I also requested an urgent meeting with the Rt Hon Chris Huhne MP, Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change and am awaiting his response. I will continue to work with anybody and everybody to try and secure a future for the smelter and power station.

If any disabled person has been a victim of hate crime and donot want to go to the police station, they can come to the WDF and we will take all the information and pass it on to the police. We offer a 24/7 phone number that people can either ring to repot a crime. or if they just need to talk.

If they need further help we will sign post them to the right place and people that can help. We will support them all the way.
Our Out Reach sessions are now in Newbiggin By The Sea at the Arts Forum, next meeting in November, and at the Stakeford and Bomarsund welfare center. These will be held the 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month. The parish council are funding our venue there and are supporting the WDF and the work we do.David Nicholson the parish clerk has not only been a great help but most of all the support we have had from David has been endless.

You can go on the WDF web site where you can find what we are doing and when. Please come along for a cuppa and a chat and get to know our team, we look forward to helping where we can

Ashington Town Council is pleased to announce that the judging of the popular Gardens Competition has now taken place and the winners were announced during an event held at Ashington Leisure Centre on 17th August. Just about everyone who had entered the competition came to the prizegiving and brought either family or friends with them. More than 50 people came along to hear the winners being announced and joined the Mayor of Ashington and members of the Judging Panel afterwards for refreshments. The picture shows the prizewinners with the Mayor, Councillor John McCormack.

We have opened a coffee shop in the Hirst park, we sell Teas and Coffees, soft drinks and sweets . So if you are visiting the park why not sit and enjoy a cuppa. Our vountees will be pleased to meet you and have a chat.

We can serve a smile and a cuppa, but sorry we can not serve the sun shine.

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.

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.

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.

Transport Manager Lynn Mcintosh said: ''We are experiencing increasing demand for our Minibus service at a time of rising fuel and maintenance costs which is stretching our resources to the limit. We are very grateful to the Linden Family Trust for their timely injection of cash towards our running costs and to Rio Tinto Alcan for supporting our WATBike cycle maintenance programme.

"Two of our minibuses are now ten years old and we are trying to raise funds to replace them. Since November we have raised £18,000. When we reach £25,000 we have been promised another £10,000 and that will enable us to buy a super new mini bus with electric tail lift for wheelchairs''.

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

Year 8 students in Ashington have been out and about reporting as part of their 'Journalistic Challenge' week at Hirst Park Middle School. Pupils Jay, Daniel and Sophie report from Woodhorn, where they were given an informative and fascinating insight into the famous old colliery.