ASHINGTON’S Woodhorn Museum is one of the most family-friendly in the country, according to a national competition’s judges.

It was chosen from more than 100 nominees to be included in a longlist of 20 contenders for the Telegraph Family Friendly Museum Award.

It is the only museum in the north east of England to make the list, compiled by the charity Kids in Museums.

Museum director Keith Merrin said: “We are very pleased and proud to have been recognised in the Telegraph Family Friendly Museum Award competition.

“It’s a testament to the work we do not only to make visitors of all ages and backgrounds feel welcome but also the innovative projects we undertake working with young people.

“Through projects like Time Travel Northumberland and Heritage Big Brother, we’ve seen local teenagers discover their local history, unleash their creativity, grow in confidence and have fun in the process.

“At the same time, our blockbuster temporary exhibitions have proved a really popular and exciting day out for families”

The museum was nominated for the award by Robert Naylor, 16, one of those who took part in its Time Travel Northumberland project.

“Woodhorn truly cares about the welfare of families in my area, not just about how many people come through its doors,” he said.

Currently on show at the Woodhorn Road museum is exactly the sort of family-friendly exhibition that earned it its award nomination.

Called Invasion, it features costumes and props from TV shows and film including Doctor Who, Star Wars, Star Trek and Mars Attacks!

A shortlist for the award will be announced in April, and the winner will be revealed at a ceremony in May.

DRIVERS in Cramlington are being asked to show true grit in the face of wintry weather instead of putting their own needs first.

Frustrated residents have complained to Northumberland County Council after seeing motorists take grit from bins for their own personal use.

Drivers have been spotted loading up at grit bins in the town, with some even emptying the bins entirely.

Resident Bill Cross told last week’s meeting of the council’s south east area committee: “People are just taking it and using it on their own homes.

“Some people are emptying the bins, and there isn’t enough grit for the smaller roads and driveways. We need to tell these people that the grit is just for the roads.

“Where I live it is extremely icy, and we need the grit just to get out, but the bins are empty, and it isn’t the fault of the council. It is people taking it for their own use.”

Council leader Jeff Reid, of Plessey in Blyth, said: “We should put a sticker on the bins saying that the grit is for road use.”

A NEW veterinary training facility has been unveiled by Northumberland College with the help of donations from a local charity.

The Bell Centre at the college’s Kirkley Hall campus has been transformed from an unused building to a modern training unit, fully equipped with a wet room, consultation room, operating theatre, grooming parlour and kennel facilities.

The Friends of Kirkley Hall donated more than £2,000 towards the project, which has allowed the college to refurbish the building and buy equipment, including an x-ray machine, operating tables and scrub sinks.

Lecturer Vicky McGarry said: “Opening the Bell Centre is the result of months of hard work from everybody who has been involved in this project including the staff and students of Northumberland College and The Friends of Kirkley Hall.

“We are extremely grateful for all of the help and support we have received.

“The new facilities offer our students a real life working environment in which they can simulate working practices which they would encounter working in a surgery.

“With the money donated by The Friends of Kirkley Hall we have been able to purchase all of the equipment which is a mandatory requirement for the college to be able to offer the Level 3 Diploma for veterinary nursing, which we are hoping to start running from September.”

Malcolm Watson, chairman of the friends group, said: “The Grade II listed building dates back to the 18th century when it was used as a sheep shearing centre.

“I find it remarkable that now it has been restored and its function has done a full circle and it is now being used as part of an animal centre.”

“We are always pleased to be involved in projects with Northumberland College and the Kirkley Hall campus and we are delighted to see that the money we donated has been put to good use and will help students achieve great things in the future.”

TWO hill walkers had to call out rescuers after getting into difficulties in the Cheviots last week.

The pair, from Cambois and Morpeth, were caught out as darkness fell before they could make it back to their car after a ten-hour trek last Tuesday.

They alerted the police, and they in turn summoned the Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue Team for assistance.

Rescue team members Andrew Miller and Iain Nixon raced to Low Bleakhope Farm, near Wooler, ready to start their ascent of Coldlaw Cairn but were offered a lift by farmer Stuart Nelson in his all-terrain vehicle, saving them time and trouble.

Rescue team leader Mark Silmon said: “The walkers were both experienced, prepared and well equipped. It was just bad luck that they ran out of time.

“They did absolutely the right thing in calling for help.”

FEARS have been voiced that it is only a matter of time before a child is injured or killed at a junction near a Bedlington school unless action is taken to make it safer.

Residents living near St Benet Biscop Catholic High School say that buses taking pupils there struggle to negotiate a junction leading to Ridge Terrace and are often forced to mount the pavement to make it round the corner.

Bedlington Forum member Brian Oliver last week told Northumberland County Council’s south east area committee that many children walking to school are oblivious to the danger they face from turning buses.

One child he knew of had only narrowly avoided being hit, he added.

“Years ago, there was a petition about a toucan crossing near the school, and the petition was a success,” said Mr Oliver.

“The petition also raised concerns about the high volume of traffic, and there was a site visit, but it has come to our attention again now that a bus nearly hit a child at the school.

“We need to address the problem of the high volume of traffic. When these buses come along the road, it is so tight they are forced to mount the pavement in order to get round the bend.

“We need to give the kids some protection.

“There are four schools in this immediate area – a mass of kids – and I would appreciate it if someone could look at the area and do something about the situation.

“There are buses in and out of a very tight entrance every day.

“There is something wrong with the access.

“The only option is for them to bump across the kerb.

“These buses are going into what was effectively a back lane.

“They originally suggested a turning circle, but the school became so successful it expanded, and there is very little space now for the buses to do that.”

The council agreed to reconsider the problem.

HEALTH staff are celebrating after winning a top award for improving the quality of care for people who have had a hip fracture.

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust triumphed at the Patient Experience Network National Awards (PENNA) for its Hip Fracture Quality Improvement programme, known as Hip Qip.

More women over the age of 50 will break a hip than have breast cancer with the injury proving fatal in some cases.

The programme has provided benefits for patients with fewer deaths and safer care, better outcomes, improved patient experience and faster access to surgery.

And it is the second time the project has been recognised on a national stage after being featured in the National Hip Fracture Database.

Mike Reed, consultant orthopaedic surgeon at the trust and chair of the Hip Qip steering group, said: “A great deal of work has gone into this project and we are truly delighted the team and the trust have been acknowledged for the second time on a national stage.

“This project has led to significant improvements to patients’ care and patients’ experiences of being in hospital, and we have received excellent feedback from patients and their relatives.

“The majority of our patients are elderly and this project is about ensuring we make sure we give them excellent care at a time when they can feel distressed and vulnerable.”

Ruth Evans, director of the Patient Experience Network, said: “I would personally like to congratulate the team from Northumbria for the quality of the work they are doing with so many people.

“There have been huge improvements in the quality of the patient experience being received by many people who are suffering from hip fractures.

“The improvements to their care, particularly the speed in which they receive an operation, are a direct result of the work being undertaken by the trust’s patient experience team, which is really making a difference to the care these people are receiving.”

There was more good news for the trust at the awards when Annie Laverty, pictured, director of patient experience, was awarded the Outstanding Contribution to the Patient Experience Award.

Annie said: “I was obviously surprised but equally delighted to receive this award.

“I accepted it on behalf of all our teams who work incredibly hard every day to improve the experience of patient care.

“I do think the recognition we have received this year is a tribute to the organisation and the fantastic developments that have taken place in the trust.”