Campaigners are hoping plans for new hospital services in Northumberland will see more pressure put on the Government to dual the A1.

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust wants to build a new emergency care hospital, upgrade North Tyneside and Wansbeck general hospitals and rebuild Haltwhistle community hospital and Berwick Infirmary.

Now, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Conservative parliamentary candidate for Berwick and the town's public governor on the trust's board, has called for the A1 to be improved to allow people quicker access to the proposed new hospitals.

After a packed summer of family events around Northumberland, the final weekend of the summer holidays is beckoning, with another busy programme across the county.

The event likely to attract the biggest crowd is the Glendale Show (pictured), now in its 117th year, featuring a host of rural attractions and stalls. Spectacular carriage driving and falconry displays and a Ready Steady Cook style cooking competition are some of the highlights of the event on Bank Holiday Monday.

In the bottom corner of the county on the same day, Blanchland & Hunstanworth Show (see link below) will be taking place, and two days before on Saturday Bellingham will also be welcoming visitors to its Show to take part and watch various traditional competitions.

A new look for Northumberland online is being fronted by TV presenter Wendy Gibson.

The BBC personality features in a video on Northumberland Tourism's relaunched website, offering potential visitors to the region a virtual tour of some of its highlights.

Among the sites explored from spectacular aerial views are Hadrian's Wall, Bamburgh Castle, Berwick, and Lindisfarne.

A major review of local government boundaries in Northumberland is entering its second phase.

The Boundary Committee for England has started a second round of public consultation on future arrangements for the county's new unitary council.

The main purpose of the review is to ensure "electoral equality" following the restructuring of local government last year.

People in Northumberland are being urged to do their bit to maintain the beauty of the county's beaches.

The county has some of the most picturesque beaches in Britain, such as those at Warkworth, Bamburgh and Alnmouth.

But they can be spolit by litter which in turn can put wildlife at risk.

Dave Smith uploaded this beautifully close-up shot of a puffin to the Your Place Northumberland Flickr group.

Pictures from yesterday's inaugural Castles Challenge triathlon, which began at Bamburgh and finished at Alnwick Castle and Garden. Read related story »

A spectacular triathlon event - which was held for the first time yesterday and showcased three of Northumberland's historic castles - was last night hailed as a true test of sporting endurance by those who took part.

About 140 people from across the UK and overseas competed in the inaugural Castles Challenge, an Olympic-distance triathlon whose course took in the ancient strongholds at Bamburgh, Dunstanburgh and Alnwick.

Iain Robson, recreation officer for the Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is encouraging people to get involved in the next coastal clean-up operation, Beachwatch.

He said: "We're planning to do a pirate-themed beach clean up at Seahouses on September 19 and 20.

"This coincides with the national Talk Like a Pirate Day event, so it will be a fun way to help keep our beaches clean."

Memories of life down a Tyneside pit have been captured in a new book.

The author, Ron Curran, himself worked at the Rising Sun Colliery, in Wallsend, North Tyneside, for 25 years.

Workers at the Rising Sun Colliery, Wallsend

He brought together his own experiences as well as those of other members of the public to publish Wallsend Best.