Do you have any old photos of Ashington that you're willing to share with the community?

A former Ashington colliery worker took a trip down memory lane as he returned to his old school 50 years after leaving as a 15 year-old.

By Conservation Officer Kevin O'Hara

A mate of mine called the other day to say that, at long last, after years of patiently fishing on many riverbanks and beaches catching absolutely nothing but hypothermia, he had just seen his first wild otter!

The inevitable fisherman's tales followed: "It was this lang," he said (with arms spread wider than the room) "and that was just the hook I used to catch it". To be fair he is a good angler and not as prone to exaggeration as many are, and having been an angler for over 30 years I have known quite a few.

The Wansbeck Disability Forum and Youth Team are going out and about.

The Wansbeck Disability Forum will be holding outreach sessions. The first one will be at the Newbiggin Arts Forum, 56 Melton Terrace, Newbiggin-by-the-Sea between 10am and 12 noon on 7th July.

Come and meet the team, we will be there to help with any disability problems you may have, also the Youth Team Chair will be on hand to give advice. You will be able to join the youth panel and get involved with what we are doing.

Please bring any ideas you have that the WDF or the Youth Team can use to make things easier for the disabled and their carers.

The 2011 Hirst Park Middle School Summer Fair was again a roaring success as the final term of another campaign comes to a close.

A visit to view the Co-operative building on Woodhorn Road, Ashington was enjoyed by members of Ashington U3A history group. Mr Saki Ghafoor, the owner, gave us permission to tour the upstairs areas, once familiar to all townsfolk in decades past. The Arcade was the meeting place of the young folk on a Saturday night and many romances blossomed in the ballroom and cafe.

Families in South East Northumberland have been set the challenge of completing a short distance run along Newbiggin Promenade as part of the London 2012 Open Weekend supported by BP - a series of sporting and cultural events taking place across the UK which will see hundreds of thousands of people participating in events to celebrate the 'One Year to Go' countdown to the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

A group of adults from Northumberland have completed an introductory Triathlon course aimed at newcomers to the sport.

The scheme, branded as 'Try a Tri' has been established by England Triathlon for men and women of all ages and backgrounds. In Northumberland, the programme has been organised by Blyth Valley Arts & Leisure in partnership with Tri Northumberland and England Triathlon.

By Conservation Officer Kevin O'Hara

The silly season is well and truly up and running and already I've had to return a baby tawny owl and a leveret from whence they came.

When I was a boy growing up rarely a year would go by when I didn't have some unfortunate wild creature dependant on me, after someone had thought it needed "rescuing".

Wansbeck MP Ian Lavery's weekly column from the Ashington & Morpeth Extra newspaper

People in Wansbeck are going to be hit by huge, unfair bills for heating and electricity this summer, unless something is done to bring the out-of-control energy companies to heel.

Following Scottish Power's unfair decision to hike bills by a fifth, I am backing Labour's calls for tough action to ensure fair prices, and increased transparency over the way bills are calculated. I am firmly on the side of the consumer on this - people in Wansbeck are already being squeezed by the global downturn, and the Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition government cuts to jobs and services.