February 2022

We are delighted to introduce our new Village History Trail.  This trail has been designed to lead you around the village to explore buildings and features of note.

Two noticeboards have been installed to guide you and they can be found in the Old Playground and by the Parish Hall.  Leaflets are available or can be downloaded below:

The Tour of Britain Cycle Race will be coming through Riding Mill on Friday afternoon.  The lead car is expected around 2.25 pm with riders following at approximately 2.40 pm.   The A695 will be closed as part of a rolling road block starting in advance of the lead car.  The road is expected to reopen around 3 pm.

Northumberland has again been selected to host a stage of the Tour of Britain Cycle Race.

Do you remember 2015? Well they’re coming back. Cyclists competing in Stage 6 – Carlisle to Gateshead will be cycling through Riding Mill on the afternoon of Friday 10th September. The village put on a fantastic display in 2015 – can you help us do it again this year?

Help decorate the Main Road with bunting and flags or perhaps an old bicycle which you could paint red and yellow – the colours of the Northumberland flag.

Further information about the timing of the race will be circulated later.

It’s time to beat the balsam!

Himalayan balsam is an invasive non-native species which dominates riverbanks, reduces biodiversity and worsens erosion.

Tyne Rivers Trust would love to work with local residents to clear the Himalayan balsam along the Riding Mill burns. This is really easy to do as the plants has such short roots and it’s a great way to spend a few hours outside, improving habitats and meeting other local residents.

Tyne Rivers Trust is the only environmental charity dedicated to improving the River Tyne and its tributaries. The work that we do is vital to tackle the effects of climate change and support the wildlife and landscape of the Tyne rivers. We want a better river, a better region and a better life for all. Volunteering is a great way to spend time outdoors, meet new people and is vital to help us improve habitat and make the river a better place to be.

Volunteering with TRT can range from informal monitoring of rivers and streams to practical conservation tasks such as litter picking, tree planting and invasive species control.

Join us on Wednesday 30^th June to learn about this alien invader and spend a couple of hours pulling it out.

If you’d be interested in getting involved, TRT would love to hear from you and can share more information – get in touch with their Volunteer Coordinator, Jenny Elliott, for more information – j.elliott@tyneriverstrust.org

Especially for those who are staying warm and cosy and might not be venturing forth for exercise, here is how our village looked this morning (Thursday 14th January).  In winter. In Lockdown.

Photos taken by David McKenzie

Riding Mill in Lockdown