Martin Collins

Fat, fabulous and just started 70s, I'm a great man for the chat and a yarn or two.

[North East Public Transport Users Group (NEPTUG) @NorthEastPTUG]

Evening, @cpferguson87, please could @NewcastleLibDem look at resolving this?
The obstructions at bus stops across Newcastle city centre has dragged on for far too long.
Cc @NCLGreenParty

[Paul Powlesland @paulpowlesland]

Before & After…

If anyone doubts the power of community action over the @EnvAgency’s spineless inertia, you can walk to the outskirts of Ilford & walk along an ancient lost river to see for yourself.

With 10 days of intense effort by dedicated volunteers, the river River Roding Trust managed to clean up & restore 250 metres of the Aldersbrook (about 1/3 of the brook). This allows a direct comparison between the parts of the brook we restored & those we haven’t got round to yet.

These photos & videos are all from May 2026. The first is on a part of the Aldersbrook still to be restored & shows the old flood defences which are no longer needed & are killing the river but which the EA won’t remove unless we volunteers pay them £50,000 just for surveys. These defences have caused 2-3ft of stinking sludge & silt to build up over 70 years, such that the water in the brook is just a few centimetres deep. Combine with huge amounts of rubbish & and out of control knotweed infestation & the river ecosystem is essentially dead. A river that is older than England destroyed by official indifference.

A hundred metres away, and it’s a different story. The rubbish & the invasive species (I sprayed the knotweed myself last autumn) are gone. The silt that used to clog the river is now spread on the banks & rapidly providing fertile ground for native plants. Instead of sludge, there’s 2-3ft of water, so fish have returned to the brook for the first time in decades, along with dragon flies, herons & a nesting moorhen. We river guardians knew our intervention would make a difference, but have been shocked at quite how quickly nature has come back. The restored Aldersbrook is now a rare jewel: pretty much the last fully natural tidal brook in London.

The EA now has a choice. It can salvage some good from this situation & work with us to restore the remaining sections of the brook, or it can continue to do nothing. If the latter, river guardians *will* be back this winter to finish the job & the EA can see how well prosecuting volunteers for restoring a river without permission goes for them.

[Durham Green Party @CoDurhamGreens]

@TheGreenParty councillors from #Brandon hosted a meeting last week to start the process of identifying buildings & other sites deserving NDHA status (Non-Designated Heritage Assets)

Join this Facebook page to contribute your thoughts:

https://t.co/uWxAEOH4vb

#NDHA #CoDurham

[Dmdav @Dmdav1]

If we can’t afford state pension can we afford MPs pensions ?

Can we afford severance pay for MPs not re-elected ?

Can we afford the PMs pension & the life time public duty costs they have.

Can we afford MPs expenses ( over & above basic levels )

All in this together?

[Durham Green Party @CoDurhamGreens]

Interesting that @TheNorthernEcho highlights the views of @TheGreenParty leader on #Darlington Council, despite it being under Lab/LibDem control

Guess they respect our views on new housing - must have public transport links to jobs, schools & services

https://t.co/bZa7uO2YXd

[Martin Collins @Sandmartyn]

Perhaps it is twankheads like these who should have their phones taken away from them?

[Narinder Kaur @narindertweets]

The absolute STATE of this lot!
Why they all got their cameras out?

Who actually picks on women like this? Shameful

[Durham Green Party @CoDurhamGreens]

77 homes proposed on Green Belt land at High Shincliffe
Durham County Council is still accepting objections to planning application DM/26/00773/OUT
If Green Belt is built on, it's gone forever
Please submit an objection & make your voice heard.

#GreenBelt #Durham #HighShincliffe

[Stephen Bedson @snabsn123]

Today is the 150th anniversary of the Swing Bridge. The Swing Bridge opened to traffic on the 15th June 1876

[Trees for Streets @TreesforStreets]

Just in case you didn't notice, last month was the hottest May on record 🥵🌡️

As our towns and cities get hotter year on year, we need to plant more trees to ensure everyone can benefit from their cooling properties ❄️

[Durham Green Party @CoDurhamGreens]

Objections still being accepted !

#Stop #housing on #Green Belt in #CoDurham

[Durham Green Party @CoDurhamGreens]

Local Networks in Co Durham

[People's Theatre @peoplestheatre]

NEXT: THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN 🚊

A taut and tense adaptation of Paula Hawkins’ bestselling thriller that keeps you on edge until the final twist!

ℹ️ #LinkInBio

📷 Paul Hood

[Cllr Nick Hartley - Green Party @NickHartley]

That’s the first Cabinet meeting of the new municipal year done, and my first opportunity to put questions to the new administration on behalf of Newcastle residents and @NCLGreenParty

As a cooperative opposition, we’re focused on people and city before party, pushing for better

[Durham Green Party @CoDurhamGreens]

interesting that @TheNorthernEcho highlights the views of @TheGreenParty leader on #Darlington Council, despite it being under Lab/LibDem control

guess they respect our views on new #housing - which must have transport links that connect to jobs, schools & services

#GreenParty

[Cllr Nick Hartley - Green Party @NickHartley]

I’ve been trying to understand the mind of the future PM, @AndyBurnhamGM.

I hope he still believes Whitehall should “stop treating councils with contempt”, though given it comes a few sentences after he criticises politicians who take a “tough on benefits” approach, we’ll see…

[Harry Eccles @Heccles94]

83% of British people are white

87% of MPs are white

92% of Police officers are white

94% of the House of Lords are white

85% of Britains richest families are white

The notion that Britain experiences systemic anti-white racism is absurd

It’s a far-right conspiracy

[Martin Collins @Sandmartyn]

I believe that a Busby, made of felt which in turn is made of wool, could keep soldiers heads warm while helping our sheep farmers get a good price for their wool. And it would look just as smart.

[dominic dyer @domdyer70]

Hundreds of British soldiers will mark the Kings Official Birthday in London today by wearing black bear fur hats from pelts purchased at public cost from auction houses in Canada, as a result of trophy hunting

[Oliver @OWS1892]

Haha. Get in.

[Martin Collins @Sandmartyn]

And highly influenced by AIg (artificial ignorance).

[The Rev. Anton Mittens 🌹👮🎓 @MittensOff]

George Finch, the Reform UK leader of Warwickshire County Council, has been accused of bigotry and censorship after suggesting LGBTQ+ books should be removed from local libraries.
But where exactly does this end? Libraries hold books on socialism and capitalism, atheism and every religion under the sun, evolution, the monarchy, and countless other contested ideas. That’s the point of a library: a place where people encounter perspectives that challenge, stretch, and broaden the mind.
Finch is only 19, and it shows. He may simply not have read enough to grasp how books cultivate critical thinking, empathy, and a more informed, more tolerant society.
Who on earth keeps voting for people this determined to stay ignorant?
#ReformUK

[Martin Collins @Sandmartyn]

Football supporters etc. are in gangs, they just call them supporters clubs and the like.

[A New Dawn @truepatriot1066]

@implausibleblog I would say there are more “youth sports” provisions than there was in the 90’s. Amount of all weather pitches/facilities. Massive growth in youth sports across the board. It’s the lazy idle little fuckers who just want to join gangs and do deals that we need to sort.