Latest Edition of Inside Morpeth
Transcription
Latest Edition of Inside Morpeth
AUG/SEPT 2016 MOR P ET H Your FREE independent community magazine for Morpeth FREE Your latest... TOWN CRYER! Pages 3 7-38 MORPETH BUSINESS AWARDS LAUNCHED Voyage of a lifetime for Morpeth Tall Ships duo Inside talks exclusively to Mark Dransfield V A S N E W R U E H T B C E A M O IE S • G R E R T B P E 7 R S 1 IT IN E R A 0 T G R E A T N E W O U 2 ! R E IN G S S P E C I A L D I S C O U N T S F O R I N S I D E M O R P E T H R E A D E R S , F A M I LY & F R I E N D S v La Belle France Normandy Brittany Tuscan Treats Lucca Volterra San Gimignano Corners of Cornwall Dartmoor Falmouth St Ives THE BACK- ROADS DIFFERENCE THE BACK- ROADS DIFFERENCE THE BACK- ROADS DIFFERENCE Travel at a leisurely pace along the back roads of Normandy, Brittany and the Loire valley Taste locally produced wine, cheese, cider and calvados. 9 UP TO D AY S 15 GUESTS FROM £1,620 PP Cook your own Italian lunch with a chef who will share the secrets of how to make a delicious Tuscan meal Relax in a gorgeous villa in the heart of Tuscany for two nights. 8 D AY S AVA I L A B L E D A T E S Scenic Back Roads, Avoiding Motorways FROM 18 £1,170 GUESTS PP D AY S UP TO 15 GUESTS FROM £1,260 PP AVA I L A B L E D A T E S 11/10/2016 Boutique Accommodation guided tour of the grounds 7 AVA I L A B L E D A T E S 5/9/2016 • 19/10/2016 Maximum Group Size of 18 UP TO Savour lunch at Rick Stein’s signature ‘The Seafood Restaurant’ in Padstow Get the inside story on Cornwall’s largest private estate on a private 2/10/2016 Leisurely Paced Itineraries % 5 OFF Authentic Local Experiences Culinary Discoveries EXCLUSIVE FOR INSIDE MORPETH READERS *Back-Roads Touring reserves the right to amend or withdraw this offer at any time. All offers are subject to availability. Contact Northumbria Travel today for your Inside Morpeth discount 0 167 0 8 2 9 9 2 2 • N O R T H U M B R I AT R AV E L . C O M • I N F O @ N O R T H U M B R I AT R AV E L . C O M • A B TA N O : 7 7 17 8 8 2 F R O N T S T R E E T E A S T, B E D L I N G T O N , N O R T H U M B E R L A N D N E 2 2 5 A B 2 inside Morpeth MO R PET H Contents 6 It scarcely seems possible but it is fast approaching seven years since Sanderson Arcade welcomed its first shoppers. Since then they have been followed by millions more who have walked and shopped in the Arcade, testament indeed to the quality of the development Mark Dransfield and his team have brought to Morpeth. We reported on Mark’s vision and aspirations for the Arcade in the very first edition of our newly launched Inside Morpeth in September 2009, and seven years on we chatted again for another exclusive report in which he tells us he is proud of what the Dransfield company he built from scratch nearly 25 years ago, has delivered in the town. 4 BUSINESS AWARDS LAUNCHED 6 TALL SHIPS SPECTACLE 10 MARK DRANSFIELD INTERVIEW 16 ROYAL ANCESTRY REVEALED 30 BEST EVENTS’ GUIDE 32 TREASURING LOCAL TREASUERS 40 SHEILA’S NOVEL STORY 45 STREET WITH CHARM THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS Since the Arcade Dransfields have built the new Morrisons store and are just about to welcome three more major retailers as tenants of its third phase development in Morpeth town centre. MORPETH TOWN COUNCIL It all adds up to investment of more than £40 million that has also created hundreds of new local jobs. The sort of investment any market town the size of Morpeth would welcome with open arms. As Mark Dransfield told us he wants his company to continue playing its part in making Morpeth a great place to live, work and visit. SANDERSON ARCADE Ian Leech The Town Cryer newsletter Manager Medi Perry’s column GARDENING COLUMN With Heighley Gate’s Nigel Lawton Editor and Publisher of Inside Morpeth FRONT COVER: Tall Ship sailor April Atkinson with Councillor Alan Sambrook (Civic Head of Northumberland) Editor: Ian Leech, Tel: 07968 102 547 Email: ian-leech@sky.com Advertising: John Matthews Distribution: Katherine Brodie (TYD) 07540 804 069 Inside Morpeth is a community magazine published by Ian Leech Publicity Services. All rights reserved. Every care is taken to ensure the accuracy of material published in Inside Morpeth. All information is accurate at time of going to press. The publisher does not endorse any advertising material published in INSIDE Morpeth. No parts of the publication can be reproduced without the prior written permission of the publisher. INSIDE Morpeth c/o The Lodge, Carlisle Park, Morpeth NE61 1YD TO PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS IN THE AUG/SEPT ISSUE CALL US ON 07968 102 547 inside Morpeth 3 MORPETH Business Awards 2016 Presentation Evening Details Date: Wednesday October 19th 2016 Time: 7pm Venue: Morpeth Riverside Lodge Tickets: £20 per head includes 3 Course Meal. (Table bookings available). Tickets Available from Lumley House, Sanderson Arcade, Morpeth. Bookings will be taken on a first come first served basis. Main Sponsor: Main Partners: Medi Parry, (Manager Sanderson Arcade) Dale Stephenson (Cookswell Citroen) and Jacky Beesley (Morpeth Chamber of Trade) launch the business awards. It’s right and proper that the best of local ‘business’ should be celebrated in its many forms and that’s exactly what will be happening later this year when the very first ‘Heart of Morpeth Business Awards’ are held. The awards will celebrate and recognise excellence in the business, retail, service, leisure and professional sectors in the town centre of Morpeth. An awards’ evening in October will build on the success of the awards that have been presented to Sanderson Arcade tenants for the past four years by broadening the opportunity for all businesses trading in Morpeth’s town centre to take part for the first time. 4 inside Morpeth By all businesses we mean retailers, cafes, coffee shops, restaurants and pubs, leisure outlets and professional service providers and anyone can take part whether they are run by a sole trader or are part of a national chain. The awards’ evening is being organised by Morpeth Town Team with Cookswell Citroen – Northumberland’s leading Citroen dealership – confirmed as its main sponsor along with partners Morpeth & District Chamber of Trade and Sanderson Arcade. Entries are now open for all the categories we have listed. Awards’ Criteria Business Manager of the Year Sponsored by Inside Morpeth ThruYorDoor Delivery This award will be given to a manager who has demonstrated an excellence in the ability to deliver a brand or their company values and message. They will have proven their ability in leadership and general management skills. Possible areas for recognition could include staff incentives or training, introductions of new services for the benefits of clients/ customers, environmental innovations, enhancements to client/customer satisfaction and demonstration of an increase in sales and business growth. Young Achiever of the Year (25 years and under) Sponsored by WCRS This award will be given to a young individual who has contributed to the performance and success of the business (either in retail, leisure, service, industrial or commercial). The judges will be looking for increase in sales and customer spend. Please provide details if the individual has completed a training program or developed professionally over the last 12 months. Examples will be required to support this. The judges will also be looking for an individual who has delivered outstanding customer service, quality of work or achievement at their place of work. The winning individual will consistently be going beyond their duty, showing initiative, capability, enthusiasm demonstrating that they want to succeed in business. Emily Wilding Davison Award 2016 Sponsored by Geoffrey Davison/ Emily Inspires! This brand new award is open to any woman working in a Heart of Morpeth Business. For this inaugural year, it is being sponsored by Geoffrey Davison, acknowledged head of the Emily Wilding Davison family. The purpose of the EWD Award is to highlight the contribution women make to business in Morpeth. It is an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate one such woman’s contribution. Women can nominate themselves or be nominated by their business/organisation. The winner will have demonstrated business success, for example, through innovation; entrepreneurship; being outstanding in meeting new challenges or overcoming obstacles; improving staff morale, customer feedback; and/or bottom line profitability. Additionally the judges will be looking for evidence of creativity in leading and sustaining change, inspiring and contributing to the development of other women in business, and how entrants plan to encourage other women to engage in causes that benefit the town. Customer Service Team of the Year Sponsored by The Flag Man This award will be given to a business that has provided exceptional customer service through its efforts, attitude and product knowledge. The judges are looking for a business that may have developed its customer service skills through training and various other initiatives, and simply a business that makes customers feel welcome and consistently provides a ‘service with a smile’. Examples are also required. Independent Retailer of the Year Sponsored by Global Radio The entrants must be an independent retailer owning 10 stores or fewer. Details within this entry should include re-fits or shop decoration, store performance over the last 12 months, store improvements, training, market research, product knowledge, product range, product quality, merchandising, accessibility, the use of technology within the store and supporting the local community. Entries should also include challenges over the last 12 months and how independent retailers overcome tough competition and stand out from other retailers. Documentation to support the entry is required. Community Engagement/ Project Award Sponsored by Beach Design This Award is to recognise a business, or individual that has contributed towards the community through innovation, charity work, volunteering, learning, research, community events or various other initiatives that have a direct benefit on Morpeth Town. The business/individual is asked to demonstrate its involvement within the community and to include the changes and impacts their active role has had. Morpeth Town Window Dressing Award 2016 (Morpeth Football Club) Sponsored by Morpeth Town Team This Award was judged by the Morpeth Town Team at the time of Morpeth Town Football Club’s return to Morpeth having won the FA Vase. The winner will be formally announced at the Award’s evening. The Award was to recognise a business that had used its design skills to create an imaginative, eye-catching display to maximise support for the Football Club. Retailer of the Year Award (on site survey and public vote) Sponsored by Taylor Wimpey The Award will be chosen through an on-site survey across the town in addition to a public vote via the More in Morpeth website How to Enter the 2016 Heart of Morpeth Business Awards To enter your business must be trading in the area of Morpeth town centre defined overleaf. To enter for free you can download an entry form from moreinmorpeth.co.uk or collect one from Lumley House in Sanderson Arcade, Morpeth. Businesses or individuals can nominate themselves in more than one award category. A judges’ shortlist of finalists will be announced by Friday 16 September 2016 Entries are now open and completed entry forms must be received by Monday 5 September 2016. Full terms and conditions are listed on the entry form. inside Morpeth 5 The Tall Ships Ahoy there shipmates – 80 ‘Northumberland Navy’ sail trainees will join the race from Blyth to Gothenburg Trip of a lifetime beckons for two excited Morpeth Tall Ship sailors Story by Ian Leech Two would-be Morpeth sailors are eagerly looking forward to what promises to be the experience of a lifetime as they prepare to set sail as crew members on one of the Tall Ships that will make an epic 500 nautical mile voyage across the North Sea. April Atkinson from Northgate and Tiegane Ferrey of Stobhill have signed up to join what is being called the ‘Northumberland Navy’ of sail trainees taking part in the North Sea Tall Ships Regatta from Blyth to Gothenburg. Northumberland County Council in partnership with the Port of Blyth and Sail Training International, is hosting the event said to be one of the largest ever staged in the county. Local haulage company Fergusons of Blyth will be the main sponsor of the event in its 90th anniversary year of going into business. Some half a million visitors could throng Blyth Quayside and its river frontage over four days from Friday 26th to Monday 29th August, to see up to 30 of the largest and most majestic Tall Ships in the world, sail in and out of the port as well as enjoying a host of entertainment events, live music, street performers, treats from Northumberland’s rich choice of food and drink delicacies – all ending with a dazzling nightly fireworks display on the first three evenings. For April and Tiegane the Regatta promises to be an opportunity to enjoy an experience like no other they have ever known before. At the age of 53 April will be one of the oldest trainees while Tiegane will be among the youngest at just 15 years old. Tall Ships sailors Tiegane Ferry (top) and April Atkinson with their sponsors Councillors Ian Lindley and Alan Sambrook 6 inside Morpeth April – well known in Morpeth as the former owner of La Bodega tapas bar in Newgate Street - told Inside Morpeth that the chance to put herself forward as a crew member was one she couldn’t resist. “I had never seen the Tall Ships before because I was working in Jersey the last time they were in Newcastle but from what I had heard it sounded a fantastic experience so I just decided to give it a go,” she said. “When I reached 50 I had decided to take every opportunity of doing something new and different.” So since then she has zipwired across Morpeth rugby pitch in aid of charity; taken part in an archaeological dig during events to mark the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Flodden; and jumped off a ship into the sea shortly after learning to swim. “Somehow I don’t think I will be jumping off the ship this time as we head across the North Sea,” she added. April will be one of 40 permanent crew members and trainees sailing the training ship the Lord Nelson on the trip to Sweden and is fully prepared for it not to be a cruise around the Med! “It is going to be a challenge and I am expecting it to be tough at times,” she said. Like the other 78 trainees April and Tiegane will have to tackle all on-board tasks including helping to sail the ship, cooking and going up a-loft the rigging. “I can’t wait to do that,” April told us. The crew members who have already met one another at a pre-trip reception with their sponsors on board the Tall Ship Stavros S The Tall Ships Niarchos, will work ‘four hour on and four hour off’ watches throughout the journey. For Tiegane it will be a completely new experience as she has never been to sea before, never been abroad or flown in an aeroplane. She has just left school and is about to start college in Ashington studying on a child care course. Tiegane was nominated as a Tall Ship crew member by a youth worker from the Bad Apples organisation which runs dance, music and art projects for local young people. Like the other trainees who are all from Northumberland and are aged from 15 to 63 years old, Tiegane says she is excited at the prospect of the trip and can’t wait for it to happen. The County Council and its partners have been making plans for the Regatta since winning the opportunity to stage the event which is now in its 60th year. Once the sea is chosen for the next race or regatta by Sail Training International, ports along the route are given the chance to become involved. Blyth’s bid was submitted two years ago to continue the County Council’s strategic policy of investing in major public events not only for them to be enjoyed by local people but to raise Northumberland’s profile nationally and internationally, attract significant investment to boost tourism as well as bringing local communities closer together. It all began with the 2012 London Olympics’ torch relay that passed through the county then continued in 2015 when the Tour of Britain cyclists raced across Northumberland over two days. Both events were transmitted globally and the county has also benefited enormously from huge peak-time viewing audiences for three series of ‘Tales from Northumberland’ when actor and presenter Robson Green extolled the virtues of his home county. The Tall Ships event director Nigel Walsh from Active Northumberland, says tourism is a major contributor to the economic wellbeing of the county. “We know that events such as this really do make a difference,” he said. “Over the past few years the Council has strategically invested in supporting high profile events and, for example, we know that for every one pound invested in the Tour of Britain there was a seven pound return in terms of advertising value and local expenditure.” The target for Tall Ships, says Nigel, is to bring investment of more than £8 million into Northumberland including bookings for hotels, bed-and-breakfast and self-catering accommodation, local suppliers, businesses and attractions. “That will be spread throughout Northumberland and we know already that beds are pretty well fully booked right across the county from the north to the west during the duration of the Tall Ships’ weekend,” he said. However, the event will do more than just boost tourism and visitor numbers. “It will inspire local people in so many ways from joining the ships as crew members to volunteering to help us out over the weekend,” said Nigel. “For instance, we have attracted more than 200 volunteers to do a variety of jobs including ship liaison, technical support or by being town hosts and ambassadors. They will learn new skills as well as acquiring qualifications that will stand them in good stead for their futures.” As to the event itself visitors will be able to see majestic vessels from around the world, at close quarters as well as boarding some of them, while on Bank Holiday Monday they will be treated to the spectacular sight of the Tall Ships heading out of Blyth in a parade of sail that will follow the coast south before setting out across the North Sea to Gothenburg. There will even be the chance to book a fourhour sailing on the DFDS cruise ferry Princess Seaways as it follows the Tall Ships’ parade, giving passengers a unique opportunity to see them at close quarters as they make their way down the coast. Back on land visitors will be treated to a host of free entertainment events spread across five different zones including performances on a main stage at Dunn Cow Quay; brass bands complete with old-fashioned deck chair seating; the thrills of an open-air circus ring; buskers playing across the different sites; a Headway Arts’ Fringe Festival and, of course, a nightly fireworks display for the first three evenings from Friday to Sunday. The organisers made a successful £120,000 Arts Council funding bid to support the Tall Ships cultural programme allowing music composer Chris Sharkey to build a soundscape of local areas from Blyth to Gothenburg, while lens-based artist Cecilia Steinborn will work with communities at both ends of the Regatta. Both Chris and Cecilia will sail on a Tall Ship to complete their artist residencies. The evening spectacular performances will feature new commissions from Chris and Cecilia which will all be synchronised with the pyrotechnic display including fire performers who will be choreographed to the music. Events will take place from The Links area right into the quayside as well as in Ridley Park and the town centre of Blyth, and visitors will also get the chance to sample and enjoy some of the best of Northumberland’s food and drink delicacies. All in all says Nigel, the Tall Ships is going to be an event not to missed. “Over the weekend the world will be coming to Blyth and we want everyone to enjoy the occasion and remember it for a very long time to come,” he said. THE TALL SHIPS EVENT DETAILS AT A GLANCE Dates: Friday 26 to Monday 29 August Place: Blyth Quayside; Port of Blyth; The Links; Ridley Park; Blyth Town Centre Times: Events begin each day at 10am Fireworks Displays 9pm Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Parade of Sail - first ship leaves Port at 12.45pm Monday Parking: Organisers are advising that the best way to travel into Blyth to enjoy the Tall Ships is to use public transport or Park & Ride which will be available both north and south of Blyth town centre. Park & Ride north will be located near Sleekburn. Park & Ride South will be situated between Blyth and Seaton Sluice. A regular bus shuttle service will run from the car parks into Blyth. Parking is charged for a full day. Times are 10am to 10.00pm (Fri. Sat. Sun) and 10am to 5pm Monday 29th. Pre-purchased discounted tickets will be available until midnight the day before priced £5 a vehicle per day plus 50p booking fee. Tickets can be booked by visiting Ticketline at www.ticketline.co.uk/ north-sea-tall-ships-regatta- park-andride#bio. An e-ticket or a print-at-home ticket will be exchanged for Park & Ride tickets on the day inside Morpeth 7 The William Turner garden in Morpeth’s Carlisle Park Look back at life in Tudor Morpeth 500 years ago A gazetteer that records for the first time the natural history of the North of England in Tudor times based on the work of Morpeth-born William Turner known as ‘the father of English botany’, has been launched at an evening held at The Chantry in the town writes Ian Leech. ‘The Natural History of the North in Tudor England’ is published in the name of Marie Addyman, a respected authority on the life and works of Turner, although as she told the audience at the launch evening, she is the first to acknowledge that the book would not have been possible without the support, specialist knowledge and contributions from a number of people including the distinguished naturalist the late David Gardner-Medwin, Professor Alan Davison, Peter Davis and Brian Harle. In a foreword to the book she also acknowledges the contributions of ‘expert Northern photographers’ Jim Greenfield for his collection of fish photographs, Ian Fisher, Brian Jubb, Linda Kay, Martin Kitching, Tim Melling, Iain Robson, Bryan Singleton, Dan Turner and Gordon Young as well as the support and assistance given by Emma Evans and Frances Povey from Northumberland County Council, Alisoun Gardner-Medwin, Steve Lowe (Northumberland Wildlife Trust), Veronica Goulty and Jacqui Harle. The book has also been funded with support from Pharma Nord, Morpeth and Northumberland County Council. “Without the input of all these good people I would not have been able to write 8 inside Morpeth the gazetteer which enables us to show researchers, Northumbrians and visitors alike, just how much Turner observed and noted of wildlife in this area in the 16th Century,” writes Marie. Turner observed not only plants of all kinds William Turner was born in Morpeth around the year 1508 and is thought to have been the son of a prosperous local tanner. As a young boy he was taught at The Chantry grammar school as it was then, which gave him the foundations of a solid basic education he would later continue at Cambridge where he studied physic – the 16th Century term for medicine – before continuing his studies in Northern Italy. what he saw abroad, but he began his careful A deeply religious man, his Calvanist beliefs put him at odds with the monarchy in what was one of the most unsettled times in English history during the reigns of Henry VIII and his children Edward VI, Mary and Elizabeth. His works were banned; he was exiled; and he appears to have been imprisoned and suspended for non conformity. Brief periods of comparative peace saw him twice appointed as Dean of Wells. but living creatures as well – birds and fish. In the process he became the first person in England to provide reliable records of all three. Many of the observations record scrutiny and comparisons of the natural world among the industrial tanneries, the woods and water around Morpeth. Turner’s writings provide a unique record of early natural history in Tudor Northumberland and Marie says the purpose of the gazetteer is to list the species he saw, where he recorded them and to indicate when possible if and where they still exist today in Northern locations. “Our hope is that the species recorded for Northumberland nearly 500 years ago will not decline further, rather that gaps or tentative sightings will flourish and become habitual,” writes Marie in the gazetteer. “In that spirit of optimism we have left room at the end of the book for the reader It was during his boyhood in Morpeth, however, when Turner began the process of observing the natural world that would eventually become a key element in his writings the most famous of which was ‘A New Herball’ published in three parts between 1551 and 1568 the year of his death. to add their own records of sightings and The ‘Herball’ gave the first clear description and names of some 300 English plants, their properties and medicinal uses, illustrated with a series of admirable woodcuts. The importance of the book is that it was the first herbal to be written in English. the most famous flower show in the world – discoveries.” William Turner is celebrated in Morpeth through a garden created especially in his memory at the town’s Carlisle Park. That very same garden provided the inspiration for the creation of a William Turner garden at Chelsea – in 2004. ‘The Natural History of the North in Tudor England’ retails at £7.95 and can be purchased at The Chantry. 2016 20 CELEBRATING YEARS IN BUSINESS Book your free measure, advice and quotation service or simply request an appointment now. visit www.castlecarpets.co.uk or call 01670 517881 inside Morpeth 9 Big Interview Reflecting on Arcade’s seven years in Morpeth For this edition of Inside Morpeth’s ‘Big Interview’ editor Ian Leech met Mark Dransfield the man behind Sanderson Arcade 10 inside Morpeth Big Interview Sitting outside Barluga enjoying a cup of coffee in the summer sun – yes there has been some this year – I ask Mark Dransfield what is the best thing he has brought to Morpeth. Without a moment’s hesitation he says Joanna Lumley! Not the answer I was expecting perhaps, but when I thought about it one that was very apt in more ways than one because Ms Lumley’s visit to Morpeth in 2009 to open the new-look Sanderson Arcade marked a seminal moment in Mark Dransfield’s association with the town. For a start it’s not very often that the appearance of a celebrity brings a town to a standstill as Ms Lumley did – a phenomenon more associated with Royalty than a television and stage star. But then again, Joanna Lumley is ‘show business Royalty!’ The timing of her visit couldn’t have been better either as she had rarely been out of the headlines because of her campaigning on behalf of Ghurkha soldiers serving in the British Army. as they did then said Mark. “Looking back I would go back to what I said at the very first public meeting we held to explain our proposals for Morpeth and that was there was not a lot wrong with the town and it just needed some proper architectural implementations to pull it all together. The nucleus of the town was very strong and it had such an active group of stakeholders who were truly passionate about Morpeth and as a result their input helped shape the form of our development.” Mark first visited Morpeth around 12 years ago after being asked by a business partner Barry Owen if he would be interested in working with him on a development in the town. “What I found when I first came to staircases. One of the reasons I was also interested in Morpeth was that there was no out-of-town retailer and there was no prospect of one coming in,” said Mark who firmly believes in keeping trade within the environs of a town centre rather than on its outskirts, to maintain its vibrancy and sustainability. What Mark Dransfield saw, however, convinced him there was sufficient potential for him to form a joint partnership with Ethel Austin Properties to plan a new arcade townspeople could be once again proud of, that would attract the right sort of big High Street names to complement Morpeth’s excellent niche independent businesses – many of them long-standing family The folk who packed into Bridge Street to see her up close on that November day, however, were also keen to get that eagerly awaited first look at a development that has gone on to change the shopping dynamic in Morpeth beyond all expectations. Like it or not – and it’s no secret that not everyone believes what Mark Dransfield and his team have done over the past few years is the best thing to happen to Morpeth – Sanderson Arcade has helped put the town on the regional shopping destination map in a way few could have truly envisaged. Those expectations had been building for months as development work went on behind the hoardings giving tantalising glimpses of what was taking shape out of sight. When the hoardings went down that day what people saw was a stylish parade of shops modelled on the elegance of London’s Burlington Arcade in the heart of Mayfair, opened in 1819 as the world’s first covered shopping street and now recognised as a historic retail and architectural masterpiece. Morpeth had even been given its very own version of the Burlington Beadles, dressed similarly smartly in their scarlet Victorian frock coats with gold buttons, Northumbrian tartan waistcoats and black top hats! The opening was the culmination of five years of work by Mark Dransfield and his team to create a retail development with a wow factor, the like of which can not be found anywhere else in the North East of England. At the time we at Inside Morpeth had just launched our magazine and for our very first edition I talked to Mark who told me: “Morpeth is a beautiful market town that has resisted out-of-town retailing to keep its centre alive and vibrant. Our Sanderson Arcade development has been carefully planned to complement the existing town centre to encourage a vibrant shopping area.” Seven years on the words ring as true now Mark Dransfield with Joanna Lumley at the opening of the company’s newest development Fox Valley in north Sheffield which was launched on June 16th this year Morpeth was that it was a truly beautiful town with a history to be proud of, but respectfully it was stuck with what was a monstrosity in its midst,” he said. enterprises – to secure its place as the premier modern market town north of the Tyne. That ‘monstrosity’ he referred to was the original Sanderson Arcade opened ahead of its time it has to be said, in 1954 by wellknown local businessman Alderman William Sanderson. In the 1980s it had been extended into the Back Riggs but by the time Mark Dransfield first saw it the Arcade had become run-down and was an unwelcoming place to shop. Dransfield Properties Limited would subsequently buy-out its original partner to become the sole owner of Sanderson Arcade. The development of 90,000 square feet of retail space now has Marks & Spencer as its anchor tenant trading with among others New Look, Laura Ashley, Fat Face, Crew Clothing, O2 and Waterston’s alongside local businesses such as The Jewellers Guild, Advanced Nutrition, The Pudding Parlour and the Morpeth Larder. “So I did some research and learned that there was a clear demand from larger retailers considering Morpeth but there were no suitable premises for them. They were either too small or had higgledy-piggledy In addition, the development has provided first floor office accommodation, a new fitness centre and a modern bus station. A deal was also later struck with the Comrades Club to provide it with modern new premises inside Morpeth 11 Big Interview in exchange for its old site which opened up the further development of Barluga, the Mountain Warehouse and Jo Jo Maman Bebe. All those new shops have brought people into the town in huge numbers and it is estimated that more than 15 million visitors have passed through the multi award-winning Arcade since it opened. It is inconceivable that a large proportion have not gone on to walk around and shop in the rest of Morpeth town centre. The second phase of Dransfield’s involvement with Morpeth was to create the new Morrisons supermarket and phase three is just starting trading on the site of the old food store with Next, Home Bargains and Pets at Home moving in to create around 100 jobs. That £7 million development takes Dransfield’s total investment in the town centre to well over the £40 million mark and firmly places Morpeth it the flagship category in the company’s property portfolio. The company which was formed in 1992 in Barnsley, specialises in developing retail-led regeneration schemes which it has done at places such as Fox Valley opened just a few weeks ago in Sheffield, Lime Square in east Manchester, Marshall’s Yard in Gainsborough, Penistone in South Yorkshire, the Market Cross shopping centre in Selby, East Ham in London and, of course, Morpeth. Originally Dransfield Properties had focused its efforts on food store developments before moving into town centre regeneration during which time it has worked with leading supermarket chains including ASDA, TESCO, Safeway, Morrisons, Kwik Save and Aldi for whom it has just completed work on its 24th store. Indeed Dransfield has worked for Aldi in 23 of the 25 years the German discounter has been trading in the UK. It’s all a far cry from the day Mark Dransfield left school in Hull with just two ‘O’ Levels in maths and English and a Grade I GSE in woodwork to his name. A proud Yorkshire man, he was born in 1962 in the colliery village of Grimethorpe, the son of the village ‘bobby’. Among all his achievements one of the ones his parents are most proud of is the fact that he sponsors the world-famous Grimethorpe Colliery Band. A year later the family moved to Hull where the young Mark grew up before leaving school at the age of 16 to sign on the ‘dole’. He soon found work as a costing clerk with a local builder and hard work and a willingness to learn on the job and study on day release courses and at night school gave him the opportunity to progress to become a quantity surveyor. “I threw myself heart and soul into my work and within 12 months I had been given my own jobs to run and manage,” said Mark. “Around that time Margaret Thatcher got into power and council house building programmes were stopped. Council house 12 inside Morpeth building was the biggest part of our work at the firm I was employed by and we were building around 1,000 houses a year. So they laid everyone off other than me and another QS. It was a horrible period to go through because a lot of my friends were made redundant. “But fortunately for me I was given more and more work and responsibilities and I loved it. “All my jobs were making money so I went to the boss and asked if I could do up an old Hillman Avenger that was rusting away in the yard, as my company car. But I got turned down and told I was too young!” Morpeth has not escaped the pain of tough trading times in the recession Fate then took a hand through an ex-colleague who recommended Mark for a job with the company he was leaving which he eventually took with the lure of a £4,500 a year salary and an old 1.3 Ford Capri. Mark stayed with that firm for around four years before it decided to close down its construction division just as he was pricing a job for the pub chain Joshua Tetley. Undeterred Mark approached Tetley’s to ask if he could carry out the work himself which they agreed to and within three weeks he had set up his own company and started on the job. “That was the start of a relationship which saw me do a lot of work for Tetley’s over the next five years,” he said. More work was to follow for Netto and Aldi he built his first store for them in Accrington - followed by a Macdonald’s drive-thru in Cleethorpes all of which added up to the start of Mark Dransfield’s property world that would lead to his company becoming the largest food store developer in the UK. “Over the years I have always applied the principles of honesty and integrity to my business life – the two main ingredients you have got to have to be successful,” said Mark. “I have also always had a strong local conscience and in all the schemes we develop we involve the local communities from the word go, as well as putting a lot back into them including employing local people wherever we can.” That has been very true of Morpeth since the Arcade opened seven years ago. Dransfield – and particularly its staff – has been very supportive of local charities the latest example of which has been the opening of a new media room at the Barnabas Stobhill Centre where £6,000 has been raised to transform an outdated and under-used room into a bright, modern community media hub. Sanderson Arcade manager Medi Parry and her deputy Zoe Christopher, also play key roles in a number of different ways in Morpeth including being core members of the Morpeth Town Team, organising what has become an annual food and drink festival in the town, and managing the revamped town centre markets in association with the Morpeth Markets Partnership. Looking back, Mark Dransfield tells me, he is very proud of what he and his team have achieved in Morpeth and the way they have contributed to the life of the town. For those who don’t quite share that view, however, he says: “I would respectfully ask them to think about what was here beforehand and look what there is now! “Our work in Morpeth is almost complete,” he said. Car parking, he says, however, remains an issue that has to be dealt with including the need for more long-stay spaces as well as shorter-stay bays to encourage a faster turn around for motorists popping in to the town centre. “There has been a huge amount of investment in Morpeth in recent years - the flood defence works, the health centre, the new by-pass that is being built and the housing growth that is taking place around the town. Much of this has been delivered at a time of severe recession and that was true for the time period when we were developing Sanderson Arcade.” “Yet around 60,000 visitors a week are now coming into Morpeth town centre and that has to be good for everyone trading in the town,” said Mark. “As a company we want to continue to play our part in making Morpeth such as special place to live, work and shop. “Retail is theatre and if we can deliver excellent facilities with good customer service that will always draw people into the town and long may that continue!” Invisalign- the clear alternative to fixed braces. Book now for your free smile evaluation and to see a simulation of your new Invisalign smile. FREE EVALUATION WORTH £250 There has never been a better time to find out if Invisalign is right for you with: Before After • • • • • FREE smile evaluation FREE 3d smile simulation FREE tooth whitening FREE removable retainers FREE fixed retainers Higgins & Winter Dental Practice Address: 17 Bell Villas, Ponteland, Newcastle upon Tyne NE20 9BD Telephone: 01661 312 017 Website: mismile.co.uk/higginsandwinter inside Morpeth 13 SAVE UP TO £1,000pp ON ALL 2017 VIKING RIVER CRUISES OFFER ENDS 31 OCTOBER 2016 5% EXTRA DISCOUNT CALL 01670 829922 DANUBE WALTZ WATERWAYS OF THE TSARS 8 days, 6 guided tours | Departing March – December 2017 13 days, 10 guided tours | Departing May – October 2017 Sail through Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. Explore Budapest’s imperial delights, take in Bratislava’s baroque wonders and admire Passau’s ancient fortress. Discover Vienna, drink in the spectacular Wachau Valley, a wine lover’s dream, and enjoy an included visit to český Krumlov. Discover Russia’s unique history and culture as you tour iconic landmarks from Moscow’s Kremlin and Red Square to Catherine Palace and the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. You’ll also experience the other side of Russia: quaint Golden Ring towns like Yaroslavl and Uglich that only a river cruise can show you. 14 May from £1,795pp – FULLY ESCORTED TOUR* July from £1,595pp October from £1,795pp May from £2,595pp July from £3,495pp October from £2,595pp LYON & PROVENCE PASSAGE TO EASTERN EUROPE 8 days, 7 guided tours | Departing March – November 2017 11 days, 7 guided tours | Departing March – November 2017 Sail the scenic Saône and Rhône Rivers through beautiful French countryside. Explore Beaujolais and the fields of Provence. Explore Gallo-Roman ruins in Vienne, stroll the cobblestone streets of Arles that inspired Vincent van Gogh, visit Avignon, the “City of Popes” and try world-famous cuisine in Lyon. Explore Eastern Europe where so many fairy tales began. Experience two nights in bustling Budapest, sail past dramatic natural wonders like the soaring white cliffs of the Iron Gate region; visit the Serbian capital of Belgrade; discover the historical treasures of Bulgaria; and admire the charms of Bucharest, Romania’s capital. April from £1,395pp July from £1,795pp October from £1,695pp April from £1,795pp July from £2,295pp October from £1,795pp To book call Northumbria Travel on 01670 829922 Visit www.northumbriatravel.com or email info@northumbriatravel.com 82 Front Street East, Bedlington, Northumberland, NE22 5AB Prices and offers are correct at the time of going to print but are subject to change and availability. From prices are per person and based on two sharing the lowest grade stateroom available on selected 2017 departure dates. Prices include booking discount and are valid until 31 October 2016 unless sold out prior. Offers can be withdrawn at any time. *The 5% extra discount does not apply to the Danube Waltz 14 May 2017 escorted departure date. Some itineraries are available in the reverse direction. We reserve the right to amend operational reasons. Single supplements apply. For more information please visit vikingcruises.co.uk/terms-conditions or call us. 14 itineraries inside for Morpeth Linden Hall M AC D O N A L D L I N D E N H A L L G O L F & CO U N TRY C LU B THE LINDEN TREE PUB ‘Hidden gem’ in the heart of the county The Linden Tree Pub is something of a hidden gem, located within the 450 acres of private gardens of Linden Hall Country Club and Golf Course. A location that feels miles from anywhere, yet is easily accessed from the A1 and a pleasant drive during these lighter nights. Informal and welcoming, the pub offers diners well-crafted dishes served in an un-fussy and comfortable setting. Should the English summer play nice, there is a buzzing terrace full of locals enjoying al fresco dining outside too. The food is home-made and has a keep-it-simple philosophy, focusing on good quality ingredients. With a “no farmed fish” policy, your fish and chips will be wild caught and the batter made from beer from the local brewery. Proving popular with golfers as a pit stop for an early morning bacon butty before a day on the course, you’ll also find ladies catching up over a sharing platter lunch and wine after enjoying some “me time” at the hotel spa. Local beers rotate regularly from both Alnwick and Mordue breweries and prove popular with golfers coming off the nearby 18th hole. The pub has also introduced some great midweek deals; celebrate getting through Monday with two steaks and a bottle of wine for only £30 or enjoy 50% off main courses on Wednesday. Few can resist kickstarting the weekend with two for one drinks until 7.30pm on a Friday. Tables can be booked online at www.macdonaldhotels. co.uk/linden-tree or by calling 01670 500 033 • Light summer dishes throughout the day • Menus for smaller appetites • Beers from Alnwick Brewery • Courtyard, patio and conservatory WEEKDAY SPECIALS MONDAY TWO STEAKS PLUS A BOTTLE OF WINE £30.00 WEDNESDAY FRIDAY 50% 2for1 off MAIN COURSES ON DRINKS UNTIL 7.30PM OFFER ENDS 15TH SEPTEMBER 2016. TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLY. Telephone for bookings direct on 01670 500 033 or at Hotel 01670 500 000 The Linden Tree Pub, Macdonald Linden Hall Golf & Country Club, Longhorsley, Near Morpeth, Northumberland, NE65 8XF W W W. M AC D O N A L D H OT E L S .CO.U K / LINDENHALL inside Morpeth 15 Family Tree Family tree search reveals some Royal ancestry links Like a lot of people I have watched many of the “Who do you think you are” television programmes and been fascinated, to learn of the life experiences of the programme’s subjects. Little did I think that when I moved to Morpeth on retirement eighteen years ago, that I would discover I had an ancestral link with the town writes David Parker. birth and her father a few years later, she was conscious that her family would be unable to financially help her son John to get a university education. So she turned to a family friend Thomas Cromwell, whom she knew well, and persuaded him to help finance a university education for John. I grew up in Derby, where several generations of Parkers have lived since about 1815. My mother’s family, the Spencers, were residents of Birmingham for several centuries until my mother’s parents moved first to Burton-on-Trent and then to Derby in 1922. What I have discovered is that I am a direct descendant of many medieval noble families and through some of them with the Royal House of Plantagenet. Members of medieval noble families almost invariably married one another. Because of this I quickly identified a Morpeth Connection and discovered that I am a direct descendant of one of William the Conqueror’s knights, Guillaume (or William) De Merlay, whom King William made the first lord of Morpeth. This linked me of course with Guillaume’s descendants including a son Ranulph, who was instrumental in establishing a religious community in the Town and founding Newminster Abbey. He also no doubt had some involvement in the building of the parish church of St Mary, where I have been officiating from time to time, since my retirement in 1998. As I compiled my family tree, I discovered that it is like doing a crossword where you begin to assemble various pieces that seem to have no connection with one another, but which gradually come together. One piece was the discovery that one of my forbears, a Rachael Hunt born in Denby (a small Derbyshire village) in 1816, was married to a Joseph Mee in St Alkmund’s Parish Church Derby 16 inside Morpeth David Parker - researching his family tree in 1837. Discovering Rachael was crucial as she is the Parker link with the Hunts. Rachael and Joseph were in due course to have a son called Josiah, whose daughter Mary Ann Mee was my paternal grandmother. Of particular interest is that the church’s register revealed that whilst the groom could sign his name, Rachael could not and made her mark. Not surprising as it was not until 1880 that elementary education became compulsory for all children. How Joseph managed to learn to write – probably at one of the so-called Sunday schools or Dames’ Schools that flourished in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The connection with the Hunts was vital in subsequently establishing a link with the De Merlays. I started researching my family tree about ten years ago. Like many other people, I found it difficult going back beyond 1700. However Joseph Greener, a Broxholme Lincolnshire neighbour of my son Jeremy, is something of what might be called a ‘professional amateur genealogist.’ Researching family trees is something he has been doing for many years. Various people have given him commissions, wanting their family trees researched, but had neither the time or the inclination to do it themselves. The results of my early research I passed to all three of my sons. Jeremy showed it to Joseph, who undertook to look at it and continue the research. The result of his labours included the discovery of a connection with the Hunt family of Northamptonshire. I then took up the task again, beginning with a Johis Hunt, born in 1556 in Derby. It quickly emerged that his father was Sir John Hunt and his mother Lady Amice Cave. This was interesting in itself. But what also emerged was that John’s father Robert had also married into a noble family, the Digbys. Robert’s wife, Baringolda Digby, the youngest daughter of Sir Everard Digby, married Robert Hunt in 1514. Baringolda was obviously quite a character. As her mother had died at her So what I had discovered was that I was directly descended from two noble families, who could trace their family history back to the Norman Conquest, as their Cave and Digby ancestors were two of William the Conqueror’s knights. I had always thought that I was the first graduate in my family. What I now realised was that an ancestor, John Hunt, had graduated at Oxford in 1532 in civil law and become a member of the Middle Temple. Moreover whilst at Oxford he acted as a tutor of Gregory Cromwell, the son of Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII’s chief minister from 1530 to 1540 – someone who has become much more well known since the publication of the recent historical works of Tracy Borman and Hilary Mantell. John Hunt is particularly noteworthy. He had extensive land holdings in the midlands. He was MP for Rutland during Mary Tudor’s parliament and acted as a land agent for the Bishop of Peterborough. When Elizabeth I came to the throne, John Hunt continued practising his Roman Catholic faith, and as a recusant he was fined, as he refused to attend worship at the parish church. His will named his three eldest sons as beneficiaries of his extensive land holdings, but Family Tree CHANTRY 5 New Phoenix Yard • Morpeth • Northumberland • NE61 1PQ T: 01670 518914 The Touch ers Straighten David’s paternal grandmother Mary Ann Mee Johis, my ancestor, is not named in the will and presumably inherited nothing. There is however some evidence that Johis and his son Richard spent quite a bit of time travelling in the midland counties and may well have been acting as agents for Johis’ brothers. Unlike the rest of the Hunt family, neither Johis nor Richard, died in Denby. They both died in Shrewsbury. In 1588 Johis married Jane Brierly in the Parish Church of Denby, as she and her family were residents of the village. Johis and Jane set up their home there. Their descendants then lived in Denby until at least the early twentieth century and some may well do so still. Virtually all were baptised in Denby Parish Church, many of them married there and some were buried in the parish church cemetery. John Hunt was relatively wealthy, but none of his wealth passed to my Hunt ancestors. It was a case of “riches to rags” where the Hunt family was concerned. For within a generation or so, the Hunt family in Denby were comparatively poor and like many of their neighbours sought employment as miners in the nearby Derbyshire coalfield, as it developed in the late eighteenth century and afterwards. It was at this point that I was able to make a connection with my earlier research. The marriage register of St Alkmund’s Church in Derby not only revealed that Rachael Hunt could not sign her name. It also told me that her father Richard’s occupation was that of a collier, thus suggesting that male members of the Hunt family were employed in the coal mining industry in the Denby area. It also showed that Rachael had moved to a nearby village of Little Eaton, probably in order to enter into domestic service. Little Eaton, although a village outside Derby, then lay in the parish of Derby St Alkmund’s, so it was not surprising that Joseph Mee and Rachael Hunt, both resident in Little Eaton, married there. It was about a year ago I discovered that I was descended from the De Merlays. What was critical was discovering the link between the Hunts and the Digbys. It was then just a matter of time before I found the link with the De Merlays. The Digbys had been knights of the shire for many generations and the Caves were frequently titled barons. In fact, Amice Cave’s father was Baron Thomas Cave of Stanford in Northamptonshire. Members of my family and I have visited historic Stanford Hall and the nearby parish church. In the church are the tombs of Thomas Cave and his wife Elizabeth and above them are eleven small statues representing Amice and her ten brothers and sisters. So my research had come full circle. It began with Rachael Hunt and it ended with William De Merlay, first lord of Morpeth. £99.00 Ask your stylist for more details... Cruise with Beryl to the Scandinavian Capitals 16th July 2017 for 14 nights From £1,699 Fred Olsen cruise departing from Port of Tyne taking in Copenhagen, Stockholm, Tallinn, St Petersburg, Riga, Klaipeda (Lithuania) and Oslo. Fully escorted by Beryl Gibson – 20 years experience of leading cruise parties. Includes complimentary cocktail party. Ideal for solos as well as couples. To book call Northumbria Travel on 01670 829922 Visit www.northumbriatravel.com or email info@northumbriatravel.com 82 Front Street East, Bedlington NE22 5AB inside Morpeth 17 Produced in Northumberland CHANTRY Cheers - all the very best from Northumberland! Morpeth is to host a one-day Business to Business event that will celebrate the very best of food and drink grown and made in Northumberland. A celebration of food and drink ‘Produced in Northumberland’ trade event will be held at Morpeth Town Hall on Tuesday October 4th from 9.30am until 3.00pm and businesses, producers and retailers involved in the hospitality industry are free to apply to attend. It is being jointly organised by the County Council’s Public Health Protection Unit and the Tourism Development section of Active Northumberland who are working together on a verification scheme that will not only raise the profile of the many rich and varied local food and drink products, but raise the confidence of purchasers that the goods they are buying genuinely come from the county. Tourism, of course, is one of Northumberland’s most important industries and within that sector the food and drink business is worth an estimated £276 million (2014 figure) to the economy of the county. Money is spent by visitors on overnight stays and holiday breaks at hotels, bed-andbreakfasts, self-catering establishments; on eating out in restaurants, pubs, cafes and coffee shops; and on purchasing products made by local producers and sold through outlets in visitor destinations including award-winning farm shops. From Marlish Waters to Lindisfarne Mead and Kitty’s homemade ginger wine; Doddington diary’s cheese and ice cream; Kenspeckle confectionaries from Lynemouth; the ‘Mad Jam’ woman’s preserves and chutneys; artisan breads, delicious cakes and pastries; to beef and lamb raised and reared on the farms of Northumberland to name but a few suppliers who are producing delicacies and good old-fashioned, tasty food around every corner of the county. By signing up to the verification scheme producers and retailers as well as hospitality providers who can prove they are using local produce on their menus, are able to promote themselves as being part of the ‘Produced in Northumberland’ brand. “In Northumberland we are blessed with having so many wonderful people producing food and drink of the very highest quality and we need to celebrate and promote that not just to visitors but to local people as well,” commented Councillor Val Tyler, County Council cabinet member for Arts, Leisure and Culture. “One way to do that is to encourage as many producers, suppliers and retailers as possible to sign up to the ‘Produced in Musical instruments and accessories Stockists of Tokai, Faith, Peavey, Hofner, Vintage, Ozark & Odyssey Repairs and sheet music Visit us in Manchester Street, Morpeth follow us Twitter or like us on Facebook @firstformusic1 /firstformusic CALL US ON 01670 512721 or visit us at www.first-for-music.com 18 inside Morpeth Northumberland’ brand so they can display our logo in their premises and on their own publicity material. These days more and more people want to know where the food and drink they are consuming comes from and when they see our branding they can rest assured that it has been verified as having being produced virtually on their own doorsteps. “We know that it helps businesses increase their income and even create more jobs in the our tourism and hospitality sectors in Northumberland.” Any businesses interested in attending the Morpeth celebration of food and drink ‘Produced in Northumberland’ event should contact Dawn GoodwillEvans on (01670) 624766. Or tickets can be booked by visiting: bit.ly/ ProducedinNorthumberlandEvent JASON KING SINGER for Weddings, Special Occasions Birthdays, Corporate Events and Garden Parties Tel: 07766 081286 Email: jasonking52@hotmail.com www.jasonkingswing.moonfruit.com swing jazz soul salsa inside Morpeth 19 Sanderson Arcade CHANTRY New projects launched by Arcade team! Writes Medi Parry, Sanderson Arcade Manager After a very busy few months here at the Arcade, we have had both the privilege and the pleasure to open and launch a number of projects within the town - making it one of our most memorable summers yet! Guests at the launch of the new Barnabas media hub at the Stobhill Centre At the beginning of August, after fundraising £6,000 over the last 18 months, we gave an old underused gym the ultimate makeover at the Barnabas Stobhill Centre including brand new walls, floor and suspended ceiling. The fundraising also paid for a state of the art projector, Samsung tablets, storage and a colourful sofa - creating a modern day media hub for the community. With the help and support of local businesses, the £6,000 raised stretched a long way and we’d like to thank everyone who helped with additional materials and offers of volunteering. This project was a fine example of hard work, team work and community spirit – something that I will always be proud of! Later in August we saw the first store in our Stanley Terrace development open its doors – who would have thought that after nine months of construction, the development is complete. Come and join us on Saturday the 27th of August for the opening of Home Bargains and early in October we’ll be celebrating the opening of Next – something we’ve all been waiting for! Over the last four years – we have had the opportunity to recognise and reward the business here at the Arcade for their hard work and dedication to their place of work through the Sanderson Arcade Retail Awards. Now this year, all businesses within Morpeth town centre will be getting involved with the brand new ‘Heart of Morpeth Business Awards’ which is an exciting expansion of the Arcade retail awards. In October eight awards will be given out in total and the committee 20 inside Morpeth behind the ‘Heart of Morpeth Business Awards’ will be asking the shoppers of Morpeth to vote for their retailer of the year. Please visit www.moreinmorpeth.co.uk/vote to make sure your favourite retailer wins! Every vote counts! On Saturday October 1st we will once again be celebrating the return of the annual Morpeth Food & Drink Festival from 9am until 4pm. Following on from the great success of last year’s event, Bridge Street will once again be closed to traffic and over 100 stalls will be lining the streets –offering local people and visitors to the town a delicious selection of fantastic local produce. New this year we have live music down by the Chantry and don’t miss out on the stunning performance by the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers Band marching down Newgate Street which promises to be spectacular. During the next edition of Inside Morpeth, details on our popular Halloween event will be uncovered and also – don’t miss out on the information regarding the Christmas Lights switch on event. With nearly twice the space this year – our shoppers could be in for a treat! Myself and the inspirational Rhona Dunn will also be talking about this year’s Tree of Light and the charities this will be supporting. To keep up to date with events and offers at Sanderson Arcade visit www. sandersonarcade.co.ukor follow us on Twitter @sandersonarcade and if you’re on Facebook and Instagram please give us a like. DIARY DATES August 20th Back to School Event August 27th Home Bargains Opening Event September 11th Great North Run September 16th Shortlists announced for The Heart of Morpeth Business Awards Early October Next Opening Event October 1st Morpeth Food & Drink Festival October 12th Online voting for Retailer of the Year closes October 19th The Heart of Morpeth Business Awards Evening I N S TA L L I N G S O L I D F U E L H E AT I N G SYS T E M S S IN CE 198 9 FREE SITE SURVEYS & ESTIMATES V I S IT U S AT O U R H E AT I N G C E N T R E S H OW ROOM U NIT 2B, COOPIES FIELD, COOPIES LANE IND EST, MORPETH, NE61 6JT E. IN F O @VERT ECHS.CO.UK T. 0 1670 50 5 7 66 WWW.V E RT EC H S .CO.U K inside Morpeth 21 Taylor Wimpey St Andrews Gardens - the perfect place to pick a property Leading homebuilder, Taylor Wimpey North East, is experiencing record number of enquirers at its exclusive St Andrews Gardens development, from house hunters at all stages on the property ladder. Launched in June last year, the developer is crediting the surge in interest to the selection of three- to five-bedroom homes available, as well as financial support schemes such as Help to Buy and Easymover. Karl Morton, sales and marketing director for Taylor Wimpey North East, comments: “After opening our doors at St Andrews Gardens just over a year ago, the response from all types of buyers has been fantastic. “The development is situated on the outskirts of Morpeth, offering a generous variety of amenities nearby, making it the perfect location for families and couples alike. What’s more, customers utilising schemes are finding they can afford a larger home than they first thought possible.” Through the government-backed Help to Buy initiative, house hunters can secure their dream home worth up to £600,000 with just five per cent deposit. Meanwhile, Taylor Wimpey’s Easymover scheme takes the stress out of moving, with the homebuilder 22 inside Morpeth managing the entire selling process by liaising with estate agents and covering the cost of their fees. St Andrews Gardens has a range of three, four, and five bedroom homes available, including the sought-after Troon, which boasts five double bedrooms, a modern kitchen with family area, and a separate dining room for £499,995. Meanwhile, the three-bedroom Flatford is ideal for first time buyers and comes complete with spacious, fitted kitchen, and lounge/diner with French doors leading to the rear garden at £214,995. Karl concludes: “Our homes at St Andrews Gardens are selling so quickly, which is why we’re urging prospective house hunters in the region to head down to the development if they’re to snap up a great deal and avoid disappointment.” To find out more about St Andrews Gardens and the financial schemes on offer, please call 01670 335 201 or visit www.taylorwimpey.co.uk. SHOWROOM: New Kennels, Blagdon Estate, Northumberland NE13 6DB TEL: 01670 785722 EMAIL: info@blagdonkitchendesign.co.uk www.blagdonkitchendesign.co.uk BLAGDON KITCHEN DESIGN - The North East’s only SieMatic appointed partner. inside Morpeth 23 Blagdon Kitchens Island life An island can be a great feature in a kitchen design, but there are important factors to consider as Tony Raven of Blagdon Kitchen Design explains… One of the first “must haves” clients often put on their wish list when we are discussing a new kitchen design is an island. There is no doubt a kitchen island can be a key feature in how a kitchen looks and more importantly functions, but there are important factors to consider first. The most important, obvious as it may seem, is will it fit? We are often asked to include an island into a kitchen where on the face of it the room appears big enough but when you get into the detail of the design it just isn’t practical. As a rule of thumb you need to allow a clear space of 1200mm between an island and other kitchen cabinets, appliances and walls, although you can get away with slightly less depending on the individual situation. Having established there is sufficient space the next consideration is how it will be used. Is it purely for food preparation and/or casual dining or will there be appliances involved? If there is going to be a sink positioned on the island then consideration needs to be given to plumbing challenges, and if there is to be a hob then the important question of extraction has to be looked at. We have two working examples of the Bora downdraft extraction system in our showroom which offer the perfect solution to this issue. Often an island will incorporate some or all of these functions – preparation space, cooking, dishwashing and a breakfast bar which will in turn lead to the next question – what is the best choice of material for the work surface? Silestone, Corian, granite and solid wood can all be used, and often can be in complete contrast to the rest of the kitchen to make more of a visual impact. Two different sections, often of different materials and thickness can work well especially in a breakfast bar situation. Often the furniture used to form the base of the island can be in a different finish to the rest of the kitchen making even more of a design statement. Pendant lighting used to dramatic effect above an island Electrical sockets, pop-up storage solutions, loose chopping boards and pendant lighting are all important features which add to the functionality and appearance of a kitchen island which with careful thought about design and location can make all the difference to the success of a kitchen design. If you would like to discuss your kitchen design with us or simply visit our showroom for an informal chat please call either myself or Hannah Raven at Blagdon Kitchen Design on 01670 785722. Above: Incorporating details such as open shelving and electronic drawer systems. Below: Two different sections often of different materials and thickness can work well 24 inside Morpeth YOUR LOCAL BE SURE TO VISIT OUR SHO W ROOM FLOORING EXPERTS Wansbeck Carpet & Floor... A new name in carpets and flooring with a lifetime of experience in the business! Scott Bousfield has been fitting carpets and flooring for more than 35 years... and now he’s selling and supplying quality carpets, Karndean, vinyls and laminates from his newly opened showroom in Pegswood Industrial Estate. For a no obligation free estimate call us on 01670 516815 Come and visit our showroom at Unit 2a Pegswood Industrial Estate, Morpeth NE61 6HZ Showroom open: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday 9am - 5pm. Thursday 9am - 7pm. Saturday 10am - 4pm Visit: wansbeckcarpetandfloor.co.uk or email: info@wansbeckcarpetandfloor.co.uk inside Morpeth 25 Heighley Gate Morpeth In Bloom Nigel Lawton - Heighley Gate’s Horticultural Manager - has more top tips for our gardening readers For you early birds out there, you may have seen the guys out watering and feeding the displays to ensure that the flowers are the best they can be throughout the summer. I truly hope that you have enjoyed the displays as much as we have providing them. These are a few things to think about in your own gardens this month… Keeping things going As I write this article, it’s certainly been a busy few weeks for the team at Heighley Gate. We have just finished our summer displays in the town and Morpeth’s entry into ‘Northumbria In Bloom’ has been judged with the results due to be announced on the 14th September. Our theme this year is fire as we look to commemorate 800 years since King John burned down the town as he marched against the rebellious northern barons in 1216. The Deuchar Park beds, Rotary Garden and town entrance planters have been planted with a fiery mix of Begonias and Coleus, whilst the planters and baskets on the streets contain a wonderful mix of Geraniums and Million Bells in shades of red and terracotta. 26 inside Morpeth A few minutes every day of deadheading will keep the garden looking smart. It encourages plants to produce more flower and not to run to seed. Harvesting also encourages plants to keep producing, so pick dahlias with regularity and beans and courgettes while they are still young and fresh. Clear garden debris Keep weeding; most perennial weeds are susceptible to weedkiller this month and systemic weedkillers will carry on working throughout the winter. Also clear any debris and diseased material from your garden. Pests and diseases that overwinter in your garden will reappear next spring with a vengeance so get rid of them now. Burn diseased material and put the rest of your garden rubbish (apart from woody stems) in the compost. Clean out the greenhouse Once tomatoes and other greenhouse crops are over, give the greenhouse a thorough clean to prevent pests from making a home in that lovely warm environment, ready to leap into action next spring. Soaking up the heat The ground is a giant radiator and the heat of summer will remain in the ground for some time yet. With the addition of moisture, this makes the autumn one of our best planting seasons as the roots of plants put in now will have time to establish before winter. This places them in a strong position to survive the months ahead and come away fast next spring. Cheery spring displays Our spring flowering bulbs are now in stock! The perfect heralds of spring, flowering bulbs are a sure sign that the end of winter is finally in sight. From the dazzling daffodil and the brashest tulip to the perfume packed hyacinth, spring bulbs are just the thing for banishing the winter blues. Although you can wait until November to put tulip bulbs in, I like to get as many bulbs as I can in the ground so they can start growing. Choose your varieties soon to avoid disappointment should your favourites sell out and leave in a cool, airy place out of reach of mice until you can get them planted. www.cussins.com TYPICAL ROOM THE IRIS 4 bed detached home from £260,000 *UP TO 5K FLOORING PACKAGE WITHIN FENWICK PARK, LONGFRAMLINGTON EXCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENTS OF 3 AND 4 BEDROOM FAMILY HOMES AND BUNGALOWS THE LILY 4 bed detached home from £310,000 TYPICAL ROOM WITHIN WILDING GROVE, LONGHORSELY OPEN 10AM-5PM THURSDAY & FRIDAY, 10AM-4PM SATURDAY, SUNDAY & MONDAY NEW SHOW HOMES NOW OPEN AT MORWICK GARDENS WARKWORTH NE65 0TG. COMING SOON NEW DEVELOPMENT AT EMBLETON. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION HELP TO BUY AVAILABLE ASK FOR DETAILS CALL 01665 600 800 / 01670 788 825 or EMAIL sales@cussins.com inside Morpeth 27 The effect of Brexit on the housing market While it is too early to say for sure what will happen in the short to medium term to the UK housing market following the nation’s decision to leave the European Union on the 23rd of June, the early indications are reasonably optimistic write Residential Sales Director Charles Robinson. As homeowners come to terms with the momentous decision to leave the EU and realise that the sky has not fallen in (as some predicted) for many it is very much business as usual. The housing market, like the stock market, hates uncertainty and in the past has often been adversely affected by forecasts of an impending recession, hike in interest rates or job uncertainty. the falls in the past quarter are not seemingly related to the EU referendum. Indeed over the last 35 years or so I have seen on countless occasions the calling of a general election resulting in a slowdown in activity even when it was almost impossible to slide a cigarette paper between the policies of the two leading political parties. More importantly the RICS reports that there is no evidence of a price decline other than in London. A picture is now beginning to emerge following Brexit of lower transaction volumes in the housing market and a slower pace of growth but so far there have been few signs of a crash and transactions have proved more resilient than some people expected. There are, of course, exceptions. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors has reported that property prices are softening (a gobbledygook expression meaning they are not going up as fast as they were) across the country since the referendum. It is reported that across the country price growth is moderating - still increasing in many places but less so than it was - which many (particularly first time buyers) would say is no bad thing! The latest survey of RICS members published earlier this month found that while there may be a dip in the next three months in provincial areas this is expected to be relatively short lived. head Christine Lagarde warned in May that the consequence of Brexit would be “pretty bad to very, very bad” - forecast that UK growth in 2017 to be 1.3 per cent - the fastest in Europe ahead of both France and Germany. This view is certainly in line with our own experience. After the initial shock of the unexpected referendum result what we are now seeing is a “business as normal” approach from both buyers and sellers. Yes it is true that some in the market will be more cautious and while this may result in a reduction in the number of transactions we have seen absolutely no evidence to suggest that prices are likely to fall in the short term which is most encouraging. The London market which is prone to peaks and troughs with burgeoning gains during sustained periods of economic growth followed by substantial falls when things go wrong in the economy - is clearly suffering following the referendum result. In contrast to the Treasury prediction before the vote that house prices could drop by up to 18 per cent over the next two years as the “economic shock” increased the cost of mortgages many commentators are now suggesting that the housing market is in for “more of a soft landing than a crash”. As I have said before the housing market in Morpeth and surrounding areas is resilient and although we have not seen the spectacular gains in house prices experienced in the southern half of the country in recent years neither have we experienced the dramatic falls in property values experienced by homeowners in London and the south east when problems emerge in the market. Elsewhere newly published official figures reveal that house prices in Scotland were falling in the three months leading up to the Brexit vote in June. It would appear that there is a different dynamic at work in Scotland and Perhaps this newfound optimism has been helped by the Office for National Statistics reporting this month that employment has reached a record high of the working age population and the news that the IMF - whose All the indications so far are that the robustness of the local market will hold homeowners in the area in good stead ahead of the possible turbulent times once Article 50 is invoked. 28 inside Morpeth 4 11 Others (8 offices) Office 7 7 Office 6 Sales Agreed* 10 Office 5 11 Office 4 12 Office 3 13 Office 2 41 Rickard * Rightmove (the UK’s leading property portal) confirmed that in the first 6 months of 2016 Rickard agreed far more sales of properties over £150,000 than any of their competitors – in fact more than their 3 main rivals combined. Morpeth’s No.1 selling agent If you are thinking of selling in 2016 please contact us for a confidential no obligation valuation by contacting us on 01670 513533 option 1 or by email morpeth@rickard.uk.com 25/27 Newgate Street Morpeth NE61 1AW If you have already instructed another agent we would advise you to check any agreement that you may have to ensure that you are not liable for more than one commission by instructing us as your agent. inside Morpeth 29 What’s On More events Inside ... SEPTEMBER NEWGATE STREET POETS First-ever poetry festival in Newgate Streets. Poems about local businesses – new and old - in shop windows and open mic sessions. Dates: Monday 5 to Sunday 11 September. Open mic sessions as follows:- Mon 5 The Cube (10.30am), The Wheatsheaf (2pm) and Sour Grapes (7.30pm). Tue 6 Café des Amis (10.30am), Unique Boutique (2pm) Black & Grey (7.30pm). Wed 7 Packhorse Yard (10.30am), Café Vault (2pm), Peppermint Tea Rooms (7pm). Thurs 8 Ice Bar (7.30pm). Sun 11 White Swan (7.30pm) Cost: Free Contact:To submit a poem email morpethpoetryrecital@gmail.com SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCING Classes on Thursday evenings for beginners and those with previous experience. All ages welcome and no need to have a partner. Free taster session before classes begin – Saturday 3 September 2pm to 4pm St George’s Church Hall, Morpeth Date: Thursday 22 September Time:2.30pm Place: St George’s Church Hall, Morpeth Cost: Entry by donation of £2 to £3 NORTHUMBERLAND THEATRE COMPANY Presents ‘How to Make a Killing in Bollywood’. Written by and starring NTC favourite Umar Ahmed. Colourful musical comedy about best friends who quit their jobs in a fast food restaurant and head to Bollywood in search of fame and fortune. A play about the lengths people go to in an effort to realise their dreams, punctuated with a fantastic sound track and infectious injections of Bollywood dance movies. Date: Saturday 24 September Time: 7.30pm Place: St George’s Church Hall, Morpeth Cost: £8 Contact:Tickets from Chantry TIC (01670 623454); GMDT (01670 503866) Morpeth Town Hall (01670 514314) or at the door OCTOBER Date: 8 Sept (First Autumn term class) Time: 7.30pm to 9.30pm Place:Morpeth Chantry Middle School Hall Cost: £40 a term (13 weeks) Contact:Sheila Trafford 07713 708 711 All proceeds to support the Foundation’s work. Date: Saturday 1 October Time: 7pm Place:Morpeth Methodist Church, Howard Road Cost: Free but ticket acquired with opportunity to donate on the night Contact:Morpeth Methodist Church for tickets – (01670) 511078 MORPETH LIONS CLUB Charity Chinese Banquet in aid of The Sick Children’s Trust that provides free, quality ‘home-from-home’ accommodation for families with sick children in hospital. Numbers restricted to 100. All welcome. Date: Monday 3 October Time: 7pm for 7.30pm Place: Mulan Restaurant, Morpeth Cost: Tickets are £20 each Contact:David Armstrong (01670 512000 or davidarmstrong@waitrose. com) or Les Sage (01670 516859 or lionlessage@gmail.com) MORPETH CIVIC SOCIETY Talk by Frances Povey (Parks & Green Spaces Officer Northumberland CC) entitled ‘200 years of Bolam Lake’. Nonmembers always welcome to talks. Date: Wednesday 5 October Time:7.30pm Place: Morpeth Methodist Church, Howard Road Cost:Annual membership of Society is £15 Contact:Call 01670 513152 LUNCH TIME CONCERT With Michael Fu (violin) from Newcastle RGS and Nicole Souter (flute) from KEVI accompanied by Ken Irvine (piano). Tea and coffee available. Date: Wednesday 14 September Time: 12.30m to 1.30pm (Doors Open Noon) Place: St George’s Church Hall, Morpeth Cost: Tickets £3 at the door TEA TIME TALK On ‘The Great Fire of London’. Speaker Jared Johnson. Home-made scones with jam and cream. 30 inside Morpeth COFFEE MORNING FAIR PEARL OF AFRICA The children’s choir will be making its eighth visit to the North East as part of its UK tour. Organised by charity which supports six Molly and Paul Child Care Foundation Schools in Uganda. Choir is drawn from children at the schools which provide education, shelter and healthcare for some 2,000 children. As always the young people will enthral their audience with traditional vibrant African music and colourful costumes, singing, dancing and drumming. Also chance to buy authentic African crafts. Annual event at the Church Date: Time: Place: Cost: Saturday 8 October 10am to 1pm St George’s Church, Morpeth Entry by donation LUNCH TIME CONCERT Piano recital with Nicholas Nowicki. Tea and coffee available. Date: Wednesday 12 October Time:12.30pm to 1.30pm. Doors open at Noon Place:St George’s Church Hall, What’s On CHANTRY Cost: Morpeth Tickets £3 at the door TEA TIME TALK Speaker John Gillespie talks about ‘The Clydebank Blitz’, followed by home-made scones with jam and cream. Date: Thursday 13 October Time:2.30pm Place:St George’s Church Hall, Morpeth Cost: Entry by donation of £2 to £3 MORPETH MUSIC SOCIETY Opening concert of new season, featuring pianist Ashley Wass in recital with Shakespearean theme. Music by Beethoven – The Tempest Sonata; Smetana – Macbeth and the Witches; Liszt – Concert paraphrase on Mendelssohn’s ‘ A Midsummer Night’s Dream’; Prokofiev – 10 pieces from Romeo and Juliet Date: Thursday 13 October Time:7.30pm Place: Morpeth Methodist Church Howard Road Cost: Tickets £14 adults, children free with adult Contact:For further details (01670) 513369 or www.morpethmusoc.org.uk. Tickets from Church or Chantry TIC BEWICK ORCHESTA CONCERT Classical concert by Robin Forbes to raise money for Diabetes UK. Programme to include Beethoven’s Egmont Overture, Finzi’s Five Bagatelles for clarinet and strings with soloist Jonathan Caudle, and Brahm’s Double Concerto with soloists Iona Brown and Nick Byrne. Date: Sunday 16 October Time:7.30pm Place: St James’ Church, Morpeth Cost: Tickets £8 and (£5 Under 18s) at the door Contact:For more details call (01670) 515571 LONGHIRST JUMBLE SALE Proceeds to go to St John’s Church, Longhirst Date: Friday 21 October Time:6pm Place: Longhirst Village Hall Cost: Entry 50p Contact:Jill Elphick (01670) 790764 New season will have that ‘wow’ factor! By Roger Ashmore from Morpeth Music Society Violinist Tasmin Little It must be rare for so many worldclass musicians to perform in a town the size of Morpeth and never has this been truer than in our 72nd season of classical music concerts. The six concerts from October to April will really make this a special season, and all will take place in the attractive setting and excellent acoustics of Morpeth Methodist Church starting at 7.30pm on Thursday evenings. All our regular concert-goers share the view that if you enjoy classical music that you will love the forthcoming season. We aim to engage artists who will delight your ear and provide a real wow factor! Every year an amazing selection of talented musicians – some very well established, some emerging – come to us from all over the world. So do look out especially for our January concert when we will be thrilled to bring violinist Tasmin Little and Martin Roscoe (piano) to Morpeth. Together they have inspired audiences wherever they have performed. As always the Society will extend a warm welcome to all our concert-goers and we especially love to see new faces in our audiences. During the intervals when refreshments are being served there is a lively buzz of conversation and at the end you will find our musicians are keen to talk to members of our audiences. Our regular subscription members know that Morpeth Music Society concerts are always of a very high standard and excellent value with the added bonus of being ‘on your doorstep’. Do remember that if you subscribe at the beginning of the season for all six concerts you can bring a friend or partner with you free-of-charge to the first one – and even if you subsequently have to miss one you will still have saved money on the other five. However, if you would rather choose individual concerts tickets are on sale at Morpeth Methodist Church in Howard Terrace, from our secretary or from Morpeth Tourist Information Centre at The Chantry. There is no better time to choose one or more of our concerts than in this coming season when the programme is of outstanding quality. We look forward to seeing you! Here is a glimpse of what is in store for this season. However, for more information please pick up a brochure from The Chantry TIC, Morpeth Methodist Church, the Town Hall or the Library. Alternatively visit our website at http:/www.morpethmusoc.org.uk October 13th – Leading British pianist Ashley Wass makes a welcome return with a programme based on a Shakespearean theme to mark the 400th anniversary of the Bard’s death in 1616. November 10th – Trio Izimsiz (piano trio) are current members of the prestigious Young Classical Artists Trust programme. All members of the trio are also rising stars in their own right. December 8th – The London Conchord Ensemble is renowned for its imaginative programming and in our concert will feature flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon and piano. January 12th (2017) – Superstar violinist Tasmin Little will perform an exciting programme with her frequent concert platform partner pianist Martin Roscoe. Tasmin performs all over the world with leading orchestras and conductors. In 2008 she launched a project aimed at breaking down barriers to classical music. March 9th – The Escher Quartet, one of the ‘hot’ young international chamber ensembles of the moment. They have made a distinctive impression throughout Europe and the Society is delighted to have the opportunity to present them in Morpeth. April 6th – The pianist Alexander Ullman is another member of the highly regarded Young Classical Artists Trust scheme. He is currently making a name for himself as a soloist at leading music venues around the world. Vladimir Ashkenazy describes him as: “A gifted young pianist with a very natural feeling for the music.” inside Morpeth 31 Heritage Open Days Time to treasure our treasures! What has become an annual trip into the past is about to take place in and around Morpeth again as part of a nationwide celebration weekend of all that’s great about Britain’s heritage. For the past two decades Heritage Open Days (HODs) have been held to give people the chance to discover more about history on their own doorsteps and to celebrate Britain’s great architectural and cultural traditions. Lifeboat Station – the oldest operating station still in service in the country. Built in 1866 the Rocket House stored all the equipment needed to respond to emergencies at sea by using breeches buoys to save sailors stranded too close to shore to be reached by lifeboat crews. This year the HODs’ national theme over four days from Thursday 8th to Sunday 11th September is ‘Treasure Your Treasures’ and more than 5,000 events will be organised and staged by many thousands of volunteers. Once again Morpeth will be taking part thanks to Greater Morpeth Development Trust (GMDT) and Friends. Lottery funding is also being sought to preserve this unique relic of Britain’s coastal rescue service and open the building to the public. Over the four days there’ll be opportunities to visit places of local historic interest, enjoy talks, attend events and exhibitions, join tours and walks. This year Morpeth HODs will also be extending its boundaries to take in new sites of historic interest in Cresswell, Newbiggin, Longhorsley and Hepscott. For instance, there’ll be the chance to visit Cresswell’s 15th Century Pele Tower said to be haunted by a ‘White Lady’; climb to its roof tower to enjoy a spectacular view over Druridge Bay; and learn about plans to hopefully attract National Lottery funding with the help of GMDT, to restore and preserve an ancient local building. Or why not discover more about a little known arm of the maritime rescue service by visiting the Rocket House attached to Newbiggin’s The National Lottery is also contributing financially to GMDT’s plans to restore Morpeth’s 167 year old Morpeth Railway Station to its former glory as well as converting empty offices to accommodate small businesses. Over the HODs weekend a small exhibition about the history of the Grade II listed building will be staged alongside the restoration and development plans. Also look out over the weekend for ‘Morpeth Past and Present’ – in Newgate Street, Oldgate and Newmarket. Photographic exhibitions in show windows will show how Morpeth and its shops have changed over the years, as well as the Newgate Street Poetry Festival with its shop windows poems and open mic sessions in various premises along the street. Details of what to see and do during Morpeth HODs are listed and more information can be found in a leaflet available around town or by calling Greater Morpeth Development Trust on (01670) 503866. St George’s United Reformed Church CHURCHES Church of St James the Great Bridge Street, Morpeth St James’ Terrace, Morpeth Sat 10th 10am to 4pm Thurs 8th to Sun 11th 10am to 4pm Church open with local musicians Impressive Victorian church designed by Benjamin Ferrey. See the Apse paintings and Minton tiled chancel floor. Guide books and handmade cards for sale. Refreshments available. St Helen’s Church West Road, Longhorsley Sun 11th 10am to 4pm See the tapestry kneelers showing village scenes and flowers. Small display about church Church of St Mary the Virgin St Mary’s Field, Morpeth Thurs 8th to Sun 11th 10am to 3pm One of the finest medieval churches in the county. 14thC Jesse window; small exhibition about Emily Wilding Davison (her grave is in the churchyard); ‘Find the Mice’ children’s trail; booklets on the history of church and stained glass. Refreshments available. 32 inside Morpeth St Andrew’s Church Bothal St Mary Magdalene Church Stable Green, Mitford Thurs 8th to Sun 11th 11am to 4pm Thurs 8th & Fri 9th 2pm to 4pm; Sat 10th 10am to 4pm; Sun 11th Noon to 4pm A stunning medieval church. Local crafts to buy; occasional live music; some tours. Refreshments available. Beautiful Grade I listed building opposite the ruins of Mitford Castle. It has what is thought to be the oldest church bell in the country Heritage Open Days CHANTRY EVENTS/EXHIBITIONS/TOURS TALKS Town Treasures Collingwood Society Lecture Morpeth Town Hall Corn Exchange Morpeth Town Hall Thurs 8th 2pm to 4pm Thurs 8th 7.30pm Chance to visit Mayor’s Parlour and Council Chamber and see Morpeth’s collection of civic treasures Vera Vaggs on Alexandar Davison and Swarland Estate and the Nelson connection. No pre-booking required Monkey Business at Medieval Abbey The Chantry Morpeth Fri 9th 7pm Woodhorn Matters Morpeth Methodist Church Howard Terrace Sun 11th 12.30pm to 3.30pm Demonstrations of traditional ‘proggy’ and ‘hooky’ mat-making and work by members Morpeth Clock Tower Newbiggin Rocket House Oldgate New Sandridge Newbiggin Thurs 8th to Sun 11th 2pm to 4pm Sun 11th 11am to 4pm Guided tours of the oldest civic tower in the country and chance to ring the bells every 45 minutes. Pre-booking essential. Contact rev.simonjhwhite.com to reserve a place For more than 100 years it housed the lifesaving equipment needed to save mariners whose ships had foundered close to shore. A unique opportunity to find out more about rockets, breeches buoys and the countless lives they saved Morpeth Railway Station Coopies Lane, Morpeth Fri 9th & Sat 10th 9.30am to 12.30pm Small exhibition on Grade II listed Victorian station and current redevelopment plans. Brief tours of building – pre-booking required for tours. Call GMDT (01670) 503866 or email info@gmdt.org Cresswell Pele Tower Cresswell Towers Holiday Park Sat 10th 11am to 3.30pm Guided tours of 15th Pele Tower. Also exhibition in village hall on plans to restore tower as a visitor attraction. Not suitable for Under 10s. Refreshments available. Conflict & Fire Mini Display Butter Market, Morpeth Town Hall Juliana’s Castle at Ha’Hill Meet by the Turner Garden, Carlisle Park, Morpeth Sun 11th 11am to Noon Start just below Ha’Hill and head to the top to see Morpeth from Juliana’s point of view. Steep steps to Ha’Hill summit WALKS Witton Hall Heritage Walk Meet at parking area on minor road 50 yards north of Netherwitton Hall Thurs 8th 1pm start Half day guided walk (approx 5 miles) featuring private halls of Netherwitton and Longwitton and their renowned gardens. Can be muddy. Further information from David Barker (01670) 515351. Register at start. Historical Sherburne Walk Meet at Colwell Village junction on B6342 Fri 9th 10.30am Full day guided walk (approx 8 miles) featuring historical Sherburne, Colt Crag Reservoir, tragedy of Throcklington and Northumberland’s largest standing stone. Can be muddy. Bring picnic lunch. Further information from David Barker (01670) 515351. Register at start. Longhorsley Village Hall Hepscott Heritage Walks Drummonds Close, Longhorsley Both walks meet at Hepscott Village Hall Sun 11th 11am to 4pm Sun 11th View Millennium embroidered wall hanging depicting the village and some of its characters and ‘hooky’ mat celebrating Emily Wilding Davison. Art exhibition, stalls and activities reflecting village life. Self-guided village heritage trails. Refreshments available Walk 1 (3 miles) 10am to 11.30pm Sun 11th Noon to 3pm Heritage drop-in run by Morpeth Antiquarian Society including WWI Morpethians at The Somme and historic fires of Morpeth. Plus chance to chat about Morpeth’s history. Refreshments available. Archaeologist Barry Mead describes what life was like for the monks who lived and worked at Newminster Abbey and other monastic sites. No pre-booking but entry on first-come, first served basis Walk 2 (1.5miles) 11.30am to 12.30pm Wear suitable footwear and clothing. Short walk suitable for less mobile. No booking required. Enquiries (01670) 516397 or david_cowans@hotmail.com Hepscott Village Group Hepscott Village Hall Sun 11th 10am to 1pm Exhibition to include film, photos, archives and booklets. inside Morpeth 33 The Chantry Busy few weeks ahead at The Chantry Morpeth Amy Hall tells Inside Morpeth readers what’s new at The Chantry Calling all Morpethians! We have a very busy few months on the way in Morpeth and all around our glorious county and I can promise you, you don’t want to miss out! As you probably already know there have been lot of changes around Tourist Information Centres across Northumberland lately and you may be curious about what’s new at The Chantry. Well… our centre is now home to the Northern Poetry Library Collection! Yes, that’s right, we have the privilege of housing hundreds of books filled with beautiful poems. To celebrate this move we recently held a launch at The Chantry and the library is now officially open. As always, we promise you an excellent time you don’t want to miss and you’re welcome to pop in whenever you want some peace, quiet and an abundance of inspiration! For more information visit the Chantry to find out a bit more and we’ll see you there! Of course our stall holders are forever keeping things fresh and beautiful in our centre and I feel I should tell you about Pure Candles a fantastic company and a real treasure in Morpeth Chantry. Nicky and Judith restore vintage furniture and have a gorgeous range of candles which can now be personalised for special occasions as wedding favours or stunning gifts. Buy yours or order them now at The Chantry. 34 inside Morpeth Last year’s Food Festival jam and scone competition winners Morag Thompson and Ian Shaw So what else have we got for you in August… well there’s the Tall Ships Regatta and we are here for you to find out all about the event. We are all fully prepped on the who’s, the what’s and the when’s on if you need some information on parking, where to take the children, and what kind of entertainment there will then call in and ask us or you can message us @moreMorpeth on Twitter. Busy August and busy September - the Heritage Days are coming on the 8th to 11th of September! There are many things to see and love and you can pick up a leaflet on your local open days from Morpeth Chantry now! We are also holding a very exciting event over the Heritage weekend with local author favourite Bridget Gubbins to celebrate her new book ‘Juliana and Ranulph of Morpeth Castle – the latest instalment in her series about Morpeth’s past which is on sale now at The Chantry. You didn’t think we’d leave you bored in October did you? As most of you will know Morpeth had a fantastic food festival last October and it is coming back again. We couldn’t possibly reveal all, where would be the fun in that, but there’s a poster up in the Chantry for your information and of course Morpeth Chantry will be involved again. As part of the Morpeth Food & Drink Festival, Saturday October 1st Morpeth Chantry will, for the third time, be hosting the Morpeth Best Jam, Scone and new for 2016 a sweet pie competition. Entry forms are available from Morpeth Chantry Craft Centre for all you budding bakers and jam makers!” EXPLORE NORWAY HURTIGRUTEN STYLE Discover magical winter Norway with Hurtigruten and marvel at the breathtaking scenery by day, and the theatrical Northern Lights by night. With our newly-refurbished fleet of intimate ships, and our onboard Expedition Team offering informative lectures and activities, we take you to the very heart of Norwegian life. CLASSIC ROUND VOYAGE & NORTHERN LIGHTS NORWEGIAN DISCOVERY & NORTHERN LIGHTS 12 days | Bergen – Kirkenes – Bergen © Ørjan Bertelsen 12 days | Bergen – Kirkenes – Bergen © Trym Ivar Bergsmo © Shutterstock SPECIAL OFFERS FOR INSIDE MORPETH READERS ONBOARD CREDIT Offer expires 30th September 2016 Prices include: ✓ Return flights and transfers ✓ Onboard Expedition Team enhancing your experience through a series of lectures and activities From £1095pp including full board and return flights! From £1419pp including full board, rail and return flights! DEPARTURE DATES: 19 & 24 January, 4 & 10 February and 4 & 9 March 2017 DEPARTURE DATES: 15 February 2017 Enjoy the Classic Round Voyage and visit up to 34 ports whilst keeping your eyes peeled for the magical Northern Lights. Enjoy majestic scenery, welcoming towns and friendly, like-minded travellers. There’s also a great range of exciting excursions to choose from including snowmobiling and Husky dog sledging.* The 11-night Norwegian Discovery Voyage combines many highlights of the Classic Round Voyage and includes a 10-night voyage on the ship, the beautiful Dovre Railway journey from Trondheim to Oslo, and one night B&B in the capital city at a 4-star hotel. A fabulous picturesque voyage. ALSO £50pp ✓ Choice of cabin grade and cabin number ✓ Full Board ✓ Northern Light Promise ✓ Fully refurbished ships ✓ Offers combinable with 5% Ambassador Discounts ALSO AUTUMNAL VOYAGE From £1769pp Departs 18th September 2017 MIDNIGHT SUN VOYAGE From £2507pp Departs 5th August 2017 Call Northumbria Travel 01670 829922 Visit www.northumbriatravel.com or email us at info@northumbriatravel.com 82 Front Street East, Bedlington, Northumberland NE22 5AB Classic Round Voyage & Northern Lights: Price shown is per person based on two people sharing an inside cabin departing 19 January 2017 including full board voyage, return flights from London and transfers. Norwegian Discovery & Northern Lights: Price shown is per person based on two people sharing an inside cabin including full board voyage, return flights from London and transfers, railway journey and 1 night B&B at a 4-star hotel in Oslo. Regional flights available at a small supplement. *Available to book at extra cost. Hurtigruten’s full terms and conditions apply. All prices and availability correct at time of going to press. inside Morpeth 35 Town Cryer TOWN CRYER! The latest News from Morpeth Town Council Summertime delights - and challenges Doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun! It flies even faster when you are trying to create space to do those things that you know take time but are very important to you but perhaps not to other people? It seems incredible that it is now two months since I became Mayor and those months have been frenetic. I have experienced some very solemn moments including commemorating the Battle of the Somme and a most moving event organised by the local Women’s Institute with Olivia Giles OBE, a remarkable woman who lost the lower part of both her legs and arms from meningococcal septicaemia, but formed a charity to help others in Africa with artificial limbs. I thoroughly enjoyed Picnic in the Park and also helping to launch the Library service “Children’s Reading Challenge”. I think one or two brides-to-be have been a little bit puzzled when the Mayor, fully chained, appears in the middle of their preparations in the Town Hall! Perhaps the most demanding event was, however, entertaining 16 young Beavers, along with their adult helpers, in the Mayor’s Parlour and the Council Chamber. Making the visit relevant to such young people was quite a challenge, but very enjoyable. Most people look forward to the summer months, warmer weather, longer evenings and hopefully plenty of sunshine, although 2016 has not been particularly friendly so far with the weather. The summer months also bring challenges and opportunities for Morpeth. Morpeth is a very attractive market town and I have know the other areas of the town are equally as attractive. So many people put so much effort in that I can only hope that when the judging is announced Morpeth once again is successful in several categories. We already know that Abbeyfields First School has won an award in the schools competition - the third year running so well done to the staff and pupils there. You will understand that as Vice Chair of Governors their success gives me particular pleasure. lost count of the number of visitors who have expressed their delight to me about discovering Morpeth and its charms. But I equally know that the influx of visitors brings challenges for residents with increased pressure on the limited car parking space. Morpeth Town Council has limited powers in terms of car parking although it continues to put an enormous amount of pressure on Northumberland County Council to make adequate provision. If Morpeth is to be one of the growth areas in Northumberland and that is what is envisaged - there has to be an equal commitment to making sure the infrastructure can sustain that growth. I make no apology as Mayor for trying to make sure that message is fully understood by the County’s Administration. I cannot let this edition of the Town Cryer go past without complimenting all of those people involved in preparing Morpeth for Northumbria in Bloom. Despite the weather Morpeth looked fantastic on the day of the judging - the fiery theme really has been captured, and driving past Mafeking Park into Morpeth continues to be a real pleasure, as does walking round the town centre. I I am less happy at the number of complaints I receive as a County Councillor about the weeds in some residential areas of Morpeth. The weather this year has encouraged weed growth and I know the County Council staff are struggling to clear those weeds. Sadly we cannot escape the consequences of the cutbacks the Government has demanded of local authorities. I am also pleased to read that GMDT has been successful in its bid for lottery funding to redevelop Morpeth Railway Station. I only hope that this development is appreciated by everybody and that everything moves ahead smoothly to completion. I want to finish by making a plea. Morpeth Antiquarians celebrate their 70th anniversary this year, but they continue to struggle to find somewhere in Morpeth to keep all their incredibly valuable documents from the past which makes up our history. Each year they put on fantastic exhibitions; is not somebody out there who could offer them accommodation to store all their collections? I hope you all enjoy the remainder of the summer break. Andrew Tebbutt Mayor of Morpeth Morpeth Town Council, Morpeth Town Hall, Market Place, Morpeth NE61 1LZ Call 01670 514314 email dee.smith@morpeth-tc.gov.uk or mayor@morpeth-tc.gov.uk or visit www.morpeth-tc.gov.uk 36 inside Morpeth Town Cryer Flood volunteers wanted Day of the On Tuesday September 6th at 6pm in Morpeth Town Hall, the Town Council, in partnership with Northumberland County Council and the Environment Agency, is planning a refresher and review session on Morpeth’s Community Agreement. and volunteer organisations will work together to improve Morpeth’s resilience and recovery from flooding. This agreement is an emergency flood plan for Morpeth, detailing how the community, the County Council, Morpeth Town Council If you require any further information, please contact the Town Council office. We look forward to meeting you on the night. We would really appreciate the attendance of any members of the community who would be interested in becoming a Community Resilience Volunteer or who would like to learn about the risks of flooding from the river and other sources, and how to protect themselves, their property and the wider community against flooding. Disappeared The International Day of the Disappeared will be observed in St Robert’s Peace Garden, Oldgate, Morpeth on Tuesday August 30th at 4pm. This event draws attention to the fate of individuals imprisoned without trial across the world, often under poor conditions and recognises the numbers of people still missing through conflict, disaster and migration, showing solidarity with their loved ones. Sea Lord toast On Friday October 21st at 11.50am, Morpeth Town Council invites you to join the Mayor Councillor Andrew Tebbutt to make a toast to Lord Collingwood outside his former Morpeth home at Collingwood House in Oldgate to celebrate Trafalgar, with a drink of “Grog” Sailors had to drink fresh water on their voyages but it quickly developed algae and became slimy. The putrid water was sweetened with rum, lemons, limes and spices and became known as Grog! MORPETH TOWN COUNCILLORS Morpeth North Ward: DR NIC BEST T. 01670 517915 M.07878 896 292 E.nic.best@ymail.com LES CASSIE T. 01670 516424 M.07739 259 254 E.leshcassie@aol.com DAVID CLARK T. 01670 503033 M.07971 451 906 E.davideunsonclark@hotmail.com RON FORSTER T. 01670 517431 M.07840 871 882 E. ron@the4stars.f9.co.uk BOB ROBERTSON T. 01670 516399 M.07885 297 556 E.bobrobertson@fsmail.net Morpeth Kirkhill Ward: KEN BROWN T. 01670 515760 M.07935 214 569 E.ken.brown1@outlook.com DAVID PARKER T. 01670 516218 E.davidparker12@sky.com Council Meeting Timetable - See noticeboards and website. ADRIAN SLASSOR Meeting Timetable for the period 1st T. 01670 517678 August 2016 to 31st October 2016. M.07795 592 224 All meetings will be held in the E.adrian@slassor20.freeserve.co.uk Council Chamber of the Town Hall. ANDREW TEBBUTT All Committee meetings commence T. 01670 511631 at 6:30 pm, unless otherwise stated M.07767 338 509 on the posters or website. E. Andrew.Tebbutt@northumberland.gov.uk Full Council JOAN TEBBUTT T. 01670 511631 E.joan.c.tebbutt@gmail.com 28th September Morpeth Stobhill Ward: Planning & Transport Committee ALISON BYARD T. 01670 515391 M.07963 306 549 E. alisonbyard65@gmail.com MARK HORTON T. 01670 513758 M.07803 078 438 E.mhcouncil2000@gmail.com STUART LISHMAN M.07840 800 805 E.stuart.lishman@gmail.com DAVE POPE T. 01670 515806 M.07714 143 640 E.dpope@morpethnet.co.uk JOHNNY WEARMOUTH M: 07956 429942 E: johnny4morpeth.stobhill@gmail.com 7th September 21st September 5th October 19th October Finance & General Purposes Committee 14th September 12thOctober Property and Asset Management Committee 26th October Home addresses are available from the Town Council Offices or website inside Morpeth 37 Food Festival Fourth Food Fest will be best yet! October 1st will see the Morpeth Markets Partnership host the fourth annual Morpeth Food and Drink Festival which organisers say will be the best yet! Due to the success of 2015 and the event bringing huge number of visitors to the town, the organisers are well under way with plans to make the 2016 event bigger and better than ever. For a second year running stalls will run along Bridge Street once again linking both the monthly Morpeth Farmers’ Market and the Morpeth Town Hall. The Market Place will again play host to the ever popular demonstration kitchen where local chefs will show off their culinary and baking skills! As well as a fantastic line up of demonstrations, products and delicious local food and drink the Morpeth Jam and Scone Competition will be back for a third year, with the addition of a sweet pie competition - all taking place at The Chantry. A park and ride system will be taking place thanks to sponsors Taylor Wimpey, which will operate from County Hall to Morpeth Bus station every half an hour to ensure visitors do not have to worry about finding a parking space. There is also the new addition of the music area sponsored by 02 taking place near The Chantry where local bands will be able to showcase their talent whilst keeping foodies entertained as they enjoy prosecco and pimms served by bin21. Also not forgetting the performance by The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers who will be marching down Newgate Street once again which will be followed by a static performance next to the Market Place. Zoe Christopher, part of the Morpeth Food and Drink Festival Committee said: “We really can’t wait for this year’s event – The event really has grown in popularity and the organisers are determined to make this year’s festival event bigger and better than previous years.” Morpeth Market is managed by Northumberland County Council and Sanderson Arcade, working in partnership with Morpeth Town Council, Morpeth Chamber of Trade and other local organisations through the Morpeth market working group. The Morpeth Markets run from 9am to 3pm on the Market Place, the regular Market every Wednesday and the Farmers’ Market on the first Saturday of every month. For further information regarding the Morpeth Markets please visit ww.moreinmorpeth.co.uk follow us on @moreinmorpeth and like us on facebook. ay Saturd ber o t 1st Oc M 9AM-4P 2016 FOOD & DRINK FESTIVAL Free Park and Ride • Free entry • Live music • Jam competition • Local beer and wine • Family entertainment • Cooking demonstrations • Pie competition • Scone competition • The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers band Special offers available on: www.moreinmorpeth.co.uk @moreinmorpeth 38 inside Morpeth /moreinmorpeth Main event sponsor Food Festival Abdul’s promising real Festival treats One of the most popular attractions at the Morpeth Food & Drink Festival is always the outdoor kitchen in the Market Place where chefs and cooks from local restaurants, cafes, coffee shops and take-aways demonstrate their showcooking skills. his ‘Bengol Range’ made with his own ‘secret’ blend of spices and herbs. Cooking has long been must-watch viewing of television programmes such as Master Chef and Saturday Kitchen so giving Morpeth’s local ‘celebrity’ chefs and cooks the chance to show what they can prepare has proved a real hit with Festival-goers. “It’s been a pleasure and an honour to cook for the people of Morpeth for such a long time and we are also delighted to have once again been invited to take part in the Food & Drink Festival. So once again the cooking demonstrations will be back when the Festival takes place on Saturday October 1st and among those taking part for the third year running will be Abdul Muhit who owns the Morpeth Tandoori takeaway in the Chantry Place. Abdul has been delighting his customers from Morpeth – as well as much further afield from across Northumberland, Durham and Tyneside - with the authentic and classical Indian dishes on his menu for more than 30 years. Particular favourites are those from Recently Abdul has just given his takeaway a make-over both inside and out of his premises. “After more than 30 years it was time for a change which has been very well received by our customers,” he said. “It’s a terrific event which brings so many people into the town which has to be great for local businesses. All the chefs and cooks love taking part and showing the audiences the choice and quality of the food they can enjoy every day in at the different restaurants, cafes, coffee shops and takeaways around town.” As always there’ll be a chance for members of the audience to taste and sample what the chefs and cooks have prepared and Abdul is again promising some tasty treats for those watching him over the Festival Kitchen. Indian Take-away Est. 1983 choice of authentic and classic Indian cuisine freshly made to your order with our own Bengol Range – a house speciality. 10 Chantry Place, Morpeth, Northumberland NE61 1PJ www.morpethtandoori.co.uk Tel 01670 517180 or 01670 516144 Open Mon - Sat Noon to 2pm; 6pm to midnight. Sun 6pm to 11.30pm. Open all Bank Holidays except Christmas Day inside Morpeth 39 Book Night Promise of a fascinating evening with author Sheila Quigley Sheila’s story is a novel in itself! By Ian Leech I am sure Sheila Quigley won’t mind me respectfully saying so, but you wouldn’t necessarily pick her out in a crowded room as one of Britain’s most successful crime writers. Someone placed at Number 7 in the W H Smith list of all-time favourite authors of murder mysteries! Behind her on that list - ‘Silence of The Lambs’ writer Thomas Harris and bestsellers PD James and Lee Child. 40 inside Morpeth A grandmother of nine – great-grandma of three with ‘another on the way’ – she speaks with a distinct Wearside twang and wouldn’t dream of moving from her home of many years in Houghton-le-Spring as a result of the success she has enjoyed as a writer. Indeed when she was being interviewed by a London journalist following the publication of what was destined to become another fans’ favourite, she acted with incredulity when the reporter pondered whether she would be moving to the capital. “Why on earth would I want to do that,” she asked. “My family are all around me and I can get into the car and be into the most wonderful countryside or coastline within a few minutes. Why would I want to swap that?” As we meet in Greater Morpeth Development Trust’s office along with the Trust’s Arts & Culture Director Frank Rescigno, it strikes me that Sheila’s rise to fame as a respected author, is in itself the very stuff the best and most unlikely novels are made of. We are meeting to chat about Sheila’s appearance later this year at one of the Book Nights the Trust has been successfully staging for a few years now, and we begin by going back to her early days. Adopted as a small child, she grew up in and around the Silksworth area. By the age of seven she still had not learned to read and write, however, and vividly recalls being humiliated for the fact by a teacher in front of her classmates. That night she went home, found the only reading material in her Book Night house which happened to be a copy of the Sunderland Echo, and began teaching herself five words a night from the paper’s columns. “Within a few weeks I was top of the class for reading and was devouring four or five books a week,” she said. Coupled with a vivid imagination the young Sheila perhaps unwittingly had set off down the path of a love affair with words that would change her life beyond all recognition. Before then, however, Sheila had started work at the age of 15 as a presser in the local Sunderland Hepworth’s tailoring factory and within a few week she had hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons when she found herself at the centre of a work-related dispute that would see the factory go on strike for three days. It would be the first time she made the papers….. but certainly not the last! psychic street kid Smiler. So popular a character has Smiler become, that Sheila has been warned of all sorts of dire consequences from readers if she lets anything happen to the kid! These days Sheila’s life is as busy and hectic As we sit chatting I wonder how all these stories of murder, mystery and mayhem pop into Sheila’s imagination. “Pass,” she says. “I really have no idea.” None of the storylines are based on real life crimes – indeed Sheila tells me: “Real murderers couldn’t think up some of the things I do.” visits the fictional murder scenes from her The publication of the book in 2004 sparked something akin to a media frenzy which led to a documentary about Sheila that was broadcast on BBC1. From nowhere she had been thrust her into a world of television and newspaper interviews, book signings, speaking engagements and appearances at literary events around the country. It also spawned an almost annual follow-up book centred around the Seahills Estate as well as a Holy Island trilogy featuring lead character DI Mike Yorke and his side-kick example, as part of the Houghton Feast celebrations, she leads an investigation which novels ending with attendees being treated to a sneak preview of her next book. But fans of her writing from Morpeth won’t need to travel down to Wearside to hear her speak because she will be taking part in what promises to be a fascinating and entertaining It didn’t take any great detective work to figure out from her listed publications that all the titles of Sheila’s books have been pop music hits of the past and again that pattern sprang up in the most bizarre way. (01670 503866) or direct from The Chantry. first book,” The result was a first novel that became something of a literary sensation when it was snapped up by the publishers Random House. ‘Run for Home’ is set on the fictional Seahills Estate. It tells how in 1998 a man ran for his life, exhausted, wounded and mercilessly hunted by a woman assassin known as The Head Hunter. Fast forward to 2001 and 16 year old Kerry Lumsdon runs across the same terrain. She also runs for her life, and runs to forget. When a headless body is found on wasteland at the estate DI Lorraine Hunt is called in to investigate and the pair come together when Kerry’s sister is kidnapped during a series of violent snatches. The story unfolds into a vicious underworld, a 16 year old murder and secrets Kerry’s mother hoped she’d never have to face. 70th birthday next year. Each October, for Sometimes, she says, ideas for storylines come to her at the most unlikely of times. “I enjoy driving and while I was on one trip by the time I had got from home to Bristol I had the whole plot of my next book in my head.” Three years later at the age of 18 Sheila was married and had the first of her four children. Somehow with a family to take care of along with a number of other jobs, she also “I was going upstairs and found time to starting put pen to paper Lindisfarne’s ‘Run for Home’ as it were, having was playing on the radio and I ‘devoured’ all those thought that just the title for my books and thinking ‘I could do that!’ So jumping in at the deep end she wrote a screen play for a comedy drama set in the North East. The script found its way to an agent who wrote back…..’This is brilliant but why not write a crime story set in the North East?’ as ever as she approaches her milestone literary evening at The Chantry on Thursday November 17th. Information about the evening and ticket sales can be obtained from Greater Morpeth Development Trust “I was going upstairs and Lindisfarne’s ‘Run for Home’ was playing on the radio and I thought that just the title for my first book,” she said. Creadance Clearwater Revival’s ‘Bad Moon Rising’, ‘Living on a Prayer by Bon Jovi, ‘Every Breath You Take’ by The Police and ‘Hungry Eyes’ made famous in the Dirty Dancing movie followed right through to the ‘Lady in Red’ by Chris de Burgh, were just some of the books and short stories that followed in the Seahills’ series and Holy Island trilogy. “Growing up I never would never have dreamt that I would become a successful writer,” Sheila told me. “But that love of words took over and I always had a vivid imagination.” Like the time, for instance, a local farmer asked her to make a list of the names of her fellow potato pickers. “For obvious reasons I was Marilyn Monroe and every famous film star of the day was working in the field alongside me that day,” she laughs. “However, being a writer was the furthest thing on my mind in those days. At first I wanted to be a mountain climber but there weren’t many mountains around Silksworth! Then I would have loved to be an astronaut because I was obsessed with science fiction until I found out I was terrified of flying” That love of science fiction has stayed with her because when I ask Sheila who her favourite author is she replied Stephen King without a moment’s hesitation. “He is fantastic and I just love his books,” she said. What I also wonder do all the grand-children think of Grandma being such a famous writer. “They love it and think it’s just great,” she replied. MEMORIES OF THE FAMILY’S PAST Sharing the Morpeth evening with Sheila Quigley will be another local author Barbara Fox but from a very contrasting genre. A Geordie by birth Barbara tells me she seems to ‘spend most of my time in the past these days!’ Barbara worked in journalism in London before having her sons. She had grown up in Ashington where her father the Reverend Alder Gofton was vicar of St John’s Church in the town. These days Barbara lives in West Sussex. After reading letters written home from 1950’s America by her mother Gwenda and turning them into a book ‘Bedpans and Bobby Socks’ she has made a career for herself as a writer of memoirs. ‘Bedpans’ was followed in 2014 by her second book ‘Is the Vicar in pet?’ about her childhood in Ashington as the vicar’s daughter. More recently she has penned ‘When the War is Over’ about her mother’s evacuation to the Lake District during World War Two. She is also co-writer of ‘One Girl and her Dogs’ with Northumberland shepherdess Emma Gray. One day Barbara is adamant she will write a novel. inside Morpeth 41 OF MORPETH Quality service at sensible prices Latest digital hearing aids Free home visits Branch appointments at C4 Sightcare HCPC Registered Dispenser Established 1999 30 day free trial with this ad JAMES STANLEY HERON RHAD MSHAA 0 1 6 7 0 50 4 1 8 2 11 Chathill Close Morpeth Northumberland NE61 2TH Half page ad.indd 1 Supplier of www.directhearingservices.com 15/06/2016 10:38 True taste of Turkey right here in Morpeth Take time out to enjoy the authentic taste of Turkish cooking right here in Morpeth. Sample our speciality barbeque dishes, cooked over wood charcoal in a traditional way. Vegetarian choices also available. RESTAuRANT To book call us on 01670 946 536 or visit us at www.ephesusmorpeth.co.uk 71 BRIDGE STREET MORPETH / OPEN MONDAYS - SATURDAYS 11AM - 11PM - SUNDAYS 5PM - 10PM 42 inside Morpeth Top park – again! Morpeth’s Carlisle Park has been once again named as one of the very best of British by being awarded yet another prestigious Green Flag by Keep Britain Tidy. The award – now in its 20th year – recognises and rewards the very best parks in the country and its flag flying overhead signals to visitors that they are maintained to the highest possible standards. Morpeth Bridge for all! Have fun, play Bridge... Inside Morpeth readers don’t need us to remind them what a town treasure the multi-award winning park is and right now the formal gardens are looking as beautiful and colourful as ever. Bridge Courses Carlisle Park isn’t, however, the only one in Northumberland allowed to fly the flag. Others are in Ashington, Bedlington, Berwick, Blyth, Cramlington, Hexham and Seaton Delaval as well as country parks at Plessey Woods (near Bedlington) and Bolam Lake (near Belsay). 1. BEGINNING BRIDGE for complete beginners Day and evening classes starting September/October 2016 2. CONTINUING BRIDGE for improvers. Revision and consolidation of the basics of bidding and play 3. DEVELOPING BRIDGE an ongoing class for players with some experience Tuition is also available for small groups with other requirements For further information, including dates, venues and tutors please go to our website www.morpethbridge4all.co.uk or contact Jill on 01670 791183 or John on 01670 531469 the BathroomandTile Co. Discover an extensive range of beautiful bathrooms and stunning tiles locally! A truly inspirational showroom for creating the perfect bathroom. the BathroomandTile Co. Tel: 01670 522 066 www.bathroomandtileco.co.uk 38 Woodhorn Road, Ashington, NE63 9AE Trade enquiries welcome ACTUAL INSTALLATION DESIGN - SUPPLY - INSTALL inside Morpeth 43 Newgate Street A touch of luxury at competitive prices Autumn/Winter 2016 Arriving Soon SUMMER SALE NOW ON, UP TO 50% OFF 6 Newgate Street Morpeth, Tel: 01670 516553 uniqueboutiqueonline.com TALLANTYRE create beautiful interiors With nearly 60 years of experience in creating beautiful interiors, supplying everything from wallpaper and fabrics to paintings and sculpture, Tallantyre always strives to deliver the best service with new and inspirational aspects of design for home and business. 43 - 45 Newgate Street, Morpeth, NE61 1AT Tel. 01670 517214 www.tallantyre-interiors.co.uk 44 inside Morpeth Newgate Street Rediscovering the charm of Newgate Street If there’s one thing that makes Morpeth a stand-out shopping destination it’s the quality and variety of shops to be found trading in the town centre, from sole traders to the multi-nationals. One of the jewels in Morpeth’s trading crown is Newgate Street so Inside Morpeth Editor Ian Leech took a walk along the street to meet some of its traders and find out why it is such a special place to shop, enjoy a cup of coffee and a tasty snack or two. The straight forward answer I suppose is that Newgate Street is full of independent business with no two alike. Unlike so many town centres with the same look-a-like shops you can find almost anywhere in the country, Newgate Street is full of character, very different shops and a certain charm all of its own. Earlier this year the street - and trade - was disrupted for several weeks when road works were carried out to re-lay its pavements. What the traders want everyone to know is that business is back to normal again... and there have been some in interesting developments as well as some welcome newcomers who are adding to the appeal and attraction of Newgate Street to shoppers. Take what business partners Les Sage and David Chambers have done, for instance in Packhorse Yard just a few yards into Newgate Street from the Market Place. The empty lane has been imaginatively transformed into an intriguing shopping gallery the like of which you will be hard pressed to find anywhere else around. Continued... inside Morpeth 45 Newgate Street Jim Orde and Stephen Greenway – two of the tenants in a unique trading corner in Morpeth Packhorse traders delighted with customer response Five small new shops now accommodate six traders who are all delighted with the response they are getting from shoppers curious to know what’s along the lane. Business has been good says Stephen Greenway who runs Lateral Art with his wife Fiona at the very top of the lane with an enchanting view through a new wrought iron gate across the Millennium Green of St Robert’s Church. Their shop stocks high quality art materials, gorgeous printed papers – some hand-made in the Himalayas - and other products to inspire the creative spirit of both amateur and professional artists and craft enthusiasts. “What we have been finding is that people are coming down the lane curious to discover what’s here and are being very pleasantly surprised to find our very different and niche businesses that all complement one another, trading together here in a unique corner of Morpeth,” said Stephen who is a keen artist himself. It was a same story from Terry Perriss and Nicola Wells who share a shop and were the first 46 inside Morpeth to move into the Packhorse Yard alleyway. “People are getting to know we are here and coming back time and time again,” said Terry who deals in antique silverware and jewellery. “That is good for me because we are getting new items in daily.” Nicola’s ‘Decorative Delights’ business sells hand-made crafts including book art, paper flowers, wedding bouquets and table decorations as well handmade crafts business. The first stop for shoppers going down Packhorse Yard is J & J Models run by another husband and wife duo Jim and Joanne Orde. Their shop is a treasure trove for model enthusiasts whether their interest lies in trains, planes or cars and the couple are excited to now be stocking two imports from the USA that are engaging customers of all ages, namely BrickStix “ ...people are coming down the lane curious to discover what’s here and are being very pleasantly surprised...” as accepting paper and card commissions. “When I first set up in business I was doing crafts fairs and markets but to have my own shop in such a unique development at the Parkhorse Yard is a dream come true!” Mother and daughter Linda and Sam Jones have also moved into one of the shops selling an array of affordable and unique gifts and home accessories. Sam says as soon as they walked along the Packhorse Yard they knew it was the place for them to set up their Willow Home gift and renewable stickers and miniature Metal Earth DIY models. BrickStix are the brainchild of American Greyson MacLean who at the age of nine decided he was bored and frustrated with the non-reusable stickers he couldn’t take-off to change his brick set creations such as Lego. So with the help of his family he invented BrickStix which are now just arriving in Morpeth at J & J Models. Similarly Metal Earth kits that can be made into amazingly detailed miniature 3D models by pressing out and fitting together, tiny component parts from laser-cut sheets without the use of glue or solder, are now on sale at J & J Models from the USA. “We are thrilled to be one of the first models shops in the country to be stocking Brixton and Metal Earth,” said Joanne. “Both are going to be very much in demand.” The final tenant to move into the development is the Lola & Flow skincare wellness apothecary business, stockists of Neal’s Yard remedies, Aveda Skincare and the award-winning organic self-tanning brand Vita Liberate. A trained team is on hand to offer one-to-one advice on natural skincare and bodycare, safe tanning and wellness and customers are being invited to indulge in complimentary instore rituals including hand and arm massage and mini facials whilst enjoying an organic herbal tea. Workshops for all ages will also soon be coming to the store including ‘Create Your Own Blend’, an ‘Intro to Essential Oils’ and ‘Indian Head Massage taster sessions’. inside Morpeth 46 Newgate Street Discover the Independent retailers of Packhorse Yard, Newgate Street, Morpeth Discover an array of affordable and unique gifts & home accessories that you may have never known you wanted... 01670 505988 willowhomeandgift@gmail.com skincare wellness apothecary Our team is trained in natural skin and bodycare, self-tanning and wellness. Stockists of Neal’s Yard Remedies, Aveda Skincare and award-winning organic self tanning products Opening Offer: 10% OFF all natural skincare and bodycare products in August Call 01670 457577 or visit www.lolaandflo.co.uk See us on Instagram or Facebook D E C O R AT I V E DELIGHTS BY NICOLA H and - mad e gifts, flowe rs, book art, home d e cor & we d d ing colle c tions Call 07881 380 054 or e ma il nicolaw ells2 9@googlemail.com /d e corative d e lightsbynicola LARGE SELECTION OF ANTIQUE SILVERWARE & JEWELLERY NEW ITEMS ARRIVING DAILY Your Local Independent Model Shop Gifts • Model Rail Accessories • Model Kits • Diecast Now in stock – Brickstix & Metal Earth Kits Opening Hours: Mon – Sat 9am – 5pm T. 07792 925 181 E. enquiries@jandjmodels.co.uk www.jandjmodels.co.uk Stockists of high quality art materials, journals and creative papers Lateral Art is situated next to the Millenium Garden Gate at the top of Packhorse Yard Email: stephen@lateralart.co.uk inside Morpeth 47 Newgate Street Les and David’s development has also given one of the longest established businesses on Newgate Street a fresh start after trading just across the road from Packhorse Yard for 40 years. Jill Fenwick has taken the chance to move The Sewing Box into the spacious shop Les and David have created from the former Morpeth Herald office. It’s packed with a splendid array of materials, silks, threads, finishings and patterns as well as a choice of sewing machines - everything in fact sewing and embroidery enthusiasts could possibly need. “It was something of a wrench to leave our old shop after so long there, but the move has given us plenty of space importantly all on one level - and provided us with the opportunity of a fresh start for our business,” said Jill. “The reaction from customers old and new has just been terrific.” Over the past few months there have been some welcome newcomers to the street. Gillian McEwen has opened Ampersand Fresh start for Jill Fenwick’s The Sewing Box gift shop stocking what she says is an eclectic mix of timeless classics and contemporary style gifts, while partners Sean Wood and Hannah Pattingale have opened the third Unique Boutique store in their growing family chain. Sean says the reception their store opening has had from Newgate Street customers has been so friendly and welcoming Next-door to the Unique Boutique Minna Scaife has just launched her second North East Pikku children’s hair salon and boutique offering a very different approach to cutting children’s hair. Readers can find out more about Pikku on page 51 of this edition of Inside Morpeth . One intriguing aspect of business life on Newgate Street is its café culture that has grown up over the past few years. There are plenty of choices of places to eat, have a cup of coffee or tea some new, and some that have been trading on the street for a number of years. NORMALLY £37.50 BALI POPS NOW £32.50 ALSO MAKE THE MOST OF HALF PRICE ON LOVELY SEWING BOXES Something a little different. 17 Newgate Street, Morpeth, NE61 1BE 01670 511171 www.sewing-box.co.uk An eclectic ensemble of speciality cards, gifts and home accessories from local, national and international suppliers. Unique products at amazing prices - we are ʻsomething a little differentʼ NEW AUTUMN/WINTER STOCK IN NOW Enjoy all our summer plants and flowers Local, national and international deliveries 54 Newgate Street, Morpeth Tel: 01670 512939 Open Mon - Sat 8.30am - 5.30pm 48 inside Morpeth 30 Newgate Street, Morpeth, NE61 1BA T. 01670 510161 E. gillian@ampersand.world Newgate Street affordable,” added Paul. Another popular place to eat on Newgate Street is the awardwinning Café des Amis run by Wendy Smith. Over the past six years Wendy has also built up an enviable reputation for the café’s home-made food often served in a covered outdoor seating area which has proved so popular with customers. Val and Paul Barker making the most of The Cube’s awards’ placing Take for example the Cube Café and Take-Away where Paul and Val Barker are getting ready to celebrate five years in business on Newgate Street. In that time the couple have built up such a reputation for their hearty and wholesome food that doesn’t cost a lot, that the Cube was named as one of the runners-up in the business category of the Morpeth Town Council Civic Awards. (Here at Inside Morpeth we were proud to stand along with The Cube as another runner-up in the business awards). What Paul and Val imaginatively did was to make a virtue of the fact by putting a sticker on their front window declaring themselves as ‘Almost an Award Winning Café’. “You wouldn’t believe the reaction that has generated,” said Paul. “People have been stopping to read the sign, photograph it and come into the café to find out what it’s all about. Ours must now be the most photographed window in Morpeth!” It’s not just in Morpeth that The Cube has earned a reputation for its good, affordable food because as Paul says, they have customers who regularly travel from as far away as Byker, Consett, Sunderland, Newcastle, North and South Shields and Prudhoe to eat with them. “Two gentlemen came in recently and said they were talking about coming to Morpeth while waiting for the bus at Newcastle when someone in the queue overhead what they were saying and told them to look out for a café called Cube and they told us when they left that they were so glad they did,” added Paul. Breakfasts are also a Cube speciality with many workers calling to order before going to work. “At the moment we get lads calling in on their way to work on the new by-pass and one even told his Mum to come and see us.” What makes The Cube so popular? “Good wholesome food that’s all cooked on the premises and is very Right now there’s a special summertime treat on offer at Café des Amis – a ‘picnic’ tea of a scone, sandwich, piece of cake and either a cup or tea or coffee served to the table in an individual hamper. A treat not to be missed! At the top of Newgate Street shoppers can find Morpeth’s only dedicated ice cream bar. The Ice Bar is run by husband and wife team Alison and Michael Murphy who can tempt customers with a host of delicious ice creams to choose from, all made from the milk of herd of Jersey cows the Archer family farms near Darlington. There’s more than ice cream on the menu at the Ice Bar, however, where there are home-made scones or cakes to choose from which can be enjoyed with a glass of wine, prosecco or even a beer because it is fully licensed. Just a brief look at Newgate Street where it has to be said the shopkeepers don’t often make too much of a song and dance about what they have to offer… although very soon they will be getting the chance to do just that by putting pen to paper to write a poem about themselves or their neighbours! Why… because Newgate Street is getting its very own Poetry Festival thanks to a group of enthusiasts who meet regularly at various locations around Morpeth to read their work out aloud or enjoy the words of their fellow poets. The Festival will be taking place between Monday 5th and Sunday 12th September when poems will be posted in shop windows and read at a number of open mic sessions along the street. (Full details on our listings’ pages in this Inside Morpeth). Just one more good reason then for you to take a stroll along Newgate Street! ALMOST an award winning cafe* But our customers tell us that we are ABSOLUTELY the best at what we do! SUMMER SPECIAL Cream tea hamper £6.50 & T A K E - AW AY Choice of sandwhich, cake or scone with filter coffee or tea served in a picnic hamper (*RUNNER-UP IN MORPETH CIVIC AWARDS BUSINESS CATEGORY) 52 Newgate Street, Morpeth NE61 1BE Mobile: 07585 614 156 12 NEWGATE STREET MORPETH T: 07581 316059 inside Morpeth 49 Newgate Street YOUR FIRST CHOICE FOR A MORPETH SOLICITOR EST. 1978 DAVID AULD & Co OPENING HOURS MONDAY ......................................... 9AM TUESDAY ......................................... 9AM WEDNESDAY............................ 9AM THURSDAY.................................. 9AM FRIDAY ................................................ 9AM SATURDAY ................................... 8AM – – – – – – 6PM 6PM 6PM 7PM 6PM 5PM INCORPORATING JFS LAW 22A NEWGATE STREET, MORPETH NORTHUMBERLAND, NE61 1BA T. 01670 505844 E. enquiries@david-auld.co.uk www.david-auld.co.uk 01670 514544 Early Door Saturday 8am Late Nite Thursday 7pm Try us 1st - you never know Your local supplier for 1,000’s of parts for 100’s of cars. All at discounted prices Auto Glym Gift Packs • Wiper Blades Fitted www.morpethmotaparts.info MORPETH Call 01670 519192 ICE BAR Morpeth's only dedicated Ice cream Parlour -HAN PS / FREE COVER U Mr Micky Tattoo Artist LIN D / RESTY G Michele Savona 07961 801 731 1 5 N E W G AT E S T R E E T, M O R P E T H , N E 6 1 1 A L m ic k y - in k @ h o t m a il . co m 62 Newgate Street Morpeth Tel: 07549 650376 50 inside Morpeth O P E N M O NDAY - S ATU RDAY 1 0. 3 0 A M - 5.00PM Newgate Street Salon that’s a cut above the rest for ‘Little Ones’ A new store that combines cutting and styling children’s hair in a stress-free way at the same time as retailing an exclusive range of kids’ clothing and toys has arrived in Morpeth. Pikku – the word means ‘Little Ones’ in Finnish – has recently opened in Newgate Street just around the corner from the Market Place. It is the second store opened by Finnish entrepreneur and mother Minna Scaife in less than two years, after she launched the first Pikku in Gosforth to offer a combination of a fun hairdressing experience for children and a boutique stocking a unique selection of British and continental brands for babies, toddlers and youngsters that are not readily available elsewhere on the High Street. also increased the store’s retail collection to include unique toys and christening outfits as well as opening an on-line shop, introducing pamper parties and popular courses to teach parents how to plait their children’s hair. Customer booking a pamper party, for example, will have exclusive use of the salon for two hours; hair styling for each child; face painting; food, games and fun as well as party bags and balloons. “I am so proud of what we have achieved at Pikku in such a short period of time,” she told Inside Morpeth. “What we set out to do was create a unique retail experience for families with ‘Little Ones.’ “Since then our customer loyalty has been second-to-none which is testament to the level of service and attention we give to each and every customer.” A quick look at the Facebook social media site shows more than 150 five star reviews. What makes a Pikku hair cut different to other salons is that youngsters sit in character model cars while especially trained stylists get to work on their hair. All the Pikku stylists have received special training including sessions with the North East Autism Society to ensure they can also provide children with autism with an enjoyable hair cut experience. Within a relatively short period of opening at Gosforth, Pikku has become a firm favourite with families and Minna has “We are so excited to have opened in Morpeth and are looking forward to introducing everyone in the area to fun Pikku experiences,” added Minna who can be contacted for more information on (01670) 505821 or minna.scaife@hotmail.co.uk, info@pikku.co.uk or you can visit the Pikku website at www.pikku.co.uk Just before going to press Inside Morpeth learned that Pikku had won a bronze medal in the national Junior Design Awards 2016 in the best independent fashion boutique category – a huge achievement which puts Pikku up there with the big brand ‘names’. Children's clothing and hair experience salon now open in Morpeth Children's hair cut experiences in character cars Pamper parties Hair styling and plaiting courses for parents Unique clothes, toys and accessories Pikku Morpeth, 4 Newgate Street, NE61 1BA T. 01670 505821 W. www.pikku.co.uk /pikkumorpeth 10% discount with this ad inside Morpeth 51 Newgate Street How to look 10 years younger! HAIR & BEAUTY It’s a question our beauty columnist Laura Anderson tells us staff are always being asked in her Newgate Street salon. DRAMATICALLY REDUCE BREAKAGE & MAKE YOUR COLOUR LAST LONGER ASK FOR OLAPLEX INSURANCE FOR YOUR HAIR “I’m sick of my hair – I’ve had the same style for 10 years.” “I’m looking for a change but I don’t know what I want.” “My hair seems different, always frizzy and dry no matter how much conditioner and serums I use.” “My hair seems thinner or I’m losing some when I am washing it.” In the salon we love to listen to our clients; hear their problems; and try to fix them the best we can and I feel the best way to make someone feel better about their hair is to give them something new. A complete make-over can do wonders for your confidence and make you feel so much better about yourself. So what can you do? Here are some of our top tips. Root smudge or stretch This is a technique often used to soften a hard root line. Consider either highlights or a solid block colour. Balayage This technique gives a beautiful natural sun-kissed highlighted look – just like when you have come back from your holidays. We free-hand paint on to your hair. Ombre 01670 516113 1A NEWGAT E ST R EET, MOR P ET H 52 inside Morpeth This technique is a colour fade and blend from dark to light which has no solid line. Sombre A much softer ombre - a very subtle soft lightness in the hair and less contrast between the dark going into lighter hair. Baby Lights Another way to free-hand paint on to hair just like Bayalage but painting much finer strands of hair so the highlights just shimmer. The over-all look is the natural look with just a glitter of highlights. Hair cuts in 2016 are very soft and almost grown out which makes your hair easier to look after and maintain at home meaning you are not having to pop back to the salon every four weeks. Gringe A long grown-out fringe or bang that will still give you shape and volume around your face without having to constantly trim your hair when it gets in your eyes. Lob A long medium length style touching your collar bone but still in the shape of a bob. Undercut These are not as scary as they sound! But an undercut done in the right way can do wonders for a style and can help with unwanted thickness. Create a great shape or add something different and funky to a style. It doesn’t have to be a harsh look. So if you are looking for something a bit different and are tired of the same style we would love to see you here at Laura Anderson Hair and Beauty. Consultations are free so please call us on (01670) 516113. Offering Quality and Choice ATVs, Garden Tractors, Lawnmowers, Chainsaws, Brushcutters, Hedgecutters & Rotavators. Open 6 days a week Monday to Wednesday 09:30 - 18:00 Thursday 09:30 - 19:00 Friday 09:00 - 18:00 Saturday 09:00 - 18:00 Hair Cut £8.00 Head Shave £10.00 Scissor Cut £9.00 Face Mask £5.00 Hair Cut Wash £10.00 OAP (Mon-Thur) £8.00 Beard Trim £4.00 Kids U12 £7.00 Shave & Hot Towel £10.00 Scots Gap, Morpeth NE61 4DT Tel: 01670 774603 & 774676 Visit our website www.robsonandcowan.co.uk Opening hours are Monday to Friday 8.30am - 5.30pm, Saturday 8.30am to 5pm Full price for everyone Friday and Saturday For appointments call 07979 791 051 14 Oldgate, Morpeth, NE61 1LX PAUL LOVATT CARPET SPECIALIST COMPETITIVE PRICES - PROFESSIONAL FITTING - FRIENDLY SERVICE Roll stock at reduced prices Rugs - many up to half price Carpets to suit all budgets Distributor of Karndean Design Flooring Call soon to discuss your requirements on: 01670 853845 or visit us at: paullovattcarpets.co.uk 125 Station Road, Ashington NE63 8HQ (Next to Repro Centre) inside Morpeth 53 Established 1948 Welcome to the family SUPER NEW CAR DEALS Allingtons Anniversary Editions • • • • • • • • Sports Stripe Black mirror covers Black alloy wheels Air conditioning Privacy glass Bluetooth Electric windows Diamond cut alloys (Picanto) Order now for 66 Plate Picanto ‘1’ 1.0 3DR Rio ‘1’ 1.25 5DR NOW £6,999 NOW £8,999 was £8,830 was £10,945 Electric windows • Traction control Remote central locking • Low road tax Remote central locking • Bluetooth Traction control • Electric windows Picanto SR7 1.0 3DR Rio ‘3’ 1.4 5DR NOW £8,499 NOW £13,999 was £10,330 was £15,530 Air conditioning • Low road tax Alloy wheels • Privacy glass Sat nav • Reverse camera Diamond cut alloys • Air conditioning Picanto SR7 1.0 5DR Rio SR7 1.25 3DR NOW £8,995 was £11,845 was £10,530 Air conditioning • Low road tax Alloy wheels • Privacy glass NOW £9,499 • Alloy wheels • Privacy glass • Air conditioning • Bluetooth To see the full range visit our showroom in Ashington 11 Freeman Way, Ashington, NE63 0YB 01670 817997 Monday-Friday 9am - 6pm / Saturday 9am - 5pm / Sunday 10am - 3pm www.allingtonskia.co.uk * Subject to Kia finance personal contract purchase finance deal. Pictures for illustration purposes only. Subject to final GFC payment and mileage restriction applies. 54 inside Morpeth SUMMER OFFERS ASX £1,000 DEPOSIT CONTRIBUTION 0% APR REPRESENTATIVE OUTLANDER PHEV £2,500 DEPOSIT CONTRIBUTION 0% APR REPRESENTATIVE FROM £15,249 - £28,399 FROM £31,749 - £42,999 5 1 12 Months / 50% Deposit2 12 Months / 50% Deposit2 3 5 YEAR WARRANTY 4 UP TO 61 MPG FIVE STAR EURO NCAP 3 INCLUDING £2,500 GOVERNMENT PLUG-IN CAR GRANT6 UP TO 32 MILES 156 MPG EV RANGE COMBINED 7 8 NO ROAD TAX BLACKSHAWS MITSUBISHI MORPETH Acts as a credit broker and not a lender Coopies Way, Morpeth, Northumberland NE61 6JT 01670 719 478 www.blackshaws-mitsubishi.co.uk Book a test drive 1. The £1,000 (inc VAT) deposit contribution can only be used towards a finance option through Shogun Finance Ltd. 2. The 0% APR Representative Hire Purchase Finance plan requires a 50% deposit and is over 12 months, it is only available through Shogun Finance Ltd T/A Finance Mitsubishi, 116 Cockfosters Road, Barnet, EN4 0DY and is subject to status to UK resident customers aged 18 and over. Finance Mitsubishi is part of Lloyds Banking Group. Offer is only applicable in the UK (excludes Channel Islands & I.O.M), subject to availability, whilst stocks last and may be amended or withdrawn at any time. Offer available between 29th June 2016 and 28th September 2016. We may receive commission or other benefits for introducing you to Finance Mitsubishi. 3. Prices shown include VAT (at 20%) but exclude VED and First Registration Fee. Models shown are: ASX ZC-H 1.6 diesel 4WD manual at £23,499 and 16MY Outlander PHEV GX4hs 2.0 petrol hybrid automatic at £38,499 (including Government Plug-in Car Grant). Metallic paint extra. On The Road prices range from £15,434 to £43,054 and include VED and First Registration Fee. Metallic paint extra. 4. All new variants shown come with a 5 year/62,500 mile warranty (whichever occurs first) and the Outlander PHEV comes with a 8 year/100,000 mile traction battery warranty. For more information please visit www. mitsubishi-cars.co.uk/warranty. 5. The £2,500 (inc VAT) deposit contribution can only be used towards a finance option through Shogun Finance Ltd. 6. For more information about the Government Plug-in Car Grant, please visit www.gov.uk/plug-in-car-van-grants. The Government Plug-in Car Grant is subject to change at any time, without prior notice. 7. Up to 32 mile EV range achieved with full battery charge. 541 miles achieved with combined full battery and petrol tank. Actual range will vary depending on driving style and road conditions. 8. Official EU MPG test figure shown as a guide for comparative purposes and is based on the vehicle being charged from mains electricity. This may not reflect real driving results. Blackshaws Garage Ltd trades as Blackshaws Mitsubishi Morpeth. Fuel figures shown are official EU test figures, to be used as a guide for comparative purposes and may not reflect real driving results. ASX range fuel consumption in mpg (ltrs/100km): Urban 38.2 – 54.3 (7.4 – 5.2), Extra Urban 56.5 – 67.3 (5.0 – 4.2), Combined 47.9 – 61.4 (5.9 – 4.6), CO2 emissions 152 - 119 g/km. Outlander PHEV range fuel consumption in mpg (ltrs/100km): Full Battery Charge: no fuel used, Depleted Battery Charge: 51.4mpg (5.5), Weightedinside Average: 156.9mpg (1.8), Morpeth 55 CO2 Emissions: 42g/km THOMPSONS OF MORPETH EXPRESS TYRE SERVICES Serving Morpeth and the surrounding area for over 50 years! www.morpethtyres.co.uk Call us or order online for same day, while you wait fitting 01670 512651 18B Coopies Haugh, Coopies Lane Industrial Estate, Morpeth, NE61 6JN • TYRES • SERVICE • MOT • DIAGNOSTICS • EXHAUSTS • BATTERIES SO MINI NEW OFFERS TO CHOOSE FROM. SO MINI NEW OFFERS TO CHOOSE FROM ALL WITH SERVICING INCLUDED.* Take a test drive† while we put together a tempting offer for you. STRATSTONE Bittern Close, Silverlink Park, Wallsend, NE28 9ND. 0191 234 5500 STRATSTONE.COM Official Fuel Economy Figures for the MINI Range: Urban 27.2-72.4 mpg (10.4-3.9 l/100km). Extra Urban 47.9-91.1 mpg (5.9-3.1 l/100km). Combined 37.7-83.1 mpg (7.5-3.4 l/100km). CO2 Emissions 175-89 g/km. Figures may vary depending on driving style and conditions. Alloy Racing Ltd is a credit broker/intermediary that can introduce you to a limited number of lenders to provide funding for your vehicle. They may incentivise us for introducing you to them. *Excludes MINI John Cooper Works. Applicable to all new cars. Terms and conditions apply. All details are correct at time of publication and are subject to change without notice. †Test drive is subject to status and availability. 56 inside Morpeth FIND YOUR PERFECT MATCH. From sportiness to versatility you can be sure to find the perfect model to suit you. Plus our latest offers across the award winning BMW model range all include a generous deposit contribution too. 118i SPORTS HATCH. 320i SPORT SALOON. 520d M SPORT SALOON. £269 PER MONTH £299 PER MONTH £369 PER MONTH (WITH INITIAL PAYMENT). (WITH INITIAL PAYMENT). (WITH INITIAL PAYMENT). Call us or pop in and take a no-obligation test drive. You will always be most welcome. Stratstone Bittern Close, Silverlink Park, Wallsend, NE28 9ND 0191 295 1295 View our full range offers at Stratstone.com Official fuel economy figures for the BMW Range: Urban 13.8-72.4mpg (20.5-3.9l/100km). Extra Urban 30.4-91.3mpg (9.3-3.1l/100km). Combined 21.1-470.8mpg (13.4-0.06l/100km). CO2 emissions 314-0g/km. Figures may vary depending on driving style and conditions. Stratstone is a trading style of Alloy Racing Ltd who is acting as a credit broker and not a lender. Alloy Racing Ltd is a credit broker/intermediary that can introduce you to a limited number of lenders to provide funding for your vehicle. They may incentivise us for introducing you to them. Cars must be hired through BMW Contract Hire, subject to availability. Not available in conjunction with any other offer. Retail customers only. At the end of your agreement you must return the vehicle. Hiring examples based on a 36 month BMW Contract Hire agreement for the models shown, all with initial payments followed by 35 monthly rentals commencing in month 2 and a contract mileage of 24,000 miles. Excess mileage charges and vehicle condition charges may be payable. Terms and conditions apply. All finance is subject to status and available to over 18s in the UK only (excluding the Channel Islands). Guarantees and indemnities may be required. We can arrange finance and hiring facilities for you. Prices, offers and finance are correct at time of printing and are subject to change without notice. Vehicles must be registered by 30 June 2016. Test drive subject to applicant status and availability. Images shown for illustration purposes only. Advertised finance is provided by BMW Financial Services (BMWFS), RG27 9UF. Whilst we have close links with BMW FS and commonly introduce customers to BMW FS, we do not work exclusively with BMW FS. Alloy Racing Equipment Ltd, Loxley House, 2 Oakwood Court, Little Oak Drive, Annesley, Nottingham, NG15 0DR. inside Morpeth 57 The Last word... Signs of the times By Hugh Edmondson, GMDT Environment Director Perhaps we don’t always appreciate or notice small changes in our environment? For instance, the past 20 years or so have seen unprecedented improvement to Morpeth’s information signage, and street/ park art, springing from various projects carried out by several agencies. Did you know that the current Mafeking roundabout used to be bigger and was famed as the smallest designated park in the world until 1971 when the needs of traffic reduced it to a mini roundabout? The Trust has also carried out some work using its volunteers, and the Black Steed story re-appeared on the steps and bandstand in the park at the start of the summer school holidays. Have you read the plaques on various bridges? Your children are probably not conversant with the “Black Steed of Belles” on the “100 steps” and bandstand in Carlisle Park, which has been gradually fading from view? This does not include the plethora, and perhaps excess, of statutory and commercial signs in the town, but rather those giving historical and wildlife information, maps and plaques. This mythical tale by renowned storyteller Shonaleigh Cumbers, produced from the work of local schoolchildren, was carved by Hexham sculptor David Edwick as part of the park improvement in 2002. I have mentioned street art, sculptures and murals above, and, similar to signage, these features tell us more about the town. If you haven’t noticed it, have a look at the ironwork sculpture over the yard next to the Comrades Club in Lumsden’s Lane , celebrating more than 800 years of Morpeth markets. Astonishingly, in excess of 120 such signs, sculptures, and artworks have been added to the town’s streets and parks in recent years. Greater Morpeth Development Trust volunteers, assisted by Joe Ford of KEVI recently undertook a survey of the signs and artwork in the town to ensure that these are recorded on a single data base. Hidden corners and forgotten events have been brought alive, telling a story about the culture , heritage and flora and fauna of Morpeth. Apart from being of interest to people living working or visiting the town, this is also a valuable educational source for children’s and students’ projects. Much of the contents of the signage has been made possible only because of the voluntary time, effort, enthusiasm and encyclopaedic knowledge of local heroes in our community such as Professor Alan Davison an eminent botanist, and John Caffrey a celebrated artist and ornithologist. I wonder how many readers were aware that plague victims are buried in a spot known as Pestilence Close until the sign at the eastern end of Bluebell Wood appeared? 58 inside Morpeth We also established that largely because the signs were erected by multiple partners, no-one had a maintenance plan in place. Although the vast majority of signs , sculptures and murals are in a decent condition, about 10 percent are not, with some such as the Black Steed story mentioned above about to disappear into oblivion which would be a real shame! Now, thanks to the support of Councillor Les Cassie, the Town Council has agreed to carry out a programme of signage repair and maintenance, which we hope may be continued in future years. Over the next few months you should see a number of signs being spruced up. This was manufactured by another local company Lunns of Red Row, who along with people such as David Edwick, continue to demonstrate the continuity of specialist trades in Northumberland. See the marvellous Emily Davison mural near the birdhouse in the park, or look at the “twisted” sign adjacent to the river on High Stanners - the list goes on. You may not like them all, but even the more brash or obvious provide a talking point, and usually add something different to our surroundings. We believe that this work, mainly created by local people, adds a dimension to the character and uniqueness of our great little town. There should now be a much better chance that the efforts of the last 20 years or more will not fade into the mists of time, and we also hope that future opportunities and ideas arise to add to this work. With the anticipated substantial influx of new residents into Morpeth, providing information about its treasured assets becomes even more timely and pertinent. inside Morpeth 59 Make it yours Now is a great time to buy! You only need 5% deposit with Help to Buy* Find your perfect new home at our fabulous St Andrews Gardens development, Morpeth St Andrews Gardens Morpeth, NE61 3BP 3, 4 & 5 bedroom homes Call 01670 335 209 Part Exchange and Help to Buy available! Ideal for both existing homeowners and first time buyers! taylorwimpey.co.uk *Eligible applicants will offered an equity loan of up to a maximum of 20% of the purchase price (based on the open market value) Applicants are required to fund at least 80% of the purchase price by means of a conventional mortgage, savings and any deposit where required. For the first five years there is no fee charged on the equity loan component. At the start of year six a fee of 1.75% is payable on the equity loan, which rises annually by RPI inflation plus 1%. The equity loan is provided by the HCA and held as a second charge. Terms and conditions apply and full details will be provided on request. This offer is subject to status and only available on selected developments and properties in England only. It is not offered with any other promotion. YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE. Image depicts a typical Taylor Wimpey streetscene at St Andrews Gardens. 60 inside Morpeth