News from NEWBIGGIN IN BLOOM

On Tuesday 12 March 3 delegates from Newbiggin in Bloom attended the inaugural meeting of the Northumbria in Bloom 2013 at the Stadium of Light Sunderland. We met with the judges for this year and arranged the spring judging day for the 25th April. So get your gardens spruced up for then!!! We have recently been donated 15 mixed fruit trees to form a community orchard and the Grace Darling Church of England Campus have very kindly agreed to allow the trees to be planted in the precincts. We have also been succesful in being granted £500 from the Vantage fund of the W.C.V.S. This will go towards the purchase of 6X 3x3x3 planters to be placed between the seats in the Quay Wall area. Also we  are hoping to secure the sponsorship of Shades of Green garden centre and B&Q, who are keen to help in whatever way they can. Perhaps with all this help and interest we are hoping that we can upgrade our award from silver to silver gilt or even gold. Volunteers are still desperately needed, please get in touch with Lorna Anderson on 856557 even if you can only spare a couple of hours a week, there are always little jobs to do.

DUE FRATELLI ITALIAN RESTAURANT

is one year old on Friday 29th March

Come and celebrate our first year anniversary with us

Hair by Kelly

has recently reopened in Newbiggin and is now in the old Sailing Club Shop in the Piazza.

Kelly & Jill have been working together for three years and are now offering a complete Hairdressing Service for Ladies, Gents, Children and Senior Citizens.

They are also offering Children's Party Packages and Wedding Hair and Make-Up Packagse (in Salon or Mobile). The Salon is open Tuesday to Saturday and you can make contact on 01670 811830

Newbiggin in Bloom - An Appeal

Newbiggin in Bloom has recently been awarded £1,000 for the purchase of fruit trees to establish a Community Orchard. This award has come from the Co-operative Company via the Briardale Centre in Blyth. The land we earmarked for this project is no longer available, therefore I am appealing to anyone who knows of any land in the town that would be available for this project. We would like to involve local children and their parents in establishing this so that they can take pride in this venture. Please contact Lorna Anderson chair of Newbiggin in Bloom if you have any information.tel 856557.
 

Tyneside girl wins ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ competition to name new RNLI lifeboat

Rachel Fairhurst from Gateshead has won the Royal National Lifeboat Institution’s (RNLI) competition for children to name one of the first Shannon class lifeboats, the charity’s newest and most advanced all-weather lifeboats.

Rachel entered the name Storm Rider, which was shortlisted from entries from around the UK and Ireland to go through to the final along with four other naming suggestions.

Members of the public then voted online for their favourite. Over 20,000 people took part and Rachel’s suggestion received approximately two thirds of the votes.

Rachel and her family will now attend a special naming ceremony in spring 2014 at the RNLI headquarters in Poole, Dorset.

Storm Rider will then be put into service as a relief boat to be used at any of the charity’s lifeboat stations throughout the UK and Ireland as needed.

Thirteen-year-old Rachel described her delight at winning: ‘I was totally speechless when I found out! My friends knew that I had made it to the final and kept asking me about it over Christmas, but I never expected to actually win. It is the best possible start to the New Year.

‘I think that RNLI volunteers do an amazing and selfless job and it will be a real honour to see my name on an actual lifeboat. I can’t wait to go to the naming ceremony and I know that I’ll be too excited to sleep the night before!’

History and animal lover Rachel got her naming inspiration following a trip to the Maritime Centre at Newbiggin-by-the-sea. She explained: ‘When we visited the centre there was a video about the lifeboat crew and how, years ago, the bell to call the lifeboat rang because a boat had been wrecked on the rocks.

‘People left whatever they were doing and ran out of their homes to help launch the lifeboat, but it was very stormy and they couldn't get it launched. So the people dragged the lifeboat all the way back round up the slope and over the moor and launched it there. They got to the boat and not a single life was lost.

‘I chose the name Storm Rider because I thought about the fierce storm that night and how the townspeople were so brave and had so much spirit to drag the lifeboat all that way and to risk their own lives to save others. I imagined the lifeboat and all those brave souls in it riding the storm.’

Richard Martin, Station Mechanic at Newbiggin RNLI and Chair of Newbiggin Heritage Partnership said: ‘Our volunteers at Newbiggin lifeboat station and Newbiggin Maritime Centre wish to congratulate Rachel on her success in this unique nationwide competition. We truly value her recognition of the rich maritime heritage at Newbiggin and the dedication of the local lifeboat volunteers that mirrors the RNLI volunteers across the lifeboat service.’

Carol Raeburn, RNLI Youth Education Manager added: ‘We were delighted by the huge response from children all around the UK and Ireland to take part in this unique competition.

‘Rachel was up against some tough competition, but she is a deserving winner as she put a lot of thought into her name and it is lovely that she was inspired by a real-life rescue. We look forward to welcoming Rachel and her family to the naming ceremony to see Storm Rider begin her service.’

Rachel is pictured with Newbiggin Lifeboat volunteers Peter Leslie, David Bryant and Michael Brown.