Photo finish

Keen amateur photographers Ella Towers and Vicky Shepherd created a photo-finish with their competition entries for the best shot from Saltburn Valley's Pageant of Light. The judges, members of the Friends of the Valley, could not choose between Ella's picture of the lantern procession crossing the beck in Saltburn Valley Gardens or Vicky's shot of fire club swinger Cathie Sprague at the event which celebrated the end of British Summer Time in October. Friends secretary Lorna Moone said: "We were delighted with the quality of the photos, and in the end we couldn't separate these two, so they've shared first prize. This was the first year of the competition, but we'll definitely do it again next year."

Cleaning the beach in waves...

An army of volunteers, both young and old, headed to Saltburn beach on Saturday to take part in the 'Adopt a Beach' event organised by the Marine Conservation Society. Local volunteers, rounded up by Saltburn 500 Club, have been carrying out regular clean sweeps on the beach for the last eight years and this weekend's operation was as well supported as ever. The volunteers cleared bags of litter off the beach during the clean-up drive. Chris Terry, organiser of Saltburn Beach Watch, said: "Around 30 people usually take part. Not only does the rubbish spoil the beach for visitors, but it is dangerous to wildlife. The volunteers were asked to record the items they found, from plastic bottles to old shoes, sanitary and shipping waste. After the collection, the rubbish was weighed and categorised into sections and the data is sent to the Marine Conservation Society, Redcar and Cleveland Council and Northumbrian Water. Mr Terry said: "The survey helps us to keep track of any trends so that we can see where the problem lies."

This is exactly the sort of public-spirited action we need if we are to make the most of our area. It is a great event and helps to keep the beach clean - however the worst place for plastic waste and rubbish has got to be along the banks which are covered once again. No guessing as to where the problem lies here - it's all the result of the current methods of recycling!