in his recently purchased beanie hat (Tesco is reflecting on his early creative stirrings as we contemplate his spoof railway posters at Tynemouth Station As a newish member of staff at ‘The Ministry’ which is what everyone called the mighty complex in Longbenton which opened in the 1940s as the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance he had been recruited to a five aside football team But since he tended to find himself on the subs’ bench “They were circulated round the office and people loved them.” Read more: Raising a glass(house) to 20 years of music “Then I started doing player profiles and they were quite popular too. But I got into a bit of trouble because I quoted someone in the pub afterwards who criticised one of the strikers.” To paraphrase, he had said that so-and-so couldn’t score in a ****** with a ??? tied round his ******. Chris, of course, didn’t put it quite like that, telling it how it was. “A lady complained and I was summoned to the manager’s office. “I was surprised because he didn’t tell me off. He said, ‘You’re showing some sort of potential there for journalism. There’s a vacancy for the assistant editor’s job on the in-house sports and social club magazine. Why don’t you apply for it?’ “So I did and became assistant editor of The Bulletin, as it was called. They didn’t let me near the editorial, though. I just ran errands for the editor as a punishment really.” Chris’s talent for journalism, if you can call it that, flourished most famously in Viz, which grew out of the popular comics he started at school with inky-fingered fellow humourists. Credit Colin DavisonThis was what was to occupy his time after his formative years at The Ministry which he looks back on fondly “I worked there for two and a half years and it was good fun… well if you like administering National Insurance contributions for people working abroad in countries that don’t have a reciprocal agreement with the UK “And if your National Insurance number ended in 43 44 or 42 c or d then I administered those contributions I started in October 1978 and I think I left in June 1980 The Viz years are also far behind Chris now – he bowed out some years ago – so how does a socially aware chap with a talent for art and a quirky sense of humour fill his days Well, these posters – on show at the Globe Gallery in North Shields and now in the Bridge Gallery (as they call the bridge over the Metro lines at Tynemouth Station) – offer part of the answer Read more: Review - The Velveteen Rabbit at balletLORENT He started doing them on Facebook when bored, making posters for films he’d invented. His favourite was The Sex Invasion of the Daleks. “That was quite good.” His mind then turned to the travel posters which railway companies used to put out, depicting popular destinations in upbeat style. Chris, always into trains and stuff, was something of a devotee. There had been one in the Viz days, he muses fondly. It, too, had got him into a bit of trouble. “It was based on a real poster but it said, ‘Skegness is ******* ****. Come to Mablethorpe’ and it had a jolly fisherman skipping along the beach with dog turds and litter on it. “Skegness kicked up a right storm about that. It turned out that the council had inherited the copyright on the original poster and I just assumed it would have gone with railway nationalisation and nobody would be bothered.” Chris Donald explaining the inspiration behind his Darras Hall poster. Credit Colin DavisonRunning with the same idea to stave off boredom, he created his ‘Tynemooth’ poster, replacing elegant 1920s trippers with modern lasses eating chips and a chap with a hoodie. He showed it to Rashida Davison, who runs the Globe Gallery, who’d suggested a poster exhibition. Ruefully, Chris said she’d rejected The Sex Invasion of the Daleks and requested more in the travel mode… and here they are. After the Tynemouth one he turned his attention to Vera, making fun of the series for its geographically implausible mix of locations (a common complaint levelled at TV dramas when characters are seen to make five-minute journeys which locals know fine well would take 50, what with roadworks). So there she is, the great detective, beside a Hadrian’s Wall strung with North East landmarks. (And if you look carefully, you’ll also see Vera attending a crime scene on the Tynemooth beach. Another TV legend, Supergran, is shown standing nearby.) The Ministry came next, Chris taken with its similarity, obvious to him at least, to a Butlin’s holiday camp. “Well, the buildings, the single-storey ones, were in the same style and it was very self-contained. You didn’t have to go off site to do banking or anything. “In Butlin’s posters there’s always a lady in a bikini with a beachball or something and a family behind her looking all happy. It’s been popular, that one. So many people have worked there.” Chris Donald with his Darras Hall posterThe one of Whitley Bay reflects the seaside town’s recently acquired cycle lanes Says the artist: “There’s this big painted road thing and people who live nearby were telling me it’s very controversial Some of the traders think it’s bad for business I’m sort of on the fence a bit whether I approve of it or not.” It was an original Whitley Bay poster that spawned his new-look one for Morpeth ‘Life is Gay at Whitley Bay’ goes the slogan on the original 1960 version with its happy Chris relocated the boat family to a flooded Morpeth beneath the tempting invitation to ‘Mess About at Morpeth’ He also substituted his own dog for the poodle in the prow I wonder if he’s ruffled feathers among the residents of the Northumberland market town with this one and he thinks for a second or two But I believe the flooding thing’s been sorted out now My dad used to take us there to feed the ducks and a friend used to own a cheese shop there.” Read more: Review - Present at Live Theatre He says the Darras Hall poster, urging people not to come, is his favourite. It clearly tickled him. In Darras Hall, he says, they opened a station but closed it 13 years later because nobody used it. All these posters, he insists, were meticulously researched. He loved drawing the Austin 7 in the Darras Hall poster and just as it was about to go to press, he realised that the big house, an amalgamation of two recently offered for sale, had no guttering over the porch. A last-minute guttering amendment is offered as an example of the attention to detail lavished on these creations. But it’s nowhere more apparent than in the one poster you won’t see at Tynemouth Station (I suspect the restraining influence of Rashida here). Some of Chrisis posters at Globe Gallery. Credit Colin DavisonIt’s the one advertising the ‘football specials’, the trains that used to bring away football fans to Newcastle on match days. “I was a trainspotter and it was exciting when the football specials arrived because you’d sometimes get an unusual engine on them, but also you got about 500 football fans looking for a fight and other football fans waiting to ambush them. “They all came to Manors, to keep them away from the city centre I suppose, and then they’d be escorted to the ground by police with dogs. “A lot of people have asked for that one because they were football hooligans at the time. One bloke thought he recognised some of the faces and it was all coming back to him, the nostalgia. “And the graffiti in that one is all authentic. I found photographs. In the ’70s, when I was a kid, the Longbenton Aggro Boys and their rivals from Newbiggin Hall were always the ones fighting in the Leazes End. “You see where it says ‘Longbenton Clockwork’? That’s taken from Four Lane Ends when the new Metro station opened. Someone must have popped along and put that there with the eye thing from A Clockwork Orange. “I don’t know if Longbenton Clockwork existed or if it was a figment of someone’s imagination but it looked good in graffiti.” Despite the absence of this particular example of his handiwork, Chris says he’s delighted to see his spoof railway posters displayed at an actual station. So, evidently, are the people who’ve been pressing their noses up against the glass and smiling as we chat. If you’re going to miss a train, what better way to miss it than with a Viz-style chortle? A might magpie at Globe Gallery, part of Blank Canvas. Credit Colin DavisonDo catch the Jolly Days posters at Tynemouth Station or at the Globe Gallery, 87 Howard Street, North Shields, where they’re on show alongside the stories behind them. Also being exhibited is Blank Canvas, featuring fabulous work painted straight onto the walls by street artists Toby Heaps, Mark One87 and Cack Handed Kid, whose ‘fish finger’ poster can also be seen at the station. Chris Donald\u2019s posters at Tynemouth Station As a newish member of staff at \u2018The Ministry\u2019 But since he tended to find himself on the subs\u2019 bench \u201CThey were circulated round the office and people loved them.\u201D Read more: Raising a glass(house) to 20 years of music \u201CThen I started doing player profiles and they were quite popular too. But I got into a bit of trouble because I quoted someone in the pub afterwards who criticised one of the strikers.\u201D To paraphrase, he had said that so-and-so couldn\u2019t score in a ****** with a ??? tied round his ******. Chris, of course, didn\u2019t put it quite like that, telling it how it was. \u201CA lady complained and I was summoned to the manager\u2019s office. \u201CI was surprised because he didn\u2019t tell me off. He said, \u2018You\u2019re showing some sort of potential there for journalism. There\u2019s a vacancy for the assistant editor\u2019s job on the in-house sports and social club magazine. Why don\u2019t you apply for it?\u2019 \u201CSo I did and became assistant editor of The Bulletin, as it was called. They didn\u2019t let me near the editorial, though. I just ran errands for the editor as a punishment really.\u201D Chris\u2019s talent for journalism, if you can call it that, flourished most famously in Viz, which grew out of the popular comics he started at school with inky-fingered fellow humourists. \u201CI worked there for two and a half years and it was good fun\u2026 well if you like administering National Insurance contributions for people working abroad in countries that don\u2019t have a reciprocal agreement with the UK \u201CAnd if your National Insurance number ended in 43 \u201CI was working on Viz at that time too.\u201D The Viz years are also far behind Chris now \u2013 he bowed out some years ago \u2013 so how does a socially aware chap with a talent for art and a quirky sense of humour fill his days Well, these posters \u2013 on show at the Globe Gallery in North Shields and now in the Bridge Gallery (as they call the bridge over the Metro lines at Tynemouth Station) \u2013 offer part of the answer Read more: Review - The Velveteen Rabbit at balletLORENT He started doing them on Facebook when bored, making posters for films he\u2019d invented. His favourite was The Sex Invasion of the Daleks. \u201CThat was quite good.\u201D \u201CIt was based on a real poster but it said, \u2018Skegness is ******* ****. Come to Mablethorpe\u2019 and it had a jolly fisherman skipping along the beach with dog turds and litter on it. \u201CSkegness kicked up a right storm about that. It turned out that the council had inherited the copyright on the original poster and I just assumed it would have gone with railway nationalisation and nobody would be bothered.\u201D Chris Donald explaining the inspiration behind his Darras Hall poster. Credit Colin DavisonRunning with the same idea to stave off boredom, he created his \u2018Tynemooth\u2019 poster, replacing elegant 1920s trippers with modern lasses eating chips and a chap with a hoodie. He showed it to Rashida Davison, who runs the Globe Gallery, who\u2019d suggested a poster exhibition. Ruefully, Chris said she\u2019d rejected The Sex Invasion of the Daleks and requested more in the travel mode\u2026 and here they are. So there she is, the great detective, beside a Hadrian\u2019s Wall strung with North East landmarks. (And if you look carefully, you\u2019ll also see Vera attending a crime scene on the Tynemooth beach. Another TV legend, Supergran, is shown standing nearby.) The Ministry came next, Chris taken with its similarity, obvious to him at least, to a Butlin\u2019s holiday camp. \u201CWell, the buildings, the single-storey ones, were in the same style and it was very self-contained. You didn\u2019t have to go off site to do banking or anything. \u201CIn Butlin\u2019s posters there\u2019s always a lady in a bikini with a beachball or something and a family behind her looking all happy. It\u2019s been popular, that one. So many people have worked there.\u201D reflects the seaside town\u2019s recently acquired cycle lanes Says the artist: \u201CThere\u2019s this big painted road thing and people who live nearby were telling me it\u2019s very controversial Some of the traders think it\u2019s bad for business I\u2019m sort of on the fence a bit whether I approve of it or not.\u201D \u2018Life is Gay at Whitley Bay\u2019 goes the slogan on the original 1960 version with its happy Chris relocated the boat family to a flooded Morpeth beneath the tempting invitation to \u2018Mess About at Morpeth\u2019 I wonder if he\u2019s ruffled feathers among the residents of the Northumberland market town with this one and he thinks for a second or two But I believe the flooding thing\u2019s been sorted out now My dad used to take us there to feed the ducks and a friend used to own a cheese shop there.\u201D Read more: Review - Present at Live Theatre But it\u2019s nowhere more apparent than in the one poster you won\u2019t see at Tynemouth Station (I suspect the restraining influence of Rashida here). Some of Chrisis posters at Globe Gallery. Credit Colin DavisonIt\u2019s the one advertising the \u2018football specials\u2019, the trains that used to bring away football fans to Newcastle on match days. \u201CI was a trainspotter and it was exciting when the football specials arrived because you\u2019d sometimes get an unusual engine on them, but also you got about 500 football fans looking for a fight and other football fans waiting to ambush them. \u201CThey all came to Manors, to keep them away from the city centre I suppose, and then they\u2019d be escorted to the ground by police with dogs. \u201CA lot of people have asked for that one because they were football hooligans at the time. One bloke thought he recognised some of the faces and it was all coming back to him, the nostalgia. \u201CAnd the graffiti in that one is all authentic. I found photographs. In the \u201970s, when I was a kid, the Longbenton Aggro Boys and their rivals from Newbiggin Hall were always the ones fighting in the Leazes End. \u201CYou see where it says \u2018Longbenton Clockwork\u2019? That\u2019s taken from Four Lane Ends when the new Metro station opened. Someone must have popped along and put that there with the eye thing from A Clockwork Orange. \u201CI don\u2019t know if Longbenton Clockwork existed or if it was a figment of someone\u2019s imagination but it looked good in graffiti.\u201D Despite the absence of this particular example of his handiwork, Chris says he\u2019s delighted to see his spoof railway posters displayed at an actual station. So, evidently, are the people who\u2019ve been pressing their noses up against the glass and smiling as we chat. If you\u2019re going to miss a train, what better way to miss it than with a Viz-style chortle? A might magpie at Globe Gallery, part of Blank Canvas. Credit Colin DavisonDo catch the Jolly Days posters at Tynemouth Station or at the Globe Gallery, 87 Howard Street, North Shields, where they\u2019re on show alongside the stories behind them. Also being exhibited is Blank Canvas, featuring fabulous work painted straight onto the walls by street artists Toby Heaps, Mark One87 and Cack Handed Kid, whose \u2018fish finger\u2019 poster can also be seen at the station. Win HappyPremiumSearch Rayohits radionewcastlewinThief who broke into Alexander Isak's Darras Hall home convictedA man has been found guilty of conspiracy to commit burglary after the theft from Newcastle star Alexander Isak's home in Northumberland who joined three family members in stealing the sports car jewellery and cash of Newcastle star Alexander Isak has been found guilty of conspiracy to commit burglary had denied the charges but was convicted today at Newcastle Crown Court who helped his side win the Carabao Cup at the weekend was not in his house when what the prosecution described as a "professional group of travelling burglars" broke in through a glass door last April The thieves had already stolen jewellery and clothes worth more than £1 million and the CBE medal belonging to Tyneside businesswoman Helen McArdle and designer goods worth £100,000 from a woman in Whitburn Judge Robert Spragg said he will sentence the group later told jurors how Isak left his home in Darras Hall and he discovered the break-in when he returned and saw his bins had been moved The gang broke into his TV room and "inside an untidy search took place" Isak told detectives that he kept cash in bags upstairs made up of notes of varying denominations as well as coins and the amount taken was between £5,000 and £10,000 He said bespoke men's jewellery from Frost of London worth about £68,000 - made up of bracelets Jurors heard a member of the public later found the car abandoned and called the police which had been left by the home's previous tenant although it did not contain anything valuable Isak told police he had never used the safe and he had not been able to open it CCTV images of the break-in were recorded on what Mr Cordey described as a "doggy cam" The prosecution said: "This was a professional group of travelling burglars "It contained one female and three men - all related "Two of those men and one female have admitted their part in pleading guilty." Mr Cordey said the fourth man was the defendant Valentino Nikolov The gang arrived in the UK via a ferry from Calais to Dover in a Citroen C3 and a Ford motorhome last March They headed to London then drove to the North East a few days later The gang used the Citroen to travel to break-ins and the motorhome was a base where they slept represented himself and used an Italian interpreter will be sentenced along with him for conspiracy to commit burglary who is the 58-year-old father of Valentino Nikolov's former partner was cleared of a single charge of handling stolen goods which has been the outcome of an incredibly complex and comprehensive police investigation by several police partners Burglaries are an insidious crime and causes a great amount of emotional and financial trauma to victims.” NEROCU Detective Inspector Shaun Fordy said: “This is just the latest example of the work being done as part of Operation Sentinel – our region wide approach to tackling Serious and Organised Crime “I want to praise the efforts of all our partners We will continue to pursue those criminals who target our communities “We also want to encourage people to continue to remain vigilant by locking doors and windows and report any suspicious behaviour or criminal activity in their community.” Head of CPS North East’s Complex Casework Unit said: “The Crown Prosecution Service has worked closely with the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit throughout this complex investigation “It is testament to the quality of that investigation especially the effective partnership work between multiple police forces that we have been provided with such a significant amount of evidence This has enabled us to build a particularly robust prosecution case which has been instrumental in securing convictions against those responsible for these offences.” First for all the latest news from across the UK every hour on Hits Radio on DAB, at hitsradio.co.uk and on the Rayo app. The Newcastle United and Sweden striker, who helped his side win the Carabao Cup at the weekend, was not in his house when what the prosecution described as a “professional group of travelling burglars” broke in through a glass door last April. The thieves had already stolen jewellery and clothes worth more than £1 million and the CBE medal belonging to Tyneside businesswoman Helen McArdle, and designer goods worth £100,000 from a woman in Whitburn, Sunderland, in the previous days. Three members of the same family, living in Italy, admitted conspiracy to commit burglary. A fourth family member, Valentino Nikolov, 32, denied the charge but was convicted on Tuesday (18 March) following a trial at Newcastle Crown Court. Safet Ramic, who is the 58-year-old father of Nikolov’s former partner, and who is from Winson Street, Birmingham, was cleared of a single charge of handling stolen goods. Judge Robert Spragg said he will sentence the convicted group later. Dan Cordey, prosecuting, told jurors how Isak left his home in Darras Hall, Northumberland, between 4pm and 10pm on 4 April, and he discovered the break-in when he returned and saw his bins had been moved. The gang broke into his TV room and “inside an untidy search took place”, Mr Cordey said. Isak told detectives that he kept cash in bags upstairs, made up of notes of varying denominations as well as coins, and the amount taken was between £5,000 and £10,000. He said bespoke men’s jewellery from Frost of London worth about £68,000 – made up of bracelets, necklaces and rings – was taken, along with his Audi RS6 estate car. Jurors heard a member of the public later found the car abandoned and called the police. The gang also took a safe, which had been left by the home’s previous tenant, although it did not contain anything valuable, Mr Cordey said. Isak told police he had never used the safe and he had not been able to open it. CCTV images of the break-in were recorded on what Mr Cordey described as a “doggy cam”. The prosecution said: “This was a professional group of travelling burglars. “It contained one female and three men – all related. “Two of those men and one female have admitted their part in pleading guilty.” Mr Cordey said the fourth man was the defendant Valentino Nikolov. The gang arrived in the UK via a ferry from Calais to Dover in a Citroen C3 and a Ford motorhome last March. They headed to London then drove to the North East a few days later, the court has heard. The gang used the Citroen to travel to break-ins and the motorhome was a base where they slept. Nikolov, of Tew Park Road, Birmingham, represented himself and used an Italian interpreter. His brother Giacomo Nikolov, 28, his sister Jela Jovanovic, 43, and her son Charlie Jovanovic, 23, who all reside in Italy, will be sentenced along with him for conspiracy to commit burglary. Outside court, Detective Constable Mark Armstrong, of the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit (NEROCU), said: “This is a fantastic result, which has been the outcome of an incredibly complex and comprehensive police investigation by several police partners. “Burglaries are an insidious crime and causes a great amount of emotional and financial trauma to victims.” Christopher Atkinson, head of CPS North East’s Complex Casework Unit, said: “The Crown Prosecution Service has worked closely with the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit throughout this complex investigation. “It is testament to the quality of that investigation, especially the effective partnership work between multiple police forces, that we have been provided with such a significant amount of evidence. “This has enabled us to build a particularly robust prosecution case, which has been instrumental in securing convictions against those responsible for these offences.” Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know... Northumberland is promoted as ‘Veralanda’, in homage to crime-busting Vera of page and screen, while ‘Tynemooth’ is depicted in Edwardian splendour but with a bloke in a hoodie, lasses eating chips and a dog relieving itself. It is to be hoped residents of the popular seaside village share Chris’s sense of humour. Then there’s an exciting new addition to the region’s list of tourist destinations – Longbenton. “I worked at the DHSS (Department of Health and Social Security until it was split up in 1988) for a while, so I thought a holiday at The Ministry would be an idea, in the style of a Butlin’s poster,” says Chris, explaining his elegant Longbenton poster with its ecstatic smiling people. Credit: Colin Davison“Mess about at Morpeth,” suggests another while a brightly coloured poster for upmarket Darras Hall urges: “Please don’t come.” took Britain by storm in the 1980s and rose to be the UK’s third bestselling magazine retired from that particular calling 25 years ago and has since tried his hand as a radio presenter and a sales assistant in a bookshop while avoiding a return to his roots as illustrator and graphic designer He says of this latest burst of comic creativity: “I’ve not touched a brush or pen Read more: Interview with trailblazing Scot, corto.alto ahead of Newcastle gig “It’s all done on screen but computers enable me to create artwork in a variety of styles and achieve results I was never capable of in real life.” Fans will be pleased to know that real life still has room for Chris and his humour and his posters are to go on display at the Globe Gallery which recently reopened in North Shields. Trains and railways have always fascinated Chris who once actually lived in a station, though long after the line had closed. He has always admired the posters, too. “From Victorian times right through to the 1960s, the railways commissioned beautiful, iconic posters from top illustrators and artists to promote their services and holiday destinations,” he says. “The originals are very sought after now, so I decided to create my own versions.  From left Cack handed Kid, Toby Heaps and Mark One87 whose exhibition, Blank Canvas is also on show at The Globe Gallery. Credit: Colin Davison“I just started doing them for fun, then got a bit carried away. I hope people find them entertaining.” Chris's reimagined railway posters, under the title Jolly Days, will be shown alongside Blank Canvas, described by Globe Gallery founder Rashida Davison as “a daring new street art exhibition”. The white walls of the gallery have been handed over to street artists Mark One87, Toby Heaps and Cack Handed Kid. Each artist, says Rashida, has been given the creative freedom to transform the gallery walls, bringing “the raw, unfiltered energy of street art directly into the gallery space”. Credit: Colin DavisonSigned prints will be available to buy from all three artists as will those special travel posters by Chris Donald who has supported Globe Gallery since its inception nearly 30 years ago A special opening event will take place at the gallery The Globe Gallery is open Thursday to Saturday, 11am to 5pm, and on Sundays from 12 noon to 4pm. Tynemooth by Chris DonaldChris Donald, Viz founding editor and one-time teenage trainspotter, has put his own contemporary spin on the railway posters that always strike a nostalgic chord with fans of the great age of steam. It\u2019s a comic spin, as you might expect. Northumberland is promoted as \u2018Veralanda\u2019, in homage to crime-busting Vera of page and screen, while \u2018Tynemooth\u2019 is depicted in Edwardian splendour but with a bloke in a hoodie, lasses eating chips and a dog relieving itself. It is to be hoped residents of the popular seaside village share Chris\u2019s sense of humour. Then there\u2019s an exciting new addition to the region\u2019s list of tourist destinations \u2013 Longbenton. \u201CI worked at the DHSS (Department of Health and Social Security until it was split up in 1988) for a while, so I thought a holiday at The Ministry would be an idea, in the style of a Butlin\u2019s poster,\u201D says Chris, explaining his elegant Longbenton poster with its ecstatic smiling people. Credit: Colin Davison\u201CMess about at Morpeth,\u201D suggests another while a brightly coloured poster for upmarket Darras Hall urges: \u201CPlease don\u2019t come.\u201D took Britain by storm in the 1980s and rose to be the UK\u2019s third bestselling magazine He says of this latest burst of comic creativity: \u201CI\u2019ve not touched a brush or pen Read more: Interview with trailblazing Scot, corto.alto ahead of Newcastle gig \u201CIt\u2019s all done on screen but computers enable me to create artwork in a variety of styles and achieve results I was never capable of in real life.\u201D \u201CFrom Victorian times right through to the 1960s, the railways commissioned beautiful, iconic posters from top illustrators and artists to promote their services and holiday destinations,\u201D he says. \u201CThe originals are very sought after now, so I decided to create my own versions.  From left Cack handed Kid, Toby Heaps and Mark One87 whose exhibition, Blank Canvas is also on show at The Globe Gallery. Credit: Colin Davison\u201CI just started doing them for fun, then got a bit carried away. I hope people find them entertaining.\u201D Chris's reimagined railway posters, under the title Jolly Days, will be shown alongside Blank Canvas, described by Globe Gallery founder Rashida Davison as \u201Ca daring new street art exhibition\u201D. Each artist, says Rashida, has been given the creative freedom to transform the gallery walls, bringing \u201Cthe raw, unfiltered energy of street art directly into the gallery space\u201D. The Globe Gallery is open Thursday to Saturday 12 Apr 2023 ARCHIVED (over 3 months old) - view latest news © Northumberland County Council Credit: PAA car has been reportedly stolen from the home of Newcastle United star Alexander Isak after burglars broke in It is believed they may have struck the Swedish forward’s home in Darras Hall just 48 hours before he played in Newcastle’s 1-0 win at Fulham on Saturday Northumbria Police said it received a report of a burglary from a property at around 10.05pm on Thursday A force spokesman said: “The offence is believed to have taken place earlier that day “It was reported that offenders gained entry to the property and took a vehicle from the address “The vehicle was later found abandoned in the Dissington area It is not known whether the Swedish international or his family were at home at the time of the burglary Police have not confirmed the identity of the victim and said “inquiries remain ongoing” It follows what is believed to have been an attempted burglary at the home of Newcastle United player Joelinton in January Officers received a call on 13 January from a concerned homeowner who reported that three men were inside their property in north Newcastle Newcastle were playing Manchester City at St James' Park at the time of the incident Police at the time said those alleged to be involved had fled the scene when they arrived Manchester City star England midfielder Jack Grealish spoke of his devastation after burglars struck his Cheshire home In an Instagram post after the raiders struck reportedly taking jewellery and watches during City’s Premier League clash against Everton he wrote: “This has been a traumatic experience for all of us I am just so grateful that nobody was hurt.” Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.. Liverpool-based network builder and UK ISP FACTCO has today confirmed that their new gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network has completed another rollout this time for more than 450 properties in the Northumberland (England) village of Darras Hall Unlike some of FACTCO’s prior builds, which tended to be fully or part funded by the Government’s Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (GBVS) the deployment at Darras Hall has been fully funded by FACTCO itself The work itself took about 8-months and involved some co-operation with the iNorthumberland team at Northumberland County Council (NCC) Customers can normally expect to pay from £24.99 per month for a 100Mbps service on a 24-month term which includes a free router and installation while the top 1000Mbps package is just £44.99 per month “The speeds I had before were just shocking to be honest it kept dropping out which was always embarrassing during Teams meetings when working from home The connection we have now with FACTCO is chalk and cheese we were only getting about 30 Mbps for download and half that for upload The guys who came to install it did a great job FACTCO added that they’re now looking to investigate further developing the network in Darras Hall although they don’t specify precisely what that could mean the press release describes Darras Hall as a village although Google references it as an upland housing estate located in the village of Ponteland That must be the first time I have heard Darras Hall called a village in my life If you were to ask most local people they would describe it as an extremely posh housing estate on the edge of Ponteland Given the average house price there and a large amount of aluminium wire I would imagine FACTCO will get a very high take up as VDSL speeds are notoriously horrible Darras Hall is a village in the same way that Sunderland is a quaint market town LOL ……… it’s where all the footballers and multi-millionaires live Comments RSS Feed