Darlington Monthly July 2020

Issue 82 - July 2020

What’s Inside

Your favourite PRICELESS community magazine

Feat ured Ar t i cles Group distributes £4,500 in food vouchers

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Cleveland Bridge supports food bank

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‘Kissing rainbows’ NHS mural wins rave reviews COMMUNITY NEWS WHAT’S ON

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Places to go: Rochdale, Greater Manchester

LOCAL BUSINESSES

LOCAL EVENTS COMPETITIONS Darlington Monthly is proudly sponsored by

YORKSHIRE LOFT LADDERS We’re doing our part, are you?

FSC approved

Darlington’s oldest and widest-distributed community magazine

Jonathans the dry cleaners

01325 487 673

FREE COLLECTION & DELIVERY

DRY CLEANING LAUNDRY IRONING

admin@jonathanscleaners.co.uk - jonathanscleaners.co.uk 39 Skinnergate, Darlington, County Durham, DL3 7NR

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These days most homeowners suffer from a lack of storage space. So many precious items that need to be kept – but where to store it all? That’s where Yorkshire Loft Ladders come in.

The company, based locally, offers homeowners the opportunity to maximise their storage space with a loft ladder, 50 sq ft of boarding and a light all fully fitted in less than a day from just £277 + VAT. But it’s not just the affordability of the package the company offers that makes Yorkshire Loft Ladders stand out as manager Warren Ingleson explains: ‘Our watchwords are Quality,

Integrity and Value. Quality in the materials that we use for all our installations and the fact that all our loft packages are fitted by time served tradesmen so our customers are assured of the best job. Integrity in that we will turn up at the time we say and make sure the house is spotless when we leave, and Value in that we offer our services at a price people can afford. Our business relies on referrals and we got a huge amount of our calls from people who have been referred to us by our existing customers - that simply wouldn’t happen if we didn’t adhere to our overriding principles.

lead to more happy customers is true and we work hard to make that happen for every installation we carry out!’

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Welcome to the July edition of Darlington Monthly!

What an extraordinary last few months it has been, for everyone in Darlington and the world. Whatever the spring brought for you, though, the town’s oldest and most widely distributed community magazine is now back with new features to guide you through the month ahead.

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Those features include our returning ‘What’s on’ section on page 30, as well as our regular contributor Alex Nelson’s ‘Places to go...’ column on page 22 – focusing on this occasion on Rochdale in Greater Manchester. And of course, we also bring you a fresh helping of interesting news stories from around the town.

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We wish you all a safe, happy and healthy July, and we’ll see you again in August!

Yorkshire Loft Ladders is the proud sponsor of this month’s Darlington Monthly.

As a renowned local company, Yorkshire Loft Ladders would be delighted to provide you with the services – including loft hatches, ladders, flooring, boarding and lighting – that would enable you to get greater worth out of this sometimes neglected par t of the house.

Call the team now for free, on 0800 612 8359, or visit www. yorkshireloftladders.co.uk for further information and a no-obligation quote.

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YORKSHIRE LOFT LADDERS

Issue 82 - July 2020

What’s Inside

Your favourite PRICELESS community magazine

Featu red A rti cles Group distributes £4,500 in food vouchers

12

Available to read online

Cleveland Bridge supports food bank

22

‘Kissing rainbows’ NHS mural wins rave reviews COMMUNITY NEWS WHAT’S ON

Visit darlingtonmonthly.co.uk

Competitions

@DarlingtonMonthly

Darlington Monthly is proudly sponsored by

YORKSHIRE LOFT LADDERS We’re doing our part, are you?

FSC approved

Darlington’s oldest and widest-distributed community magazine

Jonathans the dry cleaners

/DarlingtonMonthly

14

Places to go: Rochdale, Greater Manchester

LOCAL BUSINESSES

LOCAL EVENTS COMPETITIONS

01325 487 673

FREE COLLECTION & DELIVERY

DRY CLEANING LAUNDRY IRONING

admin@jonathanscleaners.co.uk - jonathanscleaners.co.uk 39 Skinnergate, Darlington, County Durham, DL3 7NR

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Disclaimer...

Whilst we take every care to ensure accuracy in this magazine, we regret that we cannot accept responsibility for any incorrect information. All advertisements are accepted in good faith as to their veracity and we are not responsible for views expressed by contributors or other sources. The copying of any material within this publication is strictly forbidden without the publishers or Studio Managers consent. By providing your email address and entering our competitions you agree to receive email communications from the competition sponsor/prize provider.

Congratulations to last month’s competition winners, all winners have been notified. Winners are selected at random. The provider will only receive the winning entries inContact order to fulfil completion of the prize. Email: sales@darlingtonmonthly.co.uk Tel: 01325 776225 Advertise Darlington Monthly 4 details ofTo

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“Kiss The Rainbows”

mural paying tribute to the NHS appears on Darlington takeaway During the COVID-19 pandemic, the rainbow has emerged as a strong symbol of solidarity, and its iconic colours feature in a beautiful and striking piece of street art now adorning the side of a Darlington eatery. The piece first appeared around the start of May but has attracted more notice as the lockdown has eased.

The mural is on the side of Darlington’s La Roma pizza restaurant on Northgate and depicts a nurse holding up her open hand as eight rainbow-hued butterflies flutter nearby. The image is the work of County Durham artist Lucas Roy and has attracted increasing acclaim from observers.

One of those, Stuart Banks, a resident of Darlington’s Cockerton suburb, told The Northern Echo’s Darlington reporter Tasmin Lockwood that he considered the artwork “amazing”.

He enthused: “I haven’t seen anything on this scale obviously you see the chalk drawings people have done on their front gardens and pathways and all the rainbows in people’s windows.

“It’s nice to see the town showing their support for the NHS. “I imagine it means a lot to them to know that the public appreciate the amazing work they are doing, and hopefully it gives them a sense of pride and gives them a little boost during the harder times.”

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It’s not only healthcare professionals who will have noticed the artwork in recent weeks but also other members of the public as once-stringent lockdown restrictions in the town receded.

After coming up with the idea for the artwork, Mr Roy approached La Roma - who, according to the artist, reacted keenly to having it painted on the takeaway’s exterior brickwork.

Acknowledging that art has been cited as “one of the highest forms of hope”, Mr Roy added that he had previously worked with the ambulance service himself and understood the “physical and mental sacrifices” faced by frontline workers. He said: “I’m happy to help when and in the way that I can.”

During the pandemic, rainbows have endured as symbolising peace and hope, as they often appear when sunshine emerges after heavy rainfall. Therefore, rainbows serve as a reminder that, even in dark times, we can look forward to better times re-emerging.

Mr Roy sells artworks through his business Lucas Roy Artwork. Pieces can be ordered through the company’s website www.lucasroyartwork.com, where the NHS mural is photographed and named “Kiss the Rainbows”. However, at the time of writing, the site warns that artwork stock is limited due to the pandemic.

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Food for Thought

Darlington distributes food vouchers worth £4,500 When the COVID-19 crisis broke out, many of us found ourselves having to readjust previously-arranged plans. So did the volunteer-led group Food for Thought Darlington - which, no longer able to hold its usual cooking classes, has shifted to purchasing and supplying food vouchers for over 100 local households.

Food for Thought was originally established by Darlington residents concerned that too much good food was being wasted while fellow citizens were going hungry and struggling to make ends meet. In this generous spirit, the group usually teaches classes on how to cook food using leftovers from supermarkets.

However, this work was interrupted by the pandemic, leaving the group with an events budget which it has since reallocated to food vouchers for its current recipient base. Food for Thought has spent about £4,500 on these vouchers, which have since been distributed to more than 100 households in Darlington.

Before this shift in focus, the group had investigated other potential ways of supporting its members. However, many of these people have especially struggled to access school vouchers which the Government had introduced to help alleviate difficulties faced by families.

Food for Thought founder Louise Graham observed: “A lot of people have really taken a hit in terms of working hours and pay, and some have lost their jobs.

“So we made the decision to go to town and support people who need it. The feedback has been amazing but now we’re focusing on putting together essential care boxes with toiletries, washing-up liquid, laundry powder and other items. Every little bit helps.”

One beneficiary of the organisation’s voucher distribution drive, Sue Barton, has described Food for Thought as “amazing”. She added: “Being a single parent on a limited income means furlough has hit us hard.

Without the vouchers and support from Food for Thought, things would have been even worse.

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“I can’t thank them enough for the help and support they have given us as a family during this pandemic and at other times of need.”

The group is still calling out for donations, both physical and financial, for the care boxes set to provide monthly support to in-need households who would otherwise have made use of Food for Thought’s cooking classes.

Those, however, will be back up and running at the earliest safest opportunity.

Redistribution of donated goods, particularly bikes, has also been channelled through Food for Thought.

“People started donating bikes and we have a volunteer who knows how to clean them up, so we’re giving them to those in need who maybe just got a new job and have no way of getting across town, or who would benefit from a mental health perspective,” Ms Graham explains.

To get involved with Food for Thought’s work or make a donation, you can email the group through fftdarlo@gmail.com.

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Darlington engineering firm sets up donation points for in-demand food bank The coronavirus crisis has put strain on the Darlington-based King’s Church Foodbank, but local engineering firm Cleveland Bridge UK has been helping the charitable organisation to regularly replenish its supplies. Cleveland Bridge has established regular collection stations to let its employees more easily donate food.

As the spread of COVID-19 broke into a pandemic and demand for King’s Church’s supplies intensified, the charity appealed for further support. The tally of regular recipients of the food bank’s services has swelled by 40% during the public health crisis, with roughly 410 young people and families with children supported.

Cleveland Bridge reacted with a new workplace initiative in support of King’s Church. The engineering firm, offices and a factory of which are based on Darlington’s Yarm Road, initially donated a trolley-full of food but later invited its workers to donate extra food items destined to go to local families in need.

To donate items such as soup, rice, potatoes and tinned products, employees simply have to leave their donations at collection stations dotted around Cleveland Bridge premises. From these stations, deposited food will be regularly transferred to the Whessoe Road-located food bank.

The food bank’s Darlington manager Caroline Todd said: “We’re really grateful for the support we’re receiving from Cleveland Bridge and indeed all local businesses that are supporting us.

“Now more than ever, families are relying on our food bank to help get them through this difficult time and any donations we receive make a huge difference to people’s lives in Darlington.”

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Cleveland Bridge managing director Chris Droogan commented: “Our employees engage in support for our community and try whenever possible to contribute to local initiatives like the King’s Church Foodbank, which do such important work in the town.”

“It’s important to us that Cleveland Bridge employees support this worthwhile initiative.”

It is, however, just one of the various ‘stay at home’ schemes with which the company has been engaged during the pandemic. Cleveland Bridge oversaw a clap for carers right across the company and its 22-acre site and has also, for local children, arranged a fun bridge-building project.

This project, which encouraged children to make bridges from household items and show photos of their creations to Cleveland Bridge on social media, was also aimed at inspiring future generations of engineers.

To learn more about the services of King’s Church Foodbank and how you can donate, you can visit its website at www.kingschurchdarlington.org/ foodbank.

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Business Spotlight:

eso group

Who are ESO Group, how long have you been in business, and what are your primary goals?

In an extremely competitive industry the personal touch has been lost. As the company director I still involve myself with all clients within ESO Group and ESO Group is still in its first year of trading, although manage their circumstances accordingly. Every it is made up of staff who have been working in client has my direct contact details, which I am the industry for a substantial amount of time. Our available on 24/7, providing maximum support for main goal is to bring what experience we have when they need it most. across different sectors to one place, so a client has the best chance of receiving every saving option in How do you decide which renewable energy relation to energy costs. solutions will work for different clients?

What sort of process do you go through when auditing a client’s energy or water usage circumstances?

With regards to energy, we confirm the meter type and how much energy is being consumed and at what rate. This gives us a basic understanding of the current set up and is enough to indicate what products will reduce usage. If we have enough reason, we work with current and previous suppliers to collect past data usage. We calculate what has been consumed/spent against what savings could be produced via a new contract and/or renewable system implementation. Reports are then produced to present our findings. We are always keen to go on site visits to collect further data and discuss any options in more depth. However, how we complete the audit is always tailor-made to suit the client this is our biggest priority.

Are there any particular business sectors you specialise in, or could any business contact ESO Group for energy saving solutions?

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Capture the next generation’s sound at Horizon Recording Studio No matter what type of music you like to create, you can capture it in stunning clarity at the fully-equipped Horizon Recording Studio. The facility on Darlington’s Whessoe Road was set up by experienced musician Mike Fairweather, who envisions the studio serving as a launchpad for talented musicians.

All of the recording equipment you need - from microphones to mixing consoles - will be close at hand.

Fairweather has worked in the music industry for over 35 years, including spells as both a sound engineer and a charting professional musician in his own right. His music has even reached the top 40 in the Independent Charts, and he is now looking to inspire the next generation of local and national hitmakers.

Rehearsal rooms are also available for only £6 per hour, giving you the space and state-of-the-art equipment you need to hone that aural masterpiece before you record it in the on-site digital studio. At Horizon Recording Studio, an experienced team will work closely with you throughout the whole production process to help you in shaping a final recording sure to delight both you and your fans.

For musicians, Horizon Recording Studio offers various services - including production, mixing, mastering, post-production and sound design. The studio is open daily from 9am to 10pm, and you can book specific hours that suit you. You can even book the studio for a whole day for just £50.

As Darlington’s music scene continues to thrive, Horizon Recording Studio stands out as a highly accessible and useful facility for aspiring and veteran musicians alike.

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Places to go...

Bob Bonner of the Greater Manchester Fire Service Museum let us sit in the cabs of retired engines and blow the horn.

Rochdale, Greater Manchester visit to Rochdale in May 2019 was something of an experiment. I was trying to see whether this Places to Go column could translate to the small screen as a video, and travelled there via Leeds, Bradford and Hebden Bridge with a talented film-maker Cole Robinson of FilmIt. We made two movies in two days in Leeds and Rochdale, the latter chosen as somewhere not generally thought of as photogenic but a gritty north west town that actually proved very interesting.

We stayed overnight in the Premier Inn a couple of stops out on the Manchester Metrolink, whose yellow trams give the town a continental flavour. With my luggage receipts for leaving the cases at the hotel safely in my back pocket we started off on the tram into town. We had arranged first to meet Bob Bonner of the Greater Manchester Fire Service Museum who let us sit in the cabs of retired engines and blow the horn. Their oldest exhibit dated from 1741, a full hundred years before the Rochdale Pioneers founded the international Co-operative Movement in the town. We explored the replica shops over three floors and learned much of the development of the movement over the years.

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The Touchstone Museum and Art Gallery is a better than average town museum, featuring all sorts of specimens and stories about famous Rochdale people including Quaker politician John Bright, who was MP for Durham in 1843. His famous “Angel of Death” speech against war in the Crimea was re-used in the Gulf War of the 1990s. Another was singer Gracie Fields (1898-1979) who was a famous actress and singer, performing on stage and cinema. Opposite the museum is the grand and Gothic Town Hall which is open on some days for tours, but as we were filming we were only permitted to have a look at the impressive ground floor which can be seen in the video.

Hollingworth Lake was a nineteenth century pleasure resort, roughly equidistant from Littleborough and Smithy Bridge stations.

We took the train two stops to Littleborough for a quick visit to the Heritage Centre and Cherry Tree café, and then walked down to the lake which is an attractive stretch of open water with various forms of bird life.

Alongside the shore until we reached the turn for Smithy Bridge station, we found just before the station, and twenty minutes before our train - a charity shop and community café where a well-deserved cake and cup of tea was consumed. We walked down the hill to Smithy Bridge station and waited for the train. Noticing a commotion on the platform just as the train arrived, it We had spotted the campus of the sixth Form appeared someone had found our luggage College and Hopwood Hall College on the west receipts back in the café and ran down to side of the town, with an attractive training the station to reunite us. Something had restaurant. Forget stories of inedible food and made me turn out the contents of my back students pouring soup into your lap, this was pocket. That saved a lot of explaining back actually a very well presented establishment, at the Premier Inn where we picked up our and TripAdvisor has it scoring 10th out of 146 bags and headed for the train home. restaurants in Rochdale area. For a training restaurant, that really is a good score. We alexnelson@dunelm.org.uk enjoyed our lunch and set off for the railway www.nationalrail.com station for our afternoon excursion.

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What’s on - July Darlington Farmers Market 5 July – 10:00 to 15:00 West Row

Demi Lovato vs Dua Lipa 24 July – 20:00 – Middleton St George Cricket & Social Club

As the country’s farmers market scene slowly flickers back into life, with the markets returning albeit now under strictly controlled conditions, we can look forward to the return of Darlington’s own farmers market - which, pre-pandemic, took place on the first Sunday of every month. The event will be freeadmission and let you peruse a range of food and produce displayed by speciality traders.

Dua Lipa is undoubtedly the woman of the moment on the British music scene, having scored a run of chart hits, including “New Rules”, “One Kiss” and “Don’t Start Now”, in just the last few years. Lookalike Rachel Fuller captures her voice with impressive accuracy in her tribute shows, with slick choreography and replica costumes at the fore. Tickets are £3 each from www.ticketsource.co.uk.

Darlington Vegan Festival 18 July – 10:00 to 16:00 Victorian Market Hall

Steph Miles as Dolly Parton 25 July – 20:15 Harrowgate Club & Institute Ltd

If you’re committed to the vegan lifestyle, whether it’s a recent decision or a routine going back years, then a visit to Darlington Vegan Festival is in order. Traders will be turning up from elsewhere in the region to offer various vegan products for sale - including not just street food but also beauty products and artisan foods.

You can also take heart that admission to the festival will be free.

Country music legend Dolly Parton’s chart record speaks for itself, with such iconic hits as “I Will Always Love You”, “Jolene” and “9 to 5”. Steph Miles has over a decade’s experience of singing in theatres, on cruise ships and at specialised events, and her voice is just right for replicating the real Dolly’s warm country twang.

Tickets cost £5 each from www.ticketsource.co.uk.

Utilita Live from the Drive-In: Russell Watson 23 July – 18:30 Teesside International Airport

Utilita Live from the Drive-In: Tony Hadley 31 July – 18:30 Teesside International Airport

The country might have been denied live entertainment while waiting for the pandemic to simmer down, but a new live concert series starting this July is scheduled to bring big names in an open-air setting where fans drive in and enjoy the show from socially-distanced reserved seating areas. The acclaimed tenor Russell Watson is up first in Teesside, and tickets are priced from £55 per car.

The Utilita open-air run of gigs will continue at the Darlington airport through late July and August and includes a “Gold”-en opportunity to see the former lead vocalist of Spandau Ballet, Tony Hadley, belting out a string of his ‘80s hits.You won’t have to just watch him “Through the Barricades”, either - as tickets, costing from £45 through www.livenation.co.uk, will let you enjoy the music from your own reserved seating space near your car.

What’s on is sponsored by:

YORKSHIRE LOFT LADDERS 30

Got an event coming up?

Let us know and we’ll help spread the news.

Email details of your event to:

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PLEASE MENTION IN&AROUND WHEN CONTACTING ADVERTISERS Please mention Darlington Monthly when contacting advertisers

Why it’s important to keep marketing even when times are tough To say that 2020 has been difficult would be an understatement. Within a few months, the world has seen the coronavirus crisis become a pandemic, the economy descend into freefall and anger over racial injustice erupt into widespread protests.

All of this has had repercussions for businesses, many of which have been tempted to rein in their marketing spend. Paradoxically, however, crises like those of 2020 so far are occasions when preserving a strong marketing drive remains crucial.

What challenges does the current situation pose to your business?

React strategically, not rashly, to the challenges

Of course, some changes your business has probably made, like temporarily shuttering its bricks-and-mortar premises, enforcing social distancing measures and shifting employees to working from home, will have been government-mandated.

The best step forward right now isn’t necessarily to reduce your marketing activities; you should instead prioritise making sure you are pursuing the right ones.

Other changes, however, will have been born out of practical necessity. Many non-essential retail businesses, for example, will have transferred more of their operations to the online sphere - and may intend to keep them there while the risk of COVID-19 infection lingers.

However, seeing such necessities as your cue to slash your marketing budget could be at your firm’s peril.

One reason why is that, right now, your customers will be spending more time online - such as on your company’s website or social media pages.

42 | IN&AROUND

You should consider, for example, polishing your website and social media presence, including adding or updating any details of how you are working around COVID-related restrictions.

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