For 23 years Susie White nurtured what has become one of the largest collections of herbs in the country and a successful North visitor attraction. But now her horticultural dream space has to close after the land's millionaire owner decided to close it to the general public.

Gardener Susie has worked hard tending Chesters Walled Garden, one of the main tourist hotspots on Hadrian's Wall and it has been showered in awards over the years.

It is part of the Chesters House Estate - owned by racehorse-owning businessman Graham Wylie, one of the founders of software empire Sage.

Councillors are being asked to back controversial plans to expand a Northumberland town's biggest employer.

Northumberland County Council is advising members grant conditional permission for an extension to Egger UK Ltd, a chipboard manufacturing company based on the outskirts of Hexham, subject to government agreement.

The company is seeking planning permission for the construction of a new 28,000 square metre processing facility on 6.8 hectres of land to the east of the plant.

A Northumberland school has been making the most of the summer with a special community event.

Hexham's Queen Elizabeth High School offered entertainment for members of the public with its 'Here Comes Summer' day.

The group of 35 visitors enjoyed refreshments in the QEHS Conference Centre, where facilitator Sue Jewitt and the school's business manager Susan Hope gave a brief outline of the day.

Things are looking rosy for a Northumberland drinks company.

Hexham-based botanical beverage company Fentimans is this month celebrating the addition of a new drink to its growing range.

The new flavour, rose lemonade , was created using pure rose oil from the famous Rose Valley in Kazanlak, Bulgaria, which provides rose flavour and a blush pink colour to the liquid.

A volunteer-run radio station is hoping to become a permanent fixture in Northumberland after being granted a licence to continue broadcasting.

Tynedale FM has a new month-long licence from telecoms watchdog Ofcom, and the station hopes it might lead to a permanent licence sometime in the future.

The radio station was given a month-long restricted service licence to test the water back in December, which went successfully and uncovered some talented presenters.

More than 2,000 female council workers in Northumberland are set for payouts after agreement was finally reached to settle a long-running, £50m equal pay claim.

Women county council employees such as cleaners, kitchen assistants and carers are in line for the compensation payments as a result of being underpaid for years in comparison to male colleagues who earned bonuses.

Northumberland County Council is the last local authority in the North East to settle its equal pay dispute with the GMB and Unison - and defended its case as far as an Employment Tribunal scheduled for earlier this month.

Letters have been sent to residents and businesses warning them of resurfacing work which will be carried out on the A68 road in Northumberland for two weeks starting on Monday.

The works, on the stretch between the Tarmac and Hansen quarries near Swinburne, will involve traffic lights and a road closure and diversion.

Northumberland dairy farmers left devastated when their commercial group collapsed have won a new deal.

The Dairy Farmers of Britain site at Blaydon, Gateshead, went bust last month, leaving members fearing for their financial future.

But a new deal has now been struck with Milk Link, providing a contract for anyone still searching for a new distributor.

Five lucky young cyclists are celebrating after winning prizes by taking part in the Velvet Junior Bike Race 2009 - and raising more than £300 for charity.

They were entered into a prize draw as part of the charity bike ride in March, which was sponsored by toilet tissue firm Velvet and hosted by tissue manufacturer SCA Hygiene Products of Prudhoe. Dan Southern, four, from Hexham won a grow your own vegetable garden kit, and Robyn Franklin, aged six, from Stocksfield, and Ben Pentland, six, from Ryton, both won mountain bikes. Emily Ward, nine, from Stocksfield, won an angling taster day and James Franklin, four, from Stocksfield, won a grown your own salad kit.

The prizes were donated by Velvet, Activ Cycles of Corbridge and Northumbrian Water. The money raised from the event went to The Penguin Fund at Newcastle Freeman Hospital's paediatric intensive care unit. The fund was set up after three-year-old Martha Andersen from Edmundbyers received life-saving treatment at the unit.

A journalist turned Emmy award-winning film maker is trying to track down his Kirkley Hall classmates from more than 50 years ago for a reunion.

Former Journal writer David Taylor, 69, wants to contact the other members of his general agriculture course who studied at the Northumberland College campus in 1957-8.

The general agriculture class of 1957 outside Kirkley Hall. David Taylor is pictured in the back row, seventh from left

Mr Taylor, who worked for a string of publications including Farming Express before moving into TV where he produced Farming Outlook, is organising the reunion at Kirkley next month.