In the Northern Alliance Division Two at the weekend Cramlington Blue Star went down 2-1 to visiting Forest Hall, who claimed their first away win after drawing three successive games.

Kevin Baldwin gave Forest Hall a 40th-minute opener, but Chris Bond's reply in 80 minutes for the Star looked likely to earn them their first home point.

It was not to be, however, and Baldwin bagged his telling second goal in the dying seconds.

Children are being encouraged to learn about local history through fairytales at a meet-the-author event in Cramlington Library on Saturday October 10 from 10am to 11am.

Newcastle author and songwriter Steve Jemison will be reading from his book The First King: Oswald's United Kingdom, a children's fairy tale about the first King of Northumbria.

Cramlington Motor Club's Michael Henderson has retained his British Autocross title in emphatic fashion.

The 25-year-old drove superbly over the weekend to emerge with maximum points from the meeting in Essex, helping him to clinch back-to-back titles ahead of fellow Cramlington driver Petroc Frey.

Henderson's Vauxhall Nova was competing in the GB1 Class B2 of the competition and he was simply irresistible as he replicated successes at meetings in Witney, in Oxford, and the North East's Causey Park.

A bus driver who nearly lost his life in a head-on crash has won £250,000 compensation. Medics told James Morton, 60, he was lucky to survive after a Mercedes van smashed into his bus on a country road near Cramlington.

Mr Morton had to be cut free from the wreckage by firefighters and he was then airlifted to hospital.

His left leg was shattered below the knee and only the speed with which he was treated saved him from having to have it amputated.

Walker Central erased the memory of their home defeat by Ashington and bounced back with a 4-2 success at Shankhouse.

Andrew Stokes opened the Central's account and David Dormand bagged a second-half brace to put them well clear.

Inside the last four minutes, John Robson completed Walker's tally and Craig Cook and Anthony Moran netted for Shankhouse - but it was too little and too late for the home side.

Victories for Wark and Walker Central left them level on points, sharing an impressive six-point lead at the top of the Northern Alliance Premier Division table.

Meanwhile, a goal in each half for Andrew Carr and Jordan Watson gave Cramlington Town a 2-0 win at Murton.

People in Blyth, Cramlington and Seaton Valley will have an opportunity to hear from local organisations and have their voice heard at a set of community forum meetings, organised by the Northumberland Strategic Partnership in conjunction with CVA Blyth Valley.

The dates and venues are as follows:

Cramlington Community Forum
Thursday 8 October 2008, 6:30 pm at Northburn Sports and Community Centre

Cramlington Town are still waiting for their first home win in the Northern Alliance Premier Division after drawing 3-3 with Stocksfield.

The Town were fired in front by David Atkinson. Stocksfield levelled when Wayne Stewart scored from a chance set up by Phil Murray.

Iain Downie restored Cramlington's lead with a header from Graham Hogg's corner kick, but Andrew Carr slotted in a third goal for the hosts after racing on to Jordan Watson's through ball.

With only three minutes left, Stocksfield seemed to be down and out - but they were rescued by a late brace from Phil Murray.

Savage job losses and service cuts flagged up for Northumberland's new super council over the next four years have been described as a "worst case scenario" by a town hall leader.

Details of the potential cutbacks - which it is claimed could mean up to 3,500 redundancies and draconian service reductions - have emerged from a private briefing session involving senior county council officers and political group leaders.

They depict a gloomy scenario in which the unitary authority could find itself by 2013, and are based on predicted budget reductions totalling £80m.

Cramlington Community Tennis Programme head coach Phil Barron has been voted Northumberland Coach of the Year for 2009.

Barron was presented the award by Northumberland LTA chairman Chris Lott at the Northumberland Closed Championshps, where he was watching several of his young stars play.

He received the prestigious award in recognition of his work in developing young talented players and for his club and community tennis activities.

Golden leaves, lingering sunsets and flocks of migrating birds are among the many reasons to visit Northumberland in autumn, and a new campaign is appealing for more tourists to come and experience the region's charms.

Northumberland Tourism and its partners are inviting everyone from near and far to celebrate the beautiful season in the North East.

Called Autumn Warmth, the campaign will focus on walking, art and landscape, as well as Northumberland's trees and forests.