Students and staff at two partnership schools in Northumberland are celebrating after winning an accolade for their enterprising spirit.

Bedlingtonshire Community High School and West Sleekburn Middle School, which are joined together in a formal federation, are the winners of the Wansbeck Enterprising Schools award for secondary schools.

Ross Thain and Sonia Burdis from West Sleekburn Middle School with the Wansbeck Enterprise Trophy

Presenting the award, Robin Casson, director of children's services for the county council, said the schools had "embedded an enterprising culture" and had shared the leadership role across staff and students alike.

Thousands of tonnes of recycled waste from the Castle Morpeth area of Northumberland is to be taken to the county's new sorting centre.

As of Thursday, the 4,500 tonnes of paper, cardboard, cans and plastic bottles picked up during kerbside collections in the former Castle Morpeth Council area will be taken to the Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) at West Sleekburn, to be sorted and sold on for re-use.

The £12m state-of-the art recycling facility and waste transfer station at West Sleekburn was officially opened in April.

A company that has been operating for less than two years has been crowned Wansbeck Business of the Year.

Food Local Food, based at Bothal between Ashington and Morpeth, was set up by Alison Taylor because of her passion for locally produced food and frustration at being unable to find it in many supermarkets.

The award-winning Food Local Food team with, far right, John McCabe of Rio Tinto Alcan, Food Local Food director Suzi Howey, second from right, and founder Alison Taylor, third from right

The company, which employs nine people, now provides locally sourced food from 120 suppliers for sale to consumers through its website - which also picked up the technical award on Thursday night.

A campaign to promote enterprise and new business start-ups in part of Northumberland has been boosted by the opening of two new learning centres.

The enterprise centres have been developed at Bedlingtonshire Community High School and Guide Post Middle School.

They are part of the Local Enterprise Growth Initiative (LEGI) running in Wansbeck - a Government-backed scheme aimed tackling the district's poor record in new business development.

A suspected bomb was blown out of proportion after a device was found in a field.

Police were called to a farm on the outskirts of Guide Post, near Choppington, after a member of public found the strange-looking machine.

But within two hours a bomb disposal crew from Catterick confirmed that it was not an explosive but a bat monitoring device.

It is thought that the suspected bomb had been found near an electricity line on East Farm, which has a number of public footpaths.

Former engineer David Malone is a smooth operator. The manager of Real Food Works - a social enterprise based in Guidepost, Northumberland - is taking a unique approach in his quest to educate youngsters about the importance of looking after their health.

The dad-of-one is spreading the message of healthy living and eating after buying the region's first smoothie-maker powered by a bicycle.

He takes the 'Real Green Smoothie Machine' to events throughout the North East as part of his demonstration sessions on how to eat well.

Savage job losses and service cuts flagged up for Northumberland's new super council over the next four years have been described as a "worst case scenario" by a town hall leader.

Details of the potential cutbacks - which it is claimed could mean up to 3,500 redundancies and draconian service reductions - have emerged from a private briefing session involving senior county council officers and political group leaders.

They depict a gloomy scenario in which the unitary authority could find itself by 2013, and are based on predicted budget reductions totalling £80m.

Golden leaves, lingering sunsets and flocks of migrating birds are among the many reasons to visit Northumberland in autumn, and a new campaign is appealing for more tourists to come and experience the region's charms.

Northumberland Tourism and its partners are inviting everyone from near and far to celebrate the beautiful season in the North East.

Called Autumn Warmth, the campaign will focus on walking, art and landscape, as well as Northumberland's trees and forests.

There's plenty of fun to be had for wildlife lovers over the coming weeks, with opportunities to spot lots of favourite animals.

On September 24, Northumberland Wildlife Trust's expert on all things furry - Kevin O'Hara - will be the guide for a "mammal walk".

Walkers will be offered the opportunity to look for otters, red squirrel, fox and deer - and their tracks.

Hundreds of people will gather later this month to celebrate the achievements of businesses in a former Northumberland coal mining stronghold.

The third Rio Tinto Alcan Wansbeck Business Awards will be held at Merchant Court on Ashington's North Seaton industrial estate on Thursday September 24.

Earlier this year Wansbeck was named the most enterprising place in the North East in the prestigious Enterprising Britain competition.