What a tale she has to tell her grandchildren.....and her great grandchildren....and her great great grandchildren. For at the age of 97, Elveda Walker went abseiling - in her wheelchair.

She could have been excused for wanting to rest up a bit on a day out from the Grange Day Centre in Throckley. But not Elveda, of Cruddas Park, Newcastle.

Instead she decided to enjoy a hair-raising experience abseiling with the help of the staff of the Calvert Trust in Kielder Forest, which offers outdoor adventure and activity for disabled people.

Wark look capable of maintaining their Northern Alliance Premier Division status and won 3-2 at home to Alnwick Town.

Three days after their eight-goal defeat by Walker Central, the Wark lads proved their resiliency with goals by Marc Nixon (2) and Mark Elliott. Richard Brown and Ben Keenan replied for Alnwick.

Meanwhile in the league's pole position, Walker Central are four points clear of Gillford Park with a game in hand.

Bosses at Northumberland's new super council have been accused of failing to comply with an independent regulator's guidance by providing an 0845 number for people who need to contact the authority.

Bob Watson is unhappy that Northumberland County Council's new number is premium rate

Members of the public who telephone the all-purpose council - which came into being on April 1 following the switch to unitary local government - now have to use a single number, 0845 600 6400, to speak to call handlers.

As part of the Hexham Book Festival, people will be able to "Write Through the Night" in a moonlit poetry workshop taking place at Kielder Observatory with poet Maurice Riordan on Friday 1st May. He is holding a follow-up event on May 2 at 5pm with poems from a new collection of poetry Dark Matter, inspired by space.

For more information visit www.hexhambookfestival.co.uk. Call Queen's Hall Box Office on (01434) 652477 for tickets.

People with any concerns or problems following recent changes in home to school transport arrangements in the west of Northumberland are being urged to seek help and advice from the county council.

Parents or schools with worries should contact the transport unit on (01670) 533644 or 533673.

People in Northumberland suffering from the effects of the economic recession are being urged to seek help and advice from Northumberland Warm Zone's benefits officer Lisa Oxley.

Lisa, who has helped hundreds of local residents claim the state benefits they are entitled to, can be contacted on (01670) 256624.

A bus offering better access for people with wheelchairs is being introduced on the Hexham to Bellingham route.

Snaiths of Otterburn has just won the contract for the Number 37 route from Northumberland County Council, and has brought in a low-floor bus that has a ramp allowing easy access for people in wheelchairs or mothers with prams.

The bus also has a rear mounted cycle rack capable of carrying three bikes, which Snaiths hope will bring tourists to the area.

Dozens of cars shattered the silence at a Northumberland beauty spot at the weekend, as the thrills and spills of the UK's leading rally series hit the region.

Alan Cookson and Julian Wilkinson in their Subaru Impreza in the third round of the Pirelli MSA Gravel Rally Championship at Kielder

The third round of Pirelli MSA Gravel Rally Championship roared into the North East as part of the Pirelli Tour of Cumbria, a fast and furious battle over eight stages - including Northumberland's Kielder Forest.

Tough planning controls, limited economic options and poor quality broadband coverage have been highlighted as some of the key problems facing upland areas of the North in a major study.

They are among a number of challenges which need to be tackled if the region's high hills, fells and moorlands are to prosper in the future, according to evidence gathered by the Commission for Rural Communities (CRC).

Walker Central went four points clear at the head of the Re/Max Northern Alliance's Premier Division and banged in eight goals for the second time in four days.

John Campbell (4), Dave Thompson (2), Dean Walker and Gary McCartney scored in the Central's 8-0 victory at Wark.