Out & About Magazine (North East) April 2018 Edition 28

Your local interest & advertising magazine | April 2018 | Edition 28 Tow Law, Sunniside, Stanley Crook, Billy Row, Crook, Willington, Wolsingham & surrounding areas

OUT&ABOUT Magazine outandaboutmagazinenortheast

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Years gone by - page 8 • Cholera epidemic 1853 - page 10 • Tow Law Community Centre - page 16

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Welcome to the April edition of Out & About Magazine, your friendly local interest & advertising magazine.

Are you a first time buyer looking for your first home? Then take a look at page 15 where we have the new Hillview Development at Roddymoor. You can get a lovely modern 3 bedroomed home for just £125,000.

Don’t forget to quote Out & About when replying to adverts & lastly we hope you enjoy this month’s edition, thanks for your support!

BOOK YOUR ADVERTISING SPACE TODAY THE DEADLINE FOR THE MAY EDITION IS FRIDAY 20TH APRIL AT 4PM. No design fees if you don’t have your own artwork • Discounts on 3 month bookings • No VAT • Debit & credit cards can be taken in person at Ritchie Coatsworth Photography or over the telephone.

Please note: Payment is due at the time of booking.

Call us on 01388 417 337 or 07963 635 568 or email us at ads@outandaboutmagazinenortheast.co.uk DISCLAIMER - Whilst we take every care to ensure accuracy in this magazine, we regret that we cannot accept responsibility for any incorrect information. All adverts are accepted in good faith as to their accuracy.

The copying of any material within this publication is strictly forbidden without the publishers consent.

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An Outstanding School

Parkside achieves

SMSC Gold Quality Mark Recognising excellence in the provision of Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development!

Parkside Academy recently set a target of achieving the SMSC Quality Mark, which was only introduced officially in the UK in September 2017.

lessons, with the help of our Head Boy and Deputy Head Boy. Throughout her visit she also interviewed a number of pupils, staff and governors.

Mrs Orchard worked with staff to identify evidence within the school to measure our effectiveness in the provision of our SMSC education. Our effectiveness was rated in the following categories: Leadership and Management, Teaching, Learning and Curriculum, Extra-Curricular and Whole School provision.

Our verifier throughout the day identified the following as our strengths:

Earlier this year we undertook an inspection from an approved verifier, who spent time looking around the school and visiting

• It is abundantly clear that the school’s ethos “YOUR CHILD IS OUR CHILD” prevails as it really is at the heart of every action that the school takes.

• The SMSC curriculum map illustrates the knowledge and understanding of how SMSC relates to ALL subjects.

• Parental Engagement is very strong at Parkside Academy.

• The school culture empowers staff and pupils to seize opportunities to discuss current local and global events.

We are delighted to report that we have received confirmation that Parkside Academy has achieved the Gold Quality Mark for SMSC. We are particularly proud to be one of only 7 schools in the UK to be awarded Gold status!

Parkside Academy Hall Lane, Willington, Crook Co. Durham, DL15 0QF Tel: 01388 746 396

www.parkside.org.uk @parksideacad

Years gone by...

We want your old pictures!!

Send us your old photos of places & people from years gone by and we will publish them.

Email them to: ads@outandaboutmagazinenortheast.co.uk

-72. en between 1968 Roddymoor FC tak dale. ns Lo ith Ke by Image supplied

e of the Rossiter Staff pose outsid (Year unkown). & Wishart Garage

View from the bottom of Stanley looking towards Mount Pleasant & Francis Street (Year unkown).

The new council offices begin to take shape on the site of the old Co-operative store in Crook.

), to the eet (Year unkown Tow Law High Str and the Nisa. ist em ch the w no left is what is 8

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Crook Cholera epidemic 1853 Story by Aaron Cowen

The 19th century was certainly an unhealthy time to be alive and you were lucky just to be alive. As the North became a power house for industrialisation, the population in the area expanded at an astonishing rate to cope with a huge influx of workers.

Houses were thrown up without any thought or planning. They had poor ventilation and were often very damp places. Often sanitation was ill thought out. Toilet, washing facilities and even drinking water were shared among several properties. In 1871 the average life expectancy of an industrial worker was only 45 years with 3 out of 20 children dying before they reached the age of one.

The first ever Cholera Epidemic in the British Isles started in Sunderland in the Autumn of 1831. The disease had spread from India to Baltic Ports like Danzig, Hamburg and Riga.

Sunderland traded between these ports. At this time however it was not fully understood just how Cholera was spread. The Pandemic killed 32,000 people across Britain with outbreaks of the epidemic in 1848, 1853 and 1866. It was not until 1854 that Dr. John Snow managed to prove that Cholera was linked to contaminated water. The first public health act was passed in 1848 which allowed local boards of health to be set up and medical officers to be appointed, but this proved unpopular.

Crook was one such village that was suffering from a population explosion. The Railway was brought into Crook in the early 1840s meaning 10

that the wealth of coal and by-products here could be tapped into.

In 1831 the population was just 200, in 1841 it went up to 538 and in 1851 it further increased to 3946. In December 1852 the sanitation of Crook was considered insufficient. The overseers of Crook seemed to bury their heads in the sand and refused to hold a meeting. The ratepayers on the other hand seemed to want reform. Charles Calvert Wilson chairing the meeting said he was embarrassed to live in a “filthy place” such as Crook. No drainage existed at all. Ratepayers wanted to make improvements to the village, however the guardians opposed such improvements.

They would have no choice but to request the visitation of an Inspector from the Board of Health to force the Guardians of the Poor’s hand. This in itself would incur costs they felt would be better implemented on new drainage to start with. They proposed a sewer to run from McCabes Row (Opposite Millfield football ground) through the village and into the beck and many of the landlords of the houses were in agreement that they would prefer to see something done rather than nothing at all.

The problem remained however, with the plans being greatly opposed and so a petition was drawn up to the General Board of Health by the ratepayers. Reform obviously came too late as in the autumn of 1853 Crook was hit by Cholera causing many deaths.

Some of those known to have died were: Mr. Matthew Willans senior aged 85 Mr. Matthew Willans junior aged 43

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Mrs. Sarah Calvert (nee Willans) aged 39 George Brown Abbot - died 12th Oct 1853 aged 50, a Pitman who died at New Bitchburn, North Bedburn from Cholera.

Between 29th October - 4th November: 3 deaths.

Between 5th - 12th November: 10 deaths.

Between 13th - 19th Nov 1853: 5 deaths occurred from Cholera. 2 of which were an Irishman and his wife who resided in a small cabin by the railway side leaving 4 destitute children. Another died in Durham City after visiting Crook, and another Irishman died in Darlington again after visiting Crook.

A meeting was held at the Mechanics Institute on 14th November 1853, chaired by the Revered William Sandforth where it was agreed to begin cleansing the place forthwith by removing all the dung heaps from the street and filling up all the holes on the green and applying surface drainage where necessary. The three resident medical men were appointed to make a house to house visitation and report to the Board of Guardians. Men began the clearance the next day which rapidly improved the appearance of the area.

On 18th November 1853 Dr. Waller Lewis visited the area and described the habits of the pitmen as being “dirty in the extreme”. Many of their houses were without conveniences of any kind. He describes residences which I believe to have been Beckside.

“I inspected a house in which 5 deaths had occurred and 3 others attacked, but recovered, making 8 cases out of 13 inhabitants”. “The house forms one of three built against a bank of

earth 12 feet high, and therefore incapable of affording any ventilation to the rooms on the ground floor. In front is a stream of water 15 feet wide, into which is thrown refuse and filth of all kinds. On the opposite side is a collection of pigs, their effluvium being strongly perceptible in the houses in question. Against the side wall of the house, which is thus made to form a portion thereof, are pigsties, the bricks absorbing the fluid manure of the animals. A few feet removed from them are other pigsties. Behind one of the three houses is a large accumulation of dung, from which a dark fetid fluid oozes and poisons the atmosphere”.

On 7th December 1853, Thomas Webster Rammell Esq. (b.1814 - 1879) of the General Board of Health held a public inquiry at the Mechanics Institute. The room was very well attended. Mr. John Wilson the assistant overseer stated that there were 288 ratepayers on the rate book.

This figure was questioned by Mr. W. Trotter of Bishop Auckland. 45 names appeared on the petition to the General Board. 43 of which were ratepayers, however Mr. Trotter appeared to claim that the majority of ratepayers did not want the meeting to be held at all. Charles Calvert Wilson disagreed with this statement.

What followed in the inquest shows the complete ignorance of the time and a total disregard for the welfare of the villagers.

TO BE CONTINUED……

Error in previous issue! The contributor Paul Armstrong should have been Paul Turnbull.

Aaron is a keen amateur historian and one of the admins of the Crook Town and District History Group Facebook group, he is also Chairman of the Empire Electric Palace group.

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Spotlight on Tow Law Community Centre.

This month we shine the spotlight on Tow Law Community Centre, Erica Thorpe and Emma Hindmoor have recently got involved in organising activities there.

So Ladies, you’ve recently become very involved at the Community Centre, what made you do this and what are you hoping to achieve?

Because we had been running Tow Law Lunch Club for over a year the committee asked to come along to a meeting to discuss the current situation with the Community Centre. It needed a new lease of life and for some younger members to join the committee with fresh ideas and who were more in touch with younger parents and the social media age.

Since then we have also had other new members come on board who each bring their own ideas and skills. In the last few months we have managed to get a lot more groups and activities going on including a very popular baby and toddler group that we run ourselves. Since starting in January there has been around 40 children in attendance from as far as Crook and up the Dale!

We also moved our Lunch Club up to the centre.

The centre relies on volunteers to keep it running, and if it wasn’t for the hard work and dedication of the committee (present and past) and those that help run some of the activities it would not be able to remain open. The centre is a thriving community hub and it would be a shame given its history and the social activities it provides to see it have to shut its doors due to lack of support.

What sort of activities are held at the Community Centre these days?

The centre is well used throughout the week for a number of different activities including: Baby and Toddler Playgroup (term time only), Youth Club 11 years plus, fitness classes like Clubbercise and boxercise (which are incredibly energetic and fun), pilates, lunch club (with a varied activity timetable including musical acts, bingo and quizzes). beavers, cubs and scouts are also held there.

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There’s also some fantastic Taekwondo classes ran

by Scott Abley.

Some of the more recent activities are messy play and baby sensory by Clart About. These classes are proving to be very popular with people from Tow Law and the surrounding areas, which is great for meeting new people.

We also have a lot of one off activities which are advertised on our facebook page and posters around the area. These include table top sales, gift fairs, band nights and more. In May we are joined

by Debra Chalmers Psychic Medium!

Tell us a little about the Community Centre and the facilities you have on offer.

Tow Law Community Centre is a fantastic multi-functional venue. We have a large sports hall, crèche, meeting rooms, a fully equipped computer room plus an outdoor play area.

The size of the main hall makes it a great venue for children’s parties and social events. We have a huge fully equipped kitchen, with oven, microwave and tea making facilities.

Hire of the Community Centre also includes full use of the kitchen facilities There is a large car park to the rear of the centre.

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How can people get involved with the Community Centre?

keen to host a new activity or session to get in contact.

The committee are always looking for people to become more involved in the running of the centre.

People can become more involved by helping out at activities/events, or even just coming along to support some of the activities held in the hall. We also welcome any suggestions or ideas as to what people would like to see the centre used for and how it can be improved. Any volunteers must complete a DBS check.

The members of the old committee are really pleased the new trustees have come on board. They have really livened things up and we can feel the centre is starting to be used to its full potential. We have just installed some new state of the art heating in the main hall which has also been decorated and had all of lighting replaced and the floor refurbished. We are in the process of decorating and replacing the flooring in the hallway and are looking to repair the fencing to the crèche playground so that the centre is a pleasant and comfortable place for our users.

The hall is available to hire for parties and social events at £10.00 per hour. This includes use of the kitchen facilities. You do not have to live in the town, or be a member to hire the hall.

The committee are always looking for new ideas for activities and would encourage anyone who is

What’s on at Tow Law Community Centre?

Mon

Tues

Wed

IT Group Drop In

10am – 12pm

Craft & a Chat

10am – 12pm

Hodgson & Angus Solicitors

4:30pm – 6pm

Keep Fit

9:30am – 10:15am

Baby & Toddler Group

9:30am – 11am

Citizens Advice

10am - 3pm

Taekwondo

5pm – 7pm

Road (Alternate Weeks)

10am – 12pm

Clubbersize

7:30pm – 8:30pm

Pilates

10:30am – 11:15am

NHS Quit Smoking

10am – 12pm

Tow Clerk Office Hours

1pm – 4pm

Art with WEA

1:30pm – 3:30pm

Messy Play

1:15pm - 2pm

Tow Clerk Office Hours

1pm – 4pm

Beavers

5:15pm - 6:15pm

Drama (Alternate Weeks)

5pm – 6pm

Cubs

6pm - 7:30pm

Keep Fit with Pat Parker

7:30pm - 9pm

Soundscape (Wear Jamming)

7pm - 9pm

Tow Clerk Office Hours

1pm – 4pm

Scouts

7:30pm - 8:30pm

Lunch Club Drop in (Every 2nd Wednesday)

10am – 12pm

Baby & Toddler Group

9:30am – 11am

Stained Glass

1:30pm – 4:30pm

Lunch Club Activity (Every last Wednesday)

12pm – 2pm

Taekwondo

6pm – 7:30pm

Taekwondo

9am – 10pm

Internet Café

10:30am – 11:30am

Youth Club (11 years plus)

Thurs

Fri

7pm - 8:30pm

Sat

For further information about the Community Centre including activities or hire please see our Facebook page “Tow Law Community Centre”. Alternatively, you can contact the centre on 01388 731 444 or by email at towlawca@hotmail.co.uk Erica can be contacted via mobile on 07825 663 325.

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17

Community news Crook Art Group On Thursday 8th March, the Crook Art Group was presented with a cheque for £300 to be spent on art materials and art related activities.

Attending were members of the art class and DCC Councillors representing Crook. The cheque was handed over to Gavin Mayhew, the group’s tutor. Gavin is a retired professional artist who has exhibited his work internationally and taught art in the community privately and through Bishop Auckland College.

He runs the class at the St Andrew’s Methodist Church Hall, Dawson Street, Crook on a Thursday from 6.30pm – 8.30pm and shows his adult students different techniques in all mediums along with regular demonstrations.

would like to meet like minded people for an evening of therapeutic drawing or painting, please come along to the hall and meet the class. As a special offer your first taster lesson will be free.

Gavin also runs an art class at St. Thomas Church Hall in Stanhope on Wednesday afternoons, 1.15pm to 3.15pm which follows school term-times.

For more information contact Gavin on 01388 517 308 or just call in at one of the classes.

From left to right: Nicola Woodgate, Margaret Smith, Alison Hepple, Pat Purvis, Gavin Mayhew, Ann Storey, Patricia Joplin, Andrea Patterson, Susan Storey, Edith Hall, Freddy Ratcliffe.

The class is ideal for beginners or the more experienced practitioners. It is also a great social event with trips to galleries and end of term get-togethers.

The lessons are fun as well as educational and the donated money means that the class is ripe for expanding. So if there are any budding artists out there or those of you who

Crook Methodist Celebrations 2018 is an exciting year in the life of the church building in Dawson Street, Crook since it marks it’s 150th birthday. The foundation stone was laid on the 1st January 1868 by Arthur Pease Esquire of Darlington. Throughout the years it has been known by a variety of names, Dawson Street Chapel and Central Methodist Church being just two of those. 12 years ago it’s name was changed yet again, this time to St. Andrew’s Dawson Street when the 18

Methodist Congregation amalgamated with that of the Crook Reformed Church to form a Local Ecumenical Partnership. To celebrate they will be holding a flower festival from 15th - 17th June with the theme of “Anniversaries”. There will be a ticket only launch on the evening of Friday 15th June followed by open sessions to look around on Saturday 16th 10am - 4pm and Sunday 17th 1pm - 3:30pm, during which refreshments will be available. There will be a small entry fee, tombola and a raffle. Everyone is welcome.

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HARDY’S FUNERAL SERVICE

£40 M&S voucher with every plan taken out.

“CAVEAT EMPTOR” Let the buyer beware!

Look in a magazine or turn on the TV and we can guarantee you will see an advert for life insurance or funeral plans!

Please take our advice and contact us rather than a sales person. Sales people do not conduct funeral services and have no experience of such.

Willington 01388 747 747

Crook 01388 765 069