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 petition is the largest ever collected by the RSPB.

According to the RSPB's most recent annual Birdcrime report, published last August, Northumberland is the third worst county in England for illegal persecution against birds of prey.

Previous issues of the Golden Guide have gone down so well with the over-50s that there was a waiting list for the latest 5,000-copy print run.

The free booklet, which is produced by community information specialists Clever Clogs Publishing in partnership with Age Concern Northumberland, the county council and care trust, has also been given a new design.

The Big Lottery funded Their Past Your Future II project examines life in Berwick and its Polish twin town Trzcianka during the Second World War.

The exhibition, administered through the Museums, Archives and Libraries Partnership, runs at Berwick Library in Walkergate until March 15, before going to Wooler Library and Wooler Book Fair from March 17 to 27.

Annabel Milne is determined to bring art into people's lives both through classes and also by taking children to visit art galleries for the very first time in their lives.

She has a wide background in art, including studying fine art at St Martin's College of Art in London, doing an MA at Edinburgh College of Art and then working at Tate Britain and in art publishing as well as teaching art and design and art history.

The Liberal Democrat MP was revealed to have claimed expenses for cleaning his home, laundry, a new television and kitchen equipment when the furore over expenses broke.

He was also listed as claiming around £1,200 a month in rent on average.

The Care Quality Commission, the independent regulator of social care in England, visited the Old Vicarage Residential Home unannounced. After a thorough 6 hour inspection the home was awarded the top rating of "3 Stars - Excellent Service".

More than 400 nest boxes have been put up for the birds in Northumberland in the last 10 years,

But the recent snow and ice has hit the birds hard, with 15 dead owls having been found so far.

Seven culling projects have received £24,000 and will soon begin in the North East - including several in strategic areas of Northumberland - in an attempt to save red squirrel populations from the grey onslaught.

The work will try to thin the number of greys so that the much-loved red squirrels have less competition and less of a chance of catching the dreaded squirrel pox virus.

Sir Alan raised the issue after the Government praised farmers for their public-spirited help while at the same time warning they could not use red diesel in snow-clearing machinery in certain places.

The NFU last week sent out guidelines to members based on information from HM Revenue & Customs covering when the fuel could and could not be used.

Mark Mather was unable to work for more than a year after the shotgun he was carrying fired both barrels into his leg, even though the safety catch was on.

Farmer Mark Mather from Wooler with Richard Bulmer from the Health and Safety Executive with 38 promise knots to represent farmers who have lost their lives

He had to hire extra help at Haugh Head Farm, near Wooler, while he was recuperating, which put the business under financial pressure.

Snow has not fully thawed in all parts of the county following last week's downfall and some areas were hit again on Wednesday night.

Predictions for the county on Saturday are for heavy rain and temperatures of between three and five degrees celsius.

From the end of January, the Wooler Work Web in association with the Glendale Learning Partnership is bringing the training to the people who need it most, launching a series of subsidised courses in the Glendale area.

The aim is to remove obstacles of time, distance and cost which can severely limit access to training for people living in isolated rural communities.

Many of the courses are free or at minimal cost which is important in an area where income is often considerably below the national average.

Northumberland County Council is trying to get back to a normal bin collection routine.

A spokeswoman said: "There has inevitably been disruption to the bin collection service in Northumberland due to the recent winter weather conditions - particularly in the more rural areas of the county.

"The council is asking residents to refer to the normal collection timetable for their area, and place the correct coloured bin out on the next scheduled collection day. Where a bin has been missed the council will collect additional bags of waste on the next visit.

Since December, villages and estates have been badly affected by the freezing weather, which has seen much of the North East blanketed by snow.

But as the ice thaws and roads clear many residents are turning their attention away from the weather and wondering why they're still being left out in the cold by the postal service and refuse collectors.