Where is nice to live near Newcastle Upon Tyne. (and best to avoid too ,please)?

We are looking to re locate from Bristol, my husband would be working in Newcastle, and I would be raising our two young children, one a baby, the other a toddler. We're hoping that my husband could get to work within approximately half an hour, and I would like to have some access to baby groups. We both like rural areas, but would happily consider busier areas such as Hexham (particularly as it has an aldi and we're both thrifty these days!) We're both keen to live somewhere where the crime is low, and would prefer to live outside of Newcastle rather than within the centre of it. Many thanks for your time!