A gardening expert who worked for 40 years at a North East college campus is returning to his old stamping ground later this month to give a talk.

Former Northumberland College student Martin Sanderson went on to spend four decades as head gardener at the Kirkley Hall campus near Ponteland until his retirement. He will return to Kirkley Hall on Wednesday February 17 to give a public talk, Reflections on 40 years of Kirkley Hall Gardens.

Mr Sanderson, a well known figure in the Ponteland area, will be sharing his memories of the many changes which took place during his time as head gardener.

Police officers are investigating a theft from a field in Blagdon Hall Estate, in Seaton Burn.

Some rubber road matting for construction vehicles worth £740 was stolen from land adjacent to North Lodge.

The theft took place sometime between 5pm on Thursday, January 21, and 8am on Friday, January 22. The rubber has not yet been recovered.

Anyone with information about the theft should contact Morpeth Police on 03456 043043 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

Ponteland United got back into action today after a break of almost two months through bad weather and faced a difficult test against visitors Seaton Delaval in the Kicks Leisure Challenge Cup

United were at full strength with Liam McIvor returning upfront after a three match suspension back in December and welcomed newcomer Jeff Forsyth into the starting line up for his debut..

Archbishop of York the Most Reverend Dr John Sentamu shares his impressions of the Kirkharle Courtyard during a visit to the county yesterday focussing on rural regeneration. He also dropped in at the Cheviot Centre in Wooler, and at Berwick. Read related story »

Music greeted the Archbishop of York as he travelled to some of the northernmost parishes in England yesterday.

The Most Reverend Dr John Sentamu called at Kirkharle, Wooler and Berwick as part of a two-day visit to the Church of England's Newcastle Dioceses organised by the Bishop of Newcastle Martin Wharton.

Dr John Sentamu shares a joke with furniture maker Jason Robinson-Gay

On Wednesday, the archbishop also visited parishes in Newcastle, as well as the West End Refugee Service, before giving the City for Peace inaugural lecture, hosted by Newcastle City Council.

A popular guide aimed at helping older people in Northumberland get the most out of life has been published for the fourth time.

Previous issues of the Golden Guide have gone down so well with the over-50s that there was a waiting list for the latest 5,000-copy print run.

The free booklet, which is produced by community information specialists Clever Clogs Publishing in partnership with Age Concern Northumberland, the county council and care trust, has also been given a new design.

A top Northumberland lawyer has joined a charity to devote her time to helping people with housing problems.

Emma Davidson, 37, changed jobs from being a senior partner at a private practice in Morpeth to become housing solicitor at charity DAWN Advice, based at Blagdon.

DAWN offers advice and information on a number of issues including debt, housing, employment, welfare benefits and family law.

Black ice on one of the North East's main dual carriageway caused a string of accidents today.

As commuters made their way to work along the A69 between Hexham and Newcastle, cars skidded out of control.

Drivers watched in horror as four cars slid into embankments and one even overturned.

No-one received serious injuries and the road was closed for a period of time. It started at 7.54am when a Land Rover slid off the road near Wylam. Police then received a flurry of reports from panicking drivers of a Vauxhall Corsa, a Fiat Punto and a Toyota Yaris.

All three had also skidded on black ice in separate accidents.

Pictures from climber Tony Hodson's journey to the summit of Mount Aconcagua, Argentina's highest mountain. Tony, 51, from Darras Hall, raised over £12,300 for forces charity Help For Heroes with the gruelling expedition. Read related story »

A determined mountaineer has delivered a £12,300 boost to a forces' charity after completing the challenge of a lifetime by scaling the world's highest peak outside the Himalayas.

Intrepid businessman Tony Hodson, 51, returned to his Darras Hall home at the weekend after spending a gruelling 16 days on a triumphant ascent to the summit of 6,962-metre high Aconcagua in Argentina's Andes mountain range (pictured).

It involved a three-day trek in sweltering, desert-like conditions to reach base camp, risking altitude sickness while lugging heavy packs up the mountain and surviving a last-minute weather scare which resulted in half of his group failing to complete the push to the summit.