Articles April 2023
Coronation Celebration at the Village Hall
Please join us to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III on Sunday 7th May in the Village Hall and its Car Park from 2pm to 5pm. It will be a fun afternoon for all the family. There will be music, entertainment, and competitions.
There will be a treasure hunt, face painting, Tombola, a craft table and a caricature artist. For the children there will be a five-a-side football tournament. The children have also been asked at school / nursery / toddler group to make a Crown Fit for a King.
The competitions will have prizes for the individual events. For the adults the events are: a Victoria Sponge, 4 Fruit Scones (recipes to follow). For the children: 4 decorated Cup Cakes, 1 large Coronation Cookie, a Celebratory card for the King.
Afternoon tea will be provided. There will be no charge, however any money donated will be given to local charities.
Any Tombola prizes would be very gratefully received at the Village Hall by the playgroup. Prizes (big or small) must be new and unused.
To enable the full and safe use of the Village Hall car park for the coronation festivities, it would be appreciated if no vehicles be left in the car park between 8am and 8pm on Sunday 7th May. Alternative parking has been arranged in the Mission Field on East Road.
More information will be available nearer the time, or contact Anne Peat on 07876 475536
Longhorsley Parish Council
The next Parish Council meeting will be held on Wednesday, 12th April, in the Village Hall, starting at 7pm, with a parishioner slot at 8pm. Meeting notices are displayed on village notice boards, with minutes and other information found on the Parish Council website.
Contact details for the current members are detailed below:
Clerk: Gillian Turner, 4 Lowther Close, Seaton Manor, Ashington, NE63 0HY 01670 812704 or parishclerk@longhorsley-pc.gov.uk
Chairman: Norman Douglas 07485 174529 norman.douglas@longhorsley-pc.gov.uk
Councillors: Sarah Alcock, Kirsty Bell, Peter Boyle and Anne Peat.
Important Date for your Diary!
Every English Parish, by law, must hold an Annual Parish Meeting/Assembly, which is a relatively informal event for the whole community.
This is an opportunity for the Parish Council to report to its electorate what it has accomplished in the preceding year. It is also an opportunity for residents to ask questions and provide feedback to the Council.
The Longhorsley Annual Parish Assembly will take place on Wednesday 24th May at 6.30pm in the Village Hall – this is your chance to air your views or indeed to raise any issues. All are welcome.
Fond Farewells to Cllrs Ford & Pringle
Our thanks and best wishes go to Penny Ford and David Pringle who have recently resigned their positions as Councillors on the Parish Council with effect from the end of March.
Between them Penny and David served for over 20 years on the Parish Council and have been instrumental in making both the Moor and Old Church Wood areas that we can all be proud of. Rumour has it that both Penny and David have “special” birthdays around this time – and we wish them health and happiness in their future endeavours.
Longhorsley Local History Society
It was with great sadness that we heard of the passing of Billy Ricalton, our founder and President.
Billy was a fount of all knowledge concerning the history of our village, and a published author. Never one to take the limelight, he was the main driving force, ably assisted by Derek Knox and Glyn Scott, behind the formation of the society and turning it into the thriving group we now have. The society provides interesting regular meetings and has completed several projects, such as the village trails, cemetery recording and photo books, and has a very informative website.
Billy had a fund of stories about the village which were always interesting and entertaining, and he will be greatly missed.
Penny Ford, Chairman
Your County Councillor
When I wrote my last piece it seemed Spring was on its way but now the Great British Weather has hit and all the snow ploughs and gritters are out again! We have good stocks of grit and salt and most is now stored inside, out of the weather, in our new sheds around the County. This has saved a lot.
Potholes love this weather and we will see new families appearing everywhere. Like us, many other Councils have their share of potholes but we will get onto them as soon as the better weather comes.
We have allocated £50,000 for local groups to bid for to celebrate the Coronation and the take up has been brilliant. As of early March there is still some money left so please have a look at the NCC website for details.
Finally our Budget was passed ten days ago which does not cut any frontline service and keeps the Council tax rate increase to around 3.9% - depending on the council tax band - which includes 2% for adult care. So we have done our very best this year to make sure we do what you expect of the Council at the lowest increase we can given the inflation issues.
As always please get in touch if I can help with anything.
Glen Sanderson 07730 979737 glen.sanderson@northumberland.gov.uk
Morpeth Leisure Centre Opening
The new Morpeth Leisure Centre, on Gas House Lane, will be opening on Monday 3rd April at 12pm.
The leisure centre features a six-lane swimming pool with spectator gallery, a learner pool, spa facilities, a four-court sports hall, a new gym, a dedicated cycling studio, two fitness studios, a soft play area and a cafe. For more details see activenorthumberland.org.uk.
School Celebration for The King's Coronation
Longhorsley C of E First School children and staff will be coming together on the morning of Friday 5th May, at 10am, to celebrate the Coronation of the King with a few poems and songs on the Village Green. Reverend Audrey will be with us to open and close our Celebrations. Everyone in the Village is welcome to attend - we would especially like help to sing the National Anthem!
We also hope that many of you have found our small gifts mentioned in last month's Tree, as you are walking around the Village.
Finally, we still have a small number of places available in our Early Years unit for next year. If you would like to come and have a visit, or for further information, please contact the school on 01670 788316 or longhorsleyadmin@fedlongwhaltschools.uk.
X14 Bus Times
Effective from Sunday 26th March. All times are from Longhorsley Green.
There is only one time change, which is shown in red below. The other change is that some buses now stop at Cragside House on the way to or from Rothbury. These are highlighted in green and red below.
Garden waste collection day (was Breaking News)
The collection day for the garden waste (brown) bin has changed for this year. For Longhorsley it is now generally on the Wednesday, the day before the normal rubbish bin is collected. When there is a bank holiday you should check on the Northumberland County Council website, as collection days might change.
Longhorsley Swift Project
We’ve had a great response to last month’s request, around 15 houses have signed up for a swift box. To register interest for a free swift box or to ask any questions please contact Richard on longhorsleyswifts@gmail.com.
Longhorsley Tree 2024 Calendar
If you have taken a photo of a Longhorsley view that you’d like to see in next year’s calendar, then please send it to longhorsley.tree@gmail.com
Longhorsley Takeaway Food
We will send out a Breaking News if we are notified of any changes.
The Shoulder of Mutton
The Shoulder of Mutton is open and offering takeaways every day.
Sunday lunches 12-6pm ~ Monday to Saturday 5pm-8pm
See their menu at shoulderofmuttonpub.com ~ phone 788236 to order
The Flying Fryer
The Flying Fryer will be here every Friday from 4pm to 7pm, depending on demand.
Facebook The Flying Fryer 07984 426 725
Dou_h&co
Dou_h&co are here some Thursdays 4:30pm – 7:30pm.
The next visit dates are Thursdays 6th April and 4th May.
Pre-order on 07507 834 628 from Monday 9am.
See their menu on the Dou_h & Co Facebook page, Instagram and Dou-h.co.uk
Post Office in Longhorsley Village Hall
Monday 9.15am to 12.15pm
Tuesday 9.30am to 1.15pm
Friday 11.30am to 1.30pm
Please note that this Outreach Service cannot accept large parcels.
Mobile Library Visiting Times
The Mobile Library visits Longhorsley once a month, on Fridays between 3pm and 4pm, in the Village Hall car park.
There will be NO visit in April due to Good Friday Bank Holiday.
The next visit will be on 5th May (to be confirmed).
The Mobile Library Service website can be found here
May Edition
The last date for submissions is 20th April. You can email or phone us.
Please keep articles under 250 words, if at all possible.
Jan and Sheena Haveman 07834 740649 longhorsley.tree@gmail.com