A staff member at a school in Wooler was yesterday handed an award in the third North East Schools Awards.

Jim Wood from Glendale Middle School won the Caretaker of the Year Award, sponsored by ncjMedia.

The ceremony was staged yesterday at the Centre for Life, in Newcastle.

Squirrel spotters can learn more about the problems faced by the colourful creatures.

The Save our Squirrels Project, which is managed by Northumberland Wildlife Trust, is hoping to rally the residents of Wooler into helping it conserve red squirrels in the area.

Mark Wilkinson, Save our Squirrels conservation officer, will be hosting a conservation talk on red squirrels on Monday, July 6 at the Cheviot Centre in Wooler.

More than 2,000 female council workers in Northumberland are set for payouts after agreement was finally reached to settle a long-running, £50m equal pay claim.

Women county council employees such as cleaners, kitchen assistants and carers are in line for the compensation payments as a result of being underpaid for years in comparison to male colleagues who earned bonuses.

Northumberland County Council is the last local authority in the North East to settle its equal pay dispute with the GMB and Unison - and defended its case as far as an Employment Tribunal scheduled for earlier this month.

Farmers in north Northumberland and the Borders have been picking up tips on using their water effectively to guard against potential supply problems that are expected in the future.

The combined effects of climate change, rising demand for water, increased regulation and the possibility of droughts are all factors that are expected to have an impact on agriculture in years to come.

The UK's top irrigation specialists met invited farmers last Friday at an event focusing on practical irrigation, which looked at efficient water management, coping with climate change and how to successfully negotiate future water supply contracts.

Independent rural petrol stations are facing an increasing battle just to survive, as they struggle to compete with their bigger rivals.

Many of the stations also act as convenience stores in their local communities, but dozens have closed over the last few years, in yet another blow to the rural economy.

Gordon Moore, pictured, who owns the Border Reiver Station in Knowesgate, Northumberland, said the margin on fuel from his station is tiny.

More meetings are to be held in Northumberland to allow people to have their say on £200m proposals for new and improved hospitals in the county.

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust has drawn up plans for a new specialist emergency care centre near Cramlington, plus improvements to Wansbeck General and the rebuilding of community hospitals in Berwick and Haltwhistle.

But the changes would see the closure of emergency departments at Wansbeck and Hexham General, moves which have caused some concern with patients.

Finance chiefs at Northumberland's cash-strapped super council are trying to recover almost £9m in unpaid council tax inherited from the county's former district authorities.

The huge debt has been revealed following the abolition of Berwick, Alnwick, Castle Morpeth, Tynedale, Wansbeck and Blyth Valley councils on April 1 - and their replacement by the all-purpose unitary council.

Free advice on how residents and businesses across Northumberland can harness renewable energy to meet their power needs is on offer over the next three months.

The specially-themed sessions are aimed at helping everyone from farmers to plumbers learn more about how they can design, install and run renewable energy systems.

They start on Sunday June 28 at the Jubilee Hall in Rothbury when householders and farmers who are not on the gas or electricity grid can find out about renewable energy solutions and technologies between 2pm and 5pm.

Berwick MP Sir Alan Beith last night expressed disappointment after failing to become Speaker of the Commons.

The Liberal Democrat MP pulled out of the election race at the second round as Tory contenders John Bercow and Sir George Young pulled ahead.

Sir Alan had won the support from dozens of MPs - including Lib Dem Treasury spokesman Vince Cable, former ministers and Wansbeck MP Denis Murphy.

Older people in Northumberland are threatening a revolt against new charges for day centre care which are being brought in by the county's cash-strapped super council.

Apart from meal and transport costs, attendance at day centres has been free for elderly and disabled people until now. But means-tested fees are being introduced to help County Hall bosses make savings on their adult care budget.

Day centre clients are being assessed and told how much they will have to contribute to their care each week, based on their income and savings.