Latest news with #Northumberland
BBC News
4 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Northumberland quoits resurgence a 'big success story'
An ancient game has been surging in popularity in a county, which now has 31 teams across four than 250 people, from teenagers to 80 year olds, are playing quoits in the Allen Valley Quoits League in game involves throwing a five-and-a-quarter pound (2.4kg) metal ring (a quoit) over a distance of 33ft (10m) towards a metal pin which is three inches (7cm) above the ground in the middle of a square bed of secretary Richard Macdonald said the game's popularity was "a big success story" as a lot of leagues in other areas were "struggling", especially for younger players. Mr Macdonald, 66, said: "It's the young players we need, because we are all getting older."At the age of 22, Johnnie Redden is carrying on the tradition. He joined when he was 13 alongside his father and said the sport helped him meet new people."They're all good lads, you always see them about, especially in the tight community of Northumberland," he Robbie, 23, added: "It's a good sport to get into. There's a lot of young farmers so you can meet new people." Mr Macdonald has been running the Allen Valley league, which has teams between Corbridge and Alston, for 36 said he believed it was the largest quoits league in the world. He also said the game was not for the "faint hearted"."It requires a bit of skill and a little bit of strength," he said. Each player has two quoits, and two points are scored if the quoit goes over the pin, or one if it is the closest to the pin. The winner is the first to score 15 points, or 21 in tournaments and doubles Bill Aynsley, 80, said it was not all about winning."It's just the camaraderie," he said."It's nice to win, but it's not the end of the world. As long as we don't get relegated, that's the main thing." Newcomer to the game Helen Harkness said playing quoits was "brilliant"."It's fantastic and you get very muddy at the same time," the 40-year-old said."I think people are wanting to get back to being social."It's such a good way of getting out of the house and meeting people and spending the evening. "And everyone likes going to the pub to be honest and if you can get a bit of competition into it as well, that makes it even better. " Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
4 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
Dozens of diseased trees in Northumberland park to be felled
A dozen trees are set to be felled in a park after they were found to be riddled with ash dieback and Dutch elm County Council plans to remove the trees from Ridley Park in Blyth, because of fears they could collapse and injure council also wants to plant more trees in the winter to replace those John Riddle said the area around the infected trees would be cordoned off and reminded people to "keep clear" while the trees were being cut down. "Ridley Park is one of the county's most popular award-winning parks and we need to keep it in tip-top condition," he said."While we never want to cut trees down, the safety of all visitors is of paramount importance and those that we are taking down are diseased and could pose a risk of collapse if they are not removed in a safe manner." Danger of diseases Trees infected with ash dieback can become brittle, which means they are liable to fall. There are about 183,000 ash trees in Northumberland at risk from the fungal infection, according to the Local Democracy Reporting elm disease has also killed millions of UK trees after it was accidentally imported from Canada to the UK in the Woodland Trust said the spread of the disease can be slowed by felling dead or dying trees. This removes the habitat of the beetles which carry the diseased trees in Ridley Park were found during the council's regular inspection of the felling will take place early in the morning, when the park is less busy, the authority said. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Daily Mail
13 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Anger as SNP backs biggest wind farm on the planet just days after Trump condemned turbines
The 'largest' offshore windfarm in the world could be built in Scotland after the SNP Government granted planning permission. Ministers confirmed that the giant Berwick Bank project off the south east coast of Scotland - which will contain up to 307 turbines - has been given the go-ahead. Developers SSE Renewables, claim that, if it is fully delivered, then it 'would become the world's largest offshore wind farm '. Conservation groups raised concerns about the danger that the development will kill tens of thousands of puffins, kittiewakes and gannets, including globally important colonies at Bass Rock. It comes just days after Donald Trump attacked the spread of 'windmills' during his visit to Scotland, saying they were 'ruining' countries in Europe. Berwick Bank - proposed to be built 23 miles off the coast of St Abbs - aims to deliver 4.1 gigawatts (GW) of capacity, which is believed to be enough to power every home in Scotland twice over and around 17 per cent of the homes in the UK. The development will feature up to 307 turbines and have two connection points to the grid - one in Dunbar, East Lothian, and another in Blyth, Northumberland. But the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and partner conservation groups condemned the decision to approve the development. Anne McCall, director of RSPB Scotland, said: 'This is a very dark day for seabirds. It is a terrible decision on a really bad development. 'Berwick Bank would be catastrophic for Scotland's globally important seabirds which are already facing alarming declines. In addition, its impacts are so damaging they will make the relative impacts of other windfarms significantly higher. 'This one wind farm is going to make it really challenging to accelerate renewable projects across Scottish seas. We are incredibly concerned that Scottish Government have granted consent for a project which could catapult some of Scotland's most-loved seabird species towards extinction.' The National Trust for Scotland said the news was 'deeply disappointing', fearing there will be 'significant harm' caused to seabird colonies at the nearby St Abb's Head National Nature Reserve. A spokesperson said: 'At the National Trust for Scotland we are supportive of the drive towards renewable energy, but not at the expense of the very nature and habitats this effort is supposed to help save in the face of climate change.' The Scottish Government highlighted that the consent is subject to SSE Renewables producing a detailed sea bird compensation plan outlining how adverse impacts on seabirds will be compensated for. Stephen Wheeler, the managing director of SSE Renewables, said news of the approval is 'hugely welcome'. He added: 'At over 4GW of potential capacity, Berwick Bank can play a pivotal role in meeting the mission of Clean Power 2030 for the UK and achieving Scotland's decarbonisation and climate action goals. 'Berwick Bank has the potential to rapidly scale up Scotland's operational renewable energy capacity and can accelerate the delivery of homegrown, affordable and secure clean energy to UK consumers from Scottish offshore wind, helping meet the UK's clean power ambition by 2030.' The approval comes after the SNP Government unveiled a new target of having up to 40GW of offshore wind capacity by 2040, which is a significant ramping up from the existing target of 8-11GW by 2030. Based on current average operating capacities it would mean an increase from around 1,000 turbines in five years' time to 5,000 within 15 years. Scottish Conservative net zero and energy spokesman Douglas Lumsden said: 'Wind power is an important part of our energy mix, but it is not on its own enough to provide affordable power and energy security. 'Scotland will only prosper with a realistic energy policy that draws on nuclear, oil and gas and renewables - and only the Scottish Conservatives are committed to that. 'The hostility of both the SNP and Labour governments to North Sea oil and gas is costing an estimated 400 jobs a fortnight and increasing our reliance on imported fossil fuels. 'If they care about Scotland's interests, these two left-wing parties should ditch their opposition to our existing energy sector, embrace a mix of solutions and heed Kemi Badenoch's call to ditch the energy price levy.' Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: 'Ministers have given the Berwick Bank wind farm application extremely careful consideration. 'The decision to grant consent to Berwick Bank is a major step in Scotland's progress towards achieving net zero and tackling the climate crisis, as well as supporting national energy security and growing our green economy. 'It is also an important decision for Scotland's renewables sector, and this investment will be further built upon through the delivery of Scotland's significant future pipeline of offshore wind projects under the ScotWind and the Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) leasing rounds. 'We will continue to work closely with the developer and key stakeholders, including those working in fishing and conservation - to minimise the impact of the development on the marine environment and other marine users - and balance the needs of people and nature.' Asked yesterday if the Scottish Government waited until Mr Trump left the country before announcing consent for the scheme, First Minister John Swinney said: 'No. We had to wait for the various considerations to be given to the application at Berwick Bank.'
BBC News
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Send your pictures and stories of why you love Newcastle
On Monday, we asked you to tell us why you fell in love with Newcastle and some of your favourite moments supporting have already been getting in touch with your photos and stories and here is just a taste from Bob:"I was living in a small Northumberland village as an 11-year-old in 1955. Newcastle had got to their third FA Cup final in five years, but I hadn't taken much notice of the 1951 and 1952 wins."We had just bought our first television set; a small, 12-inch black-and-white thing, but it was the only one in the village. Come the day, Dad, who was in the village football team, had invited all his mates and anyone else from the village who wanted to come to our house to see the game. The sitting room was laid out full of chairs, in rows, one row behind the other. The room was full, with me on the floor in the front. "The game started and we were 1-0 up after only 45 seconds with a Jackie Milburn header, going on to beat Manchester City 3-1, and I was hooked."I have followed them ever since, through all the years, and to this day I still can't get enough of them: reading about them, watching them, listening to podcasts etc. I've watched the dross, and the best, ie Keegan, Robson and Howe. I felt sometimes as a Newcastle fan over the years I was a glutton for punishment but, once a fan, always a fan!"Join the conversation and send your best photos about why you love first visit to the stadium? A special kit? An amazing away trip?Send us your pictures and stories
Powys County Times
21 hours ago
- General
- Powys County Times
18th century shipwreck among ‘best preserved' of its time, experts say
Latest diving surveys have revealed a 'remarkable' completeness of the wreckage of an 18th century English warship preserved on the seabed. Twenty metres deep underwater and nine miles off the Kent coast, the Northumberland shipwreck is said to potentially be one of the 'best preserved' wooden ships. The latest survey, organised by Historic England with MSDS divers, found wooden decks, lengths of rope, copper cauldrons, and wooden chests with some preserved cannon balls inside had survived 'particularly well'. The 320-year-old protected wreck site is at high risk of deterioration as shifting sands expose it to processes which may erode the well preserved wreckage, Historic England said. Its licensee Dan Pascoe, who monitors the site, said: 'The Northumberland has the potential to be one of the best-preserved wooden warships in the UK. 'However, at 20 metres underwater and nine miles offshore, it is out of sight and mind to most people.' The Northumberland was a third rate 70-gun warship built in Bristol in 1679 as part of Samuel Pepys's regeneration of the English Navy. It sank during the 'Great Storm' on November 26, 1703 off Kent along with three other warships, including The Mary – the location of which is still unknown. They were all part of Queen Anne's fleet, the last Stuart monarch, reigning from 1702 to 1714. A film made by streaming service History Hit airs on Thursday detailing the new survey and the initial construction of the Northumberland. Creator Dan Snow said: 'Northumberland is the missing link. Built roughly halfway between the Mary Rose and HMS Victory, this wreck can fill in crucial details of shipbuilding and life at sea at that pivotal moment in our history. 'We have the Mary Rose, the 'Tudor time capsule' – well here's a Stuart time capsule to sit alongside it.' Future work on the site may include taking wood samples or dendrochronological sampling to find out more about the ship's construction and confirm its identity. Paul Jeffery, marine leader at Historic England, said: 'The completeness of the Northumberland wreck site is remarkable. 'It is a race against time as more of the Northumberland wreck becomes exposed.'
