News

Ashington’s first-ever junior parkrun will burst into life on Sunday 4th October at Hirst Welfare Centre — and every child, family and cheerleader in the town is invited.

Ashington Town Council has approved £2,760 from their youth budget to help Wansbeck Community Links establish a daily base within Ashington YMCA, supporting some of the town’s most vulnerable young people.

We want to take this opportunity to commend two brilliant local teams. Our fabulous library service, and the amazing NCC customer services staff who currently work from the ground floor of the Town Hall on Station Road. Ashington has always been fortunate to have a face-to-face NCC customer services presence in the town, delivering great advice and support to residents.

Ashington’s Civic Head, Cllr Caroline Ball was delighted to open the Garden Vegetable Society’s Annual Exhibition on Saturday 29th August at North Seaton Community Centre, “The Hut”.

The show was wonderfully well supported, with a fantastic display of entries across the vegetable, flower, arts and crafts, and culinary classes — and some brilliant contributions from younger growers in the junior class too. The star of the show was undoubtedly an exceptionally impressive prize-winning leek, though a rather splendid pumpkin gave it a run for its money as the centrepiece of the guess-the-weight competition.

With a free bouncy castle, face painting, a table top sale and refreshments on offer, there was plenty for the whole family to enjoy.

Congratulations to all the prize winners, and to everyone who entered — the quality of the entries was a real credit to the growers, bakers and makers of our community. A huge thank you to the Garden Vegetable Society and their volunteers for putting on such a welcoming event.

Ashington’s Civic Head, Cllr Caroline Ball paid a visit to the weekly Wellbeing Wednesday session at Hirst Welfare Centre, Alexandra Road, to meet the team behind the group and hear how a grant from Ashington Town Council will help local people affected by cancer.

The session is run by Wansbeck Community Links, a small team of Community Link Workers (social prescribers) employed by Cygnus Support, a local counselling charity working in partnership with Wansbeck Primary Care Network. Alongside one-to-one support for patients of the Seaton Park medical group, the team runs a full programme of free community activities open to everyone — helping to reduce health inequalities and social isolation across the area.

Ashington’s People’s Park was filled with music, colour and community spirit on Saturday as the town played host to the inaugural Sound Futures Festival

Ashington’s Civic Head, Councillor Caroline Ball, joined children and staff from Wildfox Day Nursery for a community litter pick at People’s Park on Thursday 20 August, helping to promote the importance of caring for the local environment from a young age.

Ashington’s Civic Head, Councillor Caroline Ball, visited Wansbeck Valley Food Bank on Wednesday 19 August to learn more about the vital support it provides to people across Ashington and the wider Wansbeck area.

Ashington’s mining heritage was honoured on Thursday 13 August as the town marked the 110th anniversary of the Woodhorn Colliery disaster.

Ashington, 6 August 2026 – Civic Head of Ashington Town Council, Councillor Caroline Ball, joined clients, volunteers and guests at Ashington Social Care Centre on Thursday 6 August for a special beach-themed party.