'Walsh and Pound at the BAA Club' photo by Neil Denham

On Thursday 26th January a packed house at Bellingham All Acoustic Music Club were treated to a fantastic evening of top quality live music. Banjo man Dan Walsh together with harmonica virtuoso Will Pound really did provide us with a jaw-dropping performance of songs and tunes spanning the folk, blues, ska and bluegrass genres. It was mainly high energy all the way but there was some brilliant solo instrumental work from both.

The pair who first met on the Folk Degree in Newcastle have each become highly respected musicians in their own right whilst Will, is soon to find out whether he has won 'Best Musician' in the 2012 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards!

Now as a duo, Walsh and Pound are one of the most exciting and talked about acts on the acoustic music circuit today playing at major venues and festivals across the UK and beyond.

It wasn't really surprising that the gig in the Riverdale Hall Hotel sold out, as both have connections with the Tyne Valley. Dan first played at the BAA club in 2008 with local singer Kat Davidson whilst Will, although not originally from the area is a member of Hexham Morris. This resulted in the team cancelling their weekly practise in Hexham to come upon mass! (Fortunately they didn't bring their bells...but unfortunately the hotel bar ran out of real ale before the gig actually started!)

Finally the evening was made extra special with an impressive opening set performed by fiddlers Beth Chamberlain and Grace Smith accompanied by Will Chamberlain on piano. A magical evening and a terrific start to the year for BAA! Thanks to all involved.

If you missed the Walsh and Pound...there is another opportunity to catch them at BAAFest coming up in May. Tickets are now on sale from www.baafest.co.uk

Our next evening is on February 23rd with legend guitarist Michael Chapman.

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.

On Thursday 28th July a capacity crowd at Bellingham All Acoustic were treated to a feast of songs and tunes by award winning North East folk singer Bob Fox. Although the intimate room at Riverdale Hall Hotel only seats 50, Bob said afterwards what a fantastic room it was to perform in and that he thoroughly enjoyed the night. His superb mix of traditional and contemporary songs were familiar to most of the audience, who were also in fine voice! One couple had travelled from Liverpool especially to see him.

Supporting Bob on the night were Derbyshire based duo David Gibb and Elly Lucas who also went down a storm. They had everyone singing along within a few minutes. All in all it was a fantastic night.

Our next musical evening at Bellingham All Acoustic will be a fund raiser on Thursday August 25th with club hosts Landermason and some invited guests plus support from local musicians Stephen Fry and Pete Stenhouse. It promises to be a fun and varied night withstyles to suit all tastes! Tickets are £7 / £5 (students). Please telephone Riverdale Hotel on 01434 220254 to reserve your seat. Hope to see you there!

www.baaclub.co.uk
www.landermason.com

An except from a film about the final sale at Bellingham Mart has now clocked up over 6,300 views on YouTube.

The 45-minute DVD launched at Bellingham Show in 2009 and is available from Bellingham Heritage Centre or online

Photos shared by members of our Northumberland group on the Flickr photo-sharing website. Click on a photo to see the caption and to view it in a larger size.

You can join the Flickr group to share your own local photos, or send them to northumberland@ncjmedia.co.uk.

Michael Chesterson added this picture to our Northumberland group on Flickr.

Join the group to share your photos or send them to northumberland@ncjmedia.co.uk to see them on this site.

May Bank Holiday weekend saw Bellingham buzzing, baaaing and bathing in glorious sunshine! What a contrast from last year! Those of you who were around for BAAFest 2010 will remember the freezing temperatures on the Sunday night.

It's no wonder a higher proportion of visiting festival goers booked hotel rooms and B&B's this time round! So with wall to wall sunshine from start to finish (including the week before and after when 9 marquees had to be erected and dismantled), we were happy to forgive the accompanying cool breeze that hung around for the duration!

Carol Martin added this picture of the railway carriage that arrived in Bellingham last week to our Northumberland Communities Flickr group. You can read more about the project to turn old railway carriages into part of Bellingham Heritage Centre here.

Join the group to share your photos or send them to northumberland@ncjmedia.co.uk to see them on this site.

Calum Kerr shared this picture of the fortified farmhouse near Tarset in our Northumberland Communities Flickr group.

Join the group to share your photos or send them to northumberland@ncjmedia.co.uk

Big Lottery Fund and ITV, with the approval of Buckingham Palace, are helping to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

Jubilee People's Millions projects will inspire, involve or improve their local communities. If you've got an idea that could breathe life into your local area and improve the lives of the people who live there, why not apply for a grant of up to £60 000!