A Northumberland housing group has been given funding to fit homes with low-carbon measures.

Berwick Borough Housing was awarded £18,000 in the 'Retrofit for the Future' competition, run by the Government-backed Technology Strategy Board.

Retrofit for the Future is a £3.5m project that will be shared nationally in two phases.

Health care chiefs have given the go ahead for a £200m investment in services in Northumberland, including a new emergency care hospital on the outskirts of Cramlington.

Wansbeck and North Tyneside hospitals will see significant investment while community hospitals in Berwick and Haltwhistle will be rebuilt.

The package of measures was approved yesterday at a meeting of the NHS North of Tyne Trust.

Berwick-based Valerie Fairnington and her former race horse Silver Bullet (pictured) won the College Valley Hunter Trial Open novice section with a clear round and best time score.

Valerie said: "I have owned Silver Bullet since he came out of racing seven years ago and he is now 13-years-old.

"He was trained by Bruce Mctaggart in Hawick and raced on the flat and over hurdles.

A massive effort is needed to explain the value of the North's uplands to the public, claims a rural leader.

Martyn Howat, pictured, Director of the Uplands for Natural England, was speaking at Northumberland National Park's first public forum which has been launched to seek feedback from local people.

The Journal reported recently that only 3% of people questioned nationally were aware of Northumberland National Park.

Children's imaginations literally went wild when they produced amazing woodland creatures from recycled materials.

The children, from Seahouses Middle School, Branton First School, Alnwick South First School and Longridge Towers, made the wildlife models when they took part in the Children's Countryside Day run by the Glendale Agricultural Society.

They include a cardboard red kite, an egg box hedgehog, an orange squirrel, a lemonade bottle salmon and a badger made from boxes.

The impressive creations will now go on display during the half-term holidays in the National Park Visitor Centre, Ingram.

David Hogg, Lee Pattinson and an own goal gave Craster Rovers their first win of the season at Wooler in Division Two of the North Northumberland League.

Lynemouth netted seven times in a victory over Springhill, Darren Burn celebrating a hat-trick.

A good defensive display saw Hedgeley Rovers, who scored through Mark Forrest, have victory snatched away from them in the dying minutes thanks to a Ryan Lillico strike.

Air Ambulance cover for the region has been reinstated.

Fears for families in more remote parts of the North East were raised when the Great North Air Ambulance announced its fleet of helicopters would be grounded over the weekend.

Bad luck and coincidence of timing were blamed for technical faults on the Cumbria and Northumberland aircraft occurring just as the lease of the Teesside helicopter expired.

Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service is taking to the road to attract new recruits.

A series of events are being held across the county to inform people of career opportunities with the service.

The region faces a weekend without the safety net of the Great North Air Ambulance after all of its helicopters were temporarily grounded.

Bad luck has been blamed for all three of the charity's helicopters being out of action over the coming few days.

Two helicopters, based at Otterburn and Carlisle Airport, are grounded with what have been described as "unforeseeable" mechanical problems.

Northumberland's council has been chosen as one of nine in the country to take part in a pilot scheme on local authority performance.

Northumberland County Council has been awarded £100,000 to help it take part in the project, which aims to help authorities tailor their services to meet customers' needs.

Over the coming months the council will be speaking to its staff, customers and partners to find out how it is performing, particularly in the areas of planning, neighbourhood services and children's services.