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..

The community-based initiative, the Healthy Communities Collaborative (HCC), has been set up to help people living mainly in the Blyth, Wansbeck and Morpeth areas.

It aims to raise awareness of the disease so people can spot the early signs of breast, bowel and lung cancer.

However, County Hall bosses have reassured the sector that a funding package of £1.3m will still be available next year. Budget proposals recommend more money for charities directly supporting those people worst affected by the recession.

These will include services such as credit unions and the Citizens' Advice Bureau.

The event is at Richard Coates Middle School, Thornhill Road on Saturday 12th December at 7.30pm.

Tickets are £8 on the door, and proceeds will go to Northumberland Scouts Tall Ships 2010.

Volunteers are launching a new project where Northumbrians can buy shares in the community group.

As reported in Journal Extra in August, former members of Tynedale FM decided to set up their own multimedia group to attract film and TV crews.

Youngsters need to be able to sing and dance, and be 4ft 8ins tall or under. Informal workshops/auditions will be held in the Memorial Hall at 2.30pm on Sunday August 23.

Auditions for the role of Dorothy will be held at 1pm the same day. More details from show director, Katie Howes, on 07504 577369.

Northumberland Care Trust, in partnership with Age Concern, is looking for volunteers to become "senior health mentors" to other older people in their community.

Ann Kirkup, project co-ordinator for the health mentor scheme in Northumberland, with Jean Sanders in Newbiggin, who has volunteered as a senior peer mentor.

The volunteers will be trained to help, support and encourage those they are mentoring on the benefits of healthy eating and exercise, as well as offering social interaction.

The Ponteland YFC branch has put together a package of events to try to bring in new members and breathe life back into the old club.

The club has been a mainstay of the area's social life for 75 years, and has provided entertainment and social activities for young people who come from the sometimes isolated life of agriculture.

But over the years, membership has reduced and the branch now only has 13 members on the list.

The trust will be backing the Million Ponds Project by developing new ponds at Druridge Bay and at Prestwick Carr, near Ponteland, both of which are part of the trust's Living Landscapes programme.

Steve Lowe, head of conservation at Northumberland Wildlife Trust, said: "This project is important because most countryside ponds are now badly damaged by pollution with evidence showing that pond wildlife is declining across the UK.

Pussy cat heifers - Jessica Anderson, Carly Hall, Joanna Harrison, Vicky Harrison, Sinead Fox, Jade Hunter and Stacey Watling (part of the Ponteland and Stamfordham Entertainments cast who represented Northumberland in Blackpool 2008)

Each local group of the federation will put together its own team to take part in some traditional sports such as football and rugby, while there will also be some more unusual disciplines to contend with - such as a pantomime competition.

The Northumbria Coalition Against Crime, a registered charity based at Northumbria Police headquarters in Ponteland, has been given the funds from the Northern Rock Foundation.

It will put the cash into its youth mentoring programme which helps young people who are in danger of turning to crime find a new sense of direction.

Northumberland Wildlife Trust officer Kevin O'Hara at Prestwick Carr

Prestwick Carr lies between Dinnington, Ponteland and Newcastle Airport and is one of the few lowland raised mires left in the UK.

Mavis Harris, footpath secretary for the Ramblers' Association Hexham group.

Northumberland County Council is considering cuts to its Rights of Way and Countryside Management Team in its 2009-10 budget, as it seeks to make savings across all departments in order to meet finance targets set by the Government.

There will be red squirrel family days at Bolam Lakes on April 8 and Druridge Bay on April 15, followed by a red squirrel walk around Dechant Wood near Berwick on April 19.

There will also be events at Cragside and Kielder later in the year, while the Save our Squirrels team will be at Bellingham Show and Glendale Show in Wooler in August.

Kristin's painting went on to win the district prize for an area stretching from Filey in North Yorkshire to the whole of Scotland.