Sharon McDowell fell into a nursing career by accident. Today, as an officer in the Territorial Army, she has been putting her skills to use in areas of conflict in Afghanistan and Iraq THE toppling of the towering statue of Saddam Hussein in a Baghdad market square is one of the Read More

North Tyne-based chef Michael Scott can walk out of his kitchen and find most of the ingredients for his meals on the doorstep GOOD cooks can prepare wonderful food from tried and tested recipes time and time again. But what makes a great cook is the confidence to experiment with Read More

Ballroom dancing is bringing out all sorts of emotions in those taking to the floor at an evening class in Heddon on the Wall THEY were teenagers when they met under a sparkling chandelier in the popular Newcastle night spot of the 1950s, the Oxford Galleries. Now Jenifer and Ian Read More

Don’t mess with this cactus. He’s named after a member of the Sex Pistols. But he prefers listening to Mozart rather than punk rock JOHNNY Rotten has taken root in a polytunnel in a remote corner of Tynedale – and he has developed a penchant for classical music. Yes, it’s true! Read More

A cottage overlooking the waters of the Derwent Reservoir has proved to be a creative place to live for artist and photographer, Shona Brannigan IT was a cold, dark, November night when Shona Brannigan drove down the narrow, single track lane running along the north shore of Read More

For those seeking sanctuary in a Buddhist monastery, Tibet’s a long way to go. Far closer are the hills around Carrshield in the North Pennines – home to a group of monks who have given up their previous lives, including their names, in the search for inner peace WHAT motivates a Read More

A pre-school education group for children with Down’s Syndrome is inspiring the youngsters and parents alike WITH their baby boy fighting for life in intensive care, all parents Helen and Wayne Taylor could think was: “Please let him live, please let him pull through.” And the Read More

A couple in their eighties have clocked up more than 50 years’ service working with Northumberland National Park as volunteer rangers BACK in the 1960s Dorothy and Trevor Hardy’s grey Morris Traveller was a common sight beetling up and down remote country lanes in Northumberland Read More

“Awash, drown it!” Now what’s in those three words? A lot if you’re a cryptic crossword fanatic. Rearrange the letters and you end up with “what’s in a word?” Helen Reed, from Alston would have solved the anagram straight away. She’s addicted to the wonders of the written word Read More

He was the man who won the Prudhoe Miners’ Race an unprecedented three years in a row. But life wasn’t always smooth running for Archie Pattinson, whose remarkable life would make a film worthy of any Oscar. IT was the most poignant of goodbyes and one that Alison, Peter Read More