An art exhibition which is tearing up the rule book can be seen in Wark in June.

Showing that sculptures don't have to be all about marble and chisels, Paper Trail - Contemporary Craft Tour 09 is bringing famous faces to Pegswood in the shape of unique caricatures.

The exhibition, which has previously toured in Dorset and Cornwall, is out to impress in the north with a marionette of Prince Charles, a smiling sculpture of the late Queen Mother, and a full-size Margaret Thatcher - made from paper.

Smaller communities should be thinking ahead to the day when they can generate all their own power, energy expert Dr Barbara Sexon believes.

Dr Sexon runs the Thropton Energy consultancy in the Northumberland village of the same name, near Rothbury.

She studied for a PhD 25 years ago on the potential of small scale wind turbines in the days before wind farms of considerably larger machines became the hot potato they are today.

Controversial plans to erect wind turbines in an area that is already the subject of a public inquiry will go before councillors next week.

The plans, submitted by npower renewables, are for eight turbines close to Great Bavington, north of Hexham, in an area that is already awaiting the result of a triple inquiry into proposals to erect more than 50 turbines.

The application, first submitted late last year, has caused anger among residents, and is also opposed by Bavington, Birtley and Kirkwhelpington parish councils, Newcastle Airport and the Ministry of Defence.

A presentation on plans to revamp the region's hospitals takes place in Northumberland next week.

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is proposing a new specialist emergency care hospital near Cramlington for people living in Northumberland and North Tyneside, improvements to Wansbeck and North Tyneside general hospitals and rebuilding community hospitals in Berwick and Haltwhistle.

A presentation on the plans takes place at a meeting of Warkworth Parish Council on Thursday, June 4 at 6.30pm in the Memorial Hall on Castle Street.

The next blood donor sessions in the North Tyne area are at Bellingham County First School on the following dates:

Sunday 12 Jul 2009, 11:15 to 13:00 and 14:30 to 16:30
Sunday 15 Nov 2009, 11:15 to 13:00 and 14:30 to 16:30.

There are other sessions in Rothbury, Hexham and Ponteland.

For other sessions in the local area, or to book an appointment to give blood visit www.blood.co.uk.

The same three clubs as last year - Walker Central, Gillford Park and Harraby Catholic - filled the leading places in the Re-Max Northern Alliance Premier Division table.

Wark signed off an up-and-down season by beating last-day hosts Shankhouse 4-2 with goals supplied by Lee Telfer (2), Phil Thompson and Edward Brazier.

Hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of Class A drugs were seized in a year-long crackdown by police vying to rid rural Northumberland communities of drug barons.

The Journal can today reveal the scale of the drug problem that plagues the county's isolated countryside, with a massive haul of drugs confiscated by police specialists.

Earlier this year a top judge said drug dealing gangs were targeting rural villages in sophisticated cannabis production operations.

Bosses at Northumberland's new super council are being recommended to stick with its controversial 0845 single telephone number.

County hall chiefs have been urged by campaigners both locally and nationally to change the 0845 6006400 number, which has been provided since April 1 for all people who need to contact the unitary authority.

Rubbish police could confiscate bins if householders fill them with the wrong items.

Northumberland County Council hopes to crack down on contamination in recycling wheelie bins using hard-line tactics.

Householders who repeatedly ignore warnings to stop throwing waste food, nappies or dirty items into the bin which is supposed to be for dry, clean, recyclable materials, will have their bin confiscated.

A Northumberland festival has achieved a coup by persuading the Red Arrows to perform on one of the days.

The famous flying team will be coming to Otterburn Mill's annual festival in July, not simply for a fly-past but for one of their world-renowned displays.

Due to high demand for their services, the Red Arrows have to turn down three out of every four requests, but picked out the Otterburn event to be a part of their summer schedule.