Local archive
Business & Openings Leazes
Hexham and Northern Marts reported strong demand at its Anniversary Show and Sale, with 904 store cattle, 1,189 cast ewes and tups, and 4,886 store lambs sold at Hexham Auction Mart on Friday 14 August 2026.
Community Tyne Green
A visitor has criticised the condition of the ladies’ public toilets at Tyne Green, Hexham, after reporting broken cubicles, toilet paper, unpleasant smells, flies and apparent contamination. Northumberland County Council says its public conveniences are cleaned at least once a day and that improvements are under way across its estate.
Business & Openings
Clothing and lifestyle brand Weird Fish is recruiting a full-time store manager in Hexham, with the role expected to lead the launch and daily operation of a proposed Northumberland shop. The listing does not confirm the store’s location or opening date, although social-media speculation has linked it to the former Specsavers premises on Fore Street.
Education
Queen Elizabeth High School published a sixth-form news post titled “Well Done to our Sixth Form!” on 13 August 2026, but the supplied material does not include students’ results, grades, destinations or comments from the school.
Education
Queen Elizabeth High School’s Sixth Form in Hexham has reported an average A-Level grade of B and a Distinction in vocational qualifications, with students progressing to health, STEM, creative and other courses.
Culture
Hexham Abbey will host Threads Through Revelation, a free exhibition of 14 monumental embroidered panels by acclaimed textile artist Jacqui Parkinson, from 13 October to 22 November 2026.
Traffic & Construction Haydon Bridge
The A69 near Hexham has reopened after a four-vehicle collision on the westbound carriageway left three people with minor injuries and closed the road for several hours.
Education
Queen Elizabeth High School students will receive their sixth-form results by email at 8am on Thursday 13 August 2026, with in-person collection available at the Winter Gardens.
Sport
Hexham Rowing Club has suspended its junior section because it could not recruit a qualified replacement for its current coach, who is stepping down at the end of the year.
Business & Openings
Cogito Books on St Mary’s Chare in Hexham is seeking a new owner as founder’s daughter Claire Grint prepares to step down, although the shop will continue operating as usual during the search.
Traffic & Construction
Emergency services attended a four-vehicle collision on the westbound A69 west of Hexham after police received a report shortly after 12.15pm on Tuesday, August 11. The road was closed and drivers were advised to use alternative routes where possible.
Business & Openings
Work has begun to turn 8 Beaumont Street, the former Hexham Courant office in Hexham, into a second Fratelli’s Italian restaurant, although the family has not yet confirmed an opening date.
Community
Hexham Abbey’s online calendar shows 12 Holy Communion services scheduled on Tuesdays between August and October 2026, each running from noon until 1pm.
Crime & Public Safety
A 23-year-old motorcyclist was taken to hospital with serious injuries after a motorbike and another vehicle collided at the junction of Battle Hill and Eastgate in Hexham at about 5.30pm on Sunday, August 9.
Community
Hexham Abbey has listed 12 Christian Meditation events, running on Monday evenings from August through October 2026.
Culture Priestpopple
A ChronicleLive retrospective looks back at Dontino’s, later known as Studio and affectionately called “Donnies”, tracing its history from a 1972 opening to its permanent closure in 2018 and the planned conversion of the Priestpopple building into flats.
Business & Openings
The Boatside Inn at Warden, a few miles west of Hexham beside the River South Tyne, has attracted strong Tripadvisor reviews for its food, service and riverside setting.
Traffic & Construction
NE First Credit Union is discussing a physical service point in Hexham, potentially at No. 28 Community House on Derwent Road, after Lloyds and Halifax branches closed and residents lost local banking options.
Traffic & Construction Allendale
The importance of protecting the planet has emerged repeatedly in conversations held by a local MP across Hexham and surrounding communities.
Community
Hexham Abbey’s Lunchtime Live series is scheduled to return for eight Thursday afternoon events between August and November 2026.
Business & Openings
The Railway Inn in Fourstones, near Hexham, has been approved for conversion into a house, with a bungalow planned for its former car park, following years of rejected applications and debate over its future as a community pub.
Community
Hexham Abbey’s calendar lists 12 Evening Prayer services in August 2026, with most beginning at 6.30pm and two scheduled for 5pm.
Community
Hexham Abbey’s calendar lists 12 Tots’ Praise events on Wednesday mornings from 5 August to 21 October 2026.
Community
Hexham Abbey’s online calendar lists 12 Morning Prayer events in August 2026, with the first scheduled for Wednesday, 5 August, and the final entry on Thursday, 20 August.
Traffic & Construction
Emergency bridge repairs have reduced the A69 to one lane in each direction near Hexham, between the A686 and A6079 at Bridge End Roundabout.
Culture
A new exhibition at Hexham Abbey will commemorate the 110th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme and tell the First World War stories of local families.
Business & Openings
A new independent shop at 6 Battle Hill is bringing handmade jewellery, local produce and artisan goods to Hexham’s high street, with workshops and exhibitions planned from August.
Traffic & Construction Allendale
A four-bedroom detached home in Allendale, in the Hexham area, has gone up for auction with a starting bid of £495,000. The property includes extensive gardens, a former tennis-court site, a conservatory and an attached garage.
Sport
Hexham has been identified as the most wildfire-prone area in the North East and ranked seventh nationally in a new assessment of wildfire risk, published as half of England is declared to be in drought.
Community Hexhamshire
Slaley Show is preparing for its 164th event, continuing a Northumberland tradition that began as a small horticultural gathering and has survived major challenges, site changes and several name changes.
