Success! Trains will run to/from Riding Mill + Stocksfield from tomorrow as Northern Rail change their timetable

Northern Rail and Network Rail have listened to the concerns of local people and will now be running commuter trains at peak times. My thanks to the Tyne Valley Rail Users Group and their stalwarts (they know who they are!) for providing me with the key technical material to take to Northern in particular, with who, I have been in regular contact all the last week.
The full revised time table is here: http://www.northernrail.org/pdfs/trackworks/Corbridge_landslip_SX_v4.pdf

The key points to note are that the only extended services are
6:11: Riding Mill
6:21: Stocksfield
6:55: Newcastle via all usual stops

With a second commuter train at 7:39 and 7:49 respectively. I know local residents in riding mill and Corbridge will be delighted.

And then commuter service coming back leaving at 4:54 and 5:54 respectively. All other services are the bus connections as has been the case since the landslip, but my advice is to check the timetable regularly, in any event. This service will stick dovetail with the revised bus time table.
A few points to note: this service will be slower until Prudhoe as the nature of the service on such a track requires a slower speed, and assistance from network rail and a change to signalling. However, the key point is that there is now a service for 2 commuter trains into and back from Newcastle. It has required a reallocation of northern and network rail resources in several ways and I am grateful to them.

Campaigning, Riding Mill Show, then Pimm's in the Northumbrian sunshine?

This morning I will be out with the team knocking on doors and talking to local residents in Stocksfield, before heading to several shows and events.

Later on I shall be looking forward to a hopefully lovely sunny evening with Conservative members at our now famous summer Pimms party, hosted by our excellent Bardon Mill branch.

Here's hoping for a long evening of sunshine!

If you would like more information on becoming a member of Hexham Conservatives, or joining my campaign team please visit http://www.hexhamconservatives.co.uk/ for more information.

Bonfire nights and Christmas fairs this weekend in Tynedale

There are a multitude of bonfire nights this coming weekend and one for everyone over the whole weekend with some villages having theirs on Friday, others like hexhamshire having theirs on Sunday whilst the bigger towns like Hexham are favouring Saturday night. Enjoy but be safe.
On Saturday there is a Christmas fair in wylam institute from 10-12.30. There is also a craft fair the same day in riding mill parish hall from 10-4.

Riding Mill Village Hall + Get Together

Have spent much of last week in Riding Mill: on Thursday I was invited to meet around 50 of the villagers who grilled me for in excess of 2 hours on all subjects from the economy, to local health and care provision. It was a good evening, with lots of the locals keen to get involved in the forthcoming campaign .Then on Saturday we were invited to the opening of the new Village Hall - which has been built largely by Eric, the local master builder, and his son Ben. The quality of the build is amazing and the sense of community as villagers walked around the new facility on Saturday morning was wonderful to see. Eric insited on showing us around - and explaining the porcelain floor and giving us the tour of the bathrooms - of which he is inordinately proud! It is true to say that few hotels have bathrooms / toilets as glamorous or well made as these!