LEISURE centres are offering events for the over 50s this month to celebrate an Older People's Festival. Temple Park Centre, South Shields, has swimming and gym sessions for just pounds 1 in October. Hebburn swimming pool is also offering swimming and gym classes as well as aquafit sessions.

By AMY HUNT Environment Reporter A TEAM of insurance workers did their best to "insure" beaches were cleaned. Volunteers from AA Insurance donned Wellington boots and waterproofs to help the Clean Tyne Project in its busiest ever month.

RUBBISH weighing the same as three great white sharks was dredged from a Tyneside burn in a clean-up. People living near Monkton Burn, South Tyneside, took part in a tidy-up, removing waste to cut the risk of flooding and make it more attractive to wildlife.

A CARE trust's decision to not open a health centre on a housing estate has been hailed a "victory for common sense". Following a public consultation process, South Tyneside's Primary Care Trust has decided to abandon plans to locate a GP-led health centre at Cleadon Park, South Shields.

By Barry Nelson MOST hospitals in the NorthEast appear to be winning the battle against superbugs. Latest figures from the Health Protection Agency show that hospitals in the region recorded an 18 per cent reduction in MRSA cases between April and June.