2026 Gathering Competition Results

You can view previous year's competition results here.

A downloadable PDF of the 2026 competition results is available.

Group A: Art & Craft

A1 Art (Lynda Swift Trophy)

• 1st: Clive Kemp (Barmoor, Morpeth)
• 2nd: Paul Raven (Morpeth)
• 3rd: Ray Quickfall (Whickham)

Highly Commended: Keith Cooper (Morpeth)

A4A Photo Prints

• 1st: Glyn Trueman (Morpeth)
• 2nd: Glyn Trueman
• 3rd: Glyn Trueman

A4B Enhanced PhotoPrints

• 1st: Glyn Trueman (Morpeth)
• 2nd: Glyn Trueman
• 3rd: Glyn Trueman

A6 Exotic T-Shirt Location Photography

• 1st: Richard Stewart (Morpeth), Syria
• 2nd: John & Caroline Turnbull (Woking), Greenland
• 3rd: Richard Stewart, Shetland

Highly Commended: John & Caroline Turnbull, Split, Croatia

A35 Needlework Item

• 1st: Shirley Manelly (Blyth)
• 2nd: Susan Smith (Morpeth)
• 3rd: Heather Smith (Morpeth)

Highly Commended: Heather Smith

A40 Knitting & Crochet Item

• 1st: Meg Wilson (York)
• 2nd: Victoria Harrison (Morpeth)
• 3rd: Victoria Harrison

Highly Commended: Meg Wilson

A59 Miscellaneous

• 1st: Victoria Harrison
• 2nd: Anna Trood (Blyth)
• 3rd: Sarah Louise Trood (Bedlington)

Highly Commended: Victoria Harrison

A60 Easter Cracket

• 1st: Richard & Carmel Copeland (Morpeth)
• 2nd: Heather Smith

A62 Decorated Easter Egg

• 1st: Natalie Mackworth-Praed (Morpeth)
• 2nd: Brenda Shotton (Morpeth)

A63 Disabled Craft

• 1st: Susan Hine (Morpeth)
• 2nd: Susan Hine
• 3rd: Susan Hine

Highly Commended: Victoria Smith (Morpeth)

A64 Junior Individual Craft

• 1st: Jozie Jewitt
• 2nd: Wilson Brown (Morpeth)

A66 Wyn Bibby Ingenuity Trophy

• 1st: Shirley Marrelly

A70 Shop Window Display

• 1st: J & JS Mackay (Old Herald Office)
• 2nd: The Chantry

A72 Group Costume

• 1st: East India Company Re-enactment Group
• 2nd: Have Maypole Will Travel
• 3rd=: Northumbrian Pipers in Plaids
• 3rd=: Chantry TIC staff

A73A Cushie Butterfield Costume

• 1st: Beverley Crawley (Time Bandits)
• 2nd=: Alison Starkey (shepherdess)
• 2nd=: Shirley Forster (Have Maypole musician)

A73B Cuddy Butterfield Costume

• 1st: Ray Alexander (Sir John Vanbrugh)
• 2nd= Vincent Syson (Piper in Plaid)
• 2nd=: Jim Grant (storyteller)
• 2nd= Big-Hatted Time Bandit

Group B: Writing & Composing

B1 Song Composition

• 1st: Graham Bell (Cheshire), “Dan”
• 2nd: Geoff Rodgers, “Welcome Home, Bonny Lad”
• 3rd : Alan Dodds (South Shields), “When Henry Went to War”

B2A Melody Composition

• 1st: Colin Bradford, “Mrs Louise Bradford”
• 2nd: Marina Dodgson, “Newcastle Gaol”
• 3rd: Geoff Wright (Doncaster), “John Peacock of Morpeth”

Highly Commended: James Tait (Rothbury), “The Morpeth Gathering”

B2B Composing Excellence

• 1st: Colin Bradford (Alnwick)
• 2nd: Geoff Wright
• 3rd: Marina Dodgson (South Gosforth)

B2C Variations Composition

• 1st: Geoff Wright, “Till the Tide Comes In”
• 2nd: Jon Shurlock (Winchester), “Bonnie Pit Laddie”
• 3rd: Geoff Wright, three sets of variations

B3B Open Dialect Verse

• 1st: Graham Bell, “Rhythm of Life”
• 2nd: James Tait, “Watter Hen”
• 3rd: Carol Dixon (Pegswood) “Northumbrian Nonsense Rhymes”

Highly Commended: Bob Bolam (Prudhoe), “Aa Divvent Need a Break”

Commended: John Robertson (Ashington), “What’s a Matter, Bonny Lad”

B5 Dialect Prose

• 1st: Graham Bell, “Forst Time at the Mart”
• 2nd: Brian Dawson (Blyth), “Bort the Borgla”

B8 Short Story

• 1st: John Robertson, “The Geordie Radio Operator”
• 2nd: Lynne C Potter (Hexham), “The Alnwick Poacher”
• 3rd= John Lawson (Morpeth), “The Case Unravels”
• 3rd= Neil Johnson (Derbyshire), “Goodbye to Shiremoor Modern”

B16 English Verse

• 1st: Graham Bell, “Together on the Hill”
• 2nd: Patricia Defty (Corbridge), “Northumberlandia”
• 3rd: Christine Lowes (Corbridge), “River Walk”

Highly Commended: John Robertson, "Drift Wood”

Group C: Singing & Playing

C1 Junior Singing

• 1st: Martha Darcy (Otterburn)
• 2nd: Lola Evans (Rothbury)

C3 Unaccompanied Singing

• 1st: Anne Lamb (Newton Aycliffe)
• 2nd: Pat Oldale (Eyemouth)

C4 Accompanied Singing

• 1st: Penny Grennan (Hexham)

C5 Traditional Ballad

• 1st: Pat Oldale

C6 Folk Group/Concert Band

• 1st: Whinberry (Haydon Bridge)
• 2nd: Hexham Village Band (Hexham)

C7B Country Dance Band

• 1st: Tyneside Fiddle Alliance (Seaton Sluice)
• 2nd=: Whinberry
• 2nd=: Redheughers (Gateshead)

C8C Open Accordion

• 1st: Mark Batey (Ellington)

C9B Intermediate Fiddle

• 1st: Vivien Kent (Sacriston)

C9C Open Fiddle

• 1st: Ali Say (Wall)

C10B Intermediate Smallpipes

• 1st: Elke Meiburg (Harbottle)

C10C Open Smallpipes

• 1st: Jonathan Pearson (Mexborough)

C11 Miscellaneous Traditional instrument

• 1st: Gabriel Bath (Newcastle)
• 2nd: Peter Hawkey (Fraserburgh)
• 3rd: Ruth Harvey (North Shields)

C12 Traditional Instruments Duet

• 1st; Alex Barrass & Jonathan Pearson
• 2nd: Max Cole & Jack Cole (Newcastle)

C14 Border Pipes

• 1st: Jonathan Pearson
• 2nd: Alex Barrass

C17a Novice Clog Solo

• 1st: Nickie Dailly (Cambridge)

C18 Northumbrian Speech

• 1st: Graham Bell
• 2nd: Eileen Beers (Morpeth)
• 3rd=: John Robertson (Ashington)
• 3rd= Heather Laurence (Esh Winning)

C22 Storytelling

• 1st: John Robertson
• 2nd: Graham Bell

C23C Open Group Clog

• 1st: Evie & Georgie of Hadrian Clog (Allendale)

C25 Special Clog Award

• Nickie Dailly (Cambridge)

C26 Hoafy Trophy

• 1st; Graham Bell
• 2nd: Heather Laurence

C27 Emily Inspires! Trophy

• 1st: Anne Lamb
• 2nd: Ruth Harvey
• 3rd=: Pat Oldale
• 3rd=: Penny Grennan