Members of the public are being reminded they can access walk-in centres and minor injury units throughout the region during the festive season.

No appointments are needed - you can walk in to use any of the services.

Walk-in centres are available for treatment of minor illnesses or injuries without an appointment for all patients except children under two years old.

Two North karate clubs put on a spectacular floor show at the Seahouses Junior Competition.

Ashington and Linton students competed superbly in team and Individual kata and kumite events, as entrants of all ages gained recognition for their achievements.

Ashington's biggest achievers were the trio of Kyle Duddridge, Alex Ralph and Dylan Gibson.

A fleet of specially designed "play vans" will be hitting the road in Northumberland next month as part of a pioneering new service for children and families.

The project - involving four vans which each contain toys, books, play equipment and internet access - is said by the county council to be one of only a handful operating across the country.

The vans include ramps to make them fully accessible and also feature retractable awnings and sliding doors, which allow them to be used for children's play sessions as well as information points for parents and carers.

Family history buffs in Northumberland are turning to the web.

Northumberland County Council produced a video (below) to raise awareness of the facilities available to people wanting to know more about their ancestors.

It was uploaded onto internet video sharing site YouTube and has got more than 12,000 hits.

A renewed campaign for improvements to the lethal A1 in Northumberland should be escalated during the run-up to the next General Election, according to a North East peer.

Lord Walton of Detchant - whose home in Belford is close to one of the most notorious single carriageway stretches - has called for "renewed and strident" efforts to have the road fully dualled between Morpeth and Berwick.

Lord Walton, who has been campaigning in the House of Lords for A1 upgrades for more than 15 years, says three recent fatalities have "brought yet again into stark focus the necessity of dualling this dangerous road".

Waste bosses are urging Northumberland residents to think green this Christmas.

Northumberland County Council and SITA UK will recycle Christmas trees, cards, wrappings and drink containers.

Household waste recycling centres across the county will be open every day except Christmas Day and New Year's Day, and Christmas trees can be taken along at any time and recycled with other green waste.

Plans to improve transport infrastructure across Northumberland will go before county council leaders early in the new year.

A new report has identified a number of ideas on how to improve the maintenance and upkeep of the county's 5,000km of roads and almost 1,500km of cycle and footpaths.

It also looks at the upkeep of assets such as bridges, streetlights and drains which in total are worth more than £5bn.

A community centre that helps out the elderly living in Northumberland has struck gold.

Bell View Resource Centre was presented with the gold accolade 'Healthy People, Healthy Business' from Northumberland Care Trust officials at a conference at The Britannia Hotel, Newcastle Airport.

The centre was awarded the gong for the way it encourages staff, volunteers and service users to keep fit and healthy. It recognises Bell View as an exemplar of good practise in workplace health and acknowledges the work and time they have invested in achieving this honour.

Pictured: Paul Harrison and Sharon Allan from Bell View receive the award from Patrick Price, lead manager for Health Improvement at Northumberland Care Trust

We dip into the Journal's archives to get into the festive spirit with some Christmas images from Northumberland's recent past.

Send your seasonal images of the county to northumberland@ncjmedia.co.uk if you would like to share them on our community sites.

Some changes to bin collections in Northumberland over the Christmas and New Year period have been announced.

Kerbside collections in the former Berwick area which would normally take place on Fridays will instead take place three days later: December 28 and January 4.

Full details are available on the website www.northumberland.gov.uk.