Talk of the Town January 2023

SALTBURN’S TOWN TALK

Letter from the Editor

Happy New Year, everyone! I‘m sorry that this month‘s magazine is late. It could not be helped as I have been rather ill. In November I was suddenly struck down with a mysterious bronchitis-like lung infection, not covid. It was as if my immune system recognised an invader and launched an immediate and aggressive counterattack, turning my lungs into a warzone! It was literally overnight! And lasted over four weeks. I made a huge effort to deliver to my deliverers but was unable to do anything else, a disaster for Talk of the Town. I was too weak to even walk up the street let alone deliver magazines or invoices. It made me realise just how utterly dependent on my health the magazine is. I left here the picture of this year‘s new calendar as there are still some left

Saltburn Methodist Church is continuing to discern its future direction. To this end the managing trustees of the church are looking to market all or part of its premises for sale or lease. We want to reassure the people of Saltburn that the managing trustees are committed to maintaining a Methodist presence within the town.

Saltburn Farmers’ Market: The market takes a break in January but will return in February. Thank you to everyone for their support at the markets, we‘ve had a good year and are so grateful for the support we receive from Saltburn residents. We hope you enjoy market day and your purchases as much as we enjoy coming. Over £600 was raised by the woodland volunteers at the December market and we are still waiting to hear how much was raised for the rotary club. If you would like to do a fundraiser for your club or organisation please let us know. We operate on the second Saturday of the month from February to December.

Random Stitchers of Cleveland: are holding their monthly meeting on 7th January, 2023 in Sunnyfield House, Guisborough. TS14 6BA at 1.45 for 2pm. Our talk is Silk Road Stitches, A personal collection, from Jennifer Creek, one of our members. Jennifer will share some of the embroideries and textiles she collected in the 1980s and 1990s on many journeys along the Silk Roads through China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. This collection represents several of the textile traditions of the region and shows some of the different styles of embroidery from various ethnic groups. There will also be textile books that people can browse.

February‘s meeting on the 4th will be From Paint to Thread with Lesley Wood. Admission is £4 for members and £5 for visitors. Visitors are very welcome whether you are new to stitching, have been dabbling for a while or are a regular stitcher. Come along and see for yourselves. For further info please call Gillian on 01642 480344.

Saltburn Studios and Gallery: A big thank you to everyone who visited our Gallery before Christmas and came to our Open Studios, so lovely to see so many friendly faces. We‘re looking forward to 2023 being full of creativity and new projects. A Happy and Healthy New Year to you all too. Our Gallery is open weekends 12-4pm.

at Jackie‘s Saverstore. Please do buy one! Love, Ian

Send letters, adverts and contributions for the next issue (by Friday, 20th January 2023) to: The Editor, Talk of the Town, Jackie‘s Saverstore, 8 Station Buildings, Saltburn, North Yorkshire, TS12 1AQ. Telephone: 01287 623903 (or email: talkofthetownsaltburn@gmail.com).

Talk of the Town can be read online at www.saltburnbysea.com and found on a new Facebook address at www.facebook.com/talkofthetownsaltburn.

Saltburn & District Retired Men’s Forum: we meet on Monday mornings in the coffee room in the Methodist Church Hall on Milton Street from 10:00am with tea/coffee and biscuits for a 10:30am start. We start the year on 9th January with a talk by one of our own members, Ted Sanderson, who will take us ―From Tamranuai (where?) to Perth‖. On the 16th of January, Gordon Norrie will tell us about the work of The Dogs Trust. Then on 23rd of January we welcome speakers from Blood Bikes. On 30th January Ken Bladen will give ―A Glimpse of the Past by Local Photographers‖. Peter Southern will show us ―The Writing on the Wall‖ on 6th February. We are always delighted to welcome prospective new members to come along and join us. For further details please contact Ken Bladen on 01287 205153 (or email kenbladen99@gmail.com).

WI Report: It‘s always traditional at this time of year to look back at the last 12 months and reflect on things we are proud of. We celebrated Her Majesty‘s Platinum Jubilee with a walk through the decades and afternoon tea, one of our members appeared on Gardeners‘ World and then the National WI magazine showcasing her wonderful garden, we visited the walled Garden at Kirkleatham, Auckland Castle, old town Middlesbrough to learn about the history of our local area. We‘ve tasted local gin in Skelton and fish and chips from Saltburn! We‘ve met for lunch and supper at lots of local venues and continue to plan for 2023. These are just a few things to remember 2022 fondly. So if you are wondering what to do in 2023 come along to meet us, 2nd Friday of the month in the Emanuel Church Hall, 7.00pm. Happy New Year from all of us to all of you!

Lesley Wilson

Cover

Disclaimer: Talk of the Town tries to make sure the articles and announcements made on its pages are accurate, but views expressed in letters and articles printed in Talk of the Town are not necessarily those of the editor. Any offers in adverts included in Talk of the Town are made by the advertisers; details should be confirmed with them. Always confirm event details with the organisers, in case of alteration or error. Talk of the Town is printed by DC (Yorkshire) Print, Mercury House, Grove Lane, Hemsworth WF9 4BB. Website: www.dcprintyorkshire.co.uk Tel: 01977 642331. Proprietor/Editor of Talk of the Town: Ian Tyas c/o Jackie‘s Saverstore, 8 Station Buildings, Saltburn, North Yorkshire TS12 1AQ. (Ian Tyas tel: 01287 623903.)

Photograph: Snowman Ice Sculptor last month at the Bandstand by Heather Lofthouse

Saltburn-by-the-Sea Developed Sites

Throughout the history of the town development and change has been taking place. The photographs we are sharing illustrate the sites before development, the present situation is visible for all to see.

Cath and Tony Lynn

Zetland Hotel rose garden, originally tennis courts for the use of hotel guests

The toll booth and entrance to the halfpenny bridge now the site of the bandstand

Built as a fever isolation hospital, it became a small holding known as Poultry Farm and the Riding School

Junior school being used on this occasion as a camp site for Folk Festival visitors

The Valley Gardens bungalow which replaced the gardener‘s

Marine Court was built on the site of these tennis courts circa 1961

Windsor Road, photograph taken from the carriage window of a special train as it passed over the road

The sports field of the former Saltburn Girls High School / Glenhow School playing field Tweed Street development taking place

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Saltburn Charity Crafters

We would like to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who attended the recent Gift Fair which was held in the Community Centre on 10th December. We had a busy day and had our best sale ever! Most of the stall holders, both charity and commercial, reported the same outcome as well. A visit from carol singers on 2 occasions made sure we were all in the festive mood by the end of the day.

The money we made on the day will go to purchasing more materials for us to convert into handmade items for sale and donation in the future.

The un-sold gifts have been donated to Teesside Hub and all warm items of clothing are to go to Ukraine. Earlier we gave blankets to the food bank and the Ukraine appeal.

We are very happy with our achievements this year and cannot wait to start again in 2023!

If you know of any organisations who could benefit from our group, then please let us know.

We are now having a short break but the group will meet again on 1st February 2023, and then the first Wednesday of the month, in the Coffee Room, Community Arts Centre, from 1.30 – 3.30. Please join us for a hot drink and friendly chat.

For any details please contact Chris on 01287 204170. Thanks again to everyone who has supported us in 2022 and we look forward to 2023.

SALTBURN METHODIST CHURCH MILTON STREET

A

The new year bells ARE Ringing saying

HAPPY NEW

YEAR TO EVERYONE

Do come and worship with us from Sunday 8th January at 10.45am And Wednesdays at 10.00am

Followed by a cup of coffee

“The

We sell Saltburn Souvenirs, Postcards, Fridge Magnets, Key Rings, Prints and Greetings Cards.

Saltburn, Marske and New Marske Parish Council

Father Christmas made a visit to Saltburn on Saturday 3rd December to celebrate the lighting up of the town‘s Christmas Tree. Jeanie Lowe who had won a craft poster competition, had the important job of switching on the tree lights. She then jumped on Santa‘s sleigh and accompanied him to his grotto located at the Station Portico where he met local children. The event was a huge success and thanks are extended to everyone that gave up their time to help out on the night and to all the volunteers that make the wonderful community event possible.

Small grants are available for community groups to assist with community projects - further details about how to apply and the relevant paperwork is on our website, or alternatively please ring the office who will be happy to assist. Our next donations meeting will be held in January.

Allotment Rents can be paid at the allotment shop located on the Hazel Grove site from January 2023there has been a small increase of 50p (pro rata) to £29 per 1/16th acre plot.

The Parish Council office will be closed from 23rd December 2022 to 2nd January 2023 inclusive. On behalf of the Chairman and Councillors, best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year.

Joanne Manning (Clerk and RFO to the Parish Council) 01287 623477

office@smnmpc.co.uk

www.smnmpc.co.uk

Conveyancing (Domestic and

(Free written quotation on request) Property Leases

Probate and Wills

Divorce and related Property and Financial Issues

Children Disputes

Immigration, including Visas, Leave to Remain Naturalisation, Passport applications and EEA Applications

Powers of Attorney Deputyships

Civil and Criminal Litigation

68/70 Borough Road, Middlesbrough, TS1 2JH Tel: 01642 242698 e-mail mileshutch@aol.com for enquiries at both offices.

Also

Luxury

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A: Unit 2, The Drive, Longbeck Industrial Estate. Marske, TS11 6HB

Website: www.flintoffs.co.uk

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Yoga, Ballet, Pilates fitness class. Wednesdays: 7pm

Movement and meditation to a Psalm. Saturdays: 9.30am

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Councillors’ Column

As the New Year dawns, we are full of expectation and perhaps an element of trepidation.

The eagerly awaited Saltburn Masterplan, drawn from resident and visitor consultations in May 2022, should be published. The challenges associated with parking and speed of vehicle travel continue to be of concern, and residents will be expecting the report to reflect these and be suggesting realistic solutions to the town‘s infrastructure. One hoped for suggestion will be to make full use of the Council car park at Hob Hill which is designated in Visitor Destination discussions for Coach parking and Park and Ride, together with the recently regraded common open space, for overspill capacity at summer season weekends and special events.

The January SNAP public meeting is scheduled for Wednesday the 25th at 6pm in the Community Centre and will have transport as a priority item. There will also be discussion on the proposal raised at the December meeting to consider Saltburn having an overall 20mph speed limit. Further consultation will take place during the month, this time on the detailed proposals of the draft Council budget. The list of discretionary increases proposed is wide ranging and sees instances of charges rising by 100%, although the norm appears to be related to levels of inflation. Waiting will not be for seven months in this instance, as the 2023/24 budget will require to be agreed in February, to allow Council tax demands to drop through the letter box in March.

Despite expectations, the footpath down to the foreshore from Cart Bank, as the correct description advises, remains obstructed and not readily open to the public as the covenant on the land title deed requires. Discussions continue with the local authority and the new landowner to expedite a sustained access. The cost of repairs to the steps and handrail appears to be the reason for the delay.

The variable weather patterns in recent weeks have included some very cold periods. These have given rise to ever increasing fuel bills for private residences and commercial premises and brought fuel poverty very much to the forefront of social concerns. Whilst there is comfort in having access to a guaranteed electricity supply, unlike some in Eastern Europe, the ability to afford is an ever present challenge. The Warm Banks being made available in various venues in the town have been most welcome. All manner of doors have been opened to offer a warm welcome and these are listed in social media and the main display board in Station Square. No one in need should be concerned about walking through any of these doors as a warm welcome and fellowship is waiting on the other side. The disappearance of the favoured Book Box in the Station Portico has been resolved. An ‗Open All Hours‘ bookcase is now attached to Sainsbury‘s wall. When local library hours are constrained and some communities are in danger of losing their library altogether, this is a good page for Saltburn

Philip Thomson

Saltburn in Bloom

Happy New Year! Yes, indeed, it is 2023. We have had a really cold snap over December and maybe into January which, although we have to wrap up warm, is good for our gardens and plants, and bad for the pests and diseases. Plants that live for over a year, particularly the shrubs, bushes and trees, need a cold spell in order to have a proper rest, otherwise they just keep growing through the winter and grow buds, new leaves and flowers (if they flower) all, seemingly, at the wrong time of year and, eventually, this really weakens the plant. Already in planters and in the gardens Saltburn in Bloom tends I saw bulbs coming up in November as autumn was so mild, not right at all!

A really cold spell kills a lot of the things that damage plants. For example, the fungus that causes black spot on rose leaves, tends to overwinter on the ground on the fallen leaves but, if it‘s proper, wintery cold, it kills the fungus and breaks the cycle.

If you have an open fire of a wood/multifuel burner, this can be another advantage of a cold winter, which also benefits your plants, particularly, again, shrubs, bushes and trees. If you have a garden that‘s large enough for such plants, you can save the better sized prunings from one year, to dry out to use as kindling or logs for burning the following year. Once burned, provided you haven‘t added any type of coal or coke, you can use the ash to put back round your plants. It‘s high in potash which is the chemical

that encourages flowering and fruiting, win... win.

I was mentioning bulbs earlier. If you have somewhere to plant them, and, planters or window boxes are as good as anything, did you remember to plant bulbs in late autumn? If you didn‘t and if you can still get hold of any, don‘t worry, there‘s still time.

One year, just before Covid, I think, Sainsbury‘s kindly donated us daffodil and tulip bulbs. We got them late and didn‘t manage to plant them until late January. Most of them flowered for us in spring, a little late, granted, but that meant we had flowers when others had finished which is good.

Last but not least, did you make any New Year‘s resolutions? If not, here are a few you might want to think about. Leave a log pile somewhere in your garden, under a hedge or fence is good. It makes a great home for wildlife.

Leaves constantly falling on your lovely lawn? Rake them up and use them as mulch on your flower beds. It will feed the flowers and suppress the weeds. Or, bag them up and leave them to rot for a couple of years. They will then make a lovely soil improver.

Got some spare time and always wanted to learn to garden? Join Saltburn in Bloom gardening team (when the weather‘s a bit better). Go to our facebook page and express an interest. We‘ll be in touch. Sue

Suzy Graham-Adriani

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Happiness and Therapy

I want to talk about the value of therapy. My own therapy and those of many clients. In a simplified form therapy is the looking at patterns and learning how to break through. How to act differently and feel differently, to feel better within ourselves.

It‘s not an easy thing to do, to open ourselves up, to admit our vulnerabilities, to drill down to explore where patterns started, things were painful back then, why go back? Why would we do that? Well, it strikes me that most of us wouldn‘t. I mean if we are looking for what is comfortable to us it‘s not this. Yet for some the question lingers in our bodies and in the back of our minds. Could I be more at ease and happier than I am? Is my past still dictating how I am in my present? Our whole body is a guidance system, like a GPS, it gives us direct feedback.

There are two types of well, one is physical and one could be said to be mental. If we end up with physical health conditions we go to a physical doctor, a GP. The doctor will often point to unhealthy patterns of behaviour that have led to that illness. The therapist will do something very similar with our thought patterns and emotions. And both of them will look to the body as the yardstick of change. Once you have been through the medicine there is a good chance you will feel better.

I know someone who doesn‘t care about their teeth, they are in a terrible condition, they don‘t want to change, it gives them pain and they live with that. And that‘s okay by me, It‘s their life. But you don‘t need to just ―put up with it‖.

Yet it requires a braveness. A braveness to get up and go to the GP if it‘s physical, or go to a therapist if it is mental. And of course we know that many of the physical illnesses stem directly from mental processes and the patterns of behaviour that follow. Many of those patterns are hidden to us because they have over time simply become our life.

In the short term at least it is easier, more comfortable, to not really look at them. Yet sometimes, just sometimes we can feel that nagging discomfort and let our honesty in. I‘m not actually happy in my relationship, or my work is crushing me, or I drink to hide something but I keep doing it. It takes a certain type of person at a certain time of their lives to look themselves squarely in the mirror and get support. Not everything in a mirror is easily seen, the back of our head for example.

A therapist will pick out the bits you didn‘t see. They will hear your story and notice the threads and place them in the light. They will notice the parts you didn‘t mention as well as the parts you did. They will notice the change in your tone of voice when talking about a certain subject. Or how your body moves when you speak. Your therapist helps you see what you have been ignoring or were not able to see. And you can not change what you can not see. And then to change your ways is up to you!

Contacting Your Councillors

Cllr. Craig Hannaway 07561 467168

craig.hannaway@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk

Cllr. Stuart Smith 07557 540628

stuart.smith@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk

Surgery held outside Sainsbury‘s every 3rd Saturday morning

Cllr. Philip Thomson 07747 044858

philip.thomson@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk

By definition doing the new will be outside your comfort zone, like taking a cold shower when you have always had them hot. Yet you can‘t know what it‘s like until you take the risk. At first it is unlikely to be fun. It‘s exposing, raw, challenging, yet challenging your comfort zones is how you break through. It‘s how your life changes. Most people won‘t try. Most people will stay going round the same track again and again. It‘s much easier. Yet you experience a lot less of yourself. And we don‘t to live as an island, we effect each other, especially if we have a partner or family. Our patterns especially effect our children. Our braveness or lack of it is directly reflected in them.

No one ―needs‖ therapy. It is only the very few who embrace it. I‘m a fan of exploring it before a crisis is even on the horizon. But nobody needs it. It‘s a choice, a reflection of what we value in life.

Kendal

Aitken: Counsellor (Dip)/ Psychotherapist (Cert) 07944 883961 FREEDOMBRIDGE.CO.UK New Group this month

Anya’sNutritionAdvice

Are you fed by the hands of time?

Tick tock goes the clock… Time dictates our lives. From working hours to appointments, from the early morning alarm to the clock hanging over our heads at work - but how does it affect our eating habits?

Portions of the day that could otherwise just slip away become significantly more interesting with the addition of a bite. Maybe you use food as a way to speed up the clock, for example? A common trick amongst the 9-5 brigade. This month we consider if the clock rules when and what we put in our body, and why this might not be best practice.

Consider a normal day. For many, this usually compromises breakfast, lunch and dinner with a few additional snacks. For some, hunger cues such as a tummy rumble might signal that energy levels need a boost. But for others, it‘s the glance at a watch that tells them it‘s time to eat, regardless of what their body is telling them.

The body‘s hunger signals exist for a reason: to ensure that the body is obtaining enough nutrients to sustain its normal function. Eating in addition to what the body requires can lead to unwanted weight gain, unbalanced blood sugar, poor digestion and negatively affect sleep.

Importantly, it‘s not necessarily when we eat that is the problem, but what we eat. Grabbing a snack because it‘s ‗that time‘ means we pay little regard to what our body is asking for. It‘s common to dismiss signs of dehydration, lethargy or lack of movement and instead make food our first point of call. Headaches and brain fog might suggest that what we really need is a large glass of water. Perhaps feeling peckish after lunch could indicate that your lunch wasn‘t sustaining enough, indicating a lack of protein, fibre and whole grains.

For example, the elevenses or mid-afternoon slump isn‘t usually when we reach for protein or vegetables. Rather, we usually reach for something sweet and more-ish (biscuits, cereal bars, crisps), offering very little in the way of ‗nutrition‘ beyond short-lived energy.

Don‘t get me wrong, using the clock as a tool in your diet isn‘t necessarily a bad thing. Some people don‘t experience internal hunger cues, for example, and those who do a lot of exercise may also rely on time signals to ensure they are meeting their extra energy requirements. Also, we now have some evidence suggesting that timerestricted eating patterns might be beneficial. Following a practice such as the ‗16:8‘ method is said to support the body‘s circadian rhythm (our internal clock) and help those wishing to lose weight and improve blood sugar control. This method entails eating during an 8-hour window without any restriction on consumption and then fasting for 16 hours, only drinking water and decaffeinated beverages. Ironically, this pattern in a way places more emphasis on the clock, but in a constructive and beneficial fashion.

So, as always, it‘s entirely up to you. Do you eat your sweet mid-afternoon snack because it‘s 4pm and you‘re desperate to distract yourself from work? Or do you feel like there is genuine logic behind your food schedule? Are you reaching for what your body needs or are you just grabbing a biscuit because it‘s too early for lunch? I encourage you to think about it honestly; it might be an eyeopener!

Wanted: Badminton players for Monday evenings in Loftus

We play at 2000-2200hrs at Loftus Cricket and Athletic Club, Whitby Road, Loftus, Saltburn by the Sea TS13 4LG. Telephone 01287 640891. Ample parking in the car park. Just turn up and try or for more information ring Neil on 07748 969968. You will be made welcome.

Saltburn Rats star in the Pied Piper!

Last year, at this time, the ‘53 Drama Group were getting ready to present our annual pantomime, after a Covid induced absence – we were so excited because pantomime is one of the highlights of our year. But Covid had one last stab at our schedule and we reluctantly had to cancel. This year we have everything crossed – and the lovely readers of Talk of the Town have helped us along our way by creating an army of rats to star on our stage. So - here is once again, the background to our story…

In a church in the German town of Hamelin there is a stained glass window, dating from around 1300. It shows a picture of the main character of a Medieval legend in which a piper, dressed in multicolored (‗pied‘) clothing, was hired by the town to rid them of a plague of rats, by charming them with his magic pipe. Although he was successful, the citizens refused to pay for this service as promised, so he exacted his revenge by using his instrument‘s magical power on their children, leading them away as he had the rats. This is the story we all know.

But where did it originate? An entry from Hamelin town records of 1384 states: ―It is 100 years since our children left.‖ Did the children die of disease or starvation and was the Piper a symbolic figure of Death? Were they killed in a landslide or contract some disease during an epidemic? The records show that 130 children allegedly

vanished from Hamelin on a June day in the year 1284. But were these ‗children‘ actually young people who had left for a new life in Eastern Europe?

The Pied Piper may never have existed as such, but there were characters known who roamed northern Germany trying to recruit settlers for the East. Some of them were brightly dressed, and all were silver-tongued and persuasive.

It is a great story – and a great subject for our panto. Together with your rats, we have a couple of bungling Rat Catchers, and our dame, Helga von Trump at her pig farm and Sausage Stuffery, together with the Burgomeister and villagers of Hamelin - all singing a whole host of foot-tapping musical numbers. And did we mention that there is an evil baddy to boo (a couple of them, actually…) And a good fairy to help the Pied Piper save the day…

So be sure to join us in Hamelin (that‘s Saltburn Community Theatre of course) on January 12th, 13th, 14th, and the following week 19th, 20th, 21st, at 7.30pm (Doors open 6.45pm).

Also Saturday Matinees 14th, 21st at 2pm (Doors open 1.15).

Tickets £9, £5 and a special family ticket (2 adults, 2 children -£25) (from www.saltburnarts.co.uk).

Susan

Saltburn 500 Club

On behalf of Saltburn 500 Club, I wish you all a very happy new year and hope that you have recovered from your festive celebrations!

Congratulations go to the following winners of our December 2022 Prize Draw: First Prize, M Doyle; second prize, A Whiley; third prize M Shevis; fourth prize, V Dunn. Yes, you guessed it, they are all members of the 500 Club and, therefore, qualified to be in the draw! The introduction of fresh ideas into the admin behind the scenes of the 500 Club has seen the membership start to grow. The improvements have been generated by tweaking various technical things such as social media adjustments and the possible introduction of a QR code. Those of you who know me will know that technology has me floundering at times - I don‘t have a mobile phone that buzzes every time I receive an email or Facebook post and I still use a desk-top computer. That being the case, you will realise that I am not responsible for this growth of interest in joining the 500 Club.

December saw us struggling, again, to have Christmas lights powered correctly and we spent many hours in attempts to have everything working. I would like to thank our electricians who worked in all sorts of weather conditions to have everything working for the lighting-up parade. Funding for the 2022 Christmas lights was the result of a very strong community spirit in the town. I have already mentioned the efforts put in by the table-top team and this was strongly supported by members of the 500 Club who supplied tombola prizes for our stall in the Saltburn Crafters event. I was totally amazed at the number of donations made and I would like to thank every single one of you from the bottom of my heart! The tombola was a success and, at the time of writing, the amount raised is unknown. We are still working on the overall amount raised for the lights but, again, community spirit shines through! Every Christmas light you saw in the town belonged to the 500 Club so give yourselves a pat on the back in knowing that you have played a part in ensuring that Christmas lights shone in Saltburn.

On a personal level, I have been to four events in my red and white coat and have a further ten to go to. You may understand, therefore, that there is a great need for me to get back up to speed with matters of a non-Christmas nature. The schedule for the 2023 bandstand season needs to be completed and we have already planned so much of it. Volunteers to help with the bandstand are always being sought so please let me or Philip Thomson know if you are interested in getting involved.

Trevor Welburn Chairman, Saltburn 500 Club/Friends of Saltburn trevor.welburn@btinternet.com

G . Bishop - Decorator

Saltburn Photographic Society

Our January programme comprises:

January 4th. Our ever-popular evening when we see the ingenious interpretations of a variety of subjects, taken during the Summer months.

January 11th. We will be showing the Individual Entries, prints and projected images from the NYSDPA competition.

January 18th. The results of the third of our ‗monthly‘ competitions.

January 25th. Alison Taylor brings us her talk about her Coastal Photography. ―Wellies Required!‖

All meetings are held at the Methodist Church Hall, Milton Street, Saltburn. Tea and coffee is available from 7pm to allow for some socialising prior to the meeting starting at 7.30pm. Guests are always welcome.

For more information, visit our web site www.saltburnphotographicsociety.co.uk, follow us on Facebook or contact Phil Dove on 07976 634252.

Three sessions on Tuesdays at 3.30, 5.30 or 7.00pm at Emmanuel Church Hall

And Saturdays three sessions at Earthbeat Centre. 7.30, 9 and 10.30am. No booking required.

Please contact Stevie 07740 725210.

A warm welcome is waiting

A Talk about Talks

Graeme Aldous considers a machine-free future You know, I think it might just work… with over 360 talks given to WIs, Probus meetings, Yorkshire Countrywomen‘s Association and Retired Men‘s Forums, there‘s a wealth of amusing stories to tell. Like the ladies lunch club (and I‘ll make it clear that none of these tales feature organisations in Saltburn!) in a hotel.

I usually bring a big TV to show my video clips, but because the dining room would be a bit pushed for space the hotel wanted me to leave that at home and use their projector and screen. This was the occasion that taught me never to go down that route… my video clips involve sound, but the hotel were only thinking of a silent slide show. Projector, yes. Screen, yes. Speakers, no. There wasn‘t time to go home and get an audio system, but the hotel said they would find something. They did… a pair of those little speakers that sit on your desk for your computer sounds. And this was a large dining room full of a keen audience! But despite the rather ‗thin‘ sound, no-one complained, so it wasn‘t a disaster after all.

But having said ―Never again‖, I recently broke my own rule. One local authority venue has rather strict rules about un-tested electrical equipment being brought in, but were happy with a battery laptop plugged into their projector and sound system, which I‘d used successfully in the past. My latest talk has no pictures, but featured interviews I did with star guests when I worked at BBC Radio Cleveland (now Tees) Eartha Kitt, Peter Ustinov, James Irwin (who drove a car on the moon). I checked from the venue that the audio would still work without pictures, and was assured it would. But what the caretaker didn‘t know, but I was about to find out, was that the audio amplifier ‗went to sleep‘ if it didn‘t receive a signal after a couple of minutes. The next piece of sound would wake it up again, but only after 3-4 seconds. All my audio clips missed off the first few words I don‘t think that the audience noticed particularly, but I certainly did.

No, once again, I‘ll bring all my own kit in future. But not even that is guaranteed to work. One organisation I went

to hold their meetings in a club room with a dance floor, and tables all around the edge. When I brought in my big TV they were most unhappy couldn‘t I use the club‘s projector and screen? This was even though my acceptance letter had made it clear that I used a television, but with everyone sitting around the edge of the dance floor, most of them were too far away to see the TV screen clearly. Eventually a couple of tables and a few chairs were found, and put in the middle, but most of the audience were still around the edge, and they still wanted me to use the projector and screen. The club steward rummaged around and found a suitable lead to fit their kit, and I plugged everything up and ran my ‗test card‘ screen to check that it all worked. A bit late, but I was ready. Although first they had to finish selling the raffle tickets an exercise that found new ways to make paying a pound and getting a ticket a very long and drawn out procedure. In those days I was using a special DVD to show my pictures, and as I waited for the tickets to be sold, I glanced at the player. I was horrified to see that the display on the front now said ―No Disc‖. But of course there was a disc… I‘d just played the first track on it. But no… the player had chosen just that minute to sulk and fail, and refuse to recognise the DVD. After a slightly edgy start to the evening, I was now faced with a large audience waiting to see pictures that I couldn‘t play. Adrenaline is a wonderful thing picking up a copy of the DVD title that the talk was about, and moving animatedly around the floor to keep their attention, I managed to ad-lib for 45 minutes without a pause. The DVD box may have been a very passive aid, but it worked they remained enthralled, and I got a round of applause at the end. But for some reason they‘ve never invited me back for the follow-up talk!

But here‘s a thought… writing this has made me think that perhaps I could do a new talk a Talk about Talks! We‘ve already gone behind the scenes of working in Radio and Television with ‗Sir Tony Robinson Talks Like Me‘, ‗Take 2‘ and ‗Here Comes Her Majesty Now‘. ‗A Talk About Talks‘ would add a nice, neat tenth title to my library. And I wouldn‘t need to bring any kit! (You can see the full list of Graeme‘s talks, and how to book him, at www.teeafit.co.uk/tsv/talks.htm.)

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Saltburn Rotary Club News

As the festive season comes to a close, the members of Saltburn Rotary hope that you all had a happy and peaceful Christmas. Below are some events the club were involved with Christmas Chocolate Tombola. Our traditional Christmas ‗Chocolate‘ Tombola was held at The Christmas Farmers‘ Market on Saturday 10th December, again in aid of The Salvation Army Homeless at Christmas Appeal. Thanks are due to the amazing generosity of Brendan Manship and Lindt who donated all the prizes (the fantastic amount of £761 was raised). Thanks also to Geoff Blott of Guisborough Salvation Army for supporting us, Lorna for our plot at the market and of course to the wonderful members of the community, who even in these hard times were able to think of others and give so generously

Saltburn Festive Woodland Walk

Saltburn Rotary members also assisted at the above event and what a brilliant event it was. Lovely children and parents, thank you all for letting us join in the magic. Thanks to all the Rotarians for giving up their time, and especially Howard, Harry, and John for their preparation for the event that went so smoothly. Held on Sunday 27th November, from 10am – 2pm, the walk commenced at the

Saltburn Woodland Centre and saw children completing the walk to receive a limited-edition medal and have a free ride on the miniature railway where they could say hello to Santa. Redcar & Cleveland‘s ―Mind‖ mission is a registered charity aiming to provide and promote a quality well-being, prevention and recovery service that puts people first.

Christmas Meal

The club held its usual Christmas meal, with a Christmas music Quiz, at our regular venue, The Victoria. The members would like to take this opportunity to thank both Aaron and Rachel at the Vic for a magnificent meal and for looking after us so well every single week.

Christmas Carol Singing

At the time of writing, we are looking forward to Carols around the tree at Saltburn Conservative Club as part their Christmas jumper day, the music being provided by the Cleveland Police Band. Fingers crossed that the weather behaves itself.

Finally, may I on behalf of President Elspeth Chappell, and the members of Saltburn Rotary wish you all a very Happy New Year and we look forward to serving our community again in 2023, our 97th year!

Dave Sadler

Saltburn Scouts News

That‘s a wrap for Beavers in 2022! The month of December has seen the kids struggling to decide whether to bank their chocolate coins (to gain interest) or to immediately devour in a frenzy of foil and chocolaty goodness. A tricky decision when you‘re 44 never mind when you‘re 6 or 7. Needless to say, some did and some didn‘t but they all have learned that sometimes it‘s better to wait for a bigger prize! Ultimately, they‘ll all earn their Money Skills activity badge which is a first for 1st Saltburn. See you all in the New Year!

Cubs have been working towards the ‗global issues badge‘. We had a natural disaster evening, the cubs had to think about how they would survive a flood. We have learnt about the importance of clean water, and cubs are working hard at home, earning sponsor money for us to donate to the toilet twinning charity, to fund a toilet in the developing world. We rounded the year off with a great party, using a grant from Sirius minerals/woodsmith. The cubs decorated themselves a real mini pine tree which they will be able to plant in their own gardens after Christmas. Looking forward to planning an action packed 2023.

Scouts have had a varied few weeks. To fulfil the

requirements of the model maker award they made and painted Warhammer figures. These kits are donated to Scouts Groups for this reason. The models are very intricate and turn into a board game. Thanks to Neil and Phil for volunteering their time to show Scouts how to play. We then turned to pioneering skills and practised rope work and levers. Our last night before Christmas was spent delivering Scout Christmas Post, which turned into a rather slippery night on the streets of Saltburn.

Thank you to everyone who participated in Scout Post this year. It is a fabulous way to support your local Scout Group. Best wishes to everyone for the festivities and the new year.

Jo, Philippa and Karen

My thoughts on Ukraine

Against the odds

If you dig into the history of human conflicts, sooner or later you will find cases of battles or indeed entire campaigns lost by large armies to dramatically or even ridiculously smaller forces. The reasons vary – from cunning tactics, superior skills, strong determination, convictions and high morale on one side to disregard, arrogance and haughtiness on the other.

Below I give you an account of one such case which you probably have never heard of.

In the middle of the seventeenth century The PolishLithuanian Commonwealth, the largest country in the mainland Europe at the time found itself in perilous position. Attacked by Russian forces from the east and by Tatars from the south-east, it was also invaded from the north by the Swedish king Charles X Gustav. While fighting off the first two enemies made the defence very difficult, there were just not enough resources to fight the Swedes. Sweden, by the way, had a well equipped and battle hardened army, possibly the strongest and among the best in Europe.

The Polish-Lithuanian king John II Casimir escaped to the Czechs and Charles Gustav, presented by his supporters as the only possible protector and saviour of the Commonwealth, overran the country. High ranked officials, military units, cities and towns were surrendering to the Swedish King one by one. It all looked bleak to say the least.

Jasna Góra (which loosely translates as The Bright Mountain or perhaps better as Luminous Mountain) is a small monastery near Czȩstochowa (a village back then, a small town today) surrounded by a defensive wall which seemed to be symbolic rather than anything else. You can visit it today and you will be surprised by its size. Jasna Góra was (and still is) holding a beautiful icon-like painting of the Holy Mary holding baby Jesus in her arms. The painting, known as the Black Madonna is of unknown origin and the earliest mention of it in chronicles go back to about 1085. It has been highly venerated and Jasna Góra remains a destination of pilgrimages since the Middle Ages.

King Charles Gustav was advised by his ministers not to touch Jasna Góra, but since technically at least it was a fortress, the king and his generals wanted to remove the small Polish garrison there and replace it with Swedish troops. But Sweden was Protestant and for the Prior Augustine Kordecki allowing Protestants to enter the most holy place in Poland was inconceivable. And this is how the siege began.

Few attempts at a negotiated solution quickly failed and in the winter of 1655 Swedish general Burchard Müller arrived with perhaps not a huge army of about 2250 men but his forces outnumbered the defenders by the factor of one hundred. He brought with them some artillery and a few siege towers. He was an experienced general with victorious battles and sieges on his account. As the defenders looked on from the walls at the Swedish army spreading around and surrounding them from all sides it seemed Jasna Góra was doomed.

General Müller and his officers thought they were in for a quick victory in a matter of days or weeks (which – by

the way - is what Putin was aiming at when his army crossed the Ukrainian border on February 24th last year).

The ensuing siege lasted about a month with an exchange of fierce fire from both sides, interrupted by short breaks when general Müller was attempting diplomatic solutions by either showing compassion and mercy, or at other times threatening defenders with terrible deaths and the complete erasure of Jasna Góra.

The more time went by the higher the stakes grew. General‘s Müller‘s reputation was on one side, and seemingly hopeless but prevailing Jasna Góra was on the other. Hopeless, because it was practically the only place that refused to surrender to the Swedish King. Frustrated Müller brought in more and bigger guns but they made no difference. The largest one exploded within days by a well aimed artillery shot from Jasna Góra. Guns, persuasion, promises, threats, and terror failed. In the end the Swedish King ordered Müller to abandon the siege. This had a most unusual effect –news of Jasna Góra fighting the Swedes spread like a wildfire. Poles were rising against King Gustav‘s army everywhere. Jasna Góra and her patron – the Holy Mary gained unsurpassed glory and a place in history.

Successful defence was very much due to a single man, the prior Augustine Kordecki and it appears he was not doing so because of sheer patriotism, which would be glorious thing to do of course, but for other reasons. Prior Kordecki no doubt understood he had no chance to save Poland overrun by the Swedish King. The Polish king, as mentioned before, was out of the country in hiding and in his absence politicians actually signed documents giving Poland to the Swedish king. By not letting the Swedes inside his fortress Kordecki was actually breaking the signed documents and consequently the law. His reason for which he would not open the gates and let the Swedes in was that Jasna Góra was considered the centre of Polish Catholicism and also contained the revered painting. For Kordecki and his monks it was unthinkable to let the Protestants even touch it. He was also afraid his monastery would be plundered by the Swedes as they were known to rob churches of anything valuable. So you could say it was a religious war to him even though it was not declared as such.

Consequences were extraordinary. The victory galvanized Poles who turned on Swedes with vengeance much faster than they initially surrendered. As we say today the Swedes were out at no time.

We are witnessing a similar situation in Ukraine. Russians invaded it out of greed and the ill ambition of the Russian government which we could say is nothing but shallow reasoning to say the least. They seemed to be successful in the first weeks, disregarding Ukrainians and having them in low regard. It seemed it was only a matter of time before Ukraine would collapse. Ukrainians on the other hand are defending their country fighting for their freedom. It is a fight for their very survival and existence which obviously makes their fight right and just.

This terrible war will be soon full one year old and today just like on the very first day I absolutely detest what the Russians are doing. I have Ukraine on my mind and in my heart every single day, I wish for Ukrainians to prevail and to chase the nasty aggressors away from their entire country. I hope you are with me.

Wojtek Migdalski

Community Building flourishes through Saltburn Community Response Initiative

―I‘m so pleased that Cat O‘Neill asked us both to join the Community Builders‘ training programme,‖ says Saltburn volunteer Mary Sproxton. ―We loved doing the online course, learning how to encourage local projects and increase community bonding.‖

The Directors of Saltburn Community Response were allocated £5000 last year by the former Tees Valley Clinical Commissioning Group. The funding was focused on projects aiming to encourage participation in community activities, to map and join up services that already exist and to support the creation of new community led local projects. Seventeen projects were submitted and a panel, which included Mary and her husband Ian, chose ten of these to finance.

The CCG funding enabled panel members to join Cormac Russell‘s international Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) course. ―We did eight to ten two hour sessions on Friday evenings and followed them up with a lot of homework, reflecting on what we were doing,‖ Mary remembers. ―There‘s a lot of community activity already going on in Saltburn and the training focused on how we can bring people together to support and extend this.‖

Mary says: ―We learnt that we should approach people in the community asking what they would like to do and enabling them to do it for themselves. We‘re not telling people what to do or rescuing them from something. It‘s a life -affirming way of treating people; it‘s very non-invasive and non-judgmental.‖

The funding available for projects was advertised by SCR and the panel spent an afternoon and evening voting on the seventeen applications. Sums asked for ranged from less than £100 to £1000. The success criteria used included the number of people the project would reach, how it would help the community to grow, environmental friendliness, how it would form links in the community and cost-effectiveness.

The successful bids included a Community Curry Night, Saltburn Befrienders of Asylum Seekers and Refugees‘ summer event and room hire to December 2022, the Saltburn Community Crafters‘ twelve knitting and twelve crochet lessons, the Saltburn Smugglers Sea Shanty group, the Library of Things (DIY equipment), two screenings of the Explore Saltburn film, five immersive art preparation workshops and Community Meal with Saltburn Supper Club, a Well Spring Walk and Tai Chi session in the Valley Gardens, twelve sessions for young people at TeesstrHive and Saltburn CEV accessibility group for people who are extremely clinically vulnerable.

Their progress is being monitored by the panel members. ―We have a checklist to measure the effectiveness of the projects and we can definitely say it‘s working. People are linking up and improving community bonding,‖ says Mary.

Two of the projects, the Community Meal and the TeesstrHive initiative to develop activities for young people, featured in last November‘s Talk of the Town. Another, the public screening of Ross Richards‘ Explore Saltburn film reached three hundred people over two days last August. Julia Jurgan, Ross‘s partner, explains how they are making it accessible to an ever bigger audience.

―Ross has been creating the audio-visual tour of historical Saltburn for the last eighteen months. He did

research, talking to Cath and Tony Lynn and Saltburn 150+, among many others, and developed the one hour long film,‖ says Julia. At first, it could only be streamed through the Explore Saltburn website, but with the Community Builders funding, they were able to book the Community Theatre and print tickets and flyers. Friends and families could watch the film together and share memories. Guests were greeted by townspeople dressed in Victorian clothes and at the end, they could have their photos taken with them. Some of these have been added to the DVD, along with comments from the audience about what they‘d seen.

―Over the two days, we raised £752, which we divided between Saltburn in Bloom and Saltburn Christmas Lights,‖ Julia adds.

The audio-visual tour is being transferred to a DVD professionally and it can be bought for £8 through their website (www.exploresaltburn.com). Already, people all over the UK have ordered copies, some for themselves and some for their families. At the time of writing, Julia is negotiating sales through Saltburn shops and is speaking to the Council about the possibility of showing the film in schools and care homes. She says the DVD can act as an ambassador for Redcar and Cleveland, presenting Saltburn as a holiday destination and a great place to live and bring up families.

As some people missed seeing the film in the Community Theatre last August, Ross and Julia hope to show it there again next spring or summer. She says they yet need to work out which charities they will donate the profits to, but hope people will come along and have a wonderful evening, while contributing to worthwhile causes.

Asset-Based Community Development course leader Cormac Russell has been teaching people in thirty-five countries for twenty-five years ‗how to uncover the hidden talents, assets and abilities in your neighbourhood and bring them together to create a vibrant and joyful community‘. In 2022, he published his book titled ‗The Connected Community – Discovering the Health, Wealth and Power of Neighbourhoods‘. He would no doubt be delighted by the success of the Saltburn Community Builders‘ project, which keeps on growing, encouraging people to connect with each other and share their pride in their town.

Rosemary Nicholls

Looking for somewhere to stay?....Holiday, Family, Friends coming to visit?

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For all enquiries Contact Carol 07817 506 784.

SALTBURN BLUES CLUB

I hope you all had a very merry Christmas and are looking forward to another year of great live Bands at Saltburn Blues Club. Although I say it myself our 2023 line up is the best yet including some really big names on the UK Blues scene.

Starting us up on January 28th is the return of a powerful trio Five Points Gang. The Gang are best known for their exceptional live performances, leaving audiences exhausted and yet screaming for more. Five Points Gang in the words of one reviewer, ―A Welshman, Frenchman and a Brazilian walk into a bar......and blow the place apart!‖ That‘s what they certainly did last July when they played for us. They are supported by A Couple Of Culprits featuring Marske guitarist Al Harrington the go to guitarist for Paul Rodgers when he played at the Marton Country Club a few years ago and Jim Macara another superb player.

However, for this gig I am not sure whether it will be at our usual venue New Marske Institute as it is being refurbished this month and it may not be finished by the 28th. I am though investigating other local venues in case we need to re-locate. The good news is that when the refurbishment is concluded the Club will have a state of the art concert room to stage the Bands. Keep your eyes and ears open for news re the January venue, check the Saltburn Blues Club page but not the website as it is being discontinued for 2023. Tickets are £12 from The Spar Milton St and Ents24.com.

The Balmoral Acoustic Blues Club (at the Conservative Club) continues this month with the quirkly named trio Radgie Gadgie. Their music contains something for most tastes with a mixture of genres not just Blues. Reserve your seats directly with me for this one on 07960 935263, £8.

For those of you that need more Blues music why not tune into my show Still Got The Blues on Zetland 105FM 7-10pm (Listen Live from the Zetland Fm website) every Monday.

Members of the Club get a discount on both gigs, we are taking membership fees for 2023 this month. Happy New Year and keep diggin‘ the Blues folks.

Harry

Help! Your local Playgroup needs you!

LittleNippersisin desperate needof willing volunteers to helpouton Tuesday mornings, either inthekitchenorin the group. Weneedpeopleto helpset up andput away. If youcanhelp, even ifitisonly for afewhourseach month, we wouldlove to hear fromyou. So, ifyou lovespending time with young children, painting, glueing, singing, making music or reading stories, or even simply making drinks, then pleasecontactLittleNippers Playgroupon 01287 624575

We have spaces in January for babies and newcomers to the town

January 2023 Things to do

Good Luck with your New Year‘s resolutions!

Sat/Sun Table Top Sale Weather permitting 10-4pm at the Portico.

Sundays Bingo, Key to the Box, live Music 4pm Saltburn House.

Mondays Saltburn Folk Club 7.30pm at Parlours.

Mon/Tues/Wed Supper Club 3-7pm at Parlours.

Mon/Wed/Fri Saltburn solidarity food & clothing bank 2 Windsor Road 12 – 4pm.

Mon/Wed/Thurs/Fri Warm Space Saltburn Library 10am5pm Saturday 9.30-12.30pm.

Mon-Thurs Warm Space Spa Hotel 9am-7pm.

Tuesday Warm Space and warm soup 12.30 – 2.30pm ECHO Church.

Wednesdays Coffee Morning Methodist Church 1011.30am.

From 11th Tiny Tots drop in at the Emmanuel Church. Health walk 10.30am meet near Sainsbury‘s

Pub Quiz Night at The Back Alex 7pm (Offering

Warm Space Daily 12 – 7pm).

Wednesday Warm Space Saltburnarts Community Centre 9.30-12pm Thursday 1-4pm.

Thursdays Whippet Up Free art & crafts for adults at Saltburnart Community Hall 1-4pm.

The Man Cave 1.30-4.30pm Emmanuel Church Hall.

Fridays Self led play group 0-4 Saltburn Library 10.3011.30am.

Live Music The Marine Hotel at 8pm till late.

1st Happy New Year.

3rd Quiz Night at Parlours.

8th Brass neck music Saltburn House 4.30 – 7pm.

13th Teas in the Afternoon as Saltburn Library 2-3.30pm.

14th Ghost hunt Earthbeat Centre 10pm – 3am

16th Global Word Search Day snuggle up with your favourite drink and a fun word search.

17th Quiz Night at Parlour.

22nd Happy Chinese New Year Welcome to the year of the Rabbit.

25th Burns Night a celebration of the life & legacy of the Scottish Poet Robert Burns dubbed the ―greatest Scot of all time‖ born 25th January 1759. Burns Night celebrations at Parlours of Saltburn.

27th Teas in the Afternoon Saltburn Library 2-3.30pm.

The Burns Night Haggis Supper at saltburnarts

28th Live Music at Parlours.

Burns Night Supper at Brockley Hall I hope you like ―a wee dram of whisky‖.

31st Quiz Night at Parlours.

Just a few things that should be happening this cold January. If you don‘t have the internet please check at Saltburn library for any up to date events and if you have or are planning an event please let the library know so that they can inform others ―What‘s On‖. Please pass on your Talk of The Town magazine once you have finished to someone who is unable to get a copy thank you.

God Bless to you all and a Happy New Year!

The Saltburn Toc H Branch

WALKING ON SOLID GROUND IN 2023

Sometimes people ask me questions like this: “How do I grow as a Christian?” or “How do I deepen my faith?” Any answers I give are geared towards the particular person and their current circumstances. But the answers will include many similar themes and practices, built upon centuries of people living the Christian way. These themes and practices are like the solid ground upon which a person walks, or the foundations upon which they build a house. In 2023 I would like to encourage you to engage in three complementary practices which I believe can help you spiritually walk well and build better. Each of the three practices is important in their own right, especially the first, but when all three are experienced together they can be particularly transformative.

1) Gathering Weekly to Worship with the Church Family

God offers us such profound grace and blessing when we gather together weekly as His family. But the practice of gathering weekly on a Sunday or midweek can easily slip away. Sometimes there are valid reasons why some people cannot gather together weekly with the church family - age and infirmity being two examples. However, for those who don’t, I suspect many of the reasons given would leave them embarrassed were Jesus to ask them why they rejected the graces He offers His people when they gather together weekly. They are missing out on opportunities to receive as well as to give. They forfeit Jesus’ presence, His sacraments, His word - the Bible. They reject the slow burning transformation of their lives through serving, worshiping, hearing the Bible read and taught, praying as brothers and sisters of Christ for the community and the wider world. They do not experience the blessings or the grace God gives to those gathered in His name. The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews expressed as much to those who failed to gather with the church family in the days when the New Testament was written:

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10.23-25)

2) Being a Member of a Small Group within the Church Family

Secondly, there is much to be gained from being part of a smaller group in the church family. Small groups are not an alternative or a substitute to the weekly gathering, but are a more informal and personal way of growing. They are places to get to know others, to give and receive care and support, to learn and study together, and to nurture lasting friendships.

3) Meeting with a Minister or Trusted Christian Friend for a Focused Conversation

Thirdly, I would encourage you to have an annual intentional conversation with a minister or a trusted Christian friend. Such a conversation can be compared to an annual MOT for a car, which examines its safety and roadworthiness. If you do this for a car, how much more valuable might a spiritual MOT be for you. There are a number of outlines to helpfully and wisely guide such a conversation.

So, I encourage you to take up these three practices in 2023, and especially the first. Please do contact me if what I have written has sparked some questions or interest. I am here to help.

Every blessing for 2023, Rev

Adam Reed

Morning Prayer

Monday to Friday 9.00am on ZOOM

Night Prayer

Monday 8.00pm

T:

E: emmanuelsaltburn@hotmail.co.uk

W: www.emmanuelsaltburn.co.uk

A.J.s Building and Decorating

A local, friendly maintenance service. Saltburn based. Brickwork, Pointing, Paving, Fencing, Painting, Patios

MAIDENS BROS.

Established 1950

Celebrating 70 years

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We provide:

Quality Plumbing, Central Heating Systems, Bathrooms, Wetrooms, Tiling and Decorative Panelling. Also Bathrooms and Shower Rooms for the Disabled. We are a Gas Safe Registered Company, providing Landlord Reports, Service of Boilers and repairs to Trade and Public.

No job too small and cheapest in town!

Contact Anthony on 01287 349716

Now able to offer at competitive prices a complete range of Plumbing, Boilers, Bathrooms and Showers and decorative panels with all required materials and accessories, Designer Radiators, Towel Warmers. We stock all copper pipe fittings, plastic pipe fittings including solvent and push fit waste spares for toilets, taps and showers, all general DIY silicon, adhesive and fixings.

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4 Amber Street, Saltburn TS12 1DT 01287 622133

Email: enquiries@maidensbros.co.uk

Walking Netball

Fancy trying Walking Netball? It‘s a gentler, easier game for ladies of any age. Join us at Huntcliff School every Tuesday between 5 and 6pm. Wear comfortable clothing and bring a drink. At only £4 a session you‘ll have the best hour of the week. Enquiries at saltburnwi@gmail.com

LEGAL SERVICES AVAILABLE IN YOUR OWN HOME AT VERY COMPETITIVE

I have recently retired after providing legal services at a local solicitors for almost forty years and am now able to provide legal assistance in respect of wills, powers of attorney and help to deal with matters following a bereavement including the obtaining of a Grant of Probate. Please call me on 07402 777393 and I will be happy to visit you in your own home to discuss your requirements and give a quotation.

LORNA SMITH

Saving And Re-homing Animals

THE ANN PROSSER FOUNDATION

A small charity seeking to rescue and re-home cats and dogs, Tel: 01642 488108 (weekdays only, 10am to 2pm).

SARA has many dogs and cats that need new homes. All are clean, healthy, neutered, vaccinated and microchipped.

Happy new year beloved readers! We are Jerry and StanLee, and we are looking for our forever homes. Jerry is a big goofy puppy, looking for a home to call his own; he‘s a delightful bundle of fun who doesn‘t realise how big he is! Jerry is still a baby, so is still learning his manners when walking on the lead and will need this training continuing as he is very strong, as he is a big lad, and a very handsome one at that! Despite his goofy nature, Jerry is eager to please and has quickly picked up tricks such as sit, paw and even roll over. We would like for him to find a home that is keen to carry on Jerry‘s training. Jerry is a very affectionate, loveable and playful boy, who would be great

SARA fundraising events

Meetings for SARA supporters and the general public will now be held every two months instead of monthly.

Next date will be Tuesday, 7th February 2023 at 7.00pm held in the Arundel at Foxrush Farm Redcar. Refreshments available. Dogs welcome.

to live with older children (over 16 years old) who are used to a large and excitable dog. Jerry walks lovely with the other dogs at our centre. So we feel he could really benefit from living with a large sized, laidback female dog who is robust enough to endure his enthusiastic play. He is eager to play with other dogs and would greatly appreciate the guidance a placid dog could give him. Although Jerry would also thrive as an only pet. This boy loves nothing more than some cuddles and playing in our exercise pen with lots of toys. Jerry will greatly benefit from having an owner who has lots of experience with large, strong dogs; as he has a lot of potential and needs an owner who is prepared to put in the work to make him the great dog we know he can be.

This handsome young cat is called Stan-Lee and came to SARA as a stray. He‘s around 2 years old and has a fetching white bib and nose. He is a very affectionate boy, who loves the attention of all our volunteer cat wranglers. We are looking for a home in a quiet area, near no busy main roads, so that Stan-Lee can have access to the outdoors safely. We feel he will thrive as the only pet in the home and will lap up all of the attention from his new family, he would be happy living with older children.

Listen to news and updates of our charity. The shop is open 7th and 8th January 2023 10.00

3.00pm. Any queries please contact SARA on 01642 488108 or email (at sarafoxrushfarm@gmail.com).

Further details are on our website at S.A.R.A.org.uk.

The Saltburn Profile by

Jack Noble

―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 Farm Tree 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 made camp fires and cooked chips, built camps from branches and dammed Kilton Beck for a swim. 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. They eventually cycled five miles to Saltburn Brine Baths, sometimes two to a bike.

From the ages of eleven to fifteen, Jack went to Guisborough Grammar School. On recreation afternoons in his last two years, he joined Mr Whur‘s Cycling Club. Their destination was Saltburn Brine Baths. 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

Rosemary Nicholls

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 and round the Apennines and Dolomites and Corsica.

He 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 out-patients 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 gave 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, Redcar & Cleveland Philatelic Society

CATCH OF THE DAY

The plight of our fishermen and their industry over the last recent years has not been a good one. Many of you, like myself, will remember the ‗good old days‘ in Whitby when a day out visiting this beautiful harbour town would provide a quayside crowded with dozens of fishing trawlers, sometimes stacked seven vessels deep along the fish wharf where you could observe the unloading of trays of ice covered glistening fish into the auction hall. Alas, how times have changed and not for the better as the fishing industry has almost virtually completely gone from Whitby.

In 1981 Great Britain in recognition of the, at the time, thriving fishing industry issued a set of four stamps designed by B. Sanders. They were multi-coloured, printed on phosphor paper and issued on 23rd September1981.

The 14p depicts Cockle-dredging from ―Lindsey II‖, 18p Hauling a trawl net, 22p Lobster Potting and the 25p Hoisting a Seine Net.

Several attractive FDCs (first day covers) were also produced with special cancellation strikes. Note the R.N.M. to D.S.F cancel (Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen).

These attractive stamps and FDCs are very reasonably priced and are available on eBay and at Norton Stamp Fair held once month at Norton Methodist Church Hall 09.30-13.30 (details 07742 153669).

Many other countries around the world have issued sets of stamps depicting their fishing industries providing an enormous choice for a ‗thematic‘ collection. Just checking out eBay will provide you with an excellent choice.

We meet on the 1st & 3rd Wednesday of each month 19.00-21.00 at Redcar East Community Centre, Durham Road, Redcar TS10 3SB (first 2023 meet is 18th January).

Guests welcome FREE. Need help/advice with your stamp collection? Call MARTIN 01287 622504.

Martin Snowdon

Saltburn Allotments Association

Happy New Year! Make sure you are ready to start growing! January is the month for preparation although you can make a few early sowings of onions, broad beans, radish, peas and early carrots; ensure you protect them well if it gets frosty.

By preparing and clearing your ground and using this month to do any remaining jobs like mending fences, checking sheds, tools and paths you can be ready for spring and the rest of the year ahead.

If you get some good weather hoe weedy ground on a dry day to stop them getting a hold… keep harvesting the crops you have growing too. Decide on what you plan to grow this year, maybe try something new? Especially with the extremes of climate we are experiencing it may be worth doing things a little differently? Plant things a little earlier or later in the year to make the most of suitable weather. I planted my first early potatoes earlier last year and it helped them get started before the dry spell! Hopefully it won‘t happen again but we have no guarantees!

Check on your stored veg and fruit to make sure any rotten ones are removed to stop the spread!

I was watching Gardeners World recently and was reminded of the method of sheet composting, the gardener was creating a bed of compost up to a metre high by layering up green material with woodchips and allowing them to mature for 2 years before using the bed again! I thought this was inspired as you can be clear on rotating the beds in your garden to help with prevention of pests and diseases. I plan to use this method as it is a great no dig tool.

If you have an area with persistent weeds you can smother them out too! I will keep you informed on how well it goes. I often get to a point when my compost bins are so full and yet I have things still to compost, so watch this space.

Make your own compost in the usual way if this is not for you or you have limited space, recycle what comes out of your kitchen and garden, and reduce what you buy to condition the soil! Make a project to build a compost bin and start a little serious composting. Chop green and dry material and try to build layers up. If too dry add some moisture to help; you would be surprised at how simple this is to do and how good the resulting compost is for the crops you grow. Your soil will contain more organic matter and support the crops you grow and need less added fertilisers. You never know until you try, for ‗No dig‘ information look up Charles Dowding on the Internet and maybe have a go in one area to begin with.

It will soon be spring with new crops to enjoy! We just need to get ready. Hopefully the weather will be kind to us. I hope 2023 is kind to us all too!

Julia

Saltburn Community Response

Happy new year everyone. I hope you had a good Christmas with your loved ones. 2022 was a busy year for SCR as our community builders grant recipients were able to run a variety of projects from community meals to singing groups and crochet lessons. Well done to all our wonderful project leaders.

From 6pm to 8pm, on 17th January, at the community arts centre we‘ll be having a gathering with tea and cake to hear about all the projects from the people who ran them and make some plans for 2023. Everyone is invited and there will be a chance to have your say about what projects we should focus on for the year.

If you can‘t make it and have any ideas, please contact us via our Facebook page or email info@saltburnresponse.com – we really do want to hear from as many people as possible.

One of the projects started by a community builder‘s grant is the Library of Things Saltburn (LoTS). This is going to be an ongoing community resource. Anyone can join from just £5 per year and then a small fee to borrow each item for a week. For example, you could join up and then rent a jig-saw for

just £7 which is about 1/10 of the amount you would need to pay to buy one. Then when your DIY is done it goes back to the library for more people to use AND you don‘t have it cluttering up your house. So many positives from just one project!

Email LoTSaltburn@gmail.com or check out their Facebook page for more details. LoTS is based at 2 Windsor Road, Saltburn and shares a room with the Teesside Socialist Clothing Bank where you can pick up free clothes for all ages (including school uniform) if you need anything.

Looking forward to working together with you all to make Saltburn the most wonderful place we all know it can be.

Rowan McLaughlin (on behalf of Saltburn Community Response)

PS The map of the Saltburn Warm Spaces is published again in this month‘s magazine. It is on page 20.

The Saltburn Crossword no 259 set by Dinosaur

Across

1 Seasonal wishes giving mixed message of her pay. Any pew? (5, 3, 4)

10 Worry or business going well (7)

11 See 20 Down

12 Fashionable addition or your first after entrance (9)

13 ‗Open!‘ says Trevor reversing after losing last (5)

14 Spool circles back (5)

15 Wanting something right away! A dye mimic spreading (9)

18 Conifer? Always showing its colour (9)

20 Not at all the best to blow or strike within (5)

22 Dangerous snake found in company branch partly (5)

24 Testimonial or direction to a passage in a book (9)

25 Enter when unwelcome to redesign rude tin (7)

26 A periodical allowance for mining Ned‘s pit? (7)

27 Saltburn flats motivated glee cry tours (7, 5)

Down

2 Saltburn restaurant‘s beers to sister in part (7)

3 It‘s the season for it when me, Tom pain to perform (9)

4 Describes nice flavour if not woodland seed (5)

5 Commander in chief? Stirring drawl or service (7)

6 Rub out The Queen at sea? (5)

Name___________________________________

Address_________________________________

Telephone_______________________________

7 Act of going in again (7)

8 Bad handwriting initially so cute, rustic and well looking (6)

9 Story code neat when retold (8)

16 Statement of intention, most a fine mess! (9)

17 Someone who sorts rang rare sorted (8)

18 Engraving etc nigh about (7)

19 Incremental back in laud argues (7)

20 and 11 Across Saltburn row of houses made to alter Mal or brace (7, 7)

21 Fashionable almost like the name of a former Saltburn hair salon (6)

23 To swim and wash in combat hell (5)

24 Describes the sound of a woodwind instrument (5)

Solution to Crossword no 258

D. V. Townend & Co

8 Dundas Street East, Saltburn TS12 1AH

Stylish Leisure and Outdoor Wear

Grisport Footwear, Brakeburn, Aigle, Scippis Biker Style Jacket, Exclusive Tweed Jackets, Hiking Poles, Picnic Rugs and Hampers, Leather Bags and Accessories

Tel: (01287) 623754

Email: info@dvtownend.com

d-v-townend.myshopify.com

Send your completed crossword to: Saltburn Crossword no 259, c/o Jackie‘s Saverstore, 8 Station Buildings, Saltburn, TS12 1AQ by Friday, 20th January 2023. First correct solution out of the bag wins a £10 voucher kindly donated by Real Meals.

The winner of last month‘s crossword was Nigel Ryan of Emerald Street, Saltburn.

TEES Community Hub extends its Welcome

Funding awards of £85,100 since April 2022 have put the TEES (Together, Engage, Encourage, Support) charity on a firmer footing in their new premises, Wykeham Court Community Centre, Skelton. Founder and CEO Tonia Nixon, who has been writing the bids with support from the Trustees is thrilled that TEES can continue to run the twelve services that they currently offer free to the people of Redcar and Cleveland. These are: TEES Community Hub, Charity Shop & Cafe; TEES Community Clothing Bank, TEES Period/Incontinence Poverty Campaign; TEES Menstrual Education Sessions; TEES Emergency Response; TEES Christmas Cheer; TEES Foodbank and Referral Project and TEES Free space for Community Groups.

―Referrals, which come from over seventy local organisations and agencies, have gone up by sixty per cent in the last two months,‖ says Tonia. ―Families who have two parents working are finding their incomes don‘t cover their bills any more and tradesmen who used up their savings during the pandemic, now can‘t afford their materials even if they can get them on time. They‘re in situations they never envisaged.‖

The move from Saltburn to Wykeham Court Community Centre in Skelton has enabled Tonia to develop a warm and welcoming social space. ―Our community cafe offers all day breakfasts, affordable lunches and snacks from 10.00am to 2.00pm from Mondays to Thursdays inclusive. We have a lending library and lots of events taking place, from Christmas Crafters on Mondays, Bingo Tuesdays, Saltburn Charity Crafters on Thursdays to monthly table top sales.‖

She encourages interested people to view four short recently filmed YouTube videos, entitled ‗A Touch of Tees‘.

These tell the stories of some of the volunteers and people helped, as well as giving a tour of the premises. ―It‘s easy to get to Wykeham Court from Saltburn,‖ she says. ―Just get off the X3 bus opposite Sainsbury‘s on Byland Road, turn down Jervaulx Road and right to the Community Centre. Go through the gate on the left hand side and we will welcome you!‖

Tonia adds: ―TEES would like to thank all the Funders, Supporters, Agencies, Businesses, Charities & individuals for their continued support and help to keep TEES running and supporting the people of Redcar & Cleveland. Donations from £60,000 to a few hours of your time has made us the success we are today. We thank you all…‖ (A detailed list of funders can be found on the Benefactors page of the website www.teescommunity.co.uk).