I thought it might be helpful to recap a little about our parliamentary constituency and the towns and villages I represent, as well as just some of my visits out and about in the last few months.
Although ‘Berwick-upon-Tweed’ is the formal title of our constituency, you may know it covers a much wider cross section of North Northumberland – and is due to be renamed ‘North Northumberland’ from the next General Election. While I’m elected to represent our area in Westminster, debating and voting on national legislation, my home is here in rural Northumberland and I return for surgeries and visits around the constituency almost every single week.
Starting in the north, we have Berwick-upon-Tweed, one of our two stops for the faster LNER trains, and home to Berwick Infirmary, where in June I went to see the latest ongoing work on our new £35 million hospital; as well as both Berwick Academy, where pupils got fantastic GCSE results last week, and the oldest window company in the UK, Allan Bros, both of which I dropped in to see a few months ago.
Just south of Berwick we have Tweedmouth and Spittal, both about to benefit from £50 million of investment to reduce storm overflow spills, the workings of which I made sure to go and see in July.
Moving down, we have Scremerston, whose school, we heard in April, will remain open following my assistance in raising local concerns with the County Council; while to the west, passing villages including Murton, Thornton, West Allerdean and Shoreswood, we have Horncliffe – home to one of the Platinum Jubilee oak trees I previously helped plant.
In Horncliffe too is the Fishers Arms community pub, whose ongoing renovation, thanks to the Community Ownership Fund, I went to see progress on recently. Nearby, likewise on the England-Scotland border, we have the village of Norham, where I dropped in, last month, to hear more from the local folk working hard on a community energy project there.
Travelling down the A1 – which I’m still fighting hard to dual! – past Cheswick, Ancroft and Goswick and Haggerston, we reach Beal and Fenwick. Off the coast here is the Holy Island of Lindisfarne – an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and, quite interestingly, home not only to mead production but to one of our constituency’s three cider manufacturers, alongside Monkey House Cider in Berwick and Willowtree Cider in Alnwick.
Just to the south again is Bamburgh – and one of our many castles! – winner of the Which? survey of the UK’s favourite seaside destinations for the third year in a row!
Following along the coast, we reach Seahouses, where I recently visited the Outstanding (Ofsted graded) Busy Bees Nursery to discuss childcare capacity across our constituency with them, given the Government’s expansion of free childcare – as well as dropping in to meet the new Seahouses harbourmaster.
Running parallel, over in the west of our constituency, a host of smaller villages, including Bowsden, Lowick, Branxton, Ford, Milfield, Doddington and Chatton, take us down to Wooler, home to England’s most northerly auction house, which was brilliant to see when I visited the other week.
Travelling down the A1 and the coastline further still, we pass Lucker, Beadnell, Chathill – where I’ve been campaigning for more, faster trains to call at the station, Ellingham, Newton-by-the-Sea, Embleton – where I both met Embleton Vincent Edwards Primary School, featured in the BBC Countryfile Magazine for their innovative ‘beach school’, and visited the newly revamped Embleton Quarry Nature Reserve, South Charlton, Rennington, and Craster – whose Memorial Hall I visited recently as the Northern Powergrid Foundation handed over a cheque funding most of the Hall’s 10 new solar panels plus Tesla Powerwall backup storage.
We then reach Longhoughton, as well as nearby RAF Boulmer, where I visited to see the school’s fantastic offering of wrap around childcare, assisted by Ministry of Defence funding, for myself recently.
Immediately to the south is Alnmouth, our second stop for the faster LNER trains, and home to the beautiful Alnmouth beach, host to a special baby loss awareness and reflection event it was lovely to attend in July. Slightly inland of Alnmouth is Alnwick, our second largest settlement after Berwick, the latter two of which play home to my two constituency offices and my team working hard to help with the issues and correspondence you write to me about.
Just a little south is Shilbottle, resting place of two Commonwealth war graves that I paid respects at during Armed Forces week in June, amongst the 50 locations with CWGC war graves or memorials, commemorating 330 individuals, our constituency is proudly home to, including, in particular, Chevington Cemetery further south.
Meanwhile, over in the west, alongside the 405 square miles of Northumberland National Park, many more settlements include Eglingham, Powburn, Glanton, Whittingham, Netherton, and Harbottle; as well as Thrunton, where it was great to welcome the Deputy Prime Minister last month, to meet our local teams and hear about Storm Arwen challenges and solutions.
Further south still is Rothbury, where I dropped by for a guided tour of the lovely Rothbury House and its wonderful sheltered housing and independent living for RAF veterans and their spouses, while over at the western extreme of our constituency is Elsdon and the British Army’s Otterburn Training Camp, where I got to see our excellent servicemen and women, as well as our friends and allies, in training recently.
Finally, approaching the southern boundary of our constituency, we pass many more settlements, including Newton-on-the-Moor, Warkworth, Amble, Acklington – home to HM Prison Acklington where I went for an update in July – Longframlington, Felton, Eshott, Longhorsley, Widdrington, Netherwitton, Cambo and Ellingham.
Living in such a rural landscape, there are scores more settlements that there isn't room to list in full here, so I really hope you won’t be offended if I didn't name check yours. Nonetheless, I represent you all, and the issues you raise in my postbag I take up equally. So, if there’s anything you would like my help with, any issue you would like me to come and see for myself (or indeed any good news you would like me to help share with the world) please get in touch! I hope to meet you soon!