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.

The films will be shown at St Mary's Church in Ponteland on January 9 at 3pm and 7.30pm.

Enthusiasts will be able to watch the information films Elizabethan Express from 1954, Holiday from 1957 and A Desperate Case from 1958.

The facility, at the United Reformed Church in Broadway, Darras Hall, will be officially opened at 11am on November 7, when local people are invited to come along.

The URC community hub will be open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday for coffee and tea.

The Ponteland Summer Festival brings art to the church hall, flowers to the church itself and a marquee in the garden full of historical stalls, including exhibitions from Northern Rail and the local history society.

Reverend Peter Barham, Ponteland's new vicar and one of the event organisers, said: "We always do something every two years and generally raise around £8,000.

"This year we're delighted to have the local history element incorporated into the festival and I'm sure it will be a very interesting visit for all."

Belsay First School toured St Andrew's Church in Bolam with local historian John Sadler to find out about the building's rich past.

The programme organised for the pupils included Bolam in the war, the home front and the bombing of the church and the people that are buried there.

The Castle Morpeth civic service was due to end with the abolition of the countil last month, but Ponteland mayor Coun Robin Ramsay was keen to keep the service going.

This sunday he will lead the service which includes a parade headed by North Tyneside Pipe Band, a service at St Mary's Church and a reception at the Memorial Hall.

Often regarded as the most popular saint of medieval times and one of the most important, March 20 sees people celebrate the anniversary of the death of the region's own patron saint.

Pilgrims make their way across the causeway to Holy Island on Good Friday, 2006

Born in 634 AD, Cuthbert was born in the Lammermuir Region where he grew to work as a young shepherd.

Several years ago he spent nine months writing his own personal translation of the entire Gospel of St Mark from the original Greek, and last year published the mammoth work as a 190-page book.

Amazingly, he has committed all 640 verses of the text - amounting to many thousands of words - to his memory and is able to recite the whole lot unaided.

Pupils from Ponteland Community High School will perform carols in St. Mary's Parish Church on Tuesday December 16 at 7pm. All are welcome to attend and festive refreshments will be served at the end of the service.

In addition, Ponteland Churches Together will be meeting on Coates Green in the heart of the town on Wednesday December 17 at 7pm to sing carols around the town's Christmas tree and would welcome all friends and visitors.

Warm drinks and festive refreshments will be available afterwards in St. Mary's Church hall.

The free session offered by keen motorcyclist Rev Philip Gray will be held on Sunday at the United Reformed Church on the Broadway in Darras Hall, Ponteland.

It was prompted by concerns from residents about the way scooters are being ridden in the area.

Teenagers at St. Mary's Church will perform Celebrating the Seven Ages of Man, which was written by Canon Michael Hampel, on Saturday October 25.

The show starts at 7.30pm and admission is free. Refreshments will be provided and a collection will be made for the Down's Syndrome Association.

For more information, call the St Mary's Church on 01661 822140.