The Mid-Northumberland Chorus, a community choir based in Morpeth, will be holding their annual Christmas concert for the town on Saturday the 3rd December, 2011. This year's programme, which is scheduled to start at 7:30pm, will be held at the St. George's United Reformed Church on Bridge Street. Conducting the 70-strong ensemble on the night will be newly appointed Conductor of the Chorus, Paul Toward, accompanied by the organist, Peter Waugh. An additional concert will be held at Seaham Hall Hotel, County Durham onThursday the 15th December, starting at 12 noon.

The Morpeth performance will include extracts from and J. S. Bach's cantata 'Sleepers Wake,' along with a miscellany of Christmas carols. Fresh mince pies and a glass of wine will be available for all those in attendance and tickets are priced at £6 for adults, with a concession of £3 for those aged eighteen years and under. To book, or for further information, contact Chris on 01670 790268, or Gillian on 01670 515870.

The Mid-Northumberland Chorus, originally established in 1981, perform frequently in many of the region's churches and cathedrals. They aim to present a choral version of the 'Pirates of Penzance' in the spring of 2012, along with concerts towards the end of April in Ashington, Morpeth and Norham-on-Tweed.

Ashington bodybuilder, Michael Liddle, fulfilled a long term ambition when judges at the recent IBFA championships - held this year in Bedlington, Northumberland - awarded him the title of IBFA Medium Height British Champion 2011: he also took second place (Short Class) in the first annual Mr. Northumberland Competition, which was launched on the same day. And, if that wasn't enough, Michael, 42, was soon to discover that he'd been invited to compete in the forthcoming IBFA World Championships in Rome later in the year, on the back of his IBFA success in Bedlington.

On the weekend of August 19th, Northumbrian music fans will welcome their biggest and, some say, best, music festival so far, when 'Rec Fest' arrives at the Recreation Ground, home of Ashington Rugby Club.

The festival will be raising funds for Teenage Cancer Trust, in particular the Teenage Unit at Newcastle-upon-Tyne's RVI.

With three stages, and over fifty acts playing over three days, it will be a celebration of both emerging North East talent, and also a showcase of touring bands from up and down the country. The music will range from the over-the-top antics of Manchester's glam/punk outfit, 'The Bad Taste Barbies,' and Scotland's top Judas Priest tribute act, 'Junior Priest,' on the Friday night, to Saturday's Rock versus Reggae day, headlined by Edinburgh's 'BombSkare' - twenty bands of both genres will play over the course of the day. Sunday will feature a string of indie bands, many of whom - 'Vinyl Jacket,' 'The Watchers,' and local lads, 'Grandfather Birds' - having recently been featured on national radio. In contrast, the weekend will also bring its fair share of acoustic and folk acts to the stages, including Alnwick's 'We Steal Flyers,' and a number of guest solo spots.

Stalls spaces are still available for the event - a donation to Teenage Cancer Trust is required - and can be booked by contacting Tony Eastlake of Guerilla Promotions on 07803026503.

Ticket prices range from £5 for the Friday evening, to £20 for the full weekend. However, there are currently a limited number of 'early-bird' tickets available at the discounted price of £17.50 from http://www.wegottickets.com/

For further information and updates, you can join the Facebook event page at https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=195517710468683

An exhibition of work by the nineteenth century artist, Thomas Harrison Hair (1810 - 1875), is now on display at Woodhorn Colliery Museum. The display features a series of water-colour paintings and ink drawings, originally produced as preparatory studies for his book, 'Views of the Collieries in the Counties of Northumberland and Durham, 1844.'

Hair, the son of a Tanner, born in Scotswood, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, grew up along the industrialised banks of the River Tyne. Here, as a young man, he first began to learn about painting and drawing whilst working for a local engraver and lithographer. By the age of eighteen he had developed a fascination for the industrial landscape that surrounded him and had already began touring the North East coalfields, sketching scenes above and below the ground, vividly portraying the conditions of working life at that time in the region.

Liz Ritson, Woodhorn's Events and Exhibitions Officer, said, "The Collection will be of interest to so many people. It is not just an amazing documentation of the region's industrial heritage, the individual images evoke the conditions of the people who lived and worked in the mining communities."

"Aside from the industrial aspect to the paintings, visitors will also appreciate the skill of Hair as an artist," explained Liz. "There's a delicacy to the work that you might not expect with the subject matter. You won't have to be interested in the region's history to enjoy that."

The collection is currently on loan from Newcastle University's Hatton Gallery, and will remain on display until 5pm June 12th.