Welcome to Citylife at a time when Newcastle has been acclaimed the most sustainable city in the UK.
The city is top out of the UK’s leading 20 cities considered in the environmental league table, decided by Forum for the Future – a sustainable development group set up to support the public and private sectors manage and improve sustainability. The city was also in the top five in both quality of life and future proofing (how well cities are addressing climate change and the shifting economy).
Success in the environmental category comes as a result of improvements in the areas of air and water quality, waste management and our ecological footprint. Quality of life reflects progress made around employment, transport, education, life expectancy and green spaces, while future proofing considers climate change strategy, biodiversity, green business and recycling.
Throughout this issue of Citylife you can read stories giving examples of what we are doing to help retain this prestigious title. For example you can read about our recent success in the national ‘Comprehensive Area Assessment’.
You can read about how we are supporting older members of our community, maintaining their independence and keeping them active and involved. As recession bites, find out what you can do for free, and read about what we are doing to tackle child poverty.
Keeping people in work is also highlighted and more news on building homes for them to live in can also be found in this edition. And you can read more about recycling and cutting energy bills on the ourNewcastle pages. It’s budget time again and we’re telling you about how we plan to spend money on services that affect you.
Audio Version of Jan / Feb 2010 Citylife
Old boots and living booksNewcastle has a history of human rights campaigning and last December organisers of the City for Peace held a three day celebration at Newcastle City Library to mark the International Day of Human Rights.
Tackling racism from the classroom to the terracesKeeping with the football theme, young people from one of our city’s schools joined forces with stars from Newcastle United Football Club to learn more about the Show Racism the Red Card campaign.
Newcastle gets national flag of successNewcastle has been given the highest award, a green flag, for how we’ve dealt with the recession – one of only two in the country.
Royal seal of approval for City LibraryIn November the City Library was officially opened by Her Majesty the Queen, accompanied by His Royal Highness, the Duke of Edinburgh.
Our bid-backing bonanzaThanks to all of you who ‘backed the bid’, World Cup football could be played at St James’ Park as Newcastle Gateshead is named by the England 2018 bid team as a host ‘city'. If England is selected to host the 2018 World Cup the prestigious ground could see some of the best footballers in the world playing on the hallowed turf.
The heart of the tigerValentine’s Day (14 February) will have a Chinese feel in Newcastle this February. The Chinese Festivity Group has a whole host of fun events taking place around Chinatown to celebrate their new year.
Holocaust Memorial Day 2010On Sunday 24 January Newcastle will commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day (official day 27 January).
Our adult social care is ExcellentWhen the Audit Commission carried out the Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) of Newcastle, they took into consideration the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) inspection of adult social care.
Cows make us tops for sustainabilityAnyone searching for the secret to Newcastle’s status as sustainable city of the year need look no further than the contented cows gently grazing in Newburn Riverside Park.
Celebrating our staffLast November, some of our staff were recognised for the good work and customer service they provide day-to-day in our regular ‘Celebrating our Council’ awards event.
Putting people firstSocial care is changing. Traditionally we’ve provided services where professionals make all the decisions about the sort of care people can have and who will provide it. Now people will have more choice and control over their care. This is called Personalisation or Self Directed Support.
Improving care at homeWe are working hard to make sure older people and those with long-term conditions are as independent as possible. This is especially important at times of crisis, or where they have complicated or special needs.
No gym bunnies allowed!Fancy getting fit and feeling better about yourself? We’re giving you a chance to find out that exercise can be fun. We want you to feel the confidence and sense of achievement that comes from reaching your goals and testing your body.
New Year, new you!It’s the New Year – want to get away from in front of the telly and get active with a resolution to ‘get fit’?
Bells tell the storyIn the stunning new Kenton School, upstairs in the well-appointed dance studio, a group of women and girls in all manner of beautiful dresses are telling stories through an ancient dance with jingling bells attached to their ankles.
Watch this spaceWant to explore your artistic talent without being tied to a college course?
Strictly FairtradeFind out what we've got planned to celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight
Debenhams delightWhen Debenhams announced they were going to be opening a new department store in Eldon Square there was a great deal of excitement. And not just from the fashionistas who were keen to snap up their designer ranges. A new department store means new jobs.
Positive peoplePeople living in Newcastle with HIV have been discussing their needs with our HIV and Sexual Health Services team.
Free survival guideHere’s our survival guide to how to keep entertained for free!
A jewel in their crownMore than 33 years on from when Eldon Square first opened its doors, Pauline Davidson still gets a buzz from working at Northern Goldsmiths.
Keeping our talent closer to homeWhile the city is proud to export well-trained graduates, we also want to make sure the best stay in Newcastle. We’ve signed up to IDeA’s (Improvement and Development Agency) National Graduate Development programme and recruited two management trainees
Top of the shopsFebruary will see the opening of St Andrew’s Way in Eldon Square, a brand new extension housing a flag ship Debenhams store and a host of high street shops.
City bus services in the spotlightA major new review of bus services in Newcastle and other parts of Tyne and Wear will make sure the network meets the needs of residents.
Benefits by bedtimeIf you’ve got access to the internet, we’re introducing a new way to find out which benefits you may be entitled to and how to apply for housing and council tax benefits.
Are you struggling with your finances?We are working hard to help make the effects of the recession a little less stressful.
Finding the credit crunch tough?We can help!
News from North of Tyne PCTGet your swin flu jab, find out about district nurses, how you can affect the NHS constitution and getting to know your NHS number
Do you benefit ?benefits, adult dependency, carers credit, pension, equalisation
Everyone’s tomorrowGenerations brought together through punk and fashion! and Never too late to be a rookie
Competition WinnersFind out who won what in the November to December issue of Citylife.
News from Bridging NewcastleGatesheadBridging NewcastleGateshead (BNG) is working to create great places to live in parts of Newcastle and Gateshead.
Community NewsFind out what's going on in your community and how you can take part
Do you want to make a difference?Some young people get on the wrong path and just need a pointer in the right direction.
Thanks David!David Scott retired last December after five years as principal of All Saints College in Denton.
Shining a light on what we doWe’ve won ‘Beacon Status’ from the government for Tackling Childhood Poverty and are leading the way for other councils because we are facing the problem head on
St James’ celebration for 60 student starsAn Oscar-style award ceremony saw 60 of our young achievers have their successes celebrated at an event at St James Park.
School admissions – making your life easierOver 80% of Newcastle parents applied online for school places this year. This is a huge increase from previous years, as parents catch on to the benefits.
From the East End to Espagna - aiming higher takes you furtherOur Widening Participation team work with universities to give children and young people who wouldn’t normally think about it, the chance to try university out
Giving children the freedom to playThese days we worry about our children being in the big, outside world by themselves. They aren’t getting to play outside like we did.
Be waste aware – reduce, reuse, recycleEvery year we collect thousands of tonnes of rubbish from Newcastle’s bins. Lots of it is valuable material that could have been reused, recycled or turned into compost.