Talk of the Town April 2016

EDITION 178

CIRCULATION 4,800

APRIL 2016

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

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SALTBURN’S TOWN TALK Letter from the Editor

It’s been a frustrating time this month compiling the magazine. Two months ago we acquired a new modem and our internet connection was vastly improved. The magazine took a quarter of the time to download (upload?) to the printer, a 400% increase in speed. Unfortunately this month our phone line developed a problem. In fact our telephone was completely dead: we could neither make nor receive calls, but strangely, our internet connection wasn’t completely broken. Although very much slower than the new high speed connection we had already got used to, we could still send and receive emails. It would have been a disaster for the magazine if we couldn’t have received contributions by the usual method on ‘deadline weekend’. Then the email connection packed up as well. We turned it all off and gave it a rest, and an intermittent connection was re-established the next day. A British Telecom engineer was called out, but he couldn’t come for five days. Finally, on the Monday after the deadline, when the magazine should ideally have been at the Back to the beach! Eebydrum! invite you all - yes, all ages and levels of inexperience - to join them on the beach near the pier from 2 to 4pm on Sunday, 3rd April, come hail or high water, for an afternoon of joiny-inny drumming and fun.

We’ll be there on the first Sunday each month through to October, or you can join us at our fortnightly practice nights at Toc-H off Albion Terrace. We’re there on Friday 1st, 15th and 29th April 7-9pm. Contact Colin 07834 213 543 or find us on Facebook.

Saltburn Farmers’ Market: A great start to the year in March, and the popular monthly market is back with more tasty treats on Saturday, 9th April. Over 35 stalls brimming with good local food, drink & art. Based near the Railway Station, starts 9am. See our story on page 9, and see www.saltburnfarmersmarket.com for more info.

Emmanuel Church Hall Table Top and Collectors’ Sale: the sales resume in April after a short break in March. The sales are on Saturdays 16th April and 30th April then 7th and 21st May. FREE ENTRANCE and a warm welcome to everyone. With over 26 stall holders, selling lots of bric-abrac, books, toys, baby goods, and all sorts of collectables, and some crafts, there is something for everyone. Home made refreshments and light lunches are on sale all day. Our all day breakfast and lunches and popular home baked stall are always available. Our kitchen is very busy and popular.

Denise says, “I never realised how popular we are! I couldn’t believe all the cards and flowers and gifts I received when I came out of hospital. It really moved me; then all the phone calls and text messages. I have been overwhelmed with all the love and kindness from everyone. I am finally getting there but had a lot of setbacks at first and without Ken I could not have got through it. I can’t wait to get back. I’ve missed everyone and clearly they have missed me!”

Denise received the Pride of Saltburn bouquet of flowers this month. See page 43.

printers, he arrived. He phoned my partner’s mobile to say he was about to arrive. After a quick and efficient investigation he pinpointed the problem, which was long term corrosion in the box where the phone line enters and exits the house. This wasn’t surprising since I have lived in the same house for 27 years and during that time the same line has been in use. He replaced boxes on the downstairs phone, the upstairs phone, and the corroded box and restored our access to the outside world. He said it wasn’t unusual for the phone to get cut off while the internet wasn’t. Fortunately an expected deluge of phone calls didn’t happen but half an hour after he had left, BT phoned to say that he was on his way! And then again to say he had arrived. How they expected me to receive the phone calls before he had repaired it, I’ve no idea. Love, Ian.

Send letters, adverts and contributions for the next issue (by Friday, 15th April 2016) to: The Editor, Talk of the Town c/o Jackie’s Saverstore, 8 Station Buildings, Saltburn, Cleveland, TS12 1AQ. Telephone: 01287 623903 (or email: talkofthetown@tyasi.freeserve.co.uk). Talk of the Town has a website: www.tottsaltburn.co.uk and the Friends of Talk of the Town can be found on Facebook.

Open Studios: Please join us at our event at Saltburn Artists’ Gallery on Marske Road for drinks and nibbles on Saturday, 16th April between 12 and 4pm. Meet the artists in their studios and see the new Spring Exhibition.

Margaret Jackson Saltburn Valley Gardens - Now and The Future: Following on from the acclaimed Saltburn Symposium last spring, a further public event is being organised. A Spring Seminar on Thursday, 14th April at the Community Theatre from 6.00 to 8.00pm will provide a twelve month progress report and look ahead to the next five years. All residents are invited to participate and can register their interest during March at the Library. See also article on page 9.

The Guisborough and District Branch of the Embroiderers’ Guild are holding their monthly meeting on Saturday, 2nd April, 2016 at 2pm in Sunnyfield House, Westgate, Guisborough TS14 6BA. Our guest speaker will be Marie Wray and her subject is A Tapestry Journey. On the 7th May our speaker will be Julia Tristan and her subject will be Identity and Intimacy.

Visitors are welcome whether non-stitchers, beginners or more experienced stitchers. For more information please contact 01642 314860.

Linda WI Report: The Saltburn ladies WI was held on Thursday, 10th March. Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, so the song goes, but unfortunately for us we didn’t get to find out as our speaker, who was going to talk about them did not turn up owing to ill health. So our Secretary, who always has things in hand, gave us a quiz and a little talk amongst ourselves. Which is always a pleasant way to spend an evening. On Saturday, 12th March we had an outing to York, and who doesn’t like going to York?

Surely one of the oldest and best cities in England, so says a Yorkshire lass!

E. Leonard

Cover Illustration: Saltburn’s New Miniature Golf Attraction by Heather Lofthouse 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.dcprintyorkshire.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.)

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In 1904, Saltburn Convalescent Home became Silcoates School

During the fire

Silcoates School was a Congregational School established 1831 in Silcoates near Wakefield.

The school was destroyed by a serious fire. For a short time the school was held in a small hotel in Harrogate before coming to the Convalescent Home at Saltburn which was standing empty.

At the time of the fire the school was closed for holiday, the 80 boys were all at home and the headmaster was on holiday in Switzerland the school being left in the care of the Matron and domestic staff. On Wednesday, April 13th 1904 one of the servants noticed an ominous light streaming from one of the windows of the Middle storey of the school building, which was used as a dormitory. The alarm was raised and two porters arrived at the scene. Despite the use of chemical extinguishers and water, they failed to control the fire mainly because most of the woodwork was pitch pine causing the fire to spread rapidly throughout the building. The sky was illuminated for miles, and crowds of people quickly assembled.

News of the fire was conveyed to Mr Robinson, the Hon. Secretary, by telephone from Wakefield Police Station. Mr Robinson was also told that although the serious nature of the fire was known to Wakefield Fire Brigade, the captain of the Fire Brigade could not send the powerful Wakefield Steamer and its crew on account of a resolution of the City Council that the Brigade could not go outside the city boundary and an appeal to the chairman of Wakefield Watch committee also resulted in a refusal to allow the brigade to attend the fire.

When Mr Robinson arrived at the school at midnight he found the school to be hopelessly doomed. A quantity of hose had been sent but the water from the delivery nozzle was only sufficient to throw a stream of water about one foot high, such was the altitude of the school that no workable pressure from the 3” main could be expected.

A messenger was sent on a bicycle to Wakefield Police Station to telephone for help from Dewsbury. The Dewsbury men arrived with three horses and a steamer at about 2.00am. There was disappointment to find that there 4

After the fire

At Saltburn, the school circa 1905

was not enough hose to reach the 3” main, so men began carrying water in buckets with a view to saving the headmaster’s house; this failed because of the lack of water pressure. Much of the headmaster’s furniture was saved but practically everything in the school had been destroyed including the fine organ which was reduced to ashes. The organ had been presented by Sir George Newnes. The total damage was estimated at £12,000 (today £1.2 million).

There were some interesting comments in the October 1904 school magazine about the Saltburn Convalescent Home. Relating to the dining hall: “it was likened to a monastic refectory and the corridor tiles are orientally magnificent, and just lovely for sliding on. A comment on the real live clock in the tower was that it had unconventional views on the progress of time and does all the striking for the day in one solid chunk. At other times it goes on strike and does not strike at all.”

When at Saltburn the school made use of the football field directly opposite and played against the local Saltburn teams. They also made use of the cricket field and travelled to Redcar to use the Laboratory in Coatham Grammar School.

The School was eventually rebuilt at Wakefield and opened on 1st October 1908 and today is a thriving independent school for both boys and girls.

The Saltburn building was re-opened as a Convalescent Home by the WCIU on 11th September 1909.

Many thanks to Phil Swann, Silcoates’ Archivist for the exchange of information.

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.

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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.

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.

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Once Upon a Time in the Wapentake In the short time since I last wrote there have been reports coming in from around the world: Global Warming is happening at an even faster rate than predicted.

We are all, all inhabitants of this planet, going to be affected, and we need to respond together. In the middle of the last century, when it seemed that our civilisation could collapse into barbarism as a result of the threat from Nazi Germany and its partners in crime, the world had to unite against it. Nations that had been hostile to each other, people of dramatically different political views, realised that their only hope of survival was to unite and so the United Nations was born. It is a very different kind of threat that we have to respond to now, but it will be even more essential that we work together, and organisations like the UN, however flawed, will be essential in coordinating that work. As well as global organisations such as the UN, we will need regional groupings like the EU. Yes, it needs reform (and it’s easier to reform something you’re part of) but even in its present state, it’s literally better than nothing. There will also be a need for more local cooperation: if the UK breaks up, which is looking increasingly likely, Scotland and Wales, and England will still need a forum where problems common to all the inhabitants of this island can be dealt with. At every level, there will be differences of opinion, but it is better, surely to resolve them around a table than on a battlefield.

I’d now like to look at what can be done at a local level, to reduce carbon emissions, and to protect us from the consequences of the damage that has already been done.

I’d like to revive an almost forgotten idea: Municipal Socialism. Before any one accuses me of pushing a party political agenda, I would point out that Municipal Socialism existed long before the Labour Party did, and that its best known promoter was Joseph Chamberlain, who began as Liberal Mayor of Birmingham, and finished his career as a Conservative Minister. What was it, then? It was a response to an environmental crisis that afflicted the great industrial cities of Britain in the late Nineteenth Century. Their inhabitants needed clean water, some way of getting around safely and cheaply, and increasingly they wanted electricity and gas supplies. These necessities were all supplied by private companies, and almost without exception, they were dangerously incompetent. Water, for example, was expensive, did not reach everybody, and was often contaminated, a risk to public health greater even than faulty gas mains. What Joseph Chamberlain, and others like him elsewhere, did was to borrow enough money to buy out the private companies, and then to invest in new water mains, gas pipes, electricity cables and tramlines. It was a gamble but one that paid off.

Not only did the local authority provide the citizens with far better, and cheaper, services than they had had before but it made a healthy profit, which meant that loans could be paid back and there was money left over to pay for slum clearance, for the provision of libraries and schools, for the construction of roads and sewers. The people who made this happen were not doing it entirely out of the goodness of their hearts. They were businessmen (Chamberlain’s family firm was one of the world’s biggest manufacturers of screws). As such they needed a healthy, mobile and increasingly well-educated work force. Municipal Socialism made sense to them.

How strange that what was thought simple 6

commonsense fifty or a hundred years ago is now called dangerously left wing. Whatever we call it, we need it now.

Consider electricity: we have to make it without releasing carbon into the atmosphere, and we have to waste less of it. The further it has to travel from where it is made the more that is wasted, so why not generate it where it is needed? Some of you may know that where Huntcliff Surgery now stands was once the site of a generator that supplied Saltburn with its electricity. Saltburn was unusual only in that it was one of the first towns in the country to have its own power station. It would, I assume, have used fossil fuel, but if you have to burn stuff to generate electricity, it is best to do it where the waste heat can be used in homes and businesses. In those early days, people were already making use of what we now call renewables, especially water power, which had been used for centuries to drive mill wheels, and by the beginning of the last century was generating electricity, sometimes on a very big scale. The becks that run down to the sea in our town may seem small, but they could produce a fair amount of electricity.

There would have to be other sources of power (streams sometimes dry up). We have plenty of wind, of course. Wind turbines on land are very efficient, but extremely unpopular. However, in Denmark wind farms are largely owned by the local community, who benefit from cheap electricity and make money selling any surplus electricity. In Denmark wind farms are not at all unpopular.

Solar panels are becoming increasingly effective, and a seaside town might one day be able to benefit from developments in harnessing the power of the tide and the waves.

This would all work better if it was run by those democratically elected to serve local interests.

Unfortunately, in recent years, successive governments have stripped away the powers of local authorities. A particularly relevant example of this is the way it has become almost impossible for them to stop developments even if they know, from their local knowledge that they are unwanted and inappropriate. (Building houses in areas prone to flooding, for example.) But perhaps one day sanity will return. (If it doesn’t we really are doomed.)

Such local initiatives would still need to fit into a much wider scheme of things. There would still have to be some version of the National, or International Grid, to transfer power to areas with a temporary shortfall, and that would need some large-scale projects to generate and store electricity to back up local supplies. (Not many places would be able to generate all their own electricity all the time.) One such large-scale project, to make electricity without releasing carbon into the atmosphere was the White Rose project. This involved burning locally produced coal in Drax power station with 100% of the carbon emitted being captured and disposed of under the North Sea. I believe they were on the brink of success when Central Government pulled the plug, at the same time as the closure of Yorkshire’s (and the UK’s) last deep coal mine was announced. I’m sure the citizens of the White Rose County don’t take it personally.

Next time: Can we afford it?

Tim Beswick

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Councillors’ Column The Tees Valley Combined Authority, being a combination of the five local authorities in the Tees area, came into being on the auspicious date of the 1st April. The new statutory body provides a better opportunity to unlock devolved powers and resources from the Whitehall Government.

This ‘better together’ arrangement will initially concentrate on economic development within the area, including transport and infrastructure improvement. £15 million is scheduled to be received annually from the Chancellor to assist in this and other related objectives.

A Scrutiny system is to be established to oversee the new body’s conduct, its policy making and spending practices.

Whether this Borough benefits in the medium term depends partly on ensuring that full participation is undertaking whilst still attending to local needs and holding in perspective a wider picture.

Before the closure of consultation on the transfer of Post Office trading from Station Street to Windsor Road many affected residents had expressed their genuine concerns about the move. Subject to giving weight to those views, confirmation of the transfer decision is scheduled for May. Changes are afoot down on the Lower Promenade.

Well established companies are investing in premises alteration and expansion. A new mini golf has also started and plans are well in hand to finally replace the last traditional shelter which was assisted into retirement in December 2013.

The Cliff Lift operation will enjoy an extended season and longer opening hours on certain days.

If funding is still available, traditional street lamps will illuminate the western promenade from the pier to Hazelgrove and there is a strong possibility that traditional chalets will reappear thereafter in the same vicinity.

Just to add to the excitement a high profile sand race may be instituted from the pier to Redcar and back, later in the summer. This depends not just on the tide but on the plethora of forms needing to be completed before this and any other public event can take place.

The expected increase in pedestrian traffic has revived requests to make the area safer, restricting vehicle usage on the promenade and better organisation of pedestrian flow in the car park in particular.

A Spring Seminar to discuss the progress being made in the Valley Gardens is open to all in the Community Theatre on the 14th April. Resident attendance is encouraged.

The recent heavy rains have been a reminder that proper maintenance of water ways is essential and that further investment is required in infrastructure if the expected increase in flooding is to be contained. The management of fallen timber has been severely challenged.

Whilst the Clean for The Queen weekend was a success, it has been asked why is there not more regular litter picking to avoid such a build up in the first place.

One resident at least may be allowed to take a well earned rest. After almost three decades of fund raising and project leading, the Freedom of the Borough was awarded to Jackie Taylor for her inspiring work.

Philip Thomson 7

Saltburn Library and Friends of Saltburn Library Friends of Saltburn Library are delighted to welcome Mr Peter Morgan, on Tuesday, 19th April as their guest speaker. He is an authority on Tocketts Mill, and will give a talk regarding its history. Tocketts Mill is our nearest working water mill, and has been restored and renovated over the years into its present immaculate condition. On May 8th it is National Mill day and the Mill will be open and working for any interested visitors. Food is also available at the well-appointed restaurant in the grounds. A good day out for local historians.

The Friends do great work in supporting the library by organising events, raising funds and helping at events. If you are interested in supporting the Friends at some of our events, for example, by helping to serve refreshments, then just pop in to the Library for further information.

A forthcoming event, funded by the Friends is on Saturday, 9th April between 2pm and 3pm. Join illustrator Katherine Lynas at the library for an hour of Superhero art and craft. Design your own superhero, with their own special powers. Can they fly, control the weather or even

teleport? Are they serious like Batman or crazy like Captain Underpants? We can’t wait to find out.

We have got some more flavours of drinks available in the Library – we now offer hot chocolate, cappuccino, latte, American smooth coffee and tea. Drinks are only 80p each and any profit goes back to the Friends to help organise new events. So pop into the Library, read a newspaper, enjoy a hot drink and let us know what kinds of activities you would like to see happening in your Library.

We have a number of books for sale at the moment – ex library books and donated books we haven’t been able to add to our own stock. Fill a bag for only £1.00 – an absolute bargain!

For any further information you can ring us on 01287 623584 (or email us on saltburn_library@redcarcleveland.gov.uk).

Tracey Saltburn Library and Tourist Information Windsor Road, Saltburn-by-the-Sea Yorkshire TS12 1AT

Saltburn Athletic FC The season is drawing to a close with about six weeks to go.

The weather has not been kind this season but it has not stopped the under 11 teams from doing well.

The under 11 Seagulls have a 100 percent record and let’s all cross our fingers and hope they can go all the way and finish unbeaten and be divisional winners.

The under 11 Dolphins are also in a strong position.

They may not have a 100 percent record but the improvement from last season could mean they also have a chance to win the divisional title.

The under 8s have now finished the season and drew the last game against Guisborough to finish near mid table in their division. As this is the first time they have played as a team it is a very worthy effort and well done to all those who played in the official games and the others who competed in the second or friendly games. Thanks also to all the parents for the support they have given because without them the team would not function.

The under 12 team have good potential but at times were unable to get over the line but you certainly cannot fault their willingness and desire. Keep it going lads.

The under 13 team have not had the best of seasons and are in transition so hopefully they will finish the season better than they started.

We have our presentation day on Sunday, 22nd May at Saltburn Cricket Club and our Gala day on Saturday, 25th June at the Huntcliff Campus.

Thanks to Saltburn Cricket Club for hosting all our

club meetings and functions as they do every year. Thanks to Huntcliff School for the use of the football pitches which we have used since our inception When the season ends at the first week in May all teams will be recruiting new members and it is hoped that there will be two under 9 teams for the new season beginning in September. Meanwhile we will continue to train throughout the year. If there are any genuine hopefuls who think they will fit the criteria then you can contact Andy Croll who will advise on any matters concerning the club on 07779 648877.

Age groups for the new season will be u9 (school years 3/4 come September), u12, u13 and u14 (1st, 2nd and 3rd year senior school ages).

Our fees have been increased to use the school facilities and as such we are looking for any help such as sponsoring new team kit and to support us in any functions that we may hold such as a Race Night or a Band Night. All members of the club are volunteers and put a lot of time and effort into running the club which was founded in 1998 and we want to continue and have the Saltburn name continue in football locally.

We should be able to use our new Hob Hill field soon and the renovations for the changing room hopefully will begin shortly and have them available for the new season.

We are also on the lookout for new coaches to join the club.

Andy Croll

Saltburn Photographic Society Summer outdoor meetings have been arranged. In May, a visit to Newton Woods to photograph the bluebells. In June, a visit to Guisborough. In July, South Gare. In August, Whitby.

Meeting time at the venue is 7.00pm. If you would like to join 8

our members please phone Tony Lynn 01287 622519 for details. Members’ work will be exhibited at Kirkleatham Museum during April and May.

Saltburn and District Group for Visually Impaired People At our March meeting we were joined by Pan and Claire from the Centre of Excellence for Sensory Impaired (COESI). They told of how they came to be in our area and of groups they have visited.

Their main objective at the moment is to bring art to visually impaired people via ‘living paintings’. We were shown some prints and then 3D images of the same so we could ‘feel’ the picture. The moth was scarily realistic! COESI are to return on Wednesday, 13th April and we will have a full taster session. We will be given prints and 3D images of paintings, be told the history of it and about the artist so we can appreciate art without having

to ‘look’ or read the notices as in art galleries and museums. It is the aim of COESI to bring living paintings to MIMA for all visually impaired people to appreciate and hopefully have some displayed which has been created by VI people.

If you would like to find out more, or join us for a ‘feel’, please join us at 2pm in the coffee lounge, Community Centre, Albion Terrace, Saltburn on Wednesday, 13th April.

COESI can be contacted on 01287 204204 or further information about our small and friendly group, please call Chris Ferguson on 01287 204170.

‘The Future of the Valley Gardens’ Thursday 14th April, Community Theatre Are you interested in the future of the Valley Gardens?

Judging by the attendance and feed back from the Saltburn Symposium organised last year, many residents in Saltburn and East Cleveland are.

The Symposium provided a whole day of exhibitions and presentations on the past, present and future of the original Pleasure Gardens covering the areas of woodland and open spaces stretching from the viaduct down to the sea.

The 2016 Spring Seminar will be a concentrated two hours of presentations and discussion from 6pm until 8pm, allowing residents who are working not to miss out on participating.

A brief resumé from last year will be followed by a progress report on what has been achieved in the period since.

With a selection of interesting speakers and an open

forum discussion, the evening will be focussed on developing a Management Plan for the next five years.

Much has been achieved but there is still more to do.

Reopening abandoned and overgrown paths, consideration for additional toilets, reinstating suitable shelters and sensitively recovering the magnificent vistas, are just some of the aspirations from the ideas fed back from members of the public. Any works need to be carried out with utmost care and recognition of the flora and fauna which share this singular environment.

How this might be funded and who is going to deliver on any agreed Management Plan are just some of the questions requiring answers.

Entry is free. However, everyone wishing to come along is asked to register their interest at the Library in advance so that the Theatre capacity is not exceeded. Just call in or telephone 623584.

Foodie Fans enjoy a Seaside Treat

Busy day at the first Saltburn Farmers’ Market of the year Thousands of foodies enjoyed a tasty treat as shoppers made the most of a sunny spring day at the first Saltburn Farmers’ Market of the year on Saturday, 12th March.

Market Manager Lorna Jackson said: “It was an incredible day, and we really couldn’t have asked for a better start to the year. It was fantastic to see so many people enjoying the Market, and it’s great to add to that special Saturday morning buzz around the town again.

“We’ll be introducing a sprinkling of special guest stalls throughout the rest of the year to make sure we have something new for people to enjoy every month, and we’re looking forward to an exciting year ahead.”

The next Saltburn Farmers’ Market takes place on Saturday, 9th April, near Saltburn Railway Station, 9.00am-2.00pm (for further information, see www.saltburnfarmersmarket.com).

l-r: Market Manager Lorna Jackson & stallholder Liz Ramshaw, The Gingerbread Mam, take a quick break at a busy Saltburn Farmers’ Market on Saturday, 12th March.

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27 Milton Street Saltburn-by-the-Sea

Loving and Giving Christian Aid week is nearly with us again. Its aim is to end poverty, and to achieve this, to end violence. Not just wars from South Sudan to Syria, from Somalia to Iraq, but also gang warfare, police brutality, domestic abuse and so on. One of Christian Aid’s aims this year is helping people affected by floods in Bangladesh.

Instead of a street collection, which may not include all the people of Saltburn, our Churches Together committee, comprising Emmanuel, Our Lady of Lourdes and the Methodist church, have decided to hold several events in the April/May period, where we hope all residents will feel included, and will come along to join in the fun. These events will be: 9th April 2016 A table at the Farmers’ Market selling jam jars filled with different and, we hope, exciting goodies.

16th April 2016 A concert with local singer Maggie Camp at ECHO, tickets £5 available from the Church office.

6th May 2016 Quiz at Echo. Details to follow.

14th May 2016 A coffee morning with scones, bacon rolls and baked potatoes with a variety of toppings for lunch, and a cake stall, at the usual venue of the Methodist Church hall.

25th May 2016 An afternoon tea at the Methodist Church Hall. Please contact Sue on 01287 622571 or Linda on 01287 624366 for tickets and details.

There will, as usual, be envelopes available for any gifts people would like to make. These will be at all of the three Churches, as well as at the events.

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

Valley Players Valley Players were delighted that Sally Lewis and Marjorie Wilson shared the award for best actress in the Saltburn Drama Festival. Our many supporters will be pleased that Best Foot Forward will be performed again at the Earthbeat centre in May. Details will be announced shortly.

We will then be making plans for a stupendous Elvis tribute day next year to mark forty years since his death.

Once again, watch this space!

Djenane

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Saltburn Beachwatch

Watercolour Class

Unnatural Fibres 2

We have had another fun term at our Watercolour Class in Saltburn. There are a couple of vacancies for the Monday Class which meets on Monday afternoons 1-3 at the upstairs room of the Methodist Church on Milton Street, Saltburn. (there is a lift).

The class is suitable for complete beginners, or as a refresher. We start again 11th April. This is a fun and friendly class so if you are interested in joining us please ring me, Kathryn Harrison, on 01947 897803.

I will also be running some one day and half day classes in August which will include painting for beginners, flower painting and there will be some outdoor painting workshops. If you are interested in any of these please Kath

In the February issue of Talk of the Town I highlighted the problem of plastic micro-fibres which are used in the manufacture of synthetic materials for the clothing industry; and how during washing, these fibres break off and are emptied down the drain and that these particles are too small to be filtered out by waste treatment plants, ending up in the ocean where they are eaten by plankton before going up the food chain to us. So what can be done about this problem?

Well, we could wear clothing made with natural fibres like cotton, silk, wool and linen. Unfortunately some of these natural materials can also have some detrimental environmental impacts, like the amount of water extracted in some countries to grow the cotton crop. This can cause water tables to drop and rivers and lakes to dry up. So as consumers we need, ideally, to purchase natural clothing made from ethically sourced materials. Synthetic garments, however, have qualities that natural products don’t and people throughout the world want to buy them so we need to persuade the manufacturers of this type of clothing about the need to make their garments as resistant as possible to the shedding of micro particles when in the wash. Manufacturers should further improve textiles that can avoid or minimise the loss of these fibres in the laundry process.

The toxicity of chemicals and polymers used in the garment industry is seldom tested. This is completely opposed to the medical sector, where, before plastic joints and meshes are sold research is carried out to find the least toxic. The methods used for new medicines provide an example of how the textile industry and governments must approach plastic and added chemicals before their large scale introduction. The pollution problem caused by plastic microfibers is huge: plastic that ends up in the marine environment leaches all kinds of chemicals and these fibres dominate the build up of toxins in the tissues of marine species.

The problem is getting worse as each year more synthetic garments are produced in relation to natural ones.

Filters for washing machines must be developed. Canadian inventor Blair Jollimore has made such a device and washing machine manufacturers should be encouraged to apply this technology to their machines. So far there has been reluctance from these manufacturers because of perceived costs and what their competitors might do.

These filters should be “standard� as it has been demonstrated that a minimum of 75% of fibres are removed by this device. We can all help to lessen the loss of micro fibres in the wash by washing only full loads on a cool setting using liquids not powder to minimise friction between the garments and by putting informed pressure on clothing and washing machine manufacturers to use biocompatible features in their products.

The next Saltburn Beachwatch litterpick and survey will take place on Saturday, 9th April from 10am until 12noon. Meet at the Pier car park where grabs, gloves and bags will be provided. Mid-session free refreshments will be available Roy Smith 12

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Cleveland Explorer Scouts Tanzania Project 2017

In the summer of 2017, 57 young people will be embarking on an expedition of a lifetime. They will be dropped in an unfamiliar environment, for a month, with the task of building classrooms for the children of Engaruka, Northern Tanzania. This army of volunteers are going to be setting up camp and working together with the help of their experienced scout leaders. 6-8 Training Weekends will be run in order to train and teach the young people how to use skills like brick-laying, cooking, camping, and constructing foundations.

Every single part of the project will be organised by the highly experienced leadership team, a long history of running similar expeditions by Scouts across Cleveland.

Cleveland Explorer Scouts have done other community projects in Malawi, Zambia, Kenya and Tanzania once before. Armed with knowledge and experience we are hoping the next is going to be really successful.

Everyone on the expedition, leaders included, need to raise £2600 to go on this trip. That includes flights, food and transport; however, £1,000 of this amount will be going directly towards the cost of the buildings and supporting the local community. This means that we aren’t just going on a holiday for ourselves!

Obviously, £2600 per person is a huge sum of money. In order to try to earn some pennies we are offering the services of all 58 team members in exchange for a

donation to the project, which will be split evenly. Manual labour jobs are our favourite: things like painting, cleaning, construction (e.g. garden walls, patios, garden paths), digging, demolition work, or just generally moving things like bricks. However, we can also help out at coffee mornings, fairs or bag-packs at shops. We are up for anything that will raise funds so if you can give us opportunities or put us in contact with people who can it would be greatly appreciated.

A few local businesses in Saltburn have already helped the project. We would like to say thank you very much to Gosnay’s Butchers of Saltburn for their monetary donation, also Ripping Yarns of Saltburn who have donated a wonderful raffle prize to be won at one of our next fairs.

If you would like to assist with fundraising for this once in a lifetime building project for young people you can do many things. For example, spread the word! The more people who know about the project the more likely we are to get community support. Find or set up a job that needs doing and let us know; we are really keen to do anything!

You can contact us at Tanzania2017@yahoo.co.uk or alternatively keep up to date with the project by visiting our Facebook page ‘ClevelandScoutsTanzania2017’.

Huntcliff School KS4 North East Badminton Finalists

Local Campus Hosts Celebration Showing Children that it’s Cool to be Kind

Saltburn’s Huntcliff School KS4 boys’ badminton team become North East Champions on 1st March at the regional round of the National Schools Championships held at Thornaby Pavilion.

The team, comprising four Year 11 students, William Hill, Sam Campbell, William Arch-Davies and Lachlan Kennedy, will now compete in the National Badminton Finals held at Milton Keynes in April.

On Thursday, 24th March there was a #Linkkindness celebration event taking place at Saltburn Learning Campus.

Year 5 pupils from Saltburn Primary School alongside other local schools attended, following work that they have conducted with The Link Redcar on a project which aims to inspire kindness and leave a legacy that will continue long into the future.

Pupils had been working on the project since November, and this event was a commemoration of their efforts, as well as a chance for such as positive message to be broadcast.

Song for Saltburn-by-the-Sea Team photo: from left to right, Sam Campbell, Lachlan Kennedy, William Arch-Davies, William Hill.

A song about the attractions of the town can be heard on You-Tube. First Google You-Tube then find the song at the following address: https://youtu.be/3SnoErNAEo. 13

Renny’s Bell A beautiful vintage marine bell has been installed in the bar of Saltburn Conservative Club. The solid brass bell is inscribed ‘G R’ with a crown above it. Initially the GR was thought to be the Royal Cypher of King George VI; however, research has shown it to be the cypher of King George V, giving the bell an age of between 80 and 106 years.

It is believed to be a naval ship’s bridge bell, but not the main bell, which would have had the ship’s name inscribed upon it and hung on the vessel’s foc’sle head. Most ships have a secondary bell, usually hung on the ship’s navigation bridge. This bridge bell was used to strike the time every 30 minutes in the four hour watch period, which is 1 bell for 00:30, through to 8 bells for 04:00, starting again with 1 bell for 04:30 and so on. At New Year the bell would be rung 16 times, 8 bells for the old year and 8 bells for the new. Lookouts would use the

bells to indicate a new sighting, one ring for starboard, two for port and three for right ahead.

All ship’s bells had a bell rope, made of fancy ropework by a member of the crew.

In the case of the club’s new bell, a rope has been made, using traditional knots, by a nautical honorary life member.

The bell will be used to indicate closing times and the start and end of happy hours. It should be noted that it is tradition that:- ‘if ever the bell is rung in jest, a drink must be bought for the rest’. So be warned you jesters!

A plaque has been attached to the wall behind the club’s bell; it reads: King George V Marine Bell. Donated to Saltburn Conservative Club, March 2016, by Captain Mike Sellars. The bell was originally owned

by Renny Sellars of Saltburn, Mike’s Father, past member and is dedicated to his memory.

Earthbeat’s ‘Mad for the Eighties’ Tickets are now available for our next show ‘Mad for the 80s’ which will be performed at The Earthbeat Centre, Marske Road, Saltburn, on the 18th, 19th and 20th April at 7pm.

We look forward to seeing you for what promises to be yet another brilliant evening.

We have put together a production showcasing all the best and brightest hits from the 80s and, as usual, we’ve thrown in plenty of surprises.

Please call us on 07969 623118 if you have any queries (or email us at earthbeat@talktalk.net).

What do you think of when you remember the 80s?

Boy George, Techno music, cheesy rock bands, Michael Jackson, new romantics and ridiculous haircuts? If so, then this show is for you. We’ve shoehorned all the best music from the 1980s and given it an Earthbeat makeover. The show is a lot of fun (our version of Ghost Town will take your breath away) but, as usual, there are lots of beautiful

moments too.

As usual, tickets are gonna sell ridiculously fast, so don’t delay in getting yours.

We’ve now spent our first full year in our wonderful new building and what a great year it’s been. Thanks to all those people who came to our Open Day on the 5th March and for helping to make it such a great event. Over 800 people passed through our doors and created a lovely atmosphere within the building. We now have two car parks in operation and although the building site behind the school will be a work in progress for the whole of next year, we have much better access to the centre. We also have two new websites in place so if you want to find out more about Earthbeat and our forthcoming productions or what’s going on within the Earthbeat Centre, you know where to look! www.earth-beat.co.uk www.earthbeatcentre.co.uk

Greta cottage residential care home, caring for the elderly and EMI needs. We provide a home from home, our staff are friendly and fully qualified. We have a daily activities programme which includes trips out in our mini bus and musical afternoons. Our rooms are individually decorated and all food is homemade on the premises.

For any further information please contact us on 01287 622498 or e-mail gretacottage@outlook.com where our staff will be happy to help.

Greta Cottage – Greta Street, Saltburn 14

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 10.30am and 6.30pm.

or email: simon.robson1@ntlworld.com

SCA2gallery

Musical Patterns 11th April – 11th June After returning from a 7 year visit to Australia, where he first developed his pattern imagery, Martyn WyndhamRead was commissioned in the 1960s to do a mural in Carnaby Street. Soon after this the music took over and Martyn has been singing and touring internationally for 50 years. He has now resumed creating visual imagery and in this exhibition will show a collection of his own recent abstract patterns which sit happily with the current vogue for colouring-in. The imagery has a more complex conception than the routine and provides an opportunity to consider basic perceptual and emotional concerns.

His drawings are both obvious and mysterious at the same time. They can be read as simple exercises in catching the eye or they can be interpreted as psychological statements of what at first sight seems to be a balanced mind; Martyn’s cheerful manner gives nothing away.

As part of its Reach Out programme and part of its desire to involve the audience in its exhibitions viewers are invited to give their titles to the exhibits. These will be shown alongside Martyn’s during the final two weeks of the show and should be sent or given to Trev Wardle c/o SC&AA, Albion Terrace, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, TS12 1JW. All the drawings on show are for sale along with a series of limited edition Giclee prints specially produced in time for the exhibition in Saltburn.

Shane Slater Plumbing & Heating All aspects of domestic plumbing

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

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Saltburn Bowls Club Celebrates 110th Anniversary Do you know where the bowls club is? So many townspeople do not realise that this facility is available to them, not only offering the game of bowls but also Pétanque (French boules) and other numerous social events. We offer a warm welcome for those of you contemplating a sporting pastime in fresh air and pleasant surroundings.

On Tuesday, 5th April at 2.00pm we will be hosting a pre-season introductory talk for anyone thinking of taking up the game of bowls. This will be held In Saltburn Bowls Clubhouse (on the corner of Marske Road and Woodrow Avenue opposite the Budget Auto Centre). All are welcome and tea, coffee and biscuits will be served.

The outdoor coaching sessions will begin the following Tuesday, 12th April at 2.00pm and will continue throughout the season until September. Bowls are available to borrow for these sessions. All you need is a pair of flat shoes and a good sense of humour …

For further information contact Bryan or Veronica on 01642 511259.

Guided Walk in East Cleveland Come on a free circular walk of about five miles on Saturday, 16th April. Starting from the seafront car park (TS13 4BJ) in Skinningrove at 10.30am, the walk will go along the Cleveland Way and up to Warsett Hill, 166 metres above sea level. The route will continue past Hunley Hotel & Golf Club and return via Cattersty Gill nature reserve. There will be a break for refreshments on the way and opportunities to appreciate some of the area’s history and industrial heritage.

A good level of fitness is needed for this walk which involves sand dunes, steep climbs and descents, steps and stiles. Please bring refreshments and wear clothing and footwear suitable for a muddy walk; dogs under proper control are welcome. No booking is needed for this walk which is organised by Loftus ACCORD Walking Group. For more information, phone 01287 641000 (or email office@loftustc.co.uk). See also page 41.

100 miles walk on a camino by a 70 year old I will be walking 100 miles in Portugal and Spain in May 2016 in memory of my late brother-in-law Andrew. During his fight with cancer the Macmillan Organisation were outstanding in their support.

The walk starts in Northern Portugal in Vitorino de Paies and finishes in Santiago de Compostela in Northern Spain. It is one of the pilgrimage walks or Caminos to the remains of the apostle St James in Santiago Cathedral. One of the toughest legs is over a mountain in Portugal called Alta da Portela Grande which I am sure will be an experience. The walk should take 9-10 days in total and the weather is variable.

I hope you can sponsor me on this walk which is registered with Macmillan Cancer. Two ways of donating are: (a) On the “just Giving” website, my page is the title of this article; (b) contact me on 01287 623556 and I will help you.

Martyn Howells 16

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)

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

Neil Wilson Builder and Joiner

Your local professional builder Established 1974.

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

For free estimate call:

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

Saltburn 500 Club Congratulations go to L Marlow, who was the lucky winner of the £100 First Prize in the Saltburn 500 Club March draw. The dwindling number of paid-up members (currently around 340) remains a huge concern and the committee welcomes any suggestions on how we can increase that number. Anybody interested in becoming a member can pick up a form from the library, or, from Jackie’s Saverstore. The alternative way to join is to contact our Membership Secretary by email (phil.saltburn500club@outlook.com).

I was honoured to be invited to witness Jackie Taylor being given the Freedom of the Borough on Tuesday, 15th March. I cannot think of a more worthy person than Jackie and my views were supported by several councillors who paid their own tribute to such a wonderful lady. In discussion afterwards, I suggested that she could now drive a flock of sheep down Station Road. Jackie’s eyes lit up and I think she is trying to find an available flock, as I am writing this article.

Thanks to the Saltburn businesses, Saltburn Councillors and Saltburn, Marske and New Marske Parish Council, I have managed to acquire more funding towards the replacement of halogen bulbs to LED in our Christmas Lights. There is still some way to go and I have booked three Saturdays in the Community Centre for Table-top sales. The dates are 16th April, 10th September and 8th October and I am always on the lookout for volunteers to help in the kitchen and/or provide food to serve during the day. As mentioned in an earlier article, I have also booked the hall for Saturday, 20th August. The committee have yet to decide how we should utilise that day and, personally, I think we should use it to raise publicity of Saltburn 500 Club and Friends of Saltburn and also, of course, raise monies for Saltburn projects. Please let me know how you would utilise this date.

I have completed the schedule of bands playing at Saltburn Bandstand during the course of this summer.

There is a copy of the schedule in Saltburn Library and copies will be put on display around the town and in various newspapers and Zetland FM Radio. The demand for Sunday slots at the Bandstand has been such that I have had to add a weekend to the list and, even after that, some bands have had to move to a Saturday. Many of the band contacts have mentioned to me that Saltburn is their favourite venue as the people are so pleasant, polite and appreciative of the music they play. Let’s not disappoint them this year!

I have attended several meetings to discuss how we can improve the Christmas light-up evening. The lighting-up, this year, will be 3rd December and work is already on-going to try and improve on previous years.

If you have suggestions and/or would like to get involved please contact me by sending an email or dropping a letter into the library, marked for my attention and placed into the Saltburn 500 Club container.

Trevor Welburn Secretary, Saltburn 500 Club/Friends of Saltburn trevor.welburn@btinternet.com 17

Saltburn in Bloom Saltburn in Bloom are hard at work in the community trying to keep the town looking good for residents, visitors and those who work here. In March we tidied the area around Sainsbury’s and Consteel in preparation for the Farmers’ Market, picking up litter and dog dirt (even from the top of the raised beds). We have dug the area over and planted some summer flowering bulbs and a few plants that residents donated. We have also tidied the Picnic garden and the Cliff lift area, but are still in the process of applying for planning permission for the Fossil garden.

On April 12th at 9.30 we are starting to empty the tubs on Marine Parade, starting near the Anchor garden. This is a heavy task and if any of you strong people out there could help, we would be very grateful. The planters will be filled with new compost and then replanted on a different day. Roy has been busy planning the new planting to have all year round colour and texture, but the weather conditions make the choice very difficult. Thank you to all those who have sponsored floral displays to be put out on June 14th and 15th, or donated money for plants. We appreciate your generosity.

Remember we receive no money from RCBC for this.

Sponsorship and our own fundraising, along with a generous grant from Saltburn, Marske and New Marske Parish Council and the Friends of Saltburn accounts for all the money.

Some of the proceeds from the opening weekend of Saltburn Mini Golf have been donated to us and we would like to thank the Smith brothers for their generosity. We hope the business proves to be a great attraction.

We have entered Northumbria in Bloom again and Spring judging will take place on the morning of Friday, April 22nd, with Marske being judged in the afternoon. Three judges are visiting and we will plan a route to take in the best of Saltburn. If you know of a particularly attractive front garden or area, please let us know and we will decide if it is suitable to visit within the Special Awards categories.

Northumbria in bloom are particularly keen on local residents and businesses greening up their areas. I don’t know what the judges will think when they see the spraying that has been carried out around trees and lampposts all over Marske Road and other locations. This was done on a windy day with devastating effect on the grass. Yellow patches certainly don’t look very attractive and scream sloppy work! The committee has strongly voiced its disappointment to RCBC and asked that the training regime be reviewed.

Lastly, on a brighter note, we would like to congratulate Jackie Taylor MBE for receiving the Freedom of the Borough on March 15th. Jackie was the catalyst for many of the improvements in Saltburn during the last 25 years and she thoroughly deserves this great honour.

Lynda Parkes 01287 209518

Friday Friends We are an inclusive friendship group, based in Saltburn, open to people of all abilities, over the age of 18.

We have two good bits of news, after the sad loss of Tess in January, Caroline has rehomed a new doggy friend: welcome to Jimbo! And a big Thank you goes to the Tees Valley Community Foundation/Tees Offshore Community Benefit Fund provided by EDF Energy Renewables, who have awarded us a whopping £1,000 grant. This money will go a long way in securing the future running of the group, which is entirely run by volunteers.

Programme for April April 1st, Indoor bowling at Saltburn Bowling Club then making felt book marks back at the hall.

April 8th, Skittles tournament, board games and a quiz.

Drawing a futuristic cityscape.

April 15th, Bingo then 11 - 12 Colin’s Drumming Workshop - come and play those bongos! Making paper butterflies on the afternoon.

April 22nd, Taylor’s Seated Keep Fit till 11, then wordsearches and making a trinket box.

April 29th, Back to Saltburn Bowling Club where we are let loose for our 1st outdoor session of the year.

Bring flat/smooth soled shoes to play on the green. If not we can play boules under the trees.

And we finish April by sewing a little fabric bird.

We also have tea, coffee, biscuits and colouring in to tempt you. We meet every Friday at Emmanuel Church Hall, Macnay St, Saltburn. Activity mornings 10 - 12.30. Arts n Craft 1 - 4. The 1st session is free, carers are always free, then there is a charge of £2.50 per session or £4 all day.

For more information visit the website: Thefridayfriends@outlook.com or phone 07833 895 501. Come on down!

Anjee Charman, Chairperson.

A Spring Concert An informal concert of local piano students

with Guest Singers Bill Greenwood Mary Harding Katie Simpson Megan Hill Accompanist Caroline Scales In ECHO (Emmanuel Church Hall)

Brotton Library Knit and Natter Group

on Sunday, April 17th 2016

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

Refreshments available,

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At 3pm Entry by donation, on the door.

Proceeds to Emmanuel Church Saltburn

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Saltburn, Marske and New Marske Parish Council A reminder - as reported last month the Parish Council office is moving from 1st April 2016. Our new address will be: The Conference Centre, Saltburn Learning Campus, Marske Mill Lane, Saltburn, TS12 1HJ - the telephone number will remain the same. The building we will be occupying was formerly the caretaker’s bungalow on the School site and is just a short distance away from the current office.

Please note that the Leisure Committee meeting due to take place on 21st March 2016 has been rescheduled and will now take place on Monday, 18th April at 6.00pm in the new office building. There are some other changes to meeting times and dates so please check our website for further details.

The Annual Parish Assembly will be held on Wednesday, 20th April 2016 at 7.00pm in the Club House on Marske Recreation Ground, Mount Pleasant Avenue, Marske. There will be a short presentation from the new tenants of the sports grounds regarding their future plans.

Members of the public are invited to attend.

At a recent meeting the Parish Council considered the proposals to move Saltburn Post Office to the convenience store on Windsor Road. Members agreed that the Parish Council would lodge an objection as it was highlighted that the proposed location was on a busy through road with no nearby pedestrian crossing. Members felt that the Post Office would be best placed in a town centre location.

Concerns were raised about the future level of Neighbourhood Policing in the town. A review was due to take place and it was likely that the neighbourhood provision in Saltburn would be reduced to one PCSO. The Parish Council agreed that the Neighbourhood Inspector would be invited to a meeting to discuss concerns it had regarding the reduced Police presence in the town.

Members were advised that Miss Jackie Taylor MBE would be given the Freedom of the Borough in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the community of Redcar and Cleveland, in particular Saltburn in helping to preserve and enhance the beauty of the town for over 30 years, both in her community involvement and as a fundraiser. A letter of congratulations would be sent from the Parish Council.

Residents of Saltburn are eligible to apply for an allotment at any of the sites throughout the Parish. If you are interested please contact the office.

Tracy Meadows Clerk and RFO to the Parish Council Tel: 01287 623477 email: office@smnmpc.co.uk www.smnmpc.co.uk

Saltburn Charity Crafters Saltburn Charity crafters will be meeting on Wednesday, 6th April from 2pm to 4pm in the coffee room at Saltburn Community Hall. Do pop in and join us for a cuppa if you are interested in knitting for local charities. Please contact Angie on 01287 205153 for more details.

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SALTBURN CRICKET CLUB Marske Mill Lane, Tel 01287-622761

Weds 13th & 27th April – BINGO – eyes down 8.00pm Wed 20th April U3A QUIZ – 8.00pm prompt Sat 2nd April and Sat 30th April ...SALTBURN BLUES CLUB…keeping music live in Saltburn CLUB Please see Blues Club advert for details

SAT 9TH APRIL ABBA TRIBUTE BAND “REVIVAL” I have a dream...should I laugh or cry? A dancing queen, head over heels, I saw it in the mirror! Mamma Mia, that's enough of these titles!

Just get along to the ABBA REVIVAL night and let's BOOGIE - dance to the band which WON the National Tribute Awards! £10, tickets from Saltburn Cricket Club or Celebrations.

Keeping music live in Saltburn – does your mother know? >“I said NO MORE SONG TITLES!“< See the colour advert on page 28. *Free WiFi in Club * BIG screen TV showing SKY sports etc * ***FEATURED IN CAMRA GOOD BEER GUIDE 2016!!***

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A VENUE? For family events, weddings, parties & 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.

Facebook saltburncricketbowlsandtennis socialclub – PLEASE add us as a friend and check our Facebook page regularly!

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SALTBURN BLUES CLUB

There’ll be two gigs on at the Blues Club this month as I moved March’s gig into early April due to my commitment at Saltburn’s annual Grand Ole Oprey at the Community Theatre. The first night of the Oprey was dedicated to the Blues and I’m pleased to say that Saltburn Blues Club was able to sponsor a great evening, contributing to the sterling fundraising efforts of Saltburn Rotary Club.

So, to April. I detailed the TREVOR SEWELL BAND gig in last month’s issue because it’s so early in the month. Multi award-winning Sewell and his band will bring their considerable talent to the Cricket Club, our usual venue, on Saturday, the 2nd.

Our end of month gig sees Richard Townend, who played a solo set for us in February, return with his band, THE MIGHTY BOSSCATS, on Saturday, April 30th. Languid, emotional vocals, exceptional guitar playing and numbers ranging from soulful to rollicking. The Bosscats have a prolific output when it comes to producing albums, and their latest, Bossman, is superb. A popular mainstay on the blues scene, this band has stepped up a gear with their latest tracks. There’s also support from MIDNITE BLUE, who played a great rock blues set at our mini festival, Blues in the Woods, last year and are back again for this year’s event. Tickets £10 available from: 07960 935263, Whistlestop Wines, Saltburn and www.yor kshireticketshop.co.uk Doors 7.30pm Find all our details at www.saltburnbluesclub.co.uk and our Facebook page.

Into the Blues? There’s more on my radio show, ‘Still Got The Blues’, on Zetland FM (105FM) and on line 7-10pm every Monday. 3 hours of Blues, old and new, information on the artists and their music and a guide to forthcoming gigs in the area. The show is also available on Mixcloud via Zetland FM’s webpage.

Harry

01287 624505

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This month’s Bargain Buy: 3pk Nicky Kitchen Roll @ £1.35 22

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Cleveland Diving Club There is a well know proverb that essentially states the obvious, ‘No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow’, and thankfully spring has truly arrived. This means that members of Cleveland Divers are now buzzing with excitement and anticipation for what lies ahead for this year’s diving season.

During the long winter some of our members took to warmer climates and have some great tales to tell about the interesting and curious marine creatures they encountered. In the warm waters of Tenerife for example, photograph one shows two separate curious creatures of the sea. Under the overhang there is a squidgy, jelly-like white curtain which is in fact a bunch of squid eggs and next to it a creature that looks very snake-like which is a black and white ‘sticky cucumber,’ (a living creature believe it or not), an echinoderm, relative of starfish and sea urchins.

The second photo is of a streaked gurnard, which looks part crab, part fish and part bird that was spotted walking across the sea bed on its crab-like legs. When approached for a close-up shot it spread its wings like a bird and swam away like a fish.

Sometimes, for various reasons, divers are unable to get into the water although this does not deter them for keeping a watchful eye, when near water, in the hope they will see something of interest. Our third photograph shows an easily recognisable gentle giant of the sea, a manatee, swimming calmly and peacefully in the crystal, clear, turquoise waters of Florida.

Now that the warm waters have been left behind our members’ minds turn to brushing up on their cold water diving skills in preparation for the British summer.

Spring is also the time newly qualified divers begin to mobilise themselves into advancing their diving skills, taking part in regular open water practice dives, initially in inland waters, so that they can participate in more of the year’s diving events.

In addition, with skills refreshed and equipment checked some of our more experienced divers are eagerly looking forward to repeating the success of last year’s trip to the clear waters of Loch Creran, on the west coast of Scotland. Tales of the abundance of marine life to be seen in this tidal marine loch has inspired more members to make the trip to this area of Scotland, and this year we have a more than willing party of 10. So, if the words of Robin Williams, Spring is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s party!” run true then I am sure they will all have an enjoyable diving and après-diving experience.

Don’t forget, if you think you might want to ‘have a go,’ at scuba diving our next six week taster course for a one off payment of £25 will commence in April 2016.

Contact us on 079 60 60 8529 or pop along to Saltburn Leisure centre any Monday night between 8 and 9:30pm and chat to one of our members.

June Coomber 24

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Golf Club’s new Driving Range Saltburn golf club will unveiled its brand new driving range to the public at the end of March.

The driving range which is an all weathers facility, contains four covered bays and a colour coded flag system.

Use of the range will be available from 8am-6pm during the Summer months and it will be open to both existing members and the general public.

The new development has taken approximately six months to finish and a short game area which is situated alongside the facility is currently being constructed and opening later in the year.

Liam Sullivan, the assistant Professional at the club is hoping the new facility will encourage younger people to get involved with the sport. He said: “Hopefully local schools and beginners will enjoy coming to use the facilities. A driving range can also be useful for those with restricted time. In the future we are planning on introducing reward schemes to add value to customers’ memberships.”

The driving range, which is located over the road from the golf club, benefits from being an all weathers facility. The land on which it has been built has been an area the club has been interested in occupying for over twenty years.

It is hoped that the facility will be advantageous for the local area and there has already been a great deal of interest in the new addition.

Rachel Cotton 26

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At Ryedale Auctioneers,

OllieB Lovely Ladies Clothes and Accessories 12 Dundas Street East Saltburn-by-the-Sea TS12 1AH Telephone: 01287 623715 Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm Sunday 12 noon to 4pm (from April) We have an extensive range of clothes and accessories to suit most ages and sizes.

Brands include Masai, Joe Browns, Lily & Me, Luca Vanucci and many more.

Our rails are bursting with fabulous new Spring/Summer ranges!

Lots of lovely bright new scarves and handbags, and pretty jewellery too!

And our bargain rail at the back of the shop is full of great items at great reduced prices!

For updates and details of our special offers, like us on our Facebook page:

OllieBSaltburn

BOOK CORNER

Fiction Non-fiction Cut-price Books Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Books Ordering Service Gifts for Book-lovers Open Monday to Saturday, 10am â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 5pm (Closed Wednesday) 1 Regency Buildings, Station Square, Saltburn

01287 348010 www.bookcornershop.co.uk 28

we have fortnightly general sales, with live internet bidding. We also have Specialist Sales, Antique & Fine Art Sales, Militaria & Sporting Sales and Railwayana & Toy Sales. We also do house clearances, and have our own collection/delivery service. We provide valuations for probate, insurance and sales.

Upcoming Sale dates for April are: General Household Sales - 2nd, 16th, 30th Outdoor Sale - 9th Militaria & Sporting Sale - 17th

Ryedale Auctioneers Cooks Yard, New Road, Kirkbymoorside, York YO62 6DZ

Tel: 01751 431544 Email: ryedaleauctioneers@live.co.uk Website: www.ryedaleauctioneers.com

An evening of song with

Maggie Camp Emmanuel Church Hall Saturday 16th April.

What direction is my life going?

How do I make sense of the suffering I see in Tickets, including refreshments, £5 from the Church Office or on the door the world and in my own life?

Is there somebody out there who loves me?

All proceeds to Christian Aid Are science and faith really incompatible?

Why do my friends go to church?

Why are there different religions?

Where is truth to be found?

If you have asked yourself questions like these from time to time, then come along to START and discuss some possible answers with other fellow explorers.

Begins Tuesday 12th April at 7pm at St Thomas Church Hall New Marske START 2016 runs for 6 weeks during April and May. If you would like more information or would like to confirm your attendance please speak to the Rev’d Adam Reed. Contact details can be found at the bottom of the page.

‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.’

(Gospel of Matthew 13:44)

IS OPEN FOR YOU TO VISIT ON… Saturday’s 2nd, 16th & 30th April 10am - 4pm Sunday’s 10th & 24th April 1 - 4pm

Sundays at Emmanuel Church: 9.00am & 10.45am services with refreshments served from 10.10am Tuesdays at Emmanuel Church: 9.30am service with refreshments served from 10.15am Emmanuel Church: Tel: 01287 622251 / Email: emmanuelsaltburn@hotmail.co.uk / www.saltburnparishchurch.co.uk

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‘Live’ by the Sea 2016 A huge thank you from all of us at the Spa Hotel to everyone who came down to our ‘Live’ by the Sea launch night on Saturday, 27th February. We were thrilled to have a packed house for two intimate aKoustiK sets from the legendary Kirk Brandon with Sam Sansbury on cello.

The walls that once echoed to a chorus of famous names were once more treated to an uprising of sound with Kirk Brandon’s inimitable vocals holding the audience spellbound. Rich and haunting variations of classic songs such as World Service and Aria, being perfectly complimented by new tracks from the album “Cello Suites” (Uno).

In true Philmore’s style, the Spear of Destiny/Theatre of Hate massive travelled from home and away; a mini-bus from Middlesbrough; familiar faces from Leeds, Derby and Manchester; plus die-hard fans from as far afield as Edinburgh and Essex all contributed to the ‘Spear family’ dynamic and made you feel you were amongst friends. With dancing and singing in the aisles, two encores and a standing ovation, we couldn’t have asked for more to make our first “Live” by the Sea event such a night to remember!

Moving on to April, and Friday 15th hosts our first sell -out gig of the 2016 ‘Live’ by the Sea calendar with headliner Chris Helme. Chris who hails from York became famous as

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the frontman of John Squire’s post-Stone Roses band, The Seahorses. He has released two solo albums, Ashes and The Rookery; his solo work being described as “dreamy but driven indie folk.” (Q Magazine). Chris has proved hugely popular in Saltburn with all tickets selling out within less than a month.

Currently we have a waitlist in operation for those who have missed out and will be contacting people about returns nearer the time. For this event there has also been a huge show of appreciation for our local support artists, James Gray Robson and the Lovely Burn, an Americanainspired duo from Darlington. They have played in front of Chris before at his regular Ruby Tuesday open-mic nights at Sotano in York. These boys are great songwriters whose music really packs a punch and tells a story (check out their debut EP “For All It’s Worth on iTunes https://itun.es/gb/ pMe_).

If you want to add you name to the waitlist for tickets please phone the Spa Hotel Reception on 01287 622544. http://www.chrishelme.co.uk/ https://m.facebook.com/chrishelmemusic/ https://www.facebook.com/jamesgrayrobsonmusic/ Kirk Brandon “Cello Suites” (Uno) is available from: http:// kirkbrandondotcom.bigcartel.com

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Award Winning Author visits Saltburn Primary School World-renowned author, Wes Magee, visited Saltburn Primary School to launch its week-long celebration of World Book Day. On Monday, 29th February Wes led morning assembly, reading out some of his best-known poems, and then spent the day working in the main hall with each year group in turn, carrying out exciting and interactive presentations. After lunch there was a book sale, which gave children the opportunity to buy exclusively signed copies of Wes’s new book. Former primary school teacher Wes has been writing for over 20 years and has to his name 6 poetry collections for adults and more than 100 books for young readers published.

Saltburn Primary’s five-day celebration of World Book Day, which fell this year on Thursday, 3rd March, encapsulated the aim of ‘encouraging the love of books’.

Throughout the week there were in-class activities, including the focus on one chosen book per class, as well as dress-up day on World Book Day itself in which children and staff dressed up as their favourite book character. On the same day there was an after school event for parents, with stalls led by teachers, special reading zones and a variety of activities for the whole family to enjoy.

Additionally, the Scholastic Book Fair took place every single day throughout the week, giving children the chance to buy brand new books and other resources to continue to

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give reading a high profile in school.

Huntcliff School, also on Saltburn learning Campus, displayed a book tree in the library, where students displayed the title of their favourite book on a special tree structure.

Miss Cumming, our Librarian, organised a ‘shelfie’ competition where students matched a picture of a bookcase to members of staff based on what they see in their collections – 2 students matched the most and received an Easter egg as a prize.

Podology are reaching for the stars!

Podology, the chiropody and beauty clinic based on Milton Street in Saltburn, have just received news they are finalists in national nail awards in two categories.

The Scratch Stars Awards are presented by Scratch magazine, the UK’s leading nail magazine. It is the only awards solely dedicated to recognising the incredible talent, work and dedication of technicians, salon owners and companies in the UK nail industry.

Laura J Dicken says, “We are absolutely thrilled to reach the final for Nail Salon of Year but to have two of our beauty therapists in the Pedicurist of the year category, is amazing. We are so proud of Linzi Passmore and Katherine Drysdale.”

Linzi and Katherine will be heading to London College of Beauty to perform a treatment for judges and complete an interview for their part in the competition.

Podology will receive a secret shopper visit some time soon. They can choose any hand or foot treatment and will put the girls through their paces!

The finals will be held in June at a glamorous ceremony at Cafe De Paris in London.

Podology has been established in Saltburn for 11 years. “We have been overwhelmed by the support from the local community throughout this time. We will continue to strive to put Saltburn on the map and celebrate the fabulous businesses and sense of community Saltburn has,” says business owner Laura.

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4 People Not Profit return in a Blaze!

After a 3 month hiatus following the amazing success of the 4 People Not Profit festival in Saltburn woods and an outstanding Christmas party last year 4 People Not Profit return for the first of several high calibre events to kick off 2016.

The next event is on Saturday, 9th April from 7.30pm till late in the Marine pub in Saltburn, where 4 People Not Profit will be fundraising for a local young people’s charity called Blaze based in Middlesbrough. Blaze has been doing fantastic work in disadvantaged areas with an aim to see young people given the same opportunities in life that others have. Blaze has been providing positive activities and relationships, healthy life messages, and support through setting up various community youth activities such as Football, basketball, DJ-ing, street dance, graffiti art, hiking and biking.

In their own words Blaze’s philosophy is ‘Empowering young people through positive activities to develop life skills to increase their chances in life preventing anti-social behaviour encouraging them to advance in life in the transition to adulthood’.

At the event we will have headlining one of Teesside’s most exciting and energetic live bands, The White Negroes, or as they describe themselves U2 on glue, stadium rock in a workingman’s club. We are delighted to welcome them back to the 4 People Not Profit stage after delivering a storming headline set at our festival last year.

In support will be The Strange Folk, a new band making waves in the area playing the best of alternative, grunge, rock n roll and blues. As well as the amazingly talented Sez Carr opening with an acoustic set. And if that was not enough we have some very special guests in the form of Teesside’s No 1 party crew, The Old Saw Mill Garden Party DJs Brother Bear and Blyth ending the night getting the room bouncing to some Electro Swing and Drum N Bass.

As I am sure you have already gathered this is not one to be missed! So get it pencilled in your diary, tell your friends and family and most importantly of all get those dancing shoes polished and ready for the greatest party in town!

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Shakespeare Saturday at Book Corner

This year bookshops around the country are celebrating Shakespeare’s life and work with Shakespeare Saturday, and Book Corner is no exception.

Saturday, 23rd April marks the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. It’s also his birthday. To mark this occasion, Book Corner is planning a day of Shakespeare-themed activity.

Special ‘The Bard is my Bag’ tote bags will be available, and of course there will be lots of relevant books to browse. There will also be some competitions, and maybe even a reading or two! Keep an eye on Book Corner’s shop window or the Book Corner Saltburn Facebook page to stay up to date with our plans.

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Canine Rehabilitation and Fitness

Nathusius pipistrelle detected in East Cleveland You may well wonder, what on earth is a Nathusius pipistrelle? Well, they have recently been stars of the small screen. The Bat Conservation Trust has launched a project throughout the UK, with the One Show and Countryfile sending out reporters with bat experts to survey for these tiny bats. The Nathusius pipistrelle is a very rare bat species that migrates to the UK in the Autumn time. The One show reported how this bat has been discovered to migrate from Eastern Europe, over 100 miles away, which is incredible when they can weigh the same as a pound coin.

These bats generally like rural areas, and are most often found by the coastline. They have been recorded in Northumbria and areas further south such as Kent. There is no reason why we shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t detect them here in Cleveland.

On a bat walk at the end of September we were totally delighted to detect them on our special bat detectors. Next year we will be going back to the same area to study it in more detail.

Besides discovering a rare bat in the East Cleveland area the Heritage Lottery funded East Cleveland Batscape project has been very successful in many other ways. As the bat season has come to a close we have been able to have a look at some of the achievements so far.

Thanks to volunteers, the plan to survey the whole of the East Cleveland area for bats, by kilometre square, is going very well with 39 of the 119 of the kilometre squares already surveyed.

Since the start of the project in April, the project has held 25 events held with 473 individuals engaged with.

Events within the community have varied from walks in the woods with Brownies, to workshops on how to use bioacoustic software to analyse the data collected by volunteers on surveys. The project has so far focused on the larger towns of East Cleveland, Loftus and Saltburn, but will 36

engage with the more rural areas from now on.

Some data has so far been analysed, but the majority will be a job for the winter months. So far, a few interesting observations can be made from the data already analysed.

Loftus is a particularly good area for bats, with many bats during every survey in this area so far undertaken. Good numbers of a variety of species have been detected in the woods surrounding Loftus. There have so far been very low numbers of soprano pipistrelle bats detected throughout the whole of East Cleveland. These bats are usually found in higher numbers from surveys undertaken in Northumbria and South.

The new website is now online (please do check it out: www.clevelandbats.org).

The International bat night on the 29th of August in the Valley Gardens wildflower meadows was a lovely evening. We were blessed with fantastic weather, a beautiful huge moon and hooting tawny owls. A presentation on bats from around the world was accompanied by bananas and chocolate, amongst other goodies.

None of the work so far within the East Cleveland Batscape project would have been possible without the help of fantastic volunteers. Although we have active volunteers who have undertaken surveys, web work, helped with events, bat data analysis, data management, design and photography, we could always do with some more. Please visit the website for more details on how you can get involved (www.clevelandbats.org).

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Spade Oddity!

Saltburn Youngsters to Grow Seeds from Space Learners at Saltburn Learning Campus are preparing to become space biologists and embark on a voyage of discovery by growing seeds that have been into space.

Since September last year, 2kg of rocket seeds have spent several months in microgravity on the International Space Station and will return to earth this month. The seeds have been sent as part of Rocket Science, an educational project launched by the RHS Campaign for School Gardening and the UK Space Agency.

Saltburn Primary School, with support from Huntcliff School, were chosen alongside other national schools to receive a packet of 100 seeds from space, which they will grow alongside those that haven’t been to space, and will measure the differences over 7 weeks. Learners won’t know which seed packet contains which seeds until all results have been collected by the RHS Campaign for School Gardening and analysed by professional biostatisticians.

This experiment will enable young people to think more about how we could preserve human life on another planet in the future, what astronauts need to survive long-term missions in space and the difficulties surrounding growing fresh food in challenging climates.

Mrs Axe, Science Coordinator in Saltburn Primary School, said: “we are very excited to be taking part in Rocket Science. I was really excited when I got told at the beginning of February that the application I made was successful.”

On 2nd March, Commander Scott Kelly of NASA and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Sergey Volkov of Roscosmos landed back on Earth in Kazakhstan. The seeds that we will grow travelled on a charter flight from Moscow, Russia and returned to the UK on 3rd March. RHS are now getting ready to pack them up so they can be sent to us just after Easter.

We will take measurements on days 10, 17, 21, 28 and 35.

You can follow the developments on Twitter (@SaltburnLCampus and the project direct: @RHSSchools #RocketScience).

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For all information about classes, venues, prices etc. 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.

Hello lovely readers, on the SARA page this month we would like to introduce Rosie the dog and Becky the cat.

First up is Rosie. She is a lovely 5 year old lurcher girl; she is almost pure jet black apart from white markings on her chest. Rosie came into SARA’s care in a very bad way; she was underweight and clinically dehydrated. After spending the night at the vets on a drip it was discovered that the poor girl was also diabetic. She is a really lovely natured dog who really enjoys her walks and really enjoys the company of other dogs too. As Rosie is a lurcher she loves plenty of exercise and any opportunity to stretch her legs and just run. Rosie is looking for a new home now. Her

ideal home would be with experienced dog owners as she needs insulin injections twice daily as well as a strict diet – you also wouldn’t believe how many dog foods contain sugar beet too.

And now it’s Becky’s turn. She is a bonnie black and white domestic short haired cat. Becky is very affectionate and loving; she really loves a bit of quality lap time on an evening. Becky desperately needs a new and loving home; she would probably be very happy living in a family with children over 7, as she’s not used to little humans. Becky can be quite timid with other cats and she needs to be the sole cat in the house.

SARA fundraising events during April The next monthly meeting of SARA will be held on Wednesday, 6th April, at 7.30pm in the TocH premises, Albion Terrace, Saltburn. The Annual General Meeting will precede the meeting. Members of the public are cordially invited to attend. New members are welcome.

Our 20th Anniversary since SARA was founded has just ended. It has been a good year with some special events that will be repeated this year. We look forward to

meeting you.

Events for April Friday 8th Ukelele Band Saltburn Golf Club 7.30pm Tickets £7.00 includes Pie and Peas. Tickets now on sale.

Saturday 16th Street collection in Redcar.

Saturday 23rd Marske Leisure Centre Table top sale and coffee 10 - 12pm.

John Fuller, Press Officer Helpline: 01642 488108 39

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Loftus walking group awarded funding Loftus ACCORD Walking Group was formed in 2013 to promote recreational walking in the local area. Since then it has organised a number of guided walks and also supported weekly health walks in collaboration with Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council. In 2015 the group applied for Loftus Civil Parish to be accredited with the national initiative Walkers are Welcome; the application was successful and a launch event took place at Handale Abbey in July.

Later in 2015 the group applied to the Big Lottery Fund’s Awards for All England scheme for funding to further develop facilities for walkers in and around Loftus. Good news has arrived with £6,600 being awarded to improve the walking experience for visitors and residents through measures such as the production of leaflets and installation of signage.

Paul Turner, Chair of Loftus ACCORD Walking Group, says, “I wish to thank officers of Loftus Town Council and Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council for their advice and support. Together with members of the walking group, they have worked hard to make our application a success and we look forward to implementing the measures agreed. The group works to implement the aims of Walkers are Welcome through provision of free access to walking which can bring health and social benefits. East Cleveland has a rich history and heritage and, in collaboration with other organisations, we aim to promote the area as an attractive one for visitors and residents alike.”

Look out in the coming months for news of guided walks in the Loftus area and for announcements about use of the funding that’s been awarded. Meanwhile, the walking

group is working with the borough council to repair local footpaths and it continues to support free weekly health walks. They start from outside Loftus Town Hall at 1.15pm on Fridays. There’s free parking at South View (TS13 4JL), off North Road; Arriva bus services X4 and 5 stop at the Market Place nearby. You don’t need to book a place: just turn up in suitable clothing and footwear for a walk of about 90 minutes among the woods, fields, lanes and coastline of this beautiful area.

To find out more about Awards for All England go to www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/awardsforall (and to find out more about Walkers are Welcome go to www.walkersarewelcome.org.uk).

See also page 16.

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Chain Reaction:

How swiping a VIP card led to a substantial donation Pets at Home run a VIP scheme that gives members money off offers etc. Each time a customer visits the store they swipe their VIP card and a percentage of the spend is credited to their chosen animal charity by Pets At Home.

At certain periods throughout the year the chosen charity gets a donation. We work closely with the Middlesbrough store and in the winter of 2014/15 with this donation we purchased a set of dog coats for all our dogs to keep them warm and dry when they went for their walks.

A volunteer then got all the coats lettered with ‘SARA’ on one side and ‘I NEED A HOME’ on the other. Each weekend this volunteer takes a different SARA dog to a caravan she owns for the weekend. On one of these weekends she met up with a lady who turned out to be from a charitable trust. Some time later we received a cheque for £5000 from the charitable trust.

On a later visit our volunteer went to the lady’s house to let her know how we had spent the money. Some time later we received another cheque for £10,000 from the same trust. We are now one of their selected charities.

It just shows how unexpected things happen. From

customers swiping their VIP cards, buying coats and a chance meeting to substantial donations.

John Fuller, Press Officer Saltburn Animal Rescue Association 01642 472875

Publication of 'Piece by Piece: Remembering Georgina: A Mother's Memoir' Marske writer Helen Victoria Anderson has published a memoir about her 15 year old daughter, Georgina, who passed away from cancer in November 2013. Georgina was a talented singer-songwriter who busked in Saltburn and won a coveted Golden Nail at Saltburn Open Acoustic Platform shortly before being diagnosed with an aggressive form of liver cancer in July 2013. As doctors battled to save Georgina, her mother Helen - a graduate of Teesside University’s MA in Creative Writing poured her thoughts and fears into her diary. Despite undergoing gruelling chemotherapy, Georgina passed away at home in Marske only four months after her diagnosis. Backed by celebrities and members of the public all over the world, Georgina’s self-penned single ‘Two Thirds of A Piece’ soared up the charts, raising more than £6000 for charities.

‘Piece by Piece: Remembering Georgina: A Mother’s Memoir’ is Helen Victoria Anderson’s record of her daughter’s courageous struggle against cancer, and an honest account of her own battle to keep going in the face of her grief as a mother. Although she started out writing about Georgina as a form of therapy, Helen quickly became aware that there was a ‘gap’ for a brutally honest book about coping with child loss, and she hopes that the book might help other bereaved parents and those who are trying to support 42

them.

Reviews suggest that readers find the book emotional but uplifting, insofar as it is a testament to Georgina’s bravery, to the strength of the human spirit, and to the healing power of the love of our community.

Piece by Piece: Remembering Georgina: A Mother’s Memoir is available from Saltburn Book Corner, Marske Post Office and the Guisborough Book Shop. It can also be bought as a paperback or Kindle version on Amazon. For more information, visit www.helenvictoriaanderson.co.uk and www.facebook.com/helenvictoriaanderson.

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.

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

Grasers 07703 884184 The winner of this month’s Pride of Saltburn Award is Denise Marshall, who is well known as the organiser of the table top sales held in Emmanuel Church Hall.

Denise was nominated by the congregation of Emmanuel and they said, “We would like to nominate Denise Marshall for the monthly Pride of Saltburn Award. For many years Denise has been organising and running the table top and collectors fairs held in ECHO on the first, third and, when there is one, the fifth, Saturday of the month. Not only has she helped raise thousands of pounds towards the Youth Project, ECHO Building Project, new church boilers and most recently repairs to the church tower but she is always on hand in the kitchen with a friendly face and her famous corned beef pies. In fact she spends many days in her own kitchen preparing and cooking much of the delicious home baked produce she sells. Denise and her husband Ken, along with a small team were absolutely amazing when they were called upon to host and feed a group of people who were evacuated to ECHO from Amber Street and Marine Parade during the gale force winds at 4.30am on 21st November. Denise has marched on throughout recent ill health but February was the first time she took an extended break from her role due to major heart surgery.

We wish her well and pray she makes an excellent recovery. Knowing Denise she will be keen to get back into the kitchen as soon as possible! Thank you from the congregation of Emmanuel Church, Saltburn.”

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

Try something different at Grasers

Chicory Chicory is a member of the dandelion family and the fresh vegetable is widely used as salad leaves, but the roots are often used as a coffee substitute when baked and ground.

Seen here are two varieties of the fresh plant, red and white chicory, and two jars of the beverage. Barley Cup also contains roasted barley and rye, whereas Prewett’s Organic Chicory is pure, naturally caffeine, grain and gluten free root without artificial pesticides or fertilisers. The salad leaves of chicory have a delicious, mildly bitter, or even spicy, flavour.

Chicory has a variety of medicinal uses: it is excellent for improving digestion and bowel function and is well known to counter intestinal parasites. It contains inulin, useful for weight loss, and is very rich in vitamin K. An excellent plant!

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Chocolinis Chocolatier Continental Chocolates Moulded Figures Our Own Recipe Bars Speciality Ice Cream Celebration Cake Toppers Wedding Favours Luxury Hot Chocolate 3 Windsor Road Coffees Saltburn TS12 1AX Teas 01287 626141 www.chocolinissaltburn.com

CHOCOLINIS NEWS NUGGETS March was a very mad Month indeed, where Chocolate was concerned!

Still recovering from Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, then before we knew it, Easter was upon us!

This brings us to the subject of a possible surplus of Chocolate in our homes.

A question which we frequently get asked is how long does Chocolate keep for?

As with most things, it can depend on how it is stored. The suggested temperature at which Chocolate is best kept is between 18c – 21c in a cool cupboard out of sunlight.

Some folk do indeed like their Chocolate cold, straight out of the fridge. There is nothing wrong with this other than it can cause a ‘bloom’ which is a whitening from the vegetable fat in the cocoa butter.

A word of caution though, it is the vegetable fat which easily picks up odours such as strong cheese or garlic and not forgetting strong scents around the home too.

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Tendon Pain Tendon pain is a common complaint with estimates of it contributing up to 30% of the workload in musculoskeletal clinics.

Tendon pain can come about for many reasons. Some is related to the positions and postures that we adopt and in other cases it is the pattern of loading that occurs. Tendon pain is experienced by a wide range of people, undertaking very different activities & lifestyles. From the runner who does too much hill running over too short a time frame and ends up with a sore Achilles, to the enthusiastic DIYer who paints too many ceilings and then can’t sleep or lift a teapot due to shoulder pain. Both are examples of tendon overload, and if not dealt with sensibly, can become persistent.

Tendons are designed to withstand tension loads, generated and controlled by the attached muscles. Tendons aren’t passive structures like pieces of rope, as they have elastic properties which make movement more efficient. For example, the Achilles tendon contributes up to 40% of the energy that it takes to hop, by storing kinetic energy and then releasing it to augment the muscular force of the lower limb muscles. Tendons also help

in the control of movement as they contain specialised nerve tissue, which communicates with the nervous system.

Dealing successfully with tendon pain depends upon identifying all of the possible reasons why it developed in the first place. In cases of tendon pain that have been around for many weeks or months, there are usually many factors to take into account. A strategy to sensibly manage tendon loading must be devised alongside some specific conditioning exercises.

Exercising a painful tendon may seem a strange thing to do, but there is a growing amount of good scientific evidence that supports this approach. The process is thought to work by changing the physical makeup of the tendon, and by changing nervous system activity. You can find more about tendon pain on our website.

Philip Newton Chartered and Health Care Professions Council Registered Physiotherapist www.newtonphysio.com 01287 767287

Veterinary Matters With the daylight hours starting to lengthen and the temperature warming up a little, it looks like spring is coming.

Lighter evenings can mean that our cats are out later, mixing it up with the cat down the street, and coming in with fight wounds, or worse, bite abscesses. Often the problem with cats that have bites can be the nursing of these injuries. Why? They are painful, and cats have their own defence armoury they use towards us, their owners, as they have sharp nails and equally sharp teeth. When dealing with cat bites or abscesses, vets will often have to sedate or possibly fully anaesthetise the patient to see the extent of the wound to treat fully. Then, the issue of administering medications comes up. There are a few drugs that are being used more often that come in injection form, where the vet will give a drug or drugs that can last up to 2 weeks, saving our fingers.

Cats may well find a nice warm spot in the spring sun, only to find themselves shut in a shed or greenhouse as the temperature drops and we close up to preserve our newly seeded crops. So, shed owners please check before closing doors for the night.

I was asked if our cats will also need to be chipped and wear a collar, as is the case with dogs. The straight answer is “no”, but really all our pets should be microchipped so that any of them that become lost can be safely returned. As to wearing a collar, a cat may either refuse to wear one, or keep losing them whilst out on a

stroll round the neighbourhood. If you do put one on a cat, then the better varieties are the collars that snap open when they become snagged. The elasticated type of collar can get stuck on a twig or can get stuck round a front leg, with serious consequences.

Again, with the countryside warming up, we will be seeing the sheep and deer ticks emerging. A few weeks ago there was a report of several dogs becoming infected with a blood parasite not normally seen in this country. It can unfortunately be fatal. These cases were in the south of the country, but it is possible that infected ticks could move up north over time. We already have a tick borne disease in the UK, Borelleosis or Lyme’s disease, so we don’t really want any more diseases risking our pets. There are a few new drugs out there, only available from your vet, that either will kill the tick before it starts to feed, or will repel the tick from even attaching themselves to your pet. Please ask your vet which one they would suggest is best for your dog or cat.

Correction: Remember that the 6th April is the date that all dogs in England over the age of 8 weeks must be microchipped.

As ever, if you are not sure or have any questions, ask your vet. If you want to ask me a question or raise a topic for this article, contact me by e-mail (on j.haddow@live.co.uk).

James Haddow, Veterinary Eye Consultant, GP and Saltburn resident.

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Saltburn Drama Festival 2016 A wonderful variety of one-act plays was on offer at the Community theatre in mid March in our annual drama festival.

Groups from the region were competing for prizes, the most prestigious of which is Best Production, since this entitles the winning group to progress into the semi-final of the All England Theatre Festival.

When plays are entered for a festival, the organisers have no idea what to expect in terms of story line. One theme this year was the sadness and trauma of loss in war; but also the resilience that enables individuals and communities to survive.

The Saltburn Valley Players gave us a beautifully crafted and moving play exploring the reactions of two stalwart women to the ending of the Second World War in their planning for a local street party; whilst the ’53 Drama Group (Adults) staged a very powerful, and often chilling drama, around the execution of poet/revolutionary Federico Lorca in the Spanish Civil War. In each play we were left with a strong belief that, in spite of the horrors of war, hope for the future is never destroyed. The Valley Players also presented another very thought-provoking play concerning the reaction of Lazarus’s family to his return from the dead. Evocative and emotional, this play explored the reactions of ordinary people caught up in an extraordinary, defining moment of history.

Holmside Productions from Durham gave us a play set in a Tory Committee room at the time of an MP’s election.

There was some sharp humour with clever twists, including a murder and a politician modelling her ideas on Sarah Palin.

And Bananadrama, from Scarborough explored the reactions of two men who had loved the same women and were now at turning points in their lives.

46

The Festival opened and ended with two heartwarming comedies: the first was very ably staged by Allerton Players, and involved the pretend kidnapping of a care assistant by two elderly ladies in a nursing home who demand ransom in the form of cigarettes, gin and a budgie. Saltburn ’53 Youth closed the Festival with an extremely amusing retelling of the tale of Little Red Riding Hood, from the wolf’s point of view. The exuberant, pantomime atmosphere of this play was thoroughly enjoyed by the audience.

The standard of acting and directing was exceptionally high, presenting adjudicator Cherry Stephenson with a real challenge in choosing the winners of the different categories.

Best Production was awarded to Federico, which also won Best Director (Sue Pierce), Best Actor (John Dadd), Audience Award, Adjudicator’s Award (best music), Best Set, and Best Individual Youth Award (Kaitlin Kempen). Best Actress was awarded jointly to Sally Lewis and Marjorie Wilson for their wonderfully sensitive portrayal of the two women at the end of the war. Best Youth Production was won by the Saltburn ’53 Youth for Wolf Tale and Best Individual Youth was given to Aura Mitchell, who played Little Red in the same play. Allerton Players won Best Comedic Moment and Best Supporting Role (Christine Trenholme). Best Cameo went to Alan Godfrey for his role as an MP in The Girl Next Door.

This Festival week was simply a theatrical feast, and one of the best aspects of this was very high audience attendance. Actors, writers, directors and organisers were delighted to be able to share their work with so many appreciative people.

Please join us again next year!

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‘Check it before you chuck it’ recycling campaign launches in Redcar & Cleveland Residents in Redcar and Cleveland are being urged to ‘Check it before you chuck it’ as part of a campaign aimed at increasing the amount and quality of recycling in the borough.

The initiative encourages the public to think about what they recycle to ensure they are recycling as much as possible and that it is going in the right recycling bin.

Each additional tonne of recycled paper is equivalent to the energy saved to heat a home for six months and recycling an aluminium can saves enough energy to power your television for three hours.

In Redcar and Cleveland we currently recycle 47% of our waste which is the highest rate in Teesside and slightly above the national average. Despite these encouraging figures we still need to recycle more.

Councillor Helen McLuckie, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods said: “Recycling the waste material we

produce makes sound economic sense as well as protecting the environment. This campaign will help to highlight the issue and hopefully encourage people to recycle more as well as reduce the amount of contaminated material being sent to the processing site.”

A fortnightly recycling collection is provided to residents for glass, card, plastic and tins as well as a separate caddy insert to collect paper.

Recyclable material is sent to a recycling site that sorts and processes the material; however, due to the high levels of contamination 34% of the recycling material is returned to the council as general waste. This has a significant environmental and financial cost as the council is effectively paying twice for the processing and haulage of the waste.

The council currently spends £2.6 million on waste disposal each year which could be spent on vital services, for example they could resurface an extra 19 miles of roads.

Successful week celebrates inspiring women The Inspiring Women awards ceremony in March concluded a programme of activities recognising the outstanding effort of women in Redcar and Cleveland.

The ceremony took place on Saturday, March 12th and saw the following winners take home their prizes: Emma Thomas for individual achievement, Helen Anderson for individual progress, Dot Ahmed for volunteering, Stacey Phoenix for community contribution, Ruth Fox for innovation, Irene Pointer for inspiring others, and Caitlyn Manley for being an inspiring young woman.

The overall winner, Stacey Phoenix, also took home the Mo Mowlam Award which recognised the significant impact on the local community she has made by dedicating a substantial amount of her own time to provide help and support to vulnerable people.

The ceremony followed a week-long programme which was in response to a call sent out across the borough by Redcar’s MP Anna Turley seeking ideas to recognise the late MP Mo Mowlam.

Work experience and work shadowing opportunities for girls in school years 10, 11 and 12 were organised which coincided with International Women’s Day on Tuesday, March 8th. Other activities included Operation X, hosted by the RAF, which saw over 350 students working together in small groups to participate in problem solving tasks enabling them to examine the qualities needed for professions within the RAF as well as other occupational areas requiring these skills within the world of work.

Flight Lieutenant Dan Jones from RAF Careers Newcastle said: “My team were so impressed with the level of enthusiasm from the pupils and the teachers across Redcar and Cleveland. There were certainly some aspiring pilots, logisticians and engineering apprentices amongst the girls. We hope that we inspired them to seek their goal.”

A ‘Women in Politics’ lecture for A Level Politics students was hosted by Anna Turley MP, and a talk at Kirkleatham Museum about the life and exploration of Gertrude Bell was held by Gordon Hetherington during the week. Anna Turley, MP for Redcar, said: “It was an honour 48

and a privilege to present the Inspiring Women awards to some amazing women who have achieved so much for their communities and improved the lives of others. The Mo Mowlam award was very well deserved by Stacey for her work supporting vulnerable women and the LGBT community through her legal advocacy and campaigning work. I am incredibly proud of all the winners and the nominees who make our Borough extremely proud. The awards brought a fantastic week of events, working with our young people, to a close. I enjoyed working with Emily, and Lucy who shadowed me for a day, and I hope the week inspired the girls and their peers to strive for the best in their own lives and to use their skills to help others.

“A huge thanks go to all those who brought the Inspiring Women project together, particularly the Royal Air Force for supporting the project and putting on some great events in our schools.”

Stacey Phoenix, a solicitor at Redcar-based Cygnet Family, which specialises in family law, mental health, conveyancing and wills and probate, said: “It is a real honour to have won the Contribution to the Community accolade, which also is testament to the support that I have from my employers that enables me to become involved in supporting charities and other worthwhile causes in the community. To also be named the overall winner and be presented with the Mo Mowlam award was both overwhelming and humbling as there were so many other outstanding and inspirational women at the ceremony. I am really proud to be from and to work in Redcar and Cleveland.”

Councillor Sue Jeffrey, Leader of Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council said: “Inspiring the next generation of women is so important, and I am so pleased we had Year 10, 11 and 12 pupils work shadowing us. I was delighted to have rounded off the week’s events by presenting the award for the Inspirational Young Woman, which Caitlyn thoroughly deserves.” Councillor Brenda Forster, Mayor of Redcar and Cleveland said: “We have some incredibly inspiring women in our borough and I am so proud we have honoured them with these awards.”

Marske Hall APRIL EVENTS Coffee Morning - Saturday 2nd, Marske Leisure Centre, 10am-noon.

Homemade cakes, bric-a-brac, tombola.

Table Top Sale - Saturday 16th, 10am-3pm, Marske Hall.

Grab a bargain or book a table for yourself.

Look ahead The Queen’s Birthday Tea Party - Sunday 15th May, Marske Hall. Raise your tea cup to the Queen and enjoy tea on the lawn.

Book a Stall at the Hall - There are still a few stalls left to hire at the Summer Fair on Saturday 18th June. Ideal for local businesses, charities or for selling your unwanted items. Call 01642 482672 and ask for Sally.

Appeal The fundraising team is always looking for tombola and raffle prizes to use at events throughout the year - we need at least 300 for our big Summer Fair event in June.

Simply call into Marske Hall from 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday or telephone 07714 291979 for collection. 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.

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 April for babies and newcomers to the town

Craft Magic Craft Magic is a beautiful new gift shop in the heart of Saltburn, offering affordable shelf rental to local crafters.

We sell handmade items and gifts at affordable prices. We are located at 4 Dundas Street West Saltburn and we open Monday – Saturday 9am-5pm.

Look forward to seeing you.

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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 49

Positive Vibes Only….

It can be hard in this day and age to stay away from negative news, perspectives and even people. But it’s important to find your own good vibes and it’s not that difficult when you know how. Positive thinking can change the way we behave and also the way we expect other people to behave.

Give in order to receive, at any moment you can send someone positive vibes, a smile, a warm thought, an expression of thanks, gratitude and appreciation. These all send forth positive energy. The more positive vibes you send, the more they will be returned to you.

A positive attitude is a choice. When you believe this, you realise that it’s up to you to find the good in every situation, to be positive regardless of what’s happening around you. Forget about the outside influences - you can’t control them; the only thing you can control is yourself and your own thoughts. You are in control and no one can take that away from you. Love more, smile more, laugh more, hug more, appreciate and be grateful for everything and everyone.

Vicky Rees Vicky lives in Saltburn and is Pilates Teacher and owner at Studio 21 Yarm, a Pilates and Yoga Studio on Yarm High Street. Vicky is happy to answer any questions about health, fitness and nutrition, (please contact mail@studio21yarm.co.uk or http://www.studio21yarm.co.uk).

Letters to the Editor As loving dog owners, my wife and I enjoy a nice stroll with our dog Milly. There is a lot of places to walk with a dog around Saltburn, but there is without doubt a very serious problem with dog fouling in the area. One of these hot spots is a small grass area on Beechwood Avenue. We walk past this on a daily basis and like to sometimes let our dog have a little run on the grass as my wife is currently heavily pregnant and can’t walk as far as usual. I was furious to see that this piece of grass has become covered with dog faeces that lazy, ignorant dog owners have left for other people including myself to step into.

It takes two seconds to pick up after your dog and poop bags are only £1 for 200 which is cheaper than a fine. I find the actions of these people both irresponsible and filthy. There is even a sign on the other side of the road clearly stating that this is a monitored area and anyone not picking up dog faeces would face a fine of up to £1000. I think it is about time that the council stepped up to the plate and deal with this as the matter is becoming not only a nuisance, but more importantly a severe health risk. I would be more than happy for the council to employ me to monitor the area and even hand fixed penalties to culprits. They are welcome to contact me.

Mr R. Winders My wife and I visited Saltburn on Mother’s Day, and whilst enjoying a light snack in a local cafe we enjoyed reading your excellent magazine. We were particularly interested in the article concerning the problem of dog fouling in the Cleveland area. We couldn’t agree more with the initiative that the local council is taking on the matter. We noticed 6 instances of dog poo on the pavements in Saltburn during our visit after my wife inadvertently put her foot in some outside the station area and this experience detracted from an otherwise enjoyable day out.

We have enjoyed visiting Saltburn for many years and we feel there is a real issue in this regard in the town and any initiative to reduce this problem would be totally supported by ourselves.

Geoff & Diana North, Leeds 50

Novel featuring Saltburn

A novel featuring Saltburn has recently been released. The Last of the Flying Finns written by Tristan Learoyd, features Saltburn prominently as the story develops.

The psychological thriller follows a facially disfigured and mentally fragile young athlete who makes a series of medical breakthroughs. However, the amalgamation of his scientific achievements and troubled personal background give rise to horrific consequences. As desperate patients clamber for his cures and the inventor is left grappling with reality to prevent his own demise.

Partly based on true life events, the young man becomes a discontent around the Steel River (the River Tees), when by chance - following a recent tragedy - he is given a route out of a decaying Redcar. He is quickly uncovered as a medical genius; but his brilliance is equally matched by his madness and he struggles with his success, eventually ending up a prisoner in a street of Redcar bedsits.

The novel is set against the thirty year decline of Middlesbrough (the Ironopolis) as a subtext, and includes the closure of Redcar (the Town of Scars) steel works. However, the fading embers of Teesside’s heavy industry, and the resultant social decay, are contrasted by the author with a detailed and delicate depiction of the adjacent picturesque coast of North Yorkshire. Saltburn features at various points in the novel, and is the location of the final scene in the book.

The novel is available on Kindle for 99p, via Amazon in paperback, and signed copies will be made available in the Book Corner in Station Square (more details can be found at www.tristanlearoyd.com).

The Casserole Club

I read about the Casserole Club and thought it might be just the kind of thing that the community in Saltburn and surrounding areas would respond to. I know that for example the Methodist Church provides meals on Wednesday and do a marvellous job but it is dependent on you being able to get there or have someone take you. This is totally different and works between individuals on a personal basis to suit.

Obviously there is a lot of organisation involved and vetting of volunteers for suitability but if the Council can be persuaded to help out to vet people or references are provided then after that it should be plain sailing. As there is nothing in this area there would have to be registration but it can be set up with not much hassle and people who are part of the scheme in other parts of the country report great success.

Lonely older people meet someone new to share a meal with and spend time with if only half an hour. If anyone is interested please contact Talk of the town who will send details to me. Thank you in advance.

April Blossoms in the Cons Club Not a cloud in the sky, no wind although still rather chilly.

Could this be the first signs that spring weather is upon us?

Certainly the town is gearing up to a new season with the opening of the crazy golf course on the bottom prom, the opening of an upstairs extension to the fish & chip shop near the cliff lift and the cliff lift itself re-opening over Easter.

Add to this the proposed developments in Fairy Glen and Smiths Woods to accommodate a high rope adventure course, meaning ropes strung between trees for various traverse, zip wire and abseil exercises with up to 20 participants at a time using it three to five times a week.

Sounds like fun! Continuing on the above theme, plans have been drawn up for a replacement shelter on the bottom prom to replace the one which was destroyed in recent storms. My only concern is that on most weekends this year, and occasionally midweek, the car park areas, both on the beach and around the top prom to as far as Victoria Road have been full to capacity and the good weather and school holidays are still to come. Where will all the cars go? Before I finish this section may I send my congratulations to Lynda Parkes, who received the Mayor’s Achievement Award for her work and devotion to the town as Chairperson of ‘Saltburn in Bloom’.

She does a fantastic job as do her team of volunteers who work tirelessly. It is much appreciated.

In the Cons Club I have to report that the 80s Music Night which we held on 5th March was a big success. The club was full with people dressed in the style of the time enjoying a night of great music supplied by Shaun on the decks. These themed music party nights are held most months of the year. Watch out for the posters in the club, in the town and on Facebook. Members will receive notice of all events taking place in the club via email.

On Friday, 18th March we held the ‘Open Mic Night’, hosted by ‘Teesside Steve’ and Liz Bishop which, as always, proved to be a fantastic night enjoyed by all present. It was so pleasing to see Steve in the club following his recent illness and we all hope he continues towards a complete recovery. As I write this article Easter is still a week away, (hence the early date for this month’s ‘Open Mic Night’) and if the good weather continues we may be able to get in the garden. With mention of the garden, I will be starting my spring work next week, working towards it looking its best for the start of the new barbecue season which generally runs from mid May to mid September.

Events this month include the monthly SLUG meeting on Tuesday, 5th (Saltburn Line Users Group). On Saturday, 9th we are holding an Abba v Elvis Fancy Dress Music Night from 7.30pm with Shaun on the decks. This will prove to be very popular with fantastic entertainment throughout

the night. You should put this date in your diary: not to be missed. On Friday, 29th once again we welcome back ‘Teesside Steve’ & Liz Bishop who will be hosting the monthly ‘Open Mic Night’. These regular events attract more people each month and a great night is had by all. All the above events are free to attend and everybody is welcome to join us. If you have not already done so, give us a try; you won’t regret it. Regular weekly events include the Tuesday Club Draw for meat, wine & chocolates and the Sunday Beer Draw and cash rollover drawn at 6pm. As a club we try to provide a mixture of entertainment to suit all tastes.

Preceding all the above events is the Club Annual General Meeting which will be held on Monday, 4th April at 7.30pm. As mentioned in last month’s article, all committee personnel are willing and wanting to continue doing the great work that has transformed the fortunes and the atmosphere within the club. All relevant information regarding the AGM is posted on the club notice board and I very strongly urge all members of the club to attend. You have supported us throughout the past year and your attendance at this meeting will be very much appreciated.

Membership continues to grow in what is generally considered to be a slack time of the year. We accepted 8 new members at the March monthly committee meeting, which is very encouraging.

Anticipation is starting to grow for the club outing to York on Saturday, 7th May. Michelle, our stewardess, who has organised the day, has 2 sheets of names, such is the popularity of the outing to test the beer and food. On our return to the club there will be a buffet provided (included in the cost) plus we will be holding a big ‘Party Night’ to follow with Shaun on the decks. More info on this in the next article.

The bus times will be posted on the club notice board nearer the time As mentioned earlier, the AGM is on Monday, 4th April at 7.30pm. My first full year as President has been eventful but so very rewarding. May I just take this opportunity to thank all members and committee for the amazing support and encouragement they have given during this period, especially club Chairman Joe Cockfield, a person who works tirelessly on behalf of the club.

I will talk with you again in the next issue in May, the start of summer and barbecues. Until then stay healthy and happy. 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 April Every Tuesday: Club Draw nights for Meat, Wines & Chocolates. 10pm.

Every Sunday: Beer Draw and Cash Rollover. this increases by £25 each week if not won. £650 won during March so the jackpot restarts at £200. Drawn at 6pm prompt.

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

Monday 4th: Cons Club Annual General Meeting, 7.30pm.

Tuesday 5th: SLUG Meeting (Saltburn Line Users group) for all train enthusiasts.

Saturday 9th: Abba v Elvis: Fancy Dress Music Night. From 7.30pm. Free Entry.

Friday 29th: ‘Open Mic Night’ with Teesside Steve & Liz Bishop. All welcome. Free Entry.

51

Jackie Taylor receives ‘freedom’ Saltburn community stalwart Jackie Taylor MBE received the Freedom of the Borough of Redcar and Cleveland - and hopes no SHEEP are involved.

Speaking at Cloneen care home, Albion Terrace, where she now lives, the irrepressible lady quipped about a reported perk of gaining the Freedom - driving sheep along the main road.

“I might do that!” she told Talk of the Town before the top-level ceremony at Redcar’s civic centre on Tuesday, 15th March. “It’s a great privilege to have received the Freedom,” she said.

She praised the care being given to her at Cloneen “they are good people, like family.” Then she joked: “I deserve an extra cake for tea now after saying that!”

Jackie, who is understood to be in her late 70s, arrived in Saltburn in 1988 and noticed the town centre was run down. She rang a large handbell and gathered a host of fellow activists.

She became well-known every Saturday morning by sitting in a wheelchair near the former health food shop and collecting money for Saltburn in Bloom and the Christmas lights. She is pleased others are carrying on the work she started, especially by starting the Friends of Saltburn.

This idea of ‘friends’ has resulted in several similar groups being started in different parts of Redcar & Cleveland, including East Cleveland villages.

Among Jackie’s achievements were helping to raise money to build the bandstand, saving the pier from demolition, and running the Britain in Bloom competition which resulted in over 200 flower tubs being put up all over town.

Last June a Rosedale glass bowl was presented to Jackie from nearly 100 friends and supporters in the community hall.

Sarah Van-Oord, manager of Cloneen, said: “We are all over the moon at her getting the Freedom. We are all very proud. It’s a great honour having Jackie here to look after

Staff of Cloneen care home, Albion Terrace, where Jackie Taylor now lives, admire the Freedom plaque which was presented to the MBE-holder. From left care assistants Jemma Bringloe and Jenny Doe, and manager Sarah Van-Oord and cook Lorraine Scott outside the home’s front door.

her.” Sarah said the event had been “lovely” for Jackie with the Mayor, Councillor Brenda Forster, presenting the Freedom. The plaque’s wording, which was in italic handwriting, said it had been for the “outstanding contribution” Jackie had made to the community of Redcar and Cleveland, in particular the town of Saltburn-by-theSea. Her work had been in “preserving and enhancing the beauty of the town for more than 30 years.”

Jackie’s brother, John Taylor, who helps to run Saltburn’s annual folk festival in August each year, visited her at Cloneen the day after the presentation.

“It was a wonderful day, a once-in-a-lifetime event,” he told Talk of the Town.

Mike Morrissey

Saltburn Station Gallery Saltburn Station Gallery continues to promote and exhibit artwork from local artists and artisans.

New artists exhibiting from March show the great diversity of artwork on display within the gallery - one being colourful, vibrant digital art (Alan Tollinton), another being delicate wildlife/ landscape photography (Tony Taylor) and now the most recent young artist displaying unique screen print designs by Alix Gladders.

Alan Tollinton wanted one of his digital art designs to be donated to a deserving new home and therefore Alan and Saltburn Station Gallery are pleased to announce that a piece of artwork has been donated to Zoë’s Place Baby Hospice, where the colourful work will hopefully 52

bring a little brightness and pleasure to the residents, parents, visitors and staff. The gift was gratefully accepted and collected

by Corporate Fundraiser Elaine Dunning.

Alan also offered a small artwork design, a unique Easter egg print, and large piece of designer chocolate which have been won in Saltburn Station Gallery’s Easter Draw held over the Easter weekend.

Other prizes won in the draw were provided

by Saltburn Station Gallery. All in aid of Children with Cancer UK, amount raised will be posted in gallery and next month’s Talk of the Town. Thank you for your support and also Alan Tollinton for his kind donations.

Please note closing date for entries to Spring/summer competition end at the 30th April deadline.

Sean and Sue

Sweet Genes Discovers an Extended Family for Nick Murray “I was wishing I had more time to delve further into our family tree, when I read about Andrea Bowness-Etur’s Genealogy business in September 2014’s Talk of the Town,” remembers local charity worker Nick Murray (who was profiled in these pages in November 2010). “My two sisters and I then clubbed together to buy Andrea’s comprehensive package and presented our delighted Mum and Dad with a report and a family tree scroll for Christmas!”

Andrea was given a head start with information discovered

by Nick’s second cousin, Roy, in Hull. Nick asked for the details to be collated, checked and put visually into a family tree, digitally and on paper. Andrea found more details about the family, going back to the late 1600s and she reported to Nick that they had worked on boats in the Hull area for generations. There were many deaths from shipwrecks and drownings in the records.

Nick’s mum, Marie (née Barnett), now in her nineties, thought she was an only child, although there had been rumours that Marie’s father had a second family after her parents had separated. These things were not talked about in the last century and Nick grew up without uncles and aunts, as his father was an only child. But Andrea found out otherwise.

“Every week, Andrea emailed me, as she found out more information and it was a bit like reading a serialised novel, being introduced to new characters all the time,” says Nick. “It was a fascinating journey.”

On Marie’s side, she knew that her mother, Hilda from Middlesbrough had married her father, Thomas Edward at St Mary’s R.C. Cathedral in the town in February 1922. However, by December they had separated, before Marie was born in February 1923.

Marie’s knowledge of her father was then hazy and the family were amazed, when Andrea told them that Thomas Edward had a second family of five children, Jim, Frank, Eddie, Joan and Stan, all brought up in the local area.

Nick, his parents and his sisters were interested in making contact with their newly discovered relatives and Andrea suggested a carefully worded insertion in the personal column of the Evening Gazette. She gave her business email address and phone number for any relatives of Thomas and his partner to get in touch and listed their children’s names. Then they waited on tenterhooks.

The response was instant, however. The Barnett family members fortunately read the Gazette and contacted Andrea. They were very intrigued as they wanted to get to know their half-sister, Marie. Andrea passed their contact details to Nick, who soon met up with two of the brothers and their wives.

Stan had died earlier, but she got to meet her brother Jim of Eston, before he died last year aged eighty. Marie also met up with Frank who lives in Redcar aged seventy-

five, Eddie from Eston, aged seventy-one and Joan in Redcar, aged eighty-seven. Marie had half-brothers and a sister and Nick had aunts and uncles after all!

Nick was soon planning a big family reunion. This took place at the Claxton Hotel, at the top of Redcar High Street, in May 2015. About thirty-five members of the extended family came and four generations were represented, including a five day old baby girl. The Gazette sent a reporter and a photographer and Andrea was invited to see the fruits of her labours. She had written up the family tree on a scroll and Nick had it photographed by a professional photographer and neatly laminated onto board.

“This was a really nice project, because it reunited living people,” she says. “Also since I produced it digitally too, names of new babies can be added and it’s a living document.”

The two halves of the family are not aware of their paths having crossed in Redcar, although many of them have attended Redcar College and probably passed Marie and Ron’s house, which they moved into in 1960. Now they do recognise each other, they find they do bump into each other in town and make informal arrangements to meet up.

The relatives have met formally again too, as Ronald was awarded the Legion of Honour in a medal ceremony in December 2015 at the Community Heart building.

Nick and Andrea have renewed their business acquaintance in January 2016, as he invited her onto his radio programme on Zetland FM one evening to talk for an hour about Genealogy. It was a first broadcast for her, but her knowledge and enthusiasm came over very well.

“It was interesting to hear about all the changes in researching and what you can do nowadays,” says Nick.

“The beauty of Andrea’s business is that she has subscriptions to lots of sites and she knows where to look and how to get around blocks.”

Through Sweet Genes, Andrea is very happy to help those who don’t have the time, patience or expertise to res ear ch for the ms elv es . He r we bs ite i s www.sweetgenes.co.uk (and her email is sweetgenes@hotmail.co.uk). She can be phoned on 07872 947257 to discuss a commission. Rates are very reasonable: just £35 for a first three hours delving!

Rosemary Nicholls 53

Relationships and happiness Think of the person you have the most important relationship in your life with.

Now hold the thought of that person and really start to feel the appreciation of them. What is it that you particularly value about them? Notice something that is really the centre of the whole happiness philosophy, attuning the mind to thinking in a focus of appreciation.

All thought is linked to an emotion and when the thought is appreciation notice how that fills the body with a nice feeling. When the thought then drifts off to what I call a critical thought it doesn’t feel so good inside you, (and by critical I mean criticising in some manner, not critical thought as in critiquing).

Appreciating is valuing or pulling out new aspects to value and being critical is thinking about what is lacking or not here in your life now.

So if I sit down to look out the window I may be able to appreciate the greenness of the grass and enjoy noticing the agility of the birds flying, and those thoughts feel really good to me. But then I may also start to think that it will be nicer when these clouds clear and the sun comes out. That is a critical thought because it is a thought about what is lacking right now. And so in this example it creates a mixture of some thoughts that feel good and some thoughts that feel a lack and so feel less good. If there are enough critical thoughts lumped together and no appreciation thoughts to balance them out you will almost certainly end up feeling sad, even perhaps depressed.

Once you realise how to create an enjoyable feeling (or what I would call happiness), you can choose to notice more closely what you are thinking about and you can choose to add more things you appreciate and leave out things you miss or see as lacking in your life.

It becomes fascinating to notice our own thoughts, and following on from last month’s article on indoctrination and sedation I think many people have been trained by subtle social influences to not be aware of what they have been trained into or what they are putting into themselves and so it is no surprise that many people are not at all in the habit of noticing how they are thinking either.

In my experience it becomes much easier to understand our feelings and moods and to feel much more in control of our life when we notice our thoughts and what we are doing with them.

So back to the question of who is the most important person in our life. It’s an important question because relationships are important. We define ourselves through them. We create a sense of the relative. In a sense the comparison is an illusion but it is what we have to relate to.

A dot of light in darkness is only definable as to where it is when there is a second dot. A good book is only known to us by what we consider is not a good book. A nice partner is in comparison to other partners we have had or how we expect a ‘nice partner’ to act.

Yet do we really know other people or do we just make approximations of who they are?

I once had a French girlfriend who cried streams of tears when I got on a bus to go on holiday alone for a while.

Two days later she slept with a good friend of mine who I had introduced her to and when I came back she was shacked-up with him. I couldn’t have predicted that at all, 54

because she seemed so into me.

Another friend who I considered one of my very best friends just a few years ago had a new girlfriend who decided she didn’t like me. I tried to make bridges and asked her if we could talk to find out what was wrong. I explained that her boyfriend and I had been friends for many years and were likely to be friends for many more or for all our life and it would be so much nicer and easier for all of us if we could all get along. A short while later the long time friend of mine called to tell me he no longer wanted to be a friend, because he wanted to be with his girlfriend more. I didn’t see it coming. I didn’t think that was who he was or something he would ever do, but he did.

People who have been together forty or fifty years sometimes say, “I no longer felt like I knew who they were any more.” People get divorced, people have affairs, and people hit people you may never have thought were ever capable of being violent. People surprise us because we create approximations of who they are.

We have to make approximations about people or else we wouldn’t trust anyone and we hope people can do the same and trust us. What is interesting though about people we are in relationships with, our children, our partners or our friends is that we tend to want them to act just a bit differently so that they could be ‘better’, nicer to us, or perhaps be a more understanding considerate partner. And often the way we do this is to tell them what we don’t like about how they act and nag them and try to get them to change. We tend to want people to be different, or our government to be different, or our neighbours or our friends. We even sometimes want the weather to act differently before we decide we’ll be happy with it.

Yet many older more experienced people know you don’t change relationships by trying to change other people.

People only change when they actually want to. Try telling a person they eat too much sugar and to stop it. Or telling someone to stop smoking or drinking or to be less critical of you.

You see it is you who has to change and learn to respect yourself more; it is not someone else’s job to change so that you can feel better. Yet by changing yourself you will actually change the dynamics of the relationship and in time the other person will change to reflect that. And if they don’t end up changing with you... well at least you will be feeling better, and in time you may choose to ask for more from your life, or perhaps you will even leave them and you’ll find that life reflects your new happiness.

So back to the question: who is the person you have the most important relationship in your life with?

The answer is, YOU. If you do not learn how to be more happy on your own and to appreciate yourself rather than criticising yourself then you will get relationships that reflect your low self-esteem and low happiness. If you learnt how to sustain good levels of happiness you will only attract and put up with the level that you have chosen for yourself. The choice as ever is yours, you can create any kind of life that you want and it all begins from how happy you choose to be.

For comments, questions or support, contact me Kendal Aitken Health and Happiness Coach / Counsellor, on coach@happygreenblueeyes.co.uk or 07944 883961.

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Unchained

An evening of live music with a country twist!

London-based band play their final night up north in aid of Justice First, a Tees Valley charity working with the local refugee community.

Saturday 9 April 2016, 7.30pm Tickets: £12 (‘Earlybird’ bookings received before Fri 1st April available at the discounted price of £10) At: Saltburn Community Centre Windsor Road, Saltburn TS12 1JW Bar available Ticket includes light refreshments Tickets available from Saltburn Community Centre: www.saltburnarts.co.uk or

Justice First: 01642 601122

Justice First Justice First been providing support to the refugee community in the Tees Valley for ten years and during that time we have seen an increase in the demand for our services in an increasingly politically hostile environment.

People who have fled persecution and war turn to us for help when their application for protection has been refused. We help them gather sufficient evidence to reengage with the asylum process.

We run weekly client sessions from our Stockton office at which clients can see a caseworker and discuss their problems. Many are in despair, are destitute and have health problems. Although the drop-in is extremely busy, the atmosphere is welcoming and clients feel comfortable helping themselves to breakfast, refreshments and whatever food and clothing has been donated.

We are proud of our partnership work with a number of other agencies – Freedom from Torture, Newcastle Law Centre, Red Cross, the Methodist Asylum Project, Migrant Help, the North of England Refugee Service and Investing in People and Cultures. In addition, we liaise with a number of drop-ins (usually run by volunteers from local faith groups), and the Mary Thompson Fund, which is dedicated to alleviating the effects of destitution amongst those seeking asylum.

We are a placement provider for medical students at the Stockton Campus of Durham University who tell us that the students who have spent time with our clients and learned about the asylum process find it a deeply challenging experience.

We are frequently touched by the generosity of local people who make donations to support our work because they care about the plight of those seeking asylum in our community.

We hope that you will support our Saltburn fundraiser “Unchained” – a live music event at the Community Centre on Saturday, 9th April 2016 at 7.30pm. Come along and enjoy a great evening while raising money to support our work with vulnerable people.

Thank you!

Pete Widlinski - Manager

Redcar & Cleveland Philatelic Society April meetings: R&CPS and North East England’s (NEPA’s) Annual Convention Venue: East Cleveland Community Centre, Durham Road, Redcar, 7:00 for 7:15 pm. 6th April: Display by Mike Lewis; President, Yorkshire PA. 20th April: Keith Waugh: Aspects of Helvetia. Keith (shown here) after an earlier visit receives a memento from our Secretary. Anyone interested in stamps, postcards and postal history is encouraged to visit NEPA’s 67th Annual Philatelic Convention on Saturday 23rd April, at Bowburn Community Centre, (BCC) Durham Road Durham, DH6 5AT. Exit A1M at Junction 61 via A177 north towards Bowburn. After passing the Cooperage PH, find Bowburn Library on the right hand side. The BCC is almost adjacent. Free entry from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm.

Large free car park and disabled access. Refreshments available. Visit Dealer’s stands and see how R&CPS’ competitive displays were judged compared with NEPA’s other contenders! NEPA website is www.nepa.me.uk.

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

The Saltburn Profile Colin Vaux “I live a hundred and fifty yards from the Cleveland Way, which gives me access to the woods, the beach and the cliffs and I enjoy walking about thirty-five miles a week,” says retired solicitor Colin Vaux, who has lived on The Ridge for over forty years.

Colin was born in Stockton and brought up in Teesville. He went to Sir William Turner’s Boys Grammar School in Coatham, where he was a keen rugby player. He studied three foreign language ‘A’ levels and started studying for a language degree at Leeds University. However, he decided to swap to something more vocational in his first year and took up Law instead.

On graduation, he was articled for two years to a sole practitioner in Middlesbrough, Dr James Gilchrist Smith and then went to Guildford College of Law for further qualification. He was next an assistant solicitor for two years, before being made a partner. “After qualification, I married Moira, whom I had met at the Spa Ballroom, which in my youth was ‘the place to be’,” remembers Colin. “We first set up home in Nunthorpe and Rebecca, our daughter was born.

We subsequently moved to Saltburn and had our sons, Graham and Andrew.”

Colin took on a wide range of work until 1988, when his law firm merged with a bigger one in Middlesbrough, Punch Robson. Colin then specialised in commercial property and later developed a niche in setting up local primary care health centres and health villages, such as the ones at North Ormesby and Low Grange, Eston. He also served as President of Tees Valley Law Society. By 2010, he decided he wanted to relinquish his partnership, while he was still energetic and he became a consultant to finish off ongoing jobs. He finally retired at the end of 2015.

Early in his career, Colin was approached by the Old Coathamians and invited to be Clerk to the Governors of his old school. He continued in this role when the school became Sir William Turner’s Sixth Form College and served for twenty years altogether. He later took up the role of a Trustee and Honorary Treasurer of the Sir William Turner Foundation, which he performs to this day.

“All our children went to Prior Pursglove College and through that I became a Parent Governor. I was a Governor for twenty years, ten of which were spent as the Chairman,” he says. “I like to be involved.”

Colin has always been an enthusiastic sportsman. At University, he was Captain of the Cross-Country Club and a track athlete. He has been a member of Middlesbrough and Cleveland Harriers since 1961. He was the Northumberland and Durham Champion over twenty miles and a member of the Harriers team that won the North-East Cross-Country Championship for six years running from 1964 - 69. After he reached forty, he was the Yorkshire Veterans Cross-Country Champion and finished third in the British Veterans 25K Championship. On the admin side, he was Secretary, Chairman and President of Middlesbrough and Cleveland Harriers and was honoured to be made a Life Member.

Choral singing is also one of his strengths. He has been a member of Guisborough Choral Society since the 1980s and Chairman for the last eight years. He has sung in Saltburn Methodist Church Choir for nearly forty years (as well as being the Church’s long-term Gift Aid Secretary) and

by Rosemary Nicholls

more recently joined the U3A Singing for Pleasure Group. In November last year, he sang in the Saltburn ‘Messiah’ to mark what would have been Betty Middleton’s hundredth birthday. “It was an uplifting experience,” he says.

Colin has a wide range of musical tastes, headed by Bach, Beethoven and Mozart. Since he became a consultant in 2011, he has joined Saltburn Library and has become a big reader. He enjoys Victorian novelists, such as Dickens and Trollope and also modern authors, including Kate Atkinson, Douglas Kennedy and Julian Barnes. “I’ve always got library books on the go,” he confirms.

He was attracted by the leafy grounds of the former Dr Barnardo’s Home, when it was being transformed into The Ridge and he is a keen gardener to this day. He grows soft fruit and flowers, regularly breaking records with his early flowering daffodils. “We see them bloom in January in a typical winter, but this winter, they flowered on December 19th!”

Colin is still a sports addict. He follows football, athletics, rugby and cricket and is a season ticket holder at the Riverside Stadium. Having damaged his ankle, he walks rather than runs nowadays and is a member of the U3A ten to twelve mile walking group. At the time of writing, he is planning to lead a walk from Swainby. “There’s so much beauty on our doorsteps here,” he adds.

As their daughter, Rebecca, has lived in Seattle for twenty years, Colin and Moira are well used to long-haul flights. They have taken thousand mile road trips out there to Yellowstone Park and the Canadian Rockies and find California to be a state of great contrasts. They have two American grandchildren aged eleven and five and two at Norton, aged six and four.

Colin has certainly been a man with a very full life!

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1st Saltburn Scout Group 2016 is flying past, British Summer Time has started and we are already enjoying the Easter break! The weather is improving and the bonus of lighter nights means all Sections will be taking the opportunity to be out.

Our Beaver Colony is welcoming new members: Harry, Lucian, Preston and Zachery, so despite some moving on to Cubs) the Colony continues to grow. Many Beavers spent an enjoyable day at the Guisborough Walkway before the break with other Beavers from the District, giving them a taster for future outdoor activities.

Many thanks to those parents who have assisted in the past few months and like Lindsey and Jo are now keen to get outside as well.

The Cub Pack presently numbers 26 Cubs; hopefully Leo (our newest member) will settle in and enjoy his time with us. He was previously a Beaver elsewhere and is new to Saltburn, but with an interest in football he has already found friends in the Pack. We took two teams to the District Quiz. Alas we did not emulate our achievements of last year, but all enjoyed themselves and the opportunity to meet other Cubs in the District. As is often the case some discovered people they played football or rugby with were Cubs elsewhere, surprises all round! None are due to move on to Scouts this time, but after the Whitsun break numbers will reduce slightly, thank goodness. Many thanks are due to Sam (Explorer Young Leaders), Gary and Jonathan (Section Assistants); also to Joanna who is joining us as a Leader.

Our Scout Troop has a total membership now of 17 and that without the Cubs due to move up after the Whitsun break. Two teams of 1st Saltburn Scouts went to the Scouts District Quiz and came second and fourth.

Although all the Scouts present at the quiz proved they

Saltburn Line User Group Next Meeting: Tuesday, 5th April 2016 at 7.10pm

Meetings at Saltburn Conservative Club are 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

Telephone the secretary on:

07875 242350 SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL LINE 58

needed to develop their knowledge of Scouting. Thanks to Gordon and Keith for their unstinting support, ensuring we run every week with additional help from Keith (H) and Chris as when necessary. Now we can get out more, their assistance will be invaluable.

Our Group continues to fund raise in a variety of ways; we plan to assist at the table top sale in June at the Community building and hopefully do the refreshments.

Karen, our ‘fundraising guru’, has continued to attract funding and is always looking for new sources and ways to achieve our developments. An especial thank you at this point to Judy Snowdon for her continuing support, following her successful coffee morning (raising £175); she continues to make marmalade and all proceeds come to the Group. The marmalade is much appreciated as is her support. THANK YOU! Also a thank you to Tony Smith; he took on the mammoth task of painting the newly plastered toilets (all three) and has made a superb job. With the new paper towel, soap and toilet roll dispensers, it looks very smart. We also have plans to tidy up the side of the building and replace the present dilapidated wooden fencing with more robust and appropriate materials; at the same time we continue with our determined efforts to improve the building.

It is pleasing that parents are involved in supporting our young people; they often find it is more fun than they realised and they get to see their children in a different environment; although sometimes it is an eye opener as to how their children can behave! It does ensure that meetings or activities are exciting and interesting for our young people. If you can offer assistance or are interested in joining us, please enquire. John G. Hannah – 07811 801627 (or johnghannah@yahoo.co.uk).

John G. Hannah

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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.

The Relentless Pursuit of Fashion If you were to see me walking around town you would not estimate me to be, in the title of that smash hit of the 1960s by the Kinks, ‘a dedicated follower of fashion.’

This is partly because I have never had the money to shop for ‘labels’ but mostly because I just don’t care much what impression I give to the world at large, (at least not in terms of clothing).

I did once briefly come into vogue but it was completely by accident. I happened across a pair of American army trousers on a second hand stall near St Paul’s in London an age ago and since they were robust and very comfortable, I wore them to death. When they finally gave up the ghost I was so disappointed that I found a seamstress who could create another couple of pairs of what eventually became known as Cargo Pants for me and so when they became very fashionable a couple of decades ago, I was already there. Who knows, maybe I inadvertently brought them to the attention of the fashionestas. But those days are long gone and I am still stubbornly wearing cargo pants, even though I now look about as trendy as if I was wearing plus fours.

As I become ever more comfortable as a grumpy old man I look with horror at the way people are led around by the nose by a generally invisible group of designers who clearly think they know better than we do what we should wear, how we should decorate our homes and what absurd shapes our cars should be. Because of my love of history I am well aware that this is nothing new and in the main I have learned to live with the situation.

At least I am not expected to wear a ruff that would have taken hours to starch and iron and then another couple of hours to assemble and pin on but I do remain a staunch fan of function rather than form.

A couple of weeks ago I had to travel down to London to do an interview for an American documentary network. Though I don’t get paid for such excursions I do them because they are good publicity but mainly because someone else picks up the bill for the travel and usually puts me into a fairly swish hotel. Now that Kate has retired she was able to come with me on this latest jaunt.

We travelled down by train and then took the tube to a fairly posh hotel in Pimlico.

The minute we walked into the hotel room I found myself groaning in disbelief. I should explain that for some years now I have been plagued on my travels by scatter cushions. I can’t remember when it was that some idiot decided that it would be fun to place large and useless cushions on hotel beds but I do know that this trend has now reached epidemic proportions. In the case of the Pimlico hotel there were four cushions on each side of the bed. They ranged in size between one that was about the size of a shoe box up to a giant that was roughly the same shape and around half of the size of a fully grown hippopotamus.

Apart from having no idea what one is supposed to use these cushions for, in the case of the Pimlico scatter

by Alan Butler

cushions there were so many of them that they took up most of the available floor space when removed from the bed, making the whole experience of moving around the hotel room similar to living inside a bouncy castle. As if the cushions themselves were not ridiculous enough, the owners of the hotel had placed a strip of material about seven or eight inches wide across the bed. Kate told me it was a runner and when I asked her what purpose it served she explained that it did not really have a purpose, apart from looking decorative.

Now here’s the thing. When we eventually found the kettle and cups in order to make a cup of coffee, we discovered that there were two tiny plastic cartons of milk and two sachets of coffee. This meant that in the twenty-four hour period of our stay we could only have one cup of coffee each. I appreciate that the hotel is probably trying to be economical but that did not seem to occur to them when they used more fabric than the Bayeux Tapestry and more stuffing than in all the mattresses in ‘the Princess and the Pea’ in order to make the scatter cushions and the runner.

While I am on the subject of fashion I heard something a couple of days ago which struck me as being worthy of an award for the world’s most stupid idea. It is apparently possible now to utilize what is known as a Personal Shopper. Apparently the really big stores have people on hand who having been briefed as to what a customer is seeking, will sort through the store’s entire stock and get out anything that might be suitable in advance of the shopper arriving. This array of clothes, together with a cup of coffee or a glass of prosecco will be presented to the customer when he or she arrives. Since I presume this service is more applicable to women than men I am now going to be uncharacteristically sexist because having been present with women on shopping expeditions over many years it seems evident to me that most women have no idea what they want to purchase in the first place and would therefore find it as good as impossible to explain their needs to a third party. I never thought I would happen across anything associated with fashion that was more absurd and pointless than scatter cushions but now I have.

I suspect that I am extra grumpy this week about the modern world because those wonderful people at Microsoft decided it would be much better for me to run Windows 10 on my computer instead of the version to which I have become accustomed. They therefore took the decision to invade my computer while I was out of the house and turned everything on it upside down in order to give me something I had not requested and did not want. Yes, without my permission and without my knowledge. But at least Windows 10 has restricted itself to the insides of my computer and will not trip me up as I cross the office floor.

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Jennie Finch completes final Alex Hastings novel Have you been eagerly waiting for the next and final instalment of the Alex Hastings series? Your wait will soon be over because later this year Impress Books will be bringing you Smoke and Adders.

Following on from the events of The Moth Man, we will once again be joining Alex Hastings on the Somerset Levels. An arsonist is starting fires on the Somerset Levels and a sexual predator stalks the streets looking for his next, perfect victim. As the summer heat turns the surrounding countryside to tinder, Alex must deal with this fresh wave of criminal activity under the increasingly watchful eye of the Senior Officer. As her friends settle into new lives, Alex hopes for a brighter future, but will the increasing pressures of her work stand in the way?

Jennie says, “When I began writing the first Somerset book, Death of the Elver Man, back in 2010, I had a vague idea I’d like to write a short series using the same setting and characters. I had no idea of the plots back then and was just happy to let my stories evolve within a basic framework. I had no idea I would write four Somerset novels, nor that I would become so fond of some of the people who live on my version of the Levels. The books are set in a particular period of recent history, a pivotal point that still affects us today, and now, six years on, the end is fast approaching and the new novel, Smoke and Adders, will be Alex’s final adventure in Somerset.

Despite this I am reluctant to leave the Levels altogether.

There are so many stories to tell and I hope in the future to allow some of the other characters the opportunity to tell theirs. Until then I must bid a very fond farewell to this most magical of landscapes.”

Rachel, Editorial Manager at Impress Books, says, “I’m ecstatic that we’ll be seeing another Alex Hastings book this year. Jennie has an incredible way of casting characters that the reader finds both familiar and intriguing.

Her plots hold us in suspense from beginning to end and Smoke and Adders promises to do the same. Jennie deserves all the success she has found in her writing career and more, and it’s a pleasure to work with her on this final instalment.”

Jennie did not expect to be a crime writer. Although she has always read a lot of crime and detective novels she has always thought her work leaned more towards science fiction or horror so no-one was more surprised than she was when “Death of the Elver Man” was short-listed for the Impress Prize in 2010 under its original (and rather insipid) title “On the Level”. Whilst she was never a probation officer like the protagonist Alex, she does live with an ex-probation officer and in the 1980s did a lot of work with offenders and young people at risk. Jennie has been a producer of educational programmes at the Tate Gallery, worked in accounts, had a very brief stint as a motorcycle messenger, been a teacher and lecturer and assessed and supported a large number of students with dyslexia and other learning difficulties. She currently teaches psychology for the Open University, does some reporting for a local newspaper and tries to keep her characters under control and following her nicely worked out plot.

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5th GUISBOROUGH CHARITY BEER FESTIVAL Organised by The Rotary Club of Guisborough and Great Ayton, The Guisborough and District Round Table and Cleveland CAMRA, this will be held on Friday, 8th and Saturday, 9th April 2016 at the Guisborough Parish Hall, Bow Street.

There will be 36 cask conditioned real ales, predominantly from East Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire, as well as local breweries, plus real cider, perry and fruit wines (the full beer list can be seen on www.clevelandcamra.org.uk). Soft drinks, tea and coffee will also be available, also a charity tombola stall.

Guisborough butcher John Lund, of Enfield Butchers, will again be supplying Steak and Ale pies made with a dark real ale from local brewery, Wainstones. Alongside these will be other choices of hot food and snacks.

Admission times and entrance prices (which includes a free commemorative tankard, celebrating the Rotary Club’s 50th anniversary, and programme) are as follows: Friday and Saturday 11:00 – 16:00 £3.00 Friday 18:00 – 23:00 £5.00 Saturday 18:00 – 23:00 £7.00 Evening entertainment SATURDAY ONLY provided by the folk group ENDEAVOUR BAND. CAMRA concessions £1.00 off entrance price by refund at the door on production of a valid membership card.

Tickets are available from Guisborough Book Shop in Chaloner Street. More details from paul@whitefoot.plus.com (and www.clevelandcamra.org.uk).

The Muses of Jim First all congratulations should go to Redcar & Cleveland Mind for coming 7th in a charity give away organised by Middlesbrough & Teesside Philanthropic Foundation.

Our reward was £1,000. This small local charity that punches far higher than its size has been working hard during the SSI Crisis by giving help and advice, with its team of volunteers working hard. Well done to all. The work of Mind is one of the hardest coalfaces to work. It is worth remembering that the organisation is celebrating its silver jubilee this year so where you can support it, please do so. Its cafe and shop, Something in Mind is close to the Redcar Town Clock, the old one not the new one near Wilcos.

It could be said that this month has gone with a bang. It certainly did, for me as on Saturday the 5th of March, whilst I was having a drink in Lune Street Social Club, the ‘Top Club’ in more ways than one. All of a sudden there was a loud bang, nay a loud explosion in the side alley between the club’s lounge wall and Water Tower Terrace. It rattled my wits, that is the few that I still have left. It did shake me up and left me dazed, but at least my weakened heart did not give way. I was that confused that I had to drink more than I normally do. I was still rather shaken and confused when I went to bed.

The next day I had somewhat returned to my normal dull self. I did recall similar incidents in the past months. In the evening I returned bravely to the scene of the outrage,

where after a drink to steady my nerves I was approached by two members asking me to take some form of action.

As they rightly pointed out the club was in the middle of a vibrant residential area, with a mix of all ages and it wasn’t right for people to be disturbed in such a way. When I did contact the Police, to my surprise I got told off. End of the adventure. Or is it?

Everyone in Saltburn will have heard of the plan to resite the Post Office from Station Street to the new Nisa store on what was Watson’s Petrol Station. Feeling is mixed within the town and the planned move will of course have a direct effect on the town. The closure of the Saleroom did without doubt affect the footfall within the town with most traders reporting a loss of business and one can clearly see in the vastly reduced numbers of people visiting the Community Hall on a Saturday. Will it change and effect the heart of the shopping centre of the town?

People will probably know by now that the Parish Council is moving into to new premises in the next few weeks. It is moving into what was the caretaker’s bungalow at the School site next to the Leisure Centre on Marske Mill Lane. This means there is proper access for everyone for the first time. At the same time it was agreed to also change the day and times of meetings. So we are now going to meeting as a Full Council on the 2nd Tuesday of every month with a meeting time of 6.00pm.

This is rather awkward for me. As Tuesday, is the day I would normally travel to London to carry out my role as the Chair of Cleveland Local Council Association, which usually is twice a quarter, and I would normally get back to Saltburn 7.25pm, if I caught all the correct trains and there weren’t any delays. This would thus risk my 100% Parish Council meetings attendance record of which I am naturally very proud. As the Chairman said, you can’t please everybody all the time.

Yesterday (that’s Saturday, 19th March) in a sense I went back in time, to travel on a train pulled by the Flying Scotsman, on the North York’s Moor Railway. It was part family trip as I was with my two youngest daughters and their combined families. We were on the 3.30pm run of the day. The crowd was huge and there were many people lining the route but the atmosphere was rather strange. The average age of the people there must have been in the high 80s. The highlight of the day was when Molly, my youngest Grandchild, got grit in her eye. Welcome to the club, Molly; we all did it in the age of steam. It seemed Spud wasn’t impressed when I told him of her accident, as he just went back to sleep. At £38 per adult and £25 per child plus parking costs and refreshments it was an expensive hour or so and really not all that meaningful after all, being just a plain commercial enterprise. But having said that, the engine was really magnificent and was definitely the star of the day. It was a living, breathing beast barely controlled by man: I am fortunate to be old enough to have lived in the country when it was alive with them.

Jim Wingham 61

The Saltburn Crossword no 178 set by Advena Across 1 Produce new growth for this seasonal green vegetable? (5) 5 Change name, melt this cheese (8) 9 and 11 Across On Talk of the Town’s page 3, with love from Ian (6, 4, 3, 6) 10 Just like a breath is new and different (5, 3) 11 See 9 Across 12 A tiny tree, in France it’s good and is a change (6) 14 He canned mixture, improved the quality (8) 16 Old floor covering made from remoulded mule loin (8) 19 Abuse of opium is used inside (6) 21 Sacred songs Saul initially found amidst tropical trees (6) 23 This local garden outlet has an extensive stream we hear (8) 25 With this beginning, Mr Beswick’s article may be a fairy tale!

(4, 4, 1, 4) 26 Rustic land workers combine little legumes with social insects (8) 27 Christian Festival where the sun rises with a verbal hesitation (6)

Down 2 3 4 5 6

Name___________________________________ Address_________________________________ ________________________________________ Telephone_______________________________

7 8 13 15 17 18 20 22 24

Solution to Crossword no 177

The winner of last month’s crossword was Pamela Miles of The Fairway, Saltburn.

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.

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This Sicilian city is hidden in paler morning light (7) A shot dispersed these expletives (5) Saltburn’s hotel nominally relating to the sea (3, 6) Dismantle fence or compel compliance (7) A large mammal of Northern forests, with a bovine sound, South East (5) With ten turns I combined the substances for healthy growth (9) Wonderment, not all of it amazingly stunning (7) He closes a combination to secure the footwear (9) Contest to find the fastest of all mankind? (5, 4) At home, the water’s edge is only a short way out to sea (7) Including loud laments initially, feline communication calms and relaxes (7) First Elsa concludes a confidential matter to produce a discharge (7) Disdainfully reject this topographically interesting part of the Yorkshire coast? (5) Within British Standards, a slippery, viscous fluid bubbles and turns to vapour (5)

Send your completed crossword to: Saltburn Crossword no 178, c/o Jackie’s Saverstore, 8 Station Buildings, Saltburn, TS12 1AQ

by Friday, 15th April 2016. First correct solution out of the bag wins a £10 voucher kindly donated by Tim and Sheila of Real Meals.

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