Saltburn TIC gets a gold Sea Safety award

Saltburn's Tourist Information Centre is one of the best in the country when it comes to offering advice and information about sea safety. The centre in the town's Station Square has been awarded the Coastguard's Sea Smart Safety gold award, one of only nine awarded nationwide, recognition of 'going beyond the call of duty.' Safety posters, leaflets and children's name tags are all part of the Centre's service, operated by Redcar and Cleveland Council, which passed scrutiny on a 'secret shopper' visit during the summer. The Council's Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Tourism Councillor Dave Fitzpatrick said:"We're delighted that the work of our staff has been recognised nationally. It's a deserved honour for them and another accolade for the Council's services in Saltburn." Centre manager Judith Bullock said:"We've had a really busy summer, with hundreds of people through the door, many asking for advice and information about the beach, which we're only too happy to provide." Volunteer coastguard Paul Waugh, the deputy station officer at Skinningrove, who presented the certificate to the Centre manager, was the Coastguard's undercover man. He said:"The staff are always friendly and helpful, it's a smashing facility, well-used and very well run." Chief Coastguard Peter Dymond commented:"These awards really demonstrate the great work that Tourist Information Centres do. They are a vital source of coastal safety information."

Business Regeneration Appointment

Saltburn Agora Parnership has announced the appointment of a Business Development Manager for Saltburn. Stephanie French, a Saltburn Resident, has been appointed to the post that is funded by the Tees Valley Partnership and based at the Groundwork office in Saltburn. She said, " I am delighted to be appointed to this post and make a contribution to my local community. Saltburn is a very special place with enormous potential." Saltburn is one of eight pilot communities selected by Manchester Metropolitan University and the Association of Town Centre Management as part of the Agora project, which is part funded by the European Social Fund Programme. This project aims to reverse economic decline on the high street by ensuring town centres are run to serve the needs of their local communities. Stephanie's role will be to co-ordinate and promote retailers, community groups and local publicity material to attract visitors and shoppers to Saltburn. This will help to fulfil the aim of Agora, which is to create a booming vibrant town that is attractive to both local people and tourists, where tourists shop and locals enjoy the facilities of the town. She said: "Saltburn is full of hidden treasure, it's time to rediscover it and for all to enjoy it." The first Agora activity will be the Christmas speciality market, organised by Real Meals, on Saturday 25th November at the Station Square in Saltburn, starting at 10a.m. and continuing throughout the day and early evening as the town prepares to switch on the Christmas lights. To date the Agora committee has formed a partnership with 40 local businesses to promote Saltburn and it's business community. The number of businesses in the partnership will expand over the coming months. Saltburn is looking forward to an exciting new future.

Remembrance Service

The annual Remembrance Day parade and service at Saltburn Cenotaph on Sunday November 12 will be changed a little this year to reflect the age of ex-servicemen and women taking part. Instead of marching from Somerfield's car park to Emmanuel Church and then on to the cenotaph in Glenside, the parade will march from the church after a service there. As well as ex-service members, many of whom are now in their eighties, the marchers include Army cadets, members of the local Scout and Guide groups and community members. The parade will assemble outside Emmanuel Church at 9.45am. The 10.00 am service will then be followed by the 300yd march to the War Memorial for the wreath laying ceremony. The parade will disperse after the open-air service at the cenotaph.
Armistice Day itself on Saturday November 11 will be marked by two minutes' silence in Saltburn town centre. A whistle will be blown just before the hour by Ned Atkinson, of Saltburn and District Royal British Legion, to invite passers-by to pause for the traditional two minutes.

Redcar's Day of Atonement

The summer of 2006 will long be remembered as a time when Redcar returned to the 1940's and turned into Hollywood by the Sea. It is anticipated that 12 minutes of stunning wartime action will be included when the blockbuster film 'Atonement' hits the screens next year following weeks of preparation and three hectic days of filming.
The Regent Cinema is planning to order a red carpet of a regional premier and the prospect of the movie's stars - Keira Knightly and James McAvoy - coming to town.
The scale of the set took everyone's breath away and the preparation work to turn Redcar into 1940s Dunkirk involved the removal of street lighting, street furniture, litter bins, road signs, and the Esplanades famous penguins. It is estimated that 70,000 visitors came to view the set.
There were 300 crew, 1000 extras, all recruited locally and earning £50 a day and 40 assorted vehicles, a bandstand, a carousel, and a massive boat.
Location manager Adam Richards was full of praise for the help and support from everyone, including Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, which ensured that filming was a positive experience.(Photos © Dennis Weller)

An Epic Read. You've seen the film set now read the book! On the hottest day of the summer of 1935, 13 year old Briony Tallis sees her sister Cecilia strip off her clothes and plunge into the fountain in the garden of their country house. Watching her is Robbie Turner, her childhood friend who, like Cecilia, has recently come down from Cambridge.
By the end of the day the lives of all three of them will have been changed forever. Robbie and Cecilia will have crossed a boundary they had not even imagined at its start and will have become the victims of the younger girl's imagination. Briony will have witnessed mysteries and committed a crime for which she will spend the rest of her life trying to atone.

Reserve a copy of Ian McKewan's 'Atonement' in the library or buy a copy from Amazon.

Pageant of Light

Hundreds of school children took part in craft workshops organised by Saltburn Valley during half Term bafore taking part in it's procession of music and light to mark the end of British Summer Time. Work began with the creation of banners for the Pageant of Light, followed by workshops on making mini-beast lanterns, percussion instruments and bee head-dresses. Neil Thirkell, Countryside Ranger, said: "The workshops have been successful and proved very popular as we have had around 200 children per day making it worthwhile." All proceeds from the donation boxes on the night have been given to the Friends of the Valley

Photo Competition for Pageant of Light

Amatuer photographers are invited to submit entries to a competition to find the best images of Saltburn’s ‘Pageant of Light’, which will be held this Sunday (29 October). All entries will be displayed in Saltburn Library. The winner will receive a large framed print of their winning entry and the picture will be published on the front page of the next edition of the Council’s magazine for residents ‘River Coast and Country’.The event is being organised in conjunction with Friends of the Valley Community Group who will also judge the competition. Entries should be submitted to: Dawn Raw, Countryside Section, Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council, Fairway House, Limerick Road, Redcar, TS10 5JU, by Friday 10 November, please include name and address. The competition is open to all ages, entries cannot be returned. The ‘Pageant of Light’ marks the end of British Summer Time with a procession of music and light. The procession will start at 5.30pm from Cat Nab car park and finish at Saltburn Woodland Centre. (In taking photographs, the Council would request that you respect the privacy of individuals, families and/ or children and do not take photographs identifying these persons or gain written permission. By sending photographs of yourself/ your child(ren) into the Council, you give consent to the Council to the free use of these photographs in various publications and promotional material.)

Pool - ing of resources?

Residents were today preparing to fight to save three East Cleveland swimming pools amid fears they could be replaced with a single super-pool. The controversial proposals, which could see the closure of pools at Guisborough, Loftus and Saltburn, could also see the amalgamation of some leisure centres across Redcar and East Cleveland. They form part of a new tendering process to find the firm to run the borough's leisure centres. But Peter Clifford, a founder of Loftus Athletic Club, who has been involved in local sport for 30 years, said: "This is a public outrage. Thousands of people use the pools at Loftus, Saltburn and Guisborough. It appears that consideration is being made to close these baths and put a super-pool in their place. The obvious place to put that would be Redcar. It seems the only way the borough council has of dealing with public services is to close them. Amalgamation, in users' eyes, will mean closure. This could mean the number of baths in the borough being reduced from five down to two. I will be lobbying for all-party support against this and to bring it further out into the open. All users will be horrified by these proposals. Dave Fitzpatrick, Redcar and Cleveland Council's lead member for culture, leisure and tourism, confirmed that suggestions had been put forward but said further details could not be disclosed for legal reasons. He said: "Currently, these centres are run by Tees Valley Leisure, but their contract is coming to an end. Four companies, including TVL, are in the running. Some have suggested that some leisure centres be amalgamated. But amalgamation doesn't necessarily mean closure - it could mean relocation of resources. There is also a suggestion for a big swimming pool for East Cleveland, instead of having three others at Guisborough, Loftus and Saltburn." He added, "There has been a series of suggestions and a lot of these firms are looking at East Cleveland where some of the facilities are dilapidated. They want to improve services to the public and the structures of the buildings. The council will consider all options and there will be a two-year period before a final decision is made."