It looks to have been a hot and hazy day when Richard Hannam from Prudhoe took this shot of Bamburgh Castle from Bamburgh Castle Golf Club's 16th green.

A talented Northumberland teenager has been hitting all the right notes in her quest for musical success.

Following years of dedication and practice, Belford- flautist Amy McMeekin has been picked to join the Northern Sinfonia's junior winds group, which is based at The Sage Gateshead.

Amy, a pupil at Duchess's High School in Alnwick, has also recently achieved success in the grade eight Royal Schools of Music exam, which is the highest level obtainable.

Plans to remove a phone box from a Northumberland village appear to have been defeated by opponents.

BT was consulting on plans to take out a kiosk from Harbour Road at Beadnell following a request from a property developer outside whose home it is located.

Objections to plan were voiced by Sir Alan Beith, Liberal Democrat MP for Berwick, and Northumberland County Councillor for Bamburgh Pat Scott.

More than 2,000 female council workers in Northumberland are set for payouts after agreement was finally reached to settle a long-running, £50m equal pay claim.

Women county council employees such as cleaners, kitchen assistants and carers are in line for the compensation payments as a result of being underpaid for years in comparison to male colleagues who earned bonuses.

Northumberland County Council is the last local authority in the North East to settle its equal pay dispute with the GMB and Unison - and defended its case as far as an Employment Tribunal scheduled for earlier this month.

Farmers in north Northumberland and the Borders have been picking up tips on using their water effectively to guard against potential supply problems that are expected in the future.

The combined effects of climate change, rising demand for water, increased regulation and the possibility of droughts are all factors that are expected to have an impact on agriculture in years to come.

The UK's top irrigation specialists met invited farmers last Friday at an event focusing on practical irrigation, which looked at efficient water management, coping with climate change and how to successfully negotiate future water supply contracts.

Concerns were raised last night about the future of a Northumberland BT phone box. A notice has been placed in the box on Harbour Road, in Beadnell, stating a consultation on the removal of the box is under way and ends on July 1.

Sir Alan Beith MP said: "I have emailed the chief executive of BT and asked him to look into this as a matter of urgency."

Families in Belford have joined together to do their bit to save the planet.

Belford Energy Saving Together (Best) was set up by local people to push messages about how we can all do our bit to go green.

Working in partnership with the Energy Saving Trust, the group hopes to work with householders and businesses to cut energy use and bills, reducing the amount of harmful carbon dioxide, which contributes to climate change, that they release into the atmosphere.

Independent rural petrol stations are facing an increasing battle just to survive, as they struggle to compete with their bigger rivals.

Many of the stations also act as convenience stores in their local communities, but dozens have closed over the last few years, in yet another blow to the rural economy.

Gordon Moore, pictured, who owns the Border Reiver Station in Knowesgate, Northumberland, said the margin on fuel from his station is tiny.

A hen with a liking for horse-riding is back in the saddle after a brush with a fox.

Peggy lives at a free range unit at Seahouses having been rescued from life in a cage by owner Marian Nicol. The hen developed a taste for landing on the backs of horses and going for rides at Marian's Slate Hall Riding Centre after laying eggs.

But around 10 weeks ago, Peggy was attacked by a fox. Marian, 52, was told by a vet Peggy would die but managed to nurse her back to health.

A man who committed 67 distraction burglary and fraud offences against elderly victims up and down the country has been sentenced to five years in prison.

Mark Rhodes, 25, of no fixed abode, was arrested in Ipswich on May 1 after his photo appeared in the Most Wanted section of the BBC's Crimewatch UK programme. His offending took place nationwide, including the North East, and Northumbria Police's Operation Bombay team worked on the case with 18 other affected force areas.

Rhodes was arrested and when he appeared at Stroud Magistrates Court in Gloucestershire on June 3 he pleaded guilty to a total of 16 offences - eight distraction burglaries, and eight frauds.