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

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

Rothbury was hit by a devastating flood last September which left up to 60 people out of their homes and forced around five businesses to relocate.

A flood warden group has now been established to provide extra support to the community in future incidents. Members of the public will act as voluntary wardens, and distribute sand bags and help elderly residents.

Now, Northumberland County Councillor for Rothbury Steven Bridgett has pledged £10,000 from a £15,000 allowance he has to allocate to local projects, to the group.

The winners of this year's Queen's Award for Voluntary Service, which is equivalent to the MBE, include a youth project in Cramlington that supports disabled and special needs youngsters and a community allotment in Prudhoe helping people with learning difficulties to gain practical gardening experience.

Northumberland Scouts Uganda Link, which supports communities in Uganda while providing a life-changing experience for young people, and the Trustees of the Jubilee Institute, in Rothbury, also received the honour.

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

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

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

Coquetdale Round Table hosts its annual Rothbury Street Fair on Bank Holiday Monday, May 25.

Every year, the event attracts around 5,000 people. Between the Round Table and the charities which run stalls, it usually raises over £10,000 for local good causes.

In February Rothbury villagers suffered a double whammy when their gas supply was knocked out for four days and their electricity supply also failed.

But now the two companies who sorted out the problem are donating towards the village's Christmas lights display this year.

The Pussycat heifers - part of the Ponteland and Stamfordham Entertainments cast who represented Northumberland in Blackpool 2008

Each local group of the federation will put together its own team to take part in some traditional sports such as football and rugby, while there will also be some more unusual disciplines to contend with - such as a pantomime competition.

Janet Tennant, who used to teach art in Edinburgh, moved to Northumberland last year after her marriage to Mark Canning, who at the time lived in a farm cottage at Nunnykirk.

Part of the cottage was a circular gin gan, where horses or ponies walked around to turn wheels attached to the gin.

Mavis Harris, footpath secretary for the Ramblers' Association Hexham group.

Northumberland County Council is considering cuts to its Rights of Way and Countryside Management Team in its 2009-10 budget, as it seeks to make savings across all departments in order to meet finance targets set by the Government.

A Bit of a Do, a concert in aid of the Coquetdale Flood Victims, is being held at Alnwick Playhouse on Sunday night.

Rod Clements of Lindisfarne

It has been organised by the Alnwick Lions club in association with the Coquet Flood Victim Support group.

The money from the SITA Trust will help the Wildlife Trust look for pine martens in Thrunton Woods and Callaly near Rothbury, and at Wark and Kielder, in the North Tyne Valley.

The pine marten is a member of the weasel family and is essentially tree living by nature and though increased forestry and a reduction in gamekeepers has seen a slow increase in presence in Scotland, their isolation in England always been a concern to conservationists.

There will be red squirrel family days at Bolam Lakes on April 8 and Druridge Bay on April 15, followed by a red squirrel walk around Dechant Wood near Berwick on April 19.

There will also be events at Cragside and Kielder later in the year, while the Save our Squirrels team will be at Bellingham Show and Glendale Show in Wooler in August.

The money from the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (ASLF) will also fund studies into lichens and mosses at a number of whinstone sites throughout the county, which may be amongst the best in the country.

Lichens and mosses are excellent indicators of the condition of the environment as they are very sensitive to change. They are particularly sensitive to airborne chemicals so provide an excellent barometer of air quality.

RAF Personnel RAF Linton on Ouse, staff from VT Aerospace and the Ministry of Defence took part in the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge - a walk of 25 miles over Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough to be completed within 12 hours.

The money raised will provide support to enable the Mountain Rescue team to maintain its readiness as an emergency service available 24hrs a day, 365 days a year.

Rob Armstrong netted four, Andrew Gibson three and there was one goal apiece for Jordan Ainslie, Thiago Ferreira, Alan Jess and Sean Simpson.

A well contested game saw Ashington Athletic and North Sunderland share a 1-1 draw. Darren Thompson put the visitors ahead in the 65th minute but Ashington equalized with 10 minutes to go.