Christmas and New Year special - Newcastle City Council

Beat the fuel price increases
with Newcastle Warm Zone
Save up to £250 off your annual fuel bills and do your bit for
the environment.
With fuel prices increasing yet
again there’s never been a better
time to make sure you are saving
energy and saving money.
You qualify for free cavity wall
and loft insulation if you:
• are over 60 years old (limited
period only); or
• are on certain benefits; or
• live in a council-owned home;
or
• are spending a high
proportion of your income to
keep warm.
Otherwise get your insulation
from only £99 – that’s an 80%
discount. It could pay for itself
in under a year and save you
thousands of pounds over its
lifetime!
Newcastle Warm
Zone is the only
scheme backed by
both the government
and Newcastle City
Council.
Don’t miss out!
Contact Newcastle Warm Zone on 0191 277 7373 to
arrange a free, no obligation home assessment.
“I thought the work would be disruptive and that I
wouldn’t feel any warmer but I was wrong,”
said Newcastle resident Mr Greene.
“I could tell the difference straight away and I’m really
pleased that it is going to save me so much money
every year on my fuel bills. I definitely recommend
others to get the work done”.
Warm Zone has insulated over 25,000 homes in Newcastle – don’t miss out!
Newcastle Warm Zone is a not-for-profit partnership with
Newcastle City Council, Your Homes Newcastle, Scottish Power
and others. We aim to ensure that all homes in Newcastle can save
energy, save money and be able to afford to heat their homes.
Welcome
to the November/December edition
of Citylife magazine.
Here we are again in the run up to the
festive season and there’s a lot to see
and do for everyone. Children and
young people shouldn’t miss the
Northern Children’s Book Festival. At
the gala day on 22 November they will
have the chance to meet some of their
favourite authors.
Our four-page Christmas and New Year
Special starts on page 17 and gives
you a flavour of what's happening over
the festive period, including useful
information on our opening times.
As usual we try to keep you up to date
with what we are doing to improve
your services. This time, you can read
about two new customer service
centres and some of our new schools.
And read our annual report to find
what we have spent money on and
how we performed over the last year.
Whatever you do, don’t miss our cover
stars, the Hairy Bikers, switching on the
Christmas lights. The ceremony takes
place at Grey Street on Thursday, 20
November.
Meg Woollam and the Citylife team
Front cover: The Hairy Bikers, Si King and
Dave Myers, who will switch on our
Christmas lights, assisted by Titan the robot.
Find out more on page 17.
Competition winners
Two month Tyneside Cinema pass for two
people: Ian Pickett, NE3
Room book about the Town Moor: Andrew
Owen, NE4 and L Horncastle, NE6
Finding Nemo family tickets: S Ryan, NE5
and D Scott, NE6
Mikado tickets: Fran Castle, NE3 and Rose
Liddle, NE4
Tyne Bridge Publishing books: Shenzi
Zaman, NE4, Vera Anderson, NE6, Linda
Swan, NE12
Meal for two at Nando’s: Lyn Byren, NE5
Terms and conditions for all competitions are
available from citylife@newcastle.gov.uk, or
phone 0191 211 5073
Design by Paul Burgess Graphic Design
Photos by Steve Brock (unless otherwise credited)
Hairy Bikers photographs supplied by agent
Citylife is produced by
Newcastle City Council
and printed by NCJ
Media Ltd.
Contents
11 Two brand new
customer service
centres
15 Sign up for the UK
Youth Parliament
20 Festive what’s on
21 Council
Christmas
opening times
23 Chinese healthy
living
29 Children’s book
festival
30 Newcastle
schools really
make the
grade!
Useful numbers
Newcastle City Council switchboard
0191 232 8520
Council Tax and Housing Benefit enquiries
0845 111 4101
Payments for Council Tax; parking fines;
and other council bills (debit and credit
cards only) 0845 111 4199
Envirocall – the one-stop environmental
hotline 0191 274 4000
Neighbourhood Helpline 0300 1000 101
Find out more at www.newcastle.gov.uk
If you would like a free
copy of Citylife in large
print or on tape, please
call 0191 211 5073.
23
29
Little Lucy Robinson gets
ready for the book festival
Citylife info
There are six issues of Citylife every year.
The next edition is due out at the
beginning of January.
Contacting us
You can contact Citylife by:
Phone: 0191 211 5073
Email: citylife@newcastle.gov.uk
Post: Freepost Citylife
Distribution
Citylife is distributed to homes and
businesses across Newcastle. If you are
not getting your copy please let us know.
We sometimes have problems delivering
to flats and houses in multiple occupation
because we cannot get access to them. If
you live in a flat and would like to talk to
us about your Citylife delivery please
contact us on 0191 211 5073.
If you’ve got any questions or suggestions for Citylife, we want to hear
from you. Please call 0191 211 5073 or email: citylife@newcastle.gov.uk
www.newcastle.gov.uk/citylife - download the podcast!
2 www.newcastle.gov.uk
Citylife: November/December 2008
Citylife: November/December 2008 Use the internet free at all Newcastle libraries 3

NEWS...NEWS...NEWS...NEWS...NEWS...NEWS...NEWS...
Keeping good customer service in
the family
Happy Birthday Lady Stephenson
Library!
The Sheriff of Newcastle, Councillor Mike Cookson presents
Pumphrey’s employee, Lauren Huddleston with the Grainger Market
Customer Service Award plaque. Mickey Gordon, who nominated
Lauren for the award, won a Grainger Market Hamper
Lauren Huddleston’s great
great grandfather would be
really proud of her.
Lauren’s fantastic customer
service led the Pumphrey’s stall
in the Grainger Market to win
The Grainger Market Customer
Service Award.
Why would her great great
grandfather be proud? Lauren
recently learned that he worked
for Pumphrey’s too!
The Grainger Market Customer
Service Award is presented to
the stall in the Grainger Market
that is judged to give the best
customer service. The Sheriff of
Newcastle, Councillor Mike
Cookson presented Lauren with
Remember
a plaque and a certificate.
Lauren said “I’m really proud of
myself and the other staff at
Pumphrey’s as I’ve only been
there a year”. Lauren puts the win
down to their friendliness. “We
know our customers by name,
face and their usual coffee or tea”.
Councillor Cookson told those at
the presentation, “I have always
had excellent customer service
from Pumphrey’s. I’m really
pleased to present Lauren and
Pumphrey’s with this honour.”
Mickey Gordon nominated
Lauren for the award. He won a
hamper full of goodies from the
Grainger Market. He told us ‘I am
a coffee addict and this stall has
the best coffee in the North East’.
The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress will represent the city
at this year’s Remembrance Sunday commemorations on
Sunday 9 November.
They will lead the tributes at
the newly restored City War
Memorial at Old Eldon Square.
The Square has undergone a
major £1m redevelopment.
The annual service will begin at
10.45am when the Lord Mayor
and other civic guests will
process from the Brunswick
Methodist Church to the war
memorial and at 11am a gun will
be fired to start the traditional
two minutes silence.
The Lord Mayor of Newcastle, Councillor David Wood, helped staff from
Lady Stephenson Library in Walker celebrate the library’s 100th birthday
Lady Stephenson Library in
Walker took a trip back in
time earlier this week as it
celebrated its 100th birthday
with an Edwardian tea party.
Library staff donned period fancy
dress and doled out dainty
sandwiches and fairy cakes at the
event attended by longstanding
customers, community groups,
local children, former members
of staff – and even descendents
of Lady Stephenson herself!
It was local industrialist and
benefactor, Alderman Sir William
Have a Christmas night out on
Newcastle Greyhound Stadium
As a big thank you to all readers of Citylife, we’re giving away free
tickets to a Christmas night out at Newcastle Greyhound Stadium.
• Free entry
• Free first drink
(Over 18s only)
For every reader who calls our
reception and quotes: Citylife
Christmas tickets.
Don’t forget your family and
friends are welcome to join us too.
Haswell Stephenson, who
decided to build a library in
Walker in memory of his wife
Hazel, who died in 1901.
Stephenson was a staunch
supporter of the, then fledgling,
Newcastle library service and had
already paid for the building of
libraries in Elswick and Heaton.
Lady Stephenson Library has
been at the heart of the
community in Walker for over a
century, and we’re sure Lady
Stephenson herself would have
approved of how the library has
developed over the years!
Tickets are valid for any
Thursday, Friday or Saturday
night during December*. Just
tell us the date you and your
friends wish to come – and we’ll
send you the number of tickets
you ask for.
Call the stadium reception on
0191 210 5300
* (Offer starts Saturday 29
November).
4 www.newcastle.gov.uk
Citylife: November/December 2008
Citylife: November/December 2008 Use the internet free at all Newcastle libraries 5

Energy saving
top tips
• Cavity Wall Insulation. Up to 35%
of heat is lost through the walls of
your home. Insulating your cavity
walls can save up to £100 per year.
• Turn your thermostat down.
Reducing your room temperature by
1°C could cut your heating bills by
up to 10 percent. You could save
around £40 per year. (Remember:
cold kills. Don’t overheat your
home, but make sure it’s warm
enough too).
• Is your water too hot? Your cylinder
thermostat shouldn't need to be set
higher than 60°C/140°F.
• Close your curtains at dusk to stop
heat escaping through the
windows.
• Always turn off the lights when you
leave a room and try to use energy
saving light bulbs.
• Don't leave appliances on standby
and remember not to leave
appliances on charge unnecessarily.
Dumping mattresses, old furniture and
other waste in our back lanes and
green spaces makes our city look grim
and it’s a health hazard.
It’s also a wealth hazard with fines of
up to £5,000 for householders and up
to £50,000 for anyone who fly-tips, as
well as the seizing and crushing of
vehicles and even the possibility of a
prison sentence.
You can help us tackle this pest by
making sure you dispose of your waste
properly.
You can
• take it to one of our Household
Recycling Centres
• get a bulky collection from our
Recycling and Refuse Service
• If you're not filling up the washing
machine, tumble dryer or
dishwasher, use the half-load or
economy programme.
• Only boil as much water as you
need (but remember to cover the
elements if you're using an electric
kettle).
• A dripping hot water tap wastes
energy and in one week wastes
enough hot water to fill half a
bath, so fix leaking taps and make
sure they're fully turned off!
• Use energy saving light bulbs. Just
one can save you £100 over the
lifetime of the bulb - and they last
up to 12 times longer than ordinary
light bulbs.
Useful Contacts
www.energysavingtrust.org.uk
www.warmzones.co.uk
www.energysaving.co.uk
www.newcastle.gov.uk/energycentre
Don’t make our city a tip
Fly-tipping is selfish, dangerous and expensive!
• get a waste disposal company to
take it away. (Remember: You must
check that they are registered waste
carriers. If they are not and they
dump your rubbish, we’ll prosecute
you as well as them.) You can find
companies that have a waste carrier's
licence at www.environmentagency.gov.uk/publicregisters,
or by
telephoning 08708 506 506.
If you see any fly-tipping, please
report it to us (with a description of
the people and any vehicle involved if
you see them). The sooner we know
about it, the sooner we can do
something about it.
You can report fly-tipping by calling
0300 1000 101
Our environmental crime officers are always on the look-out
for waste criminals and they’re very good at tracking them
down. Between 1 October 2007 and 30 September 2008
• there were 183 prosecutions for waste crimes;
• over £50,000 was paid in fines;
• two fly-tippers were sentenced to a total of 30 months in prison
Grant
netted for
new netty
Allotments in West Denton
have benefited from an
£8,500 grant from the Local
Action on Global Issues Fund
at the Community Foundation
to install a state of the art
compost toilet.
The fully accessible toilet, which is
the first of its kind for the region’s
allotments, means that a much wider
range of people in the local
community can get involved with
activities and events at the site.
Regular growers can now spend a full
day there without having to travel
home to places as far as Throckley.
The toilet, which is made out of
recycled materials, uses rain water
harvesting for hand washing, meaning
that it has zero water consumption
and, in time, will provide compost for
fruit trees and flowering plants.
Coming all the way from a compost
toilet specialist in mid Wales, the
toilet took two days to construct and
is now in a long line of compost
toilets being installed at allotment
sites up and down the country.
Micky Christian, Secretary of the West
Denton Allotments Association said:
Christmas refuse
collection dates
Normal Collection Day
“It’s great news that the Local Action
on Global Issues committee agreed to
fund our new compost toilet. There
are quite a few disabled people who
use the allotments and it will make
life a lot more comfortable for them
when they visit.
“We have been working hard to
improve our site over the last year
and have now got a waiting list of 17
people wanting an allotment. They
seem to be becoming very popular!”
Peter Storey, Committee Member for
the Local Action on Global Issues
Fund added:
“We were pleased to be able to fund
this project and having visited the
site I can see the difference that it
will make to the local community and
regular visitors to the allotments.
Local Action on Global Issues is a
fund that is constantly looking for
good environmental projects that will
benefit the people of Tyne and Wear
and Northumberland.”
The Local Action on Global Issues Fund
is currently accepting applications
from organisations for projects that
have a positive environmental impact.
For more information please contact
Suzanne Davies at the Community
Foundation on 0191 222 0945 or
email
sld@communityfoundation.org.uk
Revised Collection Day
Thursday 25 December 2008 Saturday 27 December 2008
Friday 26 December 2008 Sunday 28 December 2008
Thursday 1 January 2009 Friday 2 January 2009
Friday 2 January 2009 Saturday 3 January 2009
Normal collections resume week commencing 5 January 2009
Garden waste collection dates
Please note that there are no garden waste collections
scheduled for this time
If you have a query regarding your bin collection you can call the bin
hotline. Please note that the bin hotline opening hours are now Monday
– Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm or you can email
bin.hotline@newcastle.gov.uk and the team will answer any questions
you may have.
Pupils and staff from Broadway East Primary School pictured with David Slater the Executive Director of
Environment and Regeneration, Les Clark Head of Sustainability Unit and staff from Enviroschools and
the Energy Centre
“Everybody in the world
should care about the world”
Claudia, aged nine, Broadway East First School
Many of us adults would probably say we’re too busy
to do our bit to tackle climate change or that we’ve
got more important things to worry about.
Claudia, her schoolmates and youngsters across the
city know how short-sighted that is. They
understand that we’ve all got to start making a
difference today.
That’s why Broadway East First, Knoplaw Primary,
Monkchester Road Nursery, St Cuthbert’s RC Primary
in Walbottle and St John Vianney RC Primary – have
won an Eco-Schools green flag, the top
environmental award for schools.
Eco-Schools is an international environmental
education programme. Over 40,000 schools in 46
countries around the world take part.
In Newcastle, schools who want to be involved are
supported by our Enviro-Schools team. 118 schools
are currently enjoying support.
Pupils and staff from St Cuthbert’s RC Primary
School pictured with Nigel Hails, Director of
Neighbourhood Services
The programme covers nine key environmental topics:
• Water
• Biodiversity (the range of plants and animals)
• Energy
• Global perspectives (environmental issues across
the world)
• Healthy living
• Litter
• School grounds
• Transport
• Waste
The aim is for the pupils to do something about
these issues as well as learning about them.
They lead the eco-committee and help carry out an
audit to assess the environmental performance of
their school.
They then look at ways they can improve it – such
as introducing recycling, school grounds
development or tackling climate change.
Eco Schools gained Bronze and Silver awards leading
to the top award, the Green Flag.
To get the Green Flag, schools have to be inspected
by Encams who run the Keep Britain Tidy campaign.
Congratulations to everyone involved and let’s give
the last word to Claudia’s school-mate, Jitesh.
“I think it is really good that we have
the Green Flag because we do a lot of
recycling in school and that all helps us
to do something about global warming
before it is too late.” Jitesh age nine
Pupils and staff from Knoplaw Primary School
pictured left with Mick Murphy, Director of
Technical Services
Pupils and staff from Monkchester Road Primary
School pictured with the Lord Mayor Councillor
David Wood
Pupils and staff from St John Vianny RC Primary
School pictured with Paul Herbertson, Director of
Resources and Performance, and staff from
Enviroschools
Recycling news is
wheelie good!
Thanks to all of the residents who
have taken part so enthusiastically in
our new recycling collection.
We’re continuing to roll out the new wheelie
bins and everyone in the city with a refuse
wheelie bin will have a blue recycling
wheelie bin by the end of March next year.
If we haven’t reached you yet, remember you
can still do your bit by using your black box.
6 www.newcastle.gov.uk
Citylife: November/December 2008
Citylife: November/December 2008 Use the internet free at all Newcastle libraries 7

Don’t let bonfires
and fireworks ruin
your life
The region’s emergency services, local authorities and the
NHS joined forces in a hard-hitting bonfire and fireworks
campaign – for the second year running.
Fireworks and bonfires kill or injure
thousands of people every year.
The campaign, which kicked off in
October, included a TV advert, a
poster and leaflet campaign, a media
relations campaign, a dedicated
website and school talks.
The aim was to encourage everyone to
have a safe and enjoyable bonfire
period. It encouraged people to
attend organised firework displays
rather than build their own bonfires
and warned people about the dangers
of illegal bonfires and fireworks
misuse. It also focused on reducing
disorder and anti-social behaviour
linked to bonfires and fireworks, as
well as warning parents and
shopkeepers to make sure that under
18s didn’t get hold of fireworks.
Iain Bathgate, Chief Fire Officer, Tyne
and Wear Fire and Rescue Service,
says: “Last year’s campaign was
extremely successful and had a
significant impact on reducing the
number of bonfire-related injuries and
incidents. We’re hoping this year’s has
done the same.”
Northumbria Police Chief Constable
Mike Craik said: "Building on the
success of previous years we will be
working together with the fire and
rescue service to rigorously tackle
anti-social behaviour. This has been a
priority for us and we have seen a
significant reduction of over 15% so
far this year. We are determined not
to let the bonfire period spoil this.”
There's no doubt that reports of antisocial
behaviour show a marked
There was discussion on which choice to make right up to the voting booths
Never too young to vote
Children at Walkergate Early Years Centre had a taste of the
democratic process this June. As part of the city council’s and the
Newcastle Partnership’s ‘U Decide’ programme the under fives
were given the chance to say how they wanted to spend £6,000.
Their choices were between reading,
drawing, making friends and outdoor
play. In the morning, they had the
chance to talk about their preferences
with each other before casting their
final vote at the sponsored pedal push
that afternoon. After crossing the
finish line on their bikes, the children
headed for the U Decide voting
station. They cast their votes, with
support from Councillor Dave Besag
and U Decide officers. 73 children
voted, with outdoor play the winner.
Local councillors in Walkergate
committed £23,000 to the U decide
project in their ward. The remaining
£17,000 will be allocated by the older
children and young people in the ward
in a separate project happening now,
see www.newcastle.gov.uk/udecide for
details.
Since the voting event, staff at the
centre have consulted children, and
parents and carers from the centre and
wider community. They have come up
with some ideas for spending the
money, including new equipment for
the toy library, an outdoor water
feature and trips during the centre’s
play schemes.
increase during the bonfire period. By
working together we hope to make the
region safer."
The ‘Bonfires and Fireworks ruin lives
in a flash’ campaign was led by Tyne
and Wear Fire and Rescue Service,
To mark this year’s Carers’ Rights Day
on Friday 5 December 2008 we are
holding an information event for
carers in Newcastle. There will be
information stalls from carer support
organisations, advice around
employment, benefits and much more.
Complementary therapies will also be
on offer for those who want to take
advantage of some relaxation in the
pre-Christmas rush. Come and join us
Northumberland Fire and Rescue
Service and Northumbria Police,
working with local authorities, the
Ambulance Service and the NHS.
To find out more, visit
www.ruinlivesinaflash.com
This article is paid for by Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service.
Carers’ Rights Day 2008
Many people may see themselves as a family member or a friend. But if you
are providing unpaid help and support to someone who has a disability, illness,
is frail or has alcohol or drug related problems, then you are also a carer.
for a cup of coffee and a piece of cake
while you browse the information stalls.
Pop in anytime between 10am and
2pm at the Collingwood Suite,
Newcastle Civic Centre on Friday 5
December 2008.
For more information please contact
Kerry at Carers Centre Newcastle:
Phone 0191 260 3030.
Fax 0191 230 1500. Email:
carerscentrenewcastle@btconnect.com
Co-op hamper for Fairtrade Christmas
The Co-operative set out to do business fairly, honestly and democratically
from their beginnings in 1844. This has led them to extend their support to
Fairtrade and lead the way for supermarkets by carrying a wide range of Fairtrade
products. See www.cooperative.co.uk
We have a Fairtrade hamper from the Co-op to give a lucky Citylife reader.
For a chance to win, tell us: Who was on the throne when the
Co-operative society began to do business?
Elizabeth I Elizabeth II Victoria
Name ...............................................................................................
Address ..........................................................................................
.......................................................................................................
Postcode ............................... Phone ..................................................
Please put all coupons and entries in one envelope.
Send to Freepost Citylife by 28 November 2008.
✁
Helen and Michael Matthews at work on the Citylife podcast
Citylife on podcast
Citylife is delivered free to all Newcastle residents – and,
thanks to a band of dedicated volunteers, visually impaired
people can hear all the city’s news too, either on tape or online.
Every Sunday, at Tynesound News in
Summerhill Street, a dozen volunteer
readers and technicians get together
to tape a selection of news from the
week’s local papers. Every two months
they record Citylife, which you can
hear on our website as a podcast.
“We do some editing to group similar
items together under a clear heading
for our listeners, such as community or
environment,” says presenter Michael
Matthews. “The 11,500 words of a
typical Citylife make a 90-minute tape.”
Tynesound News recordings are so
popular they are sent to appreciative
listeners all over the world, including
Canada, Australia and Macedonia.
New presenters are always welcome.
The main qualification is the ability
to read out a written piece of news
clearly and expressively.
“For news items we avoid personal
comment,” says Michael. “But for
what’s on or sports features, the
reading is less formal and more
conversational.”
“It’s such a fun thing to do – quite a
social event,” adds colleague Barbara
Robinson. “And as readers, we
ourselves learn so much about what is
going on in the city.”
For more information about
Tynesound News, call
0191 261 4121 or email
tynesoundnews@btconnect.com
To listen to our podcast go to
www.newcastle.gov.uk/citylife
International banking situation
– what is the impact on
Newcastle?
In recent weeks the news has been full of the potential risks
facing councils that have money invested in Icelandic banks.
The good news is that Newcastle City
Council has no money invested in any
Icelandic banks. The council does not
invest its money in stocks and shares,
only in cash deposits with major
highly rated financial institutions,
which are likely to receive support
from governments.
To reduce risk the money is spread
over a number of banks and building
societies, which are carefully selected
on the basis of independent ratings,
specialist advice and our experience.
Over the last year we have placed our
money with institutions that we
expect will receive government
support in the event of financial
difficulty, including Northern Rock.
We have chosen not to invest money
in foreign based banks other than
Irish banks, which have recently been
given government support.
Mouse King defeated!
With Christmas approaching, the Moscow Ballet is joining in
with the festive spirit. They’re in Newcastle on 21 November
for one night only before returning to Russia.
The Nutcracker sees Clara get a
nutcracker for Christmas. During the
night she is awoken to find the Mouse
King in her house. The Nutcracker
comes to life, defeats the Mouse King
and is transformed into a prince. In the
second act, Clara and the prince go to
the Land of Sweets and fly back to
Clara’s house on a sleigh.
For enquiries, phone
0844 493 4567, Ticket Master on
0844 493 9999 or visit
www.thejournaltynetheatre.co.uk.
Nutcracker competition
We have 10 pairs of tickets to give to readers. For a chance to win, tell us
where Clara and the Nutcracker visit in the second act?
Land of Sweets
Pity Me
Land of the Plum Pudding Fairy
Name ...............................................................................................
Address .......................................................................................
........................................................................................................
Postcode ........................... Telephone ................................................
Please send your entries to Freepost Citylife by Monday 17 November.
Please put all coupons and entries into one envelope.
Having a learning
disability should not
stop you voting!
Voting in local or general elections is most people’s right,
including people with learning disabilities. But many people
don’t vote because of barriers to the election process.
Registration to vote shouldn’t be one of these, so we’d like to
encourage you to register today!
The Welford newsletter group has
talked to Debby Frost from electoral
services. She explained that,
although the council contacted people
once a year to add them to the
register, people could actually get on
the list at any time. We really wanted
more people with disabilities to join.
In Newcastle there are over 1,800
people with learning disabilities but
only around 300 use their vote. This
means more than 1,500 of them have
no way of having their voice heard.
The group have found that there is
very little accessible information
available, especially about local
politics. And found a lack of support
✁
to help people with learning
disabilities to vote.
One member of the newsletter group
spoke for everyone by saying:
‘They have to listen to us so we can
vote because I’m interested because
I’m entitled to my opinion because I’m
me, because I’m the same as everybody
else and it’s my right to be heard’.
We would like to hear what you
think about this.
To contact Welford newsletter group
phone 0191 285 9957
To register to vote phone Debby
Frost on 0191 277 7100 or email
elections@newcastle.gov.uk
8 www.newcastle.gov.uk
Citylife: November/December 2008
Citylife: November/December 2008 Use the internet free at all Newcastle libraries 9

Ruby
celebrations
for Civic
Centre
This year marks the 40th
anniversary of the opening of
Newcastle Civic Centre, which
took place on Thursday 14
November 1968.
This historic event was celebrated when King
Olav V of Norway visited the city to officially
cut the ribbon on the now Grade II listed
building which was designed by city architect
George Kenyon.
The building’s first foundation stone was laid
on the 30 November 1960 by Alderman
Gladys Robson who was the Lord Mayor at
the time.
The city’s relationship with Scandinavia was
marked with ‘Swans in Flight’, a bronze
sculpture outside the Civic Centre, which
represents Norway, Denmark, Sweden,
Finland and Iceland.
Have a witchy
Christmas with
Tynebridge Publishing
‘Walking with Witches’
by Lynn Huggins-Cooper
(£5.99)
When Eleanor and Isabel find a
mysterious book in the library, they
are drawn into an exciting and spooky
adventure set in Newcastle.
Can the girls outwit a shadowy villain
from the past and save a ghostly
friend? Maybe they can…but they’ll
need the help of a cat, a crow, and a
powerful magic pendulum.
Competition
Newcastle’s friendship with Norway is also
reflected in some of the materials used in the
construction of the building including
Norwegian Otta slate which is found in the
Grand Entrance Hall.
As well as designing ‘Swans in Flight’, artist
David Wynne created the ‘Tyne God’ which
hangs from the Civic Centre before you get
to the Grand Entrance.
Follow the friends as they unravel the
mystery in our gripping story for
young people aged nine or older – if
you dare!
Find out lots more at
www.tynebridgepublishing.co.uk
For a chance of winning a copy, tell us where Walking with Witches is set?
New York Newcastle Newfoundland
Name ...............................................................................................
Address ............................................................................................
.......................................................................................................
Postcode ............................ Telephone ...............................................
Please send your entries to Freepost Citylife by Friday 28 November.
Please put all coupons and entries into one envelope.
✁
Christine
At a visit to her local job centre
she was told about ‘Shop for
Jobs’ - a partnership between
the council and businesses
across the city that helps local
people find work in retail,
hospitality and catering.
After registering, Christine was
given basic customer service
training and help with an online
application form. She went
through a food hygiene course
and is now happily employed in
the new Waitrose store in Eldon
Square.
The organisation can also help
with a range of other skills you
And if you’ve been in town on a Saturday
afternoon and have heard music coming
from the Civic Centre, you might want to
know it’s coming from the Edith Adamson
Memorial Carillon. This was given to the city
by James Wilfred Adamson in June 1967 in
memory of his late wife Edith and for his
appreciation of the city.
finds a future
in retail
Christine Maylia of Spital Tongues was
unemployed and bored with her usual temporary
cleaning or catering work.
might need to work in a shop.
Mainly working on the checkout
but also helping in other areas on
the shop floor, Christine now has
the chance of a real career. She
said; “it was great, I was given
great advice and training which
really helped when it came to the
interviews for Waitrose. I work
15 hours a week which suits me
and I love it!”
Anyone interested in a career
in retail, hospitality or
catering can contact Shop for
Jobs on 0191 261 7205 or pop
in to the office at 45 Eldon
Gardens.
Remember, remember
the third of November
Two brand new customer service centres are opening their doors to the
public in November.
A customer service officer advises a local resident
On 3 November, at 8.30am the new East End
Customer Service Centre will open for business. This
will be followed two weeks later by the West End
Customer Service Centre and Library, which opens at
8.30am on 17 November.
These new centres are the final two in a citywide
network of six customer service centres developed to
provide you with a range of services and information
‘under one roof’. The centres ensure that the majority
of Newcastle residents are within 1.5 miles of at least
one customer service centre.
Introducing the West End
Customer Service Centre and
Library
People across Elswick, Benwell and Scotswood will
soon get a unique, modern centre where they can
access a vast range of council library and housing
services.
Our younger customers enjoy the children’s
library books
We have involved local people in its development
with an active and enthusiastic community focus
group helping us make decisions about use of the
centre, including promotion of its services and
accessibility issues.
At the customer service centres you can get help
with over 90 different council and Your Homes
Newcastle (YHN) services. You can also choose from
thousands of brand new books in the library.
There are also facilities for people who are deaf or
hard of hearing. And, for customers whose first
language isn’t English, there’s access to a telephone
interpreting service to help us sort out problems they
may have with the council, and to give advice about
council services.
Your Homes Newcastle makes the move
The new centre will be home to Benwell and Scotswood
Community Housing Service, which will provide YHN
services. The existing housing offices on Armstrong
Road and Adelaide Terrace will close in November and
relocate into the new centre on Condercum Road.
Customers at one of our existing centres
The new East End Customer
Service Centre
This new centre replaces the temporary customer
service centre on Shields Road.
It has been designed in consultation with local
residents and will include:
• a more spacious waiting and seating area
• more computers for you to use with free internet
access
• more cashiering positions and, for the first time,
PayPoint, so that you can top up your mobile phone
and pay any bills which show the PayPoint logo
• more private interview rooms
• a community meeting room
• a range of information and leaflet displays, and
community noticeboards where you can advertise
your event or group.
For more details about the centres visit our
website at www.newcastle.gov.uk/customers
Digital TV - a new way
to get services and
information
Our digital TV site contains information on
local services and organisations in
Newcastle. The site is interactive and you
can report issues and make comments as
well as finding information.
Our digital TV site is available if you:
• subscribe to Sky and Virgin TV (ntl: Telewest); or
• have a mobile phone that can connect to the
internet (mobile network charges may apply)
You will find the following categories of information
on the site.
• Contact us
• Advice and information
• Services
• Your area
• Report it – an interactive form to let you report
issues to us
• Job shop
You can access the site as follows
Sky Active
• Press the Interactive button on your remote
• Select Sky Active from the menu
• Select Services
• Select Looking Local
Virgin TV (UK2) (ntl:Telewest)
• Press the Interactive button on your remote
• Select News and Info
• Select Looking Local
Freeview (with modem or broadband)
• www.digitv.gov.uk/digitv/cds/LookingLocal/
Netgem/home
3 Mobile handset
• Services
• Websites
• Look up Stuff
• Looking Local
GPRS WAP phone
• www.digitv.gov.uk/digitv/cds/lookinglocal/
mobile/home
We hope to develop the site further; this may
include discussion forums and a prescription
ordering service. Please let us know if you have any
suggestions for new services that you would like to
see on the site. Contact Julie Scotland on
0191 211 6621 or Gill Smith on 0191 211 6574.
10 www.newcastle.gov.uk
Citylife: November/December 2008
Citylife: November/December 2008 Use the internet free at all Newcastle libraries 11

You say,
we care
Staff in our Adults Services
directorate really care. They
care for people who need
extra support and they also
care about what they think
about the services offered.
Earlier this year we carried out three
surveys. These were to find out what
people who use three particular areas
of our services think about the support
they get.
The three surveys were sent to:
• people with a physical or sensory
disability who have had equipment
fitted or a minor adaptation made
to their home;
• people aged over 65 who receive
care at home; and
• people who care for someone aged
over 65 who lives at home.
Your feedback helped shape new
proposals that we think will really
improve the services we provide.
Home equipment and minor
adaptations survey
The results
94% were satisfied with the overall
service.
95% said their quality of life had
improved after getting the equipment
or adaptation.
You said
Can we make some of the equipment
like stair rails more attractive?
What we’re going to do
We’re going to offer people a choice
between white and grey metal brackets
for stair rails.
You also said
You’re pleased that 99% of small
pieces of equipment are delivered
within seven working days. Could small
adaptations be done quicker?
What we’re going to do
We’re aiming for most small
adaptations, such as handrails, to be
provided within seven working days.
Older home care users survey
The results
93% were satisfied with the help they
received.
You said
We want healthy eating advice.
What we’re going to do
We’re going to carry out nutritional
screening on everyone referred to the
care at home service. Anyone who is
found to be undernourished will be
given advice and regular check-ups.
Our care staff are also getting training
from a dietician.
You also said
You weren’t sure how to make a
complaint about our services (20%
said this).
What we’re going to do.
We’ve already sent all new service
users a leaflet explaining how they can
complain. People who already use our
services are being given the leaflet
when they get their care plan review.
Together with local health
organisations, we’ve been asked by the
government to test new ways of
dealing with complaints.
Carers' views survey
The results
Most carers feel appreciated and think
they have the right skills to care.
43% feel they get sufficient breaks
from caring. 51% would like more time
to themselves.
What we’re going to do
Your views helped shape the new
Newcastle Carers Strategy Action Plan.
We're going to change the way we
assess carers so we can give them
better support and look particularly at
carers’ breaks. We're employing
two social workers to work specifically
with people who care for adults.
To find out about home equipment, minor adaptations, or home care,
call 0191 211 6363 (textphone: 18001 then 0191 211 6363).
Carers can call the Carers’ Centre on 0191 260 3030, or email
carerscentrenewcastle@btconnect.com
Find out more about the home care and carers surveys at
www.newcastle.gov.uk/homecare2008 and the home equipment survey
at www.newcastle.gov.uk/homeequipment2008 or call Louise Reeve
on 0191 277 7508.
Meet
Anna Foster
Christmas has rolled around
again…either the years are
getting shorter or time is
passing more quickly!
Every year I promise that on
Christmas Eve I will be sipping
Cava, gorging myself on
cranberry and brie filo parcels
and observing my impeccably
behaved but suitably excited
children! In reality I will be
wrapping presents at 3am,
dodging my insomniac hyper
offspring and trying to prepare
twenty tonnes of hated sprouts!
Christmas equals shopping
equals stress, the antidote to
which is a gossipy girly lunch
and I've found the perfect place!
(The best thing is it's in a shop
so not far to traipse with your
bags!) The Place to Eat is just
through the lighting department
in John Lewis, Eldon Square. The
interior is modern and bright but
you don’t feel like you have to be
an A-lister to be welcome, the
staff are more than happy to
feed exhausted Christmas
shoppers! I can highly
recommend the salmon and dill
pasta, perfect when followed by
a freshly made Malteser and ice
cream crepe. I am notoriously
fussy when it comes to eating
out and I had no complaints
whatsoever, which doesn't
happen very often!
Also, why not pop down to a
Christmas market... they always
smell lovely, a mixture of mulled
wine, Norway spruce and
roasting nuts. Newcastle’s
Continental and Christmas
markets are starting on 24
Competition
We have a meal for two to
give away to The Place to Eat
in John Lewis, Eldon Square.
To enter our competition just
answer the following
question:
Which one of these songs is
not a Christmas classic?
Jingle Bells Last Christmas Billie Jean
Name ...................................................................................................
Address ...............................................................................................
..............................................................................................................
Post Code ........................... Phone ....................................................
Please send your entries to Freepost Citylife by Friday 28
November. Please put all coupons and entries into one envelope.
November, selling lovely goodies
from across Europe and closer to
home. And, just before the stalls
are set out, on 20 November, the
Hairy Bikers will be switching on
the Christmas lights. I'm a carol
addict so I may see you there, I
will be the woman singing
naughty versions of the
originals... while shepherds wash
their socks by night... a classic!
✁
Have a wonderful Christmas, I
look forward to talking to you in
the New Year!
Big sloppy
Christmas kisses,
Anna x
Cup o’ tea, Gromit?
There’s nowt like a nice cup of tea. Now you can enjoy a
cuppa and raise money for projects like St Oswald’s
Hospice with Wallace and Gromit’s Children’s Foundation.
The foundation is a national charity championing the cause of
sick children by raising funds to improve the quality of life of
children in hospitals and hospices.
Where does tea fit into this? Well on Friday 5 December you
can take part Wallace and Gromit’s Great British Tea party by
organising friends, family and colleagues to get together to
drink tea, eat cakes and donate money to the charity.
For more information on how to take part visit
www.wallaceandgromitteaparty.org.uk, call 0845 600 1924 or
email info@wallaceandgromitteaparty.org.uk.
12 www.newcastle.gov.uk
Citylife: November/December 2008
Citylife: November/December 2008 Use the internet free at all Newcastle libraries 13

Newcastle City Council annual report
was funded through the Private Finance
Initiative.
The overall capital expenditure added up to
£273 million. Investment in 2007/08 is more
than £1,000 per person and around two
times the national average.
Giving young people a voice
Timetable for the UKYP elections
29 November 2008 Information sessions for people thinking
1 December 2008 about standing to be an MYP
8 December 2008 All nominees’ manifestos are completed and
published online
12-16 January 2009 Young people vote to choose their four
MYPs for the city
23 January 2009 The results are announced at an election event
How we spent your
money
Last year, we spent £895 million on services
(revenue expenditure), and a further £188
million investing in buildings and
infrastructure (capital expenditure).
We’d like to show you where we spent that
money, and what difference this has made to
the services we provide.
Spending on services
In 2007/08 council tax was increased by less
than the rate of inflation. This was also lower
than the national average and the different
service areas we spent this money on are
shown in this chart.
Areas of significant spending included £296
million on education and children’s services;
£110 million on adult social care; and £251
million on housing services, including £121
million Housing Revenue Account (HRA).
Most of the rest of the money was spent on
council services like emptying your bins,
running libraries, and maintaining parks.
Spending on buildings and infrastructure
As well as providing services, we also spent
around £188 million investing in buildings
and infrastructure (capital expenditure).
The different areas we spent this money on
are shown below. A further £85 million of
investment, such as the new City Library,
Most of this capital expenditure was on
housing – including £74 million on the
‘Modern Homes Programme’. This
programme resulted in 7,396 improvements
being completed to council houses. An extra
£3 million has been spent fitting adaptations,
such as stair lifts or hand rails, so that
people can continue to live independently in
their own home.
We also spent money on the Eldon Square
redevelopment, the Theatre Royal, and
widening Scotswood Road. Elsewhere, we
spent money on Building Schools for the
Future, Children’s Centre schemes and
building Cheviot View, a short break centre
for disabled children (which we featured in
the last Citylife).
Where does the money come from?
Most of this money comes from government
grants and income from fees and charges
(like housing rents and charges for using
council car parks or swimming pools). This
leaves £311 million, which we raised from
government funding, business rates, and
council tax.
Find out more
This is a summary of our accounts, which
have been signed off by the Audit
Commission.
Full copies of the report are available at
www.newcastle.gov.uk/annualreport or by
phoning 0191 211 6520.
How we performed
We’re constantly working to improve our
services, particularly those services that you
say are most important to you, or where we
think we can do better.
We’re proud to say that we have maintained
very high levels of resident satisfaction over
the last year, and we remain one of the
highest scoring councils in the country.
Here are some highlights:
• This year’s GCSE results were the best
ever and are now close to the national
average. The proportion of pupils
attaining five or more GCSEs at grade A*-
C, including English and maths, went up
by 14%.
• We reduced the proportion of children not
in education, employment or training in
the city as a whole. We achieved the
biggest reductions in the most deprived
areas of the city.
• We’ve helped you have more get-up-andgo.
Now nearly half of you take part in 30
minutes activity three or more times a
week.
• Crime levels have fallen. In particular
violent crime rates have fallen by 16% in
the last year. We have been less
successful in road safety and will be
making this a priority this year.
• Streets are cleaner. We have achieved a
10% reduction in litter for each of the last
three years. And by working with
residents, we now recycle or compost
34% of all our household waste.
You can find more about how we’re
performing in our corporate plan at
www.newcastle.gov.uk. If you have a
specific question then please phone
Kay Pinchard on 0191 211 6520.
In Newcastle they have a voice and
can really make a difference through
the UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) as
four local young people are Members
of the Youth Parliament (MYPs),
making sure adult decision–makers
hear what they have to say.
“I’ve never taken a better decision,”
says 16-year-old James Bartle about
his choice to stand as an MYP. “I’ve
experienced things I would never have
imagined I would do.”
With elections due for new MYPs next
year, it’s time for Newcastle’s young
people to think about whether to
stand. Anyone aged 11-18 who lives in
Newcastle can nominate themselves.
Once elected, they will be MYPs for
two years, during which time they will
have lots of support and be involved
James in action as an MYP
Most of us want a say in what happens in our home cities
and towns and young people are no exception!
in some fascinating work.
“You don’t have to want to be a
politician or to know about national
politics,” says James. “You just need an
open mind and to be interested in
acting as a link between adult decisionmakers
and young people. One day you
might be talking to a class of 11-yearolds,
and the next to a group of
councillors. You have to think all the
time about how you will pass on what
you hear from one group to the other.”
Is the work rewarding? “Yes,” says
James. “I’m more confident and have
better people skills, and there’s a real
sense of achievement. We’re making
progress towards getting Newcastle its
first youth council – something I
promised to bring about in my
manifesto.”
James’ three colleagues told Citylife what is the best thing for
them about being an MYP.
Beth Thomas (17):
“I feel good knowing I’m helping young people
express themselves to decision-makers. I hope I’m
helping change some adults’ perceptions of young
people.”
Laura Barrett (16):
“It’s fantastic experiencing things most teenagers
never get to do. I love meeting new people and
learning new things.”
Bethany Gorman (15):
“I’ve had lots of opportunities I didn’t realise were
out there, such as taking part in a debate in the
House of Lords in London. It’s fulfilling to give
young people a voice and to pass on to them all
I’ve learned.”
Interested in getting involved?
If you think you might like to become a member of the UK Youth
Parliament for Newcastle, you must come along to find out more at one of
our information sessions, on either 29 November (11am-3pm) or 1
December (4pm-7pm).
Contact Vicky Hartley on 0191 260 6513 or
Email: haveyoursay@newcastle.gov.uk to register.
You can get more information online at
www.newcastle.gov.uk/ukyp
‘Get’cha tickets now!’
Disney’s High School Musical: The Ice Tour was a complete sell-out
last year and is making a return visit due to popular demand! This
electrifying icetravaganza will see in the New Year at the Metro
Radio Arena from 2- 4 January 2009.
Inspired by the smash hit Disney
movies ‘High School Musical’ and ‘High
School Musical 2’, this spectacular ice
show is a live fusion of songs, dances
and team-spirited fun. The show
features music from the popular High
School Musical soundtrack, including
‘We’re All in This Together,’ ‘Get’cha
Head in the Game,’ ‘Start of Something
New,’ ‘Stick to the Status Quo,’ as well
as popular songs from High School
Musical 2.
Metro Radio Arena Newcastle
2- 4 January 2009
Tickets from £11.50 - £33.50.
Box Office: 0844 493 6666
www.metroradioarena.co.uk or www.highschoolmusicaltheicetour.co.uk
For a chance to win on of 10 family tickets (including at least one
adult), tell us what is the High School basketball team known as?
cougars wildcats gophers
Name ..............................................................................................
Address ...........................................................................................
......................................................................................................
Post Code ........................... Phone ..................................................
Please send your entries to Freepost Citylife by Friday 28 November.
Please put all coupons and entries into one envelope.
✁
14 www.newcastle.gov.uk
Citylife: November/December 2008
Citylife: November/December 2008 Use the internet free at all Newcastle libraries 15

Celebrating older people
Egyptian dancing, hip-hop, Bollywood dancing, keep fit and Nordic walking were just
some of the activities that older people tried at two special celebrations marking the
UK’s Older Person Day on 1 October.
Getting motivated at Mea House
More than 200 people over the age of 50 tried Egyptian dancing, keep fit and Nordic
walking at MEA House.
This event was organised by the Quality of Life
Partnership and Age Concern Newcastle with support
from volunteers from the Department of Work and
Pensions.
Some visitors opted for a less energetic afternoon by
looking around information stalls offering advice on
everything from energy and fuel efficiency to fire
safety and health.
An alternative therapist helped with aches and pains
while the city council’s Physical Activity Team gave
mini-health ‘MOTs’. The day ended with a dance party
and BBQ.
Michelle Mordue, active ageing development worker for
the Quality of Life Partnership, said "It was an
absolutely fantastic day. People came for an hour and
ended up staying all day."
For more information about activities at MEA House,
contact the Healthy Living Centre, Age Concern
Newcastle on 0191 235 9914. To find out more
about the New Leaf, New Life Active Ageing
Programme, which helps develop more physical
activity programmes for people over 50, contact
Michelle Mordue on 0191 255 1985 or email
michelle.mordue@qualityoflife.org.uk
Bringing generations together
At the ‘Bringing Generations Together’ event, held in The Gate, revellers both young and old
strutted their stuff at another special dance event for UK Older Person Day.
The event brought together tenants of sheltered
housing managed by Your Homes Newcastle with dance
students from the Newcastle Dance Centre. Together
they performed hip-hop, Bollywood dances, rock ‘n’ roll
and The Twist! The event was sponsored by The Gate.
Alyson Bell, from the Your Homes Newcastle’s
Community Care Alarm Service, said the event had
shown that older people are full of life: “Our
sheltered housing tenants are an important part of
their local communities, and they showed that they
want to get involved.”
“This is just the first of several events we’ll be hosting
over the next few years to promote greater respect
and understanding between different generations. So
look out for more opportunities to get involved.”
The Community Care Alarm Service (part of Your
Homes Newcastle) provides support for people to
live independently. To find out more, visit
www.yhn.org.uk or call 0191 278 8699.
everyone’s tomorrow
More dates for your diary
Staying warm this winter
Monday 12 January 2009 from 10.30am to
12.30pm. Ring 0191 233 0200 to book a place
Everyone’s tomorrow today!
Listen to the Elders Council monthly radio
show on 102.5fm
Friday 5 December 2008, 2-4pm
Friday 2 January 2009, 2-4pm
Growing older and
wiser
‘If only I had known that …’ is something
the Elders Council frequently hears older
people say as they struggle to find the right
information at the right time.
To address this, the Elders Council has launched a
programme of ‘Older and Wiser Days’.
The first was held in October when Deborah Spence
of Ward Hadaway explained the process for setting
up a Power of Attorney.
Future events will include an exhibition about ‘Keeping
Warm’ on Monday 12 January 2009. There will be
information on everything from improving your
insulation to getting the best from your gas and
electricity suppliers.
On Monday 6 April Elders Council members will talk
about why they are passionate about the arts.
To find out more about the ‘Older and Wiser’
programme or suggest a topic you’d like to know
more about, call the Elders Council on
0191 233 0200 or email:
elderscouncil@qualityoflife.org.uk
You can find lots of information on a wide range of
issues, from managing debt to keeping active at
Information NOW, Newcastle’s Older People’s Website
– www.informationnow.org.uk Our website has
just been awarded ‘Highly Commended’ in the
Association of Social Care Communicator Awards.
Hairy Bikers to cook
up a Christmas storm
This year’s festive season will get off to a roaring start when
the Hairy Bikers come to town to switch on our Christmas
lights later this month.
The motorcycle mad duo, Dave Myers
and Si King, will carry out this honour
at the switch on ceremony at Grey
Street on Thursday, 20 November.
From 5pm compere Steve Walls will
lead the entertainment with a little
help from the eight-foot-tall robot
Titan from this year's panto at the
Theatre Royal. Titan will be
entertaining the crowds around Grey's
Monument and in Grainger Street from
4.30pm.
Steve will then introduce the Hairy
Bikers who will flick the all important
switch at 6.30pm
This year’s ceremony will be extra
special for Si who comes from the
North East.
He said: “Dave and I are very
honoured by the invitation from the
city council. We can hardly contain
our excitement. Christmas in ‘The
Toon’ has always been a family
pilgrimage for me. From being small
(I was once – honest!) the highlight
Christmas and
New Year special
was always staring open mouthed at
the ‘bonny lights’ as my Aunty Hilda
would say. I seem to remember
getting so over excited that I needed
to go to the loo a lot, I’m sure a
familiar scenario for lots of parents
while carrying unfeasibly large and
numerous bags around the city, ‘Not
now!’ is the cry. ‘Can you wait ‘til we
get home? I never could.
“As a dad my kids have had the same
anticipation and wonder as we walk
up Northumberland Street to see what
spectacular Christmas creation
Fenwick’s window would unveil.
Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas
without seeing the bairns faces
reflected in that window. It really is
an honour not just for Dave and I but
also for our respective families –
thanks for the opportunity.”
Dave and Si will also give the city a
starring role as the ceremony will
feature in their Christmas special
which will see the pair cook up a
selection of festive fayre.
Christmas to sparkle with
kids competition winners
Each year we ask school children across Newcastle to design a
festive light. The four winning designs are made into real lights
and will take pride of place on Grainger Street beside the rest of
the city’s festive lights.
As usual the entries were excellent
with lots of amazing designs and our
judges were given the hard task in
picking the winners of this year’s
competition.
The winners will join the stars on
stage during the switch on
celebrations and receive their prizes
which include a family ticket to see
this year’s Theatre Royal pantomime
Robinson Crusoe and the Caribbean
Pirates.
Here are the winning designs.
Elf – Brittany Clelland,
Year 2, Hawthorn Primary School
Angel – Brittany Walker,
Year 4, Knoplaw Primary School
Christmas tree – Jennifer Shannon,
Year 4, Knoplaw Primary School
Rudolph – Libby Armstrong,
Year 2, Benton Park Primary School
This year’s Christmas lights will also
The impressive 20 foot Norwegian
spruce, which is a gift from the
people of Bergen, Newcastle’s twin
city, will stand outside the Civic
Centre and will be decorated in
traditional white lights.
Everyone is invited to attend this
free event which includes a
traditional carol service at the
Grand Entrance at the Civic Centre
with festive music from Norway.
For more information phone
the Lord Mayor’s Office on
0191 211 5050.
sparkle with brand new white lights
adding a festive glow across the city
centre.
Celebration tree
continues tradition
A Newcastle tradition will continue this month when the
Lord Mayor of Newcastle hosts the annual Bergen Christmas
Tree ceremony on Thursday, 27 November from 5.30pm.
16 www.newcastle.gov.uk
Citylife: November/December 2008
Citylife: November/December 2008 Use the internet free at all Newcastle libraries 17

Christmas and New Year special
Christmas and New Year special
Newcastle Christmas markets
Once again, the streets around Grey’s Monument will be buzzing with
life during the weeks leading up until Christmas.
This year, the markets will be taking
advantage of the space which has
opened up with the redevelopment of
Old Eldon Square to really bring the
festive spirit into the heart of the city.
The Continental Market will start on
Monday 24 November until Saturday 6
December. Selling everything from
traditional Russian dolls to French
corduroy caps, scarves and Dutch
pancakes, the market shouldn’t be
missed for your stocking fillers or the
wonderful food and drink on offer –
especially the Bratwurst and Glühwein.
The Christmas Market takes over on
Wednesday 10 December and lasts for
five days until Sunday 14 December.
This is your opportunity to stock up on
those local Christmas goodies which
truly make the season special –
including gorgeous glass, handmade
bags, local photos as well as jams,
puddings, game, stuffing, luxury sweets
and boozy Christmas cakes. The
Christmas Farmers’ Market will be a part
of this market on Friday 12 December.
But don’t worry if you miss out on both
of these markets, there’ll also be
Christmas Arts and Crafts fairs on 13
December and 20 December where local
people will be selling handcrafted goods.
Make your Christmas card choice count
Many of us buy our Christmas cards and support the charity of our
choice at the same time. But it can be a bit of a lottery as you have
to read the small print to see exactly how much the charity gets
from your good will.
Cards for Good Causes are setting up their stall in St Thomas the Martyr Church
at the Haymarket between 17 October and 18 December, Monday to Saturday,
10am to 4pm. The organisation guarantees the charities they support get at
least 79p in every pound spent on the cards they sell. To find out more, visit
www.cardsforcharity.co.uk or phone 01264 361 555.
Recycle your
Christmas
Christmas cards and tree
recycling will be available
across the city.
Residents can take their trees to
temporary collection points and are
asked to ring Envirocall to check where
their nearest point will be. Otherwise
trees can be taken to their local
Household Waste Recycling Centre –
again ring Envirocall for opening times
and nearest locations.
Plain Christmas cards can be put into
the blue recycling bin but not the
black boxes. Only plain cards can be
recycled – cards that are decorated
with glitter or musical cards cannot.
You could also recycle your cards by
dropping them into special bins in
selected shops.
Samia Smith, who plays Maria Connor
in Coronation Street, is supporting the
Woodland Trust Christmas card
recycling campaign. She said “If
everyone recycled just one card it
would help the Woodland Trust plant
15,000 trees, so remember to support
the Woodland Trust Christmas Card
Recycling Scheme and take your cards
to WH Smith, Tesco, TK Maxx or Marks
and Spencer stores to be recycled.”
Envirocall – 0191 274 4000.
Candlelit Christmas Concert Competition
AM Live is once again announcing its Christmas Candlelit Concert
Tour for 2008.
A special atmosphere infuses these concerts with the twinkling magic of
candlelight, the glorious music and the heightened intimacy between musicians and
audience. The seasonally adjusted classical music is conducted by David Haslam,
and performed by the English Philharmonic Ensemble and its chorus, The Singers.
18 December St George’s Church, Jesmond and also at Hexham Abbey on 20
December. Phone 0191 277 8003 or visit the Tourist Information Centre in the
Central Arcade. Tickets are also available from www.candlelitconcerts.com.
Candlelit Christmas
We’ve got eight pairs of tickets to give away for the
concert at St George’s Church. For a chance to win, tell
us who is conducting the music at the concert?
David Tennant David Haslam Sue Perkins
Name .............................................................................................
Address ..........................................................................................
........................................................... Postcode ............................
Please send your entry to Freepost Citylife by 24 November 08.
Please put all competitions and coupons in one envelope.
✁
Get an arty glow
this winter
The annual NewcastleGateshead Winter
Festival returns this year with events that
are guaranteed to light up the dark nights of
December. Highlights of this free festival
include:
Enchanted Parks Gateshead’s Saltwell Park is
transformed into a magical setting for after-dark
fairy tales, through atmospheric installations, light,
sound and performance. Enchanted Parks runs from
Thursday 4 – Tuesday 14 December
Glow 08 creates a trail around the city, illuminating
some of Newcastle’s historic town walls. Using
light projections to present and join together sites
around the city, the trail aims to reveal buildings,
spaces and views often unknown to tourists and
local residents of NewcastleGateshead. Glow runs
from Thursday 11 – Monday 15 December
Glowmobiles Newcastle will be the place to be this
New Year’s Eve as the whole city is transformed and
illuminated by the magnificent Glowmobiles parade.
Returning for this year’s extravaganza, the
magically mechanical art cars will be parading
around Newcastle – some will breathe fire, some
make music and others will explode with fireworks.
The event will end in an early evening firework
spectacular at Newcastle Civic Centre.
The festival also includes some traditional favourites
including pantomimes, performances, Christmas light
switch-ons and ice-skating as well as concerts and
winter markets, making NewcastleGateshead a great
place to visit this winter.
Glow On!
Go Glow Time from Worlds Apart helps teach
children about the bedtime and morning routines
by introducing ‘time’ in a fun and simple way.
Using illuminated scenes, children put their favourite
character to ‘sleep’ and set their wake up time,
learning to stay in bed until it’s daytime. A nightlight
also reassures little ones. Priced at £19.99. Visit
www.worldsapart.com for more information.
Go Glow Time competition
For a chance to win a Go Glow Time, tell us
which character is in ‘In the Night Garden’:
Iggle Piggle
Postman Pat
Tinky Winky
Name ........................................................
Address .....................................................
................................................................
................................................................
Postcode ...................................................
Please send your entry to Freepost Citylife
by 24 November 08. Please put all
competitions and coupons in one envelope.
✁
18 www.newcastle.gov.uk
Citylife: November/December 2008
Citylife: November/December 2008 Use the internet free at all Newcastle libraries 19

Christmas and New Year special
Christmas and New Year special
The uglies are back in town…
And this time they’ve brought their mam!
This year’s panto at the Journal Tyne
Theatre will be pulling out all the
stops, as a much loved team return to
present Cinderella, and this year there
will be a big difference!
The award winning comedians Brendan
Healy and Maxie and Mitch, will be
delighting families once again with
Maxie and Mitch playing Sharon and
Tracey, the Ugly Sisters who everyone
loves to hate. The difference this year
Brendan will be playing their mother -
Cinderella’s gormless stepmother, making
no less than three dames in one panto!
Making a prettier picture on stage will
be Catherine McCabe as the lovely
Cinders and Stephanie Constable as
her dizzy fairy godmother, along with
Cinderella competition
Music
The Church of Ascension
Creighton Avenue, Kenton
0191 285 3605
Thurs 4 December at 7.30pm
Family Christmas Carol Concert
In aid of St Oswald’s Children’s
Hospice, featuring Newcastle Salvation
Army Band, Gosforth and District
Choir. £4 adults, £2 children
Newcastle City Hall
0191 261 2606
Sun 7 December at 3pm
26th Sargent Christmas Carol Concert
Supporting Cancer Leukemia in
Childhood (CLIC) and Sargent – Caring
for Children with Cancer. £6 (£4)
The Journal Tyne Theatre
Westgate Road
www.thejournaltynetheatre.co.uk
Sun 16 November at 2.30pm
Christmas Crooners A tribute to the
music and songs of Nat King Cole,
Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra.
Kevin O’Keefe as the hen pecked
Baron Hardup.
Cinderella
Journal Tyne Theatre, Westgate
Road, Newcastle upon Tyne
Friday 5 December – Saturday 3
January Tickets from £8.50.
Box office 0870 145 1200.
Group bookings 0191 274 7066
www.thejournaltynetheatre.co.uk
We've got five family tickets to Cinderella on Wednesday 10 December.
To be in with a chance to win a family ticket, which includes a meet and
greet with the cast following the show, just tell us: What are the names
of Cinderella's ugly sisters in the Journal Tyne Theatre production?
Kylie and Danni Sharon and Tracey Grimedla and Esmerelda
Name ...............................................................................................
Address ..........................................................................................
.......................................................................................................
Postcode ............................... Phone ..................................................
Please send your entries to Freepost Citylife by Friday 28 November.
Please put all coupons and entries into one envelope.
✁
A fantastic cast of West-End singers,
backed by the superb Jazz All-Stars
Band perform over 30 well known
Christmas hits including “Chestnuts
Roasting on an Open Fire”, “Little
Drummer Boy”, “White Christmas” and
many swing arrangements of Christmas
hymns including “God Rest Ye Merry
Gentlemen”, “O Come All Ye Faithful”
and “Silent Night”, along with many
of their other hits. £14 (£13)
The Sage Gateshead
0191 443 4661
www.thesagegateshead.org
A Christmas fanfare will get the Sage
Gateshead’s festive season off to a
cracking start with the switching on of
their Christmas lights on 5 December
at 6pm. Other events include
Christmas with the Rat Pack on 6 and
7 December, the Northern Sinfonia
Christmas Concert on the 13 and 14
December with Aled Jones. And no
Christmas season would be complete
without the Snowman and Northern
Sinfonia on 23 and 24 December.
For information about these and other
events contact the box office.
Other events
Lord Mayor’s Annual
Christmas Ball
Civic Centre
Sat 6 December from 7pm
Start your festive celebrations at the
Lord Mayor’s Annual Christmas Ball.
Enjoy a wonderful evening including a
three course dinner and dancing until
1am, with the Paul James Band and
the Rat Pack Singers. Proceeds will go
towards the MediCinema which is
being constructed at the Royal Victoria
Infirmary. Tickets £45 each. For
information phone 0191 211 5050 or
email lord.mayor@newcastle.gov.uk.
Carol singing for Henshaws
Society for Blind People
School children from across the city
will be carol singing in Monument Mall
from 1 to 5 December at 11am and
2pm. If you can give us an hour of
your time it will be very much
appreciated. They will be helping to
raising money for Henshaws Society for
Blind People, a leading charity for all
blind and visually impaired children
and adults across Newcastle and the
North of England. Their services are
tailored to reflect local needs and they
work in partnership with other local
organisations to ensure the best
possible provision of service.
St John’s Church Hall
Grainger Street, Newcastle
0191 232 0483
johnbaptist@tiscali.co.uk
Sat 6 December from 10am to 4pm
Christmas Fayre Snap up home made
cakes, Christmas decorations, second
hand books, toys and household
goods. Have a chance of winning a
choice of fantastic prizes donated by
Newcastle businesses with our tombola
and raffle. Tea, coffee and delicious
home made cakes and pies served. Free
Wed 24 December at 6pm
Christmas Eve Blessing of the Crib
Free
Mansion House
Jesmond 0191 281 0863
mansion.house@newcastle.gov.uk
Thurs 20 November and Thurs 4
December from 11am
Festive Clarins Lunch Boutiques at
the Mansion House
Picture the scene….a cold and frosty
day… chestnuts roasting on the
Mansion House fire….you, enjoying a
glass of mulled wine and eagerly
awaiting a delicious three course
Christmas lunch! Come along and
enjoy a demonstration by world
famous beauty house Clarins and take
up the opportunity to buy some
Clarins goodies and special offers
before the Christmas rush. £30
St James’s United Reformed
Church
Northumberland Road
0191 284 0544
Sat 29 November from 11am
German Christmas Market
Includes carol singing. Free
All Saints Church
Gosforth 0191 213 0450
Sun 14 December at 7pm
Handel’s Messiah
All Saints Church Chamber Choir and
Orchestra
Conducted by Len Young
Tickets are also available from JG
Windows and Newcastle Tourist
Information Centre.
£8.50 (£7.50)
Denton Burn Methodist Church
West Road 0191 241 1074
Sat 22 November at 10am
Christmas Coffee Morning
Cakes, stalls, raffle, books and gifts.
Theatre
Northern Stage
Barras Bridge 0191 230 5151
www.northernstage.co.uk
Fri 21 November to Sat 10 January
(see website for times)
The Goblin who Saved Christmas
Meet Max. He's a goblin shaped
decoration who is always hung out of
sight at the back of the Christmas
tree. Margaret is the fairy who sits on
top of the tree. For as long as anyone
can remember she has been running
Christmas with military precision. On
Christmas Eve she’s ready for
Christmas Day... but this year, nothing
happens. £7.50 (£5.50)
People’s Theatre
Stephenson Road
0191 265 5020 www.ptag.org.uk
Sat 13 to Sun 21 December at 7.30pm
and 2pm (Sat 13, Sun 14, Sat 20 and
Sun 21 December) No show on Mon
15 December Aladdin By Phil Meeks
£10 (£8) Family ticket £30.50
Theatre Royal
08448 112 121
www.theatreroyal.co.uk
Tues 2 December to Sat 17 January
(see website or call for ticket prices
and times). Ride the waves with
Robinson Crusoe and the Caribbean
Pirates
Christmas and New Year opening times
We have produced this ‘at a glance’ timetable giving the opening times of customer service
centres, libraries and important services over the holiday period.
For details of times for other venues, like sports centres or swimming pools, see information at your local site.
You can call 0300 1000 101 to
report:
• Rubbish or litter
• Abandoned vehicles
• Dog fouling
• Noise nuisance
• Smoking in enclosed public spaces
• Street lighting
• Sale of alcohol to the under-aged
and substance misuse
• Vandalism, graffiti and other
deliberate damage to public
property
Customer Service Centres Contact Centre Envirocall
Tues 23 December Normal service: Normal service: Normal service:
8.30am – 4.30pm 8am – 6pm 8am – 8pm
Wed 24 December 8.30am – 3pm 8am – 3pm 8am – 3pm
Christmas day Closed Closed Closed
Boxing day Closed Closed Closed
Sat 27 December Closed Closed
Sun 28 December Closed Closed
Mon 29 December Normal service: Normal service: Normal service:
8.30am – 4.30pm 8am – 6pm 8am – 8pm
Tues 30 December Normal service: Normal service: Normal service:
8.30am – 4.30pm 8am – 6pm 8am – 8pm
Wed 31 December 8.30am – 3pm 8am – 3pm 8am – 3pm
New Year’s day Closed Closed Closed
Fri 2 January Back to normal service: Back to normal service: Back to normal service:
8.30am – 4.30pm 8am – 6pm 8am – 8pm
Don’t forget,
Neighbourhood
Helpline!
In April we launched Neighbourhood Helpline – 0300 1000
101 – where you can report a range of problems 24 hours a
day, seven days-a-week all year round – including Christmas
and New Year!
In an emergency you can call:
Although the services who deal with
the above are not available on bank
holidays, you can still report problems
using Neighbourhood Helpline and
they’ll be dealt with when we re-open.
When you call you’ll be told when you
can expect a response, and you’ll be
given a reference code so you can
track the progress.
Anyone who has a non-emergency for the police should dial 03456 043 043.
Police, fire, ambulance or coastguard 999
Council out of hours call 0191 232 8520
Emergency repairs to YHN properties 0845 113 8888
Multi-storey car parks
All multi-storey car parks close at 7pm
on Christmas Eve and open again at
7am 27 December. They close again
7pm on New Year’s Eve opening again
on 2 January. One exception is the
Grainger Town car park, which closes
at 7pm on Christmas Eve, opening
again at 7am on Boxing Day.
Library services
opening times
Community libraries and
mobile library service
Blakelaw, Cruddas Park, Denton
Burn, Dinnington, Fawdon, High
Heaton, Moorside, Newbiggin
Hall, Newburn, Walker.
All of these libraries, apart from
Dinnington, will close at their
normal time on Tuesday 23
December and will re-open at
their normal times on Friday 2
January 2009. Dinnington will
close at 1pm on Christmas Eve
and will re-open as normal on
Friday 2 January 2009.
Larger libraries and
temporary city centre
library services
Benwell, East End, Fenham,
Gosforth, Jesmond, Kenton, Outer
West. Temporary services in the
Civic Centre and Market St Tourist
Information Centre and including
the library enquiry line –
0845 002 0336.
These libraries and enquiry line will
close at 3pm on Christmas Eve and
will re-open at their normal times
from Saturday 27 December. On New
Year’s Eve they close at 3pm and
will re-open on their normal times
on Friday 2 January 2009.
Have a Traidcraft Christmas
Traidcraft is a North East based company that continues to play a
major role in promoting Fairtrade.
For nearly 30 years, the company has done this locally, nationally and
internationally. The new catalogue has a vast range of Fairtrade Christmas gifts
and beautiful objects for decorating your home. Find out more by visiting
www.traidcraftshop.co.uk or calling 0845 330 8900 for a catalogue.
We have a Traidcraft Italian gift set to
give one lucky Citylife reader.
For a chance to win, tell us:
How long has Traidcraft being supporting
fair trade?
Five years 30 years 164 years
Name ...............................................................................................
Address ..........................................................................................
.......................................................................................................
Postcode ............................... Phone ..................................................
Please put all coupons and entries in one envelope.
Send to Freepost Citylife by 28 November 2008.
✁
20 www.newcastle.gov.uk
Citylife: November/December 2008
Citylife: November/December 2008 Use the internet free at all Newcastle libraries 21

Staff in community housing offices are on hand to help
New community housing
office for Benwell and
Scotswood
Your Homes Newcastle opens a brand new community housing
office this month for council tenants in Benwell and Scotswood.
From 17 November the new Benwell and Scotswood Community
Housing Office will be in the West End Customer Service Centre
on Condercum Road.
This is the last stage in a two-year
programme of new office openings, mergers
and refurbishments, after Your Homes
Newcastle asked customers what they’d like.
Customers said they’d like to see staff
spending more time out on estates and on
visits. They also asked for longer opening
times.
Improved community housing offices
provide services where customers need
them
The programme has now provided improved
offices and services to customers across the
city, as well as the new offices at Westgate,
Throckley and Benwell and Scotswood.
Opening hours have been extended so all
main housing offices now open 8.30am -
4.30pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and
Friday and 8.30am – 3pm on Wednesdays.
This has been achieved at the same time as
keeping offices within a mile of almost all
customers’ homes. The changes mean staff
spend much more time out and about,
responding to customers’ needs.
Stop press! At the time of
writing, the Community Housing
Office improvement programme
has been shortlisted for a
prestigious UK Housing Award for
Delivering Customer Driven
Services! This is one of three UK
Housing Awards for which Your
Homes Newcastle is shortlisted.
Your Homes
Newcastle gives
more support on
rent payments
We’re all finding it harder to make
our money stretch at the minute. So
it’s vital to pay the things that really
matter first.
Your rent is right at the top of the list, to give
you the peace of mind that your home is
safe and secure. And for council tenants,
Your Homes Newcastle offers several ways
to help.
Our Advice and Support service can make
sure you’re getting the benefits you’re
entitled to and help you claim any new ones.
You can contact them by phoning
0191 278 8621.
There are lots of choices about how to pay
your rent:
• You can use Direct Debit or Standing
Order through a bank account. These both
mean you have the security of knowing
your rent gets paid automatically.
• You can pay by swipecard at any post
office or PayPoint. You’ll find PayPoints in
many local shops.
• You can pay by phone, using your debit
or credit card – just ring Your Homes
Newcastle on 0191 278 7749.
• You can pay in person at customer
service centres, the Gosforth Community
Housing Office and the Walker Centre.
• You can even pay online, by logging on
to www.yhn.org.uk
Customers with a clear rent account are
automatically entered into a free prize draw
for £250 every quarter. And if you pay by
Direct Debit and have a clear rent account,
you’ll be entered in a second draw for the
extra chance to win £50 every month.
If you’re finding it hard to pay your rent,
don’t just ignore it – contact your local
community housing office and talk to us.
We’ll help you work through the best way for
you to keep your rent account up-to-date.
Don’t forget, your rent pays for all the
services Your Homes Newcastle provides.
So the more people keep their rent up-todate,
the better services we can give you.
Holistic health for
Chinese community
Taking a holistic approach has turned a simple idea into
a successful, large-scale project that helps keep
Newcastle’s Chinese community in good health.
“Ten years ago, we started a
health club, with talks about
health and care topics,” says
honorary chair Sow Fong Cole.
“Now, as we celebrate our tenth
anniversary, the Newcastle
Chinese Healthy Living Centre is
a big project, based in
Chinatown, which focuses on all
aspects of healthy living.”
The charity provides a whole
range of services, including
swimming and other fitness
sessions, talks on traditional
Chinese medicine, lessons on
English health terms, healthy
cooking, arts, t’ai chi, dance and
singing sessions, and workshops
on mental health, diabetes and
heart health. The centre has also
compiled a book on dementia
care for the Chinese community.
“Mental health is a priority for us,”
says Sow Fong. “Two years ago
we held a conference on the
issue, attended by over 200
people. As a result of the concerns
they raised, we have worked with
the Primary Care Trust to organise
monthly talks, and the health
service says more Chinese people
now come forward for help.”
Michelle Thompson HPV co-ordinator for Newcastle PCT with Wallbottle campus
pupil Victoria Baird and her mother Lesley Baird discussing the vaccine
Vaccination programme to arm
girls against cervical cancer
All girls aged 12 to 13 will be offered a vaccine to protect
them against cervical cancer.
The vaccinations are being given as
part of the national immunisation
programme against cervical cancer
which started at the beginning of
September.
Cervical cancer is caused by a virus
called the human papilloma virus (HPV).
There are around 100 different strains of
HPV but only a few are directly linked to
cervical cancer. The new vaccine, called
Cervarix, will offer protection against
the two strains of HPV that cause 70%
of all cervical cancers.
Around 3000 women are diagnosed
with cervical cancer every year.
Tyne and Wear Passenger
Transport Authority
Code of Conduct for Members - Complaints process
Changes to the complaints
procedure
From 8 May 2008, the responsibility
for considering complaints that a
councillor may have breached the
Code of Conduct for Members has
moved to the standards committees of
local authorities (including passenger
transport authorities). Previously, such
complaints had to be made to the
Standards Board for England.
What this means to you
If you want to complain about the
conduct of a member of Tyne and
Wear Passenger Transport Authority,
you must submit your complaint to:
The Standards and Audit Committee
Tyne and Wear Passenger
Transport Authority,
It is estimated that the HPV
vaccination will save the lives of
around 400 women each year.
Newcastle Primary Care Trust’s school
health nurses will visit schools across
the city to give the vaccine which
will be in three separate doses over a
six month period.
For more information on the
vaccination programme please visit:
www.immunisation.nhs.uk/HPV
This article is paid for Newcastle Primary Care Trust www.newcastle-pct.nhs.uk
c/o Mrs V A Dodds,
Monitoring Officer,
Civic Centre,
Newcastle upon Tyne,
NE99 2BN
Any complaint should be made using
an appropriate complaint form which
can be requested from the PTA’s
Monitoring Officer or Newcastle City
Council’s Head of Democratic Services
at the above address.
The committee can only deal with
complaints about the behaviour of a
member. It will not deal with
complaints about things that are not
covered by the Members’ Code of
Conduct. If you make a complaint to
the committee it must be about why
you think a member has not followed
the Code of Conduct.
22 This page is paid for by Your Homes Newcastle
Citylife: November/December 2008
Citylife: November/December 2008 Use the internet free at all Newcastle libraries 23

Don’t stay
silent, speak out
You’d be pretty angry if someone stole money
from you, wouldn’t you? But that’s exactly what
people who commit benefit fraud are doing.
That’s because the money you
pay in council tax ends up
paying for their luxuries, rather
than vital council services. We
estimate that people who claim
these benefits when they
shouldn’t are costing the people
of Newcastle up to £1million
every year.
We are working hard to stop
housing and council tax benefit
fraud. We have a dedicated
team which has a range of farreaching
powers - including
surveillance of suspected
fraudsters and authority to
check customer employee
details, investments, savings,
bank accounts and utility bills -
to help them uncover and
investigate benefit fraud.
Last year the team received
1,882 allegations of benefit
fraud, of which 287 originated
from calls from concerned
members of public. We want
you to continue to contact us
with information.
Last year we successfully
prosecuted 67 people for a
range of benefit offences and
offered sanctions to a further 84
people as an alternative to
going to court. This year to date
we have prosecuted a further 22
people and sanctioned 47.
If the case is serious and goes
to court penalties can be high.
Tyneside grandmother Dawn
Shackleton conned the taxpayer
out of £40,000 after stealing the
identity of her sister who went
to live in Kenya. She was jailed
for two years recently following
a lengthy joint investigation by
fraud investigators from the
council and the Department for
Work and Pensions.
Another Tyneside resident,
Debbie Crozier dishonesty
claimed over £10,000 in housing
and council tax benefit. She
had deliberately failed to
declare that she had received an
inheritance of over £34,000 and
was fined £750.
Lynne Hubbick, Principal Benefit
Fraud Officer said ‘these are just
two examples of fraud we have
uncovered in recent months and
we have a further 42 cases
going through the courts. By
prosecuting offenders we are
sending out a strong message
that we take benefit theft
seriously and are determined to
punish people who steal money
from our citizens’.
Call the benefit fraud hotline on 0191 211 6830 or
email benefit.fraud.team@newcastle.gov.uk
1 December is World
AIDS Day
March with us on Saturday 6 December from just below
Grey’s Monument to The Sage, Gateshead.
There will be a short celebration event at the Sage to demonstrate
Tyneside’s rejection of the stigma and discrimination suffered by
over 40 million people worldwide whose lives have been affected by
HIV / AIDS.
The march starts at 11.45am and the event will close at around
2.30pm. For more information about how you can get involved,
phone 0191 233 1333.
This event is supported by Newcastle, North Tyneside,
Northumberland, South Tyneside and Gateshead Primary Care Trusts
(PCTs) in conjunction with Pasanté Healthcare, MESMAC NorthEast,
Body Positive NorthEast, Lifeline and SHINE.
GP practices are now open longer
The majority of GP practices in Newcastle are now extending their
opening hours in an effort to give patients more flexibility of when they
can have an appointment.
GP practices in the city are contracted by
Newcastle Primary Care Trust to provide
primary care medical services to local
people and must open between the core
hours of 8am and 6.30pm.
Now the majority of GP practices are opening
longer hours – with some holding early
morning sessions starting at 7am and evening
sessions up to 8pm at night. Some practices
are also opening on a Saturday morning.
Chris Reed, chief executive of Newcastle
PCT, said: “When we are talking to the
public about what changes they would like
to see to improve health services, a very
clear message is that they would like more
choice over when they can visit their
practice. By opening earlier in the morning,
later at night or at weekends, patients
have more flexibility of when they can visit
their GP.
Make sure you get
your flu jab
Residents who are most at risk of
developing serious complications
from flu are being urged to take
advantage of a free jab as the winter
months approach.
Newcastle Primary Care Trust’s medical
director Dr Mike Guy said: “Common colds
are frequently confused with flu, but flu can
be potentially life-threatening, and will
generally require weeks of recovery time.
Those at greater risk of developing serious
complications from flu should get
themselves down to their local surgery as
soon as possible to protect themselves from
the virus in the months to come”
The best way to avoid catching flu is to get
immunised. To help avoid infection to
yourself and others use tissues, cover your
cough and sneeze with a tissue, dispose of it
after one use, and wash your hands.
Talk to your local GP, nurse or pharmacist to
find out more or visit www.nhs.uk/flu
New sexual
health centre for
Newcastle to be
open early 2009
Newcastle Primary Care Trust
(PCT) has announced that it has
found a city centre site for a
new multi-million pound sexual
health centre in Newcastle.
Work has already started to convert
premises at New Croft House, Market
Street, near the Laing Art Gallery and
it is planned that the new centre – to
be a one stop shop for sexual health
services - will be up and running by
early 2009.
The centre will be the new base for
two services currently located on the
site of Newcastle General Hospital -
the genito urinary medicine (GUM)
clinic and the contraception and
sexual health service at the
Graingerville clinic. The new service
will also include the regional
chlamydia screening office currently
based at Walker, Newcastle.
24 www.newcastle.gov.uk
Citylife: November/December 2008
Citylife: November/December 2008 This page is paid for by Newcastle Primary Care Trust www.newcastle-pct.nhs.uk 25

Adult Services
transforming
lives
We want everyone in Newcastle to enjoy a long
and good quality life.
Bridging NewcastleGateshead (BNG) is working to create great
places to live in parts of Newcastle and Gateshead.
Want to know more? Visit www.bridgingng.org.uk,
email info@bridgingng.org.uk or call 0191 277 2666.
You may remember in the last edition of Citylife we told
you about one of the seven outcomes our adult services
must work hard to achieve. These outcomes are set by
the Department of Health. Here we talk about the next
two and how these actions are making a real difference
to people’s lives.
Outcome 2: Improved
quality of life.
We want residents to achieve,
improve and maintain
independence. We look at the
needs of our communities and
develop ways to respond.
Jonathon’s grand tour
Sometimes it’s the little things
that make the biggest difference
to people.
For Jonathon Nesbitt it is getting
around by himself.
Jonathon (26) from Walker has
been registered blind since
childhood. He wanted to get out
more, but relied on friends or
family to show him where new
places were. Otherwise, he’d
find himself forking out for taxis.
Two year’s ago, Jonathon
contacted our Sensory Support
Team. Darren Lindsay, a
rehabilitation worker, showed
Jonathon how to use a cane
properly, how to cross roads
safely and identify landmarks to
locate his position. Jonathan
then found himself on a series
of walking tours around
Newcastle with Darren.
“Darren showed me how to get
around the city centre, told me
where different places are and
took me on the buses. Now I
have a better idea of how to get
around and I’m much more
independent,” Jonathon said.
The Sensory Support Team
helped Jonathon learn to cook
and put him in touch with
SkillStep, run by Henshaw’s
Blind Society at MEA House,
where he learned work skills.
He followed this up with a threemonth
RNIB residential course
in Scotland.
“Darren came up with me on the
train to Scotland the first time,
so I would know how to change
trains and find my seat. That
gave me the confidence to use
the trains by myself,” Jonathon
said.
Now Jonathon is studying
Business and IT at Newcastle
College and hopes to go to
university.
“The Sensory Support team
opened new doors for me by
helping me to be more
independent and confident. I
don’t want people to do things
for me, I want people to show
me how I can do things for
myself, and that’s exactly what
they did,” Jonathon said.
To contact the Sensory Support
team, phone 0191 277 8245 or
e-mail adultservicescomms@
newcastle.gov.uk
Outcome 3: Making a
positive contribution
To help people with particular
needs to become more
confident and get involved in
activities and in their
communities.
The Newcastle User and
Carer Forum
When we wanted to improve our
drug and alcohol addiction
services who did we turn to?
We turned to the people who
use the service everyday.
Jonathon and Darren navigate the crowds on Northumberland Street
They formed the Newcastle User
and Carer Forum. It’s made up of
people who are kicking the
habit, ex-users and people who
care for drug and alcohol users
or their children.
They meet every two weeks and
their work has already made a
huge difference.
The forum identified that there
was a real need to give support
to people with Hepatitis C. They
even came up with a name, The
North C Hepatitis Group.
They also have a project called
Trading Places - a nationally
recognised service-user-led
drop-in, which happens on a
Sunday morning between 10am
and 1pm. It’s an out of hours
service which caters for
homeless and vulnerable people
within Newcastle.
More support for women was
another important issue raised
by the forum. Now a group
called What Women Want
reaches out to women with
addiction issues, many of whom
find it difficult to get support
because of family
commitments.
Members are getting hands-on
as well. They go along to regular
prescribing services – where
people go to pick up medication
or detox – and are given advice
on the support and activities
available in Newcastle. Back in
July, members of the forum also
walked up Ben Nevis, raising
£1,000 for the forum and for
carers – an achievement they
were hugely proud of.
Terry Croft, User Involvement
Officer, describes the forum’s
work as invaluable: “People are
saying how services should be
run and being listened too. The
ideas they have come with are
very cost effective – most of the
groups cost just a few hundred
quid to run – but the difference
they make is invaluable.”
To contact the Newcastle User
and Carer Forum phone
0191 281 7778 or email
nucf@btinternet.com
Last year’s Pride, Passion, Potential award winners
Recognising residents
Residents in Benwell and Walker are set to be recognised for
their achievements within their communities with the
announcement of two awards schemes.
The Benwell Community Awards and Walker Riverside’s Pride, Passion,
Potential Awards will give local residents the chance to nominate their
friends and neighbours who have made a difference in their
community. For more information, contact Kirsty Sell in Benwell on 0191
277 1470 or the Walker Riverside Information Centre on 0191 275 9207.
What’s happening in
the East End?
Over 250 people, including local school children, residents,
council workers, Places for People, Bridging
NewcastleGateshead, Your Homes Newcastle, Groundwork,
East End Alliance and other partners, took park in the ‘Week of
Action’ and worked alongside a grounds maintenance
workforce, to improve Walker’s Riverside Park.
The volunteers carried out an
enormous amount of work,
completing almost a year’s worth
of tasks in one week! Steve
Williams, local resident said:
“Specific areas were concentrated
on each day to have maximum
impact and I must say that at the
end of each day the visual effect
of the work that had been carried
Taking part in the Walker Riverside ‘Week of Action’
out was stunning, a testimony to
the effort everyone had put in.
“Personally I would like to thank
everyone for a fantastic week. I
think that this is a great
opportunity to use this week as a
platform for better things for the
park. It would be great if this
work could be continued and not
let this week be a one off.”
New homes at New Mills
What’s happening in
the West End?
Nine refurbished homes in New Mills have been
snapped up by buyers within weeks of going
on sale.
The houses, converted from unpopular flats, offer three goodsize
bedrooms, a large living area and a private garden. All of
the properties have benefited from extensive improvements
both internally and externally.
Once completed, the homes attracted a lot of interest due to
their affordable price, high quality work and good location
close to the city centre. As a result, all nine houses were sold
within seven weeks of being put up for sale.
The work has been funded by BNG, Your Homes Newcastle
and Single Housing Investment Programme funding.
Consultation was carried out with local residents prior to the
work taking place.
Local businesses and organisations have raised an amazing
£320,000 to give Farndale Park in Benwell a face lift. Work on
redeveloping the popular park will begin shortly. An exciting
transformation is promised and will turn Farndale Park into a
safe, fun and challenging play area for all ages. There will be a
net pyramid; all-access swings; a roundabout; climbing frame
and picnic tables; and benches. It is hoped the park will be
ready by the end of the year. The project was only made
possible because of the hard work and fundraising of all the
community - residents and organisations.
26 www.newcastle.gov.uk
Citylife: November/December 2008
Citylife: November/December 2008 This page was paid for by Bridging NewcastleGateshead 27

Council Diary November 2008 - January 2009
All the meetings listed
below are open to the
public. Times were correct
at time of going to press.
To confirm the meeting
time and venue please
phone the contact officer.
8 December 2008 at 8.30 am
Audit Committee
Phone Jo Miller on
0191 211 5119
3 December 2008 at 6pm
14 January 2009
at 6pm
City Council
Phone Linda Couch on
0191 211 5121
28 January 2009 at 11.30am
Conservation
Advisory Committee
Phone Linda Couch on
0191 211 5121
4 November 2008 at 4pm
6 January 2009 at 4pm
Constitutional
Committee
Phone Bernard Dale on
0191 211 5121
27 November 2008 at 5pm
Corporate Parent
Advisory Committee
Phone Victoria Demchenko on
0191 211 5184
14 November 2008 at 9.30am
5 December 2008 at 9.30am
Late December 2008 at 9.30am,
date to be confirmed
16 January 2009 at 9.30am
Development Control
Committee
Phone David Long on
0191 211 5129
11 November 2008 at 4pm
17 December 2008 at 4pm
14 January 2009 at 4pm
Executive
Phone Bernard Dale on
0191 211 5121
10 November 2008 at 4pm
12 January 2009 at 4pm
Neighbourhood
Committee
Phone Elaine Campbell on
0191 211 5183
10 November 2008 at 9.30am
Newcastle Great Park
Advisory Committee
Phone Susan Armstrong on
0191 211 5122
27 November 2008 at 3pm
Planning and Transport
Strategy Committee
Phone Judith Curran on
0191 211 5119
17 November 2008 at 4.30pm
19 January 2009 at 4.30pm
Procurement Committee
Phone Ian Stearman on
0191 211 5166
Date to be confirmed
Shared Housing
Working Group
Phone Steve Laws on
0191 211 5118
19 December 2008 at 4pm
Standards Committee
Phone Elaine Campbell on
0191 211 5183
Scrutiny Panels
Scrutiny Panels are under
review. Details of the next
three weeks’ meetings are
available in the customer
service centre at the Civic
Centre
Ward Committees
If no venue is given, please
ring the number listed.
25 November 2008 at 2pm
Benwell and Scotswood
Ward Committee
Phone Amy Redpath on
0191 278 3128
27 November 2008 at 7pm
Blakelaw Ward Committee
Phone Helen Warneford on
0191 211 6286
18 November 2008 at 6.30pm
Byker Ward Committee
Phone Carolyn Collinson on
0191 278 3129
27 November 2008 at 6.30pm
in Hazlerigg
Castle Ward Committee
Phone Sue Wannop on
0191 211 6263
10 November 2008
Dene Ward Committee
Phone Amanda Quinn on
0191 278 3196
20 November 2008 at 6pm
15 January 2009 at 6pm
Denton Ward Committee
Phone Dorothy Proctor on
0191 211 6264
10 November 2008,
time to be confirmed
12 January 2009, time to be
confirmed
East Gosforth Ward Committee
Phone Ann Gilks on
0191 211 6296
10 November 2008 at 10am at
Dolphin Street Community Centre
Elswick Ward Committee
Phone Susan Johnson on
0191 278 3196
25 November 2008 at 2pm
in ward
Fawdon Ward Committee
Phone Rob Gillie on
0191 211 6265
Fenham Ward Committee
Phone Charlotte O’Keefe on
0191 211 6210
19 November 2008 at 2pm
Kenton Ward Committee
Phone Rob Gillie on
0191 211 6265
27 November 2008 at 6pm
Lemington Ward Committee
Phone Andy Eastwood on
0191 211 6272
18 November 2008 at 6pm
Newburn Ward Committee
Phone Andy Eastwood on
0191 211 6272
4 November 2008 at 7pm
North Heaton Ward Committee
Phone Amanda Quinn on
0191 278 3196
4 November 2008 at 6.30pm
North Jesmond Ward Committee
Phone Paul McKinnell on
0191 278 3183
26 November 2008 at 6.30pm
in ward
Ouseburn Ward Committee
Phone Elizabeth Grace on
0191 278 3193
25 November 2008 2.30pm at
St Aidan’s Community Centre,
Brunton Park
29 January 2008 at 2.30pm at
the Grange Community Centre
Parklands Ward Committee
Phone Amy Stillwell on
0191 211 6289
12 November 2008 at 7pm
14 January 2009 at 7pm
South Heaton Ward Committee
Phone Caroline Collinson on
0191 278 3196
13 January 2008 at 6.30pm
South Jesmond Ward
Committee
Phone Paul McKinnell on
0191 278 3183
Walker Ward Committee
Phone Debra Lagun on
0191 278 3180
11 November 2008 at 6.30pm
in ward
Walkergate Ward Committee
Phone Debra Lagun on
0191 278 3180
13 November 2008 at 6.30pm
8 January 2009 at 6.30pm
Westerhope Ward Committee
Phone Dorothy Procter on
0191 211 6264
24 November 2008 at 6pm
Westgate Ward Committee
Phone Cass Winlow on
0191 278 3401
19 November 2008 at 6.30pm
in ward
West Gosforth Ward Committee
Phone Ann Gilks on
0191 211 6296
18 November 2008 at 7.15pm at
Spital Tongues Community
Building, Morpeth Street
16 December 2008 at 7.15pm,
venue to be confirmed
Wingrove Ward Committee
Phone Susan Johnson on
0191 278 3136
4 November 2008 at 6.30pm
in ward
Woolsington Ward Committee
Phone Helen Warneford on
0191 211 6286
Northern Children’s Book Festival
We're inviting children from across the city to help us celebrate the magical, fantastic
and altogether awesome world of children's books.
On Saturday 22 November, the city is hosting the 25th Northern Children's Book Festival Gala Day.
There'll be 15 authors and illustrators here for you to meet and lots of free activities and events are being held at
Newcastle Civic Centre, Seven Stories, and the Literary and Philosophical Society. There will also be a festival bookshop at
the Civic Centre, where all of the authors involved will also be dropping in to sign their books.
Here are the authors and illustrators
you could get to meet:
Newcastle Civic Centre
David Almond
Times - 10.15am and 1pm
Ages - 7 and over
Steve Barlow and
Steve Skidmore
Time - 11.30am
Ages - 6 - 12
Time - 2.15pm
Ages - 6 and over
Steve Cole
Times - 11.30am and 2.15pm
Ages - 6 - 11
Julia Donaldson
Times - 10.15am and 1pm
Ages - 5 - 9
Debi Gliori
Times - 10.15am and 1pm
Ages - 7 - 9
Julia Golding
Times - 11.30am and 2.15pm
Ages - 9 - 14
Liz Million
Times - 10.15am and 1pm
Ages - 7 - 10
Korky Paul
Times - 10.15am and 1pm
Ages 5 - 11
Jeremy Strong
Times - 11.30am and 2.15pm
Ages - 7 - 11
Steve Weatherill
Times - 11.30am and 2.15pm
Ages - 3 - 7
Seven Stories
Nick Butterworth
Time - 10.30am
Ages - 4 - 8
The Literary and
Philosophical Society
Lynn Huggins-Cooper and
Nigel J Brewis
Time - 10.15am
Ages - 9 - 13
Rosalind Kerven
Time - 11.30am
Ages - 7 - 11
How to book tickets
NCBF Gala Day Tickets
If you want to go to any of the author
sessions you must book a free ticket
in advance. You can book for up to
two sessions and children under eight
must be with an adult (who will also
need a ticket).
The Northern Children's Book Festival is
organised by Newcastle City Council and
11 other North East councils and is the
biggest children's book festival in Europe.
You can find out more about the
authors and the festival by visiting
www.ncbf.org.uk, emailing
information@newcastle.gov.uk or
call 0845 002 0336 for a form.
Tickets are available now on a first-come first-served basis. Fill in the coupon
and send it, along with an envelope with a stamp and your name and address
on it, to:
NCBF Gala Day Tickets, City Centre Library Service, Exhibition Hall
Civic Centre, Newcastle NE1 8PP
Number of children ....................... Ages of children ............................
Number of accompanying adults ................ Total number of tickets ...............
Address to return tickets to .................................................................
........................................................................................................
........................................................................................................
Daytime telephone number ..................................................................
First author .......................................................................................
Session time .....................................................................................
Second author ...................................................................................
Session time .....................................................................................
Do not send your coupon to Citylife
✁
Time for books
Free books will be handed
out to every child in
reception class in
Newcastle later this month.
It's part of the Booktime
scheme, run by the charity
Booktrust, which found that
parents are spending less time
reading with their children.
Booktime encourages parents to
read aloud with their children
so that they can enjoy learning
to read, which in turn helps
them to do better at school.
Every child will be given a
special book bag containing the
illustrated book Harry and the
Dinosaurs go to School, by Ian
Whybrow and Adrian Reynolds,
and the Booktime Book of
Fantastic First Poems, edited by
June Crebbin.
The bag will also have a leaflet
for parents and carers giving
tips on how to make the most of
storytimes with your children.
Schools will start receiving the
packs from 17 November.
Exciting reading
for little ones
As part of the National Year of
Reading we're making it easier
for nurseries, children's centres
and other early years centres to
borrow exciting books.
The Early Years Library Loan Service,
run by our library service, allows
nurseries and similar groups to borrow
collections of books through their
local libraries.
Now, thanks to a government project
called Book Ahead, which supports
schemes like our Early Years Library
Loan Service, we've got even more
exciting collections to choose from.
To find out more about this service
contact Craig Peddie on
0191 278 4201 or email
craig.peddie@newcastle.gov.uk.
28 www.newcastle.gov.uk
Citylife: November/December 2008
Citylife: November/December 2008
Use the internet free at all Newcastle libraries
29

Schools rise to the
challenge with eighth year
of improved GCSE results
GCSE results day figures showed the number of students
achieving five or more A*-C grade passes going up by 5%
to 66%.
Information
Technology is the
future for Newcastle
schools
And overall there was also a rise in the
number of pupils achieving five passes
at grades A* - C, including and English
and maths, up over 1% to 39%.
Walbottle Campus and Walker
Technology Campus had particular
reason to celebrate as they beat the
government’s recent challenge of
getting more than 30% of pupils
achieving five or more GCSEs, including
maths and English, at grades A*-C by
2011 three years ahead of target.
Mike Booth, Head Teacher of Walbottle
Campus, said: “Our results have been
steadily improving for several years
now and meeting the government’s
challenge so quickly is an important
psychological boost for the school and
a clear demonstration of the
improvements we are making.”
St Mary’s RC School also saw
tremendous improvements in their
Andrew Smith, Dionne Pearson and Bradley Richards from All Saints College
were among the Newcastle young people celebrating better then ever A-
level results this summer
More pupils than ever make
the grade after staying on
Newcastle students once again celebrated record A-level results
this year.
Our city not only celebrated higher pass
rates and better results this year – but
can also boast more students staying
on to take A-levels than ever before.
With the figure increasing by over a
hundred to 959 the figure has doubled
since 2002 meaning more and more of
our young people are getting better
qualified so have more career
opportunities.
All Saints College in West Denton has
particular reason to celebrate, with a
record number of students starting
university this autumn. Before 2006
the school had never seen a student
go to university but four pioneering
students from that year were followed
by 16 more in 2007 and 26 this year.
Principal David Scott, said: "We have
seen a dramatic rise in the numbers of
students staying at school after 16 in
recent years. In 2002 we only had four
students in our entire sixth form and
this September this increased to 130.
This year’s A-level results-day-figures
saw our pass rate rising again to 96.5%.
These Walker Technology College students weren't the only ones jumping for
joy on GCSE results day!
results, with the number of pupils
achieving five or more GCSEs at grades
A*-C not including English and Maths
rising by 29% to 86% - the highest
figure ever seen in Newcastle!
That’s just one of the items chosen
for a time capsule at the site of
the new look City Library by
children from Sacred Heart RC
Primary.
The time capsule will give children
from hundreds of years in the
future an incredible insight into
what life was like for young people
in Newcastle in 2008, so it’s not
just a wonderful way of marking
the development of our new
library, but the preservation of an
important piece of our social
history.
The capsule also contains a pair of
‘croc’ shoes, a Newcastle United
shirt, a copy of “Harry Potter and
the Deathly Hallows” and even a
bottle of Lucozade.
There are also messages from
children in Japan, where our
construction partner, Kajima,
recently completed another very
similar library project - Nagasaki
City Library.
The capsule also contains a copy
of the Evening Chronicle, pictures
of the city – including the
quayside, Chinatown, Grey Street,
and the old City Library and they
couldn’t forget a bottle of
Newcastle Brown Ale!
There were wonderful stories of
success and achievement to be found
at every school and in every corner of
our city – congratulations to all our
schools and students!
Time capsule fit for a time
lord as new City Library
progress celebrated
There can be few things more appropriate to put in a time
capsule than a Doctor Who DVD!
The new building, opening next
summer, is being built on the site
of the former library on Princess
Square and will include new
facilities for children and young
people, displays of local heritage
treasures, a 185-seat performance
space, a crèche, a café, internet
access computers and meeting
rooms for community groups.
Hats off to our new City Library!
Children from Sacred Heart RC
Primary have celebrated the
progress on the new look library
by burying a time capsule
Pupils at Walkergate Primary leap into a bright future
New school year
brings new schools
Pupils at three schools had extra reason to be excited as they
returned for a new term in September – they went back to
brand new schools!
Walkergate Primary, Stocksfield Avenue
Primary and Walbottle Campus all
moved into state-of-the-art new
buildings as part of our £180m
Building Schools for the Future (BSF)
project – the biggest ever investment
in schools in the history of our city.
The success of this massive project is
largely thanks to the close partnership
we’ve built up with our construction
partner Aura, who are delivering and
partly funding the programme as well
as designing, building and
maintaining the schools.
Mike Booth, head teacher of Walbottle
Campus said: “I don’t think there has
ever been a more exciting time to be
part of Walbottle Campus.
“Our new facilities will provide brilliant
opportunities for students and will
help to raise achievement even further,
and Walbottle Campus can look forward
to a very exciting future indeed.”
Don Smith, head teacher of Walkergate
Primary, where new facilities include
an all-weather outdoor classroom,
said: “The word which springs
immediately to mind when you see
our new building is ‘inspirational’.
“That was what we wanted to achieve
when we first sat down with Aura, and
that’s what they have been able to
deliver for us.
“What we have now is completely
awe-inspiring for our students.”
The opening of Kenton and West
Jesmond Primary early next year will
mean the end of phase one of the
project.
When the whole programme is finished
in 2012, all of our secondary, middle
and special schools – not to mention
several primary schools - will have been
re-built or significantly re-furbished.
Walbottle Campus pupils Aimee Henderson and Fraser McGee celebrate their
state-of-the-art facilities
It's never been more important for pupils to be able to
use and understand modern computer technology.
It can help to support their
learning in all subjects and it also
enables young people to develop
skills and expertise that future
employers will look for.
That's why, as part of our Building
Schools for the Future (BSF)
programme, we're spending £25
million on new computer
equipment and services in the nine
secondary, three middle and three
special schools included in the
scheme.
We'll be installing 3,076 computers
and 1,535 laptops for students to
use, 917 interactive whiteboards
and 630 printers as well as laptops
and computers for teachers, admin
and support staff.
The 15 schools will also have new
secure and reliable servers installed
Schools for every age group, in every
corner of our city have recently been
named top class!
The independent inspectors recently
found standards at Monkchester Road
Nursery in Walker to be “exceptionally
and consistently high” in no less than
24 assessment areas, with inspectors
reporting that the school is
“outstanding” and “no matter what
their starting point, every child
receives the best care and support to
make the best possible progress.”
Newburn Manor Primary, meanwhile,
was found to be “rapidly improving”
and helping pupils make “rapid
progress”. The report found the school
to be outstanding in 11 assessment
areas and reported that children are
“extremely well cared for, are happy,
show good behaviour and outstanding
enjoyment of their lessons.”
and they'll get a share in an extra
£2.5 million to spend on their own
individual ICT requirements.
We started work on the ICT scheme
in September last year and we've
already completed the first phase
of the work at All Saints College,
Gosforth Central and Gosforth East
middle schools, Gosforth High and
Gosforth Junior High schools,
Walbottle Campus, and St Mary's
RC, Thomas Bewick, St Cuthbert's
RC, Sir Charles Parsons and
Benfield schools.
The remaining four schools in the
BSF programme are Walker
Technology College, Kenton College,
Sacred Heart RC High School and
Trinity Special School and we aim
to complete the first phase in these
schools over the next year.
Our schools are top of
the class!
In every issue of Citylife we tell you about what school
inspectors Ofsted has had to say about one of our schools –
but, in this issue it isn’t possible to stop at one!
Gosforth Junior High was also found
to be outstanding in ten areas, and is
a “good and improving school with
outstanding features”, where “the rate
of improvement is again moving at
pace and can be seen in rising
standards and higher achievement.”
Finally, praise has been heaped on
Gosforth High, described as
“outstanding”, “exceptional”, “very
successful” and “inspirational” by
inspectors who reported that “nothing
is merely ordinary and much is
exemplary”.
Overall, the school was judged to be
“generally and consistently
exceptional” in 17 of 26 assessment
areas.
30 www.newcastle.gov.uk
Citylife: November/December 2008 Citylife: November/December 2008 Use the internet free at all Newcastle libraries
31

COMMUNITY NEWS...COMMUNITY NEWS...COMMUNITY NEWS...COMMUNITY NEWS...
Newcastle
represented at the
YMCA European
Festival
Fifteen young people represented Newcastle YMCA at the
YMCA’s European Festival in Prague in August this year.
Young people aged 13-17 years
from the YMCA’s Byker and
Walker Youth Projects and
Positive Futures joined 7,500
young people from all over the
world for the week long festival.
The group took part in a range of
activities designed to enable
young people to share their life
experiences. In the evening the
group listened to young people
from other countries talking about
their involvement with the YMCA.
The group also had the
opportunity to explore Prague.
This included a cruise on the
river Vltava, as well as trips to
Prague zoo, the castle and
cathedral. The group spent a day
at Terezin Concentration Camp.
This camp was used by the Nazis
in the Second World War to hold
Jews before they were sent to
Auschwitz. Some of the young
people had studied the
Holocaust at school and had a
particular interest in the
emotional visit.
On their return to Newcastle the
young people made a display
about their trip showing their
photographs and sharing what
they had learnt from the
experience.
For further information please
contact Sarah Warren at
Newcastle YMCA
Tel: 0191 262 4945
Kingston Park Indoor Bowling
Club is looking for new members
If you’re a keen crown green bowler rather than a carpet
bowler, find out how you can play during the winter with
Kingston Park’s Indoor Bowling Club.
Based at the Kingston Park Community Centre in Brunton Lane, the
club uses short mats and full-sized woods.
Get a feel for indoor bowling by coming along to their open day on
Saturday 15 November between 2pm and 4pm. To find out more, call
Mr McCabe on 0775 102 0918.
Caring Hands need
more digits
Set up in 1992, Caring Hands helps older and disabled
people in the East End of Newcastle stay independent
and improve their quality of life.
This includes equipment loan
across the city, a laundry collection
and delivery service for those who
can’t do it themselves, a
handyman service, shopping and
day trips and much more. They’ve
recently added counselling to their
range of services.
C2C for Bobby Robson
In our July/August edition, we told you about Dave Johnston
and Peter Harrison from Eldon Leisure who were about to do a
charity bike ride for the Bobby Robson Foundation.
Well, they cycled the coast to coast route from Whitehaven to Tynemouth
– that’s 160 miles! And they raised almost £700. Dave and Peter would
like to thank all those who sponsored them.
Parentline plus needs
volunteers
Parentline plus is a registered charity that supports parents
(including grandparents, foster carers or step-parents)
through difficult times, concerns or worries – anything from
having a new baby to issues with adult children.
The Tyne and Wear office is
based in Jesmond and the
charity needs volunteers to help
staff the phones on the helpline.
You must be a parent,
grandparent or someone who
has had a parenting role and can
talk from experience about the
As the charity relies on local
volunteers, they are always
looking for people to help with
the services they run. If you
would like to give Caring Hands
some of your time, phone
0191 261 5234 or visit
www.caringhandscharity.org.uk
emotional side of bringing up
children of any age. Full training
will be given and out-of-pocket
expenses paid.
You can find out more about
volunteering by calling the
Parentline office on
0191 281 4881.
If you need support with parenting, you can call 0808 800 2222
or visit the website at www.parentlineplus.org.uk
Correction – Care Homes Project email
In the last edition of Citylife we printed the wrong email address
for the Care Homes Project. The correct email address should
be carehomesproject@yahoo.co.uk
COMMUNITY NEWS...COMMUNITY NEWS...COMMUNITY NEWS...COMMUNITY NEWS...
Get involved!
Did you know there’re lots of ways you can get involved
with your community? And if you are recently retired or
have spare time on your hands, our community
associations want to hear from you.
If you have skills like IT, book
keeping and DIY you could
become a community volunteer
and make a real difference to the
lives of some of Newcastle’s
residents.
We are also looking for people
who have catering experience who
could help out in our cafes and
those with secretarial skills could
lend a hand in our community
centre receptions and offices.
Denton Burn Community
Association is one organisation
which could really benefit from
extra help.
Allyson Young, who is the
Administration Assistant for the
centre, knows how important
volunteers are. She said: “We
used to have a lunch club for some
of our older residents but had to
stop this service as we didn’t have
enough volunteers to help out, but
we would love to start something
like this again and by having more
volunteers, especially those who
have special skills, it would be
great for the whole community.”
They are even on the look out for
a new musical director and fresh
talent for their entertainment
group, so if you want to help
backstage or tread the boards the
community association would
like to hear from you.
Despite needing new volunteers
the community centre hosts a
range of activities including
ladies’ badminton, calligraphy, a
writers’ workshop, art group and
karate for adults and children.
There’s also a playgroup every
weekday which is fundraising to
provide a safe outdoor play area.
A parent and toddler group
meets on Monday mornings and
each Wednesday the Cowgate
and Blakelaw Children’s Centre
run a breakfast club.
If you think you could help in one of our community
associations, phone Community Services Officer Karen George
on 0191 277 2065. If you want to get involved at the Denton
Burn centre, phone Allyson on 0191 274 1232.
Bringing people and
opportunities together
Community Transport Newcastle promotes building
stronger communities by helping more people to access
opportunities. They do this through:
Minibus services
They help people to get out and
about and take part in a range of
activities, maintaining links with
their local community. They are
looking for volunteer drivers.
Training
They deliver high quality training
and provide work experience to
local people with nationally
recognised qualifications.
Furniture recycling services
They provide facilities for local
people to donate good quality
furniture which is then made
available to others. This reduces
waste and recycles the furniture
you don’t need. They can pick up
or deliver items for you.
Call them on 0800 9174 397.
Volunteering
If you are looking for something
to do with your leisure time,
would like to develop your
confidence or need work
experience, they have a
volunteer role for you. They’ll
accept whatever time you have
to offer and expenses will be
paid. To enquire about
volunteering or hiring a minibus
please contact us on 0191 265
9267 or email
julietait@communitytransport.org
Spice up your ears
You can now listen to Spice FM 24 hours a day, seven
days a week on 98.8 FM for the next five years.
The community radio station,
aimed at the local Asian and
other minority communities on
Tyneside, has been around for a
little while, broadcasting in
month-long bursts. Since
August, the multi-lingual
volunteers have taken to the
airwaves full-time, producing
programmes relevant to the
community’s tastes and interests.
The station is trying to make
sure people in the community
feel part of Newcastle’s society
Once the UK’s only film festival
dedicated to screening work from
Northern Europe, NLFF is now
expanding its remit to take in the
entire world with the spotlight on
breakthrough talent. This year the
Festival is proud to reveal that it
will be screening seven UK and
15 regional premieres in a
Competition
For a chance to win two VIP passes for NLFF 08
(giving FREE entry to all films in the
programme), tell us how long the festival been
running.
60 years six years four years
and let them know about access
to education and training. It’s all
about improving everyone’s
standard of living.
We hope that Spice FM lives up
to its Eastern promise ‘to
entertain, educate and enlighten’.
If anyone is interested in
becoming involved in Spice
FM to contact Irem at
irem@spicefm.co.uk or
Sandeep at
sand@spicefm.co.uk
Win two passes to Northern
Lights Film Festival 2008
The 6th Northern Lights Film Festival will run 30
November to 6 December 2008, based at the recently
refurbished Tyneside Cinema and other venues.
programme that includes cutting
edge drama, films focusing on
topical issues, documentary,
music film, short film, horror,
family as well as a romantic
comedy for good measure!
For more information visit
www.NLFF.co.uk
Name ...................................................................................................
Address ...............................................................................................
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....................................................... Postcode ......................................
Please send your entry to Freepost Citylife by 24 November 08.
Please put all competitions and coupons in one envelope.
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32 www.newcastle.gov.uk
Citylife: November/December 2008
Citylife: November/December 2008 Use the internet free at all Newcastle libraries 33

What’s on
Let us know
Post Freepost CITYLIFE
Fax 0191 211 4888
Email charlotte.sly@newcastle.gov.uk
Deadline for the January/March
edition is Friday 12 December.
Exhibitions
Baltic Centre for
Contemporary Art
www.balticmill.com
Mon to Sun 10am–6pm, Tue 10.30am–6pm
From Sat 13 December
Yoko Ono – Between the Sky and My Head
The exhibition, one of the largest
exhibitions of Yoko Ono’s work to date, is a
major collaborative project with Kunsthalle
Bielefeld, Germany, and will occupy two
floors of BALTIC with additional works
located outside the gallery. Free
Discovery Museum
Blandford Square 0191 232 6789
(Textphone 18001 0191 232 6789)
www.twmuseums.org.uk/discovery
Mon to Sat 10am - 5pm, Sun 2-5pm
The 1960s: Did Newcastle Really Swing?
Sex, drugs and rock and roll may be how
the 1960s are often summed up, but was
life really like that in 1960s Newcastle? A
new exhibition at Discovery Museum, ‘The
1960s: Did Newcastle Really Swing?’ sets
out to answer this question, taking in
fashion, popular culture, local industries
and the home. Free
Laing Art Gallery
New Bridge Street 0191 232 7734
(Textphone 18001 0191 232 7734)
www.twmuseums.org.uk/laing
Mon to Sat 10am – 5pm, Sun 2-5pm
Stephen Hannock: Northern City
Renaissance, Newcastle, England
This exhibition celebrates the cultural and
economic renaissance of Newcastle, since
the closure of the coal mines and ship
yards. Featuring a painting of the River
Tyne, commissioned by Sting.
Elevation - Visions and Realities in
modern architecture Painting, sculpture,
photography and video by artists including
Rachel Whiteread, Langlands and Bell, and
Paul Noble, responding to themes such as
urban living and regeneration.
Catherine Yass – High Wire A multiscreen
film and video installation by
British artist Catherine Yass. ‘High Wire’
draws on Yass’s filmed footage of high wire
artist Didier Pasquette, exploring the
relationship between the enclosed
psychological space he inhabits and the
surrounding architecture. Free
Designed and Made Gallery
Live Theatre, Broad Chare
0191 229 2398
www.designedandmade.co.uk
Wed to Sat 12.30-6pm until Sat 15 November
MadeNorth This exhibition focuses on the
design and manufacture of new, innovative
products that have been inspired by the
cultural similarities and differences of
Scandinavia to North East England. Free
Outer West Community
Building
West Denton 0191 243 2081
Mon 24 November to Sat 6 December
Walbottle Arts Group
Exhibition of paintings by members of
Walbottle Arts Group. Many of the
paintings will be for sale, perhaps making
an original Christmas present. Free.
Music
Newcastle Academy
Westgate Road 08444 77 2000
www.newcastle-academy.co.uk
Fri 14 November at 6.30pm
The Black Keys £17.50
Thurs 20 November at 7pm
The Feeling £22.50
Mon 1 December at
Sheffield Steel Tour With The Human
League, ABC and Heaven 17 £29.50
Tues 16 December at 7pm
Amy MacDonald £16
The Sage Gateshead
0191 443 4661
www.thesagegateshead.org
Bandwidth The Sage Gateshead plays host
to an exciting and innovative monthly new
music night ‘Bandwidth’. On Friday 28
November check out Frightened Rabbit,
currently one of the most exciting
prospects in Scottish music!
Friday 19 December sees The Mercury Men,
another chance to catch the acoustic
super group following their support slot
with Sinéad O’Connor during SummerTyne
2008. £7
The Venue
Market Street 0191 232 1111
www.venuenewcastle.co.uk
Sun 23 November at 8pm
The Gathering 30 years on from ’Run for
Home’, Lindisfarne co-founder Ray Jackson
returns to his beloved Newcastle for a lowkey
concert as part of a new folk-rock
‘supergroup’. The band also features Clive
Bunker, Jerry Donahue, Rick Kemp and
Doug Morter, with special guest Kristina
Donahue. £14
Other events
Juice - NewcastleGateshead’s
Festival for Children and Young
People
The region’s new children and young
people’s festival continues until Sunday,
30 November, celebrating the strength of
children’s cultural activity in
NewcastleGateshead. This fun and
interactive programme has more exciting
treats to keep you entertained. Events
include We’ve Got Mittens Too at the Lit
and Phil until 16 November, First Draft
from 25 to 27 November which sees the
performance of six new plays written by
children aged nine and ten from
Bridgewater School in Scotswood at Live
Theatre. The festival also includes the
Northern Children’s Book Festival at venues
across the city on 22 November (See page
29). The festival will close with a
contemporary opera of David Almond’s
novel Skellig at the Sage Gateshead from
24 to 29 November.
For more information; go to
www.juicefestival.co.uk.
Northern Stage
0191 265 6857
Tues 18 November at 6pm
Buying Art: An insider's guide on how,
where and what to avoid
To mark our collaboration with Northern
Stage Waygood is hosting an exclusive talk
and discussion. International collectors
Stuart and John Evans from the Lodeveans
Collection, curator Gill Hedley and
Waygood board member Ruth Connerton
share their insiders' experiences of buying
and collecting contemporary art.
Email boutique@waygood.org for more
information and reservation.
Ouseburn Open
Studios Weekend
The weekend of 29 and 30 November sees
the return of the much-anticipated
Ouseburn Open Studios event. The annual
opening, which promises to be bigger and
better than before, offers the rare
opportunity to go behind scenes at several
of the region’s leading studios and
galleries. Over a hundred artists from the
Ouseburn Valley will open their studio
doors to welcome the public into their
working environment. Including The
Biscuit Factory, Northern Print and
Mushroom Works. For more information
go to www.ouseburnopenstudios.org
People’s Theatre
0191 257 2335
www.tynemouthscouts.org.uk
Mon 24 to Sat 29 November at 7.15pm
(2.30pm Sat matinee)
Tynemouth Gang Show
Variety show featuring songs, dance and
drama. From £6
Trinity Church
Gosforth 0191 285 6130
Mon 10 November at 7pm
Gosforth and the Great War
A talk by John Shipley. Tickets available
from reception in the Trinity Centre café.
Free but donations to the Royal British
Legion would be welcomed.
What’s on competition
Theatre
The Journal Tyne Theatre
Westgate Road 0844 493 9999
www.thejournaltynetheatre.co.uk
Sat 15 November at 7.30pm
The Christians £16.50 (£15)
Mon 24 November at 8pm
The Real Thing With hits including ‘You To
Me Are Everything’, ‘Can't Get By Without
You’ and ‘Can You Feel The Force’. £20
Fri 28 November at 7.30pm
The Saw Doctors
Top Irish folk-rock band £20
Sun 30 November at 8pm
Rich Hall plus Otis Lee Crenshaw
A Perrier Comedy Award winner, Rich Hall
comes to the city with his alter ego Otis
Lee Crenshaw, the Tennessee jailbird from
a trailer-trash family, so poor that blues
singers used to call round when they had
writer’s block. For the first time since
2002, Otis will be let out of jail for the
second half of the show. £15
People’s Theatre
Stephenson Road
0191 265 5020 ptag.org.uk
Tues 18 – Sat 22 November at 7.30pm
The Old Masters
By Simon Gray. In the Studio Upstairs
£9 (£7)
Theatre Royal
08448 112 121
www.theatreroyal.co.uk
Opera North returns to the city with
another spectacular season and November
also has something for all you disco fans
when Sing-a-long-a-ABBA takes to the
stage. The month ends with the swinging
new musical Shout featuring Claire
Sweeney and Hi-Di-Hi’s Su Pollard.
Lorraine Crosby, the voice on the Meatloaf hit, ‘I would do anything for love
but I won’t do that’ will be coming to the City Hall on 27 November at
7.30pm. She will be joined on stage by special guest Bonnie Tyler. Citylife
has a pair of tickets to see this amazing show. To win all you have to do is
tell us which 1970s musical did Meatloaf perform in?
Cabaret Rocky Horror The Producers
We’ve also go a family ticket to see Milkshake – My First Christmas Carol at
the City Hall on 21 December at 2pm. This is a magical opportunity to
introduce your children to their first live Christmas concert hosted by one of
the most successful children's TV experiences ever - Milkshake! Including
classics like the Nutcracker to sing-a-long fun Frosty the Snowman, Jingle
Bells, Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer and many more. To be in with a
chance just tell us what is the name of Roobarb’s feline friend?
Tom Stimpy Custard
Click and go!
Log on to the best listings
service in Tyne and Wear
www.newcastle.gov.uk/cityeye
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Send to Freepost CITYLIFE by 21 November. Don’t forget to put all your
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34 www.newcastle.gov.uk
Citylife: November/December 2008
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There’s plenty of opportunities to practice your boos and hisses this Christmas as the
region, once again, has an amazing selection of pantomimes to get you into the festive spirit.
So get ready to meet ugly sisters, an intergalactic robot, wicked witches and forty thieves.
Main Pic: It’s a life on the ocean waves when
the Theatre Royal presents its family
pantomime Robinson Crusoe and the
Caribbean Pirates from Tuesday 2
December to Saturday 17 January. Watch as
our comedy double act Clive Webb and
Danny Adams take on the pirates with their
secret weapon, Titan the Robot. The show also
features Phil Corbitt as Blackheart the Pirate,
Kathryn Rooney as the Magical Mermaid and
Chris Hayward as Dame Rita and has been
written once again by Michael Harrison. For
tickets and information phone 0844 811 2121.
Top left: This year the Journal Tyne Theatre
presents the traditional family pantomime
Cinderella from Friday 5 December to
Saturday 3 January. Featuring Maxie and
Mitch as the ugliest Ugly Sisters you’ve ever
seen and stunning special effects, this year's
show promises to be the brightest and best
show yet. For tickets and information phone
0844 493 9999.
Above right: If you like your porridge too hot,
too cold or just right! Come along to the
Customs House and see Goldilocks and the
Three Bears. This year's family pantomime
sees the return of Tommy the Trumpeter and
Dame Dotty as they help Goldilocks battle the
evil circus owner and rescue the three bears in
what promises to be 'the greatest panto on
earth!'. Featuring Century FM's Lisa Shaw and
Smooth Radio’s Paul Wappat as the voices of
Mammy and Daddy Bear. You can catch this
amazing show from Tuesday 2
December to Sunday 4 January.
For tickets and information
phone 0191 454 1234.
Right: Abanazar and his
thieves will be trying to take
over the Sunderland
Empire as it presents this
year's pantomime
Aladdin from Friday 5
December to Sunday 4
January. This year’s allstar
cast includes
seventies icon Paul
Michael Glaser as
Abanazar, singer and
actress Sheila Ferguson as the
genie, Dale Meeks as Widow Twankey and local
comedian Steve Walls as Wishee Washee. For
tickets and information phone 0844 847 2499.
Above: Dare you go into the woods this
Christmas as Northern Stage hosts this
year's family show, Hansel and Gretel,
from Friday 28 November to Saturday 10
January. Alone and afraid, our two children
find themselves amongst the trees, but a
monstrous danger lurks in the
darkest part of the woods
as the moon wanes over
Kielder Forest. For tickets
and information phone
0191 230 5151.

36 www.newcastle.gov.uk
Citylife: November/December 2008