Farmers in Northumberland are being invited to a county council-led information event aimed at helping them to protect their property from burglars and thieves.

Organised by the authority's community safety team as part of the Farmwatch campaign, the event will be held at Bellingham fire station on Wednesday February 10 from 1pm to 3pm.

Farmers attending will be encouraged to enrol with the campaign, and will provided with signs, alarms and information about the scheme.

Northumberland Trading Standards is urging people in the county to fight back against the fraudsters this February by taking part in a major campaign.

The Scamnesty 2010 campaign runs from February 1 to 26 and will involve people dropping mail scams they receive through their letterbox into designated Scamnesty boxes which will be placed across Northumberland.

Online scams can also be reported via the virtual Scamnesty bin at www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/scamnesty.

A new Northumberland business forum will holds its first networking event next week.

The Mid-Tyne Business Forum holds its inaugural event at Wark Sports Club on Wednesday, January 20 from 7.30pm.

Bellingham All Acoustic kicks off a New Year of superb monthly concerts with the fantastic duo 'MEGSON' The husband/wife duo from Middlesborough are fast becoming 'hot property' on the British Folk & Roots scene and have been recently nominated for 'Best Duo' in the 2010 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

Tony Henderson on a tale of two villages

A forgotten community which existed for more than 50 years on isolated moorland in Northumberland has been brought back to life in a major heritage project.

The Newcastle upon Tyne and Northumberland sanatorium opened in 1907 on the moors above the neighbouring North Tyne villages of Barrasford and Gunnerton.

It treated victims of tuberculosis at a time when 60,000 people a year were dying from the disease in England and Wales and the annual mortality rate in Newcastle alone was nearly 600.

Bike lovers are being invited to take on a new challenge in a series of thrilling new night rides through the forest.

Purple Mountain bike hire centre is hosting the events in Kielder Forest to encourage riders to awaken their instincts, develop new skills and steal precious time back from the dark winter nights.

Ruth Griffin, co-owner of Purple Mountain, said: "There is no better location for an exhilarating night ride than under the darkest night skies in the whole of England. Night riding is completely different to daylight riding as it offers an opportunity to sharpen your senses and experience the thrills of nature's sounds and scents in the pitch black.

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Thanks to the Highlights Community Touring Scheme, John Kirkpatrick will bring his Christmas Show 'Carolling & Crumpets' to Wark Town Hall on Tuesday 15th December 2009 at 7.30 pm.

John Kirkpatrick has been one of the most prominent figures on the English Folk Scene for over 30 years.

As well as being a great singer and humorous entertainer, he is the acknowledged master of the Button Accordion, Melodeon and Anglo Concertina and often gives workshops and lectures all over the country, including Newcastle University as part of the Folk Degree Course.

There can't be many greater contrasts than a move from a bustling city centre to a remote rural outpost.

But Jilly Morris is the latest to take up the - admittedly very popular - post of artist in residence at Tarset in Northumberland.

Photograph by Jilly Morris of the landscape at Highgreen

Jilly, from Bristol, is currently enjoying her first taste of life in the moorland landscape.

Night owls are invited to spend an evening with the stars in one of the darkest places in the country.

The Forestry Commission is staging a winter star party at Kielder Castle Visitor Centre in the 62,000-hectare (155,000-acre) wilderness on December 12.

Forestry Commission ranger Katie Thorn gets a sneak preview of the Nightwatch event in Kielder using a hi-tech telescope

There will be chance to learn more about the constellations with experts from Sunderland Astronomical Society, and do some star gazing with the help of powerful telescopes.

Northumberland Theatre Company (NTC) is to take The Last Snow Rider by Ann Coburn round village halls and small arts centres across the country this winter, beginning tonight.

The play will be at West Woodburn Parish Hall on 28th January at 6.30pm.

The cast includes NTC regulars Kim Evans and Gemma Clough and newcomers William Reay from Bellingham and Christopher Ranson.

Visit www.northumberlandtheatre.co.uk for a full list of performances and contact details for tickets.