Villagers can get themselves in a twist when an international expert brings her favoured brand of yoga to the county.

Kate Harrell, one of London's most sought-after yoga teachers, is hitting Tynedale in her first visit to the North East.

Kate, who trained with internationally renowned teacher Max Strom, teaches in London companies and at venues including Triyoga, The Royal Academy of Dance and The Life Centre as well as at workshops and retreats around the world.

New research has lifted the lid on the history of a Northumberland village show which this year celebrates its 150th event.

Dr Greg Finch, treasurer of Hexham Local History Society, has been delving into the past of Slaley Show.

Slaley Show chairman Albert Weir

The event began life in 1845 as the Slaley and Hexhamshire Floral and Horticultural Society Show although it did not take place under its current name until 1852.

A volunteer-run radio station is hoping to become a permanent fixture in Northumberland after being granted a licence to continue broadcasting.

Tynedale FM has a new month-long licence from telecoms watchdog Ofcom, and the station hopes it might lead to a permanent licence sometime in the future.

The radio station was given a month-long restricted service licence to test the water back in December, which went successfully and uncovered some talented presenters.

Stocksfield youngsters showed some really promising talent when they outclassed their opponents in the Northumberland County Netball Summer League.

Playing in the youngest age group, the high fives, the promising players of Stocksfield A were too strong for Wansbeck A, beating them 17-2

Stocksfield C, meanwhile, were involved in a very tight friendly game.

More than 2,000 female council workers in Northumberland are set for payouts after agreement was finally reached to settle a long-running, £50m equal pay claim.

Women county council employees such as cleaners, kitchen assistants and carers are in line for the compensation payments as a result of being underpaid for years in comparison to male colleagues who earned bonuses.

Northumberland County Council is the last local authority in the North East to settle its equal pay dispute with the GMB and Unison - and defended its case as far as an Employment Tribunal scheduled for earlier this month.

Five lucky young cyclists are celebrating after winning prizes by taking part in the Velvet Junior Bike Race 2009 - and raising more than £300 for charity.

They were entered into a prize draw as part of the charity bike ride in March, which was sponsored by toilet tissue firm Velvet and hosted by tissue manufacturer SCA Hygiene Products of Prudhoe.

Robyn Franklin, aged six, from Stocksfield, and Ben Pentland, six, from Ryton, both won mountain bikes. Emily Ward, nine, from Stocksfield, won an angling taster day, Dan Southern, four, from Hexham won a grow your own vegetable garden kit and James Franklin, four, from Stocksfield, won a grown your own salad kit.

The North East's only Conservative MP has returned more than £100 in "gardening" expense claims.

Hexham's Peter Atkinson last month told The Journal his claims were reasonable for his second home in London.

But he declared being ready to repay money if ordered to do so by an internal party panel examining Tory MPs' expense claims.

More meetings are to be held in Northumberland to allow people to have their say on £200m proposals for new and improved hospitals in the county.

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust has drawn up plans for a new specialist emergency care centre near Cramlington, plus improvements to Wansbeck General and the rebuilding of community hospitals in Berwick and Haltwhistle.

But the changes would see the closure of emergency departments at Wansbeck and Hexham General, moves which have caused some concern with patients.

Corbridge is the latest village to get a look into its past through The Journal's photographic archives.

With the sunny weather here at last, summers past are remembered in the picture of a road through the village on a lazy day in July 1961.

Thirteen years earlier, members of Tyneside Electric Cycling Club are clearly enjoying an outing in Corbridge in 1948. The picture was taken by Norman Sinclair.

Finance chiefs at Northumberland's cash-strapped super council are trying to recover almost £9m in unpaid council tax inherited from the county's former district authorities.

The huge debt has been revealed following the abolition of Berwick, Alnwick, Castle Morpeth, Tynedale, Wansbeck and Blyth Valley councils on April 1 - and their replacement by the all-purpose unitary council.