About 10 new members are being sought by the Ashington and District Male Voice Choir following the loss of a number of singers in the last year.

The choir meets for rehearsals every Thursday at 7.30pm in Ashington High School.

Anyone interested in joining is welcome to come along, or can make contact with the choir by calling Bob Brind on 01670 790169.

Voluntary and community groups in Northumberland have been warned they are facing a reduction in funding for their work - because of the recession and tough budget savings required by the county council.

However, County Hall bosses have reassured the sector that a funding package of £1.3m will still be available next year. Budget proposals recommend more money for charities directly supporting those people worst affected by the recession.

These will include services such as credit unions and the Citizens' Advice Bureau.

Northumberland Wildlife Trust and the Friends of Choppington Woods have arranged a community litter pick to take place this Sunday between 10am and 1pm.

The meeting point for the 10am start is the entrance to the reserve next to the Choppington Welfare Centre.

Members of the public can go along for the full three hours or can just drop in for half an hour.

Heather O'Neill, from Northumberland Wildlife Trust, said: "The litter pick is a great way for people in a community to get to know each other a bit better.

"Very often people come along to an event such as this and feel such satisfaction at the end of it that they volunteer for future activities."

Talented writers and artists have pooled their creative talents to produce a fascinating new book showcasing memories of Northumberland's rich social and industrial heritage.

Wansbeck Writers and the Wansbeck Art Group - which both meet weekly at the Parkhead Centre in Ashington - joined forces on the year-long project which combines the written word with work created on canvas.

The 48-page full-colour book, A Picture Paints A Thousand Words, features about 50 paintings by 18 members of the amateur art group. Each is accompanied and complemented by a piece of poetry or prose written by 16 members of the writers' group.

Older people are being asked to volunteer their time to help their peers stay active and independent.

Northumberland Care Trust, in partnership with Age Concern, is looking for volunteers to become "senior health mentors" to other older people in their community.

Ann Kirkup, project co-ordinator for the health mentor scheme in Northumberland, with Jean Sanders in Newbiggin, who has volunteered as a senior peer mentor.

The volunteers will be trained to help, support and encourage those they are mentoring on the benefits of healthy eating and exercise, as well as offering social interaction.

Volunteers behind plans to launch a community radio station in Northumberland remain determined to make their dream a reality - despite the recession hitting vital fundraising efforts.

A five-strong team behind the proposed Synergy station - which would broadcast to about 130,000 people on the FM frequency - need to raise up to £60,000 to get it on the air.

Now hopes of launching the first of two trial broadcasts this summer are fading fast because of difficulties in securing grants, donations and sponsorship during the economic downturn.

Twenty community projects in Northumberland are sharing a £60,000 funding pot following an X Factor-style voting competition aimed at boosting grass roots democracy.

The You Decide initiative in Wansbeck was part of a national pilot scheme to involve local people and communities in deciding how public money should be spent in their area.

It culminated in a special Decision Day when 37 bidders put their case for a share of the money before an audience of local people equipped with electronic voting pads to decide who got what and how much.

A youth club set up for children at West Sleekburn Middle School has led to better behaviour from pupils, organisers say.

The Monday evening youth club has been set up at Bedlingtonshire High School's sixth form centre for children too young for the existing youth club in Bedlington. It now has around 50 members.

Its success has led to the forming of a similar club at Meadowdale Middle School on Wednesdays.

A teenage rower and a thriving judo club have been honoured as sporting heroes in an awards scheme run by Wansbeck council.

Left to right: councillor Brian Richmond, Wayne Broderick, the Ashington Judo Club Senior Coach, Chris Weitz, Stephen Miller and Jamie Kirkwood

Rower Jamie Kirkwood, 19, and the Ashington Judo Club have been chosen as this year's top performers in the sporting hotbed of Wansbeck.

Community woodland created on the site of two former Northumberland pits is being given a major pre-spring clean by a small army of local volunteers.

The 200-acre Choppington Woods near Bedlington were developed over 40 years on land once mainly occupied by the twin local collieries - Choppington A and B - which were among the first in Wansbeck to cease production back in the 1960s.