This Christmas members of the Seaton Delaval Pantomime are celebrating 40 years of their society. The group began back in 1973 with its very first production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Since that year the society has performed a Christmas Pantomime to the residents of the local community each year.

AUDITIONS are being held for a local pantomime society's next production.

Seaton Delaval Pantomime Society is holding auditions for their 2012 Christmas Pantomime Production of Aladdin. The Society is looking to fill a wide range of principal roles along with putting together a Chorus to sing and dance as a group throughout the show.

The show itself runs from Saturday 1st to Saturday 8th December 2012.

The audition day takes place on Sunday 5th August 2012, from 2pm to 5pm at the Seaton Delaval Arts Centre. Chorus members and principals will need to take a backing track CD to sing to as part of the audition.

For more information please visit www.seatondelavalartscentre.com or call 0191 237 7532

Would you like to volunteer?
CVA Blyth Valley and Volunteering Northumberland are holding a Volunteer Fair at:

Seaton Delaval and Holywell Community Centre, Elsdon Avenue, Seaton Delaval
Monday 19th March 2012 from 10:00 am--2:00 pm

Whether you want to learn a new skill, gain experience in helping you towards a future career, or you simply want to do a meaningful activity in your spare time, you can volunteer. Pop along have a cuppa and find out what opportunities are available in your local area.

Opportunities include:
Mini bus driving; Cooking for a lunch club; ICT; Photography; Publicity; General Admin; Lighting / backstage help; Pre-school Assistant; And much more ....

Volunteering can help you:
Make a difference; develop or learn a new skill; gain experience; meet a new challenge; explore new ideas; help someone else; make new friends; keep busy.

All Welcome. Transport to the venue may be available, please make any enquiries to:

Ann Broome at Wansbeck CVS, Tel: 01670 858688 / Email: ann.broome@Wansbeckcvs.org.uk

The curtain is ready to rise for the Scouts performing in the Blyth Valley Gang Show, which is taking place between Tuesday 14th to Saturday 18th February at The Phoenix Theatre in Blyth.

The family variety show features sixty four talented Cubs, Scouts, Explorers and Leaders performing a wide range of musical numbers, packed full of song and dance, along with the traditional comedy sketches. This year the show includes a sunny and upbeat 'holiday' section, along with a majestic 'Fire' number. There is also a number based on eighties music and the scouts very own take on the Dr Who theme. The young people have been rehearsing and perfecting the show since October last year and can't wait to hit the stage at the Phoenix.

WATBus Community Transport has been awarded funding from Fair Share Trust to provide FREE mini bus use for community groups in the Seaton Valley area.

The project will offer a limited number of free bookings to any community group operating in New Hartley, Seaton Delaval, Holywell, Seaton Sluice or Seghill. If you run a community group in any of these areas and would like to make use of a mini bus for trips, away days, group activities or transport to venues contact Colin Hall at WATBus on 01670 522999 or email colin.watbus@yahoo.co.uk

Written by Kevin O'Hara, conservation officer at Northumberland Wildlife Trust

Where do they all go in winter? - Part 1

Recently I felt the first twangs of winter; the 'first frost' gripped my garden, the chickens came skidding out of their ark, and I had to break the ice on their drinking water. I really like those first days, when we still have some daylight left to enjoy the wonderful colours and smells. I take the camera and binoculars with me when I walk the dogs, keeping an eye out for winter thrushes or other visitors. The clocks have altered and we start the long haul of winter - not until February will some real light return to the sky, and warmth to the sun.

It is during these months that we wonder where, exactly, many of our resident wildlife species go to survive the coldest and wettest days of winter, especially those that are more delicate and less mobile.

CVA Blyth Valley and Carers Northumberland are jointly hosting an event on Thursday 13th October 2011 from 10 am - 2 pm at Seaton Sluice Community Centre.

A day full of information from statutory and social care for all carers, including parent carers and young carers. There will be a chance to meet others in the same position as you - tired, worried or frustrated. A perfect opporunity to see what you can do, what's out there, what's available, but most of all a day which will be informative and fun, also enjoy a FREE pampering session.

For more information please contact Fiona Wardlaw on 01670 353623 or fiona.wardlaw@cvabv.org.uk

Free event for community and voluntary groups

Groundwork North East has teamed up with Community Voluntary Action Blyth Valley to raise awareness of how communities can beat rising prices of utilities.

Rising utility costs are an area of key concern to many people. With the colder months looming and the central heating systems gearing up to spring into action there is no better time to look at the tools and support available to communities to tackle rising utility costs.

Groundwork North East has therefore teamed up with Community Voluntary Action Blyth Valley in running an event to help communities tackle these important issues. The event will be held at Seaton Sluice Community Centre where great strides have been made to reduce their bills and lower their Carbon Footprint.

The event will feature a range of activities and speakers on a variety of important issues including; paying for energy, reducing energy consumption in the home and community buildings, renewable energy generation and the forthcoming green deal, energy consumption of different appliances, reducing water consumption, how and what to recycle and much more. Information will be available on the support mechanisms available for communities. There will also be an opportunity to take away energy monitors and talk to the experts. Fresh pizzas will be available for lunch from a real stone baked mobile pizza oven with loads of delicious toppings on offer as well as hot drinks and fresh scones. Every person attending will have the opportunity to enter a prize draw.

Mark Huggins Green Communities Coordinator for Groundwork North East said "this event aims to give the local community valuable tools and information to beat the rising cost of utilities. We hope that those people who come along will then be able to relay this information to their own friends and families and other people in their local community."

Attendees will also get the opportunity to find out more about the support available from the Green Communities project and Groundwork North East's wider services and current projects at Community Voluntary Action Blyth Valley.

This FREE event will be held on Friday 14th October from 9.30 - 3.30pm at Seaton Sluice Community, Seaton Sluice, Northumberland NE26 4QX and is available to all community and third sector organisations. To book a place contact Gina Robson at Community Voluntary Action Blyth Valley on 01670 365783 or email gina.robson@cvabv.org.uk.

Sent in by Blyth Resource & Initiative Centre

Blyth Resource & Initiative Centre (BRIC) is providing FREE Basic IT courses in Seaton Valley thanks to funding received from the Tyne & Wear and Northumberland Community Foundation (Seaton Valley Fairshares).

The courses begin on Monday 12th September and will cover everything from how to use the mouse and keyboard to surfing the net safely.

Seaton Sluice Community Centre- Monday 12th September 10am - 12pm
New Hartley Community Centre- Monday 12th September 1pm - 3pm
Seghill Community Centre- Monday 12th September 10am - 12pm
Seaton Delaval & Holywell Community Centre- Monday 12th September 1pm - 3pm

To book for your free place or for more information contact Rachael Logue on 01670 353817.

View Blyth Resource & Initiative Centre September course list

Isn't it strange how despite what appear to be massive breaches of security, the illegal tapping of phones, the involvement of police in cash payments for information and whatever else, there is still a tacit acceptance of this being a high-level problem and somewhat remote from the ordinary people like us.

I can quite imagine if the papers involved had been the Morning Star or any other left-wing publication there would be a holy outcry for hangings and the disgrace and abuse of the media.