Out & About Magazine (North East) July 2018 Edition 31

Your local interest & advertising magazine | July 2018 | Edition 31 Tow Law, Sunniside, Stanley Crook, Billy Row, Crook, Willington, Wolsingham & surrounding areas

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Years gone by - page 8 & 14 • Spotlight - page 10 & 11 • School Trips - page 16 & 17

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

Tow Law Community Centre are advertising their latest free Summer Family Festival on page 13, this years action packed event is being held at Tow Law Football Club. Lastly on page 15 we have another free family fun day in the form of The Billy Row Big Bash, which is being held on Billy Row Green. We will be keeping our fingers crossed for good weather for both of these free events.

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 AUGUST EDITION IS THURSDAY 19TH JULY 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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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

A benefit social ticket from 1919 sent in by Elsie Craggs.

My season ticket from Stanley United’s last season in the Wearside League before they folded.

Tow Law Carnival (year unknown).

Image sent in by Michael Manual.

An original poster from the now demolished Presbyterian Church in Crook. Sent in by Harry Sewell.

ar unknown).

Billy Row Green (ye ie Craggs.

Els by in t sen Image 8

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Spotlight on Shaun Hope.

This month we shine the spotlight onto Stanley lad Shaun Hope who is not only a school caretaker by day and DJ by night but is also the Chuckle Brothers biggest fan. Everyone of a certain age remembers the Chuckle Brother’s comedy capers in “Chuckle Vision” which ran in various formats from 1987 - 1998.

So Shaun, when did you first become a fan of the Chuckle Brothers and why?

badges, old scripts, t-shirts, pens and rulers.

I even own Paul and Barry’s trousers. It’s been valued at £25,000.

Oh dear oh dear.

I’m still adding to it when I find something new.

I’ve been a fan for nearly 20 years now. It all started when I went with Stanley School and got on stage at the end of the show. They put a custard pie in my face and gave me a few things for getting on stage and the rest is history.

You’ve got the biggest collection of Chuckle Brother Memorabilia that I’ve ever seen, what exactly do you have and are you still adding to it?

My collection comprises of posters, video tapes, DVDs,

I’ve seen and heard of your Chuckle Brothers collection on various TV shows and newspapers.

Can you name a few of the shows you’ve appeared on and what you did on them?

I’ve appeared on quite a few TV shows over the years. Me and Sonia were on ITV1’s “The Marriage Ref” with Dermot O’Leary. Sonia wanted me to take the room down but I wanted to leave it up. The panel was Jack Dee, Sarah Millican and singer Will Young.

They voted who was in the right or wrong.

They voted for me of course. I’ve also been on “Russell Howard’s Good News”. That’s repeated on TV all the time. Also “Have I Got News For You” and “Look North”. “Come

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Dine with Me” wanted me to go on last month but I did not have to time to do a full weeks filming. Coach trip on Channel 4 wanted me and Sonia on it too but I would have to be off work for up to 50 days to film it. Saying that I’m always on the look out for new shows to go on. You can’t beat a bit chuckle on TV. I’ve also appeared in The Sun, The Mirror, The Daily Mail, The Northern Echo and twice in Real People Magazine. I also run the Official Chuckle Brothers Facebook page.

Yes I’m off to Hull at Christmas with my Grandson Harrison. He’s 5 and loves Paul and Barry. He watches them all the time. I bought him series 1, 2 and 3 for Christmas. He met them with me 2 years ago and was over the moon to see them. I normally travel to see them if they are doing night club appearances. They do meet and greets so it’s nice to see them for a few hours. I’ve even took Paul Chuckle home in my car. They’re back on TV on Channel 5 on Saturdays. Doing a “You’ve Been Framed” type show with a bit chuckle humour thrown in for good measure. So looking forward to seeing them again soon. So if anyone has any chuckle memorabilia gathering dust. I’ll have it to add to the Chuckle Museum.

Thanks Shaun from me to you.

If you’d like to book the biggest Chuckle Brothers fan to do your disco for your party or wedding then you can contact Shaun on 07971 759 588.

Do you still have the famous “Chuckle Room”?

Yes I still have the famous room. All of the walls and ceiling are covered. A lot of people like their photo taken in it. I’ve had people from radio shows come and do interviews just to have a photo taken in it.

Chris Dakers brought the family down once to see the Chuckle Museum.

Lastly are you planning any trips to see the Chuckle Brothers this year?

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c Facebook: Tow Law Community Centre Don’t forget to quote Out & About Magazine when responding to adverts.

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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

early in Tow Law in the The Station Hotel nual.

Ma l ae ch Mi by 60s. Image sent in

Tow Law Prince Rovers

Football Team.

Surtees pub in A horse and cart passing The Michael Manual.

Tow Law. Image sent in by ert for local ng a special conc A poster advertisi rld War II at Wo m fro me ho soldiers returning nley’s old Could this be Sta the Social Centre. green hut?

lace in the 1980s A view across Crook Marketp g built to the right of with the council offices bein ael Manual.

Boots. Image sent in by Mich

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Stanley United Supporters Club. Sent in by Ev Johnson.

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School Trips Story by Ritchie Coatsworth

A few issues ago I wrote about my experiences as a pupil at Stanley school in the 1980s and beginning of the 1990s. I really enjoyed my time at Stanley school, at a time when pupil numbers were around the 50 mark at it’s highest.

During these years the highlight was always school trips, we seemed to go on more school trips in those days compared to schools now.

We would have trips to the seaside to places such as South Shields, Redcar and Whitby, which were always exciting occasions for a young boy. I always remember visiting the joke shops for various comedy items; the bus would be full of whoopee cushions and plastic poos on the way home, which always ensured that the bus was filled with laughter.

Out of all of the school trips I ever went on the greatest of all time was a residential trip to Richmond in early 1990. This meant 4 nights away from home which was pretty nerve racking for a 9 year old shy boy like I was. Firstly Richmond felt like it was actually a million miles away, perhaps a different country altogether at times. On this particular trip it was only the older children that went, years 6, 5 and 4 along with a handful of teachers. If my memory serves me correctly the teachers were led by the ever reliable Mr Holliday who taught years 6 & 5 and Mrs Jewell who split her time between Stanley and Witton Le Wear school and taught year 4.

I think I was already home sick by the time the bus pulled into the hostel that would be home to us for most of the week. It was a big old sand stone building with large bay windows and a grey slate roof. It reminded me of an army base as we were met by the gentleman that ran the place, I cannot recall his name (possibly Mr Burn) but I remember him as being a stern sort of fella who explained that while we were there we would do chores such as washing up and cleaning up after ourselves, some of which were quite alien to us. I also remember that the thought of going into a classroom after tea seemed quite like how I would imagine national service to be, our lives were no longer our own.

I’m pretty sure that most of this was just a 9 year olds worried mind working overtime. The hostel was high up on the hill overlooking the river Swale and facing the ruined Richmond Castle that stood high on the opposite side of the river.

Once we had been set the ground rules we were put into groups, 2 groups of boys and 2 groups of girls, this was as there were 2 boys dormitories and 2 girls dormitories. Each dormitory had 3 sets of bunk beds. Our room

Richmond Castle

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Easby Abbey

washing up duty) we were able to spend an hour relaxing in the main hall where we joked around and wrote letters home as if we had been away for months, when in reality it had been one night.

The Georgian Theatre

consisted of myself, Andrew McKimm, David Boughey, Lee Pedelty, Paul Moore and Steven Greenbank. I remember having a bottom bunk with Andrew McKimm taking the top one. I have no idea what time we were sent to bed each night but I think it was around 9pm, but we certainly didn’t go to sleep then. Nights consisted of singing daft songs, telling ghost stories and Steven making Paul swap bunks every 5 minutes. I remember one night someone who had fallen asleep early getting wrapped up in toilet roll like a mummy and then another windy night someone opening the fire escape door and it felt like our beds would be sucked out of the door as if someone had opened an air lock on a space station. Every once in a while Mr Holliday would come and see what the commotion was and tell us to go to sleep. We always imagined that as soon as we were asleep the teachers would all be off to the pub for a few pints, which I’m pretty sure didn’t happen even in the more care free days of 1990.

The trip was an action packed week from start to finish, we started with a day in Billy Bank Woods looking for insects and drawing what we found. The next day sticks in my mind as being the coldest I have ever been. I recall it being a cold wet and rainy day as we went on a short bus ride to walk the moors or fells somewhere in Swaledale looking for examples of lead mining and old mines. I remember returning to the hostel covered in mud, wet and freezing. In my young mind this was hell on earth, I was missing home and had spent the day marching around the moors in the freezing cold. Once we had done our chores (I seem to recall being on

Other highlights included trips to the ruined Easby Abbey, the Green Howards Museum, the Georgian Theatre and my favourite, Richmond Castle, I’m still a sucker for a ruined castle now and love taking my kids to explore them. The thing that sticks in my mind from this trip is that we seemed to do a lot of walking in mud and rain, mostly up hills when I think of it. We did have some nice days though and I remember doing a charcoal drawing of Richmond Bridge that my Auntie Joan had in her cabinet in her sitting room until she left her Roddymoor home.

It’s in my attic somewhere now.

The highlight of the week was when we were given some free time on the last day and let relatively free in Richmond town centre to spend any money that we had brought with us. I recall rushing into Woolworth’s to try and cash all of my spends in on small sets of Pirate Lego.

Like I said earlier Richmond seemed like a million miles away to a small boy and as an adult I was surprised how close it actually is. The return journey seemed to take forever; I was desperate to get home. I seem to remember arriving back at Stanley school close to home time. I can’t remember if our parents picked us up from school that afternoon slightly earlier or if we got the school bus as normal, it is a blur, maybe as I was so happy to be back in Stanley.

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The Date e v a S

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Bereavement Support Group Hardy’s Funeral Service would like to offer the recently bereaved an opportunity to meet others that are going through the same emotions.

When you’re newly bereaved, suddenly you find yourself on an emotional roller-coaster where you have no idea what to expect next.

This is a chance for new friends to come into your life who understand some of your grief because they’ve going through it themselves.

Meetings: First Thursday of every month 5th July - Crook 5.30pm – 6.30pm 2nd August - Willington 5.30pm – 6.30pm

Our recent fundraiser for Alzheimer’s Society raised £192.

Thank you to everyone for your support.

1 Belle Vue, Crook, Co. Durham, DL15 9BP Tel: 01388 765 069

116 Commercial Street, Willington, Co. Durham, DL15 0AA Tel: 01388 747 747 helen@hardysfunerals.co.uk