth offshore wind farm will be EDF Energy Renewables’ second offshore wind farm following the Teesside project off the north east coast at Redcar.
Marcel Sunier, project director for the Blyth Offshore Wind Farm, said: “The Port of Blyth will be used during the commissioning of the wind farm and for operations and maintenance activities when complete.
“I am sure the visit of the Tall Ships will be a special celebration and something that we are delighted to be associated with.”
When operational, the Blyth offshore wind farm will provide enough low carbon electricity to meet the annual needs of around 33,000 homes.
Northumberland County Council, in partnership with the Port of Blyth and Sail Training International, is hosting the prestigious Regatta with Fergusons of Blyth confirmed as the Principal Sponsor.
Coun Val Tyler, Cabinet member for Arts, Leisure and Culture at Northumberland County Council, said: “The Tall Ships rely on wind power for most of their energy and the renewables industry is an increasingly important part of our Northumberland economy.
“We are delighted to have EDF Energy Renewables as a sponsor for the Regatta.”
At its peak there will be around 200 people working on the Blyth offshore wind farm and the project will incorporate a number of new and innovative construction features.
Martin Lawlor, chief executive, Port of Blyth, said: “We are delighted to be supporting EDF Energy Renewables in the development of Blyth Offshore Wind Farm and look forward to being partners with them for decades to come.
“EDF ER sponsoring the Tall Ships Regatta is great news and will only enhance this major event.”
The Tall Ships Regatta Blyth 2016 takes place over the weekend of August 26 to 29, and features five zones of free family entertainment. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/blyth-tall-ships-powering-up-more-support-for-regatta-1-8075482 | en | 2016-08-21T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/7e14e4e1f03c8724de552c4694001de8664817ea467faedec8589c497ee987e4.json |
[
"Ben O Connell",
"Ben.Oconnell Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-26T13:08:47 | null | 2016-08-25T15:47:35 | Early results indicate that half of Northumberland’s 16 secondary/high schools achieved GCSE results above the 2015 national average. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fgcse-results-success-for-northumberland-schools-1-8089085.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8088380.1472136438!/image/image.jpg | en | null | GCSE RESULTS: Success for Northumberland schools | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Early results indicate that half of Northumberland’s 16 secondary/high schools achieved GCSE results above the 2015 national average.
The figures show that close to 60 per cent of pupils achieved A* to C passes in five or more GCSEs, including English and maths.
Coun Robert Arckless, Northumberland County Council’s cabinet member for children’s services, said: “This is a great achievement. I would like to congratulate all the pupils on their results and thank teachers, support staff and parents for all their hard work.
“They should all feel very proud – and it further reinforces our view that the targeted investment we are putting in to Northumberland schools will help every pupil make the most of their individual talents to set themselves on the path to further success in education, training and employment.
“It was particularly pleasing that some schools which have fought back from weak Ofsted reports are recording continued improvements in their exam grades, while other higher-achieving institutions have built on their earlier success to register even better results.
“We are well aware the job is not complete and the council will constantly strive to ensure all Northumberland pupils have the best possible education.”
Those studying with Northumberland County Council’s adult education service have also had a successful year with more than 60 per cent of learners successfully gaining a grade C or above in English and maths and in other courses achieving 100 per cent success.
The early indications of improved educational outcomes in Northumberland comes as three new school buildings are set to open in Alnwick, Bedlington and Prudhoe. The council also plans to invest a further £57million in new schools and leisure facilities in Ponteland.
Coun Arckless added: “Northumberland County Council is working hard to make great places even better; investing in schools and our young people’s education and their future is a key priority for us.
“We currently have one of the largest capital investment programmes in schools across the UK – investing over £100million to create the best possible environment for our young people to learn and develop the knowledge and skills needed for the future.” | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/gcse-results-success-for-northumberland-schools-1-8089085 | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/6e663648290c4f87455fb4cd8c9cacd941441776f20628f2c03259a3cfb08e94.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:11:47 | null | 2016-08-19T07:00:21 | I read with some curiosity the response to my letter from Councillor Val Tyler, of the Arts and Leisure group on Northumberland County Council, regarding parking arrangements for the Tall Ships Regatta, (News Post Leader, August 11). | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fletters%2Ftall-ships-is-parking-notice-legal-1-8074276.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8074275.1471444202!/image/image.jpg | en | null | TALL SHIPS: Is parking notice legal? | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | I read with some curiosity the response to my letter from Councillor Val Tyler, of the Arts and Leisure group on Northumberland County Council, regarding parking arrangements for the Tall Ships Regatta, (News Post Leader, August 11).
In this response Coun Tyler claims consultation began in the spring.
In fact, the first inkling I had of the traffic management programme came with a letter dated early May from Nigel Walsh, setting out an exclusion zone for the town centre (Red Zone).
Residents in our area did not receive this letter until over a month later. The excuse was that on the day of delivery a dog was on the loose and for health and safety reasons the delivery in our area was abandoned.
The first official notification came with the Traffic Regulation Order proposal published in the News Post Leader on Thursday, August 4, which imposes restrictions from August 20 to September 3.
My understanding of the legal requirements is that a six-week consultation is to be allowed. If this is true, the order cannot be effective until September 15 at the earliest, but when did legal niceties interfere with the county council’s aim to raise revenue from parking?
So on what basis does Coun Tyler make the claim “our consultation meets all legal requirements”?
After all, the Tall Ships Regatta has been known about for over two years so why wait until three weeks before the event to publish the traffic management plans?
Finally, I share Coun Tyler’s desire for the Tall Ships Regatta to be an incredibly exciting event, which attracts large numbers of visitors to enjoy the facilities of our quaint little port on the north east coast.
However, based on my experience of the bike race, which had similar expectations, I live in anticipation rather than confidence.
T Thepes
Blyth | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/letters/tall-ships-is-parking-notice-legal-1-8074276 | en | 2016-08-19T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/649897f7248aec9bc19afe5b535631bdb9bad001755433cda16cdac9da6b354f.json |
[] | 2016-08-29T16:51:27 | null | 2016-08-29T16:52:06 | League champions New Hartley started the new season by handing 11 debuts for their home game against Darlington youth team. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fsport%2Flocal%2Fnew-hartley-blood-11-new-players-and-win-a-thriller-against-darlington-1-8094723.json | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/sport/local/new-hartley-blood-11-new-players-and-win-a-thriller-against-darlington-1-8094723 | en | null | New Hartley blood 11 new players and win a thriller against Darlington | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | League champions New Hartley started the new season by handing 11 debuts for their home game against Darlington youth team.
The visitors started well and went close a few times in the opening 20 minutes, but keeper Callum Harley was in excellent form.
For Hartley, Ryan Hucks and Dan Bennett worked tirelessly in midfield, and leading up to half-time they went close with Dab McGuire and Kieran Brannen having chances.
On the stroke of half-time a great goal line clearance by Hartley’s Kris Sands kept the scores level.
In the second half, great work by Jay Hornsby created an opening for Regan Paterson and he put Hartley ahead.
Darlington were awarded a penalty in the 75th minute which Ethan Harker tucked away, but the action was far from over as there were three goals in the final four minutes.
Brannen set up Joe Threlfall to put New Hartley back in front and then a Brannen free kick made it 3-1.
But Darlington were not finished and Dale Milburn made the fnal score 3-2 to New Hartley as he scored in the final minute. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/sport/local/new-hartley-blood-11-new-players-and-win-a-thriller-against-darlington-1-8094723 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/d20ab319f1d513fdcd0c6ace34954265a632f50c52b88e975228cff88e9fc2c0.json |
[
"David Sedgwick",
"David.Sedgwick Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-26T13:02:31 | null | 2016-08-18T10:14:39 | Gardeners are helping to bring a splash of colour to the streets ahead of the forthcoming North Sea Tall Ships Regatta. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fblyth-tall-ships-flowers-helping-bring-splash-of-colour-to-regatta-1-8075534.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8075531.1471511668!/image/image.jpg | en | null | BLYTH TALL SHIPS: Flowers helping bring splash of colour to Regatta | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Gardeners are helping to bring a splash of colour to the streets ahead of the forthcoming North Sea Tall Ships Regatta.
An extra splash of colour has been brought to a circular design featuring a nautical theme planted on the links near the bandstand at Blyth.
Wild flowers that have been planted ahead of the Tall Ships Regatta in Blyth.
The design features a two-masted ship as its centrepiece celebrating Blyth’s very own Tall Ship, the Williams II, and the imminent arrival of a fleet of Tall Ships to the port.
The bed, which is five metres in diameter, features a red and yellow theme to match the colours of the Northumberland county flag.
The colour theme has been repeated across all floral displays in Blyth.
Northumberland County Council, in partnership with the Port of Blyth and Sail Training International, is hosting the prestigious Regatta with Fergusons of Blyth the principal sponsor.
Blyth Town Council has funded the maritime gardening while the gardeners work for the county council’s Neighbourhood Services team.
The design was sent to Kernock Plants in Cornwall with the plants delivered to site, pre-grown in trays.
It took the gardening team four hours to complete the planting of nearly 20,000 plants to create the bed.
Coun Val Tyler, cabinet member for arts, leisure and culture at the county council, said: “These floral displays are a wonderful way to celebrate the Tall Ships coming to Northumberland.
“The designs are ingenious and the Northumberland-themed wildflower displays are a joy to see, providing a bright and beautiful welcome for our residents and the many visitors coming into the town.”
The team has also planted spectacular wildflower displays along Rotary Way and South Newsham Road.
The wildflowers along Rotary way were funded by Blyth Town Council and include a mixture of cornfield annuals including poppy, corn marigold, corn clower, corn chamomile and corn cockle.
Local ward councillor and chair of events at Blyth Town Council, Kath Nisbet: “The gardening team has done a superb job creating these maritime and wildflower beds.
“The Blyth Tall Ship Williams II design is a great floral tribute to the past exploits of our very own local hero, Captain William Smith, and the future plans to recreate his journey of adventure and discovery of Antarctica.”
Martin Lawlor, chief executive, Port of Blyth, said: “There are just three weeks to the Regatta and Blyth is really starting to look the part for welcoming the Tall Ships fleet to the county with street dressing, floral displays, and posters in shop windows – it’s very exciting!”
The Tall Ships Regatta Blyth 2016 takes place over the weekend of August 26 to 29, and features five zones of free family entertainment. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/blyth-tall-ships-flowers-helping-bring-splash-of-colour-to-regatta-1-8075534 | en | 2016-08-18T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/b1fbb862bfc750805db190f8ffce47f47522980169b69c3d2b30728ec777c3cf.json |
[
"David Sedgwick",
"David.Sedgwick Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-26T12:58:04 | null | 2016-08-20T08:50:56 | Health services are working with organisers to ensure the right NHS services are available during the North Sea Tall Ships Regatta. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fblyth-tall-ships-health-services-to-be-in-place-throughout-regatta-1-8075486.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8075485.1471511276!/image/image.jpg | en | null | BLYTH TALL SHIPS: Health services to be in place throughout Regatta | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Health services are working with organisers to ensure the right NHS services are available during the North Sea Tall Ships Regatta.
Thousands of visitors are expected to visit Blyth during the Tall Ships event, with local NHS officials reminding people to keep hydrated by drinking plenty of water and apply sun cream during hot or humid weather.
A number of first aid posts will be based on the Tall Ships site throughout the event to help deal with any minor injuries and a range of other NHS services are available.
People are also being urged to plan ahead and order any repeat prescriptions they will need well in advance from their GP for the bank holiday weekend.
Local pharmacies will be open during the weekend.
There will be road and parking restrictions, as well as a one-way system in place during the event however emergency access and access for community, social care staff and carers for home visits will be maintained at all times.
Organisers and health providers are advising people to enjoy themselves and to be safe in the sun or the water.
Dr Alistair Blair, chief clinical officer for Northumberland Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said: “The Tall Ships Regatta promises to be a fantastic event for people living locally and visitors and we want everyone to enjoy themselves and stay safe.
“We’d urge people to look after themselves by keeping well hydrated, applying sunscreen and sticking to shaded areas where possible and as we do not know what the weather will throw at us, be prepared for all eventualities and bring extra layers and waterproofs.
“If drinking alcohol, we would advise people to do so in moderation and drink water regularly.
“As with all bank holidays, we’d urge people to plan ahead and make sure they have all the medications they need for the weekend. It you need more over-the-counter medication or advice from a pharmacist, it’s worth remembering that there are pharmacies open all weekend, including bank holiday Monday.
“NHS 111 is available 24/7 as normal for urgent medical advice and we’d ask people to use the NHS wisely and leave urgent and emergency care services for those who need them most.”
Coun Val Tyler, Cabinet member for Arts, Leisure and Culture at Northumberland County Council, said: “We are expecting lots of residents and visitors in Blyth for this incredibly exciting event and we would like everyone to have an enjoyable and healthy weekend.
“Traffic controls will be in place to ease congestion and emergency access will be maintained at all times, including to the hospital and GP services in Blyth.
“Our Park and Ride car parks will have regular shuttle buses that will take visitors to the heart of the Regatta and tickets can be booked now at a discounted rate via the Tall Ships website.”
Limited Blue Badge parking is available but must be pre-booked by calling Ticketline on 0161 832 1111.
Martin Lawlor, chief executive, Port of Blyth, said: “We want visitors to the Tall Ships Regatta to have a great visit and we echo the advice of health services for people to have a great weekend and to take sensible precautions such as preparing for the weather.”
Up to 30 Tall Ships are expected to gather at Blyth for the event which takes place over the August bank holiday weekend August 26 to 29, and features five zones of free family entertainment, including nightly fireworks. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/blyth-tall-ships-health-services-to-be-in-place-throughout-regatta-1-8075486 | en | 2016-08-20T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/df43393fd2866c8bb855d512091c4eefdaa177e1e2e19df20b55fafa99302d70.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:13:05 | null | 2016-08-11T07:00:59 | I am writing in response to the letter by T Thepes from Blyth regarding parking and traffic management during the North Sea Tall Ships Regatta, (News Post Leader, July 28). | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fletters%2Ftall-ships-residents-consulted-1-8060903.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8060902.1470832753!/image/image.jpg | en | null | TALL SHIPS: Residents consulted | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | I am writing in response to the letter by T Thepes from Blyth regarding parking and traffic management during the North Sea Tall Ships Regatta, (News Post Leader, July 28).
I would like to give assurance that the county council and event team have been consulting very closely with local residents, community organisations and businesses.
We have a thorough traffic management plan in place and are continuing to work with residents and partners to deliver a successful and safe event for all.
Our consultation, which meets all legal requirements, began in spring. This has included personal visits to residents and businesses in Blyth closest to the main event area.
The Tall Ships Information Centre at the Keel Row Shopping Centre, Blyth, is open Wednesday to Saturday for anyone with inquiries about the event, and information is available on the Tall Ships website.
The North Sea Tall Ships Regatta is an incredibly exciting event taking place over the August Bank Holiday – the largest event ever to be held in the county. Some 500,000 visitors are expected to visit the magnificent ships and enjoy the free entertainment, which includes nightly fireworks.
We are encouraging people to use public transport and to walk or cycle to the event, but we know that many visitors will want to drive to Blyth.
Our park-and-ride car parks, south and north, are large, secure car parks with regular shuttle buses that will take visitors to the heart of the event and ease congestion.
We urge drivers to take advantage of the discounted park-and-ride rate by pre-booking via the Tall Ships website at www.tallshipsblyth2016.com or through Ticketline at www.ticketline.co.uk/north-sea-tall-ships-regatta-park-and-ride#bio
All Blue Badge parking must be pre-booked by calling Ticketline on 0161 832 1111.
Councillor Val Tyler
Cabinet member for Arts, Leisure and Culture, Northumberland County Council | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/letters/tall-ships-residents-consulted-1-8060903 | en | 2016-08-11T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/5da86ed29c0b6b66eef2a9397bceb607d7081036258323948ee13e05a66da899.json |
[
"David Sedgwick",
"David.Sedgwick Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-26T13:13:30 | null | 2016-08-07T08:55:34 | A maritime artist has created his own personal recognition to the Blyth Tall Ships Regatta. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fblyth-tall-ships-exhibition-to-support-regatta-and-project-1-8049560.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8049559.1470241793!/image/image.jpg | en | null | BLYTH TALL SHIPS: Exhibition to support Regatta and project | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | A maritime artist has created his own personal recognition to the Blyth Tall Ships Regatta.
Edwin Blackburn has produced a painting of the Williams II tall ship, as well as a limited edition print run, both of which will be on show among his exhibition due to open this weekend.
Money from the exhibition and sales of the print will go towards the Tall Ship project.
The charity is helping to uncover the history of Blyth and re-acting the voyage of discovery of Antarctica 200 years on in a wooden Tall Ship that the charity’s trainees and volunteers are refitting.
Edwin was inspired to support the charity by donating the proceeds of the sale of the original painting depicting “The Williams II approaching Blyth harbour”.
Edwin said: “I’m proud to be involved and help the charity in my own small way.”
The exhibition ‘Tall Ships and the Northumberland Coast’ will be held at The Blagdon Gallery, Milkhope Centre, from Sunday until the end of the Regatta.
Signed Limited Edition prints also available direct from the Blyth Tall Ship Organisation and Frameworks Gallery, Blyth.
Clive Gray, chief executive of Blyth Tall Ship, said: “We are hugely grateful to Edwin.
“This is a real honour for Blyth Tall Ship and recognises the great work our community volunteers, supporters, trainees and staff are doing to change perceptions and inspire different futures in Blyth.”
The project trains 50 young people and volunteers a year in Heritage Boat building skills at NVQ Level and working with archive and museum volunteers, is also conserving, digitising and sharing, the archives of the Port of Blyth. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/blyth-tall-ships-exhibition-to-support-regatta-and-project-1-8049560 | en | 2016-08-07T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/03e1adf00057fdabedfacae37750e452f397674f683f96a293d708f5402f0c1c.json |
[
"James Willoughby",
"James.Willoughby Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-29T10:51:07 | null | 2016-08-29T11:07:43 | The park and ride south car park is now fully open following it | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Ftall-ships-park-and-ride-car-parks-fully-open-1-8094135.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8094134.1472465438!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Tall Ships park and ride car parks fully open | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | The park and ride south car park is now fully open following it's temporary closure yesterday due to the bad weather.
Visitors to the final day of the North Sea Tall Ships Regatta will enjoy the spectacular Parade of Sail; when the Tall Ships will sail from Blyth, southwards to St Mary's lighthouse before sailing five miles out to sea to start the race to Gothenburg.
The ships will start to leave to the port of Blyth from 1pm today, with the parade of sail expected to take place until 2.30pm.
As a result the ships are not available for the public to board today, but are available to view this morning.
The event will include a range of other entertainment until it closes at 5pm today. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/tall-ships-park-and-ride-car-parks-fully-open-1-8094135 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/9056c8eaabadacb664b6a5699574f06eff0ad93c26f655f5ab4ab49e6ce37c32.json |
[
"David Sedgwick",
"David.Sedgwick Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-26T13:13:12 | null | 2016-07-30T08:51:03 | A full team of volunteers have been recruited to help make The North Sea Tall Ships Regatta extra special. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fblyth-tall-ships-volunteers-in-place-for-regatta-1-8034416.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8034415.1469534171!/image/image.jpg | en | null | BLYTH TALL SHIPS: Volunteers in place for Regatta | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | A full team of volunteers have been recruited to help make The North Sea Tall Ships Regatta extra special.
Organisers put out a call for would-be volunteers four months ago and received a wave of applications.
A total of 140 volunteers have been recruited over the four event days at Blyth.
They make up Ship Liaison Officers (SLOs), Town Hosts, Event Liaison Officers (ELOs) and Technical Liaison Officers (TLOs).
The volunteers will be wearing yellow, turquoise and red polo-shirts.
Northumberland County Council, in partnership with the Port of Blyth and Sail Training International, is hosting the prestigious Regatta with Fergusons of Blyth as the Principal Sponsor.
Coun Val Tyler, cabinet member for arts, leisure and culture, said: “We have a superb team of friendly, reliable volunteers who will play a vital role assisting the organisers, and helping the crews, residents and visitors to have a wonderful bank holiday.
“It will be a busy weekend but it’ll also be fun and very rewarding. The ship and land-based volunteers will gain a wealth of experience while helping to deliver a world-class event.”
The ship-based SLOs will be working with the ships and their crews providing essential communications between them and Sail Training International and the event team.
Carol Bird and her husband John, both 71 and from Amble, will be working as Ship Liaison Officers.
She said: “I’m really excited about the Tall Ships Regatta.
“We love yachting and we’re really looking forward to seeing the Tall Ships sailing into Blyth and meeting the international crews and being part of this magical event.”
Volunteer Aillie Osborne, 48, from Ulgham, will be a volunteer within hospitality.
She said: “I’m excited that the Regatta is just over a month away now and I’m really looking forward to being part of the team.”
Michael Allen, 55 from Blyth, will be an ELO.
He said: “It is amazing to have this international event on our doorstep and being a volunteer is a great opportunity to be a part of it. I can’t wait.”
The Event Liaison Officers will be supporting the Event Managers and the arts cultural program, and the ‘Town Hosts’ will be providing tourism advice and guidance to visitors.
Up to 30 Tall Ships are expected to gather at Blyth for the Regatta which takes place between August 26 and 29.
Martin Lawlor, chief executive, Port of Blyth, said: “Volunteers are going to play an important role working on the land and watersides of the event, helping event visitors and the international crews of the Tall Ships to have an enjoyable visit to the county.”
Elsewhere, there are still places on board five of the tall ships – Vega Gamleby, Tomidi, Morgenster, Kapitan Borchardt and Thalassa.
For more information visit www.tallshipsblyth2016.com/jointheadventure#info | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/blyth-tall-ships-volunteers-in-place-for-regatta-1-8034416 | en | 2016-07-30T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/c7a53b86fb5b0f7f8c3ee9eae49e4c5f3dd786c8f6e638cfc013ebe9f83549b3.json |
[
"Andrew Coulson",
"Andrew.Coulson Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-29T16:51:16 | null | 2016-08-29T16:16:43 | A Northumberland teenager is very excited about the adventure that awaits on one of the Tall Ships that will set sail for Gothenburg later this afternoon. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fesmee-looking-forward-to-tall-ships-experience-1-8094690.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8094689.1472484001!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Esmee looking forward to Tall Ships experience | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | A Northumberland teenager is very excited about the adventure that awaits on one of the Tall Ships that will set sail for Gothenburg later this afternoon.
Although flying is her main passion, Esmee Webley felt that being a member of a crew taking part in the week-long race across the North Sea was too good an opportunity to miss.
The Morpeth resident has been with the Bedlington Squadron Air Cadets for nearly four years. She is on board Maybe - a Class B vessel.
Over the weekend when the regatta was in Blyth, there was an air cadets information tent and she and fellow squadron members from across the county were present to speak to young people and parents about what the organisation has to offer.
Of the forthcoming regatta, the 17-year-old said: "I applied individually to be part of the Tall Ships race as I believe it will be a great experience.
"I sent a couple of emails to explain why I was keen to go on the voyage and I was thrilled when I was lucky enough to be chosen.
"Being in a challenging environment with people I don't know will help my skills development, but I'm also hoping to enjoy it and have a good time. I'm excited and I'm looking forward to making lots of new friends.
"I wouldn't have been able to have so many fantastic opportunities and put myself forward for something like this without the support of my squadron."
Esmee, who is also an explorer scout, thanked Morpeth North county councillor David Bawn for providing some of his small schemes allocation to help fund her place in the regatta.
She ideally would like to be a pilot with the RAF or Royal Navy and after a work experience stint there earlier this summer, she has enrolled to train for a microlight National Private Pilot's Licence with Purple Aviation at Eshott Airfield.
She added: "It's great being part of the air cadets as you get to do fun activities such as aerobatics with an experienced instructor.
"Also, the camps I went on during the first couple of years, which included things like kayaking and rock climbing, were very useful as they developed my communication and other skills." | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/esmee-looking-forward-to-tall-ships-experience-1-8094690 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/10a19f4689aa75ee985dfef48fb4d96c2eaebf43ae2eb4ce060dc3550d9937c5.json |
[] | 2016-08-26T13:10:18 | null | 2016-08-18T07:00:21 | It’s nice to see Cramlington getting yet another restaurant – Nandos is opening soon. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fletters%2Fshopping-where-is-the-quality-1-8074272.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8074271.1471444165!/image/image.jpg | en | null | SHOPPING: Where is the quality? | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | It’s nice to see Cramlington getting yet another restaurant – Nandos is opening soon.
Can someone please tell my why Blyth gets no investment from good quality chains, apart from a few good retailers?
I must say thank you for staying, all Blyth seems to offer is cheap pound shops.
We now have a new hotel, but I can’t help thinking that the guests are going to be disappointed with their shopping experience, unless they have a pocket full of pound coins.
The biggest event coming to Blyth, with over 500,000 visitors expected, is the Tall Ships, and we can’t even give them a clean toilet.
The toilets in the town square are disgusting, the smell hits you at the door.
The streets are full of rubbish, with a lack of bins.
Hundreds of new houses are being built, which means thousands of new people in the area with money to spend, and where do they go shopping? Cramlington or Morpeth.
The apparent neglect of our streets and town centre is a massive let down to any investor.
This council should talk to branded stores and restaurants, and persuade them that Blyth is a good place to invest.
People have the money, we want to spend it, but if you want quality, you have to go somewhere else.
Mark Stevens
Blyth | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/letters/shopping-where-is-the-quality-1-8074272 | en | 2016-08-18T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/c207bb67097034cb996ba028df5e415b56a411f717cd598cf6d13cb2c485ac05.json |
[
"James Willoughby",
"James.Willoughby Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-31T10:52:24 | null | 2016-08-31T11:20:02 | A leading leisure airline has announced a major recruitment drive, with 1,000 pilot, cabin crew and engineering positions available across the UK, with 90 of these in Newcastle. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fmajor-airline-to-create-90-jobs-at-newcastle-international-airport-1-8097609.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8097606.1472638779!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Major airline to create 90 jobs at Newcastle International Airport | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | A leading leisure airline has announced a major recruitment drive, with 1,000 pilot, cabin crew and engineering positions available across the UK, with 90 of these in Newcastle.
To support this drive by Jet2.com, the company hosted a recruitment roadshow in Novotel, Newcastle, yesterday. The roadshow was designed to support the recruitment of pilot, cabin crew and engineering positions at Newcastle Airport as the company continues to grow.
Earlier this year, Jet2.com and Jet2holidays launched its biggest ever flights and holidays programme for summer 2017 from the airport, with more flights and more seats to 28 sunshine hotspots.
Following the recent addition of an eighth UK base in Birmingham with flights launching in 2017, alongside the acquisition of 30 new B737-800 aircraft commencing in September 2016 over a two-year period, Jet2.com and Jet2holidays is looking to invest in its next phase of growth and development.
This continuous expansion has opened up a wealth of exciting opportunities for a host of talented pilots, cabin crew and engineers alike.
Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays said: “Our family-friendly formula is clearly working with customers and it means that we’re one of the UK’s fastest growing airlines. We have exciting plans to expand the number of destinations we fly to, as well as the number of UK bases we fly from, and this means that our team is growing all the time too. We were delighted to see so many pilots, engineers and aspiring cabin crew at our Newcastle roadshow.”
Jet2.com is the fourth largest registered airline in the UK and has recently been voted the UK’s favourite airline by TripAdvisor users and the UK’s most loved airline by users of the airline review website, Skytrax.
It is looking to recruit B737 and B757 Type Rated and Non Type Rated captains and first officers to play a pivotal role in the company’s ongoing success.
The roles are targeted at experienced pilots with an existing commercial or military background, a strong training record and the commitment, energy and flexibility required to deliver friendly low fares to their all-important customers.
Aspiring cabin crew members will be passionate about customer service with a positive and flexible approach to work to ensure the customers always receive a truly VIP service when flying with Jet2.com.
Outside of the cockpit, engineers are on hand 24/7 to ensure flights continue to operate safely.
The airline’s EA 145 maintenance approval covers both line and base maintenance and experienced engineers also work in office-based roles, including Powerplant, technical Services, airworthiness and maintenance programmes.
As the UK’s leading leisure airline, with a fleet of more than 63 aircraft flying to more than 220 routes to popular destinations in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands and a wealth of European Cities, this marks an exciting time for pilots, cabin crew and engineers to hop aboard the team.
Visit the Jet2.com website to see all of the jobs available. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/major-airline-to-create-90-jobs-at-newcastle-international-airport-1-8097609 | en | 2016-08-31T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/329bd70330b6e028a9278bbf131c8de81c36652a89608000947fb54345de94ea.json |
[
"Glen Maxwell"
] | 2016-08-26T12:59:47 | null | 2016-08-22T12:31:33 | Blyth Spartans put on a five-star display at The Grove as Matty Pattison and Daniel Maguire inspired a resounding win over ten-men Halesowen Town. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fsport%2Flocal%2Fblyth-spartans-put-on-a-five-star-show-at-halesowen-1-8082052.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8082049.1471865480!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Blyth Spartans put on a five-star show at Halesowen | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Blyth Spartans put on a five-star display at The Grove as Matty Pattison and Daniel Maguire inspired a resounding win over ten-men Halesowen Town.
Pattison opened his Spartans account with a fantastic 25-yard free kick before Daniel Bragoli was dismissed for a second yellow card at the end of the first half.
Maguire’s two goals came either side of Pattison’s second and a header from defender Ryan Hutchinson in a ten-minute spell after the hour as Blyth dominated their hosts for most of the second period.
The visitors started proceedings under light showers, forcing the droves of Blyth fans to huddle under the roof of The Shed stand at the The Grove. Some brave souls opted to switch ends when the two sides did following the coin toss and were rewarded instantly with glorious sunshine, in a moment that summed up the changing conditions throughout the afternoon.
Both sides started in a scrappy fashion, which was proved when the first real action resulted in the game’s first booking. Bragoli slid in hard on Sean Reid with referee Sam Mullhall opting to show a yellow card after just six minutes.
The first chance for either side fell to the Yelts four minutes later as Aaron Griffiths intercepted a loose pass and ran at Andrew Cartwright. The left back cut inside and pulled the trigger at the edge of the box, but Peter Jeffries was able to claim it comfortably.
Blyth looked to create an opening for themselves after 13 minutes. Pattison tried to pick out Robert Dale in the box from the right, but his cross went just over the winger’s head.
Halesowen then thought they had broken the deadlock from a corner. Malcolm Melvin played the ball to the back post and picked out Richard Sho-Silva, but he could only power a header wide.
The visitors had taken a while to get going, but soon had a number of chances to score through Reid. He saw his first shot charged down after being played in from some great work by Michael Liddle, before he was denied a near post header from Pattison’s cross by some last-ditch defending.
Blyth could sense that a breakthrough was coming and, when it did in the 24th minute, it was more than worth the wait.
Pattison stepped up to take a free kick from about 25 yards out and curled an effort into the top corner, giving Daniel Platt no chance as the former Newcastle United and South Africa midfielder opened his Blyth account in spectacular fashion.
Blyth looked to continue their dominance after going a goal up, but a lapse in concentration in midfield just after the half-hour mark almost cost Spartans their lead.
Lee Chilton picked the ball after a poor touch from Matthew Wade and sent in a searching ball to the back post, looking for Melvin. The right winger was free to nod in with the goal at his mercy, but Jeffries did brilliantly to get across his goal and pull off a fantastic save to deny the hosts an equaliser.
Town’s woes would be compounded with one minute to go in the first half when they were reduced to ten men. Bragoli appeared to catch Stephen Turnbull late with an elbow, leading to the midfielder receiving his marching orders for a second yellow card.
Spartans looked to make their man advantage count straight from the restart as Pattison drilled in a low cross to the near post. However, Platt was more than alert to the danger and was able to get down to gather it.
As the second half started to drop into a lull, the vocal travelling band of Spartans supporters were soon shouting for a penalty when Maguire was knocked to the ground by Asa Charlton while chasing down Kyle Morrison’s loose back pass. However, Mullhall was quick to dismiss the claims.
Pattison then went close to scoring a second, when he blasted the ball towards goal from the right two minutes later. However, Platt was more than equal to it though as he palmed the shot to safety.
The Halesowen keeper made an error just after the hour mark, however, which resulted in a second goal for Blyth.
Dale danced around Morrison, before drilling a shot straight at Platt. However, he spilled the ball and Maguire lived up to his ‘Nipa’ nickname as he nipped in to stab home his first of the season.
Spartans were then celebrating again just four minutes later. Turnbull crossed after seeing his corner come back to him and Hutchinson leapt up to glance in a lovely looping header.
The visitors continued to turn the knife on their opponents with a third goal in just seven minutes.
Cartwright cut the ball back in the box after a driving run from the right, which should have been cleared by the Halesowen defence, their hesitation allowed Pattison to take advantage and blast home his second of the afternoon from close range.
Maguire then thought he had scored a brace of his own. When substitute Michael Richardson played him in with a lovely touch past the defender, the striker fizzed a shot past Platt but he could only watch as it clattered off the post and then Michael Liddle fired the rebound wide.
The prolific striker was not to be denied, though, and it was Richardson who was the provider again with 16 minutes to go. The former Newcastle United midfielder played the ball into feet, allowing Maguire to run at the defence and then drill a low shot into the corner past Platt’s outstretched fingertips.
With time running out, man of the match Pattison played a great ball through to Maguire as the striker went looking for his hat-trick. A jinking run had the defenders on the back foot, but they were able to get a block in to deny Maguire a third.
Spartans will be looking to keep up this level of performance when they welcome Ashton United to Croft Park on Tuesday evening.
Blyth Spartans: Jeffries, Cartwright, Liddle, Caines, Hutchinson, Turnbull, Pattison, Wade (Rivers 57), Maguire, Reid (Richardson 69), Dale (Armstrong 77). Subs not used: Parker, Pell.
Attendance: 376. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/sport/local/blyth-spartans-put-on-a-five-star-show-at-halesowen-1-8082052 | en | 2016-08-22T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/6450a699c5b11067cd4d020de027a1ad3298e3ee2f7aca3de2d70e933e3bdfab.json |
[
"Andrew Coulson",
"Andrew.Coulson Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-27T14:50:13 | null | 2016-08-27T14:28:48 | Two key members of the North Sea Tall Ships Regatta organising team have expressed their delight at how well it is going so far. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Ftall-ships-event-great-for-whole-county-1-8092409.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8092408.1472304662!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Tall Ships event 'great for whole county' | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Two key members of the North Sea Tall Ships Regatta organising team have expressed their delight at how well it is going so far.
And they have set out how important the four-day event is for other parts of Northumberland following an excellent first day.
Tens of thousands of people have already visited Blyth to see the 23 majestic ships in place ahead of the start of the latest race on Monday.
They have also enjoyed a range of entertainment and activities at the port, as well as in the Market Place, Dun Cow Quay, Ridley Park and by Blyth beach.
David Hall, of one of the event sponsors Northumbrian Water, is also chairman of Northumberland Tourism and Active Northumberland.
He said: "When you look at the visitor numbers from yesterday, I think it was approaching 100,000 across the whole day and I'm confident of reaching half a million by the end of the event, which will provide a boost for the county's tourism economy of between £5million and £10million.
"Many businesses in Northumberland are benefiting form the regatta. For example, I know that bakers based in Morpeth and Alnwick are supplying products.
"Visitors have been complimentary about the breadth of activities available as well as the space provided for the ships.
"This event is good for other towns and villages that rely heavily on tourism as hotels and B&Bs further up the coast are reporting that there aren't many beds left.
"The legacy will hopefully be that people will come back to Northumberland having been impressed with what they have seen this weekend and a boost for sailing in the county, particularly for its yacht clubs."
He added that a number of tourist attractions in the county have set-up information displays and stalls in Ridley Park using donated freight containers.
Coun Val Tyler, cabinet member for arts, leisure and culture at the county council, said: "There is something for everyone at the event and the way it's laid out means it's very accessible whether you are able bodied or not.
"Everyone I've spoken to so far has nothing but praise for how it's being organised.
"It took a lot of hard work by many people to bring the event to Northumberland and the key message we're putting across is that this will benefit the whole county.
"Many people are taking the opportunity to visit some of our other towns and villages this weekend and the trainees who will be involved in the race are from all over Northumberland, with councillors support them through their members small schemes fund.
"One councillor chipped in to help fund two bus loads of young people from the Tyne Valley to come along and that's important because we want to encourage people in the west of the county to visit the south east and vice versa.
"It's great that the Port of Blyth has been so supportive and the activities have not curtailed any of its operations. Everyone is working together to make sure the event is a huge success.
The ships will start the race to Gothenburg, Sweden, on Monday. The distance is approximately 600 nautical miles.
A parade of the crews this afternoon will start at 3pm and race chairman James Stevens said they were getting excited for the week ahead at a Captain's Dinner event at Alnwick Castle last night.
He added: "It's very obvious that the town of Blyth has really got into the occasion and people I've spoken to are very enthusiastic about the Tall Ships.
"Day one was great and I'm sure it will be an excellent weekend. Hopefully, there will be a bit of wind on Monday when the race starts.
"The crews will take it very seriously and the responsibilities they will have will bring them together." | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/tall-ships-event-great-for-whole-county-1-8092409 | en | 2016-08-27T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/ba67b6dcc39c300aafa173ace6b1d1e2ba41abb173d8a51e23f845588fdeedfd.json |
[
"Brian Bennett"
] | 2016-08-30T10:51:37 | null | 2016-08-30T09:49:44 | Ashington FC manager Steve Harmison thought his side gave their best display of the season in Monday’s 1-1 draw against neighbours Morpeth Town. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fsport%2Flocal%2Fharmison-hails-best-yet-from-his-ashington-side-in-morpeth-draw-1-8095299.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.7837135.1472546964!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Harmison hails best yet from his Ashington side in Morpeth draw | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Ashington FC manager Steve Harmison thought his side gave their best display of the season in Monday’s 1-1 draw against neighbours Morpeth Town.
However, Harmison’s delight was tinged with disappointment after his outfit – who led courtesy of a goal from Andrew Bulford – were pegged back five minutes from time when Luke Carr netted from the penalty spot after Lee McAndrew had been whistled up for a handling offence.
“It was a great point but I feel aggrieved,” said the Woodhorn Lane boss.
“I feel sorry for the 12 players who played in a black and white shirt because in my eyes it was never a penalty.
“I have just said to Lee there was nothing he could do with that, I thought it was a poor decision whilst later on in the game, Morpeth’s claims for handball were more of a penalty.
“Morpeth had some good possession and controlled an open game, but we knew that was going to happen.
“They have got good movement and players who knock the ball around nicely, but apart from our keeper Conor Grant making a couple of saves, I felt as though we did what we wanted to do, which was to frustrate them.
“I couldn’t single out any of our back four because they were all excellent and everyone who went on the field put a shift in.
“I was pleased for Andrew Bulford to get his goal because he showed great endeavour to get on the end of Downey’s pass, and when the ball is stuck higher up the pitch it gives our back four a bit of breathing space.
“Playing at home I thought we stuck to our game plan very, very well. We were quite solid at the back and limited Morpeth to not many chances.
“Sean Taylor missed an opportunity for them which arguably changed the game because if they had gone 1-0 up our confidence of late has not been what is should be.
“Everyone deserves a lot of credit but that has to be the bare minimum.
“We came up against Shildon and worked hard, we have done the same today against Morpeth and it has to continue.
“But that was our best performance of the season so far.
“I thought we played some nice football and it was a good game of football.
“I never say we deserve three points or deserve a point when we lose because I believe you get what you deserve.
“But I’m disappointed we have not got the three points. Chances were limited at both ends and I thought our back four deserved to be on the winning side.”
The boss is hoping for a feel-good factor to hit the club shortly.
“We have one or two potential signings to come in and others to come back like Ryan Bell and Ben Harmison,” he said.
“Ben is now free from suspension but his cricket takes priority, and it’s great that it looks as if Ashington Cricket Club are going to win the league.
“Hopefully we will get some of that feel-good factor when the cricket is finished and give our place a buzz.
“During the summer, some of our fans go and watch the cricket and it works the other way where a lot of supporters from the cricket come to watch us.”
Meanwhile Harmison explained that Craig Scott’s comeback is still some way off.
“Craig has been on the bench the last two games just to give us all a bit of a boost and make him feel he is part of the club,” he said.
“He’s moving well and his progress is good, but he is still a decent way off playing.
“People have got to be careful. He’s maybe two weeks away from playing any football and then possibly another two weeks away from playing for us and we have to manage him.” | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/sport/local/harmison-hails-best-yet-from-his-ashington-side-in-morpeth-draw-1-8095299 | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/1bb109b66c2269d832077aebc5524c78ab0c2884e490f3c316009dfa13a6768f.json |
[
"James Willoughby",
"James.Willoughby Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-30T14:51:34 | null | 2016-08-30T15:23:18 | The parking management system is to go live at The Northumbria hospital, Cramlington, at 6am on Thursday. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fnew-parking-plan-at-hospital-1-8096163.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8096162.1472566977!/image/image.jpg | en | null | New parking plan at hospital | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | The parking management system is to go live at The Northumbria hospital, Cramlington, at 6am on Thursday.
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust’s parking system will allow patients and visitors to pay on exit with many options to pay as the payment machines take coins and notes, as well as credit and debit cards.
The first 20 minutes of parking is free so if a patient/visitor takes a ticket and exits the car park within 20 minutes, there will be no charge. The charge for more than 20 minutes up to 24 hours from the time the ticket is issued will cost a flat fee of £1.
Patients and visitors using the car park from Thursday onwards will take a ticket to raise the barrier to gain entry to the car park. They will then use this ticket to pay at a pay station before leaving.
There will be no change for blue disabled badge holders who are exempt from charges. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/new-parking-plan-at-hospital-1-8096163 | en | 2016-08-30T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/c412fb5580db782a1a2094314bbe1f9a39d6cc0622e48eea9ac11740e6933899.json |
[
"David Sedgwick",
"David.Sedgwick Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-26T12:59:24 | null | 2016-08-25T10:01:19 | Visitors to the Tall Ships are invited to join a celebration of all things Northumbrian at a special pop-up village in Ridley Park, Blyth. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fpop-up-village-to-celebrate-all-things-northumbrian-at-regatta-1-8087529.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8087526.1472115663!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Pop-up village to celebrate all things Northumbrian at Regatta | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Visitors to the Tall Ships are invited to join a celebration of all things Northumbrian at a special pop-up village in Ridley Park, Blyth.
Home to more than 70 castle sites, award winning parks and beaches, thousands of artisan food and drink experts and a number of famous faces, Northumberland boasts an impressive historical and cultural heritage which will be celebrated at the Northumberland Village.
The village is part of the North Sea Tall Ships Regatta which is set to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors to the town to enjoy nightly fireworks, live music, street theatre and grand parades.
More than 40 stalls selling some of Northumberland’s finest food, drink, fresh produce, sweets, crafts and gifts will fill Blyth’s popular Ridley Park in unique stall-containers provided by Parsons Containers Ltd.
Visitors can sample what Northumberland has to offer, bring along a picnic and enjoy a programme of family entertainment from Let’s Circus including The Brothers Swag, Señor Bellzini, Tumble Circus, Witty Look and Head First Acrobats. Performances will be on Saturday and Sunday only.
Some of Northumberland’s most popular visitor hotspots including Kielder Water and Forest Park Development Trust, Hadrian’s Wall, Whitehouse Farm Centre, Northumberland National Park, Woodhorn Trust, Heighley Gate and Seaton Delaval Hall will also join in the celebrations.
Coun Val Tyler, cabinet member for Arts, Leisure and Culture at Northumberland County Council, said: “The Northumberland Village will have lots to offer with live performers, stalls and attractions – the whole park will be alive with a celebratory atmosphere.
“I’m delighted that so many local businesses and attractions are coming together to celebrate this fantastic event and all of the other great things our county, and the wider region, has to offer.”
Some of the containers provided by Tall Ships sponsor Parsons will also be dressed up to look like famous scenes from Northumberland.
The Kielder Water & Forest Park Development Trust site will give people a taste of what they can experience when they visit the stunning park, including five-star accommodation, ways to enjoy and interact with nature and wide ranging indoor and outdoor activities.
David Hall, Head of Leisure and Strategy at Northumbrian Water Group, said: “We are extremely proud to be involved in this event as a corporate sponsor and it is great to have the opportunity to be able to bring the Kielder Water and Forest Park experience to all those who visit Ridley Park.
“Northumberland has so much to offer as a tourist destination. To be able to showcase this, at what is promised to be a superb event, is fantastic for the area and the region as a whole. Thanks to the organisers for their hard work and let’s hope the sun is shining on what is sure to be a great weekend!” | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/pop-up-village-to-celebrate-all-things-northumbrian-at-regatta-1-8087529 | en | 2016-08-25T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/db9d1a294d1f8069b6602985371ba104f50085137583c3dc12f5c3a63fcf1b32.json |
[
"Glen Maxwell"
] | 2016-08-29T16:51:43 | null | 2016-08-29T16:58:15 | Blyth Spartans manager Tom Wade was delighted with match-winner Robert Dale following his side’s 2-1 win against Grantham Town. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fsport%2Flocal%2Fwade-hails-blyth-captain-s-magical-late-penalty-save-1-8094740.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.7447956.1472486276!/image/image.jpg | en | null | Wade hails Blyth captain’s magical late penalty save | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Blyth Spartans manager Tom Wade was delighted with match-winner Robert Dale following his side’s 2-1 win against Grantham Town.
But he could not help but reveal his frustration with the two penalties conceded by his side at the South Kesteven Sports Stadium.
Blyth raced into a 2-0 lead midway through the second half thanks to Michael Richardson’s fantastic strike from the halfway line and an instinctive finish from Dale, but they were pegged back instantly after Dale’s goal after they allowed Danny Meadows to halve the deficit from the spot.
Peter Jeffries was then sent off following an altercation with a Grantham player in the box in the dying minutes, but Spartans captain Dale kept his cool to save substitute Jamie McGhee’s penalty and win the game for Blyth.
And Wade was delighted with Dale’s determination to lead from the front in a poor performance from the Northumbrian club after a pre-match discussion with his skipper paid dividends during the game.
Wade said: “It was one of those magical days when Robbie Dale just scores and saves a penalty. It’s what headlines are made of, isn’t it?
“He’s done it before. He did it here at Grantham before, in fact.
“I don’t think he had the best game in the world, but he’s getting better.
“I had a chat with him before the game and I just explained how important he is in the team, but I didn’t expect him to be that important.
“I think the lads are disappointed that we didn’t play as well as we can, but we have to understand that teams aren’t just going to let us play football.
“They closed us down and they had three on Robbie at times, which should have allowed us to open their team up and move the ball a bit quicker.
“We didn’t manage that against Grantham, unfortunately, but you don’t want to be going out all guns blazing this early in the season anyway.
“I think we’re in a good place at the moment and we can still get a lot better than where we are.”
Despite Dale’s save, both decisions to award Grantham a spot-kick angered Wade for different reasons as he feels it just sums up the fact that his side are just gifting goals to the opposition at present.
Wade said: “It was never a penalty the first one,as it was two yards outside the box, for starters. I thought it was a foul, but it was miles outside the box, so that’s disappointing.
“The second one, I didn’t see it. However, when you’re away from home, you have to be squeaky clean and we’re giving teams goals. I don’t think anyone’s created a proper goal against us yet, we’ve gifted them it.
“Teams aren’t ripping us open yet, it’s just bad defending on our part. We’ll solve that though as I think it’s just a case of getting the right defensive blend to compliment our attacking prowess.”
Dale wasn’t the only one to receive praise from the manager as Wade insisted that he would have given his man of the match award to opening goalscorer Michael Richardson, who produced a similar finish to his audacious goal from halfway against Heaton Stannington in last season’s Senior Cup.
When asked if Richardson ever just scores a tap-in, Wade replied: “Well that’s his problem, he doesn’t and he needs to. I thought he worked unbelievably hard and he was one of our better players.
“He worked his socks off. We’d tried to rest him against Ashton, but he gives you everything.
“We should have went a bit more defensively, but we ended up going more attacking as I kept the same team as I’d named on Tuesday but, in hindsight, I shouldn’t have.
“Michael’s a workhorse and he scores some special goals. He had a great game and was probably man of the match for me.”
Saturday’s result wasn’t all good news for Blyth’s boss though as he bemoaned Jeffries’ “terrible” straight red card, which will result in a three-match ban for the Spartans stopper.
However, that opens the door for Adam McHugh, who Wade insists can keep his place in the side if he performs during Jeffries’ suspension.
Wade said: “I didn’t see it, but the lads said it was stupid and that’s it. It’s terrible.
“We’ve had the fair play award for the last few years, so I’m disappointed with anything like that as we were strolling the game. We brought a couple of defensive players on to see the game out and then we shot ourselves in the foot.
“I’m pretty disappointed that the game management was poor, but we’ll get there and we can’t have things like that happening at all.
“I’ll have a chat with Peter on the quiet, but now he’s going to be out for three games and he’s just given his place up to Adam McHugh.
“Adam’s been waiting around, so he’ll be able to show what he can do and if he can do well he’ll keep the shirt and Peter won’t play when he’s back. That’s just how football is.” | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/sport/local/wade-hails-blyth-captain-s-magical-late-penalty-save-1-8094740 | en | 2016-08-29T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/350ce131ab79dfdd53fe7d3ca89471a1c71ac3aa46707d6808f8d7bc1e1a5600.json |
[
"James Willoughby",
"James.Willoughby Jpress.Co.Uk"
] | 2016-08-26T14:49:39 | null | 2016-08-26T14:30:00 | The chief executive of Blyth Tall Ship project says that the four-day regatta will put the town on the map. | http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newspostleader.co.uk%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fwatch-tall-ships-regatta-puts-blyth-on-the-map-1-8091025.json | http://res.cloudinary.com/jpress/image/fetch/w_300,f_auto,ar_3:2,c_fill/http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/webimage/1.8091023.1472217093!/image/image.jpg | en | null | WATCH: ‘Tall Ships Regatta puts Blyth on the map’ | null | null | www.newspostleader.co.uk | Sorry, we're having problems with our video player at the moment, but are working to fix it as soon as we can
The chief executive of Blyth Tall Ship project says that the four-day regatta will put the town on the map.
The ambitious project is restoring a 100-year-old Baltic Trader in a bid to recreate the original voyage of Captain William Smith that discovered the first land in Antarctica in 1819. Captain Smith’s vessel was built in Blyth after he raised funds to do so.
Clive Gray, chief executive of Blyth Tall Ship project.
As a result, Blyth Tall Ship is helping to transform the lives of young people through heritage boat-building. Volunteers – including unemployed teenagers and experienced maritime engineers – are working on the restoration project.
And speaking from the group’s workshop in the town, chief executive Clive Gray is delighted that Blyth is hosting the Tall Ships Regatta, which runs from today until Monday.
He said: “It’s one of the biggest things that has happened in the county. It shows that Blyth is mature enough and is in a good enough place to host something of this nature.
“It’s a fantastic event and it puts Blyth on the map. Long term, it will change the way that people think about the town and give people a lot of confidence in the town.”
For updates, pictures, videos and interviews from the regatta, follow our live feed throughout the weekend. | http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/local/watch-tall-ships-regatta-puts-blyth-on-the-map-1-8091025 | en | 2016-08-26T00:00:00 | www.newspostleader.co.uk/392435a6daa707e079e7450942979040139354cc820e18b3b4b4aea590f8e6a8.json |
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