International Development Minister Ivan Lewis has visited Ponteland High School as part of the global Big Read event.

The Big Read is run by the Global Campaign for Education and sees millions of children in 100 countries coming together to remember the estimated 75 million children who are not in school.

Only six points separate the bottom five clubs in the Northern Alliance, but with only four and three games to go respectively, Murton and Peterlee Town remain in the gravest danger, both losing again on Saturday.

Murton had Karl Jarvis putting them in front at home to Heddon, but late replies from John Pearson and Joe Kerry earned their visitors a 2-1 win.

In pole position in the League, Walker Central are four points clear of Gillford Park with a game in hand.

She was a bag of skin and bones when April the pony was found abandoned in Ponteland, malnourished and weighing only half her normal body weight.

She was so weak she had to be lifted back on her hooves every time she lay down.

April the pony with Christine Fitzgerald at Bede's World

Badly starved and suffering from a severe lice infestation there was little hope for her survival.

Bosses at Northumberland's new super council have been accused of failing to comply with an independent regulator's guidance by providing an 0845 number for people who need to contact the authority.

Bob Watson is unhappy that Northumberland County Council's new number is premium rate

Members of the public who telephone the all-purpose council - which came into being on April 1 following the switch to unitary local government - now have to use a single number, 0845 600 6400, to speak to call handlers.

A schoolgirl will cycle hundreds of miles in honour of her terminally-ill grandmother.

Eleven-year-old Billie Sedgwick was left heartbroken when she heard Jean Marshall, 74, of Ponteland, may have only have months to live after she was diagnosed with brain cancer.

But now Billie plans to complete a gruelling three-day challenge and will ride 173 miles on her bright pink bike, along the Hadrian's Wall cycle way, to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

The youngster, who has smashed her £1,000 target for the charity, will cover an average of 55 miles a day, alongside her dad, Ed, 41, to raise the money in Jean's name.

People with any concerns or problems following recent changes in home to school transport arrangements in the west of Northumberland are being urged to seek help and advice from the county council.

Parents or schools with worries should contact the transport unit on (01670) 533644 or 533673.

In the SG Wealth Management Northumberland League, the game of the day was at Bates Cottages where the home side scraped in by just three runs against Kirkley. Ross Symington stroked 11 fours in his 82 for the Cottages, and he shared a century opening partnership with Mark Allan, who fell just one short of his half-century.

Kirkley opener Ian Smith raised hopes as he blazed 10 fours in a quickfire 42, and with Bazzo also blasting 44, the visitors looked well set.

But then Craig Wood turned the match on its head, claiming five wickets, including the last three, as Kirkley fell just short.

Baboons and gorillas will soon be spotted high up in the Northumberland treetops.

But the primates in question will in fact be people trying out a brand new adventure course that is being set up.

The award-winning Go Ape High Wire Forest Adventure is set to open at Matfen Hall Hotel, offering people the chance to get in touch with their simian side.

People looking to go into higher education could benefit from increased opportunities under a new partnership.

Northumberland County Council has established links with Northumberland College and the University of Sunderland.

The partnership will share costs and income, programming development opportunities and maximising recruitment and progression to HE.

Walker Central, unbeaten in the league since October 1 and yet to lose at home, look set to claim a second Northern Alliance Premier Division title in successive seasons.

They have banged in eight goals in each of their last two games to indicate what their rivals are up against. John Campbell, Ian Dunn and Dave Thompson have found the net eleven times between them in those two matches.

This weekend the Central will be protecting their home record against Blyth Town, the latest visitors to 'Fortress' Monkchester. Blyth are unlikely to be intimidated after taking maximum points from their three most recent outings and at Peterlee on Wednesday night they had Danny Beresford claiming a hat-trick in a 4-2 victory with Chris Taylor also on target.