An asset to community: RAF Boulmer provides a lifeline in more ways than you would initially imagine. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of people across the northern part of Britain who owe their lives to the brave men and women of the Northumberland base.

The distinctive yellow Sea King helicopter is often first on the scene of any rescue, whether it be on land or water, providing a welcome sight for those in desperate need of its services.

That side of the base's lifeline is frequently publicised.

But it is the often hidden assistance to the local communities which surround RAF Boulmer that goes unrecognised.

There are 700 people on the base, plus some 200 civilians, locals dependent on the station for their livelihoods. Some £4m a year is pumped into the economy of North Northumberland, an area still trying to recover from the hammering it took from foot-and-mouth, and one which has taken a further pounding from the cutbacks in North Sea fishing. Boulmer, itself, was once a thriving fishing village and now not much more than a place people stumble across.

The MoD's planned review of RAF Boulmer and three other sites could sound the death knell for more villages. We would urge the MoD to take this into serious consideration before any decision is made.

To read the full story, click here Chopper faces axe

Byker Wall a deserving case: There will be more than a few raised eyebrows at the notion of the Byker Wall housing complex being listed for conservation - but the decision to do so is both courageous and correct.

The best of post-war buildings have been recognised over the last decade - with the Kingsgate Bridge in Durham City among the first and most deserving - and the Byker Wall certainly stands among those.

Its innovative solutions to the challenge of providing large-scale social housing while retaining a scale that allows the nurturing of community spirit sets it apart from the cheap and alienating panel-built tower blocks of the Sixties and Seventies.

Anyone who takes time to walk through its squares and avenues - rather than just view the austere north face from Byker Bridge - will recognise how inspired Ralph Erskine's creation is.

There is a strong community living in the Byker Wall - in that sense it is a success - but it has been ill-served over the years in the way the complex has been managed by housing authorities.

The people who live in the Wall hope that listing will see more money spent on urgent repairs and long-term renovation.

Both they and the buildings in which they live more than deserve it.

To read the full story, click here Award for Wall set to open a few doors