Ashington Town Council

29/08/2026

☀️ Looking for something to do this week? How about a FREE swim?

Every Wednesday and Saturday over the summer holidays, children and young people can swim free at Ashington Leisure Centre — funded by Ashington Town Council in partnership with Places Leisure.

Grab your towel and we'll see you there! 🏊‍♀️

28/08/2026

What a great achievement with real impact. Thank you Full Circle Food Project for your delivery. The Town Council’s Youth Advisory Committee was delighted to recommend this support - funding well spent 🍑🍌🍊🍎🍓🍍🍒🍅🍇🥒🥔🌽🥕🥦🍅🥗🫜🧅🌶️

1,575 lunches for local children this summer! 🥪🍎

We’re incredibly proud of what our small team has achieved over the school holidays.

Through the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme, we prepared nutritious food for 1,265 children, alongside 310 free packed lunches funded by Ashington Town Council.

But it’s about much more than numbers. It’s about children trying new foods, enjoying fresh fruit and vegetables, and discovering that good food can be part of a great day.

💬 “I’ve never tasted a wrap before.”
💬 “The salad was a winner!”

A HUGE thank you to our Cookery Team and volunteers who have spent six very busy weeks planning, chopping, cooking, packing and washing up, with a special shout-out to Michele and Jackie, who have worked their socks off! 💚

Thank you too to everyone involved in HAF, Ashington Town Council, and the fantastic organisations we’ve worked alongside, including Mortal Fools, Futures, YMCA Northumberland and Beyond Youth.

Small charity. Small kitchen. 1,575 lunches - powerful impact!
Now that’s something we’re proud of! 💚👏

28/08/2026

🦊🦔 We had some very special visitors at Wansbeck Community Links!

Our Civic Head, Cllr Caroline Ball, dropped into the weekly Wellbeing Wednesday session at Hirst Welfare Centre to say hello to the brilliant team from Wansbeck Community Links (Cygnus Support) and the lovely folk who attend — and got to meet a fox and an albino hedgehog while they were there! 🤩

The team of Community Link Workers run free activities across Ashington every week — including Wellbeing Wednesday, Walk & Talk, Writing for Wellbeing at Ashington Library, and an adult Lego group — all open to everyone and all helping to bring people together.

We're proud that a £500 grant from our Small Grants Scheme will help their growing Cancer Peer Support Group meet fortnightly instead of monthly, fund a trip to Wallington Hall later in the year, and make their Christmas get-together extra special. 💚

Want to get involved? Contact Wansbeck Community Links using the links.

And if your community group could use a helping hand, our next Small Grants round opens 7th October — full details are on our website.

Click on the link to read in full.
https://www.ashingtontowncouncil.gov.uk/news/news.php?s=2026-08-28-civic-head-drops-in-on-wansbeck-community-links-as-town-council-grant-boosts-cancer-peer-support

28/08/2026

Following the summer break, council meetings resume next month with the Finance and General Services Committee meeting on Tuesday 8th September 2026 at 6.00pm in the Council Chamber, Town Hall, 65 Station Road, Ashington.

The meeting is open to the press and public, and we welcome residents along. Anyone wishing to speak during public participation should contact the office no later than 5.00pm on Monday 7th September 2026.

The full agenda and supporting documents are available via the meetings page linked below.

https://www.ashingtontowncouncil.gov.uk/events/event.php?s=2026-09-08-finance-and-general-services-committee

25/08/2026

📣 We want to know where you look for local events & activities!

The Council and many other local groups and organisations have something in common: despite the efforts that go into promoting events, we often hear afterwards from people who say they didn’t know they were happening.

Those of us involved in organising and promoting events know just how much effort goes into getting the word out. We genuinely do try to reach as many people as possible — but clearly, sometimes the message doesn’t reach everyone.

We’d really like to hear from you.

Where would you expect to find out about events happening in your local area?

📱 pages or groups
💻 Websites
📰 Local newspapers & magazines
📧 Email newsletters
🏘️ Community noticeboards
📲 Other social media
🤝 Community groups, organisations or word of mouth

Are there particular Facebook groups, pages, websites or other channels that you think we should be using?

Please tell us in the comments. 👇

We’re genuinely keen to listen and learn. Tell us where you look, where you think we should be sharing, and how we can do better at making sure local events reach the people who want to know about them.

25/08/2026

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 — the first youth-led event to be funded and supported by Ashington Town Council.

The festival marked a bold new chapter for the town, replacing and reimagining the traditional Ashington Fair Day with a fresh identity created by young people, for the whole community. The idea was born through Ashington Town Council's Youth Advisory Committee, and an event of this scale needed a key partner to make it happen — YMCA Northumberland stepped forward and took the lead, driving the organisation from concept to delivery, with local youth groups and organisations playing their part in bringing the day to life.

Running from 11am to 6pm and offering free entry to all, the festival brought together hundreds of local residents for a day celebrating young talent, creativity and community. From live music and acoustic open mic sessions to sports challenges, arts and crafts, street food and market stalls, fairground rides and information stands, there was something for everyone to enjoy.

Crucially, the event was conceived, planned and delivered by young people themselves, working alongside YMCA Northumberland and its team of dedicated youth workers. The festival not only gave attendees a fantastic day out but also provided invaluable hands-on experience for the young people involved in organising and running the event, as well as a platform for local bands and singers to perform in front of a live audience — showcasing the wealth of musical talent found across the area.

Ashington Town Council placed its confidence in YMCA Northumberland to bring the inaugural festival to fruition within a short timescale — and that confidence was repaid in full. From the stage programmes to the site layout, the day ran like clockwork, a testament to the professionalism of the YMCA team and the young people working alongside them.

During the day, Sarah Eden, Executive Officer of Ashington Town Council, took time to speak with some of the young volunteers, reminding them that the skills and experience they gained in planning and delivering the festival are exactly the kind of achievements that belong on CVs, job applications and college and university applications — and that they are welcome to come back to the organisers and the Town Council for support and references in that regard.

Special thanks were given to Rob and Ricky, and the YMCA Team, alongside all the young volunteers, whose planning and dedication ensured the day ran smoothly and left a lasting impression on everyone who attended.

Organisers also would also like to extend their thanks to the festival's sponsors, Phoenix Taxis Northumberland and Allingtons Motor Group, the festival's stage sponsors, and to Ashington Properties for their generous support as a festival sponsor.

Adding to the occasion, the Lord Lieutenant of Northumberland attended the festival and was seen thoroughly enjoying the day's activities. She even had her hand signed by young singer Alfie before his performance and took the opportunity to browse and purchase items from the YMCA's vintage charity shop tent, as well as sporting an event t-shirt — as did Cllr Caroline Ball, Civic Head of Ashington Town Council, who wore hers with pride throughout the day.

Caroline praised the event's organisation and its impact on the community:
“Sound Futures Festival was an outstanding example of what can be achieved when you place your trust in the right partner. YMCA Northumberland took on our vision for a new, youth-led festival and delivered it superbly from start to finish — and in a very short timescale. It was wonderful to see so many young people not only enjoying themselves but playing their part in running the day, gaining skills and confidence, showcasing incredible local talent and bringing our whole community together. This is exactly the kind of event Ashington Town Council is proud to support, and we look forward to working with YMCA Northumberland to see Sound Futures grow in the years ahead.”

With the first Sound Futures Festival now delivered, Ashington Town Council officers will sit down with YMCA Northumberland to reflect on the inaugural event, celebrate what worked so well and take on board feedback from residents and partners as planning turns, fingers crossed, to the festival's future. With a full year's run-in next time around, the ambition is simple: to build on this year's success so that even more members of the community can hear about the festival early, get involved and enjoy everything it has to offer.

The Sound Futures Festival was led by YMCA Northumberland in partnership with youth organisations and community partners across the area, with the guiding message: “Young Voices. Big Futures. One Community.”