The Bright Side of Life

19 May 2012

We may be less than 10 weeks into 2011 but this year is already proving to be a difficult one for many north east residents - and not just for the ones living in our region.

North East Australia was left devastated in late January by Cyclone Yasi, February's fierce blizzards swept across North East America and now North East Africa is facing civil unrest as people attempt to bring democracy to their countries.

In Northumberland we may not be recovering from a natural disaster or fighting for peace, which does help to put things into perspective, but we are still facing worries of our own - including concerns around the current financial state that our country is in and the sweeping job losses which our public sector is facing.

While there may be a lot of doom and gloom around at the moment don't despair as there are certainly a few reasons to be cheerful as we look forward to the rest of the year ahead.

Just last week the Government announced a £4.5billion deal with Hitachi which will see the company build a fleet of high-speed trains in the region. The deal will bring a much needed boost to the area as it's estimated to create at least 500 direct jobs plus additional jobs within the supply industry.

During a recent visit to Northumberland's <Narec renewable energy centre, Energy Minister Charles Hendry <backed the North East on its low carbon future. He announced that the benefits available to regions such as ours will be completely transformable and that low carbon jobs will be the most important driver as the country comes out of recession.

As the future of our industries may be looking more positive another thing which should hopefully be looking brighter is our countryside - as spring is definitely nearly upon us bringing an end to another very cold winter.

The first lambs have been born at Whitehouse Farm so the lambing season is already well underway, the evenings are already getting lighter and the clocks will go forward soon.

Finally, whether you are a fan of the royal family or not, almost everyone will be celebrating next month as most people get a day off work as Prince William and Kate Middleton tie the knot and we enjoy our second consecutive four-day weekend.

While there may be a few reasons to be cheerful over the coming months the most important thing to remember is that help is always just on the other end of the phone should legal or financial issues be causing worries or if things take a turn for the worse.

Northumberland residents can contact DAWN Advice for free support and legal advice on a range issues, including debt, housing, employment, welfare benefits and family law, through the new advice line on 0844 4111 309.