Last updated at 09:50, Friday, 30 July 2010

DESPITE the best efforts of those involved with the Bell City drop-in centre at the Old Courthouse, the seat at the end of King’s Street remains a popular meeting place for youngsters.

They are usually relatively well behaved, if occasionally a little boisterous, but I couldn’t help noticing on Monday morning what a lot of litter there was lying around the seat.

Pizza boxes and water bottles abounded – but the youngsters were not entirely to blame.

For the litter bin next to the seat was so full they could hardly have got a piece of chewing gum in it!

Even then, it was still much tidier than the Shitlington road end, where the entire output of SCA Hygiene’s Prudhoe factory appeared to have been dumped.

AT the other end of King’s Street, it’s good to see that a new tenant has already been found for the shop recently vacated by the fishing tackle and welly shop.

That business has gone back into the Country Store that spawned it, so owners Glenn and Kerry Seedall can see a little more of each other.

The shop is now occupied by filmmaker Pamela Robertson-Pearce, from Tarset under the name of Djang.

Opened last Saturday, Djang is both an art gallery and a bookshop where Pamela is hosting exhibitions of work by artists, beginning with Paul Stangroom from Hexham, who has painted landscapes from India to Northumberland.

Djang is apparently an Australian Aboriginal word meaning the creative energy that moves the universe.

Pamela has shown her own work in solo exhibitions in America in New York and Provincetown on Cape Cod, where she had a two-year artist’s fellowship.

Her films on Surrealist women artists have won several awards in Switzerland and America.

More recently, she’s been filming poets for Tarset-based Bloodaxe Books with partner Neil Astley.

BELLINGHAM pride is at stake next month with the third staging of the football competition for the North Tyne Shield.

It’s the annual pre-season clash between the Rose and Crown and the Black Bull at Wark.

The Rose has yet to score a goal in the competition, let alone win the competition, which this year is sponsored by WVC Electrical Services and personal trainer and nutrition consultants Inline Fitness.

Next year organiser David Atkins is planning to make the competition bigger by bringing Barrasford and a team from either Kielder or Humshaugh into it.

This year’s event is at Wark Sports Club on Sunday, August 15, at 2pm.

POSH frocks and swanky suits were the order of the day at the middle school last week, for the annual prom.

There were some stunning outfits on show, and congratulations are due to all who arranged it.

LOCAL resident and treasurer of the Bellingham and District Trade and Tourism Association Chris Gillie is setting up his own accountancy practice in the Foundry Yard.

Heritage Accountancy will officially open its doors at the beginning of August so anyone with a taxing problem should call in.

First published at 09:43, Friday, 30 July 2010
Published by http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk