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

Bell View, which is based in Belford, were awarded the Outstanding Organisation crown in the North East Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) awards 2009.

Bill Hickey (left) and Centre Manager Paul Harrison receive the award on behalf of Bell View from Gillian Miller of the Learning and Skills Council

The prize was presented at a glittering regional ceremony attended by over 180 people.

However, County Hall bosses have reassured the sector that a funding package of £1.3m will still be available next year. Budget proposals recommend more money for charities directly supporting those people worst affected by the recession.

These will include services such as credit unions and the Citizens' Advice Bureau.

With environmental challenges becoming increasingly important throughout the UK, the group were keen to offer support to the Trust in its work to protect and preserve Northumberland's stunning natural habitat.

The art group which meets at Bell View in Belford chose pictures they had made of the area for a 2010 calendar. All proceeds after costs are covered will be used for the charity and its activities.

To get a copy, go to the reception desk at Bell View or phone (01668) 219220.

The friendly and informal art group meets from 2-4pm on Wednesdays and would welcome new members.

Young rangers in Seahouses secured funding from the Local Environmental Action Fund (LEAF) and the eaga Community Fund from the Community Foundation.

The £20,000 grant will be used to improve a former limestone quarry for visiting humans and animals.

The Young Rangers on the Coast group will be working on the Quarryfields site, which is next to their base in Seahouses in Northumberland.

The Young Rangers Project is a joint initiative of the Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Partnership and the Seahouses Youth Project, managed by the North Sunderland and Seahouses Development Trust.

Bell View Walking for Health group has been awarded accreditation by Walking the Way to Health, a Natural England initiative. Now they are looking for more people to come along on their organised walks.

They received the accolade because of their walks for beginners, as well as meeting various standards.

The Northumberland Coast and Lowlands Leader Programme is looking for small businesses or projects in the county to which it can allocate a million pounds of funding.

The programme is a community-led approach to rural development that builds on local knowledge and skills, innovation, and synergy with other partners.

A group of 16 helicopter cadets from RAF Cranwell touched down at Holburn Moss to help with the removal of birch trees and ditch damming.

Following a half mile walk onto the peat bog and a talk about the ecology and history of the site, the cadets began removing the tress and building dams, using recycled materials, to raise the water levels and restore the peat and its natural condition.

www.belfordvillage.co.uk is sponsored by Belford Development Trust and the village cubs, Belford History society and Mothers Union already have their own pages.

Seahouses & Belford Links Page »

Held on Sunday, the fair saw visitors come along to enjoy cream teas, Doddington Dairy Ice Cream and live music from local band Heads On the Block.

A great time was had by all, raising over £650 in total for Bell View. The community-based charity, which has been in existence since 2008, works to support older people in the area.

Pictured above: Volunteer Barbara Hutchinson and her husband Bill enjoying a cream tea.

Northumberland Care Trust, in partnership with Age Concern, is looking for volunteers to become "senior health mentors" to other older people in their community.

Ann Kirkup, project co-ordinator for the health mentor scheme in Northumberland, with Jean Sanders in Newbiggin, who has volunteered as a senior peer mentor.

The volunteers will be trained to help, support and encourage those they are mentoring on the benefits of healthy eating and exercise, as well as offering social interaction.

The Belford and Seahouses Community Forum is holding its first community engagement event in Bamburgh on Wednesday, June 10 to look at how the issue effects the Bamburgh, Beadnell, Belford and Seahouses area.

The meeting will take place from 7pm-9pm in The Pavillion.

Trotters of Seahouses have been long-term supporters of the RNLI, donating items for fundraising events and providing buffets for the charity in Seahouses, Craster and Berwick.

Seahouses baker Sheena Trotter, with the Duke of Kent, and her son Graeme Trotter, holding the RNLI Corporate Supporter Award

That support has seen the firm get the RNLI Corporate Supporter Award from the Duke of Kent, who is the charity's president, at a ceremony in London.