Hexham FC tried their new formation for a second time and came away with a win from their travels in the Amateur Cup.

A change from league duty came as they took a 4-2 win at second place Wallsend Town. The new formation provided a point last week at Newcastle Chemfica and could have been more, and again it worked well with Hexham putting early pressure on the Wallsend back four.

Striker Mark Gibson had to leave the pitch with a knee problem, and replacement Luke Parkinson was quickly on the end of a superb left wing cross from Craig Nesbitt to give Hexham the early advantage.

Students in Hexham are celebrating after being recognised for their efforts to promote Fairtrade goods.

Following several years of campaigning, Hexham's Queen Elizabeth High School has been named a Fairtrade School by the Fairtrade Foundation.

The group of students involved in the project showed their dedication to ethical trading in a number of ways, including arranging for Fairtrade products to be used in the school canteens, at meetings and in the school's training restaurant.

Old girls from the former Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Hexham got together for a reunion on Saturday.

It was the twenty-sixth time the former pupils of the school, which closed in the late 1960s, have gathered in the old hall, now the site of Hexham Middle School.

Organiser of the event, Sylvia Giles, 83, of Low Fell, Gateshead, left the school in 1941 and over the last few months she searched tirelessly for former students to come to the event.

Two Hexham football teams now have secure futures after being forced to merge.

But Hexham Juniors under 17 side will cease to exist after joining forces with Hexham Ex-Servicemans.

It ends the nine-year history of the NABC team in Hexham, who play their games at Wentworth Leisure Centre.

TYNEDALE are set to hand former Sale Shark and England Under-21 international James Hoyle a debut as they look to negotiate a tricky trip to Launceston.

Summer signing Hoyle, now 22, has been out for five weeks after sustaining an injury in pre-season but after coming through this week's training sessions unscathed, the former Newcastle Falcons winger is in line for his belated bow.

Hoyle's presence will add more pace from the wing, where speedy loan man Danny Williams is in line for a second start after making a scoring debut against Wharfedale.

THE FACES of more than 200 people have been projected onto a wall inside Hexham Abbey.

Bradford-based artist Carolyn Mendelsohn spent 28 hours filming on the streets of the Northumberland town, asking people to pose in front of a video camera.

And after editing the footage down to 14 minutes it will now be projected onto the wall in the Treasury Room of Hexham Abbey.

AN AMBULANCE taking an injured motorcyclist to a Northumberland hospital was involved in a three-vehicle smash last night.

The crash happened shortly before 8.30pm on the A6079 road at Wall, near Hexham, leaving the driver of the ambulance with lower back and leg pain.

A spokesman for the ambulance service said the vehicle did not have its blue flashing lights on because the injury to the motorcyclist was not life-threatening. Both the ambulance driver and the motorcyclist were transferred to another ambulance and taken to Hexham General Hospital.

Hexham under nines did their new manager Jamie McNamee proud winning their first game of the season 3-0.

Their clash against Throckley Magpies in the Tynedale League was an outstanding team display, with goals scored by Elliot Jeffries (2) and Johnathan Carter.

Hexham were also well served by keeper Richard van der Brooks.

WHATEVER the weather is like in the North East during November, Hexham professional Ben West is unlikely to be reaching for his thermal top and waterproofs.

On November 5, the 29-year-old West will be starting a plum new job as director of golf at Lyford Cay in the Bahamas, on the western tip of Nassau.

He'll be working alongside half a mile of powdery white beach at a club which boasts a championship course, 12 tennis courts, its own marina, a private school and 24-hour security.

THE Duchess of Northumberland yesterday unveiled the new wing of a £51m hospital development and turned her hand to keyhole surgery.

But she was not performing a life-saving operation - instead carefully placing Polo mints on a stick.

The Duchess was given the chance to use the latest technology inside Hexham General Hospital's new training centre, which includes a "mock-body" where training nurses can perform laparoscopic surgery using cameras and tiny surgical instruments.