Multi Use Games Area

The new vastly improved and extended MUGA, is now well on the way to completion. MUGA can be booked for use by contacting the Cricket Club in the evenings, either by calling in or by phone, 01661 842902 or 01661 842836.

We hope that this excellent facility will provide many years of use and enjoyment for all in Stocksfield, and we are very grateful to all those who have made the completion of this project possible, and to those who have given generously to the funding of it.

Multi Use Games Area - Hire Charges

Bookings are taken at Stocksfield Cricket Club. 01661 842902 (club) or 01661 842836.

MUGA Availability - 8 am to 10 pm every day. Minimum booking time = 1 hour.

Peak times are Monday to Thursday - 6pm to 10pm. Off peak - all other times.

10 % Discount available for block bookings. Block Bookings = 10 or more sessions when paid in advance. Special daytime rates for community groups & schools.

Changing Facilities: Changing facilities are available evenings and weekends or by prior arrangement (check when booking) for £3 per session.

Emergency: In the event of an emergency a telephone and first aid equipment are available in the Cricket Clubhouse.

Damage to the War Memorial

Councillors are dismayed to hear that the 1914-18 plaque (pictured) has been removed from the War Memorial. This is an outrageous act of vandalism.

It is believed that the plaque has been removed for the value of the bronze. The Council will do everything in its power to have this plaque replaced at the earliest opportunity.

Closure of Post Offices in Tynedale

The Post Office is to carry out a consultation this summer regarding the closure of Post Offices in Tynedale. We are fortunate to have two in Stocksfield.

They are relatively close together, but they serve two separate large areas, which extend several miles outside our boundaries, towards Corbridge, Whittonstall, and High Mickley for example. If either of the Post Offices were to close, the traffic up and down the Main Road, already a constant cause of complaint, would increase even further, and the parking near Post Offices would become unmanageable. The Parish Council feels that it is important that both of them remain open.

We also believe that the businesses with which our two Post Offices are associated are vital to their neighbourhoods. We have been advised that where two post offices are close together, it is probable that the one with more support would remain open and the other would close. We do not favour one at the expense of the other, and urge residents therefore to support both.

What Can You Do? Please let the Parish Council know which Post Office services you use. We need the information, so that we can explain why our two Post Offices should both remain open.

Look out for any public consultation - and respond. Imagine what it would be like if you had to travel many miles to a Post Office.

For further information on the closure of Post Offices in Tynedale please watch the local press and the website www.stocksfield.org. Further Information can also be found at: www.postoffice.co.uk. Phone: 08457 22 33 44.

Branch End Play Area Regeneration Phase 2

Branch End Play Area is also now nearly complete. It is hoped that by the time you read this, the goal posts will have been installed, the ground will have been reinstated, weather permitting, and the paths, new access and sensory garden well on the way to being completed.

We are all very grateful to all those who have made the completion of this enormous project possible, both those who have given generously to the funding of it and those who have given generously of their time to bring the project to a successful conclusion.

We know that it will provide enjoyment to all who use it for many years to come.

  Keep Stocksfield Tidy

SPRUCE UP STOCKSFIELD THIS SPRING

What can you or your organisation do to help?

Saturday 12th April - Saturday 19th April, is 'Spruce up Stocksfield' Week.

Can you litter pick a particularly untidy part of the village, sweep the area in front of your house or shop, or clean a phone box or bus shelter? Could you clean a street sign, clear litter from the grass verges or do anything else that will improve our local environment?

The Parish Council can provide litter pickers, gloves and bin bags. These can be collected from the Community Centre on Saturday 12th April from 9.30 to 10 am. A skip will be provided in the Sportsfield Car Park from 11th to 18th April. Full bags should be left in this skip.

The skip can also be used for some bulky items, but NOT for commercial waste, oils, liquids, garden or household chemicals, or potentially hazardous waste. Oh and no old fridges or freezers either, thanks.

For further details please ring The Clerk 01661 843114. Thank you.

We need new Councillors!

Would you like to be a Parish Councillor?
Are you interested in influencing what goes on in our Parish?
Have you time to give for the benefit of the Community?

Following the resignations of two Parish Councillors, due to time constraints, we now need two new councillors!

What does a Parish Councillor do?

The Parish Council meets monthly, except August, normally the first Monday of the month. We also have several advisory groups made up of councillors and residents with particular interests, and they meet in between the monthly meetings.

In the current year, these groups are responsible for:

Footpaths & Environment: Footpaths, gardens, verges, planted areas etc.
Leisure Facilities: Overlooking sportsfields, and other leisure facilities.
Play Facilities: Branch End and Guessburn (Kate's Plain) Play Areas.
Planning: Recommendations on Planning applications.
Transport & Highways: Improvements to our roads and local transport.

How much time does being a Parish Councillor take?

Two or three meetings a month, plus some paperwork. As a councillor takes on more responsibility, leading one of the advisory groups for example, obviously this time increases.

What Next?

If you are at all interested, do come to a Council Meeting to see what goes on and what we are currently involved in. Talk to one of the Councillors about what they do, or ask the Clerk for further information 01661 843114.

We'd like to thank our outgoing councillors Tracy Warhurst-Walker and Lizzy Clarke for their contributions to the Parish Council. Tracy, who has been a councillor since 2002, was also the convenor of the Planning Group.

The Parish Plan - the next ten years

A group has been set up to produce the Parish Plan for Broomley and Stocksfield for the next ten years or so. This will involve a broad consultation with parish residents, so that we know what you want.

• What would you like to change in our Parish?
• What do you care deeply about and wouldn't want to see changed?
• How are we going to fit into the new Unitary Authority?
• Are our lives going to change as oil supplies are depleted?
• Can we continue to allow ever larger lorries on our narrow main roads?
• Do we need better public transport so that young people can enjoy the facilities provided in Hexham and Prudhoe?
• What will be the future demands for social care with an ageing population?
• Do we need more houses, shops, local employment?

These are just a few of the questions to be answered in deciding the future of our parish.

Your ideas will give us a better understanding of the needs and wishes of residents and could make a difference to what happens in the future in our Parish.

The aim is to complete the plan by October 2008 and a number of themed groups will undertake a detailed survey of issues such as highways and transport, housing and development and provision for young people. The consultation process will include Parish Walkabouts, Action Planning events in May and a Doorstep Survey in June. The Group will also interact with you on this website, see the Parish Plan button above.

Please visit this website regularly and keep a lookout for posters advertising the various events.

We want to hear from YOU.

The results of the consultation will be put forward for discussion at an Exhibition in September before finally drawing up the plan and identifying what needs to be done, when and by whom. If you are interested in contributing to the Parish Plan or would like more information, please contact Barbara Gravenor 01661 843864.

Youth Workers Wanted

Stocksfield Youth Club urgently needs more youth workers committed to working with young people from 11 to 18 years old (paid or volunteers) to enable it to provide a vibrant and exciting club for our young people. The Club meets on Tuesday evenings at S.I.C.A.

Training is available and patience and a sense of humour are essential.

If you are interested in being a paid or volunteer youth worker at Stocksfield, please contact Lucy Roberts at the Prudhoe Youth Association 01661 832343.

Tennis Club Open Day

Stocksfield Tennis Club will be open for visitors between 10 am and 4 pm on Friday 11th April. Youngsters in particular, but adults as well, are welcome to come and have a game, or a free session with the Club Coach, Sarah Stevenson. More details about the timetable for the day are available from Sarah on 07984 804299.

Fly Tipping

We've heard that rubbish and garden debris is being dumped in inappropriate places in the village. If you cannot get rid of your waste in your bins, please either take it to the tip at Prudhoe (see article about temporary closure), or Hexham, or call Tynedale Council and ask them to arrange for it to be collected. If the recyclers at the Sportsfield Car Park are full, please call the Parish Clerk who will arrange for them to be emptied and please do not leave any waste anywhere else in the car park. Keep Stocksfield Tidy!

Wind Farms At Hedley & Currock Hill

At the end of last year, there were reports of proposals for two small wind farms at Hedley, behind New Ridley Road, and at Currock Hill.

The Parish Council has now received the "Environmental Impact Assessment Terms of Reference" for this proposal and a copy will be placed in the "Library" at the Community Centre.

We urgently need your views, either for or against these proposals, so that your views may be accurately reflected in the Parish Council response if and when a planning application is made.

Views on the proposals can also be made to County and District & Parish Councillors and on the website www.stocksfield.org.

Windfarm photo supplied by freefoto.com

Action On Speeding Traffic

At its March meeting the Council decided to order two Vehicle Activated Traffic signs, which will be sited on the Main Road in an attempt to persuade drivers to observe the 30 mph speed limit. We are grateful to Northumberland County Council for funding these signs, at the request of our Councillor Ray Thompson. Delivery is expected in two months time.

A number of residents have formed a new Traffic Action Group which plans to monitor the traffic and, together with the Parish Council, put pressure on the relevant authorities to improve the overall situation on our roads.

If you have concerns about traffic and related issues and would be interested in contributing to the work of this group, please contact Ian Hall on 01661 843049.

Walk for Autism Research

Alnwick Garden - 4th May 2008

A Family Event - Why not get up a team and join in this event to raise the profile of this condition and help raise money to fund research. Call Liz Roberts on 01235 834295. Website.

Northern Red Squirrels

Officially launched on 1st March 2008, Northern Red Squirrels is the umbrella group created to unite voluntary groups and individuals working or wishing to work to help save our red squirrels from extinction in the North.

Voluntary action is key to saving the red squirrel. Funded groups rely on the involvement and cooperation of local volunteers. Northern Red Squirrels are dedicated to working alongside these groups, to draw all the volunteers together and to be a united voice for volunteers.

www.northernredsquirrels.co.uk

Phone: 07846 900924 - Click to e-mail.

Luncheon Club - Baptist Church Hall

4th Thursday of the month - 12 noon

Come and enjoy a good meal and take the opportunity to catch up with friends. Everyone is welcome - you don't have to be retired to attend. The Luncheon Club offers a two-course meal, followed by coffee. Occasionally there is entertainment and in the summer trips might be organised. The meal is free but you are asked to make a donation towards the cost of the food. A typical menu would be roast beef and Yorkshire Pudding with a selection of vegetables, followed by apple crumble and custard.

For more details contact Miriam 0191 413 2205 or Sheena 01661 843162.

Local Government Re-organisation

Northumberland Unitary Authority - Belonging Communities

The new arrangement for local government in Northumberland will bring with it a whole new vocabulary, including the term 'Belonging Communities'. They have been described as the place people would say they come from if asked by others with some knowledge of the patch. The decisions have not yet been finally ratified but it looks likely that Broomley & Stocksfield will be grouped together with about ten other parishes between Corbridge and Heddon-on-the-Wall and named something like East Tynedale. It is likely that Prudhoe, in view of its large size, will stand alone as a Belonging Community.

The team responsible for transforming the county and six district councils into one organisation has suggested that each 'Belonging Community' will have a forum, which, if 'accredited', may be delegated to deliver some local services, and may in turn delegate such work to town and parish councils. The Forum could produce a community action plan, work towards influencing public sector policy, and contribute towards the scrutiny processes of the council, for example.

Parish councillors recognise that these Forums could offer an opportunity for groups of parishes to speak with a united and therefore stronger voice about the views and needs of the area. The composition of the Forums will be a key factor. If elected parish councillors are outnumbered by representatives of other organisations, or if the number of parish councillors is limited so that some parishes have no representative at all, there will be real concern about the democratic foundation of the forum.

Things have moved surprisingly quickly since the possibility of a unitary authority was first put forward by the Government, but many very important details remain to be settled before May 2009.

The County Council has published a document Blueprint Design Summary outlining the proposals for the Unitary Authority. You will find it here.

Recycling goes large

The Prudhoe Household Waste Recovery Centre, at Broomhouse Road, West Wylam, will be closed from 6 pm on Easter Monday 24 March until Monday 23 June to update the facilities and enlarge the site. This will give it greater capacity and a more user-friendly layout.

The work is being undertaken as part of a multimillion pound investment programme underway at recycling facilities across Northumberland. This allows for a modern and effective recycling facility, and to help us all significantly improve our recycling performance.

During the closure you can still recycle glass, paper, cans etc., at the Sportsfield Car Park at Stocksfield, but please do not leave inappropriate waste in the Sportsfield Car Park.

The nearest alternative household waste recovery centre is in Hexham. It is open seven days a week between 8am and 6pm, from 1st April it's open until 7.30pm.

Stocksfield Striders

The Stocksfield Striders are literally up and running and would like to welcome all new members. The new running club meets every Tuesday night at Stocksfield Cricket Club from 7.30 pm.

We hope that this new club will be a good way for the many runners in and around the village to get together and enjoy the beautiful runs in the area. So if you would like to keep fit and meet new friends please come along to the next club meeting. All welcome from complete beginners upwards - don't be shy, just turn up and go at your own pace. We hope to see you next Tuesday night.

For more information please contact either Rachel Rees on 01661 844573 or Claire Collinson on 01661 843791.

Did you know the Maddisons?

Phil Maddison is looking for information about his ancestors who lived in the Birches Nook area in the early 1900s. If you have any information please e-mail Phil here.

Future Parish Council Meetings

Meetings are held on the first Monday of the month in the Community Centre starting at 7.30 pm.

You are warmly invited to attend Parish Council meetings and Public Participation is always included on the agenda. The full Minutes of Parish Council Meetings are posted on the notice boards and on this website, Click Here.

Did You Spot it?

Have a look again at the 'Post Office Closures' story near the top of this page of NE43 News. What's missing? Not sure? The answer is HERE.