The cut to Universal Credit will affect 160,000 children in the North EastPhoto by Josh Willink from Pexels Tory MPs, John Stevenson and Peter Aldous have written to the Prime Minister with concerns about Universal Credit. They said that “there were no sensible voices calling for Universal Credit to be scrapped.” They alsoContinue Reading
The latest APPG Coronavirus oral evidence session on workforce, well-being and NHS capacity was held on Tuesday. Question: how will the NHS survive winter? “The problem is so extreme that up to 70% of the NHS working population are considering a career change over the course of the next 12Continue Reading
Illustration by Tom Owen When will it dawn on you we are anything but friends? Still, 75p says you’ll stick with me until the bitter end. Were you hoping that my gloss would grub off on your sleeve? You’re as foreign to me as the refugee I spit on asContinue Reading
MXYM Photo by TGMOV Tonight, Independent, in Holmeside, will host Club Six Twenty, a one-off art club night aimed at people who enjoy festivals, going to gigs and cabaret nights, which have been hit hard by Covid-19 restrictions. Club Six Twenty is being produced and delivered by theatre company TheContinue Reading
Photo by Daria Sannikova from Pexels The food shortage crisis engulfing hospitality sector has now claimed a new high profile scalp, Mc Donald’s. The tabloids are reporting that customers of Mc Donald’s are fuming and furious with the lack of milk shakes and bottled water. There are also multiple reports on social mediaContinue Reading
A couple of weeks ago I wrote this article. In my poem, I addressed violence against women and girls. The seventh stanza is, sadly, more pertinent than ever in the light of recent events in Afghanistan. I had been thinking about Afghanistan and Nigeria at the time of writing, butContinue Reading
He shambles, arrogant, And his words strut: “Two and two, Mister Speaker, Make five. The clouds are cotton wool, the moon cheese, And, as my government has shown, The earth is flat, Mister Speaker”. The crowds roar yes. “The scientists, fake newsers, Told us four. And look from the window,Continue Reading
Photo from unsplash I unlock the door for your coming but you ring the bell again and again summoning me to the crash of your arrival the unstoppable incoming tide of you You launch yourselves, cling like limpets your limbs fastened on my body Your kisses wet in my faceContinue Reading
Photo by Chris Humble Brendan McBear is a bear. He would describe himself as a New Monastic Celt when he’s not too busy taking the mickey out of The Big Eejit or BE – his companion and sometime mentor. His association with Chris Humble began when the Northumbria Community askedContinue Reading
Dragons and Mythical Beasts Queen’s Hall Arts Centre in Hexham has announced it will reopen this month with an exciting programme featuring live music, some of the biggest names on the UK comedy circuit, theatre and family shows. Queen’s Hall Artistic Director Katy Taylor said: “The staff team, trustees andContinue Reading
