The next walk organised by the Footpaths Group will be on Sunday 17 October 2021 at 2 pm. The walk, of about three miles, will be led by Peter Straker-Smith, who will explain the workings of the 1,000 acre, mostly arable, farm and its points of interest. The terrain is on paths and grass, so please wear suitable footwear and clothing. Parking is available at the meeting point, which is the yard behind the farm buildings. Everyone is welcome, but no dogs please. For more information, contact the Footpaths Group organiser.
70th British National Ploughing Championships & Country Festival
This national event, which is held in a different part of the country each year, takes place at Mindrum Mill on 9 and 10 October 2021. Featuring heavy horses, vintage tractors and giant steam ploughing engines, this is a rare opportunity to see how farming has changed over the last 300 years. As well as the ploughing competitions, there are trade stands, displays and demonstrations, country crafts, shopping, food stalls and tractor and trailer rides, all of which make it a great day out for all the family. Car parking is free, admission each day is £12 per adult, and children over five years old pay just £1. For more information, including the full programme of events, visit the Society of Ploughmen website. The first event of each day is at 08.45 hrs and the last event starts at 17.00 hrs.
Free Energy Efficiency Improvements
Northumberland County Council is offering free energy efficiency improvements, such as wall insulation, solar panels and air source heat pumps, to help homeowners cut energy bills and improve the warmth of their homes. To be eligible, you must own your own home and have a household income of less than £30,000, or someone living in your home receiving benefits, and your home must hold an EPC rating of D, E, F or G. The improvements scheme – the Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery scheme – is funded by the government and delivered by E.ON in partnership with Northumberland County Council. To apply, visit E.ON’s Green Homes Grant page or call 0333 202 4820 Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm. You do not need to be an E.ON customer to benefit from this scheme.
Next Footpaths Group Walk
The next walk organised by the Footpaths Group will be on Saturday 18 September 2021. The group walks all the public rights of way in Carham parish, to keep them in use and to identify and report any problems to Northumberland County Council. This next walk will revisit the footpaths and byways that were first covered in summer 2018. Has anything changed since then? Find out by joining the walk, which starts at 10 am from the phone box in Wark. Everyone is welcome, including well-behaved dogs on leads. Please come prepared for long grass and some uneven terrain. For more information, see our Walks page or email the walks organiser.
Parish Council Meeting
The Parish Council will be meeting on Tuesday 14 September 2021 at 6.30 pm in St Cuthbert’s Church, Carham. You can find the agenda on our Meetings page. If you live or work in the parish, you are welcome to attend. Please contact the Parish Clerk for more information.
Free Trees
Northumberland County Council is giving all residents the opportunity to obtain a free tree to plant on their property. Two tree species are available for small, medium and large sized gardens, as well as shrubs suitable for planters for those with limited garden space, balconies or rented properties. The trees are small cell-grown plants, sourced from the UK, and will be provided with a biodegradable tree shelter guard, a cane, and planting and care instructions. To order a tree and book a date to collect it, go to https://nland.uk/freetrees. For enquiries, contact Northumberland County Council’s Climate Change team.
Parish Council Meeting
The next meeting of the Parish Council will be on Tuesday 13 July 2021 at 6.30 pm, in St Cuthbert’s Church, Carham. You can find the agenda on our Meetings page.
All parishioners are welcome to attend the meeting. Please contact the Parish Clerk if you would like more information or plan to attend.
Next Footpaths Group Walk
The next walk organised by the Footpaths Group will be on Saturday 26 June, starting at 10 am at the layby on the B6350 west of Wark. The walk will cover four miles of riverside and farmland around Carham and Shidlaw. Everyone is welcome, but no dogs at landowners’ request. Please be prepared for some overgrown vegetation and uneven terrain. Car transfers will be provided for the short distance from the layby to the start of the walk, to avoid walking on the busy road. If you would like to come along, please contact the walks organiser, Janet Chubb, for more information including Covid-19 guidelines.
Gigabit Broadband Survey
Northumberland will be one of the first counties in England to benefit from a UK Government project to provide next-generation gigabit broadband to hard-to-reach homes and businesses by 2025. Gigabit broadband is ten times faster than superfast broadband, at 1,000 Mb per second. Northumberland County Council is working with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and telecoms providers to thoroughly research and map the county for its existing and future broadband infrastructure, to help it identify hard-to-reach premises. To ensure that Carham parish’s connectivity needs are included and not overlooked, please complete the DCMS survey, and please encourage others to do so, too – particularly those who live in outlying farms and communities. The survey deadline is 11 June.
Annual Assembly 2021
Carham parish’s Annual Assembly was held on 18 May. The meeting agreed the minutes of the previous year’s Annual Assembly, reviewed the Parish Council’s internal audit, and approved its financial accounting and governance statements and its certificate of exemption. All of these documents can be found on the Meetings and Standards pages of this website or can be requested from the Parish Clerk.
