Talk of the Town January2017

EDITION 187

CIRCULATION 4,800

JANUARY 2017

SALTBURN’S FREE MONTHLY MAGAZINE www.tottsaltburn.co.uk 1

2

SALTBURN’S TOWN TALK Letter from the Editor

Happy New Year, everyone! It was an early deadline for contributions to this magazine because of Christmas holidays at the printers. Now it is a later deadline for February’s magazine and I have the unexpected luxury of a six week interval between issues. I enjoy the occasional five week interval (it’s usually four) but six has never happened before and I will not know what to do with myself! That’s actually not quite true because I have lots of activities outside of the magazine such as reading and playing the piano. It’s important to have interests other than one’s job otherwise the job would take over. By the time this is being read, I might even have rediscovered an old hobby which I haven’t pursued for nearly forty years: that is, painting. In my early twenties I embarked upon a large painting which I never finished.

Recently it’s been unearthed from its hiding place and has been crying out to be completed! I requested a set of paints for Christmas so I might just have been creative by the time I start work on next month’s Talk of the Town.

It’s the new year, a time for making resolutions and

having a new beginning. I haven’t made any, but if I had it would only be to carry on and to survive. I was once asked what my five year plan was! I replied that it was merely to survive. Too many businesses close because this mad idea that they have to expand leads them to failure. Survival is everything. There are limits to growth. Last month’s magazine was 68 pages and that, quite honestly, is unsustainable unless the magazine has a huge increase in advertising. This month it is a more comfortable 60 pages. I don’t think the people of Saltburn would forgive me if anything happened to their much -loved magazine. Hopefully it will remain safe in my hands for many more new years to come. Love, Ian.

Send letters, adverts and contributions for the next issue (by Friday, 20th January 2017) to: The Editor, Talk of the Town c/o Jackie’s Saverstore, 8 Station Buildings, Saltburn, Cleveland, TS12 1AQ. Telephone: 01287 623903 (or email: talkofthetownsaltburn@gmail.com). Talk of the Town has a website: www.tottsaltburn.co.uk and the Friends of Talk of the Town can be found on Facebook.

Craft Club Busy Fingers: 2nd and 4th Thursday of each Saltburn Studios’ Gallery: Thank you to everyone who came month, 1.30 till 3.30pm in the Coffee Room, Saltburn to our Open Studios in November. We will reopen the Gallery Community Centre. in March with a new exhibition of our newest artist’s work and Redcar Lecture Society: To open our Programme of Visual look forward to seeing you then. Further details later.

Presentations for 2017, in the Redcar East Community Centre Happy New Year. on Durham Road on Tuesday, 10th January at 2.15pm we are The Guisborough and District Branch of the Embroiderers’ delighted to welcome back Lynn Lamport to Visually Present Guild are holding their monthly meeting on Saturday, 7th the second part of ‘Old Stockton’. A fortnight later on January, 2017 in Sunnyfield House, Westgate, Guisborough, Tuesday, 24th January at the same venue and time, we will be TS14 6BA at 2pm. Our meeting will be organised by our welcoming Malcolm Thomas for the first time and he will be members and will include Folios from the Embroiderers’ Guild telling and showing the results of his exploits in ‘Gold collection. These are samples that can be handled and are of Panning’. Admission at the door is £2.50 and visitors are most different embroidery techniques. We will also have our welcome at our Presentations. Anyone who wishes to take out a Half-Season Membership can do so on payment of £12 at Travelling Books. These are books that are passed around among members and have a different piece added each month. the door in January only.

There will also be an opportunity to make a flower out of sheer Saltburn Farmers’ Market: The local foodies are currently fabrics using a heat gun. having their annual winter break, but will be back for a brand Visitors are welcome whether non-stitchers, beginners or new season of popular monthly markets on Saturday. 11th more experienced stitchers. For more information please March. For further news and updates, see Saltburn Farmers’ contact 01642 314860. The car park behind Belmont House Market on facebook. (council offices) is free on Saturday.

Emmanuel Church Hall Table Top and Collectors’ Sale: WI Report: At the time of writing Christmas was coming and The next sales are on Saturdays, 7th and 21st of January and at WI we were enjoying the festivities. In our crafts class then 4th and 18th February. We have a lot of new stall polystyrene balls were covered with ribbon to make delightful holders and anyone who would like to join us or just to have a tree decorations. Some of our members joined other local WIs clear out can contact Denise on the number below. We are for the De Brus Group Carol Service in Guisborough Methodist also doing our usual lunches and all day breakfast, fresh home Church followed by refreshments and a chance to meet up with baked cake, pies and scones. Home made refreshments and friends. This month’s meeting was a party with crafts, games light lunches are on sale all day. FREE ENTRANCE and a and a table bulging under a wonderful pooled supper. No warm welcome to everyone. With over 26 stall holders, chance to relax though, as members baked cakes for our stall at selling lots of bric-a-brac, books, toys, baby goods, and all the Christmas Fair. Normal service will resume in January with sorts of collectables, there is something for everyone. We crafts on Monday 9th and the monthly meeting on Thursday, have now got a lot of new stall holders selling lots of different 12th January in the Methodist Church Hall, Milton and interesting things. If anyone would like to book a table Street. Check our website for details (www.saltburnwi.org.uk). please contact Denise Marshall on 07929 589538.

Lynn Mitchell Cover Illustration: Saltburn Station and Town Clock by David Rigg 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, Unit 34a, Lidgate Crescent, Langthwaite Business Park, South Kirkby, West Yorkshire, WF9 3NR. Website: www.dcprintyork shire.co.uk Tel: 01977 642331. Proprietor/Editor of Talk of the Town: Ian Tyas c/o Jackie’s Saverstore, 8 Station Buildings, Saltburn, TS12 1AQ. (Ian Tyas tel: 01287 623903.)

3

National Service Part 9 Duties and Ruins My designation in the unit was pay clerk, but at the lowliest rank in the office there were many other tasks which I had to undertake. It was a very busy life. The unit strength was about 18 so the duty of the weekly pay parade was not very time consuming. As a working unit the only formal parade which we held was the weekly pay parade; other than that we got out of our beds, made ourselves presentable and then went about our daily duties, just like normal workers. Saturdays and Sundays were free time. The weekly pay parade was very formal, and everyone had to be in best Khaki Drill or uniform depending on the time of year and paraded before a table covered with an army blanket manned by a S er gea nt, a 2nd Lieutenant, and yours truly the pay clerk. Each man was called up by name by the sergeant: he came up smartly and saluted the officer before presenting his pay book and announcing his rank and name. The sergeant examined the pay book and said ‘correct’ at which point I handed over the The gateway to the sanctuary of pay due, and the soldier Apollo then threw up a smart salute and said ‘pay correct sir,’ before marching back to the ranks. I was spared this ritual.

One of my duties was to collect the unit mail from the Field Post Office in the town. Having signed the official secrets act, I was to open all the mail coming into the office and distribute it to whoever had it to deal with. Occasionally when I opened a letter there was another envelope inside marked confidential this was passed to the sergeant in charge of the office who then opened it to find another envelope marked secret this was passed to the 2nd Lieutenant and when he opened it there was another envelope marked Top secret: only the OC could open this one.

On one occasion when the OC opened the final envelope he immediately passed it to me with orders to include the item in Part 2 orders (these were published daily and displayed for all members of the unit to read). In this instance we were warned that there was to be a demonstration by the local community in protest against a possible hand over of Cyrenaica back to the Italians by the United Nations Committee. The instructions were to draw our weapons and ammunition from the armoury and mount guard on our installations.

Six of us were detailed to mount guard on our works depot in the centre of the town where the protest march 4

would pass. We were each given 5 rounds of ammunition for our rifles. The protest marchers (approximately 500 in number) began passing the depot. We were standing on the roof of the building feeling very vulnerable when the protesters shouted amiable greetings to us as many were our employees and receiving a fortnightly wage for their efforts, so all passed very peacefully, and rifles and bullets went back into the armoury unused.

We had many requests to have our photographs taken with employees in a very antiquated studio more in keeping with the Victorian era. Another of my duties was to accompany the delivery of building materials to the

Shoulder Flash

Tony and Walter McFarlane with Arab clerk

Protest march

historic sites of Apollonia and Cyrene, relics of Greek, Roman and Byzantine activities in Cyrenaica. Our unit were caretakers for the sites using local labour for maintenance. Our shoulder flash was an image of the ruined columns. There was also a leave camp at Cyrene where men from other units including RAF came for a week’s leave by the Mediterranean Sea. It was a very relaxed and enjoyable break.

Cath and Tony Lynn

Same chef and owner for over 6 years

SALTBURN METHODIST CHURCH Milton Street, Saltburn.

Sunday Services at 10.45 a.m.

Looking for that special gift and card?

Choose from our vast range of products incl: Woodwick scented candles, Jellycat soft toys, Thomas Kent clocks, Arran Aromatics toiletries, Emma Bridgewater & Cath Kidston pottery & much more.

Now also available online.

Visit us at www.bramblesgiftshop.co.uk 4, Station Street, Saltburn by the Sea, TS12 1AE Tel: 01287 623 368 www.bramblesgiftshop.co.uk

Saltburn Councillors’ Surgeries Saltburn Councillors’ Surgeries, each month - all on Saturdays 1st Sat. Library 11-12 Cllr. Craig Hannaway 2nd Sat. Library 11-12 Cllr. Philip Thomson 3rd Sat. Outside Sainsbury’s Cllr. Stuart Smith 9.30-10.30 and 11.30-12.15 4th Sat. Library 11-12 All Councillors Cllr. Hannaway: 07515 863440. Cllr. Smith: 07557 540628.

Cllr. Thomson: 01287 624883.

Mid Week Worship AndWednesday 6.00 p.m.at 10 a.m

Sunday school 10.45 a.m.

Mid week worship Wednesday at 10 a.m.

Prayer Meeting Tuesday at 1.30 p.m.

OPEN CHURCH - 10 a.m. - 12 noon MONDAY, TUESDAY, THURSDAY, FRIDAY. A quiet space with a listening ear, Or just call in for tea or coffee.

MONDAYS AT EIGHT LADIES GROUP at 8 p.m.

THURSDAYS FORTNIGHTLY 2.30 Ladies Meeting COFFEE MORNINGS: WEDNESDAY 10 - 11.45 a.m.

SATURDAY 10 a.m. - 12noon

TUESDAY 2.p.m. KNIT & NATTER. TUESDAY & THURSDAY TODDLERS GROUP. If you would like to come please drop in and ask as there is normally a waiting list.

First TUESDAY OF THE MONTH Soup & Bun lunch at 12.30 p.m.

See notice board for other events.

Anyone is welcome to join us at these events, do come along, we’d love to see you.

We also have rooms to rent for meetings etc, for more information please contact 622826.

5

Once Upon a Time in the Wapentake Two months ago I was trying, not very well, I fear, to write about what I believed to be our sense of belonging, or to put it another way, our need to have a home. ‘Home’ can mean so many things: the house you were born in; the house you live in now; the street, the village, the town, the land where you have settled or the one you have come from…and ‘Land’ can mean, for example, the Wapentake of Langbaurgh, the County of Cleveland, the North Riding of Yorkshire, the Island of Britain, or the Continent of Europe. I stressed how important it is to have that sense of belonging, but I also stressed the downside, the danger in this loyalty, this attachment to place: so often it’s about, not what we are, but what we are not. It was not so very long ago that, especially if you were young and male, you only met the inhabitants of the next village along to fight them, whilst the older generation contented themselves with condemning the other village’s beer as being unfit to be drunk by pigs, and their way of farming as a disgraceful waste of land and labour.

Perhaps it was all harmless enough, even if, at times, it came close to denying that those others were truly human; Cornish people thought that people on the English side of the River Tamar had tails, whilst Devonshire people thought the same about the Cornish. Perhaps there were enough advantages to a settled way of life to outweigh the disadvantages, for most people at least, but whether they were content with their lot did not matter; change was about to happen whether they wanted it or not. Following the Industrial and Agrarian Revolutions, we humans, having for thousands of years been farmers, country folk, were about to move to the factory and the city. The process began very close to here, and then spread across Northern Europe, and into North America, and now into East Asia and South Asia, to South America and Africa. Now people found themselves a long way from home, surrounded by people far stranger than those who had lived in the next village, in a sooty, brick-built world very different to anything known before.

The ties that bind people together had to be reinvented; there had to be new loyalties. These took many forms: workers in particular trades with shared interests formed Unions; professional sport, especially Association Football, became the focus of intense local loyalty. (In the first British team to win the European Cup, Glasgow Celtic, ten members of its team in the final had been born within five miles of the ground: they were truly local.) But probably the most important development was the invention of The Nation. Now people had a something new to be loyal to, and new enemies to fear. Instead of love for the countryside they had left behind there was Love of Country.

And the Nation was, in most places, as much an invention of the Nineteenth Century as the steam engine and the Bessemer Converter. Italy did not become a Nation until 1871, and one of its creators famously said that they had made an Italy, now they would have to make Italians.

(A big job: it was estimated only 5% of the population 6

spoke Italian.) Until that century most people had lived in city states, like Athens or Carthage, Venice or Milan, or in empires in which a great variety of languages were spoken and gods worshipped, Rome or Austro-Hungary, for example. It is probable that the vast majority of people did not know what they were supposed to be; after the First World War, when the empires of Eastern and Central Europe were being broken up and the inhabitants were asked what nationality they were so that they could be parcelled up into what other people thought to be the appropriate countries, a common reply was, simply, ‘we’re from round here.’

Nations are not a natural universal condition, as we know by witnessing the problems caused by trying to make nations in Africa, or the Middle East for example, often by just drawing a line on a map. And what precisely is a nation? Is it a group of people who all speak the same language, have the same beliefs and values and a common ancestry, even look the same and eat the same foods? If it is, then no such thing has ever existed, and the only attempt to create it was that made in Nazi Germany, which is not an experiment that most of us would want repeated, I hope.

This may seem nothing to do with us, but try and imagine what it would feel like if we were to wake up one morning and find an international frontier running through the Valley Gardens; on the Skelton side of the beck would be England, and our side would be Scotland, perhaps. Although we might feel Skelton people were different to us, they might be more like us than the inhabitants of Edinburgh were, or London for that matter.

It would seem odd to say the least.

However, having said all this, I do appreciate that there are times when loyalty to your country can be a very positive thing, when people make sacrifices, sometimes the ultimate one, for the common good.

Defeating the Nazis was something that was necessary for almost everybody, and, in the aftermath, creating the National Health Service as part of a fairer society, was also something that benefitted everyone. The problems start when we are asked to make sacrifices, seeing our services cut, our jobs become lower paid and more insecure, for the good of the Nation. When most people are worse off then who exactly is this Nation? Is it the few very rich and powerful people and corporations who do benefit? And when it is that same few who are loudest in telling us that we must make sacrifices, then surely we have a right to wonder what exactly is going on.

When, in 1775 Doctor Johnson said, “Patriotism is the last resort of the scoundrel,” he did not mean that anyone who loves their country is a scoundrel. He meant that the worst scoundrels will hide their wickedness by pretending to be patriotic. The President Elect of the USA hiding under a ‘Make America Great’ hat might be one such scoundrel. We may even think that there are some of the same kind on this side of the water.

Tim Beswick

Real Meals Purveyors of Fine Foods

Real Meals would like to wish a Happy New Year to all.

We’ll be open again as usual from Wednesday, 4th January 2017 for a wide selection of meat, cheeses and fresh fish at the weekend.

Opening Hours: Monday to Friday: 8.30am to 6.00pm, Saturday: 8.30am to 5.00pm, Sunday 10.00am to 2.00pm.

For more details contact: REAL MEALS, 25 MILTON STREET, SALTBURN, Tel: 01287 622266.

New email address: realmeals.uk@gmail.com

New Website: www.real-meals.co.uk

Councillors’ Column Let us get off to a good start. The perennial list of New Year resolutions should preferably be achievable, pertinent, worth doing and sensible, perhaps with a little latitude here.

Have we heard all this before? Well, probably, but just a few steps of good intention should not inevitably lead down that terminal path.

Our population is ageing, bringing with it not just a longer life but further challenges of physical and mental health and isolation, which result sometimes from family dissolution and sometimes from just being in the wrong place. In Redcar & Cleveland 1200 adults currently receive support in Care Homes and 3800 receive support at home or day care of some sort. These figures are set to escalate. As a community there is much to recognise and respond to. In setting the precept for 2017/18 it is proposed to increase Council Tax by 2% to assist in funding the Adult Social Care budget, but to ring fence any increase. Should this be supported?

A further rise of 1.99% is also proposed in Council Tax. This to fund other expenditure including additional borrowing to promote growth within the Borough. Should this be supported?

A review of services and staffing structure to meet future demands and continue to supply essential front line services has resulted in several recommendations, one of which is to reduce the town library opening to 31 hours per week. Should this be supported?

Central Government grants of £2.9 million are available annually for expenditure on highway improvements including car parking and road safety. How much of this has been seen

in Saltburn? Given that Road Safety has been at the forefront of residents’ concerns is not this a spend in which residents should exercise their views?

If one resolution is simply to take a more active part in deciding how the Council performs and influencing its future, there is an opportunity to engage by entering the Council Budget Consultation process at www.redcarcleveland.gov.uk/haveyoursay and doing so by the closing date 11th January.

When services are not delivered or are to a lower standard than expected, residents sometimes despair at the inability to report such matters and achieve results, never mind get any feedback. There is now a potential to participate alongside elected members in on line reporting by joining a developing R&C Management Reporting System, Contact 360. Any resident can set up their own point of contact by accessing the Customer Portal. It is known as My Account and can be set up simply by logging on to the Council web site, clicking on that title at the top of the page and following the guidelines.

Finally, allowing for resolution fatigue having set in, the Tees Valley Strategic Transport Plan can be commented upon. With the key objective of promoting economic growth, this important document can be accessed at www.teesvalleyca.gov.uk/connect2026 and comments made by emailing the system at connect2026@teesvalley-ca.gov.uk by the 31st January 2017.

With this brief list for starters, are we resolved?

Philip Thomson 7

Saltburn Beachwatch Great British Beach Clean 2016 Results The Marine Conservation Societies (MCS) Great British Beach Clean is the annual flagship event of the ongoing coastal environmental initiative which has taken place on the third weekend in September for the last 22 years.

Using the new standard survey form for the whole of Europe, Saltburn Beachwatch (SBW) joined just under 6,000 volunteers in cleaning 364 beaches around the coast of the UK, recording what was found. This amounted to 268,384 individual pieces which over just one weekend represents a huge problem for all our beaches.

However, figures show that there has been a reduction by nearly a half in the number of plastic bags found per 100 metres of beach surveyed which indicates that the 5p charge for a carrier bag is having an effect.

Here in the North East we had the highest litter density in England.

Although on average 958 items/100mtrs were found, representing a decrease of 14% compared to 2015, levels still remain much higher than the UK average. During 2016 data collected by volunteers showed a rise of over 4% in the quantities of drinks containers found on the UK’s beaches, including plastic bottles, bottle tops and aluminium cans. This rise makes the case for a deposit and return system even more urgent. There was also a very large (53%) increase in balloon related litter. Turtles and other marine animals can mistake balloons and plastic bags as food and these items can then block their digestive systems leading to starvation and death. A recent study has shown that some species of seabirds are attracted by the scent of this plastic “junk food” and go so far as to feed it to their young.

The MCS has said that it is taking its “Don’t Let Go” campaign to a local level to persuade more councils to ban the release of balloons and sky lanterns on local authority land. How about it RCBC? Saltburn Beachwatch will, over the coming year, keep a watch on the English litter strategy currently being drafted by DEFRA and other strategies being developed elsewhere in the UK. I feel that any strategy must include specific measures to tackle the problems highlighted in our surveys.

Here in Saltburn plastic cotton bud sticks washed up on the beach have been a growing problem over the last few years with literally thousands found at each event so the move by Tesco and Sainsbury’s to use only biodegradable cardboard in their own brand sticks is to be welcomed. We now need all retailers to follow suit.

Although we have a formidable task ahead of us in the fight against marine litter and pollution, the last year has shown that we really can effect change by engaging our community in direct action. If you would like to help, the next SBW litterpick and survey will take place on Saturday, 14th January 2017 from 10am until 12 noon.

Meet at the pier car park. Grabs, gloves and bags will be provided and half way through the session free refreshments will be available.

Roy Smith 8

Bird owners need to be aware of new Bird Flu Measures

The council is backing a prevention zone implemented by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to help protect poultry against a strain of bird flu. Owners of chickens, turkeys, geese or ducks in Redcar and Cleveland have to either keep them indoors for the next 30 days, or take appropriate measures to separate them from wild birds.

The prevention zone has been declared because of an increased number of reports of the H5N8 strain of bird flu in mainland Europe which has the potential to spread to the UK. Some tips to stop the spread of bird flu on farms and in allotments include thoroughly disinfecting housing regularly as well as making sure that feed and water is not accessible to wild birds. It is also important that disinfectant is kept at all points where people should use it, such as farm entrances and before entering poultry housing or enclosures.

Councillor Lynn Pallister, Cabinet Member for Health and Housing at Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council, said: “It is important that anyone who owns birds, be it in the home, on an allotment or on a farm, follow the rules set down by the prevention zone in order to stop the spread of bird flu.

The council’s environmental health team will be working with allotment holders and farm workers to help them with anything they might need.”

The prevention zone will apply until 2.30pm on Friday, 6th January 2017; anyone who caught failing to comply with the declaration could face police prosecution.

For more information, go to: www.gov.uk/ government/organisations/department-for-environment-foodrural-affairs.

Saltburn Labour Party centenary Over the last few months I have been asking members of the Saltburn Labour Party branch to compile a profile of their lives and what influences they have had. Many members come from places throughout the UK and beyond and their memories will eventually go into an archive. I am aware that there must be many stories not yet uncovered from past and present members in Saltburn that would enrich our collection so I am asking that you get in touch if you would like to share them.

This new year sees the hundredth anniversary of the Labour Party in Saltburn and the constituency along with Redcar will be looking at ways to celebrate that. Maybe a collection of a hundred profiles or more would be a good starter?

I am asking for an A4 side, more if necessary, which might include date, place of birth, early life, work experience, family and political influences. If you would prefer to talk and have someone else write these memories up then that can be arranged. It can remain anonymous if requested. Please contact Loll by email: Lollthorne2017@gmail.com. Thank you.

New year, new hobby?

There will be a Watercolour for beginners workshop on Tuesday, March 7th, 1-3pm in the upper room of Milton Street Methodist Church, Saltburn. All equipment needed will be provided. It will cost £20.

So come and have a go at a new hobby, fun guaranteed! To book a place, please ring Kathryn Harrison on 01947 897803.

Tom Blenkinsop Comments on the future downgrading of Guisborough Hospital Commenting on the future downgrading of Guisborough hospital to a primary care centre Labour Member of Parliament for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, Tom Blenkinsop said: “For the last five years the threat of closure has been hanging over the whole of the Guisborough Hospital complex. It’s good news that this announcement removes that threat.

“However, the centralisation of hospital services at James Cook and Redcar is a concern. Since 2010 Guisborough has lost its maternity ward, stroke ward and Minor Injuries Unit. I welcome the £4 million investment and the commitment to keep the site open in the long term but the hospital is a shadow of its former self. Just yesterday James Cook declared that its A&E was under pressure and directed some patients to their nearest Minor Injuries unit if they could, an option that is much harder for an East Cleveland resident than it was two years ago. I will be contacting the CCG asking them to confirm which services will come to the refurbished site and when they will be fully operational.”

Saltburn 500 Club May I start my column by wishing everybody a very Happy New Year. I hope that the year brings you everything you have wished for.

Congratulations go to E Vernon, who was the winner of the £200 First Prize in the December 500 Club Draw. As I always say ‘you’ve got to be in it to win it’ and, this month, the first number drawn out belonged to a member who had not renewed their subscription. It is, therefore, important to renew your subscriptions as it cost this person £200! Membership forms are at the library, Jackie’s Saverstore (or by contacting phil.saltburn500club@outlook.com).

The Christmas Lighting-up parade was a big success and attracted more people than previous years. I would like to thank all of the volunteers that were involved on the night for all of the effort they put in. The parade was made a little more dramatic by the fact that one of the fire tenders had to leave in a hurry to attend a call-out. This was swiftly dealt with and the crew managed to get back to the portico to be involved. The committee that organise the parade had made a decision that fireworks were not to be included after receiving a complaint. The fireworks that went off shortly before the parade were nothing to do with the parade but were a part of a celebration taking place in another part of the town. We have received the same comments about the fact that “there is nothing going on to keep the people in the town”. This is a matter we try to address but we are restricted in what we can do because of restrictions placed on us such as the length of time we can have the road closed etc.

This year will see a reduction in Saturday Bandstand performances as we have not got the funding to keep them all going. The Saturday performances will be restricted to July and August. However, there will be a full programme of Sunday performances. We have a new person organising the schedule for this year and I know that the schedule has been drafted and just needs final refinements. We will endeavour to have the schedule available as soon as possible.

All of the voluntary organisations in Saltburn are in desperate need of new volunteers so please consider joining one of the teams and try to keep Saltburn up in the heights of interesting places to visit. In these days of austerity, we need your help more than ever so please come along and join us.

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

Saltburn Photographic Society

Wednesday, 4th January results of the Bingo Challenge.

Wednesday, 11th January NYSDPA Silver Salver Print and individual PDIs competition results. Wednesday, 18th January 3rd Monthly competition results (Nostalgia). Wednesday, 25th January Cal Carey – Saltburn Commercial and Industrial freelance photographer. Wednesday, 1st February Society member Tim Cossins “Wild Life Photography”. Monday, 16th January 7.00 pm Practical night Members Critique Night.

Meetings are held in the upstairs hall, Saltburn Milton Street Methodist Church TS12 1EB at 7.30pm. Visitors are welcome to any of our meetings; there will be a small charge. For more infor ma tion, visit our web site www.saltburnphotographicsociety.co.uk or contact Tony Lynn 01287 622519.

9

News from Ringrose Orchard, Skelton Throughout the summer and autumn we have aimed to keep Ringrose Community Orchard at the forefront of life in Skelton.

The biggest event was the erection, and unveiling, of a statue, cast in resin, of Skelton born Frank Wild who, on seven occasions, sailed to Antarctica with Ernest Shackleton. Wild was well respected and became Shackleton’s second-in-command. His greatest role followed their ship ‘Endeavour’ being crushed in the Antarctic ice. Wild was seen as the right man to maintain the moral of the crew whilst Shackleton went off to seek rescue.

The statue was sculpted by Skelton resident William Harling Dip. AD, MRBS, whilst the plinth was built in conjunction with another local man, Mike Haley.

The whole project, which included an information panel detailing Frank Wild’s exploits produced by Sign Art Studios of Stokesley, was sponsored by Skelton & Brotton Parish Council and Skelton’s Elected Members.

It was unveiled before a gathering of approximately 50 residents and visitors by Mr. Anthony Wharton - with assistance from pupils of Skelton Junior School - on the 29th September.

On the 25th August and 27th October we held children’s craft days attended by two to ten year olds. In August, led by Joyce White, they constructed miniature rock gardens, whilst in October Liz Hendry guided the group through model making, painting and creating a plaster of Paris plaque with a floral imprint. We hope to hold similar activities during school holidays throughout 2017.

We have been busy planting spring bulbs and are currently occupied with general maintenance work.

Support has been provided by people undertaking Community Service Orders; they have also been involved in clearance work alongside the Cleveland Way path leading to/from the village via ‘The Hills’ On the 14th November we were guided through the correct method of pruning our young fruit trees and in the period 28th November—2nd December Paul Murphy, Countryside Ranger, and his team, completed the willow arch.

Our major task during the winter will be to renovate the wooden fence running parallel to the Cleveland Way then continue preparation of the ground between it and the wall ready for planting trees and shrubs in the spring.

As always we would welcome volunteers to join our small, hard-working, team. There is always a variety of tasks, ranging from general maintenance to fencing to landscaping - plus good chat to be had during the tea break!

If you are interested please contact Stuart White, Tel. 01287 654132, or at the orchard, located between the Co-op and the Fire Station, on a Monday or Thursday morning.

10

or email: simon.robson1@ntlworld.com

SALTBURN EVANGELICAL CHURCH Leven Street, Saltburn Seeking to be more like Jesus and sharing His love with those around us.

"We love Him because He first loved us."

(1 John 3:19) Please join us as we gather to worship and learn more about Jesus, to build and strengthen our faith, and encourage one another to grow more like Him. We meet each Sunday at 11.00am and 6.00pm.

Friday Friends Hello and Happy New Year.

We are an inclusive friendship group open to all over 18 - we welcome people of all abilities and ages. I’d like to begin the year by saying a big Thank you to the wonderful people of Saltburn House for letting us have a raffle, and donating a prize, at the superb Soul Survivors gig in December, and thanks to the generosity of the packed house we raised an amazing £377.10p! We are very grateful to Roy for organising the event and for your family’s support.

January Programme 6th - Start the New Year with Seated Keep-Fit to music with Taylor, then enjoy a game of Bingo. The afternoon’s art n craft is decorating your own T-shirt or bag or cushion with Buttons.

13th - Colouring in. Then from 11-12 we have Colin’s Drumming session and a bit of a sing-a-long too! Embroidery afternoon.

20th - A morning of games including skittles and tabletennis. Draw a mandala pattern.

27th - Indoor bowls and lunch at Saltburn Bowls Club with the lovely Bob, then back to the hall to make a pretty storage box from a fruit container.

We meet at Emmanuel Church Hall, Macnay St, Saltburn each Friday, with activities 10 - 12.30, arts and crafts 1 - 4. First session/day is free to see if you like it, (carers are always free). Then it’s £2.50/£4.00 to help cover expenses. We are run by volunteers. For more info email us on Thefridayfriends@outlook.com or phone us on 07833 895 501.

Much appreciation goes to Norma, Christine and Marjory for their evening of festive fun, in which they raised £58! And thanks to all for the great Christmas party, to Building Bridges for letting us act in the Peter Pan play - never to be forgotten! And to Jim Wingham, Bob and Pauline from the Bowls Club for the raffle prizes with which we raised a further £36, and it was a lovely party!

Anjee Charman-Clark, chair

Saltburn-by-the-Sea Garden Flat available for holiday lets.

Less than five minutes walk from the sea and from the train station, shops and local restaurants etc.

The property consists of a fully fitted and equipped kitchen, spacious and well furnished lounge overlooking the garden (which is for your personal use), and a double bed with en-suite bathroom.

WiFi access Prices - £35.00 per night (minimum of two nights) Contact Mr & Mrs Smith on 01287 623740 (home) Or 07988 838956 (Mr Smith mobile) Or 07877 384977 (Mrs Smith mobile)

Reliable person needed Reliable person needed to help clean a holiday let in Saltburn.

Work could be either on an occasional or on a more regular basis.

In high season the change over day is a Friday, but outside of high season, the days can vary.

Work tends to be 10.30 till 12.30, sometimes longer!

Please contact me on 07429 049295 if you’d like to know more.

Andy Pollard 07773006361 (based in Saltburn) Residential and Commercial Property Maintenance Plumbing, Drainage, Property Refurbishment, Roofing Repairs, Fencing, Carpentry, Joinery, Painting and Decorating, General/Ongoing 11

What’s on at Saltburn Library in January The Friends of Saltburn Library are delighted that the U3A Ukulele Group, founded three years ago by Jim and Marina Stone, will be playing a selection of songs, old and new on Tuesday, January 17th at 2.00pm. They have visited many an old peoples home across the region and were very pleased to be able to entertain the crowds at the Saltburn Food festival in July.

It promises to be a lovely afternoon of music so please pop in and enjoy a cup of tea while you listen.

The Friends have a whole programme of events organised for 2017 so please pop into the Library for a leaflet – just a heads up to the next few months: February sees a talk on Fracking, March the Boys Brigade and April bead trees – so something there for everyone!

We want to thank everyone that came and supported the Christmas light switch on by joining in the activities in the Library – over 300 people came through the door so it was a very lively and festive event –

helped by Christmas crafts, face painting and lots of fun from Tommy Bungle and Marko the Clown!

We are continuing the New Year with our regular activities: Rhyme time Mondays and Wednesdays 10-10.45am Pop in and play Wednesdays 2-3.00pm Crafts Thursdays 3.30-4.30pm Building Bridges Tea party Fridays 2-4.00pm On Friday, 6th January we will have supporters of the RSPB in the Library who will have a stand and be giving out information.

Also please feel free to pop in on a Friday afternoon between 2.00pm and 4.00pm, when Building Bridges will be providing tea and cake for a small donation.

For any further information about any of the events mentioned just give us a ring on 01287 623584.

Wishing all our customers a very Happy New Year for 2017 – and we look forward to seeing you in the Library.

Tracey

Saltburn and District Group for Visually Impaired People Hello everyone. Our meeting in December was too late to put in a report telling you of British Blind Veterans, so I thought I would put in a little letter instead!

My name is Quinta and I am a guide dog for my owner, Chris Ferguson, in Saltburn. I have had a very busy 2016 guiding her around to various places and events. We go to a lot of classic car shows around the country and we enjoy weekends away in the motorhome, or staying with friends.

My biggest achievement this year was completing the York 10k in August for the second time (picture of me with my medals) and this year we raised £485 for Guide Dogs and York Blind and Partially Sighted Society. However, my sporting career is now over as I have retired from distance walking. I’ll stick to collecting whilst others do carol singing!

Anyway, the VI group in Saltburn will continue in 2017 starting on 11th January with a repeat visit from Michelle, a lovely lady from the Macular Society. I would love to meet new people at our monthly sessions so please join me and the friendly bunch in the Coffee Lounge, Community Centre from 2pm.

Hope to see you all there but if you need any other info please call Chris Ferguson on 01287 204170.

Happy New Year to all dogs and humans alike!

Quinta 12

Personal Tuition

Is your child finding it hard to keep up with their Maths, English or Science lessons? Do you need support with home schooling? Would your child benefit from being pushed to achieve more?

If you have said “yes” to any of these questions, I can help.

Architectural Services & Chartered Structural & Civil Engineers Architectural Planning and Building Regulation Advice Listed Building Experts House Extensions & Loft Conversions Alterations and Refurbishments Residential New Builds Shop Layout Designs Alcohol Licence Applications Office Warehouse Designs

To discuss how I can help you, or your child, improve in Maths, English & Science, from KS2 to GCSE, contact:

Steve Metcalfe, Msc. Bsc.(Hons)

Structural & Civil Engineering

Tel: 01287 204490 Mob: 07826 171253

Structural Surveys Beam Designs Building Restoration Foundation & Underpinning Design General Building Works

Email: scmetcalfe22@gmail.com

Qualified Teacher Status. Fully Enhanced DBS Checked.

Professional and Friendly Service Gregory Sills BEng (Hons) CEng MIStructE FGS

Shane Slater

t: 01287 624644 m: 07960 967865

Plumbing & Heating All aspects of domestic plumbing

Tel: 01287 625657 Mobile: 07812 391418 Bathrooms Fires/Fireplaces Showers Boilers Tiling Heating Systems Underfloor Heating Systems

www.scurator.co.uk info@scurator.co.uk www.beamdesignservice.co.uk

NEED HELP? 

Christina Simpson Bespoke Furniture, Joinery Fully Qualified Experienced, Local Carpenter/Joiner 1st, 2nd Fix Doors, Flooring, Skirting, Loft Conversions Hand-Made Kitchens/Bedrooms, Painted Furniture Paintings Commissioned

No Job Too Small

Call 07773 091727 Email: simpsonc999@gmail.com



Decorating • Joinery Minor Electrical Work

I’M YOUR GUY Based in Saltburn CALL GUY ON

07780 008985 Used Stamps for Charity There is a box in Saltburn Library for used postage stamps which are a valuable source of income to a number of charities. Please drop your stamps in the library. Many thanks for your support. There is also a box in Marske Library.

Eric Matson (volunteer), 25 High Street, Skelton, Tel: 07985 767587 13

Megan’s Mind The month of December saw 5 years since my Grandma died. The anniversary fell on the day of the Christmas Lights Switch on. My Grandma loved going to see the Christmas Lights being switched on, so I can’t think of a better way to remember her. She would have loved seeing the firemen pull Santa’s Sleigh in the parade and all of the children singing along to the Frozen song that was played. Then I thought it was even more of a fitting tribute to go to the Marine afterwards! I can’t believe it’s been 5 years already since the light in all of our lives went out. I miss how kind and helpful and understanding she was. She was never ever in a bad mood and always put others before herself. She always made me feel better about myself when I was feeling down, just like she did for everybody. She never had a bad word to say about anybody although she did like a good gossip! She made Christmas wonderful and magical. I miss how she made the family home warm and cosy and it always smelt of home cooking. I miss how she used to have silly ‘senior moments’ like not using McDonalds Luncheon vouchers at tea time because she thought they could only be used at Lunch time! Forgetting that a cafe is called a cafe so she called it a ‘cup of tea shop’ which is now how my mum and I always refer to a cafe! When it was your birthday my grandma always made you your favourite tea. I miss how pleased she was to see me after I’d been at school and how she always asked ‘good day?’ I always felt special because she hated it when people touched her hair, but it was my thing to stand behind her and play with her hair and she didn’t mind: she said I was the only one who was allowed.

She would always come and sit with me if my Mum was out because she didn’t want me to be by myself.

She never lost patience with anybody no matter how annoying they were being! I loved how she used to sit with me and help me do extra French work for my teacher at school. She never minded how much mess her grandchildren made and always hung up pictures that we’d done for her on the fridge. All of my family get excited when new Kitkats come out because we know my grandma would have got excited and every one of us when we see something we know she would have liked say ‘Grandma would have liked that’. She hated having her picture taken, even though every photo ever taken of her was the most beautiful picture in the world, and she couldn’t drink a cup of tea if the inside of the cup was any colour but white. I miss how excited she used to get if someone offered to make her a cup of tea because she loved tea and she always left the tea bag in the cup. She used to pretend to be scared whenever I hugged her but she was my favourite person in the world ever to hug. Well, actually, she was just my favourite person in the world ever. My three cousins and I are the luckiest grandchildren in the world for having her as a Grandma.

Megan 14

Science News Sepsis, also known as blood poisoning, is a condition that is often fatal and is caused by the body’s overwhelming response to a bacterial infection and it is usually treated with antibiotics.

Now Researchers from the Harvard University, the Empa Research Group and the Adolphe Merkle Institute have found a new and better way to fight back against blood poisoning. At the centre of their idea are magnets. The researchers covered antibodies that stick to the dangerous bacteria with iron particles before trying them on the bacteria that cause the sepsis in a solution. After the antibodies have stuck to the bacteria, the solution is put through a dialysis machine, and the magnets pull the iron covered antibodies and bacteria straight out of solution and it is left bacteria free! However, the antibodies they have can only attach to one type of bacteria, so they would need to repeat the method if there is more than one type of bacteria causing the blood poisoning.

Researchers at Harvard University are trying to come up with a synthetic antibody that would stick to the most common types of bacteria that can cause sepsis, so eventually, hopefully, a single treatment would be enough. It is hard to make the importance of finding ways to fight back against antibiotic resistance clear. Bacteria have the ability to evolve to resist antibiotic treatment. The United Nations has stated that the Sepsis crisis is on par with HIV or Ebola, and the amount of resistant strains of bacteria is growing at an alarming rate. Fortunately, the researchers are trying to find a lot more ways to solve the problem. Some of them are developing new types of antibiotics, while other researchers are exploring ways using gene editing breakthrough CRISPR. Other researchers are looking at bacteria on the backs of ants for a solutions.

Searching for the universe’s missing particles, which supposedly takes up around 80% of the Universe’s total mass, has not yet given any definitive results. There have been different theories tested to try and understand Dark Matter and some theories even state that it may not really exist. Physicists from Cornell University have come up with an explanation that changes the way Dark Matter has been understood and possibly could tell us why all research so far has not found anything. The scientists think that there was once more Dark Matter in the Universe than what we have got today. There is one theory that explains that the decrease is based on assuming that Dark Matter particles are WIMPs (meaning Weakly-Interacting Massive Particles). As the Universe cooled down Dark Matter went away up to a point when thermal equilibrium was attained when Dark Matter particles staying mostly constant after they ‘froze out’. The physicists at the Cornell University published their study in Physical Review Letters, and it offers a different view on the dark Matter freeze out. Instead of just the one particle, several dark sector particles decayed making the current dark matter density observed. One of many of these particles could be Dark Matter. According to the new research, it may be of a smaller density that they thought before. To explain the right abundance of Dark Matter, its annihilation rate must have been larger than what was explained by earlier models, like the WIMP concept.

Megan Bridge

Award winning web designer bringing the world to you!

Need a website for your Club, Society or Business?

Small or Large, Brochure or e-commerce All your web design needs catered for: Database design also catered for: Then contact Anne Henderson for an informal chat on 07835 085719 or email enquiries@annescomputingdesigns.co.uk Website: www.annescomputingdesigns.co.uk

Also, Joinery Work Undertaken

Call Liz on: 01287 203571 Mobile: 07834 022289 Email: liz.ingledew@btinternet.com Website: www.liziesdecorating.co.uk

Help! Your local Playgroup needs you!

Little Nippers is in desperate need of willing volunteers to help out on Monday and Wednesday mornings, either in the kitchen or in the group. We need people to help set up and put away. If you can help, even if it is only for a few hours each month, we would love to hear from you. So, if you love spending time with young children, painting, glueing, singing, making music or reading stories, or even simply making drinks, then please contact Little Nippers Playgroup on

01287 624575

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

Branching out for National Tree Week

Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council’s Countryside Service teams were hosting a number of events to mark National Tree Week (Saturday, 26th November to Sunday, 4th December).

National Tree Week is the UK’s largest tree celebration launching the start of the winter tree planting season. Councillor Alec Brown, cabinet member for neighbourhoods at Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council, said: “There are plenty of events for National Tree Week and I would encourage as many as people as possible to join in.

Planting new trees and preserving old ones not only protects our environment, but maintains the beauty of our countryside. I want to take this opportunity to thank our Countryside Service and hardworking volunteers who do so much to help keep our borough green. As well as volunteers and community groups who work on improving the borough’s environment through the Redcar and Cleveland Love It campaign which is about building pride in where we live.”

Events in Redcar and Cleveland will include tree planting at Guisborough Forest & Walkway, and Willow Arch planting with Friends of Skelton Community Orchard on Tuesday, 29th February. On Thursday, 1st December, Paul Murphy, Countryside Ranger, hosted tree identification sessions and gave informative talks on the different species of trees within the Saltburn Valley Woodland. The following day, on Friday, 2nd December at Camp Bank at Saltburn Valley Woodland, young cherry trees were planted, while the Friends of Errington Wood removed non-native deciduous trees and pine trees to allow native trees space to grow and mature. A tree was also planted at Moorsholm recreation field. Other activities to mark the annual week included free tree-themed craft events which took place between Saturday, 26th and Monday, 28th November at Flatts Lane Country Park. All the events began at 10am throughout the week.

If you are interested in any of these activities or would like to get involved in other countryside activities, sign up to be a Countryside Volunteer. Contact Karen Preston or Paul Murphy on 01642 496428 / 01642 496430 or email volunteering@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk for more information.

For more on the Love It campaign, which is focussed on improving the environment across Redcar and Cleveland, go to: www.redcar-clevelandloveit.co.uk.

15

SALTBURN CRICKET CLUB

SALTBURN BLUES CLUB

Marske Mill Lane, Tel 01287-622761

The Blues arm of the live music scene continues to attract high calibre acts to our region and not least to our very own Blues Club.

Artists have now been booked right through to December 2017 and I’m proud to be promoting every one of them. The award winning Kaz Hawkins Band will be here. Favourites of the Club, Sean Taylor, Henry Priestman, Harry Manx and Gerry Jablonski are returning. Marcus Malone, Cold Norton, Catfish and many more will perform at our regular end-of-month gigs.

New this year will be the not-to-be-missed THE HOWZAT MUSIC FESTIVAL on 3rd September, staged at Saltburn Cricket Club. We’ve teamed up with Saltburn Rotary Club for this charity fundraiser and 7 superb acts of different genres will provide live music on the day. More details to come…

Our first booking this year is THE JOHN VERITY BAND on Saturday, January 28th. Most famous as lead vocalist of 70s band, ARGENT (big hit ‘Hold Your Head Up’), and with a CV that shows he’s consistently played with leading names in the music world, John continues to provide what he loves to do quality live performances. In 2011 he recorded some of his favourite blues material and the albums keep on coming.

Supporting will be MICHAEL WOODS, a fine acoustic North East blues guitarist.

Doors: 7.30pm, Support: 8.00pm, Venue: Saltburn Cricket Club, Tickets: £10 available from: www.yorkshireticketshop.co.uk, 07960 935263 and Whistlestop Wines, Saltburn. Find all our details at www.saltburnbluesclub.co.uk and our Facebook page.

Don’t forget that my show, STILL GOT THE BLUES, goes out on ZETLAND FM, 105FM and online for listeners outside the area every Monday night, 710pm. 3 hours of the best of blues music, old and new.

Listen in; add your comments; put in a request.

It’s also available to listen to later on Mixcloud.

Just follow the link at the bottom of Zetland FM’s web page.

Harry

SLIMMING WORLD – Tuesday mornings @ 9.00 – 10.30am FRIENDLY BINGO GROUP – Weds 4th & 18th January, starting 8.00pm - all welcome SALTBURN BLUES CLUB – Sat 28th January JOHN VERITY BAND support MICHAEL WOODS All ticket night - £10 with 10% discount for Club members QUIZ for SALTBURN IN BLOOM Thurs 2nd Feb including light supper *Free WiFi in Club* * BIG screen TV showing SKY sports etc * ***FEATURED IN CAMRA GOOD BEER GUIDE 2016!!*** GREAT VENUE for YOUR family events, weddings, parties, funerals & meetings - free use for charity/community groups during normal opening hours.

Convenient venue, free parking, reasonable bar prices.

Contact us to book your event.

Members and non-members welcome.

The Snow Queen From Shakespeare to panto – it’s all in a day’s work for the award winning Saltburn ’53 Drama Group. The ’53, theatre group in residence at Saltburn Community Theatre, attracted rave reviews and record audiences for their most recent production – a 1920s version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

‘Brilliantly acted, hilariously funny, a joy to watch.’

‘It was so good I couldn’t believe it wasn’t a professional theatre group!’ ‘An absolute treat.’ ‘A fantastic performance.’

- just some of the audience comments after the show.

But, far from putting their feet up and enjoying a well-earned rest, the group were straight back into rehearsals for their next production: The Snow Queen.

A pantomime version of Hans Christian Anderson’s classic tale, it is a wonderfully warm and funny adaptation with original characters joined by some rather interesting new additions to the story.

Directed by Sheenah Taylor, it’s a show for all the family with humour for adults and children alike. A cast of 31 – yes 31! – is made up of both youth and adult members and is keeping the wardrobe team extremely busy.

The Snow Queen runs from 12th-14th & 19th-21st January with shows each evening and an extra matinee both Saturdays. Tickets are on sale now priced £7 (£5 concessions) from Book Corner, Chocolini’s and Saltburn Community Theatre.

16

01287 624505

17

18

19

Cleveland Diving Club To continue our winter theme of ‘Animal Talk,’ the focus for this month’s article is a very pretty sponge that grows in colonies, with colours ranging from white, orange and less frequently pink (photo 1). Commonly called ‘Deadman’s Fingers,’ (Alcyonium digitatum) this affectionate pet name is derived from its appearance. Finger shaped lobes arise from a thick, fleshy base presenting a fuzzy ghost-like appearance, giving the impression of a hand in the process of decomposing.

The fuzzy bits (photo 2) are tentacles (polyps) that look like miniature, luminous, pellucid palm trees standing proud from each finger. These delicate translucent tentacles are extremely important as they are the animal’s feeding posts. At the opposite end of the fixed trunk is a mouth surrounded by hair-like cells (cilia) that create small currents to deliver the water borne food (plankton) and oxygen towards its central mouth.

As the term ‘colony’ suggests ‘Deadman’s Fingers,’ like to multiply and expand their territory, the more the merrier (photo 3). All organisms need to feed and reproduce and our ‘Deadman’s Fingers,’ are no exception. Feeding and growing takes place between February and July, and then from late July to December the colonies move into a non-feeding dormant phase, taking on a compressed appearance. During this phase the final stages of developed maturity occur, in preparation for spawning, which happens between December and January.

Unlike the sea squirts discussed in our previous article the female and male sex cells fertilise externally. After about a week the floating offspring have become free-swimming larvae, which then go off in pursuit of somewhere to settle. The lozengeshaped larvae (picture 5, below) are extraordinary swimmers which helps them in their search for a suitable site to put down their roots.

Location, location, location is the byword for our home seeker as selecting their permanent domicile is a most critical decision for them. Thankfully these larvae are extremely discerning about where they want to live and use their incredible sensory skills to help them make their preferred choice. They are acutely sensitive to stress factors such as temperature, sewage and fertiliser pollutants that would affect their ability to colonise and thrive (photo 4, the slim silver fish here being a passing onlooker). Surprisingly, however, our young house-hunter is not averse to settling for a mobile home, with the help of an accommodating crab. Although ‘Deadman’s Fingers,’ are happiest when completely submerged in areas of strong water movement, they can be found as deep as 50m, or occasionally in lower intertidal levels on a spring tide.

‘Deadman’s Fingers,’ are wildly distributed around our British coastline. They are also found in Iceland and the Atlantic coastlines from Norway to the Bay of Biscay and are known to live for over 20 years. The pictures featured with this article have been taken just off our local coastline, Redcar and Marske.

Scuba diving offers a whole new world of experiences and if an interest and desire to take the plunge into the underwater world has been aroused then contact us on 07960 608529 to enrol in our next 6 week introductory scuba course due to commence 16th January 2017.

June Coomber 20

Saltburn in Bloom would like to thank their sponsors and army of volunteers for their tremendous support in 2016.

Warm wishes to everyone in the community for the new year ahead.

We sell a good selection of Stationery i.e. Envelopes, Labels, Tapes, Mailing Bags, and Greetings Cards plus a wide range of Personalised Cards.

21

BOOK CORNER

Fiction Non-fiction Cut-price Books Children’s Books Ordering Service Gifts for Book-lovers Open Monday to Saturday, 10am – 5pm (Closed Wednesday)

1 Regency Buildings, Station Square, Saltburn

01287 348010 www.bookcornershop.co.uk

d.a.n.i.delights shop opening times: Tuesday to Thursday: 10:ooam-4:00pm Friday: 10:00am-6:00pm for all enquiries including those for organic raw vegan catering bookings please contact Dani on 07884 045742, or danimitchell333@yahoo.co.uk or connect with me on my Dani delights facebook page J d.a.n.i.delights, The Earthbeat Centre, Marske Road, Saltburn by the Sea, TS12 1QA

22

G . Bishop - Decorator *Interiors and Exteriors

*Free Estimates

*All Aspects of Decorating Undertaken *Realistic Prices

*Reliable Service Assured

Time Served Telephone 01287 624016

40 Years Experience Mobile 07757 912575

Seldons,

Saltburn Pier Amusements Come along and enjoy a family fun day in a beautiful Victorian building at Saltburn Pier.

We have a wide range of fun games to suit all ages.

Open all year round 10am-8pm.

Seaview and Greta Cottage caring together 5 star care homes awarded by Redcar and Cleveland for their quality of care and personalised service.

Home from home with daily activities and weekly trips out in our own minibus.

Please feel free to visit us at anytime.

01287 622498 and 01287 625178 23

It's a tie!

Former ICI Wilton worker Terrance Wilks, of Brotton, won a competition for the smartest tie worn at the annual Christmas lunch held by Saltburn and District Retired Men’s Forum members at Saltburn Golf Club on 5th December.

Two secret judges checked ties being worn by about 30 men present. Among them were ties with striking floral designs, red polka dots, stripes and a cravat. The judges picked the Christmas motif making up Mr Wilks’ neck attire.

A prize is to be presented at a forum meeting to Mr Wilks, who was a member of the Coldstream Guards in London as a young man.

The competition was billed as ‘a bit of fun’ at the annual event, which drew 60 people.

Chairman Peter Martin thanked all who had contributed especially lunch organisers John Wells (12 years service) and Gordon Turner, members who lay out chairs, speakerfinders and tea ladies.

Saltburn, Marske and New Marske Parish Council

Father Christmas made a visit to Saltburn on Saturday, 3rd December. The Christmas tree lights were switched on by two local children who had won a Christmas craft poster competition - Harry Smith and Hannah Bryson (both aged 7) pictured with Councillor John Lambert, Chairman of the Parish Council and Tracy Meadows, Clerk. The winning posters were recreated to make this year’s Parish Council Christmas cards. The parade included Mary and Joseph on a donkey, a festively decorated fire engine, Santa on his sleigh, local children and this year Stormtroopers and their Star Wars friends made a brief visit to the town. Santa brought his sleigh to a halt at the tree so that the competition winners could jump on and accompany him to his grotto located at the Station Portico. Hundreds of local residents turned out to enjoy the festivities throughout the afternoon including face painting, Punch and Judy and Christmas crafts. The Parish Council wish to thank everyone who helped organise this wonderful community event. Thanks to Zetland FM for hosting the switch on and to Oscars Fish Bar for their sponsorship.

Thanks also to Tony Lynn for taking this photo of some of the volunteers, who assisted before, during and after the event to ensure that everything ran smoothly and everyone was safe. If anyone has any photos of the event 24

that they are willing to share please forward them to the office.

Allotment Rents can be paid at the allotment shop located on the Hazel Grove site from January 2017 - there has been a small increase of 50p (pro rata) to £26 per 1/16th acre plot. Tenants are reminded that NO fires are allowed on the allotment sites. Any tenant who has a fire or uses a stove which causes smoke nuisance will have their tenancy terminated with immediate effect.

The final Donations and General Purposes Committee for the 2016/17 financial year takes place early in the New Year. Any community group wishing to apply for a small donation must have their completed applications to the Parish Council office by 9th January 2017. Further details can be obtained from our website.

The Parish Council office will be closed from 23rd December 2016 to 2nd January 2017 inclusive.

Best wishes for a peaceful New Year.

Tracy Meadows (Clerk and RFO to Saltburn, Marske & New Marske Parish Council) The Conference Centre, Saltburn Learning Campus Marske Mill Lane, Saltburn, TS12 1HJ Tel: 01287 623477 email: office@smnmpc.co.uk www.smnmpc.co.uk

What’s Happening at

Marske Hall

Happy New Year from Marske Hall

Best wishes for a happy, healthy New Year from all at Marske Hall. Many thanks for all your support throughout last year. Visit our Facebook page for details of our next events.

Appeal The fundraising team is always looking for tombola and raffle prizes to use at events throughout the year. Please keep any unwanted Christmas gifts for our tombolas.

Simply call into Marske Hall from 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday. Visit www.facebook/marskehall.com Thank you for your continued support Funds raised at these events will enhance the lives of people living at Marske Hall. Registered Charity No: 218186. For details of these and other events call 01642 482672 (or visit: www.facebook/marskehall.com).

Marske Hall, Redcar Road, TS11 6AA.

Saltburn Charity Crafters Saltburn Charity Crafters will be meeting on Wednesday, 4th January from 2 pm to 4 pm in the Coffee Room at Saltburn Community Hall. If you would like to join us and knit for local charities do pop in for a cuppa and a natter.

For further information contact Angie on 01287 205153.

Please check beforehand if weather is bad.

25

Busting the myths about back pain Back pain is the most common pain complaint and causes huge amounts of financial, physical and mental problems.

Unfortunately, the health profession doesn’t have a great track record in dealing successfully with back pain and this has encouraged those suffering with the problem to search out alternative treatment options. This has only confused the situation, with a broad range of “alternative therapists” chipping in with their own ideas about the causes of back pain and how best to treat it. They invariably have no scientific basis and are in fact myths, which can result in poor treatment decisions and in some situations make back pain worse. These ideas range from the barely plausible to the outright whacky and I won’t mention them here. Instead I would like to focus on the growing amount of good medical science that we now have to call upon, when dealing with back pain. So I will look at some common beliefs about back pain and see if they stand up to scientific scrutiny.

Myth 1: Pain = Damage Many people believe that there is a direct link to the amount of pain they experience and the amount of damage they have in their back. Pain science has progressed massively over the past decade and we now know that it is common for very high levels of pain to be experienced and for there to be relatively little damage to the back.

Myth 2: A scan will tell me what’s wrong Sometimes it will, but much more often it won’t. Most scans of pain free backs reveal “abnormalities” that are just normal changes. Highlighting this to people with back pain causes unnecessary worry and can make pain worse.

Myth 3: Reducing back movements will reduce pain Good quality back movement actually reduces most back pain.

Many people who have long standing and recurrent back pain develop bad movement habits and they adopt ways of moving that they feel protect their back, but which actually perpetuate and provoke their pain.

Myth 4: Exercises such as weight training should be avoided Regular exercise reduces pain and physical work outs, including those that feature weight training have been shown to be protective against back pain.

Myth 5: Core training and Pilates can prevent back pain Developing and improving “core strength” to reduce and to prevent back pain has become something of a mantra amongst many Doctors, Physios and Personal Trainers despite there being no sound scientific evidence to support this. Large scientific studies show core strengthening exercises to be no better than general exercise in resolving back pain. So if your back muscles feel tense and sore, it might not be helpful to do exercise like core stability work & Pilates that puts even more sustained tension on them.

Treatments that have traditionally targeted specific back structures such as joints, discs, nerves and muscles have consistently given poor clinical outcomes. In contrast, when we use treatments that address beliefs about pain together with lifestyle factors and movement behaviours, then we witness significant improvements. You can find more information about back pain on our website.

Pauline & Philip Newton Chartered & Health Care Professions Council Registered Physiotherapists Newton Physiotherapy 01287 767287 www.NewtonPhysio.com 26

A Dream Transformation from PCB Home Installations

Managing your project from start to finish

• Supply and Installation of Kitchens and Bathrooms • Quality workmanship guaranteed every time • 15 Years experience • Professional trades people • Local company • UPVC Panelling • FREE no obligation quotations

Tel: 01287 637702 Mob: 07870 176370 27

Saltburn House this January!

Wishing you all a Happy New Year. ***Every Friday it’s Karaoke!!*** Bands this month are: Sat 7th Jan Roy Orbison (tribute) Sat 14th Jan Old Skool, Sat 21st Jan DVD Rock and Glam, Sat 28th Jan All Day Ska Music Festival (£10 a ticket)

Hire out one of our Function Rooms for £20 an hour or £100 for the whole day. We have a choice of three very different Function Rooms, providing you with the versatility your company or party requires.

Accommodation Prices: Single Room only £30.00. Double/Twin Room £55.00 Single Half Board £40.00. Double Half Board £75.00. All Stay Types include a Complimentary Full English Breakfast!

For further information, contact Ann, Andy or Joanna on:

01287 622008 COESI – Centre of Excellence for Sensory Impairment

SENSORY BOOK CLUB The COESI charity has been successful in securing Big Lottery funding to run Social Activities for people with visual impairments in the Tees Valley region which includes accessible Art and Culture.

Our aim is to bring people with visual impairments together socially to access and experience culture, history and art in a local environment.

Come and join us for some social, informal sessions with refreshments and experience a Touch to See tactile and audio resource created by Living Paintings.

To find out more about the free monthly sessions held in Saltburn and Redcar contact Sophie Bishop at 01287 204204 or email info@coesi.org.uk to book yourself a place.

28

A voice for Disabled People in Redcar & Cleveland An independent voice for local disabled people to promote issues and concerns as equal partners and citizens.

Redcar ROC has received funding to establish a collective voice for disabled people. The third event will focus on 'Access and Social Inclusion'.

Wednesday, 11th January 2017 at Saltburn Sports Centre, Marske Mill Lane, Saltburn-bythe-Sea TS12 1HJ from 12:30–3pm. Light refreshments will be available.

If you would like to book a place please contact Linda Dickinson on 07949 672610 Email: mdickinson@ntlworld.com, or Kerry Livermore (ROC) 01642 756801 Email: redcarroc@btconnect.com.

29

30

Fugazi Fugazi is Saltburn’s first boutique salon. We are situated at 7-9 Marske Road in the ‘Woodrow Avenue shops’. Our aim is to provide outstanding hairdressing in a friendly, newly refurbished, contemporary environment at affordable prices.

We are specialising in balyage, colour, colour correction & cutting. We offer a wide range of human hair extensions. Our methods include LA Weave, Mini Locks, Micro Rings & Tapes, and all consultations are free. We are open Tuesday to Saturday with late nights available by appointment.

We pride ourselves on offering all clients a luxury experience in a relaxed atmosphere, using excellent quality products such as L’Oréal, Olaplex and Moroccanoil.

Hair & Extension Boutique 7-9 Marske Road

Hairdressing, Extensions & Make Up Coming soon: Nails, Brows, Lashes Tel: 01287 200037 Or mobile: 07393 739942 Like us on Facebook @fugazihairextensionboutique

We are looking to expand in the new year adding more services to the salon including, nails, brows & lashes.

To view our work like us on facebook @fugazihairextensionboutique or follow us on instagram fugazi_hairextensionboutique.

Ring 01287 200037 or 07393 739942 to book an appointment.

31

32

I, Daniel Blake

Award winning film comes to Saltburn to support local foodbank

The Saltburn branch of the Labour Party is hosting a screening of the film I, Daniel Blake later this month – but instead of paying for a ticket with cash, you will be asked to bring along some food to donate to the foodbank (FoodStop) run by Guisborough Bridge Association.

I, Daniel Blake, directed by Ken Loach (Cathy Come Home, Kes) has won 4 international awards since its release in 2016, including the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

Set in Newcastle, it follows Daniel Blake (59) who has worked as a joiner most of his life. Now, for the first time ever, he needs help from the State. He crosses paths with single mother Katie and her two young children, Daisy and Dylan. Katie’s only chance to escape a one-roomed homeless hostel in London has been to accept a flat in a city she doesn’t know, some 300 miles away. Daniel and Katie find themselves in no-man’s land, caught on the barbed wire of welfare bureaucracy as played out against the rhetoric of ‘striver and skiver’ in modern-day Britain.

The film addresses many issues around poverty, deprivation and the welfare system in Britain today in a way that is ‘blunt, dignified and brutally moving’ (Guardian).

Based on research carried out in communities throughout the country by Loach and author, Paul Laverty, it is shocking but also has warmth and humour. ‘Packs an emotional punch with an honesty that shocks’ (Kate Muir, The Times).

The screening takes place on Friday, 27th January in the Saltburn Community Arts Association Theatre on Albion Terrace. Doors will open at 7pm, a bar will be provided and the film will be shown at 7.30. Afterwards there will be a Q&A session with panel members from the Guisborough FoodStop project, Redcar Children’s Centre and Citizen Advice Redcar & Cleveland.

The event is being sponsored and we want as many people to come and see the film as possible, hence tickets are free of charge. We just ask that when you come on the evening you bring along some non-perishable food items to donate to the Guisborough Bridge Association FoodStop project (more information about this at www.guisboroughbridge.org.uk).

Attendance will be by ticket only, so if you want to attend the screening you must reserve a seat online (at https://saltburnlabourparty.eventbrite.co.uk).

The Green Room is our new vegetarian/ vegan bistro which we opened at 114 Borough Road, Middlesbrough in May this year. We offer a café style lunch menu until 6 p.m., then a delicious three-course evening menu from 6.30 p.m.

Our gorgeous Christmas menu is also available to view online.

Visit our website www.thegreenroommiddlesbrough.co.uk or Facebook page @thegreenroombistro for further details of our menus and opening times:

Telephone: 01642 913730 33

Blow away those winter blues Following the excesses of the festive season what better way to start the year than a winter walk in the woods.

Winter is a very special season and a wonderful time of year to explore a different side to our ancient woods. Join the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust in a series of guided walks to investigate the features of East Cleveland’s ancient woodlands in winter. These free, fun and informal walks, funded by National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund, will explore the identification of trees in winter using buds, twigs, bark and shape, fungi, animal tracks and other aspects of woodland nature.

Visibility in the woods is strikingly different after the leaves fall and the vegetation dies away. At this time of year woodlands reveal much about their past history. The walks will look at the archaeology of the woods: evidence of ancient roadways, legacies of past woodland management practices and messages from the past.

Perfect for enjoying nature’s sights and sounds while burning off some of those festive calories!

The programme of walks is: Saltburn Gill on Wednesday, 18th January from 10.00am to 1.00pm. Meet at the Cat Nab Car Park.

Clarksons’s Wood on Sunday, 29th January from 10.00am to 1.00pm. Meet at Liverton Mines at the junction of Cleveland Street and Liverton Road.

Hagg Wood on Wednesday, 8th February from 10.00am to 1.00pm. Meet at the former Toad Hall Arms, Moorsholm.

Contact: info@teeswildlife.org to book a place or ring 01287 636382. Please wear suitable clothes and footwear for visiting winter woodlands. Bring a drink and a snack, camera and field sketching materials.

34

To find out more about the Woodland Diaries project visit http://woodlanddiaries.teeswildlife.org/ and to find out about other events run by the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust visit http://www.teeswildlife.org/events/

ECCO hears of `Bobby box` problems Nearly 40 people attended a meeting at Saltburn House on 30th November to hear about Cleveland Police’s new system of ‘neighbourhood’ policing.

Much of this is through the internet, but the meeting heard of a complaint about the old-fashioned, but still used, system of ‘Bobby boxes’ where written messages or tip-offs are left.

Steve Kay, of Lockwood, complained that the key for a box in his area had been lost. “The box should be opened once a week,” he said.

Local police chiefs present promised to look into the complaint.

There were also moans about the lack of police walking on beats and difficulties about getting through on the 101 non-emergency number.

New chief superintendent Alastair Simpson, who was born and brought up in Marske, said the emphasis of neighbourhood policing was to protect vulnerable people like the elderly, those affected by domestic and sexual abuse and newly-introduced cyber crime in addition to ‘social behaviour’ problems.

“The aim in 2017 is to make communities safer and stronger, despite having fewer police officers.”

He said police and other services needed to do more about preventing children from becoming criminals.

“Bereavement affects children badly,” he said.

He also advocated people being more neighbourly, offering a cup of tea to lonely folk.

Neighbourbood policing chief in Redcar and East Cleveland, Inspector Guy Hall, who was raised in Marske, handed out contact details for the 24 locally-based police and Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) via the non-emergency 101 number.

The total is an increase on recent years with more specialising in crime prevention, including visiting schools.

A community member from Marske asked for calls to 101 to be free. He said his nine-year-old son, who attended the meeting, saw youths vandalising a promenade shelter at Redcar one evening in November and wanted to report the crime, but had no credit on his mobile phone. He dialled 999 the emergency number.

The father-of-five also complained of police being too busy to check out an intruder in his back yard.

From left, Inspector Guy Hall, Chief Superintendent Alastair Simpson, Barry Coppinger and Ralph Ferguson before fielding questions at the ECCO meeting at Saltburn House.

Barry Hunt, of Brotton, who is the current Mayor of Redcar & Cleveland, said he was worried about the policing of Middlesbrough FC games taking police away from country areas.

Mr Simpson said off-duty officers were required to work on rest days if needed for Boro cover. And he warned that the club might have to pay the full cost of policing matches.

Police appealed for the public to continue contacting the police with its phone lines getting 1,200 calls a day. Barry Coppinger, police & crime commissioner, said more staff were being recruited for neighbourhood work. He said he personally monitored the 101 phone line’s work daily and added that more staff were being recruited to help it.

Meeting chairman Ralph Ferguson, of ECCO (East Cleveland Community Organisation), asked if those present wanted a follow-up meeting in six months (June 2017) and participants voted for this.

He said the police website was ‘a doddle’ to use. Among recent crimes mentioned were an increase in lead thefts from houses and shops, counterfeit clothing being found in Saltburn and thefts from farm buildings.

Mike Morrissey

‘Rosette’ singers at church Twenty-two members of the Links Singers entertained an audience of 70 at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Saltburn, just before Christmas in what is becoming an annual money-raising event. £658.20 was raised for church funds.

The singers, who were led by musical director Lisa Harding, are based at Cleveland Golf Club, Redcar, and stage concerts in aid of Redcar RNLI round about Christmas time after rehearsing since September. Lisa said they started in a small way around 30 years ago and have grown in recent years. Women members wear large rosettes and men are smart in identical outfits. The accompanist was Janet Barnett. Among carols and songs sung - some with the help of the church people - ranged from the popular 12 days of Christmas and White Christmas, to the classics Panis Angelicus and Agnus Dei. The concert organisers thanked all who helped with and supported the event.

35

Dancing down the years It is my birthday once again and my son is taking me to the Spa Hotel for lunch not knowing what memories it will spark.

I am now in my eighties and have memories to share of Saltburn and the world in my time. In 1953 the Spa Hotel was the Spa Ballroom and dated back to the previous century when it had been Saltburn Assembly Rooms, then and throughout that time it had hosted concerts and dances and social occasions. During world war II troops were stationed in the town and held dances at the Spa. To come to my lifetime and 1953 which is a year that is important to us all for it was the year of the coronation. That year I was not at home but at college in Eastbourne and was a student. Many of my fellows went up to London to line the Mall but my funds did not run to that so I could not go but it was birthday so they did run to a bottle of Spanish sherry which I thought very posh.

However, none of us owned wine glasses so once the others had gone to London we collected four tooth mugs and went to my friend’s room just as the coronation was starting on the wireless. For entertainment Pat decided to give us all a yoga lesson to pass the time. Imagine four solid girls in the lotus position or at least making an attempt. There is a lot of laughter and June is singing a Hogy Carmichael song too when there is a loud rapping on Pat’s door and there stands our most grumpy lecturer.

We would have offered her sherry were it not in a tooth mug, but we did let her watch us as we drank a toast to me and then to the Queen and she had a smile on her face as she asked us to tone down the hilarity, caused largely by my clumsy efforts. We then went for lunch in the college which was always very adequate considering that food was still on the ration. We did not know how well cared for we were, nearly all of us had grants and I hate to think of student hardship today. That day marked the beginning of the Queen’s life of public service and we knew that that was what lay ahead of us too. I wondered what my contemporaries were doing that day? Few people then had television, though some people hired them for the day. As for us, we had the stories of our fellows to look forward too as well as a trip to the cinema to watch the Newsreel of the Coronation. I often wonder whether, as clothing coupons still existed until July 1954, did the queen have to surrender them for her Coronation Dress and did the family help her.

That year my college years finished and I came home to the North. I remember the Queen’s wedding dress going on tour and I at last saw that.

That year too my mother’s milk lady told me about the Saturday night dances at the Spa in Saltburn and my friends and I started to go most Saturday nights. Clothes coupons were still a reality until July 1954 and fashion was sparse so I continued the dress making of my student years and made dresses to go dancing, I had used clothing coupons to buy some shot mauve and green taffeta to make a long ball gown for college which my fellows had 36

admired. In this make do and mend world I altered it to go dancing at the Spa: I cut the skirt short and covered it in mauve and light green net, then I spent some coupons to buy a black velvet strapless top and well pleased, sallied forth on the train. Often on a Saturday night I met school friends and in time we made it a regular rendezvous. If now I talk to my contemporaries they tell me that they met their life partners at the Spa. It was a social centre for the whole area and for the villages too. That was what it had been since it was built in July 1830 and had been a centre for concerts and meetings since those days. Again it had been where troops stationed in Saltburn during the war held their dances.

Always there was a proper dance band and we could all do ballroom dancing as it was before disco dancing days. It was elegant but fun as it was intermixed with romps such as The Palais Glide, The Gay Gordons, even The Hokey Cokey. The band played tunes from musicals of the day such as The King and I and pop tunes made popular by Frank Sinatra such as Blue Moon but most of all: I remember a song from Salad Days which counselled us never to look back, yet that is exactly what I am inviting you to do now.

The Saturday night out always started with a tea party at my home in Eaglescliffe where the group of girls coming on the train to the dance would have fun getting ready, learning to use make-up and mascara. We would put teabags on our eyes to enlarge the pupils and generally enjoy it all, pooling our knowledge of glamour. Getting ready was all part of the fun. We danced our way into 1954 and I am sure there was a New Year’s Dance but I do not know if I was there for my family always kept it traditional with a tall dark handsome stranger as first footer.

1954 was an important year for me for it was the year when I became 21 and was given the key to the door and we all celebrated with a party at Acklam Café. Even that tradition has changed now, for children come of age when they are 18. Also on my twenty-first Birthday, I inherited just enough money to buy a Lambretta and passed my motorcycle test. Until then trips back from Saltburn were made by special bus.

Thereafter my chosen passenger and I would go to the dance on the bike. Of course the getting ready parties at home had to cease, all the gear had to be packed into the saddle bags, including our outfits and silver slippers. When we arrived at the Spa, a transformation scene would ensue. Off with the warm Lambretta clothing, into the ladies, off with the crash helmets and out with the clips and curlers. Thus transformed, there emerged two girls that no one would have recognised as the two scooter riders who – a little earlier – had ridden down The Marine Parade, eyes wide open, admiring the beauty of the moonlight. The dance would start and all too soon, it would be ten o’clock and young men looking to get in a few dances, before the last waltz, would pour through the ballroom door, leaving their bar stools in the Alex behind. When they asked us two if Continued on opposite page

Continued from previous page they could take us home, they were in for a surprise. If we had accepted, they would have had to have at least BSAs either to impress or keep up with us. And would they have recognised us once we put on our disguise again?

This brings me to a special memory that autumn of 1954. It was a specially gorgeous autumn and all the trees were turning so many different colours, Burgundy, silver, champagne and amber that you could imagine yourself drunk on autumn shades if not on the hard stuff. Cruising down to Saltburn, I and my pillion passenger Judith — looking forward to our evening out — approached Marske railway bridge in the twilight. A movement distracted my attention and I passed through a red light. My eyes were still distracted by the moving object. A second horrified glance told me it was a huge

rat! Just as a police car drew up in front of me. I braked severely, just keeping our balance. Judith and I climbed off the Lambretta, as my horror turned to anxiety. What would the police do! I stammered as I told the tale. My blue eyes were open wide. It was still twilight; could the policeman see the fear in my eyes or was it my brown haired pretty friend who caused him to let us off, after asking me where we were going? After hearing that we were going dancing to the Spa, he gave us two tickets to the forthcoming Police Ball at Redcar’s Coatham Hotel, which we accepted with relief.

So you see: rats don’t always have to turn into a coach and horses to take Cinderellas to the ball, and Prince Charming can be a policeman even in modern times when he gives out tickets.

Sylvia Williamson

A Fresh Take on Fresh Flowers

Saltburn-by-the Sea Gets A Florist With A Difference Just over two months in and Saltburn’s new retail destination already has exciting expansion plans.

Artisan interiors shop, The LillianDaph Store has enjoyed a positive first month of trade yet despite being in its early days, husband and wife owners Craig and Christina Easton have already launched the first creative development for the store.

The addition of Fresh Flowers came in November through local lady, Jenni Di-Niro AKA ‘Ruffled Wren’.

Christina says, “the collaboration with flowers has been a plan from the word go. For me, they play a huge role in creating the ‘Hygge’ (the Danish concept for a feeling or mood that comes from taking genuine pleasure in making ordinary, every day things more meaningful, beautiful or special.) in any space.”

After meeting at Saltburn’s established Food Festival last summer, the two inspired ladies hit it off instantly and found they shared a common passion for uniqueness.

Florist Jenni says, “The flowers in Store at LillianDaph will go hand in hand with the artisan products and home wares. At Ruffled Wren we adore natural arrangements that celebrate foliage together with flourishing florals resulting in our striking style; which like LillianDaph, will be unusual, outside of the box and tantalising.”

Since launching, fresh flowers have been available at The LillianDaph Store in Saltburn-by-the-Sea every weekend, Friday through to Sunday, showcasing inspiring arrangements, including hand-tied bouquets, single stems, potted plants and seasonal goodies.

That has just been the beginning though, the new concept behind the Florist residency, just like LillianDaph, is to ‘Inspire Reinvention’; “We are launching a ‘one of a kind’ flower shop experience inside LillianDaph. In the New Year, Ruffled Wren will take up permanent residence in a secret room to be unveiled on the 27th January.”

Ruffled Wren will allow you to embrace the Hygge lifestyle, fill your own home with beautiful botanicals and stems, give gorgeous gifts and enjoy a completely enchanting flower shop experience like you’ve never experienced before.

Coinciding with the launch of the exciting new space, the girls have exciting plans for 2017: events from workshops to seminars will be on offer in store.

Follow the progress online at www.lilliandaph.co.uk and www.ruffledwren.co.uk and on Social Media sites Facebook and Instagram.

Be sure to join the launch of Ruffled Wren inside The LillianDaph Store in the former Post Office in Station Street, Saltburn-by-the-Sea. 37

38

Saltburn Rotary Club The Rotary Club of Saltburn brought a Happy Christmas to hundreds of children and young people with funds raised by the all-year generosity of residents of East Cleveland and beyond.

The club’s 90th Charter Night dinner last month, was a black tie dinner dance at Saltburn Golf Club celebrating unbroken community service since its inception in 1926, and was attended by 110 Rotarians and friends of Rotary from all parts of the North East of England.

A cheque for £500 was presented to District Governor Peter Chandler for his Fresh Cookery 4 Young Carers appeal which will be spent on providing cooking skills for carers as young as eight shouldering immense responsibilities. Also on the night, a further £500 for Cancer research and £279 for Polio Eradication was raised.

The club also presented £250 to TFM Radio’s festive fundraiser for children who otherwise would not have received any Christmas presents. The fund’s coordinator Amiee Littlefair visited the club to accept the cheque and to tell some of its stories. She confessed that she kept a box of tissues on her desk to get her through some of the heartbreaking tales of families in great need.

The club is also celebrating the launch last month of a Rotakids club at Saltburn Primary School. The Rotakids who are aged between 8 and 12, were officially presented with their Charter Certificate by District Governor Peter Chandler and Saltburn Rotary Club President Les Manship at school assembly (see photograph).

They have already held a fundraising event at the School Christmas Fair when they raised £100 for the Young Carers Appeal and, with the help of the Bill Gates

Foundation £279 for Polio Eradication. They also attended Saltburn Rotary Club’s Christmas Party at Saltburn Cricket Club on 18th December.

The club continued its run of Saturday Tombolas at Saltburn Community Centre with a Chocolate Prizes event.

Club president Les Manship hopes that the latest charitable events will help to recruit new Rotarians. He said: “I’m immensely proud of our club. It’s amazing what it is able to achieve with 12 members and two extremely hardworking associate members. We send our good wishes for a happy and healthy New Year, and say Come and Join Us. You will have a lot of fun, and pleasure from being able to help others in your local community and worldwide.”

Interested men and women can contact in the first instance Past Presidents Rotarian Allan Whiley on 01287 623161 and Peter Holbert on 01287 622373.

Saltburn, Redcar & Cleveland Philatelic Society January meeting Our only January meeting, on Wednesday, 18th at the Community Centre, Durham Road, Redcar, commencing 7:15 pm, is our President’s Night – Martin Snowdon – The inside story – Bohemia and Moravia.

Wednesday, 1st February is Competition Night for our entries in North East England Philatelic Association’s Annual Convention (NEPA) in Durham on April 22nd. Please work on your material soon! In 2016 two members won 40% of the trophies, so surely our remaining members will want replicate/improve on their remarkable result? Winners qualify to compete in the Association of British Philatelic Societies next major UK summer competitions judged during the 2-day mid-July York Stamp Fair.

Shown is the front of a hand illustrated envelope to Stackhouse & Co, The Bank, Saltburn-by-the-Sea.

The back bears a Queen Victoria 1d Lilac cancelled London, 9 OC 93 arriving Saltburn 10 OC 93. Can any reader comment on any illustrious pedigree depicted on the six Coats of Arms?

Geoff Reynolds (Secretary) 01642 478229 David D. Turner 01287 624736 39

Cheque presentation Dance your way to fitness in 2017!!

is back…. with the SALSA!!!

GET FIT and TONE UP with this fun and dynamic ‘Strictly’ style dance class!

This class is aimed at ALL ABILITIES and is PARTNER FREE. Starts Monday 02/01/17 - 7pm at Emmanuel Church Hall - £4 pp (DISCOUNT!! ONLY £6 if you stay for both Zumba Gold & Ballroom Blitz on Mondays)

EASY TO FOLLOW, TONING and a FUN OVERALL WORKOUT: This dance fitness class will shake up your routine & get you groovin’… at your own pace!

Starts Monday 02/01/17 - 6pm at Emmanuel Church Hall - £4pp (DISCOUNT!! ONLY £6 if you stay for both Zumba Gold & Ballroom Blitz on Mondays)

Starts Thursday 05/01/17 - 10am at Saltburn Community Hall - £4pp

Spirals In the summer of 2016 Support Adoption for Pets (Pets at Home) held its annual summer fundraising drive. The total raised for the country was £464,013.

A team from Saltburn Animal Rescue Association attended the Middlesbrough store to help with the fundraising.

The Middlesbrough store raised £1164 of which £582 was passed onto SARA by Dave the deputy manager collected by Fern, Sam and Barney.

We recently had to demolish our Dog Lounge which was housed in a portakabin. We are now going to replace it with a purpose built building. This money will go some way to covering the cost. This provides a home like environment so that dogs that have been used to a home can retain that link and can also be used to assess dogs who we have no background for. In addition it can be used by volunteers to allow their charges to chill out.

John Fuller Press Officer Saltburn Animal Rescue Association

40

A PILATES, YOGA & BALLET inspired fitness class: builds on CORE STRENGTH and BALANCE, TONES and improves natural FLEXIBILITY. Starts Wednesday 04/01/17 - 7pm at The EarthBeat Centre, Saltburn.

(6 week course at £24, Booking essential)

For more information call ESTELLE on 07887 525234 or visit...

Saltburn Animal Rescue Association 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 from Joy, Ricky Martin and Robbie Williams! No you aren’t reading a ‘Hello Magazine’ article, but the SARA page! Those really are our names, and why not?

Joy is a beautiful golden blonde, elegant Lurcher lady. She is about 3 years old. Joy came into SARA after she was found running around the streets all on her lonesome. She is such a lovely dog. She loves long walks and stretching her legs. She is very companionable and adores the company of others, both four legged and the two legged varieties. SARA are looking for a home for Joy with another canine friend, for her to run around and

play with. She would be best rehomed in a household with no young children or cats.

It’s cuteness overload time with Robbie Williams and Ricky Martin the young kittens! They are 4 months old brothers who came into SARA’s care with their mum and sister. They are fluffy balls of fur at the moment, with blue/green eyes. They will change into grown up adult cats in such a short time and look strong and sleek. Ricky and Robbie are looking for a home together. They could possibly live in a home with other feline companions.

Love and Happy New Year from Joy, Ricky Martin and Robbie Williams.

SARA fundraising events during January The next monthly meeting of SARA will be held in the TocH premises, Albion Terrace Saltburn, on Wednesday, 4th January, at 7.30pm. New members are very welcome.

1st January 2017 - SARA will be holding their New Year’s Day Dip. This will take place at Saltburn Pier starting at 11am. All money raised will go towards the welfare of the animals at Foxrush Farm. This is always a popular event when everyone, including the dogs, enjoys themselves. So please come along whether you wish to take part or just join in the fun. Sponsorship forms will be available from Foxrush Farm, SARA Charity shop in Guisborough or can be downloaded from our website (at

s-a-r-a.org.uk/) and go to the bottom of the first page.

For more information ring Foxrush Farm Monday to Friday from 10am to 2pm on 01642 488108 (or visit our website www,s-a-r-a.org.uk).

Thank you to everyone who contributed in any way to our events. We are very grateful for all the support we receive. This enables us to carry on the work with so many animals that so desperately need our help, A Happy and Peaceful New Year to everyone.

John Fuller, Press Officer Helpline: 01642 488108 41

42

ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS

BY REV ADAM REED 2017 is an important year for Emmanuel, Saltburn’s Parish Church. On 29th September 1867 the corner stone of Emmanuel was laid by the Earl of Zetland. Therefore, as this year marks the 150th anniversary of this event, we are planning a number of activities and events to celebrate this milestone in the history of the Emmanuel and of Saltburn.

We have already marked Friday 29th September 2017 in the church diary, and have invited the Bishop of Whitby to join us for the occasion. Alongside different activities and events there will be some limited edition items produced, which will incorporate the specially designed logo you can see below. Who knows, in time they may become collector’s items!

Alongside celebrating a specific moment in the history of Emmanuel Church, Services Times it is also an opportunity to reflect on the reasons for Emmanuel being here in the first place. At the top of the list is the good news of Jesus Christ, who told Sundays His first disciples; “I have been given all authority in heaven and on 9.00am traditional communion earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in 10.45am contemporary worship the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am Tuesdays with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28: 19-20). In every 9.30am said communion generation Jesus calls people to follow Him, to live in relationship with Him and to live lives that reflect His goodness, love and truth. But Jesus goes Morning Prayer further than just calling people to trust Him as lone individuals; He insists that 9.00am Mon-Fri in ECHO they meet together, that they read the Bible together, that they gather around His table to eat bread and drink wine together; that they help and Morning Prayer is open to everyone. It is an informal support each other together; that they reach out in loving service to their and friendly gathering. community together. And quite simply this is church! At its best, and by the We read from the Bible, grace of God, this is share any thoughts that arise what Emmanuel does. and offer to God our prayers for Saltburn and the wider world.

But there is no perfect It is a precious time of peace church made up of at the start of the day. perfect people, and so, Please come along and find out for yourself. like every church, Emmanuel will fall short and display the results Contact Details of a broken and sinful tel humanity. And of course 01287 622251 it is because of our broken and sinful nature email that we need Jesus to be emmanuelsaltburn@hotmail.co.uk the merciful Saviour that web He is. In this earthly life www.emmanuelsaltburn.co.uk at all times and in all places we need Jesus’ forgiveness and love. In all our anniversary activities and events we must not lose sight of this truth.

43

Talk of the Town’s monthly

Pride of Saltburn Award

Open 7 days a week Stocking a wide range of health foods, chutneys, jams and honeys.

If it’s grown locally we do our best to source it.

Quality Fresh Fruit and Veg at Competitive Prices.

The winner of this month’s Pride of Saltburn Award is Karen Higgins. Karen was nominated by the 1st Saltburn Scout Group. About het they say, “we at 1st Saltburn Scout Group would like to nominate Karen Higgins to be this month’s Pride of Saltburn. Karen holds the position of group secretary within our organisation but she should be titled ‘Fundraiser extraordinaire!’ For the last 3 years she has been tirelessly fundraising for the benefit of local children with the aim of renovating the Scout hut, which hadn’t been touched since Noah was a Scout. Thanks to her, the children and young people now have flushing toilets with doors that lock! The walls are free of holes and are insulated. We have opening windows and a more secure building. The electrics are safe and we have plug sockets (no need for seriously long extension cables now). Above all the kids have somewhere to meet, build friendships and build friendships that they can be proud of. Karen never started her scouting life expecting to be so involved. She, like many others supporting the group, was ‘just a mum’.

Connor (who is now a Scout) started at Beavers when he was 6 and slowly Karen got sucked in. Karen became an assistant Beaver leader, making tea initially, then setting up activities and planning programmes before taking over as secretary. The group has never been in more capable hands.

One of the duties that she took on was that of fundraising.

The whole group knew that the hut really wasn’t fit for purpose but Karen knew what needed to be done. Luckily her other life (the paid part) is with the fantastic organisation East Cleveland Youth Housing Trust which has given her the necessary skills. She has battled tirelessly with online forms, politics, committees, votes and trades.

The woman hours she has dedicated to the young people in Saltburn is incredible and all of it has been done as a volunteer. None of the supporting adults associated with the Scout Group are paid for their time and efforts but if Karen were to have been paid she would be a millionaire!

Thank you from all the children, young people, members of the exec and leaders of 1st Saltburn. You are truly a legend and we are very, very lucky to have you in our corner.”

Thank you, Karen, for being you, the Pride of Saltburn.

44

Monday to Saturday: 9.00am to 6.00pm Sunday 10.00am to 4.30pm Open till 7.00pm on Fridays

Grasers 07703 884184 Try something different at Grasers

Spice up the New Year!

Seen here are three different varieties of chillies, garlic, smoked garlic and ginger, and lots of different Chilihound sauces. Grasers also sell fresh turmeric and every kind of Suma herbs and spices you could possible need.

Chilihound sauces are made in Saltburn, so you can’t get more local than that! Their range of sauces includes Holy Chipotle!, Holy Chipotle Extra!, Holy Habanero!, Holy Chobanero! and Holy Hellhound! All made with wholesome, natural ingredients. Call into Grasers, pick up a leaflet, buy a sauce or two, check out their website (www.chilihound.com) and spice up the new year!

Saltburn Athletic FC The Christmas break is here or it will be by the time you get this report. The eight teams continue to play their games and the under 9 Sharks are playing well and lie 3rd in the unofficial league having lost only two games so far and winning six and drawing one game. They are now in a handy position.

The under 9 Dolphins are trying hard and had an excellent win over the league leaders which helps the sharks no end. With more luck the dolphins could climb the league themselves.

The U10 team playing out of Brotton at this time continue to play some good football and as it’s their first season they found it tough going to start with but are now in the swing of things and have some good wins under their belt.

The under 12 Seagulls having been promoted from last season are finding it a lot more difficult with two wins, two draws and three defeats so far in the league and occupying the middle of the table.

The under 12 Dolphins are continuing where they left off last season and are unbeaten in seven games, winning all. They lie second in the league but have two games in

hand.

The under 12 Falcons had a difficult start but now have points on the table as the team gel together and now have two wins and two draws to lift them off the bottom leapfrogging two teams.

The under 13 team are having a good season in the league and lie third and it gets better as they are now quarter finalists in the challenge cup.

The under 14 team continue to improve after a slow start and are climbing up the league.

Many thanks to Sainsbury’s shop in Saltburn for allowing the club a bag packing session on Saturday, 3rd December which was done by the under 9 teams and raised £501.20.

Also thanks to the music group ‘The Fallen’ for entertaining us on Friday, 25th November at Saltburn Cricket Club. We raised £1050.00.

Thanks to all those who sponsored a match ball for all our teams and a list will follow in next month’s Talk of the Town. A happy new year to you all.

Andy Croll

Out of this World!

Green Fingered Learners meet NASA Astronaut at Exclusive Event Speaking to Tim Peake was the highlight of an extraordinary few months for a group of Year 7 students from Saltburn Learning Campus; after two months of space study started in Year 6 with the announcement they were successful in being chosen to grow his space seeds!

The seeds were a part of an experiment in conjunction with the Royal Horticultural Society to see if those that had been into space could be successfully grown on their return. If they could, then this would help, for example, in the colonisation of Mars. There were two packets of seeds; one of which had been into space, and the children had to find out which grew best.

When the seeds arrived on campus, the then Year 6 pupils from Saltburn Primary School organised for all age groups within the campus to plant seeds and take part in watching them grow. Everyone was surprised to see they were ‘Rocket seeds’.

Interested in the experiment and how the learners approached it was Saltburn-born NASA astronaut Dr. Nicholas Patrick, who in a Skype conference during the summer spoke about the importance to space travel was this type of study.

The learners also worked with cosmologist Dr. Pete Edwards, from Durham University who enthralled them with information about space. The children also built and launched into flight, rockets with STEM Coordinator Jim Penketh of Redcar & Cleveland College.

After the experiment was over, the results of the seeds’ growth were sent to the RHS. Now in Year 7, Phoebe Collins, who had been in charge of measuring the plants, said at the end of the experiment that there wasn’t a difference in the growth but just had a feeling one set of seeds had been into space – and she was right.

Then came the opportunity to apply to meet Tim

Peake in person. The campus was lucky to be chosen and went to York University to the Principia Space Conference on 12th November meeting with other schools from all over the country.

A group of six students and two members of staff – Elizabeth Axe, Year 6 teacher and organiser of the space project, and Huntcliff Science Technician, Ferrari McArdle presented a poster at the conference. The highlight was to hear a talk and to meet Tim Peake in person. Connor Higgins, also in Year 7, was thrilled to meet his hero and spoke about how Tim took the time to meet everyone there and shake their hands and talk about his work on the International Space Station. He said it was the chance of a lifetime.

Mrs Axe said, “Tim Peake’s experiment led the way for a wonderful study of the world of astronauts, space and the possibility of jobs in the Space Industry. It was marvellous and inspiring to meet Tim Peake and others from the European Space Agency.”

45

Wildlife Camera Workshop Ever wanted to find out more about the night time wildlife in your gardens? Have you been inspired by nature programmes to try your own hand at wildlife recording? Have you got a wildlife camera already and not sure about how to get started? The Tees Valley Wildlife Trust will be running a wildlife camera workshop, aimed at beginners to help get you started. The workshop will be led by the mammal expert who will share his experience of using wildlife cameras.

Participants will get to: see different examples of wildlife recordings, learn how to get the best out of their camera, how to identify good sites for wildlife, camera positioning, editing tips and answers to any of their questions. The informal workshop will include both classroom and practical sessions.

Great for getting you started.

The workshop, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Northumbrian Water as part of the Where the Wild Things Were project, will be held at the Margrove Heritage Centre on Saturday, 4th February and will run from 10.00am

to 1.30pm. A donation of £2.00 is requested to help cover the workshop costs. Please wear suitable clothes and footwear for working outside.

To book a place contact: info@teeswildlife.org or ring 01287 636382. To find out about other events run by the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust visit http:// www.teeswildlife.org/events/

The Countryside Ranger and Volunteers, January 2017 Welcome to the New Year! We hope you all had a very joyous festive period, complete with hats and gloves for enjoying all the very best that the natural environment provides during the winter season.

If the long winter nights and chilling weather are getting you down, then a walk in the countryside is an excellent antidote. You should discover all kinds of wildlife treats to lift your spirits.

Siskins are nomadic in winter, especially early in the season when flocks search for habitats with good supplies of food. Most individuals that winter in Britain come from mainland Europe. The numbers that reach our shores vary greatly from year to year, as they are determined by the state of food supplies on the Continent.

By late January, most siskins flocks have settled in damp deciduous woodlands, where trees such as silver birch and alder thrive – siskins relish their seeds. Lucky birds may have found feeding stations in nearby gardens. It is thought that some siskins have even begun to specialise in consuming peanuts and commercial bird feed. For all its small size, the siskin is a pugnacious little bird. It is well able to hold its own with species such as the great tit when feeding competition arises.

Kingfishers are influenced by cold winter weather, or at least by the effect that it has on their ability to feed.

During the autumn and the relatively mild start to the winter, birds are fairly evenly distributed along rivers, lakes and flooded gravel pits. Indeed, anywhere that offers a reasonable chance of the birds being able to dive and catch fish. As winter progresses, however, fish living in standing water move to greater depths, making them more difficult to catch. The final straw, from the kingfisher’s point of view, comes if the water freezes over, since the prey is now completely unobtainable. If and when this happens, birds that formerly frequented lakes and ponds move to lowland streams and rivers, and have to jostle for feeding rights with birds already resident there.

In extreme situations, kingfishers may even have to move to the coast.

A number of slug species favour natural, undisturbed 46

habitats where they have little impact on plants grown by people. Many favour woodlands, where the damp, shaded conditions suit their lifestyles and adaptations perfectly.

Among the most characteristic and widespread woodland slug is appropriately called the tree slug. During dry spells, this species often spends the daytime resting under fallen bark and leaves, venturing out after dark. However, in damp, mild spells early in the year, it is often seen out and about by day.

Tree slugs can be found climbing up tree trunks. They favour undisturbed, mature deciduous woodland and at least part of their diet comprises algae grazed from tree bark.

The Volunteers continue to make the best of the unseasonal warmer weather we had at the start of December.

National Tree Week was celebrated by the planting of some new cherry trees along cherry tree walk above camp bank.

The cherry trees which put on an amazing display of colour each year are becoming very mature and branches regularly break off in strong winds. With this in mind it’s time to look ahead and plan for the future. Two new trees have been planted with a further two due to go into the ground later.

This is to provide a continuation of Spring Blossom for many years to come.

For the first year since they started to manage the cutting of Mill Field Meadow, the Saltburn Countryside Volunteers have failed to organise an Autumn cut.

Surprisingly, this is not due to lack of finance but the failure to find someone to carry out the actual cutting. Hopefully, if a willing farmer can be found, a spring cut can be done to maintain the meadow as it has been over the last five years as a popular public facility for family picnics and spotting wildlife.

Saltburn task days continue throughout the year every Friday; we meet by the centre at 10.00am. If you would like to see some of the work done by the volunteers, go to the website (www.saltburncountrysidevolunteers.btck.co.uk).

For more information, contact me by email at paul.murphy@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk and for volunteering opportunities, contact Karen (at Karen.preston@redcarcleveland.gov.uk).

Hands On Therapy Clinic Remedial Therapy Reflexology Sports Injuries Relaxation Louise Clark ITEC Diploma MBSR, GCP, BCMA Reg Saltburn Leisure Centre, Marske Mill Lane

Tel: 01287 625700 Mob: 07775 610745

Brotton Library Knit and Natter Group We are a small group making items for charity whilst sharing skills and friendship. It is free to come to the group. We have a few regular members and would welcome more. Thursday afternoon 2pm till 4pm in Brotton library (attached to Freebrough Academy).

Deborah

MILES, HUTCHINSON & LITHGOW SOLICITORS CONVEYANCING (FREE WRITTEN QUOTATIONS ON REQUEST) MATRIMONIAL MATTERS CIVIL - CRIMINAL LITIGATION

CHILD CARE IMMIGRATION PROBATE & WILLS POWERS OF ATTORNEY LEGAL AID PRACTICE

For a friendly efficient service on all legal matters Tel:

(01287) 623049

Our New Address: First Floor, 15 Station Street, Saltburn-by-the-Sea

47

Saltburn’s Successful Shops Three cheers for Saltburn’s businesswomen and their loyal customers! This article features three shop owners, featured in previous issues of Talk of the Town, who have moved or are moving to bigger premises in Milton Street. Laura Dicken runs Podology at no 37, Angela Morton is proprietor of Ripping Yarns at no 9A and Jenna Warren will be transferring Book Corner to no 24 Milton Street in February.

Jenna looks forward to having more room to display books, stationery and educational toys and games. “I have just introduced items linked in with books for Christmas,” she says, “and I plan to develop this.”

Book Corner sells a wide range of books. Nature writing and local interest books are particularly popular.

Two big sellers have been the book on Redcar Jazz Club and ‘Where the heck’s Saltburn?’ by Martin Jones. “Local poetry does well and picture books for children of six and younger are sought after,” Jenna adds.

Jenna has continued to develop monthly events. In 2016, there were book signings attended by Jennie Finch with ‘Smoke and Adders’, Sophie Nicholls with ‘The Dress’ and children’s writer Frank English with ‘18 Mulberry Road’. Poetry readings were given by Mike Pratt, who read his nature poems, Julie Hogg from Redcar who writes local interest poems and Andy Willoughby, who introduced his new book ‘Between Stations’.

Book Corner was shortlisted in the retail high street category of the 2015 Tees Valley Best New Business Awards and has been featured in a couple of blogs, including Jen Campbell’s, (who wrote ‘Weird Things Customers say in Bookshops’).

Jenna enjoys running her shop, as she is passionate about books and she describes her customers as a lovely supportive community. She looks forward to her Launch Day in Milton Street in February.

Laura Dicken has been running her Podology business in Saltburn for twelve years now and in 2016, she took on Sharon Hampton as a General Manager, which she says has transformed her life! This appointment has led to the introduction of online booking, of text reminders and email offers to previous customers. “We’ve been working at the efficiency of the business,” explains Laura.

Podology has expanded upstairs at no 37 and employs a team of five part-time podiatrists and four fulltime beauty therapists. The business is now open six days a week and the clientele is one third men and two thirds women. Men often start with podiatry and then take up massages and back waxes, which are very popular in summer.

“It’s very private here,” says Laura, “and people of all ages feel comfortable. For elderly people, touch is very important and staff feel a sense of doing a good job for customers.”

In 2016, Podology was in the final for the Nail Salon of the Year run by Scratch, a Nail magazine and is in the final for a professional beauty award. The judge is the President of BABTEC, the national Governing Body for beauty therapy. She visited Podology for a treatment and assessed the salon’s policies and procedures. “Now we wait for a mystery shopper before the awards in February. We’re thrilled to be in the final as we’re up against prestigious city 48

centre businesses,” says Laura.

Laura has contributed to a book for beauty therapists and the team has taken part in a Manchester professional beauty show and a London show on raising standards of pedicures. “The combination of a podiatry and beauty therapy business is unusual,” explains Laura. “One of the advantages is that we have very high standards of hygiene and instruments are sterilised for beauty therapy as well as podiatry.”

Angela Morton is enjoying the bigger premises at no 9A Milton Street. She has a brighter shop, which gives more room for stock and for customers to browse. “There is also a bench for husbands to sit on in front of the window,” she says.

She has expanded the range of wools, including stock from West Yorkshire Spinners, Natural Born Dyers and Woollie Batt, a business based in Marske. The owners collect fleeces from local smallholdings and have it spun. Angela now also sells DMC cross stitch kits and DMC embroidery threads.

Angela has an area for workshops and on offer are knitting, crochet, bobbin lace making, felting, hand sewing sessions and in 2017 Sock Knitting and Fair Isle will be introduced. The maximum number of participants is six, so there is a lot of tutor attention. They are run as one off day courses, mainly held at weekends and cost about £30 each, including everything. There are, as well, very sociable knitting groups on Fridays and on Thursday evenings and monthly Sunday afternoon crochet.

Ripping Yarns donates wool and buttons to Saltburn’s Charity Knitters and acts as a drop off point for finished items. Angela also sells knitted garments and knitting related items such as mugs, coasters and wool bowls from Wold Pottery at Loftus.

In 2016, Ripping Yarns was nominated by its customers for a Knitting Award and was in the top five shops in the North of England. Each April, Angela takes part in a Yarn Shop Day. “We offer discounts, wine and chocolates.

There was a queue of customers at 9.00am last year!” she comments.

So, well done ladies. You are enriching customers’ lives in Saltburn.

Rosemary Nicholls

Neil Wilson

RobsonCarter Estate Agency

Your local professional builder Established 1974.

All aspects of building and joinery work undertaken by qualified, experienced tradesmen.

We will do our best to assist you with your housing needs in 2017

Builder and Joiner

would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year.

Unit 6 Station Buildings Saltburn-by-the-Sea Cleveland TS12 1AQ t: 01287 626303 e: info@robsoncarter.co.uk w: www.robsoncarter.co.uk

For free estimate call:

01287 652124 or 07976 628783 Member of the Federation of Master Builders

Beginners Acting & Drama Classes An introduction to acting. In the privacy of the classroom participants will build self confidence, enhance verbal and non-verbal communication skills, encouraged to use own imagination, work as a team, ability to deliver presentations, public speaking and most of all have fun! The programme will include interactive games, poems, speeches, stories and improvisation.

Dates 2017

Time

Tuesdays

6:30pm The Earthbeat Centre, to 8:30pm Marske Road, Saltburn TS12 1QA

January 10th, 17th, 24th, 31st February 7th, 14th

Fridays January 13th, 20th & 27th February 3rd, 10th & 17th

Venue

Price ÂŁ5 per class

For further details, additional dates or bookings call Rauf 0789 000 4118 or email rauf54@msn.com

East Cleveland Plumbing and Building Property Repairs

renovations and maintenance bathrooms re-fitted, sinks, Showers, leaks, burst pipes all emergency call out work a friendly reliable service with competitive rates call Steve 07966 152553 49

Happy New Year from the Cons Club To all our members and readers of this article may I wish you a ‘Happy New Year’ from the Cons Club.

The past year in the Club has proved to be a very good one for all involved, with membership having reached an all-time high. Thanks for this must go to the hard working officials and committee members who have worked tirelessly throughout this period and to Michelle and the bar-staff who are the ‘face’ of the Club and who are always seen to have a smile on their faces even when under pressure. Last, but not least, a big thank you to all club members who have supported all club functions and money raising activities that have been organised. It has been an all -round performance and shows what can be achieved when everybody works as a happy team.

Because of the early deadline day for getting the article to the printers owing to the Christmas holidays I cannot give you any reports from the many activities and events that we had organised for December. However, I do know that the Christmas Quiz, Bingo & Buffet Supper tickets are selling out, the Christmas presents from Father Christmas have had a record request, the club will be full for the Christmas Eve Carol Singing Concert, and we will have full houses for the Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve Party Nights. The concert by Paul Morrison on Boxing Day always has a big attendance and the ‘Saltburn Open Mic Night’ Christmas Party & Buffet will also attract a big audience.

The Club offers a wide range of activities and entertainment throughout the year and has gained a reputation as a very friendly and safe place where friends are made and a good time can be had. Membership is still open, with the subscriptions remaining the same for 2017 at £12 per person for a year. Please come and give us a try and if you like what you see fill in an application form located on the notice board outside the snug. When you become a member your membership card gives you a 15% discount on all alcoholic drinks plus you are entitled to ‘Happy Hours’ midweek from 5-30pm to 7pm and weekends from 3pm to 5pm when the price of a pint is only £2.10 plus reductions on spirits and wine accordingly. As a member you can hire the Club’s facilities for free for private parties, birthdays, anniversaries, fundraising events, wedding receptions, wakes, meetings etc. All you need to do is contact our stewardess Michelle, or myself, to check that the date you want is free and let us know of any buffet or musical requirements you need. Charitable and fundraising organisations can also use the Club to help you raise money.

2017 will see some changes in the Club. We will have a card terminal for payments from the beginning of the

year and the major change will be the alterations to knock the wall out dividing the lounge and the bar and installing a new bar which will serve both rooms. There will be a connecting arch at the garden end making the area into a horseshoe shape. We hope to start work on this project in February.

Internal tasteful redecoration will also be carried out and a fire will be fitted in the old lounge area. The Club will continue to strive to improve the facilities for our fantastic members who have given us so much support. It will be a place to be proud of.

Moving on to what’s happening in the Club in January and we start with the monthly meeting of SLUG (Saltburn Line Users Group). If you have an interest or have points you would like to raise regarding the local train services this is the group to join. For start times contact the Club (normally around 7-15pm). On Saturday, 14th we have a member’s private birthday party in the lounge from 6-30pm. On Friday 27th we have the monthly ‘Saltburn Open Mic Night’ with hosts ‘Teesside Steve’ & Liz Bishop. You can join in by singing or playing or just listen and sing along. Names are taken from 7-30pm if you want to perform and the music starts at 8pm. Everybody is welcome to the Club and the entry is free. Sunday 29th sees another private party for two of our longest serving members of the Club (and Life Members), Ann & Jack Noble, who are celebrating their Golden Wedding. This party is by invitation only in the lounge and Michelle is providing one of her famous Buffets.

Everyone at the Club wishes Ann & Jack a great day and many more happy years together.

Please note that Membership Subscriptions are due in January (£12 per person). If you have not paid by the end of the month you will receive a reminder although I hope you don’t forget. If you have not paid by the end of February you may have to re-apply for membership. If you enjoy the Club please pay on time to avoid losing out. It makes my job so much easier.

The year ending Life Membership Award this year was given to Peter Nixon. Peter has been a loyal member of the Cons Club for many years and he also attends committee meetings in his capacity as one of the Club Trustees. We give him our thanks for all the work and commitment he has given.

Please make 2017 a good year for everybody with more ups than downs. As we get older we lose more and more of our friends so enjoy every day you have. Speak to you all again next month. Best Wishes.

David Rigg, Club President Email: davidrigg21@yahoo.co.uk Article financially supported by Saltburn Conservative & Unionist Club

Saltburn Cons Club Future Events to entertain in January

Every Tuesday: Club Draw Nights for Meat Voucher, Wines & Chocolate … 10pm.

Every Sunday: Beer Draw & Cash Rollover. Increases by £25 each week if not won ... 6pm.

Saturday Afternoons: A get-together by ‘The Conmen’. Americano Musicians’ Jam Sessions from 3pm.

50

Tuesday 10th: SLUG (Saltburn Line Users Group) Meeting. Ring Club for start time.

Saturday 14th: Private Party from 6-30pm.

Friday 27th: ‘Open Mic Night’ Hosted by Teesside S t e v e & Liz Bishop ... 8pm.

Sunday 29th: Private Golden Wedding Party ...

12 noon – 4pm.

A New Year, a New You Have you ever stopped for long and considered what it means to be you?

I mean on every level. Start with the physical: every day you lose flakes of skin and you sweat and go to the toilet and every day you eat and drink and breathe in. Every seven years the biologists say every particle of our body is refreshed with a new one. Did you ever hear the philosophical question about the boat?

A sailing boat sets out on a long journey over the ocean. They pull behind them another boat that is almost identical and as the months and years pass and the leading boat gets older and worn and starts to need repairs, one by one they take bits of wood from the trailing ship and replace the rotting parts of the front ship. Until one day the front ship no longer has any part of that original ship, for every part has been completely replaced with new parts.

Now the question is: is the ship that is now sailing still the ship that set out, even though it has none of the original parts that made it that ship?

If you think that it’s now a different boat then would you agree that you are also a different person to who you were seven years ago because none of your same parts remain? Or if you think that it is the same boat but simply with different parts then are you suggesting that there is more to the ship, or more to you being you than simply the physical parts of you?

Admittedly a boat is not exactly the same as a human.

Boats don’t have feelings or memories. But it brings up an interesting question: are we made up of things or is there more to us than our body? If so was there something of us that existed before we were a physical thing and is there going to be something of us after our human form is gone? People often speculate that if you lost your arms or your legs in an accident that wouldn’t mean you are any less you. So what really defines us beyond our physical? Is it our character?

So what about your character, what part of that is you and have you ever stopped to think, what do you mean by ‘my character’?

You might say, well I’ve always been someone who sees the best in things and laughs a lot and that is my character, that defines me.

Or perhaps I’ve always disliked how I looked, that is just who I am, that is my character, I’ve always had a low opinion of myself.

But is this really your character and is that really essentially you? If the person who laughs all the time suddenly finds they are living in a war zone and they see blood and death and pain on a daily basis and after a few months they say I no longer laugh any more, does that mean they have become another person in the same body?

Or if one day people start talking about how nice you are and how beautiful and one day you look in the mirror and you can see it and you can feel inside yourself what others have been telling you, and you no longer believe you are ugly inside or out, does this mean you are a different person, a different character and so no longer you, or the previous you?

Or have you transcended who you once were and transformed into something else, someone more confident, more happy and radiant?

You see I come from a life that has watched change happen in people, beginning when I was sixteen when I

started travelling the world with a backpack. I realised that just as I was, every other teenager I was meeting was beginning to construct and define themselves uniquely as an independent adult.

Years later when I studied philosophy at university I realised that many of the heavyweight philosophers have pondered the question of who we really are and they’ve come to the conclusion that there’s nothing really there at the base of us that we can point to. Because essentially we are constructing who we are all the time, like a rolling snowball that is picking up snow and becomes something new every second.

I saw in my life as a therapist how people who had hated themselves for years were able to slowly reconstruct themselves to start loving themselves. How people who had lived decades on drugs were able to turn their lives around and start living a new life that saw themselves in a different light, no longer as a drug addict first and foremost.

And I came to realise something: we are all incredible, we are all creative beings. We are incredible because every day and every moment we construct who we are. We are literally imaging ourselves into existence.

If I’ve got so fat and unhealthy that it suddenly hits me that I’m going to die soon because of what I’ve done to myself, unless I really make a massive change to my life.

Well, I can decide in this moment that I’m going to redefine who I am. I can become a runner right in this moment, even if I’ve never run before in my life. Once I choose to be that with conviction, nothing can stop me. Yes, I will start slow but I will work around my challenges and keep going. Once I decide that is who I am and I start getting out there and doing it, then that is who I become. It takes just a second of genuine conviction and the awareness that I can create myself.

If I really decide to make changes and act on them, to live a longer life, to see my family grow, to be fitter and more happy, no one else can stop me choosing that. It begins in the head, in my decision and it is reflected in my actions. I can construct a new me.

I have seen people do it time after time. I love these people, they inspire me, and for that reason I love working with groups and individuals. Their progression is somehow the gift they give me and they reminded me daily that I can recreate myself however I choose to.

They inspire me because they remind me of one of the things that is so amazing about being human: we can create who we are, we are magicians of a kind. Our limits are imposed on us and by us through doubt and critical thinking. Yet when we recognise where we’ve blocked ourselves then we can unblock and then we can creative construct.

You decide who you want yourself to be and who you want to become here in this life, in this body, and the potential to create yourself is present in every moment of now.

I would love to hear your point of view on this subject.

Please feel free to contact me, Kendal Aitken Health and Happiness Coach / Counsellor, on coach@happygreenblueeyes.co.uk or 07944 883961.

51

G Hodgson Joinery For Domestic & Commercial Property maintenance, Repairs and Improvements Including

Kitchens Bathrooms Bedrooms Doors Windows Flooring Skirting

UPVC Doors & Windows Tiling Glazing Plumbing Electrics PVC Wall & Ceiling Board Decking

For quality workmanship guaranteed by time served tradesmen at a sensible price call for Free Estimate

01287 623099 07900 492439

52

The Saltburn Profile Julie Short “Since we retired, we have become keen gardeners and we were delighted to win a Silver Gilt Award in the 2016 Northumbria in Bloom Best Front Garden competition!” says Julie Short of Wilton Bank. She and her husband, Peter, cultivate shrubs, roses, peonies and white lilies, which really impressed the judges.

“We went to a ceremony at Saltburn Cricket Club and the Mayor presented our certificates, before we shared a lovely little supper,” continues Julie. “We were very pleased that Lynda Parkes, Chair of Saltburn in Bloom, encouraged us to enter.”

Julie was born in Redcar to parents David and Jean Wilson, who later came to live in Saltburn’s Guisborough Road. She has two brothers, Andrew and Christopher, (whose wife is Sharon, our Town Crier). Julie went to West Dyke Primary School and Cleveland Grammar School, before joining Halifax Building Society staff when she was seventeen.

She married Peter when she was nineteen and after five years’ service at the Halifax, left when their daughter, Alison, was born. They lived in New Marske then and Peter had set up his butcher’s shop at Skelton. Son Kevin was born two years after Alison and Julie did all the book work for the business in their early years. When they went to North Rifts Nursery, under Mrs St Vaughan, Julie spent time serving in the butcher’s too. The family moved to Saltburn in 1984, so that the children could go to Huntcliff School and they’ve been in the same house ever since.

“My Mum died in 2010, but my Dad, who’s ninety, lives happily at Sea View Nursing Home now,” says Julie.

“Sharon and I take turns walking him up to Signals cafe for coffee. I also like to go to Virgo’s and to the King’s Grill for meals. We have a lovely selection of cafes and restaurants and diverse shops in Saltburn.”

Since they retired, Peter has taken charge in their kitchen, making a speciality of fish dishes, but Julie still likes to prepare a traditional Sunday dinner. She enjoys watching Masterchef and the Great British Bake-Off on television.

It was difficult getting time off when they were running the butcher’s, so now the couple are taking advantage of their new-found freedom. Julie enjoys walking down to Sea View (weather permitting) and along the sea front. They like to walk on the Moors, as she loves being in the countryside.

At the time of writing, they are preparing for a five day trip to Edinburgh and earlier in 2016, they went to Italy, Majorca and on two cruises. The first was to Russia and the Baltic and the second was to Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore. Julie was very taken by St Petersburg and by Singapore, where she thought the gardens were fabulous.

“We went for a gin sling in Raffles, which was an experience to remember!” she says. They keep in touch with many of the people they meet on their cruises and once found themselves sharing a table on ship with another butcher from Malton.

Julie enjoys reading old-fashioned novels and a favourite author is Danielle Steele. She recently found the autobiography of Dawn French absorbing and she likes historical documentaries, especially about the Tudors, on television. Going to the cinema is another of her hobbies; not long ago, she saw ‘Fantastic Beasts’, based on J.K. Rowling’s novel.

by Rosemary Nicholls

Julie is an Andy Murray fan and likes to watch tennis on television. She would love to go to Wimbledon one day.

She has been to the odd football match at Riverside Stadium, as Peter has a season ticket and she likes the idea of a trip to Birmingham NEC to see the Horse of the Year Show.

In the summer, she enjoys going to the Great Yorkshire Show and to the shows at Egton and Danby. “I like to see the horses jumping and Peter likes to see the cattle and sheep,” she says. She has found the ‘Yorkshire Vet’ series on television very interesting, as it is set in Thirsk and focuses on the successors to James Herriott.

Julie has had pets in the past: her children had hamsters and rabbits and then a little cross-breed terrier.

Kevin’s five year old daughter, Emily, is urging her to get another dog to share and Julie is considering it. She spends many enjoyable hours with Emily and her three year old brother, Sam, who live at Guisborough. “Kevin works in York and his wife, Claire, is a children’s nurse at James Cook Hospital, so we help out a lot with the childcare,” adds Julie.

“We’ve just taken them to see ‘The Trolls’ cartoon, which amused them.”

Alison, Emily and Sam’s auntie, brings her two Border Terriers up to Saltburn Beach from Easingwold, where she is Deputy Head of the Primary School. Emily is continuing Julie’s interest in horses by taking riding lessons near Treebridge.

Julie would like to enter her garden for Saltburn in Bloom again, aiming for a Gold Award. She plans to do some decorating in the house next and maybe take up regular swimming. Above all, she would like to stay healthy and carry on supporting her family.

53

1st Saltburn Scout Group Happy New Year! As this is being read ‘Festive Season’ will have passed and we will be into 2017 and all Cub Scouts can claim to be passed their Centenary! 2016 was their 100th birthday; although this does not seem to have diminished their enthusiasm or ability to be active or enjoy discovering their world about them.

For Beavers the year ended with their attendance at the Santa Parade, where together with Cubs enjoyed an exciting evening; with not only Santa but Star Wars Storm Troopers as well. Well supported by parents and with a special thanks to Lydia (the newest member of the Scout Troop) who with other Leaders ensured the safety of our young people. As usual the throng was vast; Firemen, Police and Council officers ensured a problem free night and we have already had thanks from the Council for attending. The session closed for all Beavers after crafting Xmas decorations (some of which are probably 99% glue!) to take home to adorn their homes and having the regular party.

Cubs also joined in the Santa Parade and were a credit, enjoying the experience and like Beavers received a gift for joining-in. Two Cubs were also at the District Christmas event at Emmanuel Church (as well as one of our Beavers). Attendance was poor from 1st Saltburn as well as from parts of the District, but the young people and their supporting parents enjoyed the event, singing well and being fascinated by several short animated films. These were linked into the whole Christian story including the ‘snake slayer’ (or Jesus as he was known in the animation) that Rev. Adam Reed had selected. The church was warm and Adam very welcoming. This will continue to be an annual

Saltburn Line User Group Next Meeting: Tuesday, 10th January 2017 at 7.10pm.

Meetings at Saltburn Conservative Club are normally held on the first Tuesday of the month starting at the new time 19.10pm. As always, all welcome.

Talk to Saltburn Line User Group.

The Group exists to protect passengers’ interests.

Find us at www.facebook.com/ saltburnlineusergroup

activity and hopefully more of our young people will attend in future.

Scouts have been out on the streets in Saltburn – taking out Scout Post – we also had welcome parental involvement; the Scouts relished the opportunity to ‘roam’ the streets at night; well wrapped up and with a torch. Many thanks to Gosnay’s for being so accommodating; the prospect of 24 young people (all well-behaved and polite) arriving through the door and heading for the soft drinks or sweet section must have been daunting. Also many thanks to parents: Amanda, Chris and Sean; as well as regular helpers Gordon, Jonathan and Keith, without them we would not have got out.

Meanwhile works on our building continue at a rate of knots; the main hall is insulated and re-boarded, and the now varnished floor makes the room seem much larger. The biggest difference is the warmth! The pleasure of being able to not have to wear warm clothing when less active pursuits are being undertaken is wonderful. Externally the new cladding is almost complete and the building is much improved. The primary contracting team from East Cleveland Youth Housing Trust, ably supported by David Gill Electrics has been tremendous; they were greatly delayed by Heatpac and this had an effect upon our meeting schedule. The last two weeks the team have mopped the floor (to reduce dust) on Wednesday and Thursday so our meetings could go ahead.

Many thanks, this was much appreciated.

Many parents continue to offer assistance in a variety of ways and I must thank them for their support. We are continuing with our recruitment strategy to attract Leaders for the Group and are pleased that parents are becoming involved in ensuring our Sections are exciting and interesting for our young people. If you can offer assistance or are interested please get in contact: 07811 801627 (or johnghannah@yahoo.co.uk).

John G. Hannah

RITSON Tree Care QUALIFIED ARBORISTS

 Sympathetic Tree Pruning  Sectional Dismantling  Hedge Trimming  Storm Damage  Tree Planting  Tree Inspection  Woodchipping  Stump Grinding  All Aspects of Tree Surgery

MEMBER

Local Authority Approved

undertaken

 All Debris Removed  All Areas Covered ALL WORK TO BS3998 STANDARD.

Telephone the secretary on:

N.P.T.C. Certified & Fully Insured Environmentally Friendly

07875 242350

Member International Society of Arboriculture

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL LINE 54

(01287) 625457

Postal Subscription to Talk of the Town If you enjoy reading Talk of the Town, why not subscribe to the postal service? You can have the magazine delivered to your door, anywhere in the UK for as little as £33.50 per year.

Write to us at TotT Subscriptions, 9 The Wynd, Marske, Cleveland, TS11 7LD. Don’t forget to enclose your name and address or alternatively, you can call us on 01642 477200 if you wish to pay by credit or debit card.

New Year – New Trousers by Alan Butler My office is upstairs and so every time I come and go it is necessary for me to pass a full length mirror on the landing. I’ve never been one for staring at myself in mirrors but in this case I cannot really avoid it and I have to admit that on a regular basis I still get a shock when my reflection comes into view. I mentioned a few months ago that I had started to diet and as a result of what began in May the man I see staring back at me today is a very different shape than the Alan who commenced 2016. It’s quite hard to believe but I’m pleased to say that across the months between May and December I have lost a total of 56 lb in weight, that’s four stone, which for those of you who are fully committed to metric measurement is around 25.4 kg!

The amount of weight I have shed is easily equal to that of one of Kate’s younger grandchildren and is, as Kate pointed out to me, equivalent to around 112 half pound packs of butter. How on earth I was carrying around all that extra weight is a complete mystery to me, though I am obviously fitter now and don’t find steps or fast walking anywhere near as difficult as I did only a few months ago. I can’t say that I had to starve myself to end up the way I am now and gradually began to realise that losing weight is as much a state of mind as it is an exercise in depriving oneself.

Unfortunately, nothing in life comes without a price and that fact came home to me just before Christmas, when the social gatherings loomed. I had bought new pairs of jeans as my weight diminished but we had not gone anywhere that demanded ‘dressing up’ so it was not until we were about to set out to a family party in Leeds that the horrible truth dawned on me – I did not possess a pair of smart trousers that remotely came close to fitting me. I tend to wear cargo pants, which incidentally I think I might have invented. Many years ago I became tired with the Chino type of trousers and by enlisting the support of a good seamstress I believe I more or less invented my own trousers. These were baggier than was the fashion at the time and with plenty of pockets. At the time people thought I was mad but within a few years cargo pants shot into fashion, which I am pleased to say they still more or less are.

Cargo pants are not meant to be slim fitting but all the ones I had by December made me look like a circus clown and were now so big that Kate and I could have gone to the party in the same pair! What on earth was there to do? It was too late to go shopping and in the end it was either going to be a suit or the jeans. It ended up having to be the jeans because I think that most of my family members would assume I had lost it all together if I turned up in a suit – especially one that was also much too big for me.

Immediately prior to moving from Bridlington back up to Teesside eighteen months ago I took the sad but seemingly irrevocable decision to clear out my overstuffed wardrobe. Reluctantly I sorted out at least a

dozen pairs of cargo pants that I thought would never go near me again and committed them to the charity shops.

How wrong I was and the day after the party in Leeds I had to have another sort out, this time of trousers that were at least three sizes too big for me. Add to that heaven knows how many sweat shirts and Dr Barnardo’s must have been cock a hoop as I virtually restocked the whole charity shop.

The next job was to drive up the Trunk Road from Redcar to Middlesbrough, to the Cleveland Retail Park shopping centre in order to try and find replacement clothes. Like most men I hate the very thought of fitting rooms but there seemed to be very little choice. The only up side was that I could easily get into cargo pants from Matalan, which because of their size range had been impossible for me for many years. Kate selected a number of pairs and then stood well clear of my grumbling as I dressed and undressed repeatedly. I managed to buy enough to keep me going across Christmas but that did not answer the whole problem, which was mainly brought about because of my inability to say goodbye to almost anything.

Two or three pairs of my really big trousers were of a good make and they also had a sentimental value because they have been all over the world with me and have appeared on television many times – with me in them of course! Giving them away would have been like getting rid of much loved and valued friends, so the only option was either to get them altered or to persuade Kate to do the job. Up to now the task has not been started and I have to say that when it is I intend to be out of the house as much as possible.

Kate is the easiest going person in the world but introduce her to a sewing machine and she turns into a monster. Kate claims that sewing machines are deliberately vindictive and the language that ensues as she tries to thread the machine and then control its tension – whatever that might be – belies her excellent upbringing. Nineteenth century Grimsby fish wives almost certainly knew and used fewer expletives than Kate when she gets going with the pins and it really isn’t safe to be in the same room when the scissors begin flying about.

I offered to have a go at the job myself but Kate laughed so much I seriously thought she was going to choke. She has at least agreed to allow me to unpick the old seams, a task I intend to embark upon tonight in the case of my Joe Brown trousers.

One thing is certain. When all the hassle of buying new clothes and converting old ones is out of the way, I must never allow my weight to run away with me again. The simple truth is that I could never afford the expense of once again becoming fat. I have only another 14 lb to lose to reach my intended weight. Oh dear! Will that mean even more alterations or worse still the fitting room again?

55

Saltburn Allotments Association Happy New Year to everyone who reads Talk of the Town. I hope 2017 is a good year for us all, that the seasons behave themselves this year, that all our sowings germinate and that the weeds go on holiday when we do.

New Year is a good time for planning what you want to grow and where, checking your seeds, thinking about what you want to buy and having a good clean up of pots, canes, greenhouses etc. While you are cleaning and tidying, remember to check anything you have in store. It was a good tree fruit year last year and if you have apples etc. stored away, check that everything’s OK. One bad apple (or spud, or onion) can spoil the lot, which would be sad. It’s also a good idea to check any fleece/netting etc. so that everything is clean and rolled up and you can find the right sized pieces when you need them.

If you grow food, you’ll probably be harvesting leeks, parsnips and brassicas such as swede, cabbages and kale. With cabbages, if you cut the head and leave the stalks in the ground, you will get fresh leaves growing. On the other hand, you may be wanting to clear the land for the next things. If you dig the stalks up and compost them, smash them up a bit with a spade to help break them down. If you are itching to plant, you could put shallots and garlic cloves in cell trays or pots, ready for planting out when they are growing healthily. You can also plant up rhubarb and bare rooted fruit trees and bushes.

You can be sowing this month too, and, if you have the protection of a windowsill, greenhouse, lean to, you could start off salad leaves, onions and sprouting seeds. I sowed broad beans in cell trays in December and I will probably sow a few more this month. I’ll plant them out when they are looking young and strong. You can sow them straight into the ground as they are hardy but, loved by mice.

It’s a good idea to buy potatoes in January to give them plenty of time to chit before you plant them in spring. The allotment association will have Kestrel, Charlotte and a main crop for sale in January.

If you have fruit bushes, you might want to be finishing off your winter pruning. With blackcurrants that flower on last year’s wood growth, it’s good to prune out as much old growth as possible, leaving the new to flower and fruit. With red and white currants and gooseberries you prune last year’s new growth by up to three quarters their size. Fruit is produced on these shortened branches in summer. With all pruning take out branches going into the middle of the bush to try and keep a flow of air through the bush and, cut out any criss-crossing branches as if they are rubbing each other this can let in disease.

Happy gardening, Sue. 56

Funny Old Game Jimmy Greaves is credited with describing football as “a funny old game”. I wonder what he would have made of the recent turbulence in our nation’s political life. In a little over two years we have seen a referendum on Scottish independence, a general election and a referendum on our continued membership of the European Union. Results have generated huge debate, not least within the major political parties, and encouraged many to re-evaluate the direction of travel and, inevitably, leadership structures.

We are seeing a move away from consensus politics to a clearer divide and there has been an upsurge in political debate and activism. This has been translated into a significant increase in the membership of Britain’s political parties after slumping to an historic low in 2013. The SNP has increased its membership from about 25,000 to 120,000 and the Labour Party now boasts over half a million members; seeing a growth in membership before, during and after the two recent leadership elections. The Labour Party could now fill Middlesbrough’s Riverside stadium fifteen times over and our own little corner of the political universe has not been immune to this renewal of political interest and grassroots activism.

The parliamentary constituency of Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland now has 747 Labour Party members, 157 of whom live in Saltburn. Those of us who joined the party relatively recently have learned that meetings used to be a small gathering in the library of perhaps four people. Monthly branch meetings are now attended by 30-40 people and we meet in the grand surroundings of Saltburn House. This seems fitting given the building’s history as a place of rejuvenation for working people.

Politics quite rightly brings out the passion in people and the growth in Labour Party membership and two leadership elections have brought challenges, not least some robust debate. Robust debate can and should be embraced, however, and in Saltburn this is fuelled by a diverse membership which includes health workers, parents and carers, local business owners, students, charity workers, community activists, school governors, offshore workers, teachers, lecturers, retired people, artists, men, women, young and not-so-young.

We are all getting to know each other a little better now and, not surprisingly, find we share dissatisfaction with many things but also a strong desire to engender change for the good of our community so nobody is left behind. Some of our members are already very involved in community activities but there has been much discussion about how we can harness more of our members’ time, passion, skills and interests to support local causes and projects, whether this is taking part in a Beach Clean or helping to raise funds for other community organisations. You will start to see us loitering increasingly around the centre of Saltburn with a wipe-board and pens so please come and talk to us, share ideas and tell us what is important. We may even have some tea or soup to share in return. In the meantime, on 27th January, please join us for a free screening of the Ken Loach film, ‘I, Daniel Blake’ at Saltburn Community Theatre where we will be collecting food donations for Guisborough foodbank.

See also pages 9 and 33.

Ann Wilson

The Muses of Jim I didn’t enjoy the day of the turning on of the Saltburn Christmas tree lights, purely because this time the switch on coincided with the anniversary of the death of Betty, almost to the actual minute that she died. So therefore, I felt it was appropriate to stay at home and think of Betty.

In doing this I always think of the occasions I was unkind and even nasty to her so I end up feeling even worse. It must be said she did promise to alter the lotto numbers so I could have a few good wins and she hasn’t so far so perhaps we are even.

I have had a very busy time this week, starting with Monday. An early start to York for a meeting of the Northern Regional County Associations. The train from Saltburn was soon crowded making it impossible for fares to be collected. It must mean a loss of income. I bought my ticket between Thornaby and Middlesbrough.

A new style ticket, a whole yard long. A short stop at Darlo then on to York. A quick walk up to Blossom Street, past the St Bede’s Visitor Centre, which is next door to the Mount Convent. It was good to meet up with fellow northern colleagues. We meet just before each National Council to keep the Northern Flag flying high.

Followed by a quiet return to Middlesbrough for an appointment at James Cook Hospital and then a meeting at Lune Street Club.

The following day I travelled to Hardwick, Stockton by bus: well, three buses really. In fact between

Middlesbrough and Thornaby I visited places in Thornaby I never knew existed before. The purpose of this journey was to attend a meeting of the County Durham and Cleveland Training Partnership. This looks at the training needs of the Town and Parish Councils in both areas. As next year is an election year in Durham the first thing was to provide training for first time councillors and training for the Chairman, after next year’s elections. Mind you, many new councillors once elected become experts overnight and don’t feel that they need any training at all.

The next thing we addressed was the problem of Village Halls. As the cuts bite community groups are losing funding, so it was agreed to put on an event concerning Village Halls and of course Community Centres to see how they can be assisted by Town and Parish Councils and also to ensure that our reps are aware of their role and responsibilities.

Wednesday, brought a meeting of a different type.

The AGM of Cleveland Association of Local Councils, of which I am the current Chairman. This meeting was to be different, as the CEO of the National Association of Local Councils was to be in attendance. Nerve wracking or what.

I survived and even got re-elected and he seemed to enjoy the meeting. Especially the question and answer session.

His brother, it appears, lived in Saltburn some 15 years ago so he knew the town quite well.

Thursday was a return to the train for a trip to Newcastle where my meeting was at the University of Newcastle, Campus for Ageing & Vitality. I am not just a pretty face. Again the train was crowded with no fares collected up to Middlesbrough. What a loss of revenue.

Another long paper ticket. At Newcastle Station I had to ask staff to let me through the gate as the software is missing. It was raining hard so I dug deep for a taxi, which was a rather painful experience. This is the last time we are meeting as the Government has pulled the plug on funding.

Much useful work has been achieved over the years so it was with sadness that we closed the Board down. We will meet again in the New Year in support of the Gateshead Older Peoples Assembly and Sight Services as the hosts of the new organisation. Then a quick dash back to Saltburn to meet with a visitor to the house and I arrived home at the exact time as my visitor.

Friday, best day of the week and the highlight of the week. Friday Friends Christmas Party. They meet every Friday at the ECHO centre behind the Church. A little haven where friends meet and support each other. I am proud to be associated with them and to be called a friend.

After just a week I was shattered so on Saturday, my 76th birthday, I could hardly open my cards and worst was yet to come. Sunday, I started a 35 hour starvation diet followed by medication which means no alcohol on Sunday night followed by more evil medication in the morning and more starvation until I meet the camera crew at James Cook Hospital at 11.30am then home to food, glorious food. Sorry, dear Editor, for my lateness with this piece. But I want the public to know what I do and how I suffer for their benefit.

Jim Wingham 57

The Saltburn Crossword no 187 set by Erinyes Across 2 9 10 11 12

25

Saltburn shop, a store for sweets? (3, 5, 4) Cheery cute sound backs pure rich minus direction (7) Eager to back prima donna singer (4) American state put former lover in seated back (5) Saltburn restaurant wriggle around without directions stirred with kilns (5, 5) Heavenly body reverses rodents (4) Yarm stirred military group (4) Small hill revealed dynamo underneath (5) Lear hidden when frog leapt (4) As well as concealed in Nepal somehow (4) Jackie has one in Saltburn! (10) Stellar but more locally, especially for power (5) London region oh so naughty (4) One of two attachments to a cap a flare up stirring without university (7) Saltburn shop tells great stories? (7, 5)

1 3 4 5 6 7 8 14 15 17 20 21

Open a bottle? United Nations goes to Irish city (6) Musician making heavenly sound? (7) He takes prisoner cat pro the revolution (6) Complex or fully worked out (8) Superiorly, a duty a Slav gone walkabout (14) Rice dish mixed from deer, geek (8) Yorkshire eatery in Saltburn (3, 3, 4, 4) He works it out as nearly breaking (8) Extinct elephant species as Mo don’t circulate (8) Painkiller rebuilds sin pair (7) Traditional exclamation for that ‘I’ve done it!’ moment (6) Ran away romantically in antelope dung (6)

13 14 15 16 18 19 22 23 24

Down Name___________________________________ Address_________________________________ ________________________________________ Telephone_______________________________

Solution to Crossword no 186

The winner of last month’s crossword was Jean Pugsley of Sorrel Court, Marton, Middlesbrough.

D. V. Townend & Co 8 Dundas Street East, Saltburn TS12 1AH

Country Outfitters Tel: (01287) 623754 Website: www.dvtownend.com Email: info@dvtownend.com Specialising in practical but stylish leisure and outdoor wear, we also stock a wide range of accessories, gifts and leather items from the most famous brands including Aigle, Magee, Seasalt and Tumble & Hide.

58

Send your completed crossword to: Saltburn Crossword no 187, c/o Jackie’s Saverstore, 8 Station Buildings, Saltburn, TS12 1AQ

by Friday, 20th January 2017. First correct solution out of the bag wins a £10 voucher kindly donated by Tim and Sheila of Real Meals.

59

60