Coastal View Issue 137

The Community Newspaper for the Towns and Villages of East Cleveland, Redcar & North York Moors, telling the real news and views of the people of our region

Coastal View & Moor News Issue 137 March 2023

New bus service for East Cleveland villages

The new service will follow the following routes:

Bus 1 Bus 2

Loftus, Rosedale Crescent

Liverton Mines, Liverton Terrace

Liverton, Village Hall

Moorsholm, High Street

Stanghow, Community Centre

Lingdale, High Street

Skelton, Longacre Close

Skelton,ASDA

East Cleveland Primary Care Hospital

Skelton, Hamsterley Way

Council.

The new services will open up public transport to areas which were previously cut off and give access to key destinations, including Skelton Retail Park, the train service at Saltburn and East Cleveland Primary Care Hospital.

The Council successfully lobbied the Tees Valley Combined Authority to fund the new services, which will start in late March.

The three Brotton Borough Councillors have campaigned for the bus services to be introduced for many years, but this had so far been unsuccessful mainly due to changes in

Cabinet member for Highways and Transport at RCBC, securing the service was one of his main priorities and he started negotiations with TVCA. Any new service must be approved by TVCA and any subsidised service cannot operate on an existing route served by a bus operator. After lengthy negotiations, with many amendments to route and timetable, the new services and timetable have now been approved. The service, which will run from early morning to late evening, is for a one-year trial to test if it is a viable proposition and will be judged on its usage by the public.

Loftus, Rosedale Crescent

Skinningrove

Carlin How

East Cleveland Primary Care Hospital

Skelton, ASDA

Skelton, Hamsterley Way

Saltburn Square

East Cleveland Primary Care Hospital

Skelton,ASDA

Skelton, Longacre Close Saltburn Square

Skelton, Hamsterley Way

Skelton,ASDA

East Cleveland Primary Care Hospital

Carlin How

Skinningrove

Loftus, Rosedale Crescent

Lingdale, High Street

Stanghow, Community Centre

Moorsholm, High Street

Liverton, Village Hall

Liverton Mines, Liverton Terrace

Loftus, Rosedale Crescent

Timetables will be published and distributed throughout East Cleveland before the service starts.

Welcome to Coastal View & Moor News Issue 137

The future of Coastal View

Overthe last 12 months, regular readers of this column will know we have made no secret of how hard it’s been to keep up with the constant rising costs of newspaper print together with the forced relocation of the print site we used.

The Teesside site was closed down before Christmas resulting in the paper now being printed in Oldham meaning extra delivery costs being incurred.

These changes have forced us to make some difficult decisions about the future of Coastal View which could have resulted in the closure of the newspaper.

However, due to its popularity with both readers and advertisers we decided it provides a far too important role in the area to vanish altogether.

Going forward, we will produce two printed copies, this one (March) and April and from May onwards we will be providing an online version which will be posted on our brand new website together with online social media platforms, Facebook, Twitter and Linked in The advantages of an online version means it will be available to everyone at the same time and people who currently don’t receive a paper

copy will still be able to read the paper online.

The newspaper will look exactly the same, containing local news, our regular features eg Wayfarer, Reader as well as the popular sports and events pages. We ask all contributors to continue sending us their stories/articles in exactly the same way

The only thing that will change for you the reader is the way it’s read.

We understand that not everyone has the means to read the paper online but to be honest most people these days use smart phones or ipads and all public libraries have computers which are available for the public to use, free of charge.

As awareness of climate change grows, so does the desire to do something about it.

We will be doing our bit to helping save the planet by reducing our carbon footprint.

What is carbon footprint you may ask? Well it is the sum total of all the greenhouse gas emissions that had to take place in order for a product to be produced or for an activity to take place.

In the case of producing the newspaper it requires a great amount of energy to work the printing presses. And the amount of trees that

have to be chopped down to produce 25,500 copies of Coastal View is eye watering. Then of course there are the transport costs to move 3 tons of newspapers around the country.

This has been a very difficult decision we had to make. After 13 years of producing the local community newspaper for the area it would have been so hard for us to give it up completely – it was and still will be ‘our baby.’

There were only two choices to make, an online version or no Coastal View so as far as we were concerned it was a no brainer and we hope to continue for many more years to come.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the people who have walked the streets month after month delivering the paper through your letterboxes and some of these people have worked with us for years. We cannot thank them enough for their hard work, loyalty and dedication.

There are many more people we have to thank but we will save that for next time.

We hope you enjoy reading this issue.

Lynne & Steve Nicholls

Coastal View & Moor News is published, produced and distributed by Genesis Media Promotions, 67 Guisborough Road, Moorsholm, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, TS12 3JA. Tel 01287 669418. Printed by Reach Printing Services Ltd Middlesbrough Copyright Genesis Media Promotions 2023

ST

PETER’S ARK

Do you have a child who is turning 2 years old?

You could be eligible for up to 15hrs free childcare from St Peter’s Ark.

Question:

Will my child get 15 hrs from their 2nd birthday?

Answer:

It will be from the term after they turn 2.

Question:

Do I have to take the full 15 hrs?

Answer: No, you can take as many as you wish, up to 15 hrs.

Coastal View & Moor News Outlets

If you do not get Coastal View delivered to your door you can pick it up at any of the following outlets:-

Redcar

The Community Heart

McColls

Laburnum Rd

Savers, High St

Seabreeze,

Coatham

Clock Gallery

Aldi West

Dyke Rd

Reminiscence

Tea Room

West Terrace

Saltburn

Jackie’s

Saverstore

Dormanstown

Westfield Farm

Premier Store

Guisborough

Sunnyfield House

Guisborough Pool

Easington

Farm Direct

Staithes

Co-op

Brotton

Cleveland

Country Store

Marske

Longbeck Nurseries

New Marske

McColls

New Marske

Pharmacy

Gleneagles

Centre

Public Libraries

Guisborough

Loftus

Redcar

Marske

Saltburn

Dormanstown

Laburnum Rd

Ormesby

25k Centre

Ayton Drive

Brotton

Question: Can I start at a low number of hours and build up?

Answer: Yes, we can arrange this.

Question: How will my child benefit?

Answer: Your child will gain confidence, develop their speech and language and get ready for school.

We offer both morning and afternoon sessions. We also offer paid places for children who are not eligible. For more information please call St Peter’s C of E Primary School on 01287 676210

Genesis Media Promotions accepts no liability from any contract entered into with any advertiser. The publication of advertising in this newspaper does not imply any approval or recommendation by Genesis Media Promotions of those goods and services advertised. Any views stated in Coastal View & Moor News are not necessarily those of Genesis Media Promotions who remain impartial from and are not connected with any political parties and other organisations. We conform to the newspaper industry’s voluntary Code of Practice, administered by the Press Complaints Commission. If you feel that we have made an error in a report, or have fallen below our high standards please write in the first instance to Lynne Nicholls, Genesis Media Promotions, 67 Guisborough Road, Moorsholm, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, TS12 3JA. Telephone 01287 669418 or email editor@coastalviewandmoornews.co.uk. For information about the Press Complaints Commission, including details of how to make a complaint telephone 0207 8310 0022 or visit www.pcc.org.uk

Have Your Say and General Editorial Steve & Lynne Nicholls 01287 669418

Advertising Lynne Nicholls 01287 669418

advertising@coastalviewandmoornews.co.uk

editor@coastalviewandmoornews.co.uk www.coastalviewandmoornews.co.uk

This Month 25,500 copies

Contacts 9am-5pm Monday - Friday Coastal View & Moor News is distributed to areas of:

Redcar, Marske, Saltburn, Guisborough, Brotton, Loftus, Carlin How, Skinningrove, Skelton, Easington, Lingdale, Stanghow, Boosbeck, Margrove Park, Charltons, Moorsholm, Liverton Mines, Liverton Village, New Marske, Dunsdale, Yearby, Ugthorpe, Staithes as well as libraries, and various other outlets.

Marske resident development objections swamp council

Marske is back in the crosshair of developers after landowners, the West Midland Pension Fund, applied to revise a planning proposal for 812 houses plus petrol station, fast food chain and hotel.

Coded as R/2020/0025/RMM, it comes at the same time as house builders Taylor Wimpey are drafting a proposal for a further 100 houses to Marske’s West.

The South of Marske application is the latest attempt to build on the field behind Marske station, following failed attempts going back to 1980. In 2014, a mass protest organised by then councillor Tristan Learoyd, attempted to bring down Redcar and Cleveland’s Local Development Plan, which included the site. The vote was lost by on a mayoral decision. Later the South of Marske plan, which was then for 1000

houses, was rejected by Redcar and Cleveland’s planning committee. In 2015, Learoyd was part of a coalition that briefly took control of the council and Learoyd working with Cllr Steve Kay took South of Marske out of the local plan as a development site.

However, in April 2015, Learoyd wrote to Coastal View and warned that incoming councillors “must never let down their guard”. He then stood down to spend more time with his family in 2015, and the independents and Lib Dems eventually lost control of the council. Meanwhile, the pension fund went to appeal and the Minister overturned the council’s rejection. Shortly after the incoming opposing administration put South of Marske housing figures back into the hotly-disputed Local Development Plan.

Lib Dems deliver budget way below inflation

Liberal Democrats on Redcar & Cleveland Borough were successful in delivering a budget which protects services and keeps Council Tax increases well below inflation.

The council, which the Lib Dems run in partnership with the Independent Group councillors, approved the budget with cross party support. This includes a Council Tax increase of 1.99% and a 2% increase in the Adult Social Care Precept. This is well below inflation currently running at around 10%.

Lib Dem Cllr Glyn Nightingale, who is the Cabinet Member responsible for Corporate Resources, said: “All councils face severe challenges in economically difficult times, with the highest inflation for 40 years, the Truss government’s ineptitude forcing borrowing costs higher and long-term cuts in central government support. Equally, the Conservative

government is committed to shifting the burden of taxation on to Council Tax.

“Obviously no one wishes to impose more burdens on local people but the blame rests entirely with the Conservative government.

“It is vital that we have been able to protect services for vulnerable residents and maintain help for economically vulnerable households with many having a reduction in their council tax bill.”

Cllr Karen King, Lib Dem Group Leader on the council, added: “We have kept the Council Tax increase well below inflation, lower than the 5% increase expected by the Conservative government, lower than what many North-East councils plan and lower than 79% of councils across the country. This is on top of a zero increase last year.

”There is no alternative in the current economic climate.”

Loftus Town Council Announcement

Itis with great reluctance and disappointment that Loftus Town Council has informed Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council that the Finance Requirement for the Town Council for 2023/24 has risen to £154415 for the year, and that this charge will need to be met in full by Council Tax contributions from the

residents of Loftus Parish. More detailed information, including the results from the Loftus Town Council budget survey can be read on the Town Council website, https:// www.loftustc.co.uk/.../precept-request-pressrelease, if you wish to discuss any points please do so by e-mail to the Town Council, at office@ loftustc.co.uk.”

The latest application by the fund was open for consultation until February 6th, with objections once again flooding the council. Dr Learoyd reiterated his confidence that the proposal would be rejected as it was in 2014. “The scheme is not viable, it is a structural, environmental and ecological disaster which will flood a railway and burden local taxpayers with multi-million infrastructure costs for a development they don’t want. The proposal will also dramatically increase traffic at pinch points on Marske High Street. Marske doesn’t have school places available to support such a large development, and anybody who has called an ambulance

knows that health services can’t support more houses locally”, said Dr Learoyd.

Learoyd also called on the council to update it’s building requirements to reflect its 2030 carbon neutral climate change target. “The South of Marske proposal includes gas boilers instead of heat pumps in all 810 houses and less than than one 300W solar panel per house on average. The council needs to act and not allow international elite billionaires investing in property and energy firms to exploit people with unsustainable housing exposing buyers of new builds elsewhere in the borough to high energy prices”, Tristan said.

● Tristan Learoyd and Cllr Karen King in front of the disputed South of Marske field

● Eight years on :Tristan Learoyd with April 2015’s Coastal View

Alum Way, Skelton Industrial Estate, Skelton, TS12 2LQ

A Family Reunited

By Michael Flounders

In 1988 whilst playing with my children in my garden in Suffolk an attempted somersault went disastrously wrong, the devastating injuries left me with a broken neck and facing the rest of my life as a wheelchair user. The accident itself left me, an ex army man feeling as though my life was over and with no strength to go forward. Since breaking my neck, my whole life has been a challenge. The first thing that came to me was the want and the need to fight back and do some things for others to inspire them to live life to the full. After major rehabilitation I came home from Stoke Mandeville hospital and started rebuilding my life. Reflecting back on my life, I remembered the story. …. when I was about 5 years old, on a fishing trip with my Yorkshire born father, his family all lived and grew up in Redcar and the surrounding villages. He told me about my uncle, Ernie, (his brother) who died at the age of 26. He was stationed as a field medic out in Burma in the Second World War. His body was never found. As a result my nanny did not want to believe

she had lost her son, so she kept all his things at home in hopes he would return. He never did and her dying wish was that Uncle Ernie would be remembered.

With military records more available I researched to discover more about his death and tried to rebuild the story behind it. I contacted the Royal British Legion who did guided tours for general public and war veterans to travel out to Burma to pay their respects and recapture the spirit of loved ones lost. It was incredible. They found his name and date of his disappearance which was at the height of the monsoon season. This tied up with the story my father had told me of how, when evacuating casualties from the front, he was carrying a stretcher across a ravine, whereupon the bridge collapsed and he was swept away with the casualty.

Elizabeth (my partner), myself and a group of other travelers went out to Burma, with Remembrance Travel to pay our respects. We hoped to lay a wreath on his grave, taking with us, stones from nanny’s grave to place upon his and bring stones back from Burma to place on her grave in Redcar to reunite them.

Public invited to help shape the future of local library services

We attended the Remembrance service which was outdoors in Taukkyan War Cemetery, Rangoon. There are 56 pillars with over 27,000 names of those missing in action. My Uncle Ernie’s name was just above my head height (remember I am in a wheelchair) the names are engraved; this enabled me to put my fingers into the letters. As I folded my fingers into the letters of his name I welled up with emotion and as the Royal British Legion standard bearer lowered the “colours”. Elizabeth and I burst into tears, it is as if every emotion my family had carried since his loss was being released, for unlike a remembrance service for us this was a funeral. Writing this now still brings an outpouring of emotion.

We met with dignitaries, had tea and cucumber sandwiches on the lawn, where introduced to the cemetery caretakers, who have the job for life, the responsibility of the cemetery is passed onto the next generation. Going back to the air-conditioned hotel, 11am and its 40 degrees we welcomed the opportunity to visit the local Anglican Church for the Remembrance service.

chapter. We travelled to Redcar, laid an identical wreath and stones from the memorial garden in Rangoon on her grave.

After visiting his parish church we were informed that his name was not in the Burma Star book, which is opened at the villages’ remembrance service. After presenting the church with the Royal British Legion records of his death, not only did they ensure his name was put in the book but left it open on that page on display at their remembrance service. His name is also in the Burma Star book in York Minster. Uncle Ernie was a member of the Prince of Wales West Yorkshire Regiment, who were predominantly recruited from around Redcar and North Yorkshire.

“We brought him home, we literally brought him home”

Residents across Redcar and Cleveland are being asked for their views on library provision in the area, to help shape the future of the service.

The publics views are being sought to understand in more detail how they use libraries, if they don’t use libraries what would encourage them to use them in the future, what libraries mean to them and their thoughts on how the service could be developed.

The council currently operates 13 libraries across Redcar and Cleveland, offering a wide range of books, computer access, and online resources, as well as hosting regular events, clubs and meetings.

Even before the pandemic there were significant changes in the ways that local library services were used; with falling user numbers and the ever-increasing popularity of digital lending, which can be accessed anywhere, the service must evolve to remain cost-effective and meet the needs of local people.

Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment and Culture, Cllr Louise Westbury, said: “As part of a review of library services across Redcar and Cleveland we are keen to hear from residents, both library users and non-library users, to ensure the public continue to receive a service that meets their

needs and the needs of the community.

“The council cannot ignore the financial pressures we face and factor these into the engagement exercise. Library services like other public services affected by the reduction in Government grants will need to make efficiency savings and the publics input is important when making these difficult decisions.

“The feedback will allow the council to shape a library offer that is fit for the 21st Century with the services, activities and programmes reflecting the needs of local residents.”

The public engagement exercise begins today, Wednesday 8 February and will run for eight weeks, closing on Wednesday 5 April. There will be two versions of the questionnaire available, one for library users and one for people who don’t currently use the library service.

Residents can complete the questionnaire online https://www.redcar-cleveland.gov.uk/ libraries-consultation or pick up a printed version from any library in the borough.

To enable the public to share their views and ask questions regarding the engagement exercise and the future of library services, the council are also hosting a series of focus group sessions in March, in partnership with an external facilitator, which will be publicised nearer the time.

At this service Elizabeth read out a poem that I had written in memory of Uncle Ernie. This poem was framed and now hangs in the chapel of remembrance at the Anglican Church in Rangoon. We feel that nanny’s dying wish for uncle Ernie to be remembered has been fulfilled. We came back to the UK with one more task to close the

This story and poem are published in my book entitled The Year God Introduced Himself with a Prayer for Non-Believers (available on Amazon Books and Kingdom Publishers all profits go to charity)

I believe my faith has carried me forward, the faith I learned as a child helped me get my life back on track. I want to leave the world a better place than I find, I became a staunch disabilities awareness campaigner and have raised tens of thousands of pounds for charities along the way..

Ash dieback prognosis

By Councillor Steve Kay

The fungal disease chalarafraxinea, more commonly known as ash dieback disease, is about to have a devastating effect, not only on Redcar & Cleveland’s natural environment, but also, in these hard times, on the public purse.

Ash dieback has been present in the UK for a decade but,on our patch, it took hold during the covid pandemic (Not that there’s any biological link between the two diseases!). Ash dieback is caused by a fungal pathogen, hymenoscyphus fraxineus which infects the vascular system of the tree. It’s equivalent to blocked arteries in humans. Nutrients and water are prevented from getting from the roots into the canopy of the tree, reducing photosynthesis, causing structural weakness and, eventually,catastrophic collapse.

Infected saplings usually die within a year, but mature trees can survive much longer, the first sign of infection being the reduction of foliage on the extremities of the branches. Over several years, the infection spreads, eventually killing the tree.

There are,at least,three billion deciduous trees in the UK and, before infection hit, ash was amongst the most common, along with birch and oak.Ash dieback affected the southeast first, with a kill-rate of around 80%, and slowly moved north.

As a statutory authority, Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council has an obligation to ‘abate risk and hazards’ to the public. In practice, this means that RCBC

will have to monitor, fell and dispose of thousands of ash trees throughout its own land, especially on highway margins. It could cost RCBC up to £3m over the years, just to deal with the ash trees for which it’s directly responsible. In addition, the council has the duty to require other landowners to deal appropriately with their own ash trees where they pose a risk to the public. Once required by the council to act, neglect to do so will result in RCBC doing the necessary work,then recharging the owner.

The cruel irony of ash dieback is that, to combat global warming by carbon capture, we need more trees. Of course, the council plants whips and saplings every year but, just to replace the doomed ash trees on council land, will require the planting of at least 20,000 trees, mainly hardy birch and acer (maple family, including sycamore). Eventually, it may be considered safe to plant East European ash, which, over the decades, have built up resistance to dieback. Recently, a large, infected ash was felled by the council’s contractors, Oakdale (NE) Ltd.,on Moorsholm Recreation Field and, sadly,at least another three are programmed to follow. Of course, they will be replaced by other species in appropriate positions. In Lockwood ward, this is just the beginning. The many ash trees along public highways will have to be dealt with, as will those on public open spaces, like Lingdale’s expansive and attractive Wildlife Meadow, the site of the former shale heap.

A sad and worrying infection, for our countryside, our planet and ourselves.

● Cllr Steve Kay at the stump of the felled ash on Moorsholm Recreation Field

Clean up Sweepy Jean! - New names for council street sweepers unveiled

Young people from across Redcar and Cleveland have dusted off their thinking caps in a competition to name seven of the council’s new street sweepers.

Meet Obi-Wan Cleanobi, the Trusty Dusty, Orlando Broom, Clean up Clarence, Sweepasaurus Rex, Sweepy Jean and Clean Cleo – the new names for Redcar and Cleveland Council’s magnificent seven new street sweepers.

The winning names will now be displayed on the side of the new sweepers so residents can look out for them on their grime busting missions around the borough.

Each of the wining entrants also received a £20 book voucher for their successful submission, kindly donated by the street sweeper supplier, Hako.

Inara Kell, aged 6 years old from Saltburn, who came up with one of the winning names, ‘The Trusty Dusty’, said: “I chose ‘The Trusty Dusty’ because it sounds funny - it makes me think of something that cleans and dusts and is trusty to use. I’ll be very excited to see it on the streets because naming it almost makes me feel like I’m the one driving it.

“I’m also very happy to have won the book vouchers because I love reading. I’d like to buy Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or another Roald Dahl book.”

Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Housing, Cllr Barry Hunt, explained: “I would like to thank all the young people who got involved and suggested a name for our street sweepers – there were some brilliant entries, and it was a difficult decision to choose the winners.

“The competition was designed to be a bit of fun for young people in the area but also to help raise awareness of littering and encourage residents to take pride in their local neighbourhoods.

“Hopefully when residents see The Trusty Dusty,

Clean-up Clarence and the other street sweepers working hard to keep the area clean and tidy it will bring a smile to their face and also inspire them to do their bit to make Redcar and Cleveland an even cleaner and greener borough.”

Sisters Abi Prunty, aged 9, and Sophie Prunty, aged 7, who thought of the name, ’Clean up Clarence’, added: “We loved trying to think up names for the street sweepers, it was good fun, and it was really exciting to find out we had won!

“We can’t wait to try to spot the sweeper out and about with our winning name on it.

“We hope it really makes a difference to litter around the area, especially in Redcar near the beach. We hate to see litter that might blow into the sea and end up killing animals. We always pick up rubbish on the beach - it’s so easy to do and then if everybody did it would make a big difference.”

Last year the council purchased seven new street sweepers which play an important role in keeping the borough clean and green. Three of the sweepers run on climate-friendly hydrotreated vegetable oil fuel which produces 92% less CO2 emissions than diesel and contributed to the council winning an Alternative Fuel Vehicle Champion Award at the recent national Green Fleet Awards.

● Competition winners: L to R, Abi Prunty, aged 9, Irana Kell, aged 6, Edward Prest, aged 11 months and his Mum Michelle, Sophie Prunty, aged 7 and Clifford Forward, aged 11.

● The Trusty Dusty: Iran Kell from Saltburn with the sweeper she named.

● Clean-up Clarence: Sisters Sophie Prunty (left) and Abi Prunty with their street sweeper.

● Driving seat: Edward Prest from Eston in the cab of his street sweeper, Sweepy Jean.

● Sweepasaurus Rex: Clifford Forward from New Marske in his street sweeper.

● The fleet: Cllr Barry Hunt (left) and Gareth Healy, Fleet Manager, in front of the sweepers.

CAN YOU TRUST YOUR EYES?

Near enough is not good enough when safety depends on sight. Can you trust your eyes – can you be sure of their efficiency when the task requires clear vision?

Yours Eyes Are Busy All Day Long

Keen sight is your natural heritage, but sometimes your eyes are not equal to the never -ending demands made upon them. Reading, writing, sewing, driving your car, mobile phones, computers, viewing films, playing cards or your favourite sport – all these activities result in eyestrain – and neglect of these eye disorders can lead to serious impairment of vision.

Specialist Care

Only with specialised care can you protect your most priceless possession. You must rely on regular eye tests every two years…on the invaluable services provided by your Optician.

At my opticians the eye test includes a special advanced‘Optomap’ scan on your eyes to help me make sure your eyes are healthy. We are one of only a few Opticians in the North East with this kind of technology.

Do You Suffer With Headaches or Pains in the Eyes?

Headaches can often be caused by eye strain, which can be remedied by properly fitting glasses. I will test your eyes free of charge and will not advise glasses unless you really require them.

Don’t Be Shy With Glasses

Don’t hesitate to wear glasses when your Optometrist recommends them. True beauty demands clear, healthy eyes, and it is a fallacy that glasses detract from your smart appearance.

When the prescription you need has been executed, the glasses will be fitted in frames designed to flatter the contours of your face, in your choice of a

galaxy of beautiful shades. You will see clearly, in style.

As part of the service, you will get a free eyewear styling consultation. Nothing is rushed, you are treated as an individual and we take everything into account to match you to your perfect glasses.

Energy Crisis & Mortgage Rates

With the cost of living going up from the energy crisis and changes to our mortgage I want to offer you big savings for your eye health and glasses. If you are over 40 please read on…

Hitting The Big “Four O”

If you are 40 or over (like me) you may have noticed your vision changing. For this reason, I am providing you a complete eye care package that includes a free eye test when glasses are purchased.

The special package includes a detailed eye health assessment, vision check and half price frames including brands such as PRADA, normally £250, now only £125 and Ralph Lauren £130, now £65.

Opening Times To Suit You

Normally we are open 9 to 5 Monday to Friday but this may not suit you. That’s why I offer late night appointments and weekend appointments on request, simply ask when you book your appointment.

If you struggle to get out and about, I can even come to you to do a home visit eye test with my mobile optical equipment.

So really now there’s no excuse not to have an up-todate eye test!

GET BETTER VISION FOR BETTER LIVING

Are You Over 40? Get Your Free Eye Test Package Here:

This Includes:

• FREE (One off) Advanced Eye Test Including the Optomap Ultra-Wide Retinal Scan (Worth £60)

• 1/2 Price Optical Frames (All frames from last year’s stock are now 1/2 price)

• 1/2 Price Sunglasses Including Oakley & RayBan - perfect for the winter sun! They normally start from £130 so you now pay as little £65!

Free E ye Test Offer ends March 31st and only valid with this Talk of the Town voucher - please bring this with you.

BONUS OFFER: If you book before March 31st I will give you a HALF PRICE 2nd pair of glasses as well!

A 2nd pair is needed if you drive as the DVLA have made it a legal requirement to have a spare pair of driving spectacles in your car.

If you would also like a free copy of my special report “The Top 3 Ways ToKeep Your Eyes Healthy & Your Vision Sharp”, simply ask and I will post you a copy for free!

For Your Free Eye Test Offer Visit Your Local Branch At Skelton or Loftus:

Skelton Optical 107 High Street, Skelton, TS12 2DY. Phone: 01287 650655

Loftus Optical, 24 Zetland Road, Loftus, TS13 4PW. Phone: 01287 644211

OFFER ENDS MARCH 31st

Do You Have Real Hearing Loss OR

IS IT JUST EARWAX?

Poking around in there with a cotton bud can’t answer that question - and it’s probably not a very good idea anyway.

But if you ARE experiencing common hearing problems, you NEED a check-up. And your troubles may very well be the result of accumulated, imbedded earwax, which can easily be taken care of with a

FREE EAR EXAMINATION

Our amazing Video Otoscope with its miniature camera lets you see the condition of your ear canal right up on a TV monitor! It’s safe, painless, even fascinating

And my expert Audiologist, Gus, will explain what you are seeingand advise you whether or not you need an earwax cleaning or if you should get additional hearing tests - which we provide FREE to you in our local practices

If it turns out you could b e helped, we provide all the information you need. A limited number of appointments are available each week.

Call for your special offer for the FREE ear canal health check and hearing test on 01287 644211 (Loftus branch) or 01287 650655 (Skelton branch).

The Most Comprehensive & Complete Hearing Test

Let’s start with The Most Comprehensive& Complete Hearing Test - FREE at Loftus & Skelton Optical. Just call to book your appointment. There’s no cost and no obligation. It’s possible we’ll find that your “blurry hearing” is simply being caused by accumulated, imbedded earwax, easily corrected.

Or, if tests reveal hearing loss that c an be helped with hearing aids, we’ll explain your condition and even give you an immediate demonstration of how your hearing can be improved. We’ll explain the different options and hearing aid models available.

At Loftus & Skelton Optical we have the a bility to give you an actual, “live” demonstration of how your hearing will be improved, including what the TV and your spouse’s voice will sound like. You can be the judge.

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Mayor agrees new Tees Flex deal

Ithas been announced that the Tees Flex bus service has been extended for a further 18 months by Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen.

The demand responsive service was first launched with Stagecoach back in 2020 as a three-year pilot. However, just a month after the launch the UK was hit by the Covid pandemic and was placed into a nationwide lockdown.

The service was set up with the purpose of connecting people in rural areas to economic centres to enable them to access jobs and services.

The pilot will now be extended under the exact same conditions with the operational zones and prices unchanged.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “Following a review of the Tees Flex service I am pleased to be able to announce that I have taken the decision to extend it for another 18-month period.

“As we continue our programme of creating good-quality local jobs, it is important that we look at the wider picture and make sure that people living in more rural parts of Teesside, Darlington, and Hartlepool have the same access to these opportunities.

“Completely unbeknown to us at the time, we launched the pilot at the worst possible time due to the Covid pandemic, and yet we still saw a significant amount of demand for the service.

“Having looked at the data I think it is the sensible decision to extend this trial so that we can see the true potential of demand responsive travel.

“It is unquestionable that Tees Flex is a lifeline to many people across our area and extending it is the right thing to do.

“I am pleased to give people across our area certainty of its future today.”

Single and return journeys can be made to requested pick-up and dropoff points within one of three serviced areas to secondary destinations including train stations and hospitals across that borough. Tees Flex will also continue to serve Teesside International Airport.

Tees Flex can be booked via a smartphone app, a website or over the telephone. Operating six days a week, the service aims to help residents in more remote areas of the region access essential services, shops, amenities and job opportunities, or simply to see family and friends.

● Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen and Cllr Jonathan Dulston with Tees Flex

Ian Johnson B.E.M Ex-Councillor and Magistrate

By Pam Batts

It is with great sadness we report that Skelton and East Cleveland Champion Ian Johnson died peacefully at home on the 15th January 2023.

In 1966 Ian entered local politics when he was elected to serve as a Labour councillor on Skelton and Brotton Urban District Council. One of his first roles was to act as Secretary on the Skelton and Brotton Carnival Committee which was to be a big annual event in East Cleveland and held on Skelton Playing field, the first event was staged in 1968 and continued until the early 1990`s.

I am sure there are many people who will have taken part in the Fancy Dress Parade through Skelton High Street cheered along by the hundreds of local people who came for a great day out with their young families, enjoying the competitions, entertainers, the big fairground and of course the evening barbecue with a live band. Ian worked very hard on this and was always first on the field at 5.30 in the morning to help set it up, and the last to leave when everyone else had gone home. This was a very successful community event and attracted hundreds of people from around East Cleveland.

In 1970 he was elected to serve as Chairman of Health and Housing and later became the youngest Chairman

of Skelton & Brotton District Council. Ian became friends with the local Gazette Reporter Tom Leonard who one day took him to Boosbeck to see a young woman with a baby who lived in a privately rented property in appalling conditions with black slime running down the walls. Ian told the young woman to pack up her belongings and told her he would have her out of there within a day, and he did; he then put a Compulsory Purchase Order on the entire street and they were pulled down. He then instigated a new Council Housing development there. Over the years Ian helped to re-house many local people with young families who lost their homes when mortgage interest rates went through the roof and they could not afford the repayments.

As the population of Skelton increased a new Doctors Surgery was needed and Ian along with the local Health Authority spearheaded the development and completion of the Bylands Road Health Centre which accommodated more GP`s and vital services.

Following Local Government reorganisation when Cleveland County Council and Langbaugh Council were established, Ian was elected to serve on both Councils and was soon appointed Chairman of Transport and Highways. He travelled to Brussels to seek European funding for the building of a new section of road

Saltburn WI

By Lesley Wilson

Wehave had a great start to the new year . Not only have our walking, netball and craft groups picked up with extra enthusiasm but at our monthly meeting we listened to a talk from the Firemen Sam and James, who gave us a demonstration using ‘little Annie’ and a defibrillator explaining how this works and what to do in an emergency. Hopefully

we never have to use one but we now know that every emergency should be directed to 999 who will instruct us accordingly.

We held a small trip to listen to the Classical Cafe at Middlesbrough Town Hall who entertained us with a Viennese afternoon.

We rounded off our start to the New Year with a lunch in the lovely surroundings of Brockley Hall. It’s good to get together with friends.

known as the Parkway which connected East Cleveland to the A19 and the motorway; this was both vital and beneficial for both commuters into Teesside, local businesses and opened up new opportunities for our area. As well as his commitment to local government affairs, Ian also became involved with the following organisations throughout his life:

School Governor of Brotton County Modern School, Warsett Comprehensive, Skelton Infant Junior School and DeBrus Comprehensive.

Chairman of the following

• Skelton County Youth Club Management Committee

• Skelton Villages Civic Pride

• North Skelton Allotments Association

• Skelton Castle Cricket Club for 20 years during which time he secured Lottery funding for a new Club House and secured a new cricket field from Skelton Castle.

• Appointed by the Secretary of State for the Environment to the Northern Economic Council in 1975. This gave him a voice in Regional Policies and Strategies and the needs of the Cleveland Area which helped bring about much needed employment.

• A Member of Redcar and Cleveland Standards Board and Cleveland Governance Committee.

• Appointed to Teesside Bench in 1977, after several years he trained to be chairman in the Adult Crime court, Youth Court and Family Court. He served for 40 years until he was 70 when the Clerk of the Courts paid tribute to the care and diligence he paid to each and every case.

Ian was a gentleman, of high principles and integrity and highly respected within the community which is reflected in the hundreds of tributes his wife has received. He was also a very modest man who did not seek plaudits for his contribution to Society. However a group of local volunteers felt that Ian`s efforts should be recognised and in 2017, he was presented with the British Empire Medal in the Queen`s Birthday Honours list in recognition of his long and dedicated service to his community. He later received a letter from John Sentamu the Bishop of York, expressing his delight that Ian had received this award. Ian was very well known in the Skelton community and during his retirement loved nothing more than stopping for a chat and a bit of banter with local folk. He leaves behind Anthea his devoted wife of 55 years and family.

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Jack Noble of Liverton Mines

By Rosemary Nicholls

“When I was twelve, I cycled fifty-two miles to my granddad’s in Sunderland for a holiday,” says Jack. “It was the first time I’d cycled beyond Guisborough, but I did it on my own in about five hours against a strong headwind.”

Jack was born in 1928. His dad was a Whitby farmer, who joined British Steel at Skinningrove and became a chargehand on the mixer. Jack’s mum from Sunderland served in the First World War Land Army in the Penrith area. When they married in 1925, they set up home in the Thornlea bungalow at Liverton, opposite today’s Waterwheel Inn.

“It had a tin-sheeted roof and asbestos sides. There was no electricity and we had to walk 150 yards to get water,” he remembers. “I hated wash days because it was hard work wheeling a buggy with two tubs of water back to the wash-house.” The family made do with candles and paraffin lamps when it was dark.

In 1933, Jack started at Liverton Mines School, which had three classrooms. “It was a good little school,” he says, “but it was closed because of subsidence and we were sent to Loftus Juniors. In 1937, the family moved to the Liverton Mines house in which Jack and his wife Ann still live. Their house wasn’t affected by the subsidence, but he remembers: “In one of the houses in Cleveland Street, you could put your hand through gaps in the wall!”

Jack recalls the village layout in his youth. Rows of street houses had a toilet and pigsty at the end of each garden. The night soil man, Billy Sharp, used to come round to the old houses and empty the toilets every Friday evening. “I can remember eight or nine friends of my mum’s used to come regularly to our house for a bath. They rented their houses from Lord Downs and he hadn’t put bathrooms in. Now though, lots of the houses have had extensions and are little palaces.”

As a youngster, Jack used to spend holiday time in the woods with about a dozen others. They didn’t wear watches and were allowed great freedom. They were out all day, building camps from branches, making camp fires and cooking chips.

Jack was given his first bike when he was nearly four. He had to have wooden blocks on the pedals at first, but as soon as he could, he was cycling up and down to Loftus to meet friends after school. From 1937, when he was nine, they began cycling the five miles to Saltburn Brine Baths. “Sometimes there were two on a bike, with one sitting on the crossbar,” he says. “If the bikes were out of action, we walked.”

“Swimming at Saltburn Baths was good as although you paid for an hour’s swim, you were never thrown out. You could stay in for ages. We did cycle or walk the ten miles to Redcar Baths sometimes, but there they threw you out after forty minutes. If you wanted to swim longer, they made you get out, get dressed and go and pay again.” He had half a crown (12.5p) pocket money a week and could spend it how he liked.

When Jack first went to the Brine Baths, he’d already learnt to swim in Kilton Beck, where the lads blocked the stream to create a pool up to three feet deep. He says he was pushed in by the big lads and had to work out how to do it. “They’d probably have pulled me out if I was sinking,” he adds.

Jack says he used to enjoy swimming in the Brine Baths, although the water was filthy and there wasn’t much heating. The sea water was changed overnight on Thursdays, so Friday’s water was cleaner, but colder. He could swim crawl underwater for a whole length and he liked diving off the springboards and high diving board.

They used to throw big stones from the springboard and then dive in to find them, but Jack says it was often too difficult because the sea water was so dirty. “Redcar Baths was much cleaner, as they used ordinary water,” he says. But he never gave a thought to Saltburn Baths being a health hazard.

He recalls that the changing cubicles were very basic. “There was just a seat and a half door, which you could see over and under. Some lads, being lads, worked out that from the high diving board, you could see into the ladies’ cubicles!”

Jack remembers that the army used the Brine Baths, when the war started. In full uniform, including boots, soldiers marched into the water and practised swimming lengths to prepare them for service.

Jack went to Guisborough Grammar School for four years and in his last two there, he joined Mr Whur’s Friday afternoon cycling group. They rode to Saltburn Brine Baths for a swim. “I think Mr Whur may have come in the water with us, but I don’t remember anyone

teaching us to swim. We just used to go and splash about,” he says. Following his successful cycling to Sunderland in 1941, for the next year’s holiday he cycled 45 miles alone to his uncle’s farm at Willington. “My uncle let me drive his Ford tractor, which was fun,” he says. “I remember too that each day half a dozen Italian prisoners of war were brought to work on the farm by the Army.”

In 1942, Jack joined Loftus Boys Club and the Army Cadets. He was awarded silver and gold medals in the Green Howards Association and is still a member today. He wanted to join the Navy on leaving school, but was turned down because of a bad ear. So his dad had a word with the Skinningrove Works Employment Officer in the White Horse pub and he was taken on as a wages clerk. He found that this job gave him free evenings and weekends to do more cycling.

In 1946, Jack joined the Cycling Touring Club, which rode on Sundays as far as Durham or York. He became a member of Teesside Road Club and raced with them over distances of up to 100 miles for nine years. He joined the Rough Stuff Fellowship in 1952 to cycle off the beaten track, over the tops of the Moors. As a member of its Hard Rider section, he rode up to 180 miles on a Sunday. An itinerary would include stops e.g. for lunch at Rothbury and for tea at Wolsingham.

With the Hard Riders, he cycled the length of Norway after taking the ferry from Newcastle to Bergen and a boat up to the North Cape to start. “There was a lot of uphill and downhill riding and the roads were mainly grit,” he remembers. Another time, he took a ferry from Southend to Ostend and cycled to Rome. He also rode round the Apennines and Dolomites and the island of Corsica.

Jack qualified as a P.E. Instructor at Lilleshall to teach P.E. in Youth Clubs. Through this, he met Ann who lived in Windsor Road, Saltburn but was working in Loftus Youth Club and they married in Emmanuel Church in 1967.

At Skinningrove Works, Jack gained experience as a clerk in the Melting Shop Office and Work Study, but took voluntary redundancy when a move to Middlesbrough was mooted. He was a qualified First Aider, which helped him get a new job as a driver attendant in the local Ambulance Service, first transporting outpatients and later emergency cases. He retired from this in 1991.

Since then, he and Ann have enjoyed lots of UK and European holidays. He says he took 11,000 slides and trained as a projectionist to show them. He chose to give up cycling in his late seventies and car driving at ninety-one, but he still gets to Saltburn Retired Men’s Forum every Monday morning!

● Saltburn Brine Baths

● Jack Noble

Loftus charity finally closes its doors

Former lifeboat building set to get new lease of life

TheOld Co-op Community Building has been serving the community in Loftus for more than a decade.

But now, with Chief Exec Tony Gatehouse saying organisers have reached ‘a certain age’, the charity is finally being wound up.

Since 2010, the “Old Co-op”, as it’s known, has served with over 3,000 visitors a month as an independent charity providing a hub for the community and access to a huge range of services and support to the community.

Well known for the popular Hub café and charity shop, TOCCB has also offered employment services, job search and training facilities, mental health support, a drugs clinic, foodbank, start up support for new local businesses, local councillor clinics, MP surgeries as well as other social events including bingo, indoor bowls, singing and music classes.

The charity also welcomed the Middlesbrough Football Club Foundation to the building, which will continue to serve the local community.

The building that was the Co-op department store, also continues to host an excellent Martial Art Centre providing first class development for children and adults including one Kallum Bateman who was recently selected to represent Great Britain in the taekwondo European Championships.

After 12 years, the charity’s Chief Exec Tony Gatehouse, explained why he was calling it a day.

The 67-year-old said: “Having served our community for 12 years, it was time to retire as our team were all of ‘a certain age’. “The Old Co-op building is now in the hands of new operators, who have maintained the ground floor as community services, including Middlesbrough Football Club Foundation and the Martial Arts Centre and I understand, intend to provide homes on the

upper floors in due course.

“So, as our last charitable act as TOCCB, before we deregister as a charity, we will pass our remaining funds - in excess of £20,000 - to two local charities - Footprints in the Community and Teesside Family Foundation.

“Both these charities do enormous amounts of good within our community and our intent here is to further enable them to continue their various excellent works, particularly during this current period of financial difficulty.

“Finally, may we extend our sincere and grateful thanks to all those who have supported us and helped us to help others over the years, in particular our staff and volunteers, our many customers, and donators of furniture and household goods for our shop, food for our foodbank and sometimes, cash donations too.

“The generosity of the local community was consistently shown in so many ways over the years and is a clear testament to the community spirit which abounds locally.”

Simon Clarke, Conservative MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, said:

“On behalf of everybody here in Loftus and beyond I want to say a massive thank you to Tony and all his team for everything they have done over the past 12 years.

“In that time they have helped literally thousands of people in everything from mental health support, helping people find work, helping people in financial difficulty, helping small businesses get started and offering training facilities.

“Their departure from Loftus is a big loss to the area but I am delighted that, in their act, the Old Co-Op is handing over £20,000 to two local charities.

“I particularly want to commend Tony for everything he’s done for this town and I wish him a happy retirement.”

AformerRNLI lifeboat building on Teesmouth, South Gare, Redcar, which was closed for good back in 2006, is set to get a new lease of life for community interests, thanks to the effort of the local ward councillor for Coatham.

Councillor Carl Quartermain, said he has been working with PD Ports for a number of months and can announce an agreement to reopen the building has been reached with the port authority.

Writing in his blog he said: “I have been working with PD Ports to gain access for community purposes, to the former lifeboat building at the South Gare. This building has been empty for nearly seventeen years and has the potential be used for multiple community purposes.

“I am very excited to announce that this facility, that was closed in 2006, has now been agreed as a lease opportunity, particularly for local community interest groups with a marine focus.

A1 PET SERVICES & SUPPLIES

“However, my wish is that this facility can also be used by multiple groups for a wide variety of purposes. Therefore all groups should consider how they might benefit from the location of this facility.

“For example, it could be used as a centre for; a marine animal rescue sanctuary; an educational and environmental outpost; a creative studio; a litter picking and wildlife base; mobility beach wheelchair support; a centre to support water sport groups; and/or a base to put on events and markets – the list is endless and the opportunity real and I hope to see a lot a of activity in the near future.”

Community groups with a proposal for river or marine-based activities who believe they could benefit from the use of the building should register their interest by contacting Kathryn Watson, Property Manager at PD Ports, on 01642 877042. Councillor Quartermain’s blog can be viewed at: https://diaryofacouncillor.com/

A Loftus charity which served the community for over a decade has finally closed - but not before donating its remaining £20,000 to good causes

Lib Dems call for real help with housing

Liberal Democrats on Redcar & Cleveland Borough were recently successful in persuading the council to press for “Housing First” schemes to help those who are homeless or vulnerably housed.

“Housing First” is a nationally and internationally proven approach to help such people maintain tenancies, improve their health, and avoid offending over the long term. Housing First providers offer long-term and intense support to clients, with a track record of improving engagement with support services and 80-90% rates of sustaining tenancies.

Lib Dem Cllr Karen King, who leads the Lib Dem Group, proposed the motion and said: “Housing First type systems give homeless people somewhere to live without asking questions in the initial stages. This approach recognises that housing often needs to be in place before people can begin to address other issues in their lives.

“I am delighted the motion has been accepted and passed with cross party support. I look forward to the responses from the secretary of state and local MP’s in our request for additional funding to help the council achieve its aims to support some of the most vulnerable members in society.”

Cllr Alison Barnes, Lib Dem member for Zetland Ward, added: “Investment in “Housing First” is good value-for-money for tax-payers, our communities, and people with multiple and complex needs. A study by the charity Crisis suggests that every £1 spent on Housing First saves tax-payers £1.24 in the long term, reducing demands on the NHS, policing, benefits, and local government – as well as improving individuals’ lives. An analysis of a pilot scheme in Greater Manchester suggested more than £2.50 would be saved from public services for every £1 invested in Housing First.”

from Guisborough RBL

Boost of £2.6 million for Family Hubs and Start for Life programmes across the borough

Families across the borough will receive extra support thanks to a major funding boost.

The Council is one of 75 local authorities across the country to receive Government funding for Family Hubs which provide support to parents and carers of children and young people aged to 19.

The funding will help transform and improve both the range and availability of services at existing family hubs - including health visiting and maternity services.

A new ‘Start for Life’ Offer is also being developed which will provide parents and prospective parents with a guide about what to expect through the first 1001 days of a child’s life, from the antenatal period through to aged two years. Other support for new parents of children aged two and under will include help with infant-parent relationships, mental health, parenting and support for infant feeding. There is also a separate focus on supporting children aged three and four years who were born at the height of the pandemic who may need extra support with their communication and language development.

The vision is for Family Hubs to become the first port of call for Early Help services, where a parent or carer can drop in and either receive or be signposted to the services on offer to support them and their child.

Councillor Alison Barnes, Cabinet Member for Children, said: “This is excellent news for our families right across our borough. All our children and young people deserve support right through their childhoods and this will help us deliver a better service for them. We all know that the first months and years of a child’s development are absolutely crucial and the focus on that period and giving them the best start in life will have a positive effect on our children for the rest of their lives.”

For anyone who would like to know more about what family hubs currently offer, please contact your local family hub, details can be found on https://www.redcarcleveland.gov.uk/children-and-familiesservices/family-hubs.

By Brian Gent - Chairman Guisborough RBL

RBL

and Officers who supervised the Cadets whilst collecting in various locations in the town. This fantastic amount increases on their total for 2021.

● FAMILY SUPPORT: Grangetown Family Hub

bp invests in future green skills with backing for 20 scholarships at Redcar and Cleveland College

Inspiring the next generation of STEM professionals is becoming a real team effort for teachers across the Tees Valley.

Redcar and Cleveland College has joined forces with bp and nine secondary and primary schools to find innovative ways to bring STEM into every classroom.

By working alongside STEM Learning and the North East STEM Hub, along with funding from bp, the ENTHUSE Partnership could soon see their ideas shared nationally with teaching professionals across the UK.

“This is a fantastic chance for the college and schools to work together to create new and innovative ways of embedding STEM into current practices,” said Jessie Baguley, Redcar and Cleveland College’s engineering partnerships officer.

“With developments happening here on our doorstep, particularly at the Teesworks site, along with investment in the clean and low carbon sectors, we are in a prime position to raise aspirations among our young people and create a workforce that is future ready.”

Youngsters looking to build their future careers in the low carbon sector could be given a step up the ladder as 20 paid scholarship opportunities are announced in Redcar.

Energy giant bp has teamed up with Redcar and Cleveland College to offer 20 school leavers the chance to earn while they learn on a bespoke twoyear engineering programme that will specialise in the green skills needed for the future.

Delivered at the college’s all new Clean Energy Education Hub, due to open this spring, the Teesside Clean Energy Technician scholarship programme will come with a £100 weekly term-time allowance and aims to inspire and motivate future talent.

Louise Kingham, bp’s UK head of country and senior vice president of Europe, said: “We believe that our planned hydrogen and CCS projects can help turn Teesside into a worldclass low carbon energy hub, and that local people will be at the heart of that transition.

“That’s why we are partnering with Redcar and Cleveland College to invest in young Teessiders and provide the training they need to access high-quality low carbon jobs that will sustain the region for decades to come.”

By working alongside bp, the college scholarships have been created to ensure the knowledge and skills taught meet the needs of future developments in carbon capture and the green industries. Applications are now open for the full-time two-year course due to start this September.

Redcar and Cleveland College’s principal Jason Faulkner said: “This is an incredible opportunity for those age 16 to 18 who are wanting to train to be an engineer with an interest in working in the low carbon sector.

“To be in with the chance of not only

having the backing of an industry giant, but also to be paid to train straight from school, is something that shouldn’t be overlooked or underestimated. We expect the competition for these 20 places to be fierce.”

As the Tees Valley continues to take its place at the forefront of developments in the low carbon sector, the scholarship announcement has been welcomed by Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen.

He said: “With Net Zero Teesside and its blue and green hydrogen projects, bp is massively investing in our region in the cleaner, safer and healthier industries of the future – and now it’s backing local people too. These scholarships will give the next generation of workers a huge leg-up in securing a successful career as we drive the UK’s low-carbon sector.

“These are fantastic opportunities, complementing our other initiatives to identify skills gaps, upskill our workforce and give people and businesses the tools they need, so everyone right across Teesside, Hartlepool and Darlington can benefit from these pioneering schemes.”

Redcar and Cleveland College principal Jason added: “At Redcar and Cleveland College, through our Clean Energy Education Hub, we recognise we have an important role to play in equipping young people, and adults, with the skills to benefit from the green, clean careers ahead.

“To have the support and expertise of industry leaders behind us is integral. The backing of bp for these young people in their education is yet another clear indicator of bp’s commitment to this region and our communities.”

To register your interest in the Teesside Clean Energy Technician scholarship programme at Redcar and Cleveland College, in partnership with bp, starting this September, email: bpscholarships@cleveland.ac.uk

The two-year bp ENTHUSE Teesside partnership will give those taking part, their schools and students access to STEM enrichment opportunities, along with continual professional development training in delivering STEM subjects from the Science Learning Partnership and Computing Hub.

The North East STEM Hub will add to this the chance to work alongside STEM ambassadors – local industry professionals who can offer careers talks, workplace visits, mentoring and work experience.

To raise awareness and understanding of careers in STEM, STEM Learning has been helping establish ENTHUSE partnerships all over the country.

On seeing the initiative launched at

schools from across Teesside, partnership advisor Rob Stobie, of the North East STEM Hub, said: “It is about putting together a package of opportunities that focuses on the bigger picture for the region. Fed back into the schools and colleges, this combined offer aims to ultimately improve student attainment and inspire the next generation of STEM professionals.”

Already lending their weight to the initiative, bp’s education and employability consultant Tom Thayer said: “As a long-standing supporter of STEM Learning, bp is proud to launch the ENTHUSE Partnership with Redcar and Cleveland College and schools on Teesside and to support local STEM skills development. Industry partnerships like this are key to equipping young people with the skills they will need to thrive in low carbon careers, such as those that would support our planned hydrogen and CCS projects on Teesside.”

Owen McAteer, Regional Network Lead for STEM Learning in the North East, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with bp on this ENTHUSE Partnership and excited to be working closely with Redcar and Cleveland College and the partner schools involved.

“The green industrial revolution really is a massive opportunity for our young people in the Tees Valley and wider North East. Projects such as this new bp ENTHUSE Partnership will help ensure they are able to seize those opportunities, by enabling us to carry out intensive work with the teachers and pupils to ensure our young people develop the STEM skills and knowledge they need to flourish.”

Clare Nicholas is a higher level teaching assistant and science lead at Errington Primary School in Marske. Attending the project launch, she said: “This is a brilliant opportunity to access resources and meet other likeminded people and increase the opportunity for teaching STEM subjects. It creates such a buzz.”

She added: “To engage youngsters in STEM subjects we need to grab their interest as early as we can. Young people often think STEM subjects are not for them, or it is something they “can’t do”, when in fact science, maths and engineering is involved in so many of the activities they are already doing, even something as simple as kicking a football. Increasing the ways in which we can integrate STEM into subjects, and being able to put that into context, is brilliant for our children.”

Together we can “Enthuse” our future STEM professionals

● The launch of the bp ENTHUSE Teesside partnership at Redcar and Cleveland College

● left to right bp’s social performance manager, UK communications and external affairs, Masudur Rahman, Redcar and Cleveland College’s head of construction, engineering and service industries, David Laycock, Redcar and Cleveland College principal, Jason Faulkner, bp’s education and employability consultant, Tom Thayer, and Redcar and Cleveland College’s engineering partnerships officer, Jessie Baguley

Supporting our communities to thrive

We are working hard to deliver a positive impact in the communities across our local area, including the North Yorkshire Coast, Redcar and Cleveland, and the wider region too.

In 2022, we delivered significant benefits in the local area.

£222 million

contribution to the regional economy of Yorkshire and the North-East. The project has generated an additional £1.2 billion to the regional economy since construction started in 2017.

1,000

local people working on the Woodsmith Project. The project currently employs 1,650 people, of which 61% are from the local area.

£4.5 million

contribution to our Thriving Communities Programme, the Woodsmith Foundation, and payments that meet our planning commitments.

Find out more about our project and work in the community at:

uk.angloamerican.com

Ella Higham from Middlesbrough. 3rd Year Engineering Apprentice at the Anglo American Woodsmith Project.

Spa Hotel continues to grow

The Langbaurgh Loop

TheSpa Hotel at Saltburn continues to develop.

First appearing in the town as the Assembly Rooms, there was a grand opening in 1885.

The design was by Alfred Waterhouse, one of Britain’s busiest architects at the time, who must have been hard pressed to fit it in. Alfred was notable for his productivity and many grand buildings including the Town Hall at Darlington and Manchester and the Natural History Museum in London still stand today as a tribute to his work.

The original Assembly Rooms offered a concert hall with capacity for 600 patrons. Considerable modernisation and extension took place around 1935 and the Spa Pavilion was launched, offering a large café and a ballroom.

One of the later occupants of the stage area was the Saltburn ’53 Society which performed there until 1970.

In the 1970s a transformation into the Philmore Country Club was soon followed with Philmores night club. The popularity grew but later turned to notoriety and closure took place in 1992.

Subsequent change of ownership led to the development of an hotel in 1994 which has seen many changes since.

The latest development has started with the demolition of the conservatory restaurant and bar area already under way. Planning permission has been secured for a new design of the extension with a roof terrace which will afford even more spectacular views over the coast line, adding further to its popularity as a venue to visit.

The‘Loop’ is a 38 mile long distance challenge walk starting and finishing in Saltburn and follows a route entirely within the boundary of Redcar & Cleveland. Designed in 1986 and first walked in 1987 by Philip Thomson and 6 intrepid colleagues.

Currently Philip and Geoff Watkins, a fellow walker form Saltburn, are checking out the fine details of the route before publishing an up to date brochure and holding a ‘relaunch’ event at the end of May.

The Langbaurgh Loop can be walked in either direction, setting off in an Easterly or Westerly direction. There are seven sections.

Section one, going East, is 5.3 miles long and sets off along the coast taking the Cleveland Way from Cat Nab. From the Ship Inn the path rises onto Huntcliff and heads for Skinningrove. The pathway does at times come close to the cliffs but Redcar & Cleveland’s Countryside Team, which

looks after this section for the Cleveland Way manager in Helmsley, is engaged in maintenance work to upgrade surfaces and move some of the pathway sections further inland.

This spectacular walk reaches to Skinningrove where a descent reveals the incredible beach, which remains unspoilt after all this time. The jetty which was built to service the Iron Works in days gone by is passed and a further ascent is made up on to Hummersea and then along the cliff path to the old alum quarries before turning South towards Upton.

The ‘Loop’ actually goes past Street Houses where the Saxon archaeological digs have taken place in recent years.

Section one has more climbs than others, but once up on what are estimated to be the highest cliffs in England, the ‘Loop’ has an easier feel as walkers set off South in the direction of Robin Hood Butts on the other side of the A171.

● North face of Spa Hotel during reconstruction.

● Original Assembly Rooms

● Alum quarries at Gallihowe

● Looking back to Cattersty from Hummersea

Idling Trains

Some more progress on increasing parking capacity in Saltburn

TransPenninedirect service to Manchester Airport started running from Saltburn last year. Initially only one train per day was actually scheduled as a straight through service, with the other hourly trains incurring changes en route. Now the hourly service is almost entirely without any changes. This has been warmly welcomed by travellers.

Anyone trying to find a parking space in Saltburn during the holiday periods or even on a warm day any time of the year may be challenged to find one readily.

The development of the Cat Nab car park was finally delivered but it disappointed in not maximising the footprint available for vehicles. It did however happen.

The proposals for adding substantial capacity on Marine Parade have been pushed back again as the waiting for the publishing of the Saltburn Masterplan goes on. This development which has had funding on the table for three years was first detailed by Councillor Thomson in 2017. He and fellow Councillors have been continually pressing

for implementation.

Ward Councillors have also requested that the new car park at Saltburn Gill, behind the pumping station, which was first proposed in 2008 be progressed. This is to be done with development monies which have remained dormant for four years pending decisions on how theymight be spent.

The site to be developed is at Saltburn Gill beside the Northumbrian Water pumping station and behind Cat Nab. Some remediation of soil had been identified but construction work has now started and should be complete before Easter.

Twenty five spaces will be made available. It will be a pay and display site.

Emmanuel under repair

Maintaining a church building is not without time, energy and fundraising. It is even more challenging when the building is listed. Emmanuel was credited with Grade 11 status in 1967.

The South rose window in the transept had been deteriorating for some time and a crucial point was reached last year when long anticipated

works did need to begin.

The main building of Emmanuel was completed in 1869, although there have been several additions since, including the church tower, which houses the Parish Clock. The refurbishment of the rose window will be a welcome relief to all the congregation and the many visitors who come to worship and to admire this truly magnificent building.

However, the comfort of the Class 185 units whilst travelling has not been shared by some residents in the vicinity of the station who have raised concerns about the environmental effect of diesels not shutting down when alongside the station platforms for any length of time.

Trains were coming in and allowing the diesel engines to continue running. Some of the idling times are up to 50 minutes.

Philip Thomson, who is chair of the Redcar & Cleveland Council Climate and Environment Scrutiny Committee had raised the matter as an issue of environmental concern, both from an air polluting aspect but also from a sound aspect. He had also raised it with the saltburn Line Users group.

After representation to TransPennine, the operator, a reply has been received.

“We operate Class 185 diesel multiple units on this route.

The 185 unit is composed of three carriages in a fixed formation, but we will normally operate these as six carriage trains using two units on this route

Six carriage trains are required due to the number of passengers using these services en route to and from Manchester Airport.

Operationally, unlike a road vehicle, is it not possible to simply switch off trains upon arrival as the shutdown/start-up of trains requires a process which takes a prescribed length of time. As such we are unable to switch trains off for

shorter turnarounds in the morning and evening at Saltburn, which range from 13½ minutes to 25 minutes

The cut off for within our operational processes for using the option which shuts off engines is for services with a standing time in excess of 30 minutes

This does not mean that we intend to leave units idling at Saltburn on all services however, as generally throughout the day turnarounds are between 43 and 62 minutes at Saltburn; on those diagrams drivers are instructed to shut down the units on arrival into Saltburn, and then before departure they are instructed to start them up again in accordance with pre-departure procedures.”

As a result of this contact with the company, most trains are no longer idling unnecessarily in the station.

However monitoring will continue to ensure this improvement is sustained and further discussions with the rail industry are taking place to seek further reduction in engine running times in the stations, not just in Saltburn but across the network.

Sad Story

Justwhen everything seems to be going along fine, the unexpected happens.

The ‘Open All Hours’ Bookcase, installed beside Sainsbury’s, was well received by the local community and books were being borrowed and donated and all seemed well in the literary world.

One morning, on turning a corner, life had taken a different turn.

A very large new system had appeared, virtually overnight, leaving access to the bookcase almost impossible apart from the slimmest of readers.

Although this new system had been discussed, its final positioning and actual dimensions had been lost in cyber space.

Undaunted, arrangements were put in place to move the treasured bookcase to a new location.

● Tight squeeze

● Preaparation of the new car park behind Cat Nab

● TransPennine in Saltburn Station in late evening

Transformed library and Community Hub opens its doors once again…and children are already transported by magical story-telling!

Amuch-loved library and community

hub at the heart of the community has opened its doors once again after a major refurbishment.

Ormesby Library opened in the 1960s but closed on Monday 1 August last year (2022) for refurbishment after becoming tired-looking and today (Thursday 26 January) people had their first chance to see it transformed into a modern library and vibrant community hub the whole community to enjoy.

It’s hoped the only community building in the Ormesby ward will have increased use as a library but also as a centre for the people it is there to serve with a wide range of activities.

The interior has been redesigned to create a place for people to meet, learn, play explore and connect. It boasts a new flexible meeting and events space to allow multiple uses of the building at any time. The furniture chosen can be easily moved to create an even bigger space to enable the venue to be used for lots of activity. It is now a modern space which realises the potential and power of what a library and community hub can be. Alongside the look and feel an improved heating and light system has been put in place.

And it has already proven to be a hit with the first members of the public to walk through the doors. Children from nearby Overfields Primary School enjoyed hearing stories from professional storyteller, Elizabeth Baker. Headteacher, Tracy Watson, explained the school had used the library and community

space a lot and had missed it and was enthusiastic about the transformed space. She said: “It’s like a completely different building. It’s as if someone knocked it down and started again – I’m really impressed. To us, there is nothing more important than a child being able to open a book and read so it’s been lovely to see the children itching for the place to reopen. They’ve been looking through the windows to see what it’s like.”

It wasn’t just younger members of the community who enjoyed the first day. Marie Toombs, 97, explained she uses as a place to meet people and find information. She said: “I think it’s wonderful. There’s so much light and space – whoever designed it knew what they were doing. I’m greatly impressed.”

Cllr Louise Westbury, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment and Culture, said: “What a fantastic space for the people of Ormesby and beyond! The redevelopment will drive up usage of the building from the communities it is there to serve, create a much better experience and improve the perception of the value of libraries. We want our libraries to be spaces that the public can engage with actively and it is important that they are warm and welcoming. It will also enable us to connect more with communities, driving forward our offer and objectives around reading and increasing literacy, information and digital, culture and creative opportunities and enrichment and health and wellbeing.”

It’s also hoped the Community Hub and

library will be used for events, including film nights and even music nights, as well as for community groups and a small conference-style space for meetings. The building is also being used as a warm space where people may get tea and coffees during the cost of living crisis. More family fun activities are planned at the library for tomorrow and Saturday (January 27 and 28). Pop along to enjoy traditional tales loved by all with Storyteller, Author and Actor, Chris Connaughton. 10.30am-11.30am for three to seven-year-olds and from 1pm-2pm for children aged eight and above. There will be interactive activities for the whole family

including crafts, including making your own rainbow. There’s also a chance to build with Lego and children will be asked to create a secret fantasy room they’d like to see in the library and community hub.

Ormesby Library & Community Hub opening hours are:

Monday: 9:00am – 5:00pm

Tuesday: 10:00am – 5:00pm

Wednesday: Closed

Thursday: 10:00am – 4:00pm

Friday: 10:00am – 5:00pm

Saturday: 9:30am – 12:30pm

Sunday: Closed

● Before - library refurbishment

● WE’RE BACK!: Deputy Mayor of Redcar and Cleveland, Cllr Malcolm Head, officially cuts the ribbon and declares Ormesby Library and Community Hub open while Overfields Primary children celebrate

Beyond Housing celebrates apprenticeship graduation

Redcar library set to stay put

Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council have decided to keep Redcar Library where it is, until it can be relocated to a new purpose-built venue in Redcar Town Centre, as part of the Redcar Town Deal plans.

Following extensive consultation and feedback from the public and library users, the library will remain in its current location on the ground floor of Redcar and Cleveland House.

The library will be reconfigured to improve the layout and accommodate some council staff – it will remain in its current location until 2024/2025.

A state-of-the-art library and cultural hub is planned as part of the Redcar Town Deal which will provide a welcoming space with access to digital technology, information, services and learning in the heart of the town centre. The project is due for completion in the summer of 2025.

BeyondHousing has celebrated the graduation of 12 apprentices at a special event at Sneaton Castle .

At the ceremony, hosted at the spectacular venue in Whitby and rounding off National Apprenticeship Week, the 12 young people who have completed their apprenticeships were presented with graduation certificates. A further eight apprentices were awarded certificates to mark the completion of their current levels before embarking on to a further qualification with Beyond Housing.

Nine of the 12 graduates have already progressed into full-time employment with Beyond Housing.

Lucy Patchett, who started her apprenticeship in January 2021, graduated

with a LevAccoel 3 certificate in Business Administration. Like several others, she felt the apprenticeship option suited her more than further education at college.

She explained: “I did do a year in college but decided that, at that moment in time, it wasn’t the right thing for me, so I opted to look for an apprenticeship. I found it challenging at first, but I’m much more confident now and I really enjoy working at Beyond Housing.”

The apprenticeship programme provides local young people with the opportunity to earn a wage while studying their chosen profession at the same time.

Emma Grimes, Employability Manager at Beyond Housing, said: “We are fully

committed to providing apprenticeships as a means of equipping individuals with the necessary skills and practical experience to thrive in their future careers.

“This graduation event comes at the end of National Apprenticeship Week, which has given us an opportunity to showcase some of the great work they do and the value they add to our business.”

Rosemary Du Rose, Chief Executive at Beyond Housing, said: “ At Beyond Housing, we firmly believe in incorporating apprenticeships into our recruitment and career development strategy. We are thrilled with the outcomes of our recent apprentices and wish them all continued success in their futures.”

Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment and Culture, Cllr Louise Westbury said:

“We have taken on board and listened to the feedback from the public and library users about the proposed temporary library move to TunedIn! and taken the decision to keep Redcar library in its current location until it moves to its new venue in the town centre as part of the Redcar Town Deal plans.

“The cultural hub which will include the new library in the town centre will be a great asset for Redcar and provide residents and visitors with a fantastic new learning and activities space in the heart of the town.”

The decision to keep the library where it is until its move to the town centre in 2025 also means Redcar station can be developed as previously agreed.

● Beyond Housing apprentices celebrate at the 2023 graduation event

Coastal path to be improved

Acoastal path used by tens of thousands of people each year will be improved to make walking along steeper sections easier.

The decision to add stones along the stunningly beautiful coastal path, which is part of the national Cleveland Way and runs south from Saltburn, was made following a regular six month inspection by the Council and the National Trails Officer.

The Council and its partners ensure the path is as safe as possible to use. Signage and fencing is in place at various points

along the route to enable safe use of the path without spoiling the natural appeal of these wild and remote areas.

Councillor Barry Hunt, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Housing, said: “I want to reassure everyone that the Council regularly monitors the coastal path to ensure that it is safe to use and well maintained. It is a beautiful part of the borough that we need to protect and manage with our partners to ensure that it continues to be a popular walking route for everyone.”

Aiming for Oxbridge

PriorPursglove College in Guisborough would like to congratulate their students who have received offers to study at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge for the next academic year.

All of the students who applied to these prestigious universities had to undergo a rigorous and challenging application process, including submission of their application form for the early October deadline, preparing for and sitting admissions assessments and undertaking at least two virtual academic interviews in early December with academic tutors from their chosen courses. Then followed a nervous wait until January to find out the outcome.

Olivia Wytcherley, Assistant Principal, said: “We are incredibly proud of the resilience and determination shown by the students who applied to Oxford and Cambridge this year. Making it to the interview stage is a real achievement and a fantastic opportunity to engage in academic discussion with prominent academics in their chosen field. The students prepared well, often collaborating with each other and teachers, to practise problem solving and critical analysis skills. “Our teachers are always on hand to provide additional support through enrichment, offering academic competitions or

putting students through their paces in a mock interview. We have now established a strong tradition in successfully preparing students to study at top universities.”

Of this year’s nine students, six have received offers from Oxford and three from Cambridge. The students holding offers for Oxford are hoping to study subjects including Engineering (3), Mathematics, Classics and French with beginner’s Russian. Two students have received offers from Trinity College, which, as our link college, have provided comprehensive support to all our applicants.

In addition, we have two students holding offers for Natural Sciences at Cambridge alongside one of our students from last year who has received an unconditional offer for English Literature.

Twins Grace and Lauren Hinton, ex Sacred Heart students, have both received offers from Oxford to read Engineering, following in their father’s footsteps. Lauren said: “Thank you to all my teachers for helping me with the application process, especially in writing my personal statement.”

Adam Tilling, ex Laurence Jackson student, has received an offer to read Mathematics at St Anne’s College Oxford, after completing both A level Maths and Further Maths in his first year at college.

Adam said: “College has really

helped me to be able to learn as much as I can whilst I am here and I am very grateful for the support you receive from all the people at Prior.”

Kaitlyn Easter-Bell, ex Sacred Heart student, is the first student in the college’s recent history to receive an offer to read Classics at Trinity College Oxford.

Bradley Sills and Arthur Leaper, ex Outwood Bydales students, have both received offers to read Natural Sciences at Cambridge.

Francis Nozedar, ex Sacred Heart student has been offered a place at Wadham College, Oxford to study French and Beginners Russian.

Francis said: “‘Studying at Prior has really developed me academically and as a person.”

Thomas Cornwall, ex Stokesley School student has received an unconditional offer to study English Literature at Cambridge.

Principal Asma Shaffi said: “We are having tremendous success in securing offers from Oxford and Cambridge universities. Prior Pursglove College has a long-standing history in sending students to Oxbridge to read from Science and Mathematics to Classics, Languages and Social Sciences.

“But recently we have seen a very positive increase in these numbers

and of female students undertaking engineering and mathematics. We are incredibly proud of our students, and I have enormous respect and gratitude towards their previous schools and parents. These students really help to show their peers that such success is a reality in our area and strong work ethic pays credible dividends.”

Discover more about Prior Pursglove College and the courses it offers at pursglove.ac.uk

● Students who have received offers to study at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge for the next academic year with Asma & Olivia

● Thomas Ewan Cornwall

Helloand welcome to this months

Crime Prevention Policing

Page, brough to you by Paul Payne, your dedicated, Redcar, Eston and East Cleveland Officer

Well, it’s been another busy month for us all here at Cleveland Police, but that’s just how I like it. One of the issues we have been dealing with this month and which will be carrying on into the future is Operation Endurance which aims at tackling Off Road Vehicles throughout our towns and countryside. The good news is that we are making progress and this month we have ran several of this operation to the point that they have been so successful that we now plan to role it out across the force.

Six people were arrested by the Redcar and Cleveland Neighbourhood Team (including officers from Redcar, Guisborough and Eston) for the neighbourhood week of action last week.

Seven off-road bikes/ vehicles believed to be involved in criminal activity and a suspected stolen caravan worth £20k were seized in addition to class A/B drugs, imitation firearms and bullets, offensive weapons and £4k cash.

The team was assisted by the Drone Unit, Redcar and Cleveland Council, North Yorkshire Off Road Bike Unit and Crime Prevention.

Officers also ensured they spent the week engaging with local residents at schools, local libraries to answer any issues in relation to antisocial behaviour and criminal activity.

Operation Endurance (to tackle offroad bikes) was one of the biggest highlights of the week. The operation

Crime Prevention

was launched after members of the public and the Force raised serious concerns about young riders causing havoc in communities on illegal bikes. Officers from Eston created an innovative approach to tackling the issues by using drones to track riders in the area, and then sending officers to seize the bikes and arrest the riders. The approach has been successful so far and a number of examples of this approach can be seen in the drone footage on our social media outlets.

In total 50 bikes have been seized as a result of Operation Endurance over the last few months. The Force wants to send out a clear message that the use of off-road bikes and their links to illegal activities will not be tolerated. Anyone who has any issues to report in their local community are asked to call us on 101 and the information will be passed over to our neighbourhood teams.

Independent charity Crimestoppers can also be contacted anonymously online at Independent UK charity taking crime information anonymously via Crimestoppers (crimestoppers-uk.org) or by phone on 0800 555 111.

Community Events:

I was also at Morrisons in Redcar in February with Victim, Care and Advice Service (VCAS) with a stall highlighting the different ways we can help people and giving away a few freebies. this stall is near to the Community Room which Morrisons give free to any group, charity etc that want somewhere to meet, and I’d like to thank them for allowing us the use of it.

We plan to be there every first Thursday of the month from 1pm, so please come

along and say hello as its always nice to put a face to a name.

Rural Forum:

For those living and working in the rural communities, and just have an interest in what Cleveland Police are doing around this issue, we have our quarterly forum on the:

Wednesday 10th March 2023

10.30 – 12.30

Kirkleatham Police Office, Troisdorf Way, Redcar, TS10 5AP

Everyone is welcome, and if you would like the chance for us to hold a forum in your area this year then please just get in touch as we want to reach out to everyone and we know not all can make these forums due to travel / distance, but we’d love to let you have your say, and meet us all do we can update you with what we have done, going to but more importantly what YOU want from Cleveland Police and its partners.

If you want any advice on home security then please email me at: crime. prevention@cleveland.pnn.police.uk (please ask for me by name)

Or visit our Crime Prevention Cleveland Police website at: https:// www.cleveland.police.uk/cp/crimeprevention/

Kind Regards

Paul Payne – Crime Prevention Officer for Redcar & East Cleveland Email: crime.prevention@cleveland. pnn.police.uk

Emergency No: 999

Non-Emergency No: 101

CrimeStoppers: 0800 555 111Online: www.crimestoppers-uk.org

Legal Notices

NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR THE VARIATION OF A PREMISES LICENCE

I, Helen Martin, do hereby give notice that I have applied to the Licensing Authority at Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council for the Variation of a Premises Licence at 7 The Wynd, Marske by the Sea, TS11 7LD.

The application proposes to permit the supply of alcohol Monday to Saturday 10:00hrs to 23:00 hrs, and Sunday 12:00hrs to 22:00hrs.

Any interested party or responsible authority may make representations to the application in writing to the Licensing Authority at the address below by 20th March 2023.

The Licensing Register and a copy of the application may be viewed during normal office hours at the address below.

It is an offence to knowingly or recklessly make a false statement in connection with an application and the maximum fine payable on summary conviction of such offences is level 5 on the standard scale.

Redcar & Cleveland Licensing Service

Redcar & Cleveland House, Kirkleatham Street, Redcar, TS10 1RT

Website: www.redcar-cleveland.gov.uk

Dalesmen 2023 Events

Fri 05 May 2023 – Coronation Special, Hinderwell TS13 5HP @ 19:00

Sun 21 May 2023 – Fish and Ships Singalong, Whitby Brewery YO22 4JR @ 15:00

Mon 19 Jun 2023 – Monday Night Series, Westborough Methodist Church, Scarborough YO11 1TS @ 19:30

Sat 24 Jun 2023 - St Matthews Church, Front Street, Grosmont YO22 5QE @ 19:00

Sat 08 Jun 2023 - Kirkbymoorside Methodist Church YO62 6DQ @ 19:00

Sat 14 Oct 2023 - Gala Night, Danby Chapel YO21 2JE @ 19:00

Sat 04 Nov 2023 – with Castleton Ladies, Saltburn Arts Centre TS12 1JW @ 19:00

Sat 09 Dec 2023 – Middlesbrough Town Hall TS1 2QJ @ 19:00

Fri 22 Dec 2023 - Xmas Singalong,Whitby Brewery YO22 4JR @ 17:00

P l e e z e ... N o t e...

This small easy harmony group is open to new singers, rehearsing now for our Spring+Easter program. We meet in Carlin How on Monday evenings, & give a few performances at the end of each series.

We’re currently a bit undecided between doing our own program &/or taking part in the Community Earth Day events. If you can bear the temporary uncertainty, you are welcome ! Timothy Edwards — tel 01287-200347 — mob 07896 534302.

Skelton Castle

Skelton-in-Cleveland Daffodil Sunday

26th March 2023

11.00am – 3.00pm(last entry)

By kind permission of Mr Anthony Wharton

Admission £5pp

Tickets will be available at the maingate on the day Accompanied under 12’s admitted free of charge

All proceeds will go to community groups in Skelton

Guisborough Museum We

will be re-opening from Saturday April 1st every Thursday and Saturday until the end of October 10 am till 4 pm. Disabled access, children very welcome with adults, free entry. we are proud to now be categorised dementia friendly.

Friends of Guisborough Cemetery

We are holding our Annual General Meeting on Thursday 9th March 2023 at 4pm in Sunnyfield House, Westgate, Guisborough.

This is the first one we have been able to hold for a while due to the pandemic.

We have tried to keep the flowerbeds tidy and this year have had help from the horticultural apprentices of RCBC. Many thanks. We will be looking to plant more flowers and plants this Spring for the summer.

We are always interested in new members who would like to help. Spring in particular is a busy time for the gardening. If anyone is interested please come along to the meeting and meet us.

For more information please contact Alma Thrower on 07980 969580

Guisborough u3a

By Moira Stokoe

Guisborough u3a members are gearing up for another year of activities enjoying everything from Mahjong to Middle Eastern Dancing, Book Club to Walking and Singing for Pleasure to Scrabble. The monthly excursions to places such as Newby Hall and The Auckland Project are always popular.

At the February meeting over 100 members heard about the activities of the poetry group as well as the work of Admiral Nurses and the Dementia Friends programme.

● Guisborough singing for pleasure group entertaining u3a members

u3a is an organisation for those who are partly or fully retired aimed at having fun, making friends, learning and exploring new ideas and activities. No qualifications or previous experience to join any group is needed just enthusiasm!

To join us just come along to the monthly meeting at 2pm on the first Wednesday of the month at St Nicholas Parish Hall, Bow Street, Guisborough or visit Guisborough u3a website https://u3asites.org.uk/guisborough/home

2023

starts well

for Friends of Guisborough Library

The New Year got off to a good start in January with a very interesting and well attended talk by Peter Southeran on Canon Atkinson, the Vicar of Danby for over 40 years and with the first craft session at capacity numbers. Mandela stone painting was the subject and the crafters came up with some superb designs. The next talks are on Friday, 31 March when Angela Groves will be taking a humorous look at the four temperaments of the ancient Greeks and how they might apply to us. It is titled ‘What’s

YOUR Personality’ and sounds fun – certainly it will be different. The talk on Friday, 28 April is Christine Clarke telling us about 20 years of Guisborough Priory Gardens and how they have evolved. All talks have a £3 entrance fee which includes refreshments and start at 2pm in Guisborough Library.

The next craft session is on Saturday, 15 April between 10am – 12 noon and will be making greeting cards for any occasion. Everyone will be able to make two styles of card. All materials supplied and it is free but you do need to book as numbers are limited. Telephone the Library on 01287 632668 or call in.

Our AGM will be on Wednesday, 19 April starting at 2pm –refreshments supplied. We will be taking a look at what we have achieved and where we are hoping to go in the future – any suggestions welcome.

The Library is open to everyone and offers far more than a book lending service – you can use their computers for free, do a jigsaw puzzle, get your bus pass or apply for a Blue Badge, buy a parking disc and much more. It is warm and comfy inside with tea and coffee available, so make the most of it.

Thursday 12th January 2nd Gallery

Night Judge and be Judged,we had a very good entry, with only Thursday 19th January Lecturer Timelapse

Photography Brinton Darnell

On Thursday 26th January was the results of our 4th competition (Curves), a very tight and close fought competition, judged by Dave Philips, Winner of Prints Competition was Chris Reed with French Horn Pipework, Second Place was Brian Collett with Ribblehead Viaduct and Chris Reed also took third place with Inside Wells Cathedral, and with no less than 4 Highly Commended and 5 Commended.

Advanced P.D.I`s First place Geoff Harrison with Bend in the Track, second Place Chris Reed with Hook and Chris also took third Place with Ribs.

Intermediate P.D.I`s Winner Graham Warren with Cullercoats Cob Second Place was also Graham Warren with The Waltzer, Third Place. Maxine Walker with Cookie Cutters,Well done to all that entered for a very good and exciting night and to Geoff and Graham, a good night for them both.

On Thursday 2nd February we had a Practical Night, with 5 setups, from still life to photo stacking. A very good and interesting night was had by all.

On Thursday 9th February results of Short sets, 1st Dave Beadle with Alive in the Highlands, 2nd Chris Reed with Mini Beasts, 3rd was Katie Whittam with Chamonix.

On Thursday 16th lecture, A you tube review of:- J P Stones Photography (some amazing work) The paper goes to press on 17thmore on that next month.Plus Entries for Photographic bingo, entries by e-mail.

Thursday 23rd results of 5th competition Technology (old or new), By Keith Blundy.

Thursday 2nd March another practical night, Entries for the last competition (open), ant the last night to get your web entries in.

Thursday 9th Gallery night a night of Judge and be judged.

Thursday 16th Results of the Photographic Bingo Competition

Thursday23rd Results of our last monthly Competition (Open)

Thursday 30th TBA.

All the information can be found on our Facebook page and web site.

More information on club web site www.guisboroughphotogroup.org.uk

Or our Facebook https://www.facebook. com/groups/984715171574093/

More updates next month Rick S.

Guisborough Photo Group Update Sing with Guisborough Choral Society

Wewarmly welcome new singers and invite you to our regular rehearsals during term time on Wednesdays at 7:30 pm in Sunnyfield House, Westgate, Guisborough.

New to singing? No problem, we have lots of help and encouragement for you. We’ll be delighted for you to come have a go.

More information and assistance can be found on our website and social media pages. Please feel free to visit our sites or phone us.

Website: http://guisboroughchoralsociety.org.uk

Facebook: http://facebook.com/guischoir

Twitter: @GuisChoral

Phone/text the Publicity Officer at 07960 301758

PARKINSON’S UK Redcar & District Support Group

Do you or someone you care for suffer from Parkinson’s? Come and join us at our monthly meeting, where you will be welcomed into our friendly group. At these meetings we have various speakers and organise outings. There is also, a chair-based exercise session every week.

The Parkinson’s UK support group for Redcar and District meets 2nd Thursday of the month at 25K Community Centre, Ayton Drive, Redcar TS10 4LR. At our meeting 9th March 2023 our speaker is Katie Magee, Parkinson’s Local Advisor Chair based exercises are held every Tuesday 1 – 2pm at 25K Community Centre, Redcar. Carers are welcome and can sit in adjacent room. Coffee/tea is available. For further information contact Doreen on 07900348518 or email doreen.arkle@virginmedia.com.

Parkinson’s helpline (free phone) 0808 800 0303

Email: enquiries@parkinsons.org.uk

Website: http://parkinson.org.uk

We are the Parkinson’s charity that drives better care, treatments, and quality of life.

Charity No. 258197

By Kate Bramley

The World of Theatre

I had a somewhat reflective theatre going week this week as I got to see John Godber’s ‘Bouncers’ at Harrogate Theatre and Told By an Idiot’s ‘Charlie and Stan’ at York Theatre Royal.

Having worked alongside John Godber for the best part of a decade at Hull Truck Theatre it was interesting to see this newly directed tour by Jane Thornton embracing the 1980’s time period of the original setting- making it deliberately retro rather than dated. And the story behind John Wright’s ‘Charlie and Stan’- that Stan Laurel was Charlie Chaplin’s understudy as they toured the music halls of the UK- was the subject of my play ‘Laurel and Charlie’ back in 2008. This new version is staged in the silent movie format with loosely interweaved sketches inspired by the biographical events.

This put me in mind to look ahead to the next offering from the John Godber Company which is a brand new comedy from John Godber ‘Living on Fresh Air’ that comes to Stephen Joseph Scarborough 19th-22nd April 2023. “Newly retired couple Caroline and Dave

have everything they have ever wanted; a nice house, a hot tub, a small mortgage, a few savings and a new smart meter. But with Covid and the cost of living crisis things are changing. Their children have moved back home, their money is disappearing, the hot tub’s gone, the lights are going out and the smart meter is stressful. No wonder they feel like starting again, and with their new found hobby of walking it feels like they have.”

So join John Godber and Jane Thornton for this “state of the nation” comedy –tickets via https://sjt.uk.com/ Meanwhile 14th-18th March York Theatre Royal hosts the new touring adaptation of HG Wells ‘The Time Machine’. Billed as “Fast-paced, wisecracking, this is an adaptation like no other. When the world of science fiction and science fact collide extraordinary and mind-boggling things can happen. Expect the most surprising and unforeseen consequences as we go on a journey through time.” https://www. yorktheatreroyal.co.uk/show/the-timemachine/ for details and prices. More next time…

Footprints in the Community to hold Information & Networking Event for local charitable organisations and frontline professionals

Local charity Footprints in the Community are delighted to be holding an Information and Networking Event on the morning of Thursday 23 March at the Grangetown United Community Hub. The event is aimed at frontline professionals and local organisations who may need to refer their clients to one of Footprints’ projects. The event will bring together agencies, charities and other organisations who all work within Redcar and Cleveland, to explore ways in which they can work together to improve people’s lives. Staff and volunteers from Footprints in the Community will give a number of short presentations about the impact of Footprints’ projects within the community.

Whilst attendees may have heard of Footprints’ largest projects, such as Redcar Area Foodbank, the event will also give a spotlight to some of the smaller projects. There will also be plenty of opportunities for all attendees to network and share information with each other about their own role and the work of their organisation.

Footprints in the Community’s last Information and Networking Event was held in March 2022. It was well-attended by over 60 individuals, representing approximately 40 different local organisations. The charity hopes that this year’s event will grow on that success.

Local professionals can find out more information and reserve a place, by emailing administrator@ footprintsinthecommunity.co.uk with their name and the organisation they represent.

Footprints in the Community supports people living in Redcar and Cleveland to help reduce poverty and isolation and improve health and wellbeing.

● Information and Networking Event - March 2022

2023 marks a significant milestone of 10 years as a registered charity for Footprints. During that time demand for the charity’s projects, and the number of clients and members it supports, has grown each year. With many people worrying about the increased cost of living, this demand is expected to continue to grow.

Footprints in the Community CEO Ruth Fox said “Footprints in the Community is dedicated to reducing poverty and isolation in Redcar and the surrounding area. We are delighted to be holding another Information and Networking Event which will bring together representatives from so many local organisations. We hope it will enhance the way we work together to support clients, so they can overcome a crisis and move forward from it.”

You can find out more about the work of Footprints in the Community at www.footprintsinthecommunity. co.uk or visit @FootprintsRedcar on Facebook.

THE CLEVELAND BAY

01642

Saltburn Folk Festival Line Up Announced

Thesun shone on the Saltburn Folk Festival in 2022 as it returned after a two-year COVID absence. The new team who organised the Festival were delighted by the reaction of performers and audiences alike that it had been a success.

The organising team have been hard at work over the winter, finding ways to refresh the Festival and win an even bigger audience in this year. The roots of the Saltburn Folk Festival lie in the Redcar Folk Festival which dates back to the 1960s. Although there are some folk fans who can still remember concerts in iconic venues like the Redcar Pier Ballroom, they know that the Festival must continue to evolve to appeal to younger potential audiences.

So the first announcement of the lineup for 10th -13 August 2023 includes some exciting acts playing Saltburn for the first time alongside some returning and much-loved performers. The Saltburn festival wouldn’t be the same without the simply extraordinary Wilson family from Billingham whose powerhouse unaccompanied singing has won them acclaim throughout the folk world and beyond. Marie Little is another great performer who has been part of the Festival for decades, and she’ll be back too.

By contrast, Lady Maisery make their Saltburn debut this year. Hazel Askew, Hannah James and Rowan Rheingans are three of the most accomplished and adventurous artists in modern folk and come together to form a unified voice, carrying stories of sisterhood, human struggle, the joy of living and the vitality of music. They’re just one

of many acts bringing something new to Saltburn this year.

The Festival has always had a significant dance element to it and this year will be no exception, with some of the country’s very best dance teams already signed up to take part. Local theatre group Whippet Up are bringing an outdoor show featuring Teesside favourite Amelia Coburn.

There will be a strong programme focusing on young performers and audiences too and a highlight is certain to be the appearance by the National Youth Folk Ensemble which brings together talented young folk musicians from across England. These exceptional 14–18-year-olds meet up throughout the year for intensive

weeks of music-making with top folk musicians, and their concert spot will be something special to look forward to.

The Festival team are emphasising that this isn’t just a Folk Festival that happens to be held in Saltburn - it’s Saltburn’s very own Folk Festival. They want businesses, residents and community organisations to get involved from the start. There’ll be a number of developments to make the Festival more welcoming and inclusive. For example, the Community Centre will be transformed into a Festival Hub, providing a onestop shop for tickets and information and a meeting point for performers,

What’s on at the Cutty Wren

Every Tuesday at The Redcar Borough Park Bowling Club

Hi,all! We’ve got some very fine performers coming up in March –one of our own regulars doing a Hot Spot, and a duo who will be visiting as guest artists.

But we start March on the 7th with one of our regular “Singers and Musicians” Nights, sometimes called “Singarounds” for short. Basically it will be mostly locals performing a variety of folk based songs and music, and now and then some poetry. This covers a very wide field from old British ballads, real American songs, Irish and modern stuff with folk influences. What attracts us is a good tune and words that mean something. We like a bit of humour as well! So come along and try us if you haven’t before. All are welcome, audience as well as performers.

Our regular Chris Downs has his Hot Spot on March 14th. This gives a performer half an hour “on stage” to put an act across, and it’s good practice for relatively new hands as well as the more experienced ones. Like a few of our members, Chris has been learning the trade in recent years, and is a capable singer and player with an unusual repertoire and an inventive sense of humour. Come and see!

March 21st will be Singers and Musicians again, and then we welcome as guests Fil

Campbell and Tom McFarland on March 28th. Both live in Rostrevor, Co. Down and have been on the scene a long time. Fil has several CD’s to her credit, and she has been a broadcaster as well. Tom is a highly regarded percussionist and has backed more than a few Irish bands. They’re a lively entertaining duo, and I know we’ll have a great time.

It’s “Singers and Musicians” on April 4th and do make a note that we have another highly-regarded duo, “Winter Wilson”, on April 11thfollowed by a Hot Spot with Di Henderson on the 18th. More on them next time.

Looking back, we had the expected lovely evening with our long-time friend Marie Little on January 10th, and a very successful Burns Night a fortnight later. Our regular Gordon Mallory was the right performer to sing Burns’ songs, as well as a fine haggisstabber! Thanks go especially to Mary and Vince for organising and cooking the food. It was excellent!

The Singarounds have been good as well. Sometimes more people turn up, sometimes less, but the performers know enough songs, poemsand tunes to fill an evening – and then some!

So – come and try us. We’re a welcoming bunch so if you’re a stranger to us, you

won’t be a stranger for long! We meet every Tuesday at the Redcar Borough Park Bowling Club, Thwaites Lane, off Redcar Lane, TS10 2FD. Turn off Redcar Lane at the big red racecourse sign and we’re at the end and a bit to the left through the gates. There’s plenty of parking space, and we’re in a comfortable modern Club room with a fine bar. Doors open about 7-30 p.m., singing starts about 7-45 p.m., and we finish at 10-45 p.m.

For those who can’t be there in person, or fancy a double dose, we still have the Singazoomaround sessions online on Thursday evenings. They begin about 7-45 p.m., and end about 9-45 p.m. There’s a good attendance from Britain and beyond, and you’ll hear lots of new singers and material.

To get the link, email our Secretary, Nigel Carden at info@cuttywrenfolkclub.com

That’s also our general email contact, and we have a website at www.cuttywrefolkclub. com You can also ring me on 01642 471769. Thanks as ever to our kind hosts at the Bowls Club for accommodating us this past year, and especially our wonderful bar lady Gemma. And also to the committee, M.C.’s. guests and singers who all help to this great music alive.

See you soon

George F

volunteers, festival goers and anyone else who wants to soak up the folky atmosphere. Lawn care specialists Green Thumb have already signed up to continue as Festival sponsors, and if more businesses lend their support, the Festival can become an even better event.

The simplest way is to get tickets is to visit the web site at https://www. saltburnfolkfestival.com/ and if you are very quick you might even be able to grab one of the “Early Bird” tickets which are selling for just £70! Visit the website, email festivaloffice@saltburnfolkfestival. com or phone 07375 890581 to speak with one of the Festival team.

● Chris Downs

● Fil Campbell & Tom McFarland

Oneof our favourite breaks is a double between the beautiful Polish cities of Krakow and Warsaw.

We fly to one of them, spend a few days there before getting the train to the other one where we spend a further few days and fly back from there.

However we shouldn’t ignore a third beautiful city –Wroclaw, renamed Breslau by the Germans but now back to Wroclaw again by the Poles. You can fly from Leeds Bradford to Wroclaw for less than £50 return!

The city of Wrocław lies on the Oder River. It’s known for its charming old Market Square, lined with elegant townhouses and restaurants.

It also features a Gothic Old Town Hall, with its large astronomical clock.

Food is good and very reasonably priced as is the excellent range of beers. There`s lots of places of interest to visit in and around the city.

To get a feel for your whereabouts it’s worth taking the two hour electric car tour of the city for around £35 or you may prefer to tour by grand E three wheeler scooter or even a one hour segway tour at about £25.

Located in the Ostrow Tumski district is the magnificent Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. It`s the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Wrocław and a landmark of the city. It`s a Gothic church with Neo-Gothic additions.

The current standing cathedral is the fourth church to have been built on the site.

A little further afield is the unpronounceable Szczytnicki Park which is located to the east of Plac Grunwaldzki and the old Oder river, and covers approximately 10 square kilometres of land. The park, besides offering many sightseeing attractions, also has many woodland rarities. It’s worth spending a good half day there.

Wayfarer

Ifso, you can buy some that is very locally made, by just two people, in our kitchens in Moorsholm!

Naturally Smart Skincare has been around for about 10 years now, and we have always tried to make it as natural as possible. We have never included any animal sourced ingredients, or ingredients that have been tested on animals, and we have never tested any of the finished products on animals – just each other, and our friends and relatives!

So, if you want face products, body products or hair products, and you need to know that no animals have been used in their manufacture, in any way, Naturally Smart Skincare is the place to go locally. We also have vegan soap, made without palm oil, in several traditionally made varieties, all fragranced with essential oils and coloured naturally with minerals. These include salt bars, fruit soaps and vegan milk and honey soaps.

In recent years we have also won two national awards; Janey Lee Grace’s Platinum awards. In 2014 our Supreme Cream won Highly Commended in the Hand Made Face Cream category, and in 2015 our Self Tan won Best Natural Tanning Product.

Our newest products are ones I am very excited

about. For years people have been asking if we made deodorants, and the answer was no, but I decided to experiment and have come up with a deodorant balm which is very effective at reducing perspiration as well as odour, despite not containing any traditional antiperspirant ingredients. The ingredients are all natural, and the product comes in a tin – so no plastic! Even better.

We have also developed a very popular antiinflammatory gel using Apple Cider Vinegar. This is proving to be very effective on general aches and pains; I am currently using it regularly on an aching shoulder, and I have several clients who use it before bed to help get rid of aches and pains so they can sleep.

In the past few moths we have released Whipped Body Butter, solid Shampoo Bars and solid Hair Conditioner Bars. They are all available in the same range of essential oil blends, seven in all including fragrance free. The only oils we use to make our products are pure, high quality vegetable oils, organic and cold pressed whenever possible, including olive, apricot kernel, thistle, argan, broccoli seed, castor, red raspberry seed, rice bran, sesame seed – and many more! We have the latest anti-aging ingredients, such as hyaluronic acid,

Vitamin C, Vitamin A Palmitate, Sea Buckthorn and lupin extract, all derived from non-animal sources, and the only scents we use are from essential oils. The preservative we use is the most gentle, but still effective one that we can source –no parabens or mineral oils in sight! So, if you want natural, vegan skincare, that is made with love by our hands only, and you want to support local business, have a look at our website www. naturallysmartskincare.com and see what we can do for you.We have a stand at the Farplace Vegan market in Eaglescliffe community centre on Saturday March 4th.

Thisis the true story of Will Randall`s amazing adventures in the Solomon Isle.

Told by a drunken girl at a wedding that he was getting past marrying age at 32 and he should take the first opportunity that came along. He did, but not for marriage but to teach in the South Pacific. Will`s new home was Mendall, a village so remote it could only be reached by dugout canoe. His task is to make the village self-sufficient and it pits him against shipwrecks, sharks and mosquitoes. What a challenge and what a read. It’s a mixture of adventure and humour. I just couldn`t put this book down.

The Reader

I

Serves 4

500 g of diced cold gammon

½ litre Béchamel sauce

500g of mixed veg leftovers, peas, carrots, leeks are best

½ teaspoon of sage

Lots of cracked black pepper

4 Cheese scones

In a sauce pan heat béchamel, stir in vegetables, sage and black pepper

Take of heat and stir in gammon

Gently simmer for 5 mins

Heat scones in oven for 3 mins

Slice scones and serve on top of the mixture

Redcar Bears Ryan’s Redcar round up Speedway

Thismonth, I will be running the rule over the Bears rivals and Redcar in 2023, with some strong line-ups in another competitive looking Championship.

Before that, two pieces of Bears news! Charles Wright, the skipper has become a father after his partner Leanne gave birth to a healthy baby boy named Oskar!

Secondly, the club have arranged a challenge match against the Newcastle Diamonds with the backing of the club sponsors and sponsors from Tyneside. The fixture will open team proceedings at the ECCO Arena on March 24th.

Berwick - The Bandits look weak and changes may be made when Thomas Jorgensen’s converted Premiership average comes down from above 9. Rory Schlein returns to Speedway after a brief retirement whilst Leon Flint and Jonas Knudsen should continue their upwards progression. However, Berwick look weak at reserve with 2 two point riders in Nathan Stoneman and Connor Coles. PredictionBattling to avoid the wooden spoon.

Birmingham - Whilst the Brummies are yet to announce their 7th rider the side looks quite weak on paper with a number of second strings and no real 3rd heat leader. After splurging 10 points on a number 1 in Nick Morris, the side lacks strength in depth and to be competitive, Justin Sedgemen will have to replicate his fantastic season down under for the side to stand a chance. Additionally, for Birmingham to compete for honours, James Wright and Alfie Bowtell will have to improve to a level they have not previously shown. Prediction - Battling to avoid the wooden spoon. Edinburgh - With the Monarchs looking unlikely to run due to the sale of their Armadale stadium, it was a pleasant surprise to see the Monarchs being granted a stay of execution for 2023. Josh Pickering is sure to score big whilst Edinburgh also welcome back Craig Cook who has re-crossed the Scottish divide. If Cook can recapture his best Edinburgh will be a threat but their lower order of Fredriksen, Hook and Bickley must also contribute for a title challenge to become a reality. Prediction - Playoffs but

no further.

Glasgow - Glasgow have a real mix of youth and experience in their side. The Tigers have Chris Harris leading the side but it will be hard for “Bomber” to repeat his astounding 2022 season. Ben Basso and Tom Brennan are again

likely to improve but Lee Complin may struggle at reserve. Much will depend on the middle order of Marcin Nowak and Claus Vissing whilst Ace Pijper is sure to progress at reserve if given time.

Prediction - Play-offs but no further.

Oxford - Oxford have opted for a side of big

North Riding Football League

hitters as they have brought in Sam Masters from Edinburgh and Lewis Kerr from Redcar to join 2022 Cheetah Scott Nicholls. Success for Oxford will rest on the heat leaders shoulders as the side look weaker at the bottom end with Luke Killeen making the step up to Championship level after only half a season in the third tier. For the side to challenge for the play-offs, a combination of former Redcar starlet Jordan Jenkins continuing to progress and Cameron Heeps recapturing past successes will be required. Prediction - Battling it out to avoid the wooden spoon.

Plymouth - The Gladiators have only announced 5 riders so far but they look to have a potent top 4 with Ben Barker returning from a drugs ban, Paul Starke joining from Oxford whilst Richie Worrall and Kyle Howarth have made the move down south from Leicester. Much will depend on Dan Gilkes who had a scintillating start to last season before a season ending injury at Scunthorpe. Still 2 riders short but do look to have potential. Prediction - Play-offs but no further.

Poole - The Pirates have retained their top 2 of Steve Worrall and Richard Lawson with the Cook brothers expected to improve again. Jack Thomas could also progress whilst Poole have opted for experience at reserve in the shape of two former Bears, Adam Roynon and Kyle Newman, The league champions will be challenging again as they look to have a good blend of youth and experience. Prediction - Play-off finalists.

Redcar - Arguably, the strongest top 3 in the league, one half of the reigning pairs champions (Wright) , one back to back league winner (Danny King) and the fast gating Erik Riss. Jason Edwards looks set for another big year whilst much is expected of Danyon Hume who joins from Glasgow. Will be challenging. Prediction - Play-off finalists

Scunthorpe - The Scorpions have put together a potent looking side. Ryan Douglas will spearhead the side whilst the club have secured the services of the talented Connor Mountain. If Zaine Kennedy replicates his 2022 form the Scorpions will challenge for honours. Prediction Play-offs but no further.

By Andrew Snaith

Redcar Newmarket continue to lead the way in the North Riding League Premier Division; however, as the only side in the top five to apply, it’s Yarm

& Eaglescliffe who are in pole position for promotion to the Northern League.

The highflyers are now based at current Northern League members Billingham Town FC and have been

since the start of the season, meaning they meet ground regulations They’ll be hoping to follow in the footsteps of former NRFL side Boro Rangers who lead Northern League Division Two and look set for promotion.

Meanwhile, Yarm have qualified for the final of the North Riding County Cup after a penalty victory against Tockwith.

Lealholm remain well set for promotion from Division One as their fine form continues

The development sides of Middlesbrough and York City have proved valuable additions to the NRFL Women Division. They are ducking it out at the top with Redcar Athletic on hand to take advantage of any slip ups.

● The youngest speedway rider in town, Oskar Wright

Redcar Town FC by Ian Enderwick

Well,you can tell Spring is here things are changing here at Redcar Town FC, with lots of exciting things in the pipeline and a vision to grow our Club.

We as a club believe in inclusivity and where success is measured in not only trophies but achievements and aims and goals achieved by all coaches and players.

At Redcar Town we cater for all age groups, we have our Saturday Club for ages 3 – 14 and we have our Wildcats age 5 – 11a previous Wildcat Ava produced a video of what football meant to her and that her inspiration was the Lionesses, Ava feels inspired by her football journey, she has goals for the future and this club has been and will be a part of it.

We have introduced a streamline system for our juniorplayers protection regarding photography, this worked well for the Boys U12 Team last weekend. The safety of our players is paramount to this club.

We have an evening with Craig Hignett (scorer of the first goal at the Riverside) organised by the Redcar Men’s First Team in March.

We are updating the Juniors Teams home strips, here are photos of the Redcar Town Royals U’13’s (photo 1) and Under 9’s Royal Blue (photo 2). The boys are looking very smart in their kit with their various sponsors for which we are grateful.(Photos by Karen Harland)

Both Mens 1st Team and Ladies 1st Team are doing well respectively, the latest Player of the Match was Megan Day for an outstanding performance in our one nil home victory over Blyth Town Ladiesshe was picked by three of our u11 girls Ava, Rosie and Niamh with The Lobster Inn sponsoring the award.

The Men’s away game saw them win 2 -1, with goalkeeper Mike on top form, defence were excellent, and lovely to see Kyran back after injury along with a new signing Leon.

Redcar Town Wildcats

Great session recently at our Wildcats; thanks to Tori and the Twins for taking the sessions great job all.

We have already formed new teams at u13 and u11 this year. Our next team we are looking at starting for the start of next season is u9s , if interested please get in touch school years y3 and y4. Could also do u7 if we have the players y1 y2 .

Ian 07522477928

Sleights Football Club continue to work hard on and off the field

By Andrew Snaith

Anothergrant has been secured, this time from Councillor Phil Trumper’s locality budget, to upgrade their goalposts for their 9 a side teams. There are plans in place for a new under 10s side (the existing team will move to U11 next season) and hopefully a girls team for 2023-24. Currently all four sides- U8, U10, U13 and U14 are fully subscribedthe club have maximum squad numbers to abide by. This ensures players all get a fair chance to play.

SFC are indebted to Simon Boushall, our Under 13s manager for the work he’s done on the pitch with Under 8s manager Ricky Hall also heavily involved. Without this kind of day to day help, including from our brilliant sponsors- Car Care of Marske, Hume Electrical Services, Vinyl Signs of Whitby,

Whitby Am Dram, Wantiques of Whitby, Bright Cloud Group and Identity

Printing- our club couldn’t continue to run.

The club were also delighted to hear positive feedback from opponents Heslerton FC who praised our Under Tens- managed by Annabel and Lee Beever- for their sportsmanship. This is something SFC are hugely proud of, well done Annabel, Lee, boys and girls.

Our Under 8s, in their first season, under Ricky Hall, have been progressing well. They were watched by Hull City’s Academy at Filey recently. Sleights FC love to see our players improve and achieve their potential, as well as enjoying themselves, most importantly.

Our Under 14s manager Mark Jackson has been nominated as coach of the year in the Scarborough Borough Sports Awards. Alongside assistant Andy Hinds, Mark

combines running our oldest age group with a great deal of admin for SFC, including the treasurer’s role. We always love to hear from parents of players wanting to join

but also need volunteers to continue our development as a club.

Sleights FC play at the Car Care of Marske Sports Ground on Lowdale Lane in the village. Our teams play

on Sunday mornings.

To contact the club, find us on Facebook, Twitter at sleightsfc. co.uk or email: sleightsfc@gmail. com.

Marske struggle to stay in league

By Mark Hathaway

Marske continue to struggle in the League with a return to Step 4 of the Non League System looking a possibility with the Seasiders marooned in the bottom four in the Northern Premier League Premier Division.

Marske’s record breaking run in the FA Trophy ended in no uncertain terms when they were well beaten in the 4th Round, losing 7-1 to Conference North side Farsley Celtic with Kev Burgess grabbing Marske’s consolation. Despite the defeat, Marske can be proud that they were the last remaining Northern Premier League team in the competition as well as reaching the 4th Round for the first time in the club’s history.

Next up was a trip to Greater Manchester to face Ashton United in the League, with Marske looking to do the double over them. Marske gave a debut to midfielder George Horbury, signed on loan from League Two Harrogate Town. Marske fell behind just after the half hour mark when Kielen Adams gave the hosts the lead. However, Marske battled back quickly and drew level just two minutes later thanks to a fine finish from Donald Chimalilo. Early in the second half, Marske took the lead thanks to a fine finish from the edge of the box from debutant Horbury, which gave Marske their second victory under the management of Curtis Woodhouse.

The following Saturday saw Marske make one of their longest trips of the season to face Stafford. The home side took the lead when goalkeeper Michael Roxburgh kept a cross in play which he could have let go out and when the ball was recycled Jack Baxter scored with a fine finish. Despite a double change at half time, Marske were unable to create any opportunities and the home side doubled their lead when Roxburgh could only push a long throw into his own net. With the games coming thick and fast, Marske made the relatively short trip the following Tuesday to face South Shields, where Marske gave a debut to Niah Payne, signed on loan from Spennymoor. Marske got off

to the dream start in the opening minute thanks to a fine strike from the edge of the box from Horbury. The home side drew level on 22 minutes when Alex Storey was penalised for a foul in the penalty area and Robert Briggs made no mistake from the spot. The home side took the lead 4 minutes later when Jordy Mongoy broke quickly from a Marske corner and finished well. With Roxburgh making some fine saves to keep Marske in the game, the away side were rewarded with an equaliser on 61 minutes thanks to a fine individual strike from Chimalilo. However, Marske couldn’t hold on for a point as the superior quality of Shields shone through with a double from Darius Osei sealing a 4-2 win.

February started with a home game against Guiseley, who Marske had beaten earlier in the season. Marske gave a debut to 19 year old loan signing Aflie Doherty, signed from Middlesbrough as well as 19 year Ethan Bojang, formerly with Gainsborough Trinity as Marske lined up with a midfield trio all 20 years old or younger. Unfortunately, the home side dominated the first half and went into the break 2 goals to the good. Marske pulled a goal back early in the second half thanks to a fine strike from the edge of the box from Doherty. Marske were on top and looking likelier to equalise but were hit by a killer blow on 73 minutes when a free kick from the right from George Smith evaded everyone and nestled into the far corner of the net. It was 4-1 four minutes later when Roxburgh could only parry a shot which allowed Lewis Whitham the easy task of slotting home the rebound. Despite a consolation from Adam Boyes, Marske fell to another defeat. The following Tuesday Marske made the trip to Lincolnshire to face Gainsborough and, yet again, conceded a goal in the opening minutes of the game. Marske countered and a superb run from George Horbury allowed Boyes to equalise on 18 minutes. The key moment of the game arrived 2 minutes later when Jorge Sikora was dismissed for the denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity, leaving Marske a mountain to climb playing 70 minutes with 10 men.

The Seasiders looked as if they were going to get to half time level but conceded in the third minute of injury time to go into the break 2-1 behind. Marske fought back in the second half and equalised again early in the second half thanks to a second goal of the game from Boyes. However, that was as good as it got for Marske who struggled to deal with the movement of the Gainsborough forwards, in particular ex-League striker Clayton Donaldson as the home side ran in a further 4 goals without reply to run out 6-2 winners.

Marske were back at home the following Saturday with Hyde making the trip to Marske. In front of an excellent crowd of 512, Marske were able to welcome back Burgess and Andrew May from injury and looked much more solid in the first half, going into the break 0-0. However, Hyde took the lead early in the second half when a snapshot from Liam Tongue from the edge of the box surprised Roxburgh. It was 2-0 on 75 minutes

Whitby Town hit form at the right time as they took on relegation rivals in a frenetic February

By Andrew Snaith

Nathan Haslam acted to bring in midfielder Joe Wheatley, on loan from Spennymoor Town and former Halifax, Matlock Town and Buxton striker Shaun Tuton, from rivals Belper Town.

Tuton netted the winner against Marske United on debut in a 2-1 victory. Harry Green had volleyed the Blues ahead after a dominant first half but the other Seasiders levelled quickly. Nearly 1,000 supporters enjoyed the coastal derby.

However, a new hotshot has emerged in the unfamiliar form of Harrison Beeden. The centre-half popped up with a 90th-minute winner in the 1-0 victory at Stalybridge Celtic. He then repeated the dose a week later in a 1-0 success at home to Warrington Rylands.

The three wins on the trot gave Haslam’s men important breathing space. However, possibly the most positive sign in the Rylands win was Lewis Ritson appearing on the bench. Former Hull City defender Ritson has been sidelined for 16 months with a serious knee injury.

Leaving Whitby Town after five months and five goals is Jake Day. The ex-Scarborough Athletic striker linked up with his former manager at Bridlington Town, Curtis Woodhouse, at Marske United.

Also departing is physio Jeff Miller, who’s retiring. Formerly with York City, Jeff spent six seasons at the Towbar Express Stadium. Whitby end their season with a mixed runtaking on the top two- South Shields and Hyde- plus play-off chasers Marine. They also lock horns with bottom half sides Stafford Rangers, Atherton Colls and basement club Belper.

Town’s NPL Premier run-in:

Sat 25 Mar v Marine H 3pm

Sat 1 Apr v Hyde A 3pm

Sat 8 Apr v Stafford A 3pm

Mon 10 Apr v South Shields H 3pm

Sat 15 Apr v Atherton Colls A 3pm

Sat 22 Apr v Belper Town H 3pm

● Harrison Beeden in action Picture (c) Brian Murfield-

● Alfie Doherty celebrating after scoring against Guiseley

● Pictures By Emma Hathaway.

when Roxburgh came for a right wing cross but couldn’t collect, leaving Will Russ with the simple task of heading into an empty net as Marske’s losing run continued.

The following Tuesday, Marske made their shortest journey of the season with a trip down

Off the field activities at Marske United

By Bob Ryan

Welcome to this edition of what is happening off the field at Marske United. The club are still very active in the community and welcoming new groups etc to the club. Work is continuing behind the scenes both for the ground upgrading works and developing more junior teams and community activities.

Schools Interaction

The club continue to develop their links with the local schools. We have various activities lined up be it Flag Wavers/Mascots etc. We also have interschools football tournament planned for the end of the season participating for the Mike Findlay Shield. This was greatly received by the children of the schools taking part and we hope this year’s event will be another success.

Girls Team

The club have made great progress in the setting up of a girls’ team at Under 11 under Marske United. We have had a great response towards this and the girls who have already registered an interest are really enjoying it. If you are interested in signing up for the team, please contact Amanda on the following to register your interest at girls@ marskeunitedfc.org or visit the Facebook page Marske United FC Girls.

Junior Teams

We are continually growing our Junior section of teams and are hoping to be able to launch further Junior teams shortly. This is testament to the hard work the Junior coaches are putting in with growing the number of junior teams.

Matchday Volunteers

The club have once again teamed up with Middlesbrough College to offer the students the opportunity to become involved in the matchday activities at Marske United. We are grateful to the college for working with the club and it is proving to be very beneficial to the students as part of their courses. The opportunity to volunteer on a matchday is open to anyone of any age and we always welcome the opportunity to speak to anyone who is thinking of helping or just enquiring on what opportunities there could be.

Matchday Mascot

The club are looking for volunteers who would

the coast to face Whitby Town in a crucial derby. Marske gave a debut to goalkeeper Oliver Swan, signed on loan from Middlesbrough, with fellow goalkeeper and ex-Marske United player, Matty Wilkinson taking his place on the bench. The home side dominated the first half but Swan

like to be involved in being the club mascot for the day (Seasider Sid). The full outfit is available and we are looking for a number of volunteers to carry out the role on a matchday etc. This is in order that we can have a roster and share the workload. This is another great opportunity to become involved at the matchday and interact with the supporters etc.

Walking Football

This is still going strong with more and more new members trying it out for themselves. The sessions are now at De Brus Centre Skelton on the following days: Monday 6pm-7pm and Thursday 11am-12 Noon. It is all about the social aspect of the game with the emphasis on social inclusion without trying to be the best footballer. Anyone is welcome to attend. Please email msrpfootball@outlook.com for more details or just come along. Refreshments are provided on a Thursday morning after the session.

Mascot Opportunities

The club have once again launched their popular matchday mascot opportunities for children to become mascots for the day at Mount Pleasant. This is for children aged 5-12 and gives the child the opportunity to meet the team, lead the team out on the pitch with the opportunity for you to take a photo of your child with your favourite player. The child can also join the substitutes at half time on the pitch. This is FREE for all children with the only stipulation your child MUST wear the Marske United 2022/23 Home Shirt when walking out with the team. For further information or to put your child’s name down for this please contact msrpfootball@outlook.com

Easter Draw

The club will once again be running an Easter Draw for the club. We have some great prizes for this and are hoping that the community will support as they did the Christmas Draw which was greatly appreciated. This will once again be run by Eddie McNamee and the Commercial team who will be selling tickets at every home game and hopefully in the Co-op and Sainsburys where the club were warmly welcomed.

If anyone would like to sell some books on behalf of the club or would like to purchase any please contact Eddie Mac via Facebook or email the Commercial team commercial@marskeunitedfc. org.

Marske United Ground Grading

The club have, with the support of everyone who has managed to support the Go Fund Me campaign, been able to already complete some of the work required to reach the required Ground Grade ahead of 31st March 2023. New seats have been installed into the main stand raising our seating capacity.

made a couple of decent saves to keep the score goalless. As the game reached the half way mark in the second half, the home side took the lead when a shot from Harry Green took a slight deflection and flew past Swan. However, Marske levelled soon after when a cross from Connor Smith was deflected into the path of Chimalilo who volleyed home from 15 yards. Marske suffered a blow with the loss of Kev Burgess to injury and conceded what proved to be the winner on 76 minutes when a backpass from Smith was intercepted by sub Shaun Tuton who rounded Swan and finished well from a tight angle.

Prior to the crucial away game against 5th bottom Atherton Collieries, Marske were boosted by a double signing with forwards Eddie Church and Jake Day signing from Bradford (Park Avenue) and Whitby respectively. Both started with Church playing behind Day and Boyes. However, the changes didn’t help Marske to a much needed win, with the home side taking the lead just before half time from the penalty spot after Jordan Emery fouled Scott Bakkor. Captain Danny Lafferty made no mistake from the spot hammering the ball down the middle. Marske huffed and puffed in

Floodlights have been changed on the far side of the pitch following vandalism plus extra hard standing behind the goal. The Tin Shed has been extended to provide further shelter for supporters, with a sheltered walkway to be completed soon. Work is also due to start soon to further expand the toilet facilities within the ground.

With the success of Marske United on the field, comes the challenge of the club keeping pace with the ground grading requirements that are required for the club to participate at Step 3 of the English Football Pyramid. Significant improvements need to be made to the ground ahead of the FA Deadline of 31st March 2023. The club have set up a GO FUND ME page on the Clubs website: www. marskeunitedfc.org (at the top of the first page). This is with the hope that Supporters and Businesses can help the club complete the works needed to achieve this level: a further turnstile, improved floodlights to the near side, and extra covered areas around the ground are essential in passing this grading. The club are always grateful for any help supporters and the local people of East Cleveland can give to help them maintain their current level of football and their representation of the area. Huge thanks again to those supporters who have backed this and also backed the weekly blind cards which are all making the improvements that bit easier.

Flag Bearers

The club have launched their opportunity for schools and children’s organisations to be Flag Bearers at the club’s home matches. We have recently welcomed St Bedes who took the opportunity up recently and the children had a fantastic day being able to welcome the players of both teams onto the pitch ahead of the game. Our next game will welcome the brownies from Saltburn. We already have the Cubs and other schools lined up to take up this opportunity which is Free to children. If any organisation within the East Cleveland area wishes to take part in this, please contact the commercial team on commercial@marskeunitedfc. org or contact one of the team as below. This is an occasion that is free for the children and we are getting great feedback from those who have taken part already.

Easy Fundraising

The club are reminding everyone that you can support Marske United at NO COST to yourself. If you go via the clubs EasyFundraising link at the top of the website www.marskeunitedfc.org when doing your online shopping. Just go via the link and then find the retailer you wish to shop with and continue as normal with your shopping. By going this way a percentage of the cost goes to Marske United.

Weekly Club Draw

The club are looking to expand their weekly draw

the second half with Day and Boyes testing the Atherton keeper. However, Atherton broke away from a Marske corner to make it 2-0 as Marske suffered their 7th consecutive defeat.

Marske’s upcoming games are as follows and the club would be delighted to welcome any fans, old and new, to Mount Pleasant. As you can see, there are plenty of home games in March:

Saturday 4th March – South

Shields (H) KO 3.00pm

Tuesday 7th March – Morpeth

Town (H) KO 7.45pm

Saturday 11th March – Belper

Town (A) KO 3.00pm

Tuesday 14th March – Radcliffe

(H) KO 7.45pm

Saturday 18th March – Matlock

Town (H) KO 3.00pm

Tuesday 21st March – Liversedge

(H) KO 7.45pm

Saturday 25th March – FC United of Manchester (A) KO 3.00pm

Tuesday 28th March – Warrington Rylands (H) KO 7.45pm

As always, please check our website and social media channels for any updated fixtures and all things Marske United.

to give supporters the chance to win a large cash prize every week. This will be revamped soon to include the option to be able to purchase and participate online. The cost is £1 per week and the more participants the more money you can win. To enquire about this please contact one of the Commercial team.

Sponsorship Opportunities

With the club progressing they certainly rely on business and individual sponsorships to allow the club to compete at the highest level. The club are always grateful to our sponsors and are seeking further businesses and individuals alike who would like to promote their business etc via the club’s footprint.

The club have various sponsorship opportunities for individuals and businesses alike. Promote your business via the ground/club website (regularly in the Top 50 Pitchero Websites) Twitter and Facebook Media Pages with over 20,000 followers and via the matchday programme etc. They are from Player Sponsorship, Matchday Sponsorship, Matchball Sponsorship and Advertising Board/Programme Sponsorship. Businesses could also have their name on the Away Shirt as part of a sponsorship deal or even have a stand at the stadium or even the stadium named after their company. It is certainly a great way to expand the reach of your business and to get behind Marske United as they continue to progress. Full details of packages etc are contained in our brochure on the club website www.marskeunitedfc. org. If anyone is interested in any sponsorship opportunities, please contact one of the Commercial team Eddie Mcnameeeddie.mcnamee@btinternet.com

David Lawsondavid_lawson@hotmail.co.uk

Paul Hartpaul.hart@sky.com

The Clubmsrpfootball@outlook.com

Marske United Club Shop

The club have replica shirts, scarves, hats, coats, Hoodies, Polo Shirts etc available for immediate collection etc. These are available from the Club Shop on matchdays or you can email diryan699@ hotmail. com

Thank you once again to everyone who has supported Marske United and we hope to see more supporters at Mount Pleasant enjoying the football. If anyone has any ideas or if they would like their organisation to work with the club please speak to: Bob Ryan or Stan Glover or email msrpfootball@ outlook.com

● Kev Burgess heading the ball against Hyde

● Niah Payne and Donald Chimalilo in action vs Hyde

Guisborough ‘very close’ to becoming top Northern League side – says Manager Steve

By Bill Perfitt

Following an excellent run of results and performances against some of the Northern League’s top teams, Guisborough Manager Steve Bell believes his side are “very close” to become a top side themselves.

Since a seven-match unbeaten run came to an end recently with an unlucky 2-0 defeat at Heaton Stannington, the Priorymen have put another superb run together with just one defeat in the next seven games.

In that run they have drawn 2-2 at high-flying Bishop Auckland and produced a tremendous performance to win 3-1 at Whitley Bay, another title-chasing rival.

Guisborough boss Bell has been delighted with the character and excellent form of his side and after watching the narrow 1-0 defeat by top team Ashington and then the brilliant win at Whitley Bay he commented:

“These recent games just reinforces my thoughts that we are so close to being a top team even though we were missing a few key players with injuries.

“We’ve got 10 league games left and although it looks like we’re not going to be in the title run in now we definitely will be giving everything we’ve got to at least have a significant say on who will actually take the title in the end,” added Steve.

The superb 3-1 victory at title hopefuls Whitley Bay just reinforced even more Steve’s conviction of his side’s potential to take their place as one of the league’s top three or four teams. He commented: “This was a really great win against Whitley Bay. We started really well and should gave scored within the first five minutes.

BRILLIANT CROSS

“The game settled down for the next 20 minutes or so and then a brilliant cross from Jack Blackford was met with an even better headed finish by Mikey McGee which gave us

a deserved 1-0 half-time lead.

“I told the lads at half-time that they needed to be real ‘men’ to go on to win the game and I am delighted to say that the ‘men’ certainly turned up.

“I have to say that although the referee seem to try his hardest to give them something we still managed to overcome that.

“All three of our goals today were brilliant and capped what was an even more brilliant performance all round,” said Steve. “That’ll do nicely,” he added.

One pleasing aspect is that the hatful of goals scored by Guisborough over recent weeks has been shared throughout the team but one player in particular – leading scorer Cole Kiernan – has been in lethal striking form, netting 23 goals in the season so far.

Before Coastal View & Moor News went to press, Guisborough were still in the North Riding Senior Cup (NRSC) with a semi-final against local side South Park Rangers the only hurdle between the Priorymen and their second successive NRSC appearance in the final, which once again will be staged at York City FC’s impressive new ground.

14.10.23 - Trafford Centre

28.10.23 - Autumn In The Lakes

November 2023:

01.11.23 - Harry Potter Studios, Windsor and London (Two night stay included)

18.11.23 - Christmas at Castle Howard

25.11.23 - York St Nicholas Fair

December 2023:

02.12.23 - Durham Christmas Festival

03.12.23 - Knaresbrough Christmas Market

09.12.23 - Edinburgh Christmas Market (Overnight stay included)

13.12.23 - Thursford Christmas Spectacular (Two night stay included)

● Guisborough Manager Steve Bell encourages his side during a recent match. Pictures by DAN CLARK

● Guisborough Town’s leading scorer Cole Kiernan (No 10) scores his 23rdgoal of the season against Whitley Bay

● Guisborough striker Cole Kiernan (third from left) is congratulated by his team mates after scoring against Whitley Bay