25 years ago Grant Robinson’s wife suggested that he take up a hobby. Today, his model railway has filled one room of his house. It’s every boy’s dream come true… HER maroon livery glowing under the light of a setting sun, the Princess Elizabeth steams into Windsor station with Read More

From a distance, Humshaugh looks like any other rural English village. Get closer and you’ll find a community which has become a model for others to follow A MODEL for excellence for villages across the land… exceptionally community minded… pushing the boundaries of Read More

The USA had Dodge City and the Wild West. We had Elsdon and the Middle March. You once took your life in your hands if you wandered into this area. Today, the only worrying factor for visitors is the lack of public toilets. WHERE would you find an aedicule and a former school Read More

The future is looking bleak for what used to be our common or garden hedgehog. You’re lucky to see them in your garden at all these days, but if you do and they’re looking worse for wear, it’s time to call the hedgehog rescuers. THIS is a true story. Two brothers go out for the Read More

They may not be magician Steven Bridges’ own words, but he quotes them because they underpin his whole approach to magic and the bright ideas he conjures up for his performances. HANDS up who likes magic? I would join you, but my hands have been stuck to a table by magician Read More

1. A flan tin? 2. An X-ray photograph of our galaxy? 3. Marks on a drawing board? 4. Bacilli trails seen under an electron microscope? Find the answer at the end of the article. HOW to make the ordinary extraordinary using light, colour and a camera. That was the task Read More

Queen of the road, 90-year-old Kaye Poole, is among the elite when it comes to motoring – she’s passed her advanced driving test. SITTING in the driver’s seat of her Renault Modus, Kaye Poole slows down as she approaches the corner before gently accelerating as her car exits the Read More

The West Country may have claimed cider as its regional drink, but Tynedale cider maker John Hutton is redressing the balance in the North-East’s favour. IN the Garden of Eden it only took one bite of an apple to get Adam and Eve expelled from paradise. But maybe God was angry Read More

Arthur – King of the Britons. The stuff of legend, or as a local historian Michael Thomson suggests, a Romano-British warrior whose stomping ground was Hadrian’s Wall? THE prize was the rich, fertile land south of the old Roman Wall. Foot soldiers, carrying square shields Read More

Ever since he was a boy, radio ham Mike Stott has been fascinated by electronics. He’s even built his own Enigma machine. YOU can normally spot where a radio ham lives because of all the aerials sticking out of the roof and Mike Stott’s house in Ovingham is no exception. B Read More