Articles February 2024
Kate Foreman
It was with deep sadness that we heard of Kate’s passing on 5th January.
Kate moved to Longhorsley in August 1962 and lived in Glen View with her husband Ollie and two children Peter and Sarah. She moved into her bungalow in Reivers Gate in April 2016.
Kate was a regular member of the congregation of St Helen’s Church where she served as a church warden. She was a member of the Longhorsley Women’s Institute from 1997-2021 and also took part in indoor carpet bowling in the Village Hall. Kate was also a member of the Embroidery group, from 1999, when it was originally formed to make the millennium tapestry in the Village Hall.
The work of Parish Councils was always a big part of her life as her husband also served as the Parish Clerk before she took over. Kate was Parish Clerk to Longhorsley until 2007 when she went on to become a Parish Councillor. She was the first Clerk in Northumberland to study and obtain the Cilca (Certificate in local council administration) qualification, and because of her hard work in achieving this qualification, Longhorsley Parish Council became the first Parish Council in Northumberland to achieve “Quality Parish Status” in 2005. Her knowledge of the Parish Council was outstanding and her vast experience has been called upon time after time.
The title of “Freewoman” can be conferred to persons of distinction and to those who, in the Council’s opinion, have rendered eminent services to the Council’s area. So, it was with great pleasure that, in January 2021, the Council conferred this title to Kate in recognition of her Commitment, Dedication and Eminent service to the parish of Longhorsley.
Kate gave a lot of service to the community of Longhorsley over many years and will be sadly missed by us all. Our thoughts are with her family for their loss.
Longhorsley Parish Council
Funeral Notice for Kate Foreman
Would friends please meet for cremation at Northumberland Crematorium, Felton on Tuesday 6th February at 11.15am, followed by a Service of Thanksgiving at St Helen’s Church, Longhorsley at 12 noon.
Family flowers only please. Donations will be gratefully received and divided between Great North Air Ambulance Service and Cancer Research UK.
Longhorsley Parish Council
The next Parish Council meeting will be held on Wednesday, 14th February, in the Village Hall, starting at 7pm, with a parishioner slot at 8pm. Meeting notices are displayed on village notice boards, with minutes and other information found on the Parish Council website.
Contact details for the current members are detailed below:
Clerk: Gillian Turner, 4 Lowther Close, Seaton Manor, Ashington, NE63 0HY 01670 812704 or parishclerk@longhorsley-pc.gov.uk
Chairman: Norman Douglas 07485 174529 norman.douglas@longhorsley-pc.gov.uk
Councillors: Sarah Alcock, Kirsty Bell, Peter Boyle, Jennie Parker, Anne Peat and Trevor Potts.
Christmas Festivities
Even though your Christmas festivities are now in the distant past, this is our first opportunity to thank those people who helped erect, decorate and take down the Christmas Tree on the Village Green. Thanks to Cllr Boyle, Matthew Boyle, Phil Souter, Tom Souter and Bob Paterson. Special thanks go to Michael Lishman for again donating a perfect tree for us to decorate.
We hope you agree that the tree looked fantastic and certainly brightened up the whole area, it is such a shame that we have to take it down!
Lighting of the Beacon - New Year’s Eve
Our thanks also go to Cllrs Douglas and Alcock for organising the Lighting of the Beacon event on New Years Eve and also to you for turning out on a cold wintry night to join us for this special celebration. I am sure that everyone appreciated the hot mulled wine on such a cold, damp evening.
The Longhorsley Ball
The 25th annual Longhorsley Ball, held at the start of December at Linden Hall, was attended by 110 guests. As ever, the ballroom looked beautiful, and Linden served a delicious 3 course dinner; while guests ate, they were entertained by our amazing close-up magician. Northeast band Shakedown yet again filled the dance floor, as did the disco which followed them. A thoroughly enjoyable evening - and lovely start to the festive period - was had by all, with the added bonus that we made a profit of £1,200! As always, this will be distributed between local causes: Longhorsley First School, St Helen’s Church, Longhorsley WI, the Junior FC and the Parish Council. With returning guests from slightly further afield, we will be making donations to Alnwick Dolphins and Rothbury Christmas Lights too.
This year’s ball will be held on Saturday 7th December; more details to follow later in the year.
Lizzy Prescott
Simonside Country Fair 2023
Simonside Country Fair and Hay Show raised £5700 for good causes in 2023 and presented the money at the end of last year at The Gate pub.
Twelve donations were made in total, those causes included St Oswalds Hospice, HospiceCare North Northumberland, 4x4 response North East, Childhood tumour trust, Rothbury Middle School and Upper Coquetdale Community transport.
We really appreciate everyone's support in the past and hope to see you at this years Hay Show on 11th February.
Northern Ark Winter Update
Despite the recent frost and snow, we've been busy here at Northern Ark making our preparations for Spring. There is plenty going on behind the scenes as we plan and prepare for our nursery reopening and for all the upcoming farmers markets and plant fairs we will be attending throughout the coming year. Our bulbs, which were planted in autumn, are growing steadily in the nursery and we have been sowing a variety of perennial and annual seeds ready to bring to you when we reopen our gates. Our array of hardy mature perennials, which have been overwintering in the nursery, are all being tidied and sorted ahead of another busy season.
Despite the cold weather, there are still plenty of things to do to keep you busy in your own garden at this time of year, too. While the ground remains frozen, it is a great opportunity to clean out sheds and tidy greenhouses to prepare for the new growing season. The cold months also bring the perfect time to cut down any ornamental grasses and perennials to make way for new growth coming through when the ground thaws, at which time you can also begin to plant bare root roses and fruit trees. Don't forget to leave food and fresh water out for garden birds at this time of year. You will reap the benefits of their presence in the spring as they play an important role in maintaining pests and supporting your garden’s ecosystem.
In the apiary, our bees are in their winter clusters only coming out for a short cleansing flight on the warmest of days. Just about the time of the Winter Solstice we gave the bees their treatment to kill off any varroa mites while they were without brood. A pack of sugar fondant has also been given to each hive to help them with their winter stores. We await the first nectar and pollen for the bees with the emergence of snowdrops, crocus, hazel and willow. Let’s hope the spring arrives promptly.
We look forward to welcoming our local community at Northern Ark and Hedgeley Honey, when we open our gates this Spring, dates tbc.
Speed Measurements November 2023
The results for leaving the village are high enough to pass on to Northumbria Police for them to investigate and enforce further - the 85% speed has to be larger than 34mph for this.
Your County Councillor
The recent awful weather that seems to have gone on for so long continues to damage our roads through flooding and general damage to the surfaces. We are getting on with things as quickly as we can but there is a lot to do around Todburn and Forget Me Not.
The Budget which we are working on will include some extra money again this coming year for roads and pavements. It is still the intention to keep town centre car parking free and to protect our front line services.
Our new Environment and Climate Fund of £55,000 has been over subscribed and we are funding 17 new initiatives across the County. We also intend to spend more on our Country Parks and Nature Trails and we will be retaining the First Hour Free parking.
We recently launched our new Small Business Support project to help rural business and to encourage new business in rural areas.
Finally the results of the speed measurements in November for leaving the village on South Road were sufficient to warrant further action by Northumbria Police. I am therefore working with the Police and Highways to persuade deployment of the camera van in the village - this will take a few months but I will do my best.
If I can help with anything please get in touch - always happy to help if I can.
Glen Sanderson 07730 979737 glen.sanderson@northumberland.gov.uk
Longhorsley Takeaway Food
We will send out a Breaking News if we are notified of any changes.
The Shoulder of Mutton
The Shoulder of Mutton is open and offering takeaways every day.
Sunday lunches 12-6pm ~ Monday to Saturday 5pm-8pm
See their menu at shoulderofmuttonpub.com ~ phone 788236 to order
The Flying Fryer
The Flying Fryer will be here every Friday from 4pm to 7pm, depending on demand.
Facebook The Flying Fryer 07984 426 725
Dou_h&co
Dou_h&co are here the first Thursday in the month from 4:30pm – 7:30pm.
The next visit date is 1st February.
Pre-order on 07507 834 628 from Monday 9am.
See their menu on the Dou_h & Co Facebook page, Instagram and Dou-h.co.uk
Post Office in Longhorsley Village Hall
Monday 9.15am to 12.15pm
Friday 11.30am to 1.30pm
Please note that this Outreach Service cannot accept large parcels.
Mobile Library Visiting Times
The Mobile Library visits Longhorsley once a month, on Fridays between 3pm and 4pm, in the Village Hall car park.
The next visits will be on 9th February and 8th March.
The Mobile Library Service website can be found here
March Edition
The last date for submissions is 20th February. You can email or phone us.
Please keep articles under 250 words, if at all possible.
Jan and Sheena Haveman 07834 740649 longhorsley.tree@gmail.com