World Cup winner Sir Bobby Charlton has been voted the Greatest Living Northumbrian in a poll on the Your Place microsites.

The Ashington-born footballer won 27% of the votes, beating actor Robson Green (17%) and comedian Ross Noble (15%).

Other nominees in the poll were Sir Bobby's brother Jack, musician Kathryn Tickell, cricketer Steve Harmison, the Duchess of Northumberland and darts commentator Sid Waddell.

Castle Morpeth Council is bowing out amid glowing praise from town hall watchdogs for making major improvements in its performance.

The independent Audit Commission says the Northumberland rural council has gone from being officially rated as weak in 2003/4 to becoming a good authority with an ambitious programme of further improvement.

Sports-mad youngsters got a taste for training when a new club unveiled its ambitious ideas for the future.

Young boys and girls flocked to Red Row Sports Club for the launch of Red Row Kickstart, a new youth club that is offering a wide variety of sports to children.

Although it has been running since September, the club had its official unveiling last week in order to publicise its work to more children, while parents could also find out about the organisers' ideas to increase the activities for youngsters in the area.

The final Castle Morpeth festival of sport will start on March 15 with events in Morpeth, Ponteland, Broomhill and Red Row.

Local sports clubs and schools will compete and there will be a chance for people to get involved in kayaking, orienteering, swimming and hockey. There will also be a Young At Heart event at Ponteland Leisure Centre on March 18 for people aged over 50.

An industrial landmark of the North East is going green. Rio Tinto Alcan's Lynemouth Power Station is the most efficient coal-fired power station of its kind in the UK.

But since 2003 bosses at the firm have been looking at using biomass fuel as a way to cut e missions of harmful greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2).

Players in the North Northumberland League enjoyed the recent relative good weather and played some of their hectic fixture list.

There was one cup game, when Lowick United hosted Lynemouth in an NFA Minor Cup quarter final.

Missed chances and defensive errors cost the visitors after John Ramm had given them the lead with Ashley Smyth adding a second after 25 minutes. A defensive error allowed Colin Young to pull a goal back before half time and then Anthony Murray equalised from the penalty spot on 75 minutes. A Paul Murray free kick found the net after 80 minutes to give Lowick a 3-2 win.

Pegswood Ex-Services swept aside Ox Inn with a 9-0 thrashing in Division One of the Morpeth Sunday League.

Lee McAndrew scored five, Carl Sanders took a hat-trick and Josh Gilmartin completed the scoring.

Stobhill Social Club held Lynemouth to a draw. Michael Davis and Stephen Warwick cancelled each other out.

As you will know from my previous blogs, I am in favour of anything that raises the status of our area, and of Northumberland as a whole. My concern over the plans outlined in the article "Ambitious scheme for Widdrington opencast sites" story posted by The Journal on Feb 20, 09 10:04 AM in News is: How realistic are the benefits listed?

The plans outlined sound fantastic but two questions spring to mind:

How will these jobs replace those lost at the opencasts?

Will these facilities be available to local residents?

A campaign to save a day care and after-school centre has been backed by a MP.

Sir Alan Beith has pledged to take the issue of the closure of the Coquet Children's Centre, in Hadston, up with Northumberland County Council and the Government.

Lack of funding, grant and volunteer money has led the council to announce the facilities at the centre will end on July 24.

A serial burglar who spent decades touring the region and raiding rural homes has begun a nine-year jail term.

Anthony Graham targeted wealthy families in Northumberland, Cumbria and North Yorkshire, creeping into their isolated properties and making off with treasured possessions.

The 50-year-old even plundered an historic castle of expensive antiques in his 30-year career as a "professional burglar".