Engineers working to restore power to Ramshaw and Evenwood

Engineers are working to restore power to homes in Ramshaw and Evenwood.

Northern Powergrid was made aware of the fault at 9.10am today.

Initially 274 customers, including Ramshaw Primary School, were affected by the power cut but the supply to 172 properties has been restored. 
Damage to a nearby electricity pylon is believed to have resulted in the loss of supply. 
A spokesperson for Northern Powergrid said: “The cause of the power cut has been identified as a fault on an overhead line. We are hoping to get everyone back on by 5pm.”

Seriously ill heart op patient in Evenwood waits 11 hours for an ambulance.

Here’s what’s making the news in the Teesdale Mercury this week:


Seriously ill heart op patient waits 11 hours for an ambulance.

A new soul group is being formed in Barney.

Ramshaw pub owners appeal against temporary suspension of their licence after alleged assault.

GSK’s £94million expansion to go before planning committee next week.

Family’s fundraising appeal as little Ryan is diagnosed with a fatal disease.

Shock death of man, 41, after a rare condition brought on by food poisoning.

Mix-up sends police on a bizarre detour.

Chief reassures villagers after clown raid.

Cheers! Teesdale’s first large-scale brewery in years to open.

Houses in Startforth will obliterate rural scene – council officer.

And councillors say another large-scale housing scheme will swamp resources in Barney.

Landlord quits after plea for brewery help.

No decision on dental service.

Ghost hunters claim spirits visit Scarth Hall, Staindrop.

New strategy to help UK fall in love with County Durham.

Households must pay £98 to town council.

Plus letters, community news, what’s on, a detailed sporting round-up and much more.

Teesdale's new YMCA boss aims to build on recent success

IF world experience is a prerequisite to being chief executive of Teesdale YMCA, then the new man in the post is eminently qualified.
Don Irving took up the position on January 3 following the departure of Kevin Wake at the end of last year.
Mr Irving comes at a perfect time when the youth organisation has just secured a pot of Lottery cash that ensures its future for at least the next three years.
But the self-confessed fanatical Liverpool supporter, who has You’ll Never walk Alone as his mobile ring tone, is not one to maintain the status quo.
He says: “We’ll be building on the success of Kevin and taking it to the next level.”
The 56-year-old comes to Barnard Castle from North Tyneside YMCA and boasts almost a lifetime of youth work experience, having first decided to get into the profession after some seven years of globetrotting.
The wanderlust hit him soon after completing his O levels in Liverpool.
He explains: “At that time it was traditional for kids to get a good apprenticeship. After six weeks as a carpet fitter I decided this wasn’t for me. I decided to take some time out until I was 25.”
He was 17 at the time and found himself working as a leader at a youth camp in southern France. He went on to picking grapes in France where he met people from the world over.
“There were all these young, vibrant, people going to all these marvellous places,” he says.
Inspired, he decided to follow the “old hippy route from London to Kathmandu”, financing his way by taking a diverse number of jobs from acting as a porter in hotels, to packing melons and plucking olives.
In Egypt he was taught the game of backgammon which he has honed to the point that he is the current North East Backgammon Association second division champion.
His world travels came to an end at age 25.
“When I came back I decided I wanted to work with young people so I did a youth work degree in the Midlands,” he explained.
He went on to work in Southampton and was seconded to the Methodist Church to work with youth groups. After three years, he and wife Karen, who is also involved with youth work, moved to London and spent years working in the boroughs of Hackney, Newham and Bexley.
He was principal youth officer at Bexley before moving north to Newcastle as head of service.
The father of two went freelance when government funding cuts started to affect local council’s youth services. He explained that councils had to make tough choices and youth provision was an obvious target because it is not a statutory service.
He says: “In the last four years youth service has been decimated, absolutely cut to the bone. Youth service nationwide is on its way out.”
Later, he took up a position at YMCA North Tyneside before being offered the Teesdale post, in a town with which he was well acquainted as a tourist.
“Being given the opportunity to work in Barnard Castle, it was a no-brainer,” he adds. “It is unbelievably diverse in terms of the demographics of the whole place.”
While still getting used to the town and surrounding villages, Mr Irving has been inspired by what he has seen so far, particularly the drop-in sessions at the Barnard Castle office which take place four evenings a week for young people aged between 11 and 18. He described how at one session the teenagers were given £10 and asked to design a meal for 15 people. They returned from shopping with change to spare and prepared meatballs and spaghetti with soft drinks on the side.
The exercise, he said, is a way to teach simply life skills like preparing something healthy on a budget.
“It reassured me the YMCA is doing what it should be doing,” he added.
The chief executive says he is looking forward to the challenge of his new role and invites everyone to pop in and say hello, particularly those who enjoy a game of backgammon.

Parting gift from former Teesdale YMCA chief executive – helping to secure £300,000 Lottery cash

ERSTWHILE Teesdale YMCA chief executive Kevin Wake’s parting gift as he left the youth group was to help secure its future.
Confirmation that the group had been awarded £314,806 in funding from the Big Lottery Fund’s Reaching Communities programme came on the same day he left his post at the end of last year.
The cash guarantees Teesdale YMCA’s future for the next three years and is part of a pot of £1,571,330 that has been given to projects in the North East.
Mr Wake’s successor Don Irving said: “It is fantastic to have three years of security which will look after a lot of the core costs.”
He added that the cash would also help establish a new community cafe at Evenwood’s Randolph Community Centre similar to that which successfully operates in Cockfield.
Other projects the youth group operates include a training and education scheme to provide accredited qualifications for those who struggle with mainstream education; sexual health programmes; after school provision and community access and support meetings.
The support meetings, which started in Cockfield and Evenwood, have now been extended to other villages including Butterknowle and Staindrop, and offer support for people to access any information they might need.
This can include help on compiling a CV, accessing benefits and various government and council services, and using the internet.
The new funding will also ensure the popular drop-in sessions at the YMCA office, in Barnard Castle, can also continue.
Of the former chief executive learning about confirmation of the grant, Mr Irving said: “What a parting gift, a nice £300,000-plus from the Reaching Communities Fund.
“He found out on the last day so he was able to say, ‘I have some good news and some bad news – the bad news is I’m leaving, the good news is there is all this money’. What a way to bow out.”

Artist aims to inspire with Barnard Castle classes

PEOPLE wanting to be more creative can sign up to new art and craft classes.
Teesdale artist Jane Young, who already presents successful art classes at Whorlton and Staindrop, is adding a class at The Witham, in Barnard Castle, to her busy schedule.
The aim is to present classes in whatever people want. She said: “It can be anything anybody wants to do. I like to try to find out what people are interested in.”
Along with painting and drawing in various media, including watercolour, oil, acrylic, soft pastel, oil pastel, pen, pencil and Biro sketching, budding artists and craftspeople can look forward to learning about glass painting, print making, needlework, felting, wire sculpture and jewellery and batik.
Seasonal creations will also be offered when the time is right.
Ms Young said she is keen for students to create and develop their own style.
As with Ms Young’s other classes, students will be given the opportunity to display their work during an annual exhibition.
The class is on Fridays, from 10am to noon. For details, contact The Witham on 01833 631107.

Cheap New Zealand lamb threat to Teesdale farmers, claims MP Helen Goodman

HILL farmers in Teesdale could be put out of business from cheap New Zealand lamb imports after Brexit, the area’s MP claims.
Helen Goodman put the concern to environment secretary Andrea Leadsom in the House of Commons last week.
Ms Goodman asked her to guarantee income support systems for hill farmers, some of whom were said to be earning just £14,000 a year.
Ms Leadsom said subsidies would continue until 2020 and that the government would look closely at what aid was needed after that.
Ms Goodman stressed the importance of considering the impact of future trade negotiations on hill farmers in her constituency, highlighting the risk posed by a “flood of cheap New Zealand lamb that will put them out of business”.
After the debate, the MP said: “Brexit has meant a fall in sterling which will raise inflation. Ministers are worried about this and scrabbling around.
“They think that cheap food imports would be a solution, irrespective of the adverse impact on farmers. Andrea Leadsom provided no comfort this morning to our hard-working farmers worried about their futures.”
Earlier, Ms Leadsom told MPs that hill farmers play a critical role not just in producing high-quality food but in “delivering environmental benefits for all the public in our beautiful landscapes”.
She added: “Leaving the EU gives us a great opportunity to look again at their contribution to delivering our very clear twin ambitions to have both a world-leading food and farming industry and, at the same time, a better environment for future generations.”
Ms Goodman replied that paying for environmental goods will only work as a strategy if the hill farms are financially viable
She added: “Can she [Ms Leadsom] guarantee that in future trade negotiations she will not allow a flood of cheap New Zealand lamb that will put them out of business?”
The environment secretary said that pillar one subsidy payments would remain until 2020. The minister added: “We have committed to our consultation on the future of the food and farming sector in our 25-year plan, and that will look closely at the level of support that is needed.
“I absolutely agree that we will need to look at what we do for the future to ensure that hill farmers remain viable and sustainable.”
Tory MP Richard Benyon said that now was a real opportunity to create a system of rural support that is bespoke to the UK.
“Giving ministers the opportunity to move the money up the hill to protect those who are clinging on economically is an opportunity that I hope she [Ms Leadsom] will grasp.”
Tim Farron, Cumbrian MP and leader of the Liberal Democrats, asked if MPs or the chairman of the Rural Payments Agency would tolerate waiting 13-and-a-half months for their salary cheque to arrive.
“Yet that is what 50 hill farmers have had to do as they wait for their December 2015 single farm payments. Hundreds more waited up to a year to get their payments,” Mr Farron said.
The National Sheep Association (NSA) last week warned that the government’s decision to pursue “hard Brexit” presents a huge risk to the UK sheep industry.
The body says this is due to the likely combination of disruption to existing trade structures, the reliance of the meat processing sector on migrant labour, and competition from free trade deals.

Teesdale teenager who suffered 'cardiac episode' meets off-duty police officer who helped save his life

A teenager who stopped breathing after suffering a “cardiac episode” at a Barnard Castle gym has been reunited with the off-duty detective who helped save his life.
Seventeen-year-old Lewis Hall collapsed at Glaxo Sports and Social Club gym during his usual weekday workout on Tuesday, January 3.
Thankfully, off-duty Detective Constable Darren Edgar was on-hand to perform CPR when Lewis stopped breathing. Due to his quick actions, along with the GSK fire crew who operated a defibrillator before paramedics arrived, Lewis is now recovering.
Speaking at home at the weekend, Lewis said: “I feel good. When I first came out of hospital I felt not with it very much at all but that seems to have gone.
“I had quite a lot of palpitations but they have stopped too. I don’t remember any of it at all. I know I was at the start of my workout. I would like to thank Darren for acting so quickly – he has saved my life.”
The teen, who lives at Bowes Moor, was placed in an induced coma at the scene before being flown by the Great North Air Ambulance Service to The James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough – a journey which took nine minutes.
Despite waking from the coma the following day, Lewis spent the next 24 hours in intensive care before being moved to a cardiac ward. He was later transferred to Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital where he had an implanted cardiac device (ICD) fitted which acts as both a pacemaker and a defibrillator. He returned home on Friday, January 13.
Lewis’ mum, Jane Hall, said: “We would like to thank Darren for being there and knowing what to do. This could have happened to Lewis at the gym, at home or when he was walking down the street. It was not the gym that caused it. There was an impediment in his heart already.”
The former Teesdale School pupil made headlines in the Teesdale Mercury back in July 1999 when he was just seven weeks old. At the time, he was the youngest person in Britain, possibly in the world, to undergo open heart surgery. He has since attended Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital for annual check-ups.
Mrs Hall said: “It is more than 17 years since he had that surgery. This was a big shock as he’s never had any problems.
“His heart did not stop beating but it went into such a poor rhythm which was why he collapsed. The top part of his heart was doing its bit but the bottom part was not keeping up. They said he’d had a cardiac episode.
“Doctors said that he has bounced back really well because of how fit he is and because everyone acted very quickly. Without the quick actions he could have had brain damage or organ damage. He is doing really well.”
The family met DC Edgar for the first time since the incident at the weekend.
DC Edgar, who works for Cleveland Police but lives in Teesdale, said: “I am fighting back a bit of tear to be honest. It is brilliant to see Lewis. I had seen CPR carried out a few times. It is never nice to see and I have never done it until then. I come across a lot of negative things in my job when things have not gone this way so to see Lewis is amazing. The one thing I can’t wait for is to see him back at the gym. I’m just glad I was there to help.”
DC Edgar also reiterated the importance of first aid training.
He said: “If anyone can attend a course they should. It is good for people to know what to do. You never know when you might need it. It shocked me but you just go into autopilot doing it.”
Mrs Hall said: “If Lewis had been at home I don’t know if I would have known what to do. You just don’t know when you might need first aid training.”
Lewis returned to college in Penrith on Monday (January 23) and is keen to get back to the gym as well as completing a first aid training course himself.
Mrs Hall said: “Doctors said he can do everything he did before. He just has to take it easy and build it up. Without there being someone there knowing what to do, this could have been a different story and we might not have had Lewis here.”
The family expressed their thanks to everyone who helped Lewis on the day.
Mrs Hall added: “We would thank everyone including the GSK staff and the staff at the gym. We have had lots of messages of support, even from people who we don’t know. It has been very touching to know that people are supporting and thinking about you.”

Help spark this summer's Castle Players production into life

PREPARATIONS have begun for this summer’s Castle Players outdoor Shakespeare production.
The group is to tackle Twelfth Night, with director Jill Cole promising a “quirky Victorian steampunk” flavour to the production.
To set the ball rolling, the Players have put a call out to anyone who would like to be involved in the production – either on stage or behind the scenes.
Ms Cole said: “We would really love to see some newcomers joining – whether it’s to read for a part, to join our large non-speaking crowd on stage and be part of the action, or whether you’d be interested in helping out behind the scenes.”
She added that no previous experience was necessary and anyone aged 16 or under would need to be accompanied by an adult.
The company is particularly looking for a volunteer electrician to help out. Ms Cole explained: “When we perform the show in July, we rely on power from a generator for all of our lighting and sound in the open air setting.
“Although there are people who like to operate the lights and sound and who can set up all the equipment, we really need a qualified electrician on site during every performance just in case things go wrong.
“Unfortunately our budget is extremely tight – we are totally reliant on ticket sales to cover all of our costs – so it is difficult to be able to afford the sorts of fees that a professional would demand, just to be on call.
“Ideally we’d love it to be someone who is a member of the group, or someone who wouldn’t mind supporting us in that way.”
The first meeting for Twelfth Night will take place in St Mary’s Parish Hall, Barnard Castle, tonight (Monday, January 30), at 7.30pm, when there will be the opportunity to meet existing members of the group, find out more about the production and sign up to be involved.
Production dates are July 4-8 and rehearsals will take place regularly from February to June in Barnard Castle.
For more information call Jill Cole on 07802 603008 or visit www.castleplayers.co.uk

Bird flu fears after poultry keepers flout precautions

TEESDALE is at risk of a bird flu outbreak because people are not following advice from England’s chief veterinary officer, a county councillor has warned.
An Avian Influenza Prevention Zone was implemented on December 6 and requires that poultry must be kept indoors or take steps to prevent them mixing with wild birds.
The prevention zone is in force until February 28.
However, free range chickens and ducks have been spotted feeding with wild birds throughout the Gaunless Valley, sparking concern from Evenwood county councillor Heather Smith.
She said: “Yesterday alone I saw free range hens and ducks in Ramshaw, Evenwood, Cockfield, Woodland and Butterknowle.
“On two occasions I saw wild birds mixing with the poultry and eating their food, so there is a substantial risk that avian flu could arrive in Teesdale.”
She added that an outbreak would result in the flock being culled and a surveillance zone put in place in the 10km radius of the outbreak.
Cllr Smith said: “The disease has reached the UK. Wild birds which have died from the H5N8 strain have been found at various locations in England, Scotland and Wales, and there have been outbreaks in poultry flocks in Lincolnshire, Wales and recently at Settle, in North Yorkshire.
“In my travels around the area I am surprised to see that many poultry keepers are not complying with the advice from Defra and the chief vet, and their birds are running around as usual.”
A spokesperson for Defra said chief veterinary officer, Nigel Gibbens, has warned several times of the importance of following the order.
He said: “Keepers found to be non-compliant may be reminded of their responsibilities in relation to housing or separating their birds from wild birds by the local authorities.
“With those keepers who continue to choose to not comply, local authorities may exercise their full legal powers, which may result in an unlimited fine and/or imprisonment for no more than six months.”
Mr Gibbens said that the prevention zone means that anyone who keeps poultry such as chickens, ducks and geese, even as pets, must take action to stop them coming into contact with wild birds to protect them from avian flu.
“Birds should be moved to a suitable building or sensible precautions like putting up netting to create a temporary enclosure should be taken. Food and water should be kept inside to prevent contamination by wild birds, he said.
He added: “Even when birds are kept indoors a risk of infection remains so keepers must also practice good biosecurity, for example by disinfecting footwear and equipment, and washing clothing after contact with birds.”

Dementia friendly cafe opens in Barnard Castle

A WARM welcome in a safe environment awaits visitors to a new dementia friendly cafe in Barnard Castle.
The get-together takes place at No 8 The Bank between 2pm and 3pm fortnightly on Fridays.
It has been organised by the Alzheimer’s Society and cafe manager Sarah Howe, who said she thought it was a fantastic idea.
Nicky Tulloch, dementia advisor for the Alzheimer’s Society, said Ms Howe and all her staff had undergone training to become dementia friends to give them a better understanding of how people living with the condition may behave and the issues they are dealing with.
The cafe runs on alternate Fridays to the Singing for the Brain sessions, which the Alzheimer’s Society holds at the Methodist church hall, and emphasises Barnard Castle’s place as one of the Dementia Action Alliance’s Dementia Friendly Communities. Ms Tulloch urged those living with dementia and their carers to pop along to the cafe.
“Don’t be scared to come through the door – making the first step is always the hardest,” she said.
“Just come along and try it. Everyone is very friendly and I will always be here to offer any kind of advice and information.”
The next dementia cafe get-together will be on Friday, February 3.
For more information, contact Ms Tulloch on 07484 040630.

Botanists' historic dale trek of discovery retold in new book

Teesdale’s significance in the early history of botany has been unveiled in a new book Reporter Alex Metcalfe found out more by speaking to one of the district’s experts

WHEN artist Janet Leyland found copperplate writings in her late husband’s ancient family home detailing a journey of five trailblazing botanists, it set her own her own adventure.
The 85-year-old, from Wensleydale, carefully compiled and integrated the works of Silvanus Thompson, who joined four others in a walk from Crook to Settle in the 1840s.
Along the way, the quintet recorded all manner of flora and fauna in the dale on Widdybank Fell, Cronkley Fell, High Force and a host of other upper dale landmarks.
Dr Margaret Bradshaw is something of an oracle when it comes to wildlife across the upper dale.
The 90-year-old told me Mrs Leyland’s book offered remarkable insight.
“This is marvellous – they wrote down all their journeys, how much they cost and I was reading one out to a botany group the other night,” she said.
“They list all the plants on the way and just looking at this list written out – you can pick things out.”
The rare plants of Teesdale were beginning to be discovered and recorded at the end of the 18th century.
Dr Bradshaw said the Backhouse family, two of whom were in the party of five, were particularly notable.
“They were the family that gave rise to Barclays Bank,” she said.
“They were involved in lots of business branches in the family. One of the Backhouses was not well – he was sent to work. You did not get medicines back then and botanists made medicines.
“A person would go as far as Middleton to find their own plants and herbs.”
The Backhouse empire was built on the back of railways, banking and horticulture – they joined Mr Thompson, John Tatham, from Settle, and George Stacey Gibson, from Saffron Walden on the excursion. But the party was not the first to have taken on journeys of discovery up the dale.
“There was quite a lot of discovery in the first part of the 19th century,” Dr Bradshaw explained.
“In Victorian times, all things natural were important to everyone. There was a big build up of Quakers interested in these places.
“The Quakers were prevented from going into professions so they did lots of other things.”
In the summer of 1844 the five set off by train from Darlington to Bishop Auckland before a coach to Crook took them to their starting line.
In the days before the combustion engine, walking long distances was much more common.
The Mercury archives are full of tales of stallholders walking from Middleton to Barnard Castle to ply their wares.
At the height of the “age of discovery”, the five botanists were very much part of this walking school.
Dr Bradshaw added: “Teesdale was a great magnet because people had got to know it was an interesting place to look for plants.
“Walking from Crook to High Force in one day is about 25 to 30 miles – it was nothing to them.
“I know the two Backhouses were staying at High Force and went onto Cronkley Fell via White Force, making a couple of very important discoveries.
“Then they thought it was a nice fine day with time in hand so they went up the Mickle Fell and around the top. Mind you, I do know modern botanists who’d do that.”
Dr Bradshaw is a fan of Ms Leyland’s work and recalled another of her books on Wensleydale’s wild flowers.
“I have been in touch with her. The botanic world is quite small in many respects,” said Dr Bradshaw.
“She does her own illustrations and beautiful flowers. Her drawings are so life like.”
Ms Leyland was born in Leeds and moved up to the Northern reaches of the white rose county in the 1970s.
After opening her own gallery in Bainbridge, she moved to Askrigg with her second husband, Peter Leyland, in 1982. 
Accounts of the 172-year-old journey were stored away in the attic of their old home for decades before they were rediscovered.
Ms Leyland said: “It’s years since it got put away. We were talking about sending it to a museum but then we moved house and it got forgotten.
“There was a small book by about the rock garden at Aysgarth built by the Backhouse family and in this account the two Backhouses are introduced.
“I thought the name rang a bell and there it was.”
Among the illustrations and copperplate listings are names of all the plants seen and recorded on their epic trail.
Dr Bradshaw lights up at the mentions of roseroot at High Cup Nick, giant bellflower and horseshoe vetch in the book’s lists.
Increased access and landscape shift have led to some of these species becoming ever more elusive.
Dr Bradshaw tells me how some species were completely lost to the upper dale from the plants being picked.
She added: “Fortunately, we do not get botanists doing that nowadays but unfortunately there are not that many people interested in this kind of botany.
“If there aren’t these people, we’re going to lose these plants.”
Landscape pressures from tourists have also led Dr Bradshaw to worry.
“The situation near Low Force drives me to despair,” she added. “A large number of people are wearing out the vegetation. You cannot go pouring tourists into certain areas because you destroy what they are coming to see.”
To order An 1844 Pennine Way from Tees to Ribble, forms can be obtained from The Teesdale Mercury on request, or send a form with payment £12 with £2.50 postage and packaging to Janet Leyland, Unicorn House, Bainbridge, Leyburn, DL8 3EH.

Can you lend a hand at Barnard Castle's Hub community centre?

The Hub's transformation into a community centre is leading to it becoming more popular, but that’s a double edged sword, as the deputy manager explains

Teesdale Community Resources is a charity that is well established in Barnard Castle, running for the past 30-plus years.
We have, for the last six years, been fortunate enough to run the amazing building that is The Hub, a state-of-the art-community facility on the outskirts of the town, and for the past 18 months, I have held the post of deputy centre manager.
The building itself is set in the most beautiful grounds – landscaped areas surround the lake, which then looks on to the wildlife area and pond at the bottom of the site. As well as this, we have formal flower beds, fruit trees, a picnic area, camping grounds and walking routes throughout. We are incredibly lucky to work in such a wonderful environment and it brings joy to both staff and customers.
As I’m sure you can imagine, the grounds are not beautiful by chance, but  are the handiwork of a dedicated volunteer. 
Graham Moore has supported The Hub for four years, practically on a daily basis, by tending to the grounds and ensuring the site is kept to an impeccable standard. His hard work and dedication mean that the staff team are free to focus on other areas of the charity, while knowing that the upkeep of the site is in safe hands. As the centre goes from strength-to-strength and we see our visitor numbers grow, the site not only needs to be kept to the same high standard, but the task becomes harder because more footfall means more wear and tear.  Now is the time for the work to be done, creating a solid foundation for the coming years’ upkeep and maintenance, and Graham is already on site daily, tackling the initial jobs of the year ready for the spring.
What I now ask is whether you think you could help Graham with this huge but extremely rewarding task?
As the saying goes “many hands make light work” and as deputy manager, being responsible for volunteers at The Hub, I would love to be able to offer Graham some support with the ground works through other local volunteers.
Our building sits in such beautiful grounds and every inch is of importance to not just the team but also to the many members of our community that join us here. 
By contributing to the work needed. you would be ensuring this vital resource remains accessible to the local community, really giving something back to your neighbours and friends.
Volunteering at The Hub is a really rewarding experience – all volunteers are considered part of our team and are a priceless resource, working alongside our staff team to provide exceptional services and opportunities to the community of Teesdale. 
If you think you could lend a hand, whether just for an hour or a day, regular or not, I would love to hear from you.  
Please contact me on 01833 690150 or email laura.tcrhub@gmail.com to talk about what you can offer and what a difference you can make in your community.
Laura Carrick
Deputy manager, Teesdale Community Resources

Stainmore rail enthusiasts save lost steam heritage

RAIL enthusiasts have secured a rare artefact for their heritage project.
Last month saw a long-held dream fulfilled for the volunteer preservation group at Stainmore Railway Company with delivery to Kirkby Stephen East station of an original steam locomotive turntable. It had been buried for many years beside the East Coast Main Line at Darlington station.
Volunteers heard about the turntable from Dave Husband of 76084 Locomotive Company Ltd, owners of a steam locomotive recently restored to working order. Working closely with a team from Network Rail led by Bob Colley, volunteers from Stainmore worked behind the scenes for many months to get ready to take heavy lifting gear onto the side of the mainline at Darlington station.
Meticulous planning was needed to extract the 50ft metal turntable deck from within yards of tracks with 25,000 volt overhead wires.
The turntable was smoothly lifted from its well by Bray Cranes and loaded onto specialist transport provided by Reed Freight for its journey from Darlington across the A66 to Kirkby Stephen East station.
It was taken to a temporary home at the side of the main station car park, where restoration work will be carried out to make it ready for installation in a new well so that it can be brought into use again.
David Rayner, from Stainmore Railway Company, said: “We are committed to placing this where the visiting public will have a good view and can enjoy watching it operate.
“The turntable is a great find because it comes from part of the same railway system which operated trains from Darlington to Kirkby Stephen until the line closed in 1962, and is of the same design as the original turntable at Kirkby Stephen East’s Locomotive Depot. Development after the railway closed resulted in demolition of the original loco shed, with industrial units and an access road built over its site.
“We send our sincere thanks to everyone who made this remarkable recovery possible.”
The turntable will become another key feature in the recreation of North Eastern Railway-style operations the organisation has been working towards since 1997.
Current projects include construction of a 300ft running and restoration shed, building a new water tower and crane for filling steam locos with water, and an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund for funding to restore a Victorian steam loco.
Kirkby Stephen East station is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the year, weather permitting, from 10am to 4pm. Entry is free.

Preparations begin for two historic charity balls

AN annual farmers’ ball, which raises money for good causes, is gearing up for its 85th consecutive year.
Nothing has ever got in the way of Gilling West Farmers’ Ball – even through the foot and mouth disease outbreak and during the Second World War farmers partied at the event, which started out as an end of harvest celebration dance.
Held in the village hall in its early days, the man behind the event was William Willis, who together with other farmers’ sons, decided to organise the dance.
This year’s ball will be held on Friday, May 5, at The Morritt Hotel – as it has been for the past 20 years.
Mr Willis’ granddaughter, Ali Wallace, has been a member of the organising committee for 20 years. She said: “This is actually a special year for us. I don’t know any other event like this which has been ongoing annually for so long.”
Tickets will be sold in tables of ten and cost £40 each. This includes a three-course meal, disco, raffle and a surprise element of entertainment.
“All money raised will be donated to the Great North Air Ambulance Service and Macmillan Cancer Support.
Ms Wallace said: “Not only have we had close family members within the Willis family and friends pass away from cancer in and around Gilling West, we have also been grateful for the GNAAS because many of our guests and committee members pursue dangerous hobbies such as horse riding and trial biking, as well as working on farms and in remote areas, where they have unfortunately needed this vital
service. We’re hoping people will come along to support these two very worthy causes and have some fabulous food and entertainment in the meantime.”
The event will run from 7.30pm until 1am. To buy tickets contact Ms Wallace on 07801 953778.

Farmers in Rokeby are preparing for their annual charity ball.
Preparations are well underway for the 71st Rokeby Farmers’ Ball which is being held at The Morritt Hotel, at Greta Bridge, on Saturday February 4, from 6.30pm.
The late Peter Watson started the event in 1946 with the support of other farmers in the Rokeby area. It was a way of providing the community with entertainment and to also mark the end of the war.
Mr Watson’s son, Andrew, one of the members of the organising committee, helps to keep the tradition alive today. Tickets cost £40 and will include a three-course meal and music by The Fallen.
Last year, more than 200 people attended and helped to raise £4,000 for the Teenage Cancer Trust. This year, all profits will be donated to St Teresa’s Hospice in Darlington.
Simon Hare, who is a member of the organising committee said: “We wanted to support a local cause so we have chosen the hospice in Darlington. Everything is going okay and tickets are selling well but there are still some left.”
Contact Mr Hare on 07833 525281 or email rokebyfarmersball@hotmail.co.uk.

Evenwood CC looks to India for overseas pro

EVENWOOD CC are on the look-out for a new club pro for the coming season.
Last year, the club welcomed 23-year-old Indian prospect Mairaj Khan who performed well for the team and they are again looking to the sub continent to recruit an overseas player.
Assistant secretary for the club, Luke Bannister, said: “He came as a bowler but he was second highest run scorer in the league.
“He was also a very good slip fielder. Unfortunately, he is doing his masters degree so he can't come back this year. We were hoping to have him for two or three years.”
The club is looking for accommodation for their pro for the new season.
Any new pro the club recruits will have to find a place stay between April and September. Mr Banniser said: “We are hoping someone may have a place or a spare room to rent in Evenwood or the surrounding villages.”
Anyone who can help can contact Mr Bannister on 07522 456640.
Meanwhile, the club is looking for new youngsters to sign up for their very successful junior teams.
The club wants young people between the ages of six and 15 to join because many of their young cricketers have moved up with age.
Mr Bannister said: “We had a good under 11s team but they have got older so we need some more.”
 Any young people from Evenwood or the surrounding villages keen to get involved in the sport can contact Mr Bannister.

Barnard Castle bonfire organiser blames red tape for £1,500 loss of revenue

AN organiser of Barnard Castle’s annual bonfire and fireworks display has blamed county council red tape for a £1,500 loss at last year’s event.
The bonfire was switched at the last minute from the traveller site, at Shaw Bank, to Streatlam Farm.
Thom Robinson, a member of the organising committee, said Durham County Council’s insistence on a geo-technical survey and ground appraisal to ensure Shaw Bank was suitable for vehicles and a funfair was partly to blame.
He said he had asked to use council data but claims this request was declined.
A follow-up freedom of information request showed the council had never undertaken its own ground survey.
Mr Robinson claims asking for the survey was “clearly a ruse” to stop the bonfire taking place at the traveller site.
He said switching the bonfire added £600 to the cost of staging the event, and although about 1,500 people went along, he claimed others did not because of the move.
“The loss on sales can’t be quantified, but we know we have had bigger crowds in the past,” he said.
The bonfire is staged to raise money for the Barnard Castle Meet activities at Whit weekend.
“The whole idea is that the bonfire is a good revenue maker for Whit weekend. That has now taken a hit.
“We lost £1,500 on the bonfire and all of that is due to the extra costs,” Mr Robinson said.
“If we were down on the Demesnes, our overheads would be relatively tiny.”
Stuart Timmiss, Durham County Council's head of planning and assets, said: “Health and safety and the welfare of the public are key considerations of any bonfire or any other event held on land we own.
“We require anyone seeking our permission to host an event on our land to provide us with documents including a risk assessment and evidence of public liability insurance to satisfy us that the safety of those attending would not be compromised.
“Following an approach to the county's Safety Advisory Group, Mr Robinson applied to us for a Licence to Occupy this site a month before his intended date.
“On receiving the application and throughout our regular correspondence with him, we made it very clear which documents he would have to provide.
“However, despite several reminders, none of the documents were ever provided and the lack of time meant, regrettably, a satisfactory outcome could not be achieved.
“We are more than happy to discuss these issues with Mr Robinson and actively encourage charities to host events on our land, but only where the necessary steps have been taken to ensure public safety.”

Police hunt 4x4 vandals who wreaked havoc on Teesdale farms

MINDLESS vandals have inflicted “horrendous” damage on a number of Teesdale farms.
The owner of a 4x4 is believed to have gouged out the tracks on Raby Estates land between Staindrop and Gainford by doing doughnuts and other vehicle stunts.
Two wheat fields near East Selaby and North Lodge were also marked, as well as land in front of Selaby Hall between 1pm and 1.30pm last Tuesday (January 17).
PC Dave Williamson said the damage was horrendous.
He added: “To go into somebody’s land and do this is mindless and appalling. It’s especially bad because it’s popular with dog walkers. It just destroys it for everybody.
“We’re appealing for witnesses and anyone who saw a 4x4 driving in that area to get in touch. We’re sure someone must have seen something.”
One farm resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said she was shocked to come home to the damage after less than an hour away.
She added: “I wish they would get stuck – it’s irritating because it just makes such a mess.
“When you have got a newly sown field these people want to come and make a mark on it. They have no regard for the fact that it’s someone’s livelihood. They just want to see how far they can push their cars.”
Police teams combed the scene last week taking samples from the tracks.
The disgruntled resident believed more gates would remedy the problem.
She added: “I have gates at the bottom of the road but I don’t always lock them.
“When the gamekeeper lived in the bottom cottage (near the A67) the gates used to be locked at night to stop joyriders coming through.”
Farmer Brian Lee revealed the joyriders had struck before. Mr Lee said: “It’s happened here before, from here to Darlington – what I have to say about them couldn’t be printed.”
A spokesperson for Raby Estates declined to comment while investigations are ongoing.
Call police on 101 if you have information to offer.

New information board points the way to Barnard Castle's past

A PROJECT to replace a dilapidated interpretation board has prompted new thinking on Roman history in Barnard Castle.
It had long been thought that the Romans used a ford to cross the River Tees below the castle walls following the discovery of an ancient road during the construction of a gas holder in the early 1800s.
These views were inscribed on an interpretation board at the site of the old gasworks.
When the board was no longer fit for purpose, the town council decided to commission a new one with help from heritage interpreter Neil Diment, county archaeologist David Mason, gasworks engineer and amateur historian Charles Lillie, and archaeological consultant Caroline Hardie to update the information on the board.
Cllr Roger Peat, who unveiled the board last week, said: “The research has shed much light on the history of the site, notably the Roman crossing point across the River Tees, which was previously thought to be a ford.
“As the panel shows, this is more likely to have been a bridge.” Mr Lillie added: “I am convinced it was a bridge. Because of the state of the winter, they wouldn’t have relied on a ford.”
The site now also has a new name – Roman way.

Town council presses on with take-over of Barnard Castle beauty spots

TOWN councillors are pressing ahead with plans to take over a number of Barnard Castle’s green areas after a broadly positive response from residents.
Two consultation events were organised by the town council, which is seeking the transfer of areas such as the Demesnes, Scar Top, Galgate Greens, the grassed areas on Bridgegate and Amen Corner from Durham County Council. In all, 29 responses were received and while there was unanimity in the importance of the areas to the town, not everyone was in favour of the town council levying extra tax to pay for their upkeep, pointing out that residents would be charged extra for something already paid for through their council tax.
Asked how they would like to see the green areas managed, should the town council take over, ideas included staging more public events, strict adherence to the removal of vehicles, more dog mess bins, better litter picking and improved planting and flower beds.
The town council was planning to add £4,400 to its budget for 2017/18 to cover the extra cost of maintaining the green areas.
However, members of the resources committee, which met last week, suggested this amount would not be needed given the slow speed at which Durham County Council worked.
Cllr Sandra Moorhouse said: “Knowing the speed at which Durham County Council works, would you think that it will actually be a full year that we will have these greens under town control? Would we actually need £4,400?”
Town mayor Cllr John Blissett agreed adding that describing the speed at which Durham County Council worked as “snail’s pace” might be over-estimating things.
He said if the transfer was completed in a more timely fashion than expected, the town council could always dip into its reserves.
Cllr Moorhouse also suggested the transfer of green areas was more likely to happen piecemeal rather than all in one go. Asked whether any agreements had been drawn up to date, town clerk Michael King told members: “All I have seen so far is a draft of one lease – and that’s not the Demesnes. That is the largest area and most complex.”
He said there was “a less than 50 per cent chance” of agreements on any of the areas being drawn up for the full 12 months of the next financial year. The committee agreed to go ahead with the transfer of green areas but that the proposed additional £4,400 earmarked for their maintenance be cut by half.

Musician flies in for Cream Tees benefit concert

AN American musician is using her annual visit to Teesdale to help support a local youth music group.
Katherine Rhoda, from Maine, New England’s most northerly state, will perform at Boldron Village Hall on Saturday, January 28, to help raise funds for folk group Cream Tees.
The group was formed as part of the Music at the Heart of Teesdale (M@HoT) scheme, which in turn was set up under the lottery-funded Heart of Teesdale Landscape Partnership.
With the partnership now finished, Cream Tees must become self-sustaining in order to carry on.
M@HoT project co-ordinator Neil Diment said Ms Rhoda had come across Cream Tees thanks to her husband’s Cumbrian roots.
“She visits Teesdale every year. She and her husband, David Wallace-Lawrence, have become fans of the Music at the Heart of Teesdale project and Cream Tees.
“Katherine will play a charity concert with a suggested donation of £5 and all proceeds to benefit the young musicians’ group.”
Opening the show will be Cream Tees musicians Rachel and Fiona Todd.
Mr Diment added: “Katherine collects and plays vintage fretless zithers. The early 1900s saw a flood of musical inventions, some ridiculous, some sublime, all marketed in the US, Europe, and Australia, as the ultimate in DIY music making.
“At Boldron, Katherine will sing and play a number of fretless zithers – including Marxophone, pianolin, harpeleik, and Faudel's Harp Zither – as well as accordion and santur (a Middle Eastern type of hammered dulcimer), sharing a blend of originals, traditional material, and off-the-beaten-path cover versions,” he added.
The show starts at 8pm. Seating is limited and those wishing to go along can reserve their place by emailing dwl@shineitallaround.com.
Ms Rhoda’s second CD, Joyful Confluence, released in the US in August 2016, is now available.
For more information about her music, visit katherinerhoda.com.

Recital will kickstart concert series for piano fund

IT’S not every day you can listen to a piano recital by three members of one family.
But on Saturday, January 28, concert pianists Murray McLachlan and his wife Kathryn Page, with one of their sons, Callum, an outstanding student at Chethams specialist music school in Manchester,  will be performing at the first in a series of concerts aiming to help raise funds for a replacement baby grand for The Witham.
In their programme they will be playing Ravel’s Mother Goose suite and a sonata by Poulenc, plus transcriptions by Murray which will include the slow movement of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto no 1, the finale of Mozart’s Piano Concerto no 19 in F, and works by Grainger and Stevenson.
The performance takes place in Barnard Castle Methodist Church.
The show starts at 7.30pm and admission is £10 on the door with a special concession of £2 for under-18s.
Tea and coffee is included in the price.

Silver swan ready for 'worldwide spotlight'

THE last time The Bowes Museum’s silver swan was taken apart in 2008, the job took three months.
However, the expert tasked with the epic undertaking this week has just three days.
Matthew Read began dismantling the swan on Monday, before the mechanical marvel is moved to London.
In total, the team has just ten days to pick it apart, drive it down the A1 motorway and get it up and running again in time for the launch of the Science Museum show Robots.
The North East icon is leaving The Bowes Museum for the first time. The extraordinary artefact will be the prime exhibit at the London exhibition and thousands of people are expected to watch in wonder at the swan’s 40-second performance.
But first is the exceedingly intricate job of taking part the swan, which dates from 1773 and has 700 parts. At the time of its creation, the swan was one of many automatons that were shipped to the Far East but it is now the sole surviving example of its kind.
Mr Read, a programme leader in the conservation of clocks at West Dean College in Sussex, said: “I don’t normally get emotionally involved with projects but because of what the swan means and greatteam at the museum, it’s a very emotional journey.
“For the people of Barnard Castle and the surrounding area, taking the swan away will be an anxious time. But I’m sure they are also proud.
“It’s going to get the international recognition that it has always deserved and it will be in the world’s media spotlight.
“For the first six weeks, it’s going to be the prime exhibit of the exhibition. There are going to be huge crowds.”
The swan was bought in 1872 by the museum founders, John and Joséphine Bowes, who paid 5,000 francs for it.
They had earlier seen it at the Paris Exhibition of 1867, where it was also viewed by American author Mark Twain, who later described it in his novel The Innocents Abroad. It’s now probably the best-known and best-loved object at the museum.
The life-size clockwork automaton imitates the behaviour of a real swan. Clockwork motors control the music, the glass rods and the head, neck and fish movements.
When the swan is wound up, it twists back and forth and then dips down to catch a fish. Mr Read took apart the swan in 2008 in full view of the public to help conserve it – a job that will stand him in good stead.
He said: “Any one of the 700 parts can come loose or break, particularly the glass. It’s incredibly fragile. We need to see what parts are mostly likely to be damaged so we can mitigate against that.”
Some parts will be removed in “sub-units” while others, such as the 141 twisted glass rods that act as the river, will be photographed and packaged individually. The swan’s neck will be removed in its entirety.
“It’s is the first time this is being done really. Even though it’s going in a special conservation lorry, it’s still driving down a bumpy motorway. It’s a privilege to be involved,” said Mr Read, who will be helped by a student expert. It is believed the swan was not originally sent to the Far East because of trade difficulties. Mr Read said: “At the time, there was a relatively big industry in making these in London.
“If someone wanted to commission another, it’s about 15 years of work. It was vastly expensive when it was made and it’s incredible that the swan holds the position of being the best example that there is.”
The Robots exhibition is being touted as “an unparalleled opportunity to see this extraordinary artefact for those who cannot easily get to Barnard Castle, Durham”.
However, the metal bird will be flying the nest once again so it can return to its home in Barnard Castle for Easter.

Teesdale gig kickstarts a busy year for folk-rock band Phantom Voices

A FOLK-rock band who have just released their first album are planning to spend 2017 spreading the word – starting with a gig in Teesdale.
Phantom Voices’ eponymous debut hit the shelves at the end of October last year and tracks will feature heavily in the set at Mickleton Live on Saturday, January 28.
The six-piece can call on good support in their native Blackpool and surrounding areas, but guitarist, mandolin player and vocalist Mike Rolland said the priority was to play further afield.
“We have got some good gigs coming up this year, including a week-long folk festival in Portugal and we are hoping to fill up the diary with more festival dates,” he said.
In addition to Mike, Phantom Voices consists of singer guitarist Daz Rice – who flirted with success in the 1990s with the rock band band Kiss of the Gypsy – Jim Shea on bass, Mark Mitchell on drums, the group’s sole female member Jo Byrne on guitar and vocals and the most recent addition, fiddle player Richard Curran.
All are experienced musicians in their own right who came together as Phantom Voices about two years ago.
Jo said: “The album has taken us as long as the band has been together. It is the evolution of things we have done before.
“Bringing in Richard on fiddle and Jim on bass is what we want the band to be.”
Having recorded the album in Preston, she said the band plans to head into the studio again this year in between gigs. She describes the band as semi-pro.
“It’s a bit of a mixture. Richard is a professional musician who does a lot of session work while Daz owns a guitar shop. The rest of us do what we need to do and make sure there is enough time to spend on the music and money to fund it.”
She promises a lively night when the band takes to the stage in Mickleton.
“We’ve been described as raucous.
“We have all spent many years performing live in different bands and that shows when we perform.
“We make it a show, we make it fun with lots of energy. It’s about making sure everyone who is there is having a good time.”
The support spot at Mickleton will be filled by the ever popular Barnard Castle trio Los Capitanes.
Tickets are £12 in advance or £14 on the door.
For more details go to mickletonlive.uk or contact Sue Brown on 01833 640854 or email tickets@ mickletonlive.uk

Sheep showering serves Lewis well

MANY readers will have met Richard and Beverley Ward when they visited Cragg Top, a former AHDB Beef and Lamb monitor farm.
But they may not have come across their son, Lewis.
The self-employed agricultural worker spends much of his time working on other units in the region and has recently launched a mobile sheep showering service, based at the family’s hill farm at Langleydale.
The sheep shower system uses revolving jets of liquid insecticide, which are sprayed upwards from the base of the tub and then switched to an overhead position, to achieve full coverage.
“Dad bought a sheep showering system ten years ago, mainly to use at home, but also to generate income by taking it on to other farms,” says Lewis, 22. “I got involved in the work and as customer numbers increased, I took over and decided that I needed a more modern set-up.
“Many clients prefer to shower their sheep to guard against lice and blow flies, as it potentially offers better protection and can work out cheaper compared with pour-on solutions. The work is flexible enough to fit in with my other commitments – the main season starts in June and peaks during August and October.
“Last year, I handled more than 7,000 sheep through the shower and this year I expect the figure to be even higher. The price depends on how many sheep are booked in, but it is usually in the range of 70-75p per head.”
Another recent purchase is a mechanical stone picker.
“I couldn’t find anyone with a stone picker, so I’m hoping to attract some extra work this way. It will lift anything from small stones up to stones around the size of a 20-litre drum out of ploughed fields. I will then tip them into a dumper trailer and lead them away,”
Lewis was chosen to take part in the Farmer of the Future scheme, a 12-month Utass initiative.
It helped him to find placements on two local farms, one of which continues to employ him on a part-time basis. He also received training on subjects, including spraying, tractor and trailer driving, pest control and chainsaw operation. In addition, Lewis studied under the agricultural apprentice scheme run by Askham Bryan College, on the outskirts of York.
“Farming is highly regulated nowadays and certificates are required for many of the jobs that I am asked to do. The training I received from Utass was very helpful and I’m grateful for it. I also learned a lot on the placement farms.”
The organisation of his work schedule must be a significant task in itself and it is hard to see how he can possibly fit it all in.
His main employer is the dairy and arable farm at Ingleton, where he worked on his Utass placement.
There is always plenty to do on the unit – feeding up when the cows are inside in the winter and during harvest.
He also works on a hill farm similar to his own and sorts pigs on two separate units, as well as helping out at home, where he works for an average one day a week.
He always takes “time off” to assist Richard at lambing time and even has his own flock, which includes 250 Lleyns, as well as half a dozen Kerry Hills – simply because he likes the appearance of the breed.
Lewis has invested heavily in the sheep showering business and hopes that it will be a success. It seems certain that it will not fail due to lack of effort.
“I only had four days off last year and two of those days were taken up by visiting agricultural events. But that doesn’t bother me – there’s nothing else I particularly want to do,” he says.

Comedy club serves up perfect antidote to January blues

Barnard Castle comedy club Funny Way To Be welcomes a new show by Lucy Porter for its first event of the new year.
She will perform Consequences at The Witham, Barnard Castle, on Saturday, January 28.
Consequences sees the well established comic wondering how has she become one of those people she used to make fun of.
Described as a heart-felt and hilarious hour of personal revelation, political observation and reflection, the show received rave reviews at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe.
It is a relatively family friendly show and is suitable for anyone aged 14 and older.
Lucy Porter has been a huge hit with comedy audiences up and down the country for more than a decade.
She is also a regular face and voice on TV and radio panel shows, appearing on the likes of Pointless, Celebrity Mastermind Champion, QI, Mock the Week and Have I Got News for You.
On Radio 4, she has been heard on Life – An Idiot’s Guide, Heresy, The Personality Test, The News Quiz, Dilemma and The Unbelievable Truth, and is a regular guest on BBC 6Music on The Radcliffe & Maconie Show.
Funny Way To Be promoter Peter Dixon said: “We’re delighted that one of our all time favourite comedians, Lucy Porter, is coming to Barnard Castle next year.
“We’ve been to see each of Lucy’s shows at Edinburgh for many years, and we’re sure her cheerful, vibrant comedy is the perfect antidote to the January blues.”
Tickets are priced £14 and will be available online from funnywaytobe.com.

Vandalism fears halt plans for West Auckland play park makeover

NEW equipment won’t be installed at a village play area due the risk of vandalism.
Potential improvements were proposed near to Oakley Cross Primary School, in West Auckland when the parish council discused the idea in October. It was suggested that outdoor fitness equipment, which would appeal to older people, would be one way of increasing the appeal of the site to villagers.
Last week parish chairwoman Cllr Hazel Charlton said: “The county council has taken away the zip wire so all we have now is the area where the play equipment is for the younger children.
“There are a lot of fitness things going on at the moment and this is about getting some equipment outside that people could use to improve their health.”
However, having researched the type of equipment and due to recent vandalism in the village, the majority of councillors voted against the proposal. Cllr George Smith said: “Anything to do with health I think is a good idea but it is the amount of vandalism going on. I think it might be a bad idea and a waste of money to be honest.”
Cllr Billy Robinson said: “The equipment is really solid equipment. It is just a concern with the damage we have had to the Christmas tree. The fence was broken up last week. We had to take the lights off the day after.
“When I went through to Shildon to see their equipment, it is caged in to stop vandalism because obviously that is what is going to happen straight away.
“The other thing is health and safety. At the gym you have to be instructed.
“Who is going to show people how to use it? As much as I would like to see something, it is just not feasible.”
Alternatively, a suggestion was made about the possibility of creating a five-a-side football pitch on the site.
Cllr Lynn Rielly said: “We don’t have a five-a-side where the kids can just go out and play. I would rather us put lights up there so you can see.
“They get up to all sorts in the dark. Most people walk down the bypass or go to the gym. I don’t think they will bother with all that. It gives kids more things to pull to bits. We can’t give up because at the end of the day we will have nothing.”
Cllr Valerie Raine added: “If they had something to do they might not be vandalising.”
Cllr Charlton said: “The decision from the parish council is not to put any extra play equipment up.”
Councillors agreed to look into the idea of creating a new football pitch ahead of next month’s meeting.
Councillors will contact Durham County Council asking them to remove the zip wire posts which they say are now a hazard.

New chief executive appointed at Raby Estate

LORD Barnard has announced that Duncan Peake will take up the role of chief executive of Raby Estate starting in June 2017.
Mr Peake will join Raby having spent nearly ten years managing the Holker Group of Companies on behalf of Lord and Lady Cavendish, of the Holker Estate, in Cumbria.
The 57-year-old is a qualified chartered surveyor hailing from Blackburn, in Lancashire, originally studying estate management at the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester.
He has 30 years’ experience with a successful track record developing some of the UK’s foremost landed estate businesses. Mr Peake joined Holker as CEO in 2007 leading the senior management team to establish Holker as a key player in the south Cumbria local economy.
He has been instrumental in developing enterprises which include arable farming operations, estate agency and property development businesses and stone and aggregate quarrying.
He has also developed Holker Hall and Gardens, Holker Holiday Parks and Cartmel Racecourse with a strong focus on customer care and service.
Mr Peake currently sits on the boards of the Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership and Cumbria Tourism. Before joining Holker he managed the Castle Howard Estate near York for ten years.
He will be working closely with Lord Barnard to develop a business plan to move the Raby Estate forward onto a successful and sustainable business footing.
Mr Peake said he is “delighted to be joining Raby at such an important and exciting time in its history” and “will be looking forward to working closely with Lord and Lady Barnard to establish and safeguard the business for future generations.”
He added: “Raby has always been a key player in the local economy and I’m looking forward to working with team at Raby and building on the achievements of others who have gone before me.”
He joins Raby a time of change during what has been a transitional period since the death of the 11th Lord Barnard in April last year.
Lord Barnard said: “Duncan will be joining us at the beginning of June and is also planning time here between now and then to familiarise himself with Raby. He is hugely experienced in rural property as well as visitor attractions. I am very pleased that he will be joining us and I look forward to welcoming him here.”
The Raby Estate includes an extensive residential and commercial property portfolio, arable farming operation, forestry and timber products, a sporting game department with popular grouse shoot, as well as regionally important visitor attractions Raby Castle and High Force Waterfall as well as agricultural and forestry operations in Shropshire.

Exotic breed is a rare sight in Teesdale

Livestock in Teesdale is renowned for producing sought-after commodities.
The rural landscape is home to fine farming produce, such as meat, milk and cheese. But much less obvious is the limited edition garments in the making at the side of the A66.
Nestled off the main stretch near Boldron, Teesdale Alpacas are a rare sight to see and there is much more to the exotic creatures than meets the eye.
When Doug Steen and Samantha Whitehead first brought home their five “pet boys” nine years ago, little did they realise how their love for alpacas would evolve.
The couple have been running Teesdale Alpacas since 2008 and are now a recognised small breeder with a heard of 43. Mr Steen said: “We first saw them over near Penrith. We didn’t know anything about them really.
“We just met them and knew they were quite cute. We started reading about them and went to meet local breeders. You need at least three to start because they are a herd animal. We ended up with five pet boys from Butterknowle.”
Within a year, the couple began breeding the alpacas and now offer alpaca sales, welfare and advice, stud services and opportunities such as alpaca trekking.
Mr Steen said: “They have got their own characters. They are kind of like people – most of them are nice to know, some are super-friendly and others are a bit grumpy.”
However, from the youngest three-month-old cria Teesdale Quartz, to the eldest “pet boy” Teesdale Atacama who is now 15 years old, there is one thing they all have in common – their unique fibre. Mr Steen said: “Alpacas were bred for their fibre. That is their job. They are not primarily a meat animal.”
Bearing some of nature’s best fibre, Teesdale Alpacas’ coats are transformed into limited edition myAmelia garments such as scarves, throws, shawls and hats.
Mr Steen said: “The animals are sheared once a year. We might get two kilograms of fibre off an animal that we can use for things like that if we are lucky. There is always a certain amount of wastage. From the fleece to the spinning you could lose a third or half the weight. One-and-a-half kilograms in yarn would be enough for a couple of throws.”
The alpaca cloth is woven in the Scottish borders on looms dating back to the 1900s.
Barnard Castle-based tailoress Fiona Brookes, who runs Brookes Outfitters and Tailors, does a lot of the tailoring work. Headwear is made by traditional hat and cap maker Lawrence and Forster in Yorkshire.
Teesdale Alpacas won the Best Fibre to Product award at the 2015 British Alpaca Society National Show.
Mr Steen said: “The products are hard-wearing but soft and hypoallergenic. You need enough fibre to spin to get a certain shade. The shade will never be exactly the same again.
“We breed them on a match basis where we match a specific male to a specific female to improve the quality of the fibre including its density and fineness because that is what they are all about.
“At breeding we will look at a female and say she has got a lot of density but is not as fine as she could be. We will then look at a male with more fineness and hope the offspring will carry the male’s fineness through. The finer it is the softer the product is going to be. It should feel like cashmere. We also look at colours. Alpacas come in about 20 different recognised shades.”
Duvets and pillows, made up from the fibre of the older alpacas, can also be ordered.
Mr Steen said: “As the animals get older their fibre will coarsen up and get thicker. We send that away to be made into duvets and pillows. It has that extra bit if spring in it so it works well. We also keep all of the offcuts and make small products from those.”
Visit www.myamelia.co.uk or call 07976423258.

Lisa's diverse career path – from taxidermy to digital design

STUFFING lions and tigers isn’t considered the conventional career path into website design.
Then again, Lisa Johnstone isn’t your everyday parish councillor.
The Gainford mum-of-two has been through a number of ups and downs in the past couple of decades.
She hopes her new digital media firm, LJ Digital Media, will find its place firmly in the “ups” column.
Her village-based firm is only a few months old but she is confident she can strike up a good relationship with Teesdale’s older digital generations.
“I’ve started small by working at home – I spent my redundancy money on laptops because one of my big passions is to get old people online,” she says.
“In Gainford, there is a degree of social isolation and I think there is a wealth of technology out there that old people are scared of.
“They might have an iPad or a laptop but they are petrified to push the wrong button.
“I want to make it less scary – maybe they just want to email or share photos with family.”
Ms Johnstone spent 11 years at Staindrop Academy looking after “E-Learning” at the school, teaching lessons and overseeing its academy rebrand.
But her career was thrown a curve ball when she was made redundant late last year.
She says: “It was a massive shock to the system and my confidence was at an all time low.
“My mum is my number one fan and she said I could design websites so I pursued LJ Digital Media. One of the things I have learned is to be resilient and to keep going.
“I run in my spare time and when I’m on a tough run I tell myself what doesn’t kill me will make me stronger. It’s applicable to all areas of life so I just keep running.”
But where does taxidermy fit into all this?
Ms Johnstone says her relationship with the craft stretches back to the 1980s when she worked with her former partner, Adrian.
She adds: “We sold in the UK and abroad – we provided for collectors, museums and I built up contacts with a lot of schools.
“Teachers would ring up for foxes and pheasants in urban communities like Manchester, Sheffield and Pontefract.
“You can take it for granted here because some of the kids did not know what the animals were.”
Their specialist business was tightly regulated by the forerunner of DEFRA (Department for the Environment and Rural Affairs) and weathered what was then a strident animal rights lobby.
All manner of animals, insects and exotic creatures passed their gaze with Ms Johnstone often left with some bizarre tasks.
She says: “When tawny owls were being stuffed it was my job to paint their eyelids red.
“I did tarantulas and butterflies. I spent a lot of time cold calling schools – it was interesting introducing yourself as a taxidermist.
“I used to have to send big boxes with pheasants inside – it was my job to stitch the pheasant into the bottom of the boxes so it would arrive in one piece.
“We did a couple of tigers from zoos in this country – they were quite impressive.”
The pair split in 2002 but continued to live in the same house to bring up their children.
Ms Johnstone took on a job working late shifts at an Orange call centre, in Darlington, while Mr Johnstone kept the taxidermy business running. It meant Ms Johnstone got little to no sleep but the job was not without its perks.
“I worked at Orange until 2005 and I absolutely loved it – people are a bit snobby about call centres but it had a great atmosphere and I made some good friends,” she says.
“My first call I had was from a man who wasn’t very happy.
“As I moved up, I loved those calls that were ‘escalated’ – there’s a sick bunny in me that loves the idea of talking them down and getting them to see reason. It was one of my favourite parts of the job.”
With her career reaching another fork in the road, she is sure her new web business can provide help to the less tech-savvy.
She says: “I have got quite a lot of courses starting. I am passionate about getting older people online and every small business does need an online presence.
“Years ago we used to use to the Yellow Pages as the first port of call but the internet is cost effective and gives you a presence.
“The key thing is to keep it up to date.”
To find out more about Ms Johnstone’s new business, visit ljdigitalmedia.com

Teesdale sharp shooter Becky crowned champion of the North

A TEESDALE teenager is aiming to secure a spot in the England skeet team after becoming the North of England champion.
Clay pigeon shooter Becky Clarey, from Staindrop School, enjoyed a successful 2016, which saw her being crowned Durham County Colt Skeet Champion and Durham County Colt Sporting Champion.
The 15-year-old, from Evenwood Gate, also finished third in the Cleveland and North Yorkshire Sporting League before being selected for the North of England skeet team.
She said: “Then I shot in the British Open Skeet Championship where I won a bronze medal which led to me gaining sponsorship from Johnson Brown Field Sports and Marne Clay Shooting Club. In 2016 I finished third in the country for English Skeet under 16s.
“My ambition is to one day shoot as a junior in the England skeet team. This would allow me to compete against other European countries at a higher competition level.”
During the England Open Skeet Championship Becky took gold in the under-16 lady colt category and bronze in the colt category.

Teen meets the hero off-duty cop who helped save his life at Barnard Castle gym

This week’s Teesdale Mercury leads with the heart-warming story of a teenager who has met the off-duty police officer who helped save his life when he stopped breathing at a Barnard Castle gym.

Also making the news…

The Bowes Museum’s sliver swan flies the nest to make a splash in London.

Premises licence suspended following assault allegations.

Police hunt 4x4 vandals who damaged farm fields.

Red tape led to £1,500 loss for Barnard Castle’s bonfire night, claims one of the organisers.

GP surgery to open late at night and at weekends.

Fears about poultry keepers flouting bird flu precautions.

Police: We’d have struggled to have maintained neighbourhood police presence in Teesdale had it not been for the new 999 hub.

New regime planned for resurgent weekly market.

Concern over Ramshaw pub plan.

Interview with the new dale YMCA boss.

Probe into commercial drivers risking road safety near Middleton.

Hill farmers may be put out of business due to Brexit, says MP.

Plus three pages of letters, what’s on, community news, Remember When, and sport.

Rural Teesdale residents unite to campaign for better internet

LOCAL knowledge could see two upper dale communities included in the next rollout of superfast broadband.
Holwick was unlikely to have been included in Digital Durham’s latest broadband improvements because of the high cost involved while another planned line would stop just yards short of Newbiggin, leaving it too without the service.
People in Holwick complain of internet speeds of about one megabit per second.
However, a public meeting at the Strathmore Arms in the village on Thursday, January 12, came up with some innovative solutions that BT engineers may now consider.
BT’s regional partnerships director, Simon Roberson, initially thought he was bringing bad news to the community, explaining that putting in lines and ducting to the nearest fibre point might be too expensive.
He said: “I will be quite honest with you, given the economics of five or six kilometres of unducted route to get to 20 or 30 odd houses, I would be surprised if you did come up in that next phase.”
Currently a maximum of about £1,700 can be spent per household to connect areas to broadband under the Digital Durham scheme.
News that a fibre line due to be installed on the other side of the River Tees would provide broadband up to West Brokers Gill Farm but stop short of going into nearby Newbiggin was met with disbelief. Martin Rogers, who lives near the village, said: “Why on earth? If you are going that far, why aren’t you going the extra couple of yards to Newbiggin? Your lot would be better informed if they actually went and looked at places.”
Alli Walker, of Digital Durham, explained that the current rollout plans were mapped out by a central team and these were being reviewed by local teams.
She said: “It is a sanity check really. Obviously from the council’s point of view we want value for money from this and we want to make sure it is as accurate as possible and we want to pick up as many properties as we potentially can.”
Mr Roberson added: “For the number of properties you would pick up in Newbiggin it would absolutely make common sense to extend it, but at the moment, as it currently stands in the plan, that’s where it is going.”
It was suggested that BT consider connecting Holwick to the Newbiggin line via farm tracks and a footbridge across the river. This would be much closer and cost less than the current proposal.
Mr Roberson said a possible solution would be for people in Holwick to form a “community fibre partnership” which could ask BT to look into the cost of making the connection. People would have to top up the cost of the connection if it exceeds the Digital Durham subsidy.
Mr Roberson said: “That is why it is valuable to come to talk to you guys. When our models do this, they will look at public roads and where our copper cables run. They are not set up to look at the shortest geographic route. If we go down this community fibre partnership route, then we can force the engineers to look at that.”
County councillor Richard Bell added: “If we have to do this community partnership thing to get the ball rolling, then that is what we will do and hopefully make some progress one way or the other.”
Holwick parish meeting chairman Jeff Crossley agreed to be the contact between Digital Durham and the community partnership.

The force awakens at Green Lane School, Barnard Castle

PUPILS in Barnard Castle spent three days in Jedi training to mark the launch of their new school topic.
A Star Wars theme was chosen to help inspire this term’s learning at Green Lane Primary School.
Instead of their usual timetable, children at the school received a special visit from Obi-Wan Kenobi to launch their latest theme, “May the force be with us.”
They also received special training from a Sith Master and a Jedi Master.
Headteacher Paula Ford said: “We do a whole school topic every term so we try to think of different ways of launching them. We think of different themes that are accessible for all of the pupils.
“They can take it in lots of different directions. With this one, some children are going to learn about space exploration, others are going to do some creative writing and some are going to study all about extreme weather.
“Obi-Wan Kenobi launched the topic. The whole school had to build him a new spacecraft so it was a design and technology challenge.
“They have been doing Jedi training and using the force. They have also done some keep fit work with their lightsaber training.
“It has also been good for PSHE (Physical Social and Health Education) because being a Jedi is about following the right path and doing the right things.”
All of the school’s teaching staff wore Jedi robes while the pupils trained hard to earn their gowns. The Jedi school fun was rounded off with a school assembly. This was led by Sith Master David Cooper and Jedi Master Rob Temple of Histrionics, a Cheshire-based historical entertainment company.
Ms Ford said: “The atmosphere for all three days has been buzzing. We are all on a Star Wars high.
“It has been a fantastic start to the term. If you start off in a creative way the children almost don’t know they are learning.”

Children practise what school preaches with Christian values

A KINDHEARTED school has donated more than 40 gifts and presents to a Teesdale charity branch.
Pupils, parents and staff at Staindrop Primary School have collected an array of books, chocolates and cuddly toys for Barnard Castle Barnardo’s.
Jill Carnell, from the children’s charity, was overwhelmed when she saw the collection.
She said: “I think it’s absolutely fantastic – Barnardo’s is so thankful. It would be fantastic if other schools could do it as well.”
Deputy headteacher Janet Boyd said the haul played a part in the school’s spring term theme.
“We take a Christian value for each term and this time it’s generosity,” she said. “The children are reflecting on ways they can demonstrate this through their actions and words – it’s not just about the gifts, it’s about being generous with their time as well.”
Head boy Daniel Vickers added: “We think other people would love these as much as we did.”

'Bellyachers' urged to help tackle A68 speeding at Toft Hill

RESIDENTS who spent years “bellyaching” about speeding traffic through their village are being urged to get out and support efforts to tackle the problem.
A community speedwatch scheme was established in Toft Hill and Etherley last August with the support of the local parish council and police.
However, the initiative has attracted little support from residents, Etherley Parish Council was told.
Cllr Janet Balmer, who is speedwatch co-ordinator, said only two other people were involved – one of whom is fellow parish representative Stephen Hugill.
The future of the initiative was discussed at January’s meeting.
Cllr Balmer said: “It’s been down to just two of us doing it once a fortnight when we have been available.
“Considering the number of complaints about speeding, there are no volunteers coming forward.
“It’s not going to be sustainable. Three people can’t be the only ones to rely on.”
Chairman Cllr Paul Ryman added: “People have come to us for years bellyaching about speeding and now we are looking for volunteers no one is coming forward.”
Concerns were also raised that police were planning to withdraw their support for, and attendance at, speedwatch operations from this month, leaving the volunteers to run them on their own.
Cllr Ryman said: “The chief constable and local inspector gave a firm indication that volunteers would be supported until comfortable.”
Clerk Alison Overfield said an email from Sgt Adam Howell reassured members that police would continue to support the volunteers.
However, he cautioned against the parish council buying their own speed gun and matrix board until the scheme was “well established and likely to continue”.
Cllr Balmer said four speedwatch operations had been organised since the project was launched, the most recent of which had been carried out without police attendance because no officers were available.
She said that while she had been offered the use of a speed gun, she had opted not to use it, favouring the larger matrix board, which flashes up the speed of vehicles.
However, since the last operation, she said she had taken part in a trial with the speed gun.
“I had a go with the gun, and it’s easy to use once it is set up, but it is not easy to set up,” she said.
Having now used it, Cllr Balmer said she preferred the matrix board.
“The speed gun is very confrontational and has little effect for more than 15 minutes because cars are flashing each other as they are going through the village.”
She asked whether members thought the speedwatch group should be catching people speeding or educating them.
Cllr Gary Siddle said education was the way forward.
“The best way is to have the matrix,” replied Cllr Balmer.
The meeting was told another speedwatch operation involving the small band of volunteers and police was due to be held this week.
For more details about the speedwatch scheme, or to volunteer, contact clerk Alison Overfield by email etherley
pc@btinternet.com