We’ve had frosts but no snow yet, at Path Head. Winter is setting in, all the trees have lost their leaves and the ground is wet and soggy, or frozen solid.

So are we downhearted, not a bit! We have made progress with our Sun Clock and located “September” in position for telling the time. The Willow House is planted and we hope for signs of growth in the Spring. The Flywheel and Crankshaft are erected on their stone piers and we hope to include the water wheel below.

Inside work continues with the line shaft and counter shafts now in position and three machines below arranged in an approximate working location below.

New trees have appeared on site, courtesy of Thompson’s of Prudhoe (Landfill Tax) gardens and lawns are now getting rid of bare areas and planting continues in our herbaceous border. We hope the site will be a lot more colourful in the Spring. A boundary walk has now been completed, with a bridge over our stream and a streamside walk for some way passed the bottom of the allotments.

We have developed our visitor base and several groups are now using our facility for rehabilitation and work experience. Weston Spirit and The Prince’s Trust are two recent one’s, both these groups of young people have been blazing a trail up the stream side. The Sun Clock has problems! We need long spells of sunshine about the 13th to the 16th of each month, these have been conspicuous by their absence since September.

Now the very latest news, we have taken on a third member of staff (20 hours a week) to help with marketing and advertising, the post will help to encourage visitors and also liase with the local education authority to develop school trips and National Curriculum coursework.

So what for the year 2000? Finish off the above projects and lawned areas around the Flywheel display. Plant the rest of the pondside plants, shrubs and trees. Develop an interpretation symbol/logo for various sites and erect display boards, saying what things are and where they have come from. Keep an eye on lawns for picnic areas and repair and reseed areas that are doubtful. Clean up our entrance way and improve signage.

Now at the end of this Century I feel some special thanks are in order. First of all to all my Trustees, for their support through some very thin times. Special thanks to David Arnott for his work with membership and especially our internet web site. Thanks to Ann Burleigh of Northern Rock Foundation, who came and saw us, realised our needs and did something about it. To Mel Clements of B.T.C.V. for help and encouragement in the good and the bad times. To G.V.O.C. and all in their Outreach Team who came in our hour of need - the Specialist in Paperwork! To all those I have forgotten, and especially to Ben our Assistant Co-ordinator, for his patience, advice and assistance during last year.

A Happy Christmas to you all.

Trevor

Annual General Meeting
will be held at the Mill on
Tue 15 February 2000
All members welcome
at 6:30pm

NEXT NEWSLETTER APRIL 2000