Teesdale Mercury review of 2016 – part 1

January

IT was a very happy new year for Mo Dobbie, from Eggleston, who received a British Empire Medal in the honours list.
The 76-year-old was holidaying in New Zealand when she was tracked down by the Cabinet Office to tell her the good news. She received her honour in recognition of her voluntary work.
It was not such a joyous festive season in Middleton-in-Teesdale, which was affected by floods as the heavy rain continued to pour.
Residents in California Row were just coming to terms with damage caused by storm Desmond when Eva brought more devastation.
Term time at the village primary school began as usual despite the building being flooded during the festive break. The boiler room was inundated with 18 inches of water and one classroom was put out of use, with children moving to the school hall.
However, the floods in Teesdale were as nothing compared to those across the border in Cumbria – and local folk were quick to offer a helping hand.
An appeal to collect emergency supplies was set up in Staindrop by Abigail and Niall Cronin and his girlfriend Raphaela, while former Barnard Castle town councillor Tom Deacon drove to affected areas helping people shift furniture and pump out water using his generator.
Still on the subject of the weather, a major landslide on the B6277 near Bowlees cause much worry in the upper dale when Durham County Council announced plans to close the road and implement a 72-mile diversion during repairs.
In Barnard Castle, town councillors agreed a huge increase in their budget as they planned to take over services from cash-strapped Durham County Council.
The increase added an inflation-busting 8.08 per cent to the band D council tax precept.
The decision came as the Mercury revealed that the county council was raking in more than £1,850 a month in parking fines from Barnard Castle. In the 30 months since a new parking enforcement regime was introduced by the county council, 2,466 tickets had been issued in the car park adjacent to Morrisons and 525 in the Hole in the Wall car park, off Queen Street and Newgate, generating £55,575 between June 2013 and December 2015.

February

BUSINESSMAN John Moore told how a health scare had prompted him to put the award-winning Fryer Tucks fish and chip shop up for sale.
Mr Moore spent three weeks in hospital, undergoing three brain operations after a ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt implanted more than a decade previously became blocked, leaving him temporarily blind.
Still on a foody theme, the village butcher’s shop in Staindrop was reopened, much to the delight of residents.
After standing empty for seven months, the former Simpson’s Butcher’s shop was taken on by Simon Hill, of Copley, who started out with William Peat’s, in Barnard Castle, spent two years at Cross Lanes and then joined Simpson’s, in Cockfield.
Staindrop teenager Zoe Burgess’ charity efforts and willingness to share her experiences of living with cancer resulted in the 15-year-old being nominated for a Medal of Meritorious Conduct, one of three bravery awards made by the Scouts.
Zoe was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in 2010, undergoing two years of treatment.
She has since raised hundreds of pounds for Clic Sargent and given talks to Guides and other groups about how coping with cancer affected her.
The annual business awards highlighted how well enterprise in Teesdale is doing.
Best business was judged to be Stable Hearth, in Gainford, while best new business was Cafe Fresh, from Middleton-in-Teesdale, whose co-founder Phil Dawson received the young entrepreneur award.
Plans were also unveiled in February to convert a vacant motor showroom in Barnard Castle, which was home to the Nest art gallery, into a family pizzeria.
The scheme was drawn up by Thomas Magnay, who in 2015 took over the Bridge Inn, Whorlton, converting it into a classic English country inn renamed Fernaville's Rest.

March

TRIBUTES were paid to the 18th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, Michael Fergus Bowes Lyon, who died at the age of 58 from cancer.
He owned a large estate in Teesdale and was described as “never happier” than when he was in the dale.
Self confessed couch potato Matt Banner’s decision to ditch the junk food and get fit for the Great North Run in memory of his mum made him a local TV star. The 36-year-old, who works for Galgate News, in Barnard Castle, was selected from hundreds of runners by the BBC, who followed his progress in the months leading up to the world’s greatest half marathon.
It was in March that shock plans to close Forest of Teesdale Primary School were unveiled by Durham County Council.
A campaign to keep the school open – backed by the Mercury – was launched after staff and pupils said they were “devastated,” “shocked,” and “surprised” at the council’s proposals.
In an overwhelming show of support for the school, hundreds of people locally and further afield signed a petition calling on the council to abandon its closure plans.
A major fire at the derelict former St Peter’s School, at Gainford, resulted in part of the building being demolished.
Firefighters spent more than nine hours tackling the blaze, which has been empty for more than 15 years and has acted as a magnet for thieves and trespassers.
A freak accident stopped amateur actor Graham Fewell realising his dream of appearing on stage alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Mr Fewell broke his leg during rehearsals with colleagues from the Castle Players who had been chosen to be part of the RSC’s touring production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, at Northern Stage, in Newcastle.
A group of railway enthusiasts turned out for a meeting to discuss an ambitious idea to re-establish a line more than 50 years after services which operated across Teesdale were axed as part of the Beeching cuts.
Despite initial enthusiasm, the scheme was later dropped through lack of interest.

April

THE death was announced of Harry John Neville Vane, the 11th Lord Barnard, who passed away peacefully at home aged 92 surrounded by his family.
Tributes were received from far and wide, reflecting the range of people whose life he touched.
Langdon Beck Show chairman Neville Bainbridge summed up the feelings of many, saying: “His heart was in the upper dale. He was a true gentleman who really did care about people and his estate.”
He was succeeded by his son Henry Francis Cecil Vane.
Organisers of the Barnard Castle Meet announced that this year year’s celebrations would be scaled back due to a lack of volunteers.
The organising committee said the decision to cancel Castle Fest, an event featuring music, stalls, family fun, children’s games, workshops and refreshments in the castle grounds, had been taken “with great sadness”.
There was also sadness at the news Teesdale was to lose its last remaining United Reformed Church.
The small congregation of 25 members at the church in hall Street, Barnard Castle, decided to call it a day after funding applications to repair the building came to nothing.
With April drawing to a close, there was bad news in Ovington – efforts to replace the village’s maypole, blown down in November’s storms, had failed, all of which meant no dancing round the maypole.
Dale smallholder Katey Wallace received an eggs-traordinary surprise when one of her hens laid a giant egg.
At 8.5cm high, it is though to be just half a centimetre off the record for the tallest hen’s egg every laid in the UK.