People in Northumberland are getting good adult social care, according to a new national inspection.

The Commission for Social Care Inspection has given Northumberland's adult services department a two-star rating, and says it has "excellent capacity" for improvement.

MP Sir Alan Beith travelled to Buckingham Palace yesterday to received his knighthood from the Queen.

The Berwick representative and longest-serving Liberal Democrat MP said he was still surprised when people refer to him with the prestigious title.

Sir Alan, who has been MP for 35 years and is former deputy leader of the party, said: "It's good for democracy for Parliament to be recognised as something that is good for the community."

Bungling Post Office officials lost a North MP's 14-page response to proposed branch closures in Northumberland.

Sir Alan Beith, Liberal Democrat MP for Berwick, has demanded that the Secretary of State intervene after it emerged that his response to the proposed closure of branches in his constituency was misfiled and not taken into account when decisions were made.

North Northumberland Football League Division One leaders Berwick Town proved too strong for Craster Rovers as they netted six before half time and another five after the break.

Rob Armstrong netted four, Andrew Gibson three and there was one goal apiece for Jordan Ainslie, Thiago Ferreira, Alan Jess and Sean Simpson.

A well contested game saw Ashington Athletic and North Sunderland share a 1-1 draw. Darren Thompson put the visitors ahead in the 65th minute but Ashington equalized with 10 minutes to go.

The sound of Christmas in the Longstone Lighthouse will be recreated at the RNLI Grace Darling Museum next Saturday.

The museum will stay open until 7pm during the Bamburgh Fair and Christmas lights switch-on.

William Darling - aka Northumberland folk musician Bryan Jackson - will play 19th Century fiddle music to entertain visitors and refreshments will be available.

A Belford drumming teacher, whose anthrax contaminated instrument may have killed a man, had not thought about the health risks of importing it, an inquiry heard yesterday.

A fatal accident inquiry into the death of Christopher 'Pascal' Norris, 50, an artist and woodworker from the Borders, was yesterday told that teacher Geraldine Keita, 34, from Fenwick Stead, near Belford, had imported the dun dun drum from West Africa.

An otter has stunned naturalists by swimming three miles out to sea to take up residence on the Farne Islands off Northumberland.

"It's an amazing event, and is the first documented evidence of an otter on the islands," said David Steel, National Trust Farnes head warden.

The success of this year's Northumberland County Show has benefited a number of local charities.

With 26,500 visitors going through the gates, the Tynedale Agricultural Society has been able to donate thousands of pounds to charities and donate 10 free trade spaces at next year's event.

Northumberland Wildlife Trust has received a cash boost from Carillion plc, one of the UK's leading construction companies.

The Carillion Natural Habitats fund has donated £5,000 towards the wildlife charity's Beautiful Bogs project at Holburn Moss and lake.

A lifeboat station tradition has come to an end.

For decades, maroons were fired to alert Seahouses lifeboat crew to incidents.

However, in recent years, the use of the exploding flares has been withdrawn for health and safety reasons.

But the village crew fired two maroons on Remembrance Day last week to mark the beginning and end of the two minutes' silence. This was the last time they will ever be fired from the village.