WORK has begun on a flagship mountain bike trail and volunteers are wanted to help finish the job. The network at Kielder Forest, in Northumberland, is undergoing a £76,000 makeover and people are invited to get involved on April 4 and 5. For more information, call 01434-250-209.

CLASSIC CLAPTON: Eric Clapton tribute act Classic Clapton is at The Customs House, South Shields, on Friday (March 28) at 7.45pm. Tickets are £15, or £13.50 for concessions. To book, call 0191-454-1234.

CHILD NEGLECT: Seventy-six per cent of children in the North know another child who is suffering neglect, according to a report by Action for Children. The charity is calling on the Government to do more to tackle the problem.

OFFICER HURT: A police officer in his 40s from Newcastle was airlifted to the Royal Victoria Infirmary with a fractured sternum after his marked police car hit a Jaguar car shortly while on patrol on the B6318 Military Road, Northumberland, shortly after 10am today (Tuesday, March 25). The Jaguar driver suffered minor injuries. Both drivers were travelling alone. The road was closed for some time. Police enquiries are continuing. Anyone with information is asked to call Northumbria Police on 101.

SPACES DEBATE: The future of the North-East’s brownfield spaces will be debated by experts including Durham University’s Caspar Hewett and Karen Johnson at Salsa Cafe and Tapas Bar, 89 Westgate Road, Newcastle, on Thursday, April 3, at 5.30pm. Entry is free and open to all. To ask a question, call 0191-334-3481 or email: caspar.hewett@durham.ac.uk

INDEPENDENCE TALK: Professor Jonathan Blackie, a visiting professor at Northumbria University and culture partnership manager for the Association of North East Councils, will deliver a public lecture titled ‘Can the North-East benefit from greater Scottish autonomy?’ at Northumbria University’s City Campus East tomorrow (Wednesday, March 26) at 6pm. To attend, email: nu.events@northumbria.ac.uk