That time lag also applies to this monthly letter: I can’t mention anything too up-to-the minute in case it’s irrelevant by the time you read it. So, for example, it would be foolish of me to bring up a topic like the Eurozone crisis because by the end of January it might have all blown over, or we might all be cashing in our spare Euros because the currency has collapsed!

But such weighty matters are not for us – what we strive to do is produce a decent magazine with a variety of articles and puzzles, plenty of local contributions, information on community groups and events and, of course, a wide selection of locally based business advertisers providing services you need, which can be kept close to hand. (And, for those of you reading this on our website,  you’ll find contact details for advertisers as well as articles and community information here too.)

Feedback from readers is important to us, so if you have any comments then we’d love to hear from you – call us on 0191 253 7608 or email info@roundaboutpublications.co.uk.

by Carol Robinson

The new service, called My Guide, matches blind and partially sighted people with a volunteer for up to six months. During this time, they will meet up for a few hours per week to visit local shops, a leisure centre or a cafe, with the My Guide volunteer providing sighted guide support. They will work together to develop confidence and independence, working up to the service user being able to go out on their own.

Pauline Errington of Holywell, who lost her eye sight after having a stroke, feels the My Guide scheme would have helped to rebuild her confidence and stop her hiding away when she first lost her sight. The TBWS service user says “I went from a confident, working mother to someone who became anxious at going out and being around people”. Pauline thinks the scheme will help isolated blind and partially sighted people regain confidence and feel secure going out and about in their local communities.

TBWS and Guide Dogs are looking to recruit volunteers in and around North Tyneside to help blind and partially sighted people build their confidence, regain independence and reduce their isolation. The volunteers will benefit by taking part in a nationally recognised training course (endorsed by VISION 2020), developing new skills and giving something back to members of their community.

We welcome volunteers from all backgrounds, male or female, young or old, retired, studying or working. However, volunteers must be over 18 and able to commit to a minimum of one to two hours per week.

If you would like to become a My Guide – Sighted Guide volunteer or would like to find out more about the services provided by TBWS please contact Helen Farrow (Centre Manager) on 0191 257 4388.

The strange and ethereal duergars (or dwarfs) of Simonside and the evil gypsy-like Faas have their part to play in this tale based on the scarce information existing about this pub which finally closed down in the 19th century. The locations, names and plot are all extrapolated from possibilities of the time.

Colour photos of some of the locations in the valley and a probable depiction of the pub will help the reader picture the wild and windswept scenes.

The author of the tales, Roger Allen, is a voluntary ranger in the Northumberland National Park and has spent his life walking the Cheviots, and more recently researching Coquetdale.

A copy of the tales is available from Roger for £7, all of which will be donated to the BOBBY ROBSON CANCER FOUNDATION. Postage is free in the UK. Records will be kept as proof of donations sent. To order, please contact Roger by email at rb27allen@blueyonder.co.uk or by phone on 0191 252 4516.

I don’t know how many times I’ve been asked this particular question since my firstborn’s arrival back in 2010. But the answer is always the same.

“Oh yes. I intend to. I run my own business so I work from home. Holly’s such a good natured little thing so I’m sure I’ll be able to work with her at home with me. Perhaps while she naps during the day, and I’ve put loads of toys in my office so she can play while I’m busy – it’ll be great!”

Little did I realise that the flashing lights of the wireless router under my desk would prove so appealing to my darling girl. And so at least once every ten minutes I find myself, head under my desk, retrieving a little wriggling mass from amidst the wiring. And after the third time of retrieval she begins to realise it isn’t a fun game and that I’m really not going to let her play with the electrics – that’s when the squealing starts. Distraction works wonders in this situation and the squealing stops. But it’s at this point that I realise I’m sitting on the floor playing with Holly and not actually getting any work done. Time for a change of plan.

And so I bring the laptop downstairs, the plan being to sit and work whilst Holly plays in the lounge, the home of all her favourite toys. Plus this room has been more carefully baby-proofed than my office so there are no flashing lights or tempting crawl holes for her to make a bee-line towards. Sorted.

Except of course, now that Holly is a five star cruiser, a laptop on Mummy’s knee is the perfect height for her little hands to begin communicating her creativity. And what better way than to ‘help’ Mummy with her writing? And so it has come to be that much of my recent work has been punctuated with little gems such as:

Sfrqde gvvdfd ogfhgdsv qw3weewdfbwre45 \\yA7FDoooooo

I think additions like these bring a little ‘je ne sais quoi’ to my work – wouldn’t you agree? It also turns out that my 14 month old is a little computer genius, such are her skills to turn on facilities in my Microsoft programs that I didn’t even know existed – I have such a gifted child!

I’m sure there will come a time when my ‘working from home during the day’ dreams will be realised. My writing will be prolific while my daughter busies herself with one of her quieter toys (OK, that’s probably where my dreams become fantasy). But until that time I’m more than happy to stow my laptop away and make day time ‘Holly time’. Working evenings and weekends are here to stay for the time being and I wouldn’t have it any other way. After all, back in 2006 when I started out on my business venture (when Holly was but a twinkle in my eye and I hadn’t even met her Daddy yet!) the major driving force was the thought of having the flexibility to be able to work my own hours and spend as much time as possible with my children. And so it has come to pass.

Right, time to finish up and put the laptop away before Holly wants to offer her opinion once again. Until next time.

by Helen Bowman © 2012

Helen Bowman is a freelance writer, editor and proof reader who lives in Whitley Bay and works with small companies, individuals and groups to write, edit and proof read articles, press releases, website copy and all forms of the written word.

Contact her on 07725 196929 or at helen@in-the-detail.co.uk for more information.

After the post-Christmas influx of toys and games and books this year I decided to have a proper sort out of my children’s bedrooms and as I did so I found myself being transported back nearly forty years. Tidying and sorting out may have taken longer (make that a good few hours longer) – but was made far more enjoyable as I pulled out the stories of ‘Milly Molly Mandy’ and ‘My Naughty Little Sister’ that I loved as a child. Do you remember Billy Boy Blunt and Little Friend Susan? And Bad Harry with bunny eared slippers in the snow? How about Burglar Bill and his dramatic romance with Burglar Betty?

The drawings in my copy of ‘Bread and Jam for Frances’ seemed as real to me as I sat, surrounded by bin bags and boxes, as they did when I was five years old. I could even remember the rhyme that Frances, a young badger who has decided that all she really wants to eat is bread and jam, sings as she skips … “Jam on biscuits, jam on toast, jam is the thing that I like most.”

These books with their battered covers and occasional food stains are to my generation (I’m nearly forty) what ‘The Gruffalo’ and ‘The Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ will be to children today. They are vivid and bright and have helped to inform our view of the world so that we understood it that little bit more. New experiences like friendships, familial relationships, new foods and the great outdoors were handled with gentle humour and wit. Although I’m still not quite sure what I’d do if a tiger ever knocked at my door for tea – would you?

by Katherine Wildman © 2012

Katherine Wildman is a copywriter who helps UK companies to get their message across in writing. From websites to sales letters, brochures to leaflets – if you want copy that makes your customers want to use you then get in touch with Katherine today at words@copywriternewcastle.co.uk, on Twitter @copywriterne or call her on 07816 763 393.

If you are relatively active, moving and walking around during your day, then the increase is unlikely to have much impact. If, however, like many people you drive or take the Metro to work, sit at a desk for most of the day and come home to sit in front of the TV in the evening, then that extra amount is going to put weight on you. If you buy pre- prepared foods, even if they are ‘low fat’ or takeaways, then you may be eating too much. Low fat foods usually have extra sugar to make them taste better, so they aren’t necessarily better for you.

So what can you do to reduce your weight? It really does come down to less in, less on the hips! Our stomachs expand and get used to accommodating the amount of food we eat. The important thing about weight reduction is to treat it as a change for life. Start to think of the long-term benefits and how uncomfortable you feel now with your current weight. It’s not about ‘being good’ or having a ‘bad’ day where you can eat what you want. The usual tips such as eating more slowly or using a smaller plate will help. You may also need to change what you eat and when, perhaps eating less carbohydrates and more vegetables and protein.

You can go on starvation diets, try the latest fad, or attend a slimming club. Whilst many diets work in the short term, long-term weight reduction needs to address not only changes to shopping and eating habits but the psychological aspects of overeating too. Do you eat when you are upset or feel ‘blue’?

For some people, an increase in activity is not an option because they are morbidly obese, with a BMI over 30. One way they may be helped is through gastric band surgery, an operation which reduces the stomach size so it can’t hold as much. However,  people still need to change their attitude to food and reduce the amount they eat; if they don’t it can create physical problems such as reflux and, in some extreme cases, the band can break. This not only wastes NHS money but creates problems for the person too.

What else can you do to reduce your weight? Hypnosis can help people with their weight reduction. It’s not a quick fix as you will work on different aspects over a number of sessions but it can help you:

• Overcome barriers to eating healthier foods.
• Be more motivated to walk and take exercise.
• Change how you eat.
• Change the way you cope with negative feelings.
• Change how you think about yourself and what matters to you.

Hypnosis can even be used for those who are morbidly obese through Hypno-band™ or gastric band hypnosis. In essence, this process helps people believe they have had gastric band surgery and therefore eat less food. It may sound bizarre but it does work.

So even though it may seem that you can’t lose weight there are ways and means that can help you. All you have to do is to really want to and take steps to make it happen. Let 2012 be the year you changed your life.

by Anne Morrison © 2012

Anne Morrison, MBSCH, Clinical and Cognitive Behaviour Hypnotherapist, lives in Whitley Bay and works in North Shields. She is also a volunteer therapist at Hospice Care North Northumberland providing support to patients and their relatives. She can be contacted by phone on 0191 300 0933 or via her website www.annemorrison.co.uk.

I headed up Clennell Street, the premier cross-border drove road, before turning towards the Grade II Listed Clennell Hall and the meandering River Alwin. My first hill of the day lay a mile upstream and an easy walk along the red gravel valley track soon delivered me to The Dodd, small in stature but commanding superb all round views. A thin film of frost covered the grass-carpeted ground and patches of old snow filled a smattering of hillside folds. The low winter sun cast deep shadows over the fast-receding valley and the boundary fence surrounding the extensive Kidland Forest skipped uphill ahead of me. It was a near perfect day, wind-free and crystal clear.

I was now climbing steadily towards Wether Cairn, some 563 metres above sea level and crowned with a triangulation pillar balanced on an elevated grass raft anchored in an ocean of dark brown heather. To the north lay the heart of the Cheviot Hills, stretching from the conical Hogdon Law to the whale-backed Cheviot, from the tree-skirted Cushat Law to the shapely Hedgehope Hill. To the north-east, I could see the thin blue line of the cold North Sea hugging the distant horizon but, with the temperature still sub-zero, it was not a day for loitering.

So, without further ado, I followed the fledgling Biddlestone Burn downhill picking my way across a morass of saturated, partially frozen ground and trying, as best I could, to avoid a potentially embarrassing misplaced footstep. Eventually, I reached the dry upper slopes of Gills Law and a splendid view of the way ahead. I was bound for the ruins of Old Rookland, uninhabited for more than half a century and, until 1939, the home of John Dagg one of the shepherds who in December 1944 rescued four crew members of a crashed B17 Flying Fortress (see ‘Roundabout’ March 2011). These days, the old farmstead is a sad and sorry sight, neglected and unloved.

The tiny thread of Rookland Sike slithers through a deep and pencil-thin valley and seems to lie in a constant state of semi-darkness. I made a rapid descent to the ice-cold trickle followed by a quick climb out of the bitter shadows to emerge into full sunlight close to the summit of Clennell Hill. At 322 metres high this is a tiddler of a hill but the near-vertical views from the western edge of the summit are outstanding. Way below me the sparkling River Alwin twisted and turned downstream brushing, as it rushed on its way, the slopes of the slightly gnarled, hillfort-topped Camp Knowe. High on the opposite side of the valley the impressive Lord’s Seat popped its head above the green line of the border-heading Clennell Street.

This was the perfect finale to a memorable late winter’s trip to the hills and all that remained was the short and pleasant stroll back to Alwinton.

by Geoff Holland © 2012

Geoff Holland is the author of four books of self-guided walks,  ‘The Cheviot Hills’, ‘Walks from Wooler’, ‘The Hills of Upper Coquetdale’ and  ‘Walks on the Wild Side The Cheviot Hills’ ,   is a  regular contributor to ‘TGO (The Great Outdoors)’, ‘Country Walking’ and ‘The Northumbrian’ magazines and is the operator of the highly acclaimed website www.cheviotwalks.co.uk. His books are available online from www.trailguides.co.uk or from all good bookshops and he can be heard reading a selection of his poems on www.listenupnorth.com. He has lived in Monkseaton for almost 40 years.

Whitley Bay Masonic Hall, situated on the corner of Norham Road and Park View, was opened for the first time on 13th March 1913 and was used by Freemasons for many years as a place to hold their respective Lodge Meetings.

On the evening of 8th December 1941 an air raid over Whitley Bay, in which a number of enemy planes were engaged in an attack on the town, resulted in a bomb being dropped into the centre of Norham Road, completely destroying the Masonic Hall and causing serious damage to neighbouring properties. As a result, temporary premises situated at No. 220 Whitley Road were hired, where all subsequent Masonic Meetings were held for a number of years.

In 1954, building work commenced to replace the Masonic Hall with a new single storey building, designed by William Stockdale of North Shields. The building was opened in October 1955 by the Provincial Grand Master for Northumberland; RW.Bro. J.M.S. Coates O.B.E., and all Masonic meetings at the coast have been held there up to the present day.

The two World Wars both had a great effect on English Freemasonry. Nationally, in the three years after the First World War, over 350 new Lodges were set up, and in the three years after the Second World War nearly 600 new Lodges came into being. In many cases the founders were servicemen who wanted to continue the camaraderie they had built up during their war service, and were looking for a calm centre in a greatly changed and changing world. Freemasonry in Whitley Bay was no exception, and over the years up to 13 different Lodges and a number of other Masonic side degrees have met in this hall. Many of these Lodges derived their names from localised areas, such as Whitley Lodge, Monkseaton Lodge, St.Mary’s Lodge, BrierDene Lodge, Belvedere Lodge, Rockcliff and Links Lodge.

Although Freemasonry remains strong and vibrant, it is a sad fact that, in common with many other organisations, recent years have seen a fall in the number of Lodges meeting at Whitley Bay, leaving a handful using the building. As a result, this has freed up the Masonic Hall for the majority of the time and it is now offered for function hire to outside organisations or individuals, particularly during the day.

Internally, the hall has been decorated to a high standard and can accommodate up to 100 people where it may be used as a local venue for social or corporate events and meetings, discussion groups, mother and toddler groups, dance classes, birthday parties etc. If required, there are also catering and bar facilities, and an adjoining car park.

If you wish to find out more about becoming a Freemason, or if you simply want information about costs and hiring of the hall, please contact the Secretary on 077 62 09 62 62.

by Charlie Steel © 2012

Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, local historian Charlie Steel has lived almost all of his life in Monkseaton. His books “Monkseaton and Hillheads” and “Inns and Taverns of North Shields” are published by Tempus and are available in all good book shops.

All Charlie’s articles which are featured in Roundabout Monkseaton can also be found on his website www.monkseaton.info. Charlie also writes articles for Roundabout Tynemouth.

If you have any old pictures or photographs of Monkseaton that you would like to share then please e-mail Charlie at charlie@monkseaton.info.

This month’s local history article from Charlie Steel (see here) remembers the terrible Hartley Pit disaster which happened exactly 150 years ago this month, and almost wiped out the small mining community of New Hartley. On a much more light-hearted note, walking guru Geoff Holland considers how to select suitable outdoor gear if you are planning to head for the hills (see here), whilst North Sea Pilot Terry Took tells the tale of a highly secret mission he undertook some years ago in his latest adventure (see here). For those of you who have a computer, Katherine Wildman is urging us to start ‘tweeting’ (see here, something I have started in the last few months and have found to be both fun and really useful!

We always welcome feedback on the articles we publish, or indeed on any aspect of the magazine, so if you have any comments then do please get in touch – call us on 0191 253 7608 or email info@roundaboutpublications.co.uk.

by Carol Robinson

Tynemouth Amateur Operatic Society (TAOS) is a vibrant group, consisting of enthusiastic, hard-working and talented members of varying ages. The Society aims to deliver two shows every year – both with an individual approach – and has presented a wide variety of productions as diverse as South Pacific and The Wizard of Oz; Die Fledermaus and Barnum; Beauty and the Beast and Titanic; My Fair Lady and Chess; The Sound of Music and Blitz; with Oliver, Guys and Dolls, Fiddler on the Roof, The Dancing Years, Kismet, The Merry Widow, Salad Days, Calamity Jane, The Student Prince, Show Boat, Carousel, Annie Get Your Gun, Finian’s Rainbow, The Desert Song, Oliver, Carousel, The Boy Friend, Kiss Me Kate, The King and I, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, The Song of Norway, Half a Sixpence and Gigi being just a few examples of the many shows staged since its formation in 1947.

Interspersed with various oratorios and concerts TAOS unceasingly demonstrates how versatile it is and, as well as presenting first-class entertainment for our audiences, continues to offer great opportunities to young and talented performers, some of whom have progressed to the professional stage, and we are always delighted to welcome new and enthusiastic members who can sing and act. We do, however, have several members who do not wish to perform on stage, but who can offer their ‘talents’ in other ways. Working backstage is not the most glamorous role, but it is nevertheless an essential one, and our backstage team is one of the best in the area, with their work and efforts going a long way towards our very successful productions. Similarly, the person who sits quietly in the corner with a copy of the script ready to ‘prompt’ a performer if necessary, is an extremely valuable member. Our Accompanists, Wardrobe Team, Props Manager, Booking Secretary, Front of House Manager and Programme Sellers are all part of the ‘Team’ that forms Tynemouth Amateur Operatic Society.

We work with extremely capable and highly respected Directors, Musical Directors and Choreographers and after more than sixty years TAOS is still presenting shows of a very high standard. Rehearsals are held on Friday evenings from 7.30 to 9.30 p.m., at the Baptist Church in Howard Street, North Shields, and nearer to a show additional rehearsals can be called on Monday and/or Wednesday evenings. Anyone who would be interested in joining us should contact the Secretary, Stuart Davidson, on 0191 253 1802.