Music greeted the Archbishop of York as he travelled to some of the northernmost parishes in England yesterday.

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.

Archbishop of York the Most Reverend Dr John Sentamu, far right, looks on with Bishop of Newcastle Martin Wharton as Wooler youngsters greet him with steel drum music at the Cheviot Centre

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 Eglingham and Old Bewick church fete will be held at Lilburn Tower near Wooler on Saturday June 20 at 2pm.

The programme includes a fun dog show, morris dancers, a ceilidh band, stalls and children's games. Admission is £2 for adults but children go free.

A £73,000 windfall for a listed Northumberland church was welcomed as "wonderful news" last night.

St Mary's Church in Market Square, Wooler, in Northumberland was awarded the grant for roof and tower repairs by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and English Heritage

Dating from 1765 and enlarged in 1913, St Mary's contains notable Victorian windows and some exceptionally fine 20th Century stained glass in the sanctuary.

Robert Turnbull, of St Mary's restoration committee, said: "This grant is wonderful news, and we are now hoping to raise the remaining funds required as quickly as possible. This will help ensure that we can maintain the church's important role at the centre of the Wooler community for generations to come."

A Northumberland charity shop is appealing for bric-a-brac and volunteers as part of a seven-day fundraising drive.

Wooler's new multi-coloured Christian Aid charity shop opens its doors for a week from Monday, May 11, at the start of Christian Aid Week.

Sue Burston, Christian Aid group organiser for the town, said that in the last 11 years the event has raised more than £40,000 for some of the world's poorest communities.

Today marks a special day on the North East calendar as we celebrate the life of the patron saint of Northumberland, St Cuthbert.

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.

Berwick United Reformed Church in Spittal, formerly St Paul's, will be hosting an evening of choral music.

The night, entitled 'An Evening of Entertainment' will feature the Wooler Choral Society.

It takes place on Friday, March 27, and begins at 7.30pm. Tickets are £3.50 and are available either in advance or on the door.