Saltburn's hugely popular Cliff Lift, one of the areas biggest tourist attractions, welcomes its
first ever apprentice in time for the summer season.
Learning the ropes at the unique attraction is eager apprentice, 18 year old Ryan Mapp, who will be working at the Cliff Lift for the coming year.
The water-balanced lift, an iconic piece of engineering, has been in operation since 1884 and is believed to be the oldest working funicular of its kind in the UK.
Ryan, whose apprenticeship is through Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council with day releases at
Middlesbrough College, spoke of his unique experience and said that one of his favourite parts of the job is the people he gets to meet every day.
He said: “I’m really enjoying it; I get to meet lots of new and friendly people, many of them have never seen anything like the lift.”
Ryan added: “The skills I’m learning on this apprenticeship will be invaluable for when I become an
engineer one day.”
In the summer season Ryan’s job is customer service based, and he can often be seen on the tracks carrying out daily inspections with a member of staff prior to opening. In the winter months he will be working with Cliff Lift engineer, Paul Wakeford, assisting with the winter maintenance programme.
The Cliff Lift now welcomes volunteers to help with the daily running of the Saltburn attraction,
including Stella Coombe who works on Tuesday's.