When Joe Morris was born in South Shields at precisely 1.03am on September 17, 1991, unsurprisingly his parents had no idea that nearly 33 years later he would pull off the North East’s outstanding General Election result. But there were some clues. His grandmother was a Labour Party activist in the Gravesham constituency of Kent …
Susie Troup began the story of Hexham Book Festival nearly 20 years ago. There have been interesting chapters along the way and the cast of characters involved has become richer, more varied, and more famous each year. She hopes it’ll be a story with no ending. In recent years the festival has attracted the likes …
Dr Julia Cooper is pleased with this year’s potatoes, which grow in an allotment bordering her terraced house at Prudhoe in the Tyne Valley. They’re organic, as you’d expect — Dr Julia practises what she preaches. She and her husband Paul have next door ‘His & Her’ allotments. Are they competitive? “You bet,” she says. …
Knickers and ready meals: That’s why my mother revered Marks & Spencer — or ‘Marks and Sparks’, as she and everyone else called their favourite store. Back in her day, when high streets thrived, M&S was king amongst UK retailers opening branches all over the world. It remains a giant today, but this weekend the …
Around 40 Labour supporters have gathered in Hexham on a dampish Sunday — just three days after their local election triumph. No bank holiday weekend off for these doorstep canvassers — there’s still much work to do. An ordinary looking chap strolls up accompanied by another ordinary looking chap. One is Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, …
They came out from hiding behind the sofa and materialised in the Northumberland village of Allendale — more than 80 Dr Whovians from around the world for the Museum of Classic Sci-Fi’s Monster Men Event. Genevieve travelled the furthest back in time (think about it!) from Australia. She was still struggling with the jet lag …
The Conservative Party faces complete annihilation in the North East in the next general election, according to one of the country’s leading political pollsters which delivers seat-by-seat analysis. It says the Tories could lose all their gains of 2019 in our region — and more. The most surprising seat to fall would be Hexham, says …
In a village hall in the Tyne Valley a group of locals contemplates the end of the world. They do so with a smile, gallows humour, and an astonishing degree of positive thinking. For this is the extraordinary village of Humshaugh, six miles to the north of Hexham. And this is a meeting organised by …
It could all have been so different. If the 2019 General Election hadn’t been a Boris “Get Brexit Done” landslide then Penny Grennan might have become Hexham’s Labour MP. Right now she would be gearing herself up to defend the seat, fighting to persuade her party to solve problems which still keep her awake at …
Johnny Flynn — film, theatre, TV actor, composer and highly acclaimed musician — is to play at the Allen Valleys’ Folk Festival later this year. It’s an astonishing coup for the festival, which has been running for eleven years, and is based in the south Northumberland village of Allendale. His visit will be a poignant …
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