North East thread 5: The one where we move to Chat!

[Someaddedsugar]

Here's thread 5 everyone! I'll post a link over on thread 4 too.

Hopefully not all of the changes will go ahead, though it was a cynical move announcing them the day after the open day.

One of the draws of our house was access to dozens of buses. Ds1 is getting back into the saddle, as it were and even agreed to have his photo taken fir a concessionary bus pass. That arrived this morning, so the North east is our oyster, now!

Hope your DS enjoys his bus trips. I especially like the look of the bus up to Belsay and Wallington.
When my Dad first got his bus pass he loved a trip to Hexham and Corbridge. He likes looking out of window.

We like a trip out that way, though Hexham services have already been reduced and downgraded.

It's gorgeous today if windy. What are you all doing. Think I'm going to get out in the garden and plant some pumpkins. Need to go get compost too. How thrilling 🤣

I've just dropped DD at work and am gearing myself up to sort out my cupboards so I think I beat you in the 'thrilling' stakes @MsMarvellous 😂

Congratulations to Sunderland football team.

How were the cupboards Myrtle. Are you organised now. IKEA today 😭

I need an ikea trip

unblocking a drain yesterday, give me cupboard anytime.
loads and loads of washing done but there will be more when ds come home from scouts camp this afternoon

Hope the planting, cupboard sorting and drain unblocking went well! I've sorted out DS' wardrobe - poor kid had a million pairs of socks but hardly any t-shirts 😂

At least weather at weekend was nice. Durham was very rowdy on Saturday night, made the mistake of going to cinema.
Love a visit to IKEA.

I shall probably visit ikea before the summer holidays, purely because I need a new lid for something.

I also love a visit to Ikea! When I was last there they'd tried to make lots of areas more fun with selfie areas which was great as DS was entertained despite not having a clue what a selfie area is 😂.

I saw that Wolsingham has a truck show on this weekend. It's £14 per person (free under 5) if you pre-book and £17 on the day.

Wolsingham is local to me but I'm not sure we'll make it. We'll do the Wolsingham Show though!

I'm behind on my planting. I bought plants and compost and now they're all sat on the wall watching me accusingly because they're not in the ground 😭

Hi.
I'm looking to moving to Kelloe village in County Durham and would like some advise/information on the area please. I have visited areas close by and loved what I saw, but I have never been to Kelloe itself. I will be living on my own with my two children (aged 11 and 15), so safety/security is very important. I'm not worried about it being quite rural as it's very rural where I currently live (Devon), and I'll have a car, so that shouldn't be too much of a problem.
What are the secondary schools like, (thinking of Wellfield or maybe Sedgefield?).
I've heard that certain villages don't like outsiders/people from other areas, (I know that there are a few villages like this in Devon 🙂), is it a friendly village that would welcome an interloper?
Also, I've seen old newspaper reports (2019) with residents complaining about unpleasant smells coming from the composting at the nearby Coxhoe recycling centre, does anyone know if this is still an ongoing problem?
There also seems to be a working Quarry close by (Raisby Quarry), I just wondered if there was a lot of noise disturbance, maybe early morning, or late evening?
So sorry about all the questions, it's a massive move for us and life changing, so I would really appreciate any information, good or bad.
Thanks in advance!

Hi, @smudgeminnie 🤗

Kelloe is tiny and very quiet - and quite insular. Wellfield was our nearest school when we lived nearby and wasn't great, though a lot of parents liked the pastoral support there. It's existence is also under threat, with dwindling pupil numbers. You might want to look at Belmont school, which is very popular.

I would strongly recommend a visit, to be sure that it's what you want. The countryside there is stunning but it's not the stereotypical pretty little village, by any stretch.

As your kids may want to get out by themselves, at some point, there's a couple of (slow) buses an hour to Durham, through the week, and one every couple of hours on a Sunday, which is secured out of councillor's own pockets.

Thank you for you reply PickAChew.
Yes, I agree that I really need to visit, hoping to come up over the half term as I'll be visiting family not too far away.
Thanks for the info regarding Wellfield, I'll definitely check out Belmont school. It's such a big step, I want to make sure it's the right one 😬

I've never lived there but Sedgefield looks like a lovely village if you were looking at various options. We live the other side of Durham in a village but there isn't much here for teens. Lanchester is a nice option near us? Although houses are pricier.

@Someaddedsugar sounds like you're my way.

Lanchester and Wolsingham are both lovely but expensive. Do you have to be the side you are looking for work or similar?

Someaddedsugar I forget where you are. Obviously not far from me if Lanchester is local.

I'm not familiar with Kelloe, I've never lived that side.

I'm West of Durham and agree some villages are lovely and some less so. I think that sometimes people forget that it is a different type of rural, more abandoned mining villages than farming. Many of the villages were just deliberately left to die after the mines closed with housing demolished and deliberate removal of amending amenities and funding.

Ours is friendly and has the benefit of being walking distance to shops and primary schools in the next village and also having pretty regular buses so the teens are mostly independent getting places.

Just between you and Durham @OakleyStreetisnotinChelsea - so nearish to you @MsMarvellous! There wouldn't be much here for teens though in my personal opinion. A lot of the teens here are often waiting for buses to go elsewhere.

Definitely. Mine aren't there yet but I anticipate being a taxi most of the time in years to come!

I agree there isn't really "stuff" as such for older teens. We have a thriving scout group in the village though and my big teen plus other local teens are young leaders with us. One teen does a sport in ushaw moor. But the biggest teen and local friends actually end up with their friends from elsewhere coming to our village at weekends and in holidays to hang out because they like it rather than going anywhere "exciting" so they don't always want to escape. They just chill out by the beck and in the meadow and woods or they can be found at the park or on the trampoline in our garden.

Mine does a club at Ushaw too (not sports). We must all live pretty close to each other!

I personally think there is not much anywhere for teenagers to do. Even Chester le Street doesn’t have much. Even the old Pit villages have loads of things for the under 11. Especially if you like sport.

Do you think the Lane 7 in DurhamCity will be a draw for teenagers? We went to the one in Newcastle a few times and it wasn't cheap - but it worked well for a party - some bowling and then they had karaoke rooms, table tennis etc. However it did seem equally like a hen/stag day time venue. Perhaps L7 could fulfil some corporate social responsibility by offering a Durham teen pass or something...
@MsMarvellous the cupboard battle is ongoing - and the freezer is also crying out for attention! Part of the issue is my DD is in recovery from anorexia. When she was at her most ill we would seize on any food she ate and bulk buy - now of course as she's getting better she doesn't want to eat the food that remind her of being ill so we're in a cycle of donations to foodbanks of retail boxes of cereal bars and literally boxes of porridge sachets! Now she's under a PT to help her re think her relationship with her body and see it as strong, she's eating lots of protein so the freezer is 90% individual bagged up chicken breasts! It is an irony that our shopping bill has never been higher or cupboards more full than in the time she's been ill!