Ashington is a small town about six miles from Morpeth in Northumberland.

Famous as being the birthplace of the footballing legends Bobby Charlton, of Manchester United fame and his brother Jack, and the earlier north-east idol Jackie Milburn, Ashington is a decent town, struggling to overcome the loss of the coal mining industry that had sustained it for more than a century.

It can’t be described as an attractive town, but in the few short years I lived in the north-east of England I found it a pleasant place to visit, with typical friendly local people, several good pubs and a decent shopping area, including a good old-fashioned Woolworths. Of course, Gregg’s the Bakers had the ‘stotties’ that I always enjoyed on every visit.

In compiling a list of Ashington solicitors, I had personal experience of dealing with two firms there, both of whom were efficient, and friendly and reasonably inexpensive.The library there was extensively stocked and was another place that I visited every time I went to the town.

Just outside the town is the QueenElizabethIICountryPark, well worth a visit and the town’s past mining glory is celebrated at the WoodhornCollieryMuseum. The last colliery closed in 1988 and of course, with it went hundreds of jobs, but a BusinessPark has been built on the site of the colliery and has been successful in providing a lot of jobs to the local population.

I live in America now, On my trips back to the south of England to see my family, would I make a special journey to Ashington? No, but if I was in Northumberland seeing friends then I would certainly make an effort to renew an acquaintanceship with this north-eastern town.