Welcome to edition 127 of eFocus for our area. This week we have included:
Christmas lights switch on events in local villages;
Thank you from our Lib Dem general election candidates;
Top marks for Sunniside surgery;
Work starts on converting the Victorian Marley Hill School building into housing;
Information on Christmas bin collections;
Lobley Hill landmark now demolished;
Christmas carol service at St Mary's Church.
Feel free to post eFocus to social media and forward to family and friends who may find the contents useful.
And finally, Christmas wishes to everyone from your local Lib Dem Focus team and we hope you have a prosperous new year.
Whickham Christmas light up
Whickham Christmas lights are switched on by Chris Joyce of the Woodmans.
Hundreds turned up for the Whickham Chrismas lights switch on last month. The event took place on Tuesday 26th November and started at Rose Villa Nursery School.
Everyone then moved on to Church Green where Revd Barry Abbott of Whickham St Mary's Church led the service and carol singing.
The Christmas tree lights at Church Green were then switched on by Chris Joyce, the manager of the Woodmans pub and restaurant who donated the £1600 cost of the tree.
Cllr Sonya Hawkins, chair of Lighting Up Whickham, the group of volunteers that raises the funds for Whickham's Christmas lights, said, "It was a great day for Whickham and there was a good turnout of children from local schools.
"Our thanks go to the Woodmans for their fantastic donation and to Whickham School for supplying the sound system."
Dunston switch on
Christmas was very nearly cancelled in Dunston this year when a shortage of funds for the village's Christmas tree put the light-up in doubt! But Dunston's three Lib Dem councillors came to the rescue when they used their Local Community Fund (LCF) to pay for the tree.
Labour's three councillors for Dunston and Teams were also asked to donate from their LCF but never responded to requests from the Lib Dem councillors.
The switch on event took place on Wednesday 4th December.
"There was a good turnout of residents for the switch on event," said Cllr Vicky Anderson. "It was great to see the kids in particular having a great evening out."
Wednesday 4th December saw the Christmas tree lights in Dunston switched on outside St Nicolas Church.
Swalwell switch on
A further switch on event took place in Swalwell when the Christmas tree outside Holy Trinity Church was lit up on Tuesday 3rd December.
Lib Dem Councillor Chris Ord (pictured above right with Councillors Peter Craig and Sonya Hawkins) said, "We had a great community event on the day and I was pleased to see so many Swalwell residents join us for the switch on."
Thank You!
Thank you to everyone who voted Liberal Democrat in the general election last week. Across the country the Lib Dems added over one million votes to their total but the results in terms of seats were disappointing. In Blaydon and Gateshead constituencies however, they were in line with expectations though Labour's majorities here were cut to their lowest in 70 years.
Blaydon Lib Dem candidate Vicky Anderson said, "The focus of Lib Dem activity here continues to be on winning seats on Gateshead Council from Labour. If we didn't do that, our area would be a one party state.
"Many people who voted for other parties last week vote for the Lib Dems in local elections as they like the fact we are the only party battling for residents all year round. They also know that only the Lib Dems can win seats on Gateshead Council from Labour."
Peter Maughan, Lib Dem candidate for Gateshead, said, "Looking at the ranks of Labour councillors in Gateshead is like looking at the Jeremy Corbyn fan club. Whether or not they have learnt anything from the results of the general election is yet to be seen.
"There are many in Labour however who blame the press, the weather, Brexit and Christmas - anyone but themselves - for their collapse.
"The voting system is however totally unfair. The Conservatives got around the same number of votes as they did last time but their total number of seats increased by 80. This unfairness is damaging to our democracy."
Top marks for Sunniside surgery
A recent GP Patient Survey in the region has seen Sunniside GP surgery beat 336 others to come out top for patients' choice.
The league table produced from the findings of the survey of one million patients reveals patients views on a variety of issues such as how easy it is to get an appointment, whether opening times are convenient, whether people trust the GP, whether the GP listens to them, whether the GP treats them with care and concern, whether receptionists are helpful, and how patients rate their overall experience.
Staff at the surgery were particularly highly rated and 99% of patients said their overall experience of the surgery was good. "This is a thoroughly deserved recognition of all the staff at Sunniside Surgery who work so hard for residents," said Cllr John McClurey.
Marley Hill School conversion begins
Work has now started to convert the former Marley Hill Primary School into two houses. The School closed in 2010 because of falling pupil numbers and 21 houses have now been built to the rear of the Victorian building. The conversion will complete the work on the site.
Marley Hill School was opened by shipbuilder and industrialist Sir Charles Mark Palmer, MP for Jarrow, on 1st August 1895. It cost £3081 to build, plus a further £20 compensation to the farmer whose turnip crop was lost due to the building work!
Ravensdene Lodge Hotel on Consett Road, better known to many as the former Lobley Hill Social Club, has now been demolished.
Planning permission was granted in July to replace it with a 4-storey care housing development. It will consist of 58 one bedroom and 24 two bedroom apartments. There will also be space for a dining area, coffee bar, lounges, salon, assisted bathing, activities room, buggy store and offices.
Lobley Hill Lib Dem campaigner Jonathan Mohammed said, "The Ravensdene Lodge was a familiar landmark but for many in Lobley Hill, they remember it more as the former social club and the many memories of that and the moments they shared there."
Community Carol Service
Published and promoted by Gateshead Liberal Democrats all at 2 Taylor Street, Consett, DH8 5RQ. Hosted (printed) by Mailchimp, Ponce City Market, Atlanta, Georgia
