Big Dippers

Despite the freezing conditions, people dressed up in costume and braved the ice cold waters at Saltburn for the annual festive charity fundraiser. The event, which has been running for 10 years, raises funds in the name of the late Saltburn man Jim Maidens, who was lost at sea in September 1998. The dip is organised each year by Bob George and Phil Anniss to raise money for the Redcar lifeboat and Great North Air Ambulance under the Jim Maidens Memorial Fund. Organiser Bob, who also takes part in the dip each year, said: "It's wonderful that everyone puts in the effort. I have to mention Ron and Kate Scott from the Ship Inn who have been great over the years. We meet there before the dip and they put on hot food for everyone afterwards. Nine of this year's 25 dippers are members of staff or their families from the Ship Inn."

Christmas Lights 2009

Seven-year-old Olivia Hume got Christmas festivities off to a good start in the town when she switched on the tree lights. Olivia, who attends Saltburn Primary School, was awarded the honours after winning a fire safety poster competition.

Parents and children sang carols round the tree before Santa arrived on his long wooden sleigh pulled by Saltburn firefighters. He was accompanied by two fire tenders which were lit up and decorated. Santa usually arrives on one of the fire tenders but this year the firefighters decided to make him a sleigh. It was designed by Les Turner and all 14 fire crew, plus their six new volunteers from Huntcliff School, helped make and decorate it.

Rigwood House enjoys its first ever Winter Wonderland

Nearly 200 people attended an event at Rigwood House as it hosted its first ever Winter Wonderland - complete with a polar bear, the Snow Queen's bicycle, trolls and spooky music.

The impressive outdoor show took place in the dimly lit woods surrounding the house, and consisted of various story-telling and performance-based pieces by trolls and tree sprites.
For many, the highlight of the evening was a life-sized polar bear, which is part of a performance by Bjorn and Ursula from Los Kaos. The realistic polar bear is on its way to the Sage Gateshead and will also appear on the Paul O'Grady show in the run up to Christmas.

View plans for Saltburn Valley Gardens Playground

Plans for a new playground in the Saltburn Valley Gardens will be on view at the town's library on Monday, November 30, from 2pm-5pm, with work due to start within weeks. The Council has received £1.1m from the Government's Playbuilder programme, with the funding from the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) via PlayEngland, to complete 11 new play sites by March next year and 12 more by March, 2011. Now the Council has invited The Children's Playground Company Ltd to organise an awareness session for everyone interested in the Saltburn scheme, including the Friends of Saltburn Valley and local schools. Visitors will see the plans for the facility, which will spread from the Cat Nab car park to the Donkey Field, including a zip wire, slides, climbing nets and water-based play. The Council's Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Tourism Councillor Sheelagh Clarke said: "These play areas won't be the conventional type - they are being deliberately designed to offer opportunities for challenging play. So we're looking for some really different concepts."We also want to emphasise we are determined to ensure the play spaces will be designed to enhance the natural settings and environment."

Improvement work at leisure centre

Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council is continuing its refurbishment programme for the Borough's leisure centres, lining up major improvement works for Saltburn Leisure Centre. The work is a mix of essential maintenance and improvements to the Centre's two pools, Energy Club and indoor bowling facility. It will mean the temporary closure of the Centre from Monday, November 30 - the last swimming session will be on Sunday, November 29 - reopening on Saturday, January 2. Managing director Paddy Corcoran explained: "We have opted for a December closure because statistics show it is the quietest time of the year. It's also been necessary close the whole building simply because of the volume of work that needs to undertaken and principally because we have to replace the centre's boilers. The work at the Saltburn centre, which opened in November, 1973, will upgrade the swimming pool chemical management system, re-grout both the adult 25m and baby pools and carry out extensive electrical work. It will also replace the bowls carpet in the dedicated bowls hall and improve the temperature controls of the Energy Club, converted from the Centre's squash courts.

Learning Campus officially opened.

Popular author and ex-school inspector Gervase Phinn spent a day at the new Saltburn Learning Campus leading writing workshops before officially opening the £15m building.
His visit marked the completion of the super campus, now home to almost 1,000 pupils, from primary children at Saltburn Primary to secondary students at Huntcliff School. Mr Phinn said: "I am very impressed with what I have seen. The school is cheerful, welcoming and all this has a massive effect on learning. It's an outstanding environment and thoughtfully designed, very modern and will serve the area well for generations to come."

The 500 Huntcliff students saw their new facilities develop on the same site over 15 months before moving in September last year, with all their major requests met - wide corridors, light, airy classrooms, all equipped with interactive white boards and computers.

Headteacher of Huntcliff School Ruth Mayes said: "We moved out of a 50-year-old school in July 2008. We've entered an exciting new era with school buildings fit for the 21st Century and are already feeling the benefit of the superb open spaces and access to ICT."

The 420 primary school pupils crossed the road this September to start lessons in the new building which links the primary school and its 39-place nursery with Huntcliff School and a children's centre with 40 daycare places.

The official opening ceremony saw Gervase Phinn unveil a foundation stone before completing a book-signing session. Mr Phinn then entertained an audience with anecdotes about his work at an evening performance.

A glass is raised...!

The first pint of the inaugural Saltburn Beer Festival has been pulled, with the vicar giving the event his blessing.
The Rev Guy Donegan-Cross had the task of drawing the first ale from the cask as the finishing touches were put to the festival in the hall at Emmanuel Church.
With 22 brands available, beer lovers were in for a treat with special glasses, a speciallycommissioned bottled beer and a display about the pier and other local history.
Many of the beers had an ecclesiastical theme, including Bishop’s Farewell, Monks’ Gold and Matins.
The festival also included live music from Fat Medicine on the first evening and a trio of musicians the following night. The event was held in the church hall in McNay Street.

Development Plans approved

A controversial plan to develop a prominent Victorian building has been approved.
Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council planning committee passed plans by a nine to three majority to build on land surrounding Brockley Hall, part of a conservation area.
A four-storey building containing 22 sheltered apartments will be constructed on the site, while a three-storey extension and single-storey sun lounge will be added to the hall.
The vote was met with exasperation from opponents of the plans who attended the meeting in Marske Leisure Centre.
The proposed development site is opposite the Valley Gardens and the war memorial.
David Knowles, of Saltburn Civic Society Steering Group, said: “At 15m in height, with a blocky construction, the development would dominate the immediate townscape. The design of the building is at odds with its Victorian neighbours. The development will erode Saltburn’s individuality and distinctiveness. This granting of planning permission for one development sets a precedent for subsequent applications, which could further damage the longterm image and prosperity of Saltburn. The open space at Brockley Hall contributes to the unique character of the town, providing an important setting for its historic buildings. We are obviously extremely disappointed. We have to ask who the councillors are representing here. Over 300 letters have been written and a petition with more than 1,000 signatures has been handed in, yet the plans were still approved. The only councillors who rejected the bids were from Saltburn, so what does that tell you? The people of Saltburn do not want this to be built.”
Another Saltburn resident added: “The council says that the new buildings won’t spoil the area surrounding this beautiful hall. I’d like to know how many of them have qualifications in design; they clearly know nothing. But who am I to say, I’m just a resident of Saltburn and clearly that doesn’t count for much.”
After a visit to the site, the chairman of the planning committee, Coun Brian Hogg, summed up the concerns which residents had brought to him.
He attempted to address them, but did concede that the Saltburn Civic Society Steering Group, which had played a large part in the protest, should have been more involved in the process.
In supporting the application, Coun Billy Ayre said: “The Victorian heritage of Saltburn is very important, but what would we be saying if we rejected this? That we can never build in Saltburn, that when buildings deteriorate over time we cannot restore them? We have to move with the times, otherwise what will be left for the future generations of the town?”
The planning committee passed the plans with a number of caveats, which included the forbidding of any windows being made from UPVC and the preservation of a downward pipe on the outside of the hall.

War Memorial at Risk

On the eve of Remembrance Sunday, MP Dr Ashok Kumar called for urgent repairs to be carried out on Saltburn’s war memorial.
Calling on the community, councils and local organisations to join forces to take action he warned that the historic war memorial, which is listed by English Heritage, is described as being officially at risk.
English Heritage says the memorial, near the town’s Glenside, has a “cross with open joints and cracking in its west arm. The surrounding paved area and retaining walls have suffered from subsidence and corrosion is affecting the bronze sculpture.”
The memorial, unveiled in November 1920, two years after the end of the First World War, is an arts and crafts-style obelisk with a bronze sculpture by Sir William Reynolds-Stephens, one of the founder members of the Society of British Sculptors and its president between 1921 and 1929.
Dr Kumar said: “I recently signed a House of Commons early day motion on the need to ensure that we look after our war memorials as monuments to those who have fallen in past wars, and those in the Armed Forces who face danger on active service today. The repair problems facing the Saltburn cenotaph are comparatively minor at the moment, but if they are not addressed, the monument will continue to deteriorate in the salty sea air which I guess is the cause of the corrosion. I feel that, at this time, as we move towards Remembrance Day, all of us representing the local community need to come together to see if we can formulate an action plan to both secure funding for the repairs to the memorial and to start to implement these repairs in time for the 2010 service. To that end, I will be inviting both Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council and Saltburn, Marske and New Marske Parish Council to join with me to see if we can devise ideas on how to make this actually happen.”
David Knowles, of Saltburn Civic Society’s steering group, said: “This is the kind of project that the society would be interested in, which is why people are working hard to get the group up and running. There are quite a few similar issues across the town and we would hope to be able to work with English Heritage and the council to protect landmarks.”
Coun Sylvia Szintai, cabinet member for the environment, said: “The council is aware of the need for repairs to a number of war memorials across the borough. We are in discussions with English Heritage about repairs for listed memorials, such as the one in Saltburn, and are looking at ways to fund these.”

Discolouration explained.

The reasons behind the discoloration of water running through a Saltburn stream is to be explained in a number of information boards.
Saltburn Gill Action Group (SGAG) has been working closely with the Environment Agency to develop ways of remedying the problem.
The two interpretation boards aim to inform people about the causes and effects of the ochre colouring to the water.
Jim Wingham, chairman of SGAG, said: "There have always been examples of rust coloured liquid at various points in the area, with the most serious example occurring in Skinningrove. In May 1999 a sudden break out in Saltburn Gill caused the stream to turn red brown in colour.
Since that time the stream has continued to be one of the most heavily polluted in the country. The pollution consists of iron oxide, or ochre, which, while not being poisonous, stifles almost all forms of insect and plant life. So as well as being unsightly, Saltburn Gill has become more or less dead."
The group has spent the last three years working alongside the Environment Agency to draw up plans to solve the problem.
The new boards have been erected in the Cat Nab car park in the town.

Quite up-lifting!

Saltburn's Victorian masterpiece - the Cliff Lift - is celebrating a record number of passengers as it prepares for the end of the season.
Despite a complete lack of acknowledgement or celebration of the lifts 125th anniversary this year by Redcar and Cleveland Council a bumper total of 120,223 people have enjoyed the journeys, from Good Friday, April 14, to Sunday, September 27, on what is Britain's oldest remaining water-balanced lift.
It will now revert to weekend openings, from 10am-1pm and 1.30pm-5pm, through October until the school half-term holidays, when it will be open daily, with a final closure date for the year on November 1.
Council Cabinet member for culture, leisure and tourism Councillor Sheelagh Clarke said: "This has been a remarkable year for the Cliff Lift. We had a good year last year, with just under 100,000 passengers. The best year was back in 2001, when over 112,000 people used the lift.
But that year it remained open until December to compensate for access problems because of the foot and mouth outbreaks and difficulties with the town's bankside footpaths. This year has definitely seen a massive influx of visitors to Saltburn. (Could this have anything to do with winning 'Pier of the Year' and a book recently published being set in the town we wonder?) Although the weather has not been memorable, the visitors have been flooding into the resort and this has been very good for the local economy. Now we're looking forward to more of the same for next year!"
The Cliff Lift has certainly continued to attract the attention of Saltburn's visitors - now that is up-lifting!

Northumbria in Bloom

Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council has praised communities across the Borough for their blooming good efforts in the annual Northumbria In Bloom awards.
The results of the 2009 Northumbria in Bloom competition were announced and presentations made at a ceremony in the Freeman's Quay Leisure Centre in Durham City on 14th September.
Over eighty entries reached gold standard in their class this year with judges looking for much more than pretty flowerbeds in spring andsummer. These days floral excellence is vital but not enough and permanent, sustainable planting involving trees and shrubs, conservation projects, cleanliness and year round community effort are all included in the final marks.
This year Saltburn was awarded the gold medal and Amberol Trophy for the Best Seaside Resort. Best conservation project and Gold Medal was awarded to Saltburn Valley Gardens. Best railway, bus or metro station: Saltburn Railway Station. Saltburn Gold Club was awarded a Gold Medal as one of the best kept sports premises. An RHS a Neighbourhood award was given to Laurel Road.
Locally Stanghow received Gold for the Best Small Village and Eston was awarded the Best Urban Community Award with Lingale being recognised as the most improved entry.
Both Stanghow and Eston have been selected to represent the North East in the prestigious 'Britain in Bloom' national competition.

New School Campus Opens

The new Saltburn Primary School opened its doors to pupils today. As the school’s Upleatham and Marske Mill bases completed their move to the new site at Saltburn Learning Campus, shared with Huntcliff Secondary School, headteacher Janet Richardson said she was delighted. She said: “Some of us were here in January 1992 when the infant and junior schools amalgamated, and we’ve been in two buildings ever since. So you can imagine our excitement at moving on to a single site.”
The school has also unveiled a new logo featuring Saltburn Pier, a compass, a book and the sun. It was designed by former pupil Thomas Chisholm, 11, now a student at Huntcliff School.
The school's new playground includes an amphitheatre and a pond with its own bridge, to allow for environmental studies.
The scheme is part of a £60m Government Primary Capital Funding programme that will see schools throughout Redcar and Cleveland updated. Redcar and Cleveland Council’s Cabinet member for children’s services and education, Councillor Ian Jeffrey said: “We are providing 21st century facilities for our children.”

Ravine rescue drama...

A Nunthorpe man whose dog fell 20 feet became the subject of a dramatic search and rescue operation himself after falling down a ravine in Saltburn Woods.
The 45-year-old, who made an emergency call from his mobile phone after falling, had been walking his dog in Valley Gardens when it fell down a steep slope and into a small ravine. He tried to get down to retrieve the dog but slipped himself and fell about 30 feet, sustaining serious injuries.

He landed in the shallow water of the beck that runs along a footpath close to Valley Gardens and Saltburn Woods. Cleveland Search and Rescue team, along with the Great North Air Ambulance, an RAF Sea King helicopter and Cleveland Police attended the scene after receiving the SOS call.

The Search and Rescue team used a stretcher to move the man to a suitable point where he could be safely winched into the helicopter. The team were up against considerable tree coverage in the Valley Gardens and gusting winds, but an effective winch was carried out and the man, who suffered back and leg injuries, was quickly airlifted to the accident and emergency ward of the James Cook University Hospital.

Plea to help clean up Saltburn beach.

Saltburn is being targeted as one of six key UK beaches in a surfers' clean-up tour.
Surfers Against Sewage and Barefoot Wine want people to roll up their sleeves to help make British beaches Barefoot Friendly! The SAS Barefoot Friendly Beach Cleaning Tour will visit Saltburn on August 2 as part of their tour which also includes Newquay, Croyde, Bournemouth, Llangennith and Brighton.
This year's campaign builds on the success of last year's effort, in which more than 400 people helped remove litter from Britain's coastline. SAS campaign officer Andy Cummins said "Marine litter is a huge problem all over the country and this tour gives beach-lovers a great opportunity to make a real and positive difference. It's vital that people take an interest, but it's also really important that people have fun doing it. The beach cleans we organise are enjoyable, educational and a great way to bring local people from all walks of life together."
Starting at 3pm, the session will kick off with a full introduction and briefing. Volunteers will be given gloves and a rubbish bag.
Clean-ups will be followed by a free BBQ for all volunteers from 5pm to 6pm.
Afterwards, there will be fun surf quizzes and free Barefoot wine at the Community Room, on the Lower Promenade.
Ali Feest, chief Barefooter, said: "Last year's campaign highlighted how many people care about British beaches and enjoy being an active part of a campaign to protect them." There are limited spaces for each tour stop. To book a free place contact Andy Cummins at SAS on 01872 555950 or email andy@sas.org.uk. Alternatively, write to him at SAS Unit 2, St Agnes, Cornwall, TR5 0RD.

It started with a kiss...

Jay Preller, 51, and fiancée Hazel Costin, 39, of Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, shared their first kiss on the town's Grand Pier back in 2007 and since then the couple have developed a love and fascination for one of Britain's most traditional seaside features.

So much so that they are now touring Britain to visit each of the 54 piers before getting married. The latest to have been visited - and kissed on - by the couple is Saltburn's very own award-winning pier.

Hazel, a teacher, said: "Of all the piers we have visited this is certainly one of the best. It's nice that it is so old fashioned. We've found that every pier is different - we're becoming real experts."

The couple met for the first time at the entrance to the Weston's Grand Pier, which was destroyed by fire last year. They started their tour a year later but once it has finished it won't be the end of the couple's pier antics. Next year, Jay and Hazel will be the first to get married on the re-built Grand Pier.

They will then sit down to write about their travels in a book.

"Neither of us have ever written a book or anything before so it will be a challenge," Hazel said."Hopefully in 10 years we will be able to tour them again - we have grown quite fond of them!"

Action plan for Sea Front

A meeting of the R&C council's Cabinet on Tuesday will be recommended to approve a two-year maintenance programme in a bid to get the Saltburn sea-front building, pictured above, fully operational.
The £212,000 action plan is yet another attempt to try and get the Lower Promenade building fully up and running, seven years after it was built.
The council took it over in 2002 after the community group that conceived it, the Saltburn Improvement Company, ran into difficulties.
The £600,000 building has two retail units - Charlie's Don't Surf and another which is currently under offer and hoping for a summer opening. It also houses the Seaview Restaurant, changing and shower rooms for surfers and a community room. Since its inception it has been dogged by damp problems, legal wrangling and allegations that it was turning into a "white elephant".
The council's Cabinet member for culture, leisure and tourism, Councillor Sheelagh Clarke, said: "There have been real difficulties with this development since it was delivered by the Saltburn Improvement Company and we need positive action. A lot of work has already been done in securing our control of the building and we believe its tenants appreciate we are moving forward with purpose. I am delighted we are very close to having the building fully let for the first time, but there remain problems."
A structural survey identified the building needs remedial works and an annual maintenance regime. It will cost £212,000 over two years. The first year will tackle structural issues, roof and damp problems. The second year's budget is earmarked for replacing shutters and tackling brickwork and decoration.
Cllr Clarke added: "The need for funding is paramount - if not, the building will remain in disrepair and with the limited maintenance budget currently available, the structural issues will not be addressed. The state of the building will inevitably deteriorate, so approval funding is essential to carry out the renovation to bring it back to an acceptable standard."

5 Pieces of Gold for Saltburn Biathlete

Charlie Pasco (pictured with coach Bill Cook, © Dan Hill) of Saltburn & Marske ASC, successfully competed in the 2009 Northern Region Biathlon and Triathlon Championships at Maiden Castle on 5th April. Charlie finished in first place in the Youth Group C category for both the biathlon and the triathlon, taking best shoot, run and swim all with personal best times (shoot 43, 100m swim 1.10, run 1000m 2.58). He has now qualified for the National Championships to be held in Macclesfield on 17th May.
Charlie is also a member of New Marske Harriers and takes shooting lessons from his granddad.

Singular and Unique - Freya North 'Secrets'

Best selling author Freya North celebrates Saltburn's uniqueness in her new novel:
Secrets. Would you share yours?

Whilst interweaving herself into the fabric of Saltburn both Tess and Joe explore their own personal growth and their developing relationship set against the enchanting house in which Tess and her daughter find themselves 'house-sitting'.

But don't be deceived. This isn't your usual 'set' romance. The book is full of sparky moments you'll find yourself re-reading. Individual, liberating, symbolic, a compulsive read. We all have secrets. Would you share yours?

"And now I mount above the sands,

And in amazement see

The mighty works now carried on

At Saltburn by the Sea.

I gazed delighted on the scene

And found it soon moved me,

To write a book, a little book

On Saltburn by the Sea."

John Farndale, 'A Guide to Saltburn by the Sea' 1862

Freya North gave up a Ph.D. to write her first novel, Sally, in 1991. For 4 years she turned deaf ears to parents and friends who pleaded with her to ‘get a proper job’. She went on the dole and did a succession of freelance and temping jobs to support her writing days. In 1995, throwing caution to the wind, Freya sent three chapters and a page of completely fabricated reviews to a top literary agent, and met with success: five publishers entered a bidding war for her books. In 1996 Sally was published to great acclaim and Freya was heralded as a fresh voice in fiction. Her next books, Chloe, Polly, Cat, Fen, Pip, Love Rules, Home Truths and Pillow Talk have all been bestsellers. She lives in London with her family. In 2008 Freya won the RNA award for ‘Romantic Novel of the Year’ with Pillow Talk.

http://www.freyanorth.com/

Rebecca Hilton

Saltburn Beach, April 2009

Pierrots? Christmas Day 2008

Pier scoops national award!

Saltburn's Victorian pier was today hailed the best in Britain. The pier - the last remaining pleasure pier on the North-East coast - beat resorts including Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight and Bangor in North Wales to scoop the Pier of the Year title.

It was runner-up in 2006 in the National Piers Society awards, and it has regularly featured in the top four from votes cast by the organisation's 600 members. This award comes hot on the heels of other successes including an award for the illuminations which light up the pier and cliff lift from dusk to midnight.
Friends of Saltburn Pier chairman Tony Lynn said: "A lot of work has been done towards saving the pier. It is something very dear to the heart of Saltburn people. It is so much part of Saltburn and we are so pleased to be recognised by the National Pier Society. They held their AGM here just after Saltburn Pier had been restored and the members were very impressed with what they saw."
The pier won the award due to its impressive design and unique features - simpilcity and quality restoration. An important feature is the lighting on the underside of the pier which reflects on to the waves and sand offering a unique experience for many people.
The pier itself has been plagued by misfortune since its opening in 1869 - incidents include the pier-end collapsing into the sea, a ship crashing through it in a storm and a section being removed to prevent German landings during World War Two, all of which gradually caused the length of the pier to diminish.

Norman Bainbridge - Saltburn's 'Mr Pier'

Norman Bainbridge, who died at the age of 83 in December 2005, was born and brought up in Saltburn and was the driving force behind the 'Friends of Saltburn Pier'. Ten years ago the future of the pier was under threat after it became apparent that it was in urgent need of reconstruction. When a bid for funding to restore it failed Norman, as founder member and chairman of the society, led a group of fellow enthusiasts to press for Government help as well as raising funds themselves.. He also worked closely with Redcar and Cleveland Council to lead the fight for survival and did much to help it win a £995,000 lottery grant to carry out the work that was needed to restore the pier.
Norman was very proud when the pier finally reopened to the public in July 2001 and was upgraded to a Grade 2* listed building. He was also proud when the pier lighting scheme was installed as the Friends had long pressed for this facility.
Five years later it won the annual Lighting Design Award for Transport Lighting following work under Redcar and Cleveland Council's Lighting Our Culture initiative. Norman was given the honour of switching on the lighting feature that illuminates the Pier, the Cliff Lift and the lower promenade.

Cliff Lift ready to go.

Saltburn's Victorian Cliff Lift is hoping to carry over 100,000 passengers on its up and down journeys when it starts operating again on Good Friday, April 10 th.
The lift's winter maintenance schedule has been successfully completed by the Council's Fleet Management workshop fitters assisted by the Cliff Lift Engineer Paul Wakeford in good time for the beginning of the new season.
Last year just under 100,000 visitors made the journey on the lift which links the town with Saltburn Pier and the lower promenade and sands.

The lift, which first opened in 1884, is now the oldest remaining water-powered system using the original technology in Britain.

From April 10th, the lift's operating hours will be 10am-1pm and 1.30pm-5pm, then from Saturday, May 23, the hours will be extended until 7pm with a one hour lunch break, from 1pm-2pm. Admission prices are 70p adults, 40p children, oaps 40p - free for Redcar & Cleveland pensioners, pushchairs/prams 40p.

War of the Roses?

A small grassed area in Laurel Close has proved to be contentious after Council workers moved in to dig it up in readiness to plant rose bushes.
Some residents, who want it kept as grass for the Close's small children to safely play on, were infuriated by the council's actions.
Louise Sutherland was among those who objected. Her children are among those who happily play there and, as Louise is blind, she says it's even more important that she can hear them playing safely close to home.
The council said the diggers had been sent in following complaints about children playing. The grass had been temporarily reinstated after Mrs Sutherland raised her objections.
Mrs Sutherland said the saga dates from 2006, when a poisonous bush was removed from the area and residents were allowed to grass the patch over. Her husband regularly mowed it and it became a popular place for toddlers to play safely. That prompted Louise to refuse requests to plant bushes there as part of the town's Saltburn in Bloom effort and she was told that nothing would be done to the grassed area without proper consultation.
" If people didn't want it, I'd have to accept that, but we should at least be properly asked our opinion. I don't think it's been handled very democratically".
Mrs Sutherland added: "If it's a choice between rose bushes and flowers or a safe environment for our children to play, I know what I'd choose."
A Redcar and Cleveland Council spokesperson said: "We have received complaints from some residents regarding the use of the area by children for playing. In direct response to this we began to prepare the area for planting. We have now made the decision to stop the preparation of the area and return it to its previous state so that further consultation with all residents can take place."

Capsized!

Redcar's lifeboats were called out to the rescue after a small boat capsized while ferrying its passengers to and from the shore at Saltburn.
The alarm was raised just before 5.30pm when a 7ft inflatable tender capsized while trying to reach shore to pick up the crew of a 34ft motor cruiser, which was anchored off the beach near Saltburn pier.
The Bay Dream III had sailed from Hartlepool earlier in the day. Its crew had left the craft to run ashore in the tender for a meal at the Ship Inn.
The motor cruiser's skipper, a Sheffield man, had successfully taken his wife back to the cruiser after the meal, and was returning to shore to pick up two more crew when the craft capsized.
Although unhurt, the skipper was unable to re-launch the tender because of heavy seas breaking on the shoreline, and called for help.
Redcar RNLI dispatched both lifeboats and transferred one crew member to the motor cruiser to be with the lone woman left on board. Another crew member managed to lift the craft's anchor and steered it into safer waters. Meanwhile the lifeboat picked up two more of the cruiser's crew to take them back to the vessel.
Finally the skipper was picked up and the tender towed back offshore.
Redcar RNLI spokesman Dave Cocks said: "The skipper was very lucky to be unhurt when his inflatable capsized. We had a major rescue at exactly the same spot last year when a large number of fishing boats capsized and a woman suffered a nasty head injury."

Body found

Following an alarm raised by a dog walker at about 9.30am this morning the body of a man, believed to be in his early thirties, was reclaimed from a spot about 60ft from the foot of cliffs between Saltburn and Skinningrove. The dead man's identity was expected to be confirmed by police later today.
In an operation involving Redcar's two lifeboats, the Staithes lifeboat as well as members of the Coastguard and police, the body was brought down to the base of the cliffs and transferred to the Redcar lifeboat. The location of the body made the operation particularly difficult but the teamwork of the volunteer crews successfully brought the body to the bottom of the cliff where it was transferred to a rescue craft.
The body was then landed at Redcar lifeboat station and handed into the care of the police.

Time capsule.

An intentional time capsule, purposely placed and intended to be opened one hundred years from now, has been buried on the site of Saltburn's new learning campus.
With the modern replacement for the old Huntcliff School now open pupils decided to mark the occasion by burying the capsule to commemorate the now demolished school's past.
They collected a host of items suitable for placing into a sealed metal box which they hope people might find interesting when the box is dug up.
Whoever opens it in 2109 should discover a brief snapshot of school life in Saltburn from 2009.
In addition to hundreds of photos, stamps, pencils, CDs, key rings, a Y11 group photo and money, scores of pupils filled in small index cards with their thoughts and feelings of life at the birth of the new school.
History teacher and project coordinator, Hannah Mohon, commented: "It's social history reflecting our students thoughts and how they feel about society and the world. A historian is like a detective and part of the fun of this has been compiling something that will be fun to unpack."
Local historians Cath and Tony Lynn helped to advise on what to include in the box.
Tony said: "When the old British School was built in the 1860s they buried some sort of time capsule, but when the school was bombed in World War Two they took the rubble away and the capsule has never been found. I think this story helped fire the schools imagination to create their own time capsule."

According to time capsule historian William Jarvis, most intentional time capsules usually do not provide much useful historical information: they are typically filled with "useless junk", new and pristine in condition, that tells little about the people of the time. Many buried time capsules are lost, as interest in them fades and the exact location is forgotten, or are destroyed within a few years by groundwater. Let's hope that this capsule endures the test of time and is more successful than it's earlier counterpart.

Crawl, slither and slide... up close and personal!

Saltburn children have recently experienced the chance to get close to some special rodents and reptiles during their science lessons. The Zoolab Tour is visiting schools as part of the University of Teesside's Meteor Scheme, bringing along a snake, giant snail, cockroach, rat and a frog. As well as being able to handle the animals the pupils learned about the vital role that sunlight plays in our lives and how the animals fit into the food chain.

During its two week run the university's Meteor programme aims to inspire pupils to think about the benefits of higher education.

Bath Spa Express

Seats are still available for this years luxury return train trip from Saltburn to Bath.
Saltburn Railtours' Bath Spa Express, from July 3-6, will see up to 276 people whisked south on a Pullman-style service, recreating the heyday of classy train travel.
Tickets for the trip are £395, and also include accommodation in a choice of three or four-star hotels and an excursion to Longleat.
Trip organiser, Loftus GP Rob Dallara, says the annual Saltburn Railtours trip is usually sold out by now, but the credit crunch is biting.
He said: "It's a lot more than just a train ride."
To book, call 01287 625956, 07813 841496 or write to Flat 10, Zetland Ct, Dundas Street, Saltburn, TS12 1GA. For details visit http://www.saltburnrailtours.co.uk/

SHINE at the Wellbeing Centre

The official launch of a community interest company called SHINE, a new start social enterprise formed by the collective action of ten skilled and accredited therapists and trainers, is to be held at 2pm, on Friday, February 27 at The WellBeing Centre, 6A Station Road, Saltlburn-by-the-Sea, TS12 1AE.
All founder members of SHINE have experience of working in a range of contexts and a variety of client groups within the NHS and the 3rd Sector.
Following a short presentation outlining the main aims and objectives of SHINE, attendees from organisations across Tees Valley will have the opportunity to participate in three informal discussion groups on themes that are high on the current Government Agenda i.e 1) Worklessness, 2) Substance Misuse and 3) The Improved Access to Psychological Therapies Programme currently being implemented according to NHS guidelines.
SHINE members believe that the company is in a good position to offer partnership work in these three areas with some of the main providers within the public, independent and 3rd sectors across Tees Valley.
SHINE is committed to enhancing the psychological well-being of people in the community and provides an integrative, holistic therapeutic service to meet individual needs.
The company aims to provide rapid and alternative access to treatment services for people experiencing physical and mental distress by offering a range of psychological services and complementary therapies on a 1:1 basis, training courses/workshops linked to personal development e.g anger management, anxiety/depression, confidence building, drug/alcohol awareness, health and diet, motivational interviewing and stress management and clinical supervision for staff in a variety of professions.
For further information on this event please contact SHINE at the WellBeing Centre on 01287-204400.

New Exhibition at Saltburn Artists Gallery

Running until March 8, CLOUD, the new exhibition by Saltburn Artists' Project features the work of Govinda Sah and Georgina Vinsun.
The gallery is open Wednesday to Sunday, noon-4pm. There will be an artist's talk on February 7 from 2-4pm when Govinda Sah will be talking about his arts practice and his work in the current exhibition.
A children's workshop is also being held on February 14 from 10am-noon when visitors can work with local artist Kathryn Wren to create their own pieces of art based on the current exhibition. Open to children aged eight and upwards, the event is free.
Details on 01287 626060.

Cliff Lifts new engineer

Saltburn Cliff Lift's newly-appointed engineer Paul Wakeford is delighted to be at the controls of the Victorian masterpiece - and is even ready to offer on-board entertainment during wet weather. Paul, who reckons he now has his "dream job" after enjoying several summer seasons of part-time work on the Cliff Lift, will also bring his musical talents to the job, with a spot of banjo playing on rainy days. Paul, 57, explained: "I love the Cliff Lift and this is my dream job. It's a tourist attraction, part of Saltburn's heritage and being here makes me feel part of the town. I intend to be here until I'm at least 65, even longer if I'm fit and able."
Middlesbrough-born Paul has lived in Saltburn since 1993 and has had three spells since then working on the lift as a seasonal brake person in between a varied working life after deciding to call time on 18 years as a motor mechanic. He has fond early childhood memories of the Cliff Lift, but admits: "I think it was two pence up and one penny down and my dad would say, 'I'll see you at the bottom, you walk down!' So as a kid, I don't think I ever used it!"His first journey didn't come until he joined the workforce in 1994 - then he got a shock. "I expected the lift to be driven from the bottom - I thought the top was just a ticket office. I didn't realise it was driven from there, didn't know how it worked. And the banjo playing? A self-employed busker at one time, he brought the banjo along when he worked the summer "and played it when the weather was rotten!" said Paul who is currently busy on winter maintenance before the Lift reopens on Good Friday, April 10.

Deeply Dippy

Scores of swimmers took the plunge at the regular annual New Years day dip in Saltburn. As the chill winds swept in from the sea they stripped off - or paraded dressed in fantastic costumes before taking to the waters.
At Saltburn the main support was for the the Saltburn Animal Rescue Association (SARA), which has acquired a new site for its work with strays and abandoned pets.
Association chairwoman, Ann Prosser, said a string of dogs and cats had been taken in over the Christmas period.
"We hope to raise between £500-£600 from the dip," she said.
"We are grateful for all those who turned up to take part plus the volunteers and all those who help - dog walkers, kennel cleaners, everyone."