Mickley Square Post Office near Prudhoe could reopen in new premises just 30 yards away from its former site.

The post office at 22 Riding Terrace closed in December last year.

Now, it plans to re-open at 18 Riding Terrace. A final decision on the proposal will be announced soon after the consultation period ends on August 4.

People seeking to turn over a new leaf by boosting their skills and gaining qualifications are being offered vital support.

Representatives of the Test the Region campaign, designed to help unemployed people and single parents get back into work, will be at Prudhoe Library tomorrow, from 10am to 1pm.

The morning session will give you the chance to get expert advice on the courses and learning programmes

Five lucky young cyclists are celebrating after winning prizes by taking part in the Velvet Junior Bike Race 2009 - and raising more than £300 for charity.

They were entered into a prize draw as part of the charity bike ride in March, which was sponsored by toilet tissue firm Velvet and hosted by tissue manufacturer SCA Hygiene Products of Prudhoe. Dan Southern, four, from Hexham won a grow your own vegetable garden kit, and Robyn Franklin, aged six, from Stocksfield, and Ben Pentland, six, from Ryton, both won mountain bikes. Emily Ward, nine, from Stocksfield, won an angling taster day and James Franklin, four, from Stocksfield, won a grown your own salad kit.

The prizes were donated by Velvet, Activ Cycles of Corbridge and Northumbrian Water. The money raised from the event went to The Penguin Fund at Newcastle Freeman Hospital's paediatric intensive care unit. The fund was set up after three-year-old Martha Andersen from Edmundbyers received life-saving treatment at the unit.

Hundreds of elderly and disabled people who use seven council-run day centres in Northumberland face a three-month wait to find out whether they can be saved from closure.

A series of public meetings on the future of the threatened centres in Amble, Bedlington, Blyth, Hexham, Haltwhistle, Ponteland and Prudhoe - which are used by 370 people a week - has now been completed, and final decisions will be taken in September.

Further private meetings will be held with individual centre users and their families, and feedback from the public consultation analysed, before reports setting out the various options are presented to county councillors.

Fears were voiced last night over the potential impact on the health of elderly and vulnerable people if care chiefs press ahead with controversial plans to close seven day centres in Northumberland.

Relatives of elderly dementia suffers who use the council-run Lyndon Walk day centre in Blyth said they are worried that their conditions will get even worse if they have to uproot themselves and move elsewhere.

Two women told a public meeting in the town that their mothers don't cope well with change, and questioned whether adequate alternative provision will be available if the centre closes.

Fun for all the family will be on offer at a summer fair tomorrow.

The annual show in Wylam is one of the biggest village events in the Tyne Valley and will boast a wide range of stalls and entertainers.

The fair, from 1pm to 5pm, is on the Jubilee Field in the heart of the village and will feature children's activities like a magician, face painting, fancy dress, races and other games.

The North East's only Conservative MP has returned more than £100 in "gardening" expense claims.

Hexham's Peter Atkinson last month told The Journal his claims were reasonable for his second home in London.

But he declared being ready to repay money if ordered to do so by an internal party panel examining Tory MPs' expense claims.

A cyclist was taken to hospital with multiple fractures and cuts to his back following a collision with a lorry in Northumberland yesterday.

The 38-year-old man was taken to Newcastle General Hospital by ambulance after the accident on the C257 road at Rudchester near Prudhoe at about 7.30am. His injuries were said to be not life-threatening.

The road was closed until 10am and the 40-year-old lorry driver was unhurt. Northumbria Police asked for any witnesses to contact motor patrols at Hexham on 03456 043043.

Summer was in full swing in Northumberland at the weekend with a host of traditional events to get the county in the spirit of the season.

One of Northumberland's most historic events - the Ovingham Goose Fair - once again attracted hundreds of people with its centuries-old entertainment.

A procession of dancers, local tradespeople and children in colourful fancy dress passed through the village at 1pm on Saturday.

More meetings are to be held in Northumberland to allow people to have their say on £200m proposals for new and improved hospitals in the county.

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust has drawn up plans for a new specialist emergency care centre near Cramlington, plus improvements to Wansbeck General and the rebuilding of community hospitals in Berwick and Haltwhistle.

But the changes would see the closure of emergency departments at Wansbeck and Hexham General, moves which have caused some concern with patients.