Wedding plans for several couples have been thrown into disarray after the luxury Northumberland country hotel where they were due to get married was placed into administration.

Seven couples who have booked to tie the knot in civil ceremonies at 17th-century Eshott Hall, near Felton, next year are being advised to find a different venue because of doubts over the future of the business.

Their plans have been completely disrupted after Eshott Hall owner, Ho Sanderson, decided earlier this week to place his businesses in administration.

Rio Tinto Alcan's Lynemouth smelter and power station has donated £2,000 to the Blyth Resource and Iniatiative Centre to help it provide workshops designed to boost residents' skills and employability.

The centre provides free access for members of the public to a range of services, with an emphasis on helping people gain employment.

Members of the public are welcomed to the centre where they can get advice on their CV or use job search facilities on site.

Visitors to a Northumberland holiday park's summer fair will do a double take this Sunday.

The event at Cresswell's Golden Sands features a lookalike of American pop princess, Britney Spears, joined by dancers, musical entertainers, children's rides and even fire eaters and dog displays.

Funds raised will go towards the park's chosen charity, the Grace House North East Children's Hospice Appeal. The day opens with a car boot sale at 10am, the fair starts at noon. Entry to the car boot sale is 50p and to the fair is free.

A programme of summer fun is being arranged for youngsters.

Activities in Ashington will include youth clubs, cricket, water polo, beach games, tennis, badminton, racketball, bike clubs, street games, wave boarding, archery, golf, trampolining, dancing, deck sessions and dodgeball.

Ashington police neighbourhood inspector Richard Yeats said: "Staff from local youth organisations have produced a series of activities over the next two months to ensure that every child in the local community is catered for.

Court proceedings against a prominent Northumberland businessman who was injured in a horrific shooting accident were further adjourned yesterday.

Landowner and property developer Ho Sanderson, 59, suffered severe injuries to his face and neck when he apparently tripped and shot himself while walking in the fields near his home at Eshott Hall, Felton, in March.

Mr Sanderson is recovering from his injuries at home after spending several weeks in hospital.

Children in Northumberland are being offered the chance to discover more about the rich marine biodiversity in the county.

Next month youngsters will learn how to access fish, crabs and anemones by getting their feet wet during National Marine Week, which runs from August 1 to 16.

The Northumberland Wildlife Trust is holding rock pooling events at Cresswell near Druridge Bay on Thursday 13, from 12.30 to 2.30pm, and Tuesday 25, from noon to 2pm.

Anyone interested should meet at the village ice cream shop, and children must be with an adult.

Residents, businesses and organisations across Northumberland are being asked to have their say on a major review which will shape future car parking policy in the county.

County council bosses are undertaking the review in a bid to devise suitable management arrangements for all of the car parks that it owns or manages.

The exercise will also help county councillors decide whether to leave car parking free in Blyth Valley and Wansbeck, or introduce charges similar to those currently facing motorists in towns such as Berwick, Alnwick, Hexham and Morpeth.

Youngsters in Northumberland are being urged to sign up for a summer reading challenge and activities at their local library.

The Knights and Princesses story and craft sessions involve storytelling and model making and are for children five to 10.

They will be held at Widdrington library on Monday, July 27, from 10.30am to 3.30pm, Hadston House library on Wednesday, July 29, from 10.30am to 11.30am, and Amble library on Monday, August 10, from 2.30pm to 3.30pm.

A battling couple have won a £6,000 compensation payout after taking high-risk legal action in a lengthy dispute with council bosses over materials used in the building of their dream home.

Denise and Stuart Howard, pictured with their children Will and Eden, launched a High Court judicial review after the council refused to accept a ruling by the Local Government Ombudsman that they should be compensated for unnecessary extra costs incurred in the construction of their house in Hadston, Northumberland.

They risked having to pay thousands of pounds in legal costs if they lost, but were determined to win justice over their treatment by the former Castle Morpeth Borough Council.

The Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is giving people the opportunity to voice their opinions on the proposals for £200m improvements to hospital services.

The NHS proposes a specialist emergency care hospital for people in Northumberland and North Tyneside, improvements to Wansbeck and North Tyneside general hospitals and rebuilding community hospitals in Berwick and Haltwhistle.

The changes would see the closure of emergency departments at Wansbeck and Hexham General.