Five Years of Fairtrade in Northumberland

Last weekend (Sat 1st) – we had a ‘Celebration of Five Years of Fairtrade in Morpeth’ – remembering that Morpeth was the first Fairtrade town in Northumberland, being awarded the status in 2003.

It was a good turnout – with some 50 or so people from all over Northumberland – from Wooler to Wideopen. Hannah Reed came up from the Fairtrade Foundation in London, giving us a preview of their new ‘Tipping the Balance’ campaign to be launched in Fairtrade Fortnight (23rd Feb – 8th Mar) next year. Also a forewarning of the Great Banana Event on 6th-7th March….

Fiona Hall MEP came along and Denis Murphy MP thought he was coming, but his staff sprang a surprise birthday party on him. (Happy Birthday for last week, Denis!)

And the newly formed Morpeth Leos – the ‘junior Lions’ from KEVI – came along with some entertaining Fairtrade games and quizzes. I was disappointed that they didn’t do the promised facepainting though.

We collected ideas and suggestions for what might be done to promote Fairtrade further – and here’s a transcription of what people came up with:

IDEAS

* Raising awareness of fairtrade amongst young people – going into schools and running ‘fun’ events
* Can school ‘shops’ and canteens be fairtrade?
* Northumberland – a fairtrade county?
* Hadrians Wall – a fairtrade zone?
* T-shirts & badges to promote fairtrade
* Councils offer free advertising on website and in publications for local suppliers, sellers of fairtrade produce, including discount coupons for products
* Develop more of a website presence
a web-based Northumberland directory of Fairtrade outlets
* Get someone uninhibited on your committee

PEOPLE & ORGANISATIONS to get INVOLVED

* Local Schools
* Target young people - a Morpeth or Northumberland Fairtrade Facebook group
* Why just young people? Try involving U3A
* Pegswood Parish Council to persuade all community facilities (Uniun Building, Welfare, Project Centre etc) to buy fairtrade tea, coffee etc from the local Co-Op
* The large supermarkets
* Cramlington Fairtrade Steering Group seeks support
* The new Northumberland unitary Council
* Organise a motion in support of Fairtrade to be passed in the month that the new council comes into existence (April-May)
* Parish councils – and the new clusters of parish councils (formerly known as belonging communities)
* The new town councils being created in Wansbeck & Blyth Valley
* Town-twinning people: working on Fairtrade promotion with “twin” towns in Europe and elsewhere
* Churches – together with their sister churches in other countries
* Bed & Breakfasts, Guest Houses, Hotels
* Development Trusts

EVENTS

* Have more gatherings to bring people together – twice a year?
* Cramlington: Photo-Opp of Manor Walks security manhandling fairtrade activist distributing fairtrade leaflets outside the mall
* Fairtrade fair led by young people
* Fairtrade Fortnight 23rd Feb – 8th Mar 09
* Launch of Fairtrade Foundation “Tipping the Balance” initiative
* Bananas! Fri 6th Sat 7th Mar
Banana world record attempt held at all Morpeth schools simultaneously! Perhaps Leos could co-ordinate?
Banana Tour: An inflatable banana or people dressed as bananas visiting shops and supporters in Morpeth/Northumberland
Which building can we dress up as a banana?
* Fairtrade Question Time in run-up to European Elections (June ’09)
Traidcraft may be producing national policy briefing

OFFERS of HELP

* Morpeth Leos
Leos are visiting 7-12 year-old youth group in Longhirst to talk about Fairtrade (and take the games with them)
* KEVI Student Voice
* KEVI Student International Relations Committee

Anger, blame and fault

People are feeling angry about the flood - it's a natural reaction, and some of that anger will get directed at the councils or the Environment Agency or whoever. But I don't think it is meant - people just need an outlet - so it would be unwise for the councils etc to start feeling defensive or try to argue the point. It is too early to be rational.

As I understand it, the approach being followed will be to keep information flowing - about what has been done, what is going to be done next and giving indicative timescales.

It's also too early to determine what went wrong and what went right. The 'lessons learned' bit comes later - but we do need to collect evidence. And since everyone is bursting with their 'flood stories' (plus photos and videos) - I think it'd be a great idea to start collecting and recording them. Then later - we'll have a broad picture of what happened from lots of different angles.

Meanwhile - I don't think it was helpful for John Healey, the Minister who visited Morpeth to start talking about the refusal of the Env Agency's flood defence proposal a couple of years back. It's almost as if he is trying to blame the people of High Stanners for being flooded out.

What actually happened - as I recall - was that the Env Agency were just talking about flood defence in Morpeth Town, and a 3m bund along the river at High Stanners. The Green Party (led by then Town Councillor Geoff Parkin - a hydrogeologist by trade) argued for a more comprehensive scheme of flood protection and flood prevention - including upstream holding ponds etc. And with a public perception that a bund would destroy the character of High Stanners - the Env Agency withdrew their proposals.
And as a matter of interest - their new Wansbeck catchment strategy sets out a far more comprehensive approach including both preventative and protective measures as the Green Party argued for last time. I hope they'll accelerate their detailed proposals for Morpeth now.

And - for the record - I gather that the 'hundred year flood' we experienced over the weekend would have overtopped a 3m bund on High Stanners even if it had been built.

The Flood - what the councils say

CMBC & NCC have issued a joint leaflet of advice for people whose homes have been flooded. I'll post it (with annotations) below - meanwhile I gather:
i) we may be getting a visit from the relevant Minister - John Healey MP - tomorrow (Monday).
ii) people who have been flooded out and are on the official list for rehousing should here from Castle Morpeth Housing by the end of this week. (Get in touch with your local councillor if they haven't)
iii) The FirstCall office on Bridge Street was flooded and is unusable - but the 01670 535000 number will be answered - and the Town Hall is being converted into an temporary information centre
iv) the wall that collapsed near the Leisure Centre was not part of the flood defence
v) there'll be newsletters published daily
and vi) there's a risk that we may have more flooding from Weds onwards

And so - the official advice:

IMPORTANT We are advised that mains water is safe to drink and use.
Please wash your hands after handling flood damaged material.

RETURNING TO YOUR PROPERTY - Advice from the Environment Agency
§ Take care as there may be hidden dangers in the flood water like sharp objects, raised manhole covers and pollution.
§ Flood water could have caused structural damage to your property.
§ Ring your buildings and contents insurance company as soon as possible
§ In almost all cases the insurance company will send a loss adjuster to look at your property. They will confirm what repairs and replacements are needed and covered by your policy.
§ If you rent your property, contact your Landlord and your contents insurance company as soon as possible.
§ If you do not have insurance, your local council should be able to provide information on hardship grants or charities that may be able to help you.

ELECTRICAL ADVICE from CE Electric

IF YOUR HOME HAS BEEN FLOODED, PLEASE DO NOT SWITCH ON YOUR ELECTRICITY UNTIL IT HAS BEEN CHECKED BY NEDL 0800 668877

As a safety precaution, CE Electric would like to offer householders the following advice:

• Switch off your power supply at the fuse box if your electrical installation is likely to be affected by water.
• Do NOT operate equipment which is in water or while standing in water. Stay away from any live equipment submerged in water.
• If your internal wiring or appliances have been affected by water, please have them checked by an approved Electrical Contractor before switching your power back on.

UTILITY ADVICE Gas leaks should be reported to 0800 111 999

HEALTH ADVICE from the Health Protection Agency
Infection problems arising from floods in this country are rare. Usually any harmful bugs in floodwater become very diluted and present a low risk, but there are a few precautions to be aware of when dealing with flooding which should prevent unnecessary additional health problems:
Wherever possible, try to avoid coming into direct contact with floodwater. If you have to go into the water, wear waterproof gloves and rubber boots and remember to be careful of potentially concealed hazards.
Wash your hands — this is the most important way to get rid of harmful bugs. Use warm, clean water and soap, then rinse and dry your hands after going to the toilet, before eating or preparing food, after being in contact with flood water, sewage or with items that have been in the water. Use cold water to wash if warm is not available. If there is no clean water, use disposable soapy, wet wipes to carefully clean all parts of your hands and dry them.
Use waterproof plasters.
Keep children out of the water
Don’t eat any food that has been touched or covered by floodwater or sewage.

What if I start to feel unwell?

If you feet unwell this does not necessarily mean that you are suffering from any infection. If you are concerned, then call NHS Direct on 0845 4647 or visit your family doctor.
Both the physical stress associated with overexertion in cleaning up premises and the mental stress caused by temporary relocation may make you feel unwell. Remember that tiredness, difficulty steeping and anxiety are normal in these circumstances and may go away with time. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, contact friends, relations or your family doctor. And keep warm — cold can lead to hypothermia.

COUNCIL INFORMATION
What Castle Morpeth Borough Council’s doing now:
• CMBC Green and Clean teams have started to clear debris from streets in the affected areas in Morpeth
• Skips are being placed near to homes in affected areas for residents’ use
• The Council is currently assessing what needs to be done to assist residents and will be working with all key agencies to do this
• The council will continue to offer advice through FirstCall Castle Morpeth on 01670 535000.
• If you’re worried about what to do after a flood or about safeguarding your property if there is more rain, check the environment agency website on http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/

What Northumberland County Council is doing now:
• The County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service are pumping out water from streets in Morpeth. • Alternative accommodation is being found for those who need it.
• Highways officers are inspecting bridges, roads, signage, ditches for damage and to ensure that roads and transport links are safe for use by the public.
• A clean up operation has begun — council staff are removing sludge and debris from the roads and pavements.
• Northumberland Care Trust and the County Council are assessing needs of vulnerable people to see what help and support can be offered.

The Flood – the bits I saw – Sunday morning

7:30am Market Place – to confirm that no one had turned up for the cancelled farmers’ market. Pleasant, dry morning – why did I cancel the market?

8am Water had cleared from the New Market, the Chantry, Terrace Car Park – but the Library and Gas House Lane still under water. Road surface ripped up by floods in Chantry Place and Wellwood Gardens.

8.20am Wellwood Gardens, Staithes Lane and the new Low Stanners Car Park still under water.

10am Phone call: “why are they pumping out the Waterford, when Staithes Lane is still under water? Priorities?”

10.30am Checked out Staithes Lane – water retreating but still there, and still getting run-off from Dark Lane. Water level in Low Stanners Car Park is same as river level. Car park was designed to soak away water and that is working, but the water level is too high – which is why there’s no pumping going on. There’s nowhere to pump to.

3pm Debrief for emergency team

4pm Briefing for Morpeth councillors…

The Flood – the bits I saw - Saturday afternoon

2.30pm at the Red Bull: Staithes Lane was under four foot of water with several stranded cars, rising rapidly. Lots of run-off down Dark Lane from both Morrisons filling station and down Stanley Terrace from the bus station into Staithes Lane. Several elderly and poorly people trapped in both Staithes Lane and Wellwood Gardens, but no apparent plans for evacuation. High Stanners and Middle Greens were reportedly being evacuated.

3.30pm Text from Staithes Lane resident saying water was halfway up the stairs, electricity cut-off. Water from Terrace Car Park and Library moving up Dark Lane. Dark Lane flooding to north. One fire engine monitoring Terrace Car Park flooding. Phoned 999 call to alert rescue team on need for evacuation in Staithes Lane. Another fire engine arrived within five minutes – firemen starting ‘assessing problem’, identifying evacuation need.

4pm Third fire engine arrived. Water from Terrace Car Park now flowing down Dark Lane into Staithes Lane and Highways Depot. Dark Lane impassable to north. Burnside Terrace at risk from flooding from springs/drains in front gardens.

4.30pm Vet arrived to evacuate animals from surgery. No boat available for humans (or animals). River Wansbeck effectively flowing past the Red Bull with water up to window sills. Stanley Terrace becoming impassable. Decided to cancel the farmers’ market!

5-5.30pm Fire crew requisitioned a skip from Morrisons and used it as a substitute boat to start evacuation.

6.30pm Finish phoning round the farmers’ markets producers.

8pm Peak of flood. Reported 14 ft deep in some houses. Nearly all residents evacuated from Staithes Lane, though people left in Wellwood Gardens overnight.

Great Timelapse Video of Morpeth Market - by Mike Brown

Future of Back Riggs Post Office

It’s looking grim!
The Co-Op has pulled out of the franchise arrangement and the Back Riggs Post Office is scheduled to close at the end of October.

Morpeth has to have a main Post Office. It’s part of its function as a market town, especially as more and more rural village post offices are closing.

I’m sure if local government wasn’t in quite such a turmoil, Northumberland would be one of those fifty plus councils asking Essex County Council how they are planning to run post offices.
Maybe sometime in the future, a local post office would be part of a ‘community hub’ in several villages, alongside a library and a council one stop shop. But that won’t be for a few years (if ever).

And we’ve got just seven months. We urgently need both a new location for a main post office and a new franchisee. Maybe GMDT or Business Link should look at it? Though I’m not entirely sure that having the post office in the Chantry would be a good idea.

Flood Prevention & Protection in Morpeth

Next month (February), the Environment Agency (EA) will start consultation on flood prevention and protection schemes for Morpeth with a view to carrying out works in 2010. The last two proposed schemes were purely about flood protection – the proposal to build a 3m earth mound on High Stanners was rejected by local residents who preferred to accept the risk of flooding, while the concrete walls protecting Low Stanners look ugly and reportedly cause more problems than they solve by merely redirecting water.

This time, however, it sounds as though, the EA will be proposing more integrated plans – so I thought I’d just run over the causes of flooding as I understand them:
i) a sudden release of water – we’re going to get more ‘cloudburst’ style storms as climate change kicks in, but fewer heavy falls of snow with sudden thaws. Not much we can do about that either way – though if we reduce CO2 emissions drastically now, it won’t carry on getting worse for our great-grandchildren
ii) rapid run-off of water: if the ground is impervious – could be waterlogged or could be bone dry or could be covered by tarmac or concrete, then the water will run off rapidly rather than being soaked up and draining slowly. Several things we could do here:
a) don’t build huge areas of concrete or tarmac (like the new Dark Lane car park) without adequate soakaway (not just run-off drainage)
b) create ponds, watermeadows, marshland to absorb the water and slow the drain off. The Northumbrian Water works on Wellway include installation of huge tanks to hold back water when the Cotting Burn can’t cope with the water flowing into it.
c) plant water-loving trees like willows and alders along the river to soak up water (and absorb CO2) – though manage them to avoid branches etc causing blockages (see below)
iii) blockages in the drainage system, streams and rivers. Regular maintenance of storm drains and culverts is a must – any council that tries to save money by skimping on this sort of maintenance is penny-wise, pound-foolish. Litter – especially plastic bags – can be a major cause of blockages. Last year’s floods in Gloucester and Sheffield were made worse by plastic bags clogging the drains.
Debris from trees etc regularly cause blockages in streams and rivers – with the narrow Oldgate Bridge arches are a significant contributor to the High Stanners flood risk. Previous EA responses have involved drastic cutting back of trees along the river bank, but this can lead to erosion. Richard Cansdale is proposing a grid of ramps upstream which will strand tree debris as water levels rise, at a location where they could be regularly cleared.

So let’s see what the Environment Agency propose…

Town Centre Development - Latest Schedule

Latest schedule issued by Dransfield on town centre redevelopment:

Highways works incl widening Dark Lane, two new roundabouts and a 'pedestrian crossing facility' (do they mean a footbridge?) - due for completion midDec

Longstay car park on site of Retreat and south end of Geoff Brown's field - 115 parking spaces - due for completion 16th Nov

If all goes to schedule - the roadworks shold be finished and the new car park will be available for the run-up to Christmas

New petrol station will be built on the north end of Geoff Brown's field - starting 1st Oct, completion 29th Feb '08

Through the summer - there'll be preliminary work in Back Riggs to install new gas, water and electric services before the main development starts

Next stage will be construction of the new bus station (behind M&S)

Contact numbers for the contractors:
Thorntons (demolition of The Retreat) 01670 860335
Lumsden & Carroll (highways works) 0191 377 4500
Turtons (petrol station) 01924 477324

Steam Train in Morpeth

Sat May 19th:
The charter steam train listed in the diary (over there) is coming up from Cleethorpes and is due to be at:

Newcastle Central: arr 14:05 dep 14:07
Benton North Junction 14:16
Newsham 14:33
Hepscott arr 14:47 dep 15:17
Morpeth arr 15:26 dep 16:29
Newcastle Central arr 16:50 dep 16:53

See website

Interactive Leaflet 7 - Fairtrade Morpeth

Both Ron and Nic are strong supporters of fairtrade and are proud that Morpeth was the first town in Northumberland to achieve Fairtrade status back in 2003. See the Fairtrade Foundation

The Town and Borough Councils committed themselves to supporting fairtrade as part of that process – but have really done very little towards deepening that commitment since.

If elected, Ron and Nic will work to get real ongoing support for fairtrade from both Town and Borough Councils.

Getting around town...

Have you seen the proposals from Gateshead Council for a ski lift to carry people between Gateshead town centre and the Baltic on the Quayside?

It set me thinking that we could do something similar in Morpeth

- how about a ski lift down from Lancaster Park?
- or maybe a cog railway or funicular alongside Curly Kews?

...they'd certainly be an attraction to the town.

Interactive Leaflet 6 - Development in Morpeth

The next few years are going to see massive changes in Morpeth.

The Town and Borough Councils are going to need to work together to keep Morpeth going during the various redevelopments.

Both Nic and Ron are committed to keeping the ‘special character’ of Morpeth, supporting locally owned shops and the markets, improving bus and rail services and taking a sensible approach to car parking.

We'll try to keep you updated on reports on progress (or even start) of the Back Riggs development - and all the other works planned for this year. It'd be helpful if others could share what information they have through this 'blog'.

We understand that delays in the Back Riggs development have been largely caused by the late arrival of a separate Morrisons negotiator joining discussions.

Interactive Leaflet 5 - Local Plan

Nic was first elected to the Borough Council in the aftermath of the catastrophic failure of the last Castle Morpeth Local Plan.

This time round, he is at the heart of the Council’s preparation of its new Local Development Framework (LDF).

The LDF is a 20 year plan setting out where housing and industrial developments are going to be, mapping out the new Green Belt around Morpeth and defining policies to protect the landscape and wildlife.

It’s probably the most influential policy the Borough Council is responsible for.

So, we’ll certainly need one or two Greens on the Council to make sure it comes out right this time.

Morpeth Freecycle Network

Here’s a good idea…..

The Freecycle Network is a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer. Membership is free.

When you want to find a new home for something -- whether it's a chair, a fax machine, piano, or an old door -- you simply send an e-mail offering it to members of the local Freecycle group.

Or, maybe you're looking to acquire something yourself. Simply respond to a member's offer, and you just might get it. After that, it's up to the giver to decide who receives the gift and to set up a pickup time for passing on the treasure.

There’s a very active freecycling network with over 1100 members centred on Morpeth – see www.groups.yahoo.com/group/MorpethFreecycle/Morpeth

After the Gathering

So - been out and about over the weekend at the 40th Morpeth Northumbrian Gathering. It looked a great success - and the weather was - errmm... too hot for me if anything.

The Calvalcade was a highlight - and I particularly liked Lord Greystoke's choice of a green feather in his cap. The horses are still missed though...

The concerts were great - and there seemed to be more entries for the competitions this year. Perhaps there's more prestige in winning at the 40th Anniversary? But for me, the musicians' sessions and singarounds in the pubs were better than the concerts - and that's not just because of the beer - Northumbrian music is more music for sharing in than performing?

One gripe - the cafes and tea rooms, not to mention the shops, were nearly all closed on Sunday - with people wandering the streets looking for somewhere to eat. I know when you are running your own business you don't want to work seven days a week - but it did seem like a lost opportunity.

And lastly a word of astonishment - I really don't know how Kim Bibby-Wilson does it - and survives! I hope she feels the success.

Cheap Rail Travel to and from Newcastle

Northern Rail have introduced their ‘Duo’ ticket on rail services between Morpeth and Newcastle.

The Duo gives you one return train ticket, plus a second for half the price when two adults travel together.

It’s available:
Monday to Friday - outward 09:30 onwards - return any train same day except for trains timed to depart between 16:01 -17:59 inclusive
and on any trains on Saturdays, Sundays & Bank Holidays (except that normally Northern Rail does not run trains stopping at Morpeth on Sundays and Bank Holidays).

Price of Duo: £6.90
Price of Two Adults: £9.20
Duo Saving: £2.30