Guyzance Bridge has been chosen as the main logo for the
parish website as it epitomises the very strengths and
qualities this website is aiming to achieve.
The bridge.....
• is at the heart of our parish
• links the northern and
southern areas of our
parish which are divided by
the River Coquet
• aids communication
between the two villages
in our parish - Acklington
and Guyzance
• is strong, reliable, stylish
and supportive
• is used frequently and
serves our parish well
We hope, given time, that this website will be
regarded as having qualities to match those of Guyzance
Bridge.
Above all, we will strive to ensure that Acklington
Parish Website always serves our community well.
THE RAILWAY INN
The Railway
Inn is our only pub in the parish. It has been
newly refurbished and is serving the parish well.
We are very happy to recommend the inn and to help
promote its events.
FOOD is served from:
12-2pm 6-9pm Mon
to Fri
All Day
Sat & Sun
Serving home cooked food by owner chef....
...using local produce.
Children eat free from
the children's menu, Monday to Friday, 5.00pm - 6.30pm,
with every paying adult.
REAL CHIPS, REAL ALE,
AND A REAL FIRE
REGULAR EVENTS INCLUDE:
NORTHUMBRIAN MUSIC NIGHTS -
3rd Monday of each month from 8.00pm
QUIZ NIGHTS - every Tuesday at
9.00pm
STEAK NIGHTS - every Wednesday from
£20 per
couple - including glass of house wine
CURRY NIGHT - every Thursday....
£9.95 only, and this includes a free drink.
ACKLINGTON VILLAGE HALL
The Village Hall is available for hire seven days a week
for fund-raising events, private hire, social events,
etc. The fee is £8 per hour.
The Village Hall Committee is trying to raise
substantial funds through various projects to expand and
improve facilities. You can help by such simple
things as sponsoring a brick
for the new extension or attending fund-raising events.
Further information about
village hall bookings
or fundraising can be obtained from
Alison Sharpe on
01670 761451
ACKLINGTON PARISH
COUNCIL
Acklington Parish Council
has its own webpage
where you can see who
our councillors are.
You can also, if you
wish, ask a question, make a
point or raise a subject for discussion at
a Parish Council meeting.
Just click on the APC Link below for more information.
You
can also read the minutes of the latest parish council
meeting by clicking on the box below.
Did you know this tree (situated in the NE corner
of the playing field at Acklington First School) is very
special? Not only is it a rare Black Poplar, believed to
be the most northerly in the British Isles, but it is more than
likely the oldest thing living in our parish.
Black Poplars can grow up to one hundred feet tall and appear in
many of Constable's paintings, including the Hay Wain.
The Black Poplar is one of Britain's rarest native trees and it
is also one of the most endangered. Without active
conservation the Black Poplars could soon become extinct in this
country.
Did you know the RAF
Station at Acklington played a major part in the history
of our parish and indeed the history of the country?
The first enemy aircraft to crash on English soil was
shot down in 1940 by pilots from RAF Acklington.
For more information press the RECENT HISTORY link
button
below.
Did you know Acklington has given its name to a
style of men's trousers? They are produced
by the outfitters Jack Wills and cost the pricely sum of
£119.00
Well... they often say you "pay for the name"
Fancy a pair?
Did you know we have
a talented young budding photographer in the parish?
Adam Moffat certainly has an eye for a good
photograph. Below are just a few of his many shots
which have been taken from the Flickr website where
users have their own "photostreams" to show and share
their images.
Most of all Adam likes to take pictures of farm
machinery and farmers at work. Maybe one
day he will end up as a farmer..... or perhaps a
famous photographer!
If you wish to see even more of Adam's stunning photo's,
you can visit his flickr photostream by
clicking on the
link below:
Did you know
more and more steam trains
are passing through Acklington Station these days.
If you would like to see one then it is worth clicking on the
little engine below to check out the timetables.
Did you know
we have some really talented artists who attend
Acklington Art group every Thursday morning? If you wish to see some of their fine
work, click on the link below.
Welcome to
Acklington Parish Website
This website has been
designed to provide a central source of information for
Acklington Parish. You can navigate the website by
using the blue menu bar above
or via the sitemap at the bottom right of this page.
You are visitor number :
WEATHER FOR THE NEXT FIVE DAYS
A five-day forecast
for the parish of Acklington
as summarised in the latest BBC weather news.
18 May 19 May
20 May 21 May
22 May
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
FOR MORE EVENTS.....
The parish of Acklington is
always very busy with many events taking place
throughout the year in venues such as the village hall,
the church, the pub, the school, Guyzance Hall and
elsewhere!
You can
check the various 2012 events which are already being
planned by going to the menu bar above and clicking on
the calendar button.
Just follow the links for each month. You will be
surprised to learn how much is going on.
Pictured
(above) welcoming the Duchess of Northumberland to the
church of St John The Divine, Acklington, are
churchwardens Bill Rowntree and Ken Denholm. You
can see more pictures of the 150th anniversary
celebrations by clicking on the red balloon.
ACKLINGTON PLAY AREA OFFICIALLY OPENED
The Right Honourable Sir Alan Beith MP visited the parish on 8th
October to open an impressive new play area in Acklington.
After having to be prized away from riding the zip wire he
eventually cut the yellow ribbon and (to the delight of the
gathered company - particularly the children) declared the
"Play Space" officially open.
A big thank you to members of Acklington Parish Council who have
worked long and hard to secure this much needed and requested
amenity, and to the local children who were involved in its
planning and design.
SAINT OSWALD'S WAY
St. Oswald’s
Way
is a long-distance walking route, exploring
some of the finest landscapes and
fascinating
history of Northumberland. Walkers find
castles, coastline, islands, scenic river
valleys, hills, attractive villages, forest
and farmland on the walk.
From Holy Island (Lindisfarne) in the north,
St. Oswald’s Way follows the stunning
Northumberland coast, before heading inland
across beautiful countryside to Heavenfield
and Hadrian’s Wall in the south, a distance
of 97 miles (156 km). The route links some
of the places associated with St. Oswald,
the King of Northumbria in the early 7th
Century, who played a major part in bringing
Christianity to his people.
Half way along the route walkers get to pass
through our lovely Acklington Parish.
Indeed the mid-point of St Oswald's Way is
believed to be that point in our parish
(pictured opposite)
where Rake Lane footpath passes under the
main London to Edinburgh railway line.
Walkers take note:- Rake Lane is a beautiful
stretch of the walk when the weather is dry
and fine but it can be extremely muddy and
challenging during wet weather.
SEND US YOUR PARISH
PICTURES
If you have any photographs taken in our parish
that you would like to see on this website,
please forward them to us. We will be happy to include them, especially any
interesting or unusual shots such as the view of
Acklington Village opposite.
WEBSITE INFORMATION
This
website is maintained by members of Acklington
Community Team (ACT).
The picture below shows a group of parishioners
enjoying an evening website training session led
by
website designer Brett Grieves.
The training took place in Acklington School and
was funded by ACT.
Any feedback or constructive criticism of this
website would be very much welcomed. Also
any contributions (news, parish information,
articles, stories, photographs, etc.) which
could be included on the website would also be
gratefully received.
To make contact, please click on the CONTACT
US button below and you will see the various
ways
in which you can get in touch.
Pupils at Acklington C of E
First
School celebrate receiving the
grant from the Big Lottery Fund.
The following article was published
in The Northumberland Gazette
on
22/3/2012
A NORTH Northumberland school has been awarded a £10,000
grant for a community safety project.
Acklington C of E First School was successful in its
application for an Awards for All Grant. The
community project will involve everyone including
parents and carers, school-age children and senior
citizens and will cover a number of areas such as
swimming instruction, outdoor watersports, life-saving
techniques, cycling and road safety, first aid courses,
additional safety courses (railways, fire etc), visits
and safety resources (high-visibility vests and torches
etc). Funding will cover all associated costs
including transport, venue, instruction and crèche
facilities.
The winning argument for funding was composed by one of
the parents with a child at the school, Mrs
Clerkin-Shone to whom the school is very grateful for
supporting it on the application.
Mrs Clerkin-Shone
The application said: “It is vitally important young
people understand and respond to risks involved with
water, fire, roads and railways.
“Acklington is a small village in rural Northumberland,
with areas of open water subject to localised flooding.
“Being confident in and around water is a vital life
skill which would make all participants safer around
water.
“We have narrow, fast roads, few footpaths and a number
of children cycle and walk to school, so road and cycle
safety is vital.
“A railway line carrying high speed inter-city trains
runs through the village and could pose a danger to
children.
“Village facilities are limited, and this project would
greatly strengthen links between school and the
community, improve social cohesion and provide learning
opportunities for the whole community.
“Bringing people of all ages together so they can learn
from each other, developing confidence and skills, with
school as a focal point, will develop a community
spirit.
“Limited public transport makes it difficult for members
of our community to access facilities necessary to
obtain the life skills needed to be safe in water and on
land.
“We feel it is important to hold sessions at varying
times of day enabling access to all members of the local
community.
“Developing a community project around vital safety and
life skills will provide interest for everyone;
opportunities for interaction between social groups; the
chance to learn new skills, acquire qualifications and
be safe and healthy.”
The community project will run from Easter 2012 to
Easter 2013.
----------------------------------
THE MOST DANGEROUS STRETCH OF
ROAD IN BRITAIN...... AND IT'S ON OUR DOORSTEP
The following article was published
in The Northumberland Gazette
on
22/3/2012
A SECTION of the A1 has been described as ‘the most
dangerous road in Britain’. The four-and-a-half-mile
dual-carriageway stretch between Hampeth and the River
Coquet saw three deaths per mile between 1999 and 2010,
with eight accidents leading to 13 deaths.
That amounts to the same number per mile, over the same
period, as the A406, in north London, named as Britain’s
most dangerous road on the BBC’s Every Death on Every
Road in Great Britain website. Since that data was
compiled, there has been one more fatal accident, just
after Christmas last year, making the total deaths 14.
And at a meeting in Swarland last week, residents of
villages which surround the road and use it on a daily
basis asked for something to be done to improve safety.
Chairing the meeting, Swarland resident Ken Walters
said: “After the last accident, we listened to
politicians and councillors on television and radio
saying that something has got to be done. But nobody has
asked this community, the people that use that road,
what they feel.”
He added that the accidents have involved people of all
ages, in all kinds of vehicles and all weather types.
And he said that each fatal accident costs nearly
£1.8million. “In an accident where there is serious
injury, it costs £205,000,” he said. “We are talking
about phenomenal amounts of money. If the Highways
Agency says it doesn’t have the money to do anything, I
would say it’s going to cost you even more if you
don’t.”
Liz Newton, from Acklington, said her heart was in her
mouth every time she had to cross the A1 at the Swarland/Guyzance
crossroads.
“I find it so difficult,” she said. “Every time you
cross you have to have such concentration and extra
vigilance. It is such a dangerous junction. One of the
worse things for me is when you come over the brow of
the hill southbound, you have to brake sharply to turn
left to Acklington. People behind don’t expect cars to
slow to 20mph on a dual carriageway and there are people
right on your tail. Every time my heart is in my mouth.”
She added that another bugbear is roadworks signs
obscuring drivers’ lines of sight, at both junctions and
central reservations.
Concern was also expressed about drivers entering
central reservations when others were already there,
ignoring red chevron areas. Tony Hood, from
Felton, said: “The road was made even worse when they
put in that terrible crash barrier. At first you
couldn’t see at all. When we complained, they re-aligned
it but it still isn’t good enough.”
Comments were also made about residents in the
surrounding villages having no choice but to use the A1,
but lines of sight being impaired at nearly all
junctions. There was also concern that since that
part of the A1 was constructed, the volume of traffic
has increased considerably.
Mr Walters added that farm vehicles crossing from
Swarland to go to Acklington or southbound, have to face
northbound in the central reservation because it is too
small.
A unanimous vote called for a 50mph restriction, as on
the A1 in Elkesley in Nottinghamshire, with average
speed cameras to control drivers, along the
four-and-a-half-mile stretch.
Mr Walters wrote to the Highways Agency, which is
responsible for the trunk road, and asked for someone to
attend the meeting. In reply, he was told that
‘safety’ work had been carried out, two non-serious
accidents had taken place at Swarland and that no
representative would be at the meeting as there was
nothing more they could add.
Swarland resident Vera Vaggs described the road as a an
‘extremely bad country lane’ and said: “I want to
express anger about the reply you received from the
Highways Agency. It is obvious that the person you
spoke to had no idea about listening to other people.”
Another meeting is to be held, with a representative of
the Highways Agency present.
Clare Mills, senior researcher for MP Sir Alan Beith,
said she would take the concerns to Sir Alan, and take
it up with the chief executive of the Highways Agency.
County councillor for the area, Trevor Thorne, is to
organise a delegation from the community to meet
officers from the county highways department and the
Highways Agency to address local concerns.
A Highways Agency spokesman said: “We have carried out
safety improvements on the A1 near the Swarland
junction, including improved signing and a restriction
on southbound vehicles manoeuvring across the central
reservation. Although we were unable to attend the
recent public meeting, we will continue our discussions
with local residents. When sufficient data is
available, we will review the improvements to the
junction and consider whether there is a case for any
additional safety improvements.” ------------------------------
HAMMER FALLS ON DREAM HOLIDAY
The following article was published
in The Northumberland Gazette
on
15/3/2012
A DREAM holiday at a stunning 17th century French
property is being auctioned this weekend, as part of a
community fund-raising campaign to carry out vital work
at Acklington Village Hall.
The Revd Robert Parker is helping the cause by offering
a one week’s stay at his seven-bedroomed, all en-suite
house, which sleeps 14, in the Dordogne.
The vacation, to be taken in 2012, 2013 or 2014, subject
to availability, will go to the highest bidder when it
goes under the hammer on Sunday night.
More details will be given at the auction, which takes
place at the village hall at 6pm.
Anyone wanting to bid but cannot attend the event should
call Bob Smailes on 01670 760848, between now and
Sunday, leaving a minimum and maximum bid.
SITE MAP
You can explore the full parish website by clicking on
the following links:
