Articles March 2024

Northumberland Go Green Challenge for Village Halls week!

Village halls across the county are running green activities in their area. So Longhorsley village hall committee would like to invite you all to a Litter Pick and Village Hall Spring Clean. 

Come and join us as we tidy up our lovely village and make the hall clean and sparkling - Sunday 24th March from 10am to 12 noon.

All equipment and cleaning products will be provided, as well as free coffee, scones and biscuits to all volunteers. We’d all love to see you, and it will be fun for all the family!               

Thank you in anticipation.

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Longhorsley Parish Council

The next Parish Council meeting will be held on Wednesday, 13th March, 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, Jennie Parker, Anne Peat and Trevor Potts.

Church View Play Area

The newly refurbished play area is now OPEN, despite the dreadful weather the contractor had to endure during the installation phase.

We hope that the children will enjoy the new features, such as the swings, for many years to come.

FixMyStreet – Northumberland County Council

Northumberland County Council’s new reporting system (FixMyStreet) is for residents to use to report, view or discuss local problems, such as graffiti, fly tipping, street lighting, potholes, dog fouling, footpaths, flooding and overhanging trees/hedgerows and any other NCC service. Unlike their previous system, residents can now see if a particular problem has been reported and more importantly will receive feedback from NCC on any actions taken. For example, if you log-onto the system you can see that we recently reported the problem of the blocked drain at the South East corner of the Village Hall Car Park. 

The address of the reporting system is: https://fix.northumberland.gov.uk/

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Your County Councillor

By the time you read this I’m hoping our budget will be agreed by the Council - the key aims are to protect all the frontline services and continue the investment across the County.

In addition we are putting more into road repairs again, so over £60million will be spent over the next two years. The roads around Todburn will be included along with more permanent patching.

I’m still waiting to hear if my request for the police camera van might be deployed in the village and I’ll keep you posted on that.

As always please let me know if I can help with anything.

Glen Sanderson  07730 979737 glen.sanderson@northumberland.gov.uk

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Our first year in Longhorsley

On 1st March 2023 Judith and I moved into Longhorsley. One year on we know that this was one of the best things we have ever done. 

When friends and family ask us what the village is like, I tell them that the easiest way to describe it is that we would not be surprised to see Miss Marple in the village shop! 

Here are some of the many things we like about the village:

• Everyone one is so friendly. As we were moving in neighbours came to see us and brought over drinks and biscuits. They are now good friends.

• Whoever you meet around the village says hello and smiles.

• The village green is lovely, and looked great at Christmas with that enormous tree.

• The houses around the Green are immaculate – the same applies throughout the village; there is a sense of pride throughout the village, including the newer estates.

• Gardens are well looked after, as are the allotments.

• There are lots of lovely walks.

• The enormous Village Hall is the centre of village life, along with the Shoulder of Mutton!

• There is almost a complete lack of litter, and of dog dirt, despite there being many dogs, who are generally well behaved. Unfortunately our dog, Roger, can let the side down with his barking!

• The shop is well stocked, given its size, and the staff are always cheerful and friendly.

We hope to enjoy many happy years here and are looking forward to getting involved in village activities. 

Laurence and Judith Upton

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March Tweets along Archies Pond

On a mild day many resident songbirds can be heard along the walk. The piercing repeating two note song of the Great Tit cuts through the noise of wind and traffic, and Song Thrushes high up on a tree are also, literally, above it all. They also repeat their song phrase, whatever it may be, and currently the favourite song post is a tall tree by the pond. Another bird with a loud and piercing song is the Wren, and it is possible to hear them apparently singing “at” each other from only a few yards apart. In cold weather, the birds switch to survival mode, and it may be much quieter.

Robins are also highly territorial, and although you may get them in your garden, as you walk along you can hear one behind you in the distance as you hear another close ahead. You get some idea of where their territories are, and just how much of this habitat a pair of Robins need during a breeding season.

Later in March sees the arrival of the first Chiffchaff, and you will continue to hear them singing right through to late summer, with between 3 and 5 pairs breeding along the walk. These also have a two note song, but always the same with the stress on the second syllable of its name.

Andrew Brunt  788352

For more information about birds in Northumberland, visit the Northumberland and Tyneside Bird Club website www.ntbc.org.uk

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Northern Ark Spring Update

Spring has sprung at Northern Ark and everything is growing. We have a plethora of bulbs flowering such as early iris, snowdrops and a variety of crocuses. We have been filling our days by pricking out our many seedlings and potting on for the next stage of their growth.

In your own garden you may now begin to plant summer bulbs and weed and mulch your borders to get a head start on the season. Now is time to prune back shrubs such as Cornus and Salix and lift and divide any perennials. You may start to see signs of early life buzzing around your gardens too, remember that Dandelion flowers are one of the first sources of food for our friends, the bumblebees.

In the apiary, the bees are at their most vulnerable with the long lived winter bees trying to look after more and more young brood. This is when you find your true extent of winter loses. If the temperatures can stay mild we will start feeding with sugar syrup to keep the hives building up to the start of the rape and spring flowers, they will already be bringing in hazel, crocus and snowdrop pollen at the moment.

We will open the nursery for plant, herbs and honey sales on Thursday 4 April, and every Thursday, Friday and Saturday 11am to 4pm until October.

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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 the first Thursday in the month from 4:30pm – 7:30pm.

The next visit date is 7th March.

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

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Post Office in Longhorsley Village Hall

Monday 9.15am   to 12.15pm

Friday 11.30am to 1.30pm

Please note that this Outreach Service cannot accept large parcels.

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Mobile Library Visiting Times

The Mobile Library visits Longhorsley once a month, on Fridays between 3pm and 4pm, in the Village Hall car park.

The next visits will be on 8th March and 5th April.

The Mobile Library Service website can be found here

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April Edition

The last date for submissions is 20th March. 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

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